BRITISH COLUMBIA MADE
GOURMET
2013
experience
best
Harrison of Hot Springs VARIETAL Sip into
WINE awards
summer wines extolling
theVIRTUES of
olive oil SUMMER 2013
YOUR LINK to Amazing. When you land at YLW, you land in the heart of the Okanagan. Just a ski, swing and a sip away from some of the most amazing experiences in Canada. YLW is an international airport perfectly located in the midst of a four season playground. Land at YLW, your link to amazing.
YLW non-stop flights Vancouver Victoria Abbotsford Prince George Edmonton Calgary Red Deer Whitehorse
ylw.kelownaairport
Toronto Seattle Los Angeles Las Vegas Phoenix Los Cabos Puerto Vallarta Cancun
@ylwkelowna
ylw.kelowna.ca ylw.kelowna.ca/mobile
summer
contents Experience Harrison Hot Springs 14
Extolling the Virtues of Olive Oil Sip Into Summer Wines 46
2013 Spring Best of Varietal Wine Awards 60
Features
In this issue...
Chef Daniel Hudson......... 12
From the Editor........................ 5 Savour Snaps ........................... 7 Dish........................................... 8 Reality Bites............................ 32 John Schreiner on Wine......... 44 Savour Spots........................... 56
Discovering the San Juan Islands............... 26 Pascal Madevon............... 38 Winemaking in BC........... 40 Food Porn......................... 48 4
20
magazine • SPRING 2013
WHaT'S HOT AT THE FARMERS' MARKETS
Chef Natasha Schooten Terrafina Restaurant at Hester Creek Estate Winery
46
Savour Its................................ 58 Book Reviews.......................... 59 Au Pied de Cochon Sugar Shack THE SALT BOOK
Recipes.................................... 66
from
GOURMET
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Chytra M. Brown
Art Director:
Donna Szelest
Copy Editor:
Peg Monro
Contributors:
Andrew Findlay John Schreiner Roslyne Buchanan Rhys Pender, MW Cassandra Anderton Laura Goldstein
Cover photo: Shawn Talbot Photography Unless credited, all photos are submitted or taken by staff. Publisher:
Craig N. Brown
i
theeditor
n many ways summer is like a dream, too short and fantas-
tical like a warm summer evening shared with friends on your favourite patio. It is because of this, in our summer issue, we encourage you — more than ever before — to get out there and explore B.C. We feature two amazing B.C. chefs — Chef Dan Hudson, owner of Hudson’s on First in Duncan, B.C. and Chef Natasha Schooten who runs the busy Terrafina kitchen at Hester Creek Winery in Oliver, B.C. Our travel writer, Andrew Findlay, explores the food, wine and cycling scene of the San Juan Islands. For those of you who can’t get enough of premium olive oil, contributor Laura Goldstein uncovers the secrets of olive oil — its production, handling and packaging. She even discovers an olive grove on Pender Island. For the pleasure of “foodies” and “non-foodies”, we’ve reprinted an academic discussion on the meaning of “food porn”. You will still find the usual suspects on our pages. John Schreiner gives us his take on Bruce Schmidt’s new enterprise, Intersection Winery. Master of Wine, Rhys Pender opens a discussion on winemaking methods in B.C. He also shares some great summer picks with us. Our summer issue is also chock full of recipes, tips and reviews. So dig in and then get out there and see what B.C. has to offer your palate and your travel bug! Chytra Brown
Director of Sales: Roy Kunicky
connect with me chytra@savourmag.com @savourmagazine savourmag.com forums
Savour Magazine is published quarterly. Copyright (2013) www.savourmag.com
Get even more of your Savour fix...
Canadian Publications Mail Product Agreement No.7296429. Publication Mail Agreement No. 41835528 SAVOUR is published every quarter and is independently owned. Opinions expressed in SAVOUR are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or advertisers. SAVOUR does not assume liability for content. All rights reserved. ©SAVOUR Magazine. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. For reproduction requests, please call 250.868.2229 or email requests to info@savourmag.com. PRINTED IN CANADA
Subscribe to our digital mobile issue today.
Now available on iTunes for your iPad, Amazon for Android, Zinio Readr and Blackberry Newsstand Specially priced for a limited time only at
$3.99 for 4 issues!
Get in Touch
Like us on facebook: facebook.com/SavourMagazine
We love connecting with our readers, so feel free to tweet us, like our fan page or just email us, like the good old days.
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/SavourMagazine info@savourmag.com
for up to date food & wine news, articles, seasonal recipes, tasting notes, or to download the digital version to your iPad
contributors ANDREW FINDLAY lives in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. He loves food and this passion leads him to a new adventure in each issue of Savour. His writing has appeared in national, regional and local publications including BCBusiness, Westworld, SKI Magazine, up!, DOUGLAS, Vancouver Magazine and enRoute... just to name a few. He recently received the “Northern Lights Award” sponsored by the Canadian Tourism Commission for the article “Waiting for Fair Weather” which appeared in British Columbia Magazine. CASSANDRA ANDERTON is a freelance wine, food, spa, lifestyle and travel writer and broadcaster. She appears regularly on "Breakfast Television," and can be heard on "Foodie Fridays" on NEWS1130. Cassandra was born in New Zealand, grew up in the Okanagan and has made Vancouver her home for the past 25 years. Passionate about local food and wine, Cassandra loves travelling to learn and report on what others are doing to promote their local culture. JOHN SCHREINER, based in North Vancouver, B.C., is Canada’s most prolific author of wine books. He has authored 12 books since 1984, including three Whitecap bestsellers: British Columbia Wine Country, The Wineries of British Columbia and John Schreiner’s Okanagan Wine Tour Guide. A companion volume, John Schreiner’s Coastal B.C. Wineries Tour Guide, was released in April, 2011. ROSLYNE BUCHANAN is a freelance writer based in Penticton, B.C. located above the Naramata Bench. She is a regular contributor to Savour Magazine. After retiring from The City of Calgary as communications strategist in 2009, she moved back to where her journalism career began as a Penticton Herald reporter/photographer in 1978. RHYS PENDER, MW is very connected to the wine industry in B.C. He operates a wine education school as part of his company, Wine Plus+ and is a qualified judge for many wine events.
A PAssion For
LAURA GOLDSTEIN has written features for national magazines and newspapers for over 15 years including Canadian House & Home, Style at Home, The Globe and Mail, The National Post and Food & Drink. She combines her love for the arts, design, travel, food (and eating), meeting fascinating people and snooping through fabulous homes as a never-ending source for articles. Laura is based in Vancouver. As a new resident she relishes the daily city life.
On The Cover:
COL UMB
E IA MAD
Flavour BRI TISH
experienceson
Harri Hot Springs Sip into summwieners
170 Upper Bench rOAd SOUTh, penTicTOn T. 250 770 1733 www.UpperBench.cA
Terrafina's Chef Natasha Schooten's
MET GOUR
Roasted Beet Salad
013 b2VAeRIsETtEofAL
and shaved fennel with artisan greens from Harker's Organics, with toasted almonds, orange segments and a vanilla pear thyme vinaigrette.
INards Waw
See page 66 for a feature recipe by Chef Schooten.
extolling ES theVIRTU of
olive oil
R 2013
SUMME
Savour Snaps
The Essential Collection
Susan Golden, Vancouver, B.C.
Sharon Murray, Kelowna, B.C.
Awarded One-Pan Chocolate Cake Savour Issue 15 Volume 4 (Spring 2013)
Be in to WIN! Savour Snaps
is your chance to photograph recipes you’ve made from issues of Savour and have them published in the magazine. We aren’t looking for the best photographic technique, we’d just love to see what you’re cooking from Savour and give you the chance to show off your creations. The winning photo will be published in the next issue of Savour and the winner will receive six assorted bottles from Summerhill Pyramid Winery. Winners must be aged 19 or older to qualify. Deadline for submissions is August 7, 2013.
How to enter: Email the photo of your finished recipe to info@savourmag.com with your name, the recipe's title and Savour issue number in which it is printed.
· World Class Distillery Classification 2013 · Distillery of Year 2013 · Spirit of the Year ~ Blackcurrant Liqueur (97.7points) Double Gold Medal ~ Blackcurrant Liqueur Gold Medal Winner ~ Cherry Liqueur, Raspberry Liqueur, Taboo Absinthe, and Aquavit - 2013 World Spirits Competition, Klagenfurt, Austria
2920 - 28th Ave, Vernon
250 549 3120
267 Bernard Ave, Kelowna
778 484 5174
Canada’s Only ‘World Class Distillery’ www.okanaganspirits.com Shop Online In The Okanagan We Make More Than Just Wine
Fruit Liqueurs • Eau de Vie • Absinthe • Gin • Vodka • Whisky
dish
By Chytra Brown
t
here is so much information to share and worthy of mention in the B.C. food and wine scene, but so little space. I’ve
narrowed down the bites in this article. If you crave more Savour, feel free to check our website savourmag.com from time to time to find out what’s going on.
We’ve discovered a food truck app that we find helpful when visiting Vancouver. It’s an app created from Vancouver company, Tatlow Park Software and includes apps for Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Ottawa, and even Boston. The Street Food Vancouver app is user-friendly and has a map system to find truck locations. You can then narrow down the options — quickly and easily find truck hours, website information, the specialty, and social media links so you can share your finds. There are options to list your fav’s or just view the most popular food trucks. You can then find out if sandra Anderton
Photo Credit: Cas
the truck you’re looking for is open, where it will be (some trucks move around the city), and on which day. You owe it to yourself to check out the great street eats in Vancouver whether you are a local or visiting on business or vacation. This app makes it so easy, you’ll be glad you discovered it. itunes.apple.com/app/street-food-vancouver
Toast to the Coast at the Vancouver Aquarium Join over 500 foodies and wine lovers as the Vancouver Aquarium is transformed into a magical after-hours experience, in support of our conservation, research and education programs for their Toast to the Coast event on Friday Oct. 18th. Set against the enchanting backdrop of the Aquarium at night, this is one of those special nights where young professionals gather to celebrate great wine, fine food and most importantly, the greater social conscience that has made Toast to the Coast one of the Aquarium’s top fundraising events. Nosh on exquisite canapés from leading Ocean Wise™ restaurants, sample the best of B.C.’s local wines, enjoy live music and leave with chic items from the silent auction. All proceeds from the event will support the Aquarium’s important conservation, research, and education initiatives. For more information/tickets visit vanaqua.org/events
8
magazine • SUMMER 2013
dish
B.C. chocolatiers Dominique and Cindy Duby, owners of Wild Sweets, have been bringing home the medals. Most recently they were awarded six gold medals for their chocolates at the 2013 Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon. This spring, Wild Sweets also won a bronze medal at the 2013 Academy of Chocolate competition in London, England.
Perfectly placed to make fine wine and good friends.
Chef Paul Cecconi in his new digs, Brodo
The couple has authored several award winning cookbooks including Wild Sweets: Exotic Dessert and Wine Pairings, Wild Sweets Chocolate and a series of books titled Definitive Kitchen Classics. Many of the books are carried in B.C. winery tasting bars. For more on Wild Sweets and their chocolate making process, wonderful chocolates and books, be sure to visit them. dcduby.com Respected B.C. chef Paul Cecconi has ventured out on his own, stoking the fires beneath soup pots under the name Brodo, located in Penticton. The moniker “Brodo” has significance for Cecconi; it means “broth” in Italian and symbolizes Cecconi’s love of soup and his Italian heritage. As much as we would love to dub him the “Soup Nazi,” we just can’t because he’s so nice! Brodo is an awesome place to grab a hearty, healthy breakfast, lunch or early dinner. It boasts a welcoming ambiance with a family feel and really good food! Watch the Brodo story unfold as we include more about it in the fall issue. Visit the Brodo webpage for Facebook and Twitter links. tastebrodo.com
Summer Events June 22 - Jackie Treehorn July 19 - Movie Night July 27 - The Matinee August 9 - Movie Night August 24 - 5 Alarm Funk Sept 7 - Blackie & the Rodeo Kings
tinhorn.com R E S TAU R A N T
dish N VIGNO ET SAU C V Q A ABERN B 2012 C N AG A N V A LL EY
oa, O KA berry, coc ripe rasp aking this as lead to , m ruity arom and a long finish match to at ns tanni n a gre soft auvigno d grilled beef. abernet S an 100% C ed meats est eese, cur enched W hard ch of sun-dr reek mythology. rt ea in the h for G ed his am Located s n os drove Helios i eli a, H ic for ay wn ch d Kelo fect mim lls that ea ky, a per it moves Legend te un across the s as n su f s tting chariot o ing and late-se ris ly ar e e th ineyard. M over the v ERY.CO
F
HELIOS WINERY , BRITISH COLUMBIA 12345, KELOWNA DA/PRODUIT DU CANADA PRODUCT OF CANA E RED WINE/VIN ROUG
OIR A PINONT VA N C V Q LL EY B
0.0% alc./vol. 75
0ml
Helios Vineyard is located on Boucherie Road in West Kelowna and directly neighbours Quails' Gate Estate Winery. Construction of the new wine tasting room is slated for completion for the IS R spring of 2014. Varietals will include Chardonnay, G INOT 2012 P V A LL EY B C V Q A AG A N asted ro or O KA N w Viognier, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc and Gamay. Helios r either ra wn, this a wine fo food, or on its o ou seek . ea Ijuf yveicyge, ctabrisle p, frdiuishty,es P, srt inofot su Grisn-dr isen fochr yedou m Wythest ology. wines will be for sale this fall in select locations. ek ea for Gre in the h Located Helios is named elios drove his for H ic a, ay im d t m Visit terrabella.ca for more information. Kelown that each e sky, a perfec moves th it gend tells
A
”
4.375 l: 2.75” x
”
” x 4.375
el: 4.125
Front lab
as Le ross f sun ac tting sun chariot o ing and late-se ris the early eyard. M in ERY.CO e v IN th er SW ov W.HELIO
2013
WW
C BLAN QA PINOA T EY B C V N V A LL
O KA N
AG
”
” x 3.375
el: 4.125
Front lab
ITES.
Back labe
. CONTIENT DES SULF CONTAINS SULPHITES
AG O KA N
IN
ELIOSW
ITES.
WWW.H
. CONTIENT DES SULF CONTAINS SULPHITES
2013
Terrabella Wineries Ltd. launches the Helios label this fall. Helios is the sister winery to Perseus in Penticton, that was purchased by Terrabella in 2011. Each of the monikers are derived from Greek mythology, Helios meaning the sun and Perseus is named after the Greek god Perseus, who was the son of Zeus.
The Okanagan Wine Festivals Society (OWFS) is reviving the summer wine tasting 75” .3 3 ” x events with tons of cool events for you to l: 2.75 Back labe take in. In particular, the Mile High tastings are being held at Silver Star Mountain on August 10th and Viva Las Pride in Kelowna at the Laurel Packinghouse on Friday August 16th. Viva Las Pride will serve as the official kick off of the annual 2013 Okanagan Pride Festival, which is full of a fever of wonderful events. HELIOS WINERY , BRITISH COLUMBIA 12345, KELOWNA DA/PRODUIT DU CANADA PRODUCT OF CANA E RED WINE/VIN ROUG
0ml 0.0% alc./vol. 75
Okanagan Pride President, Dirty Laundry Vineyards new relea se, Wilbur Turner had this Secret Affair and we got to taste it at the media event for Viva Las Prid to share about e the partnership, "Viva Las Pride is a welcome partnership with the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society that will provide a wonderful wine education evening complete with a Las Vegas theme and live music. We believe
dish
Wine Festivals Society and Okanagan Pride announce thier new partnership
it will attract pride tourists from throughout British Columbia and Alberta and showcase the wines of the region in a fun, informal manner. We are very pleased that the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society has chosen to work with us. We are also pleased to announce that proceeds will go toward funding our ongoing programs, including our new youth program called Etcetera." Tickets are $25 each and can be purchased at selectyourtickets.com or 250-717-5304. This is a safe ride home event sponsored by Valley First Insurance and the BC LDB. More information about OWFS and their seasonal wine events can be found at thewinefestivals.com. a
he Viv
ed at t
serv carons a m 's se ine Sandr e press relea d i r P s La
Go to savourmag.com for more Dish!
W E S T
K E L O W N A
•
W E S T B A N K
10 minutes from Kelowna | 40 minutes from Penticton
BEAUMONT • KALALA • LITTLE STRAW MEADOW VISTA • MISSION HILL • MT. BOUCHERIE QUAILS’ GATE • ROLLINGDALE • VOLCANIC HILLS
Craving more GOURMET
...
Never miss an issue, now available on
iPad and iPhone
includes: expanded BC food and wine coverage interactive videos audio clips slideshows and more!
Subscriptions and back issues available on the Apple App store Visit savourmag.com to download
iPad is a trademark of Apple Inc. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.
GOURMET
VANCOUVER ISLAND'S
TOP CHEF
DanielHudson
By Gary Faessler
c
hef Daniel Hudson may be most recognized from his
recent role on the Food Network’s program “Top Chef Canada”. Hudson’s career began 12 years ago in the UK where he worked in one of the finest kitchens, Eastwell Manor. He learned from hands-on experience, gleaning cooking methods and techniques from Michelin star chefs over the years. His motto in the kitchen is “I do what I know and what I know, I do well.” Hudson’s talent shone in Episode 3 having won the Quickfire Challenge and managed to survive another round. In this event chefs had only 45 minutes to create the ultimate vegan dish for guest host, CBC television’s George Stroumboulopoulos. Dan was confident, “When making a vegan dish you must make sure there is no dairy, no meat, just think vegetable.” Dan went with his gut and came up with a traditional Spanish gazpacho dish “I know I make a real nice one, I know I garnish it well. It’s easy peasy lemony squeezy.” Dan made it to Episode 5. The challenge — “A Day at the Ballet” in which Dan and his partner, Rory White, had to create a Nutcracker inspired canapé to be served at a cocktail party; they chose to make spiced hazelnut shortbread with an orange purée. Unfortunately, the judges felt that the shortbread canapé was not up to their expectation
and Hudson was asked to “please pack up your knives and go.” What was initially a disappointment for Hudson quickly turned into a positive for both he and the small community of Duncan, B.C. After all, Hudson and his wife had recently opened Hudson’s on First and he was eager to return to their venture. He looks on the bright side, “All in all it was a great experience to be a part of ‘Top Chef Canada’. Mostly I will miss the people; I made some great friends on this show. However, I look forward to getting back to my wife Andrea and family (the Hudson’s have a newborn baby girl, Mylle). The restaurant is located in a beautifully renovated 106-year-old heritage building and offers 42 seats, a bar, private dining room and 16 seats on the patio. It’s a family business — Dan manages the kitchen and Andrea works front of house. Andrea is formally trained in hospitality management and is passionate about food, wine and attention to detail. She has travelled extensively developing her skills as a dining service expert and it shows. Hudson describes his cooking style as classical French with a worldly influence. This is not a fusion confusion type of cooking but very simply prepared, people friendly food. “I just know how to cook good honest food and prepare it well.” Dan’s restaurant is close to the coast where he purchases the finest local fish and shellfish. The location is surrounded by an abundance of organic farms which produce lovely fruit and vegetables, herbs, rabbits, chickens and the lot. “The stuff I use in the kitchen is top drawer, I will get a phone call first thing in the morning from my fish guy Scott, owner of Mad Dog Crabs, and he says he just got off the boat with fresh halibut and can I pick it up? My dishes focus on the freshest, local produce available. The foods here in the Cowichan Valley are so good that I don’t have to do much to it, the farmers do all the hard work, all I have to do is prepare them simply and respect the ingredients.” See Daniel Hudson’s recipe for Chocolate Delice with Salted Caramel on page 72. photo credits: Gary Faessler
magazine • SUMMER 2013
13
experience
Harrison Hot Springs By Roslyne Buchanan
PHOTO CREDIT: Robert Reyerse
t
o access the Village of Harrison Hot Springs, tucked into the south shore of Harrison Lake, you have to pass over a bridge whether you’re approaching from the Lower Mainland or the Okanagan. The physical act of traversing a river such as the mighty Fraser — gateway to the Pacific Ocean or Harrison and designated as Canada’s first salmon stronghold — is fitting. Once you’ve crossed the bridge, you travel through fertile farm country to a forgotten time. The area lies on a lush delta amid lofty cedars and is framed by spectacular snow-capped mountains. Unlike its trendy cousin Whistler Blackcomb which is groomed in the latest chic, Harrison Hot Springs has a country casual style and is a place to find solitude and healing rather than a place to be seen and dazzled. Most guests come for the soothing mineral hot springs as did the First Nations people; this was long before the first resort, the St. Alice Hotel, was established in 1886 by Joseph Armstrong, There is much more to do here than soak in the hot springs. Still, this quaint setting creates the illusion of the gift of time to savour even the most exhilarating of adventures. Harrison Eco Tours offers a wide range of experiences — one option is an invigorating jet boat excursion from Harrison Lake down the Harrison River to its meeting place with the Fraser River. The tour begins with a stroll across the parking lot of the Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa to join your knowledgeable and friendly guide. You can choose to sit under the boat’s heated canopy or stay on deck while you gaze at serene waterways and drink in the sweet smell of the forests which cover peaks such as Mount Cheam. Chances are you’ll see soaring eagles, herons and other waterfowl, fish jumping, deer, seals and perhaps a bear. Our guide Tony advised that he’d had no Bigfoot sightings despite the proximity to Sasquatch Provincial Park. Nevertheless, throughout the village you will see many statues (some intricately carved) devoted to the ape-like creature. The Harrison River may inspire you try your hand at fishing; it is home to the world’s oldest fish, the white sturgeon, as well as salmon and trout, The pristine waters of Harrison Lake, which has no industry other than the hot springs, beckons you to enjoy all forms of boating. In the warmest months, you might venture into the glacier-fed waters for a quick swim. In any season, you can recharge with a walk along the promenade where you’ll encounter a relaxed and friendly population, or dip into those alluring hot springs.
magazine • SUMMER 2013
15
A gorgeous view of Harrison Lake and Mt. Cheam To access the healing springs, locals and day visitors can access the public pool in the village centre. If you are a guest at the Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa, you may choose from five pools. There are three outdoor pools, which vary in temperature — one is designated for family, one for adults only and the third is a lap pool. Indoors you will find a medium-sized pool for wading and swimming, and the hottest pool which is small and circular with the added relaxation feature of a waterfall cascading from a nearby glass wall. The enclosure has 30-foot ceilings with large wooden rafters and exudes the sensual aroma of cedar. In this beautiful structure that leads to the outdoor pools and lush gardens, you’ll find the resort’s Healing Spa. Complimenting the healing aspect of the hot springs, the spa offers a full menu of “stress-relieving, immune-system boosting, energy-building and rebalancing 2.5.13CH_GMtrailblaizer 3/5/13 2:38 PM Pagetreatments.” 1
After my therapeutic 55-minute massage, I was fully recharged. It was easy to relax in our well-appointed suite overlooking Harrison Lake. Despite its tranquillity, this site has seen transition: first as the St. Alice Hotel which was destroyed by fire in 1920, followed by The Harrison Hot Springs Hotel (1926 to 1949), as a convalescent hospital operated by the Department of National Defense (1943 to 1945). The Harrison Hotel (1949 to 1998) under varying ownership, and finally as Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa since 1998 — the Delaware North Companies took ownership in 2002. Delaware North has invested roughly $18 million in upgrading gardens and driveways, spa and pool areas, guestrooms, meeting and retail spaces as well as The Copper Room. During our visit the tennis courts were being refinished.
Goats at Farmhouse Natural Cheeses The Copper Room is another element of that magical time forgotten and is truly an heirloom of dining tradition. It offers the elegance of dine and dance old-style with Fraser Valley “farm-to-table” cuisine and live music by one of the two house bands. “The Jones Boys”, who have been playing there for 25 years, entertained us with a range of tunes extending from Glenn Miller’s classic supper club music to Bob Seger’s old-time rock-and-roll. There is a dress code but don’t worry. Just leave T-shirts, shorts and running shoes behind and spruce up a bit in good jeans and a nice pair of shoes. The tasteful decor harkens back to a golden age; ladies in particular might enjoy dolling up a bit more. Other dining options are available within the hotel and the Village. Although the Village is small, it offers a variety from pubs and cafés to The Black Forest Steak and Schnitzel House and the Kitami Japanese Restaurant. Golfing is available at the local nine-hole course or you can enjoy a scenic drive to the Pretty Resort Property at historic Harrison Mills for access to the 18-hole Sandpiper Golf Course. This course was designed by Canadian Russ Olsen; he leveraged its location on Harrison Debra Amrein-Boyes, Head Cheesemaker and Owner of The Farmhouse Natural Cheeses
River to sculpt the attractive track capitalizing on the stunning mountain vistas and natural forests. Well-manicured and easy to walk, the par 72 course is complete with impressive warm-up and training facilities. Arrive early or linger to dine at the River’s Edge Restaurant. Or better yet, stay a night at the stately Rowena’s Inn on the River. Don’t miss the Agassiz-Harrison Mills Circle Farm Tour, a gastronomic extravaganza of the region’s agricultural bounty. With most farms only a five to 15-minute drive away, you can wind your way through charming country roads on a self-guided tour to artisan cheese-makers, organic coffee roasting sheds, nut producers, herb and edible flower nurseries and demonstration kitchens that sell home-made fudge, jams and salsas. Debra Amrein-Boyes, one of Canada’s top artisanal cheese makers, head cheese maker and coowner of The Farmhouse Natural Cheeses, praised the tour for its support to local farmers and educating visitors about where food comes from. She said, “It’s an awesome tool for tourism and assists in addressing concerns about our farming culture. If people don’t learn the importance of buying local to support local producers as well as for their own health and future food-source security, the younger generations won’t take over and a way of life will be lost.” On their family farm, a large range of artisan cheeses and dairy products are made using the rich pure milk from their own cows and goats. You can witness the cheese making process through viewing windows, as well as taste and buy about 20 varieties of cheese. The quaint shop also sells milk, farm-raised meats and vegetables, local and regional food products and gifts including Amrein-Boyes’ informative book 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes: From Cheddar and Brie to Butter and Yogurt. At the Tasty Chicken Farm, the Wouda family raises non-medicated, organically-fed free range chicken and turkey on five pristine acres between a hazelnut orchard and reclaimed wetlands. From her front porch, Hoa Wouda retails chicken and turkey as well as grass-fed beef and lamb. In fact, the sheep belong to her brother-in-law and winter at his property, then graze with the chickens to protect them from eagles. To make the business sustainable the family has diversified, says Hoa. She operates the retail aspect, her oldest son Philip markets the business, and husband John tends the animals. Canadian Hazelnut is Canada’s largest certified organic hazelnut orchard, owned by Pennti and Debbie Hanninen and family, In season you can pick your own hazelnuts or peruse the shop to
PHOTO CREDIT: Robert Reyerse
sample flavoured hazelnuts and purchase a diverse range of hazelnut products including flour, oil, ice cream, and roasted or chocolate-covered hazelnuts. With the flat topography of the valley, it’s easy terrain for cycling — the seventh annual Cycle Tour Agassiz will be held on July 27. Part of Slow Food Vancouver Cycle Tours, you can start and finish your self-guided tour any time between 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and explore the
many farms that are open for this day only. A shopping shuttle service will collect your purchases from the farms and deliver them back to the registration area for pick up to allow you a leisurely tour without having to haul an extra load. An excellent family activity, the tour supports the Slow Food movement and Fraser Valley farmers. The Tulips of the Valley festival takes place for two weeks at the end of each April, subject to Mother Nature’s schedule. Here you can tiptoe by (sorry, not in) the tulips — some 30 acres of assorted colours and varieties. Vibrant red, yellow, pink and purple tulips span the land, offering a sharp contrast against the mountain backdrop. Freshly cut and potted tulips can be purchased as well as goods from other local producers. Dress for the weather, rubber boots may be a good choice. More importantly, be sure to bring your camera. tulipsofthevalley.com tourismharrison.com
Present this code and receive 10% off your purchase online or in our tasting room on all regular priced wines: SAV2013 Expiry date: September 30, 2013
Named for a hero‘s constellation, we are Penticton‘s in-town winery. Taste and experience our quality wines in our bistro and info centre. Perseus_Halfpage_SMsummer_v1.indd 1
134 Lower Bench Road, Penticton, BC wine@perseuswinery.com Toll free: 1.888.880.6605 | Phone: 250.490.8829 facebook.com/perseuswine @perseuswine See www.PERSEuSwiNERy.Com to order online and to join our wine club. 17.05.13 18:30
OCTOBer 4 – 14, 2013 The 33rd annual
Fall Okanagan
Wine FesTival October 3, 7:00pm – 9:00pm BriTish COlumBia Wine aWards and reCepTiOn The laurel packinghouse, kelowna. Tickets: www.selectyourtickets.com or 250.717.5304 price: $50.00 October 4 & 5, 7:00pm – 9:00pm The WesTJeT Wine TasTings rotary Centre for the arts, kelowna. Tickets: www.selectyourtickets.com or 250.717.5304 price $65.00 or $110.00 for both nights October 9, 7:00pm – 9:00pm The Blind Wine & Cheese sOiree BY valleY FirsT The laurel packinghouse, kelowna. Tickets: www.selectyourtickets.com or 250.717.5304 price: $50.00 October 10, 6:00pm – 8:30pm alexis de pOrTneuF presenTs “The YOung CheFs” “The atrium” in the Centre for learning at Okanagan College, kelowna. Tickets: www.selectyourtickets. com or 250.717.5304 price: $60.00 October 10th, 6:30 – 8:30pm harvesT reds and BC Cheese – auTumn perFeCTiOn! manteo resort, kelowna. Tickets: www.selectyourtickets.com or 250.717.5304 price: $40.00 (all incl) October 11 & 12, 6:00pm – 9:00pm The valleY FirsT grand Finale COnsumer TasTings penticton Trade and Convention Centre. Tickets: www.valleyfirsttix.com or 877.763.2849 price: $65.00 or $100.00 for both nights
Buy Your Tickets Online and download your free events guide at www.thewinefestivals.com or call 250-861-6654
EXTOLLING theVIRTUES of
oliveoil
By Laura Goldstein
Long before the “Mediterranean Diet” was touted as the key to increasing life expectancy, or Julia Roberts extolled the virtues of using olive oil on her cuticles, or Gwyneth Paltrow used it as a hair conditioner and Sophia Loren — well, she has said she occasionally bathes in it
m
ythology tells us that in ancient Greece, Athena, the goddess of
The very definition of EVOO is that the entire process from hand-picking to first pressing and bottling must take place on the farmer’s land. To protect the consumer all bottles must by law indicate the location of production and "best before" date.
wisdom, and Poseidon, the god of the sea, were bickering over who should rule the roost. To settle the dispute —- winner take all — they decided to hold a competition to decide who could come up with the most impressive gift to mortals. Poseidon (forever the drama queen) plunged his trident into the Acropolis, creating a magnificent saltwater fountain. Athena simply bent toward earth and threw her javelin into the ground where it miraculously turned into an olive tree. The fountain, though beautiful, was no competition for the olive tree that provided food, oil, shade and fuel. Athena won and the capital city of Greece, Athens, is her namesake. Poseidon, notoriously in need of anger management, threw a thunderbolt at the olive tree to destroy it. However, the next morning a new shoot appeared on the tree. Olive trees are extremely resilient and can live thousands of years; it’s not unusual to see new buds appear on what is thought to be dead wood. To this day, there is a spectacular, lone olive tree growing in front of the Parthenon (part of the Acropolis) in Greece. Could this be Athena’s ancient olive tree planted by her javelin? I’m sucking on my teeth, making a hissing sound like a deflating balloon as instructed. At the same time, I’m trying not to cough while savouring a fruity yet peppery slurp of Vantera Extra Virgin Olive Oil produced in Campania, Italy. The oil hits the back of my throat, unexpectedly, with a spicy wallop. Sampling exceptional EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) is very similar to wine tasting — without the buzz — but after tasting five varieties ranging from delicate to robust (about a tablespoon of each) I really crave a side order of salad and pasta! Teresa Kuhn and husband Gian Marco Litrico of The Olive Oil Merchant in Kelowna were so passionate about artisan produced Italian EVOO, that they parlayed their amoré into an import distribution business. The company sells directly to Canadian restaurants and gourmet stores and online to the public. The couple met in Milan where Litrico was communications director at Hutchison Whampoa Limited. “I already spoke French and was told that someone was being sent to help me learn English (Vancouver–born Kuhn, fluent in Italian was working in Italy at the time). That was Teresa and I eventually married the teacher!” laughs Litrico. By 2008, pregnant with her second daughter, Kuhn really missed her family in B.C. She wanted a viable business idea that would connect both cultures when they moved back to Canada. “I noticed a huge gap in extra virgin olive oils in Canada and surprisingly even high-end chefs (unless they were trained in Europe) did not even realize the differences,” she admits. “I read Tom Mueller’s controversial book, Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil in which low-quality, even chemically tampered olive oils from Spain or Tunisia are passed off as Italian extra virgin as in the Bertolli exposé. That convinced me even more that there was a niche here in Canada for importing top quality artisan-made products.” With an office in Vermezzo, Italy, Kuhn started to visit local farmers where the fertile terroir contributed notes of tomato, artichoke, and grass to the fruit. Over 700 varieties of olives are cultivated in Italy alone. Unlike high-tech commercial production that involves trucking olives off-site and using second pressings often with bland results, the
magazine • SUMMER 2013
21
Cobalt glasses are traditionally used for EVOO tastings, as prescribed by the International Olive Oil Council. Rules are so strict that only one mouth-blown glass-making company in Italy, Fara, produces them! B.C. born Teresa Kuhn, her husband, Gian Marco Litrico and their two daughters in Vermezzo, Italy at olive harvest. They started The Olive Oil Merchant to connect both cultures through artisan-made EVOO.
generations
of Stewart’s have been farming land. Our father, Richard stewart, identified that this 1 place, the Okanagan Valley, and more precisely the site of was destined for greatness. In 1961 he planted the first vinifera Chasselas in his quest to grow quality grapes. His curiosity spurred our family s Today we CELEBRATE over 50 years of growing grapes a year, from 1 valley, 16 grape Okanagan Valley. For VARIETALS our focus is consistent; to be Canada’s leading quality wines, namely, PINOT NOIR and Chardonnay.
,
’
365 days
passion
entire process of making EVOO, by definition, must take place on the farmer’s land. From hand-picked fruit to bottling, it’s a complicated juggling act combining art — blending two or more types of olives to attain just the right balance of fruitiness and pepperiness, and science — olives must be harvested and pressed, often by traditional stone wheels, within 24 hours as they start to degrade quickly (extra virgin refers to the first pressing and highest quality). By 2009 Kuhn had sourced their producers and the business venture was born. Like a religious zealot, Kuhn devotes as much time on EVOO (re-)education through extensive tastings, eye-opening seminars and training restaurant staff, as she does on ensuring the highest quality of all the products they import. Vancouver’s Cibo Trattoria; Chef Neil Taylor of the Spanish-themed Espana, Chef Pino Posteraro’s Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill, La Quercia, and Kelowna’s Mission Hill Winery cooking classes have all benefited from Kuhn’s expertise. She is a Flos Olei (translated from the Latin as ‘the best oil’) Guide devotee. Considered the bible of olive oils in the same realm as Wine Spectator, the guide is written by Italian Marco Oreggia who is recognized internationally as the undisputed guru of researching and rating olive oils. He and his partner fellow taster, Laura Marinelli, have rated 488 artisan producers in 45 countries in the current edition of Flos Olei. Though all Mediterranean cultures like to take credit for being the first to produce olive oil, the earliest production dates back to the
4th millennium BC in ancient Israel. The oil’s medicinal and ritual uses are mentioned many times in the bible. In those times the olives were crushed by rolling an elliptical shaped stone back and forth over them or by foot while wearing wooden shoes. The implementation of the first type of mechanical tool using a beam and lever dates to around 1500 BC. The olive oil industry began to use mass production methods during the 9th to 7th centuries. With the development of presses and a central collection vat the new techniques spread to Crete and rapidly throughout Greece In 2013, although Greece ranks third in the world behind Italy and Spain for olive oil production, Greeks are the largest consumers of olive oil world-wide averaging an incredible 26 litres per person annually! Compare that to less than one litre per person annually in North America. Long before the “Mediterranean Diet” was touted as the key to increasing life expectancy, or Julia Roberts extolled the virtues of using olive oil on her cuticles, or Gwyneth Paltrow used it as a hair conditioner and Sophia Loren — well, she has said she occasionally bathes in it, the following was true. Ancient Hebrews lit synagogue lamps with olive oil, the olives were “beaten for the light” (Leviticus 24:1-3); Homer referred to olive oil as “liquid gold” in the Odyssey; and Hippocrates espoused its curative powers calling it “the great healer.” Olympians oiled their bodies with olive oil before competition and the victors were awarded wreaths of olive leaves. Music rocker, Sting and his wife — filmmaker, philanthropist and humanitarian — Trudie Styler, have championed the rejuvenating effects of yoga for years and now promote the benefits of olive oil. Could olive oil be the next fountain of youth? “We’re all looking for ways to enhance our lives as we age and olive oil is full of vitamin A and antioxidants. I use it on my face and I’ve found that my skin really benefits,” enthuses Styler by phone from her New York film production office Maven Pictures. (‘Girl Most Likely’ starring Kristen Wiig, Annette Bening, Matt Dillon and Darrin Criss will be released on July 19.) Styler waxes poetic about their organic Palagio EVOO grown and produced at the couple’s 900–acre estate in Italy. Il Palagio (The Palace) reigns over the undulating Tuscan hills of the medieval town of Figline Valdarno near Florence. Reaching back to the 1700’s with a pedigree of dukes overseeing wine, grain, fruit, honey and olive oil production, the estate had fallen into disrepair before Sting and Styler purchased it in 1999. With modernization, but still relying on traditional artisan growing practices and hand labour harvesting techniques, Il Palagio has become a prolific supplier to specialty stores internationally including Harrods of London. The estate manager, Paolo Rossi, was actually born on the Il Palagio estate where his family has worked for generations. Coincidentally, Rossi is one of the EVOO suppliers working with The Olive Oil Merchant of Kelowna. As founders of The Rainforest Foundation, environmental issues are dear to
Rocker Sting and wife,Trudie Styler purchased the 900-acre Tuscan estate Il Palagio in 1999 restoring its grounds and upgrading the production of organic extra virgin olive oil.
Il Palagio Estate the hearts of Sting and Styler and foremost in the agricultural practices at Il Palagio. “We’re really proud of our organic extra virgin olive oil — it never ceases to amaze me how olive trees can be several thousand years old and withstand almost any kind of climate. Paolo farms biodynamically; the groves are 360 feet above sea level to avoid the olive fly and the rock is galestro (retains heat, very well drained.) The taste is really defined — slightly peppery and sharp,” explains Styler. When Sting and Styler visit Il Palagio for summer holidays their private chef, Joe Sponzo, often prepares one of the family’s favourite recipes using their homegrown EVOO, Spaghetti al Aglio e Olio. This recipe is featured in the “Women for Women International” fundraising recipe book Share: The Cookbook That Celebrates Our Common Humanity published by Kyle Books with a foreword by Meryl Streep. “We love the simplicity of it,” says Styler. “It’s the ultimate comfort food. Just make sure you don’t go to a business meeting right after eating — it’s heavy on the garlic. Or eat some parsley afterwards!” “I tell my customers that Italian prostitutes would make a wonderful puttanesca sauce and the aroma would attract the customers” says artisan baker, Ben Manea of Walla Authentic Mediterranean & Middle Eastern Foods in Penticton. His labour of love wafting through The Cannery includes a crusty Puttanesca Sourdough Bread made with olives and capers infused multiple times over a 48-hour period with Greek Krinos Kalamata EVOO. In fact Manea, a self-taught Israeli baker, is absolutely obsessive about using the finest and freshest ingredients in everything he creates. True to his Mediterranean roots, EVOO perfumes his quiches, sea-salt sprinkled rosemary focaccia buns, pizzas, bourekas and delectable dips. “I chose this particular Greek extra virgin olive oil because it’s delicate and doesn’t compete with the other flavours.” “Whenever I tell people that I have an olive grove on Pender Island, B.C., the only one in Canada, they With bottles designed by Trudie Styler, Palagio organic EVOO is distributed world-wide. Styler is a big proponent of its health benefits.
start laughing in disbelief,” admits international lawyer, artisan farmer and eternal optimist, Andrew Butt. Butt and his wife, Sandy, unabashedly love olives. They have travelled extensively throughout Italy, Greece, Morocco and New Zealand and visited olive producers along the way. When they saw olive trees thriving in the colder areas of Piedmont Italy they were convinced that olive trees would grow in Canada. Butt imported 100 Italian Frantoio and Lecciolive varieties from California through Michael Pierce on Saturna Island who started the Saturna Olive Consortium in 2009. Butt christened his trees the Waterlea Olive Grove. “It’s much milder here than anywhere else in Canada where the Japanese current and the Pacific meet, and our sheltered property has really good drainage and sun all day similar to a Mediterranean climate” he explains. “Our objective is to eventually press extra virgin olive oil but so far we’ve just bottled the olives for friends, family and local restaurants until we get a bigger yield.” Andrew Butt’s dream of producing Canada’s first EVOO is a source of constant teasing from his two brothers in Elgin, South Africa who are well-known EVOO producers. Their 3,000 olive trees surround a charming inn, Rockhaven Farm where Chef Jaime Oliver is a frequent guest. In the meantime, the entrepreneurial Butt is looking into producing olive leaf tea — a new trend in Europe and said to be a good treatment for high blood pressure. “I drink two tablespoons of olive oil every day of my life,” says the 64-year-old “and my doctor says I’m in amazing shape!” Artisan baker, Ben Manea and a selection of his breads using Greek extra virgin olive oil
Recipes of “comfort food” as prepared by Chef Joe Sponzo, Sting and Trudie Styler’s personal chef.
Spaghetti al Aglio e Olio
Prepare 5 minutes | Cook 10 minutes | Serves 4–6 450g dried spaghetti 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 6–8 garlic cloves, chopped 1 tsp chili flakes finely grated Parmesan, to serve salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water for about 8–10 minutes, or until barely tender but firm to the bite. Drain and reserve about 4 tablespoons of the cooking water. Set aside and keep warm. Return the pan to a medium heat and pour in the extra virgin olive oil. Add the garlic and chili flakes, then reduce the heat and immediately add the drained hot pasta and the reserved cooking water. Toss and stir so that the oil and water emulsify. Serve immediately, topped with grated Parmesan and accompanied by Bitter Leaf Salad.
Bitter Leaf Salad
with Olive Oil, Citrus and Caper Dressing Prepare 5 minutes | Serves 4 1 head of fennel 1 radicchio 100g watercress 40g wild rocket 2 tbsp capers 2 tbsp olive oil juice of 1 lemon juice of 1 orange 2 tablespoons grated Pecorino cheese (optional) salt and freshly ground black pepper
Finely slice the fennel and radicchio and place in a large bowl with the watercress, rocket and capers. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil and the lemon and orange juices. Pour the dressing over the salad and sprinkle over the cheese (if using). Season with a little salt (not too much as the capers and cheese are salty) and lots of freshly ground black pepper. For further EVOO information see: oliveoilmerchant.com palagioproducts.com olivetrees.ca wallafoods.com oliveoiltimes.com
Where chefs, foodies and knife nerds shop
• handmade Japanese kitchen knives • knife sharpening by hand • classic shaving gear
Pinotage
2983 Pandosy St. Kelowna, BC 778-478-0331 www.knifewear.com
LOVE
In the early 1920s, just around the time that Pinotage was being created in South Africa, my Great Grandfather George Ward was cultivating this rich and fruitful Okanagan land that has become a beloved home to our sprawling vineyards of Pinotage. Why Pinotage? Why the Red Shoe? We’ll share our authentic wine country story when you visit The View! It’s easy to find us...just look for the red shoe.
- Jennifer Turton-Molgat
Open Year Round April-Oct | Daily | 11:30 am – 5:30 pm Nov-March | Weekdays | Noon – 5 pm www.theviewwinery.com The View Winery 1-2287 Ward Rd., Kelowna, BC (p) 250 860.0742 or (c) 250 215.1331
PHOTO CREDIT: ANDREW FINDLAY
DISCOVERING the
san juan ISLANDS By Andrew Findlay
a
PHOTO CREDIT: ANDREW FINDLAY
brisk wind ripples Shoal Bay as the young Jones boys forage for oysters and clams, jeans grubby, and hands and faces smeared with mud from the tidal flats. Confident, self-sufficient farm boys through and through. Their parents Nick and Sara Jones, the husband and wife team behind a Lopez Island farming success story, Jones Family Farm, are busy setting an outdoor picnic table for a lunch of fresh shellfish and garden greens, while a half dozen of their employees work in the shellfish hatchery, a collection of Quonset huts, tanks and sheds set along the shore of Shoal Bay. In an era when most young folks are fleeing the farm, the Jones are showing what creativity, hard work and a little self-starting San Juan Island determination can do. The Jones employ 15 people with their aquaculture and seafood operation, which includes cultivating and harvesting oysters and clams on their Lopez Island beach, wholesaling seafood, and growing oyster and geoduck seed for other operators, as well as a farm on a rolling pastoral piece of land on the south end of the island where they raise pigs, sheep and poultry. “We’re protein farmers,” Nick says, as we corral the kids for lunch. “We have a lot going on right now, but we really enjoy making things happen.” Nick shucks open a slender Ostreola conchaphila, otherwise known as the Olympia oyster, native to the Pacific Northwest but much less common on our plates than the heavily cultivated and non-native Pacific oyster. He hands me a half shell with its glistening contents marinating in nature’s salty brine. Down it goes — West Coast deliciousness all wrapped up in a calcium carbonate shell. On a spring long weekend my family and I departed Sydney on a Washington State Ferry bound for Friday Harbor, to immerse ourselves in the three major islands of the San Juan archipelago — San Juan, Orcas and Lopez — and meet the independent-minded characters who farm, ferment, distill and cook up magic on these islands of tight knit communities, self-sufficient folks engaged in creative endeavors. The first sign of San Juan Island whimsy appeared when we checked into our motel, the Earth Box Inn, up the Spring Street hill from Friday Harbor’s waterfront. The odd name both informs and satirizes the owners’ ways of making fun of the property’s inescapable heritage as a boxy 1970s motor hotel while celebrating its transformation into a boutique hotel with personal touches. Afterwards Lisa hopped on her bike and I drove with the kids, following Roche Harbor Road as it meanders through rolling farmland, until we reached San Juan Vineyards. We found Yvonne Swanberg, who cofounded the winery in 2000 with her late husband, as well as vineyard manager and wine maker Chris Agate Beach, Lopez Island
magazine • SUMMER 2013 27
PHOTO CREDIT: MARK GARDNER
Friday Harbour
Lisa Hallstrom, finding her way on the country roads of Lopez Island 28
magazine • SUMMER 2013
PHOTO CREDIT: ANDREW FINDLAY
PHOTO CREDIT: ANDREW FINDLAY
Primus on the outdoor patio next to the tasting room. Swanberg and her husband were winemaking pioneers and Primus likens the operation to making wine on the fringes. “I like to tell people that this is extreme grape growing,” Primus said with a smile, as we sat down for a glass of wine. Indeed the San Juan Islands are perched on the margins of viticulture, the grape growing season relatively short and average summer temperatures hovering in the mid 20s, thanks to the cooling winds blowing in from the Strait Nick Jones shucks oysters for of Juan de Fuca. Early on experius in Shoal Bay mentation with grapes narrowed the search to two varietals, the fruity Siegerrebe, native to Germany, and the drier Madeleine Angevine, which originates from France’s Loire Valley. Brent Charnley heads up another vineyard on neighboring Lopez Island, the eponymous Lopez Island Vineyards. After hitchhiking around Europe as a young man, crushing grapes in France and gleaning as much knowledge as possible from old country winemakers, Charnley returned home determined to coax grapes from the soil of Lopez. Like San Juan Vineyards, he honed in on the two varietals that seem to thrive here, Siegerrebe and Madeleine Angevine. He also dabbles with pinot noir, but admits it’s hit and miss in the Pacific Northwest climate. “When spring arrives early and we have a long dry fall, we can pull off a crop of pinot noir,” Charnley told me, while taking a break from plowing weeds among vines of Siegerrebe showing the first buds of spring.
Growing grapes on the San Juans requires some tenacity and pluck, but apples are well suited to the islands. Wisconsin academics Hawk and Sue Pingree, professors in the field of communications, had a lifelong interest in local food, libations and agriculture and vacationed for years near Roche Harbor, enjoying walks through a nearby apple orchard. When they met the orchardist and cider maker Rich Anderson, a partnership resulted. They bought a still in 2010 and a retirement avocation fermented into a full-time gin-making job. After a lingering visit to the San Juan Islands Farmers’ Market, we headed to the San Juan Island Distillery tasting room where we met Hawk next to his spit-polished glistening copper still as he was arranging an enticing display of gins, eau de vie and apple brandy on a wooden counter. It was early for spirits but I was soon enjoying a “crack of noon” snifter of Spy Hop Gin, the Harvest Blend. “This is distilled from apple cider and flavoured with botanicals that have been foraged from local forests, things like arbutus bark, juniper, and other natural herbs and berries,” Hawk said, as another car rolled into the driveway. “Since we opened the tasting room on Saturdays, business has really boomed. A lot of people didn’t even know there was a distillery here.” The secret is out. The Pingrees are well positioned for summertime trade a short stroll from the rows of expensive yachts moored in Roche Harbor. That’s why they’ve introduced a service that allows aficionados to have their navy strength gin delivered direct to their boat. Later, after exploring the windswept headlands of American Camp National Historical Park at the southern point of the island, we caught an
Wind chopped the surface of East Sound as we drove along Horseshoe Highway, through the lush forests of Moran State Park, toward Doe Bay Resort, San Juan Island’s counter culture institution...
PHOTO CREDIT: B. MARRETT
san juan islands
Behind the elbow room bar, among the mashing tuns and kettles, a full blown 13-piece Celtic jam was underway, complete with fiddlers, guitar players and upright bass, dulcimer and other instruments.
Friday Harbour Farmers' Market evening ferry to Orcas Island. The boat was empty, a dozen passengers at most. A sixty-something troubadour broke out his guitar and performed a spontaneous concert for a few travellers. The following day began early. Wind chopped the surface of East Sound as we drove along Horseshoe Highway, through the lush forests of Moran State Park, toward Doe Bay Resort, San Juan Island’s counter culture institution famed for its clothing optional hot tubs and workshops that run the gamut from poetry composition to community activism. Sunday morning brunch at the
PHOTO CREDIT: ANDREW FINDLAY
Oceanside sheep farm, south end of Lopez Island
Doe Bay Cafe is a worthy destination, its menu a reflection of the seasonal harvest from the resort’s organic garden, which on this spring day included sorrel, salad mix, radishes, parsley and other fresh ingredients. Through its “seed-to-table” program, Doe Bay has ongoing relationships with local producers like Tap Root Farms, Maple Rock Farms, and Black Dog Farms. With plans to explore Moran State Park later on my mountain bike, I opted for olive oil poached duck eggs and potatoes. Afterward, we stole ourselves from the lingering morning breakfast
PHOTO CREDIT: ANDREW FINDLAY
san juan islands
crowd at Doe Bay, a study in West Coast hippy chic, and headed for the State Park. I left the family at Cascade Falls parking lot, and set off on my bike following the gently graded trail to Mountain Lake. After traversing the lakeshore, I inadvertently selected one of the steeper routes ascending 2,400-foot Mt. Constitution, a grind that burned through the quality calories I consumed at Doe Bay an hour ago. However the payoff was huge; when I reached the parking lot Lisa and the kids were taking in the spectacular view of the San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea. It’s noon, and with a 1:00 p.m. date in the village of Eastsound with chef Lisa Nakamura, we had to Nick Jones’ old Ford farm truck at the oyster beach, Shoal Bay, Lopez Island keep moving. We shunted the kids back into their her husband purchased a waterfront restaurant and reopened it as the car seats, and I took off for the downhill ride, 40 switchbacks of ripping Allium, offering a trim one-page menu that changes frequently and singletrack — yes I keep track of stats like that — that took me to the blends international flare with San Juan Island wholesomeness. boat launch on Cascade Lake and another rendezvous with the family. “For some reason we wanted to own a restaurant. People thought we Before long we were in Eastsound sitting down for a private lunch were crazy to be buying a restaurant in 2010,” Nakamura said with a at Nakamura’s Allium Restaurant. Hawaiian-born Nakamura has laugh, as she dons her chef’s apron and gets busy. worked in some of North America’s most prestigious kitchens, among The opportunity to buy a restaurant drew her to Orcas Island but the them The French Laundry, chef Thomas Keller’s iconic Napa Valley San Juans strong local-sourcing ethic also appealed to her. Supporting establishment, and the Herbfarm in Seattle. Three years ago, she and PHOTO CREDIT: SAN JUAN VISITOR'S BUREAU
An autumn morning on a San Juan vineyard
PHOTO CREDIT: SAN JUAN VISITOR'S BUREAU
Lopez sunset with bicycle
PHOTO CREDIT: ANDREW FINDLAY
local is something she feels strongly about, so strong that she recently authored a children’s book on the subject called Bucky The Dollar Bill. Though the San Juan Islands experience a deluge of summer tourists, the winter months are long. According to Nakamura, to survive you need a strong stomach and a streak of resourcefulness. “In the wintertime, I’m chef, dishwasher and manager,” Nakamura said. We enjoyed a glass of sparkling wine, while an Eastsound wind rattled the windowpanes. The appetizer was sumptuous, gnocchi with asparagus and bacon, tossed in a mist of truffle oil. For the main course we were treated to pan seared scallops in a black truffle and Madeira butter sauce, capped with a chocolate caramel brûlée dessert. I’m satiated, but we were not done with this island yet. All roads on Orcas, especially for craft brew fanatics like me, eventually end at the cleverly titled Island Hoppin’ Brewery. It was Sunday evening and the Island Hoppin’ IPA and Old Salts Brown Ale were flowing liberally from the taps. Behind the elbow room bar, among the mashing tuns and kettles, a full blown 13-piece Celtic jam was underway, complete with fiddlers, guitar players and upright bass, dulcimer and other instruments. It was like a microcosmic look at what draws people to these islands — music, creativity, individuality, and on that evening a love of some locally brewed hoppy beer at what has, in the three years since it opened, become the social hub of Orcas Island. We lingered with the locals, as adults and kids alike took in this rustic musical spectacle. With another evening ferry to
catch, this time to Lopez, we said goodbye to new acquaintances and once again strapped kids into car seats. Back on Lopez, Nick Jones puts his hip waders on to check out some of his prized mollusks. He and his family are the epitome of San Juan Island resourcefulness with their multifaceted agriculture and aquaculture enterprise; another face of these islands in the Salish Sea Chef Lisa Nakamura, owner of where farmers, chefs, vintAllium Restaurant ners and distillers are carving out their unique niches. “It’s all a bit of an experiment but it’s keeping us busy and we’re employing people so we’re happy,” Jones says, before sloshing across the mudflats into the water. For travel information, visit the San Juan Island Visitors Bureau at visitsanjuans.com
a
realityBITES
By Cassandra Anderton
s the weather warms up in the Lower Mainland, visitors and residents often plan their
schedules around the many outdoor markets the area has to offer. With everything from the Richmond Night Market to the various Vancouver Farmers’ Markets, there are food offerings for a range of culinary tastes and interests. Here’s a round-up of some the top markets for the 2013 season.
The Richmond Night Market After a four-year hiatus the Richmond Market has returned, and this time to a new home on the waterfront at 8351 River Road in Richmond behind the River Rock Casino. Held each Friday and Saturday from 7:00 p.m. until 12:00 a.m. and on Sunday and holidays from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. this market boasts close to 330 vendors, 80 of them food stands. Along with ring toss games, Hello Kitty blankets, endless socks, and cell phone covers there are an overwhelming number of food choices. Do take the SkyTrain out as parking is difficult. Come hungry and in a group so you can forage and then regroup to share your findings. There’s such a variety of ethnic foods at this market that you can sample everything from tacos to roast port hock. Favourites include the Mogu Japanese Street Eats flavourful sweet and sour chicken karaage, a marinated deep fried chicken with housemade sweet chili sauce, the tender Finger Ribs barbequed beef ribs, and the crunchy and juicy Original Oktoberfest Style roasted pork hocks. Wash it all down with a Mangoo mango coconut slush and finish off with a QQ Egg Puff bubble waffle. richmondnightmarket.com
The International Summer Night Market Entertainment along with the usual knick-knacks and predominately Asian food are available at the International Summer Night Market which is held a bit deeper into Richmond at Vulcan Way just off the Knight Street Bridge. The market is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 7:00 p.m. until 12:00 32
magazine • SUMMER 2013
a.m. and on Sundays and holidays from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Stop in and watch a talent show or Bollywood dance group while munching on a huge Hog Shack Cook House smoked turkey drumsticks, Xin Jiang Man or It’s All About Grill grilled skewers (pork is best), and the Hurricane Potato Fries, tasty deep fried potato tornados with a choice of seasoning. You will find some good dim sum from Real Restaurant At West End, but it doesn’t compete with the restaurant quality you can find elsewhere in Richmond. summernightmarket.com
The Vancouver Chinatown Night Market This 18-year-old market has revamped for 2013 under a new creative team and is offering more than just trinkets and food vendors. You will find live music, children’s theatre, storytelling, ping pong tournaments and many local artisan vendors such as The Pie Shoppe for housemade pies, and Espiritu Design Studio ceramics, along with imported discount sale stands. Market hours are Friday, Saturday and Sunday until September 8 from 6:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. just off Main Street at Keefer Street in Vancouver. For those who are hungry there are a great variety of food stalls full of dim sum, grilled meat skewers, BBQ, wheel cakes, mango pudding, churros, deep-fried Oreos, takoyaki (a Japanese wheat ball filled with octopus or fish), as well as fresh produce for sale. This year the market also features food trucks such as Roaming Dragon, Vij’s Railway, Le Tigre and Tacofino. There will be a dumpling cook off on the weekend of August 16. vancouverchinatownnightmarket.com
Vancouver Farmers’ Markets Those is search of local produce can find top quality products from farmers, growers, ranchers, wild harvesters and fishermen as well as prepared sauces, baked goods and artisan chocolate. Rotating food trucks include amazing veggie-filled crepes from La Bohème Crêperie, Vij’s Railway Express with their cassava fries and samosas and Pig On The Street with pork-filled wraps and soups. There’s face painting for kids and musical performances. Vancouver Farmers’ Markets include the West End and Trout Lake on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Kerrisdale Village on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Kitsilano on Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and Main Street on Wednesdays from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. eatlocal.org
Artisan Farmers Markets Artisan Farmers Markets are held at Ambleside in West Vancouver on Sundays, and at Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver and City Hall in Burnaby on Saturdays. The market mandate is “to supply, direct to the consumer, top quality locally grown, made and baked products, in an interactive and pleasant environment”. Pick up some homemade salsa, jam or organic produce and don’t miss the July 20–21 Teddy Bears Picnic or the October 21–22 Scarecrow Contest. artisanmarkets.ca
Granville Island Farmers Market Every Thursday in the summer months head down to Granville Island Public Market. Along with the usual 70 eateries and produce stands throughout the market there is a special local market full of produce, food and beverages at the Granville Island Farmers Market. Tomatoes here are fought over, strawberries are droolworthy and fresh cut flowers will fancy up any dinner table. granvilleisland.com
reality realitybites bites
an interview with...
CHEF
NatashaSchooten PHOTO CREDIT: SHAWN TALBOT
Terrafina Restaurant at Hester Creek Estate Winery
c
By Chytra Brown
hef Natasha Schooten runs the very busy kitchen at
Terrafina Restaurant located at Hester Creek Estate Winery in Oliver. She is an innovative and talented young chef. Terrafina offers a Tuscan inspired menu boasting old world charm. Whether you are on a group wine tour or enjoying an intimate dining experience, Terrafina at Hester Creek Estate Winery creates a setting in true Tuscan style.
SG: What is the style of cuisine offered at Terrafina Restaurant? NS: The cuisine is Tuscan inspired. The menu is collaborative and formulated with the entire team. Each season we ask everyone on the team to contribute to the Tuscan themed menu and describe what Tuscan cooking means to them.
SG: What is Tuscan cuisine to you? NS: To me, Tuscan is a method of using ingredients that are locally grown and on hand. Historically, the Tuscan region has been a poor; cooks in that area are really skilled at making the most basic ingredients shine! They use what they have within their growing season and make the most of it.
SG: How often does the menu change? NS: At least four times per year with the change of seasons.
SG: What do you love to cook the most? NS: I love to make chutneys, mustards, glazes and flavoured honeys – basically all condiments. I am particularly fond of basil honey, rosemary vanilla lavender honey and my bacon jam.
SG: What or who inspired you to become a chef, your motivation? NS: Truly I believe it was my grandmother who inspired me to become a chef. Also, the chefs who have mentored me and people I meet motivate me every day to continue to strive to be a great chef.
SG: What were your favorite childhood treats/foods? NS: My grandmother’s handmade cream puffs and tiger ice cream.
SG: What style or type of cuisine intrigues you? What styles are you drawn to, Asian, Italian, etc. and why? NS: Asian cuisine because I like to eat it. I’m impressed with the simplicity and use of just a few ingredients to make such great flavors.
SG: What would you consider an essential ingredient for your professional kitchen and at home? NS: A really great olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground pepper and, of course, truffle salt.
an interview with chef schooten
SG: What inspires you? NS: Just being able to enjoy the breathtaking view from our restaurant location. My work at Terrafina reminds me that I am so lucky to live in this great food region. I am deeply inspired by food and all that it encompasses. I love the look, smell and story behind the origin of every ingredient!
SG: What awards/accolades have you achieved? NS: Similkameen BBQ King (Queen) for the best food and wine pairing in 2012 and the People’s Choice Award in 2011.
SG: What kind of chef do you consider yourself? Laid back, intimidating, etc. NS: I think I’m pretty laid back and approachable, but feel sure that I come across as a very focused chef — I know what needs to be done. I think my team appreciates my effort to make everyone a part of the team and accountable for the tasks at hand.
SG: How would your staff describe you?
NS: I love to recoup with a gathering of my friends for a nice dinner and catch up with the rest of my life.
SG: If you had to cook a nice meal in 30 minutes, what would you cook? NS: Fresh pasta for sure, a nice dish of pappardelle with a rustic bolognese sauce is so impactful.
SG: If you could dress any way you want, what would you wear in the kitchen? NS: I would still wear a chef’s jacket because it’s a symbol of accomplishment.
SG: What was your biggest mistake when you were a brand new chef? NS: Having an expectation and trust that either my team or employer would appreciate and understand the work I was doing in the kitchen.
SG: What do you love to cook/eat at home?
NS: I think they would describe me as fair, hardworking and dedicated, maybe even a little crazy.
NS: I love creating charcuterie with cured and smoked meats and cheeses. I’m so fortunate to have access to many wonderful local products.
SG: What do you do to unwind after the hectic night? weekend? event? and during the summer season in the Okanagan.
SG: What ingredient baffles you or makes you wonder what to do with it or even why people consume it, such as crickets?
PHOTO CREDIT: SHAWN TALBOT
Communication is key; knowing how to communicate with staff, customers and bosses is so important. Just being approachable and professional are invaluable. Always realize your,strengths, weaknesses and faults, and be open to learning.
SG: What was your worst kitchen disaster? NS: When I was an apprentice there was a “function” for 1,500 guests. One hour prior to service we lost power. We salvaged the dinner by cooking on two barbeques and managed to deliver all 1,500 meals!
SG: What advice can you offer a young person today seeking employment in culinary arts?
Terrafina's owner, April Goldade with Chef Schooten
NS: The best advice I can offer is that if you are planning to seek a career in the culinary arts, do it for the love of food. If you’re looking for fame, try something else. It takes time, patience and dedication to be a great chef. Be prepared to pay your dues and learn the basics; from there on the rest will seem like a “piece of cake”.
NS: I can’t wrap my head around using horsemeat or small domestic animals. I just don’t see the necessity.
SG: What would you say is your best masterpiece in the kitchen?
SG: What would you say would be the best qualities one should have to become not only a good chef, but also one who will be sought after by people of discriminating taste?
NS: Heirloom tomato salad with buffalo mozzarella. There’s no manipulation, just simple, beautiful Harker’s Heirloom tomatoes, Valentine Farms balsamic vinegar, Natural Pasture’s mozzarella and tender micro greens from Harker’s Organics farm in the Similkameen. Simple is always best.
NS: One can be a good cook, but not necessarily a good chef.
Heaven has never been so close 4516 Ryegrass Road, (Black Sage Bench) Oliver 250-498-2700 “The two best wine bar experiences in the south Okanagan” - Anthony Gismondi
Bring in this ad and be entered to win a case of Church & State Wines
Best Red Wine of the Year - 2011 Wine Access Canadian Wine Awards
Best Red Wine of the Year - 2009 All-Canadian Wine Championships
3rd Best Red Wine of the Year - 2012 Wine Access Canadian Wine Awards
Best Chardonnay - 2010 San Francisco International Wine Competition
Best Syrah - 2009 International Wine & Spirit Competition (UK)
Over 50 International Gold Medals
open every day 11am-6pm • churchandstatewines.com
Taking dinner & a movie to a whole new level
Enjoy films about food and/or wine and then eat & drink what you saw on the screen This first of its kind festival in Canada will showcase both feature length and short films from the Okanagan Valley and around the world. Following each mouth-watering film a reception will be hosted that will serve the food, wine or spirits inspired by the film.
September 13 - 15, 2013 Rotary Centre for the Arts, Kelowna Tickets available at SelectYourTickets.com www.okfoodwinefilmfest.com
okfoodwinefilm
okfoodwinefilmfest
Thanks to our Beverage Sponsors: Bartier Brothers, Bartier Scholeeield, Bonitas, Castoro de Oro Estate Winery, Cherryhill Coffee, Dirty Laundry, Gray Monk Winery, Haywire Winery, House of Rose, Lake Breeze Vineyards, Lang Vineyards, Mission Hill Family Estate, Quinta Ferreira, Recline Ridge, Squeezed Wines, Sumac Ridge Estate Winery, The View Winery, Thornhaven Estates Winery, Tree Brewing, Wards Cidery Thanks to our Food Sponsors: 19 Okanagan Grill + Bar, Brodo, Chef Bernard Casavant, Codfathers Seafood Market, Delta Grand Okanagan, Down to Earth Catering, Grapevine Restaurant, Micro Bar • Bites, Mission Hill, Okanagan Chefs Association, Poppadoms, RauDZ Regional Table, Sandrine French Pastry & Chocolate, The Olive Oil Merchant
PASSION of Pascal the
Madevon
By Chytra Brown
a
s a child, Pascal Madevon was introduced
to winemaking by his grandfather. Perhaps fond childhood memories forged his love of oenology; his passion for the subject is clear. A classically trained viticulturalist and winemaker, Madevon was born, raised and educated in France, completing an oenology degree at the University of Bourdeaux, He carries the knowledge and enthusiasm for creating great wine and is driven toward new and exciting challenges. Madevon joined the Culmina Family Estate Winery in January 2013 as Vineyard Manager and Winemaker. He first met the proprietor of Culmina, Donald Triggs, in 2006 when they both worked for Vincor — Triggs as CEO and Madevon as winemaker. Culmina, the vision of Don and Elaine Triggs, is located in the south Okanagan. Madevon has spent the last 20 years of his career immersed in all facets of growing grapes and making some of the finest wines B.C. has to offer. When asked what his biggest expectation is for himself in this new role with Culmina, Madevon states, “to make a wine I love and that the customer loves”. He spends many hours each day in the vineyard. Culmina operates three vineyard sites: Stan’s Bench, Margaret’s Bench and Arise Vineyards, a total of 54 plantable acres. He’s very excited about the entire project, but both he and Triggs are particularly keen to see how the “experimental” planting of the upper part of Margaret’s Bench will be able to produce such unique varietals such as Gruner Vetliner. This vineyard is at the highest elevation in the South Okanagan; an elevation that is responsible for cooler conditions and has degree days similar to Dijon, France. Not quite sure about this endeavour, both Madevon and Triggs are reluctant to divulge the exact use for the grapes in these vineyards, but believe that the results will be great. Madevon reinforces the importance of choosing varietals wisely to “match” terroir. A great deal of planning and research has gone into Pascal Madevon 38
magazine • SUMMER 2013
pascal plume madevon wines
all the Culmina vineyards. Long range scientific studies to determine the heat units, soil quality and water holding capacity, as well as the best locations for the best grapes, have resulted in what Madevon feels will produce great wine. Madevon easily conveys his passion for both the South Okanagan and his love of B.C. wine. We are excited to see what’s in store when the first vintages are released by Culmina under Madevon’s direction later this summer. The Culmina wine shop is due to open this August. Visit them online at culmina.ca. Savour contributor Jim Martin will be exploring the “Culmina story” further in our fall issue. To check up on this topic visit savourmag.com. Culmina Triggs family
EVERY SUMMER HAS A STORY.
- unknown
Creatively Simple _ Coming Soon
mic ro bar • bi tes 1500 Water Street, Kelowna www.microkelowna.com
We love a great story.and we have stories to tell about every plate of food that leaves the kitchen at RauDZ. We know the rancher who raised the beef behind our signature ‘RJB’ ultimate burger, the artisans who create the many delicious cheeses for our cheese plate, and the farmers who fill our kitchen with the freshest fruits and summer vegetables all season long. Our food is local and we enjoy sharing the passion our suppliers have for their produce. Ask us about the stories behind our plates - we’re happy to share. - Chef Rod Butters and Audrey Surrao
Open 7 days a week from 5 p.m. 1560 Water Street, Kelowna Proud members of RauDZ Creative Concepts Ltd.
RauDZ
250•868•8805
www.raudz.com
PART I:
changingFaceof
The
winemaking BC
in
By Rhys Pender, MW
o
ne of the constants in the wine business is change.
There is a continuous evolution in terms of customer expectation, wine styles, understanding of a region’s terroir and the toolbox of tricks and technology available to the winemaker. Until recently, B.C. winemakers have been at the forefront of using everything they could to make clean, approachable wines. However, two decades of experience is starting to put the puzzle pieces in place as to which grape grows best where. A new winemaking mind-set of “less is more” to let the terroir show through is taking hold. The global wine industry seems on the edge of a mini-revolution. The rise of controversial topics such as natural winemaking and consumer’s seemingly endless demand for details about a wines provenance are increasing the exposure of the non-romantic side of winemaking — manipulation. No winemaker wants to stand up and say that their wine is really a concoction of additives, artificial products and manipulation, but for many of the world’s wines this is the reality. Consumers are shocked when they find out what really goes on. Because of this winemakers are making changes, calling on the techniques of the past and making wines that are a more honest reflection of the vineyard and the vintage. Technology, though, isn’t a bad thing. While burying grapes in ancient amphorae for a few months to see what happens may sound romantic, the result will often be an impressive collection of wine faults. Much technology is actually essential in helping showcase the true flavour of the grapes. But there is a point when it is overdone and the technology is what you taste rather than the grapes or the vineyard. Too much new oak, enzymes, sugar and some of the tannin additives can turn a wine into something that more closely resembles coca cola. Technology can, and has, made the world of wine taste pretty homogenous. It is at the higher end of the wine market where the “less is more” change is taking place. Consumers increasingly expect their wines to show some of sense of place and, generally, the less the wine is messed with the more this result can be achieved. For British Columbia wine, terroir driven wines will become
winemaking in BC
increasingly important as the scale of the industry ensures we will never compete at the low end of the market. The best wines will showcase the diverse and interesting terroir of the B.C. regions. If the grapes need to be routinely messed with to make drinkable wines then, at some point, the reality that many of the wrong grapes are planted in the wrong place will have to be accepted and embraced. Only then can B.C. start to forge ahead and really make a name for itself. Many of the prominent winemakers of B.C. are following the “less is more” mantra. Wisely, none are overly dogmatic and reject all the advancements that have been made in winemaking, but there are different takes on what ingredients should and shouldn’t be used. Bill Eggert of Fairview Cellars calls himself a minimalist; he rejects adding enzymes, nutrients and tannin products. Enzymes seem to be a bit of Winemaker Karen Gillis, Andrew Peller Ltd.
Winemaker J-M Bouchard, Road 13 Vineyards a no-no for those aiming for minimal manipulation. Sandra Oldfield of Tinhorn Creek and Chris Carson of Meyer Family Vineyards both avoid using these aroma enhancers while others keep the option open — the practice is usually reserved for lesser grapes that need a helping hand for the wine to have any character at all. Barrel salesmen may be feeling the impact of this revolution the most as B.C.’s love affair with excess oak appears to be dwindling. Outside commentators have expressed dismay for years at the lavish over-oaking of many B.C. wines which smothers the bright natural fruit. Virtually all winemakers seem to be retreating back to lower and lower percentages
Photo Credit: Chris Mason Stearns
winemaking in BC
of new barrels. Michael Bartier of Okanagan Crush Pad sums it up well, “the new oak flavour that comes with new barrels absolutely stifles the fresh, vibrant Okanagan fruit.” The use of wild versus cultivated yeasts is also a topic of debate and is made even more interesting by recent studies that have shown that it is commercially cultivated yeasts that finish most fermentations regardless of whether or not they have been intentionally added. This is due to the reality that all yeasts essentially become wild as soon as they are used in a fermentation and then become a living entity within the winery. Grapes such as pinot noir and chardonnay seem to be the favourites for wild ferments. J-M Bouchard of Road 13 Vineyards and David Paterson of Tantalus Vineyards both rely on wild ferments to add complexity to their pinot noir.
Winemaker Sandra Oldfield, Tinhorn Creek Vineyards
Stop by and see us at the entrance to the Naramata Bench
• Picnic fare • Coffee Bar • Breakfast & Lunch • Healthy dinners to go • Catering
From the earth Comfortable Old World charm with a New World approach
368 Vancouver Avenue, Penticton, BC 250•492•2222 thebenchmarket.com
A taste of Tuscany in your own backyard Open for lunch & dinner | 11.30a - 9p | Reservations recommended | +250.498.2229 887 Road 8, Oliver, British Columbia
www.terrafinarestaurant.com
winemaking in BC
Karen Gillis of Andrew Peller Limited likes to keep her options open to all forms of technology, something she sees as a reality when producing larger quantities of wine. “I don’t have a bank roll big enough to let me experiment completely with wild, no interruption, no enhancement, unlimited aging time,” she says highlighting the fact that it is much easier to be idealistic with small batches. “Even though we have many tools available to aid us in our craft, the best wines are still made when we don’t have to pull out the bag of tricks.” While winemakers can’t agree on exactly what should and shouldn’t be done, there is definitely a trend to “less is more” winemaking and evident passion to try to express terroir. It feels like B.C. wine may be at the start of its own mini-revolution. Part 2 continued in the next issue. Winemaker Bill Eggert, Fairview Cellars
John Schreiner on wine
INTERSECTION WINES
By John Schreiner
i
ntersection Winery owner Bruce Schmidt laments that
the severe winters of 2008 and 2009 killed nearly half of the 20,000 vines he had just planted. “Either you are a farmer or you are not,” he says. “What do you do about it? The only way is to do the best you can and forge ahead. You’re not going to stop.” He replaced the vines and installed frost fans. After the more benign winters since, Intersection’s four hectares (10 acres) reached full production in 2012. “I can imagine how much more wine we would have made, and the income [we would have earned],” Bruce sighs. “But that is just two years out of many.” With the vineyard setback overcome, Intersection has enough wine to attract attention. After releasing a few hundred cases in each of the last two years, the winery bottled 2,500 cases in 2013, the initial target of its business plan. It also opened a tasting room for the first time in the massive packing house now serving as the winery at the intersection of Road 8 and Highway 97 south of Oliver (hence the name). While Bruce, a 1975 physics graduate from the University of British Columbia, may still have a thing or two to learn about vineyards, he is a legend in Canadian wine marketing. In the early 1980s, he turned Calona Vineyards’ Schloss Laderheim into Canada largest-selling white wine. Born in Kelowna in 1952, Bruce earned a bachelor’s degree in physics at the University of British Columbia in 1975 but went almost immediately into the beverage industry, starting with Molson’s and moving to Nabisco Brands in 1978. Nabisco had owned Calona since 1971. Bruce was part of its team of sharp young marketers until 1985,
Bruce Schmidt and Ginette Bertrand when he left to manage the “Expo 86” activities of advertising agency Burson-Marsteller. He moved on after Expo to a variety of entrepreneurial ventures in science and in finance. “Basically, sales and marketing has been my talent base,” Bruce says. “I have used that in a number of areas.” In science, he has started or run several companies with interests in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. Even after launching Intersection, he has continued working in the scientific field. “But in some ways, I don’t think I have left the wine business,” he says. “I have always been connected in some way to someone who is selling wine, making wine, or whatever. I have always had this interest in a vineyard. In fact, in 1992, I helped Blue Mountain finance their start-up.” He headed a company that had a minority interest in Blue Mountain for 18 years. “Blue Mountain has been a great teacher of how you do things right,” he says. In 2005, he acquired a four-hectare (10-acre) orchard beside the Winemaker Dylan Roche
highway south of Oliver. The fruit trees were replaced with vines and the sturdy packing house was turned into an efficient winery. The majority of plants are Merlot. Bruce believes the vineyard produces distinctive and expressive fruit flavours. Winemaker Dylan Roche, who joined Intersection in 2012, shows off the Merlot by making four different wines — a rosé, two table wines and an unusual Amarone-style wine from air-dried grapes. That also shows off Dylan’s versatility as a winemaker. Born in Vancouver in 1976, he became passionate about wine while working in Burgundy as a bicycle mechanic and tour leader with Butterfield &
Winery dogs Tia and Bacchus Robinson. He added a Burgundy wine and viniculture diploma to his Canadian urban geography degree. Between 2003 and 2011, when he returned to Canada, Dylan made wine in New Zealand, Burgundy and latterly in Bordeaux where he was winemaker at a small estate. Making Okanagan wine is not a big stretch. “I am pleasantly surprised here,” Dylan says. “The more I taste here, the more I find that the shape of the wines is closer to what we tasted in France than it is to [New World] wines.” In addition to the Merlot wines, his focussed portfolio at Intersection includes Sauvignon Blanc; Mile’s Edge White, a blend of Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc; and Cabernet Franc. “We do have a very small block of Cabernet Franc,” Bruce says. “This is sort of future wishful thinking. In my mind, it is the next grape — it is a sensational grape for the valley.”
RiveR’s Bend WineRy From the vineyard to your table we
WINERIES
offer true varietal character, fruit forward, 100% BC grown wines. Clean,
Five Miles of Fabulous Grape Fun
well balanced and food
33 Belgo Rd.
friendly. Enjoy!
97
Dilworth Rd.
oulin
Rd.
Hollywood Rd. S
Benv
Reid Rd.
Okanagan Lake
East Kelowna Rd.
KLO Rd. Spiers Rd.
We invite you to visit our wine store, tasting room and picnic area. Open Tues to Sun 11 am - 6 pm
Gordon Dr.
Springfield Rd.
The Harvest Golf Club
Pooley Rd.
Garner Rd.
Hart Rd. Ward Rd.
THE VIEW WINERY
#1 - 2287 Ward Road www.theviewwinery.com
15560 Colebrook Rd., South Surrey, BC Sales and Marketing Manager: Gary Faessler Toll Free: 1-888-574-6106 • Cell: 250-715-5057 web: riversbendwinery.com • email: gfaessler@shaw.ca
SPIERHEAD WINERY
3950 Spiers Road www.spierheadwinery.com
CAMELOT
3489 East Kelowna Road www.camelotvineyards.ca
THE VIBRANT VINE
3240 Pooley Road www.thevibrantvine.com
HOUSE OF ROSE
2270 Garner Road www.houseofrose.ca
KELOWNAFABFIVE.COM
BC VQA tasting notes
Sip into
Summer WINES
By Rhys Pender, MW
Stoneboat Pinot Gris 2012 Okanagan Valley $18.90
Fast becoming a benchmark Okanagan Pinot Gris. There is pear, preserved lemon, grapefruit zest and ripe honeydew melon with a touch of flint on the nose. The palate is medium in body with crisp refreshing acidity and lots of ruby grapefruit and lemon citrus, ripe pear and strong minerality throughout.
SpierHead Pinot Noir 2011 $19.90
Poplar Grove Merlot 2009 Okanagan Valley $30.00
A blockbuster at over 15% alcohol but handles it well with brambly berry, dried plum, raspberry, cocoa, violet and dried sage aromas and a rich, full and silky palate. Flavours of dark chocolate, Nutella, black plum, clove and orange zest linger on a long finish, let down only very slightly by the heat from the alcohol.
Okanagan Valley
Following on from the success of the 2010 Pinot, 2011 is another great value wine. The complex nose shows lots of baking spices, nut, butter, white chocolate and hazelnut along with cherry, tart raspberry, earth and orange zest notes. The palate is light and juicy with strawberry, burlap, pipe tobacco, zest and meaty notes. Subtle now, it should age into something special.
Inniskillin Okanagan Pinot Noir 2011 Okanagan Valley $18.99
Another great example of how well the cool 2011 vintage was suited to Pinot Noir. The nose shows raspberry, strawberry, rhubarb, good healthy compost and a touch of cola. The palate has crisp acidity, bright red fruits and light tannins with a slight earthy, dusty note to them.
Wines listed here with the Wines of BC logo can be found in BC VQA stores depending on availability. For all others, consult each winery. 46
magazine • SUMMER 2013
BC VQA tasting notes Mission Hill Reserve Pinot Noir 2011 Okanagan Valley $24.99
Quails’ Gate Stewart Family Reserve Pinot Noir 2011 Okanagan Valley $45.00
The Reserve Pinot Noir from Mission Hill has steadily been increasing in quality for years. The 2011 is again very classy with aromas of black cherry, strawberry, earth, smoke and game meat. The palate is silky, dry and nicely balanced with crisp fresh acidity and light grippy tannins. It is packed with red berry flavours, intense minerality, ripe raspberry and intense forest floor and lemon zest that lingers on the long finish.
The 2011 is excellent with quite intense and complex cherry, raspberry, earth, burlap, spice and dried herb notes on the nose and a silky yet fresh palate with seamlessly integrated red fruits, earth, nut, spice and cocoa notes with a very long finish. Should age very well.
River Stone Cabernet Franc 2011 Okanagan Valley $26.00
Sandhill Estate Vineyard Chardonnay 2011 Okanagan Valley $17.99
Shows nicely balanced aromas of cantaloupe melon, peach, lemon sherbet, pineapple, apple and peach with some subtle hazelnut and lees notes. The palate is light, crisp and zippy with weight added from well integrated oak and lees work. The fresh lemon, mineral, nectarine, ruby grapefruit zest and honeydew melon notes mix nicely with butter and nut complexity.
A great, light, juicy and refreshing Cabernet Franc from the cool 2011 vintage. The nose has intense red currant, cherry, raspberry and mixed brambly berries overlaid with tobacco, five spice and ripe tomato. The palate is very juicy with bright red fruits and some clove, citrus zest, graphite and floral notes with a hint of leather and tobacco. Chill it slightly for a great summer red.
Wild Goose Gewürztraminer 2012 Okanagan Valley $19.00
Tinhorn Creek 2012 Oldfield Series 2Bench Rosé Okanagan Valley $22.99
A nice refreshing rosé combining caramel, stewed strawberry and chocolate with orange zest and floral notes. The palate is just off-dry balanced with crisp acidity and nice savoury, dried herbal elements before the tart, juicy and refreshing strawberry, cranberry and raspberry fruit kick in. There is some nice minerality on the long, dry finish.
A benchmark Okanagan Gewürz producer, Wild Goose has made a delicious 2012. Intense rose petal and lychee notes leap from the glass leading on to the lush, just off-dry, spicy and balanced palate. Stone fruit, mango and floral notes mix with lemon and grapefruit while cinnamon and clove linger on the long, crisp finish.
magazine • SUMMER 2013 47
FoodPorn
Originally published in: Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Winter 2010), written by Anne E. McBride
t
he very idea of food porn is contentious. Academics presum-
ably like the term because it attracts more readers than less sexy topics (pun intended), while the general public uses the term broadly to describe mouthwatering images in magazines, on tv, or online.1 A certain shock value can account for its popularity with both groups. But people who actually work with food generally ignore the label and focus instead on their jobs. Is the term food porn, then, simply a creation of commentators on the sidelines? Why does it have such continuing appeal? And what does it actually mean? Although he did not specifically use the term, Roland Barthes discussed what is essentially food porn in his 1957 collection, Mythologies. Commenting on the food-related content in Elle magazine that offers fantasy to those who cannot afford to cook such meals, he writes: “[C]ooking according to Elle is meant for the eye alone, since sight is a genteel sense.”2 The actual words food porn first appeared in 1979, when Michael Jacobson, cofounder of the Center for Science in the Public 48
magazine • SUMMER 2013
Interest, opposed healthy and unhealthy foods—“Right Stuff” and “Food Porn”—in the Center’s newsletter, Nutrition Action Healthletter.3 Jacobson later explained that he “coined the term to connote a food that was so sensationally out of bounds of what a food should be that it deserved to be considered pornographic.”4 It is not known whether he knew of journalist Alexander Cockburn’s 1977 use of the term gastroporn in the New York Review of Books: Now it cannot escape attention that there are curious parallels between manuals on sexual techniques and manuals on the preparation of food; the same studious emphasis on leisurely technique, the same apostrophes to the ultimate, heavenly delights. True gastro-porn heightens the excitement and also the sense of the unattainable by proffering colored photographs of various completed recipes.5 For some reason, the term food porn took off, while gastro-porn never did. Today, food porn generally evokes the unattainable: cooks will never achieve the results shown in certain cookbooks, magazines, or television
food porn
shows, nor will they ever master the techniques. In fact, portrayals of food have been so transformed by food styling, lighting, and the actions of comely media stars that food does seem increasingly out of reach to the average cook or consumer.6 As with sex porn, we enjoy watching what we ourselves presumably cannot do. Critic Richard Magee points to a performative dimension in food that also links it with sex: “Food, when removed from the kitchen, becomes divorced from its nutritive or taste qualities and enters a realm where surface appearance is all-important. The interest here is in creating a graphic simulation of real food that is beyond anything that the home cook could produce.”7 By involving visceral, essential, and “fleshy” elements, this performative aspect invites obvious and usually facile comparisons with sex8—as do the many food-show hosts, usually women, who lick their fingers or use sensual terms to describe what they are doing. A second level of comparisons also exists. Cockburn writes about “culinary pastoralism” vis-à-vis “gastro-porn,” while Magee pits Martha Stewart’s “food Puritanism” against Nigella Lawson’s “food porn.”9 It is difficult to move beyond such rhetorical play. But the tenth anniversary edition of Gastronomica offers an appropriate occasion to reexamine the meaning of food porn. The forum presented here grew out of a meeting of Menus in the Media, a working group funded by New York University’s Institute for Public Knowledge that studies the culture of cooking from both academic and practitioner perspectives. Our original discussion was led by Frederick Kaufman and Alan Madison; here, other academics and chefs contribute to the conversation. —Anne E. McBride
Anne E. McBride: Is there such a thing as food porn? Will Goldfarb: No. It’s a meaningless, artificial term. Porn is a replacement for sex, while food is a consumable item. Except for the fact that they’re both on television I don’t see the two as related. It’s
all about delivery systems. The Food Network makes food look pretty so that consumers will go out and buy a blender. But you don’t watch porn to buy the mattress on which the actors are having sex. Sex is not consumable in the same way. Where porn is a substitute for the real thing, food television is not a substitute for food. People complain that tv and magazines make food sexy to sell it, but where exactly is the porn in food television? What is the act? Because I don’t understand what the term means, for me it doesn’t exist. Krishnendu Ray: I am skeptical, because I find that food porn is used primarily by writers to condemn cooking-related entertainment on television and in magazines. It is mostly used to attack beautiful food in the name of good food. What makes me doubly skeptical is the easy, uninterrogated consensus it has generated among so many graduate students. It reminds me of the old exaggerated critique of mass culture.10 Once you call something pornographic, you bring down moral opprobrium on it. You poison the topic and stop the discussion from going any further. But the issue is worth pursuing. Instead of food porn we could borrow more productive and subtle categories from studies of visual culture.11 Alan Madison: The use of food porn to describe professionally photographed food in magazines and on tv demonstrates a lack of understanding of what pornography is, how it is produced, and for what purpose; it dilutes the meaning and seriousness of the word pornography. In our society half-naked, airbrushed, pristinely photographed models appear on billboards to sell everything from socks to suits—is this “fashion porn”? We use images of female soccer players wearing only their sports bras, with looks of ecstasy on their faces, and of male basketball players wearing short shorts to sell everything from sneakers to Viagra—is this “sports porn”? The use of sexy, highly stylized images and pictures as advertisements is the bread and butter of advertising and marketing. How do any of these differ from the highly stylized, cleanly lit images of food tv or food advertising? If the “food porn” advocates want to say that our society as a whole is pornographic, I would go along with that. But to single out food for this pejorative is disingenuous and hypocritical, since the use of such a charged word as porn is just intended to attract interest. Chris Cosentino: The idea of food as porn has been around since the days of the ancient Romans. There were huge feasts with vomitoria so diners could go back and gorge some more. It was about opulence and decadence: oysters and bee pollen are great old examples. When you look at things now, we’re not far from associating eating with the Seven Deadly Sins. Using words such as luscious, unctuous, creamy, and decadent to describe food brings to mind the so-called sins of gluttony and lust. I think about food differently. For me it’s the immediacy of experiencing the food itself. There’s not all that much difference between lusting over a person or over food. Frederick Kaufman: When a culturally conservative venue such as the New York Times casually categorizes Julie and Julia as “food porn,” we know there’s something out there.
AEM: How do you define food porn? FK: Since food porn has become a cultural term taken for granted by bloggers and mainstream media alike, its origins have rarely been revisited. The term’s staying power has a fair bit to do with the edginess and
magazine • SUMMER 2013 49
food porn
controversy that continue to encircle the idiom. We may never be able to nail down a precise definition of pornography, but like sex porn, we know food porn when we see it. There was wisdom in the Supreme Court’s 1964 “Community Standards” ruling, which created a metric for the term pornography through cultural reception, a tactic that could henceforth locate all manner of porn within historical frames. Food porn gained its initial linguistic traction in the 1980s and accelerated throughout the 1990s and 2000s to attain its present vaunted status. Why did the idea of food porn emerge at this particular time, and why did it persist despite the explosion and fragmentation of food media? As with most neologisms, the story has as much to do with the cross-disciplinary influence of politics and technology as with whisking and frying. One could just as easily place the credit or blame for food porn on the Internet and Jenna Jameson as on Giada De Laurentiis and her mozzarella, raspberry, and brown sugar panini. Indeed, it was only a matter of time before a desire as essential and physical as food would be co-opted by capitalism’s most profitable avenues of distribution and sales. And as most students of history understand, slippage of definitional terms becomes particularly acute during periods of political and social crisis, periods in which decadence, sonorescence, and the collapse of previous orders are widely perceived—all of which marked the American landscape from which food porn emerged. KR: I don’t define it, but from what others have argued it seems reasonable to assume that food porn means the following: (a) it is porn when you don’t do it but watch other people do it; (b) there is something unattainable about the food pictured in magazines or cooked on tv shows; (c) there is no pedagogical value to it; (d) it hides the hard work and dirty dishes behind cooking; (e) there is something indecent about playing with food when there is so much hunger in the world.
I think there is some value in all these criticisms, but the term food porn closes off discussion rather than opening them up to closer inspection. For instance, take the critique that porn is when you watch it but don’t do it. There is some merit to arguing that we lose something of our culture when we don’t practice it. Culture is not only about representation but also about doing it. We practice culture, and it takes a lot of practice. This tactile, embodied conception of culture is a useful corrective to culture understood primarily as representation or artifact. AM: Pornography has nothing to do with the enhancement and increased valuation of image and action and everything to do with the devaluation of the image and the actions it depicts. Porn is designed to subordinate by pictures or words, not to elevate or deify. Porn’s images are graphic, not stylized; real, not enhanced. Pornography does not idealize sex—quite the opposite, it diminishes it. Sex porn contains no art, and the making of it contains little, if any, craft. It is the cheaply made, documentary recording of straightforward actions. Its point is to leave as little to the imagination as possible, so that one can easily insert oneself into the scene for the ultimate purpose of self-gratification. If there were an accurate definition for food porn it would not be chefs on food tv creating delicious dinners, or recipes in food magazines augmented with sumptuous close-up photography. Instead, food porn would be the grainy, shaky, documentary images of slaughterhouses, behind-the-scenes fast-food workers spitting in their products, or dangerous chemicals being poured on farmland. Such documentary evidence of food-product degradation is the closest imagery to “food porn” and, just like regular porn, some want to outlaw these images—in this case, the food industry. If food porn did exist, the analogous shot to the all important “cum shot” in sex porn would be to graphically show the end result of eating—defecating—not the process of making a perfectly roasted chicken. CC: To me, food porn is the ability of food to elicit a positive and euphoric reaction, as well as to make others covet what you are eating. It encompasses everything. It’s not just in magazines or on television— it’s also the experience of dining. WG: I don’t have a definition for food porn since it doesn’t exist.
AEM: How useful a metaphor is porn as applied to food? CC: Not a great one, though it definitely gets people’s attention. Sort of like rubbernecking at a highway accident: It makes people stop and look. If the term porn brings people to food, I don’t care what it means. The more we can get people to pay attention to food, the more changes are going to be made to the food system. Every day I send out pictures of food that I cook. These pictures might change people’s perception of what food is and send them to a farmer’s market, but some viewers might find my pictures of raw meat offensive. The word porn is just risky enough to make some people look, but it will make others turn away. WG: The term porn is unrelated to food, since it traditionally applies to flesh vending rather than the high art of customer nourishing. Alan’s comments about the low grade of porn production undermine any similarity even further— it’s about sex, stupid, not high-production value. Making food for a purpose other than pure nourishment is usually done solely for art, which is why people will pay one hundred dollars for a
food porn
fancy restaurant and two dollars for McDonald’s, when both have the same calories. FK: As a trope, food porn can tell us a great deal about who we are and the culture in which we live, even if it doesn’t tell us very much about the enduring qualities of food. Pornography’s cultural explosion can be traced to the advent of the personal computer and subsequent reign of the Web, which enabled a new perception of privacy and new horizons of alienation. At the same time, porn as a cultural artifact gained legitimacy through identity politics (which emphasized personal experience over larger moral and social codes), body and gender theory (which emphasized physical difference as a form of empowerment), and an economic climate in which anything deemed attractive could be relentlessly repositioned and commodified as a luxury item—all the better to be consumed by the young urban professional. The years of the yuppie coincided with the years of the foodie, and many of the same cultural fetishes apply to both. The subsequent Bush years and post-9/11 politics ushered in a national post-traumatic stress disorder that has swung between poles of aggression and passivity, worship and withdrawal, dialectics that ironically serve the purposes of both nesting and porn.
AEM: Then why do you think the term food porn is so widely used? WG: Because sex sells. Articles that mention sex are an instant hit. When I was at Duke, my sociology professor changed the name of his “Consumer Marketing” class to “Consuming Passions”; enrollment quadrupled. It’s like throwing around the term molecular gastronomy without digging any deeper into what it really means. The term food porn has no meaning in any context in which it’s used, but it has become a sound bite for everyone. It’s just sexier. AM: I personally don’t think the term is widely used. It is used by a slight sliver of academia to describe the use of idealized images of food in its marketing, and often it is used facetiously by those who create that marketing. However, in the spirit of this discussion, the short answer is: money. The term food porn is provocative and is used in print to help sell articles. Sex sells, and to attach a sexual connotation to any article attracts more eyeballs, thereby yielding more money for the publisher. Some use food porn in their title for the same reason that some women’s magazines always have the word orgasm on the cover: to attract readers. In the future, we will see more sensationally glib food articles like The Chicken Holocaust, Terrorist Farmers, The New Racism: Brown and White Eggs, White Chocolate Slavery, and The Foie Gras Abortion. Obviously, words matter, and some are loaded with historical meaning and deep emotion. Words can titillate and offend; when misused, they have the insidious side effect of diluting and perverting the word’s historical meaning. Food porn is one such case. It serves to diminish the meaning of pornography and its potential to degrade human sexuality. Although pornography can be harmful to both sexes, by and large it debases women in particular. Using the word porn in connection with food photography desensitizes us to the pejorative meaning of the word and thereby makes sex porn seem not really so bad. CC: Food magazines, with their rich food photography, have become
the brown-paper-covered magazines that people used to hide, except now it’s okay to be a foodophile. It’s okay to indulge and go to this restaurant and eat this food, to gorge oneself on that cheese. There’s nothing wrong with that. KR: I am not convinced that the term is widely used, with the exception of some elements of the virtuous literary crowd and those who mimic them. They have this quaint idea that we should learn something from tv, presumably just as we do from books, especially books without lovely pictures. The presumption is that we should work hard at watching, not just have mindless fun. In my judgment, the pedagogical value of any form of commodified culture is suspect. Entertainment on tv reproduces all the problems of popular culture, and few of its promises. Food tv carries the same burdens. So the critique of “food porn” is too narrowly focused on food. But let me argue the exact opposite of what I have said so far. Let us for a moment assume that most of the coverage of food on American tv is pornographic. Following the critic Don Kulick, in a slightly different context one could argue that if it is pornographic it is a progressive kind of pornography. That’s impossible, right? In pornography the depiction of women’s pleasure has always been more difficult because there are no photogenic equivalents to the erect penis and ejaculation. Hence the so-called “money shot” is almost always about the man; women’s pleasure is much less convincingly portrayed. Visually, the state of the phallus drives the plot. In food porn the position of the phallus as the ultimate source of all pleasure is usurped by food. Hence, if food tv is pornographic, it is much less phallocentric. Kulick notes that Luce Irigaray has made much in her writing about the power that a woman’s “two lips” might have to parler femme (speak woman) and thereby displace the male phallus from its Freudian throne as the supposed source of all erotic joy. The “two lips” Irigaray refers to are vaginal lips. But maybe we should, instead, consider those other two lips and what they can do. And perhaps those intensely mouthy pleasures of lapping, licking, slurping, and crunching that we see depicted… are some version of parler femme—a language of pleasure, power, and supreme disinterest in everything the phallus has to offer.12 Think of that the next time you are distracted by Giada De Laurentiis licking her fingers as she greedily swallows some freshly made doughnuts.
AEM: Why does food invite such voyeurism? CC: Because it provokes such a visceral response. KR: I don’t think food is particularly prone to voyeurism. Sex is much more compelling, happy families more enticing, murder absolutely gripping; all these things work as entertainment for precisely the same reason. In our culture most of these things—sex, bliss, and death—are expected to be contained within the private realm in some ridiculously ideal world, while in reality they either leak out or we hope to transgress in our dreams. Much of cooking on television is in fact domesticity on display—equivalent to families on display, romance on display, reality on display, order (in cop shows), or dramatic cures (in doctor shows). They are one-dimensional caricatures, useful precisely because of their simplicity, clarity, and idealization. So we dream up these ways to contain sex, happiness, and death, reminding ourselves of our social ideals. We see more and more cooking on tv as we ourselves cook less and
magazine • SUMMER 2013 51
food porn
award winning wines and summer wines
2012 Helena (Rose) Three Boys Vineyard
Our Helena is beautiful rose with hints of strawberry, raspberry on the nose with a smooth long finish. Great summer sipper.
2009 Malbec (New Release) Three Boys Vineyard Toasty nose with hints of coffee. The palate offers flavours of dark jammy berries with a long velvety finish. Wonderful with prime rib, game or strong cheeses.
2009 Cabernet Franc Gold Medal Winner & Best in Class at the Pacific Rim International Wine Competition Gold Medal at the All-Canadian Wine Championships
Raspberry, cherry, strawberry and plum flavours with a touch of oak. A spicy black pepper finish on well structured tannins. Serve with Mediterranean dishes, lamb, game meats and aged cheese.
2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Double Gold at All Canadian Wine Awards
Cassis and berry notes are complemented by toasty oak, smooth tannins and a long luscious mouth feel. Fifteen months in French oak. Pairs with red meats, spicy dishes and strong cheeses.
Join the Desert Hills wine club today deserthills.ca/wine-club
less. But if our problem with cooking shows is that they are voyeuristic, then almost everything on tv is pornographic. Why target cooking shows? Television has allowed cooking to be born as a public image. Marshall McLuhan saw that coming long ago when he wrote: “In audiletactile Europe tv has intensified the visual sense, spurring them toward American styles of packaging and dressing. In America, the intensely visual culture, tv has opened the doors of audile-tactile perception to the non-visual world of spoken languages and food and the plastic arts.”13 Food on tv and in colorful magazines is also about domesticity as an iteration of nation building. It gives us a way to imagine a collective public by watching cultural practices as deployed across a diverse but unified territory that we call a nation. All those endless barbecue shows are a good way to imagine the extent of the nation and its myriad variety. But domesticity is not the whole story. There are also contradictory claims of masculinity and professionalization. Food on tv portrays the virtues of professionalization. Even Rachael Ray is defensive when she goes on Iron Chef. “I am just a cook, not a chef,” she says. Chefs can do stuff I can’t. Surgeons can do stuff no healer can. Cops can do stuff that you or I can’t. These folks can save the world. So, you see, we must concede our world to the expert, each in his (or her) field. Not because we can do it, but because we can’t. So the point of food on tv is not that we can do it—the presumption behind the critique that food porn is mere unproductive, voyeuristic, fun—but that we can’t do it. That is the source of its pleasure. FK: Voyeurism hinges upon projections of the private and the personal into the public realm. From this perspective, the publication or broadcast of a private activity—be it coitus or cooking—creates structural equivalents. Food porn, like sex porn, like voyeurism, are all measures of alienation, not community. As such, they belong to realms of irreality. Irreality, of course, is attractive to anyone who may be dissatisfied with the daily exigencies of his or her life. Hence the compelling nature of visceral experiences from food and sex to the Weather Channel’s blatant exploitation of disastrous storms and floods, all of which can be vicariously consumed through the multifarious screens that have come to dominate our lives. WG: Food is unique within the realm of high art for involving an actual commodity internalized by the consumer—a special relationship that cannot be found in any other expression of personal values. Once an art of survival, food has evolved into a fine art, with a pleasure disproportionate to its nutritional value. Images of naked women nearly having sex can be considered fine art; depending on the style of photography, they are not considered pornography. Why? The only way to argue that point is to make the “What is Art?” argument successfully. By analogy, it is not a stretch to say that there is such a thing as fine art that distinguishes the preparation of food. Therefore I don’t understand the notion of voyeurism in food. Just because people like watching other people do things, that doesn’t make it voyeurism. AM: Your question assumes that watching food on tv is voyeuristic. That is absurd—that would make watching anything on tv, or in the cinema or theater, voyeuristic. Can’t someone watch just to be entertained or educated? If all watching is just tawdry voyeurism, then all performances are nothing more than cheap exhibitionism. This question
also shows a complete misunderstanding of the artifice of food television, which does not employ any of the visual styles that imply voyeurism— hidden cameras, poor lighting, shaky cinema vérité camera work, or a single wideangle view of the action. There is no pretense to make the experience “real” or “documentary”—quite the opposite is necessary to create a successful food show. Most shows are taped with three to seven cameras in proscenium style, sometimes with a full audience; the aspiration is theatrical, to create high drama from the ordinary. Stylistically speaking, creating food television has more in common with opera than with pornography or voyeurism. In formal visual terms, the invitation is not to watch secretly but to join the community of the audience to celebrate and applaud in public, not to masturbate in private. If you are mistakenly conflating voyeurism with viewership based on statistics, that just doesn’t work. On tv, for example, the “voyeurism” food invites is dwarfed by professional wrestling, non-cooking housewives in New Jersey, singers trying to become idols, and hundreds of other subjects from animated sponges to real-life bounty hunters. An academic looking to make broad cultural critiques based on tv-viewing habits would be better served by watching nascar than by watching someone sauté artichokes.
AEM: Does food porn function as a substitute for actual cooking? WG: There is no question that the act of cooking invites many enthusiasts, some of whom may have little desire to actually cook. So the question is, does being a fan diminish the value of the experience? Is Roger Federer less brilliant because his spectators don’t all play tennis? The answer, I hope, is painfully obvious. I still don’t know what food porn is. But let’s say for the sake of argument that it has to do with the presentation of food. There are two kinds of people who watch food porn: either they cook or they don’t. There is no way that watching food on television will make people cook less. Most of the Food Network shows are designed to encourage people to buy things to cook, so they have the opposite effect from food porn’s presumed one—that people watch and don’t do. Food on television doesn’t take away the desire to cook from those who have it, but it does make people who don’t cook want to buy food. It’s a net gain, not a net loss. That’s why I love food television. The concept of food porn exists only for people who don’t have any relation to food in preparing, cooking, or serving it—they’re only interested in analyzing it. That’s the replacement—the replacement of the real with the abstract. The people analyzing the watching of the cooking—that’s food porn. They are the ones who have replaced the act of cooking with the act of watching. FK: Through interviews with food-media producers, directors, onscreen talent, and Food Network executives, I learned that practitioners of the genre understand food television as the equivalent of an anti-anxiety drug, that cooking on television presents an idealized, alternative reality, and that the more people watch, the less they cook. Rachael Ray goes over beautifully in a sports bar: The men drink beer, munch chips, and watch the game, while one television over, virtual wife smiles and prepares virtual dinner. Again, the alienation and technological intervention particularize a larger cultural shift in which virtuality has gained ground. And virtuality, in turn, engenders a wide variety of
reactions, including this exchange. Our dialogue about food porn is a way of reckoning with a perceived threat, which may explain a fair bit of denial. CC: If you don’t cook, yes, food tv allows you to live through others’ actions, just as porn does. A lot of people want to feel the same passion that chefs do, and tv is the closest way to get to that. Cooking shows are full of fervor, of drive. Others live though our passion for food and experience joy in our meals. For people who don’t normally cook, food porn is a great substitute. AM: This question, like all of the others, assumes that food porn exists. But it doesn’t. The implication is that viewing regular, old-fashioned sex porn alone satiates desire, which of course it does not. Porn incites to action and is worthless if it does not. If the metaphor is to be taken to its logical conclusion, food porn in itself cannot sate desire; it must inspire to action. So, just as a healthy dose of regular porn might leave you lying in bed trying to catch your breath, one would assume that food porn would incite you to breathlessly whip some egg whites until they became a very stiff meringue.
magazine • SUMMER 2013 53
food porn
Chris Cosentino is executive chef at Incanto and co-creator of Boccalone Salumeria in San Francisco. He was one of the finalist chefs of The Next Iron Chef and is now the co-host of Chefs vs. City, both on Food Network. Will Goldfarb is the chef-owner of WillPowder and WillEquipped, sources for specialty products and equipment for restaurant and home kitchens. He was nominated for Best Pastry Chef by the James Beard Foundation, and Pastry Art & Design named him one of the Ten Best Pastry Chefs in America. Frederick Kaufman is a contributing editor at Harper’s and a professor of journalism at the City University of New York and the cuny Graduate School of Journalism. His essay “Debbie Does Salad: The Food Network at the Frontiers of Pornography” (Harper’s magazine, October 2005) expanded the concept of gastro-porn. Alan Madison has traveled around the world producing and directing food shows for television. He has worked with chefs Emeril Lagasse, Rocco DiSpirito, Jacques Torres, Rick Bayless, Charlie
Trotter, Sara Moulton, Rachael Ray, and hundreds of others. Early in his career he worked as a production assistant in the porn industry. Krishnendu Ray is a sociologist and assistant professor of food studies at New York University. He is the author of The Migrant’s Table: Meals and Memories in Bengali-American Households; his essay “Domesticating Cuisine: Food and Aesthetics on American Television” (Gastronomica, Winter 2007) argued against the existence of food porn. anne e. mcbride is the director of the Experimental Cuisine Collective at New York University and of the Center for Food Media at the Institute of Culinary Education. She is working toward a Ph.D. in food studies at nyu, focusing her research on the interrelations among nation, profession, and cuisine. With chef François Payard, she wrote Chocolate Epiphany and Bite Size, and with ice's Rick Smilow, Culinary Careers (Clarkson Potter, 2010). Originally printed in Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture, Vol. 10, NO. 1, PP 38-46 ISSN 1529-3262 ©2010 by the Regents of the University of California, All Rights Reserved. ucpressjournals.com/reprintinfo.asp
notes
1. An August 2009 search for the term food porn on Flickr.com yielded 22,753 results. 2. Roland Barthes, “Ornamental Cookery,” Mythologies (New York: Hill and Wang, 1972), 78. 3. For example, the July–August 2009 issue of nah featured kfc’s Kentucky Grilled Chicken (the grilled alternative to its fried chicken that kfc launched in spring 2009) as “Right Stuff” and Baskin-Robbins’s new line of premium sundaes as “Food Porn.” See http://cspinet.org/nah/index.htm. 4. As told to Bonnie Liebman, director of nutrition at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. E-mail correspondence, May 2009. 5. Alexander Cockburn, “Gastro-Porn,” New York Review of Books, 8 December 1977, at www.nybooks.com/articles/8309. 6. Molly O’Neill discusses this in “Food Porn,” Columbia Journalism Review, September–October 2003, 38–45. 7. Richard M. Magee, “Food Puritanism and Food Pornography: The Gourmet Semiotics of Martha and Nigella,” Americana: The Journal of American Popular Culture 6:2 (Fall 2007), at www.americanpopularculture.com/journal/articles/ fall_2007/magee.htm. 8. See, for example, Andrew Chan, “‘La grande bouffe’: Cooking Shows as Pornography,” Gastronomica 3:4 (Fall 2003): 47–53. 9. In the final paragraph of his essay, however, Magee avows that Lawson transcends any simple binary: “She rejects the patriarchal oppression of the kitchen while embracing domestic comforts in the same way that one may embrace the pleasures of sex while turning away from the essential falsity and potential oppression of pornography.” 10. Theodor Adorno, The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception (New York: Routledge, 2001 [reprint of original 1944 edition]). 11. See, for instance, Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright, Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001). 12. Fat: The Anthropology of an Obsession, ed. Don Kulick and Anne Meneley (New York: Penguin, 2005), 92. 13. Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (New York: Signet, 1964), 54.
As an award winning winery located in the sunny Okanagan, Desert Hills is proud to announce our most recent 2012 medals... All Canadian Wine Championship DOUBLE GOLD: 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon GOLD: 2011 Gamay & 2009 Cabernet Franc & 2008 Mirage SILVER: 2012 Gewürztraminer Pacific Rim International Wine Competition BEST OF CLASS and GOLD: 2011 Gamay & 2009 Cabernet Franc & 2012 Gewürztraminer GOLD: 2009 Merlot L.A International GOLD: 2008 Mirage(93 points) New World International Wine Competition DOUBLE GOLD: 2008 Mirage(released this July)
TWO TIME RECIPIENT OF THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN WINEMAKING & WINNER OF CANADA’S BEST RED JOIN OUR WINE CLUB FOR PRIORITY ACCESS TO NEW RELEASES DESERT HILLS ESTATE WINERY │ 4078 BLACK SAGE ROAD, OLIVER, BC │ PHONE: 250-498-6664 │ WWW.DESERTHILLS.CA
The tranquil Similkameen Valley is yours to discover. CERELIA VINEYARDS & ESTATE WINERY 2235 Ferko Rd. Cawston, BC 250.499.8000 www.Cerelia.ca CLOS DU SOLEIL WINERY 2568 Upper Bench Rd. Keremeos, BC 250.499.2831 www.ClosduSoleil.ca EAU VIVRE WINERY 716 Lowe Dr. Cawston, BC 250.499.2655 www.EauVivreWinery.ca
Rd
.
Middle Bench Rd. cks
Vancouver 3.5 hrs.
aw
Sh . Dr
tc hie . Dr
.
we
. Dr
Lo
Merritt
Barcelo Rd.
Penticton 30 min. Osoyoos 25 min. Vancouver 3.5 hrs
Kelowna
backdrop of craggy mountains, it is not surprising that wine
Hope
lovers are starting to take notice.
Rd
Lowe Dr.
Ri
St
Travel Time To Keremeos:
Rd
in Ma
.
A
VL
d.
Princeton
Penticton
Similkameen Valley
Keremeos Cawston Osoyoos
5 km further
Chopaka Rd.
www.SimilkameenWine.com
d. ac R
info@SimilkameenWine.com
Osoyoos 20 min.
Sum
SEVEN STONES WINERY 1143 Hwy. 3 Cawston, BC 250.499.2144 www.SevenStones.ca
wines. Set amongst the dramatic
v dA ar
R en od Wo
SAGE BUSH WINERY 3045 Hwy. 3 Keremeos, BC 250.499.0095 www.SageBushWinery.ca
Similkameen Valley is turning out
e Av
Co
lth
u Co
and orchards in the hot, dry and sunny
.
iew
irv
Fa
.
d ar
e.
deserve. This little patch of vineyards
r.
yD
er
an
h ult
.
some stunning grape and fruit
. Rd
Rd
RUSTIC ROOTS WINERY 2238 Hwy. 3 Cawston, BC 250.499.2754 www.RusticRootsWinery.com
lo rce Ba
on
Similkameen wineries are starting to get some of the attention they
. Rd zie en cK a M
wt
regions you’ve never heard of”, the
CAWSTON M
.
as one of the “world’s 5 best wine
ROBIN RIDGE WINERY 2686 Middle Bench Rd. Keremeos, BC 250.499.5504 www.RobinRidgeWinery.com
. Rd rko Fe
Magazine
Rd
enRoute
ar
by
Ag
Named
Daly Dr.
Ne
OROFINO 2152 Barcelo Rd. Cawston, BC 250.499.0068 www.OrofinoVineyards.com
KEREMEOS
Upper Bench Rd.
Be
FORBIDDEN FRUIT WINERY 620 Sumac Rd. Cawston, BC 250.499.2649 www.ForbiddenFruitWines.com
Penticton 30 min.
savour spots
What’s Hot at the Farmers’ Markets this Season?
More, more, more is what’s hot at British Columbia’s farmers’ markets. We love them whether it’s one of the oldest at Armstrong, in an urban setting in Vancouver or Victoria, or at a resort location such as Sun Peaks or Whistler. In a project called the “Economic and Social Benefits of Farmers Markets in BC,” Dr. David Connell of the University of Northern British Columbia collaborated with the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets. In a 2006 report the research showed contributions of $118.5 million annually to our economy. Of that, $65.3 million was spent directly at the markets and $53.2 million was spent at neighbouring businesses. Market aficionados know that the value goes beyond economic impact. The culinary and health benefits of getting to know local farmers and producers, learning about the sources of our food, and gathering seasonal produce in peak condition are also key benefits. Once you’ve experienced the earthy scent, vibrant colours, texture and taste of fresh greens, radishes or carrots plucked from the ground just that morning, it’s hard to go back to consuming their mass-produced and long-hauled pale cousins. The BC Association of Farmers’ Markets operates the Farmers’ Market Nutrition and Coupon Program as a collaborative initiative funded by Healthy Families BC. The program offers low-income families and seniors who are enrolled in participating programs the opportunity to taste the difference of locally produced food. Coupons
By Roslyne Buchanan
may be redeemed for eligible products including fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, nuts, dairy and fresh cut herbs. Participants also learn how “to cook healthy, nutritious meals using locally procured farm products” through cooking and skill-building sessions. Farmers’ markets help to reduce our environmental footprint by providing access to locally produced food and cutting down on packaging. Add to that the pure joy of connecting with our community and it’s little wonder we want more.
PHOTO CREDIT: ET2MEDIA
This BBQ season enjoy Wild Chinook Salmon! We are proud to offer beautiful Wild Chinook Salmon this summer. Line caught, Wild Chinook Salmon (King or Spring Salmon) is a ish lovers favourite with it’s rich salmon lavour and irm lesh. A healthy source of protein and omega 3s, salmon is a great alternative to the hot dog & hamburger BBQ menu. Fresh, locally sourced, sustainable seafood.
Penticton Farmers’ Market Whether it’s the sensual fragrance of fresh tomatoes, peppers or lavender, the smoky scent of organic meats roasting, the lilting voice of a talented busker or bee-like buzz of the crowd, the Penticton Farmers’ Market pulls you in long before you see its staging site. The market is located just up from Okanagan Lake in the 100 block of Main Street. Market manager, Erin Trainer promises that the high quality and diversity of vegetables, fruits, baked goods, other food products and handcrafted items will continue. Widely considered one of the best farm-fresh markets in Canada, the Penticton Farmers’ Market is in its 23rd year and its popularity keeps growing. Market hours coincide with the Downtown Community Market — both are held on Saturdays, May through October, 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Kelowna Farmers’ and Crafters’ Market Distinguished as B.C.’s largest outdoor farmers’ market, the Kelowna Farmers’ and Crafters’ Market launches the season with about 80 stands and expands to 165 at the height of the season. Its motto — “we make it, bake it or grow it” — suggests everything is homemade or grown by the vendor. Located outdoors at the corner of Springfield Road and Dilworth Drive, the market operates in the off-season in the Parkinson Recreation Centre on Wednesdays and Saturdays, April through October, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Get Fresh at a Farmers’ Market To find a farmers’ market close to you, visit bcfarmersmarket.org
Real seafood. Real simple.
www.codfathers.ca 2355 Gordon Drive, Kelowna
savour its
By Chytra Brown
Our summer issue is all about getting outdoors, so in our Savour Its section we offer you some ideas to move your cooking outdoors as well. The grill and BBQ rub included here make a great combo when camping or fishing. Wherever your outdoor activities take you this summer you’ll be as prepared as a Boy Scout or Girl Guide. And cooking good food too! What could be better?
Lodge Sportsman’s Grill This rugged, charcoal, hibachi-style grill is perfect for picnics, tailgate parties and car camping. A draft door regulates the heat, coals are accessible behind a flip-down door and the grill has two adjustable heights. The grates and grill body are seasoned for protection against the elements. The grill retails for $220. Order online from lakehousehomestore.com.
Best BBQ Rub
Just in time for warmer weather and BBQ season — this rub works great on red meats and chicken. We substitute sweet smoked paprika for the plain paprika which lends a wonderful smoky flavour! The name of the recipe comes from its creator, Todd of SmokingMeatForums.com. Makes 2 1/3 cups 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup paprika 2 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper 2 tbsp lemon pepper 2 tbsp kosher salt 2 tbsp chili powder 2 tbsp garlic powder 2 tbsp onion powder 2 tbsp cayenne pepper
In a medium-sized bowl, combine all the ingredients with your hands. Store in a resealable jar or container.
book reviews Book title:
By Roslyne Buchanan
Au Pied de Cochon Sugar Shack
Author: Martin Picard Published by: Restaurant Au Pied de Cochon Hardcover 386 pp, ISBN 978-2-9809498-6-9 Available at book stores across Canada, Chapters.Indigos.ca and Amazon.ca
$69.95
Dedicated to maple syrup and all the traditions surrounding it, this book by Chef Martin Picard and friends is an avant-garde anthology that goes well beyond any cookbook you’ll ever browse. It includes 100 recipes; 2,000 photographs by Marie-Claude St-Pierre; seductive illustrations, layout and design by Tom Tassel; a haunting short story by Marc Séguin; a technical and scientific account of the maple syrup process by Stéphane Guay and Edith Bonneau; and the daily diary of a sugar shack by Rafaele Germain. The table of contents serves a dual purpose as both outline and index. The book is an objet d’art — as irreverent and fascinating as Chef Picard and his restaurant Au Pied de Cochon. Within the text you’ll find the rhythms of the year, seasonal recipes within easy grasp, and raw accounts of elaborate processes beyond the reach of the average cook. Therein lies it’s beauty, the yin and yang of life captured in the pure ingredient of maple syrup. At one moment it is a simple pleasure and the next a gastronomic adventure of gluttony. Maple syrup is elevated to the culinary level of caviar or truffles, and its immortality crystallized like the hard maple candy itself. Recipes range from the Tarte Tatin, Mille Feuille and Chocolate Bar to the shocking Confederation Beaver and Squirrel Sushi. Best read nude. Kidding aside, the publication captured international attention as the “Cookbook of the Year” in the prestigious Gourmand Cookbook Awards 2013. These awards consider cookbooks and a few magazines of varying languages from around the world and honour those who “cook with words”.
Book title:
The Salt Book
Your Guide to Salting Wisely and Well, with Recipes
Authors: Fritz Gubler and David Glynn with Dr. Russell Keast Published by: Whitecap Books, Vancouver, B.C. Paperback with flaps 208 pp, ISBN 978-1-77050-176-8 Available at book stores across Canada, Chapters.Indigo.ca and Amazon.ca
$29.95
Whether or not you subscribe to Chef Thomas Keller’s philosophy that “the ability to salt food properly is the single most important skill in cooking,” salt is intriguing and knowing how to salt wisely is a key culinary skill. Arbon Publishing founder, Fritz Gubler, initiated this comprehensive exploration of salt with David Glynn, author of Great, Grand & Famous Chefs and Their Signature Dishes. Contributions from scientist/chef Dr. Russell Keast, a Lecturer in the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at Deakin University, also enriches the content. An attractive addition to any epicurean’s library with its beautiful photography, this book is a trek through the history and culture of salt from ancient China to today’s kitchen. It delves into the reasons why salt is so crucial to our diet and why its misuse is a health issue. Over 100 recipes are included for the creative handling of salt from making your own elegant salts to perfectly seasoning food — from meats to desserts and beverages. Just as light shines again on sauerkraut’s nutritional benefits, this book teaches the basics of curing, pickling, brining and preserving. It shows you how to “wow” your guests with a salt-tasting and the use of salt-blocks. Savour shares some of the recipes on pages 68 and 69.
magazine • SUMMER 2013 59
okanaganwineawards.com
the2013SPRING
bestof varietal AWARDS WINE
Each year the Best of Varietal competition kicks off the Spring Wine Festival. A select panel of esteemed judges reviewed over 400 wines and selected the “best of the best.� Listed here are the winners and the finalists in each varietal category. The Wine Festivals Society would like to thank their sponsors, winery members and the hard working palates of the wine judges.
The Best Single White Variety
Gray Monk Estate Winery Ehrenfelser 2012
Our Ehrenfelser was left to mature on the vine later than normal to gain maximum intense aromatic flavours. A delicate citrus nose and a pronounced apricot flavour that finishes in a medium sweet yet well balanced wine. Food matches: soft cheeses, fresh fruits, lobster and custard desserts. graymonk.com 808 cases $19.99
Best of Varietal Finalists Arrowleaf Cellars Bacchus 2012 Gray Monk Estate Winery Kerner Gray Monk Vineyard 2012 Hillside Estate Winery Muscat Ottonel 2012
Best Unoaked Chardonnay
Gehringer Brother’s Estate Winery Dry Rock Vineyards Unoaked Chardonnay 2011
Chardonnay’s slow and cool fermentation with extended “sur lie” development, contributes to its complexity and creamy texture. Distinctive nuances of pear and pineapple show on the palate. A great social and food wine. Ideal with salads and seafood. gehringerwines.ca 1,070 cases $14.99
Best of Varietal Finalists Calona Vineyards Estate Wines Artist Series Unoaked Chardonnay 2011
Best Viognier
Best Pinot Blanc
Elephant Island Orchard Wines Unconventional Wisdom Viognier 2012
Clos du Soleil Winery Pinot Blanc – Grower’s Series Chegwin & Baessler 2012
On the nose are honeysuckle and tropical fruit with just a whisper of flintiness. On the palate it’s all apricot and tropical. A touch of Sauvignon Blanc balances out the weighty mouth feel, providing acidity and freshness. elephantislandwine.com 110 cases $22.99
Best of Varietal Finalists Red Rooster Winery Reserve Viognier 2012 Ruby Blues Winery Commune Viognier 2012
Best Red Blend – Other
Grown near Middle Bench Road in Keremeos by the Baessler and Chegwin families, this delicious Pinot Blanc opens with a nose of guava and passion fruit on a backdrop of apple, citrus and candy. The palate is bright and lively, shows great balance and body, and showcases orchard peach and nectarine flavours that will lead you into a long, lingering finish. closdusoleil.ca 185 cases $19.90
Best of Varietal Finalists Peller Estates Family Series Pinot Blanc 2011 Lake Breeze Vineyards Pinot Blanc 2012
Best Cabernet Franc
Painted Rock Estate Winery Red Icon Estate Grown 2009
A heavy-hitter that gets more refined every year. This vintage has the caged power of a tiger stalking back and forth behind bars . . . decant it and you’ll taste that gorgeously savage energy and concentration. Loaded with dark fruit and toasty oak. Food matches: premium cut of steak, wild mushrooms and a rich demi-glace. paintedrock.ca 1,310 cases $54.90
Best of Varietal Finalists Mission Hill Family Estate Quatrain 2009 CedarCreek Estate Winery Shiraz Cabernet 2010 Hester Creek Estate Winery Character Red 2011 Road 13 Vineyards Seventy-Four K 2011
Quinta Ferreira Estate Winery Cabernet Franc 2009
Wonderful blackberry and black cherry notes greet your first impression as the light cedar and sweet vanilla flavours keep this wine very enjoyable to drink from start to finish. Take note of the beautiful hard candy flavours on the long finish. This wine is perfect to have on its own or with soft cheeses and cured meats. Consume over the next two to three years. quintaferreira.com 175 cases $29.90
Best of Varietal Finalists Serendipity Winery Private Reserve Estate Cab Franc 2009 Tinhorn Creek Vineyards Cabernet Franc 2010
magazine • SUMMER 2013 61
2013 best of varietal
Best Chardonnay
Best Sparkling
Cassini Cellars Reserve Chardonnay 2009
Sumac Ridge Estate Winery Stellar’s Jay Brut 2007
This Chardonnay is rich in aroma of apple, peach and tropical notes wrapped in subtle layers of vanilla, spice and tobacco. The wine leaves long lingering flavours with perfect balance of oak, green apples and vanilla. cassini.ca 375 cases $29.00
Best of Varietal Finalists Ganton & Larsen Prospect Winery The Census Count Chardonnay 2011 Mission Hill Family Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2011 Quinta Ferreira Estate Winery Chardonnay 2011 Sandhill Vineyards Estate Wines Chardonnay Sandhill Estate Vineyard 2011 Poplar Grove Winery Chardonnay 2011
Best Red Meritage Blend
The Steller’s Jay Brut stands up extraordinarily to its reputation for being one of Canada’s premier sparkling wines. White peach and golden hues flatter the orchard fruit and ripe strawberry aromas. Complements of toasted nut and red berries linger with a soft and creamy floral mousse finish. Steller’s Jay Brut displays smooth flavours that complement a variety of dishes; pairs famously with our truffle scented popcorn. sumacridge.com $24.99
Best of Varietal FINALISTS Therapy Vineyards Fizziotherapy Blanc 2012 Bella Wines Sparkling Chardonnay Oliver East Side 2012
Best Fruit Wine
Elephant Island Orchard Wines Framboise 2012 Cedar Creek Estate Winery Cabernet Merlot 2010
The sum in this blend is Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. And the fun part is that the power of blending often over delivers in quality. Baked fruitcake and violets entice the first sip and you’ll enjoy plums and spice on the palate. Keep your pairing simple with this wine; try with a light pizza or charcuterie. cedarcreek.bc.ca 3,500 cases $19.95
Liquid raspberry heaven. Fresh, tart and rich all at the same time. It’ll take you back to your childhood, with an adult finish. Sinful with dark chocolate indulgences. elephantislandwine.com 547 cases $19.00
Best of Varietal Finalist Rustic Roots Winery Fameuse NV
Best Icewine
Best of Varietal Finalists Poplar Grove Winery The Legacy 2007 Nk’Mip Cellars Qwam Qwmt Meritage 2008 Cassini Cellars Maximus Collector’s Series 2009 Ganton & Larsen Prospect Winery Regatta #1 Red 2009 Inniskillin Okanagan Dark Horse Vineyard Meritage 2010 Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate SunRock Vineyard Meritage 2010 Hester Creek Estate Winery Selected Barrels Cabernet Merlot 2011
62
magazine • SUMMER 2013
Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate Reserve Riesling Icewine 2011 jacksontriggswinery.com
Best of Varietal Finalists Mission Hill Family Estate Reserve Riesling Icewine 2011
2013 best of varietal
Best Riesling
Best Rosé/Blush
Mission Hill Family Estate Reserve Riesling 2011
Clos du Soleil Winery Rosé 2012
Classic Riesling aromas of tangerine, peach and pears, enhanced by a distinct mineral character. Vibrant flavours of green apple and lime juice provide mouthwatering acidity and lend great balance to the honey and stone fruit notes. missionhillwinery.com
Best of Varietal Finalists Lang Vineyards Farm Reserve Riesling 2011 CedarCreek Estate Winery Platinum “Block 3” Riesling 2012 Fort Berens Estate Winery Riesling 2012 The View Winery Riesling 2012
Best Merlot
Nk’Mip Cellars Qwam Qwmt Merlot 2009
Luscious cherry and blackberry engulf the palate before releasing enticing notes of cocoa bean, clove and vanilla. This full-bodied red offers rich smooth tannins leading into a long lingering berry finish. Cellaring potential – now through 2015. nkmipcellars.com 1,348 cases $24.99
Best of Varietal Finalists Painted Rock Estate Winery Estate Grown Merlot 2009 Nk’Mip Cellars Winemaker’s Merlot 2010 CedarCreek Estate Winery Merlot 2010 Sandhill Vineyards Estate Wines Merlot Sandhill Estate Vineyard 2010 Hester Creek Estate Winery Selected Barrels Merlot 2011
The texture is luscious, with flavours of cherry, strawberry and raspberry. While the fruit shows a sweet core on mid-palate, the finish is dry, making this a superb food wine. closdusoleil.ca 550 cases $18.90
Best of Varietal Finalists Lang Vineyards Rosé 2011 Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate Reserve Rosé 2012 Mission Hill Family Estate Five Vineyards Rosé 2012 Red Rooster Winery Reserve Rosé 2012 SpierHead Winery Pinot Noir Rosé 2012 Volcanic Hills Estate Winery Rosé 2012
Best Fortified/ Late Harvest/ Dessert
Hester Creek Estate Winery Late Harvest Pinot Blanc 2012
Purely delicious! This delightful sweet treat has refreshing acidity for balance and pairs well with cheesecake and baked pears. Lingering tastes of peach, apple, and honey with a hint of citrus. hestercreek.com 600 cases $17.95
Best of Varietal Finalists Lang Vineyards The Original Canadian Maple Wine White 2012
Best White Blend
Wild Goose Vineyards Autumn Gold 2012
Fruit driven with loads of citrus, orange and spice. This wine has huge mouth feel, yet finishes refreshingly clean and crisp with a hint of sweetness. wildgoosewinery.com 3,000 cases $19.00
Best of Varietal Finalists Ganton & Larsen Prospect Winery Broken Shadow Weathervane White 2011 Thornhaven Estates Winery Sauvignon Blanc - Chardonnay 2011 Silkscarf Winery Ensemble Blanc 2011 Red Rooster Winery Bantam 2012 Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery Desert Sun 2012
magazine • SUMMER 2013 63
2013 best of varietal
Best Pinot Noir
La Frenz Winery Reserve Pinot Noir 2011
The dark color and concentration of this wine is a direct measure of the meticulous work that is needed in the vineyard with this variety. This wine shows depth and layering to deserve the designation of reserve quality Pinot Noir. A rich, structured palate is layer upon layer of red to dark fruits, sweet subtle oak vanillins all interwoven around its silky, fine grained tannin core. This wine exemplifies the saying “a clenched fist in a silk glove”. lafrenzwinery.com 400 cases $32.00
Best of Varietal Finalists Arrowleaf Cellars Solstice Pinot Noir 2009 Noble Ridge Pinot Noir 2009 Lake Breeze Vineyards Seven Poplars Pinot Noir 2010 Volcanic Hills Estate Winery Pinot Noir 2010 Arrowleaf Cellars Pinot Noir 2011
Best Sauvignon Blanc
Best Single Red Varieties
Quinta Ferreira Estate Winery Malbec 2009
Wonderful blackberry and black cherry notes greet your first impression as the light cedar and sweet vanilla flavours keep this wine very enjoyable to drink from start to finish. Take note of the beautiful hard candy flavours on the long finish. This wine is perfect to have on its own or with soft cheeses and cured meats. Consume over the next two to three years. quintaferreira.com 75 cases $29.90
Best of Varietal Finalists Robin Ridge Winery Gamay 2011 Sandhill Wines Small Lots Barbera Sandhill Estate Vineyard 2010
Best Pinot Gris Rattlesnake Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Our Sauvignon Blanc is made in the crisp, dry style showing great elegance and minerality. A range of picking dates is used to capture the full spectrum of intense passion fruit, green bean and freshly cut grass characters that make it the perfect wine for fresh seafood. This wine has already been proclaimed by consumers as better than the 2008 which won gold, double gold and double platinum which is a big statement! A great example of the variety when grown in a cool climate. lafrenzwinery.com 1,000 cases $22.00
Best of Varietal Finalists Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery Dry Rock Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Mission Hill Family Estate Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Serendipity Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2012
scan here
To get the Spring Wine Awards on your phone 64
magazine • SUMMER 2013
Gray Monk Estate Winery Pinot Gris 2012
Pale lemon in colour, this wine had an intense aroma of pink grapefruit and pineapple, and flavours of citrus fruits and apricots. Lively and piquant, this wine is refreshingly zesty and clean. It is a versatile partner to seafood, pasta with cream sauce, white meats and cheeses such as parmigiano. graymonk.com 12,854 cases $17.99
Best of Varietal Finalists Arrowleaf Cellars Solstice Pinot Gris 2011 Heaven’s Gate Estate Winery Pinot Gris 2011 Peller Estates Winery Family Series Pinot Gris 2011 Inniskillin Okanagan Pinot Grigio 2012 50th Parallel Estate Pinot Gris 2012 CedarCreek Estate Winery Pinot Gris 2012 Red Rooster Winery Reserve Pinot Gris 2012
2013 best of varietal
Best Syrah/Shiraz
Judges: John Schreiner, wine writer Jim Martin, wine writer Julianna Hayes, wine writer
Cassini Cellars Syrah 2009 – Sold Out
This wine is smooth, complex, balanced and elegant. A spicy and floral wine rich in blackberry and currant, with hints of pepper and licorice and a nice full-bodied finish. A French style wine with soft vanilla and toffee notes that complement the fruit with medium to firm tannins. cassini.ca 700 cases $29.00
Paul Clark, Certified Wine Educator Michael Botner, wine writer Jeannette Montgomery, wine writer
Best of Varietal FINALISTS
Richard Toussaint, Bouchons, WSET 3
Desert Hills Estate Winery Syrah 2009 See Ya Later Ranch Rover 2010 Road 13 Vineyards Syrah 2011
Luigi Coccaro, La Bussola, AIWS, WSET 3
Best Gewürztraminer
Mark Filatow, Waterfront Restaurant, Sommelier
Audrey Surrao, RauDZ Regional Table, WSET 3
Rhys Pender, Wine Plus+, MW Dennis Dwernychuk, B.A., AIWS WSET DIPLOMA, Senior Product Consultant LDB Wild Goose Vineyards Gewürztraminer 2012
Classic Gewürztraminer with aromas of clove, spice, lychee, followed by lush tropical, citrus and rose petal. Ample acidity holds the wine in place finishing with a long aftertaste of tangerine and anise! wildgoosewinery.com 1,100 cases $19.00
Best of Varietal Finalists Ruby Blues Winery Gewürztraminer 2012 Dirty Laundry Vineyard Threadbare Vines Gewürztraminer 2012 Thornhaven Estates Winery Gewürztraminer 2012 Wild Goose Vineyards Mystic River Gewürztraminer 2012
Best Cabernet Sauvignon
Martin Lewis, Kettle Valley Station Pub, WSET 3 Mike Lee, Quails' Gate Winery, AIWS, WSET 3 Alishan Driediger, Little Farm Winery, Winemaker Randy Brown, BCLDB, WSET 3
Sponsors:
Silkscarf Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Aged 16 months in French and American oak barrels. The soft tannins are well balanced with a hint of dark chocolate and gentle notes of a tobacco flavour. Rounded palate with long delicate finish creates a full-bodied wine, which perfectly complements any meat or poultry dish. silkw.net 415 cases $31.90
Best of Varietal Finalists Painted Rock Estate Winery Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Sumac Ridge Estate Winery Black Sage Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
magazine • SUMMER 2013 65
scrumptious
SUMMER recipes
ROOT VEGETABLE
pave
with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Submitted by Terrafina Executive Chef, Natasha Schooten
Serves 6
Roasted Root Pave 1 lb or 2 russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 1 sweet potato, peeled and thinly sliced 1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced 3/4 cup butternut squash, peeled and thinly sliced 3/4 cup celery root, peeled and thinly sliced 3/4 cup beets, peeled and thinly sliced 1 shallot, minced 1 tbsp minced garlic 3/4 cup butter at room temperature 1 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves 1 1/4 cups heavy cream 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese salt to taste freshly ground pepper to taste
Spray a 13 x 9-inch cake pan with pan spray and line with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375°F – 380°F. Peel and thinly slice all vegetables before you start assembling the pave. Use a Japanese mandolin to get the best results; the vegetables should be paper-thin. To assemble start with a layer of beets in the bottom of the cake pan. Slightly overlap each row. Cover the beets with dabs of butter and a sprinkling of salt, pepper, thyme leaves and cheese Continue layering the vegetables in the following order: potato, celery root, carrot, sweet potato, squash. Add dabs of butter, the shallots and garlic and a sprinkling of salt, pepper, thyme leaves and cheese to each layer. Reserve the beets for the last layer of vegetables. Pour cream over the final layer of beets. You may need to add the cream slowly, 1/4 cup at a time. Press the pave down after each addition to allow a bit of cream to pool on top once all the cream has been added. Add the remaining butter and thyme. Season with salt, pepper and cheese. Cover the pave with aluminum foil and place it in the oven for 45–50 minutes or until you can easily pierce the layers with the tip of a paring knife. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove pave from the oven and let it stand for 5 minutes. Cover with a piece of parchment paper and place another cake pan on top. Refrigerate overnight. The weight of the second pan will compress the layers together for the desired look. You may also want to put 2 cans on the second pan to help with the compressing of the layers. Remove the top cake pan, tip the pave upside down onto a baking sheet and peel off the parchment paper. Cut into portions the size of your choice. Sprinkle the slices with cheese and reheat in the oven at 375°F. You can broil the pave at the last minute to create a crispy cheese crust.
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce 25 ml olive oil 2 1/2 cups red pepper, cut in half 1 tsp minced garlic 1/3 cup chopped white onion 3/4 cup white wine 2 cups vegetable stock 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil salt to taste pepper to taste
To roast the red peppers place them in a bowl, sprinkle with some salt, pepper and olive oil, toss together and place in a roasting pan. Roast at 400° F for 12–14 minutes or until the peppers are charred. Remove from the oven, place peppers in a bowl, cover tightly with saran wrap and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove them from the bowl, peel off the skin and set aside. Using a medium-size saucepan, sauté the onions in remaining olive oil over medium high heat. Allow the onions to sweat for 5 minutes or until they become soft. Add the roasted red pepper and garlic, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. To deglaze the pan add the white wine and then the vegetable stock. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Puree the sauce in a blender, season with salt and pepper. Taste the sauce, if it is a little bitter add one teaspoon of honey. If the sauce is too thick, thin it down with a little vegetable stock.
To serve Pour some red pepper sauce onto a plate and top with a slice of root vegetable pave.
magazine • SUMMER 2013 67
Salt-block Scallops From The Salt Book
A salt block is particularly suitable for scallops, which require just the barest amount of cooking time. To make it more interesting, carefully transfer the salt block to a trivet in the middle of the table and let your guests cook their own. 12 fresh scallops 1 tsp ginger, minced 1 garlic clove, minced lemon juice olive oil a knob of unsalted butter 1 Himalayan salt block Pinch vanilla salt
Chocolate Mousse with Olive Oil and Salt
From The Salt Book
This dessert is the perfect illustration of just how well chocolate and salt go together. Strong, dark chocolate can be almost bitter, and the salt serves to counteract the bitterness, bringing out the pure chocolate flavour, and adding a delicate crunch to the silky smooth mousse. This recipe is adapted from The New Spanish Table by Anya von Bremzen. 250 ml (8 fl oz) heavy cream 225 g (8 oz) 70% cocoa solids chocolate extra virgin olive oil Maldon salt
Put the cream in a small, heavy saucepan and heat until almost boiling. Chop the chocolate finely, either in a food processor or with a knife. Place in a metal bowl and pour the hot cream over all at once. Let the cream stand for 2–3 minutes while the chocolate melts. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir the cream slowly in a circular motion from the centre to the side of the bowl until all the chocolate is incorporated. Transfer the mixture to a clean bowl, cover with cling film and let sit at room temperature for at least 4 hours. To serve, use a melon baller to scoop the mousse into chilled martini glasses or decorative shallow bowls. Pour 2–3 teaspoons of the olive oil around the mousse, and drizzle a tiny amount over the top. Sprinkle generously with Maldon salt.
Note Maldon salt is specified here because its texture is ideal, but you might also try Murray River pink salt or Hawaiian ‘Alaea salt — their colour will add to the visual appeal of the dish. And, if you were feeling adventurous, you could even serve it with a sprinkling of smoked chili salt.
68
magazine • SUMMER 2013
In a bowl, mix together the ginger and garlic with a splash of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Remove the coral from the scallops (if desired) and place them in the marinade. Slowly heat the salt block by putting it in a cold oven and raising the temperature by 50˚C (120˚F) every 10 minutes. After 10 minutes at 250˚C (480˚F), quickly but carefully remove it from the oven and place it on a trivet in the centre of the table. Put a tablespoon of the marinade and a knob of butter in the middle of the salt block and as soon as the butter begins to foam, add a few of the scallops; leave them to sizzle for 1 minute then turn them with a set of tongs. Leave for another 30 seconds, then swirl them through the butter as you remove them from the salt block. Repeat with the rest of the scallops. Serve on individual plates, seasoned with a small pinch of vanilla salt.
Note You do not have to heat the salt block to “cook” scallops — freezing it will produce equally delicious results.
steak, preferably sirloin coarse salt red wine beef stock butter cracked black pepper
The Perfect Steak From The Salt Book
Knowing that salt draws moisture from food, this method of preparing steak may seem counterintuitive if we want our meat to be moist and juicy. But work it does, particularly on cheaper cuts, which are likely to be a little less tender. Here’s how it works. The salt will draw some of the moisture from the meat; that moisture dissolves some of the salt, and then osmosis draws that salted water back into the meat, in an attempt to even out the quantities of both moisture and salt. When the salt is absorbed into the meat, it begins to denature the protein cells, unwinding their regular structure so that they become like little bird’s nests. And when the heat of the cooking begins to liquefy that fat within the muscle and to heat up the moisture within the cells, the proteins trap all of that flavourful goodness within the meat. Which results in…
Pair with: BC Merlot or Red Blend
You will need to prepare the meat at least 1 1/2 hours before serving. Cover the surface of a plate with salt, and place the steak on top of it. Cover the top surface of the steak with salt so that the meat cannot be seen. Let this stand for an hour. Heat a heavy cast-iron frying pan so that it is very hot. Meanwhile, brush all of the salt from the steak and pat very dry with paper towels. Pour a little oil into the frying pan and as it heats to smoking point, grind a little fresh black pepper over the steak. Carefully place the steak into the pan and cook without touching for 4 minutes. Turn the steak and cook for another 3 minutes. Turn down the heat, take the steak from the pan, put it on a plate and cover loosely with foil to rest. Pour a small splash of red wine into the pan and scrape with a spatula to deglaze. Add an equal splash of beef stock and stir whilst reducing. When it is reduced by half, turn off the heat and add a small knob of butter, incorporating it by making gentle waves in the sauce with the spatula. Transfer the steak to a serving plate, pouring any remaining juices back into the sauce. Add a final twist of black pepper to the sauce and pour over the steak. Serve with a simple green salad.
Note It is important that you only use coarse sea salt for this recipe, and that the salt is brushed off completely and the steak patted thoroughly dry before cooking, otherwise the finished meat may become too salty.
magazine • SUMMER 2013
69
Seared Beef Carpaccio and Poached Spot Prawns drizzled with Marie Rose Sauce
Submitted by Gary Faessler, River's Bend Winery
This is a sensational dish to serve on a warm summer evening al fresco with friends. Beef Carpaccio was created in 1950 by the owner of Harry’s Bar in Venice. It is named for Vittore Carpaccio, the Venetian Renaissance painter known for his use of brilliant reds and whites. Serves 6
2 lbs beef tenderloin 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme and oregano Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt 18 spot prawns 1 cup mayonnaise 2 tbsp ketchup Juice of one lemon 1/2 oz brandy small bag of mixed summer greens 2 red chilies, deseeded and finely diced a handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped cracked pink and black peppercorns
Ask your butcher to trim the tenderloin of fat and sinew using the core of the tenderloin to form a 4-inch diameter cylinder. In a mortar and pestle grind the rosemary, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper together. Sprinkle on a cutting board and roll the tenderloin into the herb mixture to create a crust all over the meat. Sear the beef on a hot BBQ grill until slightly crisp on all sides and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile make the Marie Rose sauce by combining the mayonnaise, ketchup, lemon juice and brandy. In a heat proof bowl cover the prawns with boiling water and poach for 30 seconds, remove and chill in a large bowl of ice water for one minute. Shell the prawns leaving tails on and reserve. Using a very sharp long knife, slice the meat as thinly as possible and arrange the slices evenly on six plates. Dress the greens with a little olive oil and lemon juice and place a small amount of greens in the centre of each plate. Top with three prawns and drizzle the plate with the Marie Rose sauce. Garnish with cracked peppercorns and parsley.
Pair with: River's Bend Winery Scarlet Estate Red
70
magazine • SUMMER 2013
Vanilla Panna Cotta with Passion Fruit Coulis and Summer Berries
Submitted by Gary Faessler, River's Bend Winery Serves 6
Squid Ink Spaghetti with Baby Squid, Scallops and Manila Clams
Submitted by Gary Faessler, River's Bend Winery
Dried squid ink pasta is available in many gourmet food stores and Italian delis. If you can’t find squid ink spaghetti, you can always substitute with any good quality pasta. Serves 6 1 lb dried black spaghetti 1/2 cup delicate fruity olive oil 3 cloves garlic, finely diced 1 large shallot, finely diced 2 red chilies, deseeded and finely diced freshly ground black pepper 1 cup dry white wine 20 Manila clams, shells cleaned 1/2 cup water 4 large fresh scallops, sliced lengthways and quartered 18 small squid: cleaned, tentacles separated, bodies sliced open, inside scored and cut in half lengthwise 1 large bunch of Italian parsley, finely chopped juice and zest of 1 lemon
Non-stick cooking spray 4 cups heavy cream 1 tbsp granulated gelatin 1 vanilla bean, split Pinch of salt 1/2 cup berry sugar 6 passion fruits cut in half lengthwise I tsp confectioner’s sugar Summer fruits: blackberries, blueberries, raspberries
Scoop out the flesh and seeds from passion fruits into a small bowl. Add enough confectioners’ sugar to sweeten as desired; stir until well combined and reserve in refrigerator. Lightly spray six 6-ounce molds with cooking spray; set aside. Place 3 tablespoons cold water in a small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over bowl and set aside to soften. In a medium saucepan add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in the softened gelatin mixture and berry sugar. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into cream mixture along with the vanilla bean and salt; simmer stirring occasionally until gelatin and sugar have dissolved. Take off the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Strain mixture over a fine sieve into a heatproof container with a pourable spout. Pour cream mixture evenly into prepared molds. Let cool and transfer molds to refrigerator and chill until set, at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. To serve, invert a panna cotta onto the center of each plate. Dress with passion fruit sauce and garnish with summer berries.
pair with: River's Bend Winery 2011 Late Harvest Siegerrebe
Over high heat bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and add the dried pasta. Stir the pasta water occasionally so the pasta doesn’t stick and cook as directed. Meanwhile, in a small pan over high heat add the clams, a half cup of water and cover. Steam the clams until they open (discard any clams that do not open) turn off the heat and cover to keep the clams warm. Pour the olive oil into a large skillet over medium heat and add the shallots, garlic and chilies and stir occasionally until soft, do not allow the garlic to brown. Add the wine to the pan and bring to a simmer. Put in the squid and scallops and gently sauté until the seafood is just cooked. Next add the reserved clams, parsley, lemon zest and ground pepper to taste and allow the sauce to reduce. Strain the pasta into a colander, tip into the pan and gently toss with the seafood. Divide among six preheated dishes, squeeze lemon juice over pasta and serve immediately.
PAIR WITH: River's Bend Winery 2009 Viognier
magazine • SUMMER 2013 71
Salmon and Prawn Cakes Submitted by Kim Briscoe, Mud Bay Wines BC VQA
B.C. salmon (Sockeye or Coho), bones removed 1 1/4 cup prawns, cooked and chopped 2 tbsp grainy mustard 1/4 cup low fat mayonnaise 1 egg 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
Bake salmon on a foil lined pan at 350°F for 25 minutes (skin side down). Allow to cool. Flake salmon into a mixing bowl (the skin will stick to the foil so it’s easily removed). Add chopped prawns and dill; stir to incorporate. Mix together the mustard, egg, and mayonnaise. Stir egg mixture into salmon mixture. Scoop spoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Serve on salad greens with sweet Asian chili sauce on the side.
Pair with: Poplar Grove Pinot Gris
Chocolate Delice with Salted Caramel
By Dan Hudson, Hudson’s on First, Duncan, B.C.
CHOCOLATE DELICE 125 g butter 350 g dark chocolate 7 egg yolks 3/4 cup whipping cream, semi-whipped 3 leaves gelatin 7 egg whites, beaten till stiff 200 g sugar
Melt chocolate and butter over a double boiler. In a pan over a low temperature, heat the sugar to 118°F and slowly add to whipped egg whites. Soften gelatin in cold water and add to hot chocolate mix. Whisk the egg yolks until light and fluffy. Fold chocolate mix into the whisked egg yolks, then gently fold in the egg whites and whipped cream. Pour into six 4-ounce molds and freeze until firm, 1–2 hours. Just before serving take out of freezer. Run a small knife dipped in hot water around sides of molds, unmold chocolate delice onto serving plates. The delice will soften up a little.
CARAMEL SAUCE 2 tsp sugar 6 tbsp water 1 1/4 cups heavy cream 1 1/2 tsp salt 150 g butter
In a pot over medium heat, mix sugar and water together and simmer until mixture is golden brown. Take off heat, add cream and whisk quickly. Next, whisk in butter piece by piece. Add salt and serve over chocolate delice.
72
magazine • SUMMER 2013
Roasted Ling Cod with Caper Sauce
This recipe can use any firm white fish, although ling cod when in season is best. Accompanying vegetables could simply be roasted or steamed baby potatoes and steamed green beans or lightly sautĂŠed spinach. Submitted by Terravista Vineyards
4 cod portions, 4-6 oz each olive oil to taste salt and pepper to taste peel of 1 lemon 2 generous tbsp cold butter 2 tbsp capers, drained and washed a generous pour of Fandango to deglaze the pan cherry tomatoes and/or parsley for garnish
Heat oven to 450°F. In a heavy cast iron frying pan heat just enough olive oil to coat the pan (you may use any other type of frying pan that can go into the oven). Lightly season cod with salt and pepper and sear on both sides to brown. Transfer to oven and roast for 7-10 minutes depending on thickness of the cod. Remove cod from the frying pan, transfer to another plate and tent. Pour a generous amount of Fandango into the frying pan and place on high heat; stir to loosen all the brown bits. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of cold butter. Add capers and lemon peel, adjust seasonings and pour over cod.
pair with: Terravista Vineyards Fandango
B.C. Spot Prawn, Pickled Carrot and Daikon Salad Rolls with Honey, Bird Chili Peanut Sauce
Submitted by Tina Tang, The Grapevine Restaurant at Gray Monk Estate Winery
Tina Tang is a new resident in the Okanagan and a new member of the Grapevine kitchen. At 19 years old, Tang is quite accomplished. She began working in the industry at age 16 and has participated in BC Skills Canada competitions both regionally and provincially placing second in the Abbotsford competition. She plans to continue her third year of culinary education at Okanagan College and is excited to be working with Executive Chef Willi Franz. Here’s what Chef Franz had to say about Tang. “I am very excited to have Tina working for us. She has shown great passion and enthusiasm for the culinary arts and I am very happy to have her on my culinary team.”
Honey, Bird Chili Peanut Sauce 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter 1 tbsp honey 1 tbsp soya sauce 1/4 cup water 1/2 cup rice vinegar 1 red Thai chili, minced 1/4 cup unsalted crushed roasted peanuts
Heat the peanut butter, honey, soya sauce, water and rice vinegar in small saucepan until the mixture is well combined. The consistency should be thinner than regular peanut butter but not runny. Add the minced chili and keep the pot on low heat until ready to serve. Add roasted peanuts just before serving. Serve peanut sauce at room temperature or slightly warm.
Pair with: Gray Monk Estate Winery's 2011 Gewurztraminer
74
magazine • SUMMER 2013
1 lb rice noodles 1 package of rice paper 1 lb B.C. spot prawns 4 cups water 1 tsp salt 1/4 cup melted butter 1/4 cup cucumber, julienned fresh cilantro 1/2 cup green cabbage, shredded 2 tbsp rice vinegar 1/2 tbsp sugar 5 peppercorns 1/4 carrot, julienned 1/4 daikon, julienned
Once you have your mise en place the salad rolls are super simple! Make each part of the rolls separately. See below. Place noodles in a bowl and pour hot boiled water over them until they are just submerged. Allow them to rest for 5 minutes then strain. The noodles should be firm and hold their shape, but fully cooked. Once strained, add a tablespoon of lukewarm water to prevent them from sticking to each other. Pour lukewarm water into a medium-sized bowl. Dip the rice papers in the water and rotate the bowl until the water has covered all the edges and the middle of the papers. Drain and put them on a plate; let sit for 1–2 minutes until flexible. To cook the B.C. spot prawns, bring water, salt and butter to a boil. Add prawns (skin on) and turn off heat. Let sit for 3 minutes. Strain, peel and cut lengthwise. Use three halves per roll. To prepare the pickled carrots and daikon bring the rice vinegar, sugar and peppercorns to a boil and pour over the julienned carrots and daikon. Let sit for 2 minutes and strain. To make a salad roll begin with a piece of rice paper that has been dipped in the water. Add a small handful of rice noodles, a few juliennes of cucumber and cabbage along with the pickled carrot and daikon. Add prawns and two sprigs of cilantro. Roll like a wrap. Make sure it is tight, but be gentle as the rice paper is very fragile. If the rice paper tears, just roll it in an additional paper later. Cut each roll into three pieces and serve with the peanut sauce.
Rhubarb Crumble Pie
Submitted by Chef Stewart Glynes, The Bench Market, Penticton
PIE CRUST 3 cups unbleached white flour 1 cup white sugar 1/2 cup cold butter 1 egg splash of water
RHUBARB FILLING 1 1/2 lbs fresh rhubarb 1 cup white sugar 2 tbsp vanilla paste *You may substitute vanilla extract if vanilla paste is not available 1/4 cup unbleached white flour pinch of salt
CRUMBLE TOPPING 1 cup oats 1 cup unbleached white flour 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup cold butter 1/2 cup whole almonds 1 tbsp cinnamon pinch of salt
Combine the flour and sugar in a bowl. Mix in the butter using your hands to form a sand-like texture. Add the egg and water. Mix until the dough comes together and then knead gently. Butter a pie dish. Roll dough into a shape slightly larger than the pie dish. Place dough in the dish allowing it to drape over the rim. Wash rhubarb and cut into small pieces. Toss with remaining filling ingredients and add to pie dish. Combine the oats, flour, salt and brown sugar in a bowl. Mix in the butter using your hands until the mixture has a sand-like texture. Add the almonds and cinnamon, toss gently. Place crumble topping evenly over rhubarb filling and press down slightly. Fold edges of the pastry back onto crumble and brush the pastry with a whisked egg. Bake in 350° F oven for 1 hour or until golden brown. Let rest before cutting.
Note All ovens are slightly different so check the pie after 45 minutes to see if juices are bubbling up and visible on the edges. Best served with scotch vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
5th Annual Okanagan
FarmFolk CityFolk’s annual local food celebration and fundraiser. Sunday, August 18 at Little Church Organics, Kelowna. Experience the Harvest, Gourmet Style.
Tickets & information: www.farmfolkcityfolk.ca
The Gindian A classic gin and tonic with a hint of liquorice star anise Submitted by Poppadom’s bartender and owner, Harry Dosanj 1 star anise 1 oz Okanagan Spirits Gin scoop of ice splash of Fentimen’s Tonic Water
Place one star anise in a shaker and crush it with a muddler (2 hits). Add 1 ounce Okanagan Spirits Gin and a scoop of ice. Shake. Add fresh ice into a rocks glass. Double strain into the glass removing any star anise bits. Top up with Fentimen’s Tonic Water. Garnish with a star anise and a lime wheel. Enjoy!
Taboo Absinthe Mojito
Submitted by Okanagan Spirits 1 oz Taboo absinthe 1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice 2 tbsp sugar 10 mint leaves 1 lime rind, grated club soda
In a glass muddle lime juice, sugar, mint leaves and lime rind. Add absinthe and stir. Fill glass with crushed ice and top off with club soda.
Planning a Special Event? Entertain your guests in our European style winery! Contact us for details. Open: Daily 10.30 am - 5.30 pm 4918 Anderson Road, Kelowna. 250 491 2766 www.ancienthillwinery.com
Savour Mag for iPad
get more of what you love...
download Savour Magazine on your iPad at savourmag.com