A L B E R TA / F O O D & D R I N K / R E C I P E S D E C E M B E R 2 02 3
Our 2023 Holiday Gift Guide | Meal Prep Meals | Festive Food and Drinks
Here’s to old stories and new beginnings.
Every glass is a new opportunity. An open door. A hand-poured personal invitation to come together, share a story (or three) and grow our ranks of kindred spirits.
WELCO ME TO TH E C LUB TISH HARCUS | BRAND AMBASSADOR.
Canadian Club® Blended Canadian Whisky, 42% alc./vol. ©2023 Canadian Club Import Company, Chicago, IL.
contents
Volume 12 / No. 7 / December 2023
departments 6 8
Salutes and Shout Outs News from Alberta’s culinary scene
10
Book Review
A Very Prairie Christmas Bakebook by Karlynn Johnston
10 Chefs’ Tips and Tricks
The Way the Cookie Crumbles
20
40 Making the Case …for the Holidays!
42 Open That Bottle
With writer Elizabeth Chorney-Booth
18 14 Festive and Timely: Brown Butter Maple Pecan Butter Tarts by Renée Kohlman
30
18 Chocolate Cherry “Better Than Black Forest” Trifle … decadent and delicious by Natalie Findlay
Meal Prepped Meals … 20 Working Smarter, Not Harder: 30 tasting and learning about the
ON THE COVER
How to portray December with a wintery, yet festive feel on a magazine cover? Hot chocolate is definitely something we all hanker for after time outside in the chilly, or maybe even icy weather, so we want to say a big thanks to Natalie Findlay for summing up that feeling so perfectly in our cover photograph. And you’ll find her recipe for this delicious Almond Cherry Hot Chocolate on page 19!
Determined, accidental entrepreneur - Lannie Rae Gourmet by Lucy Haines
22 Culinaire 2023 Holiday Gift Guide
29 gifts to impress and treat your food and drink-loving family and friends by Linda Garson and Tom Firth
companies who make them by Katherine Puhl
36 ‘Tis the Season for Beer
Advent calendars, gift packs, and other festive specialties by David Nuttall
38 Winter Spirits
Warming tipples to sip and savour by Linda Garson and Tom Firth December 2023 | Culinaire 3
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Do you remember …the song “I Believe in Father Christmas” by Greg Lake? (ELP-Emerson, Lake, and Palmer). It was released in 1975 and we still hear it often at this time of year. It starts: “They said there’ll be snow at Christmas, they said there’ll be peace on earth...” Nearly fifty years later, are we any closer to peace on earth? It’s the ‘season of peace and goodwill to all men’ (and women!), yet it seems we’re not seeing any signs of either when we look at the news – quite the reverse, hate and intolerance seems to be on the rise. I’m the eternal optimist, but I’m not sure I’ll see peace on earth in my lifetime. Talking of lifetimes, I’ve been wondering recently if 24 hours still takes the same amount of time as it did forty-eight years ago, or are hours shorter
now than they used to be? Is the world spinning on its axis faster now? There seems to be less time between birthdays, and not just mine - everyone seems to be getting older faster. I’m sure I can’t be the only one who sees snow and wonders where summer and autumn went. Is it a bad memory or a sign of age? And I can’t be the only one whose schedule is already filling up for January. I still consider myself to be the luckiest person though, even amid this whirlwind of a life, and wouldn’t change it for anything. We only get one crack at it, so why not live it to the fullest while we can? As we zoom towards year end, I do
want to take the opportunity to thank everyone that has played an important part in Culinaire this year: to you for your kind words and encouragement; to our contributors for their stories; to our designer, photographers, and printers, for making us look our best; to our advertisers who make it possible to print each issue (please continue to shop local and support our businesses!); and our little hardworking team. I hope it’s a very happy holiday time for you and your family, and I remain optimistic for 2024. Cheers
Linda, Editor-in-Chief
For gifts that will never be re-gifted. Grocery. Bakery. Deli. Café. EDMONTON | CALGARY | SHERWOOD PARK
Alberta / Food & Drink / Recipes
Managing Editor Tom Firth tom@culinairemagazine.ca Multimedia Editor Keane Straub keane@culinairemagazine.ca Communications Assistant Katherine Puhl katherine@culinairemagazine.ca Design Kendra Design Inc Contributors Natalie Findlay, Lucy Haines Dong Kim, Renée Kohlman David Nuttall, Katherine Puhl Keane Straub
To read about our talented team of contributors, please visit us online at culinairemagazine.ca.
Contact us at: Culinaire Magazine #1203, 804–3rd Avenue SW Calgary, AB T2P 0G9 403.870.9802 info@culinairemagazine.ca @culinairemag @culinairemag @culinairemag facebook.com/CulinaireMagazine For subscriptions, competitions and to read Culinaire online: culinairemagazine.ca
Our contributors David Nuttall
David has worked in liquor since the late 1980s. He achieved his Beer Judge Certification in 2012, and is the head judge for Calgary International Beerfest, as well as judging the Alberta Beverage Awards and Alberta Beer Awards. He has appeared on radio, television, and in the movie Aleberta: Our Beer History. He is also a freelance writer for print and online, speaker, and has run Brew Ed beer courses since 2014. Follow him @abfbrewed.
Lucy Haines
A long-time freelance writer, Lucy specializes in travel, food, arts, and entertainment. In a 30-year-plus career writing newspaper and magazine features, Lucy has interviewed celebrities, reviewed theatre productions and restaurants, and sampled foods around the world. Lucy covered news for Metro Newspaper Edmonton for a decade, and was editor at Alberta Prime Times, the province’s senior lifestyle news magazine, for several years.
Dong Kim
A freelance photographer and consultant, Dong splits his time between Edmonton and Calgary. Although he shoots a wide range of subjects, his passion lies in photographing food and capturing stories from the food community. An avid traveller whose itineraries often revolve around learning about a culture through its culinary scene, Dong shares many of his travels and food encounters on Instagram at @therealbuntcake.
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. All Trademarks presented in this magazine are owned by the registered owner. All advertisements appearing in this magazine are the sole responsibility of the person, business or corporation advertising their product or service. For more information on Culinaire Magazine’s Privacy Policy and Intention of Use, please see our website at www.culinairemagazine.ca. All content, photographs and articles appearing in this magazine are represented by the contributor as original content and the contributor will hold Culinaire Magazine harmless against any and all damages that may arise from their contribution. All public correspondence, which may include, but is not limited to letters, e-mail, images and contact information, received by Culinaire Magazine becomes the property of Culinaire Magazine and is subject to publication. Culinaire Magazine may not be held responsible for the safety or return of any unsolicited manuscripts, photographs and other materials. Reproduction of this publication in whole or in part without written consent from Culinaire Magazine is strictly prohibited.
CAMPAIGN FINANCED ACCORDING TO EU REG. NO. 2021/2115
Editor-in-Chief/Publisher Linda Garson linda@culinairemagazine.ca
SA LUTE S & S H O UT O UT S
a reality with an Instagram flower room, and hookah. Open seven days from noon with high tea from 1 pm. Congratulations to the winners of Canada’s Great Kitchen Party! In Edmonton: JP Dublado (Red Deer Resort and Casino) took gold, Winnie Chen (Fu’s Repair Shop) won silver, and Bri Campbell (Restaurant May) won both bronze and the People’s Choice award. In Calgary: Rupert Garcia (Hawthorn) won gold, Jun Young Park (Ryuko/Zushi) took silver, and Shamir Bechara (Pat & Betty) won bronze, with Francis Martinez (Fine Print) the People’s Choice winner! And congrats to Edmonton Chef Riley Aitken on his new Bella! The former Old Strathcona Smoky Bear location is now a (self-described) casual Italian(ish) eatery, featuring seasonal produce, handmade pastas from Alberta flour, sharing plates, and of course tiramisu – Italian traditions, modern techniques. Wednesday–Saturday 5–10pm at 8223 104th Street NW. Smoky Bear is reopening downtown soon! Congrats too to Calgary’s Chopstix Filipino Restaurant on their new location! Now you can enjoy all your favourite home-cooked style Filipino dishes - la paz batchoy, soups and noodle dishes, sinigang, fresh lumpia, chocolate fudge cake, halo-halo, and their all day Filipino breakfast, seven days from 11-9 pm at 9679 Macleod Trail SW. chopstixrestaurant.com Chartier is back in Beaumont! After a break, a deep-clean, and a re-imagining of the menu to be French-Canadian comfort food, Sylvia, Darren, and Tamara have reopened their doors, serving up approachable new dishes that don't break the bank, as well as their classics, paired down and simplified. Closed Thursdays, dinechartier.com 6 Culinaire | December 2023
Rock’N Tofu is Edmonton’s newest Korean restaurant serving Korean tofu soup and hot stone bibimbap (pork katsu too!). But try the specials of Korean raw marinated crab in either Korean spice or Sweet Soya sauce marinade. Seven days 11-9 pm at 2920 Calgary Trail NW. Blowers & Grafton have opened their 7th restaurant in six years at 70 Shawville Boulevard SE, Calgary. You can’t beat the East Coast hospitality - laid back, friendly, with lots of laughter – and terrific food, drinks, and service. The caesars are next level (try the Seaweed Gin!), and we left stuffed with Atlantic seafood (there’s plenty of meaty and veggie dishes too). A great addition to the B & G family - big, bustling, and busy, so make a reso. Lunch and dinner seven days, blowersgrafton.com Edmonton’s Old Strathcona has a new wine bar! Coterie (‘a gathering of like minds’) is Trystan Fung and Ainsley Lamash (from Bodega Highlands)’s new place to meet your friends for a drink from their extensive list and comforting small plate dishes such as beef bourguignon and wild mushroom pâté. From 5 pm at 10330 80 Avenue, closed Sunday/Monday, coterieyeg.com Calgary has a unique cocktail dessert lounge! Sophisticated with a sweet tooth? Then head on upstairs to 6iX at 638 6 Avenue SW and be prepared for something extraordinary. Cocktails with goblets (aka fish bowls!), elevated small bites of sushi tacos, tempura nori, jamon Iberico and more - the first Lady M mille crepes cakes in Canada… This luxury lounge was planned pre-covid and is now
Canmore has a new premium hotel and restaurant! We’re big fans of Basecamp mountain resorts - there’s 15 of them, and the latest MTN House has mountain views and a terrific upscale restaurant, café, and bar - Rhythm & Howl. There’s a rustic wood cabin feel and a focus on local ingredients, evident in Chef Jason Leizert’s menu. Excellent cocktails and standout dishes of bison surf and turf, elk carpaccio, garlic and chili prawns, and steelhead trout. The Nordic spa will be open soon! 1 Silvertip Trail, rhythmandhowl.com Edmonton’s The Colombian has opened a fourth location at 8905 99 Street. They’ve really grown from 2017 as a vendor at farmers’ markets, to opening in Glenora, French Quarter, Parkallen, and now Millcreek, while continuing to support their family farm in Colombia by purchasing Uncle Felipe’s coffee. Open seven days, thecolombian.ca Firefly is an elevated new casual dining restaurant at 4208 Calgary Trail, Edmonton. This sophisticated new space designed by Black Label Designs is contemporary with a touch of nostalgia. For everyday dining or celebrating a special occasion, choose sharing dishes, handhelds, or hearty mains, and sip on curated spirits and crafted cocktails. Seven days from 11 am, weekend brunch from 10 am.
D O N’ sink u T s!
Cooking fat, oil and grease are compostable food waste. Pouring them down the drain blocks pipes and causes nasty sewer back-ups. Scrape them into your green bin instead.
calgary.ca/protectyourpipes
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2023-10-27 12:15 PM
RICH PREMIUM RUM LIQUEUR FOR REAL COFFEE LOVERS
B O O K R E V I E W BY TO M F I RT H
A Very Prairie Christmas Bakebook By Karlynn Johnston, Appetite by Random House 2023 $38
B
eing a huge fan of the Kitchen Magpie, Karlynn Johnston’s earlier books (like the Prairie Table – which has a permanent spot in my kitchen’s collection), it was with great enthusiasm, and great pleasure to work my way through her newest book. Perhaps the best part of A Very Prairie Christmas is how effortlessly it builds upon the nostalgia of the Christmas holidays and all the memories evoked by the treats your grandparents may have shared over the holidays, or the things your parents made during all the craziness of the holidays. Or perhaps you had a mother who sort of “winged it” with her holiday baking like mine did - and maybe you thought the recipe (or the general plan of attack) might have been lost forever. This book may just be for you. Starting things off is an entire chapter devoted to shortbreads and sugar cookies in pride of place with an excellent Scottish
Shortbread (p.31) followed closely by a household favourite – the Snickerdoodle (p.41), and naturally a gingersnap makes an appearance (p.69) with a softer cookie – but fans of the “crunch” are given an option too. For those with a sweeter tooth over the winter months, there are plenty of options in the “Candy” chapter including Nutty Caramel Popcorn (p.103) which some might call “Poppycock”, peanut brittle (p.104) with several similar recipes for praline brittle or maple walnut. Confections includes Easy Chocolate Fudge (p.132) with a decidedly shifty looking Santa, peppermint bark (p.147) and rum balls (p.156), and there are still chapters on Dainties, Bars, and Slices – check out the Millionaire’s Shortbread (p.207), a chapter devoted to Cakes, Dessert Salads(?) with the very pretty Seafoam Salad (p.232), and Puddings, and of course cocktails and punches.
Brilliantly accompanied by wonderful photography done by the author, the images serve to evoke classic, traditional holiday memories without looking overly staged either – these look like recipes that will come out of the home cook’s kitchen with a modicum of effort. Bonus points if you had or still have any of the tins, mugs, glassware, or mixing bowls featured on these pages! Who knows, maybe this is the year we bring back the cookie exchange!
Check our website for more details and online booking.
CALGARYCHRISTMASMARKET.CA
calgaryfarmersmarket.ca
C H E F ’ S TI P S & TR I C KS
The Way the Cookie Crumbles
D
uring the holidays, the sights, the sounds, and the smells – especially those of cookies baking in the oven – never fail to stir up memories. It’s one of our favourite seasons at Culinaire as we
Things that come together with little fuss means more time to spend with loved ones this holiday season. “I love making cookies! They're usually fairly easy and fast to make and I like that instant gratification,” explains Rachelle Germain, owner of Milk & Cookie’s Bakeshop in Edmonton. For Rachelle, texture and visual appeal are high priorities, so get ready for this recipe for Everything Cookies. “A large part of my business is making cute, decorated sugar cookies so I love when I can make a different kind of cookie that is also fun to look at. To balance out the sweetness, Rachelle likes to add a salty element like pretzels and potato chips in her recipe here. “If you don't have all the mix-ins asked for in the recipe, use whatever you have on hand! Just keep the mix-ins to approximately 400 g.” The secret to a perfect cookie is all in the timing. “Always underbake your cookies slightly. Your cookies will continue baking for a little while after you take them out of the oven because they are still hot. If you take them out a little bit before you think they're done, you'll have perfect, softcentered, and gooey cookies.”
Everything Cookies Makes 16
320 g all-purpose flour ½ tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 210 g salted butter, room temperature 95 g granulated sugar 200 g brown sugar 2 eggs, room temperature 2 tsp vanilla extract 80 g semi-sweet chocolate chips 80 g milk chocolate chips 10 Culinaire | December 2023
BY KEANE STRAUB PHOTOS BY DONG KIM
take a look at the sweeter side of things and help with (or hinder) planning your holiday treats. Cookies are the name of the game in this month’s Chef ’s Tips, and they come in all shapes and sizes, from the
30 g toffee pieces 30 g shredded coconut, toasted 30 g pretzels, crushed 40 g potato chips, crushed 80 g Oreo cookies, broken into pieces 30 g rainbow sprinkles 1. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set Aside. 2. Add butter, sugar, and brown sugar to a mixer bowl and beat on medium speed with a paddle attachment until ingredients are combined. Beat just until all the butter and sugar is combined and smooth. 3. Break your eggs into a pitcher or bowl and add vanilla extract. Add to the mixer while running on medium speed one at a time, waiting until each one is incorporated before adding the next. 4. Stop mixer and scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with a spatula. Mix again for a few seconds. Add your flour mixture to mixer bowl and mix on low speed until just incorporated. 5. Remove bowl from mixer. In a separate bowl, mix together chocolate chips, toffee,
letter ‘S’ and bars, to traditional rounds and stars. The flavours range from delicate to decadent, and each recipe is as unique as the chef who has provided them. Put on an apron and preheat the oven: it’s time to get baking!
shredded coconut, pretzels, potato chips, Oreos, and sprinkles. Add approximately ¾ of the mixture to your mixer bowl and mix into your cookie dough by hand until evenly incorporated. 6. Scoop with a #16 scoop (or divide into balls approximately ¼ cup in size) into a large container with a lid, separating each layer with parchment paper. Squish the top of each cookie into your bowl of mix-ins so that each cookie has a variety of toppings on top. Put lid on and place in fridge for a minimum of 1 hour. 7. Preheat your oven to 350º F. Place cookie balls on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper, leaving about 75 mm of room between each cookie. You will need 2 baking sheets. Bake at 350º F for 10-11 minutes, until there are no wet spots on top of the cookies but the tops are still shiny. 8. Let cookies cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for several months.
Annie’s Comfort Cookie Bars Makes 12 to 15 bars
1 cup unsalted butter ½ cup fine sugar 1½ cups brown sugar 2 eggs 1 Tbs (15 mL) vanilla extract 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 2 tsp powdered cinnamon 250 g chocolate chips, milk or semi-sweet 100 g white chocolate chips (or mini M&M’s or any topping you’d like) 200 g dulce de leche spread or caramel, or to your liking
Courtesy Oscar Morales
For Annie Ivarra at Calgary’s Chunk’d, baking brings back beautiful memories of growing up surrounded by bakers. “I remember sitting on the kitchen counter with my mom while she baked cakes for the family and “helping” my grandma eating the scraps and licking the spoons while she baked and decorated cakes.” Mille Feuille with cream pastry ranks high on Annie’s favourites, but Chunk’d is known for cookies and for good reason: they’re big, chewy, and packed full of flavour combinations. Her recipe for cookie bars ticks those boxes, and then some. “This recipe screams comfort, especially for cold days. It's baked on a tray, and you can cut it to your liking to share with your family. It's easy and uncomplicated.” Her best advice? “The most important
thing is measure, cut, separate, combine every ingredient before making the recipe.” Annie also adds: “Follow your heart, if you're feeling more chocolatey that day, change the spread for Nutella. In the end, this recipe is intended to be a comfort treat for you.”
Note: If you want to store cookies for more than 5 days, cool or freeze in a Ziploc bag or airtight container and warm before eating.
1. Prepare a tray with baking spray or parchment paper. Annie uses a 330x250 mm (13x10”) tray. 2. In a mixing bowl add butter and sugars and mix on medium speed until creamy and fluffy. 3. Pour vanilla into the eggs. Reduce speed and add the eggs one by one until they’re incorporated into the mix. 4. Combine dry ingredients. On minimum speed pour dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. When combined, increase the speed to medium and mix for about 20 seconds until everything is fully combined. You can also stop the mixer, add dry ingredients and start it again in “stir” and increase the speed from that. 5. Add the chocolate chips/toppings to the mix until combined (no more than 10 seconds). 6. Place the dough onto the tray and put it in the freezer for at least an hour. Preheat the oven to 350º F. 7. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges are golden/brown. Let it rest for about 20 minutes before spreading dulce de leche on top. Proceed to cut up the bars and enjoy! Keep stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Note: You can make dulce de leche
at home by cooking a sealed can of condensed milk in boiling water (covered with lid) for 3 hours. Make sure the pot ALWAYS has enough water in it. December 2023 | Culinaire 11
flavours to be substituted. Find recipes you love and make them your own by adding flavours of the season.”
Citrus ‘S’ Cookies Makes 32-34 cookies
Marco Civitarese has distinct memories of his mother baking cookies and while he stole bites of cookie dough. “I remember the smell of almonds roasting, citrus fruits being zested, and sounds of clanging bowls. It is these memories that created the passion for me to move forward with my retirement baking journey,” he explains. The owner of Dolci di Delia in Calgary, Marco’s business is a result of community, from his family encouraging him to pursue his dream, to using kitchen space at the Marriot Airport Hotel, and selling his cookies at pop-ups in local businesses. “Citrus flavoured baked goods are always top of my list of favourites,” says Marco, and this traditional Italian ‘S’ cookie is a perfect example, made with orange zest, juice, and orange liqueur. But more importantly, it’s all about adapting to preferences. “This cookie provides a versatile base for many other 12 Culinaire | December 2023
2 1/8 – 2¼ cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder Pinch of salt 2 large eggs, room temperature 80 g sugar ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil 1 orange zested, optional blood orange/ clementine or lemon rind or half lemon and half orange rind ½ orange, juiced 1 tsp (5 mL) orange liqueur (chef used moscato from Bridgeland Distillery), optional vanilla extract ¼ cup icing sugar for rolling the dough 1. Preheat oven to 350º F and prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 2. Add the icing sugar to a separate bowl for rolling the cookie dough ropes. Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) in a medium bowl. 3. Beat the eggs and sugar together with a hand or stand mixer until well combined. Beat in the oil until smooth.
4. Add in the grated citrus rind, citrus juice, and liqueur, and beat until all wet ingredients are blended. 5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until a uniform non-sticky dough has formed. Using your hands for this stage adds an element of ‘love’! 6. Using a #60 cookie scoop (approximately 15 g or 1 Tbs per cookie), scoop the dough into a ball and roll out to a 10-12mm rope. Alternatively you can take a handful of dough and roll it to the required thickness and cut into 15 cm lengths. 7. Gently roll the individual rope lengths into the icing sugar and form into an ‘s’ shape. Place them on the prepared pan leaving about 1 cm between cookies and bake in the 350º F oven for approximately 12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly golden. Let the cookies cool on the tray for 10-15 minutes. Store in a sealable container. These cookies freeze well. Freeze them on a flat cookie tray after they are completely cool and then place in a freezer container. This cookie also hangs nicely on the edge of an espresso cup or glass of milk!!
When Saskatoon’s Renée Kohlman isn’t writing cookbooks and food columns, she’s busy baking and running Sweetsugarbean, her gourmet cookie business. “I’m always at my kitchen counter or my computer!” The changing seasons serve as inspiration, as do locally grown ingredients. Saskatoon berries (of course), carrots from her boyfriend’s garden, and cherries from the neighbour’s tree have all made appearances in her baking. If you’re looking for Christmas in a cookie, then try Renée’s recipe for Rosemary Shortbread Oatmeal Cookies. “I’ve been baking it up at Christmastime every year since to rave reviews from friends and family. It’s a woodsy, buttery, savoury-sweet, superstar of a cookie that pretty much smells of Christmas.” Reading through the recipe before you begin can save time and effort, she adds. “You don’t want to have progressed halfway through the recipe, then realize you’re out of baking soda.” And, if you discover you don’t have room temperature eggs, try placing them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes.
Rosemary Oatmeal Shortbread Makes about 75 cookies
2 cups salted, softened butter (if using unsalted, add about 1 tsp salt) 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar 2 Tbs finely chopped fresh rosemary 2¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the counter 2½ cups large-flake oats ½ cup icing sugar 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Place the rack in the centre of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 2. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2–3 minutes. Beat in the fresh rosemary. With the mixer running on low speed, add the flour and oats. Mix until well incorporated. On a lightly floured surface, shape the dough into a ball and then flatten it and roll it out to about 3-4 mm thickness. Dust the rolling pin with flour to prevent it from sticking to the dough.
3. Cut the dough into your desired shapes, about 65 mm in diameter, and place the cookies 50 mm apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8–10 minutes, or until the edges start to turn light brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining dough. Once the cookies have cooled down, dust them with icing sugar. 4. You can store these in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or freeze them for up to 1 month.
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. December 2023 | Culinaire 13
S TE P BY S TE P
The Canadian Classic:
Brown Butter Maple Pecan Butter Tarts
B
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY RENÉE KOHLMAN
utter tarts are an integral part of our Canadian culinary landscape. However, this classic sweet treat has been known to divide the multitudes on whether raisins should (or shouldn’t!) be included in the filling. It’s incredible how strongly folks feel one way or another, and if family relations are already a little strained, I don’t suggest bringing up the topic at the holiday table. For the record, I try to never have raisins
14 Culinaire December 2023
cross these lips under any circumstances, thus you know what team I’m on. Besides the toasty pecans, this butter tart recipe has few other important change ups. Butter is all important in a butter tart (obviously) and instead of just melting it, I took things one step further and browned it. This adds an extra depth of flavour, with notes of warm caramel. And I’m using pure maple syrup instead of golden or corn syrup. The richness of this syrup pairs so
well with the nuts and browned butter, and a little molasses lends an earthy, cozy vibe we’re all wanting at Christmastime. Since you’re going through the effort of making homemade butter tarts, it’s best to make your own pastry as well. This is fairly straightforward, and yields a light and flaky shell for the sweet and decadent tart. I like to eat these while still warm, with a cup of tea close by. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Brown Butter Maple Pecan Butter Tarts Makes 10-12 tarts Pastry:
2 cups all-purpose flour ½ tsp salt ½ cup frozen or chilled unsalted butter 1 large egg, cold ¼ cup (60 mL) very cold water 1 Tbs (15 mL) fresh lemon juice
Filling:
¼ cup unsalted butter 2 large eggs, at room temperature ½ cup packed brown sugar ½ tsp salt ½ cup (125 mL) pure maple syrup 1 Tbs (15 mL) fancy molasses 1 tsp (5 mL) apple cider vinegar ¾ cup chopped pecans 1. To make the pastry: whisk together the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Using a box grater, grate the cold butter into the bowl. Toss to coat the butter in the flour and distribute it evenly throughout. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, water, and lemon juice. Drizzle this mixture over the flour-butter mixture and use a wooden spoon to evenly distribute the liquid. Use your hands to quickly fold the mixture together until a rough ball forms. If it seems too dry and isn’t coming together, add one more tablespoon of water. 2. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and continue to knead the dough together.
Pat it down and shape into a disk. Wrap it in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight. When ready to use, bring the dough to room temperature. 3. Generously grease a 12-cup muffin tin. Dust your work surface with flour and roll the disk of dough out into a 4-5 mm thick circle. Using a 100 mm cookie cutter, cut out 7-8 rounds. Set the scraps aside. Roll each round out into a 125 mm circle about 3 mm thick, trying to keep it a little thicker in the centre and thinner at the edges. Don’t roll thinner than this as the filling may break though the pastry. 4. Take each pastry round and gently create folds as you place them into the cups of the muffin tin. Gently let the pastry sink into the cups, ensuring that the sides are higher than the muffin tin. Pleat the edges of the pastry, trying not to fuss too much about being perfect. Rustic is where it's at! 5. Reroll the scraps and repeat the process. Chill the muffin tin in the refrigerator while you work on the filling. 6. To make the filling: In a small pot, melt the butter over medium heat. The butter will start to foam and become light tan. Continue to cook until the butter is toasty brown with solid bits on the bottom of the pan and has a nutty aroma. Transfer the butter to a small bowl and let cool to room temperature. 7. Preheat the oven to 375º F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and salt. Add the cooled brown butter, maple syrup, molasses, and vinegar. Whisk
continuously for 2 minutes to combine. Divide the pecans evenly among the pastry shells and carefully pour in the filling so the tarts are about three-quarters full. 8. Bake the butter tarts until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 25-30 minutes. Transfer the muffin tin to a cooling rack, and cool the tarts in the tin for 20 minutes. Using an offset spatula, carefully remove the tarts from the tin and let them finish cooling on the rack.
Note: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
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.
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Please Enjoy Responsibly.
HIGHWOOD DISTILLERS
A lot can happen in 50 years. Canadians have been creative contributors to our economy in the last half-century and one of the fastest growing parts of that equation has been in the world of spirits. From small producers to larger distributors, our local distilleries are hard at work raising the bar at the bar. Among them is Highwood Distillers. The distillery’s history dates to 1974 when it originated under the name ‘Sunnyvale’. A group of southern Alberta farmers in High River founded Sunnyvale Distillers as a collective effort to showcase the exceptional
wheat grown locally. They committed to traditional distilling methods and produced a range of handcrafted spirits; their first was Marushka Vodka, a Russian/Ukrainian style of vodka still produced today. “We’re approaching our 50th anniversary”, says Sheldon Hyra, National Sales Manager for Highwood Distillers. “We’ve maintained a commitment to the vision of the founders, combining those original distillation methods with innovative practices.” Highwood offers a wide variety of spirits and liqueurs including notable Canadian whiskies like White Owl and
Potter’s Special Old. Potter’s Distillers came into the Highwood fold in 2005, allowing the company to significantly expand their portfolio. “We produce a well-curated selection of vodkas, rums, gins, and liqueurs, all crafted with precision in small batches and aged properly in oak barrels.” In 1984, what was Sunnyvale evolved into Highwood Distillery. The name is homage to the famous river and region that surrounds the distillery in the foothills of western Canada’s magnificent Rocky Mountains. While their business offices moved to Calgary in 1997, the Highwood ADVERTORIAL
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ADVERTORIAL
distillery is still in High River where it has a production team of about 30 people. There’s a family feeling fostered among the crew and the operation remains an independent distillery, both elements that resonate with the Made in Alberta program. “Actually, the Alberta Food Processors Association played a role in our decision to participate in this program”, says Hyra. “Made in Alberta acknowledges and promotes our province’s thriving industry and celebrates our pride as an Alberta-based producer. It’s a natural fit for us.” Being part of the program is deeply important to the team at Highwood because it resonates with a long-standing commitment to the region’s economy and agricultural heritage. “For 50 years we’ve focused on using local grains and inputs, supporting the community where our roots are.” The Made in Alberta program gives Highwood the opportunity to share their story as a privately owned Alberta business and one of the largest independent distillers. “We want to highlight the quality that comes from our dedication to local resources and traditions”, says Hyra. “It’s a fitting way for us to showcase the values we live by and the local ties that define our operations.” A commitment to Made in Alberta quality is a pay-it-forward investment. Highwood’s ‘Ninety’ 20-year-old Canadian Rye Whisky won All-Corn Whisky of the Year at the 2023 Canadian Whisky Awards, and their White Owl Whisky received Innovation of the Year in 2019. “The quality of Alberta’s grains is exceptional and forms the foundation of our products, while the skill of our local workforce is fundamental.” It’s a recipe for success and a winning combination – from medals on the podium to families in the community. Investing in local operations means Highwood is deeply embedded in the success of the region, and in the province overall. “We’re grateful to be based in such a resource-rich area”, says Hyra. With 50 years
of history, enrolling in Made in Alberta underlines Highwood’s commitment to local resources and the community. “It’s been integral to our progress.” Being rooted in the Alberta community – locally and in wider circles – is a source of genuine pride for the team at Highwood Distillery. “We’re always glad to talk about our home because many recognize Alberta’s workforce as diverse and enterprising, reflecting innovation and progress.” It's engagement with the community that’s at the core of the Highwood ethos. “We support local initiatives, whether that’s community groups or sports teams or fundraisers, because we believe in contributing to the community that has always championed Alberta-made products.” The mutual support is essential, nurturing a relationship with the local market that reaches well beyond commerce. Community isn’t a commodity: it’s a culture. A combination of Rocky Mountain water, local Alberta prairie grain, and diligently sourced botanicals and ingredients are carefully distilled, blended, and mixed to create products in nearly every category of
spirit. The original footprint from that small distillery is imbued in every aspect of the production today, allowing echoes of those first steps to resonate through the decades and into the distillery’s 50th year. Highwood Distillery is about meaningful participation in Alberta’s thriving communities, enriching its economy, and supporting its residents, both within their home province and wherever their spirits take them. The distillery is located in High River where the team welcomes visitors for self-guided tours, or tours and tastings by appointment. Be sure to book your visit a couple of weeks out – or if High River is a bit out of the way, ask for something Highwood at your favourite local watering hole.
Our unique Made in Alberta label clearly identifies local food and beverages that are made right here in Alberta. By purchasing Made in Alberta products, you are supporting Alberta’s growers, farmers, producers, and processors. When we choose local, we choose our neighbours. madeinalberta.co December 2023 | Culinaire 17
A Trifle Good Dessert STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY NATALIE FINDLAY
fridge for 5 days. 3. Make the chocolate mousse. Can be stored overnight in the fridge. 4. Make the whipped cream. Can be made approximately 5 hours before using. 5. Hot chocolate can be made 5 days before (stored in the fridge) and reheated before serving
Spiced Brownie
Makes enough for the trifle plus extra to enjoy on a random Tuesday evening when you want a moment to relax from the hectic holiday season.
D
Chocolate Cherry Trifle
esserts can be tricky around the holiday season. You want something delectable, something to impress, but also something that is easy to make and doesn’t take a ton of time. Basically, you want your cake and eat it too. Well, now you can have your trifle and eat it too. This trifle is like a black forest cake but dare I say - better. The base is made from rich, spiced chocolate brownies, the filling is laced with kirsch and sour cherries. The mousse is paired with Amaretto, and everything is topped with cherry whipped cream. Yes, it may look intimidating with all those layers, but there are many makeahead steps so you just have to pull your trifle out of the fridge and serve.
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For all you who may be thinking, “ohh, this recipe looks so amazing” (it is) “but I have an allergy or not enough time” there are tips and tricks at the end. While it won’t quite be the same, it will still be decadent and delicious.
Chocolate Cherry “Better Than Black Forest” Trifle Serves 8
Steps: 1. Make brownie layer. Can be made 5 days ahead and stored in the fridge or 3 months ahead (this means you can make it now) and stored in the freezer. Thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before using. 2. Make cherry filling. Can be stored in the
280 g semi-sweet dark chocolate, roughly chopped 3 large eggs 2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla extract 250g brown sugar, lightly packed 75g flour 1½ tsp baking powder Pinch sea salt 2 Tbs cinnamon ½ tsp ground clove 10 grates fresh nutmeg 200 g butter 1. Preheat oven to 325º F (convection oven). Line a 20x30 cm pan with foil. 2. Melt ½ the chocolate over a double boiler. Remove from heat when melted. 3. In a large mixing bowl, whip eggs, vanilla, and sugar until pale, thick and doubled in volume. 4. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg, and whip into the egg mixture. 5. In a medium bowl, melt the butter. Gently stir the butter into the melted chocolate.
Chocolate Mousse
Serves 8 The key to this recipe is to use the very best semi-sweet dark chocolate you can find.
Whip the chocolate / butter mixture into the egg mixture. 6. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so mixture is fully incorporated. Fold in the remaining chopped chocolate pieces. Pour into your pan. 7. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and knock the pan on the counter to deflate the brownies. Return to oven for another 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan. Cover and store in the fridge.
Cherry Filling
400 g frozen cherries, thawed, plus juice 2 tsp (10 mL) lemon juice 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract 1 Tbs sugar ¼ cup (60 mL) kirsch ½ Tbs cornstarch 1 Tbs (15 mL) cold water 1. Combine cherries, lemon, vanilla, sugar, and kirsch in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. 2. In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and 1 Tbs (15 mL) cold water. 3. Stir cornstarch mixture into cherry mixture, cook stirring constantly until it thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer to a medium bowl and let cool completely in refrigerator at least 4 hours.
1¾ cups + 2 Tbs (450mL) 33% cream, divided 150 g dark semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract 2 Tbs (30 mL) Amaretto, if desired 2 large egg whites 75 g sugar 1. In a small pot, over medium-high heat, bring ½ the cream to a boil. Turn heat off and add chocolate pieces. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Uncover and stir gently until completely combined and smooth. Let cool. 2. Add the Amaretto and whip with a hand blender until soft peaks form. 3. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Incorporate the sugar slowly until you reach a soft meringue texture. Fold meringue into chocolate mixture. Store in fridge until layering your trifle.
Note: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Cherry Whipped Cream
Makes enough to top the trifle and 2 cups of hot chocolate 1¾ cups + 2 Tbs (450mL) 33% cream 1 Tbs (15 mL) kirsch 2 Tbs icing sugar Whip cream and kirsch until it starts to thicken. Add the icing sugar 1 Tbs at a time and continue to whip until thick.
Almond Cherry Hot Chocolate
Serves 1 (can multiply for desired servings) 1 cup (240 mL) milk ¼ cup (60 mL) 33% cream 1 Tbs Dutch process cocoa 25 g semi-sweet dark chocolate 1 tsp (5 mL) molasses 1 Tbs (15 mL) Amaretto, if desired 1 tsp (5 mL) kirsch, if desired In a small pot over medium heat add milk, cream, cocoa, chocolate and molasses.
Stir occasionally, bring almost to a boil. Remove from heat. Add the liqueurs, if desired, and stir to combine. Top with a dollop of cherry whipped cream (from above) and some chocolate shavings.
SUBSTITUTIONS AND TIPS: Not enough time: you can purchase brownies, cherry filling, and even whipped cream in the grocery store. For the mousse filling substitute with store bought chocolate pudding. Gluten intolerance: you can substitute equal parts rice flour for the flour in the brownies. Dairy intolerance: you can make a chocolate avocado mousse as a substitute and use vegan butter as a substitute in the brownies. Replace your preferred “milk” substitute in the hot chocolate. Raw egg: the addition of the whipped egg white gives the mousse a light airy texture. If you would prefer not to use raw eggs then use the mousse without the eggs or sugar. The mousse will be slightly denser but still wonderful. No alcohol: alcohol used as desired for added flavour. As with any home baking recipe, ovens and stove tops may vary, and dishes can be adjusted or seasoned to taste.
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. December 2023 | Culinaire 19
Working smarter, not harder: health and wellness is the baseline of business for Lannie Rae Gourmet
F
BY LUCY HAINES PHOTOS BY LANNIE RAE GOURMET
or Alannah Gamblin-Jensen, running a Banff bakery that led to a growing online business of baking mixes (pancakes/waffles, beer bread, and scones), shouldn’t be a surprise. After all, the determined, accidental entrepreneur says she’s always made the best of whatever life has thrown at her. That includes a long ago move west from her native Labrador, helping out in-laws and eventually taking over a busy Banff bakeshop, (cookies, cakes and loaves, catering and more) and then creating the home-grown online site, Lannie Rae Gourmet. If that wasn’t enough, GamblinJensen has done it while raising a young family in Cochrane and dealing with an old skiing injury that led to a sometimesdebilitating diagnosis. Gamblin-Jensen’s touch is evident across a website of high-end pancake/ waffle mixes and more; a boutique-type collection of flavours like pear frangipane, pistachio and fig, and pumpkin crème
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brulée, to name a few. Add eggs and milk and voila, you’re in business: think Williams Sonoma, with a Canadian twist. Even though the young Gamblin baked with her mom as a youngster, she says she couldn’t have foreseen adding catering or specialty baking to the early days of her journey, but it’s what happened. Special occasion cakes? Sure. Catering breakfasts, adding lunchtime soups and sandwiches? Why not? “We baked a ton - I made 2,000 cupcakes in one day,” Gamblin-Jensen recalls of early days working with husband Trevor at the Banff operation, even as he kept another day job. “I’m stubborn. When someone asked me to bake an Eeyore cake for a birthday, it made me determined to figure out how to do it.” That ‘let’s give it a try’ attitude has served the marketing-savvy entrepreneur well. When the retail business was slowing, Gamblin-Jensen started selling dry mixes of scones and cookies along with packages
of cake decorations, tubs of icing/fondant etc. at take-and-bake pricing. Before closing up the bricks and mortar operation in about 2010, she also fortuitously held onto baking equipment and recipes. “I filled the shelves with bags of mixes; the concept was a hit,” says Gamblin-Jensen. Though Lannie Rae Gourmet was still just a percolating idea, life came calling. After the birth of her second child, daughter Evynne, Gamblin-Jensen fell ill with what eventually was diagnosed as the autoimmune disorder, Hashimoto’s Disease (and the discovery that her back problems were due to a broken back from a skiing injury years earlier). “I don’t think the word defeat is in her vocabulary,” said friend and eventual Lannie Rae operations staffer Kerri Dance, who went from helping Gamblin-Jensen package and send product to assistance with drawing up a business plan for the company.
(L-R) Accountant Nancy Lewis-Moore, Founder and CEO Alannah Gamblin-Jensen, and Kerr Dance, Operations
After the retail operation shut, GamblinJensen’s work in event design led to another bit of serendipity. She added her go-to gingerbread and eggnog-flavoured pancake/waffle dry mixes to a friends’ basket at a trade show event, and soon the word of mouth from friends and family got the ball rolling again. “It was a slow climb, but that led to making a basic website, and then Lannie Rae Gourmet got a nod in Avenue Magazine’s ‘Top Gifts Under $20’,” Gamblin-Jensen says. “That nudged us along; so did getting a call from Calgary Stampede to be part of their corporate gifting division, and love from a social media influencer who made so many people aware of us.” Lannie Rae Gourmet (Gamblin-Jensen’s moniker used by her mom for her first and middle name), has had its ups and downs: COVID-19, for example, put a wrench in sales, but also fuelled the growing ‘shop local’ movement among consumers. It also gave Gamblin-Jensen a time to slow down at home and get creative with her daughter through YouTube bread-making videos; that built the company’s profile too. “We all faced the same flour shortages and supply chain issues—so we stayed home, took care of a couple of newborn lambs and baked beer bread,” laughs Gamblin-Jensen, noting the other key members of her team: daughter Evynne and her friend Mackenzie Williams and sometimes, son Logan. “We couldn’t get packaging materials or access to a kitchen, so our walk out
basement became the production area. My daughter and I created vintage-style packing bags from old sheets around the house. It was a lovely time, and everything played together. We made it a way for our family to connect.” And though she says she doesn’t play the ‘PR game’, Gamblin-Jensen’s affinity for posting on social media and making conversation with followers is another tool in the kit to boost the company profile. “Being creative is a blessing and a curse. I’m always thinking about what flavour or product I can do next. But mental health has become huge to me,” she adds. “So having some privacy, keeping off social media on weekends—not sharing as much—it’s important. My husband and friends help me with that.” And friends have become colleagues; like the company’s part time accountant Nancy Lewis-Moore, and Dance, who GamblinJensen says has become an essential sounding board for ideas. Whether they’re packing product together, scouting kitchen facilities or walking/talking/brainstorming, Gamblin-Jensen says Dance and company help her get out of the operational lane. “I’m grateful for the break of always being ‘on’,” she adds. “Alannah’s a creative mind that never stops, but I ask questions and bring a different perspective,” adds Dance, who left her own job in Banff as a recreation programmer to join Lannie Rae Gourmet. “The ideas are already there, plus I love the products. The amount going out is inspiring.”
Gamblin-Jensen admits there have been times she’s been ready to hang up her apron. A recent scouting of production facilities in Leduc has taken a back seat, for now, as the company boss says keeping things close to home, manageable and with wellness in mind is paramount. Having a concrete business plan, something to follow and with measurable goals has been a lifesaver too, admits the often-spontaneous Gamblin-Jensen. “Sales aren’t where we need them to be to make a giant leap, and that’s okay,” she says. Laying low is perfectly fine for now; there is no rush to be bigger.” Gamblin-Jensen says the business will make use of its home space with a revamped kitchen and added equipment for greater efficiency. Work continues with a bulk recipe manufacturer, and the company is reaching out to a community kitchen to see about fundraising co-packing opportunities. “We’re reinventing the wheel on all aspects—re-examining our online presence and seeking out e-commerce opportunities,” she says, pointing to development of a wholesale ordering portal, and a fundraising portal. The company’s efforts as a social enterprise include a Brighten Up Breakfast campaign honouring Random Acts of Kindness and support for local food banks. “Health and wellness are always at the forefront. I’m content with all the changes, and bringing things back to a better basics.” Lucy Haines is a long-time freelance writer, specializing in travel, food, arts and entertainment. When she isn't writing, Lucy is a busy mom to four fantastic kids, and enjoys singing and performing in the local community theatre scene. December 2023 | Culinaire 21
2023 HOLIDAY
GIFT GUIDE Drinks JOLENE’S TEA SYRUPS Tea-infused cocktails are right on trend, and Jolene’s Tea House have taken the experimentation and guesswork out of the equation for us with their mountain-made tea syrups. Available in Rose, Scarlet Berry, Raspberry Green, Butterfly Pea, and Meadow Mint, just add a teaspoon to your favourite spirit, sparkling wine, or even sparkling water. $12 available in store or at jolenesteahouse.com
ON THE ROCKS JALAPENO PINEAPPLE MARGARITA, USA There’s no mistaking the new flavour from On The Rocks - the distinctive aroma of fresh cut jalapeños is immediate even while you’re pouring it, swiftly followed by pineapple. And it tastes just as it smells. Add some triple sec and some un-aged Tres Generaciones Plata tequila, and you’ve a tart yet sweet Margarita with just a little kick of spice. I’d add a generous quantity of ice, and I love a lick of salt so I’d rim my glass too! CSPC 893164 750 mL around $38
BLACK FOX COCKTAIL KIT Black Fox have garnered respect for their farm-to-glass distilling, growing much of the grain and botanicals for their spirits on their farm in Saskatoon. We’re big fans of their Oaked Gin, (makes a wonderful Gin Sour!) and this kit includes a 375 mL bottle along with their Canadian #3 Gin, a jar of Cherry & Berry Delight Cocktail Sour Cherries, and a bottle of Porter’s Hibiscus Tonic Syrup – cocktail recipes too! CSPC 880594 $105 at liquor stores or blackfoxfarmanddistillery.com
BURWOOD HOLIDAY CRACKERS Now here’s a fun gift for locavores and gin lovers. Calgary’s Burwood Distillery have packaged up 50 mL miniatures of three of their small batch Winter Festival gins into holiday crackers, each with its own cocktail recipe and corny joke! Inside you’ll find Burwood’s Mandarin Orange & Cranberry, Colour Changing Spiced Apple, and Winter Berry gins – we’re sure your guests would be thrilled to find these at your festive table. $25 at burwooddistillery.ca
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Books
HOW TO TASTE COFFEE While it may seem a little odd for those of us that guzzle the black stuff in the mornings or never worked as a barista, How to Taste Coffee takes as serious an approach to coffee as wine enthusiasts do to the juice of the grape. This is author Jessica Easto’s second book about coffee and explores the how, the why, and what is going on with our favourite roasted bean. Detailed and serious, but a great read too with plenty of the science, and a perfect fireside read while enjoying a hot cup or two. Agate $37
COOKING WITH BEER AND BOURBON Cooking with alcohol can elevate a simple meal and add restaurant-worthy complexity and flavours – and Hunter Reed’s book is jam-packed with ideas and 124 recipes for doing just that. His recipes for sauces and dips, breads, soups, meats, and sweets, are arranged from lightest to darkest alcohol type, so start wherever your fancy takes you and work up from there. Your house will smell amazing, and you can have a little sip while you’re cooking too. Fox Chapel Publishing $21
WILD HARVEST RECIPES When filmmaker and survival expert, Les Stroud, and one of Alberta’s most celebrated chefs, Paul Rogalski, joined forces on a foraging and culinary journey through the wilds of North America for the 13-part TV series, Wild Harvest, we witnessed the challenges of cooking with the local foraged ingredients, and the sumptuous dishes Chef Rogalski created in the wild as a result. All these recipes are here in this book of the show, simplified for home cooks so we can make them too! $36.00, wildharvestfilms.com
FESTIVE COFFEE SHOP DRINKS It’s really the simple pleasures that make a day great, and Festive Coffee Shop Drinks might be a fun, go-to book you’ll reach for time and again (and likely past the holidays). Filled with such drinks as Toasted Coconut Lattes, and Crème Brulee Cappuccinos, but also cold-brewed drinks and hot chocolates. You know, it might be a good day to stay inside with a good book and great drink. $20 Ryland Peters.
ENTERTAINING IS MY LOVE LANGUAGE Dawna Pitts is passionate about throwing parties and entertaining, and her book takes us through every step, right from the basics of making lists, planning menus, and setting tables, to breakfast the morning after! Along the way she includes menus for special diets, for wine lovers, interactive meals, and as she’s lived on three continents – her favourite bites from around the world. It’s a hefty and beautiful book with touching stories and full of recipes I’d like to try at my next party! FriesenPress $40
WHERE WE ATE A field guide to Canada’s restaurants past and present. This fascinating book is a love letter to the restaurants that have shaped our cuisine, all arranged chronologically over fourteen chapters, starting before confederation with Montreal’s Auberge Saint-Gabriel in 1754 to Primal in Saskatoon in 2015, and there’s recipes included from both. Of the 150 restaurants included, Alberta has ten and BC has 27, many of which are still open - a captivating read! By Gabby Peyton, Appetite by Random House, $36 December 2023 | Culinaire 23
Treats
VEZORLA CRAFT CHOCOLATE VIOLET PETALS Veronica Guirado Gomez has been bringing her family’s olive oil to Alberta from southeast Spain for over a decade, and also has a range of beautiful craft dark chocolate bars made with their Picual olive oil. Her Violet Petals bar is made by Paco and Eva in Spain completely by hand (including the packaging) from 70 percent cocoa, with crystallized violet petals, and it’s vegan and gluten free. 90 g $10. vezorla.com for stockists.
CINNAMON SWIRL LOAF KIT Foothills’ Lazy Bake (easy at-home baking kits) has joined forces with The Big Buns Club (specialty cinnamon buns) to create a limited-edition Swirl Loaf Kit just in time for the holiday season! Just add an egg, a bit of milk and butter, and follow the simple instructions for your own home-baked, gooey cinnamon loaf! At lazybake.com or Spruce Meadows Christmas Market, Market Collective, and Crossroads Market, $18. 24 Culinaire | December 2023
COTTAGE COUNTRY LANE FLAVOURED SALTS Truly a cottage craft business, Paul Eckersley and his family create infused kosher salts using herbs from their garden, such as basil and fennel, or blends of thyme with lemon zest, and red bell peppers with red jalapeños, for use in cooking or as a finishing salt – and even on popcorn! For wine lovers, there’s a chardonnay wine reduction-infused salt and a sangria salt too! $8 etsy.com/shop/cottagecountrylane
NORTHERN BARS NANAIMO BARS We’ve found the perfect hostess gift or to take a bit of Canada abroad to friends and family! Samuel Hartono and Michelle Avelena make their delicious bite-size Nanaimo Bars on Granville Island from Belgian chocolate ganache, custard buttercream, and chocolate and coconut cookie, and package them in gorgeous, bright yellow, travel-friendly boxes for 4, 9, and 16-pieces. $12-35 at northernbars.ca
SALTED CO FANCY COCKTAIL NUTS Toronto friends, Sasha and Sarah, created their range of cocktail nuts after enjoying cocktail, or apertivo, hour on their European holidays where a salty snack comes with your pre-dinner drink. Seven superb flavours combine either creamy Marcona or Valencia almonds with smoked sea salt, dried black olives, or candied rosemary and raisin, to name a few. 135 g pouches $15, well worth checking out at salted.company.
SWEET BELLA CHOCOLATES Kevin Conniff is a busy man these days. Not only a Pastry Chef Instructor at SAIT’s School of Hospitality and Tourism and a contestant on Food Network’s Holiday baking Championship Season 10, he’s also the owner of Sweet Bella Chocolates, specialising in unique flavours of tea and spice-infused chocolate bars, and glass jars of dragees and other treats. sweetbella.ca for Alberta stockists.
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Kitchen
HAMILTON BEACH BARTESIAN DUET COCKTAIL MAKER Want to join the home cocktailmaking craze without having to stock syrups, juices, bitters, and flavourings? The new stylish and compact Duet Cocktail Maker offers a choice of around 50 different recyclable Bartesian cocktail capsules for vodka, gin, rum, tequila, and whisky, all created by professional mixologists so you get a perfectly balanced cocktail - simply, easily and quickly every time! First coffee capsules, now cocktail capsules! From $400, set of 6 capsules $20 at amazon.ca
ZWILLING ENFINIGY DRIP COFFEE MAKER We always appreciate the elegant, yet minimalist, design of Zwilling kitchen appliances, and now they’ve brought out a range for coffee enthusiasts: a grinder, milk frother, and this sleek 12-cup drip coffee maker that incorporates a shower head to thoroughly and evenly moisten the grounds, a blooming function to extract maximum flavour and for smoother coffee, keep warm and timer settings – and a glass pot that doesn’t drip! Black or silver from $200, zwilling.com
THE CHEF’S PRESS San Francisco Chef Bruce Hill created this ever so useful kitchen tool nearly 20 years ago to replace his old cast-iron bacon presses that trapped steam and were too heavy - and his vented version cooks food 20-30 percent faster. It’s perfect for weighing down items when searing and grilling meats, fish, and veggies, crisping up duck and chicken skin, and for your paninis and toasted sandwiches! Available 8, 13, and 18 oz, $26 at Knifewear, knifewear.com
MTNPK GLASSWARE Talented Edmonton husband and wife duo, MTNPK (pronounced Mountain Peak) Glassware design their stunning range of hand-blown, lead and BPA free, borosilicate glasses (lighter and stronger than standard glassware!) using GIS software to capture and replicate mountains in Alberta and BC, and all in gorgeous packaging. Available as tumblers or pints from $25, check out mtnpkglass.com for a stockist near you or to order online. We’re absolutely in love with the Three Sisters glasses! 26 Culinaire | December 2023
KING TONG 36 CM COOKING TWEEZERS We don’t generally plate our food with tweezers at home, but we’d need a whole page to include all the possibilities for these heavy-duty, extra-long cooking tweezers – they’re like tongs, but more precise and with many more uses. From flipping steaks on the grill to moving the embers around, to picking up the lids from your plastic containers when they fall behind the drawer, and when something drops down the side of your car seat! $29 at Knifewear, knifewear.com
NINJA BLAST PORTABLE BLENDER Another great concept and product from Ninja in the form of a portable cordless blender for your smoothies and shakes (as well as dips, salsas, and dressings!). You just blend your fresh or frozen fruit and veggies in the cup and take it with you. The Blast has a leak-proof lid and 30 second self-cleaning feature, a USB-C cable for charging (up to 15 blends from one charge) and comes in a choice of six colours. A magic gift. $60-90 at major appliance stores and ninjakitchen.com
BARRELL WOOD CRAFTS CHARCUTERIE BOARD Airdrie’s Liam Barrell has a passion for woodworking, and started making his beautiful hardwood cutting and charcuterie boards while still in school. He arranges strips of wood to create each unique piece – his ‘Autumn Morning’ charcuterie board shown here is made from walnut, maple, cherry, and African padauk woods, and is not stained or dyed at all. Around $65-75 at etsy.com/ca/shop/BarrellWoodCrafts
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Liqueurs FORTY CREEK BUTTER TART CREAM LIQUEUR, ONTARIO First Nanaimo Bar Cream and now Ontario’s Forty Creek have brought out the ultimate Canadian cream liqueur – Butter Tart! There’s all the lip-smacking butterscotch and brown sugar flavours you’d hope for along with Forty Creek’s whisky and velvety smooth cream to make a deliciously sweet holiday sipper. I’d be tempted to just enjoy this neat, but adding it to your celebratory coffee will brighten any holiday! CSPC 885275 around $36 DIVO ROSSO, VENETO, ITALY And now for something completely different, a liqueur made from an infusion of natural red Radicchio Rosso di Treviso ‘Tardivo’ (forced and late harvested) and lime, created by Chef Giuliano Tonon in Italy’s northeast province of Veneto, and produced by the historic Da Ponte Distillery. It’s fresh yet earthy, sweet yet bitter, with flavours you might think were red fruits. Drink hot or cold as a digestif, in cocktails, or as an ingredient when cooking! CSPC 878714 around $47 28 Culinaire December 2023
JAYA CHAI LIQUEUR, FIELD NOTES, ALBERTA Following the success of her innovative debut liqueur, Sweet Pea Amaro, made from field peas, Faaiza Ramji has created another aromatic spirit based on her family’s chai recipe and made from distilled local oats along with Assam tea, chai spices of clove and cardamom, and local beet sugar to sweeten. Jaya is viscous and almost herbal, and would be terrific in an old fashioned or even as a base for a creamy chai or coffee cocktail. CSPC 897878 $37-38
EAU CLAIRE DISTILLERY RUPERT’S WHISKY CREAM, ALBERTA Just in time for the holidays, Diamond Valley’s Eau Claire Distillery has released their first Whisky Cream – or maybe that should be ‘unleashed’ as this cream liqueur is a beast! Clocking in at a whopping 30 percent alcohol, behind the silky smooth creaminess and indulgent cinnamon, toffee, and vanilla flavours, there’s a kick for those sipping neat, but just a cube of ice, or adding to your coffee, hot chocolate, or espresso martini will make for sipping sweetness. CSPC 896068 around $35
PIVOT SPIRITS RASPBERRY GIN LIQUEUR, ALBERTA A few sips of this lip-smackingly delicious raspberry gin liqueur and you’ll believe summer’s here again. In the tiny southeast Alberta town of Rolling Hills, environmentally conscious, craft distillery, Pivot Spirits are carefully hand crafting their liqueurs by blending their latest gin with fresh, locally grown raspberry juice and adding a little local alfalfa clover honey – add gin and an egg white for the best Clover Club cocktail! 750 mL $47, 375 mL $25, pivotspirits.com PAMA POMEGRANATE LIQUEUR, UNITED STATES Taking the top spot in this year’s Alberta Beverage Awards’ Liqueur category with a whopping 95 points, Pama is a powerful blend of pomegranate juice and vodka with a little tequila too. Nicely tart with just enough sweetness to soften the intensity, it’s ideal for many cocktails such as a Margarita, Mojito, Daiquiri, Collins, or just top it up with your favourite sparkling wine for an instant celebration! CSPC 721365 $35-40
A Look at Food Insecurity When you know, you can start to make change. Food insecurity is when a household has inadequate or insecure access to food due to financial constraints.
The 2023 Vital Signs report is out now.
It’s on the rise:
Discover more about local food insecurity with Vital Signs. Read Now.
In 2011, 12.3% of Albertans were experiencing food insecurity. In 2022 that number jumped to 20.3%.
Some experience it more than others: 21.7% of children (people under the age of 18) lived in food insecure households in Alberta. (2021)
28.9% of Black households living with food insecurity compared to 11.1% of white households. (2017-2018) 30.7% of Indigenous households in Canada were
Between 2000 and 2020, the average grocery bill has increased by 70%.
experiencing food insecurity, twice the amount of white households. (2022)
Edmonton Vital Signs is an annual checkup conducted by Edmonton Community Foundation, in partnership with Edmonton Social Planning Council, to measure how the community is doing.
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JOY OF GIVING this holiday season
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One-off Kitchen Party at Shoe & Canoe, December 20 We’re loving the menus from Shoe & Canoe’s Okanagan chef, Eugene Hicks, and we’re coming back for a special 6-course pairing meal in the upstairs kitchen with the chefs!
One-Off Vine & Dine at Safari Grill, December 11 We’ve been running pairing dinners at Safari Grill for more than twelve years and we keep coming back because they’re consistently and reliably delicious! Christmas in Italy at Bonterra Trattoria, December 13 We’re back again for Christmas in Italy at Bonterra. This upscale annual pairing dinner sells out very fast every year because it’s always so good! One-Off Festive Vine & Dine at Ruby & The Beast December 15 We’re enjoying six pairing dishes from Ruby & The Beast’s new winter menu. We know how good their elevated bistro classic dishes are, so we can’t wait for this pairing dinner! Vine & Dine at Onyx, December 18 Onyx is a brand new restaurant in Calgary’s downtown core, and we’re in the private dining room at this beautiful restaurant for a fine dining pairing menu! 30 Culinaire | December 2023
Vine & Dine at Vero Bistro, January 16, 24, and 28 One of our most popular Vine & Dine destinations, and we’re coming back for our 14th series here to feast on Chef Jenny’s outstanding cuisine! One-off Vine & Dine at The Artist Lounge, January 19 An opportunity to wander the gallery and enjoy 6 pairing courses of super delicious small plates with a new menu for this evening. All five of our evenings here have sold out! Luxury Wine & Culinary Tour of Northeast Spain May 27–June 5, 2024 We were sold out but two places have just become available for this fabulous all-inclusive tour or northeast Spain next Spring. Ask for details! 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.
CULINARY CONVENIENCE: The Who, What, Where, and How of Local Meal Prep Companies BY KATHERINE PUHL
The search for Alberta’s best Meal Prep dishes
A
cross Alberta, a culinary revolution is quietly taking shape with the increased demand for conscious eating paired with convenience. The trend emerged in 2015 and has seen significant growth since 2020. The local companies in this space not only cater to our stomachs but also to our hectic pace of life. During the pandemic, the absence of restaurant dining options propelled a monumental shift towards freshly prepared, home-delivered meals. As the world found itself spending significantly more time at home, the inherent complexities of balancing professional commitments and family responsibilities, along with trying to put wholesome, delicious meals on the table every day, became increasingly apparent. Local Meal Prep companies have become heroes for time-strapped people, offering a blend of convenience and health. But it’s not only convenience, we’ve had people write to us who are concerned about an elderly parent living alone but no longer able to cook, and they’ve asked if we can recommend a company that can deliver delicious and nutritious, and even gourmet, meals. And similarly, to recommend meals for children who can’t cook for themselves, but need to have something on hand that’s safe, quick, and easy to heat.
While the concept of meal prepping isn't new, its widespread adoption in the past three years has sparked the attention of diverse communities, particularly those devoted to holistic well-being and fitness pursuits. Unlike meal kits that provide measured ingredients and instructions for you to cook the meals yourself at home, these are ready prepared meals, portioned and packaged individually for ease and convenient use. The fundamental premise remains simple: pick your weekly meals for delivery, and free yourself from the daily chores of cooking, grocery shopping, and meal planning. These carefully curated meal packages come with informative nutritional labels, and promise safe and convenient storage, and the assurance of meeting dietary requirements, for discerning, healthconscious consumers. While some of these companies have chosen to focus on one particular dietary area, others offer options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with regularly rotating menus to keep their customers engaged. If you are thinking of subscribing to a meal prep service, consider your personal preferences as well as health aspirations and fitness objectives. Start by sampling single deliveries from different providers to suit your economic and dietary requirements, before committing to regular deliveries.
An article on meal prep and the companies who make it would be meaningless without the proof to back it up, so we set out to find out for ourselves the variety and quality of these meals, and which we could recommend to you. We had intended it to be a competition to find the best, and as we knew we couldn’t tackle it all ourselves, we engaged three local food experts to judge too: Rosemary Bacovsky, Andrew Schultz, and Patricia Lau (see below). We invited eight companies to drop off their best dishes - an appetiser or snack, main, and dessert (if offered), and spent half a day tasting them all blind and evaluating them, not knowing who had made each dish, only its name and ingredients.
What were we looking for?
* The Dish: does it make sense? Would someone be well served by a dish like this if it was ordered? * The Flavour: how does it taste? Do the ingredients make sense? Is the dish well-balanced? * Appeal: does it look enticing, with the right amount of ingredients, colour, or pizzazz? * And finally, with twice the weight of each of the previous categories, we asked ourselves how highly we would recommend this to a friend. We scored each dish, and ultimately it was too close to call – each company had a standout dish, so we’ve included our comments below. Our best advice? Try them! ~ Linda Garson December 2023 | Culinaire 31
The BRDGE
Just Bite Me
Fit Kitchen
DIVERSE DELIGHTS: A Culinary Tapestry The meal prep industry is as diverse as our rich demographic. Each company brings its unique culinary flair and expertise to the table, catering to various dietary needs and preferences. Whether you're a vegetarian seeking plant-based goodness or a fitness enthusiast aiming to hit specific macros, there's a meal prep company out there that speaks to your taste buds and lifestyle. For those seeking a global culinary adventure, The BRDGE, founded by Daniela Jasper Okumagba, is a place for all international flavours. Inspired by her Nigerian heritage, Jasper has created an online platform for local vendors that allows you to order food that transports you to far-flung corners of the world. The BRDGE works with different vendors who specialize in cuisines from all over the globe, so you can discover the wide world of food without having to travel. The BRDGE’s multiple and flexible meal-delivery or catering options can fit your preferences from Nigerian to Ukrainian and anything in between, their wholesome meals are prepared authentically. thebrdge.com Both the BRDGE’s Jerk Chicken and Beef Patties scored highly: “Definitely one of the most memorable Jerk Chickens I've had in Calgary! It's so succulent, flavourful and I couldn't help but reach for seconds after the first bite!” PL “We really enjoyed these Beef Patties. They’re visually very appealing, a large half-moon shape of buttery pastry filled with perfectly spiced beef.” LG 32 Culinaire | December 2023
Fit Kitchen, founded by Jason Zaran, is a leading provider of healthy meal solutions to greater Calgary and Edmonton, inspiring people to embrace a healthy For those seeking variety without lifestyle without sacrificing taste sacrificing convenience, Just Bite or convenience. Their meals, Me, founded by Daniel Koren, offers a created with balanced nutrition in marketplace of flavours to customers in mind, make it easy to stay on track Calgary and Edmonton. With locations in with your health goals without both cities, you also have the option compromising taste. to choose between delivery or pick up. Fit Kitchen supports the Their customizable subscription allows community in achieving wellness you to select your proteins for them to goals. When collaborating with create a menu specifically catered to your local fitness trainers, Fit Kitchen preferences. found ways to create meal plans Story believes healthy eating should be flexible and enjoyable, allowing you to make based on sound scientific principles and nutritional guidelines, ensuring choices that fit your unique lifestyle. Their that people receive the right mission naturally supports the goals of becoming the go-to meal prep company for balance of nutrients to support their fitness goals, whether weight busy people seeking convenient, healthy, loss or muscle gain. and flavourful meals. fitkitchen.ca justbitememeals.com Just Bite Me scored highly in each category with their Wagyu Beef Gyoza: “Delicious gyozas with meaty flavour, complemented by veggies and oriental flavours. Delectable dumplings.” RB The Med Shawarma Chicken Bowl: "The chicken thighs were grilled to perfection - and I loved how the pickled turnip really made the dish 'pop'" and their Pumpkin Spice Donuts: "A sweet treat that elevates the 'pumpkin spice' craze to a new level!" AS
Fit Kitchen’s Casbah Chicken and Bangkok Green Curry were both very much enjoyed: “This Moroccan-inspired dish is a total flavour bomb! That zesty yogurt dressing totally made the dish stand out!” PL “A winner of a dish, this Thai green curry is exactly what you’d hope for from the name – spicy but not too spicy, with plenty of crunchy peppers and snap peas as well as coconut rice.” LG
MINDFULNESS ON A PLATE: Nourishing Body and Soul Founded by Rikhil Kawa and Jasen Stein, Menu Mandala’s mission is to elevate plant-based cuisine and incorporate mindfulness practices into their culinary creations. When building communities bound by the vision of a better future for people and the planet, Menu Mandala make their wholesome meals in alignment with practices that are nutritionally balanced to support a healthy lifestyle without compromising on taste, and remaining completely cruelty-free. The meals are all gluten-free too. Kawa and Stein came together to make plant-based eating more convenient while creating a conscious culinary community through food that is good for you, the planet, and animals. Two sizes are available, ‘convenient’ meals, enough to satisfy one hungry adult, and ‘communal’, equivalent to four convenient meals for when family and friends gather. menumandala.ca
Menu Mandala
Adding a little spice to the tasting and waking our taste buds, Menu Mandala’s Massaman Curry was a hit with our judges: “They nailed the flavours on this rich, yet mildly spicy, Thai curry! This is definitely my kind of comfort food on a chilly day.” PL
FLEXIBILITY AND CUSTOMIZATION: Tailored to Your Needs Recognizing the diversity of individual needs, Alberta's meal prep companies offer a variety of flexible subscription plans and customization options. Nutri Meals, founded by Sam Hale and Grace Clark in 2017, provides flexibility for their subscribers in that you can engage in a subscription service that allows for skipping deliveries without locking yourself into a long-term commitment, which is ideal if you’re testing the waters or prefer a more adaptable approach to your planning. They aim to provide convenient meal solutions that fit into busy lifestyles, and empower individuals to make healthy choices. This mission is supported by a vision to be Alberta's most customer-centric meal prep company, prioritizing individual needs and preferences while providing exceptional service and quality. Nutri Meals also offer self-serve, automated kiosks that are accessible 24 hours a day. You can choose up to three meals in one transaction that takes less than a minute. nutrimeals.ca
Nutri Meals
Nutri Meals’ starter of Mixed Green Salad with roasted chickpeas, honey goat cheese, peppers and house made lime vinaigrette was a popular and really good-looking dish: “Enticingly healthy. A delicious, refreshing, visually appealing complex salad with diverse flavours and textures, enhanced by zesty lime vinaigrette.” RB
WEIGHT LOSS GOALS: Supported with Flavour Lean On Meals, founded by Zachary Plamondon in 2015, takes weight loss goals to heart, offering delicious meals to align with your calorie requirements. Founded with a vision to alleviate the burden of calorie counting and the anxiety of overeating, the company focuses on a balanced approach for those seeking a path to sustainable weight loss without compromising on taste or variety. At the forefront of Lean On Meals is the creation of carefully curated and filling meals, each customized to maintain a healthy calorie deficit. They understand that achieving weight loss can be challenging, and they are committed to making the journey easier and more enjoyable. Lean On Meals’ mission is to change the way you look and feel with their chef prepared meals. leanonmeals.ca
Lean On Meals
The judges couldn’t stop eating Lean On Meals’ Hoisin Braised Pork Ribs: "Delicious! Would be the 'MVP' as an appie for Game Night - or a meal on its own." AS And their Oreo Donuts were a big hit too: “Oreos! Donuts! What can be better? Oreo-donuts – decadent, delicious, moist and addictive!” RB December 2023 | Culinaire 33
CELEBRATING BUSY LIVES: The Story Behind Sprout Society Sprout Society was born in 2020 out of a passion for giving back time. Founded by Amy and Connor Kadziolka, the business is a testament to their dedication to providing healthy, plant-based meals to busy individuals. Inspired by childhood favourites, the meals offer a nostalgic touch while adhering to modern-day health standards. Sprout has a rotating menu to introduce variety, and make sure that each week brings new options, making healthy eating a dynamic and evolving journey. They are commited to the restoration of balance for people striving to lead healthier lives without compromising the quality or integrity of their meals, and giving back to the community to eradicate food insecurity. sproutmeals.ca
LOCALLY SOURCED GOODNESS: A Commitment to Service to All Needs
Made Foods
Made Foods, founded by Blake Ducharme and Chris Dobson in 2015, takes a conscious approach to food sourcing. Partnering with local businesses and organizations, an impact created from outreach helps them to foster resilient communities based on healthy eating practices. Their chefs prioritize locally grown ingredients, ensuring their meals are delicious and environmentally responsible, and they have partnered with more than 40 farms and ranches who supply the ingredients for their meals. Their easily customized delivery options let you pick the number of meals and frequency of deliveries based on your budget and preferences, but you can also pick up Made Foods’ meals at Calgary Co-ops, Calgary Airport, Community Natural Foods, and other locations. madefoods.com Next time you find yourself stressing over an empty fridge and needing more time to prepare healthy meals for the week ahead, know that multiple options are available to you. These local companies are working hard to make your life easier.
Sprout Society
Sprout Society’s Roasted Beet Hummus was a big hit all round: “This is a great snack or starter dish – very smooth and creamy – and striking with its red beet colour. You’ll be glad that it’s a generous portion, so you can keep going back for more!” LG
Made Foods dishes scored highly in each category. The Mediterranean Couscous Salad had local veg, goat feta, and seeds: "I loved the complexity of flavours brought about by the unique ingredients - and the honey vinaigrette was the perfect complement" AS For a main, the Curried Pork Tenderloin with baby potatoes and blistered kale: “Delicious moist and tender pork rounds with al dente veggies complemented by a fragrant, mildly spicy curry sauce.” RB And both their desserts were much acclaimed - the Blondie: “This decadent buttery Blondie is the perfect bite-sized indulgent sweet treat.” PL And the Holy Fudge Brownie: “It’s hard to believe these decadent and rich fudge brownies are gluten-free. Anyone would be happy to end a meal with these, cold or warmed.” LG Katherine is a communications professional with a passion for all things culinary. As a writer her passion extends to exploring and understanding various culinary traditions, from street food to haute cuisine
OUR JUDGES: Rosemary Bacovsky local, national, and international restaurant judge. 34 Culinaire | December 2023
Andrew Schultz broadcaster, QR Calgary host, and true foodie.
Patricia Lau aka Miss Foodie, social media blogger, and food writer.
Linda Garson who eats, drinks, and writes about it for a living.
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December 2023 | Culinaire 35
‘Tis The Season for Beer BY DAVID NUTTALL
Stiegl Advent Calendar 2023 CSPC 895048, $90 The box contains 24 bottles from this over 500-year-old Austrian brewery. It has eight different beers, with two brand new additions for 2023: an orange wit and a helles.
GIFT PACKS
The beer gift pack makes an affordable present, usually consisting of 2-4 beers and a branded glass. While we are still not back to the pre-2020 level of variety, here are a few worth searching out.
L
et's face it, if it weren’t for the weather, December would probably be everyone's favourite month of year, with so many different festivals and holidays arriving then. If you are in any way interested in alcoholic beverages, there are more special releases at this time of year than any other. Since wine only gets one harvest a year, and most spirits take months or up to many years to make, beer fills in with seasonal products all year round. Not that the beer industry needs a reason, but year-end is still the primary time for unique brews. Winter and holiday themed beers dominate, but there are also advent calendars, gift packs, additional specialties, and generally just fun stuff breweries like making because, well.... 'tis the season.
ADVENT CALENDARS
Since Alberta was first introduced to the beer advent calendar in 2012, the alcohol industry has exploded with all sorts of spirit, wine, and different themed calendars. As for the beer versions, some liquor stores have taken to creating their own and breweries are also releasing
36 Culinaire December 2023
limited edition beers for the public to purchase so they can build their own advent calendars. Here are a few available in Alberta liquor stores: 2023 Craft BeerAdvent® Calendar CSPC 897093, $160 The original beer advent calendar, with a different theme every year. This year it is "Medal Winners and Their Masterpieces", containing two dozen 500 mL cans from the UK, Belgium, and the US. Twelve breweries provide two beers each; one is a gold-medal-winning brew and the second is a favourite of the brewery. Beers range from 4.2 - 11.3 percent ABV. 2023 Brewer's Advent Calendar CSPC 895364, $125 Around since 2014, this package highlights Germany, with 24 unique 500 mL canned beers not otherwise found in Alberta. The selection of beer changes each year, but unlike most advent calendars, the beers are displayed on the side of the box. You may also find the 2022 version in the market this season, with newly refreshed beers.
Delirium Noël Pack, CSPC 761985, $26 This gift pack contains a chalice and one bottle each of the Delirium Tremens Tripel, Delirium Nocturnum, and two bottles of the Delirium Christmas Ale, a 10 percent ABV spiced Belgian Strong, available only in this pack. Chimay Trilogy Gift Pack CSPC 858839, $23 Here you’ll find three bottled beers from this Belgian Trappist brewery (the red, white and blue) with a chalice. Duchesse De Bourgogne Gift Pack CSPC 798131, $26 The package has two 750 mL bottles of this classic Belgian Flanders Red and a glass. Innis & Gunn Gift Pack 2023 CSPC 890352, $18 This four-bottle pack consists of two Innis & Gunn originals plus a Caribbean rum cask aged red ale (only available in this pack) and the 2023 version of their oak aged Kriek made with Scottish cherries, plus a glass.
WINTER AND HOLDAY THEMED BEERS
Most winter beers are dark, spiced, and often higher in alcohol, but brewers will also show their playful side by brewing alternative styles as well. Some are annual returning favourites, while others are new interpretations.
De Ranke Pere Noël, CSPC 753781 $16 750 mL bottle – a spiced Belgian Strong coming in at a fairly mild 7 percent ABV. O.T. Brewing Hurry Hard Imperial White Stout, CSPC 897978, $22 4pk. cans – nothing says winter in Canada like curling, and this 10 percent ABV white stout has a coffee kick that will sweep you off your feet. Bridge Brewing Company The Grinch Winter Ale, CSPC 898196, $5 473 mL can – now in a can, this lightly spiced winter warmer has flavours of caramel and coffee. Les Trois Mousquetaires Réserve de Noël, CSPC 810659, $16 750 mL bottle – a sweet spiced red lager which sneaks up on you at 10.5 percent ABV. Born Brewing Scree-Ski Vienna Lager – a nice mild dark amber with slight caramel notes.
Tree Beer Crane Berry Cranberry Orange Sour, CSPC 895000, $28 8pk. cans – only available in the Tree Brewing Winter Season Pass with three more beers: Timber Hazy IPA, Redwood Amber Ale, and Evergreen Pale Ale.
SPECIAL RELEASES
The following beers were not available at press time, but are either returning annual releases or new additions to the winter beer scene. • Cabin Barrel-Aged Night Kitchen Eggnog Stout (9 percent ABV) - only at Cabin Brewing in Calgary. • Wild Rose Cherry Porter, CSPC 838433, $15 4pk. cans • Fernie Brewing Black Mammoth Winter Ale CSPC 854624, $5 473 mL can • Apex Brewing Black Spruce Porter CSPC 785147, $17 4pk. cans • Bow River Brewing Gingerbread Lager CSPC 878230, $17 4pk. cans • Campio Saucy Cranberry Sour CSPC 895300, $18 4pk. cans
• Valley Brewing Coal Rush Porter CSPC 826991, $18 4pk. cans • New Level Krampus Imperial Egg Nog Stout (10 percent ABV) and Bourbon Barrel Aged Krampus (11.9 percent ABV) – the latter having been aged in bourbon barrels for one year • Grizzly Paw The Philosopher Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout • Polyrhythm Brewing Imperial Stout • Folding Mountain Jacek Double Chocolate Imperial Stout • Bent Stick Stocking Stuffer Gingerbread English Brown Ale • Oldman River Brewing Dark Lager There are dozens more available at liquor stores, and almost every taproom will have some winter themed beer available. Enjoy them throughout the rest of this year and into next.
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.
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Winter Spirits N
ow that the cold weather is officially here, it seemed like a great time to think about warming spirits, that seem a little easier to sip or savour while staying warm or cooling off after some strenuous wintertime activities. This month, we have a few brown spirits, mostly Scottish and Canadian whiskies, but also a spiced rum that caught our fancy. We enjoyed most of these neat or with a press of water, but with the rum – it might just be eggnog season too! BY TOM FIRTH AND LINDA GARSON Chic Choc Black Spiced Rum, Canada Very dark, perhaps excessively dark rums got a bit of a low reputation in the past, but we are happy to report that serious, and seriously dark rums may be returning their attention to quality. Deep and earthy with smoky molasses notes that aren’t too sweet, but even better are all these rich spicy notes lending heat, earthiness, and complexity. A fine sipping rum - neat or even with a single large cube - and would also prove versatile for all manner of cocktails. CSPC 889862 $35-38 Bearface Wilderness Series Mitlenatch Island Edition 02 Canadian Whisky Canada Bearface has had a pretty impressive run of interesting and cool releases, and their newest in the Wilderness series is pretty far out there. Long story short, they are making a premium spirit, aging it in the wilderness (really!) and then finally cutting it to bottling strength with seawater desalinated over maple fueled fires. The result? A very smooth spirit with robust smokiness, and rustic, wild flavours. As Canadian as one could wish for in a spirit. CSPC 886589 around $65-70 Highland Park Cask Strength Release No. 4, Scotland The beloved whisky of Orkney, Highland Park has also been hard at work on all these Cask Strength releases. At a hearty 64.3 percent you may want to have some water handy for this port and bourbon cask aged bottle - with plenty of sherry cask presence too. Look for toasted coconut, lemon, liquorice, and some smoky peat tones. But best of all, it’s in the mouth that it all comes together with each element improving the next. Dram fine! CSPC 889611 around $175
38 Culinaire December 2023
Canadian Club Invitation Series 15 Year Old Sherry Cask, Canada There’s a new addition to the iconic Canadian Club line up – the first in the Invitation Series is a 15 year old whisky, and it’s rather special. Taking Canadian Club’s Classic 12 year old, it’s been finished with a secondary aging in sherry casks to produce a remarkably dark amber whisky that’s super smooth with a creamy mouthfeel, and rich, almost treacle notes, with a little spice. It’s a real winter warmer for contemplative sipping on its or your - own. CSPC 1213800 $80-90 Signal Hill Founders Select Overproof, Canada A new offering from Newfoundland’s Signal Hill has arrived: Founders Select Overproof. As with their original whisky, it’s made from corn and barley, and develops its characteristics from aging in white oak, bourbon, and Canadian whisky casks for a greater depth of flavour and complexity, proudly showing off its toffee and vanilla flavours backed with a little spice, a hint of mandarin zest, and a super long finish. Perfect for so many cocktails! CSPC 896237 $55-59 RyeLaw Single Grain Scotch Whisky, Scotland An exceedingly well-crafted spirit from Scotland, uncommonly made from locally grown Fife malted rye and barley. Engineered from the ground up with every eye to detail and quality, and precision distilled, the result is a rich and spicy spirit with a pleasing viscousness that carries through a long finish. Absolutely best neat, but if desired add a liberal splash of water. Only 200 casks bottled. CSPC 893890 around $230
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MAKING THE CASE
For the Holidays W
By TOM FIRTH
hew, there has been a lot of wine to try these past few months and it’s getting hard to only pick a handful for these pages. But for many of us, we plan to do a lot of entertaining over the month of December, and on the flipside, we are often looking to be entertained. This month, we have a wider range than we normally would in December, but along with the requisite turkey-friendly wines (look to those pinot noirs) we have a few big and rich reds from at home and abroad, some sparklers from the new world and old, and some dessert wines too to knock those socks off. However your December is going, as we hurtle towards the end of another year, I sincerely wish everyone a safe and happy new year. 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. Hillside 2016 Mosaic, Naramata Bench, British Columbia
An iconic wine of the Okanagan, and a pleasure to enjoy with every release. A Bordeaux-style blend centred around merlot, this still very young and very ageable bottle is just now opening up a little with cassis and plum fruits, earth, leather, and spicy aromas. Plenty of protein-friendly tannins with a fierce intensity of fruit and spice make for an excellent glass. Perfect for roasts, steaks, and stews. It’s around on some shelves, but can be hard to find. It never hurts to reach out to the winery to see if they can help. About $60
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.
40 Culinaire | December 2023
Hester Creek 2019 OV Brut, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
One of several premium sparkling wines coming out of British Columbia, and a gem – crafted from specially selected pinot blanc grapes. Sleek and mineral driven with clean apricot fruit, green apples, and a bit of pineapple too on the nose. Wonderful mousse and delicious acids make for a beautiful bottle of wine for any occasion. (Perhaps strawberries or a fruity dessert?) CSPC 62139 $35-38
Talyor Fladgate Golden Age 50 Year Old Tawny Port, Douro, Portugal
What a time to be alive! Yet another very old tawny hitting our shelves and once again from the masters at Taylor Fladgate. Deep caramel and butterscotch aromas with candy-like rum raisin (obviously) and toasted nuttiness and coconut evoking Florentine cookies. Plenty of sweetness on the palate but showing fine acids still and a very long, very graceful finish. A treat for any port lover. CSPC 872295 About $320-350
Jansz NV Premium Cuvée, Tasmania Australia
Great sparkling wine often comes from cooler locales where the grapes retain much of their acids, and Tasmania – well south of Australia, is already getting a solid reputation as a source for the bubbly. Two thirds chardonnay with the remainder being pinot noir, the aromas evoke honey and yellow apples and even a little bit of red berry. Simply excellent on the palate with all things aligning for a great experience – and very well priced too. CSPC 873556 $40-44
Champagne Charpentier Millésime Act 2016 Brut, Champagne, France
Red Rooster NV Traditional Brut Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Craggy Range Te Muna 2019 Pinot Noir Wairarapa, New Zealand
Poplar Grove 2019 Syrah, Naramata Bench, British Columbia
Taittinger NV Prestige Rosé Champagne, France
Donnafugata 2020 Ben Ryè Passito di Pantelleria, Sicily, Italy
Zenato Sansonina 2018 Evaluna, Rosso Garda, Italy
Canalicchio di Sopra 2019 Rosso di Montalcino, Italy
Louis Jadot 2021 Bourgogne Pinot Noir Burgundy, France
A completely stunning bottle that stopped me in my tracks one fine day. Classic in every way and a testament to finely made champagne. Zesty, lively, and bursting with mineral character, a clean, steely acid, and intense fruit. A little harder to find, but well worth it. Great for toasting or celebrating, but would be a treasure with seafood or creamier dishes too. CSPC 856995 $55-59
Syrah has taken to British Columbia like a duck to water, but foul weather disproportionately affected syrah plantings in the valley – meaning it might be getting pretty hard to get these gems. Poplar Grove has long had syrah figured out with a wicked balance of fruit and acid, savoury and floral aromas, and a solid core of chewy tannins and black fruit. Beautiful wine to match with great beef. CSPC 596668 $40-42
A juicy and fresh cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc blend from around Italy’s famous and scenic Lago di Garda. Unusually lively on the nose with slightly jammy black fruits and a wild berry perfume with undercurrents of spice and earth. Delicious and full flavoured with all those berry fruits, with big but smooth tannins, this would be a fine match with larger cuts of beef, smoked meats, or savoury stews. Smooth enough for a night in with some cheese too. CSPC 785708 $34-38
Another great sparkler worth seeking out from BC, and given some recent news from the valley, it might be a hard one to find in coming months. A pinot noir and chardonnay blend with all sorts of classic nuances and brilliant yeasty, bready notes. Very well balanced with a sense of generous fruits, and a crisp, mineralrich finish. Perfect for toasting, and for chilling out. CSPC 833265 $30-35
One of my consistent favourites from a great champagne house, the Taittinger rosé brings the best of both worlds, tasty, expressive bubbly that is also just simply a pleasure to drink. Clean and lifted, with gentle summer berry fruits, a crisp zest, and a great mouthfeel as well. Quite versatile on the table, it also excels with lighter fare – and a late night. A fine bottle to keep handy when the need strikes. CSPC 372367 $110-120
Sometimes the call comes for a great bottle of red wine that will work with almost any suitable dish, and this is one of them. A juicy, tightly wound, not too tannic red with cherry and spiciness, a little rustic earthiness, but its in the mouth that it all comes together. Lifted acids to cut through a little fat, appropriate tannins to handle that protein, and a fine complexity that works so well. Really has me thinking about long simmered sauces, stews, or braises. Delicious! CSPC 740822 $39-42
One of the classic pinot noirs from New Zealand, and still a showstopper of a bottle sure to brilliantly remind your palate that more than sauvignon blanc is made there. Very tart on the palate with deep, expressive floral characters and a leafy herb, and almost cinnamon spiciness. Silky, with all the right acids for pairing with duck, charcuterie, and yes turkey and all the trimmings. CSPC 761200 $40-45
A completely stunning and world class dessert wine hailing from Sicily, the Ben Ryè is made from the very uncommon zibibbo grape and made from dried, raisined grapes where the concentration and intensity are born. Honey and apple jelly on the nose and palate with intense apricot preserves to go with incredible sweetness, but at the same time not cloyingly so with brilliant acids. Completely amazing wine. 720773 $45-50 (375 mL)
This wine has been around nearly forever on Alberta’s wine shelves and it’s always represented excellent quality, value, and yes just as importantly – authenticity. Jadot might just be all of our first experience with French pinot. Ripely laden on the nose with cherry and a bit of raspberry, and a mild, leafy herbal character. In the mouth, it’s just… perfect - lots of varietal fruits, sleek tannin, and all that beautiful acid. A fine match with duck, but also all sorts of game meats and even that charcuterie board. CSPC 341875 $34-36 December 2023 | Culinaire 41
O PE N TH AT B OT TLE
...with
Elizabeth Chorney-Booth
BY LINDA GARSON
“I GREW UP A BIT OF A PUNK ROCK kid who wanted to get out - there weren't a lot of creative opportunities here in the late ‘90s. But I always wanted to be a writer,” says Elizabeth Chorney-Booth. With a mother from an Alberta farming family and dad working in the oil industry, she grew up in Calgary wanting to be a music journalist from a young age. “I really liked music and I really liked writing; it was always apparent,” she says. Studying English at the University of Calgary, she joined the campus radio station, CGSW, who published a music magazine. “I started writing, and I was a popular campus radio DJ for about eight years.” In 1997, the magazine was bought by the Georgia Strait, and they launched the Calgary Strait. At only 22 years old, Chorney-Booth was hired as the listings editor, then music editor. “Then I met Aaron, my husband. He's a musician, and we decided to try our fortune in Toronto, where I got a job at Chart, a glossy music magazine. I worked there for a few years, and then had my daughter, Ruby, who's 18 now,” she says. Deciding she wasn't interested in staying up to 3:00 am at rock clubs, and bored with media-trained musicians promoting their records, she says it stopped being interesting, even though she interviewed tons of her favourite rock stars. “I got to live this fun rock and roll life. I still have Noel Gallagher, from Oasis, number on my phone.” In 2006 they moved back to Calgary, and after having another child, ChorneyBooth wanted to get back to work. “There was an explosion in food media; we were treating chefs like rock stars, so that seemed a fairly lateral shift,” she laughs. “The first food story I wrote was 42 Culinaire | December 2023
for Culinaire. I pitched a story to Swerve about a Christmas dinner from retro recipes, and was nominated for an award – and it just snowballed from there.” She collaborated on Best of Bridge cookbooks with Julie Van Rosendaal, and John Gilchrist proposed her to take over his column when he retired: “So I'm in the Herald every week, and regularly for CBC, Culinaire, Avenue, Toronto Star, and Globe. I also write other stuff too to pay the bills,” she adds. Over the pandemic she became more interested in wine. “We built a wine cellar in our basement and have a little collection now, and spirits too. Wine culture has become more of my life over the last few years.” So what wine has Chorney-Booth been saving for a special occasion? “We bought this 2017 Valentini Trebbiano D'Abruzzo in Italy,” she says. “Aaron has an uncle and aunt who have retired there. We were going last summer, and Keith, a good friend from Toronto, who’s very knowledgeable about wine, said ‘the best white I've ever had was Valentini from Abruzzo. Try to find some when you're there.’” Valentini Winery is one of the most
prestigious wineries in Abruzzo. “You cannot visit the winery, and they're not in most wine shops,” Chorney-Booth adds. “We didn't realize this and were keeping an eye out for it as our friends spoke so highly of it.” Fortunately, they were able to visit Reale, a 3-Michelin Star restaurant with eight tables that books six months in advance. “I called for a reservation, and they laughed at me,” she says. However, two days later there was a cancellation and places opened up. She was really impressed with a 2015 Valentini pairing, but they still couldn't find the wine. “We thought it would be like the Okanagan and they're all just there,” she laughs. However, a family friend tracked it down, and they found it sitting in a box in the corner of a deli. “It was about €100, and I wish we had bought a couple bottles,” says Chorney-Booth. They wrapped it in a pair of jeans and brought it home. “I know you can cellar it for years, but Keith is coming to visit. He's a university professor and has a conference here, so we're looking forward to sharing it with him as we have a tradition of opening our best bottles when we're together.”
Please Enjoy Responsibly.
