eatdrink #41 May/June 2013

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Serving London, Stratford & Southwestern Ontario № 41 • May/June 2013 www.eatdrink.ca

eatdrink

The Best Signs of SPRING! A FRESH Look at

Seasonal FARMERS’ MARKETS Covent Garden Market Masonville Slow Food Perth County St. Marys Horton’s Goderich Exeter Grand Bend Sarnia Downtown Woodstock and MORE!

and Featuring

Farm-to-Table Trailblazers Three London Chefs, with recipes

The Queen’s Bakery & Part II Bistro

Cuisine Worthy of Centre Stage, in Blyth

Milos’ Craft Beer Emporium London’s Temple to Craft Beer

Willie’s Café & The Sticky Pudding Catering Company Catering to the Season

ALSO: Stratford Coffee Shops | Lambton County’s Your Local Meat Connection | Nigellissima

SAVOUR STRATFORD

celebrates Spring Tap into fresh tastes on our newest culinary trail - The Maple Trail, intimate tutored tastings, foraging for edible spring plants, cooking with Ontario’s celebrated chefs AND in June – Pork-a-palooza!

– Stratford’s unique tribute to all things pork.

Spring Foraging, Puck’s Plenty

5

GE Café Chefs Cooking Classes, Chef Jonathan Gushue

11

Mother’s Day Tea & Chocolate, Tea Leaves Tea Tasting Bar

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Cider & Cheese Tasting, The Milky Whey Fine Cheese Shop

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GE Café Chefs Cooking Classes, Chef Paul Finkelstein

2

GE Café Chefs Cooking Classes, Chef Nick Beninnger

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Long Table Dinner, Stratford Chefs School

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Artisinal Cheese Making, Monforte Dairy

JUNE

MAY

4

21-23 Ribs and Blues Festival, Pork ribs BBQ 22

Bacon Cocktails Tasting, Mercer Hall

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GE Café Chefs Cooking Classes, Chef Bryan Steele

Plan your culinary getaway

visitstratford.ca/spring

@StratfordON @SavourStratford

StratfordON SavourStratford

RAISE YOUR FORK AND GLASS TO THE PERFECT PAIRING OF FOOD AND WINE.

YOUTUBE LOGO SPECS

Because this is where the pleasures of food and wine come together with inspired creativity PRINT and masterful craftsmanship. From our award-winning Essex Pelee Island Coast (EPIC) wineries to our diverse menu of world-inspired cuisine, we invite you to taste for yourself why we’re the shore with more. on light backgrounds

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eatdrink

™ inc.

Restaurants | Chefs | Farmers & Artisans | Culinary Buzz | Recipes | Wine | Travel The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine Serving London, Stratford & Southwestern Ontario

Think Global.

Read Local.

Publisher

Chris McDonell – chris@eatdrink.ca

Managing Editor

Cecilia Buy – cbuy@eatdrink.ca

ONLINE

www.facebook.com/eatdrinkmag

Contributing Editor Bryan Lavery – bryan@eatdrink.ca Social Media Editor Bryan Lavery – bryan@eatdrink.ca Advertising Sales

Chris McDonell – chris@eatdrink.ca Cathy Spencer-Quennville – cathy@eatdrink.ca

Finances

Michael Bell – finance@eatdrink.ca

Graphics

Chris McDonell

Writers

Bryan Lavery, Sue Sutherland Wood, Jane Antoniak, Dave Hammond, Jennifer Gagel, Rick VanSickle, Darin Cook, David Hicks, Kym Wolfe, Susan Orfald

Photographers

Steve Grimes, Bruce Fyfe

Copy Editor

Carolyn Nesbitt-Larking

Website

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Telephone & Fax

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Mailing Address

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Visit

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A Virtual Magnet for All Things Culinary Interactive Digital Magazine, Complete Back Issues and More!

OUR COVER: Because of the timing of this issue, we selected a stock rhubarb image to represent the seasonal bounty of farmers’ markets in our distribution area. www.fotolia.com

Copyright © 2013 ­eatdrink™ inc. and the writers. All rights reserved.

Reproduction or duplication of any material published in ­eatdrink™ or on eatdrink.ca™ is strictly prohibited without the written per­ mis­sion of the Publisher. ­eatdrink™ has a circulation of 15,000 issues published six times annually. The views or opinions expressed in the

information, content and/or advertisements published in ­eatdrink™ or online are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the Publisher. The Publisher welcomes submissions but accepts no responsibility for unsolicited material.

Join us for these Upcoming Events…

• Run Around The Square — May 12 • The Sound of Goderich — May 14 • Kinette Street Dance — May 18 • Relay for Life — June 21 & 22 • Farmers and Flea Markets — open Victoria Day Weekend

For information please contact:

Tourism Goderich 1 800 280 7637 or visit our website at:

goderich.ca

contents

ISSUE № 41

MAY/JUNE 2013

foo d w ri t er at l a r g e 10 Signs of Spring! Seasonal Farmers’ Markets

14

14

By BRYAN LAVERY

R E S TAU R A N T S Farm-to-Table Trailblazers: Local Chefs & Recipes

By BRYAN LAVERY

20 Stratford Stimulus Measures: Coffee Shops

By DAVID HICKS

20 24

24 The Queen’s Bakery and Part II Bistro, in Blyth

By JANE ANTONIAK

KITCHEN DESIGN 30 Appliances: The Tools of the Trade

By SUSAN ORFALD

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fa r m ers & a r t is a ns 34 Your Local Meat Connection, in Lambton County

By DARIN COOK 44 Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers, in Niagara

By RICK VanSICKLE

46 48 52 58

N E W & N O TA B L E 37 The BUZZ

THE BUZZ

c at erers 46 Willie’s Café and The Sticky Pudding Catering Co.

By BRYAN LAVERY

B eer m at t ers 48 Milos’ Craft Beer Emporium, in London

By THE MALT MONK

W I N E 52 California Flights & Bites: “Winecation” in Sonoma

By JANE ANTONIAK

BOOKS 56 Words to Eat By by Ina Lipkowitz

Review by DARIN COOK COOKBOOKS 58 Nigellissima by Nigella Lawson

Review and Recipe Selections by JENNIFER GAGEL T H E L I G H T E R S I D E 62 Strong, But Not Bitter

By SUE SUTHERLAND WOOD

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№ 41 | May/June 2013

tidbits

Real. Local. Food. Alleluia!

By Chris McDonell, eatdrink Publisher

B

Eatdrink is proud of the work we recently ryan Lavery kicks off this issue completed with Tourism Oxford. Look with a welcome reminder that for A Taste of Oxford: The Oxford County Spring is really here, as our local Culinary & Dining Guide throughout Farmers’ Markets launch a ta st e of the county and in your local their 2013 seasons. Asparagus spears Tourism office. You can also are popping up at a furious rate; I find it quickly online at our can almost hear them wriggling website: www.eatdrink.ca. through the earth toward the warm You’ll see some of our favourite sunshine. Unless you’re lucky restaurants and producers and enough to have your own patch find plenty of inspiration for a to harvest, get to a market and road trip guaranteed to satisfy remind yourself what “fresh” your curiousity and your appetite. really tastes like. You might Don’t forget your cooler! also find some newly foraged fiddleheads and other “wild” Happy Spring, flavours of the season. I’m also looking forward to some rhubarb, sweetened with some of this year’s maple syrup. Yum!

oxford

The Ox Culinar ford County Dining y and Guide

Fa R M

R e s ta

eRs

uRan

ts

& aR tisa ns inns & B& Bs eRs’ MaR kets s & F esti va l s

Fa R M Fa i R

. d i a S f f u N ‘ JUNE 21–22, 2013

Fri. 12pm–10:30pm | Sat. 12pm–10:30pm

teD reaDer

GODFATHER OF THE GRILL with live cooking demos fired straight from the grill!

Presented by

Girls just wanna have fun

b e e r to u r

hosted by Master Cicerone™

Mirella aMato

WesternFairDistrict @WesternFair #LDNBeerBBQ

www.eatdrink.ca

№ 41 | May/June 2013

Authentic

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Culinary ExpEriEnCEs FROM FARM TO TABLE, LONDON’S CULINARY CULTURE IS COOKING WITH LOCAL FLAVOUR

WWW.LONDONTOURISM.CA/CULINARY

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№ 41 | May/June 2013

food writer at large

The Best Signs of Spring!

A Fresh Look at Our Seasonal Farmers’ Markets

By Bryan Lavery

F

armers’ markets arise out of a community’s need for producers and consumers to be interdependent and in close proximity to each other. Farm fresh produce, artisanal products and a sense of community are the big draws of farmers’ markets.

Many comparative studies have been made of the social and physical environment of supermarkets and farmers’ markets. A new economic reality is that farmers’ markets have become the preferred foodretailing operation for consumers.

Farmers’ markets are confirmed to be friendlier, happier, interactive, personal, and more educational about food provenance than supermarkets.

Interestingly, more than three-quarters of supermarket customers arrived alone, while at the farmers’ markets, more than three-quarters of market-goers arrived in the company of others.

Farmers’ markets have become an integral and important aspect of local

food distribution and help strengthen food systems and practices. Farmers’ markets support the health and wellbeing of communities as well as connecting to the economical, ethical and social systems of a community. In many locales farmers’ markets have started to collaborate by establishing synergy, sharing operational knowledge, best practices, vendors and community initiatives.

Seasonal Farmers’ Markets

The eat and buy local movements have taken Ontario by storm, and there are hundreds of farmers’ markets dotted across the province to prove it. Farmers’ markets allow you to meet the growers and taste the best locally sourced produce and artisanal products: hand-crafted bread, honey, cheese, jam, butter, cider and maple syrup. It is a great way to savour the terroir and talents of a community. Here are some of this area’s best-loved seasonal farmers’ markets:

London Food Bank & Farmers’ Market “Buy Local, Share Local” Initiative Last year the London Food Bank established enhanced relationships with the Covent Garden Market Farmers’ Market, Western Fair Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market, and the Masonville Farmers’ Market. “The support of the vendors and patrons has been extraordinary,” says Josh Chadwick, the London Food Bank’s Community Harvest co-ordinator. “The market initiatives have been successful beyond all expectations. The goal is for shoppers to buy a little extra from a vendor and to then donate the extra to the Food Bank; further any cash donations received at the food bank market booth are used to purchase produce from the vendors at that market.”

In the first year the Community Harvest program, which only worked with growers on the farm, received approximately 52,000 pounds of donated fruit and vegetables.

In 2011 this number increased to 92,000. 2012 was the third

year for the fresh food program at the London Food Bank. To enhance such efforts, a new exercise called Buy Local, Share Local encourages market patrons to purchase extra fruit and vegetables from market vendors and drop their donations in the booths located in the markets.

The Western Fair Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market and Masonville Market resulted in 10,823 pounds of food collected (9% of total program). This is the single largest non-farm donation. Combined, the Western Fair Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market and Masonville Market provided fresh food to approximately 2,060 families.

Donations from all three markets, in addition to increased support by participating growers ,allowed the total weight of donated fresh fruit and vegetables to exceed 125,000 pounds in 2012.

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The Covent Garden Market Farmers’ there is plenty of free parking in the Market offers seasonal, fresh, friendly Masonville Place Mall lot. Fridays 8 am to 2

and local food to you twice a week outside on the tented square from May 4th. Share the passion for locally-grown food from local farmers, growers and producers. The vendors selling at the Farmers’ Market are involved in producing what they are selling, and are happy to answer any of your questions. For current news, recipes and seasonal information about the farmers’ market please go to their blog: www.coventgardenfarmersmarket.com Thursday & Saturdays, 8 am to 1 pm, May to Christmas, weather permitting.

Masonville Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market has evolved into a best-in-class,

treasure trove of over 40 local farmers, artisans and food producers. It is organized by the Western Fair Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market. You can be sure to find highquality seasonal ingredients and products.

Located in North London at the southwest corner of Fanshawe Park Road and Richmond Street, next to Hakim’s Optical,

pm, May 11- October. Weather permitting.

Since its inception, Slow Food Perth County Sunday Market has been a hit and a go-to food destination. Market-goers appreciate the good, clean, fair principles of Slow Food as well as the exceptional and produce and artisanal products offered by local vendors who have a passion for their offerings. Stratford Market Square, then the market returns to The Local Community Food Centre for the winter. Sundays 10 am to 2 pm. May 5th to October 13th.

Horton Farmers’ Market is a best-in-

class market destination that promotes civic pride, shapes local culture and supports the regional economy by providing access to high quality food producers, craftspeople and artisans. If you are looking for farm fresh produce and meats, homemade preserves and baking, as well as handmade crafts and artwork, the Horton Farmers’ Market is the place to be! They strive to

EXPERIENCE DOWNTOWN LONDON

519.663.2002 | www.downtownlondon.ca

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have only local producers and craftspeople represented, giving you a taste and experience unique to St. Thomas. Manitoba Street, ½ block north of Talbot Street. St. Thomas, Saturdays. May 11th to November 2013. www.hortonfarmersmarket.ca

Downtown Woodstock Farmers’ Market is a vibrant outdoor local

market in the heart of downtown Woodstock on Museum/ Market Square. The market features fresh, seasonal produce, eggs, meat, dairy, baked goods, flowers, plants, artisans, crafts and more. Museum Square and Dundas St., Woodstock. May 16 to October 10th, Thursdays 12 noon to 5 pm (sometimes later). www. downtownwoodstock.ca Nestled on the West Coast of Ontario, the Grand Bend Farmers’ Market welcomes you to a season of fresh, locallygrown produce. The offerings of the 25-plus producer-based vendor group ranges from organic vegetables, beef and pork producers to flowers, bakers, artisans and more. If the vendors don’t grow it, produce it, make it or bake it, it can’t be found at the market. They try to offer a varied selection of products drawing from the three counties of Huron, Middlesex and Lambton.

1 Main St., Grand Bend (Colonial Hotel Parking Lot - enter off Hwy 21.) Opens the first Wednesday after Victoria Day and closes the last Wednesday before Thanksgiving. 8 am to 1 pm. www.grandbendfarmersmarket.ca The Goderich Farmers’ Market on the Courthouse Square is sponsored by the Goderich BIA (Business Improvement Area). The outdoor farmers market offers Ontario grown fruits and vegetables, honey, maple syrup, plants and flowers, some pork products and fish, baked goods, preserves and handmade locally produced crafts. Saturdays, 8 am to 1 pm. Victoria Day to Thanksgiving.

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Exeter Farmers’ Market is located on Main Street (Hwy 4) beside the Trivett Memorial Church. Thursdays, 2 pm to 6 pm. Mid-May to late October.

The St. Marys Farmers’ Market is an exclusively producer –based market. The vendors at the market are all local farmers, home bakers and local craftspeople.

There will be pancake breakfasts on June 22, July 13, August 10 and September 7 and a “Souper Douper” day on October 19th. Saturdays, 8 am to 12 pm. May 18th to October 26th, with some vendors staying into November.

Sarnia Sunday Farmers’ Market

at Sarnia Bay Marina is a fresh experience!

Buy from the producers, farmers, fishers, chefs and more who offer the best in local food. Available products: vegetables, fresh herbs, meats, flowers, fruit, honey, fish, baking, jams/jellies, gourmet products, locally roasted coffee, artisan crafts, and more. 97 Seaway Rd., Sarnia. Late May to late September Sundays 9 am to 1 pm.

Farmers’ markets have become a favourite pastime in Ontario’s Southwest. Petrolia also has an open-air market on Saturdays from the end of May to Thanksgiving. The Forest

Farm and Artisan Market

features local producers and artisans’ showing home-grown local produce and products on Fridays from 8 am to 1 pm.

May to October Several new farmers’ markets have been proposed or are in the works for our area. It’s too early for announcements; however, we’ll do our utmost to keep you posted.

Bryan Lavery is eatdrink magazine’s Writer at Large and Contributing Editor. Lavery is a long-time proponent of farmers’ markets and General Manager of Western Fair Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market. He can be reached at bryan@eatdrink.ca

www.eatdrink.ca

№ 41 | May/June 2013

Farmers’ Market

r e se ll e r s ~ 1 0 0 % rmers ~ no Local 100% Fa ket you can trust mers’ Mar 100 % The Far a u r a g n s t ee T O Y O Farmer U! It’s our

Affordably Fresh, Friendly & Local Farmers’ Market Hours: Thursdays: 8am ~ 2pm Saturdays: 8am ~ 1pm

Free Parking: 2 Hours Sat. & Sun. ~ 1/2 Hour Mon. - Fri. with validation, no purchase required

coventmarket.com

/coventgardenmarket

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№ 41 | May/June 2013

food writer at large

Farm-to-Table Trailblazers Seasonal Recipes from Three Innovative London Chefs

By Bryan Lavery

L

ondon is among the hottest locales in Ontario for chefs supporting farmers and local terroir. Our chefs are a burgeoning group dedicated to creating ethical, local and sustainable food networks. This issue we asked three of London’s notable farm-to-table chefs to showcase one of their signature seasonal

recipes. This trio of chefs are among the local culinary vanguard applying timehonoured traditions and trusted techniques yet delivering a seminal, seasonal and “from scratch” experience in ground-breaking ways. They are trailblazers for the pioneer­ ing and emerging culinary regionalism found in London.

Andrew Wolwowicz

The Springs’ Chef Andrew Wolwowicz has earned the not so easy approbation of fellow chefs with his aesthetic and attention to detail.

Wolwowicz cooks with reverence and purpose, sourcing locally grown ingredients from farms dedicated to sustainable agriculture, organic growing practices, and ethically raised livestock. His farm-to-table menus are progressive, with menu items crafted from local, regional and hyper-seasonal ingredients and are executed with aptitude, innovation and flair. www.thespringsrestaurant.com Recipe on Page 16

Paul Harding

Chef/owner Paul Harding’s The Only On King is a paean to locavorism and farm-to-table dining. Chef upholds the rigorous demands of cooking an ever-evolving, locally sourced daily menu. Harding plays to all his strengths with a tight grasp of the tenets of terroir and sustainability. Chef’s culinary viewpoint and cooking repertoire continue to astound while drawing farm-to-table enthusiasts to the intimate 40-seat dining room. If you are looking to satisfy your inner gastronome this is the ticket. Standout brunch. Satellite location at Western Fair Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market. www.theonlyonking.ca Recipe on Page 18

Kristian Crossen

Windermere Manor’s Executive Chef Kristian Crossen built a formidable reputation with an ethical and sustainable culinary philosophy, solicitous about the provenance of his ingredients and how they are grown or raised. Chef and his culinary team showcase a farm-to-table sensibility with a selection of “old favourites,” signature ingredients, and taste experiences that change to take advantage of the seasons. Open daily for breakfast, lunch, dinner and à la carte Sunday Brunch. www.windemeremanor.com Recipe on Page 19 BRYAN LAVERY is eatdrink’s Food Writer at Large.

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Tourism Expo & Tasting Event Tuesday, May 28, 5–8pm

Middlesex Centre Wellness & Recreation Complex 1 Tunks Lane, Komoka ON

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Tourism Middlesex invites you to sample the flavours of the County!

Local growers, producers and featured area Chefs will prepare culinary delights that will excite your palette!

Visit the Tourism Expo and find out all there is to see and do in Middlesex County!

Tickets $12.00 in advance or $15.00 at the door.

Call 519-205-4952 or pick up your tickets at Tourism Middlesex or the Western Fair Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market

www.tourmiddlesex.ca Middlesex Wellness and Recreation Centre

Southwest Ontario Local Food Connection

eatdrink

THE LOCAL FOOD & DRINK MAGAZINE

A special thank you goes to chef, culinary activist and writer Bryan Lavery — @ethicalgourmet — for his generous support and expertise!

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№ 41 | May/June 2013

Andrew Wolwowicz’s Wildwood Duck Salad Serves 4 appetizer or lunch-size portions Chef Wolwowicz prefers these local suppliers: Bistro Greens, Beets — Soiled Reputation Duck, Sea Buckthorn Juice — Everspring Farms ‘Nika’ Sheep’s Milk Cheese — Monforte Dairy Apple Cider — Western Fair Farmers’ Market 12 oz (approx) (350 g) duck breast 6 whole roasted beets, peeled and cut to preference 16 oven-dried cherry tomatoes toasted hemp seeds 3 oz (85 g) Monforte ‘Nika’ cheese bistro greens acidulated shallots, for garnish 8 oz (225 g) apple cider 1 oz (28 g) sea buckthorn juice 2 oz (56 g) fresh squeezed orange juice a good squeeze of a nice floral wildflower honey 2–3 oz (56–84 g) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled To marinate duck: 1 Whisk together some extra virgin olive oil, a good splash of sherry vinegar, orange juice, bay leaves, juniper berries and smashed garlic cloves. Just know to go easy on the acids here, a couple splashes will do fine with about ½ cup of oil. Wrap in ziplock bag and place in fridge for six hours.

To cook duck: 2 Pre-heat a lightly oiled skillet over medium heat. Season duck breast and lay skin side down in the skillet to begin rendering off some of the fat.

3 When skin is golden brown and starting to crisp up, place the skillet in a pre-heated 400°F oven until duck is cooked to your preference.

Cooking about five to six minutes for a nice medium rare is a good general guideline.

4 Set the duck aside to rest the juices.

To make the dressing: 5 Place the hot skillet (with the duck fat as a base) over a medium low heat. Add beets, apple cider, orange juice, sea buckthorn juice and the squeeze of honey. Reduce by about a quarter volume, then turn the heat to low.

6 Slowly add the chilled cubed butter, a couple cubes at a time, while whisking. You want to achieve a creamy, velvety finish.

Season very lightly with a little coarse salt.

To the plate: 7 Lightly dress greens with a light acidic dressing, and combine with dried tomatoes. Crumble Nika cheese over greens and sprinkle with the toasted hemp seeds.

8 Place onto the centre of a dinner plate. Assemble beets, along with warm dressing, around the

greens. Slice duck breast and

divide equally over

the greens.

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So Simple.

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Yet ...

Over 50 Varieties and Flavours of Extra Virgin Olive Oils & Balsamic Vinegars Enjoy a FREE Tasting Experience and Discover Your Favourites!

Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar TASTING ROOM 1570 Hyde Park Road • Unit #7 • London 519-471-OLIV (6548) • www.olivemeco.com

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№ 41 | May/June 2013

Paul Harding’s Wild Leek Soup with Battered Fieldgate Organic Chicken Livers, Mad Tom IPA-Pickled Wild Leeks & Mayo

Serves 4 1 lb (450 g) clean wild leeks (bulb separated from leaf ) 2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced 1 ½ litres (6.4 cups) organic chicken stock ½ cup (120mL) of 35% cream 1 cup (240 mL) dry white wine 1 tablespoon (15 mL) unsalted butter 1 tablespoon (15mL) olive oil ½ tablespoon (8 mL) lemon juice ½ tablespoon (8 mL) rice wine vinegar ½ teaspoon (5 mL) chili sauce (srichacha) Salt and pepper to taste Olive oil 1 Over medium heat add oil, butter and leek bulbs and cook until tender. Add white wine and reduce until syrup.

2 Add potatoes, stock and cream and turn up to high. Simmer until potatoes are tender.

3 Add leek leaves and cook on high for 5 minutes.

4 Add lemon, vinegar, chili sauce, salt and pepper. In blender purée until smooth and pass through fine strainer. Adjust seasoning to your liking and serve.

Beer-battered Chicken Livers Makes 8

Canola oil for frying 8 chicken livers (seasoned with salt and pepper) Beer batter ¾ bottle of Muskoka Brewery’s Mad Tom IPA 1 cup (240 mL) Arva flour 2 eggs 1 teaspoon (5 mL) baking powder Salt and pepper ¼ cup (60 mL) flour for dusting livers 1 In a bowl, whisk the eggs, add the beer, and add half the flour. Using a wooden spoon mix the remaining flour, baking powder salt and pepper. Cover and let rest for about 15 minutes before using.

2 In a deep frying pan add canola oil until it covers bottom and comes up ½ inch.

3 Turn on medium heat. Dust each liver and batter. Carefully place in oil and fry until golden brown. Flip over and fry until golden. (Five minutes total).

4 Remove from oil and place on paper towel.

Season with kosher salt. Serve as soon as possible. Livers should be medium rare!

Pickled Wild Leeks and Mayo Makes one large mason jar of leeks

Ingredients for leeks 1 lb (450 g) of wild leek bulbs 1 ½ cups (350 mL) rice wine vinegar 2 ½ cups (595 mL) water 3 tablespoons (60 g) kosher salt 2 tablespoons (25 g) sugar 1 Heat all ingredients in a sauce pot (except for the leek bulbs) until they come to a boil.

2 Place the leeks in a heat-proof container. Pour in liquid. Let stand for one hour. Jar and process or use within two weeks.

Ingredients for mayo 1 cup (240 mL) home-made or good quality store-bought mayonnaise ¼ cup (60 mL) finely diced pickled wild leeks Combine and serve. Dip the livers in the mayo!!

www.eatdrink.ca

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Kristian Crossen’s Wild Leek Soup

with Poached Egg & Shaved Gunn’s Hill Handeck Cheese 1 kg wild leeks, whites rough chopped, tops reserved 700 g Spanish onion, rough chopped 350 g Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and rough chopped water, or light chicken stock to cover salt and white pepper 500 ml 35% cream 8 small eggs, poached 200 g sweet butter 200 g Gunn’s Hill Handeck cheese, shaved thin 1 In a deep stockpot, sweat onions and leek whites in the butter until they start to soften.

Season lightly.

Continue cooking for 5 minutes over medium-low heat keeping from browning.

2 Add the chopped potatoes and cover with water or stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are completely tender, seasoning while cooking.

3 Transfer soup to a bar blender and carefully purée until smooth. Return to soup pot. For a smoother soup pass through a fine mesh strainer, pushing through with a ladle.

Enjoy your life!

4 Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil and add salt to taste. Blanch chopped leek tops for 2 minutes and then transfer to an ice water bath. Blanch in small batches so as not to bring the temperature of the water down from a boil.

5 Purée the tops in blender until smooth and pass through a fine mesh strainer.

Reserve.

6 To serve, bring soup to a simmer and add in the cream. Adjust seasoning. Add in leek top purée for colour and additional flavour. Serve immediately as colour will diminish quickly.

7 Top each soup with a warmed poached egg and some shavings of the Handeck cheese.

Classes starting Register now!

fanshawec.ca/ce

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restaurants

Stratford Stimulus Measures A guide to The Festival City’s downtown coffee shops By david hicks

A cappucino from Revel Caffè

N

ot only does Stratford oast the largest repertory theatre in the English-speaking world, the most parkland per capita in Canada, culinary tourism, music festivals, boutique shopping, and more chocolate than might be considered wise … it’s all walkable.

As a result, a Stratford café culture is emerging. Independent coffee shops are differentiating themselves, and working out their distinct personalities. Most are fair trade (or in some way ethical), with organic/ local dairy inputs, and baking. Here’s a quick roundup of five cafés to try, all within a twoblock radius.

Balzac’s

If Stratford has a place to see and be seen, it’s through the floor-to-ceiling front windows of Balzac’s, on Ontario Street. This is the found­ ing location of now seven locations between here and Toronto, and is a local landmark.

Belle époque pressed tin abounds, there’s indoor seating for 40, and in summer the sidewalk tables are prized and the shaded back deck is coveted.

Eye-openers are offered for early risers. Efficient counter service, five brews at the ready, espresso drinks (includ­ ing the Café Canadien made with maple syrup), 15 bean varieties (available by the pound), and baked goods under glass. Also, plenty of teas and herbal infusions for ­caffeine moderates.

MON–FRI 6:30am–8pm; SAT & SUN 7am–8pm.

149 Ontario Street www.balzacs.com

The Bakery Café at Pazzo

Last season, this extension of Pazzo Taverna & Pizzeria (at the convergence of Ontario, Erie, Huron and Downie Streets) added indoor seating for 16 and three sidewalk tables. The Euro-style bakery offers fresh desserts and baking, from cookies to pies, plus light lunches made from scratch, a salad bar, and picnic baskets. But it’s the polished copper hand-pull Victoria Ardino espresso machine (plus three drip coffees) that keeps the Bakery in the “café zone.”

Karen Hartwick’s Tea Leaves line is Balzac’s Cathy Segeren

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represented. If you have kids with you, the ice cream sandwiches made with Kawartha Dairy ice cream and three daily choices of cookie, will give them a happy buzz of their own.

TUES–SAT 8am–6pm; SUN 8am–3pm; Closed MON. 76 Ontario Street • www.pazzobakery.ca

Revel Caffè

This past winter, Anne Campion and her loyal Revel-utionaries shifted to the renovated E.G. Budd & Sons feed store on Market Square, behind City Hall. The major re-design yielded custom furniture from the renovation and preservation of The Bakery Café at Pazzo barista Madison Wilson the original painted wall signage.

There’s a variety of seating — at counters, café tables and a large communal table — and the new deck out back will be a summer favourite. Revel trumps fair trade with direct trade coffee from a third-generation plantation in Nicaragua, via the granddaughters at Las Chicas del Café in London, Ontario. There are French press coffees and milky espresso drinks, but try the espresso neat — the crema is as it should be and the flavours hit high fruity and wine-y notes. In summer, the glacially cold infused coffee is a new experience. Lots of Tea Leaves on hand here too. Fresh baking is done behind the counter in the open kitchen.

SUN–WED 8am–6pm; THURS–SAT 8am–8pm.

37 Market Place • www.revelcaffe.com

Buzz Stop

Tucked away on York Street, Buzz Stop is the specialty coffee shop that kicked off the trend in Stratford. Nancy Hotson has been selling coffee, tea and cigars since 1989. She keeps 4 freshly ground brews for takeaway, from a roster of nearly 50 varieties. Espresso drinks are available too.

There are about 40 teas and a range of hard-to-get specialty foods, including Steed & Co. Lavender, The Garlic Box, and Jakeman’s maple syrup products.

If your buzz of choice is a cigar, you’ll find the best local stock of Cubans, Dominicans, Hondurans and domestics. No seating indoors, but there’s a table for 4 and a pair of benches on her shaded front patio.

MON–SAT 9:30am–5:30pm; SUN 10am–3pm.

17 York Street • www.buzzstop.com Continued next page ...

Buzz Stop’s Nancy Hotson

Revel Caffè’s Anne Campion

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№ 41 | May/June 2013

Continued from previous page ...

Slave to the Grind’s Heather Walker

Slave to the Grind Espresso Bar Formerly Sputnik Espresso Bar, the new owners, Your Local Market Co-op, opened on March 1st.

Heather Walker is overseeing the bar in this an intimate sliver of a space on the west block of Ontario Street.

Among espresso drinks and two drip coffees, their signature drink is the Fully Monty Mocha with homemade chocolate sauce, espresso, steamed milk, whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Try Katelyn Vere’s expanded array of fresh baked goods like dark chocolate cherry muffins and apricot-ginger or blue cheese scones. Cozy seating is limited to 12, but a backroom overlooking the river will accommodate up to 16 when it’s redone for summer. Summer hours are not decided yet, but begin with: MON 8am–5pm; TUES–SAT 8am–6pm; SUN 9am–4pm.

46 Ontario Street www.grindstratford.com DAVID HICKS is a Stratford freelance writer and branding consultant who believes he can quit coffee any time. If he wanted to. Really, it’s not a problem.

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№ 41 | May/June 2013

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restaurants

Cuisine Worthy of Centre Stage The Queen’s Bakery and Part II Bistro, in Blyth

By JANE ANTONIAK

I

f you could find a sophisticated urban-chic cafe and a creative bistro with an internationally-inspired menu sourced with fresh local ingredients, and place them in rural Southwestern Ontario across the road from outstanding original Canadian theatre, would that make Queen “B “ you happy? Oh, yes.

Specialty Coffee Thank you, Blyth.

The tiny village, Coconut Macaroons home to the fabulous Blyth Festival Theatre, (www.blythfestival.com) now offers visitors two new dining options. The Queens Bakery www. queensbakeryblyth.com is owned and operated by two Blyth couples who have introduced espresso shots, custom made hot beverages, soups and baked goods to the area, in a funky urban ambience. Next door is Part II Bistro, www.part2bistro.ca, the creation of chef/owner Peter Gusso who has French Toast Royale returned home to Blyth after cooking and travelling through the British Isles with his wife Sarah. Gusso wowed the judges at the Queen’s Bakery co-owners (from the left) 2012 Taste of Huron chef’s competition and Rick & Anne Elliot and Les & Jackie Cook he continues to delight customers at his full service restaurant.

The two eateries complement each other nicely. The Queen’s Bakery offers light and nutritious breakfasts and lunches including oatmeal, chili and soups, alongside more sinful choices of cheeses, desserts and speciality coffees including liquor shots.

Part II Bistro provides delicious and hearty European-style meals including lamb, beef, chicken, pork and veal prepared creatively and expertly by Gusso. It is also licenced and features an interesting VQA listing and Ontario beers, a bonus for the crew and cast at the Blyth Festival Theatre. Not only do they now have the option of big city-style

offerings, but it’s right across the street. Both the bakery and the bistro open early and close late to accommodate theatre-goers.

“We started something we thought we’d enjoy going to,” says Anne Elliot, one of the owners of the Queen’s Bakery. “We have a product that people are yearning for: a place where they can come and sit and stay a while.”

The bakery’s décor certainly leads to relaxation. There are a variety of comfortable seating options including cushy chairs at tables, and visitors might find themselves being entertained by local musicians who have gravitated to the bakery for informal jam sessions.

The owners, Anne & Rick Elliot and Jackie & Les Cook, met over dancing lessons at Les’ dance studio. Now, they incorporate music into the bakery. “We don’t have a TV and we don’t have a clock,” says Les happily. “We also don’t play any radio stations, just the music we like.”

The bakery promotes local food talent as well, offering Johnston Apiaries honey for sale (from nearby Goderich), Blyth Farm Goat Cheese from Paul Van Dorp (also available in London at All ‘Bout Cheese/ Western Fair Farmer’s Market), Arva Flour mill flours and oatmeal, Pelee Island wines, Neustadt Springs Beer from north of Guelph, Coastal Coffee from Ben Gingrich of St. Joseph’s, North Huron Mushroom Farm mushrooms in their soups and Hannah’s Maple BBQ sauce from Odessa.

Anne and Les are the baristas while Jackie does the baking and cooking.

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№ 41 | May/June 2013

“Originally we thought 2012, they opened the treats and coffee,” says bistro. In short order, Anne. “Then it quickly Gusso won the Taste of evolved and took on Huron chef’s challenge a life of its own. We and has been drawing in put out a pot of soup Huron County fans ever for us to eat while since. we were working.

The bistro dining room Well, the lunch has is casual with a modern really taken off! We flair, featuring theatre thought we’d be dead posters on the walls and in the winter, but the large plates of interesting opposite happened! I foods on the tables. Try think we have given a his sweet chilli beef lot of locals their first tacos as an appetizer or Part II Bistro Owner/Chef Peter Gusso cappuccino,” laughs lunch or his mushroom Anne. She didn’t bruschetta featuring even drink coffee herself before attending Huron mushrooms. Chef also cooks with barista school in Toronto and is now a Metzger bacon and beef from nearby convert to quality hot beverages.

Hensall, Out of the Blue fish from Bayfield, Meanwhile, Peter Gusso, at Part II Bistro trout from Headley farm and sausage from has done nothing but cook his whole Scrimgeours in Blyth. “A lot of what I do life. The Fanshawe College culinary grad features recipes from abroad with local, worked at Waldo’s with Mark Kitching and fresh ingredients,” says Gusso. He has then took off to cook abroad in the British some fun too, offering guests “soup shots” Isles more than seven years ago with instead of a bread basket and playful takes his partner Sarah. Together, they gained incredible experiences and recipes before returning home to the Blyth area in 2009 for a family reunion. Realizing how much they missed their family and friends, they decided it was time for “part 2” of their lives: opening their own culinary business. First they ran the Blyth Station House B & B and a catering business. Then, in June

Part II Bistro dining room on mussels by steaming them in Guinness. His pork spring rolls with a sesame lime dressing are scrumptious.

The mains are large and impressive, especially the lamb osso buco which features whole shanks and his gigantic ravioli stuffed with sweet potato and butternut squash.

“I’m trying to mix it up a bit,” Gusso says as he expertly moves around his small kitchen. “I just wanted to come home and

№ 41 | May/June 2013

Mushroom Bruschetta

Crème Brûlée

build on this community. With Blyth being a theatre town in the summer there wasn’t any place to go out and have a nice time.

Our first summer was much bigger than we anticipated and now we are really ready for this one.” His staff of seven includes another Fanshawe culinary grad, Matt Cottrill.

Blyth is located about an hour and fifteen minutes north of London on Highway 4, north of Exeter. Previews at the Blyth Festival Theatre start on June 11th with their smash hit from last summer, Dear Johnny Deere, featuring the story and music of Fred Eaglesmith. Don’t miss this limited run show! Eaglesmith is also performing a concert at the Blyth hall on May 25th — a rare treat!

The regular season of five plays opens June 26th with Beyond the Farm Show and continues with Yorkville: The Musical, Garrison’s Garage, Prairie Nurse and Falling: A Wake.

Jane Antoniak is a regular contributor to eatdrink.

She is also the Manger, Communications & Media Relations for King’s University College at Western in London.

Part II Bistro photos by Painted Black Studio (www.paintedblackstudio.ca)

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№ 41 | May/June 2013

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№ 41 | May/June 2013

kitchen design

Appliances: The Tools of the Trade Reflections on Kitchen Design: Part II

By SUSAN ORFALD

W

hen embarking on a kitchen renovation, one of the most important considerations is the type of appliances to be incorporated into the design.

Ranges, Cooktops & Ovens

One of the first questions — as it impacts the floor plan considerably — is whether you would like a range, or a separate cooktop and oven. If you frequently entertain and have the space, consider a range with an additional oven for cooking larger meals.

This can also be an advantage from an energy conservation point of view, as you have an option to use a smaller oven when you’re just heating up a dish for a couple of people.

There are many sizes in ranges and cooktops. The standard size is 30” (usually four or sometimes five burners); the next size up is 36” with five to six burners; and a 48” size typically accommodates six burners and two ovens in a range. There are larger ranges available, if you entertain often or are a professional baker.

If you decide on a cooktop and oven independently, you must consider the height at which the oven should be installed. If located into a wall cabinet, lifting items out of the oven is easier and more convenient. The oven can be “banked” with other appliances such as a microwave oven, or a warming drawer.

There are also “combi” ovens available that combine the oven, microwave, and even the warming drawer into one appliance.

When a wall oven is included in the design, it is conducive to more than one cook working in the kitchen at once, as it physically separates the appliances. A cooktop and separate wall oven would also be an asset in a wheelchair-accessible kitchen in terms of working at convenient heights.

This kitchen (above) features a sink in the island. A dishwasher is housed beside the sink. Opposite the sink, there is a 36” dual fuel range with stainless steel exhaust hood. Below, another wall in the same kitchen features an integrated fridge and a secondary wall oven with microwave and trim kit above.

The kitchen shown to the left has a fiveburner gas cooktop, with oven built-in below, with an integrated exhaust unit above.

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This kitchen has a large stainless steel fridge with ice and water; built-in microwave shelf; gas cooker with stainless steel chimney exhaust hood; two ovens built-in below counter; three sinks; dishwasher and (see inset photo) built-in wine and beverage fridges.

You can also select a cooktop with an oven built below it, for a more built-in, streamlined look, without taking up additional wall space.

There are a few additional appliances you may choose to consider in your planning: a steam oven, speed oven, or built-in coffee maker; these are all options that can be built into a tall cabinet.

Electric, Gas or Induction?

The other cooking decision to consider is energy: electric, gas or induction?

Many people choose electric as it is more familiar, there are sleek designs, and they are easy to clean. However, they do take longer to respond to temperature, taking

longer to heat up or cool down as you’re cooking. The majority of the renovations I do include installing a gas cooker. They are efficient, quick to respond to controls, clean and, as most people have a gas furnace, are not too difficult to install in a renovation. Many of the ranges available are “dual fuel,” which is a gas cooktop with an electric oven.

Induction is a fairly new method of cooking. It uses an electromagnet, creating electromagnetic field and using the pan as the heat conductor, and keeps the cooking surface safe to touch. Induction cooking uses the minimum amount of energy as it senses the size of the pan, and is very quick

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№ 41 | May/June 2013

would fit up into the canopy and be exposed on the bottom only.

Refrigerators

This kitchen includes an integrated refrigerator, fiveburner gas cooktop with integrated exhaust hood above; and wall oven with microwave/grill oven above. to heat up. With induction cooking, your pots need to be steel, enameled steel, cast iron or stainless steel. You can test your pots by seeing if a magnet will stick to the bottom.

The refrigerator is typically the largest appliance in the kitchen and requires careful consideration. What are your requirements in terms of family size? Do you have additional fridge or freezer space in another area of your home? What configuration is most convenient? I discuss with many customers the advantages and disadvantages of various styles and what their past experiences have been. I personally prefer either a bottom mount freezer, as the fridge portion is used more often than the freezer, or a French door style that has the freezer below and two

Range Hoods

Another major design decision that will affect the kitchen design plan is what type of fume extractor (range hood) to use.

The simplest hoods are mounted below the upper cabinets, above the range. They may be stationary, or have a pull-out that activates the exhaust. There are also chimney style hoods that make more of a feature of the cooking area. Materials used are typically stainless steel and glass. Downdraft exhausts are available when your cooktop or range is located in an island. A popular choice if you want to bring focus to a canopy or integrated hood is to build in an insert. The power unit

This kitchen includes a stainless steel french door refrigerator, 36” dual fuel range, chimney style canopy, microwave speed oven, dishwasher in the island, main sink in the island and prep sink at the end.

Integrated refrigerator, double wall oven, bullt-in microwave shelf, electric cooktop, with slim-line integrated pull out hood. upper doors on the fridge. This latter option is especially convenient if the space in front of the fridge is limited.

When selecting a fridge, rather than taking the square footage of the fridge into consideration, look at the amount and size of shelf space the fridge accommodates. If you are opening up the kitchen to a dining room or family room, it may benefit the overall appearance to have integrated appliances, with the fridge panels and hardware match the rest of the cabinetry. This can also be an asset in a smaller kitchen, so the fridge does not become a focal point.

Larger kitchens can accommodate a hospitality area (a “servery” area for food and drinks), that can include a beverage fridge, icemaker, or wine cooler.

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Other Appliances

The dishwasher is typically located next to the sink for ease of clean-up, or close to cabinets that you will store the dishes in. The dishwasher is another appliance that I often recommend be integrated so that the panel blends in with the rest of the cabinetry.

As previously mentioned, the microwave can be located above a wall oven, combined as a microwave/ rangehood option (if space is limited), in a wall cabinet built to accommodate the microwave, or below the counter. This is the least efficient place, although there are microwave drawers available to make this location more effective.

Thought needs to be given to storage space for smaller countertop appliances such as blenders, juicers, coffeemakers, toasters, mixers and bread makers.

In this age of technology there are even appliances that you can program or control from your smart phone. When making your selections, do your research

“I was honoured that you trusted my advice.

Congratulations on your successful launch and welcome to The Millhouse!

This kitchen includes a stainless steel top fridge, bottom freezer, built-in microwave shelf, stainless dishwasher, 48” dual fuel range with two ovens, stainless pro-style hood above and find out which appliances are best for you and your kitchen design, taking into consideration functionality, energy efficiency and longevity.

SUSAN ORFALD is an Interior Designer with Hutton Bielmann Design Inc.

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farmers & artisans

Carnivorous County Connections Lena’s Lamb, Franz Turkey Farms and Bluewater Beef are Lambton County’s Your Local Meat Connection By darin cook

W

A recent morning commute took me down winding country roads through endless pastures to an out-ofthe-way farm in Lambton County. This was not your typical urban commute with start-and-stop traffic on packed roadways, but a rural meandering that reminded me how fortunate we are in this area to be surrounded by local agriculture. Coming from Kent County, travelling through the small towns of Kent Bridge, Eberts, and Tupperville, I wasn’t stopped by a single traffic light.

The collection of country roads led me to Wilkesport, just outside Petrolia, 40 kilometres from Sarnia. Here I met a group of three independent farmers who reside within 10 kilometres of each other and have combined forces to supply a variety of highquality meat direct to consumers in their community and beyond.

Your Local Meat Connection was a business initiative started three years ago by the owners of Lena’s Lamb, Franz Turkey Farms, and Bluewater Beef. Each farm runs independently but they made the savvy business decision to showcase their three types of meat as a Lambton County brand.

They combined advertising, marketing, trade show fees, and administrative efforts to help the financial side of their businesses in a competitive

industry. An internet presence at www. yourlocalmeatconnection.com acts as a portal to their individual websites. (It is more likely that a Google searcher would use “local meat” rather than “local turkey” or “local beef” so their services are found more readily).

Lena’s Lamb

Darlene Pettit and her husband Dave run Lena’s Lamb at their Wilkesport farm.

Darlene decided on lamb as a type of livestock that she could handle easily on her own when needed and that could be fed with peas, oats, and corn from their own land. Knowing that lamb is tried more reluctantly than other meats by those unfamiliar with it, she wanted to capture people’s attention with a quality product. Darlene says, “I became a farmer to create the right product that comes from our farm. Customers decide if they want it based on quality. When you believe in your product and are comfortable with what is leaving the farm, taste is where it’s at; you can’t go wrong with good tasting meat.” She generally sees more interest in lamb in urban areas, where it is often available at fine dining restaurants. She also point out that lamb is “a naturally healthy alternative” to provide variety in home-cooked meals.

Dave & Darlene Pettit and family of Lena’s Lamb, Wilkesport

№ 41 | May/June 2013

Bluewater Beef

www.eatdrink.ca

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provide assistance by tending to the Bluewater Beef is a crops that feed the combination of two animals. family farms near Bridgen. Ralph Eyre Expanding a was raised on a dairy Niche Market farm and foresaw a The three busi­nesses profitable business each draw customers from selling freezerto their farms in ready beef products different ways. Lena’s at farmers’ markets.

Lamb sells from the This idea took off farm and, given the when he and his Ralph & Brenda Eyre and Murray & Sandi Shaw and unique nature of wife Brenda joined their families created Bluewater Beef, near Brigden their livestock, often another farming get requests for certain types of lambs. The family, Murray and Sandi Shaw, to create requests may not coincide with the type of Bluewater Beef. The business model was farm that Darlene runs, as her focus is on aimed at scaling down the traditional three particular breeds — Suffolk, Texel, larger sides of beef to a more manageable and Dorset. By raising them in ways to package program, geared around cost, nurture the quality she is looking for in an cooking preference, and time of year. For end product, she chooses the best in each instance, a summer BBQ package includes breed when the time is right. Sticking to grilling steaks, burgers, and ground beef. this process is converting people to its great The goal is to produce a quality product taste. In recent statistics, only 1% of farmers with strict feeding and breeding methods across both farms to maintain a consistent in Lambton are sheep farmers. Darlene does what she can to spread the word by Bluewater Beef brand. instructing her customers through direct Franz Turkey Farms marketing and posting cooking tips and While Lena’s Lamb and Bluewater Beef recipes on the Lena’s Lamb website. have both been in business for five years, While beef and turkey are not such Franz Turkey Farms has been in the family small portions of the industry, Bluewater for over fifty years. Nikolaus Franz started Beef and Franz Turkey Farms are carving the business in 1960 and his son, Gary, out niches of their own. Ralph and his took over along with his wife, Theresa, associates have held on-farm open houses who married into the family and became to entertain and educate customers about an integral part of the business right their products. Consumers are sometimes away. The third generation (daughters, far removed from agricultural realities Monika, Rachel, and Erika) is now heavily and not informed enough to make the best involved in the operations. Even the fourth purchasing decisions, but they can learn a generation, Theresa and Gary’s young lot when visiting the farm directly. Franz grandchildren, ages 1 to 5, like to help check Turkey Farms draws customers by having a the barns. In fact, all three businesses in retail store on the farm in Petrolia, selling Your Local Meat frozen turkey year Connection are truly round and fresh ones family affairs, with during the main the children pitching holiday seasons. in with part-time The turkeys are all help where they can. processed at an At Bluewater Beef, on-site plant. Other the Eyre’s have three teen-aged children The multi-generational and the Shaw’s have Franz family have operated four. At Lena’s Lamb, their namesake turkey the three younger farms for over 50 years, just Pettit children outside of Petrolia

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products like turkey pies and sausages join the whole birds in the store freezers.

Chefs have taken notice of these quality products. All three are featured at Bridges restaurant in Sarnia. Chef Phil Washington not only cooks with the products, but identifies the sources in “A Taste of Ontario” menu. The menu descriptions — Bluewater Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio, Franz Turkey Club Sandwich, and Lena’s Lamb Chops — make it clear where the proteins come from, providing an excellent marketing strategy to highlight that great tasting local meat can be enjoyed as a professionally prepared meal. The three farmers also have a combined booth at the annual Fusion Food & Wine Show in Sarnia, where local chefs showcase their products in a variety of dishes.

Two of the three meats make their way to London for retail consumption: Lena’s Lamb is sold through Saucy Meats & So Much More at the Western Fair Farmers’ Market, and Franz Turkeys can be found at Sunripe Markets. The bulk of beef sales are through the website, with most orders hand-

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delivered to the customers. Restaurant orders and market sales round out the rest of their transactions. The majority of market sales occur at the Petrolia Farmers’ Market where all three work together on Saturdays in the summer months.

The nexus these farmers have made with each other through Your Local Meat Connection has enhanced each of their businesses and created an extended family of farmers, allowing them to connect in turn with customers through farmers’ markets, restaurants, and home cooking.

My drive home that day was a mirror image of the drive there: I passed through the same farmland with similar, but now more enlightened thoughts about how the land is a connection to our food. And it is farming families like these that bridge the distance between the food and consumers.

DARIN COOK works and plays in Chatham-Kent and is a regular contributor to eatdrink.

www.eatdrink.ca

№ 41 | May/June 2013

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The BUZZ ... new and notable

T

he Local Food Act was reintroduced last month, which the province says will help make more local food available in markets, schools, cafeterias, grocery stores and restaurants. If passed, the Liberal government says the Local Food Act would, through education, encourage the growth and development of markets for foods grown and made in Ontario. It would also provide funding for collaborative local food projects. The act would provide funding for experimentation and innovation in the agri-food industry.

Legislation introduced last month in Queen’s Park defines local food as anything grown or produced in Ontario. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, however, says products can’t be label “local” unless they come from 50 kilometers of where they’re sold. $50,000 is the possible maximum fine for businesses that advertise “local” products that don’t meet the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s definition of “local.”

London City Council agreed to get public feedback on proposed pilot program to allow new-style food trucks. The current bylaw is outdated, because it was drafted to deal with catering trucks, hotdog carts and ice cream vendors.

Modern food trucks serve a diverse variety of healthy

options and cultural foods in other cities. They are positioned to incubate new businesses and become an alternative launching pad for healthy, creative food. There is, of course, a big difference between the greasy-spoon chip wagon and the food truck that serves healthy gourmet or ethnic street foods.

The London Food Truck Pilot Project community meeting is scheduled for May 27th. For Further information contact Michelle Navackas. michelle@artisansgroup.org

Sheila Devost and Tourism Middlesex will be hosting a “Taste and Tour Middlesex” conference and networking event on May 28 and 29 at the Komoka Wellness and Recreation Centre. Tourism Middlesex is committed to heighten awareness and develop and promote partnerships for tourism and tourism-related businesses. They are inviting local farmers, producers and growers to partner with local restaurants and chefs to create farm-to-table tasting stations at an evening tasting event Tuesday, May 28, 5–8pm.

This ticketed evening tasting event is open to the public and will feature some of the area’s most innovative chefs. Tasting samples must be comprised of entirely local ingredients that showcase both chef and farmer/producer.

For more information please call Sheila Devost at 519-2458951 or Bryan Lavery at 519 280-7565.

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The former owner of Ann McColl’s Kitchen Shop, London heritage activist and food writer Ann McColl Lindsay, has spent the last few weeks curating the new Eldon House Gift Shop. Lindsay also has working on recreating the original Victorian herb garden at Eldon House.

The Only On King’s Owner/Chef Paul Harding had a winemaker’s dinner with Nick and Nat’s Uptown 21 on April 22, featuring Tawse Winery. Harding is planning two additional winemaker’s dinners this summer. One of the chefs will be Michael Caballo, from Edulis (Voted Best New Restaurant in Canada 2012 in EnRoute magazine,

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November 2012; and Best New Restaurant - #2, Toronto Life, March 2013). Caballo and Harding worked together at the former JOV bistro several years ago. The date has not been firmed up, but Harding promises an epic event.

The Only on King will also be participating in Anita Stewart’s Food Day Canada on Saturday August 3. The restaurant will offer a prix fixe menu to celebrate their local purveyors to coincide with Food Day Canada. Food Day Canada is an opportunity for all Canadians to join hands in one massive celebration in praise of our farmers and fishers; our chefs and researchers ... and, above all, our home cooks.

“Reasonably priced, fresh, well-executed Ethiopian cuisine ...” — Bryan Lavery, eatdrink magazine

London’s Celebration Destination VOTED Best Fine Dining & Most Romantic Restaurant

London Free Press Readers

• Vegetarian Options • Takeout • Catering Reservations •Recommended

& Best Restaurant Atmosphere

London Community News Readers

Lunch Weekdays Dinner 7 Nights a Week

1 York Street

(just West of Ridout) Baby Grand Pianist 6 Nights a Week Ample Free Parking with Reservations

www.michaelsonthethames.com • 519-672-0111

ADDIS ABABA Restaurant Tues–Fri 5–1pm • Sat 12–1pm • Sun 2–1pm

465 Dundas Street 519 433-4222 www.tgsaddisababarestaurant.com

Upbeat Lunches | Intimate Dinners | Dietary Needs Accommodated | Ample Free Parking

bistro & caterer 46 Blackfriars Street, London | 519-667-4930 | www.blackfriarsbistro.com

№ 41 | May/June 2013

Chef Erin Harris of The Cheese Poet is returning to the kitchen at Jill’s Table to teach two cheese classes in June.

Learn how to craft cheese, prepare cheese-inspired recipes, and create the ultimate cheese board. Harris also teaches at The Arts and Cookery Bank in West Lorne. To learn more, visit their website at www.theartsandcookerybank.com.

The Cheese Poet continues to sell the best grilled cheese in London, available every Saturday at the Western Fair Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market (WFFAM) from 10am–2pm.

Bringing GREECE to London for over 38 years!

“A sacred place where we celebrate life and each other with joy, warmth, good food and drink.”

Rick Peori from ABC Cheese is opening a cheese shop on Dundas St. across from WFFAM in June. Miki Hambleck of Taste of Hungary, a butcher also at the Market, will be opening a shop next to Peori later in the summer. Miki is well-known for his popular, all-natural, no-filler sausages, bacon, and other delicious meat products.

Speaking of the WFFAM, Glenda Smith (Smith Cheese) — a member of the family of long-time and well-known vendors at the CGM — and her daughter Danielle Smith recently opened a satellite operation on the main floor.

Proprietor Danielle received her passion for fresh homemade food from her mother. The duo has been working together for years to create the best recipes, although their recipe for fresh pasta was handed to them originally by one of their regular Italian-born customers whose family had been making fresh pasta the same way for generations.

Garden Patio Open Daily

BEST GREEK RESTAURANT

We Host Parties — from 8 to 80 We Know How!

MYKONOS

572 Adelaide Street, London 519-434-6736

www.mykonosrestaurant.ca

Mon−Sat 11am to 10pm Sunday 11am to 9pm

WFFAM gluten-free vendor, Shari Blanchard, will be returning to the Masonville Market this season. Blanchard has utilized over 25 years of food service expertise to innovatively create gluten, dairy, and refined sugar-free treats from revised recipes which she in turn handcrafted from scratch.

The Western Fair District is demolishing four buildings this summer, including the former Imax building, the Western Fair’s old administration building, the Special Events Building and the attached structure that links that building to the rest of the complex. New parking spaces will benefit the WFFAM’s large crowds on Saturdays.

The London Beer & BBQ Show celebrates another Canadian tradition besides hockey: Grilling on the barbeque while nursing our thirsts with some of Canada’s finest craft brews. Sample Ontario’s established culture of craft beers and local grillers and participate in the variety of sports, cooking demos and activities. Agri-plex Western Fair District.

June 21-22, 2013. 12 noon to 10:30 pm On the Move Organics (OTMO) was founded four years ago

by Jeff Pastorius, a then-recent grad of Huron University College’s Global Studies and Philosophy Program. A pervasive concern with sustainable food politics soon had him and his friend Dan Hilton obsessively hunting down local organic farms. The Root Cellar is OTMO’s organic cafe, serving breakfast/brunch, lunch and dinner. (Open Tuesday & Wednesday 10am-7pm, Thursday & Friday 10am–9pm, Saturday 9am–6pm.)

ALWAYS a 3-course prix fixe menu option

432 Richmond St. at Carling • London www.davidsbistro.ca www.davidsbistro.ca

№ 41 | May/June 2013

STUNNING VIEWS EXCELLENT FOOD AMBIANCE GALORE CAFÉ OPEN TUES TO FRI, 11–4 SAT & SUN BRUNCH, 11–4

BOOK NOW for CH — May 12 MOTHER’S DAY BRUN ervations Please call for res

AVAILABLE EVENINGS for Private Dining, Weddings, Corporate Events, Anniversary Dinners, Christmas & Birthday Parties CORPORATE BREAKFAST MEETINGS with AV

at MUSEUM LONDON theriverroom.ca | 519.850.2287 CH UN R m Y B 2p DA1am− N 1 SU

PATIO Now Open!

Tuscano’s Pizzeria and Bistro is a new family-owned and operated restaurant at 1579 Oxford St., directly across from Fanshawe College. “All of our foods are hand-made daily,” reports co-owner Shannon Donati, “from our fresh-baked focaccia bread, salad dressings, hand-crafted pasta and daily desserts. Our Oz Wine Bar allows us to serve high-quality wines by the glass and ensures the perfect temperature and flavour of the wine as it is intended.” Tuscano’s also offers catering, a separate entrance for take-out, and patio dining. www.tuscanoslondon.com Emily Peat has been making waves in the business plan competition scene this year, winning three major awards that will help put London on the map for entrepreneurial spirit. Peat’s London-based start-up, EcoPlace Organics sources certified organic, locally grown foods from smallscale producers and delivers them to people at work and home. The business launched in London in June 2012, growing to just under 200 customers by December. Peat says the business is ready for its next step — launching Ontario’s first organic grocery store on wheels by June 2013. www.ecoplaceorganicdelivery.com The final day for Kantina’s “Break the Chain initiative” was Tuesday, April 30th. This promotion was about breaking the “chain” habit and encouraging Londoners to visit restaurants other than ever-present and formulaic chains and showcasing London’s unique offerings. Kantina’s hours are changing and they we’ll be closed Sundays and Mondays starting in May for the summer. www.kantina.ca The Turkish Festival at the Covent Garden Market (CGM) has switched their dates from May 18th and 19th to May 25th and 26th. The Mexican Festival will be held on June 9th and the Columbian Festival July 20 and 21st.

Chef Bhan from the New Delhi Deli at the CGM serves up a melting pot of authentic Indian, Caribbean, Mexican and East African cuisines. Serving homemade non-dairy, vegetarian and meat curry choices, jerk and tandoori chicken, roti wraps, samosas, seafood, duck, lamb and more, Bhan offers lunches anytime, snacks, and take-home dinners when you need a break from cooking. Catering services are also available.

Josh and Jodi Stall offer authentic and eclectic cuisine from around the world at their UpFront at the Market at the CGM. Upfront’s menus aim to entice and satisfy, from the adventurous foodie to more traditional tastes. For seven years, the Stalls welcomed patrons and friends at the original UpFront Café in Strathroy. They are excited to build on that reputation for unique dishes made with impeccable ingredients and imagination right here in London. www.upfrontrestaurant.com

Sun–Tues 11am–midnight, Wed/Thurs 11am–1am, Fri/Sat 11am–2am

Katherine Bansick and Chef Robbin Azzopardi are expected to open the new Byron FreeHouse in July in the space formerly occupied by La Bella Vita Ristorante on Commissioners Road.

№ 41 | May/June 2013

Under the Volcano, London’s original Mexican food restaurant, recently moved from Richmond Row to the former Cityview Restaurant at the corner of Wharncliffe Rd. and Riverside Drive. Dagmar Wendt’s Under the Volcano has been a local dining institution having served London for over 35 years. It’s the fourth incarnation for the restaurant, which creates both regional Mexican and Tex-Mex styles.

The new location is smaller but it has its own parking lot.

Dagmar tells eatdrink the response to the new location has been overwhelming. www.underthevolcano.co

Your love of all things Italian begins at

Ruth-Anne Drennan Stricket’s gluten- free specialty shop is now open in East London. Ruby’s Pantry offers a wide selection of gluten free products including fresh baked goods from Organic Works and Jubilee Kafe. They also offer gluten-free soups, side dishes, sauces, cookies, baking mixes and flours, chutneys, pastas, treats, the list goes on! 125 Clarke Rd, in the Birdie’s Nest Plaza, across from the Marconi Club.

Closed Sunday and Monday www.rubyspantry.ca Fire Roasted Coffee founder Dave Cook’s new flagship cafe, across from Budweiser Gardens at King and Talbot Street, is expected to open in late May. The corner premises in the renovated Wallace Building are being transformed into a cafe featuring Fire Roasted Coffee and Habitual Chocolate. The adjoining building will be used as a satellite micro-facility to create gourmet chocolate from raw cocoa beans.

Empower your kids with the interest and enthusiasm to get gardens growing. The Junior Gardeners program will introduce children ages 6-11 to a food’s journey from seed to table. A Loblaw Master Gardener and In-Store Dietitian will conduct the first part of an interactive experience that concludes with a lesson from a PC Cooking School Coordinator on how to prepare a garden fresh salsa. They will complete the class by enjoying the salsa in a healthy cheese Quesadilla served with crispy corn tortilla chips and guacamole. $20. Saturday, May 25, 2–4 pm at Loblaw’s Richmond North location and Saturday, June 1, 1–3 pm at the Wonderland South location.

Barrking Hill Farm opened in 2006 with the goal of producing healthy meats raised on natural feeds in a humane environment. They are producers of a variety of meats (beef, pork, chicken, rabbit) raised without hormones, vaccinations of anti-biotics. They grow their own feeds without pesticides or artificial fertilizers. Their products can be found at both Exeter and Masonville Markets.

Danielle Brodhagen spent the last five years developing Stratford’s Culinary Tourism Program. She is the founder and the force behind the award-winning Savour Stratford Perth County Culinary Festival and past co-chair of Slow Food Perth County. Danielle has recently joined the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance team as Director of Product Development.

Cheesemaker Ruth Klahsen’s new “osteria” Monforte on Wellington has opened to rave reviews. There are limited

Featuring specialty foods, kitchenwares, tablewares, cooking classes & gift baskets.

115 King Street, London

519-645-1335 www.jillstable.ca

№ 41 | May/June 2013

changing daily lunch and dinner menus, well-chosen wine selections, cheese and house-made charcuterie to purchase as well as coffee and espresso. www.monfortedairy.com

A Taste of Europe since 1974

Celebrate

Mother’s Day Brunch 10:30am–2pm Dinner (Full Menu) 4:30pm–8:30pm

Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre

$39.99 per person includes a Mystery Unlimited performance, salad, main course, coffee/tea, dessert, and gratuity.

See our website for more details.

Book Your Mystery Now!

May 31 & June 21 122 Carling Street (at Talbot, around the corner from Budweiser Gardens) Open Daily for Dinner 519-679-9940 Lunch Monday-Saturday www.marienbad.ca

B Grea &BS Q Mt local auc eats es

Meats & So Much More!

After 29 years of leadership in assisting the Stratford Chefs School to its place as the pre-eminent culinary training program in Canada, Eleanor Kane is stepping down but will assist in an advisory capacity to the to the school and its Board.

The Board of Directors of the Stratford Chefs School is pleased to welcome Rochelle Marshall as the new Fundraising and Development Officer. www.stratfordchef.com Chris and Mary Woolf have supported local farmers, artisans, and sustainable and organic producers for 19 years.

Woolfy’s at Wildwood is their little restaurant that let the seasons dictate their menus. The scoop for now ... Woolfy’s Restaurant and “Little Red Cafe” will remain closed for 2013.

Chris and Mary will be found at the St. Marys Farmers Market this summer with their wares. www.woolfys.com Pam Rogers from Kawthoolei Organics has returned from Burma for the season. Rogers offers fresh organic sprouts, chilies and early spring arugula and can be found at the Stratford’s Slow Food Perth County Sunday Market and the WFFAM on Saturdays.

Soups Surreal has also joined the Slow Food Perth County Sunday Market, offering a variety of hand-crafted soups to enjoy at the market as well as frozen soups to take home.

Stratford’s newest culinary trail is a sweet treat! The Savour Stratford Maple Trail is the third in Stratford’s culinary trail offers. This self-guided tour presents 12 maple-inspired stops from maple balsamic vinegar, to a maple smoked bacon BLT and a Canadian Maple Manhattan! Other Savour Stratford culinary trails include the Chocolate Trail and the Bacon & Ale Trail, each available all year round for $25 plus HST. www.visitstratford.ca/mapletrail GE Café Chefs Series Cooking Classes offer hands-on cooking classes with celebrated Ontario chefs in Stratford.

May 5 Chef Jonathan Gushue of Langdon Hall, May 26 Chef Paul Finkelstein of Screaming Avocado, June 2 Chef Nick Beninnger of Nick and Nat’s Uptown21 and June 23 Chef Bryan Steele of The Prune. Check out menus and book online www.visitstratford.ca/gechefs

Hormone & Drug-Free Ontario Beef, Pork & Lamb 100% Local — from Our Farmers to Your Table

We are your London outlet for Metzger Meat Products, The Whole Pig and Lena’s Lamb, with sauces and spices from The Garlic Box, Pristine Olive, Steed & Co. Lavender, Stonewall Kitchen, Hot Mamas and the Hot Saucy counter with jerks, rubs, mustards & aioli.

Western Fair Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market: Saturdays, 8am–3pm

519-615-0633 • saucyco@gmail.com

Go to the wild side on May 4 for Spring Foraging. Join seasoned forager Peter Blush of Puck’s Plenty as he leads you along the beautiful Avon Trail is search of wild edibles such as wild ginger, cattail shoots and assorted wild mushrooms. Take away Peter’s favourite recipes to showcase your fresh picks. www.visitstratford.ca/tastings Springworks: Spoken Word Coffeehouse Poetry @ Revel Caffè. Gardens and Fields, Grandkids and Groundhogs with award-winning poet and filmmaker Elizabeth Zetlin, whose work celebrates the human community. May 9 at 7 pm. Free. 37 Market Place, Stratford. Check out all the events from May 9–19 online. www.springworksfestival.ca

№ 41 | May/June 2013

Savour Stratford presents a Cider & Cheese Tasting.

Open your taste buds to a whole new world of fresh cheese pairings with cider — the new wine! Cheese specialist Liz Payne will lead your tasting at The Milky Whey Fine Cheese Shop, Stratford, Saturday, May 25, 3–5 pm, $27.50 plus HST. www.visitstratford.ca/tastings Savour Stratford presents Artisanal Cheese Making at Monforte Dairy. Learn the process and stages of making great cheese before savouring an exclusive experience with a Monforte cheese tasting and pairing with VQA wines. Monforte Dairy, 49 Griffith Rd., Saturday, June 1, 3–4:30 pm, $25. plus HST and nominal handling fee. www.visitstratford.ca/tastings Stratford Chefs School invites you to their second Long Table Dinner — a relaxed gathering of supporters and friends, around a long beautifully appointed white dinner table in the lush setting of the park system in Stratford.

Sunday, June 9, $175 per person. www.stratfordchef.com Tour four of Stratford’s historic pubs, sample a local micro-brew at each stop and hear the tales and spooky stories that haunt Stratford’s downtown during the Pubs, Pilsners and Spirits Tour on Thursdays, June 13 & 27. More dates are available from July–October. Meet at Stratford Tourism Alliance, 47 Downie St, Stratford, 8 pm, $25/A plus HST. www.visitstratford.ca

Trust...

Taste...

Award-Winning Quality...

PRIME BEEF Burgers

Pork-a-palooza! Stratford has dedicated the month of June to celebrating pork. Savour the Bacon & Ale Trail, take in a bacon cocktail tasting and delicious pork menus. Selected restaurants, chefs, producers and shops are creating special menus, pork events and tastings. Stratford is not only the home of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival but also to the National Pork Congress, and the town is going hogwild. www.visitstratford.ca/spring Stratford Blues and Ribfest, June 21-23 – International rib teams come to Stratford for a weekend of delicious BBQ along with live music at the William Allman Arena, Lakeside Drive at Morenz Drive. www.stratfordbluesandribfest.ca Pazzo launches a new taverna in May. With Chef Yva Santini’s Italian kitchen, Taverna at Pazzo brings a brand new direction to the city’s main corner. In the kitchen, sustainable seafood like oysters, crab and lobster joins house-made pastas and gnocchi alongside locally-sourced steaks and produce.

Simplified flavours in the Italian tradition paired with wines by the glass, bottle or barrel, Taverna is taking its cue from the neighbourhood restaurants of New York. www.pazzo.ca Our readers want to know, so send us info about culinary events, fundraisers, and regional news. With BUZZ in the Subject line, send to: editor@eatdrink.ca.

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We tweet and retweet, post to our Facebook page, and print all the news we can. Let’s get better connected!

We also offer local Lamb, Pork & Bacon Burgers, seasoned and unseasoned.

Perfect for the BBQ!

Open six days a week.

Now available in London!

Visit Saucy: Meats & So Much More at Western Fair Farmers’ Market on Saturdays!

Hensall, Ontario

Just off Hwy 4, 45 minutes north of London.

www.metzgermeats.com 519-262-3130 Local Beef • Pork • Lamb • Poultry Specialty European Meat Products

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www.eatdrink.ca

№ 41 | May/June 2013

farmers & artisans

Something Special Is Brewing Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers, in the heart of Niagara wine country

By RICK VanSICKLE

H

e is a tall, strapping 27- year- old, and looks more like the star quarterback than a man who tinkers with high-octane booze all day long. But that’s the path master distiller Geoff Dillon has taken.

Dillon (with degrees in biochemistry and economics), along with his father, Dr. Peter Dillon (a professor at Trent University who specializes in biogeochemistry), opened the doors to Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers late last year. Using the bounty of natural botanicals, herbs and fruit sourced from Niagara, the distillery is focused squarely on small-batch spirits, hand-crafted at the production facility shared with Angels Gate Winery.

The location in Beamsville, Ontario, in the heart of Niagara wine country, was chosen in part for its proximity to the local ingredients. “Niagara was such a natural fit for the distillery,” says Geoff Dillon.

“Between the amazing fruit grown here, the abundance of wineries and the open spaces … it’s an amazing microcosm of food, landscapes and people and we hope Dillon’s can help play a role in its culture.”

“From a winery owner’s perspective, I think that Dillon’s adds significantly to the entire Niagara landscape,” says John

Young, president of Angels Gate Winery.

He hopes that the distillery “increases the awareness and attention to what is going on in Niagara” and will “add to and complement the exciting wine industry.”

The first products from Dillon’s are made from a base of Niagara grapes that would otherwise have been thrown to the ground during the annual thinning process.

Instead, they are dropped into baskets, fermented and distilled at Dillon’s.

The grape-based spirit provides the base for the various distilled products, including Dillon’s Small Batch White Rye (with a delightful nose of rye, minerals and a touch of citrus); the Small Batch Gin (a mellow and smooth elixir with notes of juniper, herbs, tonic and spice); a chocolate mint spirit; and a local version of absinthe (made from wormwood grown in Dillon’s father’s garden, with 65% alcohol and delicious flavours of anise and licorice).

But the backbone of Dillon’s product line will be its Canadian rye whisky.

“Most people don’t know that Canadian rye whisky can be (and often is) made with as little as zero per cent rye then coloured and flavoured,” says Dillon. “Our whisky Master Distiller Geoff Dillon

www.eatdrink.ca

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Locally sourced ingredients (left) are part of the reason Dillon’s located in Niagara. Gin (the basis of the cucumber cocktail (centre), like all of the Dillon’s product lines, is distilled in copper pot stills (right), a traditional method rarely used currently by large distilleries. is made with 100% Ontario grown rye (eventually 100% Niagara-grown), and I know people will be blown away when they taste it.”

The first batch of whisky has been distilled and is now aging in barrels from oak farmed in Ontario. It will take three years before the whisky is ready to sell. In the meantime, Dillon’s has a range of products available for sale at the retail store.

Dillon says that with each product the distillery makes the aim is to be “honest and open. We not only list all the ingredients used, but where they come from, on every label.”

There will be no spirit that Dillon’s cannot and will not make. A big part of the program will see seasonal spirits made from fresh Niagara fruit including peaches, pears and cherries, purchased and processed at Dillon’s with the pure juices added straight into the still for blending.

The distillery also makes its own bitters, tonics and sodas that can be used to mix with the various spirits.

At the centre of the experience at Dillon’s are the stills that are radically different than what you would find at a large

distillery. “Most Canadian whisky is made in continuous distillation columns while we are returning to copper pot stills,” says Dillon. “We have built the first of its kind, a mashing-stripping still, as well as having two copper columns with variable plates that allow us to precisely create a whole host of spirits. A big part of Dillon’s is to show people exactly what we are doing and how we are doing it,” he says. “We will show you the grain coming in and the whisky going out. We are using traditional levels of quality while utilizing modern techniques and equipment to create authentic products, and I think people will love them,” Dillon says.

“The story of our ingredients is the story of Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers. We have access to fresh local product grown by so many amazing people using healthy, responsible practices on some of the best growing soils in the world. These elements are fundamental to Dillon’s and without them we wouldn’t be doing it.”

RICK VanSICKLE can be reached at winesniagara@gmail.com

Delicious Seven Days a Week Dinner, Lunch or Sunday Brunch

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www.eatdrink.ca

№ 41 | May/June 2013

caterers

Catering to the Season Willie’s Café and The Sticky Pudding Catering Company By bryan Lavery

T

his issue we are featuring recipes from two well-known London caterers. These are not complicated recipes, and the message is simple as well: good cooking is about fresh, seasonal, high-quality

ingredients, used thoughtfully. We asked Ian Kennard from Willie’s Café and Chef David Grassie from the Sticky Pudding Catering Company for recipes from their catering repertoires that really explode with fresh flavours.

Ian Kennard and Willie’s Café Willie’s Café has been a revered London lunch hot spot for many years. Proprietor Ian Kennard and Cindy Koivu (Willie’s main server for the past 17 years) possess a solid work ethic and interact in the dining room as a well-choreographed team. This keeps the café humming, patrons happy and business brisk.

Chef Gail Raines is a culinary dynamo who combines efficient professionalism with friendly repartee in the small open kitchen. Menu

items include over a dozen different sandwiches and wraps, along with a variety of soups, salads and other house specialties. Everything is made in-house and from scratch. Almost half of Willie’s business comes from catering, to both corporate clients and private parties.

One of Willie’s specialties is the office lunch. They have built a reputation for their fresh and healthy sandwiches, salads and hot entrées delivered to your office at an affordable price.

Willie’s Café 731 Wellington Street, London 519-433-9027 www.williescafe.on.ca

Recipe courtesy of Ian Kennard from Willie’s Café

Chicken with Lemon White Wine Cream Sauce, Baby Spinach and Bowtie Pasta Serves 6 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed 1 500g box farfalle (bowtie) pasta 3 cups (750 mL) baby spinach 6 tbsp (120 mL) butter 6 tbsp (120 mL) flour 3 cups (750 mL) 35% cream 1 cup (250 mL) chicken stock zest and juice of 3 lemons ½ cup (125 mL) white wine salt and pepper

www.eatdrink.ca

№ 41 | May/June 2013 For Sauce: 1 Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

Whisk in flour and cook until light beige and fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and cool slightly.

2 Add cream, whisking constantly. Return to heat.

3 Add vegetable stock, lemon zest, lemon juice, and white wine. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly until the sauce thickens.

47

4 Add chicken, reduce heat, and simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5 Cook pasta according to instructions.

6 Divide pasta among 6 large bowls; sprinkle each with ½ cup baby spinach. Spoon chicken and sauce over spinach and pasta. Garnish with fresh black pepper and serve. Bon appetit!

David Grassie and The Sticky Pudding Catering Company Hailing from the north of England, David Grassie is an award-winning chef and caterer. Grassie began his career in Canada in 1978 working for the Holiday Inn, and set­ tling in London in 1984.

In 1990, Grassie began offering his services as an event consultant to a select clientele and David Grassie Chef Services was born. In 1996, Grassie decided to combine his passion for good food with his love for meeting and working with people to create his current company.

Sticky Pudding Catering Company 519-652-0020 www.stickypudding.ca We asked Chef Grassie for a seasonal recipe and he provided the following soup recipe, perfect for late spring, when the green goodness of fresh shelled peas and baby leeks are at their prime, when mint and tarragon are fresh, and when the weather is beginning to suggest the early days of summer. Parsnips are always a noble ingredient to add sweetness and texture to almost any soup. This combination is a classic warm-weather starter.

BRYAN LAVERY is eatdrink’s Food Writer at Large.

Recipe courtesy of David Grassie from The Sticky Pudding Catering Company

Chilled Green Pea, Parsnip and Mint Soup I’m originally from the north of England, where soup is one of our staples. What better than peas and mint? I`ve added parsnip, for an extra dimension. I think they make a wonderful combination.

6 cups (1.5 L) Chicken stock 6 cups (1.5 L) green peas 2 cups (475 mL) diced parsnips ½ cup (120 mL) chopped leek 1/3 cup (80 mL) chopped tarragon 1/3 cup (80 mL) chopped mint ¼ cup (60 mL) crème fraîche crème fraîche 1 cup (240 mL) sour cream 1 cup (240 mL) 35% cream 1 Whip the cream to stiff peaks then fold into the sour cream. Cover with plastic wrap and leave on kitchen counter overnight. Refrigerate in the morning.

2 In a large pot bring the chicken stock, peas, and parsnips to the boil. Turn down heat, and simmer until parsnip is soft to the touch. Strain and save the stock.

3 Place the cooked peas, parsnip, leek, mint, tarragon, and half the stock in a blender and purée until smooth.

4 Slowly add the remaining stock. Season with salt and white pepper. Pass through a mediumfine strainer. Refrigerate.

5 Before serving, check the seasoning, serve with a teaspoon of the crème fraîche, and finish with fresh mint.

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№ 41 | May/June 2013

Beer matters beer matters

A Temple to Craft Beer Milos’ Craft Beer Emporium, in London

By The Malt Monk

I

first met Milos Kral when he managed Chaucer’s Pub, in London. But it was during his time at Chancey Smith’s (which was in Covent Garden Market), that I really got to know Milos and his passion for good beer and simple but excellent cuisine. Both establishments became renowned local craft beer meccas during his tenure. Milos has had an impact on both the hospitality culture and the craft beer culture in London. He has introduced multitudes to the delights of crafted, fresh, real beer, to a wide variety of styles, and to the concept of beer-food pairing. Milos has also been responsible for many of the area’s craft beer events. He jokingly refers to turning macro (corporate) beer drinkers into craft beer acolytes as “converting infidels.”

Last year, Milos finally realized his dream of building a temple to the brewing art when he moved into premises at the corner of Talbot Street and Carling. Milos’ Craft Beer Emporium is open to believers and non-believers alike.

Milos is not afraid of the hard work involved in sourcing artisanal beers. He has made available many scarce but sought-after brews. He and his associate Adil Ahmad think nothing of hopping into a truck and rounding up casks and kegs of limited edition seasonal or one-off brews that normally would never make it to the London area. With 23 draft taps and two cask conditioned beer engines, they are kept hopping, to offer a constantly rotating beer menu.

Milos Kral I recently enjoyed a session at Milos’ gastro-pub. Here’s a little taste of what you can expect from a visit. But let me start by calming any trepidation you might have in going to pub for a good meal — Milos’ delivers. Chef Matt Reijnen has created an eclectic but unpretentious menu. Dishes are adeptly crafted with fresh locally sourced meats and produce. There is no microwave in the kitchen; food is made to order, and fresh. There are lunch, supper and “pub favourites” menus.

We arrived as the lunch crowd was slowly filing back to work and were greeted by a smiling server. Milos stopped by the table for a chat, as he often does. We started with Nickel Brook Marzen paired with an appropriate appetizer — house-made Cumberland Sausage Rolls with Branston Pickle and mustard. The Branston Pickle was a perfect complement for these fresh savoury meat pastries, as was the rich malty earthy character of the Marzen.

The soup de jour — a roasted root vegetable purée — was served with a snifter of Nickel Brook New World Belgian Pale Ale. My com­ panion had the Roasted Beet, Quinoa and Watercress Salad with goat’s milk feta and almonds in an aged balsamic vinaigrette.

My soup was fresh and flavourful with the natural tastes of the root vegetables and sea­ sonings riding on a rich creamy texture. The subdued bitterness and cider acidity of the Belgian pale ale complimented the soup. My friend found the bright citrus of his Church Key West Coast Pale Ale paired well with the balsamic vinaigrette on his salad. Score 2 for 2 on our beer/food matches, thus far.

We took a short break to cleanse our palates with some spiced almonds and a couple of hand-drawn half pints of cask ale — ­Neustadt Double Fuggled (a 60 shilling Scottish-style mild ale). The true real ale pub experience doesn’t get better than that pair­ ing. Adil stopped over to chat about brew­ ing, brewers, and brews — the Emporium’s “Ambassador of Craft Beer” knows his stuff.

Next we got to our main entrées. I had the Braised Ontario Lamb Ragu with housemade potato gnocchi, goat’s milk cheese, mint and oregano — which I paired with a Spear Head Moroccan Brown Ale. My friend opted for the House-ground Beef Burger with old cheddar and locally-sourced garnishes, on a fresh kaiser. He didn’t want a large meal, but looking at the size of that plate, he got one anyway. The Ragu had tender meat and fresh gnocchi in a rich appetizing sauce. My pairing worked fairly well, with the spiced raisin-like fruitiness of the Moroccan brown ale adding a complementary note to the

robust meat dish as well as providing good palate cleansing. My friend enjoyed the same ale, so I think Moroccan Brown is an allaround good match for red meat meals.

Then on to dessert. We ordered spiced apple cake with hot apple jam, paired with Stone Hammer Coffee Stout. Hard to go wrong there — fresh warm fruity dessert and a satisfying coffee-infused brew rounded out the meal very nicely.

Milos’ establishment provides a rewarding experience for foodies and nonfoodies, veteran craft beer drinkers and novice quaffers alike. There is something new to experience for everyone — all in a friendly atmosphere.

As a side note to local beer lovers, I was given a scoop on some of the beers soon to come on line at Milos’: Oast House Barn Raiser and Smoked Stout; many of Bellwood’s rotationals; Flying Monkeys Saison; HBC 342 and Imperial Red Ale; Left Field’s Eefus (oatmeal brown ale); Mikkeller specials; De Molen beers; and Boon and Liefmans Lambics — a little something new for everyone.

Milos’ Craft Beer Emporium 420 Talbot Street North, London 519-601-4447 www.pubmilos.com more from The Malt Monk on page 55 ...

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Taste of the Month

Radical Road Brewing’s Canny Man, Barrel-Aged Scotch Ale (LCBO # 311829) Radical Road Canny Man is a 9.1% abv “Wee Heavy” styled Scotch ale that has been aged in whisky barrels for 71 days. It is the brainchild of two creative brewers at Black Oak Brewing who thought it was time the brewery offered a really big barrel-aged beer. Many of us who heard the rumours it was coming thought they were nuts to offer an initial barrelcrafted big brew based on the “wee heavy” style, but the attention to sourcing authentic scotch barrels and quality ingredients, and the skilful way this brew was crafted made Scotch Ale a perfect style to showcase barreled aged beer. It works very well because the peat smoked malt taste associated with this style largely comes from the whiskey barrels. It comes in a wrapped champagne bottle with a caged cork stopper.

I’m sure it will cellar well.

My first impression, from the packaging, was that it must be another sales gimmick for a mediocre brew. How wrong I was. Inside that arty package was a hazy deep amber unfiltered ale with a massive cap that lasts, and a champagne-like effervescence from proper

bottle conditioning. Big burly aroma fills the nose (and the room) with a pungent smokynutty-malty-fruity bouquet. Hopping is moderate but efficient and there is a nice smoky, roasted hazelnut and dark fruitiness riding below the caramel malt. It has a great rounded smoothness that comes from barrel aging. I was impressed by how this big robust version of a “wee heavy” held its sweetness and smokiness in check, by wonderful rounded malt complexity and a decent drying on the palate from efficient yeast attenuation. This is a world-class effort from some local brewers, and a joy to sip on or pair with a number of soft ripe buttery cheeses or smoked salmon.

THE MALT MONK is the alter ego of D.R. Hammond, a passionate supporter of craft beer culture. He invites readers to join in the dialogue at http://maltmonksbeerblog.wordpress.com/

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wine

California Flights & Bites Enjoy a “Winecation” in Sonoma County

By Jane Antoniak Photography by Bruce Fyfe

I

t’s pretty cool that a Canadian is running one of Sonoma’s top wineries. That’s because Elizabeth Grant-Douglas knows a thing or two about cool climate grape growing and how to coax pinot grapes along in the delicate balancing act between damp, cold nights and hot, dry days.

The graduate of Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI), who grew up watching her dad make wine in the basement of their Niagara Falls home, is now a leading California winemaker producing top rated pinot noirs and chardonnay’s for La Crema in Windsor, Sonoma County.

This summer she will proudly bring her wines back home for the Niagara International Cool Chardonnay Festival. Grant-Douglas and her husband went to Sonoma on a whim, for a weekend, as new graduates 12 years ago. They never left.

“I do feel somewhat spoiled getting to grow grapes in California,” she admits while showing some fellow Canucks her prize vines, just a few miles from her home. “It’s a great way to make a living and you get to live among some of the best grapes in the world.”

Grant-Douglas also loves that La Crema wines are now carried by the LCBO. She’s constantly pushing her marketing team to get more listed. The La Crema Sonoma Coast pinot noir takes “a lot of gentle handling and special tools,” she says. “It is a delicious addition to any cellar.”

La Crema was on our wine vacation bucket list, along with some other LCBO-listed California wineries including Francis Ford Coppola and Ravenswood. But as you take the winding roads of Sonoma, including the Russian River Valley, you are

Sonoma County road signs (above) testify to the multitude of wineries. Elizabeth Grant-Douglas (below), from Niagara Falls, is La Crema Winery’s Head Winemaker.

Sonoma County Vineyards, California

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Wine barrels and an Apocalypse Now wine bottle with DVD at Francis Ford Coppola Winery surrounded by offerings — each delicious and beautiful. Sip and spit is required on this road trip with bottles purchased for dinners within walking distance of hotels where “bring your own” is di rigour — as

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long as you pay the corkage fee. This is gladly done in order to enjoy a bottle of Kunde Red Dirt Red, a blissfully smooth red blend, which we did, paired with braised short ribs, later in San Francisco.

The only downside to this trip is the lack of a truck to fill with wines to bring home! So consume merrily while there!

An ideal itinerary for the winecation is offered by Sono­ma County Tourism, which works very hard to compete with neighbour­ ing Napa. Known for pinot, cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay, Sonoma is a great destination within a short two hour drive from San Francisco. Pick up a rental car at the airport, cross the Golden Gate bridge and enjoy the easy driving along Highway 101. Or venture onto the winding winery side roads through the towns of Sonoma, Glen Ellen, and Windsor, and up to Healdsburg (home of the La Crema tasting room — not at the vineyards) and Geyserville, where Francis Ford Coppola has set up a second winery complete with all his Hollywood memorabilia (including the desk Marlon Brando sat in as The Godfather,

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Relax under olive trees (above) at the Olea Boutique Hotel, in Glen Ellen, Sonoma County and all the Coppola family Oscars.

The impressive winery has a full restaurant, Rustic, which offers an open kitchen and high ceiling with wooden beams, which overlooks the vines. Visitors can spend a day around the large swimming pool and rent a personal cabana to complete the California dream.

Coppola has been known to hang out poolside and chat with guests while sipping his chards. Movie buffs will be enticed with the speciality bottling Apocalypse Now, which includes a hinged bottom on the bottle that holds a DVD of the film. For only $300.00, it can be yours!

With all this wining and dining, overnight stays are highly recommended, especially if you are able to get a room at the lovely Olea Hotel near the quaint village of Glen Ellen. This hillside retreat with only 10 rooms (2 more coming later in 2013) is named after the olive trees on the property. Guests can lounge on a wellappointed patio with a view of the Sonoma hills while sipping complimentary Kunde Sauvignon Blanc from Riedel stemware, and munching on olives. The breakfast is prepared by expert cooks who offer up warm olive oil rosemary muffins with house-made pear and cardamom jam as a first course, followed by poached egg on a warm buttermilk biscuit with Italian sausage ragout and roasted asparagus.

The highly recommended Town of Sonoma restau­rant, the girl & the fig, features (above) Truffled Goat Cheese Gnocchi with spring peas & thumbellina carrots, pea shoots & vin blanc, and (left) The Works: a local cheese, chacuterie, spiced nuts, fig & apple plate Such is the start of another great day in Sonoma. You may want to pair that with a glass of brut from Buena Vista, California’s first winery and cellars, where you can take a historical tour by costumed guides. Or try the brut at Korbel in the Russian River Valley — equally dry and smooth.

Make sure you do not miss having a meal at the girl & the fig in the town of Sonoma, operated by the talented Sondra Bernstein and John Toulze, who expertly incorporate figs into their stellar cheese and house-cured meats plate, and into a cocktail (via fig liqueur). With a passion for French cuisine in a casual “country flair” Bernstein stubbornly offers only Rhone region varietals and does so brilliantly with her flights of Viognier which are served in antique shop stemware of varying heights. Do not miss the signature duck confit or local chicken thighs with ricotta dumplings. Really, do not miss a bite of anything including the pot au creme caramel. Then don’t eat for about 24 hours!

Taking a break from all the grapes is a good idea and the ideal outing is a walk in the ancient redwoods of Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve in

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Guerneville. An easy trail takes you past magnificent trees, more than a thousand years old, and is simply awe-inspiring.

Of course, San Francisco itself is not to be missed — even if only for a day or two as bookends to your wine country trip. From “grabbing a pole” on a cable car en route to Fisherman’s Wharf, to crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on a rental bike and then coasting downhill to lunch in Sausalito, to dining Italian-style in North Beach (try

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Trattoria Contadina), the city is a splendor for tourists of all ages — even those a bit hung over from all the wine!

JANE ANTONIAK is an eatdrink culinary travel writer and Manager, Communications & Media Relations at King’s University College, Western.

BRUCE FYFE is a regular photographer for eatdrink and a librarian at Weldon, Western University.

Walk among ancient redwoods (left) at Armstrong National Park, Russian RIver Valley. San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge (centre) is accessible by foot, bicycle or car, and the city’s unique cable cars (right) offer an exciting experience while seeing the sights.

,

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books

Words to Eat By Five Foods and the Culinary History of the English Language

by Ina Lipkowitz Review by Darin Cook

T

he name of a thing often helps to determine how it is perceived.

Foods are no exception. When you see a slab of red meat wrapped in pastry on a plate, you probably know more of what to expect when told that it’s called Beef Wellington. The same can be said for Häagen-Dazs; it’s not obvious what it is, (in fact the name is made up, to sound Danish) but even non-Scandinavians know that it’s ice cream. A dish’s name itself informs, without need for further explanation.

In her book, Words to Eat By: Five Foods and the Culinary History of the English Language (St. Martin’s Press, 2011, $29.99), Ina Lipkowitz, a linguist instructor at MIT, claims that English is filled with a food vocabulary that harkens from other languages, especially from French and Italian, with their rich culinary history.

Many words are adopted into the English lexicon without being translated, such as pâté, à la carte, and au jus. Gourmet food tends to have French or Italian names, giving the impression of being fancier and tastier, even if by association only.

Osso buco is a luscious main course, but doesn’t sound as nearly as appetizing when translated from the Italian (as “bone with a hole” on account of the marrow hole at the centre of the cross-cut veal shank).

Words to Eat By focuses on five basic food words — milk, bread, apple, leek, and meat — one from each of the traditional nutrition pyramid groups.

Lipkowitz claims that milk has a schizophrenic complex: it is consumed by some cultures but not others; fed to children more than adults. It is perceived by many as a healthy drink (except for those who are lactose intolerant) because it starts out as the sole source of sustenance

to jumpstart the lives of babies, but then at a certain age, some children progress to dairy products.

Adults choose whether they continue consuming milk and its use is quite regional based on cultural upbringing. The word “milk” is derived from the Germanic “meolc” but the Italian “latte” comes from the Latin “lac” and elevates the stature of the product — a coffee shop latte is worth more than a warm cup of milk.

Names for bread can also paint an exotic picture. We are attracted to French baguettes, Italian ciabattas, Indian naan, Greek pitas, and Mexican tortillas. Our English word evolved from the rustic origins of the Germanic brot and brings to mind artisan loaves of baked, leavened bread made with grains, or perhaps the primary-coloured package of fluffy, sliced, white Wonder Bread.

The sweetness of fruit is believed to be the reason for its name from the Latin fruor, meaning “to have pleasure.”

Lipkowitz writes that “fruit provides such an unsurpassable pleasure that its name evokes happiness. However much we may enjoy our eggplants, string beans, and rutabagas, they simply don’t give us the same effortless delight.” Most fruits hail from warm and sunny locations, so the English language has adopted many foreign names, to identify things like pomegranates and mangos. Apples, though, are indigenous to the United Kingdom and the word appel

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has barely changed in more than 1,500 years of existence from the Old English original, and apples are still the universal poster-child for all fruit.

Leeks were chosen for Lipkowitz’s discussion on vegetables because they are distinctly British, in contrast to most vegetables imported to England, whose names were stick to their country of origin, like broccoli and zucchini (Italian), tomato (Central American), and Brussels sprouts (Belgian). Leeks are part of the onion family and grow wild in England, leading Lipkowitz to a discussion about the fine line between eating what could be a wildgrowing weed or a cultivated and delicately cooked vegetable. As with many wild herbs, the leek has been attributed with medicinal qualities and is associated with its Latin name, loch, a medicinal substance to cure a sore throat.

The meat industry has relied heavily on using names to remove the subject from its source. For starters, the word meat is used more often than flesh. Pig is an animal, pork is what we eat; the meat of a pig can also become prosciutto, pancetta, and pork chops to distance it further from its animal origins. Linguistic shifts throughout history were based on the conquest of one nation over another. Names of meat changed when William the Conqueror arrived forcefully in England in 1066. Cow, sheep, and swine (all Germanic names) become beef, mutton, and pork (from the French boeuf, mouton, and porc) when in edible form. Lipkowitz writes: “Although live beasts are called by their Old English names, they become French after they’ve been slaughtered, jointed, and roasted.”

The historical references and linguistic research in this book are extensive and impressive, giving a delicious picture of how language has shaped what we eat.

The thymus glands of livestock are given the more palatable name of “sweetbreads” as an alternative to the offal they really are. Similarly, why would a restaurant put “goose liver” on a menu when foie gras is universally recognized? The meaning of food, and our perception of its taste, all starts with a name.

Darin Cook works and plays in Chatham-Kent and regularly contributes to eatdrink.

KLEIBER’S A Downtown London Culinary Landmark at the Covent Garden Market since 1940

Anna Turkewicz’s delicatessen and catering have a reputation for personal service and offering a large selection of European specialties, including quality products from Germany, Holland, Poland & Switzerland

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cookbooks

Nigellissima Easy Italian-Inspired Recipes

By Nigella Lawson Review and Recipe Selections by Jennifer Gagel

I

f you’re a fan of Nigella Lawson, it shouldn’t be a surprise to discover that her heart has always lived in the kitchens of Italy. She approaches food in the way of true Italian food lovers — preferring simple, bold flavours presented unpretentiously, often family-style. She demonstrates this in her newest book, Nigellissima, the companion book to her new television series of the same name.

Nigella’s recipes are usually inspired by a region or dish rather than exact copies of existing recipes, and the offerings in Nigellissima are no exception. She is drawn to the flavour and forthrightness of Italy but is also unapologetically a modern British woman. Shortcuts are perfectly acceptable and enjoyment is more important than authenticity.

Her introduction tries to dispel some of the romanticized myths we may have about Italian peasants sitting around huge tables in the yards of their farmhouses, daily hosting dozens of friends and family.

Nigella offers the reader a more realistic view of modern Italian life. Italians, like so many other cultures in our shrinking world, have embraced international cuisine. New ingredients and techniques are welcome. Just don’t try to pass them off as the traditional foods. This is what Nigella does, with flare.

The book is well-indexed and organized, mostly by the primary ingredient, and with pictures as mouth-watering as the results.

Lawson isn’t a food snob but she will argue passionately for the use of certain ingredients in a given dish, then happily turn the reader loose to decide for themself.

She’s not a trained chef, but an enthusiastic

lover of food and this book reflects that passionate rather than regimented approach. She cooks as most of us do on a daily basis — one dish to be served for our supper along with some sides. No appetizer, first course, second course here.

Recipes are loosely gathered into chapters of Pasta; Meat, Fish & Fowl; Vegetables & Sides; Sweet Things. The book ends with a grand finale of an Italian-inspired Christmas feast, complete with Nigella’s favourite confetti sprinkles.

Lawson has always been clear that she loves to entertain family and friends over dinners any night of the week, but she is realistic about the time and energy constraints that may keep some of us from doing so. Like any good cook, she understands the need to simply get dinner on the table. That she manages to do it in a way that is simple and delicious and yet looks so lavishly, warmly welcoming, is a testament to her casual and unapologetic approach to food. The lists of which recipes work well when made ahead, tips on how and how long to store leftovers and options for reheating and serving them make lavish food familiar.

If you’ve watched any of Lawson’s television shows you know her rustic approach to plating food. She prefers to tumble, sprinkle and cascade food onto a serving dish rather than spend precious eating time building an architectural structure on a plate. Award-winning Australian food photographer Petrina Tinslay makes these simple family-style platters beautiful.

Lawson often discusses the emotional

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impact of food. As anyone who appreciates food knows, it’s not just about dinner, but also about our connections with friends, family, community and ourselves. You don’t have to be Italian to appreciate that, but maybe try: add -issima to the end of your name and see how it feels.

Freelance writer JENNIFER GAGEL works as a research assistant at London Public Library, and as a business process consultant at Cunningham MacGregor & Associates. Contact jennagagel@gmail.com

Recipes courtesy of Nigellissima: Easy Italian-Inspired Recipes by Nigella Lawson (Knopf Canada, 2013, $45)

Vanilla Mousse with Berries & Pistachios Serves 6 2 free-range organic or pasteurized egg whites 1 ¼ cups (310 mL) heavy cream ½ cup superfine sugar seeds from 1 vanilla bean 8 ounces (250 mL) raspberries 8 ounces (250 mL) strawberries, chopped 1–2 tablespoons (15–25 mL) chopped shelled, unsalted pistachio nuts 6 approx. 2/3-cup (160 mL) glasses 1 Whisk the egg whites in a clean, greasefree bowl until they form soft peaks.

2 Pour the cream into another bowl, add the sugar and vanilla seeds, and whisk until this mixture, too, forms soft peaks. Fold the whisked egg whites gently into the vanilla cream to make your mousse.

3 Divide the berries among 6 glasses until just under half-full and dollop the vanilla mousse on top, until every glass is softly peaked.

4 Chill them in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes.

5 On serving, dust the tops with the ground or finely chopped pistachios.

ED Note: Reducing the sugar by half still results in a delectably sweet mousse.

Quality vanilla extract will substitute perfectly well.

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Chicken with Tarragon Salsa Verde Serves 6-8 For the chicken 2 tbsp (25 mL) olive oil 4 chicken breast cutlets (preferably organic and corn-fed), with skin on small bunch fresh tarragon (2 sprigs for chicken plus more leaves for sauce) pepper (preferably white, coarsely ground), to taste For the sauce Leaves from small bunch fresh parsley (packed) (approx. 1 cup) Leaves from sprigs fresh tarragon (packed) (approx. ¼ cup) 1 scallion (including green part), roughly chopped zest 1 unwaxed lemon and juice ½ lemon 1 teaspoon (5 mL) kosher salt or ½ teaspoon (2 mL) table salt, or to taste 1/3 cup (75 mL) olive oil 1 Preheat the oven to 425ºF 2 Pour 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of the oil into a shallow ovenproof dish or roasting pan in which the chicken breast cutlets will fit snugly and then arrange them in there skin side up. Tuck 2 sprigs of tarragon in between the chicken pieces, add a good grinding of pepper and dribble another tablespoon of oil over them, then pop them in the oven for 20–30 minutes, or until the skins are golden and the flesh is tender.

3 Take out of the oven, and let the cooked chicken stand for 5–10 minutes in the pan while you prepare the sauce.

4 Put the parsley and tarragon leaves, along with the scallions, lemon zest, salt, and 3 tablespoons (45 mL) olive oil, into a suitable receptacle and, using an immersion blender, whizz to a paste, adding the lemon juice and remaining 3 tablespoons (45 mL) olive oil slowly as you blend.

Leave for a moment while you slice the chicken.

5 Cut the chicken into thickish — ½ inch or so — slices (if you need it to go farther, then slice more thinly) and arrange on a platter.

6 Pour any juices that have collected in the pan into the tarragon salsa and whizz again with your immersion blender, tasting for seasoning before dribbling the sauce over the tender sliced chicken.

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the lighter side

Strong, But Not Bitter

By SUE SUTHERLAND WOOD

L

ike many young people, my first foray into the working world took place in the food industry. Parttime, after school and on weekends, I wore a nametag — and a hairnet. The option of a smartly striped baker’s cap or a sleek ponytail pulled through the back of a baseball hat simply did not exist. Obviously, everyone loathed the hairnets but they were compulsory. I would carefully style my hair and add extra kohl pencil, à la Colette, around my eyes; in this way, I hoped that others would understand that an artist like myself was being forced to conform, in order to keep myself in Gitanes, decent Levis and import albums. (Did I mention that I was sixteen?)

And so it came to pass that I waited on tables, made sandwiches and learned how to make faux Peach Melba (ice cream with a dollop of cherry pie filling, a sliced tinned peach and a generous crown of whipped cream) at a frenetic seaside café in Britain. This particular café was tucked into a narrow strip of land that faced the Irish Sea and offered diners a panoramic view. For this reason it was a favourite of coach tour operators, and it was not unusual to see three buses chock-full of senior citizens hurtling down the curving path towards us, often without warning.

The Chef was not beneath running outside with binoculars to get an overview of the demographic on board, and amused himself by (profanely) predicting what they would be ordering, with considerable accuracy. At the first sighting, massive steel teapots would be filled to accommodate the pending 70 cups of tea, with teabags the size of chicken-noodle soup sachets thrown in a few at a time. I was marveling at the size of these teabags as we worked when The Chef overheard me and asked sternly if I was aware of the amount of food that was often wasted in the restaurant business. Did I realize, for example, that these catering-size teabags were intended for multiple uses? Had he just seen me earlier emptying the old ones into the bin? Did I

not understand that they must be dried and re-used? I was tearful. I had not known.

The Chef softened, but explained that in future, I must hang the used tea bags on the clothesline outside. Pegs were by the door.

The next hour and a half was spent in the fray of making English High Tea for several dozen elderly and demanding patrons (each one had a squeeze purse with a single ten pound note in it — each required change).

Carrying five plates at a time was revealing biceps I never knew I had. My heel was throb­ bing blood beneath one of my strappy patent pumps and although I knew my legs looked amazingly long in them, by the end of the week I would be wearing sandals like an elderly aunt at the Sunday school picnic. As we set about clearing dishes, I remembered my earlier gaffe and, cheeks hot with shame, I went outside with a bucket to make things right.

Carefully pegging the dripping tea bags on the line, I suddenly became conscious of the entire staff behind me at the door. Supporting themselves on one another, they brayed with uncontrollable laughter, a few even showing the presence of mind to combine a smoke break with the planned spectacle. The Chef hugged me: “You didn’t believe that really? Never mind — you’re one of us now.”

This was good-natured kitchen “hazing” at its finest and I was ultimately able to laugh at myself without feeling too ridiculous. At the end of my shift, I walked down to the beach and sat on a rock with my shoes beside me, dipping my feet into the blissfully cold shock of the water. I peeled off that hairnet and looked closely as it curled in my hand like the gossamer skeleton of some tiny woodland creature.

The day was over now and my mind was made up. My kitchen career was just unfolding. But like tea — I would become stronger as time went on.

SUE SUTHERLAND WOOD is a freelance writer who also works in the London Public Library system. She lives in London with her teenage sons and a floating population of dogs and cats.

№ 41 | May/June 2013

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SE Corner of Richmond St. & Fanshawe Park Rd. Open Every Friday 8am to 2pm.

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