The Galician Beef

Perhaps the best beef of Spain, where milk cattle, kept like pets, tag along on a rope with their owners and when finished their milking life after 9 to 22 years, are slaughtered for beef. This beef was especially selected forChef Berasategui and was served rare. It was extremely succulent and flavourful. From my personal experience, it was better than Argentine and great Canadian beef, and at least as good as or even better than the best of American U.S. prime beef.

Cod kokotxa, the gelatinous muscle of the lower jaw, a Basque tradition, slow poached in olive oil with garlic, to bring out the gelatin, and tossed with pristinely fresh mussels.

3 Star Chef Martin Berasategui beginning to prepare our first course.

Chef David Lee at Gaztelubide

Chef David Lee and 3 Star Chef Martin Berasategui at the market, checking out fish for lunch at Gaztelubide, the pre-eminent gastronomic society in San Sebastian

Bitten: Meringues

Posted by Jennifer

Meringues are perennially seductive, their billowiness promising the experience of biting into a cloud. Alas, so often they disappoint. Too hard. Too weepy. Too sweet. Not puffy enough. There are so many ways to fail with meringue.

Co-worker Gina, a recent graduate of the baking certificate programme at George Brown College not only followed the Ottolenghi cinnamon hazelnut meringue recipe to perfection, she shared! Crispy on the outside, marshmallowy on the inside, they were the ultimate meringue. How to top this triumph? Perhaps the pistachio rosewater variation.

Photo by Gina

Tapas Bar Crawl: Braised codfish kokotxa, the gelatinous muscle of the lower jaw, a traditional Basque dish

Tapas Bar Crawl: Squid in it's own ink

Tapas Bar Crawl: Tarte of baby eels

Morcilla (blood sausage) covered with finely chopped pistachio nuts. A combination of flavours made for each other!!

Tapas Bar Crawl: Another "modern" pinxto, a very soft egg yolk with bits of cooked veg surrounded by gelee on toast. Eaten all at once everything bursts wonderfully in your mouth with great flavours.

Tapas Bar Crawl: modern version of pinxtos (yes, that is "smoke" in the background!)

Tapas Bar Crawl: More pinxtos, "ham sandwiches" of jambon de iberico de bellota

Tapas Bar Crawl: the tapas bar

Tapas Bar Crawl: My other host Peio Garcia Amiano, one of the foremost restaurant critics of Spain and authority on Basque tapas

Tapas Bar Crawl: Josh in San Sebastian, Spain

A pinxto (Basque tapas) crawl with (from left) 3-Star Chef Elena Arzak, Annie Sibonney & Josh

Friday Lunch: Pizzaiolo

Posted by Jennifer

In anticipation of the opening of Pizzaiolo on our block,  we have a few slices from the location a few blocks south of us.  We cover all the bases:  meat, vegetarian, and vegan. Like most pizza slices, these do not win prizes for looks -- pizza slices usually sit long enough to look a bit dried out.

Our meat choice, the Soprano, features sopressata (Italian dry-cured sausage) with sundried tomatoes, gorgonzola, and mozzarella. The sopressata tastes much better than the usual cheap pepperoni.

The Casino with black and green olives, roasted red peppers, and mozzarella is also better than expected, and happily less salty due to the cooks not being too heavy-handed with the olives.

Fredo, the vegan pizza, features potato slices with olive oil, fresh oregano and rosemary. Often when potatoes are used on pizza they are undercooked, and either under or over-seasoned.  Pizzaiolo has gotten

it right with sufficiently soft potatoes and enough herbs to enhance without overwhelming the flavour of either the potatoes or crust.

The crust is the star of these slices.  Neither too thick nor too thin, this tasty base supports the toppings without collapsing between plate and mouth.

Our three slices, which could have fed six, along with one San Pellegrino Arancita, came to $15.71.

Photos by Gina

To market, to market

Posted by Jennifer

The number one reason that I make to effort to go to the Sorauren market: De La Terre Bakery. Located in Fonthill, it makes superb sourdough breads. While some of the artisanal sourdoughs can be heavy on the inside with such hard crusts that they are a danger to unsuspecting teeth, the breads from De La Terre have risen well but still have great body and lovely chewy crusts. My favourite is the Pelham sourdough with the honey/walnut a close runner up.

I went thinking I would only buy the bread. Instead, I left with a full shopping bag. One of my prizes was, at last, some decent peaches. From the Oso Leo stand, I got Red Havens and Loring varieties. If I have had a Loring peach before I was not aware of it. Given the opportunity, I will have one again. Usually peaches just
register as “sweet”. However, the Loring has a hint of both the tart and the floral along with the expected sweetness.

At Cutting Veg, I was seduced by perfect red onions, and bags of heirloom tomatoes for only $4.50. I also got zucchini to make Rose Murray’s zucchini almond cake. Even the zucchini-hating males in my household gobbled it up.

The Singhs, whose beets I have enjoyed, also had irresistible shallots, and the first Cortland apples I have seen this year. Usually when I leave a market with a bag this full, my wallet is empty. This time, even after buying meat, and two more Preston empanadas (beef, peach), there is money to spare.

Friday Lunch: Saturday Market Edition

Posted by Jennifer

Our Friday lunch was actually a Saturday lunch on goodies gathered at the Withrow market. From Saucier Foods, we have a provencal onion tart and brioche. Topped with mini tomatoes, olives and thyme, the tart is not quite as tasty as it is beautiful. To our taste, the onions could be just slightly more caramelized, the pastry baked a few minutes longer.

The individual-size brioche is heavier and perhaps less buttery than some brioche we have had. Still, it is flavourful, especially with homemade strawberry jam.

The empanadas are small enough to eat out of hand, and on this particular day, excellent. The cheese and potato is the best of a good thing, seasoned well, but without overwhelming the other filling ingredients or the pastry. Everything is in balance. The spicy dark lentil is also a standout without the chalkiness of many lentil
dishes.

The price of one onion tart, two empanadas, and two brioches is $19.50.

Photos by Gina

In Memorium: Keith Floyd, British Television Cook

Posted by Alison Gorman (aka Irish Alison)

By the time I discovered Keith Floyd it was sometime past his heyday on British television. Every Saturday morning I would get up early to watch the BBC weekend cookery show ‘Saturday Kitchen’, and it was there that I had my first Floyd encounter. In the midst of smiley presenters and oh-so-pleasant guest chefs would come an episode of one of Keith’s shows from the BBC vaults. He would appear on screen, rakish and charming, a glass of wine in one hand, gesticulating wildly with the other, issuing orders and commands to his longsuffering cameraman Clive. His shows were just as famous for their often surreal nature as for the food prepared; memorable moments include him cooking in the middle of a field on a South African ostrich farm, cooking an ostrich egg omelette, surrounded by ostriches. As the birds get more curious the piece descends into chaos; the ostriches overrun the field, the food and utensils are on the ground, the camera has been abandoned, and Floyd is off in the distance, looking fairly unperturbed and sipping a glass of wine, the obligatory glass one of the few constants in his television career.

Although he certainly made for great television, his importance to modern British cooking shouldn’t be underestimated; he introduced the nation to world cuisine, taught them that French food could be cooked at home, that Asian food was exciting and accessible, that garlic wasn’t anything to be afraid of. If Delia was responsible for imparting technique, then Keith offered passion. There was no editing in his shows; when a French housewife berated his food he translated her criticisms faithfully, looking heartily amused at her obvious disgust with his cooking skills. He would happily tell his audience that the BBC wouldn’t pay for expensive ingredients, so he would buy them from his own pocket. He flirted shamelessly, he drank voraciously, he swore occasionally. In an age when much of television cookery seems homogenised and predictable, Keith was a breath of fresh air. He played a large part in making it more acceptable for men to be interested in food and cooking in Britain; and indeed on one of his visits to the store Jamie Oliver cited him as his favourite tv chef.

Keith Floyd was probably the least professional chef on Saturday Kitchen every week, and always the one you’d want to have a drink with. On Monday 14th September, at the age of 65, he suffered a heart attack and died in Dorset, England. It is reported he enjoyed a last meal of oysters and partridge, along with several glasses of champagne. He will be missed by many, and it would be a shame to watch his passing without raising a glass to one of Britain’s true kitchen pioneers.

To Market, to market

Posted by Jennifer

On Saturday morning I went back to the Withrow market since I managed to get there just before closing time on my first visit. One of the most conveniently located markets, it is just south of Danforth, between the Chester and Pape subway stations -- great for people who do not drive.

My usual strategy at any market is to do a stroll-pass before stopping to buy anything. On this morning I receive a painful reminder to buy immediately if there is something I really want. What I saw and really wanted was an Aunt Ruby’s German Green tomato at Haystrom’s. When I went back, a matter of minutes later, it was gone.
There was more bad news there. The heirloom tomatoes will only be available for one more week. On the other hand, Webers still had lots of eggs left.

Withrow has good take-away food at Preston Empanadas and Saucier Foods, both of which are also at the Sorauren market on Mondays. Saucier Foods, run by the former chef of Café Brussel, also has Limousin beef on offer here--but not at Sorauren. There is also St. John’s Bread.

This is one of the few markets offering other goods -- pottery, handmade wooden items, and if I remember correctly, jewellery.

Friday Lunch: Ginger

Posted by Jennifer

With the school year starting, we decide to stand in solidarity with impoverished students by getting takeout from Ginger (695 Yonge Street and one other location). Depending on the filling -- fake crab with avocado, chicken and veg, beef, shrimp -- the salad rolls are only $1.00 or $1.50. With rice paper wrappers crammed with noodles, herbs, lettuce and a protein of choice there is a selection of food groups in every bite. The price includes a peanut-laden dipping sauce. Less healthy, the crispy shrimp roll is a deep-fried delight, especiallywhen paired with its sour/sweet/slightly hot dip to cut the grease.

In our money-saving efforts, we chose subs over the rice or noodle combination plates and bowls. The beef sub is heaped with thin, grilled meat with added flavor coming from lightly pickled cucumber and carrot. Without those pickles, the vegetarian version -- lots ofplain tofu -- would be very bland indeed. Cordon bleu it ain’t, but for our $15.14, we got enough fairly tasty food to keep two of us snacking for the entire afternoon.

Photos by Gina

JOSH at el Bulli

At el bulli. beautiful setting. Escorted into kitchen to meet with Ferran Adria - photo op with Ferran.

Cocktails on the outdoor terrace of el bulli. Snacks such as "peanut" filled with a liquid peanut essence. Half cherry with umeboshi liquid.

Some el bulli dinner highlights: suck jasmine nectar from the base of a flower, crisp chicken skin canape with it's melting soft tendon.
"Mimetic" almonds, raw almonds, coconut jelly, intense tomato essence ice and mango with umeboshi eaten at end...intense.
Cockles with fennel heart, yuzu and vermouth, salmon roe, double cream and gold leaf coated trout roe!
rose petals with silver leaf and artichoke sauce;
meringue "sandwich" of black truffles, almonds and pumpkin

Sea anemone with caviar and seaweed jelly....way better than Gerard Passedet at le Petit Nice in Marseilles!!
Abalone with shimeji mushroom, ginger, codium seaweed, pancetta and hazelnut oil...extraordinary!!
Sea cucumber with water gelle of soy and ginger oil.

Are you ready for this: "rabbit ear and rabbit offal" - the"ear" is snail eggs with rabbit tongue and sweetbreads, the "offal" - kidney and brain.

We finished at 1:30 a.m. after 36 courses with a beautiful 1982 Ch. Suduiraut!!

To Market, to market

Posted by Jennifer

I feel as though I have hit the jackpot this week. My prizes? The first was a two quart basket of damson plums from Andrews Scenic Acres. Damsons are few and far between and usually only available for two or three weeks. I have used half of them to make a small batch of conserves -- just plums, orange juice, water, and sugar. The down side of damsons is the horror of pitting them, so anything -- such as these conserves -- in which you cook them, then skim the pits from the surface, is a bonus. A treat for the senses, the aroma of simmering damsons is absolutely intoxicating. The finished product is velvety on the tongue, and its rich blue/red a visual delight. Unlike many jams and conserves, it is quite tart.

My other great treat comes from my Potato Lady, Ayse Akoner, who offers me a handful of her newly harvested Peruvian potatoes. They are a dark, inky blue all the way through. Simply boiled, they, like German butterballs, combine a great sense of fullness on the palate with rich flavour. I cannot wait for more! On top of that, the long-awaited LaRatte fingerlings are finally ready. My over-indulgence in nightshade plants continues.

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Friday Lunch: Reggie's Old-Fashioned Sandwiches

Posted by Jennifer

A bus going nowhere on Roncesvalles gives rise to the opportunity to take a detour to Reggie’s Old-Fashioned Sandwiches. Whenever there is a pulled pork sandwich we have to try it.  Our current gold standard for the pulled pork sandwich is the one from Black Camel complete with barbecue sauce and caramelized onions.  This one does not change that rating.  Though the pork is nicely spiced, the shreds are too fine, the bun too pedestrian and there is not enough sauce to create the necessary splats and stains.

Fresh roasted turkey is served on thickly-sliced white bread with an herb mayo and cranberry and onion chutney.  The bread has a nicely chewy crust but is otherwise undistinguished. On the other hand, the turkey is the real thing not the poultry equivalent of chipboard that so often appears as turkey breast on commercial sandwiches. Cranberry/onion flavour is, to our taste buds, AWOL.

Though Reggie’s specializes in sandwiches, it is the salad that is the star of our lunch. The cheddar & apple salad features a cheddar dice, sliced apples, grapes, spiced cashews, and greens in a mustard vinaigrette. The produce is pristine—perfectly washed and dried, not a brown spot visible, and the vinaigrette is a perfect balance between oil and acid.  A generous toss of spiced cashews adds on another layer of taste and texture.

The total for two sandwiches and a salad, no drinks:  $25.26

Photos by Gina

JOSH'S FOOD TRAVELS IN SPAIN

My first night we went for a "tapas crawl" with one of the great food critics of spain, Peio Garcia Amiano, who flew in from Madrid to be with our group of 8. Only made it through 4 locations.....I was STUFFED!!!

The next day we had an enormous lunch created by one of Spain's greatest chefs, Martin Berasategui (for our group!!) at a private 65 year old gourmet society where he is a member. It is an open kitchen plus a small dining room because members only cook for members fortunately he had a handful of members who helped. These gourmet societies are a long time tradition in San Sebastion. Lunch was rustic, dinner also by Berasategui, promises to be sophisticated!