May/June 2012

Formerly City Palate

The flavour of Edmonton’s food scene | May June 2012 | thetomato.ca

Georgia on my mind Daniel Costa, corso 32 spring menu Natural wine by Alice Feiring

PRESENTS

No.2

2012

LOBSTER FEST D’S THINKIN’ SURF & TU RAL RF E G

2:00pm - 6:00pm

INCLUDE STEAK & LOBSTER

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY ADVANCE TICKET SALES ONLY CAMPUS 7128 ADA BLVD PURCHASE TICKETS OR TABLES OF 10 ONLINE

concordia.ab.ca/lobsterfest

In support of student scholarships & bursaries

FRESH AIR. FRESH FARE. Edmonton’s year round downtown farmers’ market returns to 104TH Street.

May 19 until October 6 Saturdays: 9am - 3pm city-market.ca

editor Mary Bailey marybee@shaw.ca

Contents Features

publisher BGP Publishing

copy editor Amanda LeNeve

designer Bossanova Communications Inc.

contributing writers Peter Bailey Daniel Costa Alice Feiring Judy Schultz Karen Virag

illustration/photography Mary Bailey Curtis Comeau Photography Heidi Jaksland Kvernmo Amanda LeNeve NAIT Gerry Rasmussen To Be In Pictures

design and prepress Bossanova Communications Inc.

printer Transcontinental

distribution The Globe and Mail For editorial inquires, information, letters, suggestions or ideas, contact The Tomato at 780-431-1802, fax 780-433-0492, or email marybee@shaw.ca.

For advertising information call 780-431-1802.

the tomato is published six times per year: January/February March/April May/June July/August September/October November/December

by BGP Publishing 9833 84 Avenue Edmonton, AB T6E 2G1 780-431-1802

10 12 18 27 28

Standing the Heat NAIT Boot Camp

Spring Menu Daniel Costa, corso 32

Georgia on my Mind No, not that Georgia | Mary Bailey

Making Fruit Wine A conversation with two local producers | Mary Bailey

Spring’s Colour Mary Bailey

Departments

5 6 8 16 20 22 24 26 30

Dish Gastronomic happenings around town

In Season Talking asparagus with Elna Edgar | Mary Bailey

Feeding People Please DO eat the lavender! | Karen Virag

Beer Guy The Melancholy Weed | Peter Bailey

The Proust Culinary Questionnaire Massimo Capra, NAIT 2012 Hokansen Chef in Residence

Drink It’s Only Natural | Alice Feiring

Kitchen Sink What’s new and notable

Wine Maven According to Judy That’s a-Moreish | Judy Schultz

Cover: Alaverdi Monastery, Georgia, Mary Bailey photo.

Subscriptions are available for $25 per year.

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The Tomato | May June 2012 3

Coming soon!

July/August: A woman in the vineyard.

Eat your vegetables!

How to start a fire with a stick, and other culinary camping tricks.

Now That’s Italian!

Bakery • Deli • Produce Specializing in European Products

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gastronomic happenings around town |

We have fallen hard for the man cave/cabin in the woods vibe and the house party-friendly bar of the brand new Three Boars (8424 109 Street, 780-757-2600). Seeing the holy trinity of Victoria gin, Campari and red vermouth (Negroni mixins’) standing next to each other on the back bar was a harbinger of good things to come. Thank you front of house guy Check Elves. The food so far? Delish! The kitchen works with off cuts and small plates: Marsala lamb neck with roast potato, kale, nocellara olive and lemon; oxtail poutine.

Exec chef Brayden Kozak has assembled a group of crazy-for-flavour cooks: Kevin Ostapek, Jimmy Frost and Phillipe Lament, who had spent three years with Martin Picard.

“I needed a team who were capable and willing to put in their two cents, I begged these guys to come work here. What can I say? They’re food nerds,” says Brendan.

For the full story of Three Boars up until now visit thetomato.ca

the world in 80 bites

Amanda LeNeve photo

three boars rocks!

Yes, that's a cardboard boar presiding over the goings-on at Three Boars.

Look out Ms Vicky and Mr Lay, there’s a new chip in town. Some very proper British chips (or shall we say crisps, as they do across the pond) have made it to our shores. Salty Dog and Darling Spuds are hand-cooked by dog lovers Judy and Dave Willis. Both crisps (Salty Dog comes in a host of flavours) are crispy and potatoey with a pleasing balance of salt and oil. Which do Labrador puppies prefer? Watch the video at thetomato.ca. Available at Sandy View Farms, The Wired Cup, Wild Earth Foods and probably a host of other locations post invasion.

The British are coming!

destination: food

Amanda LeNeve photo

butter my prawn Must try: butter prawn with shredded egg floss at the new East Old Town Chinese (16049 97 Street, 780-457-8833) in north Edmonton. Expect flavourful Malay-style Chinese food, such as KL (Kuala Lumpur) Hokkien noodle, three flavour ribs and black rice pudding. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

East is a new project by Richard Lim with chef Nathin Bye from Wildflower — it’s clever, inventive tasty food. We’re also thrilled that Nathin will be a Gold Medal Plates (GMP) competitor this fall. He was Edmonton’s champion in 2009 — the youngest ever competitor at the Canadian Culinary Championships that year — and placed just a hair off the podium. Bravo!

Plan to taste The World in 80 Bites during a walking tour May 16, featuring the cuisine of Asia and Africa. “The evening provides a gateway into cuisines that people are curious about but haven’t tried,” says Amy Wilson, exec director of the North Edge Business Association. The tour includes Vietnamese at Pho Huong and Mama’s Pizza, Somali food at African Safari, then, toothsome Filipino delicacies at Fat Jakks. “Our association wants to promote the many great restaurants in the North Edge, which is a Business Revitalization Zone in the Central McDougall and Queen Mary Park communities,” says Amy. The World in 80 Bites Walking Tour, $30 (doesn’t include drinks and gratuity), rain or shine. Tickets: northedgebiz.com.

For a chance to wine free tickets, visit thetomato.ca

the new british invasion: crisps

get into the spear–it at edgar farms Love asparagus? Join the Edgar family for Get into the SPEAR IT of Spring!

Asparagus Festival. Enjoy tastings with chefs Andrew Winfield and Darren Nixon, along with a reading and book signing by dee Hobsbawn-Smith, author of Foodshed: An Edible Alberta Alphabet. The kids will enjoy the petting zoo, hayrides, playing in the bale fort and a chance to meet Mr. Aspara-gus.

June 2/3, 10am – 5pm, rain or shine, $5/person or $20/family, under three free.

Directions: Exit 365 West off QE#2. Follow signs to Cottonwood Road, then 10 Km west.

dish

Richard Lim and Nathan Bye

Multi-use Prepara Oil mister

Downtown’s 104 Street is becoming one of the city’s more interesting gastronomic destinations.

The City Market (Saturdays,10am-3pm) moves back into the fresh air on May 19. City Hall was good, but outdoors is better. The new Pangea Market (main floor Icon Tower) is now open, and will be fully stocked by June with organic vegetables supplied by Halwa Farms, supplements, packaged goods, organic dairy and a deli. We’re all intrigued

by Evoolution (beside Lit wine bar), an olive oil and specialty vinegar tasting bar. As usual, with the interior not even at drywall stage at press time, most of our info is coming from the construction crew. Check tomato.ca for further developments.

play misty for me “I love my mister,” says Stasia Nawrocki, Dansk.

“I fill it with oil to mist my slices of baguette for bruschetta or fill it with home-made salad dressing for a nice even coating of the salad leaves.” You can also use it for greasing pans or spraying roasts.

Prepara Oil mister, various colours, $25 at Dansk.

The Tomato | May June 2012 5

in season

| mary bailey

Talking asparagus with Elna Edgar, Edgar Asparagus “So far it’s looking the same as it has all winter. The field isn’t dry enough yet to take off the old fern.”

Elna Edgar is talking about the patch of what she describes as a quirky member of the lily family on the Edgar family farm near Innisfail. To call it a patch, from one acre in 1986 to 28 acres now, is a bit of a misnomer. “Our daughter Keri and her husband Randy were able to come back to the farm in 2007 due to the asparagus.”

www.toolsforcooks.ca The Enjoy Centre 101 Riel Drive, St. Albert

www.prairiebistro.ca The Enjoy Centre 101 Riel Drive, St. Albert

It wasn’t always this way. The Edgars operate a mixed Alberta farm: a cow/calf operation; wheat, barley and canola; 15 acres in peas, broad beans, rhubarb and green and yellow beans — all hand picked, and they produce several delicious relishes, pickles and pie.

“In 1986 we started looking into growing asparagus on our farm. They were testing it at the government station in Brooks. Their verdict? It wasn’t a commercially viable crop in Alberta. And, really it isn’t.

“Peru is the best place in the world to grow asparagus for volume. We went there to see how they do it.

They pick when the price is high, for about six weeks. Price drops, they stop picking, and let the plants fern for about eight weeks.

By that time the price is up again and they’ll start picking again for three to four weeks.

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“Our climate doesn’t allow that.

We pick for six weeks. We’ll start sometime in May anywhere from

the 5th to 25th depending on the year, then we have to stop picking at the end of June. The plants have to go to fern stage and have at least eight frost-free weeks developing ferns to get through the winter. Our climate also means the asparagus tastes better. Our cool nights and slow growth produces asparagus that is jam packed with flavour.”

Along with poor yields, at least by world standards, there’s the labour.

“It’s a huge cost”, says Elna. ”We have 15 people here everyday for eight-10 hours a day. In Peru, their economy is such that people are delighted to work for a dollar.”

After being told it wasn’t commercially viable, the Edgars developed an acre in asparagus, which they sold at central Alberta markets.

“We had 250 pounds of surplus that we wanted to sell. We didn’t know what to do with it so we thought: let’s try Edmonton. People threw money at us. At the end of the day I went to the manager of the market, and said ‘We’re going home to plant more asparagus. We’ll be back in five years with enough to supply this market.’ ”Really, if it wasn’t for Edmonton, we would not be growing asparagus.”

And we asparagus-loving Edmontonions would be much poorer for it.

Mary Bailey likes her asparagus raw.

Where to find Edgar Asparagus Old Strathcona: May 5 with asparagus, maybe, pickles, relish and soup for sure. City Market 104 Street: May 19 until end of the asparagus season.

Callingwood Market: dates TBA depending on when the crop comes up.

Sherwood Park Baseline: Wednesday nights from mid-July with vegetables and preserves at the Innisail Growers stand. Edgar Farms Asparagus Festival: Get into the ‘SPEAR IT’ of Spring! June 2-3.

More information in DISH, page 5.

Local asparagus rarely needs to be peeled or have the tough ends broken off. Cooking times are approximate, as it depends on the age of the asparagus. Edgar asparagus generally blanches in 1-2 minutes and cooks on the barbecue or in the oven in about 10 minutes, give or take.

Boiling or even steaming local asparagus can lead to limp spears and that stewed vegetable smell in your kitchen. Blanching is good if you plan to serve asparagus with hollandaise, use it in a fritatta, or wrap some sort of fancy ham around the spears.

Otherwise grill, roast, or cook in a skillet to bring out the sweet earthy flavours.

roasted asparagus Roasting asparagus spears is quick, easy and doesn’t need constant attention.

Garnishes could be shavings of Parmigiano (try another grana cheese such as Grizzly Gouda, Manchego or Piave del Vecchio to switch it up) along with a drizzle of precious balsamico, chopped egg and lemon zest, or toasted breadcrumbs with Parma ham.

1 bunch

Edgar asparagus

extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

fresh lemon juice and zest

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, toss to coat.

Spread the asparagus in a single layer and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast the asparagus for 10 to 15 minutes, until tender crisp.

To serve, place asparagus attractively on a platter and top with accompaniments of choice.

300g

Parmigiano Reggiano

4 T

unsalted butter

kosher salt and black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus for approx.

1-2 minutes or until cooked al dente.

Run under cold water to stop cooking and to keep brilliant green colour. Toss the asparagus in a large bowl with the olive oil, lemon and a large pinch of salt. Season to taste with more lemon and salt.

Heat a 12-inch non-stick frying pan over low-medium heat. Add the butter.

Once the butter is melted add the eggs, season with a pinch of salt. Cook the eggs until the whites just set up (sunny side up).

Divide the asparagus evenly among 4 plates. Spoon a little of the olive oil and lemon left from the mixing bowl over the asparagus. Place 1 egg on top of each plate of asparagus. Grate the cheese over top of the asparagus and egg. Drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil, crack a little black pepper over. Serve immediately.

classic asparagus with hollandaise Hollandaise is considered one of the French mother sauces — automatically scary for most home cooks. It’s actually really easy to make, but you must pay attention and have a good whisk. Tips: Have all ingredients and equipment ready to go. Make it ahead to ease anxiety or make a blender version, but never, ever make from a mix. That would be a disservice to your asparagus.

½ lemon

Pour the hollandaise sauce over the warm asparagus and serve.

If making ahead, set the bowl over warm water, and keep sauce warm, whisking occasionally, up to 30 minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick, whisk in 1 teaspoon of warm water at a time to thin.

This is similar to a tart made by the Dauphine Bakery.

to blanch asparagus

1 T

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add asparagus and cook until tender-crisp and bright green, 1½-2 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain, then immediately plunge into a large bowl of ice water; set aside to cool, 2-3 minutes. Drain again, transfer to a clean dishtowel, pat dry. Set aside.

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into ¼-inch-thick slices, reserving tips

the titanic asparagus salad with champagne-saffron vinaigrette

1 T finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves (optional)

Adapted from Last Dinner on The Titanic.

16-20

fresh asparagus spears

¼ t

saffron threads

1 T champagne vinegar (use lemon juice if cannot find champagne vinegar)

3 large egg yolks, room temperature

3 T

extra virgin olive oil

pinch sugar

4½ t

sea salt and white pepper

fresh lemon juice

sea or kosher salt and white pepper

extra virgin olive oil

asparagus goat cheese tart with tarragon

Dijon mustard

“This is my favourite way to serve Edgar Farms asparagus,” Daniel Costa, corso 32

8 T

Whisk in melted butter, one drop at a time, leaving milky solids behind.

½ t

12 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled

4 duck eggs (Greens Eggs and Fam) or chicken eggs (Four Whistle Farms)

yellow). Stir in the vinegar, mustard and pinch sugar. Whisk until smooth, and then whisk in oil. Keep whisking until it forms an emulsion. Season.

Toss with the asparagus. Arrange greens on 4 plates and arrange spears over. Serve immediately.

hollandaise sauce

asparagus milanese

24 spears fresh asparagus

Set bowl over the pan filled with barely simmering water and heat the yolk mixture over low heat, whisking vigorously, until thickened about 2 to 3 minutes (do not overcook). Remove bowl from heat and whisk in the lemon juice.

warm water

Place a pan filled with water on the stove and heat until barely simmering.

Pour yolks into a large glass bowl.

Whisk until they turn pale, about 1 minute. Whisk in 4½ t warm water.

4 hndsful fresh lettuce greens Snap off the woody ends of the fresh asparagus spears and discard. Plunge the asparagus into salted boiling water and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until crisp/tender. Drain under cold water to set the colour and stop cooking.

Soak saffron strands in a few teaspoons of boiling water. Let it stand for a few minutes, until the saffron softens (you'll find the water turns

1 sheet

frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 bunch scallions (white and pale green parts only), sliced thin (about ¾ c) butter

3

large eggs

½ c

goat cheese

1 c

milk

sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F. with a baking sheet on lowest rack.

Roll out pastry on a floured surface into a 16-inch square and fit into an 11-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim.

Roll a rolling pin over top of tart to trim pastry flush with top of rim. Chill.

In a small skillet, cook onion in butter over moderate heat, until transparent.

Reserve. Sauté asparagus in the same pan until crisp-tender. Reserve.

Blend eggs, goat cheese and milk in a food processor. Add tarragon and pulse custard to combine. Season to taste.

Spread onions and asparagus on pastry shell with tips arranged decoratively on top. (like a clock, for example). Pour custard slowly over vegetables.

Place tart pan on the heated sheet in oven for about 15-20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375°F and bake tart until set, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer tart pan to a rack. Remove rim of the pan and serve tart warm or at room temperature. Makes 12 generous slices.

Please see ”Asparagus“ on page 23

The Tomato | May June 2012 7

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1.

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Please DO eat the lavender!

And you thought lavender was only good for freshening ladies’ panty drawers!

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Well, it is good for that, but people have been using lavender in food preparation probably for as long as they have been making soap and sachets with it — it’s said, for example, that Elizabeth I decreed that the royal table should never be without lavender conserve and therefore she ordered her gardeners to make fresh lavender available year round.

The edible part of lavender is the dried flower buds, which contain theAMessential oil that imbues food 7:44 with flavour. As a member of the mint family, lavender imparts a piquant, slightly sweet taste to food. It can substitute for lemon or mint in sweet dishes and for rosemary in savoury dishes.

Lavender is also considered a traditional ingredient in herbes de Provence, a mixture of dried savory, fennel, basil and thyme (although the Larousse Gastronomique: The Encyclopedia of Food, Wine & Cookery does not list it as such.

The story is that spice wholesalers created herbes de Provence and added lavender to it in the 1970s).

Whatever the case, thousands of cute little French lambs graze in the lavender fields of Provence, all the better to make their meat both tender and fragrant, especially

when the chops are rubbed with olive oil and herbes de Provence.

opened its doors to the public in 2004.

Lavender oil is also used to flavour beverages, ice cream, chewing gum and candy. And if you are into eating flowers, lavender blossoms make a lovely and fragrant garnish for sorbets or ice creams, and they look beautiful — and taste good too — in a glass of champagne.

If you would like to try cooking with lavender, don’t simply rip open a potpourri. As Kevin Beagle, of Weir’s Lane Lavender and Apiary, outside of Dundas, Ontario, told me, “The lavender used for sachets and the like is usually the Grosso variety; it is high in camphor, which makes it quite aromatic, but not very tasty. The best lavender for cooking is a gentler English lavender, such as Munstead.”

Lavender has been cultivated for thousands of years in Mediterranean countries (the ancient Egyptians mummified their dead with it, and various other peoples have employed it as a folk remedy for ailments from acne to insomnia). It is also cultivated in places like Bulgaria and South Africa as well as, perhaps surprisingly, Canada, though the Canadian industry is quite young. Lavender has been grown in the Okanagan Valley, Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands since the 1990s.

And about a decade ago farmers in southwestern Ontario began to adopt lavender as a replacement crop for tobacco, and now fields of short, bushy lavender shrubs, which love southern Ontario’s hot summers and tolerate its humid winters, have replaced many former tobacco fields. The largest lavender farm in Canada is Bleu Lavande, which is located in Quebec’s Eastern Townships; it

Your best bet to obtain culinary lavender is to take summer holidays in BC, Ontario or Quebec, especially in July when the lavender blooms and the fields are at their loveliest. A cheaper option is to check out various websites of the BC Lavender Network (bclavendernet.ca), the Ontario Lavender Association (ontariolavenderassociation.org) or Bleu Lavande (bleulavande.ca).

So, don’t be afraid to add this ancient herb to your cooking, but be judicious — lavender is strong and a little goes a long way. And remember — if your dish ends up tasting like something you might put into a sachet for your unmentionables, you’ve used too much.

Karen Virag is an Edmonton writer.

We are big fans of the Okanagan Lavender Farm (4380 Takla Road, Kelowna, BC, 250-764-7795, okanaganlavender.com). It’s a beautiful place to wander among the bushes enjoying a fragrant immersion. Two Lavender Discovery Days are scheduled this summer: Saturday July 7, Explore the Culinary Side of Lavender and August 1, Distillation of the Essential Oil. The site was once an apple orchard, and in a lovely Okanagan two-degrees-of separation, home to some of the first vineyards of the Stewart family (Quails’ Gate).

The site proved to be better for lavender than grapes — the views remain spectacular.

T he B uT ler D i D i T 780.455.5228 | tlagency@shaw.ca

8 May June 2012 | The Tomato

Lavender’s distinctively fresh, clean and slightly perfumed scent and flavour is versatile in the kitchen and the bar.

Use dried lavender with salt, pepper, dried thyme and lemon zest as a rub for chicken or fish. It’s also lovely in creamy desserts such as pannacotta, or crème brûlée, or in a crème anglaise.

Recipes by Mary Bailey unless otherwise noted.

pork tenderloin with lavender and herbs Alberta pork tenderloin is a versatile and lean cut with no waste. Or use shoulder or loin chops, if you prefer.

1

pork tenderloin

¼ c

cup honey

2 T

marjoram, chopped fine

2-3 sprigs rosemary, chopped fine 2 T

lavender flowers

fresh lemon juice and zest of ½ small lemon sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste Pre heat oven or barbecue to 350ºF. Mix honey, herbs, lavender flowers, lemon juice and zest and seasoning together and rub over the pork. Put pork on a roasting pan, place in the oven, or grill. Cook for about 30 minutes depending on the thickness of the pork. If the meat gets too dark too quickly, cover loosely with foil. Let rest for about 10 minutes.

Slice and serve with steamed new potatoes and fresh garden peas.

Serves 4-6.

lavender lemonade This fragrant and pretty drink is best served the day it is made. To make May Punch add 1 cup Hendrick’s gin and 1 cup sparkling wine. Serve in a flute with a lavender flower or a strawberry in every glass.

1 c fresh lemon juice (approx juice of one large lemon) 1 T

lemon zest

Combine sugar and 2 cups water in a saucepan. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Add dried lavender and remove from heat. Let stand covered for 2 hours or overnight. Strain and discard lavender bits. Pour the lavender syrup into a pitcher. Add lemon juice and zest and remaining 3 cups water. Stir to combine. Serve over ice, garnished with fresh lavender flowers.

anna olson’s lavender sugar “Scented sugars are a great way to gently flavour your baking or your coffee and teas. Wrapped in little bags tied with a festive ribbon, they make a joyful gift for a hostess, or a take-away treat for your own holiday party! Lavender sugar sparkles up fresh berries with just a little sprinkle. Try it in light, lemony desserts or to sweeten your iced tea.”

— Anna Olson

Pick the flowering heads when they are about 50 per cent open, leaving stems 4 to 6 inches long. Let any surface moisture evaporate from the heads, if they aren't already dry.

for years. Store the crystallized flower heads in a lidded jar. Makes 2 dozen.

Lightly whisk the egg white in a small bowl. Using a small watercolor brush, apply a thin coating of egg white to all surfaces of each flower head, making sure to rub it between and around the individual calyxes.

2 sticks plus 6 T (11/3 cups) Lactantia unsalted butter at room temperature

Push a drinking straw into the confectioner's or superfine sugar and use it to blow the sugar over each egg-white-coated flower head as you rotate the stem between your index finger and thumb. Alternately, gently tap a spoonful of sugar above the flower head to achieve the same effect. Repeat once or twice to coat all flower surfaces evenly, but don't apply so much sugar that the color of the blossoms begins to fade.

¾ t

salt

¾ t

pure vanilla extract

2 T

dried lavender buds

Set each flower stem upright in a piece of plastic foam to allow the egg whites to dry thoroughly. This sugaring process will preserve the blossoms

lavender shortbread

2/3

c berry sugar (or, spin regular sugar in a food processor to make it finer)

¼ t fine lemon zest (approx ¼ of a small lemon) 3 c 1/3

c

all-purpose flour rice flour

35 sugared lavender flowers (optional) Preheat oven to 275ºF. In an electric mixer, cream butter and Please see “Lavender” on page 15.

12 sprigs dried lavender stem (with or without flowers) 4 c

sugar

Place dried lavender with sugar in a resealable bag or airtight container and store for at least 2 weeks.

sugared lavender flowers

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We found this method in the The Lavender Garden by Robert Kourik.You can also use it to make sugared borage flowers, which are readily available in Alberta gardens.

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“One of the easiest transformations for lavender occurs when you crystallize its flowers to be used as cake and pastry decorations or nibbled like candy.

Because of the fragrant oils contained in lavender flowers, each separate candied calyx with its corolla becomes, in effect, a tiny lavender-flavoured breath freshener. — Robert Kourik

1 c

sugar

5 c

water

24

fresh lavender flower heads

1 T

dried lavender

1

egg white

2 T

lavender flowers for garnish

¼ c confectioner's sugar or superfine sugar

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The Tomato | May June 2012 9 Bothy_8H.indd 1

10/19/09 9:43:47 AM

standing the h NAIT’s summer culinary and pastry boot camps not only teach good culinary skills, they replicate the long days and hard work of a professional kitchen. Blair Lebsack gives us the instructor’s point of view, followed by grad Lori Matheson on her experience.

Chef Blair Lebsack, an instructor at the 2011 boot camps, finds what surprises students the most about camp is the equipment, such as the Rational ovens with crackling cycle. “It knows to raise and lower temperature to get the outside crisp and the inside moist and flavourful,” says Blair.

There is a lot of cool equipment at camp, both hi-tech and low — immersion circulators, cryovac units and plenty of pots and pans.

“It was an incredible week, I’m glad I went.”

10 May June 2012 | The Tomato

The second thing that surprises students? “The amount of work.

It’s a full day from 9am-6pm. They have to produce something if they want to eat,” says Blair.

What surprised Blair the most?

“How well-educated people are.

We had doctors, lawyers, people with busy schedules taking a whole week to come here and learn culinary skills.

“What a great industry we’re in, we’re attracting people who could probably afford their own chefs.

They want to know where things come from, how to buy good food and prepare it properly.

“It’s a lot of fun.”

Boot camp student Lori Matheson lives on a farm near Lethbridge.

She commuted from her father’s place in Wetaskawin to take both the pastry and culinary camps last summer.

“We started with breakfast made by the teaching assistants; omelets, fresh fruit, Danish, croissants, and pain au chocolate that we had made. Then we’d bake all day.

heat

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Building upon the experience gained in Culinary Boot Camp Level I, you will push your culinary skills and knowledge to the next level by preparing multi-course meals using advanced techniques.

Fee: $1695

Hours: 60

Culinary Boot CamP [Hos305] Learn to prepare meat, fish, and poultry following professional tips and techniques in poaching, braising, roasting and grilling while incorporating appropriate sauces with the menu items.

“We’d work from prep lists, with no less than six items to do. We’d start by feeding our sourdough; every day we made ice cream or frozen yogurt. We’d make brioche dough, cakes, some days we’d make bits for other things, like tuiles or accents for cakes, sugar art.

Fee: $950

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Many more culinary courses, go to our website today to find out more.

Hours: 34

www.nait.ca/ConEd

EduCation for thE rEal World

“I was a home baker. I made things like chocolate cake, carrot cake, pie, brownies cookies. We didn’t make cookies at boot camp.

“What do I do differently now?

I learned the chemistry and the math. I scale more now rather than using measuring cups. The big thing was the science. I now understand how different flours work, how gluten develops, how to test for doneness.

“Boot camp refined my cooking and took it to the next level,” says Lori.

“I was very pleased with the level of instruction and the materials.

Clayton Folker was my instructor — he really brings his A game. I love my new Wolverine cooking shoes, great for standing all day.

NAIT Photos

“During the culinary camp we had a bit more time to work on technique — how to hold your knife, how to assemble your ingredients; we learned the organization of cooking and, really important, food safety and sanitation.

“The classes are hands on, exhausting, enjoyable and wow, do you eat well. It’s probably the most intense thing I’ve ever done.

an institutE of tEChnology CommittEd to studEnt suCCEss ph 780.471.6248 | www.nait.ca NAIT_CED_Culinary_Tomato_ad_vF2.indd 1

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12-04-24 11:28 AM

The Tomato | May June 2012 11

Spring Menu Daniel Costa corso 32

fresh fava bean and spring pea crostini with pecorino, mint and pine nuts An ideal canapé with a glass of prosecco 2 rustic loaves (Tree Stone Bakery) or 1 baguette 1 c

fresh green peas

1 c fresh fava beans, removed from pod and shelled 5 T

grated pecorino

5 T

extra virgin olive oil

2 T

freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ c

pine nuts

1 clove

garlic

In preparation, roast the pine nuts in a 375°F oven until golden, about 8 minutes, toss every few minutes to avoid burning. Watch closely. Blanch peas in salted boiling water for 1 minute and place in ice water to stop cooking process, drain well.

glossary: Bresaola: Air-cured beef originally from the Valtellina region of Italy. The Italian Centre Shop carries an excellent bresaola made in Uruguay. Canmore’s Valbella Foods makes a delicious bündnerfleisch, similar to bresaola.

Guanciale: An unsmoked Italian bacon made from pig’s jowl or cheeks. available at the Italian Centre Shop.

Ramps: Perennial wild onion available seasonally at August Organics (Old Strathcona Farmers Market).

Pork Belly: Irving’s Pork, or order through the Italian Centre Shop.

12 May June 2012 | The Tomato

Using a mortar and pestle (or food processor), place peas, fava beans, mint, olive oil and a pinch of salt in your mortar. Crush the ingredients until course. Add the pecorino cheese, another pinch of salt and lemon juice.

Season to taste with salt and lemon juice.

Toast your sliced bread until golden, remove from oven. Cut piece of garlic in half, rub the inside of garlic on the bread. Spoon desired amount of green pea mix on the toasted bread, top with roasted pine nuts, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a crack of black pepper.

Really fresh asparagus does not need to be cooked, and offers an interesting contrast in texture.

24 pieces Bresaola, thinly sliced 16 spears asparagus, tough base snapped off 4 T high quality extra virgin olive oil

500 g bucatini (I prefer the Rustichella d’Abruzzo found at Italian Centre) 200 g guanciale or pancetta, thinly sliced 20 small ramps cleaned, white stalk and greens separated ½

lemon, zested and juiced

juice of one lemon

¼ c

pecorino romano, grated

Parmigiano Reggiano

1½ T

coarsely ground black pepper

extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper Lay the bresaola on individual plates or a platter.

Using a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife, shave the asparagus into long ribbons. Thinly slice pieces that you cannot get with the peeler. Make a vinaigrette with the oil, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Check for balance. Toss the asparagus in a bowl with the dressing. Mound a pile of the asparagus in the centre of the bresaola. Using the peeler, shave pieces of Parmigiano over the bresaola. Drizzle with more olive oil and freshly cracked black pepper.

Serves 4, generously.

Curtis Comeau Photography

bucatini with ramps, guanciale and black pepper

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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the bucatini. Cook the bucatini 1-2 minutes less than the package instructions.

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Heat a little olive oil in a deep large pan over medium high heat. Add the guanciale. Cook until just golden, add the black pepper and white stalks of the ramps, fry for 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Add a ladle of pasta cooking water to stop the cooking.

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Just before the pasta is cooked, return the pan containing the guanciale to high heat. Add the ramp greens.

The greens should just start wilting.

Using tongs, add the bucatini to the pan, add another small ladle of pasta water. Cook over high heat, constantly stirring until the sauce is just coating the pasta (about 1 minute). Remove from heat. Stir in the pecorino, zest and lemon juice.

Serve immediately. Serves 4.

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raw asparagus salad with bresaola and parmigiano

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Please see “Spring Menu” on page 14

The Tomato | May June 2012 13

spring menu Continued from page 11

slow-roasted rolled pork belly This can also be served the next day thinly sliced between crusty bread with a little wild arugula, olive oil and lemon.

have you been

Frenched?

www.themarc.ca • 780.429.2828

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2 kg

pork belly, gland removed

3 T

fennel seeds

2 T

black pepper

3 sprigs

rosemary

2 T

kosher salt

3 cloves

garlic

3 T

extra virgin olive oil

1 btl

dry white wine

The night before: Place the pork belly fat side down on a clean work surface.

Lightly score the flesh of the belly ensuring you do not cut through. In a mortar and pestle: crush the fennel seeds until fine. Crush the black pepper until coarse. Crush the garlic into a paste. Finely chop the rosemary.

Mix all these ingredients together with the olive oil. Rub the ingredients all over the scored flesh side of the belly.

Rub for 2 minutes, then place in a large container and allow to sit in the fridge over night.

Day of: Preheat the oven to 450ºF.

278 Cree Road in Sherwood Park • 780.449-.3710 Open Monday to Thursday 10-5 • Friday to Saturday 9-6

Place the belly fat side down on a clean work surface. Starting from the least fatty side of the belly, roll into a tight cylinder. Using butcher twine, tie the belly every 1½ inches to ensure even cooking.

Place the belly on a roasting rack in a large roasting pan. Generously salt and pepper all sides. Add the entire bottle of white wine to the bottom of the pan (do not pour over the belly).

Place the belly in the oven for 10 minutes (it will get smoky). Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Wrap tightly with tin foil. Turn the heat down to 275ºF and return the pan to the oven. Cook for 3½ hours. Remove the foil from the pan. Turn the oven up to 450ºF, cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the belly is dark golden. Remove from the oven, lightly cover with foil and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

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14 May June 2012 | The Tomato

Remove the string from the belly. Cut into thick pieces, spoon the juice from the bottom of the pan over the sliced belly. Serve with braised greens and

slowly cooked white beans or roasted potatoes and arugula salad.

artichoke risotto This is a very basic recipe. You can replace the artichokes with your favorite spring vegetables (asparagus, fava beans and spring peas work great). You can add many different elements to this dish, but I find the simplicity is perfect for spring. Another favourite way to eat risotto is the next day where you can roll and stuff it with fresh cheese into arancini and fry in a non stick pan with olive oil until crisp.

6 c

chicken or vegetable broth

2 T

extra virgin olive oil

5 T

unsalted butter

1 Spanish onion, finely chopped 2 cloves

garlic, finely chopped

2 stalks

celery, finely chopped

2 c

arborio or carnaroli rice

2 c

dry white wine

8 baby artichokes (or 4 large), peeled, trimmed of their leaves, choke removed and stored in water with juice from 2 lemons 200 g

parmigiano reggiano, grated

4 T

freshly squeezed lemon

¼ bunch Italian parsley picked over kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper Bring the broth to a boil. In a heavy bottomed pot, heat 2 T of butter and olive oil. Over medium high heat add the onion and celery, season with a pinch of salt and cracked pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent, add the garlic, cook for an additional minute. Add the rice, stir with a wooden spoon, cook for about 1 minute stirring frequently.

Add the white wine, turn the heat down slightly, cook until the wine has evaporated. Add a large ladle of boiling broth. Continue cooking. Once the broth evaporates add another ladle or 2 of broth.

Meanwhile, cut the cleaned artichokes into ¼ inch slices. Add the artichokes to the risotto. Continue cooking the risotto by adding broth and frequently stirring gently. Once the risotto has completed cooking, about 20-25 minutes total (the rice should have a slight give but no crunch), remove from the heat.

Add the remaining butter, parsley and parmigiano to the risotto, gently stir to incorporate. Add the lemon. Season to taste with parmigiano, salt and lemon. The risotto should have the consistency of loose creamy porridge, not mashed potatoes. If the risotto is too thick, add a little more broth. Allow the risotto to sit for 2 minutes. Divide among 4 plates, grate a little more parmigiano on top, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and a crack of black pepper. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

polenta and pistachio cake with grappa and berries 225 g

unsalted butter, room temp

250 g

shelled pistachios

100 g

regular ground polenta

lavender Continued from page 9

sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add salt, vanilla, lavender buds and lemon zest.

Beat to combine. Add flour, slowly, 1 cup at a time, beating on low speed until just combined. Do not overwork.

Roll dough into a ball and let rest for at least 20 minutes. Form into a cylinder and cut cookie discs. Place on a parchment covered baking sheet. Or, butter a 9x13x1" baking pan, and line bottom with parchment paper. Press dough into prepared pan, leveling and smoothing the top. Using a dough scraper or the back of a knife, cut dough lengthwise into nine strips, each slightly less than 1 inch wide. Cut the strips crosswise to make thirtysix 3-inch bars. Create a decorative pattern on the surface, if desired.

grappa

Bake shortbread until evenly pale golden, but not browned, 70 to 85 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool. Invert pan, and remove parchment. Turn shortbread over, and carefully break, or cut with a serrated knife, into bars. While still warm, press a sugared lavender flower into the top of each cookie or bar. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Fresh berries from your local farmers market.

Variation: Use fresh rosemary instead of lavender, omit zest.

3 lemons, zested 2

oranges, zested

250 g

caster (berry) sugar

6 eggs

large, separated

300 g fresh ricotta, room temperature 2

lemons, juiced

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Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease and line a 10” spring form pan.

Coarsely chop the pistachios with a food processor or smash in a bag with a rolling pin. Place in a bowl with the polenta.

Beat the butter, sugar and citrus together until pale. Add egg yolks 1 at a time until incorporated. Fold in the pistachio mixture.

Mix the ricotta with a fork until smooth. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the pistachio mixture followed by the ricotta.

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Spoon the cake batter into the tin.

Bake for 45 minutes or test by insertng a skewer in the middle of the cake which should come out clean.

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Allow cake to cool in the cake pan for 15 minutes. Turn out.

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Serve the cake with berries and a drizzle of grappa.

Serves 10.

Roots on Whyte Community Building 8135 -102 St. N.W. Edmonton Underground Parking Available

Grand Opening May 11th-13th The Tomato | May June 2012 15

beer guy

| peter bailey

The Melancholy Weed

Est. 1996

haute comfort food three course early dining: monday to saturday 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. $50/person

lunch: monday to friday 11:30 am to 2:00 pm. dinner: monday to saturday from 5:00 pm.

located at the corner of 97 street and jasper avenue reservations 780-423-0969 www.hardwaregrill.com wine spectator magazine award of excellence 1997-2003 / best of award of excellence 2004-2011

“Garlic is for foreigners,” my English grandfather would thunder while presiding over well-done roast beast. But spicing his beloved English ale was another foreign invader: hops.

If malt and water are the heart and soul of beer; providing colour, sweetness and body, hops are the magic — working spells to create backbone, character, aroma and flavour. I can’t imagine beer without hops, yet the British scorned hops in their beer for centuries, considering the hop plant an unwholesome weed that promotes melancholy. King Henry VIII banned the use of hops in English ales in the 1530s, describing hops as an aphrodisiac that encouraged sinful behavior.

Maybe Henry was onto something, for hops are the flowers (catkins, or cones) of the Humulus lupulus plant, a member of the Cannabinaceae family, which includes cannabis. Hmmmm.

Meanwhile, the Europeans were loving hops. By the 11th century their use was widespread in Europe, and 1516 saw the passage of the Reinheitsgebot, the famous Bavarian beer purity law that allowed for only water, barley and hops in the making of beer. The original varieties are known as noble hops: Hallertauer, Spalt, and Tettnanger from Germany and the most famous of all, Saaz from the Czech Republic.

Brits are a stubborn lot, but eventually good ideas are adopted.

An elderly English aunt of mine discovered the joy of showers on a visit to Canada over 30 years ago. She returned to England determined to have a shower installed in her home. And I’m sure any day now this will happen.

As to hops, it took some time but soon enough the British made hops their own, developing now classic hop varieties like Fuggle and Golden and creating hopcentric beers like bitter, pale ale and IPA.

16 May June 2012 | The Tomato

Hops voyaged to the New World with the first English colonists. The imported hops thrived best in the growing conditions of the Pacific Northwest. Old world hops took up with wild American hops to give birth to new American hybrids such as Cluster. In 1972 the release of Cascade, a truly New World hop developed by U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers, spurred the North American craft beer renaissance of the late 20th century. The characteristic citruspiney aroma of Cascade-hopped beer has come to be the signature of American craft beer.

Today hop experimentation drives beer forward, with innovative brewers pushing the envelope with new methods such as dry hopping — adding hops late in the brewing cycle — as well as using unheard of amounts and varieties of hops. Recently, iconoclast brewers like Mikkeller have set aside the standard practice of hop blends to beers focused on a single hop variety. Mikkeller brewed 19 different PA, each using a different hop variety — from Amarillo to Willamette. Edmontonians have a great opportunity to learn about hops as local importer Soltice has made some of these available. As well, local beer pacesetter Neil Herbst and his Alley Kat Brewing launched a single-hop series of double IPAs in 2011: Red Dragon (Simcoe hops), Blue Dragon (Columbus), Green Dragon (Zythos) and most recently Black Dragon (Warrior).

The next frontier for hop experimentation might be 100-mile beer, using hops grown locally.

In Edmonton, homebrewers are forging the way, growing hops in backyards and lanes. Homebrewer and chemical engineer Greg Dechaine has been growing hops in Edmonton for five years, getting great harvests of varieties like Mt. Hood, Sterling, Cascade and even English Fuggle.

Someday you may find yourself at the pub asking, “Are your Fuggles local?”

Hops from A to Z Six Pack Alley Kat Black Dragon Double IPA, Edmonton Warrior hops, a citrusy bittering hop from the Yakima Valley, are used in Alley Kat’s latest single-hopped double IPA. The label warns the beer is intended for Hop Heads with 70+ IBU (bitterness units), but as with others in the series, this is a very drinkable, albeit seriously bitter hop bomb.

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Brooklyn Sorachi Ace, Brooklyn, NY Sorachi Ace hops were developed in Japan from Saaz, Brewer’s Gold and an indigenous Japanese hop, and only available after 2006. The beer has a strong lemon aroma and flavor, something Brooklyn Brewery featured in creating a summery, champagne-like saison that tastes like sunshine in a glass.

all about home Gourmet k i t c h en tab let op & f i ne li nens bri dal reG i s t ry

Charlevoix La Vache Folle Aramis Double IPA, Baie-Saint-Paul, QC Aramis hops are a new hop from Alsace, France, bred from the German Strisselspalt hop. With its herbal aroma and lemony hit it may not be natural for using in a double IPA, but hats off to quirky Quebec brewer Charlevoix for taking a chance on it in this single-hopped IPA (one of a series from Charelvoix).

Mikkeller Citra Single Hop IPA, Denmark Citra hops are a new variety (2009) from the Yakima Valley with a lot of buzz, and perfect for use in the beer du jour, IPA. Mikkeller’s Citra IPAs has a big orange-grapefruit nose but with enough of a pleasing malt personality to pull it off.

Phillips Growhop Cascade IPA, Victoria, BC Cascade hops are showcased by Victoria’s rebel brewer and hop head Matt Phillips in this single-hopped beauty of an American IPA, part of his Growhop series. Pick up this and three other fabulous IPAs, Skookum Brown, Hop Circle and Krypton Rye, in the Phillips 12 pack Hopbox.

Žatec Bright Lager, Czech Republic Saaz hops are named after the ancient Bohemian town of Žatec in the Czech Republic. Saaz are the bestknown hops in the world, the star behind the crisp, dry snap of Czech pilseners like Pilsner Urquell and this balanced, quaffable lager from the town that hops built.

Peter Bailey is a local hophead with high hopes for hops.

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The Tomato | May June 2012 17

Georgia on my mind — Mary Bailey —

No, not that Georgia. The other Georgia, the one that used to be part of the Soviet Union. That Georgia. That’s pretty much the conversation when people ask you about your trip to Georgia.

The monks, led by Bishop Davit, are no strangers to wine, having made it since 1011. They use quevri, the traditional large clay vessels which are lined in beeswax, sunk into the ground, then filled with grapes.

No peaches, no peanuts, just wine.

The symposium, attended by scientists, ethnologists, politicians, wine importers, retailers, buyers and writers, was a total immersion — we were baptized in Georgian wine.

This smallish country is tucked in between the Black Sea, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey on the south, with Russia to the north and east. It’s now the democratic republic of Georgia, back to being its own country after 70 years of Soviet domination. Wine is an integral part of the modern reinvention of this ancient nation.

The history of making wine in quevri is at least 8000 years old based on clay fragments and wine pips (seeds) found at archeological digs. Over 400 grape varieties have been identified and are grown at Georgia’s National Centre for Grape Vine Propagation.

Last September, the Quevri Wine Symposium was held at the Alaverdi monastery in Kakheti, a premium wine-growing region in eastern Georgia in sight of the mysterious and romantic Caucasus Mountains.

Heidi Jaksland Kvernmo photos

Everybody makes wine at home, grapes come from the country in the fall, and get put in the quevri. Like we have gas barbecues in our backyards, Georgians have quevri. There seems

18 May June 2012 | The Tomato

Wine

Heidi Jaksland Kvernmo photo

tbilvino

to be a certain set-it-and-forget-it aspect to making wine in quevri: put whole ripe grapes in the vessel, seal it, and come back next spring.

Could it really be that simple?

Mary Bailey Photo

But, as in many countries where wine is as common as water, such as southern Italy, you’ll taste too much everyday wine in Georgia — generic Rkatsiteli and too simple Saperavi. But the good stuff is here and worth searching out.

Some of the most intriguing wines we tasted were made by accomplished home winemakers, and by monks. A Kisi in particular, made at Alaverdi, was stunning in its fragrance, complexity, and expression.

Tbilvino Tvishi: Medium sweet white from Tsolikouri grapes, enjoy with crème brulee and birthday cake.

Tbilvino Ojaleshi: Medium sweet red from Lechkhumi. Gorgeous aromas of roses, black cherries, and barberry bush.

Yes and no. The temperature control quevri provides is fairly straightforward, but everything else is not fully understood. The science behind this miraculous transformation is studied intensively at the Alaverdi monastary — the centre of all things quevri. According to the their technical director and enologist, Teimuraz Glonti, ”Grape bunch skeleton is rich with terpenes, fatty acids, lactose, fragrant spirits and esters which participate in the complicated process of fragrance making; phenol compounds which create a high level of antioxidant compounds.” All of which makes wine made in quevri act and taste differently.

Tbilvino Khvanchkara (70 per cent Aleksandrouli, 30 per cent Mujuretuli) medium sweet red tasting of fresh cherries and raspberries. Excellent with fruit cake, nuts and cheeses.

pheasant’s tears John Wurdeman, an American expat living in Sighnaghi, is an energetic proponent of quevri wines. Winemaker Gela Patalishvili’s family has made wine in the region for generations.

All Pheasant’s Tear’s wines are fermented and aged in quevri. The vineyards grow on the slopes of the Alazani Valley in sight of the Caucasus.

Mary Bailey Photo

While wine folks in Georgia are keen to tell you that Georgians were the first to make wine — the focus now is on how to translate tradition and their enviable history into an economically viable wine culture. The symposium was a study in how to move forward by going backward — away from modern winemaking techniques such as stainless steel tanks and inoculated wines, and back to clay. It’s a theme being echoed around the world. Wine makers in the Okanagan are experimenting with egg-shaped cement fermenters. Italians such as Gravner and Radikon in the Collio and Cos in Sicily are known for wines made in amphorae. But don’t let a Georgian hear you call a quevri an amphora. You will be corrected.

George and Zurab Margvelashvili operate one of Georgia’s largest wine companies, founded in 1962. Their original markets were Soviet, now 95 per cent of their wine is exported to Europe, Asia, North America and the east — including monthly train loads to Kazakhstan. Most of the wines are made in a modern style, but experiments with quevri are ongoing. Tbilvino sources grapes from several appellations including these wines from western Georgia. Several of the wines currently in stock have some sweetness, a trend in California as well.

Georgian wines are ready for prime time. There has been extensive work done on developing an appellation system and categorizing grape varieties. Most of the wines exported are correctly made in a straightforward, easy drinking style. But, as we get more familiar with novel flavours and grape varieties we will start to see wines of cru status in our market.

I’ll drink to that.

Mary Bailey is an ISG certified sommelier and WSET instructor. Check thetomato.ca for more Georgia stories.

Facing page, from far right: quevri at Pheasant’s Tears; cleaning tools; grapes in a quevri. This page top: Bishop Davit and monks at Alaverdi; at right: Alla Wagner, Lotus Vini.

Pheasant’s Tears Rkatsiteli: A light amber coloured wine with aromas of honey and white flowers, medium-bodied and dry with notes of nuts and tree fruit. Enjoy with walnuts.

Pheasant’s Tears Saperavi: The black wine of Georgia. This Saperavi is earthy, somewhat rustic, with rich flavours of black current and nutty undertones. Saperavi can take on grilled meats, ribs, anything off the grill.

coming soon Château Mukhrani is a spectacular estate first imagined by the Bordeaux-influenced Ivane Mukhranbatoni. The vineyards and house were partially destroyed during the Bolshevik Revolution and were abandoned for several decades. The estate is being carefully rebuilt, with hotel, riding academy, spa and state of the art winery.

There are several small wineries to keep an eye out for. One in particular is Jakeli Organic Vineyard and Wines, a member of the nascent Quevri Wine Association — delicious compelling wines.

The Tomato | May June 2012 19

the proust culinary questi Massimo Capra, NAIT 2012 Hokansen Chef in Residence The glAss is hAlf full. so is The nexT one.

Rare and collectable wines in limited supply, available at exclusive prices to members.

Annual membership is $195.

In the late nineteenth century, French novelist Marcel Proust participated in an exercise, which could be thought of as the Facebook of its era — he answered a questionnaire about himself in a friend’s Confession Album.

Proust’s answers have been published, in one form or another, for more than a century. Many have used the questionnaire for their own devices, the most notable being Vanity Fair’s Proust Questionnaire featuring celebrities.

The Tomato now gives it a culinary twist.

tannic.ca

Massimo Capra, NAIT’s 2012 Hokansen Chef in Residence, is a chef, cookbook author, chef consultant and owner/exec chef of Toronto’s highly regarded Mistura and Sopra Upper Lounge. He is also a popular TV veteran, his current program being Gourmet Escapes on the Travel and Escape Network.

Hometown?

Toronto Years cooking?

37. I started at 15. My first job was at the Trattoria dell ‘Emilia shucking corn.

Where would you like to live?

I love where I live, in Missassauga.

I love Toronto, but part time in Vancouver would be nice.

Your favourite food and drink?

My biggest revelation was barbecued duck. I love bitter drinks like Aperol spritz or Crodino, so refreshing, and I love chicken congee.

What would you be doing if you weren’t cooking?

Making cheese in the Po Valley.

20 May June 2012 | The Tomato

What do you most appreciate in your friends?

Their ability to put up with me.

Your favourite qualities in a dish?

Flavour.

A cook?

Palate.

A wine?

Taste, and the feel on the palate when it’s in perfect balance; it hits your tongue and tweaks your inner senses.

Who would be at your dream dinner table (dead or alive)?

My old chef, Gianni Fanzaghi, the one who really believed in me at cooking school in Italy, taken too soon, and Anthony Bourdain — he’s so funny. And Bugs Bunny.

Who would cook?

Nobu and Morimoto.

Current culinary obsession/exploration?

Pasta of all sorts — exploring all of Italy through the pasta viewfinder — recapturing those flavours.

Meaningful/crazy cooking experience?

It was on the Globe and Mail cruise. We were near Sorrento.

People had paid a lot of money to be there and we didn’t have a menu. Lynn Crawford, Lucy Waverman and I had to improvise lunch for 80 people. We got in the car and said to the driver, ”we need a cappuccino, then go!” We found fruit vendors and vegetable stands.

We bought just-picked watermelon and squash. We found a mozzarella dairy, and we had buffala mozzarella and ricotta and bucatini with roasted squash. Everybody gathered ‘round with a spoon. It was fantastic.

ionnaire

Mentors?

The owner of Dell ‘Emilia, Dino Boscaretto; Gianni Fanzaghi; and Michael Carlevalle of Prego de la Casa, a complete maverick. Before then I was just cooking. After, I became a slave of the kitchen Favourite casual cheap and cheerful/afterwork food?

A bowl of freshly made guac, chips and cheese.

Philosophy?

Honesty.

Simplicity. I surround myself with people who understand me. I don’t complicate it; I’m a family guy who happens to work in a restaurant. Without good farmers and good ethical farms, we cannot get good nutritious food.

Good taste starts in the fields. We have to treat animals with respect, they give up their lives for us.

What’s next?

We’re opening a restaurant at Toronto airport called Boccone Trattoria Veloce. I’m promoting a frozen pizza from Italy, something really good, and TV will always be a part of my life.

The Tomato | May June 2012 21

drink

| alice feiring

It’s only natural

Perfectly placed in the South Okanagan

Over a dozen years ago I discovered a winemaking world in France where the ideal was to work with one additive, organic grape.

All it took was one of the very early wines from Jean Marie and Theirry Puzelat, the Gamay from Clos du Tue-Boeuf. I walked through the looking glass and never turned back.

P

erfectly placed on rich South Okanagan farmland, Tinhorn Creek overlooks the old gold mining creek that is the winery’s namesake. We are environmental stewards of 150 acres of vineyards: “Diamondback” on the Black Sage Bench, and “Tinhorn Creek” on the Golden Mile Bench.

Both provide us with the fruit to craft the superb, terroir driven wine that we’re known for. Our top tier Oldfield Series represents the finest of each vintage.

www.tinhorn.com

While there are 200 legal additives allowed, the wines I fell for had one ingredient alone, grape. In fact they were made under the overarching philosophy of nothing added or taken away. They were not shaped or adjusted. They were the freerange chicken wine equivalent.

In the glass the wines were vibrant, fresh, compelling. They spoke to me. But of late, this lovely genre has been under attack. Turns out making wine without especially, yeast and bacteria is controversial.

The tipping point in particular is sulfur. Critics claim that without sufficient amounts, wine will spoil.

It’s a matter of taste, not necessarily dogma. After all, I prefer crinkled and brown dried apricots to the bright, plump orange ones. Sulfur in winemaking or in food preservation acts similarly, as an anti-microbial and anti-oxidant. Wine or apricots, I choose the low to no sulfur route. Anyway, it is an element that can be grossly overused.

Legal amounts are up to 350 ppm.

Biodynamic wines allow up to 100 ppm, and those who work naturally use between 0-35 ppm, and not during the winemaking process. People like Frank Cornelissen on Mt. Etna whose wines have a cult-like following is clear on his position, “I hate sulfur.”

22 May June 2012 | The Tomato

Some have a little more tolerance, like Hank Beckmeyer of La Clarine Farm, Sierra Foothills, California, who uses a bit. “I have found that sulfur can focus a wine, sometimes. Just a touch of it can snap a fuzzy wine into shape. It also can dampen aromas, so you've got to be careful about using it. I rarely add more than 20 ppm,” he says.

Naysayers be damned, natural wines are huge in Scandinavia, Brussels, Holland, Japan, North America and the UK. There is even a natural wine importer in the Ukraine and another in China. And though the nexus of winemakers are still in France, many vignerons are at work in Italy, Spain, Georgia, Austria and even the United States.

As with organic food, the demand is greater than the supply.

The reason I love them is the same reason I love heirloom tomatoes, white truffles or bitter chocolate; they have exceptional flavour, complexity, and surprise.

To borrow a theater analogy, they break the fourth wall. They cause reaction. One of my favorite reactions came from a friend who said to me, wide-eyed at a Parisian café, after tasting a Riesling with absolutely no sulfur added from Pierre Frick of Alsace, and yet another wine called 100% from Julien Courtois of the Loire, “I think this is the way wine used to taste.”

The ex-dining critic of the New York Times burst out laughing after a sip, then bought a case. A reader of mine, in rural Kentucky of all places, can no longer drink his ex-favorite, J. Lohr Cabernet, and he also just bought his passport.

In the end, I am certain that the problem isn’t really with the

asparagus Continued from page 7

sulfur but with the wines newfound mainstream popularity.

As long as they were fringe, they posed no threat. But now they are no longer overlooked or undiscovered, they are driving a growing market sector.

They are game changers.

The more conventional wine world has to deal with a newly informed public who question winemakers and sommeliers about yeast or sulfur or the use of reverse osmosis, for example, when choosing a wine. As this continues, conventional wines might actually go the way of BHT in milk. The supermarket wine won’t all of the sudden go natural, but they may use fewer additives, they might be forced to farm more organically, and that paradigm change is not necessarily so bad for the consumer.

So, I understand the reaction from the producers. Change is always painful. When you make 5,000,000 bottles instead of a mere 20,000, making wine with no additives can be difficult, especially as large production wines have to be more universal and mainstream in taste.

On the other hand, the natural wine drinker is a niche market.

We have desire for wines that go beyond cookie-cutter. Adventure is worth the price of admission.

But be forewarned, if you, as a drinker, walk through that door with us. Falling for these wines could forever make you question what is in your glass, and that is not such a bad thing at all.

Alice Feiring is an enfant terrible of the wine industry, a James Beard Foundation, Louis Roederer Award-winning journalist whose blog, alicefeiring.com, was named one of the seven best by Food & Wine Magazine.

Formerly the wine/travel columnist for Time and the Wall Street Journal Magazine, she writes for the New York Times, Newsweek, Saveur, World of Fine Wine, among many others. Her first book, The Battle for Wine and Love or how I saved the world from Parkerization, was translated into French and Spanish where she had her share of centerfold coverage. Her second book Naked Wine was released in the fall of 2011. She lives in New York City in an ancient tenement and has that city’s most famous plumbing.

breakfast asparagus Cooking asparagus in an almost dry cast iron skillet results in flavours akin to roasted. Delicious with eggs and toast, maybe some hash browns and grilled tomato. ½ bunch asparagus 1 T

unsalted butter

sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

Customized tasting events for our corporate clients.

9658 - 142 Street | 780-488-7800 | crestwoodfinewines.com

Heat butter to foaming. Lay asparagus in the pan and shake from side to side to coat asparagus. Cover tightly and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Check asparagus and turn as needed to make sure the stalks cook evenly and the tips don’t burn.

Continue cooking 5 minutes longer, or until asparagus is tender but still crisp and bright green. Season. Serve immediately.

liang ban lu-sun This savoury treatment is a specialty banquet dish of Shandong province, as asparagus was once rare and very expensive in China. It’s an excellent accompaniment to barbecued pork from Chinatown, served with steamed rice. Adapted from Saveur magazine.

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut crosswise on the diagonal into 2" pieces 1 T Japanese reduced-sodium soy sauce 1 t Asian sesame oil 2 drops red chile oil ½ T

toasted sesame seeds

to blanch asparagus Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add asparagus and cook until tender-crisp and bright green, 1½-2 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain, then immediately plunge into a large bowl of ice water; set aside to cool, 2-3 minutes. Drain again, transfer to a clean dishtowel, pat dry. Set aside.

The Tomato | May June 2012 23

kitchen sink

| what’s new and notable

restaurant ramblings It’s extreme makeover Hardware Grillstyle this July. When the restaurant closes for its annual summer break this July, the crews will move in to execute a raft of fullon design changes, including the addition of several banquettes, really comfortable chairs and a fresh coat of paint. The overall look is fresh and modern, the best sort of business casual. “It’s been 16 years,” says exec chef/owner Larry Stewart. “We need a new look.”

Café de Ville’s (10137 124 Street, 780488-9188) new menu features a delicious duck breast served with a springy lemon rhubarb compote and cardomom-scented basmati rice. Or try the cauliflower gallette with quinoa and madras curry cream. Who knew cauliflower pie could taste so good?

Café de Ville’s patio, tucked off the street like a secret garden, is opening soon, just the place for a leisurely Sunday brunch.

Chef Blair Lebsack is cooking two Rge Rd farm dinners this summer, at Tam Anderson’s Prairie Gardens in July (date tba) and another at Nature’s Green Acres, August 18. Email Blair at blairlebsack@ shaw.ca for details and tickets.

Cibo (11244 104 Avenue, 780-757-2426) has a new menu featuring the fresh tastes of spring. Contorni, which is Italian menu speak for vegetable sides, range from roasted beets with mint; rapini with lemon and spicy red pepper; stufato, roasted tomato with white bean accented with pancetta; along with arancini (rice balls) with sweet pea, mint, and lemon mascarpone. If you’re jonesing for Cibo’s toothsome beef cheeks, or their flavourful tomato veal ragu, rest assured it’s still on the menu.

Who will be top of the podium for 2012?

Edmonton 2012 Gold Medal Plates chefs will be announced shortly. They compete October 18 for the opportunity to represent Edmonton at the Canadian Culinary Championships in Kelowna next February.

Jan Trittenbach of Pack Rat Louie was top of the podium in 2011 and Andrew Fung, of Blackhawk Golf Club, in 2010.

4th & Vine Winebar and Bistro’s (11358 104 Avenue, 780-907-3773) chef Lindsay Porter’s new dinner menu includes salmon tartar with a beguiling hint of black licorice and roasted squash soup seasoned

24 May June 2012 | The Tomato

with curry, cardamom and fennel. Visit 4thandvine.ca for a sneak peek of both lunch and dinner menus.

Check out the utterly charming newsletter called the newsleek at culinafamily.com.

Chef Christine Sandford’s new menu at Culina Millcreek features more seasonal food and incorporates their unique whole animal program. At Culina Muttart, chef Heather Dosman is preparing dinner every Thursday, along with lunch and weekend brunch. Here’s a terrific Thursday night special: $35 gets you a three-course meal and 20 per cent off admission to the pyramids.

Julia Kundera, featured in the article A Women in the Kitchen (March/April Tomato, thetomato.ca) is now at Holt’s Café, creating beautiful new dishes using vegetables and meats from local farmers.

Check it out!

The Bothy, the idiosyncratic wine and whiskey bar tucked into a strip mall across from Weber Motors, opens a downtown location this summer at 10124 124 Street.

This was recently home to the Common, which has moved to 9910 109 Street. They now have seating 150 and lots of room for live music and fashion events.

Kitchen by Brad Smoliak is looking good.

The handsome rooms at 10130 105 Street (the former Butler Did It space) are in dark woods, oiled bronze and stainless steel, with 12 seats around an induction cooktop, plus seating for another dozen or so at a long wood table. Brad offers cooking lessons, wine tastings, private dinners and farm to table events. Visit kitchenbybrad.ca for information.

product news It’s all truffles all the time at the Italian Centre Shops, jarred, in oil and in cheese.

We love the Boschetto, a cow/sheep pecorino cheese from Tuscany studded with black truffle.

Get your mojo on with Johwanna Alleyne’s delectable pickles. Mojojojo are available at Everything Cheese (14912 45th Avenue, 780-757-8532). Enjoy pickled quail eggs, pickled beans, turnip or zucchini — all fantastic accompaniments for your cheese board.

Yvan Chartrand of Boulangerie Bonjour (aka Treestone Bakery) finds that even his customers are still confused by the terms whole wheat/whole grain. “Whole grain is a cereal grain with all three components, germ, bran and endosperm, still intact," he says. Whole wheat, on the other hand, could have up to 70 per cent of the germ removed.

We mill local Alberta grown grain right at the bakery from heritage wheat varieties such as Marquis Heritage. Nothing added, nothing taken away.”

We continue to be blown away by the ever increasing quality of breads at Prairie Baker (Enjoy Centre). But don’t take our word for it — get over there and pick up a loaf of carrot bread, or their whole grain made with a spelt starter. It’s all good.

Cally’s Teas (10151 Whyte Avenue, just east of the new Roots on Whyte) is now open and well-merchandised with a terrific selection of goodies to eat with tea.

We especially like the Duchy Originals savoury and sweet biscuits, including several varieties of shortbread, which make a decadent hostess gift.

Citrus: foods for entertaining will be at the City Market Downtown on May 19, 26 and June 2, 9,16, 23 and 30, with tortas, new dips and spreads, and savoury kale chips.

Get your delicious Newget at the City Market Downtown, May 19, 26 and June 2,9 and16.

Gardeners! Grow a Row for Edmonton Meals on Wheels. Plant an extra row of produce to help the organization provide fresh and local meals to seniors and housebound Edmontonians. Produce can be dropped off at Meals on Wheels (11111 103 Avenue) weekdays, 8am-3pm. Call 780429-2020 for more information. Compost a little short? Pick up a bag of compostable vegetable peelings from Meals on Wheels.

wine tastings happenings and events Taste over 150 wines from Argentina at Taste of Argentina, Thursday, May 3, 7pm-9:30pm. Tickets, $65, available from Tix On The Square, 780-420-1757, or visit edmontonjazz.com. Wine and jazz lovers

come together for a night of vibrant wines, hors d’oeuvres, live music and a silent auction to benefit the Edmonton Jazz Festival Society.

The Magnifique Wine and Cheese Fantasmagoria, Thursday, May 24, 6pm, benefits the Canadian Studies Institute. Special guests are JeanMichel Gires, president and CEO Total E&P Canada, and master cheesemaker Patrick Chaput.

The elegant raw milk cheeses of Fromagerie Chaput are featured along with wines to suit. Contact MC Levert for tickets 780-465-8771, levert@ualberta.ca.

Learn about Exceptional Beers from Unexpected Places, Saturday, May 5, 7pm, at Fine Wines by Liquor Select (8924 149 Street, 481 6868). Buy your $10 ticket in advance and receive $5 off purchases made that evening.

Indulge in an evening of fine VQA wines and prairie cuisine at Indulgence 12. The one-of–akind Slow Food event features Edmonton’s best chefs pairing with local farmers and ranchers to create dishes for guests to enjoy with stellar VQA wines and local brews. New this year: Barr Estate, Tawse Winery, Township 7 Vineyards, Prairie Mill Bread, Steve & Dan’s, Sangudo Custom Meats, Coal Lake Honey, Doef’s Greenhouses, Culina Muttart, Elm Café and Vivo Ristorante.

Monday, June 11, 6:30pm-9pm, Delta Edmonton South. Tickets, $60; indulgenceedmonton.ca.

Upcoming tastings at Aligra Wine & Spirits (Phase III, West Edmonton Mall, 780-483-1083): May 5, Cinco de Mayo Tequila Sampling 2-5pm; May 26, International Chardonnay Day, 2-5 pm; June 19, Gins in June, 7pm, $25/person. Register at aligrawineandspirits.com.

The Callingwood Farmers’ Market kicks off its 28th season May 6 with 100 vendors, live music, a petting zoo and bouncy castle for the kids, along with face painting and a balloon artist. Check it out!

Enjoy the 104 street Al Fresco Block Party Saturday, June 9; Downtown Edmonton Community League pancake breakfast from 8-11am; City Market, 9am-3pm; City of Edmonton Kids Zone, 4-8pm; deVines Tasting Room noon8pm; extended patios by 104 street restos and wine bars; music by DJs and performers including a drag show, and the What the Truck food event. The goal is to raise $15,000 for the Zebra Child Protection Centre.

BIN 104 (5454 Calgary Trail, 780436-8850) offers Introductory/ Beginners Course to the World of Wine: six weeks, Tuesday May 15 to June 19, 7-9pm, $175.

The September Villages & Vineyards of Burgundy Tour has been very popular. No wonder, it’s being led by the charming French wine scholar Alison Phillips of Aligra Wine & Spirits. Hurry, only a couple of spots left! Book before April 30 and save $100 per person, aligrawineandspirits.com.

Leave your heart in San Francisco.

Spend five nights at the Marriott Union Square, join your personal epicurean concierge at the Ferry Building Marketplace, and visit Napa and Sonoma Valley.

San Francisco Food & Wine departures available from June 19 to September 6, from $979 per person, based on two sharing.

AMA Travel 1-866-667-4777.

Fine Wines by Liquor Select’s (8924 149 Street) annual Spring Fling Saturday, May 26, 2-5pm.

Enjoy sampling over 60 wines, beers and spirits at the wine shop’s smashing annual spring fest.

Follow on Twitter @liquorselect to hear about everything brew related including new beer seminars. The beer cave contains over 600 beers now.

Matahari

A PA N - A S I A N D I N I N G E X P E R I E N C E

Dining, Takeout, Catering & Special Events 10108B – 124 Street • 452-8262

Ample free parking at rear with rear entrance available.

Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Sunday, hours vary.

Send new and/or interesting food and drink related news for The Kitchen Sink to thetomato.ca.

The Tomato | May June 2012 25

wine maven |

mary bailey

tasting wine with

boulangerie

artisanale Artisan Bakery

8612-99 Street 780.433.5924 www.treestone.ca

780-757-2426 • cibobistro.com 11244 - 104 Ave (Oliver Square)

26 May June 2012 | The Tomato

Kathy Marlin, Negociants International; Jane Ferrari, Yalumba; Curtis Bawden and Paulette Scott, Pacific Wine and Spirits Inc. Mary Bailey photos

bonjour

Yalumba’s Jane Ferrari is an education and a wild ride all at the same time. Whip smart, she is as generous with stories and opinions as the wines are generous in flavour and expression.

The outrageously good value Y Viognier continues to impress with its superb balance and over all drinkability. The single vineyard Virgilius is cellar worthy, a glorious exploration for those who love Condrieu, white Burgundy or Hermitage Blanc. Jane would throw out some hilariously pithy Barossa adjective but I’ll just say we were damn lucky to spend a few hours with her. For the full meal deal on vines, winemaking, the Barossa and Jane’s contagiously quirky worldview, check out her blog at yalumbastories. wordpress.com.

event calendar wednesday, may 2

cameron hughes was the special guest at an April U of A Alumni tasting. CH fans will be happy to know that Aligra Wine & Spirits has a limited quantity of the newly released Lot 303 Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon, and Lot 300 Napa Valley Cab available.

vagner montemaggiore Vinícola Salton’s export director pulled out the maps to show exactly where their Brazilian wines come from: the hilly Serra Gaucho in the Rio Grande del Sul region in the south of Brazil near Uruguay, similar in latitude to Chile, Argentina and Australia’s best wine growing regions. Salton was started by a family from the Veneto (Italy) in 1910 and now produces 18 million bottles mainly from grapes purchased from dozens of family farms.

Just released: 100Anos Cab From left: Nelson Gomes, FineVine Imports, and Vagner Montemaggiore, Vinícola Salton.

Wayne Jones and Susan Forsey of Cask & Barrel.

Sauv/Merlot/Cab Franc celebrating 100 vintages. Find Salton wine at Pampa Brazilian Steakhouse, Sherbrooke Liquor and other fine wine shops.

check out the brand new Cask & Barrel 10041 104 Street, 780-498-1224 just opened by Susan Forsey and Wayne Jones. The more spots downtown to chill in, the better we say. Chris Smith of Hot House Design created the clever prairie parlour goes downtown look. We especially like the vintage ice buckets liberated from the Sutton Place Hotel and used as light fixtures. Simple menu, smallish beer and whiskey list so far.

JoieFarm Winemaker Dinner at Wildflower Restaurant, 780-4887973, info@vinomaniawines.com

thursday, may 3 Taste of Argentina, 780-420-1757, edmontonjazz.com

saturday, may 5 Exceptional Beers from Unexpected Places, Fine Wines by Liquor Select, 780-481-6868.

sunday, may 6 Callingwood Farmers’ Market opens.

saturday, may 19 City Market Downtown opens.

thursday, may 24 The Magnifique Wine and Cheese Fantasmagoria, 780-465-8771, levert@ualberta.ca

saturday, june 9 Al Fresco, 104 St. Block Party.

monday, june 11 Indulgence 12, indulgenceedmonton.ca

Mary Bailey

Making fruit wine Like most agricultural/ gastronomic endeavours done on a small scale, making fruit wine is hard but rewarding work. A convers ation with Rick and Amy Barr and Xina Chrapko illustrates their philosophies and outlines the steps involved to get their fruit wines to happy customers.

Birds & Bees Organic Winery and Meadery, formerly En Sante, Brousseau Alberta The farm has cattle, orchards, bees, cereal crops, and chickens.

“Making wine from the orchards is part of adding value to our farm,” says Xina, winemaker for Birds and Bees.“We call our sister Tonia the licenced bootlegger, as she sells our wine at the farmer’s markets.

Our mother Elizabeth is the queen bee, providing her wisdom about the farm and the winery, and life in general.

“I came back to the farm after my Dad’s death to continue on with the winery. This land as been in the family since 1927. Making wine here helps provide seasonal work for people in the neighbourhood.”

Tonia and Xina’s father Victor Chrapko is legendary in northern Alberta agriculture. He was one of the first to farm organically, and was rewarded with several honours: AgChoices Best Practices Renewal Award; Alberta Farm Family Award; and nominated for the Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame. He was also president of the Alberta Organic Producers Association. In 2009 Elizabeth, Victor’s wife, and Xina Chrapko went to Nebraska to accept an award for Outstanding Organic Farmers of the Year by the Organic Crop Improvement Association

certifying body. Victor worked passionately on behalf of cottage wineries to allow them to be able to sell at farmers’ markets.

“We’ve been a cottage winery since 2005, but we’ve made wine for decades. We changed the name for practical reasons: people couldn’t say it, it was always being misordered at the stores. Birds and Bees is about health as well, we’re having fun with it.

“All the fruit and honey we harvest goes into fruit wine. We make several wines: apple, raspberry, rhubarb, Saskatoon, cherry and two specialty holiday wines, also alfalfa and a mead.”

The alfalfa is especially interesting as there are few wines made from a grass.

“We don’t have to press the alfalfa, it goes right into fermentation.

It does ferment at a fairly high temperature, up to 29/30ºC. The total ferment takes 8-12 days, then it ages in stainless steel for 11 months or so. This creates flavour and smoothness and makes it easier to filter.

“Now, we don’t have to go to BC or Ontario or the States to learn about orchards and winemaking — we can learn how to successfully diversify right here.”

Curtis Comeau Photography

Rick and Amy Barr, Barr Estate Winery Sherwood Park “Our rhubarb field is three acres with about 500 rhubarb plants.

We planted it three years ago. We have five or six different varieties, some have wrist-sized stalks and some are like strings but are super red and juicy,” says Rick. “Last year with all the rain, we had rhubarb that was five feet high.”

“We freeze the rhubarb first to assist with cell breakdown otherwise we don’t get any juice,” says Amy. “We thaw, then juice the stalks, press, and freeze the juice.

We accumulate juice until the end of the summer. After all the picking is finished and it’s cooler (12ºC) we do a cool fermentation. It takes a month to a month and a half for the raspberry to ferment.

“I start a small batch inoculate, then add it to the rest of the juice.

The cool fermentation helps us keep the volatiles, we don’t want to boil off aroma.

“The raspberry starts fermentation really quickly, but with the rhubarb wine we have to nurture the fermentation because of the acidity and perhaps because rhubarb is low in potassium. The yeast may struggle a bit but we’ve never had a stuck fermentation.

“This is where Amy’s lab experience come in handy,” says Rick.

“We ferment all the sugar in the fruit to completion. We may add some honey for the mouth feel and body, and to add more complexity and balance the flavours. Then we leave on the lees (spent yeast and proteins) for four to five months, filter, and then we bottle.“ Their lab experience also pays off in what they don’t have to do.

Pristine fruit and careful handling means they don’t add any sulphites or sorbates.

“There is a miniscule amount of sulphur that’s produced as a byproduct, it’s not detectable and is generally taken out by filtration, says Amy. “We keep hoping we’ll have time to fix up our old dairy barn — it doesn’t look very wineish. Though we don’t really promote people coming out, as we’re either at our day jobs or out picking fruit,” says Rick.

“Between the sheep, the winery, and the research work, it’s all different and requires different things of you. It’s not the same as doing the same things all the time.

You plug through,” says Amy. “We just don’t know any other way,” says Rick.

Mary Bailey is an ISG certified sommelier and WSET instructor.

The Tomato | May June 2012 27

Spring’s tableware, appliances and utensils tell a colour story of sunny and bright, or soft, grey-washed pastels — something for every kitchen, dining room and budget.

Colour not your story?

The perennially stylish trio of black, white and stainless steel is always in fashion.

Bold and blue. Marseille the newest colour by Le Creuset, evokes the Mediterranean and the vivid foods the bustling port is known for: aioli, tapenade, bouillabaisse. Over 50 pieces in enamelled cast iron and stoneware are available in Marseille, $15 to $600.

We found a good selection at Bella Casa. melamine bowls are sturdy enough for bread dough, beg to be filled with fresh popped corn or do double duty as a salad bowl. Dansk has them in four cheerful colours, dishwasher safe, oversize bowl $28, also in a set of four, $45.

Zak Flower Colander in several sprightly shades. We loved this bright purple. $15.

Pretty as a pitcher

Maxwell Williams polka dot jug looks ready for the beach, $30.

The Italian Centre had a stack of these pretty (and pretty useful) BIA Bowls in the window — like a cheery bouquet of flowers. They come in this season’s ice cream shades, ideal for waking up to everyday, and they’re inexpensive enough to buy one in every colour, $3.95.

28 May June 2012 | The Tomato

To Be In Pictures: Polka dot jug, flower colander, confetti bowls, Kitchen Aid mixer, Emile Henri dish. Danesco whisks, Dualit toaster.

The Zak Confetti recycled

Rosti from Denmark is known for useful melamine kitchen utensils in a Pantone chart of colours. Spoons, servers and ladles range in price from $3.50-$5. The classic Rosti bowl — your mother probably had a set — was designed by Danish designer Jacob Jense. All the goods are lightweight, durable, and shatter-resistant, in several sizes, in every shade.

Emile Henri’s easy to clean, ceramic cookware for roasting, baking, stove top cooking and the table comes in various shapes and sizes — au gratin dishes, rectangular casseroles, tagines, dutch ovens, fondue, even a salt pig. We love this crème brulee dish (good for all sorts of individual items by the way: pot pies, vegetables, potatoes Anna) in cheery Pamplemousse. $11

Kitchen Aid Artisan Mixer in rich boysenberry, at Hillaby’s Tools for Cooks.

Artisan comes in a host of colours and they’re on sale now. Hillaby’s also carries Sambonet, exceptional stainless steel table accoutrements from Italy. Sambonet is known primarily as a high-end hotel supplier, and each piece is impeccably made.

Three of their flatware designs are in the collection at MOMA.

Dualit toasters are still made by hand, in Britain no less, and signed by the assembler. If that alone doesn’t make one desire the toaster of royalty, the Vario model in stainless, with moody, mid-century pastel panels, is the toaster to covet. There’ll be no hiding this beauty in the appliance garage. At Hillaby’s: two slice $350, three slice $425, four slice $500.

Danesco‘s silicone whisks not only come in a host of colours, they are heat proof to 400ºF. Another advantage: food doesn't stick to silicone, making clean up a breeze. $10.

The Tomato | May June 2012 29

according to judy

| judy schultz

That’s a-Moreish As summer wound down in New Zealand, I broke bread with some outstanding cooks.

At one of their tables I learned a new word: moreish.

As bona fide foodies, many of you may have known and loved this word since infancy, but it was new to me.

Moreish. As in, “This corn fritter with bacon and wild plum chutney is moreish.”

In other words, “This is so darned good I want another one. Oh, what the heck, make it two.”

Never having heard the word before, I turned to the online alphaDictionary, where moreish is referred to as “An odd little fellow.”

Untitled-1 1

We make it fresh. .

You get it fast

4/11/2012

Apparently it first popped up in print in 1690 as 10:24:54 AM an adjective for tasty food, so you’d think, wouldn’t you, that by now it would be accepted?

Apparently not. At alphaDictionary, they explain that “moreish” is frequently used in Britain and the UK, yet 322 years after its birth, it still isn’t worthy of a spot in the mainstream dictionaries.

The online entomology sources are scathing about this little word, but I have to admit I like it.

Combos $8.95 v

Enjoy our fresh panini, salads and soups in any combination.

www.goodearthcafes.com

The naysayers for “moreish” are in the same league with an editor I once had. He refused to let me use the term “foodie” in the daily newspaper we both worked for.

I kept his rude scribble as a souvenir, so I quote: “Judy, your so-called word, ‘foodie’, is not now, never has been, and never will be, a real word. Remove it.”

That was back in the early Nineties, when I was too polite to tell him he had the creativity of a doorknob.

During the last three months in

30 May June 2012 | The Tomato

New Zealand, I’ve eaten a whack of things best described as moreish.

There was a plate of polenta fries drizzled with creamy gravy made from a local blue cheese. It was almost a Kiwi version of our very own poutine, with a few subtle changes. The polenta had been made with duck stock, garlic and a lot of black pepper; chilled, cut into batons, and deep-fried. It came with a tapenade of black olives and sun-dried tomatoes. Roasted hot and sweet red peppers were involved.

“I got it from a magazine,” said the cook. “Moreish, isn’t it?”

Then there was an appetizer involving fried halloumi cheese, hot and golden, with grape tomatoes, dried ripe olives and chunks of baby cucumbers, layered over grilled halves of young romaine. The woman had made the cheese herself, along with stillwarm flatbread. Totally moreish, that dish.

The blockbuster had to be a bottle of Passage Rock Reserve Syrah, 2008. We drank it on a golden fall day in its home vineyard on Waiheke Island. It was everything you’d want, and more, from such a wine. Masses of dark ripe fruit, spices, a peppery finish. The owner described it as opulent. I’d be tempted to add, moreish.

Three hundred and twenty-two years for a word to be accepted?

Enough, already. It’s my new favourite adjective.

For the word purists, here’s the good bit. Nobody has yet described any not-so-good dish as being less-ish.

At least not so far.

Judy divides her time between New Zealand and Alberta. Her food blog is judyink.ca

A Canadian Epic

of Food and Wine June 11, 2012 6:30pm to 9:00pm Tickets $60 Indulge in an evening of fine VQA wines and prairie cuisine.

Tickets on sale May 1, 2012 from The Junior League of Edmonton Restaurants

Mona Food Distributors

4404 Restaurant (Delta Edmonton South) 4th and Vine Wine Bar and Bistro Café de Ville

Prairie Mill Bread Co. Steve & Dan’s Fresh B.C. Fruit

Elm Café

Sangudo Custom Meats

Hundred Bar + Kitchen

Smoky Valley Goat Cheese

Jack’s Grill

Spring Creek Ranch Premium Natural Beef

L2 Grill

Sylvan Star Cheese

LUX steakhouse+bar

Tangle Ridge Ranch

Madison’s Grill The Marc Restaurant

Wineries & Breweries

Moriarty’s Bistro & Wine Bar NAIT School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts Share (Westin Hotel)

The Newget Kompany Progressive Foods Inc.

Culina Muttart

Red Ox Inn

Nature’s Green Acres

Alley Kat Brewery Barr Estate Winery Birds & Bees Organic Winery and Meadery Black Hills Estate Winery

Shaw Conference Center

Blasted Church

TZiN Wine & Tapas

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery

Urban Diner

Desert Hills Estate Winery

Vivo Ristorante

Domaine Pinnacle

Producers Belle Valley Farm Alpaca Berry Ridge Orchard Bles Wold Yogurt The Cheesiry

Ex Nihilo Vineyards Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery Laughing Stock Vineyards Little Straw Vineyards Mission Hill Family Estate Winery Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery

Coal Lake Honey Farm

Poplar Grove Winery

Doef ’s Greenhouses

Quails’ Gate Estate Winery

Four Whistle Farms

Road 13 Vineyards

Full Course Strategies

Tawse Winery

Hog Wild Specialties

Tinhorn Creek Vineyards

Irvings Farm Fresh

Township 7 Vineyards & Winery

Sundog Organic Farm

Wild Rose Brewery

indulgenceedmonton.ca

@indulgenceyeg

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No Loud and Messy Construction Next Door Buy a Brand New Condo in a Charming, Mature Community!

Homes starting at $219,900! 1 + den, 2 bedrooms & Townhomes

Urban convenience with community appeal Minutes from University of Alberta, Downtown, Whyte Avenue • Southgate mall, restaurants and services within a few blocks • No car? No Problem. Bus Stop at your doorstep and 5 minutes from Southgate LRT Station •

Ask about our EXCLUSIVE FINANCING RATES!

FIVE SHOWSUITES OPEN 10520-56th Avenue Located in Pleasantview

Call Jenna 780.850.1100 info@serenitygardens.ca serenitygardens.ca

Gateway Boulevard NW

111 Street NW

DEVELOPMENTS

Allen Dale Park

Calgary Trail NW

Southgate Mall

51 Avenue NW

Whitemu

d Drive

99 St. NW

Illustrations shown are artists concept only. Specs, materials, prices are subject to change without notice and may be shown pre-gst.