the tomato january/february 2010

Take a bite of your city.

Take a bite of the tomato.

The flavour of Edmonton’s food scene | January February 2010 | thetomato.ca

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The Tomato | January February 2010 3

editorMary Bailey

[email protected]

publisherBGP Publishing

copy editorAmanda LeNeve

designerBossanova Communications Inc.

salesBianca Osbourne

[email protected]

contributing writersPeter Bailey

Anne Kingston Karen Virag Judy Schultz

illustration/photographyDarcy Muenchrath

layout and prepressBossanova Communications Inc.

printerWorldcolor

distributionThe Globe and Mail

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Features

Cookbook FeatureThe Pleasures of Cooking for One | Judith Jones

Bacon QuestWorld Bacon Council meets and eats bacon | Mary Bailey

The Naked Truth About RawIs cooking humanity’s killer app? | Karen Virag

Chomp Like a ChampionWhere to eat during Vancouver–Whistler’s Olympic Winter Games | Kate Zimmerman

Departments

DishGastronomic happenings around town

Beer GuyBeer on the piste | Peter Bailey

Drinks20 Years of Stonewell Shiraz | Mary Bailey

Wine MavenEvent Calendar

Feeding PeopleEdible Education at Kate Chegwin School | Valerie Rodgers Lugonja

Proust QuestionnaireChef Nathin Bye

Kitchen SinkWhat’s new and notable

According to JudyA Kiwi Christmas | Judy Schultz

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Contents

Cover: Darcy Muenchrath. Physically, Darcy hails from Alberta, Canada, where he graduated from the Alberta College of Art and Design (1995). Metaphysically, no one is quite sure. For evidence of this, see darcymuenchrath.com and the characters Darcy brings to life. While Toronto’s gritty (and not so gritty) streets serve as his base of operations and inspiration, Darcy clearly comes from another planet.

www.KeepEdmontonOriginal.com Exercise your power as a consumer thoughtfully.

4 January February 2010 | The Tomato

NOW BAKING FRESH BREAD DAILY!

A Fresh-Baked Taste of Europe!The Italian Centre Shop now proudly offers our

very own, fresh-baked European breads and rolls.

Baked daily in our southside state-of-the-art bakery, and served from the deli counter at both

locations, you can be assured of its freshness and authentic, old world European quality.

Hot Dog Buns, White Bread, Hamburger Buns, Whole Wheat Sliced, Whole Wheat Buns, Medium Rye, Heavy Rye, Marble Swirl loaf, Pumpernickel loaf, Multigrain Sliced, French Bread, Pagnotta,

Bavarian Rye, Crusty Buns - Regular, Crusty Buns - Baby, Bread Crumbs Regular, Bread Crumbs seasoned

The Tomato’s Frank Award honours the person, place, or thing that has most contributed to culinary life in Edmonton in the past year: farmer, rancher, chef, restaurateur, market, grocer, scientist, food or dish.

The award is named for Frank Spinelli, who built a legacy in the grocery business, which has been carried on by his daughter Teresa Spinelli. We applaud his vision, tenacity, perseverance, and sense of community and look for these qualities in Frank Award nominees.

Nominations for the 2009 Frank Award close February 1, 2010. Please send your nomination with a few sentences on why your nominee is worthy to [email protected].

We’ll announce the recipient of the second annual Frank Award in the March/April 2010 issue of

frank award


How about a gouda? It’s no secret that we’re big fans of Sylvan

Star Gouda, the artisan cheese maker near Lacombe (see The Alberta Burger). Now

there’s even more to love. John Schalkwijk and family have brought in two Dutch

cheesemakers, built a new facility expanding their cheese-making capacity by four times

and added a farmers market area, tour capacity and a large retail shop.

We hope this means it will be easier to find the full range of impeccable Sylvan Star

cheeses around town. But, just to be sure, we’ve already ordered our very own wheel of

Grizzly Gouda for next Christmas. www.sylvanstarcheese.ca,

Highway 11A, Lacombe.

Delux Burger Bar’s The Alberta Burger

When Tony Le of Lux said “we want you to be our celebrity burger chef for December,” there

was no question what sort of burger I was going to make. It would be a local burger with

hometown flavours. After all, what’s better together than beef and horseradish? What’s more Albertan than beef, onions and beer?

What’s more soulful, and seasonal, than beet horseradish relish?

The result? The Alberta Burger: Spring Creek Ranch Beef with Alley’s Kat’s Kilt-lifter Scotch

Ale-Braised Onions, Sylvan Star Smoked Gouda and Beet Horseradish Mayo. Never

mind that exec chef Paul Shufelt had to beg for the cheese (Sylvan can only make eight wheels at a time), drive out to the east end

for the relish, bring in 70 kg of Spring Creek Ranch Beef, grind it, form it into patties and scour several shops for enough Scotch Ale.

“All in a days work,” he says.

Toothsome Spring Creek Ranch Beef, this recipe a blend of knuckle (aka top sirloin) and brisket, makes a flavourful and juicy

burger. Here’s how: grind the meats* and mix with fresh rosemary, a generous spoonful

of horseradish and panko crumbs to help it hang together. Grill, then top with the braised

onions and a slice of the cheese. Sylvan’s smoked gouda is quite delicate with the

perfect melting quality for a burger. Go hard-core with a dollop of fiery beet horseradish

relish or mellow it out by mixing it with some mayo first. Put it on a nice toasted bun and

you’ve got an Alberta Burger. Find the recipe for The Alberta Burger at www.tomato.ca

*Don’t want to grind your own? Spring Creek Ranch sells handy one pound

chubs of ground beef.

gastronomic happenings around town | dish

The Tomato editor Mary Bailey with the makings of Delux Burger Bar’s first Alberta Burger.

Medal winners from top: Sonny Sung, bronze; Blair Lebsack, silver; Nathin Bye, gold.

Larry and Melinda’s amazing new granite chef ’s tableWondering what’s different about the Hardware Grill (besides the fact that you may be eating in daylight as the popular downtown eatery is open for lunch again)? The massive triangle of dark-coloured granite in the kitchen, that’s what. Wraparound ostrich leather seating on three sides ensures that everybody seated at the new chef’s table gets an unobstructed view of the kitchen action. It’s a prime spot to indulge in the new five-course tasting menu. 9698 Jasper Avenue, 780-423-0969.

Look up, way up Rice Bowl Express, an unassuming take-away above Fine Wines by Liquor Select, is perfect for lunch on the run—as fast as fast food but tastier, fresher, and probably healthier too. We’re trying to work our way around the menu, but keep coming back to the crispy squid with spicy dip, the chicken satay and the Japanese panko salmon rice bowl. The experience is made even tastier by the quick and cheerful counter staff. Ok, so you have to go up some stairs. Think of that as a bit of exercise before lunch. Well worth it. 8926 149 Street, 2nd floor, 780-930-1688.

Winners allEdmonton’s Gold Medal Plates 2009 demonstrated a new confidence—right across the board in every dish by all ten competitors.

Sonny Sung of Bistecca took the bronze with a smoked Alberta lamb chop with fresh herbs and truffled roasted parsnip puree lapped by a silky foie gras jus—well-matched with Road 13’s 2007 Syrah.

Silver went to Blair Lebsack of Madison’s Grill for a subtle and well-executed dish of butter-poached junior beef (pasture-raised seven-month-old beef from Nature’s Green Acres) and tender Queen Charlotte Island chanterelles layered with a BC Side Striped prawn in hollandaise served alongside a superb wine partner, the lusciously firm 2008 Kettle Valley Naramata Chardonnay.

Gold Medal winner Chef Nathin Bye of Wildflower Grill served a manifesto explaining his trio of Alberta Bison exploring three different aspects of curry alongside his truly masterful dish: soy and tamarind-laquered bison tenderloin; maki of bison rendang curry; shortrib with garam masala demiglace and hon shemji mushroom. All, exquisite flavours harmonizing with JoieFarm 2008 Rosé. See Culinary Proust page 20.

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Fillet of Fish in ParchmentMaking a parchment envelope in which to steam a fillet of fish surrounded by aromatic vegetables may sound a bit fancy for just one, but cooking in parchment is actually one of the simplest and most effective ways of steaming because it seals in the flavors. What a treat it is to have that golden-tinged, puffed-up half-moon of parchment on your plate, and then to tear it open and breathe in all the heady aromas. Moreover, you’ll have no cleanup afterward; just wipe off the Silpat mat and throw away the parchment after you’ve scraped and scooped up every last delicious morsel and its jus.

If you want just one meal out of this, get about a 6-ounce fillet of flounder, halibut, salmon, red snapper—whatever looks good. Or, as I recently did, try tilapia, which is quite readily available these days and at a reasonable price. I bought almost twice the amount I needed so I could play with the other half of the cooked fillet a couple of days later. I learned a trick from Katy Sparks, whose book, Sparks in the Kitchen, is full of great cooking tips from a chef to the home cook. Pre-roast several slices of new potato so they can be inlcuded in the parchment package. This way you have a complete, balanced meal-in-one cooked all together.


From the editor of some of the

world's greatest cooks—including

Julia Child and James Beard—a

passionate and practical book

about the joys of cooking for one.

The Pleasures of Cooking for One is

a vibrant, wise celebration of food

and enjoying our own company

from one of the most treasured

cooking experts. Judith Jones

was awarded the James Beard

Foundation Lifetime Acheivement

Award in 2006. She lives in Vermont

and New York City.

Alfred A. Knopf New York 2009 $34 Cdn

what you need

olive oil

2 or 3 smallish new potatoes, cut into ½-inch slices

salt and freshly ground pepper

6-oz fillet of flounder, halibut, tilapia, salmon or red snapper (or more if you want leftovers)

¹/³ medium zucchini (about), cut into julienne strips

½ medium carrot, peeled and cut into very thin julienne strips

1 scallion (white and tender green) cut into lengthwise strips

3 slices fresh ginger approximately the size of quarters, peeled and cut into julienne strips

a splash of white wine

a sprinkling of fresh herbs, if available (such as parsley, chives, tarragon, or summer savory)

Preheat the oven to 425º.

Lightly oil the center of your Silpat mat set on a baking sheet, or, if you don’t have the mat, oil a piece of foil. Scatter the potato slices over the oiled area, then turn them. Salt and pepper lightly. Roast in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, turning once.

Meanwhile, cut off an 18-inch piece of parchment paper and fold it in half. Open it up and, on one half,

place the fish alongside the folded edge after salting and peppering it on both sides. Pile the zucchini, carrot, scallion and ginger on top of the fish, salt again lightly and splash on enough wine to bathe the fillet(s) lightly. After the potato slices have had their 10-minute pre-roasting, arrange them on top or around

The Pleasures ofCooking for one

cookbook feature


the edge of the fish and sprinkle the herbs over all. Fold the other half of the parchment over, then fold in the open edge twice, and pleat it all around to make a semicircular airtight package.

If it tends to open up where the folded edges meet, secure that place with a binder clip or a large paper clip. Place on the sheet pan, and bake for 12 minutes. If you have a fairly thick fillet, you may need to bake it 1 or 2 minutes more. Test with a skewer; if it goes in easily, the fish is done.

Plunk the whole parchment package on a big dinner plate, and enjoy.

NOTE If you deliberately cooked more fish than you need, remove what you won’t want the first time around and save it for a second round.

second round

You can make a delicious salad with the remaining fish. Arrange a bed of watercress or young arugula leaves on a salad plate, and set the fish on top. Spoon 2 or 3 tablespoons of Sauce Gribiche over it, or, if you don’t have that handy, use about 2 tablespoons mayonnaise thinned and tarted up with a little plain yogurt or lemon juice and seasoned with a small, finely chopped cornichon (or part of a dill pickle) and ½ teaspoon capers. Garnish with some strips of roasted red pepper—your own or from a jar—a few black olives, and some cherry tomatoes. These are just suggestions. Use your imagination, based on what you may have on hand.

Beans and Turkey WingsThis dish evolved when I had a good-sized holiday turkey left in the refrigerator. Somehow no one ever wants the wings. They’re too big to gnaw on politely at the table, and the meat is hard to carve delicately into slices for sandwiches later. So they sit in the fridge, getting drier each day. But don’t let that happen, because they make very good eating for one or two when they are properly reconstituted. And I found that well-flavored dried beans did the trick.

Legendary book editor Judith Jones is renowned

for discovering and editing Julia Child’s first

book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking,

published in 1961. But she was also the literary

muse behind many gastronomical luminaries,

among them Jacques Pépin, James Beard,

Madhur Jaffrey and Edna Lewis. Jones also

co-authored three cookbooks with her husband,

food writer and editor, Evan Jones. Now

widowed, the 85-year-old has published another,

The Pleasures of Cooking for One.

Q: You write in the book that after your husband died in 1996, you didn’t think you’d ever enjoy preparing and eating a meal alone. How did you come to rediscover the pleasure in cooking for yourself?

A: I just did it and found that it was so—and at the little table that we always ate at with the candles and nice napkins. He was always a great one for respecting the things that make something pleasing for the eye. He’d never let us put a ketchup bottle on the table, for instance. So, I just found it was respecting and honouring something that had been a part of my life. And there was this sense of the past and the present melding.

Q: It seems the stereotypes of people eating alone are someone gulping down something over the sink or eating in front of the television. What is your ritual?

A: I almost always listen to music—either a classical station or something I put on myself. I don’t like the distraction of talking voices. I do often read, though, either a newspaper or The New Yorker. And I always have a glass of wine.

Q: You begin the book with the statistic that 51 per cent of New Yorkers live alone. Studies show that now more people are single than are married. Yet, still there's resistance to cooking well for yourself.

A: Yes, it’s true. I get people whose eyes glaze over when I mention this cookbook. I know I’m never going to win them. What I hear most of all is: “Why should I cook when it's just for me?” But really, it’s a lack of respect for yourself. Do you just want to grab a bite? I feel it’s not healthy eating if you just grab a bite. If you prepare a nice, well-balanced meal and you’re satisfied, you're not going to be eating in another hour or two, nibbling on something. Also, as I say, sometimes you will push away those two extra hunks of meat, and say “Hmm, that will taste really good with a few beans, if I make a little casserole tomorrow night.” You don’t eat more than you need so that you’re satisfied with the pleasure.

Q: Even though we increasingly live alone, it seems that we cleave to the idea that cooking is something that's only worthwhile if it's done for others.

A: It is engrained. I wrote about cooking for one in Gourmet magazine and one man wrote in to say: ”What’s wrong with this woman? Why doesn’t she invite the neighbours in?”

Q: What did you say to that?

A: Oh, I didn’t answer [laughs].

Q: What do you say to the common excuse: “I don’t have the time.”

Continued on page 22


what you need

½ cup dried beans, preferably smaller ones, such as navy beans or flageolets

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and slivered

1 small carrot or ½ large carrot, peeled and chopped

several fresh parsley stems

2 cooked turkey wings, trimmed (I use only the meaty sections)

salt and freshly ground pepper

about 1 tablespoon leftover turkey gravy or broth, or 1 scant teaspoon glace de viande mixed with a little water

a sprinkling of chopped parsley leaves

Soak the beans in water to cover for 8-10 hours—overnight or during the workday or use the quick-soak method—whatever is convenient. To cook, drain them and put in a small heavy pot along with the onion, garlic, carrot and parsley stems. Pour in enough water to cover by 1 inch, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down, and simmer, covered, for almost 1 hour. Taste after 50 minutes to see if they are tender. At this point, arrange the wings in a one-serving gratin dish, cover with foil and set in a preheated 375º oven. Give them a 10-minute start to warm up then cover them with the beans and their aromatic vegetables seasoned with salt and pepper and pour over them whatever small amount of bean juice you have left, fortified, if at all possible, with a little leftover gravy or with one of the suggested substitutes. Make a loose cover of tented foil and bake in the 375º oven for 20 minutes. Sprinkle some parsley on top.

Variations

You could use almost any kind of fowl, such as roast duck or goose wings, or some roast or braised meat. A few slices of cooked sausage are good, too.


Bacon QuestThe World Bacon Council’s Ultimate

Wherin, Mary Bailey and a select team of professionals (and please do try this at home), attempt to ascertain the definitive source of Edmonton’s finest bacon.

The first meeting of the World Bacon Council was December 6, 2009.

Our purpose: Find the very best bacon in Edmonton.

Our goal: Two fold: spread the philosophy of good bacon far and wide and eat a lot of bacon.

The result: Most bacon is pretty good just because it’s bacon. We draw the line at low sodium (why bother) and turkey bacon (blecchh).

Members of the World Bacon Council include Nathin Bye, Wildflower Grill; Nicola and Alan Irving, Irvings Farm Fresh, Berkshire producers; Brad Smoliak, Brad Smoliak Cooks; Brad Lazarenko, Culina Millcreek, Cindy Lazarenko and Annand Ollivierre, Culina Highlands; Blair Lebsack Madison’s Grill; Sebastian Lysz, Relish Culinary Consulting; Larry Stewart, Hardware Grill; Tracy Zizek, Café de Ville. Non-chef members are Mark Armstrong (aka Bacon Boy), marathon runner and bacon enthusiast, and me, Mary Bailey, founder of the World Bacon Council.

Our method: Each member brought a pack of bacon or two. Blair Lebsack went far beyond the call of duty, picking up artisan charcuterie at The Bison in Canmore—house-smoked prosciutto and a lightly-cured back bacon to share as a snack.

The Irvings instructed on the difference between their English bacon, which we call back bacon, and our North American bacon, which they call streaky bacon and use only to keep the turkey skin from burning.

We handed over the bacons to Brad Smoliak. It was his job to keep them straight and cook them perfectly—not too crispy. We decided that nobody liked crispy bacon.

The bacons were tasted blind—each assigned a letter in order of tasting.

The results may surprise you. Then again, they may not. The state of bacon is actually pretty good. The turkey bacon came in for a rough ride. (Sorry turkey people but that’s just how it is, don’t mess with the pig.) Comments on that one ranged from “why cook cardboard” to “that’s just wrong.”

The worst performer? Schneiders, the country’s best selling bacon according to the bacon department head at Safeway. Council members found it bland and not bacony enough.

When asked for their top three by number: Budapest, Costco and Irvings were in almost every council member’s top three. Budapest Deli’s bacon was described as the potato chip bacon and both the Valbella double-smoked and the Costco brand as good for a BLT.

How do the chefs use bacon in their restaurants?First of all, they buy it as a block then cut into thick or thin slices or lardons (chunks), depending on how they plan to use it.

Blair asked the group when they liked to eat bacon. Favourite response was at lunch in a bacon sandwich.

Best bacon accompaniment: Champagne (we had Delamotte Rosé, but any good dry bubbly would do), beer or red wine.

There you have it—your definitive guide to bacon.

Eat bacon and prosper.

The Top Five Bacons

Irving’s Back Bacon (a slam dunk across the tasting sheets) 5

Budapest Deli 4.5

Butcher’s Block (a Safeway store brand) 4.5

Costco Centre-cut Alder-smoked Premium Bacon 4.5

Valbella’s Double-smoked 4

President’s Choice and First Nature Farm were just out of the top five with an average score of 3.5


World Bacon Council Recipes


the great british bacon buttieNicola and Alan Irving, Irving’s Farm Fresh Pork

“A British favourite, a hangover cure and a food item with its own scientific formula for getting it right (Leeds University, www.thepigsite.com). A ‘buttie’ is a sandwich and a ‘rasher’ is a slice. Not sure if this is fancy enough for the readers, but it sure does taste good. It is more commonly found in the greasy spoon cafe than up-market dining, but we could change all of that.” – Nicola

2–3 rashers unsmoked back bacon

1 lg bap (soft white bread bun) or 2 slices soft white bread, lightly buttered on one side

canola oil

Heinz ketchup or HP Sauce (optional)

Place large skillet over medium high heat and add canola oil. Reduce heat to medium and add bacon. Cook for 3–4 minutes on each side until the fat is just crispy. Lay the cooked bacon on the unbuttered side of the bread allowing the bread to soak up the juices. Add ketchup or HP sauce to taste. Put the buttie together and serve hot. Serves 1.

pig and fig saladBlair Lebsack, executive chef, Madison’s Grill

Spinach Salad with Bacon Lardons and Warm Fig Vinaigrette

1 lb pork belly

1 lg bag spinach, stems picked off

8 oz (250 grams) double-smoked slab bacon, cut into thick lardons*

1 shallot, sliced into thin rings

1 sm clove garlic, minced

2 T chicken stock

¹/³ c fig vinegar

1 T honey

2 T grated Parmesan cheese

Braise pork belly and portion into ½ inch cubes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Cut bacon into thick lardons and cook slowly over medium heat, stirring often until fat is rendered out and bacon is cooked through but not crispy. Reserve. Drain all but 2 T of bacon fat. Place pan over medium heat, again, add garlic and cook for 5 seconds. Deglaze with chicken stock, add fig vinegar, honey and shallot and reduce by half.

Rewarm pork belly.

Clean spinach and place in a large bowl. Pour hot vinaigrette over spinach and toss to coat all leaves; they will wilt slightly. Season. Portion the spinach onto 4 plates. Sprinkle the top of each salad with parmesan cheese and place a cube of the pork belly just off to the side of the greens on each plate.

Serves 4 people.

* A lardon is French culinary term for a chunk of bacon—rather than a strip that has been blanched and fried. It has become general usage for bacon cut in small squares rather than sliced and cooked slowly to render most of the fat.


Fine Wines by Liquor SelectFine Wines | Exceptional Staff | Private Tasting Room

Join us for weekly tastings, private events and corporate functions in our private tasting room — equipped with LCD projector and screen.

8924 149 Street | 780.481.6868 | liquorselect.com | [email protected]

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Maintenance, repair and restoration ofmarble and granite countertops.

S T O N E C A R E

Beer on the Piste

beer guy | peter bailey

Where have all the wineskins gone? Long time passing. Like smoking on chairlifts and skiing in jeans, the once ubiquitous leather bag of wine is gone from today’s ski hills. However, the happy partnership between skiing and beer lives on.

Beer was present at the birth of Alberta skiing in the early 20th century. German-speaking guides from beer-friendly nations introduced skiing to Banff in the early 1900s. Sunshine Village began its life as a log cabin built by the CPR in 1928. Swiss ski guides hired by the CPR, including the legendary Bruno Engler, brought their old-world enthusiasm for beer along with them. Today, tales of Bruno’s exploits on and off the piste are still told.

The old cabin at Sunshine remains, now with Bruno’s Pub on the top floor. Canmore’s late lamented Bow Valley Brewing named their German bock beer, Bruno’s Mountain Bock. Today, it is a peak beer experience to sit with a pint of pilsner by the roaring fire in Bruno’s Pub, looking out the window at schussing skiers on Lookout Mountain with the iconic pyramid of Mt. Assiniboine on the horizon. Prosit!

Repeatedly descending a mountain is surprisingly thirsty work and the go-to skiers’ beer is usually the coldest macrolager within easy reach. Labatt’s Creston, B.C. brewed Kokanee lager is a case in point—inoffensive, mild tasting lager that comes in cans for easy après ski quaffing.

My favourite ski beer remains the Czech ur-pilsner, Pilsner

Urquell, in the big golden cans. Just as we did with wineskins back in the day, I carefully bury a can or two in the snow before the first run in the morning. Digging out the cold beer at lunch fills me with a ridiculous amount of pleasure.

Don’t ski? No worries, beer also goes well with another popular winter sport: watching the Winter Olympics on TV. I will keep my eyes on the crowd, looking for visitors wearing wineskins. I wouldn’t mind owning a wineskin for old time’s sake. I asked a well-informed skier friend where I might buy one.

“Have you tried the 1970s?” he replied.

Perhaps I’ll stick with beer.


beer guy | peter bailey WHISKCELEB RATE YOU R HOLI DAY WITH WH ISK CATE RI N G

780.940.7996 • wh iskcateri ng@gmail .com

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10108B – 124 Street • 452-8262Ample free parking at rear with rear entrance available.Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Sunday, hours vary.

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Schussing Six PackThe ski beers below are all easy drinking beers designed to quench a mighty mountain thirst and encourage discussion of that epic mogul run you skied but no one saw. All the beers are available at better Edmonton liquor stores. Use www.alberta-liquor-guide.com to locate.

Grizzly Paw Brewing Powder Hound Pilsner

A Czech-style Pilsner brewed in Canmore using the same Czech Saaz hops as used by the iconic Pilsner Urquell. It’s the quintessential après ski quaffer perfect for pleasing a crowd—light, slightly-sweet with a mild citrus hop nose.

Fernie Brewing The Griz Pale Ale

An unpretentious American pale ale from Fernie, B.C., a classic ski town where shops close on powder days. Named after the legendary creature said to live above town, this pale ale is not a monster beer with a mild taste and only muted hop bitterness.

Mt. Begbie Cream Ale

Opened recently, Revelstoke Mountain Resort has everything needed for success including a great little local brewery in town. This cream ale is golden, mild and not bitter with a bit of honey sweetness and a slight fruity character.

Tree Brewing Kelowna Pilsner

Okanagan beer is often overshadowed by its sexy sister wine, but Kelowna’s Tree Brewing has made a name for itself with big beers like Hop Head IPA. This German-style Pilsner is their entry in the ski beer stakes—golden-coloured, very mildly hopped and dangerously drinkable.

Okanagan Spring Black Lager

An unusual style, Schwarzbier (German for black beer) from Vernon, B.C.’s Okanagan Spring, now part of the Sleeman empire. This beer has the black colour of a heavier beer such as stout or porter, but the light, crisp taste of a lager. Call this the winter version of the blonde lagers of summer.

Whistler Brewing Classic Pale Ale

Brewed for years in Kamloops using trucked-in Whistler water, Whistler Brewing began brewing in Whistler this year—just in time to become an authentic local brewery for the Olympics. Classic pale ale is based on the mild English pale ale model versus the bolder, bitter American pale ale.

Peter Bailey is an Edmonton area librarian who shreds on Atomic skis. He blogs at petepicks.blogspot.com.

Peter Bailey is an Edmonton-area librarian who shreds on Atomic skis. He blogs at petepicks.blogspot.com.


RawThe eyes of the prophetess burned in her gaunt face, and she almost hypnotized us with her unwavering gaze. She was about to reveal the truth, the light, the way when all of a sudden, a man at the next table swallowed the wrong way and the ensuing sputtering shattered the spell. We suddenly remembered where we were. Not in some alternative universe, but on the patio at Culina Highlands, eating various cooked animal parts and talking to a raw food fanatic.

Oh, she used to be like us—ignorant omnivores, reprobates with bellies full of festering roasted meat and vegetables. But she had had an epiphany some years before when chomping on a Wendy’s burger and, one day, simply stopped eating cooked food. No asparagus sautéed in butter and garlic? I asked. As if. No pie? Perish the thought. What about bread? Get out of town! She claimed that after she started eating raw, her scattered grey hairs and incipient crow’s feet both disappeared, and she went down several dress sizes.

Some of her claims made sense: anyone would feel better eating less junk food and more fruits and vegetables. However, I don’t believe for a minute that her grey hair and wrinkles disappeared. I do believe, though, that she lost weight. In fact, I believe she lost a dangerous amount of it. She’s lucky she lives

in an urban setting where already peeled and washed produce is available year-round. If she had to forage for wild plants and spend six or seven hours a day chewing it like ancient humanoids did, she wouldn’t be so keen. In fact, our ancient ancestors were doubtless thrilled to abandon their raw food diet. And if they hadn’t, we might not be here today.

Thank you, PrometheusAnthropology has much to teach raw foodists about evolution and the boon that cooking was to the human species. Whether it was accidental or a gift from the gods, fire allowed for food to be cooked and, in doing so, changed the world. In his recently published book, Catching Fire, Harvard anthropologist Richard Wrangham examines the archaeological evidence for his contention that cooking was humanity‘s ”killer app“: that is, the evolutionary change that formed the basis for later human societies. He notes that Homo erectus had a larger skull and smaller abdomen than his ancestors. The reason for this has been explained as a shift from a diet based on plants to one based on meat, which is more calorie dense. Less energy involved in digestion meant more available for the brain. Wrangham suggests that a diet of raw food would have provided insufficient energy for Homo erectus to live on. He

points out that even modern-day raw foodists, who have access to grocery stores full of produce, struggle to maintain their weight (remember the prophetess’s statements about dress size?). According to Wrangham, pre-agricultural humans who consumed only raw food would have starved. And the reason they didn‘t is that they learned to cook.

He explains: ”Cooking alters food in three important ways. It breaks starch molecules into more digestible fragments. It ’denatures‘ protein molecules, so that their amino-acid chains unfold and digestive enzymes can attack them more easily. And heat physically softens food. That makes it easier to digest.” Further, cooking not only makes a lot of food taste better, it also increases the amount of food digested in the stomach and small intestine from 50 to 95 per cent, meaning that the body gets more nutrition. ”Without cooking, the human brain (which consumes 20 to 25 per cent of the body’s energy) could not keep running.“

Why, why, why?Why would anyone want to eat only raw food given the increased flatulence, the loss of many flavours, the lack of hard evidence of the health benefits and in the face of the fact that every society on earth cooks its food? Raw foodists believe that uncooked

food contains essential enzymes, a kind of ”life force“ fundamental to health, that are destroyed when food is heated above 48º C (112º F), though it’s hard to imagine what life force could survive an encounter with stomach acid. Perhaps, like the permanently hungry Calorie Restriction folk, their brothers in emaciated arms, raw foodists believe the hype of the so-called life extension movements and the food conglomerates—that if they eat just this particular combination of nutrients or that amount of lipids or proteins, they will live forever. At the very least they will be more virtuous than the rest of us. And make no mistake, the raw food movement is also an ideology—of the self and the self-righteous. All of this provides fertile ground for fad diets and consumer manipulation on a grand scale. From vitamin C and E crazes, to the Atkins and Palaeolithic diets, from oat bran to probiotics, the food conglomerates and the advertising industry have bamboozled the public with so much pseudo-scientific misinformation that one almost—but not quite—forgives people who adopt kooky diets like raw foodism.

Soggy pork and goldfish muscles. Yum. At the same time, citizens need to be aware of the Frankenfoods in grocery stores the manipulative tactics of advertisers, and the

The naked truth aboutRawCooking is the missing link ... defining the human essence ... I pin our humanity on cooks.

M. Symons, from A History of Cooks and Cooking, 1998



RawVISIT THE NEW ORIGINAL FARE WEBSITE FOR:Updated promotions and event informationFork Fest is January 17 - 21 and 24 - 28. Find participating restaurants and links to online reservations.

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Rawalarming work going on in labs around the world. For example, consider this headline from the November 30, 2009, Edmonton Journal: “Lab-grown meat still more like soggy pork.” According to the article, “Scientists extracted cells from the muscle of a live pig and put them in a broth derived from the blood of animal foetuses. The cells then multiplied and created muscle tissue. The project, backed by the Dutch government and a sausage maker, follows the creation of fish fillets from goldfish muscles.”

Stories like this coupled with the increasing toxicity of our soil, water and air go a long way toward explaining the existence of crackpot nutritional movements. The problem with the Western diet, though, is not with cooking but with processing and additives, especially sugars. And though soft food is nice to eat and easier to digest, the softness can cause us to overindulge. In the end, we need simple common sense, as exemplified in Michael Pollan’s eloquent 2008 work, In Defense of Food, in which he exhorts us to “eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” And we also need to reject the notion that food is medicine or a sign of moral superiority. It is a universal pleasure.

I will leave the final word to the noted French gourmand Grimod de la Reynière, who, about 150 years ago, said it all: ”Life is so brief that we should not glance either too far backwards or forwards ... therefore study how to fix our happiness in our glass and in our

plate.“

Karen Virag is an Edmonton writer who gives thanks to Prometheus every day, especially in the winter.


FYI: Vancouver and Whistler restaurateurs regard the prospect of hosting the world with a murky mix of excitement and trepidation. Some happily rise to the challenge. Others worry that traffic re-routes may mean no deliveries, never mind serving the visitor hordes.

In addition, many restaurants have succumbed to buy-outs, where a particular country or group stakes a claim. France, for example, is reportedly taking over Whistler’s 21 Steps as a place for the French Olympic team and organization to hobnob, no flabby plebes allowed. Switzerland, on the other hand, is hosting a House of Switzerland February 5-28 at both Whistler’s The Mountain Club (40-4314 Main Street, Whistler) and Vancouver’s Bridges Restaurant (1696 Duranleau, Granville Island). It’s throwing open its doors so anybody can order Swiss delights and watch Olympic broadcasts.

With all this uncertainty, it’s no wonder some disgruntled Vancouverites swear they’ll leave town for the duration. That’s good news—all the more room for Edmontonians.

What you ought to do, though, is call well ahead to reserve. If you find yourself stumped for a reservation, however, never fear. Vancouver has tons of great sources of food and drink. Consider the following:

Warm apple tarts at New Town Bakery & Restaurant (158 E. Pender Street), or savoury steamed buns from any Chinatown bakery.

Kurobuta (black hog) or another gourmet hot-dog from the popular Japanese vendor Japa Dog (Burrard and Smithe and Burrard and Pender).

Japanese pub grub like grilled whole squid in sake soy garlic marinade, served up at

rowdy joints called izakayas, among them Hapa Izakaya (1479 Robson Street, 1516 Yew Street).

Cream puffs from Beard Papa’s (104-1184 Denman Street and other locations) the Japanese cult baker whose crisp clouds are filled to order with pastry cream, including green tea flavour.

Warm beet salad or house-cut frites with garlic tarragon mayo at North Vancouver’s The District Social House (13 Lonsdale) a pleasant 15-minute Seabus ride from downtown.

Bring your own sack to Vancouver’s winter markets, February 13 and 27 (East Vancouver’s Wise Hall, 1882 Adenac Street). Taste the food B.C. grows in the winter-time—not to rub it in or anything.

The scene at George Ultra Lounge and Wine Bar (1131 Hamilton Street) During the Olympic Games, bartenders from all over the world will compete nightly to see who’s fastest, makes the prettiest cocktail and tells the most amusing story.

Sample a dozen fresh oysters at Yew, located in downtown’s Four Seasons Hotel (791 West Georgia Street) washed down with one of its special 2010 cocktails, like the SILVER Calgary 1988; buffalo jerky-infused vodka, house-made clamato, chili pepper and horseradish (described as the true Alberta garnish) or the GOLD Vancouver 2010; Victoria Gin infused with dill and cucumber, fresh citrus, and egg white, with a candied smoke salmon garnish.

Dive into the mango crab roll or jam-packed crab cakes at newly relocated Coast (1054 Alberni) and enjoy a prime view of the young, the beautiful and the freshly shucked at the main floor’s giant oyster bar.

Roti canai, a soft, yet flaky flatbread served with an irresistible curry dip at Banana Leaf Malaysian restaurant (1096 Denman, 820 W. Broadway, 3005 West Broadway).

Get all your coconut curry buttons pushed at Thai House (1116 Robson Street, 1766 W. 7th Avenue, 116 W. Esplanade, North Vancouver, and 129-4940 No. 3 Road, Richmond)

Ascend to Chinese seafood heaven at Sun Sui Wah (3888 Main Street, 102-4940 No. 3 Road, Richmond) which also rocks dim sum.

If you’re heading for Whistler, cart along snacks. Some 80,000–100,000 ravenous people are expected to descend on the village daily. Keep your eyes peeled for:

Traditional Aboriginal ingredients incorporated into mainstream dishes at the casual café in Whistler’s gorgeous Squamish Lil’Wat Cultural Centre (4584 Blackcomb Way). Its panini wraps smoked salmon, spinach and crème fraiche in bannock; its mountain hoagie is stuffed with Arctic muskox and wild boar prosciutto and dressed with olive tapenade. Souvenirs include candied salmon and caribou jerky.

Look for tapas, take-out deli fare and box lunches at PCH Chophouse at Whistler Creekside (101-2202 Gondola Way), a temporary set-up for the Games. Pulled pork sandwiches, slow-smoked brisket and outstanding key lime pie are at BBQ Bob’s, inside Roland’s Pub (2129 Lake Placid Road, beside Nita Lake Lodge in Whistler Creekside).

You’ll get fed, don’t worry. And there’s nothing like a friendly Edmontonian to warm up an Olympic Winter Games. Please come.

Former Albertan Kate Zimmerman remembers February 1988 fondly.

chomp like achampi n

Where to eat during Vancouver-Whistler’s Olympic Winter Games • Kate Zimmerman

Are you 2010 Games bound?


Barb and Susan Giacomin, owners of Winequest Wine & Spirits, spend about one third of their work life in Vancouver. They suggest:

Meinhardt's (3002 Granville Street, 3151 Arbutus Street) Excellent gourmet products and take-away.

Nook (781 Denman Street) A pleasure since it is essentially a pizza place but with more.

Tapastree (1829 Robson Street) Small plates with good variety.

L’Altro Buca (1906 Haro Street, formerly Parkside) An Italian supplier said it was best pasta he’d had in North America.

La Quercia (3689 West 4th Avenue) Simple, fresh, flavourful.

Maenam Thai Restaurant 1(938 West 4th Avenue) Beautiful modern room with elegant Thai food to match.

Chef Brad Smoliak has been in Vancouver working for the Alberta government consulting on culinary facilities to be used during the Olympics.

Japa Dog (899 Burrard Street) for the Wasabi dog.

Italian Kitchen (1037 Alberni Street) Consistently good.

Ramen Noodle shops on Robson Great for a quick snack.

Driving to the coast?

Felix on Fourth (260 4th Avenue), Kamloops.

Mary Bailey visits back and forth to write WSET Diploma exams.

Salt Tasting Room (45 Blood Alley, Gastown) Homage to charcuterie and cheese.

Boneta (1 West Cordova, Gastown) Great food, lively atmosphere and home of the clever Neil Ingram, sommelier.

La Buca Restaurant (4025 MacDonald Street) Impeccable pasta, neighbourhood atmosphere.

Uva Wine Bar (900 Seymour Street) Delicious things to eat with a stellar assortment of wines and libations by Sebastien le Goff, sommelier.

Masa Shiroki, Artisan Sake Maker (1339 Railspur Alley, Granville Island) for a sake tasting experience.

5482 Calgary Trail 780.761.1761

• Extensive malt whisky selection• By-the-glass wine, champagne & sparkling• Cheese, paté, charcuterie & gourmet haggis• Available for private functions

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Gourmet Warehouse (1340 East Hastings Street) Shop here for quality comestibles such as Fee Brothers bitters, Savon de Provence.

Sciue Italian Bakery Cafe (800 West Pender Street) for Roman style flatbreads, espresso, atmosphere.

Cibo (900 Seymour Street, Moda Hotel) EnRoute’s number one.

Culinaria (609 Granville Street) Restaurant at the Culinary School, Art Institute of Vancouver.

Thomas Haas Fine Chocolates and Pâtisserie, (2539 W. Broadway, 128–998 Harbourside Drive, North Vancouver) Pure heaven.

More good tips on where tochomp like a champion


Close to 200 individual growers, most descendants of the original settlers of the Barossa, supply the Peter Lehmann Winery with fruit from over 900 distinct vineyards.

This relationship is built on a narrow brush with disaster. Peter Lehmann is the guy who, with a little help from his friends, bought the 1979 fruit that no one else would and kept both growers and winemakers in business. In the early days there was a market only for selling bulk Shiraz only. It wasn’t until 1987 that there was enough ready cash to buy American oak, separate out what they thought were the best parcels and begin making a wine worthy of competition—what was called at the time a Show Dry Red. In 1989, the wine took the Jimmy Watson Trophy. Stonewell was born.

By the 1980s the wine world was abuzz about Barossa Shiraz.

Peter’s youngest son Philip is here with his wife Sarah to lead the tasting. ”I didn’t make any of these wines but grew up with them.” After a degree in electrical engineering and in oenology from U of Adelaide, Phil worked around the valley spending the last two years at Yalumba. Now he’s in the winery practicing his craft with senior winemaker Ian Hongell and chief Andrew Wigan.

Sarah was a dancer, performing at the Barossa Music Festival. Philip, seeing that the dancers were attempting to warm up in a chilly barrel shed, invited them to the

drinks | mary bailey

20 years of Stonewell Shirazhouse. “We actually met through Max,” says Sarah, referring to their beloved dog. “I asked Phil if I could feed him and that was that.” Sarah from Canberra, who has lived all over Australia, calls the neighbouring Eden Valley home. “I love it, I drive a tractor now!” she says.

The tasting demonstrates the superb continuity through vintages, something Phil attributes to chief winemaker Andrew Wigan.

“We have gotten riper as time goes on,“ says Phil, referring to the fruit in the wine. “We still use 10 per cent American oak; we like the character that the small proportion of the more forward American oak gives the wines.”

My faves? The 1989, 1984, 2006, 1997 and 1996 in that order—not that it matters a whit. These wines have all but disappeared into someone’s cellar. Peter Lehmann doesn’t sell back vintages but does hold back around 30 cases each year in their wine museum to dazzle at tastings such as this one. To have this snapshot of what the young wines will taste like as they mature has the room in a buzz and is the best reason to buy and hold.

The 2002/2003 vintages of Stonewell are in the market now and available at better wine shops.

Above: Stonewell lined up for evaluation; top right: Phil Lehmann, Michelle Burns, and Norman Gladstone, International Cellars; right: Max

at a skeet shoot; Far right: Sarah, Max and Phil.

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Doing your own thing. That’s the Clancy’s way.

T h e P E O P L E , S T O R I E S & W I N E S T H A T M A K E t h e B A R O S S A F A M O U S

www.peterlehmannwines.com

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Clancy of the Overfl ow is the legendary Aussie literary character, a free-spirited, wandering drover who led a life of adventure. Peter Lehmann has a lot of Clancy in him. He’s always done things his own way. His Clancy’s range is a nod to doing your own thing. Overfl owing with fl avour, these easy drinking wines are created especially for those with a bit of Clancy in them.

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Chef-inspired goodness at

Tuesday, January 5WSET Level Two Intermediate Course, GMCC, 1-800-667-7288, www.winecollege.ca.

Wednesday, January 6WSET Level Three Advanced, Section Two, GMCC, 1-800-667-7288, www.winecollege.ca.

Tuesday, January 12Wine, Food and Conversation, Crestwood Wines, 780 488-7800.

Friday, January 15 Wine Cellar, Two Hands Wines Dinner, Characters, 780-488-9463.

January 17–21Fork Fest, www.originalfare.com.

Monday, January 18Amici dell’ Enotria Dinner, Il Forno Ristorante, www.amiciedmonton.ca.

Tuesday, January 19Wine, Food and Conversation, Crestwood Wines, 780-448-7800.

Wednesday, January 20Edmonton Whiskey Festival Benefit for the MS Society Edmonton Petroleum Club MS Society 150, 9405 50 Street

Friday, January 22 Winter Comfort Farmers Market Dinner. Madison's Grill, 780-401-2222.

Sunday, January 31 Back to Basics Charity Dinner, www.sorrentinos.com.

Monday, February 1Wine Course for Beginners, Bin 104 Fine Wine and Spirits www.bin104.com, 780-436-8850.

wine maven | event calendar

Tuesday, February 2Wine, Food and Conversation, Crestwood Wines, 780-488-7800.

Monday, February 8Amici dell’ Enotria Dinner, Louisiana Purchase, www.amiciedmonton.ca.

February 10Flavours of Portugal, ESO Fundraiser, Winspear Centre, www.edmontonsymphony.com.

Thursday, February 11For the Love of Wine, Kids Kottage Fundraiser, Sutton Place Hotel, 780-448-2545, www.kidskottage.org.

Sunday, February 14 Valentine Adventure Dinner, Homefire Grill, www.homefiregrill.ca

Monday, February 15WSET Level One Foundation Course, GMCC, 1-800-667-7288, www.winecollege.ca.

Tuesday, February 16Wine, Food and Conversation, Crestwood Wines, 780 488-7800.

Saturday, February 27 Winefest, Shaw Conference Centre, www.celebratewinefest.com.

mark your calendar

Tuesday, March 9 Wine Journeys Series, California www.bin104.com 780-436-8850

Friday, March 19 EPICurean Food & Wine Festival Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge www.fairmont.com

Thursday, April 8The California Wine Fair, Citadel Theatre Fundraiser Shaw Conference Centre, www.citadel.com


Edible Education at Kate Chegwin School

feeding people | valerie rodgers lugonja

I teach Foods, an optional class offered to all middle school students. It used to be the cooking and baking part of the home economics program you may remember from your days in grade school.

I teach 300 students who are 11 to 15 years old. Today, they are participating in a tasting exercise. The goal is three fold: to learn knife safety skills, provide a taste experience and develop a tasting vocabulary.

We’re tasting several apple varieties—plump, fragrant, fresh and delicious apples to introduce my students to the irresistible pleasures of food. Fruit that is mealy, waxy, old and grainy turns them off, but none of them can resist the lure of fresh, fragrant and juicy fruit. Such a simple experience, but one that is fresh and profound.

“This one is so juicy and squishy!” says Suhkman, his little mouth bursting and eyes like big brown saucers.

“This one is sour and puckery.” Markie’s face contorts expressing her taste experience.

“This one isn’t very dense. It is grainy and too sweet and not very appley,” Tiana decides as she has sniffs, tastes and chews her way through a few of the apples on the tasting table.

I do a similar tasting at the beginning of each term with my grade seven, eight and nine classes. There is no need to work on the motivation; everyone has a blast!

“That was so much fun! I thought it was going to be so scary with that knife, but it was easy,” Suhkman declared as he left the classroom that day. Proud of himself and full of apples and a new relationship with this food based on taste and pleasure.

“I didn’t know there were so many kinds of apples.”

“All of these apples taste so different but are still kind of the same, in a way.”

One tasting that always surprises is potatoes with the grade nine students. We touch, smell, peel and taste several kinds: purple, red, sweet potatoes, yams, white-fleshed, yellow-fleshed, banana and baby potatoes.

“I never knew there were so many potatoes!”

“Yuck! What does this one taste like?”

“Is that really a potato?”

We scrub our hands, slice, smell, taste, share and discuss the flavours and textures of the potatoes. Every student was astounded at the vast difference in the taste and texture of the raw compared to the cooked potato. They now understand the importance of the various potatoes characteristics: the mealy is best for mashing; the waxy holds its shape when cooked; some have very little flavour at all, and so on.

“Mrs. Rodgers, we’re going to have so much fun. I am a little bit scared, though,” exudes Sukhman on the morning of his first cooking class. He will make toad-in-the-hole all by himself. Sukhman is twelve, and has never cooked at home. This is the norm in my classes—yet, my students love to cook and always eat what they make.

Because many students complained Foods wouldn’t fit in their timetables, but really wanted to cook, I started the Catering Club. This club incorporates the same kind of tasting and cooking opportunities in Foods class but on Tuesday and Wednesday after school.

I have 22 regular Catering Club students who attend at least one night every week—some attend two nights a week. Students can also drop in or come whenever they are available. A couple students pick up younger siblings at a nearby elementary and bring them back to cook with us.

Not wanting to charge students to join us, we decided to sell delicious, nutritious and economical meals to everyone in the school on Fridays to cover our costs. On Tuesdays, we cook for ourselves and on Wednesdays, we prepare for Friday lunches. We serve 40 to 80 lunches depending on how many students attend catering club.

“Why do you devote so much of your free time after school to Catering Club when you could be out having fun with your friends?” one student asked Emily, a Catering Club regular.

“It’s fun!’ said Emily. “Mrs. Rodgers lets us be independent. If we make a mistake, we learn from it. She explains things and lets us plan and decide what to do. I am kind of in charge.”

You bet I had a quiet little sideways smile pasted on my face when I heard this conversation.

So many parents of the children I teach do not cook at home. Many of my friends no longer cook at home. It seems good homemade food is not valued as an integral part of life by many and is often considered an inconvenience.

Our children aren’t learning to cook at home and the amount of processed and junk food they consume is shocking. Many kids consume the majority of their calories during school hours. Often, when I arrive at school as early as 7 am, I see students drinking pop and eating chips.

It’s my belief that when our children develop an interest in the pleasures of food, they become better providers for the next generation. Parents also need to play with their children in the kitchen and around the table, again.

It really is all about the love.

Valerie Rodgers Lugonja is passionate about connecting with people through really good food. Her website is www.acanadianfoodie.com.

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risotto with pan-seared scallop and crumbled baconBrad Smoliak, Brad Smoliak Cooks

risotto

2 T butter

2 T olive oil

1 c onion, finely chopped

2 c arborio rice

1 c white wine

6 c chicken stock

½ c grated Parmesan cheese

sea salt and fresh-cracked pepper

1 c cooked bacon, fairly crisp

1 braised pork belly, shredded (optional)

In a heavy saucepan, melt butter and olive oil together. Add onion and cook over medium-low heat until just soft. Add the rice and stir to coat all grains of rice evenly. Add wine. Stir and cook until only about ¹/³ of the wine is remaining. Add 1 c of the stock and cook until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding the chicken stock and allowing the rice to absorb it until the stock is gone and the rice is soft, with just a hint of bite at the centre. Add braised pork belly if using.

scallops

1 lb scallops (approximately 10 to 20 scallops) They should be quite large

2 T canola oil

¼ c butter

1 T maple syrup

1 T Drambuie or scotch


Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat until it is “white hot” (approximately 10–15 minutes). While the skillet heats up, dry the scallops so they are free of moisture.

Pour the oil onto a plate and dip the flat surface of the scallops in the oil, making sure to cover evenly. Do this to all the scallops on both sides.

One at a time, place the scallops in the hot pan flat side down. Do this in

BaconContinued from page 9

small batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Gently press on the scallops until they are flat against the bottom of the pan. Cook for 2–3 minutes until the first side is just caramelized. Repeat this step on the other side for one minute, until the scallop is just cooked. Remove from the pan and place on a warm plate. Repeat until all the scallops are cooked.

Place butter in the pan and add alcohol and maple syrup, stirring until blended. Remove pan from heat and place the scallops back in the pan just to coat with the sauce. Season.

To assemble, place risotto on a plate, top with scallops and crumble bacon on top. Serves 4–6

maple bacon popcornSebastian Lysz, Relish Culinary Consulting

2 T rendered bacon fat (only fat from the good stuff )

1 T maple syrup

salt to taste

4 c fresh popped corn

Heat bacon fat in a small pan. Add maple syrup and cook over high heat until maple syrup forms glassy, even bubbles (approx. 1-2 minutes). Remove from heat, let cool for 5 minutes and pour over popped corn. Toss with a pinch of salt, and serve with your favourite beer or bottle of red wine.

boulangere style potatoNathin Bye, Wildflower Grill

“A traditional French potato dish is transformed into a showstopper with the use of fresh thyme, a rich veal stock and Valbella’s incredible double-smoked bacon, Rohess Speck. It’s my favorite fall potato to serve.” – Nathin

4 c veal ( or chicken) stock

1 sml bag fingerling potatoes

sml bunch fresh thyme


5 sprigs thyme, leaves only

¼ lb (150 g) Valbella Rohess Speck

1 lg yellow onion, julienned

Place fingerling potatoes in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add enough stock to cover potatoes, along with thyme, salt and pepper. Bring the stock to a simmer and cook until the potatoes begin to soften. Cool potatoes in their cooking liquid and reserve until ready to use.

Cut bacon into small lardons. Render the bacon in a large skillet. When the bacon begins to crisp slightly, add onion and season. Stir mixture occasionally until the onions are a beautiful golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, lift the potatoes out of the cooled stock and into the skillet with the bacon and onions. Over medium heat, add the fresh thyme leaves and approximately ½ c of the stock that the potatoes cooled in.

Slowly mix the potatoes in the simmering stock along with the bacon and onion. As the stock reduces, it will start to glaze the potatoes. Slowly add more of the cooled stock, little by little in three additions allowing the mixture to become intense and rich in flavour. Serves 4–6.


the proust culinary questionnaire | mary bailey

In the late nineteenth century, French novelist Marcel Proust participated in an exercise which could be thought of as the Facebook of its era—he answered a questionnaire about his personality in a friend’s Confession Album.

Proust’s answers have been published, in one form or fashion, for more than a century. Several have used the questionnaire for their own devices, the most notable being Vanity Fair Magazine’s Proust Questionnaire featuring caelebrities. The Tomato now gives it a culinary twist.

Chef Bye went to the Canadian Culinary Championships 2009 in Vancouver as the youngest competitor (26) in the history of the event. Nathin wowed competitors and judges alike with his fresh culinary vision and ability to thrive in the event’s pressure cooker atmosphere. Sadly, he finished out of the medals, an annoying half point from the podium. His current position as executive chef of Wildflower Grill (part of the Lazia Group) is a perfect fit for his drive to create innovative cuisine.

Hometown?Right here.

Years cooking?11.

Where would you like to live?Right here.

Your favourite food and drink?Lasagna, Voss sparkling water.

What would you be doing if you weren’t cooking?Teaching English or cooking.

What do you most appreciate in your friends?Integrity.

Your favourite qualities in a dish?Visual drama.

A cook?Show up on time. Ingenuity and innovation, good brain-storming skills—cooks excited about food is how our industry moves forward.

A wine?Fruit.

Who would be at your dream dinner table (dead or alive)?If I was cooking? Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, Grant Achatz. If I weren’t cooking? Bach, Ghandi, Salvador Dali, Leonardo da Vinci.

Who would cook? Boulud.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?Are we 100 per cent satisfied?

Current culinary obsession/exploration?Foam.

Meaningful/crazy cooking experience?

Crazy was my first Mothers’ Day Brunch buffet at JPL. I was working in the pastry shop—my hands were

numb from cutting squares. I had no idea of quantity until that day.

Meaningful was Gold Medal Plates, being the youngest competitor on the national stage.

Complete elation was the 2004 Culinary Olympics. That year was an emotional and physically-punishing journey

which pushed me to be a perfectionist.

Best (cooking) thing that ever happened to you?

Being able to cook with Rob Feenie at Gold Medal Plates—he’s one of my idols.

To be able to mentor apprentices.

Philosophy?

Finding a unique way to let high-quality ingredients considered ordinary, like beets or carrots to shine. Simple and fresh.

Mentors?

Nigel Webber (NAIT), my mother.

Favourite casual cheap and cheerful/afterwork food?

It’s super-late when I finish, so I usually head to Joey’s for gyoza.

What’s next?

I’d like to write a book—a cookbook with stories.

Nathin Bye, Wildflower Grill, Gold Medal Plates Edmonton Gold


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A: I always answer: what are you saving your time for? Is it to watch more television? Or to Twitter? It seems to me this is an important part of living and an almost sacred time of day when you get away from your desk and have to talk to people. And you’re able to concentrate on something that’s very sensuous and very pleasing. It’s half an hour of your time. Some people spend that much time on their makeup.

Q: Yet, obviously, there is an appetite for this information. You write that you received a huge amount of feedback when you included a few recipes for one in your memoir The Tenth Muse.

A: Yes, that’s why I wrote this book. I did get so many responses from people saying: ”Tell us more. Tell us about it. What should you have on hand?“ They wanted details. So I kept a record of what I did and what I enjoy and I hope I can capture a few minds. For it will change their lives because I believe that people who miss that pleasure, miss out on one of the fundamental pleasures of life.

Q: There are a number of cookbooks targeted at cooking for one, but they all seem to focus on quick and simple recipes.

A: They focus on one dish—on making only one dish. I focus on one dish leading to another—how you cook through the week. That’s what’s really needed.

Q: Your cookbook is unique, even radical, in including recipes for dishes we don’t associate with cooking for ourselves like cheese soufflé and beef shank and oxtail ragú, for which you offer a second meal, or ”second round“ [oxtail with grits or polenta] and even a ”third round“ [penne with a meaty sauce]. I liked that because people who cook for themselves think that if they cook a big stew they’ll end up eating the same boring leftovers for a week.

A: But you shouldn’t have to, particularly if you draw on a lot of cuisines. There’s always that end piece [of meat] where you can make a nice stir fry with vegetables with a Chinese accent. You can add

some tomatoes and stock and make a delicious pasta sauce. So you’re going from Chinese to Italian, you’re giving yourself different flavours so you’re not eating cold beef all week. Still, there are problems to be solved [for the person cooking for themselves]. I really wish I could start a revolution.

Q: What sort of problems need to be solved?

A: Well, supermarkets make us buy much more than we need to. So the poor lone cook is in the supermarket and thinks, ”Do I really need this big bunch of parsley at $1.99? How am I going to use it up?“ You can have parsley salad once in a while but you can’t have it every week. I think we should rebel. And if you got enough consumer reaction to being forced to buy more than we want maybe some supermarket would start a campaign saying, ”We cater to singles, too.“ They’d make a fortune.

Q: Where supermarkets do offer single servings is with processed food, which is the worst thing you can eat.

A: Of course. You get twice as much as you need. And someone else is cooking for you and heaven knows what they put in there. That’s another advantage of cooking alone: you’re in control of what you’re eating and there is a growing awareness we should be more in control of our food and not let the food industry get away with what it has gotten away with—ruining our milk, ruining our beef, ruining our poultry. It’s a horror.

Q: The book offers a lot of tips for the solo cook to avoid waste, including one for what to do with the other half of the avocado. [Keep the skin on it and pit in it, rub it with lemon to keep it fresh for days.]

A: It’s not perfect, but it’s better than denying yourself an avocado. You do have to make some compromises.

Q: How can people make cooking alone easier for themselves?

A: There are a few things it’s good to have on hand: a good chicken stock, beef stock. And if you don’t use it all, freeze it in an ice cube tray: that way you can fish out one cube or two and you can use it in a pan

Judith Jones,continued from page 7

sauce or a hundred different ways. That’s number one. I also make three times as much tomato sauce, which I freeze in small containers. I do the same with cream sauce. Also, when your mushrooms are almost over the hill, sauté them in what the French call a duxelles. You get the moisture out and pack them in a freezer bag. They’re delicious in a sauce. I almost want some leftovers so you’re not starting from scratch every time.

Q: Yet you don’t recommend freezing a dish after you've made it.

A: I think that’s kind of boring. I don’t generally want the same dish twice. So, I try not to cook a chicken and freeze three quarters of it. I would rather use it again.

Q: You’ve also figured out how to minimize mess while cooking.

A: I think cookbooks are far too fussy saying ”in a bowl, combine this and that.“ I have a marble table next to my stove and I put ingredients on that directly. I don’t have to have six bowls. I also find it useful when mixing, say, flour with baking powder to do it on wax paper, then to make your own funnel and pour it into the other ingredients. I don’t like having to look at six bowls and unnecessary equipment after my dinner. I like to clean up as much as I can when I go along.

Q: You didn’t include total cooking times with your recipes, which has become a modern cookbook convention. Why is that?

A: I really feel that we’ve gotten too formulaic in our approach to recipes—they read like scientific formulas—instead of trying to enable the cook to use them as guidelines and to use all those senses: your sense of smell, your eye, even your ear so you can judge for yourself. I think this business of putting a quarter of a tablespoon of salt levelled off is nonsense. Just put a little bit of salt in at the beginning and taste. You’re in charge of how much salt you want and what’s right for you. That builds your confidence.

Q: You write that you discovered cooking for yourself offers the freedom to explore because you have to please only yourself. Has it changed how you cook or enjoy cooking in other ways?

A: Yes, when you’re alone you’re more contemplative and mindful of what you're doing. I think that the most important thing is taking that extra care—focusing. It’s very good for people as they get old—and I’m 85. It keeps you focused, it keeps you alert. So try to keep it relaxing and contemplative and taste, taste, taste. That's what I’ve learned mostly.

Q: Julia Child was famous for eating everything, with the proviso that it be enjoyed in moderation. Your cookbook doesn’t shirk on desserts, which makes me wonder if this is your philosophy as well.

A: Yes, exactly. I have never had weight problems. I eat butter. I love cheese. I just don’t eat huge amounts.

Q: One of the pleasures of the book is the tips you’ve learned from the famous chefs you’ve worked with. Like Edna Lewis’s trick of keeping sugar cubes with a vanilla bean in a tight jar to use for a crunchy sugar topping. Is your boeuf bourguignon borrowed from Julia Child? Certainly it’s a lot easier than her version.

A: It is modified from Julia Child. It’s just a little simpler but it doesn't sacrifice anything. I steal a lot from my authors. Well, I really don’t steal, I adapt because I’ve learned so much from everyone. I’ve worked with Madhur Jaffrey on Indian cooking. And Irene Kuo on a Chinese cooking book and Claudia Roden on Middle Eastern cooking. I really have a store of people to draw on; and they’re all there in the kitchen with me so I’m never lonely.

Q: What are you doing next? Another cookbook?

A: I am doing a blog, The Pleasures of Cooking for One [found at judithjonescooks.com], to get a conversation going. Because that is a stumbling block; people feel so alone and they have a fear of failure. I’m just starting to get my feet wet. It's all new to me. I didn't grow up with blogs, you know.

Interview by Anne Kingston, reprinted with the permission of Maclean’s Magazine.


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this tasting event is the largest Portuguese tasting in Alberta. Live and silent auction, hors d’oeuvres, music, all starting at 7 pm. Only 400 tickets, $125, visit www.edmontonsymphony.com.

Mark the date for the first Edmonton Whiskey Festival Benefit for the MS Society, Wednesday, January 20, at the Edmonton Petroleum Club 7–10 pm. Tickets $50, include a Glencairn whisky tasting glass, and are available at several wine shops including Vines Riverbend Wine Merchants, Aligra Wine & Spirits, Sherbrooke Liquor Store, The Bothy Wine & Whisky Bar, Lacombe Park Spirits and the MS Society 780-471-3034.

Bin 104 Fine Wine and Spirits offers the Wine Course for Beginners starting February 1 ($175). Topics include vocabulary and food and wine pairing. They also offer a three-evening course on California wines, part of their Wine Journeys Series, on March 9, March 16 and March 30 ($125). Both taught by Morris Lemire. Book at 780-436-8850.

The Amici dell’ Enotria wine club members share a love of Italian wines and get together to enjoy these wines in convivial company. Their events are unpretentious, fun and always a bargain. Two dinners are planned for the winter season: Il Forno Ristorante (14981 Stony Plain Road, 780-455-0443) Monday, January 18, 6:30 pm, and at Louisiana Purchase (10320 111 Street, 780-420-6795) Monday, February 8, 6:30 pm. Visit www.amiciedmonton.ca to book.

Sorrentino’s Downtown holds the Back to Basics Charity Dinner Sunday, January 31. For menus, special guests and price, visit their web site www.sorrentinos.com.

Enjoy For the Love of Wine fundraiser for Kids Kottage, February 11, 6:30 pm, Sutton Place Hotel. Enjoy wine tasting with

over 30 members of the IVSA (Int’l Vintners and Spirits Association), wine and food pairings, silent auction and live jazz from Juno nominee Sandro Dominelli. Tickets, $100, www.kidskottage.org.

The California Wine Fair rolls into town April 8. The popular fundraiser in support of The Citadel Theatre features over 350 wines. Thursday, April 8, from 7–9:30 pm, Shaw Conference Centre. Visit www.citadel.com.

travel gastronomy Alison Phillips of Aligra Wine & Spirits hosts a Provence River Cruise, September 18 to 25, from Arles to Lyon. Visit Avignon, St Remy de Provence, Vienne and several wineries along the way. For the compete itinerary, call Alison at 780-483-1083.

The San Luis Obispo region (SLO) boasts some fabulous wineries—Edna Valley Vineyard, Rancho Arroyo Grande, Talley Vineyards, growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the cooler foothills areas and Mediterranean varieties such as Mourvedre in the hotter regions of the district. Taste for yourself during the Roll Out the Barrels Weekend, April 29 – May 2. AMA Travel offers a package: three nights at the charming Apple Farm Inn and the Winery Open House Passport to experience wine and food pairings, reserve barrel tastings and entertainment. Book the package at 1-866-667-4777.

Here’s the last chance to book the Culinary & Wine Tour of Chile-Argentina with Peter Blattmann, March 6–15. Participate in preparing the traditional cuisines tutored by award-winning chefs and marvel at the spectacular scenery. Visit www.gourmet-experience.com.

New and/or interesting food and drink related news for The Kitchen Sink can be faxed to 780-433-0492.

kitchen sinkContinued from page 25


kitchen sink | what’s new and notable

restaurant buzzWarming comfort food is the theme of the winter Farmer's Market Dinner featuring Sylvan Star Fondue at Madison’s Grill, January 22. The five-course dinner will be further enlivened with impromptu talks from local producers that exec chef Blair Lebsack uses on a regular basis and will feature at the dinner. Call 780-401-2222 for menu details and reservations. Tickets are $70/person plus tax, wine pairings plus $30.

Enjoy the Valentine Adventure Dinner at Homefire Grill. Few details available at our press deadline, but we know the menu will feature Kicking Ash buffalo, a dessert wine and bubbly for two. For reservations visit www.homefiregrill.ca.

The itsy bitsy Skinny Legs and Cowgirls, owned by mother and daughter team Susan and Amy Kellock, has moved to 12202 Jasper Avenue (780-423-4107, www.skinnylegsandcowgirls.com). “We have 75 seats compared to 28,” says Amy. “I hired six servers and three kitchen staff.” The number of people isn’t the only change. “Now we have a walk-in cooler so we will be even more organic, ordering directly from Vancouver,“ she says. “With the extra space we can now make our paella, and really nice prawn dishes as well.” The new Skinny Legs will be open daily for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch.

Make that Christmas money work a little harder during Sorrentino’s Back to Basics promotion January 7 to February 11. The menus feature traditional family recipes such as homemade meatballs in tomato sauce, sautéed Italian sausage and spaghettini and meatballs. Enjoy these dishes for less on Bailout Nights: Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays in January—choose three courses for $25. On Wednesdays and Thursdays enjoy a 25 per cent discount on selected bottles of wine. Learn to make the dishes during Back to Basics Cooking Classes on January 15 and 16, $85 plus GST per person. Call 780-474-6466 to register.

One of our fave spots on Whyte is the tiny and charming Luzzara Coffee Bar (10011 82 Avenue) next door to Top Gear Scooters. The location is no accident. Inspired by the ubiquitous Italian neighbourhood coffee shop (and named after a town in

northern Italy) owner Dylan Liley thought his Vespa scooter shop needed a coffee shop next door. We agree. Check it out for morning coffee, snacks, soup, paninis.

The sushi bar at Signature Asian Cuisine (406 Mayfield Road, 780-486-7826) is now ready to experience, along with their new pan-Asian menu featuring Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese specialties. Over 200 items available. Now, that’s a busy kitchen!

We’re looking forward to visiting the new Indian resto Guru (17021 100 Avenue, 780-484-4300). A friend brought tasty daal with okra and credible tandoori-cooked lamb popsicles to a pot-luck lunch, piquing our interest in the contemporary-looking spot.

We love the culinaryfication of East Whyte. Joining Flirt Cupcakes, Luzzara, Langano Skies is Irie Foods (10152 82 Avenue, 780-757-2022) a bigger, newer offshoot of the Millwoods location. It’s just the spot for Jamaican patties and a Red Stripe.

Hardware Grill (9698 Jasper Avenue, 780-423-0969) folks have been busy—along with opening for lunch, they have introduced a five-course tasting menu available nightly. (This is in addition to their grazing menu, ideal for pre-hockey or theatre.) They plan to change the menu weekly and offer the tasting menu with or without wine. We love the concept, as isn’t the worst part about dining out deciding what to have?

opening soon We’re looking forward to the opening of ZINC, the 75 seat restaurant within the Art Gallery of Alberta (2 Sir Winston Churchill Square). Exec chef Dave Omar is promising a bill of fare inspired by featured art exhibitions and made from locally sourced ingredients (Carmen Creek Bison and Spring Creek Ranch Beef). The operator is Compass Group, known locally for their food-service operations and internationally within the cultural sector; they run C5 in the Royal Ontario Museum and the restaurant at New York’s MoMa. The dramatic space by IIXIV Design Associates (Toronto) is entirely in keeping with architect Randall Stout’s vision—coolly contemporary cobalt glass, warm wood, black chrome

and metal surround 40-foot windows. Grand opening is during the AGA opening January 31. The resto will be open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch and dinner and for Sunday brunch. Reservations can be made online or call 780-392-2468.

Fans of the beloved Bistro Praha will be thrilled to discover that it will reopen on 104 Street (bottom floor Icon Tower, near Credo) sometime in late spring. In the meantime, have a glass of wine with Milan as he tends bar at Zenari’s in Manulife.

We had a sneak peek at the new Moriarty’s Bistro and Wine bar (Rice Howard Way) before Christmas. It’s lovely and luxe—Kartell chairs, creamy white marble, butcher block with black glass, Enosystem, with a French bistro-style menu, 75 seats. Opening in January.

Another addition to the burgeoning gastronomic scene on 104 Street is Lit Wine Bar. The banner had been up for months and the tile guy (always a good source of info, right?) said that they’d be opening soon. Calls to the owner to confirm were not returned.

Transcend’s new coffee bar beside the Garneau Theatre will open sometime in the spring as well. Restoration of the building is taking longer than expected.

on the shelfRemember the I love Lucy episode where Lucy and Vivian get a job on the chocolate assembly line? Remember Lucy getting behind on the line and madly stuffing chocs into her mouth? That’s not what you’ll find at Brett Roy’s new chocolate shop, the coolly minimalistic Sweet Lollapalooza (10155 102 Street, main floor Commerce Place, 780-436-3190). Rather, watch the former chef make small-batch premium confections by hand; truffles, a delish chocolate chip cookie, truly decadent and addictive buttercrunch and exquisite bon bons, the flavours of which will change with the seasons.

Christopher Macklon and Bianca Osbourne’s Whisk Catering (780-668-8832) now offers dinner delivery. Leave the work to them, choose from classic family favourites for a crowd to upscale menus designed to impress.


Planet Organic Market (7917 104th Street) continues the meet the maker series January 11-17. Enjoy cooking demos, sampling and chats with the farmers whose products are carried at the store, including Sparrow’s Nest Organic Produce; Fairwinds Farms cheeses and dairy; Winter Turkey’s and Bles Wold Dairy.

Check out the Old Bread Factory (#110, 4211 106 Street,780-466-521) in Whytemud Crossing for an impressive selection of breads, buns and pastry; elote buns (so named as they resemble cobs of corn), a toothsome sugar-sprinkled and sweet, nutty filling-stuffed bit of deliciousness; fruit-filled empanadas; pan dulces (sweetbreads) and North American-influenced pastry, such as the butterhorn look-a-like made with whole wheat flour and dripping with both sugar syrup and flax seeds. Open daily.

The Newget Kompany is taking Valentine’s Day orders now. Watch for the new website www.newget.ca and the opportunity to sign up for their newsletter. We’re big fans of the Hot Chocolate flavour, made with milk chocolate, toasted almonds, cinnamon and marshmallows, and the dark chocolate-based Dark BerryBlast with toasted almonds, dried cranberries and blueberries—ideal to help see you through a cold winter.

wine tastings, happenings and events Wine & Sprit Education Trust (WSET) courses, taught in over 58 countries and considered the gold standard in wine education, are now available in Edmonton. Completion of these lively courses can lead to the WSET Diploma and the Master of Wine. Level Two, Intermediate Studies in Wines & Spirits is ideal for those in the trade, retail or hospitality and wine-saavy consumers; Mondays, January 5–March 16. Level One, Foundation in Wine & Wine Service is a practical, entry-level program for those with little

or no previous wine background Mondays starting February 15 and in April. For more information and to register, call 1-800-667-7288 or visit www.winecollege.ca.

Join Michael Twelftree of Two Hands Wines for a four-course dinner featuring several spectacular wines; from the 2007 vintage Bad Impersonator, Bella’s Garden, Aerope and Ares; and from 2008, the Brilliant Disguise and For Love or Money. Friday, January 15 at Characters (10257 105 Street), $136. To reserve call the Wine Cellar, 780-488-9463 by January 8.

Don’t miss Winefest, February 27, Shaw Conference Centre, 7–10 pm. Here’s a chance to sample dozens of wines from around the world, including port, sparkling and dessert, in your own Riedel glass (included in the price) plus hors d'oeuvres. Trade tasting begins at 2 pm. www.celebratewinefest.com.

Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge’s EPICurean Food & Wine Festival March 19–21, will tantalize and delight with this year’s theme—chocolate. The weekend includes wine tasting, cooking demos, Friday dinner reception, Saturday breakfast, lunch, evening reception and gala plus Sunday brunch and two nights accommodations and gratuities from $749 per person. Visit www.fairmont.com for presenters and reservations.

Crestwood Fine Wines & Spirits (9658 142 Street, Crestwood Shopping Centre) launches Wine, Food and Conversation evenings January 12. They plan to hold the casual interactive event every second Tuesday—come by to chat with one of our favourite wine folks, Juanita Roos. Reservations are $10 and there’s room for 18 people only. Call 780-488-7800 to book.

Be a supporter of the The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) and enjoy an evening of fine Portuguese wines at Flavours of Portugal, February 10, Winspear Centre. Portugal is a hotbed of quality wine innovation and

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according to judy | judy schultz

As 2009 petered out, we returned to Waiuku and the long hot days of a New Zealand summer.

All is well on the sandbar. The dogs were gleeful to see me, the cat still hates me. The hens down the road are laying prodigiously, the rooster still crows at three am, and the grape vines we transplanted in August have survived.

Meanwhile, the first of the onion crops, the long-keepers, are being harvested and the air between here and Waiuku has a definite tang.

I'm getting re-acquainted with Kiwi cooking, visiting fish markets for fresh gurnard, grilling lemons for extra flavour. Good Neighbour Jane’s lemon tree is dropping free fruit and a grumpy guy sells bags of cheap Tahitian limes at his gate.

I dared to ask why they weren’t green, being limes.

A ripe lime is not green, it’s yellow, he moaned. “You want colour? Or juice? Lime’s gotta be ripe!”

Speaking of green, we’re getting greener every year. Everybody composts and my favourite horticultural discovery is a shop called Worms-R-Us, behind the Early Bird Cafe in Karaka. For compost or bait, look no further. Then there’s the enterprising chicken farmer who recently tacked a sign on his gate: “Free poo to deserving gardeners.”

I‘m on the hunt for the best local olive oil, but my favourite this year is still First Drop, from an olive ranch on the north part of the island. I‘m especially partial to the Three Tuscans. One of the partners in First Drop is from Red Deer (no kidding), so it‘s available at Call the Kettle Black.

Looking back a bit, we had a bumper of a Yuletide, with the extended family descending from Edmonton, Shanghai and Sydney.

I made it through the main event— the ham, the lamb, the turkey. Then they reset the table for dessert.

When I saw the pasta bowls come out, I knew we were in trouble.

Here’s what came next:

Big bowl of red jelly with sides of cream, yogurt, ice cream and custard sauce. The jelly is traditional and everybody took gobs of cream.

Next up, cookies. Biscotti, shortbread, jam jams. Iced cookies shaped like angels, dogbones and sheep.

They still make fruitcake here and ours featured dried mango, pineapple, papaya and ginger, but no raisins, in deference to my son, Kurt. Raisins remind him of the dead fly he swears he once found in a muffin at cub camp.

There was a cannonball of a Christmas pudding, with brandy sauce and more cream on the side, whipped or straight from the jug.

Next came Paula’s trifle with sherry-laced ladyfingers, custard, cherries and whipped cream; and her mom’s definitive pavlova, with kiwi fruit and boysenberries over more whipped cream.

Everybody took some of everything. Then they went back for seconds, in case they’d missed a bit on the first go-round.

And these are thin people.

Big finish: mince tarts with pastry stars on top, heavily dusted with icing sugar and a spoonful of (what else?) whipped cream.

“Makes it look like snow,” said Noelene, the amazing matriarch of this family. “We used to pretend we were having an English Christmas, and everybody would think snowy thoughts,” she said, accepting a top-up of bubbly. “But I was born in 1926!”

Evidence of the Christmas feasting has all but disappeared. Give thanks and bring on the salads. Happy 2010, everybody.

Judy Schultz is a food and travel writer based in Auckland and Edmonton. She's thinking of starting her own worm farm.

A Kiwi Christmas


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the tomato january/february 2010

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