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Keeping Tradition
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Discovering Ontario
Artisan Cheese
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Issue Seven • February 2008
Restaurant Search • Reviews • Maps • Links
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Chef Michael Smith
host of
on the
Saturday, February 23rd, 2008
Centennial Hall
London, ON
Fabulous Gourmet Lunch
featuring
Come early for the
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CONTENTS
RESTAURANT PROFILE

Home Is Where the Heart Is
Keeping tradition alive at Mykonos.
By CECILIA BUY

WINE
Red Wine and Bacon
Bacon as a bridging agent for austere red wines.
By SHARI DARLING

TRENDSPOTTING
Discovering Ontario Artisan Cheese
Eating local has never tasted so good, as our handcrafted cheese has arrived.
By MELANIE NORTH

BOOKS
A review of Just in Time! by Rachel Ray, with selected recipes
By JENNIFER GAGEL

A review of The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
By DARIN COOK

CHEFS
A Day at the Stratford Chefs School
An educational day in Stratford sounds like foodie heaven.
By CECILIA BUY

FOOD WRITER AT LARGE
Don’t Bite the Hand that Feeds You
By BRYAN LAVERY
EATDRINKBUZZ

Business News

Camp Cuisine
Compiled by CHRIS McDONELL
TRAVEL
Pale Ale makes an interesting change during the winter doldrums.
By ANN McCOLL LINDSAY

BEER
In the Pale for What Ales Ya
Pale Ale makes an interesting change during the winter doldrums.
By THE MALT MONK

SEASONAL RECIPES
A Classic Meal for Loved Ones
By CHRISTINE SCHEER

MIXOLOGY
True North Martini
By DARCY O’NEIL

THE LIGHTER SIDE
Chili Chowder Chow Chow
By BRYAN LAVERY
eatdrink
™
RESTAURANTS • RECIPES • WINE • TRAVEL
A Food & Drink Magazine Serving London, Stratford & Area
eatdrinkmag.net
™
» Register and receive a monthly email with a link to the free digital edition
— more recipes, photos, stories and links.
» A virtual magnet for all things culinary
— find restaurants, read reviews and much more.
Publisher & Advertising Manager
Chris McDonell
[email protected]
Oﬃce Manager
Cecilia Buy
Telephone & Fax
519 434-8349
Mailing Address
525 Huron Street,
London ON N5Y 4J6
News & Feedback
[email protected]
Contributors
Bryan Lavery
Melanie North
Cecilia Buy
Shari Darling
Christine Scheer
D.R. Hammond
Jennifer Gagel
Darin Cook
Darcy O'Neil
Ann McColl Lindsay
Editorial Advisory Board
Bryan Lavery
Chris McDonald
Cathy Rehberg
Copy Editor
Melanie North
Graphic Design & Layout
Hawkline Graphics
[email protected]
Website
Milan Kovar/KOVNET
Printing
Impressions Printing
St. Thomas ON
Cover Image
Mykonos dynamo Hiedi Vamvalis with, from the left,
Cook Khalid Matti, Cook Delo Murad and Chef Mazin Matti.
The photo is by Melanie North.
Copyright © 2008 eatdrink™, Hawkline Graphics and the writers. All rights reserved.
Reproduction or duplication of any material published in
eatdrink™ or on eatdrinkmag.net™ is strictly prohibited without
the written permission of the Publisher. eatdrink™ has a circulation
of 10,000 issues published monthly. The views or opinions
expressed in the information, content and/or advertisements
published in eatdrink™ are solely those of the author(s) and do not
necessarily represent those of the Publisher. The Publisher
welcomes submissions but accepts no responsibility for
unsolicited material.
february 2008 • issue seven
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
5
NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
We’re All Winners ...
By Chris McDonell
A
special welcome goes out to all of
you who made their first discovery
of eatdrink at the London Wine &
Food show. We enjoyed the opportunity to
chat with both regular and new readers. I
wasn’t surprised by the number of people
who entered our Winter Weekend in Stratford “subscription drive”
draw, as the prize was so
appealing. Two nights
accommodation for two
at the boutique hotel Mercer’s Hall Inn,
breakfasts at Tango Café, Friday night dinner at Fellini’s and Saturday night at the
Keystone Alley Café should prove to be a
lovely winter tonic. Congratulations go out
to London resident Shelley Jacobson, who
was appropriately thrilled. Have a great
weekend, Shelley!
Winter Weekend
Getaway for 2
We couldn’t report the prize winner from
the December issue’s Tea Quiz before we
went to press for January . LonTHE
eatdrink doner Marie Blosh, who had all
right answers to some tricky
EA UIZ the
questions, won a beautiful gift
box of Numi flowering teas and accoutrements, including a charming glass
teapot, courtesy of Everything Tea.
T Q
We have yet another opportunity for you to
win a prize. We’re accepting Readership
Surveys until February 18, when we’ll
select one lucky
EADERSHI
response as the
2008
winner of 12 meals
URVE
from Dinner Revolution (www.dinnerrevolution.com). You
can’t miss this online survey on our website. (We did take manual entries at the
Wine and Food Show but it’s so much easier online.) Of course, the magazine is the
real winner, with your input helping shape
what we do ... but the meals sound great to
me too! Good luck, and thank you in
advance for helping us know who is reading eatdrink and how we can make this
the most useful magazine possible.
R
S
Y
Speaking of having influence, our Restaurant Reviews are online and waiting for your
input. Had a dining experience that you’d
like to share with other readers? Be our
guest. We’re building a multi-purpose website, and the Reviews are a big part of that
plan. You can also read the magazine
online, and we have our back issues
archived there too. READERSHIP DFrree
aw
SURVEY
2008
Our 2008 Readership Survey is online until February 18. We’ll draw one lucky entry from all those
received, for a prize of 12 fabulous meals from Dinner Revolution (www.dinnerrevolution.com).
Good luck, and thanks in advance
for your input.
—Chris McDonell, Publisher
P
6
issue seven • february 2008
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
RESTAURANTS
Home Is Where the Heart Is
Keeping Tradition Alive at Mykonos
By Cecilia Buy
ments become fixtures on the landscape.
They span the range of style and price, but
have in common loyal customers, and
steady reputations. Mention “Tony’s
Pizza” or “Michael’s on the Thames” or
“Mykonos” and anyone who lives here
most likely knows the place you mean.
In the 1940s, English Fish and Chips
opened on Adelaide Street at Elias, just
south of Central. On Friday nights, the
line-up wound out the door and down the
sidewalk. This was the business that Bill
Vamvalis put a down payment on in the
early ’70s. He had come to London at 28,
after his army service in Greece. He and
his family moved into the apartment
upstairs from the restaurant. While Bill
was busy fish and chipping, his wife Hiedi
Mykonos proprietor Hiedi Vamvalis, with “her boys” from the kitchen.
From the left are: Cook Khalid Matti, Chef Mazin Matti, and Cook Delo Murad.
Photos by Melanie North
L
ondon, Ontario has a reputation for
conservatism that was established
many years ago. In the financial
world, that reputation was bolstered by
institutions founded or centered here,
such as Canada Trust, London Life, the
Carling and Labatt breweries and the
Grand Trunk Railway. Although times
have changed, banks have merged and
railways lost their luster, Londoners’ love
of the traditional and familiar endures into
the twenty-first century.
The attitude carries into the restaurant
world as well. We embrace and support
our dining establishments. The sign makers seem busier than the restaurants,
sometimes, as places open to fanfare, then
fade away soon after. But some establish-
february 2008 • issue seven
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
was busy being a mother, a part-time business partner and preparing to finish her
teaching degree.
As many can attest, partnerships,
whether in business or in marriage, face
some challenges. For Bill and Hiedi, a big
one came up in 1981. Bill was missing his
family and his home in Greece, and contemplating moving back there with his
Canadian family. Hiedi wasn’t sure that
was a step she wanted to take. Though also
born in Greece, Hiedi has lived here since
childhood, and considers herself a Londoner. But love can conquer all. The Vamvalis’s solution was this: Hiedi would leave
teaching and become a full-time partner
in the business, which would allow Bill to
make more frequent visits to Greece.
Together they would create a restaurant
that would provide them with the best of
both countries, using the best of both their
skills, and reflecting their own tastes. Thus
Mykonos was born. It is their own bit of
Greece, says Bill. “Our heart is here.”
The colours of Mykonos are those we
most commonly associate with the Greek
islands: the white of windmills and plaster
walls, the blue of the Aegean Sea and
cloudless skies, and splashes of
bright pink and red. With lots of pictures on the walls, rustic artwork,
tiles, and rush seating on the
wooden chairs, the texture of
Mykonos’ interior captures Greek
Island style. But it’s the hostess’
effervescence that fully conjures the
relaxed yet energized atmosphere
that patrons keep coming back to
enjoy. Hiedi and her staff work to
make their customers comfortable.
“And when you’re comfortable,” she
says, “you can concentrate on the
food, the wine, the celebration.” People come here, she adds, “to be
sociable … to converse … to enjoy.”
Finding the comfort level that
works for the staff as well is an
important part of the equation. The
early days at Mykonos saw members
of their immediate and extended
families working in the restaurant.
“But we ran out!” laughs Hiedi.
Nowadays, the staffing situation is
more settled. The kitchen has three fulltime and three part-time cooks. Dining
room staff (some of whom are the children
of long-time customers) receive no formal
training, as Hiedi prefers to rely on hiring
people who personify her “old-fashioned
values” and who show genuine concern
for the customer’s comfort.
While Hiedi commands the dining room
like the host of a holiday cruise boat in
sunny Greece, her “pragmatic” co-captain
is minding the bridge, or is it the galley?
Bill’s in the kitchen, making sure that their
reputation for quality and consistency
continues undisputed. “Everything we
make here, from the start, is fresh,” says
Bill, and “everything is from scratch.” The
Mykonos menu is sizeable, and features
primarily Greek food: everything from
avgolemono (a popular chicken rice soup;
the recipe is on the following page) and
souvlaki to stuffed grape leaves and
broiled quail. There is also a selection of
western-style meals, and a children’s
menu. Desserts are the only items that
come from outside, says Bill, and gives
credit to Perfect Bakery on Hamilton Road
7
Seafood is an integral part of
the menu, whether it be Greekstyle or the ﬁsh & chips of the
restaurant’s roots.
8
issue seven • february 2008
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
for the quality of their Mediterranean pastries and baked goods.
And of course you can get those English
Fish and Chips, a tradition Londoners are
still enjoying after more than 65 years.
Mykonos does not offer catering services
or delivery, but nearly everything on the
menu, not just the fish and chips, is available for take-out.
There have been changes at Mykonos
over the years, but mostly they’ve been
cosmetic. The original restaurant space
with the window booths has grown to take
in the former barbershop next door (you
might remember the two steps down into
that room—the floor has since been
raised), and 15 years ago the patio was
opened. With heaters, this area can be
enjoyed in any season, but is closed when
the space is not required.
Bill and Hiedi moved out of the apartment and into the house next door 18 years
ago, but only recently have they begun to
lighten their workload. Now they enjoy
more holidays and travel than in the early
days. The restaurant “nourishes me,” says
Hiedi. ‘To keep people happy means keeping ourselves happy. I want to keep the
energy going.” As to what the future holds,
Hiedi doesn’t want to think about any big
changes yet. They can enjoy some flexibility nowadays, and “enjoy what we’ve built,
take it as it comes.”
Back in the 1970s, when Bill and Hiedi
were running the fish and chip shop, they
“had no idea that this was going to happen,” that they would find themselves
decades later in their own little bit of
Greece, in the middle of London, and that
Recipe courtesy of Mykonos Restaurant.
Mykonos Avgolemono Soup
This is a popular take-out item.
6-8 cups of chicken stock
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 large chicken breasts
4 eggs, separated
3 celery sticks, chopped
2 oz. ,white flour
3 carrots, chopped
1 Tbsp of salt
Juice of two lemons
¼ Tbsp pepper
1 onion, chopped
⁄ cup of white rice
1 Boil the chicken breasts in a pot of water
until cooked. Take the chicken out and
cut into very small pieces.
2 Add the chopped carrots, celery, onion
and garlic to the chicken broth. Add the
chicken pieces and cook for 20 minutes
more.
3 Add the rice to the broth and cook for 10
minutes. Add salt and pepper and stir.
4 Mix the flour with ½ cup of cold water.
Strain the mixture to remove the lumps
and add to broth. Turn heat off after 4
minutes.
5 Prepare the avgolemono by beating the
egg yolks and then beating the egg
whites separately. Combine while beating them together and stir in the lemon
juice. Add the mixture to the soup.
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february 2008 • issue seven
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
9
their
restaurant
would become one
of London’s cherished
establishments. “It’s been a
wonderful journey,”
she declares. “Marriage and business!” Year in and year out, Mykonos
manages to evoke the charms
of Greece while also serving as
a comfortable and “homey”
restaurant for scores of loyal
customers.
Mykonos Restaurant
572 Adelaide Street, London
519-434-6736
www.mykonosrestaurant.ca
hours of operation
Monday-Saturday: 11am-10pm
Sunday: 11am-9pm
CECILIA BUY is a writer and designer who has enjoyed living and dining in London for the past 17 years.
Elegance & Simplicity
• Cabinetry
• Vanities
• Countertops
• Millwork
It’s a feeling. When
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From Roy Thomson
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547 Clarke Road (Between Oxford & Dundas)
Showroom Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-5pm; Sat 8am-Noon
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10
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issue seven • february 2008
WINE
Red Wine and Bacon
By Shari Darling
C
ertain ingredients act as a bridge, different species of oak, grown in forests in
bringing a dish into harmony with a France, the USA or Hungary. Each forest
produces wood with distinctive characparticular wine. Bacon, for examteristics involving tightness of the wood
ple, is an excellent bridging ingredient
grain, ultimately affecting the amount
to match to austere red wines. Austere
of colour, flavour, taste and tannin (bitreds include South African pinotage,
terness) imparted to the wine. New
Italian barolo or barbaresco, Californian
barrels also add more flavour and tancabernet sauvignon, French margaux
nin. During barrel making, the parand some Ontario baco noir.
tially assembled barrel is placed over
Bacon’s three wine-friendly qualia small wood fire and the inside is
ties are fattiness, smokiness and
toasted. Barrels are generally light,
saltiness. In hot climatic regions,
medium or heavily toasted. The
grapes attain high sugar levels. The
depth of toasting depends on the
higher the sugar level, the greater
grape variety used and the style of
the alcohol content in the wine,
wine to be made, with each level
because sugar converts to alcohol
of toasting affecting the depth of
during fermentation. High alcoflavour in the wine.
hol gives red wine an oily mouth
Red wines fermented and/or
feel or fatty character. Add to this
aged in heavily toasted oak barthat most austere reds undergo
rels often possess a smoky,
barrel fermentation
burned caramel flavour and some
and/or aging. The barbitterness. These characteristics
rels are handare a natural complement to the
crafted from
hickory or apple-wood smoked
flavours of some bacon varieties.
Curing also makes bacon salty.
The saltiness of bacon softens the
bitterness in an austere red, leaving a
creamy texture that blends with the fatty
mouth feel. So, austere reds—ones barrel
fermented and/or aged and high in alco-
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#XCKNCDNGCV
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february 2008 • issue seven
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
hol—possess fattiness, smokiness and bitterness that complement dishes containing bacon. Bacon is the bridge.
You can add bacon to a variety of dishes,
making them compatible to an austere red
wine. Scallops complement white wine,
until you add bacon. Bacon-wrapped beef
or lamb tenderloin and an austere red wine
is a marriage made in heaven.
When bacon is teamed up with other red
wine-friendly ingredients, you can create
classic combinations that harmonize with
austere red wines. Bacon and roquefort,
bacon with spinach, bacon with roasted
onions or bacon and wild mushrooms
are examples. Any one of these ingredient combinations can be added to a
dish of pasta, risotto or polenta and
then be matched to an austere red.
Certain herbs harmonize with
bacon, as well, ultimately complementing this same wine style. Thyme is
an example. Nothing could be more
enjoyable alongside a glass of South
African pinotage than a rack of lamb with
sausage, bacon and thyme or pan-fried
chicken with bacon and thyme gravy. How
about bacon-wrapped quail with curly
endive, toasted walnuts and balsamic
thyme vinaigrette? I’ve also shared my
Bacon-Wrapped Roast Duck recipe (following page), as another great example.
So, the next time you think austere red,
consider adding bacon to bridge the relationship.
Shiraz backbone is perfectly enhanced by
the rustic earthy tones of the Grenache, to
culminate in a multi layered wine that has
an exquisite lingering finish.
Recommended Bottles
Descriptions courtesy the winemakers and
the LCBO.
Chapel Hill Shiraz Grenache 2005,
(Australia, lcbo 37168, $18.80). Shiraz and Grenache are indisputedly
the two grape varieties that epitomize the unique personality and
character of South Australia’s
McLaren Vale. The growing conditions during the 2004 vintage were
idyllic. The warm temperate days
coupled with cool nights and minimal rainfall, resulted in fruit of
excellent condition. The opulently
flavoured plum and cinnamon
11
Henry of Pelham Baco Noir Reserve
2005, (Ontario, lcbo 461699, $24.75). In
The New Sotheby's Wine Encyclopaedia,
Tom Stephenson recommends the Henry
of Pelham Baco Noir for those interested
in discovering the potential of hybrid
grapes. Produced from mature, lowyielding vines, Pelham's Reserve Baco
just keeps getting better. The 2005 may
be their best yet, winning the Gold
Medal at the Ontario Wine Awards
2007.
The Cloof Cellar Blend 2004, (South
Africa, lcbo 37408, $19.80). Consisting
mainly of press wine—the last drops
pressed from the skins after fermentation—this blend is concentrated in the
extreme. Its texture is thick and dense.
Flavours cover the whole spectrum, with
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Trainer: Dr. Kate Partridge, Psychologist
To register or for more information,
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that lifts my spirit ... I walk in to a
warm welcome and leave with a
desire to return.”
— Kitchener Record
issue seven • february 2008
the Tinta giving the wine an exotic fruitiness on the mid-palate. The spiciness of
French Oak (25 new) lends an an air of
sophistication to this off-beat big, bold
and juicy wine.
Colio CEV Reserve Merlot 2002,
(Ontario, lcbo 500447, $19.80). A deep
ruby, plum colour, with a bouquet of
herbs, black olives and ripe berries. Tastes
of round fruit flavours, sweet red pepper,
hints of strawberry, and long, well-structured tannins on the finish. Recipe courtesy Shari Darling, Harmony on the Palate,
Whitecap Books, 2005.
Bacon-Wrapped Roasted Duck
This is the kind of dish that pleases protein
advocates. While it’s high in fat, it’s fairly low
in carbohydrates, making it a favourable
recipe for low-carb fans.
Re-opening
February 12th and
remaining open.
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[email protected]
Corner of Hwy 7 and Perth Road 118,
just outside St. Marys
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 egg
½ small onion, finely chopped
3 cups (750 mL) cubed, dried bread
½ cup (125 mL) water
¼ cup (50 mL) melted butter
1 tsp (5 mL) each dried sage, dried oregano,
seasoning salt and black pepper
1 duck (5 lb/2.2 kg), rinsed and dried
4 slices applewood smoked bacon
1 Preheat oven to 325˚F (160˚C). In a large
bowl, mix together all ingredients except
for duck and bacon. If too dry, add more
water. Stuff dressing in duck cavity.
2 Wrap duck in bacon strips, holding in
place with toothpicks. Place duck in a
roasting pan. Roast, uncovered, for about
1½ hours, until duck is golden and
cooked inside.
3 Let sit 10 minutes before removing stuffing and carving.
SHARI DARLING is a member of the Wine Writers’ Circle of
Canada, author of books such as Harmony on the Palate:
Matching Simple Recipes to Everyday Wine Styles and
co-author of The Wine Manual, a resource for sommelier
and wine training. She can be reached through her website:
www.sophisticatedwino.com.
january 2008 • issue six
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
13
TRENDSPOTTING
Discovering Ontario Artisan Cheese
By Melanie North
M
y own cheese timeline goes something like this: Childhood: grilled
cheese, homemade macaroni
and cheese; University Days: macaroni
and cheese (aka Kraft dinner) and for a
fancy event—cheese fondue; Young Adulthood: the wine and cheese party—Ritz
crackers and two different kinds of cheddar (as in white and
orange); Present Day: I’m
happy to say I have
become much more
adventurous, enjoying a
wide variety including
Italian gorgonzola, Spanish
manchego
and
smoked cheddar. And
now artisan cheese is on
my must-try list: Upper
Canada Comfort Cream,
Thunder Oak gouda, and
David Wood’s Salt Spring
Island cheese. Interestingly, I am right on trend.
When it comes to
Canadian-made artisan
cheese, Quebec producers have historically been
in the spotlight, but a number of artisanal
cheese businesses have been launched in
Ontario in recent years and more are being
added all the time. So, what defines an
Artisan cheese? According to Kathy Guidi,
President of Artisan Cheese Marketing and
Dean of the Cheese Education Guild
(www.artisancheesemarketing.com), the
designation “artisan” cheese means several things. First of all, it is cheese that is
hand crafted according to traditional
methods. Also, the cheesemaker is very
linked to wherever the milk comes from—
what the animal eats, how it is cared for.
These producers are small in terms of size
of operation and are generally involved
from beginning to end in the process, from
obtaining the milk to selling it to a store.
And, finally, there is a consistency in the
quality of the cheese and/or the characteristics of the cheese. In other words, when
you buy artisan cheese, you buy a product
that is handmade, from pure ingredients
and it’s personal.
Glenda Smith, of Smith Cheese at the
Covent Garden Market in London, stocks a
wide variety of artisan
cheese from across
Canada. “People like it
because it’s not coming
from a factory. You are
buying local, it’s handformed, it uses less
chemicals, it’s a more
natural product and
there is a taste difference—it’s just more real.”
This cheese is not measured out by machines, it’s
made by people and we
have to appreciate that.
There is also the unique
“terroir” aspect to artisan
cheese. Ewenity Dairy Cooperative offers sheep’s
cheese from their herd
that grazes on pasture that includes herbs
like thyme and rosemary. This of course
lends a subtle flavour to the cheese. Likewise, there is a terroir of limestone in
Upper Canada Gold, a cheese made from
a single Guernsey herd in the Niagara
peninsula.
As Kathy Guidi says, “the factor of terroir
is really important—people don’t know
about that—just as in wine.” The wine
industry has done a wonderful job of educating people about what to look for and
Guidi’s goal is to do the same for cheese
appreciation.
Indeed, what should you look for when
choosing a cheese? Guidi suggests trying
pure milk, not a modified milk product, to
“sense your cheese.” You need to look,
14
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
touch, and notice attributes of the
cheese—the colour, texture, and aroma.
“The most important thing is to savour the
cheese by sucking it like a fine chocolate.
Don’t use your teeth, but press the morsel
of cheese against the roof of your mouth,
tongue it, and notice the flavours that
come off in the back of the mouth. Most
people tend to chew cheese and we miss
the real flavour and attributes. We eat too
fast.”
Cheese is a big passion of Kathleen
Sloan-McIntosh, owner/chef of Black
Dog Village Pub and Bistro
(www.blackdogpubbistro.ca) on
Bayfield’s Main Street. Last summer,
she opened the adjacent Black Dog
Pantry, stocking olive oils, breads
and a variety of international and
regional cheese. “People have to
understand how important it is to
shop local,” she says. “I’ll always
have international but I always try to
promote local and national. I love to
turn people on to something new.
issue five • december 2007
We do a lot of tastings here and it’s
lovely to see the interests come out
as you talk to people.” One of the
regional cheeses Sloan-McIntosh
sells is from the Upper Canada
Cheese Company. “I’m very proud to
support them,” she says. “I had
tasted their cheeses at Treadwell.
They produce just two cheeses made
with Guernsey milk. One is called
Niagara Gold, a gorgeous pungent
cheese. It cuts like Oka but has much
more flavour and is a beautiful
golden colour. Their other cheese is
Comfort Cream, which comes in a little
basket like brie or camembert, but has a
more pronounced flavour”.
Some customers are concerned with the
cholesterol levels of cheese, but SloanMcIntosh is an advocate of everything in
moderation. “We shouldn’t resist something as wonderful as cheese,” she maintains. “Just cut back in other areas—less
meat maybe. And a little bit goes a long
way. I serve a cheese plate that is one
ounce of four different cheeses, and you
can share that, too. When the quality is
there, it has a lot integrity—it satisfies. And
it’s a beautiful art form. Cheese is the kind
of thing people are willing to indulge in.
Just buy small amounts and pay for good
quality.”
Is there an increase in consumer
demand? Glenda Smith says it’s flying off
the shelves. People are willing to try new
cheeses in general but the whole idea of
eating local is fuelling the idea of local
cheese. People are also becoming more
concerned about the environmental costs
associated with how far away something is
imported from. And if you know the artisan, there is a resonance. Every month,
Smith has a cheese sampling and invites a
cheesemaker to come and share the story
of his or her product with her customers.
“It makes it more personal to know the
cheesemaker,” notes Smith, “and this way
you know whose kitchen it is coming from.”
Kathleen Sloan-McIntosh agrees. “I
think people are experimenting a bit
more,” she says. “As the Europeans have
done forever, cheese is a great end to a
meal. I put it in the restaurant Sunday
afternoon and evening.” She also has a tip
on tasting: “To taste a cheese properly, and
because it will increase in flavour and pungency, let it sit out for an hour at least. It
will be totally different than when it comes
out of the fridge. And also change the
wrapping on the cheese every day and put
it in something that is a bit breathable.”
Artisan cheese is also about supporting
the family farm. It can take patience to
shop locally. For example, Monforte Dairy
of Millbank, Ontario won’t be supplying
any more cheese while the sheep are
“freshening” (becoming pregnant, having
lambs, and producing milk again). Glenda
Smith says her customers don’t really
mind because by the end of the month the
Monforte cheese will arrive and everyone
will be very excited to see it back on the
shelves. MELANIE NORTH is a seasoned communications professional with experience in broadcast TV, corporate video,
website development, communications strategy, writing and
editing. She can't cook, but loves to eat!
16
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
issue seven • february 2008
BOOKS
Just in Time for Rachel Fans
Review by Jennifer Gagel
W
hile I rarely find myself in front of
a television, when I do, I’m sure
to turn it to channel 58, The Food
Network. The Food Network is not just a
television network, it’s a multimedia
brand. The show links to the web page,
which links to the books. Just about every
celebrity chef has capitalized on this marketing
phenomenon.
I’ll battle anyone for the
remote if my personal
favourite, “The Barefoot
Contessa,” is on. I love Ina
Garten’s wonderful way of
entertaining and making
everyone feel at home.
Often, I too will involve my
guests in preparation, or
set things up so they can
help themselves. We view
food as being an enjoyable
social event. But what
about those who don’t cook as I do?
Rachel Ray takes a completely different
approach to food than I’m used to, as I
mainly cook for pleasure, and so rarely
watch the clock. But many people are huge
fans of Rachel Ray. One woman I know
watches the show most days, and then
shops for the ingredients, as she lives a
quick walk to the grocery store. She says
Rachel fits perfectly into her lifestyle, as
she is busy at home with a new baby, and
it’s a great excuse to get out and take a
stroll every day.
So I thought I’d dive in and take a look at
the way the other half lives. Just in Time!
(Random House, Inc. $25.95) is Rachel’s
latest cookbook. Most of the recipes serve
four and are perfect for a small family,
maybe with some leftovers remaining for
lunch the next day. Some of her recipes are
“Double Duty Dinners” that can be transformed on the second night. There’s nothing more complicated than a frying pan
and oven basics, so there is nothing daunting or requiring intense concentration
when one has to keep half an eye on young
ones. Rachel’s ready to help out with the
kids, too, providing “Kids Will Eat It”
menus.
The recipes are varied in their ingredients, which is great for
people who are new to
cooking and not sure
what they like, or for those
who like to mix it up. The
book appears to go with
the show, being well
indexed, and using colour
coded tabs to distinguish
between 15-, 30-, and 60minute recipes, making it
easy to find a recipe that
will fit into your schedule.
But only eight pictures—a
big disappointment. I
guess that’s where the
Internet comes in.
Rachel’s cute and personable, using
acronyms such as BLD (Breakfast, Lunch,
and Dinner) and mentioning her friends
often, especially her husband John. If most
of her recipes are any indication, John
enjoys meat with most meals, and isn’t
huge on veggies. But for her healthy
friends, she pulls out something different,
such as Seared Salmon Fillets with CitrusDijon Spinach. The Un-beet-lievable Pasta,
Tomato, and Rocket Lettuce Salad is made
with golden beets, and though it is coded
with a 60-minute meal tab, half of that time
is passively spent roasting the beets. The
active time is still only about 30 minutes.
She makes the most of convenience items,
such as pre-cooked chickens from the grocery store, often using it in MYOTO recipes
(Make Your Own Take-Out).
The book dives straight into the recipes,
without any preliminary information except
a brief introduction. Each recipe includes a
february 2008 • issue seven
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
17
cute play on words or personable anecdote 1 Bring the stock to a boil in a saucepan with
a tight-fitting lid. Stir in the rice, 1 tsp of
preceding it—you are sure to hear her in
the cumin, and 1 tsp of the paprika; return
your head and feel just like you are watching
to a boil; then cover and cook over very
her on the show. I did, and I’ve only seen a
low heat until tender, about 18 minutes.
handful of episodes, which proves the Food
Network is quite effective at putting their 2 Heat a large skilled over medium-high
heat with 2 Tbsp of the EVOO, twice
brilliant cross marketing to work.
around the pan. In a shallow dish, combine the remaining cumin and paprika, the
cayenne, and the lime and orange zests.
Season the pork with salt and black pepper and toss the medallions with the spice
mixture to coat them. Cook the medallions
in 2 batches, cooking for 2 minutes on
each side. Add another 2 Tbsp of EVOO
Recipes courtesy Rachel Ray, Just In Time!, Random House,
before adding the second batch to the
Inc., 2007.
pan. Keep the cooked pork covered with
foil to keep warm.
Cuban Surf and Turf
3 Preheat a large non-stick skillet over
30-minute meal
medium-high heat with the remaining two
This one’s so SoBe – that’s a South BeachTbsp of EVOO. While the skillet is heating,
style sexy supper.
season the shrimp with salt and pepper.
Add them to the hot skillet and cook just
3 cups chicken stock
until they are pink and cooked through, 4
1½ cups rice
to 5 minutes. Add the lime and orange
3 Tbsp ground cumin, 3 palmfuls
juices, hot sauce, and chopped cilantro to
3 Tbsp sweet paprika, 3 palmfuls
the pan; toss to combine, then remove
6 Tbsp EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)
from heat.
1 tsp cayenne pepper
4 Fluff the rice with a fork, then stir in the
Zest and juice of 2 limes
pineapple and scallions.
Zest and juice of 1 orange
5 Spoon a mound of rice onto each plate
2 trimmed pork tenderloins, cut into 20 1and arrange 5 medallions beside the rice.
inch medallions
Spoon the shrimp and a little sauce onto
Salt and black pepper
the medallions.
20 large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and
Tidbit: Serve individual shrimp-topped pork
butterflied
medallions as an hors d’oeuvre at your
2 Tbsp hot sauce
next cocktail party, or as a great app for a
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
sit-down supper!
1 cup chopped pineapple
2 scallions, green and white parts, chopped
JENNIFER GAGEL began her love affair with food at age
eight, cooking for a family of food lovers and fickle eaters
under the tutelage of her two European grandmothers. She
works for the London Public Library, where she scours the
cookbook selection to plan her next culinary experiment.
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18
issue seven • february 2008
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
Seared Salmon Fillets with
Citrus-Dijon Spinach
3 Heat a skillet with 2 Tbsp of the EVOO,
twice around the pan, over medium-high
heat. Season the salmon with salt and
15-minute meal
pepper on both sides and add to the hot
I designed this menu for my healthiest friend,
skillet. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each
Mariel Hemingway, and it contains all of her
side, or until golden at the edges.
favourite things in one meal. She glows inside
4 At the same time, heat a second skillet
and out. Eat it often and maybe you’ll glow, too!
with the remaining 2 Tbsp of EVOO over
medium to medium-high heat. Add the
½ cup slivered almonds
red onion and cook for 1 to 2 minutes just
1 grapefruit
to soften. Add the spinach in large hand1 orange
fuls, cooking each addition just until
3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
wilted before adding another bunch to the
4 Tbsp EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)
pan. When all the spinach is wilted, season
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skin removed
with salt and pepper and stir in the citrus
Salt and black pepper
mustard, tossing the spinach to coat
½ red onion, thinly sliced
evenly. Turn off the heat.
1 lb spinach, stemmed, coarsely chopped
5 Layer some of the wilted greens and
1 Place the nuts in a dry small skillet. Toast
grapefruit slices onto each of 4 plates.
over medium-low heat until fragrant, 3 to 5
Serve the salmon alongside and sprinkle
minutes. Remove from the heat and reserve.
all the toasted silver almonds. 2 Zest the grapefruit and orange and place
More from Rachel
a lway s m o re o n l i n e
in a small bowl. Juice the orange into the
Ray and Just in
bowl and stir in the mustard. Use a sharp
Time! Click this
knife to slice off any remaining peel and all link online for the Un-beet-lievable Pasta, Tomato,
the pith from the grapefruit and slice it.
and Rocket Lettuce Salad recipe.
H
How
I tur
turn
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Janet
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ay. “This
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olicy
because
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ecause I get
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Feel the
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february 2008 • issue seven
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
19
The Omnivore’s Dilemma
A Natural History of Four Meals
Review by Darin Cook
I
n no book has the phrase “You are what
you eat” meant so much as in Michael
Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A
Natural History of Four Meals (Thomson
Gale, 2007, $18.95). Combining science,
philosophy, anthropology, and journalistic
investigation, Pollan sets out to
answer the question “What
should we have for dinner?”
Since humans are omnivores,
it becomes far more complicated than it needs to be; thus,
the dilemma. He writes,
“When you can eat just about
anything nature has to offer,
deciding what you should eat
will inevitably stir anxiety.” He
tries to assuage our dilemma
by inspiring us to conscientiously approach our meals by
remembering that food comes
from somewhere other than the supermarket or refrigerator.
We far too often disassociate food from
its source, but every cow or chicken that
could become our dinner is “connected as
all animals must be to certain other animals and plants and microbes, as well as
to the earth and the sun. He’s a link in a
food chain, a thread in a far-reaching web
of ecological relationships.” It matters not
where that animal comes from; it could be
any of the three environs Pollan investigates in pursuit of the origins of his meals:
an industrial feedlot, an organic pasture,
or in the wild.
First delving into the world of industrial
farming, Pollan explores feedlots, food processing plants, and all entities involved in
manufacturing corn (used for myriad products in grocery markets and a cattle feed
staple). This investigation ends with a dining experiment at McDonald’s (not nearly
as extreme as the Super Size Me movie)
leaving him thinking it’s hard to picture an
actual cow involved in a fast-food
hamburger, creating the option of overlooking ethical concerns or nutritional dangers.
Pollan surmises “that perhaps is what the
industrial food chain does best: obscure the
histories of the foods it produces by processing them to such an extent that they
appear as pure products of
culture rather than nature.”
His second and third meals
explore the roots of alternative farming. He concludes
that the term “organic” has
become a governmentowned, food-processing strategy. A working holiday at
Polyface Farm in Virginia,
however, emphasizes that
sustainable farming, with
grass-fed livestock, seasonal
food calendars, local farmers’
markets and open-air slaughterhouses is a more natural and ecological
process that recognizes the connection
between the health of soil, plants, animals,
and humans.
Pollan’s fourth meal puts him in the role
of predator, as he obtains a hunting
licence, picks up a gun and heads into the
forest. Of course, an internal animal rights
battle ensues, but he eventually kills a wild
boar and, along with mushrooms foraged
from the wild and vegetables from a
home-grown garden, prepares a meal that
consists entirely of elements from nature.
This, for him, becomes the perfect meal,
both for its taste and conscientious satisfaction. It is with this contentment, after
throwing light on all forms of eating
between the two ends of the fast-food and
slow-food spectrum, that Pollan reveals
that morals, ethics, and cultural habits
really do make us what we eat. London resident DARIN COOK uses the knowledge gained
from his English degree from UWO to sell books, make cappuccinos and sometimes even write.
20
issue seven • february 2008
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
CHEFS
Visiting Stratford Chefs School
Where we ask, “What is an Epigram?”
By Cecilia Buy
‘‘G
ood things come to those who wait.’
Well, having done a fair bit of that
over the years, I was quite chuffed
when our editor offered a new assignment:
to represent eatdrink at a media event
hosted by Stratford Chefs School (SCS).
A future issue of eatdrink will have
more about the SCS. This article chronicles
my introduction to that establishment,
and to some of the people I met there.
The first step was to check in at Bentley’s.
The casual pub atmosphere of this restaurant/bar belies the quality of the rooms at
Bentley’s Inn. My “loft” room offered main
floor sitting area (small), bed with Tempur-Pedic mattress (large), and a wall
mounted plasma TV (medium). Stairs led
to the bathroom and a smaller sleeping
area with gas fireplace and another TV.
The view from the two-storey windows was
of Albert Street and Stratford’s old Victorian-style City Hall, flag flowing from the
tower against the clear blue winter sky.
Just before six o’clock, I met my fellow
“media guests” at the reception area, and
under the guidance of Falan Hamilton of
High View Communications (the School’s
public relations firm), we walked over to
Rundles. My colleagues were Heather
Rivers (reporter for The Sentinel-Review in
Woodstock), Andrew Coppolino (Kitchener-Waterloo Record), Brian Shypula
(Stratford Beacon Herald) and Jill Worthington (London Free Press).
Rundles is one of Stratford’s premier din-
Stratford Chefs School co-founders James Morris (of Rundles Restaurant) and Eleanor Kane (of The Old Prune
Restaurant) have remained intensely involved in the school’s operations since 1983.
february 2008 • issue seven
ing establishments, but more relevant to
the purpose of our visit is its connection to
the Stratford Chefs School. Owner James
(Jim) Morris, along with Eleanor Kane of
The Old Prune Restaurant, co-founded the
school in 1983. The school itself is located
on the same premises, and uses many of
the restaurant’s facilities in the course of
educating future culinary professionals.
Once inside Rundles, chilled only
slightly during the brisk walk, we surrendered our coats and climbed the stairs to a
small sitting room. Richard Maloney,
innkeeper and chef at the Rundles-Morris House (more about
that later), welcomed us with
glasses of Prosecco, and we
joined those already assembled.
As well as Mr. Morris and Ms.
Kane, the company included
Tony Hirons of The Merchant
Vintner, James Chatto, renowned
food writer and currently writerin-residence at the SCS, and
another eminent food writer, and
best-selling cookbook author,
Elizabeth Baird.
A short while later, refreshed,
entertained,
informed
and
relaxed, it was back into coats and
gloves and scarves. We stepped
out to walk the few blocks to The
Old Prune Restaurant.
An integral part of the course curriculum at the SCS is the Visiting Chefs program. Tonight, we were looking forward to
a dinner prepared by Chef Yvan Lebrun of
Restaurant Initiale in Quebec City. Students of the school would be assisting Chef
in the kitchen and working front of house.
Roland Leclerc is Chef’s wife and business
partner, and Maitre d’ at Initiale. She
backed up the students in the dining
room, and proved every bit as ebullient
and professional as I had heard.
Once seated, and provided with water
and a glass of wine, we enjoyed brief talks
from Elizabeth Nowatschin (the evening’s
Student Chef ), Matthew Consiglio, (student and Maitre d’ for the event), Winemaker Derek Barnett of Lailey Vineyard,
and Mme. Leclerc. Our meal then proceeded through five courses, each paired
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
21
The Rundles-Morris
House provides a
stimulating setting
for the school and its
visitors.
with a wine from
Lailey. Included
on the menu
were Kadaiff of
Pork with Foie
Gras and Leeks,
and Roast Lamb
Loin
Epigram
(look it up yourself ) with Mustard and
Rutabaga. The dessert course included a
Sabayon of Maple Syrup, and was served
with another Lailey triumph, Vidal
Icewine 2005.
Such dinners are offered throughout the
school year, and provide the dining public
with a marvelous opportunity to experience the skill of great chefs that would otherwise be attainable only with greater
distances to be traveled, and considerably
greater outlay.
Perhaps the conversation wasn’t as
sparkling, witty and urbane as I would like
to recall, but the combination of food,
wine, service, people and atmosphere
made it seem so. I hope our hosts enjoyed
it as much as we did, even though the
evening was really part of a PR exercise.
Mid-dinner, I stepped as unobtrusively
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
issue seven • february 2008
as possible into the kitchen, and stood quietly in a corner for a few minutes, curious to
experience the atmosphere. Consider: we
have one of Canada’s leading chefs, a
Frenchman by birth, producing a complicated menu for about 30 discriminating
patrons and assisted by ... students. I was
prepared for shouting, Gallic curses and
sneers, cringing students, perhaps flying
pots or even sharp cutlery. None of it. Chef
and his brigade pursued their craft in quiet
conversation, smiling, occasionally laughing, moving so smoothly as to seem choreographed. I later asked Rolande Leclerc if
this was her husband’s usual modus
operandi. Was he controlling himself for the
occasion, or perhaps restrained by the language barrier? No, she laughingly reassured
me. What I had witnessed was Chef Lebrun
in his element, behaving as per usual.
One final cup of coffee, and a thoroughly
enjoyable experience came to an end. Outside the night air was bracing, and with
snow crunching beneath our boots, we
wended inn-ward through ever-so-lightly
falling snow. (The ladies and gentlemen of
the press reconvened a bit later for a nightcap, but sensibly retired at a reasonable
hour. Our “work” was to continue next
morning, with the summons of the school
bell.)
Next day we met at Features, on Ontario
Street. Eggs Benedict had been the intention but (perhaps it had something to do
with last night’s dinner) I chose a lighter
breakfast. Quick and friendly service, a
great menu—I’ve found a new favourite
place in Features.
Then off again towards Rundles. Our
destination was not the restaurant itself,
but a building next door. The RundlesMorris House was designed by Canadian
architects Brigitte Shim and Howard Sutcliffe, and exemplifies their trademark
style. Lots of wood and windows, and an
airy ambiance underscore relationships
between the construction, its environment
and the people who live in it. When the
owner is not in residence, the house can be
rented. For this morning, the house was
ours to enjoy, and in a few hours we would
sit down to lunch in the dining room, with a
22
Chef Yvan Lebrun, centre, of Quebec City’s Restaurant Initiale and one of the “Visiting Chefs” enriching the
Stratford Chefs School curriculum, shares a technique with some earnest journalists.
february 2008 • issue seven
floor-to-ceiling view towards
Lake Victoria.
But we had to sing for our
supper, so to speak. Today
we were the kitchen
brigade to Chef Lebrun.
With humour and much
beaming encouragement—
but very little English—he
put us through our paces.
Potatoes were chopped,
baby bok choy blanched,
celery root sliced, and
sauces stirred (on a Thermidor Professional range).
Admittedly, Chef did the
serious work (including
preparing the treasure: black truffle from
Perigord), and we had translators in both
Mme. Leclerc and Rosaire Roy. Richard
Maloney kept us supplied with refreshments and graters and rolling pins and
whisks and a number of very sharp knives.
Partway through the morning, we were
joined by Jacob Richler, who came to know
Yvan Lebrun in the course of working on his
current project. We can look forward in
some months to the publication of his book
on 10 top Canadian chefs. I confess to being
somewhat overcome. Jacob Richler!
Mordecai’s son! Jacob Two-Two in the flesh!
He must be fed up with it. At any rate, Mr.
Richler was game to take part in the preparations, and joined us for lunch, as did
Eleanor Kane. Tony Hirons arrived to be
sommelier to our group. Among the wines
that he presented with lunch were a Pouilly
Fume 2004, from Domaine de Berthiers,
which was paired to great effect with the
opening course, Fish Brandade and Shellfish Bisque. To go with the dessert (various
lovely chocolatey things), Mr. Hirons
poured an intriguing and unusual Barolo.
The recipe for Barolo Chinato calls for an
infusion of rhubarb root, cinchona bark
and a number of other aromatic herbs. Fullbodied, of course, it is slightly sweet, with a
somewhat medicinal (but by no means
unpleasant) finish. While interesting on its
own, this Barolo Chinato proved its depth
when savoured with the chocolate.
All good things come to an end, and with
coffee cup drained, thank-yous said, hands
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
23
shaken and cheeks kissed, it was back to
London. My companion for the drive? Nat
King Cole, with “The Frim-Fram Sauce.” Stratford Chefs School
68 Nile Street, Stratford
519-271-1414
www.stratfordchef.on.ca
CECILIA BUY is a regular contributor to eatdrink.
The Only On King
172 King Street • London
519.936.2064
www.theonlyonking.ca
Reservations Recommended
Stratford
is more
than great
theatre.
“I made a delicious discovery:
Stratford has a culinary obsession.
And, for me, finding what I call a
’food town’ is a rare and magnificent
thing ... You’ve got a place that
feeds all the senses.
I savour Stratford’s every delectable
moment.”
— Marion Kane, Food Writer
(Dish: Memories, Recipes and Delicious Bites)
www.marionkane.com
“The appreciation for quality
that Stratford visitors have for
theatre extends to what they eat ...
A cosmopolitan food scene
featuring imagination and
craftsmanship has evolved in
the area.”
— Katherine Dowhan,
Homemakers
SHELDON RUSSELL
CHEF/PROPRIETOR
time for
s
Every Friday and Saturday
from 9 pm - 12 am at Fellini’s
Savory Spanish- inspired morsels
like caponata stuffed calamari and
frites with truffle creme fraiche
just to name a few.
Italian ~ Mediterranean ~ Delicious
www.fellinisstratford.com
107 Ontario St. downtown Stratford
519.271.3333
In addition to our regular
a la carte menu our
BISTRO DINNER MENU
features a choice of appetizer,
main course and dessert for
$25.95. Menu changes weekly
throughout the winter months.
34 Brunswick Street in Stratford
behind the Avon Theatre
keystonealley.com
Reservations 519.271.5645
Appetizing Suites
Upstairs at the Cafe
Reservations 519.271.5645
Why dine and drive?
Great rates
and packages
are available
at our boutique
inn. Downtown
Stratford, right
across from
Fellini’s.
104 Ontario St.
1.888.816.4011
www.mercerhallinn.com
26
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
issue seven • february 2008
FOOD WRITER AT LARGE
Don’t Bite the Hand that Feeds You
By Bryan Lavery
I
t is fair to say that serious writers
receive little appreciation from readers
who insist on controversy and perceive
objectiveness as a worthless exercise.
Readers, I have discovered, can be quite
blood-thirsty when it comes to restaurant
matters. They want the dish behind the
scenes and the more hullabaloo the better.
If the writer doesn’t instantly engage the
reader’s primal instincts on some level, the
reader may quickly turn the page. This is
not surprising, given the fact that almost
everything in our popular culture seems to
be diluted or spun into some form of
innocuous or salacious entertainment.
In part, this explains the ascendancy of
the capricious or eccentric celebrity chefs
and the immense popularity of the television shows that showcase them. Of course,
there are exceptions to any rule. Thankfully, there are many chefs who employ
their celebrity for the greater good and
have become well-spoken advocates of
socially conscious philosophies and ethical practices. Chief among these is British
Chef Jamie Oliver, who champions a variety of worthwhile causes and principled
ideals. Oliver recently found himself at the
centre of both disagreement and support
by animal rights organizations when he
demonstrated, in front of an audience of
four million television viewers, the
humane way to kill a chicken. He stunned
the chicken, severed an artery inside its
gullet and let the chicken bleed to death
on stage. Oliver, who recently obtained a
slaughterman’s license, did this in accordance with British principles for ethically
humane slaughter. He stated that he
wanted consumers to face up to the reality
that eating any kind of meat requires
killing an animal, even when this is
accomplished with the least amount of
pain. The reaction this event created has
generated ongoing discussion and debate
in the food community.
Food writing and restaurant reviewing
and criticism are not immune to hyperbole either. It is well-known that many
writers use witty double entendres and
employ a critical approach solely for the
sake of creating irreverently amusing copy.
Last month, I wrote about a composite
character that I referred to as Gaston. The
speculation surrounding this invented
character warrants further comment.
Gaston was a fiction, based on an amalgam of true-life characters encountered
over the last six months. I should have
known what to expect, yet I was surprised
by the number of people who thought they
knew who this invented character was, or
who self-identified with my experience in
one way or another. Let me assure you, my
%ODFNIULDUVZZZEODFNIULDUVELVWURFRP
january 2008 • issue six
intention was not to take a run at anyone
but to underline the fact that this haughty
behavior does exist even in these more
culinarily enlightened times.
While I was at it, I also cast some
tongue-in-cheek aspersions on the validity of the term “American service.” (In prehistoric times, I was taught to refer to this
style as plate service.) According to an article in the New York Times, the designation
“American Service” is the more contemporary terminology. “At its best, American
service is professional, casual and democratic,” the article explained. “First, diners
get equal, or at least nearly equal, consideration rather than being divided into
nobodies and friends of the house. Second, service duties are shared more
equally among staff members, which
translates into better, more informed service for diners and, not incidentally, good
salaries for waiters at top restaurants.”
There is an excellent treatise on the subject
developed by Visa with the objective of
furnishing service staff with guidelines
and ideas aimed at increasing service
standards and gratuities. According to
Visa, the factual details that best explain
American service is that the food is plated
in the kitchen and served to the table with
the majority of the food on the entrée
plate. With each course, the used silverware is removed and fresh cutlery is
brought to the table to be replenished
before the next course arrives. This is the
style of service that is commonly used in
most upscale Canadian restaurants. (This
informative and up-to-date service guide
can be downloaded off their website for
the benefit of the hospitality industry.)
While I am confessing my indiscretions,
allow me to say I regret dismissing French
service as an over-theatrical dog and pony
show. French service in its correct application is extremely labour intensive and
requires a much superior skill level and
professional acumen from the server than
less formal styles of service. Having been
on both sides of the gueridon cart, I should
have known better than to bite the hand
that served me so admirably, when I was
employed as a French service waiter in my
early career.
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always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
issue seven • february 2008
By and large, restaurant reviewers in
North America have acquired a reputation
for tapping out their columns in acid. But
North American restaurant reviewers are
tame compared to the brutality of most
British food journalists. The publishers on
Fleet Street are notoriously cutthroat and
the most popular approach seems to
employ high profile writers known for
their vituperative capabilities. In many
instances, these writers are not necessarily
food experts—but they possess droll, acerbic points of view that are able to entertain
and attract a huge readership. As a result,
restaurant criticism in Britain has become
a highly competitive blood sport.
In this column, I might shine the spotlight on faulty practices in the industry but
I purposely steer clear of publicly taking
individuals to task. As I have said in previous columns, the free market has a great
way of bringing about any course corrections that are necessary.
Which makes me wonder if there are
any genuine restaurant enthusiasts out
there, who at one time or another haven’t
imagined themselves in the role of restaurant reviewer? With the immense popularity of the internet, there are now many
sites and blogs that post restaurant reviews
aimed at specific target demographics.
This type of reporting seems to be gaining
quite a bit of momentum, partly because it
engages audiences who appreciate the
appeal of word of mouth.
eatdrink is now permitting readers to
share their dining experiences with other
readers by posting them on-line. Now it
would seem that everyone can be a restaurant reviewer. But more than that, you
have an opportunity to be helpful to the
diner and also to the restaurant by providing some fair and balanced feedback. I
have been asked by several readers how
they should go about posting their comments. The basic principles for feedback,
in an attempt to be helpful and constructive, requires an objective assessment of
quality, service, ambience and price.
These are the guidelines that would be the
28
A
t the top of the most recommended restaurants in
London, Michael’s on the Thames (established 1983) has
remained a popular success for its cuisine, unmatched superb
service and ﬁne dining at an aﬀordable price.
London’s renowned Maitre d’Extraordinaire Jack DiCarlo and
the staﬀ make your dining experience a memorable one.
Whether for business or private functions, the menu will
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with music from the grand piano six nights a week.
Take the time to enjoy superb cuisine, tableside cooking, ﬁne
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january 2008 • issue six
most beneficial to assist other readers in
making informed choices. Bear in mind,
in-depth critique of the cuisine should be
left up to educated palates. The eatdrink
site exists in an effort to promote and
encourage the enthusiastic discussion of
our local dining culture and not for making personal vendettas.
To provide balance, perhaps in the
future we will see reviews from the other
side of the restaurant door, or at least some
comment by a tactful arbiter of etiquette to
assess and report on the remarks and
behavior of patrons. Of course there are
websites that exist for this purpose, like the
comically named Stained Apron and Bitterwaitress websites. These sites don’t
necessarily provide a balanced perspective but have been designed to allow
aggravated servers to vent their beefs and
frustrations and even publicize the poor
tipping habits and rude behavior of
celebrities.
It is good to see a broad spectrum of perspectives and sensibilities. One of the
most serious minded contemporary food
writers is David Kamp, who has been a
writer and editor for Vanity Fair and GQ
for over a decade. Kamp’s 2006 book The
United States of Arugula is a clever, comprehensive, in-depth discussion of the
behind-the-scenes world of American
food culture. Another excellent book is
Last Chance to Eat by Canadian food
writer and theatre critic Gina Mallet. An
articulate part-essay, part-memoir collection, Mallet’s provocative approach is
refreshingly shrewd and full of interesting
and practical facts. Whether Mallet is
searching for the best grilled cheese sandwich, describing the lively Harrods’s food
hall in postwar Knightsbridge while hunting for the ingredients of “an Elizabeth
David meal,” or taking a trip a bit off-thebeaten-track to a subterranean restaurant
serving horsemeat steaks, her observations are astute and her experiences interesting.
I have followed the columns of Globe
and Mail restaurant journalist Joanne
Kates for over 25 years. Among the most
important powers attributed to Kates, who
was trained at the Cordon Bleu Cooking
FREE PARKING AFTER 6 PM
OFF QUEENS AVENUE
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
issue seven • february 2008
School in Paris, is her ability to generate
enthusiasm and interest in dining while
educating, informing and entertaining the
reader about the diversity of Toronto’s
(and occasionally Stratford’s) culinary
scene with intermittent departures to
other culinary destinations. The depth and
breadth of knowledge and opinion that
Kates has imparted to her readers has had
a significant impact on our collective culinary insights. I dare say that Kates’ influence is felt right across the country. Of
course, Kates, like any restaurant critic, is
not without her detractors, who accuse her
of being a classist snob. Kates admits that
she is picky and difficult to please, but she
offers a fair and balanced review, with an
appropriate dose of irony and consumer
advocacy.
A notable exception to the practice of
making restaurateurs and chefs feel like
hostages of restaurant reviewers is the brilliant Canadian food journalist James
Chatto. Chatto was recently named the
first Joseph Hoare Writer-in-Residence
at the Stratford Chefs School. The program allows students at the Chefs School
to pursue food journalism as a career by
developing and polishing their writing
skills. Two decades ago, Joseph Hoare, the
respected food editor of Toronto Life for 13
years, assigned Chatto his first job reviewing restaurants and writing about culinary
matters. Ten years ago, Chatto wrote the
definitive history of Toronto dining in his
insightful and entertaining book The Man
Who Ate Toronto. Chatto set the stage and
provided the context for cutting edge
restaurants such as Nekah, Palmerstons,
Centro, Statlanders, Scaramouche,
Canoe and notable Canadian restaurateurs like John Arena and Franco
Prevedello, as well as ground-breaking
chefs Michael Statlander, Susur Lee,
Jamie Kennedy, Greg Couillard, Michael
Carlevale and many others.
Speaking of stellar Canadian food writers, Marion Kane now resides in Stratford
and many of you will remember her as the
food editor at the Toronto Star for 11 years.
30
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february 2008 • issue seven
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
A widely read food columnist, Kane has an
informative and entertaining website and
blog at www.marionkane.com. The biography section on her website states, “Kane
believes food journalism should be accessible, entertaining and educational. She
also feels a responsibility to address serious issues and regularly tackles topics like
hunger, homelessness, GM foods, organic
farming and nutrition.”
Kane also wrote a very enjoyable and
informative book called Dish, an exceedingly readable and interesting collection of
favorite columns from her days writing for
the Star, paired with great recipes. Kane
takes us on an inspiring journey in search
of great taste. Her candid columns are
funny, poignant and insightfully captivating discourses on a wide range of subjects.
Her writing style reflects a populist point
of view that is eminently thought provoking and engaging. Kane is clever and
shares her insights in an intimately idiosyncratic manner but she also possesses
the innate ability to write from many
points of the food writing spectrum. This,
perhaps, is why Kane was among Canada’s
best read food columnists.
On the subject of sharing insights, it never
ceases to amaze me how generously people will reveal their unsolicited assumptions and opinions about our local food
industry with total strangers. I was having
pasticcio for lunch recently at London’s
very busy Greek restaurant, Santorini. My
dining companions were Chris McInnis
and Michelle McKay from the AIDS Committee of London. We were discussing the
commendable annual restaurant community AIDS fundraising initiative, “A Taste
for Life,” which is coming up again in
April. A Taste for Life is London’s largest
dining event and is a proven success that
supports AIDS prevention, treatment and
care. While eating my lunch, I overheard a
patron at the next table insult the waiter. In
a belittling tone, the patron asked, “Why is
someone your age still waiting on tables?”
To his credit, the waiter managed to gra-
Benvenuti to authentic Italian ...
After serving London
for over  years,
La Casa Ristorante
continues to offer
unsurpassed food,
wines and excellent
customer service.
We proudly present
our new menu ~
fine, authentic Italian
cuisine at its best.
Come Home to La Casa!
 King Street
519-434-CASA (2272)
www.lacasaristorante.com
31
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
issue seven • february 2008
ciously respond to the ignorant remark.
Frankly, I felt the patron, obviously from
another planet, should have been swiftly
deposited outside on the nearest snow
bank.
This is not the first time that I have been
privy to a patron insulting a server, not
treating them with the same level of dignity that they would treat other service
professionals. This kind of demeaning attitude does little to encourage servers to
seek out the hospitality industry as a professional career choice, leaving us to
endure the whims of a not-yet-capable but
overly-enthusiastic service fledgling who
has been prematurely pushed out onto the
floor to become your new best friend.
There are many reasons why people
choose the hospitality industry as a worthy
career goal. Among the incentives are:
social networking, experience, income,
lifestyle, travel opportunities, flexible
schedules and transferable job skills that
translate into career mobility.
If there is one thing I know for sure, it’s
this: food writing is not a narrow genre. No
matter how qualified people are to offer
commentary on food-related subjects, it is
a topic about which many of us are passionate, and sharing our observations is a
popular pastime that will continue to escalate thanks to the diversity of media that
are available to us as consumers and culinary professionals alike. We can make the
experience meaningful by developing a
common lexicon for discussing food and
the food service industry in a way that
advances the discussion about culinary
matters in this country. I invite you to put
your best voice forward and continue the
food education journey with me and many
others who are actively involved in this
exciting exploration.
32
“ We are indeed
BRYAN LAVERY is a writer, well-known local chef, former
restaurateur and culinary instructor. As eatdrink’s “Food
Writer at Large,” Bryan will share his thoughts and opinions
about a wide spectrum of the culinary beat. Information for
the “BUZZ” column should now be directed to the editor
(editor: eatdrinkmag.net).
trü restaurant
much more than
what we eat, but
what we eat can
nevertheless help
us to be much
more than what
we are.
”
Free Parking Every Day
45 King St.
London, Ontario
519-672-4333
www.trurestaurant.ca
february 2008 • issue seven
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
33
EATDRINKBUZZ
Business Buzz
Compiled by Chris McDonell
a
lthough we’ve hardly caught our
breath after a very gratifying weekend at the London Wine and Food
Show, we’re getting ready to go back to the
Western Fairgrounds for the Women’s
Lifestyle Show March 15 and 16. eatdrink
is pleased to be coordinating the Food and
Drink Stage at the event and we’ve already
booked some exciting presenters. Look for
more details next month or check the website (www.womenslifestyleshow.ca). Of
course, the show is geared to women, and
is focused on the latest in fashion, nutrition, travel, fitness and entertaining. This
will give us another great opportunity to
meet our readers (and to introduce the
magazine to new folks too), so please drop
by. And here’s a heads-up to those not in
the loop yet: the first 500 through the door
each day get a terrific “Goody Bag” that is
worth more than the price of admission.
London’s Cavalier Catering.
Stratford’s Foster’s Inn continues its Fifth
Annual World Taste Dinner Series with a
menu celebrating the flavours of New
Orleans Mardi Gras on February 9, Thailand on March 8 and Ireland’s St. Patrick’s
Day on March 17. Dinners continue
through April.
The Parlour Historic Inn and Suites is
making big changes in Stratford. They are
adding 14 rooms, an elevator, banquet
facilities for 100 and additional amenities.
Both the restaurant and suites are open for
business during the construction and renovations will be completed in early May.
They will unveil the new facilities under
the Best Western brand.
A new café plans to liven up the Stratford
arts scene with live entertainment every
Friday night. Café Esmerelda has opened
its doors and is serving up in-house specialty and dessert coffees, along with the
usual selection of espressos and lattes.
Beverage selections will be fair trade
served in biodegradable and recyclable
cups. Desserts and snacks will be prepared
by The Honey Tree.
The Fire Roasted Coffee Company is
opening a new Art Roastery Studio. In an
interesting “mash up,” they have unique
oils on canvas offered by London’s Artefex
to compliment over 50 fresh locally
roasted gourmet coffees. The Grand Opening, at 3392 Wonderland Rd South, Building 7, Unit 6 (north of Wharncliffe and
Wonderland) is on Sunday, February 17
from 11am-6pm, and will be catered by Watch for The Butcher and the Baker
They say home is where the heart is.
NOW
OPEN
911 Commissioners Road East (at Adelaide)
519-936-0585
Carlitos welcomes you to our
home, that we might share our
heart with you. Our desire is to
serve you with excellence in all
areas of your dining pleasures.
On behalf of the entire family at
Carlitos, we invite you to dine,
relax and leave the rest to us.
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
issue seven • february 2008
opening up soon on Stratford’s Wellington
Street in the former home of the German
deli. This will bring Breadworks and
Cressman Meat and Cheese under one
roof.
Labatt Centre and the Market’s underground parking.
34
Speaking of new signage, when did the
lights spelling out Robinson Hall go up on
their roof? They’re simple but effectively
The Only on King will be offering London- inviting.
ers a hometown opportunity to savour
Stratford’s Bijou cuisine. The two restau- Blue Ginger had more than its share of
rants will combine forces early in March, excitement last month. Not only did they
alternating courses, for an innovative and have their “Four Diamond” designation
creative evening. The date was not final- renewed for the eighth straight year by
ized as we went to print, so check with The CAA/AAA, a major feat in itself, but they
Only (ad on page 27) for details.
snagged the biggest celebrity at the World
Under-17 Hockey Championship tournaThe Mansion on King Street is not quite ment. Executive Chef/Owner Mitch Steinready but Friday Knight Lights, a roomy berg reports that Ray Bourque, a Hall of
new restaurant and the official sports bar Famer who played most of his career in
of the London Knights hockey team, is Boston, kept a low profile while watching
now open. While it fronts onto 391 Rich- his son captain the American side to a silmond Street, you can also enter from Dun- ver medal but slipped into the Richmond
das Street or from Covent Garden Place, Row restaurant with his wife and friends.
the lane running around the north and
east sides of Covent Garden Market. Clear La Casa Ristorante, a King Street tradition
signage marks the way from the John for almost 15 years, recently unveiled a
new menu. After extensive research and
experimentation, Chef Bob Murphy has
developed a menu that’s almost 90 new.
The focus is on authentic Italian fare,
although some long-time customer
favourites remain.
/RGANIC/UTSTANDING/RIGINAL
4HATSWHATTHE/STANDSFORAND
/ZONEISTHEPLACETOFINDIT
)TSTHEWAYFASTFOODSHOULDBEn
WITHOUTADDITIVESHORMONES
ORPESTICIDES
*USTYOUTHEFOODANDGREATTASTE
.OTHINGELSE
On the subject of new menus, Chancey
Smith’s Steak & Seafood has made a
number of changes, including a revamped
brunch. And Owner Colin Foster and Chef
Paul Rousom recently announced a new
menu at The Braywick Bistro. More
details to come as we get them ...
2EAL&OOD&AST
Excitement is building for Chef Michael
Smith’s visit to London. The popular
“Chef at Home” Food Network star will be
the headliner at a Bethany’s Hope Foundation fundraiser on February 23. The
Centennial Hall event will also feature
CityLine designer Lynne Spence and a
number of interesting workshops. See this
issue’s inside front cover for more details.
&ANSHAWE0ARK2D7,ONDON/..'!
!TTHECORNEROF(YDE0ARK2OADAND(IGHWAY
2IGHTBEHIND3TARBUCKS
Billy’s Downtown Deli remains a popular
breakfast and lunch destination while proprietors Joe and Diane Pritchard are
february 2008 • issue seven
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
35
reportedly flush with pride over their new Bernie’s Bar & Grill, with longstanding
washroom facilities.
locations on Adelaide Street and in Byron,
has opened a third location in the SherLongstanding London Chef Jackie Shantz, wood Forest Mall (Wonderland & Gainsrecently with Custom Cuisine Catering borough).
and formerly at the lamented 99 King and
Crabapples, has expanded some guest Don’t forget to be part of creating the buzz.
chef work into regular hours at Blackfriars Email interesting local culinary news to:
Bistro alongside Chef Abby Roberts.
[email protected] Chef Cliff Briden, recently of the London
Club, is now at King Street’s Mint RestoBar working with Chef Alessandro Malnati. Briden will be one of the talents at a
Museum London fundraiser on Saturday,
March 8. “The Art of Eating,” in partnership with Slow Food London, will feature
a five-course tasting menu prepared by
Briden with Kent Van Dyk of On the Fork
and Steve James from Chancey Smith’s,
with dessert coming from Michele
Lenhardt of Black Walnut Bakery Café.
Cocktails, great wine and live music will
round out a special evening.
a lway s mo re o nl ine
Got a favourite restaurant?
Want to recommend it to others and tell them why
they should try it? Be our guest; we’re glad to give
you the opportunity online. We’ve got reasonable
and common sense guidelines but the process is
simple: Click on “Restaurants,” enter the name
of the establishment you want to discuss, and write
your review. Registration is mandatory, but your
review can be anonymous. —Ed.
Katafnéa
Ka
“A little out of
the way,
A lot out of
the ordinary!”
519-455-9005
Lunch 11 to 3 (7 days a week)
Dinner 5 to 10 (Wed to Sun)
Breakfast 9 to 12 (Sat & Sun)
2530 Blair Rd, London
Diamond Flight Centre
36
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
issue seven • february 2008
TRAVEL
Camp Cuisine
By Ann McColl Lindsay
T
ea and the newspaper in bed on Saturday mornings is one of the retired
retailer’s small pleasures. But a
photo of Gail Norton brandishing a whisk
under the headline “Les Trois Eglantines
Do France” put paid to my leisure for the
next month. The article explained that
Gail, co-owner of The Cookbook Co. Cooks
in Calgary, was about to lead a group of
Calgarians to form a Camp Cuisine in the
south of France. More specifically, to the
small town of Olonzac in the Languedoc.
Olonzac! That was just three kilometres
west of the smaller village of Oupia where
friends, Tim and Susan Wallis from London, Ontario, had restored an old house
and decrepit outbuildings into two fine
gîtes. Lou Recantou, which in the language
of D’Oc means “little place around the corner” and there was a room in it for me.
As soon as I arrived in Oupia, Susan
contacted Gail in Olonzac to arrange for us
to rendezvous the next day at the street
market in Lezignan. “We can meet at the
chèvre stall or the morel lady’s booth.” As
luck would have it, neither of these vendors showed up that day, so Susan proceeded to pick the Canadians out of the
crowd for me. They were all a bit surprised
to have a stranger approach them with the
opening gambit “Are you from Calgary?”
“How did you spot us?”
“Easy. You’re at least a head taller than
most of the locals, and you’re meandering,
not seriously shopping.”
I shamelessly allowed Susan to do all the
rest of the reconnoitering because I was
involved in examining the selection of
regional specialties in all the stalls: AOC
lentilles de Puy, saucissons de Toulouse,
potiron, the huge brown-skinned pumpkin sold in slices, honey-ginger spice cake.
I was filling up our baskets and bags while
Susan was rounding up a table of Canadians at the café. They were clutching real
estate brochures and fantasizing over the
possibility of staying in a country where
every conversation centered around food.
Their home for the next two weeks was
Eloi Merle, a former wine merchant’s town
house with a stash of thick green glass
stoppered bottles of fortified wine, dated
1891, in the cellar. I walked in on Camp
Cuisine firing on all cylinders, coping
within the space restrictions of a bed and
breakfast kitchen while tackling an ambitious menu: salt cod with salad, roasted
apples with grilled foie gras, artichokes
with aoili, roasted pumpkin slices with sage, casse- Tarte Tatin
role of duck legs with green
olives, ratte potatoes baked
in coarse sea salt with
crème fraîche, tarte Tatin
and crème brulée. Two
desserts were required
because it was Brenda’s
birthday and the crème
was her favourite.
“You’re using the
crème brulée for a finger
bowl!”
“No, the teacher told me
to release any excess bubbles
by running my fingers through it
before we bake it.”
Rosemary was indeed handing out
pointers for the making of a smooth custard and a perfect tarte Tatin. And she was
more than qualified to oversee these
novice dessert makers. She had trained at
the Cordon Bleu in Paris and currently
operates Brulée, a patisserie in Calgary, the
French way with Saturday-only openings.
Gail was overseeing the appetizer
preparations. “Does everyone know how
to pick a good artichoke? Weigh it in your
hand. It should have a heft. By the time
they get to Calgary, they’re light as a
feather.” One of the key lessons that these
westerners would carry home, was the
immediacy of freshness from foods whose
february 2008 • issue seven
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
flavour had not been lost in transit or
smothered under polywrap.
“Is it all right to mix the aoili in the Robot
Coupe?”
“Yes, but be sure you dribble the oil in
very slowly, and use lots of that fat pink
garlic”, advises Judy, the third member on
the teaching team, a graduate of La
Varenne in Paris.
At a prep table in the dining room, the
guys were assembling the duck casserole.
“Oh boy, more beans! This time they’re a
cranberry colour.” They were reacting to
the surplus of bean dishes that show up in
this area renowned for cassoulet. Gail
reacts with disdain to their request for an
olive pitter.
“Smash them with the flat blade of the
chef’s knife.”
“How many do we need for this dish?”
“Three hundred and twenty.”
The tubful of Lucques olives
had been purchased at
L’Oulibo, an olive co-operative, where the group had
gone on an outing that
afternoon to watch two
immense granite mill
stones grind olives into
oil following the traditional method.
“Sweat those onions on
low heat to bring out the
sweetness. Lid on. High heat
is for quick sautéing only.”
We were experiencing an oven
crisis. “I’ll have to take out your pumpkin
slices to slide in our tarte.”
“Where are the pommes de terre?”
“Out in the oven in our gîte,” Philip
warns, “Watch that foie gras under the
grill. It will spit like sin.”
“Is the tarte Tatin supposed to look like
this?”
Rosemary acts like an unruffled Julia
Child when the caramel apples are a tiny
bit reluctant to pop out of the pan. With a
few deft swipes of the spatula, she successfully rode the cusp between chaos and creativity. Culinary improvisation was one of
the skills being taught in the nicest way. No
one here was genuflecting at the high altar
of French gastronomy. The instruction was
sound, relaxed, and informative. The easy
rapport between the instructors and the
class helped these ambitious dinner
preparations flow right onto the two long
tables set by candlelight.
“Any questions?”
“Can we put crème fraîche on everything?”
At the end of the meal, Brenda opened
her birthday card, a musical rendition of
the Can-Can. This group not only can, they
Do. Les Trois Eglantines, the three wild
roses, co-incidentally the native floral
emblem of Alberta, an apt name for the
three tour leaders, who have a soupçon de
sauvage in their personalities.
Susan and Tim invited Les Trois Eglantines and their camp followers to their gîte
for aperitifs on the last evening of class. We
raised flutes of Blanquette de Limoux to a
return visit as we peered over the walled
garden toward the 12th-century Château
Beaufort atop the next hill. I suggested to
Gail that Camp Cuisine should buy the
deserted Château, install catering stoves
with generous ovens, and make it a permanent headquarters for Canadian cooks.
After all, the French have their Cordon
Bleu, the English operate La Varenne. The
maple leaf could fly from the towers of
Beaufort and the walls could be planted all
around with wild roses. Folks from London Ontario have started to buy property
in the village. It could become a stampede.
37
ANN MCCOLL LINDSAY is a London-based writer and an
inveterate world traveller with her painter/photographer
husband David Lindsay. For three decades, they owned and
operated Ann McColl’s Kitchen Shop, still fondly remembered as a fine example of how to blend commerce and culture. They recently published Store Animals, a charmingly
written and illustrated account of the animals who played
an important role in the life of the business. Profits will benefit the London Humane Society.
Have a gastronomic travel story to
tell? Whether it’s a daytrip to a local gem or a
transcontinental adventure, the focus must be on
food and drink. Send your story (400-1000 words) to:
[email protected]. Winning entries will
receive a 50 gift certificate from a great restaurant!
38
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
issue seven • february 2008
BEER
In the Pale for What Ales Ya
By The Malt Monk
T
he mid-winter doldrums are a time I
like to contrast the darker substantial
beers most suitable to this time of
year with some bright lively ales, just to mix
things up a bit. My favourite alternative to
darker, heavier beers is usually a hoppy
Pale Ale of one kind or another. Generally I
gravitate to the English-styled pales and
their American micro-brewed variants.
Pale Ale is really a catch-all name for all
light ales but there are many styles of pale
ale to discover. Pales range from copper in
colour to light straw colour and the pale
sub-styles go from mild and fruity to malty
and balanced to bitter and strong. Online,
you can read a history on how Pale Ale
evolved, but here I’ll just profile some popular offerings.
English Pale Ales
English Pale has several sub-varieties, but here is a description common to all:
Aroma: The best examples have
some malty aroma with a caramel
character. Mild to moderate fruitiness. Hop aroma can range from
moderate to none (UK varieties typically).
Appearance: Medium gold to
medium copper. Good to brilliant
clarity. Low to moderate white to offwhite head.37
Flavour: Moderate to high bitterness. Most have moderately low to
moderately high fruity esters. Moderate to low hop flavour (earthy,
resiny, and/or floral UK varieties).
Low to medium maltiness with a dry
finish. Caramel flavours are common. Balance is often decidedly bitter, although the bitterness should
not completely overpower the malt
flavour, esters and hop flavour. A
flavourful, yet refreshing, session
beer. Drinkability is a critical compo-
nent of the style and emphasis is on the
bittering hop amalgam as opposed to the
aggressive middle and late hopping seen
in American Pale Ales.
Bass Pale Ale: The original and still made
in Burton-on-Trent. Very drinkable. On
tap at better pubs.
Fuller’s London Pride (lcbo 676767): A
great micro-brewed ESB from a world
class UK brewer, and one of the best.
Marston’s Pedigree Bitter (lcbo 494583):
Another world class UK ESB (extra special
bitter) Malty, fruity with a decent hop bite.
Ruddles County Ale: A commercial premium bitter from a well established UK
brewer. (The Beer Store [TBS] in cans)
Teteley’s English Ale: A commercial UK
common bitter, very mild and drinkable.
(TBS in cans)
Ohanlons Royal Oak (lcbo 57828):An
For the historical story of Pale Ale and the birth of India
Pale Ale, click this photo of one of the original Pale Ale
brewers in our online edition. » eatdrinkmag.net
february 2008 • issue seven
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
39
exceptionally good tasting ESB in seasonal light. Clarity ranges with brewer from clear
limited supply.
to hazy, always should have a good sticky
long lasting cap.
Flavour: Hop flavour is medium to high,
American Pale Ales
These ales display bold malting and hop- (floral, earthy, fruity, and slightly grassy).
ping and generally have the distinctive Malt flavour medium to high to balance,
grapefruit-citrus aroma and tastes that bready, biscuit-like, toasty, toffee-like
come from the Pacific North West hop vari- and/or caramelly.
eties such as the “3 Cs” ; Cascades-Centennials-Columbus as well as Warriors and Scotch Irish Sgt.Major India Pale Ale:
Willamettes. These strong Alpha bittering One of the best examples of the new
and aromatic US hybrid hops give the APA crafted true ale styles in Canada. A widely
it’s unique signature aroma and flavour. sought after ale with craft beer fanciers,
The pickings are slim for APAs on this side this ale has multiple craft brewing awards.
of the border, but you can find one treasure Highly recommended. (lcbo 610733 and
at better pubs on tap)
at the LCBO.
Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA: One of the
Anchor Liberty Pale Ale: bright lights imported by LCBO as one of
The original micro brewed the better UK IPAs. Rich in flavour and
APA from the original US abundant in flora fruity aroma this one
micro brewer. Still one of the closely approximates the American micro
best crafted pale ales around brewed IPAs. A world class IPA comes
and imbued with rich malt- highly recommended. (lcbo 676957)
ing and cascade hop bite. True North Classic India Pale Ale: A very
decent crafted IPA from a little known
(lcbo 580217)
local microbrewer who is greatly under
India Pale Ales (IPAs) valued. This is my favourite local IPA and a
IPA is a more robust, hop- prime example of the style. ( TBS and on
pier, higher alcohol version tap at better pubs)
of pale ales created for 18th- Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA: This great
American Micro IPA made a large splash
century export.
Aroma: Moderately high the last time it was brought in to the LCBO.
hop aroma of floral, earthy or fruity qual- It sold out in three weeks. It is highly recity, often with a grassy dry-hop aroma as ommended for those who want to experiwell. A moderate caramel- toasty malt ence the new bold brewing style of the US
moderate fruitiness, from esters and hops. micro-brewing culture. Thick, rich and
Appearance: Colour will range from permeated with juicy citrus hopping, this
golden amber to lighter copper, many are is one of the best IPAs out there. Rumour
amber with an orange tint when held to has a shipment hitting the LCBO late
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always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
issue seven • february 2008
spring or summer, so keep an eye open.
Church-Key West Coast IPA: A large gem
undiscovered outside the GTA. This is my
favourite draft IPA, made by a craft brewer
in Campbellford. It’s only available on tap
at better pubs so ask your publican to get a
keg in if you can’t get it at your local watering hole.
winner from an established Quebec craft
brewer. (TBS, lcbo 920645 and on tap)
Arkell Best Bitter: A mild cask pale ale
from Wellington, generally found in hand
pumped casks at better pubs. It’s available
in bottles from TBS but this is not nearly as
tasty as the cask pulled version.
Wellington County Dark Ale: One of the
darkest Pale ales available here but one of
the most full bodied and flavourful. Copper
colour, large puffy cap floral aroma and
good malt presence with a decent
hop bite. A winner available at
TBS and better pubs.
40
Canadian Pale Ales
I have separated this as a adroit substyle, as the crafted Canadian Pale
Ales from our micro-brewers here
tend to be a cross between the daringly citrus-hopped American
Food Pairing
Pales and the milder subdued
Pale ale is a very drinkable
caramel UK pales. Our unique
socializing beer, but it is also
local hard water, western barley
quite versatile as a complement
malt, local hops and special
for a variety of foods. If all you want
hybrid yeast strains add to a disis a nosh, IPA/APA is great when
tinct Canadian character. Canapaired with an assortment of hard
dian Pale Ales tend to be hoppy
aged cheddar cheeses and
but not overtly bitter, malty but
sturdy breads.
less fruity than the UK ales.
When it comes to main courses, the
Some verge on a dry effervescent
champagne-like quality. Still, they have the pairing is only limited by your imaginagreat drinkability and hop “bite” of all Pale tion. Both English and North American
Pale Ale are perfect with roast beef, prime
Ales.
rib, and savoury lamb dishes. Yet it is also
Durham Signature Ale: One of the finer surprisingly good with fried seafood (parexamples of a mild cask-dispensed English ticularly classic English fish and chips)
Pale from one of Ontario’s premier craft and rich poultry dishes like goose, duck, or
brewers. (TBS in bottles and on tap at bet- dark-meat turkey. But for many, the pièce
de résistance is grilled steak, hot and juicy
ter pubs)
Black Oak Pale Ale: A great Canadian ver- from the backyard barbecue, washed
sion of an APA. Hoppy, fruity, some citrus down with a chilled hoppy pale ale.
with a staple malt spine good finish. From
a Local micro-brewer noted for their fine I hope I have given you some ideas on how
to break up the mid-winter doldrums.
ales. (TBS and on tap at better pubs)
Mill Street Tankhouse Ale: Another Until net month, bundle up, wear your
Canadian version of an APA from one of boots and keep a supply of good beer
Toronto’s oldest craft brewers. This is a handy to get through the cold spells. multiple award winning pale with a nice
hoppy-fruity-malt character. (TBS, lcbo
“The Malt Monk” is the alter ego of D.R. HAMMOND, an
676510 and on tap.)
Headstrong Pale Ale: An American Pale industrial consultant by day and a passionate supporter of
contract brewed in Canada by Wellington craft beer culture in his spare time. A home brewer of many
craft brewery. Bright amber colour, toasty years and an active reviewer and consumer of craft beers
malts woody hop bittering; a favourite of for as long as he cares to remember, D.R. can be found anywhere there is a celebration of the traditional craft brewing
mine and an overlooked local pearl.
St. Ambroise Pale Ale: Canadian pale ale art and good food.
in the APA style, hoppy, amber, fullflavoured, but dry and spritzy. An award
february 2008 • issue seven
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
41
SEASONAL RECIPES
A Classic Meal for Loved Ones
By Christine Scheer
M
aking a special dinner
should not mean slaving
over a hot stove for hours. A
fabulous meal can be had in short
order, as long as you have good quality ingredients. This is a classic, seasonal meal for the ones you love:
beef tenderloin, mashed potatoes,
chocolate for dessert. Using fresh
herbs is the key in these dishes. We
are fortunate to have a good supply
of fresh herbs at most of our local
grocery stores year round.
I made this meal for my family of
four in about an hour—it is that simple. It will go faster if you have some
items prepared the day before, such
as peeling the potatoes or cooking
the beets, but even those chores are not 1 Preheat oven to 350˚F.
onerous given the delicious simplicity of
2 Prepare the ramekins by coating them
the menu.
with a bit of butter and then sprinkle granThe chocolate cakes do need to be
ulated sugar all around the bottom and
served within 10 minutes of coming out of
sides. Set aside.
the oven to get the “molten” effect, but you
can have the batter poured into the 3 Chop the chocolate and place into a stainramekins and “hold” them in the refrigeraless steel bowl with the butter. Place bowl
tor for up to four hours before baking
over a pot with simmering water. Stir the
them. Just let them sit at room temperachocolate and butter together, when they
ture for 20 minutes before placing them in
have melted completely, remove from
the oven, or the ramekins could possibly
heat and stir in the Grand Marnier and
break from the temperature shock.
orange zest.
Individual Molten Chocolate Cakes
3 eggs, at room temperature
3 yolks, at room temperature
3 Tbsp (45 mL) granulated sugar
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
¾ cup (175 mL) unsalted butter, cut in pieces
2 Tbsp (30 mL) Grand Marnier
1 Tbsp (15 mL) orange zest, minced
¼ cup (60 mL) all purpose flour
Soft butter and sugar to coat the molds
4 1-cup ramekins—heart shaped if available
Raspberries and/or strawberries for garnish
4 Using an electric beater, whip together the
whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar, until you
have a light and fluffy egg mixture,
approximately 8 minutes.
5
Fold half of the chocolate mixture into the
egg mixture, stirring so the mixture is
combined. Then do the same with the
remaining chocolate mixture. When
almost blended, gradually sift the flour
into the mixture, one tablespoon at a time,
mixing well so the flour is incorporated.
6 Pour into the prepared ramekins. Bake in a
350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until
42
issue seven • february 2008
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
puffy and the cakes are coming away from
the sides. They will still seem a bit runny in
the centre.
Sauteed Beef Tenderloin with
Peppercorns and Tarragon Butter
7 Carefully run a knife around the edge of
the cakes to make sure they don’t stick,
then invert the ramekins onto a serving
plate. Garnish with berries and maybe a bit
of sifted icing sugar. Serve immediately. If
you let these sit for more than 10 minutes,
they will no longer be ’molten’.
2 Tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh tarragon
¼ cup (60 mL) butter, room temperature
4 pieces beef tenderloin, approximately 5-6
oz each
2 Tbsp (30 mL) Dijon mustard
¼ cup (60 mL) black peppercorns, crushed
2 Tbsp (30 mL) butter
1 Tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
Salt
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1 First combine the butter with the chopped
tarragon. Scoop onto a piece of plastic
wrap, and using the plastic wrap, roll the
butter into a cylindrical shape about 8 cm
long. Place in refrigerator while you cook
the beef.
2 Pat pieces of beef tenderloin dry. Brush
mustard around outside edge of each
piece. Roll the mustard-coated edge of the
beef in the crushed peppercorns.
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6OJU$MBSLF3E-POEPOBU(PSF3E
XXXKVTUnPPSTXBSFIPVTFDPN
3 Heat the 2 tablespoons of butter with the
vegetable oil in a sauté pan over high
heat. Lightly salt the beef. When the pan is
hot, place the beef pieces in the pan, letting them sizzle and get a deep brown.
The salt will bring the juices of the meat to
the surface, which will help them brown.
Adjust heat so they are just browning, not
burning. Turn pieces when they are well
browned. Cook until desired doneness.
When the beef is cooked, serve it topped
with a generous slice of tarragon butter.
Serves four.
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february 2008 • issue seven
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
Celeriac and Potato Mash
3. Stir in fresh dill and season to taste with
salt and pepper. Serve immediately. 1 small bulb celeriac (celery root), peeled
and cubed
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tsp (10 mL) salt
¼ cup (60mL) plain goat cheese
¼ cup (60 mL) sour cream
2 Tbsp (30 mL) Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Chives, finely chopped, for garnish
43
CHRISTINE SCHEER is a chef who lives on an organic farm
with her husband and two daughters. She has cooked for
London area restaurants, owned a catering business, written
a Covent Garden Market cookbook, taught many cooking
classes and currently runs the Oakridge Superstore cooking
school. Her passions include using seasonal, local ingredients to create delicious fare, and teaching children how to
cook. Reach Christine at: [email protected]
1 Place potatoes in one pot of cold water,
and celery root in another pot of cold
water. Bring to a boil, then add 1 tsp (5mL)
of salt to each pot. Simmer until fork tender. Drain.
GENUINE
2 Mash with goat cheese and sour cream.
Stir in Parmesan, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with chives. Serve immediately.
Serves four.
Dilled Beets
4 medium size beets, cooked, peeled, and
cut into wedges or slices
2 Tbsp (30 mL) butter
2 Tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 Tbsp (30 mL) fresh dill, minced
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44
issue seven • february 2008
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
MIXOLOGY
Due North Martini
By Darcy O’Neil
I
n life, everything evolves, and the beverage industry is no different. What was
popular a few years ago is now passé, so
smart bars accept the challenge of perpetual change, and create new drinks that
reflect their customers’ evolving tastes.
Finding those bars can be a challenge, but
in my first round of searching for London’s
best bartenders, I visited North Restaurant.
North is a casual neighbourhood bar
and restaurant, located in London. The
décor is modern and the atmosphere is
friendly. A positive first impression is
always important and a good bartender is
just as crucial when it comes to cocktails.
Justin Anania, North’s General Manager,
filled in behind the wood, leaving me in
good hands.
After a short discussion, Justin recommended the Due North Martini, one of
North’s house cocktails. Generally, martinis
scare me because so often they are made
with vodka and assorted fruit juices, resulting in a simple fruit-flavoured drink lacking
the sophistication found in more adventurous cocktails. But the Due North Martini is
made with gin, which makes for a much
more flavourful libation, and greatly eased
any vodka fears I may have had.
This is an easy drinking cocktail, with a
smooth, unique flavour. The juniper
flavour of the gin is present, but in a complimentary way. It is also well balanced,
with the sugar content held in check. If you
haven’t developed a taste for gin, this may
be a good drink to get you started.
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february 2008 • issue seven
If I were to make one
change, I’d turn this cocktail into a long drink. Packing a glass full of ice and
adding a splash of sparkling
water to the recipe would
be a great way to keep the
flavour profile, but make
the drink last a bit longer.
Popular culture often
dictates what cocktails are
hot, but those drinks eventually burn themselves out
and evolve into something
new. Vodka-based drinks
are immensely popular, but
gin is making inroads. If
that trend continues, I suspect we will be seeing a lot
more drinks like the Due
North Martini.
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
45
Due North Martini
1½ oz Tanqueray Gin
¼ oz Crème de Cassis
1 oz Orange Juice
Splash Lime Juice
Combine all ingredients
into a shaker with ice.
Shake and strain into a
chilled martini glass.
Garnish with a ribbon
of orange peel.
are too important to allow shortcuts in quality, he quickly
became an advocate for great cocktails. In addition to this
DARCY O'NEIL is a London bartender with a formal educa- column, Darcy spends his time writing about his mixology
tion in chemistry. A bartender partially by chance and par- and bartending experiences on his website The Art of Drink
tially to fulfill his culinary desires, he believes food and drink (http://www.theartofdrink.com).
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Ontario from  to .
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46
always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net
issue seven • february 2008
THE LIGHTER SIDE
Chili Chowder Chow Chow
By Bryan Lavery
S
everal decades have passed since I
worked with my friend Bonnie Burnet at the Corkscrew Restaurant in
London, yet our friendship remains steadfast. The Corkscrew was one of the ubiquitous steak and lobster, 29-item salad bar
chains that littered the culinary landscape
in the mid-1970s and 1980s. Surprisingly,
the Corkscrew attracted a hotbed of raw
talent and many employees went on to
illustrious careers in the hospitality industry. Bonnie was not among them.
Bonnie and I were young and hungry for
life experience. Though newly acquainted,
we decided to travel to Europe together. It
was on this trip that our culinary competitiveness first blossomed. We were boarding with acquaintances outside London,
England, and to thank them for their hospitality I decided to prepare what I
deemed a typical Canadian dinner.
To this day, I wince when I recall that my
meatloaf—a noble staple of my upbringing
and a praiseworthy dish that personifies
“peasant” rusticity—resulted in humiliation, due to a fool’s bravado and an unfamiliar, temperamental oven. Bonnie, who
has mastered the art of the bloodthirsty
anecdote, alleges our alarmed hosts hid
the undercooked meatloaf behind the sofa.
I soon learned the eccentricities of the
British stove and not to pass off culinary failures, no matter how high the expectation, or
how tolerant the guest. Bonnie, however,
did not benefit from my misfortune.
Shortly after, she took her turn cooking.
In those days, blackened food had not
acquired any vestige of respectability.
Bonnie was oblivious to our host’s discomfort and less-than-enthusiastic reaction.
Asserting that her charred beef dish, made
with onions and marinated and braised in
stout, was an ancestral Scottish recipe was
the first of many eccentric and over-zealous attempts to revise culinary history.
Bonnie’s claim to fame, though, is her
recipe for Chili Chowder Chow Chow. The
chili part of the equation has little to do
with the famed bowl of red. Chili may be a
generic term, embellished by traditions,
mostly to do with heat, but this logic does
not apply here. Nor does the mixture bear
any passing resemblance to the hearty
dish known as chowder. It has crossed my
mind she calls it chowder in homage to the
French chaudiere, meaning cauldron. But
this explanation is unlikely, since this dish
is prepared in the microwave.
Hostility has simmered for generations
over New England versus Manhattan Clam
Chowder (Maine once passed a bill prohibiting the integration of tomatoes with
clams). But that is a minor dispute next to
the intense arguments over chili recipes. In
Texas, where it is considered a crime to add
beans to chili, Bonnie would be looking at a
life sentence for this concoction.
Chow chow, an assortment of pickles of
various types, especially mixed vegetables
in mustard, must have been added solely
for alliteration, because there is none here.
If memory serves, this hodgepodge consists of a can of kidney beans, another of
creamed corn, some tomatoes, perhaps
some canned soup and whatever else
might be on hand.
Chili Chowder Chow Chow has little
hope of gaining a following but, then
again, you never know. In recent years,
Bonnie has been taking professional cooking classes at Chateau Le Dog. And if television chef and cookbook author Paula
Deen can have a successful culinary career
with recipes that include bread pudding
made with Krispy Kreme doughnuts, then
maybe there is some hope for Bonnie’s
Chili Chowder Chow Chow yet.
BRYAN LAVERY is a regular contributor to eatdrink.
Have a funny story to tell, with a gastronomic bent? Send your story (400-600 words) to:
[email protected]. Winning entries will get a
50 gift certificate from a great restaurant!
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issue seven • february 2008
WEB1
BOOKS
More from Just in Time!
Review by Jennifer Gagel
Un-beet-lievable Pasta, Tomato,
and Rocket Lettuce Salad
60-minute meal
Call Ripley’s Believe It or Not! This creamy,
golden sweet pasta is to die for! (But you’ll
want to live on to eat it again!)
8 to 10 baby golden beets, greens removed
6 Tbsp EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil), plus
more for drizzling
Salt
1 pound rigatoni with ridges or gemelli
pasta
2 large shallots, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, grated or finely
chopped
1 (10-ounce) box frozen petite peas
Black pepper
1½ cups ricotta cheese
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely
chopped
½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese,
plus some to pass at the table
4 cups washed arugula or baby spinach
4 small ripe plum tomatoes, chopped
1 Heat the oven to 375°F. Coat the beets in a
drizzle of EVOO and place in a roasting
pan. Cover the pan with foil and place in
the oven. Roast the beets for 30 minutes,
then remove from the oven and let them
cool for 15 minutes or until cool enough to
handle.
2 Just before the beets come out of the
oven, bring a large pot of water to a full
boil for the pasta. Salt the water liberally,
add the pasta, and cook al dente. Heads
up: you will need to reserve 1 cup of the
starchy cooking water before you drain
the pasta.
3 While the beets cool, heat 3 tablespoons of
the EVOO in a skillet over medium heat.
Add the shallots and garlic and sauté for a
few minutes until they start to soften, then
add the peas. Gently cook until heated
through, 3 or 4 minutes, then season the
peas with salt and pepper.
4 Peel the beets and add them to a food
processor with the ricotta cheese. Process
for 1 minute or until combined into a
smooth and golden mixture. Transfer the
ricotta to a large pasta bowl and season it
with about 2 teaspoons of the lemon zest,
salt, pepper, the parsley, and the ½ cup
Parmigiano. Add the reserved starchy
cooking water, the hot pasta, and the peas
and shallots. Combine and toss the pasta
for a minute to absorb the flavours. Serve
immediately.
5 Toss the arugula with the tomatoes, lemon
juice to taste, the remaining 3 tablespoons
of EVOO, and salt and pepper. Pass at the
table.
Tidbit If you cannot find golden beets you
can substitute small red beets. Coat your
hands with a little oil before peeling them
to prevent them from staining your hands.
issue seven • february 2008
WEB2
BEER
More about Pale Ale
By The Malt Monk
History and development
Pale Ale does not have a precise beginning
in history like Stout or Lager. Prior to the
later 1700s, there was no such thing as a
“pale” ale in England or elsewhere. In that
time, prior to the industrial era, lack of
temperature control and inconsistent fuels
used in kilning barley malt resulted in
malt roasted to a dark colour. It made
for a dark, murky beer that was not all
that appealing to the eye. Fortunately,
drinking vessels then were made of
wood, clay, or pewter, and no one
noticed the ale’s appearance. The
appearance of glass ale vessels was
a great incentive for brewers to
make their beers look more attractive. Clarity and colour were now
becoming important in sales.
At first, Pale Ales were more
expensive to produce. Brown
malt, the base for Porter, was far
cheaper. But the Industrial Revolution not only brought better
brewing and malting methods
and a huge demand for beer, it
also brought better rail transport. Pale Ale brewers in BurtonOn-Trent could now get their
beer to metropolitan centres to
compete with London Porter.
Shortly after Burton Pale Ale’s
introduction in 1845, the aforementioned
corresponding
appearance of affordable glassware propelled pale ale’s popularity.
In an era when beer was safer to drink
than water, it spawned a culture where ale
was pre-eminent. Bass, one of the original
Burton-on- Trent brewers, is still operating today, but over the years English pale
ale styles developed into a number of substyles such as “Mild,” “Bitter” and “Extra
Special Bitter” (ESB). These terms have
become entrenched in the UK culture so
that now if you ask a Brit for a Pale Ale he’ll
assume you want a bottle of blonde ale or
a Bass.
The Birth Of India Pale Ale
At about the same time pale ale was coming into its own, Britain had become a
major trading nation driven by a vast
merchant shipping fleet. There was
brisk trade with the India colony that
created a new market for Pale Ale
exports. The main challenge was to
deliver stable beer in prime condition. The first attempts proved disastrous as the old enemies of beer
transport set in: agitation from
motion made the beer murky and
flat and the kegs took in air and
bacteria oxidized and spoiled
the beer. Three changes were
necessary. First, sturdier airtight kegs were made for export
beer. Then more hops were
added in the brewing process to
help avoid spoilage. Finally, the
gravity was decreased for a more
fully fermented wort with higher
alcohol content to enhance the
beer’s antiseptic qualities. These
practices helped get the beers
across the long ocean voyage to
arrive in tropical climes
unspoiled. And the product was
a heartier more substantial version of its domestic counterpart.
India pale Ale (IPA) was born.
This style remains a favourite of casual
and critical beer fanciers alike. IPA is also a
darling of the Real Ale revolution in Britain
and the Microbrewing culture in North
America. This rich, hoppy and refreshing
ale has bridged the ages of the clipper ship
and the space shuttle.
issue seven • february 2008
Pale Ales In North America
Demand for the pale ales of the homeland
were filled by colonial brewers. Working
with locally grown ingredients, local water
(which was a far cry from the gypsum
laced water of Burton-on-Trent) and new
innovative malting and brewing techniques unique to a colder climate, North
American Pale ale took on a distinctly different character from its British progenitor.
It was often lighter in colour, cleaner in fermentation by-products (fruity esters and
phenols), and had less sweet caramel
flavours than English counterparts. As the
North American brewing industry
evolved, pale ales became paler and dryer
than UK Pales and Bitters.
During the 18th century, British soldiers
in Canada were entitled to six pints of beer
a day. So wherever you found a British military post, you’d likely find a brewery. Thus
was the beginning of Molson’s and other
archetype Canadian brewers like Dow,
Brading and Carling. These brewing
dynasties began by selling a fast, nine-day
pale ale called a “three penny” to thirsty
troops. Although some commercially
degenerated styles of pale ale remained
available in Canada after prohibition, the
style was almost extinct in the USA until
the advent of the micro-brewing revolution that took beer back from corporate
blandness to its original all-natural intensity.
Today’s North American craft brewers
have embraced pale ales from the start,
but they didn’t stop at re-creating English
versions. They, again, combined distinctive North American ingredients and characteristic “colonial” innovation to create
(in the late 20th century) a new, distinctly
North American variant of this antique
style.
Compared to its original Old World relative, North American pale ale delivers a
WEB3
more pronounced hop character and bigger body. Built atop a solid citrus-piney
bitterness, the typical New World pale ale
has a decidedly bolder hop flavour and
aroma. American Pale Ale (APA) is now a
brewpub and microbrewery staple.