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.

Meet Baker Street: You've probably enjoyed their treats and not even known it!

The fine folks at Baker Street recently invited us to taste some of their pies, tortes and cakes, many of them geared toward holiday entertaining. Now although Baker Street might not sound familiar to you because they do not have a retail storefront, nor are most of their products branded as Baker Street, it's highly probable you've enjoyed some of their treats - the 30-year-old company bakes for grocery store private labels. While some items are branded as Baker Street, namely their apple pies which you've probably seen in the grocery store, most of them are not.

Of everything we tasted, I think my favourite dessert was the pralines and cream cheesecake (pictured below) - the crunchy sweet pralines made a delicious contrast to the smooth, creamy cheesecake. And while I could envision in my mind's eye some of my friends crying "It's too sweet!" I was in heaven - I have a sweet tooth like no one I've ever met! But I could see how someone with less of a sweet tooth might go into sugar shock just looking at it. But whatever. I like sugar shock, thank you very much ;)



The most unique dessert, which was probably my runner-up to the pralines and cream cheesecake, was the gingerbread torte with cream cheese icing. Now I usually don't jump at the chance to have cream cheese icing, I like buttercreams, ganaches and other frostings much better typically, but it was so well-suited to the gingerbread torte that I couldn't imagine it being iced with anything else. You also don't see a lot of desserts using gingerbread, so this was a welcome change from the typical desserts we get offered at grocery stores.

The apple pie was the closest thing to homemade I've had (nothing will ever top my Mom's, but this was pretty close). In addition to a typical full-size pie, you can get individual mini ones at Loblaws ($4.99 for two). Baker Street has a big emphasis on natural ingredients, which I noticed when reading the pie ingredients. You could tell the apples were nice and fresh, as in most pies they use bleached apples which tend, on my palate anyway, to taste more bland. I know, I know, some may argue it's like a very cool oldschool thing to try to bleach your own apples, but the truth is fresh granny smiths make for a better pie.

We also tried a few chocolate cakes which were also all moist and delicious. And although I usually run for the chocolate desserts first, I was impressed enough by all the others that the chocolate desserts were almost just an afterthought. Weird, I know - I'm sorry, chocolate - I still love you!



(For more photos, go here.)

Yours in food,
-Stacey