Culinaire #11.10 (April 2023)

by

ON THE COVER

by David Nuttall 30 April

by Tom Firth and Linda Garson 32

by Tom Firth

Finally... Spring! I

t’s a time for optimism, renewal, and regrowth – and not knowing whether to wear your sandals or ski boots.

April 22 is Earth Day, so what does that mean for us earthlings? Well, it’s now in its 53rd year and marked by more than one billion people in 193 countries, and it’s up to us honour it the best way we can.

So in this issue we asked our chefs for their suggestions and tips on cooking sustainably, and what that means to them. And we weighed in on the totally controversial topic of delivery apps, guaranteed to raise the hackles of most restaurateurs and fair labour advocates. We’re also taking a deep dive into bread in Alberta – the one food that sustains not only us but our farmers too, with their crops of wheat, rye, and cereal

grains. We have an increasing amount of passionate bakers in our province (and not all because of nothing else to do for three years!) and such a diverse variety of traditional breads depending on where you grew up. Can anything beat the smell of freshly baked bread? Thanks to all who have already registered for our Simply the West! Calgary World Taste Tour. Places are going fast and we’re sure to sell out again like the last eight Calgary treasure hunts, so don’t delay in reserving your spots at culinairemagazine.ca/treasure-hunt.

My big news, and arriving too late to announce in last month's issue, is that the 24-part television show that I worked hard on during the pandemic, is now released and available to watch (streaming currently on Tubi)!

It’s called “Mixology Masters”, and it’s a competition-style show with bartenders/mixologists and cocktails, featuring some of the brightest talents behind the bars. I was excited and honoured to be one of the hosts and judges for the entire season. You may well see your local bartender competing on the show, and I’m so happy that we could showcase their amazing skills.

Linda, Editor-in-Chief

Cheers

Alberta / Food & Drink / Recipes

Editor-in-Chief/Publisher

Linda Garson

linda@culinairemagazine.ca

Managing Editor

Tom Firth tom@culinairemagazine.ca

Multimedia Editor

Keane Straub keane@culinairemagazine.ca

Sales

Tara Zenon 403-472-1345 tara@culinairemagazine.ca

Design

Kendra Design Inc

Contributors

Shelley Boettcher

Elizabeth Chorney-Booth

Natalie Findlay, Dong Kim

Renée Kohlman, David Nuttall

Keane Straub

To read about our talented team of contributors, please visit us online at culinairemagazine.ca

Our contributors

Natalie Findlay

After a brief period with an Easy Bake Oven, Natalie’s mom allowed her to use the big girl’s oven and set her on the course for a life filled with delicious outcomes. Since graduating from Le Cordon Bleu, Natalie has worked in restaurants, hotels, bakeries, and her own business. Currently, Natalie is a freelance writer, recipe developer, photographer, and health coach, and is loving every minute of it.

Tom Firth

Tom has been travelling the world and pulling corks for over 25 years. He is the Managing Editor for Culinaire Magazine, the Competition Director for the Alberta Beverage Awards, and the president of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers Alberta Chapter. He has no qualms about tasting first thing in the morning, and his desk is constantly covered in paper and bottlessomewhere under all that, a corkscrew might be found.

Elizabeth Chorney-Booth

2

Guided private visits to wineries of the famous regions of Rioja, Penedes, and Catalonia

Guided walking tours of:

• Essential Madrid Highlights

• Historical Laguardia

Contact us at:

Culinaire Magazine

#1203, 804–3rd Avenue SW

Calgary, AB T2P 0G9 403.870.9802

info@culinairemagazine.ca

@culinairemag

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For subscriptions, competitions and to read Culinaire online: culinairemagazine.ca

Busy freelance writer and broadcaster, Elizabeth writes about food, travel, and many other topics. In addition to contributing to Culinaire, national and international publications, she is a Globe and Mail bestselling cookbook author and a regular contributor to CBC Radio and the Calgary Herald. A lover of food, travel, music, and community, when Elizabeth isn't out searching for something delicious, she’s likely to be found curled up with a good book.

Culinaire Magazine acknowledges that we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut'ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their home in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.

• Bilbao – private Pintxo Safari Walking Food Tour

• Barcelona – Gaudi experience and Barcelona Highlights

• Private Barcelona Cultural Immersion Food and Wine Walking Dinner Tour

• Private Montserrat walking tour and scenic nature walk

• Classic Spanish paella lunch in the fields

Congratulations to Sam Clark who, as I write, has just placed #2 in Canada at the World Class Canada competition, one of world’s most difficult and prestigious cocktail competitions. As Regional Manager of Bars and Mixology at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and Fairmont Banff Springs, Clark was busy before, and now he’s going to be even more in demand!

Filipino Restaurant Month is back! Throughout April, Filipino restaurants across the country are offering fixed price menus to showcase the variety of Filipino food and the talent of our Filipino chefs. The inaugural event included 40 restaurants in 18 cities, across 7 provinces, and this year we’re expecting even more!

Calgary’s Marda Loop has a new speakeasy – but we won’t tell you where to find La Hacienda! Text to make a reservation and they’ll reply with the day’s password, which you’ll confirm using a phone on the wall. Choose a signature tequila cocktail, a non-tequila cocktail, or from their extensive Sipping Menu of tequilas, mezcals, and other spirits, while you nibble on charcuterie, hummus, and other tapas. lahaciendayyc.ca

And there’s a new wine bar too in Marda Loop! Two French guys and a Belgian: Yann, Francois, and Moussa have opened Avitus Wine Bar, as authentic a French wine bar as it comes. This small, 27-seat space is a place to discover new wines and snack on charcuterie – one of the owners may join you to explain the origin of the products as there’s no menu or wine list. At very affordable by-the-glass and bottle prices, 80 percent of the wines are French and 20 percent from the rest of world. There are no TVs, and be warned - you may stay for hours at this little gem! 1934 34th Avenue SW, Calgary.

Edmonton’s Arpa Farm Fresh Butchery is a new butcher’s shop from Sofra and Zula Kitchen and Wine Bar, and it’s right next door at 14055 West Block Drive NW, with two hours free parking too. Pick up your pork, lamb, bison, chicken, butter, and cheese – and your choice of 35 different cuts of beef! Closed Sundays. arpafarmfreshbutchery.com

Calgary has a new butcher too! Niall Towey is from Ireland, and worked at MacEwans Meats making traditional UK and Irish goodies. Now he’s opened MacTowey Artisan Butchery. Starting with haggis (600 lbs of it a day!) he’s expanded to include black puddings, and meaty pies – lots of different ones, as well as Scotch eggs, sausage rolls, and sausages etc. 331-3750 46 Avenue SE, closed SundayMonday. mactowey.com

And while we’re talking Ireland… Edmonton has a new Irish gastropub. Husband and wife team, Kristina and John, settled in Edmonton and wanted to create an authentic pub that is part of the community, like back in Ireland. With like-minded friends, they’ve opened Ashford House Pub and Kitchen, named after the village in County Wicklow where John grew up. The menu is pure comfort food with an Irish flair, and celebrates local Alberts producers too. Time for Wine Thursdays has half-price weekly wines and shareables. 12026 107 Avenue NW, ashfordhousepub.com

It’s just a bar that serves hot dogs… After 16 years slinging dogs on Calgary’s 17 Avenue SW, Tubby Dog is now ‘Tubby’s’, in the Petrowest Building. Jon Truch was a bar owner, and with GM Charlie Hinton, of Broken City, has gone back to his roots as a lounge with terrific bar snacks; mostly local beers and traditional cocktails, and a seasonal wine list curated

by Vine Arts’ Andrew MacLeod. The small menu includes three fan fave dogs and two new (with beef, turkey, veggie, and Ukey dog options), as well as pickled eggs, Ukey sausage slices with dips, and a chili bowl. Patio soon! 1210 8 Street SW. tubbybar.com

Edmonton’s The Glass Café, has opened across from MacEwan University, at 10345 107 Street. It’s in the loft; bright and beautiful, with lots of natural light from the two-storey windows, and a stunning spiral staircase. Come for a sweet or savoury pastry, and coffee from Catfish Coffee Roasters.

We’re so happy to see Calgary’s El Chefe open his own restaurant at 1438 17 Avenue SW. It’s a great space for Chef Giovanni Vazquez, with his cousin’s murals on the walls, and a whole menu for his famous birria dishes, including the generous quesadilla that we never want to stop eating. But don’t stop there, Vazquez is the real deal with Mexican street food dishes, excellent tacos, really good margaritas and micheladas, pollo asado, and a whole tilapia deep-fried to crispy outside. Tequila Thursdays, Latin DJ nights, daily drink specials, and late-night parties are here!

Edmonton’s Fairmont Hotel Macdonald has reopened Confederation Lounge after an extended renovation. But don’t worry, the beautiful fireplace is still there along with plenty of dark wood, and no TVs! Executive Chef Jiju Paul and Executive Restaurant Chef Brett Van Allen have created an upscale, local menu of shareable dishes, large plates, and vegetable dishes, matched by an elevated beverage menu that includes a rare Dalmore collection, as well as a Graham’s port from 1950. fairmont.com/macdonald-edmonton

Passion is evident at Calgary’s brand new Primary Colours Café. Chef Matthias Fong (ex-River Café) has been planning his café and bakery for three years, and it’s apparent in every detail, from sourcing local base ingredients (the primary colours) and mixing them to create new brunch and dinner dishes, as well as standout cocktails. Fong’s dryaged Broek Acres pork becomes bacon and sausages; pastries, butter, yogurt, and preserves, are all made in-house and you can pick up some to go, or enjoy dishes from Fong’s superb seasonal menu of all the things he likes (us too – the Ginger Beets are unmissable!) in the 12-seat café or 45-seat dining room. Wash it

all down with co-owners’ Monogram coffee, or choose from the 100 percent Canadian drinks list. 802 49 Avenue SW, primarycolours.cafe

Prestons Restaurant + Lounge, in Edmonton’s Coast Hotel has re-opened, and is managed by A Cappella Catering, so we know the menu of scratchmade, comfort food classics of bennies and burgers, beer-battered fish & chippies, steak frites, banana split, and much more, is going to be good! prestonsedmonton.ca

Lina’s Italian Piazza is fully open in Calgary’s Inglewood, and as well as the market of Italian and European products,

deli, bakery, butcher, grab & go with hot and cold prepared dishes, there’s a new restaurant, Sapore (‘Taste’ in Italian).

Executive Chef Christopher Hyde has created a delicious, modern Italian menu and there’s a small, well-curated drinks list. The superb Pizza & Destroy pizzas are here, as well as pasta master, Chef Hyde’s pop-up, Pastaboy from Oz. A great addition to the burgeoning Inglewood food scene. 1023 9th Ave SE. linasmarket.com

Que Chivo Salvadoran Street Food is sharing with The British Chippy! We love to see two small businesses getting creative to benefit both, and now at their Okotoks location, you’ll find The British Chippy from Wednesday to Saturday, and Que Chivo, who has a permanent location at Fresh & Local Market & Kitchens, taking over Sunday to Tuesday. 94 Elizabeth St, Okotoks. thebritishchippy.com

Do you have a notable achievement we should know about? A new opening, launch, or accolade? Email us at info@culinairemagazine.ca!

EVERY BOTTLE SOLD HELPS PROTECT 5 FT2 OF ECOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT LAND IN CANADA

From Day To Night

BOOK REVIEW BY LINDA GARSON

Eat Alberta First

By Karen Anderson, Touchwood Editions, $40

Karen Anderson of Alberta Food Tours, is one of Alberta’s biggest advocates for supporting our local farmers and producers, and she says that the aim of this book is to encourage everyone, everywhere, to source, cook, and eat locally. She’s impressed by the quality and abundance of food produced in our province, and I love her example of our dedication to it: “We have four million people and five million cattle.”

Eat Alberta First is divided into seasonal chapters, starting with “The Long, Dark, and Deep Winter” - an in-depth explanation of how to stock your pantry, the essentials, and tools needed for a wellequipped kitchen. Moving on to “Cabin Fever Season”, Anderson shares a family recipe for a sweet sourdough starter and seven recipes for using it. We can almost smell the fruit strudel (p.87) and banana

bread (p.89) wafting from the kitchen.

“Neither Here Nor There” takes us through foraging, with recipes for your foraged ingredients. Hooray for morels – we can’t wait to make the Mushroom Cheese Spread on page 107.

There are too many recipes to list that I want to try in “Full-on Summer” - casual throw-together recipes and cooking for the great outdoors. Creamy (no cream) Asparagus Soup (p.133) is calling my name, and I love the story behind Dynamite Dick’s Five Bean Beans! (p.149).

“Harvest Hurry-Up” includes a primer on canning and preserving, along with recipes - Blueberry Jalapeño Jam (p.203) is high on my list - and then it’s time for “Fall Back”, where the theme is batchcooking, with recipes for soups, stews, and lots of cookies. I’ll be enjoying Triple “S” Soup (p.221) and Chipotle

Bison Chili (p.227) this autumn.

Anderson’s final chapter is “Celebrations, Feasting, and Entertaining Through the Year”, and ever inclusive, all festivals are here as well as her Top 10 Tips for hosting festive parties. I’ve bookmarked Lamb Shanks in a Saskatoon and Pinot Noir Sauce (p.317) to make this Easter!

The book closes with a generous 12-page appendix of Alberta food artisans and where to find them, and with it our applause for such a massive undertaking on this substantial volume.

Wing commander.

Dale Gienow’s passion is working with animals. With funding from Edmonton Community Foundation and as Director of WILDNorth, Dale is saving animals in distress in and around Edmonton; protecting the living nature that surrounds us.

Donations to ECF inspire hope, create opportunity and enhance the Edmonton lifestyle. We work with our donors to give, grow and transform. ecfoundation.org gives WILDNorth wings.

Charity begins at Home.

Simply Sustainable

BY KEANE STRAUB PHOTOS BY DONG KIM

These days, sustainable cooking is less a trend and more habit, thanks to how easy it is to source local ingredients. A trip to the farmer’s market (or to the producers themselves) often supplements, or even completely replaces, trips to big box grocery stores. In short, we’re getting good at loving local in Alberta.

There’s lots of other sustainable cooking practices that you can adopt too. Planning your meals, eating seasonally, using all parts of a food item, and eating together, all fall under the category, and chances are you practice at least one of these. This month we have four Alberta chefs who all practice sustainable cooking. So, plan a meal with your loved ones and use the recipes here, all created with local ingredients and an eco-conscious mindset.

Chef Gyanendra Sharma – ‘Chef G’ –of Cochrane’s Aama Nepalese Cuisine says that cooking always reminds him of his mother. “I remember her as the soul of our family. She nourished us with her food, kept us bonded as a family, and gave us direction in life.” Bringing families and communities together in love and celebration is his main goal when cooking.

It's a challenge to pick a favourite dish off the menu. “For a chef, every dish is like your child,” Chef G explains. The menu offers dishes from the different regions of Nepal and offers diners a chance to experience a variety of flavours. “I enjoy more savoury and balanced flavours,” he says. “Shyakpa (Yak Stew) from the Himalayan region of Nepal is a must try. It’s nourishing and wholesome.”

“Sustainability is key to the success of every business, small and large,” Chef G explains. While researching options for a unique selling point for the restaurant, they discovered a yak ranch,

West Gimlet Farms in Rimbey, Alberta. “What a stroke of luck! It’s local, ethically sourced, sustainable, and a novelty experience.”

Shyakpa – (Himalayan Meat Stew)

Serves 4-6

500 g yak stew meat, diced

To taste salt and pepper

1 cup (250 mL) canola or any cooking oil

150 g white onions, small dice

70 g each – carrot, and celery, small diced

30 g ginger garlic paste

2 Tbs cumin powder

2 Tbs garam masala

3 Tbs (45 mL) tomato paste

1 cup (250 mL) red wine

2 cups (500 mL) chicken stock

2 bay leaves

50 g potato, diced

1. Make sure the diced yak meat is dry, pat dry if needed. Season with salt and pepper.

2. In a heavy bottom pot, add the oil and heat. Brown the yak stew meat on all sides. Do this in small batches, reserving seared yak meat off to the side.

3. Add diced onions, carrot, and celery and cook over a low heat until soft, add ginger garlic paste, cumin powder, garam masala and cook for 2 minutes.

4. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes. Add red wine and deglaze the pot, scraping in the bits stuck to the pan.

5. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add, bay leaves. Add all seared yak meat and cook over lowest heat for 2½ hours.

6. Add diced potato – about 15 minutes before pulling out the stew.

7. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Behind the sharable dishes at Calgary’s One 18 Empire is Chef Sean Cutler, whose influence is broad and adventurous. “I like to use flavours and techniques from all over the map, and I really enjoy learning about new cuisines and look at ways to put a fun spin on them.”

Enter his favourite dish, the roasted bone marrow. Decadent and flavourful, Chef Cutler is partial to the playful luge finish. “I really love to eat so I try to create dishes that are fun and interesting.”

He emphasizes that Alberta is home to several great producers, and we have access to them in a lot of different ways. “A little bit of exploring and searching online can put you in touch with a lot of great products and local producers.”

“Growing up in Calgary has always put a spotlight on beef and it’s important to me to represent all the province has to offer,” he explains. He shares with us his recipe for Alberta Beef Tartare, adding it’s the best way to experience the true flavour of the beef. Make sure your beef is fresh, your knife is sharp, and don’t skimp on the seasoning. “Using kosher salt or sea salt over iodized salt is a big difference maker. This will help bring flavours out rather than make the dish salty.”

Alberta Beef Tartare

with pickled Saskatoon berries, Dijon mustard, cold pressed canola, aged Gouda and grilled sourdough bread

Serves 4

For the Beef

Grass fed or grain fed depending on preference, you can use a variety of cuts of meat as you like. For the recipe chef has gone with classic beef tenderloin.

335 g Alberta beef tenderloin

2 Tbs (30 mL) cold pressed canola oil

1 tsp (5 mL) grainy Dijon mustard

Pinch salt

Pinch coarse black pepper

1. Cut the beef into thin slices and then into thin strips.

2. From the strips, finely slice the beef into small cubes.

3. When the beef has been cut, in a small bowl mix the mustard, oil, and salt and pepper into the beef.

4. Cover the beef with cling wrap, pressing right on to the meat to keep any air out.

5. Keep in fridge until ready to serve.

Pickled Saskatoon Berries

1 cup saskatoon berries (frozen are more widely available)

½ cup (120 mL) red wine vinegar

½ cup (120 mL) water

½ cup sugar

Mix the water, sugar and vinegar together and bring to a boil. Pour on top of the berries and let cool. When the berries have cooled slightly, place in the fridge until cool completely. Reserve for plating.

To Finish

Sliced sourdough bread (your favourite local bakery)

56 g aged Gouda cheese

28 g butter, cold pressed canola oil, or beef fat

Fresh herbs

1. Slice your sourdough into 2.5 cm slices, using the fat of your choice (chef likes to use beef fat or rendered bone marrow), spread it on the bread.

2. In a cast iron pan toast the bread until golden brown on both sides (you can add extra fat to the pan as desired to really crisp up the bread).

3. When the bread has been toasted, slice in half and place on a plate with the halves put together. Divide the beef evenly and spread onto the bread. This can be rustic and doesn’t need to be smooth all over.

4. Drop a few small dollops of Dijon on top followed by a drizzle of the cold pressed canola.

5. Using a fine grater, or microplane, grate the Gouda cheese on top of the dish. It should be enough to cover the dish in a thin layer allowing some of the beef to peek through.

6. Finally, add a few parsley leaves celery leaves and fresh dill on top to finish the dish.

Chef/instructor Daniel Brasileiro, of Edmonton’s Hallway Café, credits his Portuguese heritage with influencing how he cooks and views hospitality, but he finds inspiration in spaces beyond the kitchen, too. “The passion people show for a subject is infectious,” he says. “All I want to do is dive headfirst into learning as much as I can about their passion, too.”

In the middle of developing the new menus and catering packages at the Hallway, Chef Daniel hints that there may be one or two items that will remain unchanged. “The Raspberry White Chocolate Scones are amazing in the morning with an espresso.”

While he cites shopping local as a great way to cook sustainably, he also reminds us “not to waste any product. Use all of it, even the peels or trim.” Here he shares a method for salt-cured herbs.

“This is an amazing thing to have in your back pocket, especially in Alberta when it gets cold out of nowhere and you have to cut all your herbs before the

frost takes them.” Be sure to wash and thoroughly dry your herbs, as moisture is counterproductive. Use different combinations, from your garden to those you can find at the farmer’s market. And then use your salt-cured herbs in everything: “From seasoning your everyday vegetables to proteins, salads, or bread.”

Salt Preserved Herbs

Makes 2 cups (500 mL)

1 cup parsley, finely chopped

1 cup thyme, finely chopped ½ cup rosemary, finely chopped ½ cup garlic scapes, finely chopped ½ cup coarse salt, (¼ cup more if needed)

1. In a large bowl add all herbs and toss together with a clean hand or whisk till they are all combined together.

2 In a mason jar layer herb mixture on bottom and sprinkle salt. Repeat this till

all salt and herbs are in the mason jar.

3. Cover with mason jar lid and refrigerate for 2 weeks, drain accumulated liquid and pack herbs into a new sterilized jar. Keep refrigerated till ready to use.

Sour Dough Focaccia

600 g unbleached flour (Alberta Red Wheat preferred)

200 g sourdough starter

15 g salt

1 2/3 cups (400 mL) water, room temperature

2½ tsp (12 mL) canola oil, plus extra for tin and 2 Tbs (30 mL) for on top

1. Add all ingredients together till combined. Doesn’t have to be 100 percent incorporated.

2. Let stand at room temperature in an oiled 6 L container or a covered bowl. After 30-45 minutes stretch and fold over the dough in quarters.

3. Allow to stand for another 30-45 mins and stretch and fold one more time, then place in fridge for 12-24 hrs for cold fermentation.

4. Remove from fridge and place in oiled 228 mm square (9x9”) pan and allow to proof in a warm area covered.

5. After 20 minutes dimple the unadorned dough with wet fingers. Allow to double in size for roughly 20 minutes depending on how warm the room is.

6. Dimple once again, then drizzle 2 Tbs (30 mL) canola oil over top and sprinkle the salt preserved herbs.

7. Bake in 375º F oven for roughly 30-45 minutes until about golden brown and the dough springs back.

8. After baking, allow to sit for a few minutes then remove from pan and allow to cool.

The Kitchen at Schott’s Lake, in Sundre, is a prime example of farm-totable recipes, all carefully created by Chef Chris in his effort to elevate local ingredients for the guests at the resort. He credits his grandparents as an early influence. “There was always something different cooking at their house – they taught me there is so much diversity with foods just by changing how you cooked or spiced them. Their house always smelled awesome!”

“Fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables usually really get my wheels turning with ideas for what to cook next,” he adds. If you’re looking to get ahead on cooking sustainably, he suggests getting to know local businesses. “Everything you need is right there – you just need to look.”

Rubbing shoulders with the locals certainly paid off when it came to developing his recipe for Bison Tenderloin with Saskatoon Berry Jus. “HGB Bison Ranch, in Olds, has some of the most delicious bison meat I have tasted.” The saskatoon berries come

from the Saskaberry Ranch, also in Olds, and, as Chef Chris says, the jus takes the tenderloin to a whole new level.

“I love everything about this dish,” he adds. “From sound of the sear as the meat hits the hot cast iron pan, to the smell of the thyme and garlic as you baste the steak with butter, and the slow reduction of bison stock and saskatoons! Yum!”

Bison Tenderloin with Saskatoon Berry Jus

Serves 4

4 - 200 g bison tenderloin steaks

Kosher salt and coarse black pepper

1/3 cup (80 mL) avocado oil

3 - 2.5 cm cubes cold butter

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 cloves of garlic

¾ cup (180 mL) rich beef broth

3 Tbs (45 mL) balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbs (30 mL) Saskatoon berry jam or redcurrant jelly

½ cup fresh or frozen saskatoon berries

1. Season steaks with salt and pepper, bring to room temperature.

2. Heat a cast iron skillet on medium low temperature, add avocado oil and swish to coat pan.

3. Place steaks in the pan with plenty of room around each one, allow to brown on one side, about 3-4 minutes. When they will release from pan, flip and add one cube of cold butter, fresh thyme and cloves of garlic, tilt pan slightly so butter pools on one side and using a spoon baste the steaks with the butter till brown the other side about another 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan when a thermometer reads no more than 130° F. Place on serving plate and let rest.

4. Drain off excess butter and remove thyme and garlic from pan and return to the heat. Add broth, vinegar, minced garlic and jam or jelly to pan, scraping brown bits from pan, and bring to a boil.

5. Add saskatoon berries, and cook stirring occasionally for about 4-6 minutes until berries soften and sauce thickens slightly.

6. Turn off heat and finish sauce with remaining cold cubes of butter, stirred into sauce until combined. Spoon sauce over bison tenderloins, serve any extra sauce on the side.

Keane Straub has travelled from Tofino to Charlottetown, sampling the different flavours Canada offers. The passion people have for their craft and culture inspires Keane to tell their stories.

Photo by Katarzyna Kowalewska, Live Your Dream Photography

White Onion Velouté

BY LINDA GARSON PHOTOS BY KEANE STRAUB

HIGHWOOD KITCHEN + BAR

by SAIT recently hosted a wonderful multi-course dinner, and afterwards we received this request:

“As everyone at our table agreed, the soup course — which was a white onion velouté with caramelized onions and sherry gastrique — was simply delicious! I would very much like to make this to enjoy at home, and maybe even impress my family and friends. Might you be able to obtain the recipe for your readers? Cheers, TL”

The soup was made by Chef Kyle Groves who says he’s been making it since his days cooking in the UK. Many thanks to Chef Groves for sharing his recipe with us!

Kyle Groves’ White Onion Velouté with Caramelized Onions and Sherry Gastrique

Serves 6-8

225 g unsalted butter

4 white onions (about 1.375 kg)

medium dice

6 cups (1.5 L) whole milk

60 g cold unsalted butter, cubed 20-30 g kosher salt

1. In a medium sized pot, melt 225 g butter on medium heat. Be sure to not let it brown. Once the butter is melted, add the chopped onions and cook slowly on medium heat until the onions are tender (they should easily be able to squish if you pinch one) This step may take up to 30 minutes and it is important not to rush it.

2. Once the onions are completely tender, add the milk. Bring the milk to a low simmer and cover with a lid that isn’t fully sealed (you need to allow a little evaporation). Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

3. Drain the milk (don’t throw it away) and then transfer the onions to a blender. Blend the onions and add the reserved milk so it blends evenly.

4. Once the soup is blended, add the 60 g of cold butter cubes a little at a time into the blender with the soup. Once all the butter is emulsified, add 20 g of kosher salt and then adjust the seasoning to taste (depending on evaporation, it may be up to about 30 g).

5. Strain the soup through a mesh strainer (don’t use an ultrafine strainer like a chinoise or you will remove the vegetable fibre that gives the soup its body).

Caramelized Onion

500 g onion, thinly julienned

2 Tbs (30 mL) canola oil

15 mL demerara sugar

1. In a wide pan, heat the oil until hot on medium high heat. Add the julienned onions and stir regularly until they begin to brown slightly. Once the onions begin to brown, turn the heat down to low and allow to cook until they get completely soft and brown.

2. Stir the onions regularly but remember that they won’t colour if you stir them too much. If they start to stick, deglaze with about 100 mL of water at a time. This will also help the colour.

3. Once the onions are soft and dark brown, add the sugar and melt it just to glaze the onions. Remove the onions from the heat and allow to cool.

Sherry Gastrique

100 mL sherry vinegar

100 g white sugar

Combine vinegar and sugar in a small pot and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes until you get a light syrup consistency. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.

To serve, heat the soup and caramelized onions. Place a quenelle of the caramelized onion in the bowl and drizzle about 1 Tbs of gastrique on top of it. Pour the soup around the onions.

Tips!

• If you have leftover caramelized onions, they freeze wonderfully and you can use them in a pasta, risotto or even on a sandwich.

• The gastrique would work really well on sauteed mushrooms or on top of a risotto.

Mountains or city, we’ll satisfy your appetite for excellence

Whether you’re in Calgary or Canmore, you’ll be pleased to know that Murrieta’s is creating mouth-watering West Coast and Prairie inspired cuisine created by award-winning chefs. Serving up excellence for over 20 years, Murrieta’s Canmore is at home in the Rockies. If live entertainment is on the menu, then capture Murrieta’s downtown scene and all its history. Either way, Murrieta’s aims to make your visit one to remember.

A store on another level

Offering exclusive tasting events, a wide selection of wines and spirits, and most importantly, friendly, personal service a few steps down, off Stephen Avenue, literally describes Downtown Calgary’s favourite wine and spirits store. Online ordering also available for your convenience.

Borough Bar + Grill, located in the vibrant University District is Calgary’s latest addition to its international cuisine scene. Serving up contemporary North American flavours and creative drinks in a casual, contemporary atmosphere, Borough Bar + Grill offers a refined dining experience whether you’re dining inside or outside on our heated patio. Plus we offer free 3-hour underground parking.

Persian Lamb and Squash Stew

At a recent ‘From the Farm’ Vine & Dine dinner at Sunterra Keynote, our 5th course was Alberta lamb slowly simmered with tomatoes, squash, onion, garlic, turmeric, and cloves then topped with walnuts, parsley and mint.

The following day we received several requests for recipes from this dinner, including:

Persian Lamb and Squash Stew

Serves 6

2 Tbs (30 mL) canola oil

900 g lamb shoulder or leg, cubed

¼ tsp chilli flakes

2 cups yellow onions, diced

2 Tbs minced garlic

1 tsp turmeric

½ tsp ground cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

¾ cup (180 mL) crushed tomatoes

2-3 cups (500-750 mL) chicken or vegetable stock

2 cups butternut squash, peeled and sliced

¾ cup walnuts

¾ cup raisins

¼ cup mint

¼ cup parsley

To taste salt and pepper

1. Heat the canola oil in a wide skillet or Dutch oven.

2. Season the cubed lamb with salt and chili flakes. Add the meat to the pan and sear over medium heat until all the pieces are well browned on all sides,

“Thanks for the wonderful evening last night at the “From the Farm Pt 2” at Sunterra. The pairings were bang on and the food was amazing. We especially enjoyed Chef Mo, he was great. He is obviously good at what he does and has a good sense of humour which contributed to a fun night. Can you please send us the recipe for the Persian (Alberta) lamb stew? It was exceptional. IR”

Vine & Dine at Codo, Delta Calgary

Airport Friday April 14, Saturday 22 and Friday 28

We love introducing you to new restaurants, and the private dining room at Codo, in the totally refurbished Delta Hotel, Calgary Airport, is as new as it gets. It’s a superb elevated menu, and there's free parking at the airport too!

Fine & Dine at Modern Steak

Thursdays April 13, 27, and May 11

We're thrilled to offer three premium surf and turf dinner pairing dinners in the

about a minute per side.

3. Add the onions, garlic, turmeric, cloves, and cinnamon sticks, and sauté until the onions are well browned and the spices are fragrant. Make sure to scrape the brown bits as you sauté.

4. Add the tomatoes and continue to sauté for another 10 minutes.

5. Add 2 cups of the stock and let the

private dining room at Modern Steak in Southport. Our evenings here book fast!

French Flair at Avitus Wine Bar

Tuesdays May 9 and 23

The brand new Avitus Wine Bar calls itself “The home of Bon Vivant” which is “the enjoyment of a sociable and luxurious lifestyle.” And that’s exactly what we’ll be doing for our two French Flair pairing dinners here in May!

One-off Vine & Dine at The Artist Lounge

Wednesday May 17

Our two evenings here last summer and January this year all sold out with wait lists. We've been invited back and can’t wait to return for another pairing dinner in May!

stew simmer for about an hour. Add more stock or water if stew gets dry.

6. Add the squash in the last 15 minutes and simmer until the lamb and squash are tender. Stir in half the walnuts and raisins. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the mint, parsley, and remaining walnuts and raisins.

Vine & Dine at Sapore

Tuesdays May 16 and 30

We are really excited to be coming to the brand new Lina’s Italian Piazza in Inglewood in May, and to their lovely new restaurant Sapore, with dishes from the pasta master, Executive Chef Christopher Hyde!

New events and dinners are added regularly so check vineanddine.ca as these evenings sell out rather quickly!

Email linda@culinairemagazine.ca to reserve your places, and/or to be included in our bi-monthly updates so you hear about events before the rest of the city. We try to cater for all allergies.

Sponsors:

Skipping the delivery apps:

is the convenience of third-party delivery more trouble than it’s worth?

BY ELIZABETH CHORNEY-BOOTH

There is no current restaurant topic more hotly debated by customers, restaurateurs, and fair labour advocates than the existence of third-party delivery apps like Skip the Dishes, DoorDash, and Uber Eats.

Customers love the ease of clicking a button to get just about whatever they want delivered to their door, but also balk at the price and lack of customer service. Restaurants like not having to deal with setting up their own delivery systems but have to take a hit on profits and quality control. And drivers appreciate the ability to pick up casual work, but don’t always feel like the working conditions are optimal. Delivery apps may promise a simple way to get the food to the people, but they also create some complicated issues.

Pre-2020, there were some grumbles about the apps taking a bigger share of the profits than restaurants were comfortable with, but those criticisms were easy to ignore. However, once the pandemic hit and dining in a restaurant was no longer an option, we collectively logged on to the apps to order everything from high-end prix fixe dinners to bowls of ramen and pho, thinking it was the best way to keep our most beloved restaurants alive. Even as restaurants fully reopened and most of us started to feel comfortable going out in public again, those two years of eating at home fortified the demand for instant culinary gratification.

But even in the early days of the pandemic, backlash against delivery apps started to mount. Restaurants urged customers to pick up their food themselves, revealing the apps tend to charge as much as 30 percent on each bill, much more than a typical restaurant profit margin, especially when alcohol isn’t part of the equation. Since then, many restaurants have backed off the apps altogether — a quick browse through choices in Calgary and Edmonton shows a dwindling number of upscale restaurants and a higher concentration of chains,

fast food, and ghost kitchens, which are businesses that only trade on the delivery apps, with no public-facing location for dine-in or even self-pickup.

While skipping delivery altogether works for some categories of restaurants, others do need a delivery option to maintain their customer base. Bona Roma, an old school pizza and pasta joint in Calgary, was doing just fine without a dedicated delivery driver since it first opened in 1983, but like everyone else, it jumped onto the delivery apps at the start of the pandemic. Bona Roma’s Colby Graham says that requests for delivery jumped when the pandemic started but the family-owned restaurant was struggling with having to fork 25 percent of its sales to its app delivery partners. Beyond that, the system of customers

having to tip in advance meant third-party drivers often wouldn’t show up in a timely fashion for orders with smaller tips or even good tips on smaller orders, leaving food to linger and lose its integrity before it could reach customers. With both the restaurant’s reputation and bottom line at stake, Bona Roma had to make a change.

“The driver is able to see the tip before they determine if they want to take that order and if the tip is too small, they pass it over,” Graham says. “It became a neverending circle of drivers saying they didn’t want the order so we’d have food sitting on the oven for up to 45 minutes and at a certain point I had to remake it. Then you’d have some drivers who were nice and others who were angry if the food wasn’t ready when they walked through the door. You never knew what you were getting.”

For Bona Roma, the solution was relatively simple — knowing that they’d never have enough orders to keep a full-time delivery driver on staff, delivery duties are given to an existing staff member already working in the restaurant who can step out to deliver an order, usually a cook or even Graham himself. Through this system Bona Roma is able to offer free delivery while also retaining its profits and control over how its food is presented to the customer.

Not every business can operate this way and, obviously, some restaurants are still opting to play ball with the delivery apps. Alli Said, the chef and co-owner of Mikey’s on 12th and Mikey’s Taco Shop, in Calgary says that there is still value in offering third-party delivery if customers can accept paying a premium for the convenience and roll with inconsistencies in customer service. In addition to the delivery charge and driver tip administrated by the apps, Mikey’s needs to charge customers a few dollars more per menu item to offset the percentage paid to the delivery companies.

“The problem is that they take such a high percentage off the sales, so we have to raise our prices,” Said says. “Three tacos for 10 or 11 dollars become 12 or 13 dollars to even out the price. But people pay for it. Especially on days when the weather is bad, people will pay $5 extra to not have to go out. Raising the price is the only way to make it affordable, otherwise we couldn’t do it.”

From a customer point of view, these

apps wouldn’t exist if people weren’t using them — though it’s become taboo to admit as much in foodie circles. The backlash against the apps has created a divide amongst the public: many restaurant lovers advocate for ditching them as part of the “support local” movement, while others hold on to them for convenience, arguing they also provide extra revenue streams for both restaurants and drivers. It’s not all just about convenience. Easy delivery is an important option for customers who may have physical barriers or disabilities preventing them from picking up take-out, those who don’t own cars, and anyone who may be ordering while drinking and unable to drive.

Dawn Johnston, a University of Calgary professor who has taught courses in food culture and also occasionally uses Skip the Dishes, says that people shouldn’t feel guilty about using the delivery apps. In her experience as a customer, she’s found the delivery websites can even lead customers towards new restaurants to pick up from app-free for future orders.

“I used the pandemic as a chance to use the apps to order from restaurants that I had no familiarity with,” Johnston says. “I found a Chinese restaurant that I loved far more than any of the other ones I’d been eating at. I tried four different Indian restaurants, all of which were familyowned and operated that I’ve since gone to in-person after trying them on Skip the Dishes.”

There’s no doubt that delivery apps

can be better — and some start-ups around the U.S. and Canada are starting to emerge to offer more equitable delivery options for both restaurants and drivers, but so far, none have had the power to compete with the bigger players. For now, Johnston says that it’s important to recognize that the delivery apps do play an important role. A lot of restaurants, customers, and drivers would be left in the lurch if they suddenly disappeared, but we should collectively recognize the problems they pose and strive for better solutions.

As consumers and community members, we should try to pick up food or choose restaurants with their own delivery systems when we can, but also shouldn’t beat ourselves up for wanting a bag of curry or chicken wings to show up on the doorstep at the end of a long week. The trick is to recognize how these apps work, use them in moderation, and accept the higher pricing and potential customer service downfalls.

“There are many benefits to these apps,” Johnston says. “But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t problematize and find ways to offset them and demand better working conditions for the people working for the apps, and better partnerships for the restaurants.”

Cookbook author and regular contributor to CBC Radio, Elizabeth is a Calgary-based freelance writer, who has been writing about music and food, and just about everything else for her entire adult life.

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Spring Salads: It’s time to lighten up

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY NATALIE FINDLAY

Lighter, fresher and flavourful - a salad should never be thought of as restrictive or limited. Salads can be enjoyed as an accompaniment to a main or they can fill our bellies with hearty ingredients as a stand-alone dish.

A variety of greens, such as Swiss chard, arugula, the many varieties of lettuces, spinach, and kale, create bases that can support any topping you add. New to the table are varieties of micro greens and sprouts to further add healthsupporting ingredients to the salad smorgasbord. Fresh herbs of the season create nuances in flavour. And ingredients such as beans, nuts, seeds, meats, fish, and legumes, add protein to keep you satiated and balance out your salad. It is the dressing ties all ingredients together.

The Bright Green Salad (next page) is a mix of all things green. It’s kind of fun to apply a random theme, like a colour, to a salad and see what happens. In this case, we have a mix of flavours and textures that is sure to entice. Fresh green vegetables with a mix of lettuces with a bit of bite from arugula, crunchy bits from roasted pumpkin seeds, sour flavour from a quick pickle of asparagus, chewiness from a combination of peas, edamame, cucumber, and snap peas - all topped with a creamy dressing from avocado. Just add your favourite protein for an easy and substantial meal. With these recipes you get a whisper of the potential a salad can have. The four main parts of a salad are: the base, the filling, and the toppings, plus the dressing. Get creative. The markets and grocery stores have lots of options for you to create your next best spring salad.

Broccoli Tabouli Salad

Serves 2

2 Tbs (30 mL) tahini

1 small clove garlic, grated

½ tsp ground cumin

1 Tbs (15 mL) olive oil

3 Tbs (45 mL) lemon juice, zest reserved for garnish

Pinch sea salt

2 Tbs (30 mL) water, to thin

1 cup walnuts

3 cups broccoli, 1 cup stems and 2 cups florets

1 cup parsley leaves, lightly packed

1 green onion

Pinch sea salt

10 cm cucumber

Lemon zest, for garnish

1. First make the dressing: add tahini, garlic, cumin, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt, to a small bowl and stir to combine. Thin with water for desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.

2. Toast walnuts on a baking sheet in a 300º F oven for 10 - 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove and let cool.

3. In a food processor, add walnuts and pulse a few times. Transfer into a medium bowl. You can also roughly chop the walnuts by hand.

4. In a food processor, add the

broccoli stems and pulse a few times. Transfer to the bowl with the nuts. Do the same with the florets and transfer to the bowl. (You can chop into small pieces by hand as well.)

5. Roughly chop parsley and add to the bowl. Thinly slice the green onion and, you guessed it, add to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Season with sea salt. Stir to combine ingredients.

6. Slice cucumber thinly and add to the bowl and combine with other ingredients. To serve, scoop ingredients from the bowl onto a plate, sprinkle with lemon zest and drizzle with tahini dressing.

Bright Green Salad

Serves 2-4

½ cup (125 mL) white vinegar

2 Tbs (30 mL) rice vinegar

1 tsp sugar

4 stalks asparagus, trimmed and thinly sliced

4 - 6 leaves green lettuce of choice

1 cup arugula

4 sprigs mint leaves, stems removed

4 sprigs parsley leaves, stems removed

10 cm piece cucumber

1 cup snap peas

1 cup edamame

½ cup green peas

1 avocado

Pinch sea salt

1 lemon, zest

2 Tbs (30 mL) lemon juice

2 Tbs (30 mL) olive oil

4 Tbs (30 mL) water, or more ¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds

1. In a small pot, add vinegars and sugar and bring to a boil.

2. In a small bowl or mason jar, add sliced asparagus to vinegar mixture and let sit at least 1 hour or overnight.

3. Roughly chop lettuces into bite sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Place mint and parsley leaves on cutting board and roughly chop, add to your bowl.

4. Using a vegetable peeler, slice the cucumbers on the length to produce thin strips and toss into the bowl. Trim snap peas and cut in half, diagonally, lengthwise.

5. In a small pot, fill ¾ with water and bring to a boil. Add the edamame and cook 4 minutes. Strain from pot and submerge edamame in ice cold water to cool. In the same pot, add the peas. Cook 2 minutes. Strain and submerge peas in ice cold water to cool. Dry peas and edamame on paper towels and add to bowl.

6. Strain out the now pickled asparagus and add to the bowl.

7. In a jar add the avocado, salt, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, and water, and blend until smooth. Add more water as necessary and thin to desired consistency.

8. Lightly toss ingredients together. To serve, empty the bowl of green goodness onto a platter. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and drizzle with avocado dressing.

Fingerling Potato Salad with Smoked Salmon and Dill Dressing

Serves 2-3

½ cup (125 mL) sour cream

1 lemon, zested

2 tsp (10 mL) dill pickle juice (you can sub fresh lemon juice)

2 tsp fresh dill

Pinch sea salt

11 fingerling potatoes (300g)

1 small red onion

1 stick celery, thinly sliced

¼ cup celery leaves

1 cup micro greens

1 cup Bibb lettuce

5 or 6 slices smoked salmon

Fresh dill and lemon wedges, for garnish

1. Add sour cream, lemon zest, pickle juice (or lemon juice), dill and salt in a small bowl and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.

2. Cut fingerling potatoes in half. Place in a medium pot 2/3 filled with water. Turn stove up to high and bring to a boil then reduce to simmer and let potatoes cook approximately 20 minutes or until a fork pierces the potato easily.

3. In the meantime, prep the salad: thinly slice the red onion. Thinly slice the celery and remove the celery leaves from the inner stalks. Trim the micro greens and Bibb lettuce into bite-sized pieces (about 2 to 3 cm).

4. Once potatoes are cooked, drain and let dry on a paper towel.

5. Cut the smoked salmon into bite-sized pieces.

6.To serve, place all salad ingredients on a plate. Place the smoked salmon on top. Dollop the dressing on top and garnish with extra fresh dill and lemon wedges.

Natalie is a freelance writer, photographer, and pastry chef. A graduate of Cordon Bleu’s pastry program, she manages her own business too to create custom-made cakes.

A Slice of Goodness: The condensed history of bread in Alberta

BY SHELLEY BOETTCHER

Brio Bakery owner and baker

Todd Barraclough spent 15 years working as a dental technician in Edmonton before moving into the world of yeast, flour and dough. The journey was a circuitous one. He quit his day job in 2006 when his children were born, so that he could stay at home and take care of them. Then, he began searching for bread, goodquality bread to feed his family.

When he couldn’t easily find what he had in mind, he started making homemade sourdough, first for his family and, then eventually, his neighbours. When the neighbours begin paying him for his creations, he knew he had the makings of a new career. He studied bread at the San Francisco Baking Institute, and he took a business diploma at NAIT. In 2019, he opened Brio Bakery, offering everything from croissants to sourdough. “I have just always loved bread. I love the smell of it, the taste, the texture,” he says. There’s just this feeling when you get a really nice loaf of bread. There’s nothing else like it.”

He’s not alone, of course. Bread in its many forms is found in myriad cultures and countries around the world. French

baguettes. Middle Eastern pita. Danish rye. You get the picture.

And Canada, of course. For generations, the Canadian prairies have played a major role in getting bread on tables around the world, and the key ingredient is wheat. We’re the world’s fourth-largest producer of wheat, with about 21.7 million tonnes grown on 22.8 million acres, according to Statistics Canada in 2021. And we export a ton of that — some $8.3 billion, in fact — but when it’s in your own back yard, you use it, too.

Barraclough says he turned to France and California for his much of his breadmaking technique, but his yeast (all wild) and his grains come from his own back yard. (Well, almost.) “What the prairies do offer is fantastic wheat and other grains,”

Barraclough says. “We can make beautiful breads here, and we have a lot of variety to choose from.”

Depending on the bread, he uses a range of different flours: whole wheat, spelt, kamut, rye, Red Fife wheat, too. Some, he makes just occasionally, while others are regular features on the Brio Bakery menu.

And a few of the flours come from just outside of Edmonton, in St. Albert, from a farmer who grows his own grain and mills his own flours. “It’s really nice to have someone so local who can supply us with such good flour,” he says. Then he pauses. “Actually, he’s stopping by today with some fresh flour for us.”

Like Barraclough, Aviv Fried gets his flours from local farmers. The co-owner

Todd Barraclough, Brio Bakery, Edmonton.

Photo by Hannah Hamilton Courtesy Italian Centre Shop

BREAD AROUND THE WORLD

From French baguettes to Lebanese pita, myriad cultures and countries have famous breads. Here are just a few eateries to consider next time you have a craving:

Bonjour Bakery, Edmonton — Baguettes

The new Bonjour Bakery location is just four blocks from its previous incarnation and offers up all kinds of French breads, including baguettes that could compete with anything you’d find in Paris. There is also a massive selection of cheeses to go with that bread.

and founder of Sidewalk Citizen in Calgary, Fried started making bread when he couldn’t find something with the hearty texture and sourdough flavours he had found in other places. He met a guy who was growing and grinding his own grains, including one of Fried’s favourites, Red Fife, and the rest is history.

In 2009 and 2010, Fried began delivering his homemade loaves to customers around the city and, by 2011, he had opened his first bakery. Also like Barraclough, Fried never intended to become a baker when he finished university. The baking life found him almost accidentally. He had just finished a master’s degree in biomedical engineering and planned to move to Toronto for a job.

But in the months between school and the new job, he began working at a local cheese shop. They had great cheese, but no bread, so he tried to make some and, by that fall, he decided bread was his path, not Toronto. "Baking is an experiment where the variables are always changing,” says Fried, and that was a similar situation he had faced in the lab at school. “So, I knew how to work in this environment and used these skills to become a better baker.”

As for Barraclough, he says his dental tech skills also helped him reinvent himself as a baker. “Both are about following a whole set of processes, a set of steps, and then you have your product at the end. And every time you make an error, you know you’ve made an error,” he says with a chuckle. “But making bread is so much more fun. I get to stand and meet customers all day and I get to make bread — and I get to eat it, too.”

Cafe Caribbean, Edmonton — Buss

Up Shut, also known as Paratha

“Paratha is synonymous with Buss up Shut, a layered, tender and buttery flatbread which is shattered or beaten to pieces, while still on the griddle or immediately after it is cooked, to resemble a torn shirt,” says Nadine Ross, co-owner of the cafe. (Buss Up Shut is vernacular for busted-up shirt.)

The Carriage House Hotel & Conference Centre, Calgary— Challah

In 1926, Leo Sheftel moved from Russia to Calgary with his family and then, in 1968, he and his wife Goldie, along with their family and fellow investors, opened the The Carriage House Hotel & Conference Centre. Every Friday, they sold Goldie’s famous challah, kosher Jewish bread eaten on Shabbat and other religious holidays. You can still buy challah on Fridays in the hotel lobby.

“It’s a tradition,” said Sheila Gurevitch, Goldie and Leo’s daughter, in an interview in 2022. “We all love challah. We grew up eating it.”

Doughlicious, Calgary — Pita

From the family behind Cedars Deli, this small northeast Calgary bakery makes pita, which it wholesales to eateries and shops across the city, including Basha Foods and Calgary Co-op. Brothers Samir and Mohammed Omar are behind the business, which is also a big supporter of the Calgary Food Bank and other local charities.

Foster’s Bakery/Oguraya Bakery, Calgary— Shokupan (Japanese milk bread)

This soft, sweet bread is rectangular in shape, with a milky, rich flavour. “I eat it almost every morning with Japanese nori — seaweed — on top,” says Kaori Shimobayashi, whose family has owned the bakery since 1980.

Italian Centre Shop, Edmonton and Calgary — Colomba di Pasqua

For Italians, a meal isn’t complete without bread, notes Angelo Antonucci, the Italian Centre Shop’s Director of Bakery Operations. At Christmas, Panettone is legendary but at Easter, it’s all about Colomba di Pasqua. “The dove-shaped Colomba di Pasqua is a sweet bread similar to Panettone but traditionally topped with a crispy meringue and toasted almonds,” Antonucci says. “We import many varieties from Italy and produce hundreds of our own version in-house which can be found at all of our locations.”

Aviv Fried, Sidewalk Citizen, Photo by Ryan Karr

Nadine Ross, owner of Cafe Caribbean in Edmonton, with Buss up Shut.

The Carriage House - Challah.

Tee Pee Treats, Edmonton — Bannock

From Whitefish Lake First Nation, Chef Curtis Cardinal says his culinary journey began with his mom, who taught him how to cook. The bread to try here is bannock, a quick bread made with

flour, baking powder and butter and then typically cooked in a cast iron pan. Tee Pee Treats offers a few variations, including bannock tacos, bannock burgers, bannock donair, and even bannock fries. Or just enjoy a slab of it warm, with butter and jam.

Masala Bhavan, Calgary — Naan and Dosa

Thanks to the special naan oven in the middle of the restaurant, you can watch the naan being made while you eat at Masala Bhavan. The flat Indian bread is a favourite amongst customers who use it to sop up the deliciously spiced sauces on their plates. But for Masala Bhavan’s chef and owner Karthikeyan Stalin, dosa has a special place in his heart. He’s been eating the flat soft gluten-free bread — made from lentil and rice flour — since he was tiny. “I eat dosa every day,” he says. “It’s my favourite.”

A friend back home in Scotland mailed him a package of wheat, reddishcoloured grains that many now believe came originally from Poland or Ukraine. Fife planted it and it thrived, showing great resistance to disease. It made great flour, too.

Despite the lack of social media to spread the word, Fife’s discovery caught on quickly and by the late 1800s, it was considered the premium wheat to grow in Canada. While eventually fastergrowing wheats took over its numberone position, Red Fife is back in favour amongst indie artisan bakers for its rich, almost nutty flavour.

BREAD FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS

with Paska, a sweet bread made with raisins, candied fruit and spices. And in Germany, you may be served Osterbrot (literally “Easter bread”), a sweet jamglazed dome covered in almonds. n From sundown on April 5 to the evening of April 13 marks Passover, or Pesach, in the Jewish calendar. Matzo, an unleavened (no yeast) cracker-like bread is traditionally eaten during the eight days, especially during the Seder, the ritual dinner that takes place on the first night or two of Passover.

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH RED

FIFE WHEAT? If you hang around with sourdough fanatics, you’ve probably heard of Red Fife wheat, considered by aficionados to be one of the finest, if not the finest, wheat for making bread. According to GrainsWest magazine, the wheat gets its name from David Fife, a Scottish immigrant who moved to Canada as a teenager and farmed northeast of Ontario in the early 1840s.

Many cultures make special breads to mark special religious holidays. n Christians will celebrate Easter on April 9 this year. In Mexico, you may be offered Capirotada, a Mexican bread pudding. There are many variations but most contain cinnamon, nuts, raisins and perhaps cheese. Greeks will serve Tsoureki, a sweet brioche-style Easter bread decorated with eggs (typically dyed red) baked into the braided dough. You’ll find a similar bread in Italy at Easter, along with Colomba di Pasqua. Ukrainians may celebrate

n This year, Muslims will celebrate the holy month of Ramadan from March 22 to April 20. Turkish Muslims may eat Pide, a round flatbread used to break the fast at the end of the day. And Khaleat Nahl is a sweet bread found in Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries. Because of its bubbled bunlike appearance, it’s sometimes called honeycomb bread. It can be stuffed with cheese or left plain, and typically has sesame and nigella seeds on top.

Shelley is an award-winning Calgary-based writer and editor whose work has appeared in newspapers and magazines around the world. If she’s not drinking wine, she's probably drinking coffee. Visit drinkwithme.com.

Sidewalk Citizen red fife bread, photo credit: Hannah Kerbes

Curtis Cardinal, Tee Pee Treats

Masala Bhavan Dosa

Stick to It: Cherry Jam Sticky Buns

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY RENÉE KOHLMAN

IUSED TO BE AFRAID OF YEAST.

If I saw it listed as an ingredient in a recipe, I immediately turned the page. It all seemed so fraught with complexities and complications that there’s no way I’d be able to master the art of baking with it. But then I realized that if I wanted to eat pizza and cinnamon buns

at home, I’d have to conquer my fear. And so I leaned into the magic and chemistry that is so evident in yeasted baked goods. There are a few principles to keep in mind. Use yeast that hasn’t expired. Check those little best before dates on the packages! And then, be sure that the liquid in which you’re dissolving it isn’t too hot,

or too cold. Once you see the yeast bubbled up and frothy, you’re golden. The rest of the work comes from kneading the dough, but that’s where a stand mixer comes in handy.

A basic yeasted dough is full of so many possibilities, but to celebrate spring and Easter, I wanted to create a sticky bun

using cherry jam instead of the usual brown sugar and butter gooey caramel. This is the prime time to use up any preserves from your pantry that you put away last summer or fall. If not, look for a good quality jam that is not too runny. I like the Bonne Maman brand best for this.

The jam is spread on top of the rolledout dough, so that when you roll it up and slice it, the jam is spiraled throughout the individual buns. Sticky and soft, these buns are made even better by the sweetened sour cream drizzle. Served on a platter to your favourite people, these will surely be devoured with gusto and glee.

Cherry Jam Sticky Buns with Sour Cream Vanilla Icing

Makes 12 buns

¾ cup plus 2 Tbs (210 mL) whole milk

2¼ tsp active dry yeast

2 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting counter

2 Tbs granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

¼ cup (60 mL) butter, room temperature

¾ cup (180 mL) cherry jam

½ cup icing sugar

½ cup (125 mL) sour cream

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk until it’s body temperature. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and stir in the yeast. Let the mixture sit until the yeast is dissolved and bubbles up, about

Come. stay. Drink. play.

Note: The buns can be assembled the night before. Just let them rise at room temperature for only 30 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, let the buns rise at room temperature for 1 hour then proceed with baking.

5 minutes. If the yeast doesn’t bubble, you’ll have to start over as your yeast could have expired.

2. Crack one egg into a small bowl and beat it with a fork. Add the beaten egg to the yeast mixture, along with the flour, sugar, salt, and butter. Attach a dough hook, and beat on medium speed until the dough is smooth, elastic, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 6-8 minutes. You may need to add a bit more milk if the dough seems too dry, or you may need to add more flour if the dough seems too wet. This is the part of baking where variables like humidity and how you measured your flour come into play. Trust your instincts!

3. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

4. Lightly dust your counter. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 46 cm (18 inches) long and 30 cm (12 inches) wide. If the dough resists while rolling it, let it rest a little longer. Spread the surface of the dough with the jam, leaving a 12 mm border. Starting from the long side, roll the dough up tightly so you end with a rope. Cut the rope into 12 equal slices.

Sheep Dog milkShake

1.5 oz Sheep Dog Peanut Butter Whiskey

1 oz heavy cream

3 scoops vanilla ice cream

Combine ingredients in a blender until smooth. Top with whipped cream, melted peanut butter and salted peanuts.

Go nuts!

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the slices to the baking sheet in relatively even rows. The buns should be touching each other, but not super snug, and the seams should be facing inward so they don’t unravel when baking. If any of the jam has escaped the rolls after cutting, just tuck it into the buns as best as you can. Cover the buns with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for another hour, until soft and puffy.

6. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Crack the remaining egg in a small bowl and whisk it with 1 Tbs (15 mL) water. Uncover the buns and gently brush the egg wash over the buns. Bake until the buns are evenly browned, about 25-30 minutes. Let the buns rest for 15 minutes.

7. In a small bowl whisk together the icing sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Use a spoon and drizzle the icing over the warm buns. Serve immediately. If you won’t be serving all of the buns at once, just ice the ones you’ll be eating. The other buns can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days and then rewarmed and iced whenever you want to eat them.

Note: One could use raspberry, strawberry, blackberry, or blueberry jam instead of cherry jam.

Renée Kohlman is a busy food writer and recipe developer living in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Her second cookbook, ‘Vegetables: A Love Story” has just been published.

Butter Whiskey to AARCS,

The New Age of Brewery Marketing

BY DAVID NUTTALL

To say the least, the last couple of years have proved challenging for most of society, and the brewing industry is no exception.

Whatever was normal in 2019 was decimated when the COVID pandemic and the restrictions that followed hit in 2020, throwing everyone into situations they had never been in before. Even coming out of the pandemic in 2022, the world’s economies were hit by high inflation, employment issues, the fallout of an unexpected war in Europe, and multiple social issues.

Brewing is just one of many industries affected. So what do things look like for 2023? While it is difficult to be absolutely sure of everything, there are certain factors that point to where things are headed. One of the best places to get a peek into what’s seminal to brewing is at conferences and conventions. A case in point is the Alberta Craft Brewing Convention held last October in Red Deer. This annual gathering of brewery and industry workers had not happened since March 2019, so the 3½-year gap made this year’s event seem like a homecoming of sorts.

Normally, conventions like this feature exhibitors showcasing new product lines, seminars exploring relevant topics, and social events where industry types get together and catch up with each other. While the Red Deer convention had all that, it also was a chance to review a significant period in Alberta brewing and try to forecast what lies ahead.

With so many unexpected events having happened since 2019, much more emphasis was placed on how breweries need to adjust to changing times, and what they need to focus on going forward. Although many topics were highlighted at the conference, one area was mentioned in several seminars: how craft breweries can improve their marketing.

It used to be much simpler to start a

brewery. Get a business plan, raise the financing, find a location, build a brewery, hire staff, make beer, and promote as much as you can, often through social media. While all that is still applicable, much more has arisen recently. No one had dealing with a worldwide pandemic and what to do with government enforced closures in their business plans pre-2020.

Breweries literally had to rewrite their business model to adjust to not having any walk-in customers and losing the bulk buyers of their product such as restaurants, bars, and liquor stores. Without normal sales streams, breweries needed to be creative. Taproom remodeling, constructing patios, incorporating e-commerce, even adding canning lines were employed to help allay some of the losses being incurred by closures. Breweries also needed to learn to liaise with governments to fast-track approvals and to up their social game to reach customers who couldn’t come into a brewery.

Going forward, breweries are

learning to expand how they attract and communicate with customers. One topic discussed was “Working Towards Inclusion”. Breweries have to look not only at ownership and whom they employ, but also how to make their locations more inviting and accessible to all. Diversity includes more than just women and different racial minorities getting involved as employees and entrepreneurs, but also making their taprooms more accessible for all types of people, including the disabled, the LGBTQ+ community and even for all age groups, as these locations are becoming more family friendly. This may also require breweries to promote themselves as places for events such as game and trivia nights, live music and comedy, beer camps, special speakers or other readings, educational seminars and other happenings that will draw in customers.

Mass marketing is also growing throughout the province. Travel Alberta and other associations such as Tourism Calgary and Explore Edmonton have been

there for years. Debuting last year was the Highway 3 Ale Trail, and later in 2023, the Alberta Ale Trail (albertaaletrail.ca) will be introduced.

Breweries in smaller centres need to promote themselves as a destination, the same as any other landmark. In larger locales, brewery districts have worked in several cities, and the success of the Barley Belt in Calgary and the (soon to be two-year-old) Happy Beer Street in Edmonton proves that breweries collaborating together and with other partners, can create their own brand. These areas also work with public tour companies and pedal pubs, which are gearing up for the return of a full year of tourist visits.

The next big challenge for small breweries is how to attract the younger generation, who are proving to be completely different drinkers than their parents. Not only do they consume less alcohol, but they also have little brand loyalty and jump around between drink categories, making them difficult targets

for advertisers. Breweries that brew only beer are alienating a whole slew of customers, and that has forced them to become more creative in their product line. Ciders, sodas, hard teas and seltzers, non-alcoholic beer and even pre-made cocktails are all finding their way onto taproom menus. This is changing the

definition of what a brewery is, and that is something we will examine next month.

Our 9th Annual Culinaire Calgary Treasure Hunt is Saturday April 29!

Everyone has gone home a winner at our Culinaire Treasure Hunts and Taste Tours; they’ve been so popular that the spots sell out every year, so now we’ve planned a new and exciting “Simply the West!” World Taste Tour with new treats to enjoy. And it’s all in one location – just park up and walk, no driving across town!

You’ll answer questions to learn and enjoy different foods at each stop, and use your new knowledge and skill to complete the Simply the West! culinary puzzle to win fabulous prizes! And there are prizes for the best costumes,

the funniest team names, the funniest photos on social media... and lots more!

It’s another very fun and rewarding day, so grab a partner and sign up as a team of two, or sign up solo at culinairemagazine.ca/treasure-hunt.

Registration is now openSaturday April 29, 2023!

@culinairemag

/CulinaireMagazine

@culinairemag

culinairemagazine.ca

It’s going to be another day to remember!

David has worked in liquor since the late 1980s. He is a freelance writer, beer judge, speaker, and since 2014, has run Brew Ed monthly beer education classes in Calgary. Follow @abfbrewed.

April Spirits –Farewell to the white stuff…

BY TOM FIRTH AND LINDA GARSON

Given the completely, totally, unpredictable nature of April in Alberta, we aren’t completely sure what sorts of things to recommend. Albertans are very seasonally driven in their beverage choices, but will we be enjoying a 3rd winter or Fool’s Spring? Will the shovels be away for good, or heavy in our hands? We know what we are wishing for, so for April, we have a wide ranch of great bottles for the die-hard patio enthusiast, or for those willing to chill out fireside or at the trailside. Or maybe we are stuck indoors for a few more weeks…

Drumshanbo Gunpowder Sardinian Citrus Gin, Ireland

It still sort of warms my heart to see Irish gins, for no other reason that it – in hindsight seems like a perfect place to find them – but that it took so long to really experience them. Made with Sardinian citrus, but also grapefruit, lime, and yes gunpowder tea, along with classic botanicals, the overall experience is bright and citrusy with a rather intense, but not too intense palate. Very quaffable, but this might be the perfect sort of gin this summer for the G&T fan.

CSPC 863529 $63-66

Dillon’s Small Batch Rye Grain Vodka, Canada

Might just be the rye grains speaking, but this is a beautiful sipping vodka from Ontario. Rich, with a mild oiliness on the palate, and also plenty of peppery spicy notes, but also a bit of dried herb and something hot too – very smooth, but no shrinking wallflower in any way. The flavours here would stand out proudly in a mule, or even vodka martini. It’s a sincere wish that we see more single or select grain vodkas here as the quality is often staggering.

CSPC 873928 $35-37

Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 15 Year Old, Scotland

Glengoyne are proud to be the ‘slowest whisky distiller in Scotland’, and they’ve been unhurried for 190 years. When you taste their latest 15-year release, you’ll be very glad they didn’t rush. It’s recognisably Glengoyne’s fruity style; soft, smooth, and creamy, with notes of cinnamon, walnuts and brown sugar, and no smokiness as a result of air-drying the barley. Treat yourself to just a few drops of good water and you’ll be very happy with the result – it really brings out the sweetness!

CSPC 880580 $120-125

King’s Inch Glasgow Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Scotland

It was said that the imperial measurement of an inch was once decreed as three fat barleycorns laid end to end – and called a King’s Inch. It was also the name of an island in Glasgow’s River Clyde, and now it’s a new, small batch single malt whisky of around 5,000 bottles that belies its youth with just right balance between first fill bourbon and sherry casks. With sweet notes of spice and vanilla, creamy milk chocolate and cookies, King’s Inch would make a terrific whisky sour.

CSPC 876298 $68-72

Masahiro Okinawa Gin #1, Japan

Halfway between Taiwan and mainland Japan, the tropical island of Okinawa’s traditional spirit would be the rice-based Awamori, so gin is a bit of a departure for them. This is their first, and it’s a stunner. You might be hard-pressed to recognise some of the botanicals, such as guava leaves, Balinese long pepper, and goya – the local bitter melon - but you’ll recognise a deliciously smooth, elegant, flavourful, and floral gin when you taste it. Just sip and enjoy.

CSPC 808730 $67-70

Original Magnum Cream Liqueur, Scotland

When you think of whisky cream liqueurs, which country comes to mind? Probably not Scotland? Well Magnum have changed all that and brought out Scotland’s first single malt whisky cream liqueur. You’ll want it for the stainless steel, quick chill (no ice!), milk churn flask to take filled with water on your next summer hike, but this blend of Speyside single malt Scotch whisky and Highland cream is so tasty (and almost chocolatey) on its own that it’s not even going anywhere near my coffee!

CSPC 858583 $38-42

Nemiroff Vodka, Ukraine

It’s always great to support a good cause with our purchasing dollars, and in addition to being distilled in the Ukraine, a portion of sales also goes to supporting the country. Classic vodka notes with a light, mineral and cereal profile, and on the palate, a good blend of smooth spirit notes, but also some kick at the finish. Exactly the sort of vodka that works great as a freezer staple or in a simple vodka soda or other easy cocktail.

CSPC 863038 $30-32

Glasgow 1770 Single Malt Scotch, The Original, Scotland

Are ye ready for the Lowlands? We hear a lot about the Highlands, Islay, and Speyside, but the Lowlands often don’t get the attention they deserve, so let’s remedy that right now with a single malt whisky from the first active distillery in Glasgow in 121 years. Made in copper pot stills called Tara and Mhairi, you’re going to love this dried fruit and shortbread-tasting dram, and revel in the ground almonds, marmalade, and spice on the finish.

CSPC 840194 $80-84

Stauning Smoke, Denmark

Here’s one for the whisky curious - a craft, single malt from Denmark – the ‘new Nordic’. Made from local grain, floor-malted in house and lightly smoked over local peat and heather, this is a super smooth dram with both aromas and flavours of honey, vanilla - and is that macadamia or cashews? This is what happens when nine whisky-loving friends (a doctor, a teacher, a butcher, a chef, a pilot, and four engineers) combine their skills, and I can’t stop sipping it.

CSPC 867873 $138-142

Super, Local Beer O

ne of the best things to do when travelling far from home, is to completely avoid the big name brewers, and to try what the locals drink. Sure, you might not get a “taste of home” but you sure will get a window into what the locals are all about – after work, before the big game, or how (and perhaps when) they might relax.

Local, craft brewing has been growing in leaps and bounds for more than a decade now, and more so than ever

Banff Ave Brewing

Ride or Dry Pilsner

A wonderfully refreshing lighter alcohol pilsner that honestly, is far more refreshing postactivity than a glass of water. As low-cal beer or “light” beer goes, Ride or Dry still has the right amount of flavour, balance and tastiness.

CSPC 827693 (6-pack) About $17-18

Banded Peak Microburst

Hazy IPA

A favourite of mine from Banded Peak as it’s so damn… macro! Totally, 100% bursting with tropical fruits but such an intense, clean hoppy character and a cereal finish. Kind of over the top, but doing it in style – and perfect after mowing the grass or crushing some trails.

CSPC 841941 (4-pack) $18-19

BY TOM FIRTH

before, I am completely proud to share our Alberta-made beer with friends and visitors from around the globe – I often travel with some local beer to share on-site since doing so gives me a chance to trumpet the work of all these great producers. Then, of course we might be off to find some beer of the region.

This month, as we start to emerge from our down-filled jackets and toques, I wanted to share some love for locally made and excellent quality beers that

Apex Brewing Lager

I’ve had a few chances to enjoy Apex Brewing’s selections, but haven’t made it out there yet (but one day!). This is a lager that for me does everything right. Clean and crisp with a bright flavour and nice balance of hops and malts. Completely at home on the patio or deck.

CSPC 871146 (4-pack) $17-18

OT Brewing 5

Hundy Hazy IPA

Another, great, locally made hazy, that is brewed not too far from the house - so it’s as local as it can be for me. Layered tropical fruits with a little more intense IPA hoppiness tying it all together. Weighing in at 6.5 percent alcohol but still balanced even for a shorter session.

CSPC 820771 (4-pack) $17-18

are worth visiting, picking up at your nearest shop, or sharing with a friend. Mostly lighter ales, hazy IPAs, and a few oddballs, but I’m sure you’ll like them too. If you can, do try to visit the brewery or order directly – this helps greatly in their efforts to keep making great beer.

Find these beers by searching the CSPC code at Liquorconnect.com; your local liquor store can also use this code to order it for you Prices are approximate.

Fahr Pils

One of the most consistently wellcrafted set of local brews, Jochen Fahr continually hits it out of the park with great offerings. Perhaps that is why the Fahr brewery is undertaking an expansion into a larger space. Fahr Pils is light, crisp, and carries a slightly chewy finish. Bring on summer!

CSPC 823888 (6-pack) About $17-18

Cabin Brewing Luminosity

German Pils

I’ve long had a love affair with some beers from Calgary’s Cabin, and the Luminosity just might… be tied with Retrospectrum for my favourite. Super crisp, easy, quaffable, and with a bit of a zesty finish, this should be a fine choice to share with a friend or two when the nice days really get here.

CSPC 853124 (4-pack) $17-18

Big Rock

Rhinestone

Cowboy Lagered Ale

Continuing the trend of local, summery beer, Big Rock’s Kolsch style ale is lagered and shows off a little hop and a nice malty character too. I found a little bit of honey, lemon, and toastiness in my glass too, but this was all about fine balance of flavour, weight, and ease of enjoyment. A modern classic.

CSPC 844063 (4-pack) $17-18

High River Blood in the Water

Fruited Wheat Beer

Showing off a coppery orange colour in the glass, what we have here is a rhubarb and hibiscus flavoured hefeweizen. Bright and not hazy to look at, with some finely balanced flavours, the citrus tones play well with the restrained hibiscus and it all comes together with the rhubarb too. A nice treat for a sunny day.

CSPC 837263 (4-pack) $17-18

Hell’s Basement

Midday Mariachi

Mexican Lager

While there is nothing wrong with enjoying a Mexican beer beachside or lakeside, it’s great to find a rock-solid locally made one too. Hailing from Medicine Hatwhich is pretty far away from the Mexican Riviera, the Midday Mariachi is full of clean cereal flavours and a bright little kick on the finish, serve nicely chilled, lime optional.

CSPC 866276 (6-pack) About $17-18

Good Mood

Session IPA

I’ve moved away from IPAs a little over the past few years, but Good Mood has made one that is very agreeable for the summer months. A session-friendly 4.3 percent alcohol with lively hop character showing off a little spruce and citrus on the palate, it’s never over the top, but just a cool, friendly beer that wants to be noticed.

CSPC 804437 (6-pack) About $17-18

Village Blonde Golden Ale

A beautiful ale that checks off all these boxes, full and robust, with citrus and malty flavours, but also a clean approach with easygoing flavours that are 100 percent the right choice for a hot day, or a day spent cleaning the garage or doing that yardwork. A beer that I’ll often buy when stocking up, as it’s a great crowd pleaser of an ale.

CSPC 863649 (6-pack) About $17-18

Brewster’s River City Raspberry Ale

One of my favourites from Brewster’s has to be the raspberry ale. Just the right combination for sitting on the patio and possibly having some pub-friendly snacks too. Whether or not you actually like putting pieces of fruit in your beer, you’ll appreciate the nuance of this blonde ale with all that perfume of fresh raspberry. A purely crushable number.

CSPC 804338 (6-pack) About $16-17

To explore the true spirit of the riviera, visit us online.

Find at your favourite liquor store in Alberta.

This wine is ample and generous with fruity aromas of citrus, grapefruit and fig, perfectly balanced by a nice mineral structure. A real explosion of flavors all in elegance.

MAKING THE CASE Heading South

By TOM FIRTH

Fed up with winter? I was recently reminded that it was ten years ago (thanks Facebook!) that I was in Argentina as one of the international judges for their national wine competition – so much malbec! I am also frequently reminded that my birthday is the very same day as World Malbec Day (but no need to buy me anything).

So, with all these things considered, it seemed like a good month to showcase some Argentine wines, but since one can’t live on malbec alone even in beef-centric Alberta, I’ve found a few additional southern hemisphere wines to help us start thinking of the summer months.

Find these wines by searching the CSPC code at Liquorconnect.com; your local liquor store can also use this code to order it for you. Prices are approximate.

Lawson’s Dry Hills 2020 Sauvignon

Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand

Completely unapologetic New Zealand style sauvignon with gooseberry and grapefruit, but also melon, sour candy, and fresh cut grass on the nose. Zesty and bright with true to form flavours, fresh cut apples on the mid-palate and a fine, zingy finish, this is beautiful, classic, and yummy too. Don’t serve too cold, and try with lighter seafoods with a lemon garnish.

CSPC 849590 $21-24

Faber Vineyards 2021 Verdelho

Swan Valley, Western Australia

Not a very common grape for us to find from Australia, but it does find a good home there in the right spot. From Swan Valley (near Perth), this is a real stand out. Big and full with rich textures, salinity, and some complex fruit structure. It’s mid weight on the palate with no oak to muddy things. Really, really good, and would be fine at the table with a wide variety of foods.

CSPC 849499 $28-32

Amalaya 2020 Malbec, Salta, Argentina

We don’t see too many malbecs from Argentina’s northern Salta region, but hopefully this will change as the region becomes better known to us. Dense berry fruits lead off on the nose with a mild jamminess, but also a fine-edged floral character that is very welcome. Big, chewy tannins and a mouth-filling flavour profile, this is an all-star for the next barbecue.

CSPC 742414 $22-24

Tom has been waxing on (and on) about wine, beer, and spirits for more than 25 years and freelances, consults, and judges on beverages all year long. He is the Managing Editor for Culinaire Magazine, and the Competition Director for the Alberta Beverage Awards.

Bodegas Salentein 2020 Portillo

Malbec, Uco Valley, Argentina

Brand new to me, the Portillo from Salentein is also Argentina’s first certified reduced carbon footprint wine. Not bad at all! Classic malbec characters, but leading off with some fine spiciness and peppery character giving some good complexity, while in the mouth, a fruit-driven, very quaffable malbec with clean, round fruits. A match made in protein heaven, I’d likely pour this with homemade burgers.

CSPC 760419 $17-20

Amalaya 2021 Torrontés Salta, Argentina

Very much the flagship white of Argentina (or should be), torrontés –here blended with 15 percent riesling, is best as a dry wine and usually shows off apricot style fruits. The blend here is quite dry with near honey like flavours, but apricots and a delicate spiciness too. Clean, easy, and refreshing, it pairs quite well with Vietnamese cuisine, and grilled pork.

CSPC 170860 $19-22

UKO 2019 Select Vineyards Reserva Malbec, Uco Valley, Argentina

Another great malbec to think about for your next barbecue or smoker session. Fruit driven without being jammy, but with plenty of spice and violets on the nose. Palate-wise, big and full-boned as it should be, with rather rounded tannins and some notable acids. A barbecue wine for sure, but this might work very well with sausages, or homemade bacon cheeseburgers.

CSPC 811330 $21-24

It’s a shame we don’t see that much syrah from Argentina, as the grape is very well suited to the growing conditions that make malbec so great on the slopes of the Andes. A beautiful syrah with generous fruits, a savoury, smokiness, and expressive spice notes. My feeling would be to pair this with slow cooked meat dishes like stews or briskets, but anything from the smoker too.

CSPC 744532 $20-24

Undurraga 2020 Sibaris Gran Reserva

Pinot Noir, Leyda, Chile

Honestly? I still can’t get over the price of this pinot for the quality. A fairly bold pinot noir with a wide range of berry fruits on the nose and palate, but also a deep smokiness and woodsy/herbal depth. The smokiness is a little more apparent on the palate along with some fairly serious tannins lending some weight. I’d gladly match this up with good, beefy dishes, or some hard cheese.

CSPC 761205 $18-22

Tread Softly 2021 Pinot Noir South

Australia

A lighter, but still serious take on treading softly, this pinot noir is sustainable, vegan, and such, but also a little lower in alcohol with 12 percent rather than most pinots around 14 percent. Great presentation of aromas and flavours with cherry leanings and a fine, slight herbal/vegetable undercurrent. Light, even for pinot, this would work well with dishes in the warmer months even slightly chilled.

CSPC 837589 $18-22

Luigi Bosca 2020 La Linda Old Vines Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina

Old vines, for those that are curious, generally make fewer, but higher quality grapes with increased complexity, and malbec is a grape that really typifies this. Showing off floral notes, black plum fruits and abundant spice and garrigue herbaciousness throughout, but also silky tannins and a graceful finish. Enjoy with a steak if you can swing it, but this would be a treat with some great brisket too.

CSPC 869685 $20-24

As an aside, seeing a majestic condor flying over the Andes is a pretty spectacular sight, and a well-suited vision of Argentina’s high elevation vineyards. A wine that punches well above its price, this is a well-balanced but very expressive wine that tastes like a much more expensive bottle of malbec. Nicely fruity and those great tannins would be a good dinner companion with stews or grilled portobellos.

CSPC 836550 $19-22

I’m a long-time enthusiast of the wines from the Ben Marco lineup, and I do think they’ve knocked it out of the park with this vintage. Plums and blueberries, but also a bright floral tone evoking lilacs and clean herbal characters open things up, but on the palate steely, firm tannins, a brooding sort of fruit, and yet very smooth and full. This is exactly what would work with great cuts of beef from the barbecue.

CSPC 719758 $31-34

Widely available, and worth looking for, the classic offering from Luigi Bosca is absolutely consistent and top-shelf malbec. Abundant, classic fruits with clean, dried chaparral herbal characters on the nose, but on the palate is where it really comes together with vibrant fruits, towering tannins and a little acid zip. A friend to protein, but also a little fat, this is a fine match with prime rib, grilled sausage, or hard cheese.

CSPC 418038 $23-27

Escorihuela 1884 2019 Estate Grown Syrah, Mendoza, Argentina

Luigi Bosca 2020 Malbec Mendoza, Argentina

Ben Marco 2021 Malbec Uco Valley, Argentina

Flight of the Condor 2020 Malbec Mendoza, Argentina

Zwilling Sorrento Glassware

Zwilling’s Sorrento Glassware line are all double-walled, and our current faves! By Italian designer Matteo Thun, they are mouth-blown from borosilicate glass (which means they won’t crack under extreme temperature changes) so they’re not only lovely to look at, they’re functional too, insulating hot or cold drinks to maintain the temperature, and stay cool to touch. Zwilling say these are ideal for coffee or a special dessert - I say they’re ideal for my hot whisky toddies! 2 x 355 mL glasses, widely available $62.

Cuisipro Deluxe Decorating Pen

For anyone that has fooled around with a piping bag at home trying to make pro-level cake and cupcake decorations (and maybe failed), this is for you. Less hassle than a piping bag (and top rack dishwasher safe), it’s effectively a comfortable in the hand baster with a plunger. With a smidgeon of practice you’ll quite happy with your newfound ability to decorate all manner of treats and impress (or annoy) your loved ones. About $20

The Unofficial Big Lebowski Cocktail Book

Did you know that the “Big Lebowski” was released in March…. 1998? Meaning it’s been over 25 years since “The Dude’s” carpet really tied a room together. From author André Darlington, comes this completely unauthorized compendium of Lebowski-inspired cocktails, like “The Dude” (White Russian p.132), the perhaps fashionable “Chinstrap” (p.83), or celebrate with “Donny’s Ashes” (p.99). A fun book but, “that’s just like uh, your opinion man.” Epic Ink, $26.

New Flavours from Kellogg’s Kellogg’s were the people that perfected the breakfast cereal and they recently launched two new flavours we had to try. Vector has a new flavour in High Protein Apple Cinnamon Crunch which is fine for breakfast, but nails the trail mix, or healthy snack category with ease. While Special K has come out with their latest special release of Cinnamon Pecan with a fine balance of nuttiness and yes that cinnamon, you might find this a better –and heathier treat than cinnamon buns. Widely available.

Keurig K-Supreme Plus Smart Machine

Love your Keurig or still Keurig-curious? For many, there is simply no other way to get a quick, convenient cup of coffee without the hassle of a larger pot. The pods are widely available, and there are reusable and waste free pods to reduce the impact. This model also adjusts the temperature and strength of the drink for use in iced coffees or other specialty blends – but more exciting is the option (via the app) to get your coffee the way YOU want it, and others in the house can get it how they want it – how handy is that? About $250-275

Clif Thins

Clif Bars are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. Originally the energy bars were only found in bike shops and outdoor stores, but they’ve grown over the years and available as minis, nut butter bars, duos, and Clif cereal – and our favourite versions, the new Clif Thins. They’re plantbased, organic, and non-GMO, and we really like how crispy and crunchy they are. Bonus, the two-bar packs of Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Peanut Brownie, and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut are only 100 calories!

Once Upon a Rind in Hollywood

… 50 movie-themed cheese platters and snack boards for film fanatics. Not quite arriving in time for the Oscars last month, this book is for all cheese-loving armchair critics and Netflix bingers with ideas for savoury and sweet, bite-size snacks and munchies – and lovers of cheesy puns! We can’t stop laughing at ‘Roquefort Horror Picture Show’ and ‘You’ve Goat Mail’, and wincing at ‘The Goudafather’ and ‘Pulp Stilton’! By Rachel Riederman, Ulysses Press, $27.

RX bars

Pre-packaged snacks often have unrecognizable ingredients, and we like how easy it is to see what we’re eating in RXBar’s “No B.S.” protein bars, featuring the few ingredients on the front. The new Vanilla Almond flavour wrapper front says, “3 egg whites, 7 almonds, 4 cashews, 2 dates” and to those only vanilla bean and sea salt are added – we approve! They’re minimally processed and really tasty too. 52 g bar around $3.

While we’re talking sustainability for Earth Day this month, Toronto’s womenowned, Pluck Tea sources only ethical and sustainable ingredients for their handblended, small-batch teas, and many of them local and upcycled, like the orange peel for their Citrus Ginger blend from a local juicer, and grape skins for their Southbrook Berry Blend from a Niagara vineyard. There’s a very wide selection of beautiful loose and bagged teas to choose from in jars, tins, and pouches. pluckteas.com for stockists and to order.

Pluck Teas

...with Ron Salverda

BY LINDA GARSON

PHOTO BY DONG KIM

At the age of 22, Ron Salverda knew he was going to be a restaurateur. His parents immigrated from Holland to Montreal in the mid-1950s, and his father cooked in CN Rail dining cars before becoming Executive Chef for Air Canada, in the mid ‘60s. “This is when you had to wear a suit to go on a plane,” he laughs. “My father would go around the world promoting Canadian food; he cooked for Queen Elizabeth and for Trudeau (senior), so I was brought up in the industry, and I traveled Europe before I was 10 (years old). My father was a great provider for us. He was a detailed, hardworking man; the hard work ethic came from him.”

At 12 years old Salverda washed dishes in a ‘greasy spoon’ next to his high school, then in a racket club, and became a bus boy, then a waiter, and a bartender. He was also a skier. “I'd work four days a week, and three days a week I'd be out in the ski hills,” he says. He moved out to Alberta for the mountains, and worked in Sunshine Village for a year. “It's the only job I ever got fired from, and it was all my fault. It was the extracurricular activities.”

After a short stint in Edmonton, he moved to Toronto, and two years later, in 1983, he got his big break as a manager at Bemelmans, a high-profile bistro. “I used

to keep a diary saying, what do I need to accomplish this year, in three years…? And I'd be living to that goal,” says Salverda. “I'd write, ‘I need to open restaurant or run a nightclub’, these things were on my to-do list, but I knew I had to learn a lot before I can own something.”

Salverda worked with a number of restaurants in Toronto: Malibu Jack's, The Loose Moose, and helped develop Alice Fazooli's concept. He bought into it, his first time owning 10 percent of a business. From there he was hired by a big organization and became Vice President of Hard Rock Cafe Canada. “I got paid really well, but I traveled 200 days a year,” so in 1996, with his new wife, Shirley, moved west to Calgary.

He opened Jack Astor’s as a joint venture partner, consulted on a few projects, and started looking for a location for his West Coast-themed bar and grill, Murietta’s, which he opened in 2001. “I started construction, but I didn't have a name,” he says. Murietta was the Robin Hood of El Dorado; he was a thief and a train robber, but for the right reasons. He robbed and then gave back to his people. “We give a lot back to the community. We do a lot of charity work, but we don't rob them first,” laughs Salverda.

Murietta's Canmore opened in 2003,

followed by Edmonton, the Tribune, The Cellar wine store, and most recently, Borough Bar + Grill in Calgary's University District. “I've been fortunate, I’ve had crazy good chefs - I have a solid corporate chef, Daniel Pizarro, and good chefs in the restaurants. I’m going to be 63 this year, but I have no interest in slowing down. I'm already looking for another location.”

What bottle is Salverda saving for a special occasion?

Vérité is a small winery owned by the Jackson family. “What's great about them is they keep their wineries small and selfrun,” he explains. “They only make three wines, and ‘La Joie’ is their cab. We went down to California, and I picked stems off their grapes on the conveyor belt, I loved the wine. We had lunch in the wine room, and I bought all my team a bottle of Vérité, including the guy who was hosting us. I was impressed how they kept things real, and it really shows in the wine.”

“Every year I get a bottle of Vérité from friends, not all La Joie, dating back to 2011. I'm not a special occasion person, I don't celebrate my birthday, and I’m not going to retire. I'm frugal, I wouldn't spend $300400-500 on a bottle of wine for myself. You need some special people to share it with, so I guess one day it will be, ‘Hey, let's open that bottle.’”

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CALLING ALL FOODIES Let’s Eat

Calgary’s food scene is rich with culinary excellence. In just one place, foodies will experience culinary food trends from 22 award winning restaurants.

One stop. 37 Platinum Award Winners. 67 Overall Awards.

Let your taste buds decide your own favourites when you visit Calgary’s Best Farmers Market, the Fresh & Local Market + Kitchens in Avenida Village.

Our kitchens won 37 Platinum awards for best Asian, Pizza, BBQ, Burgers, Fusion, Fries, Hawaiian, Noodles, Sushi, Italian, Spaghetti, Latin, Chicken, Soup, South American, Middle Eastern, African, Thai, Korean, Baking, European, Desserts, Mediterranean, Vegan, Gluten Free, Indian, Homecooking and Mexican.

There’s a dish for everyone.