E TC E TE R A . . . Micro YYC
We love the fresh and bright flavours of Micro YYC products from Vanessa Rosewood’s local urban farm. They provide microgreens to local markets, grocers, restaurants, and home delivery services across the province in compostable containers, and now they’ve launched the Microgreens Club - a new zero waste initiative delivering a variety of these nutritionally rich greens directly to your home in reusable containers, which are then collected, washed, and used again! See microyyc.com for details.
Portuguese Home Cooking
The Portuguese have home-style, comfort cooking down to both an art and a science with robust, flavourful, and often simply prepared dishes that wow the palate and warm the belly. Well sorted with sections for soups, seafood, poultry and meat, sausages, vegetables and grains, sauces, breads, and sweets, the whole gamut is covered from bacalhao (seven recipes!) to pastéis de Nata (p.208) with more than a few things in between. Interlink Books $45
Häagan Dazs Divine
You can imagine that we were rather excited when invited to trial Haagan Dazs’ new range of ice creams during the heat of our summer this year! Divine is a lighter version of their classic ice cream, with half the fat and 25 percent less sugar, and made with 100 percent Canadian dairy. We honestly wouldn’t have known they were any different from the flavour and texture of the three varieties: Raspberry Cheesecake, Chocolate Chunk Brownie, and Vanilla Caramel Pretzel. 475 mL $7-8 Miski Organics
Hands up if you’ve tried Sacha Inchi Butter – we thought not, but we have, and it’s a terrific allergen-free alternative to peanut butter. Made in Barrie, Ontario, Miski Organics’ butter is antioxidant, amino acid and protein-rich, with no additives, and is made from roasted sacha inchi seeds from founders and sisters, Mariella and Lía’s homeland of Peru, where they are committed to supporting local farming communities. Try it - it’s a new favourite for us! 330g $20, miskiorganics.com. Dispatch Coffee
Dispatch Coffee is on a mission to change the coffee supply chain by purchasing from sustainable sources and addressing inequality in the coffee industry. With several offerings of coffees from growing regions around the world, there’s something for every coffee lover. We enjoyed Buhorwa from Burundi: delicate, bright, and citrusy, and fell in love at first sip with Sin Net Chaung from Myanmar: smooth with hints of tropical fruit, cream, and cinnamon. 333g $22-25, dispatchcoffee.ca. 82 Culinaire | October 2021
The Very Good Butchers
Victoria’s The Very Good Butchers have launched their new Butcher’s Select range of premium, plant-based sausages, meatballs and burgers, made with ingredients you can pronounce. They are packed with protein, and most importantly, are tasty! The Mmm Meatballs have a great texture, and were easy to prepare with a simple tomato sauce, while the Breakfast Sausages impressed our pickiest taster yet: a nine-year old with a very selective palate. $8-14, widely available, verygoodbutchers.com
