Expand your home cooking repertoire: Get to know quinoa!

I have to be honest: Before receiving 500 Best Quinoa Recipes to review, I had never used quinoa in my home cooking. But I had heard a lot about it, and my interest was piqued, so the timing to try out a few recipes was perfect.

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) was first cultivated by the Incas. It's considered a seed, but is more specifically classified as a "pseudocereal" meaning that, while it is not technically a grass (true cereals are grasses), it can be used in the same way cereals are. It can be bought in various forms, including seeds, flakes, flour and pasta. While I've never had them before, you can eat the leaves of the quinoa plant - apparently they are good in a salad. Quinoa is closely related to spinach, chard and beets. This mighty plant yields a near-perfect balance of protein, carbohydrates and dietary fibre - for this reason, it is important to incorporate quinoa into vegetarian diets. It's also gluten-free - Celiacs, rejoice!

I chose two recipes to try, starting with a stew made mainly of green olives, shredded chicken, tomatoes, and chickpeas. The stew has officially become a regular part of our meal repertoire - I have already made it twice and plan to make it often, especially as winter approaches. We absolutely adore it - it is healthy, hearty and flavourful. It uses dried cilantro and a number of other aromatics along with reduced-sodium broth (I use less broth and add some water because it is already such a flavourful dish and I'm trying to keep it as healthy as possible). While the quinoa blends nicely into a stew, the green olives are my favourite part - despite the Mediterranean influences in the dish, black olives just wouldn't taste right. I used big plump green ones that still had their pits. And the best part: It's easy to transport leftovers to work for lunch!



The next recipe we tried was a salad with a horseradish dressing, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas and seared skirt steak. Condo living isn't the most conducive to searing a nice steak... This whole place turns smokey! But it was worth opening all the windows and the door to try this out. The colours just popped. I think I still need to perfect the horseradish dressing though - I found it a bit strong (didn't help that the only horseradish I came across was extra hot). The stew is still my favourite though, and. I think the salad is more a "once-in-a-while" recipe.

There are so many other items to try - I've only made two out of 500 recipes! There are a few breakfast ones I want to attempt. Later this week I'll be trying out a third recipe: crustless quiches starring quinoa and roasted red peppers. Yum!

I think every home cook should try expanding his/her at-home cooking repertoire, especially to find dishes that are healthy and tasty. For me it was all about getting comfortable with quinoa seeds. Next I may move onto using flour or flakes. Or I may try different methods of preparing it, like toasting it rather than using the pasta method to cook it. These recipes really make quinoa the star of the show. It's a good place to start and to get you comfortable with incorporating quinoa into your diet.

Yours in food,
-Stacey

Almond Board of California shows us almonds are more flexible than you might think!

I'm already a big fan of almonds. No one had to convince me they are delicious and nutritious! But I did learn they are more flexible than one might think when the Almond Board of California came to town to share unique recipe ideas and showcase sweet/savoury almonds.

 

 A few fun facts:

•  California is responsible for 80% of the world's almond production. 
•  Oddly enough I was watching a documentary a couple weeks ago about bee colonies collapsing - it remains to be seen how this will affect almond tree pollination since they rely so heavily on bees to spread almond-y goodness! The bees actually are brought in, on a truck by a special company, to pollinate the trees.
•  Of all tree nuts, almonds have the most protein and dietary fibre - check out this nutrient comparison chart to see nutrition information for various types of tree nuts.
• In 100 AD, the Romans were said to have showered newlyweds with almonds as a fertility charm.
• In Sweden, citizens have a tradition of hiding an almond in rice pudding as a symbol of good fortune, and the person who finds the almond is said to get married in the coming year.
• The almond tree made its way to the United States in the mid-1700s when Franciscan Padres traveled to California from Spain.
• Almond oil is a great substitute for virgin olive oil, and can provide dishes with its signature light and nutty flavour.

We had some great savoury almonds at the almond bar pictured above, like asiago cheese almonds (yum), as well as sweet ones like toffee- and chocolate-coated almonds and yogurt-coated almonds.

My favourite foods of the night were Chef Anthony Rose's lemon-y halibut dish accompanied with quinoa, almonds and spring veggies (click here for recipe) and Pastry Chef Jenny McCoy's Almond Milk Panna Cotta with Almond Praline and preserves (click here for recipe). I'm not generally an enormous panna cotta fan but THIS ONE ROCKED! Best I've tasted for sure.



Almonds are so versatile - you could encrust meat with them, you could add them into your veggie side dish (and I'm not just talking about green beans almondine) and you can even make alcoholic drinks with products like almond milk, as mixologist Michael Biancaniello of the Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles did with his Lost in Laos drink (click here for recipe). He also experimented with a digestif using almond oil.

Make sure you guys are getting your handful of almonds per day!

Yours in food,
-Stacey

Gluten-free Gourmet B1tches

Gourmet B1tches is the latest food truck to (possibly) roll out onto the streets of Toronto. Right now I hear it's mostly focused on private parties/events/catering, but is working to get a licence to hit the streets, at which time you'll see the sleek black and purple truck in your 'hood selling gluten-free bites on the go.



We went to the launch party recently, so we'll give you the run-down: both Mark and I agreed the best item was the Balinese chicken on a corn tostada. We have to admit that we found the other items in need of a little bit of work - just a detail here or there to fix - but feedback cards were provided, which we made use of, and continuous improvement is a good thing. I was impressed with their desire to find out what we thought about each dish.



With feedback from the folks who were at the event, I think they'll sharpen up the details. And, on a more general note, I say the more options out there, the better, so that everyone can enjoy the food truck craze (including those who can't have gluten). They also have salads and ceviche, which are not always easy to find at food trucks, so if healthier options are what you're looking for then you've just found your best bet on four wheels.

Yours in food,
-Stacey

Cabbagetown cool: Winchester Kitchen and Bar

I've often found some of the most comfortable meals you can have are within your own neighbourhood.



There's nothing better than finding a gem of a restaurant around the corner from you. It doesn't have to be haute cuisine. It just has to be comfortable with good food, good drinks, good service, and a good atmosphere. It helps when it's located in the beautiful Winchester Hotel.

I also have a bit of a penchant for taking a walk after a meal out, just to explore the area. But it's even more fun when you can walk home, taking a different route than you do in your normal day-to-day activities, to discover more about your neighbourhood. I am notorious for stopping to read heritage plaques, and there are more than a few of them in glorious Cabbagetown. :)

Thus you can understand my excitement when we were invited to have dinner at Winchester Kitchen and Bar at the corner of Winchester and Parliament. The place bills itself as a spot for the "three Ds:" Dinner, dancing, and drinks. Indeed they had a live band that played after we finished our dinner, and indeed there was dinner and drinks to be had. The menu is divided by size of dish (small, big, etc) so that if you decide just to come for the music, you can order some drinks and small plates if you wish. We did a full-out dinner - I ordered from the $50 five-course prix fixe menu and Mark ordered from the main menu.

One thing I found more unique about this prix fixe compared to others was that an amuse bouche and a cheese course were built in. Lately when we've been out for prix fixes it's been app, main, dessert. Having a few extra bites was a welcome addition. I ordered the braised lamb ravioli, the roasted black cod, and the cherry cheese cake. Good value for $50.

In terms of the standouts, the Winchestacaesar was a neat take on a Caesar, which had a richer taste than a typical one and had a cute skewer of jerky, a pickle, a pickled bean, and olives lain across the rim of the glass. I do indeed love a good Caesar.

The "Three Little Pigs" started us off, with pork rillette, porchetta di testa, and a stand-in for the terrine as it wasn't available at the time. Very, very rich - we were already starting to feel a little full after having the Caesar and this "small" plate - they give you good value - was more of a "medium" plate.

Mark and I both had fish dishes (menus are in the slideshow - he had the BC sablefish and I had the black cod). Both were perfectly cooked with a crispy seasoned skin - but I can't say I loved my ravioli as much. I've made my own ravioli dough and had a disaster the first time around when I didn't make it thin enough. It took me another year or so to want to even tackle the damn task again, and this time I made it so thin I thought I'd rip a hole in it, but thankfully that didn't happen. I smiled, thinking back to my first ravioli attempt with the too-thick dough that was hard and uncooked no matter how long I left it boiling. I had the same issue here. It wasn't NEARLY as bad as my first attempt, but it could've been thinner - the corners were thick and chewy. The filling was good though. Nobody's perfect :)

As a stickler for details, I study a menu carefully and I get a bit thrown off if I don't get what's on it. I guess I have to realize this can't always happen (things run out, or maybe there is a supply issue, whatever the case may be) - I just couldn't find the bee pollen on my cheesecake. Mark searched too since he's had bee pollen before and had described how much he loves it, so I was excited to try it but had no such luck locating it within the dish.

Again, I'm kind of a stickler for details - we are who we are :) All that said, I had a really good time there, again loving the vibe of the neighbourhood and the building as well as the interior, which is really neat as you'll see in our pictures. I think I still dream of the perfectly-executed fish. If you are in the area you should stop in and try it for yourself - that prix fixe is quite a good value and the cocktail list is pretty extensive. I'll cheers to that!

Yours in food,

-Stacey

Prairie Girl Bakery, our local cupcakery!

You know a place is bound to be good when the lineup is out the door. It was also Valentine's Day so of course that had something to do with it. :)



My top two "beefs" with cupcakes in general are A) there is often not enough icing to go with the cake - I like the icing thick & B) that the cake can sometimes be a little dry - a moist cupcake with the right icing-to-cake ratio is crucial!

And I'm happy to report I think I've found cupcake ecstasy - where all my cupcake conditions are not just met, but exceeded - over at King / Victoria, just a short jaunt from our home. That's where you'll find our local cupcakery Prairie Girl Bakery (I believe there is also one in the First Canadian Place concourse BUT I heard a lady in line at our shop say the lineup there was three times longer since it was drawing in the work crowd, so keep in mind it'd be busier).

The chocolate cupcakes are made with dark cocoa - they were so rich and delicious. Mark especially loved them. We didn't get to try the chocolate cupcake with strawberry icing [they were out of all cupcakes with strawberry icing in fact - think it was due to Valentine's Day volume but I got there at about 11am and waited for 20-25 minutes in line, so I think the people ahead might have gotten their hands on some - CUPCAKE FIGHT TO THE DEATH! No. Well, I had to talk myself down LOL :)]

You can also select large or mini cupcakes, so if you only want a taste, try the minis. I'm sort of an "all or nothing" cupcake girl - I had to go big or go home!

Some are made with a butter icing, others with cream cheese icing - the most unique cupcake we had was peanut butter icing on a banana cupcake. I think it'd be better on a chocolate cupcake (the banana cupcake was a little drier than the vanilla and chocolate) but the peanut butter icing was TO DIE FOR!

If you've already tried each of their offerings, they also do a "treat of the week" - for Valentine's it was a cinnamon icing with cinnamon hearts on top on a golden vanilla cupcake.

Cupcake ecstasy will cost you $16.95 for half a dozen large cupcakes - but oh what a wonderful indulgence! It took Mark and I three glorious days to eat them.

Yours in food (and cupcakes, more specifically),

-Stacey

Veganism on the brain

I've been thinking a lot about veganism lately - I met up with a friend for dinner the other day who went vegan for a while, and she told me it truly did take more thought, preparation and cooking time to make vegan meals compared to meals she made in her pre-vegan days. And, on top of that, making sure each item is organic is an extra thing to think about as well. She also has kids, so throw that into the mix and you can see how she'd get pretty pressed for time.

That said, there's something awesome about having someone else cook for you, no matter where you fall on the spectrum (but it's especially awesome if you happen to be wanting to cook both organic and vegan - and eat it in the comfort of your own home).



The folks at The Organic Supper Club, which has personal chef services and also does vegan/organic prepared foods and catering, was kind enough recently to send us a few vegan organic treats to try. We had their fiesta dip, summer vegetable ragout, and pineapple chipotle chili.

I've got to be honest - I wasn't too thrilled with the pineapple chipotle chili, Mark actually liked it more than I did (I found it too tomato-y and the pineapple had lost its flavour) but I immensely enjoyed the fiesta dip and the summer vegetable ragout. The fiesta dip was impressive, using various nuts in place of sour cream, and it totally worked! It was delicious, with layers of black bean, tomato salsa and avocados. Yum!

It'd actually be a pretty unique gift to give someone a week of vegan cuisine to try. And that's something they actually offer - I thought that was pretty clever. I think pricing is fairly reasonable for a gift, you can head to their website for more info. You can order online or you can also find their products at the Distillery's Sunday Market and the Organic Dufferin Grove Market on Thursdays.

Have a great long weekend everyone! (yay, Labour Day!)

Yours in food,
-Stacey

Memory #1 in our new condo: The first meal!

I think most of us would agree that there are few moments in life that are more exciting than becoming a homeowner for the first time.

Back in July, Mark and I had our counter-offer on a condo accepted and we took possession yesterday - Even though we don't officially move 'til August 14, naturally we wanted our first meal for our first evening at our condo to be special! Pizza and beer would be easier, yes, but we are saving that for our friends when they help us move. Cooking was also a great way to test that all our appliances were in working order.

We decided to tackle making homemade chimichurri sauce - which turned out amazing and which we are now addicted to (we have had it before, but only in restaurants - it was so simple to make!) We spooned it over a steak that we cooked in our cast iron skillet.

We also just cooked up some quick gnocchi (admittedly not from scratch - it was late and we were hungry!) with lots of parmigiano reggiano on top.



We also baked some simple zucchini slices on stoneware with a bit of salt and olive oil in the oven. They were delicious.

Then for dessert we made my mom's simple recipe for apple crisp, or apple crumble as some call it. So delicious! And we forgot oven mitts so umm we had to be creative :P But we made it work!

Memory #1 in our first home: MADE. And it was a delicious memory indeed!

Yours in food,
-Stacey

Toronto Taste: THE food & beverage event of the year (and for a good cause to boot!)

Mark and I were lucky enough to be Official Roving Twitter Reporters for Second Harvest's largest fundraiser, Toronto Taste, and it was a BLAST! If you do only one charitable thing next year, make sure it's Toronto Taste - it was a ton of fun for a great cause!

Since the first Toronto Taste 21 years ago (then known as Taste of the Nation), the event has raised over $4 million, enabling Second Harvest to secure enough fresh food to deliver over 8 million meals to those in Toronto living with hunger. That’s enough to feed almost every one of Regent Park’s 2,045 families with children three square meals a day for a whole year.

As it's held at the Royal Ontario Museum, the ambiance was great - with the way it's set up, you get the best of both worlds - food and drink were served up by 60 top chefs and 30 beverage purveyors both inside and outside the ROM. There was live music plus a ton of opportunities to win great prizes through a raffle as well as via live/silent auctions.





While we certainly didn't get around to every chef and beverage purveyor (you couldn't possibly in just one night!), we had a couple stand-outs to share:

• Brisket burger with kimchi from Nota Bene
• Cider-braised pork belly from Epic
• Mushroom polenta from Scarpetta
• Chicken lollipops in a mayo-spice sauce covered with Indian rice puffs from Roger Mooking which we paired with a Rickards White with the help of our friend Steve Riley from Better Beer.com
• Salty Chocolate Caramel from Xococava (served by men walking around with old-style candy boxes strapped to their chests no less!) and washed down with a Henry of Pelham 2008 Riesling
  
• Ricotta orange donut with candied orange and cardamom orange smoothie shot from Pangaea
  
• White chocolate mascarpone meringue with strawberry sauce from Baker Street

We also learned, again from our friend Steve Riley at Better Beer.com, how to taste beer. Check out the diagram to the left or visit his site to find out more!

Food and beer pairing


Roger Mooking drops in

Like I said, if there is just one charitable thing you do next year, make it Toronto Taste. You will not be disappointed!

Yours in food,
-Stacey

Bloom-ing good fun at Bloom Restaurant

We recently had a chance to check out Bloom Restaurant's new menu. The restaurant's philosophy is to be an extension of your family, rather than being "the stuffy aunt who visits once a year." While being chic, it also felt like a family-friendly space too, and they have a kids menu too which I'm sure parents appreciate.

We're not out in Bloor West Village often but we really enjoyed our time there and since we love walking around the city, we spent some time exploring the area and relaxing on a bench that one of the local businesses had sponsored (maybe I'm a weirdo but I'd say there are an abundance of benches compared to other neighbourhoods we frequent! Seriously! So many places to rest your weary feet and many shops to explore). The restaurant itself was at Bloor and Windermere, about equal distance between Jane and Runnymede subway stations.




You can click through to see the full online menu, but here are some of the highlights:

• Cassava frites - what a smart idea! Never have I had cassava in the form of fries. Cassava is a starchy tuberous root popular in tropical climates - though be careful, if not cooked properly it can make you ill! I've had cassava cake quite often, since it's a Filipino recipe. But I've got to say cassava in the form of fries was a very, very pleasant surprise! Note: This item doesn't appear on their online menu, so I'm not sure if they offer it on the regular.
  
  
• The chimichurri sauce on the pan-seared flank steak was to-die-for. Chimichurri is basically a sauce made from chopped parsley, minced garlic, vegetable or olive oil, white or red vinegar and red pepper flakes (although there are variations with added ingredients). Flank steak is known to be a bit tougher than other cuts of meat no matter which way you slice it, but boy oh boy, that chimichurri sauce made up for that!
  
  
• The Malivoire 2008 Icewine Riesling VQA was a truly delicious dessert wine to end the night with. It's no secret that I love icewine, and this was one of my favourites. Note: All wine pairings that night were Malivoire, so again I'm not sure if they keep this specific icewine on the regular.
  

Check out our full set of pics or watch the slideshow above. Thanks to Sizzling Communications for the invite!

Yours in food,
-Stacey

Starving Artist: where waffles take the place of bread!

With summer on its way, I was reminded that there's something I wanted to share with you all from last summer: Mark and I decided to check out Starving Artist, an awesome place on Lansdowne known for using waffles in place of bread products.

Yes, you heard me right: You can get some great classic dishes and sandwiches here where they put their own twist on them: waffles in place of bread products!

We had the Waffle Benny (two poached eggs, two mini potato waffles, caramelized bacon, hollandaise sauce) and the Monte Cristo (roasted ham and mozzarella sandwiched in between French toast waffles). Both were served with a bed of greens and a fruit salad but you also have the choice of getting the bed of greens with baked beans or potato salad instead of fruit salad if you wish.

Oh, and of course they have dessert waffles served on a "waffle boat" too - we split a S'mores waffle (graham crumb waffle, roasted marshmallow fluff, chocolate chips & chocolate sauce).

They have a cute little patio area, so we sat outside and enjoyed the nice sunny weather. We recommend you all pick a nice day this summer and make your way over there at least once. It's tasty and affordable, and what's not to love about changing up bread for waffles once in a while?!

See mouth-watering pictures below!



Yours in food,
-Stacey

Need a culinary weekend getaway that's still close to Toronto? Try Hockley Valley Resort

Hockley Valley Resort is a resort one hour from Toronto (near Orangeville). We had the good fortune of touring the resort, eating at one of its three restaurants, and meeting their General Manager John Paul Adamo via the folks at Pilot PMR who gave us and a few other bloggers a lift (thank you!)

Upon walking into the resort, there is very much a family feeling about the place, which is likely because it's a family-owned business (it was first purchased by John Paul's father and, at the time, it needed a lot of work). Mark and I found it to be both sophisticated and stylish without being pretentious.

Here's a quick rundown on the resort's three restaurants Babbo, Tavola, Restaurant 85 as well as the wine cellar's "table for two" and their Farmer's Market:

• Eating at Tavola is a unique and participatory experience - first, you get to walk in their garden and pick items that their talented chefs will turn into your dinner - talk about fresh and local. You can also go into their kitchen and write a message on the kitchen walls - I could've stayed in there all day reading all the messages (which are now creeping onto the cieling). You'll get to start off your meal by tasting the chefs' in-house cured meats and cheeses, and you'll also get a tour of the wine cellar. Tavola consists of a single table in a separate room beside the kitchen, so it's very intimate - not like a restaurant at all but more like sitting around a dinner table with friends and family.
  
  
• Restaurant 85 seats the largest number of people and, as far as we know, is the newest of the three restaurants.
  
  
• Babbo is somewhere in between the other two restaurants in size, and it looked like a great place to grab a drink and relax.
  
  
• We thought this idea was genius - there was a table for two in the area where they keep their wines - no, it's not a wine cellar in the basement, it's a beautiful glassed-in walk-in wine cellar. That would probably qualify as the quietest, most intimate dinner you could have with another person since it literally is just the two of you - that would be the PERFECT gift for a pair of married wine-lovers: Spend your anniversary dinner in there!
  
  
• The resort holds a Farmer's Market every third Sunday. They don't charge the vendors anything. Jean Paul emphasized repeatedly that it's not a revenue stream for them, but rather it's their way of showing support for local producers.

For those who want to do more than just eat while at Hockley, (weirdos!) there is skiing and snowshoeing in the winter, and in the summer they have a great saltwater pool and a golf course. There is also a year-round spa.

In case you are curious about exactly what we ate at Tavola, here's the full menu - can I just add that the Tawse Gewurtztraminer was TO DIE FOR?! We were served different wines with each meal from Ontario and Italy and the Gewurtz was, as usual, my favourite. Favourite dish was the cod wrapped in prosciutto, hands down. Also really appreciated the neat idea to candy celery and put it in a dessert - very unique and actually worked quite well in terms of flavour!

Executive Chef: Rabii Jaouhari

Restaurant Chef: Daniel Mezzolo

Lunch

First Course:

Served in Kitchen

House-cured & Imported Cheese & Salumi

Antipasti

Second Course:

Potato Soup

Crispy asparagus, parmigiano foam, truffle oil

2008 Viewpoint Estate Winery, Arneis, VQA Lake Erie North Shore, ON

Third Course:

Scampi Bagna Cauda

Slow poached in olive oil & thyme

2010 Tawse, Gewurztraminer, Quarry Road VQA Niagara, ON

Fourth Course:

Tortelli

Filled with 3 years aged parmigiano cream, Pingue speck

2007 Le Clos Jordanne, Oaked Chardonnay, Jordan Station, ON

Fifth Course:

Fiddlehead Risotto

Braised fresh house sausage

2008 Foreign Affair, Sauvignon Blanc, VQA Niagara Peninsula, ON

Sixth Course:

Cod

Pingue prosciutto wrapped, quenelle of rapini & garlic, braised shallots, carrot cream,

2007 Brovia, Barbera D’Alba DOC, Italy

Seventh Course:

Suckling Pig

Rosemary roasted apples, Dijon mustard sauce

1994 Antica Sleva Di Meana, Pinot Nero, Scambia, Allerona, Italy

Eighth Course:

Pre-Dessert

Melon granita, semifreddo, fizzy, limoncello foam, candied celery

2004 Daniel Lenko, Select Harvest Vidal, VQA Niagara, ON

Ninth Course:

Dessert

Pistachio crème brulee + raspberry, apricot, orange house made truffle + orange vanilla marscapone cake with raspberry & strawberry sauce

Also have to give a big shoutout to Hockley Honey for the amazing creamed white organic unpasteurized wildflower honey (try saying that five times fast!) they gave us. Delicious!



Yours in food,
-Stacey

Every nut-lover's dream...

Nut-lovers: There exists a bakery in Toronto which specializes exclusively in nut products (there is 1/4 lb. of nuts in every bag of their product, actually). And I have to tell you - I've tried all their products first-hand and they are delicious.

The Nut Bakery sent us some samples of both their low sugar and pure cane sugar varieties of Grainless Granola (chunks), Grainless Granola (bars), Pecan Walnut Chocolate Macaroons, and Chocolate Nut Chunk. The latter two were definitely our favourites.

None of the products were too sweet, and just one or two pieces gave you energy for days (I'd recommend everyone have an emergency bag at work - you never know when a late night where you need brain power will come, because as we all know nuts are incredible brain food and I've also heard they can have a mood-stabilizing effect).

The only fault I found with them was that the low sugar varieties, of course, have a bit of an aftertaste that the pure cane sugar ones don't, which is simply part and parcel of having to use a sweetener in place of sugar. But it provides a nice alternative that diabetics can savour. Also, those with Celiac disease can indulge safely in these products, as all are gluten free because they use nuts in place of grains.

I had brought the remains of my least favourite, but still delicious, Grainless Granola Bars to work and my colleagues were amazed. I told them I wish they could've tried the Chocolate Nut Chunk and the Pecan Walnut Chocolate Macaroons, but I ate them all before any leftovers could make it into the office!

Here is a list of places where you can get your hands on their products if you're interested in trying them out.

Yours in food,
-Stacey

Trying out the new pistol-grip ShuckerPaddy knife with Guinness World Record holder Patrick McMurray!

This week the Guinness World Record holder for most oysters shucked in one minute, Patrick McMurray, launched his personal "ShuckerPaddy" oyster-shucking knife and even taught me hands-on how to shuck an oyster!

(By the way, he shucked 38 oysters in one minute - and he's not even left-handed - He was telling me how lefties have a big advantage, as they don't have to turn the oyster 180 degrees mid-way through the process of shucking like righties do, and that saves them time.)



He's got a great product out that I think both home chefs and professionals can appreciate - some highlights of the knife:

• Unlike any other on the market it features an ergodynamic "pistol grip" handle that puts your hand in a more natural alignment with your forearm, so you ultimately use less force to pry open the oyster. (I found it natural to hold and use)
  
• Its 4" blade is long enough to accommodate the largest of oysters.
• Patrick guarantees the ShuckerPaddy handle for 228,865 oysters (which equals two years for Patrick, or a lifetime for everyone else).
• Even though the blade may break, as all blades do eventually, Patrick says “bring it to me and I'll fix the blade personally.”
  

Check out the You Tube Tutorial on how to use the knife here.

The ShuckerPaddy is available at The Ceili Cottage, Starfish Oyster Bed and Grill or by calling Spirit of Hospitality at: 905-277-3380.

Happy shucking!
-Stacey

Would "noise ratings" in reviews keep you from going to a restaurant?

I (the Stacey half of Tasting Toronto) am admittedly a little bit noise sensitive - it's funny, I live right downtown and can sleep through total chaos with no issue at all but when I'm trying to concentrate on something important to me, the noise around me can drive me to distraction. Enter my trusty iPod to drown out the world when needed!

But that sooo doesn't work when I'm in a noisy restaurant trying to scream across a table to Mark or one of my friends, of course.

I was intrigued to find out that ten years ago the San Francisco Chronicle was the first daily newspaper to introduce "noise ratings" in its restaurant reviews. Although that stat is a bit dated, noise ratings in the restaurant review world is a pretty interesting idea and it got me thinking whether or not that would affect my decision to go to a particular restaurant.

After much thought (so much thought that I NEARLY HAD TO REACH FOR THAT iPOD!) I concluded that I don't think a high noise rating could initially keep me from trying a restaurant whose menu was making my mouth water, but if it was ridiculously loud once I'd gone, it could certainly keep me from going back. I love beerbistro with all my heart but damn, it can get loud in there! I'll still go back. Their mussel bowls and beer-infused desserts are worth it.

But I also wonder if more Canadian publications and blogs will start rating noise levels in their restaurant reviews... I guess it could be hit-and-miss as it depends which night you visited the restaurant (Saturday nights are probably more raucous than Wednesday afternoons). What do you guys think? Will it become more popular to rate noise in reviews? Would a high noise level stop you from going to a restaurant in the first place or prevent you from returning?

[Thanks to my friends at Zoomer 96.3 FM for the info - they are leading the charge against noise pollution in dining establishments with their Anti-Noise Pollution League.]

Yours in food,
-Stacey

Valentine's Round-up: Something for everyone (specifically men & vegetarians!)

Men tend to get left out of the Valentine's equation.

And oftentimes, as vegetarian friends have told me, finding a good veg prix fixe for Valentine's Day dinner is tough.

Here come some potential solutions to both issues!

For men, giving a good Scotch or other alcoholic beverage is a nice idea. But try taking it a step further and finding something truly unique: For example, for Valentine's Day, The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky came out with a small batch of chocolates infused with their 14-Year-Old Caribbean Cask - this will be the *perfect* thing for Mark, I think he'll love them - me, well, I'll give them a try, and not to sound sexist or ridiculous or anything but doesn't it even just sound like a really manly gift? Anyways they are going to be perfect for Mark, can't wait to try them out - we'll update this post with photos when they arrive.

As for our vegetarian friends, Toronto Vegetarian Association has partnered up with Toronto restaurant L.A.B. (Live and Breathe) to offer Toronto's very first Veggie Valentine in support of Meatless Mondays - and if you check out the site and enter their contest, you could win Valentine's Day dinner for two at L.A.B.! From what I've heard about L.A.B. they are nothing short of amazing when it comes to treating vegetables as the star ingredients of their dishes so even if you're not veg, this place sounds like a true culinary experience not to be missed.

Hope everyone has an amazing Valentine's Day!
Yours in food,
-Stacey

Give yourself the gift of an end-of-the-week treat: A Friday Night Roast!

Most people wait until Sunday to make a roast or some other type of more elaborate home-cooked meal. Also, most people who don't have a family don't really bother with roasts at all. But Mark and I think there's something almost sacred about taking the time to make yourselves such a grand treat - and even better, we made it on a FRIDAY NIGHT! Screw waiting til Sunday. It was so much more rewarding to get home from a week at our full-time jobs and feed ourselves something hearty.

The slide show of delicious pictures speaks for themselves but, in short, Yorkshire Valley Farms helped us out by giving us two delicious organic grain-fed free-range chickens - they are air-chilled, rather than water-chilled (which tends to add more water and salt to the finished product and in turn it may block the true taste of the chicken from coming all the way through).

We rubbed the chicken with some salt (from Spain, brought back by our two good friends!), freshly-ground black pepper and a bit of olive oil/canola oil (our olive oil we have now, while extra virgin, is not really the tastiest, I find it a bit too grassy so we neutralized the flavour with canola). Softest, juiciest, and most flavourful chicken we've ever had by far, no joke.

We put the other chicken in the freezer and we'll probably use different seasonings on it - something more elaborate. We just wanted to get the true, unadulterated taste of the chicken first time around.

We paired it with a wine Inniskillin gave us to try - they have an East West Series of blended wines that use grapes both from their winery in British Columbia and their winery in Ontario. Certainly an interesting concept. We had the Riesling / Gewurtztraminer blend. While I'm generally a fan of sweet German Gewurtztraminer's, it was probably a good thing this one wasn't too sweet because the flavour of the chicken was so simple that it needed something that would complement it, but not outshine it. It did pair very well with our simple roast chicken, mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus.

For dessert I whipped up a Dutch Chocolate Icecream Mix my Mom was given for free by a lady at a craft sale. I know, sounds sketchy. Trust me, I was scared. It was actually pretty tasty - we had to add two cups of whipping cream and 1/2 a cup water to it and beat it like crazy, being careful to not let the cream separate.

Mark was telling me they treat Dutch Chocolate with alkali or something to take the bitterness out of it, which is why it tastes different, but the process also kills the antioxidants naturally found in chocolate so that sucks but it was tasty nonetheless.

Later this week we're planning on making a soup broth with the carcass and all the bones we've saved, potato peelings, and asparagus stems - then we'll add fresh celery, carrots and potatoes to it - yum!

Update (Jan 29): Soup has been made, and I also forgot to tell you guys where you can buy Yorkshire Valley organic products: Loblaws, Zehrs and Superstore locations across Ontario, and in the GTA at Big Carrot, Bloor Meat Market, Organic Garage, McEwans, and Dufferin Meats.

Yours in food,
-Stacey

P.S. please note the AMAZING custom aprons Mark and I got for Christmas from my sister and brother-in-law! Love you guys - thanks for supporting us!

Post-holiday food desires and a possible cure!

The holidays are amazing, and I think I might possibly love them more than anyone else on this earth, but I also feel a specific feeling after the holidays pass - maybe it's just because I've been buying for everyone but myself since October (no complaints, I love shopping period whether it's for me or others, just sayin' that I think that's where this January desire to buy for oneself stems from! And yes, I started my Christmas shopping in October!) - but I find it extra-nice to treat myself to something special just for myself, from myself, after the holidays pass.

I usually only want something small - sometimes I'm jonesing for a new planner, or a new pair of jeans. The past few holidays it's been food - for some reason I'd been hoping someone would give me some red pepper jelly over the holidays as a gift and, despite my silently-sent mental messages to all my friends and relatives, alas, I did not come out the other side of the holidays with any red pepper jelly! ;) Must... get... some... red... pepper... jelly...

And thus, now is probably a good time to introduce you to a site that I think could very well cure you if you have the same post-holiday food desires...

Back in November I had a conversation with Jonathan Chiu, founder of Savouries.ca (a Toronto-based online artisan food marketplace). Of course, with my red pepper jelly desires and general post-holiday "want to treat myself" feelings, that site popped back into my head today.

In discussing the site with him, I learned he has a goal to bring on as many local Canadian producers as possible who offer unique products that are hard to find elsewhere (locavores rejoice!) but most of our conversation was around what his most delicious and unique products are. Here are a few he gave me some interesting insights into:

• "Personally, I think the idea of combining fruits and flowers in jams and salsas that Krista from 'From these roots’ came up with is really unique. A few of the ones I like: Pears and Pansies, Raspberry and Rosemary and strawberry basil salsa. But the most unique one I find is the Mango Peach Passionflower Salsa. That one is really different and is definitely my favourite."
• "The eggplant antipasto by La Natura Fine Foods is amazing. The owner Vik uses a family recipe to make it. It turned me from an eggplant hater to an eggplant lover."
• "The smoked salmon by Medallion Smoked Salmon is the best in PEI and one of the best in Canada. Readers Digest talked about them a couple years back, and people line up for their salmon bagels every weekend at the Charlottetown Farmers’ Market."
• "Everything by Form V Artisan is very much homemade, which is definitely a change from most things you get out there. I haven’t actually tried her truffles, but her salted caramel and the gingerbread spice caramels (Stacey's note: pictured above) are amazing."
  
• "Vida Grains is a pretty interesting concept in itself, it’s made up of a mix of 6 organic seeds and 6 sources of bran. It was also a family recipe that they decided to bring to the market. Not only is it healthy, it actually tastes very good."

I think my red pepper jelly craving was just replaced by a desire to try eggplant antipasto...

Happy new year everyone, let's make 2011 a delicious one!

Yours in food,
-Stacey

We have a winner! And the Inniskillin prize pack goes to...

Today's the day we give away an Inniskillin prize pack to a lucky winner!

We've done the draw and we have a winner - and the winner is...

ERIN!

Erin told us that her favourite treat is "a dark chocolate truffle, with a glass of ice wine at the end of a long day." Mmm, now THAT'S the kind of indulgence we could all use at the end of a long day, especially during the holiday time! Thanks for sharing, Erin!

We'll be emailing you, Erin, at the address you left us to arrange delivery of your prize pack.

Happy new year to you all, thank you all for entering the contest and sharing your favourite holiday treat with us!
Yours in food,
-Stacey

CONTEST ALERT: Happy Holidays from Inniskillin and Tasting Toronto!

Inniskillin and Tasting Toronto want to wish you a happy holiday!

We're giving away an Inniskillin prize pack to one lucky Tasting Toronto reader - You have a chance to win an Inniskillin VIP Tasting Card for their Niagara-on-the-Lake winery, an awesome book all about icewine, Kozlik's triple-crunch mustard (YUM!), and a nice thick winter scarf - all great things to make your winter that much warmer!

To enter, either comment on this post or tweet to us @TastingToronto telling us what your favourite holiday treat is! If leaving a comment, please make sure you leave a way for us to get in touch with you!

Best of luck!
Yours in food,
-Stacey

Contest closes December 31, 2010. Open to residents of Ontario 19 years or older. Entry: Either comment on this post or tweet to us @TastingToronto telling us what your favourite holiday treat is (and if commenting on the blog, please be sure to leave us a way to get in touch with you!). Prizes to win: An Inniskillin prize pack valued at approximately $85. One entry per person. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Mathematical skill-testing question to be correctly answered to win. No purchase necessary. Full rules below.

Tasting Toronto / Inniskillin “Favourite Holiday Treat” Contest

The Tasting Toronto / Inniskillin “Favourite Holiday Treat” Contest (the “Contest”) is open to residents of Ontario who are 19 years or older. The Contest Period starts on December 22, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. and ends December 31, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. No purchase necessary. All times are Eastern Times.

HOW TO ENTER – Either comment on this post or tweet to us @TastingToronto telling us what your favourite holiday treat is. If commenting on the blog, please be sure to leave us a way to get in touch with you.

PRIZE – Entrants are eligible to win one (1) Inniskillin prize pack valued at approximately $85.

FINAL DRAW – The names of all eligible entrants will be entered into a random draw. The random draw by a representative of Tasting Toronto will be made December 31, 2010. The name of the winner will be posted December 31, 2010 via a Tasting Toronto blog post and via @TastingToronto on Twitter. The winning entrant is responsible to verify if he/she has been selected. Selected entrants must make themselves known by 7:00 p.m. on January 7, 2010 by either tweeting to us or contacting tastingtoronto@hotmail.com.

If a selected entrant fails to make him/herself known by 7:00 p.m. on January 7, 2010 or to claim the prize as instructed, incorrectly answers the skill-testing question, declines the prize, fails to sign a Release of Liability as may be specified by Tasting Toronto or fails to present valid ID, entrant will have forfeited the opportunity to claim the prize and Tasting Toronto reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to select another entrant or to cancel the prize.

Prize must be accepted as awarded and is not transferable, redeemable, refundable or exchangeable for cash. Tasting Toronto reserves the right to substitute a prize of at least equal value in the event of the unavailability, for whatever reason, of the advertised prize.

To be declared a winner, selected entrants must first correctly answer, unaided, a time-limited, mathematical skill-testing question at the time of claiming the prize and may need to sign a Release. Contest judges' rulings are final and without appeal in all matters related to the promotion and the awarding of prizes.

By entering this Contest and/or accepting a prize, entrants consent to the use of their entry and name for publicity, advertising or informational purposes carried out by Tasting Toronto in any medium or format without further notice or compensation.

The Contest is subject to all applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws and regulations.

Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries. All entries that are incomplete, illegible, damaged, irregular, do contain offensive material or inappropriate content, have been submitted through illicit means, using any robotic, automatic programmed method that artificially increases the odds of winning or do not conform to or satisfy any condition of the rules may be disqualified by Tasting Toronto. Tasting Toronto takes no responsibility for lost, stolen, delayed, damaged, misdirected, late or destroyed entries, or for typographical or other production errors. Tasting Toronto is not responsible for any errors or omissions in printing or advertising this Contest. All entries become the property of Tasting Toronto.

Tasting Toronto is collecting personal data about entrants for the purpose of administering this Contest. No further informational or marketing communications will be received by entrants.

By entering this Contest, entrants release and hold harmless the Contest Sponsor (the “Releasee”) from any liability in connection with this Contest or, if declared a finalist or a winner, the prize.

This Contest will be run in accordance with these rules, subject to amendment by Tasting Toronto. Entrants must comply with these rules, and will be deemed to have received and understood the rules by participating in the Contest.

Winners of Gourmet Food and Wine Expo Contest!

Our contest with 5 pairs of Gourmet Food & Wine Expo tickets on Saturday, November 20 up for grabs is over and the winners are in!

Congrats to:

@CdnFoodieGirl (via Twitter)
Erika (via Blog)
Dash (via Blog)
@nguyencathy (via Twitter)
Sandra (via Blog)

We'll be emailing those winners / contacting them on Twitter but if you did not post a way to get in touch, please email us ASAP at tastingtoronto@hotmail.com to claim your tickets.

Congrats all! Thanks for telling us what gourmet means to you!

Yours in food,
-Stacey