Truffles at Splendido Restaurant

Truffles are back in Toronto restaurants. 'Tis the season! Splendido offers a truffle tasting menu and the dish below was the highlight for me.

I enjoyed one of the most sophisticated and highly creative "salads", a world class dish and right here in toronto!! A warm salad of matsutake mushrooms, jerusalem artichoke puree, jerusalem artichoke chips, nutmeg panchetta, crunchy croutons, lambs lettuce, tiny parmesan cubes, lemon and olive oil emulsion and shaved fresh black truffles. All of this was  laid out on a rectangular wood platter, a feast for the eyes and the palate, an incredible combination of crunchy and creamy, an explosion of complementary flavours and textures!

BOOK REVIEW

 

THE WILD TABLE by Connie Green & Sarah Scott

Connie Green may not be a name that strikes most of you as familiar; however for those of you acquainted with the restaurant industry, you may recognize her by her alias. She's referred to as "The Mushroom Lady" by anyone who has had the privilege of having her purvey their produce walk-ins. 

Heavily praised by Thomas Keller (of French Laundry and Per Se, amongst others) in both public appearances as well as in his cookbooks, Connie has long worked behind the scenes, racking up pairs of grass-stained jeans along with baskets upon baskets of gorgeous chanterelles, morels and hedgehog mushrooms. 

Finally, Ms. Green has decided to step out into the spotlight and remind people what it is to truly cook something wild. Broken down into segments based on season, "The Wild Table" profiles some of the greatest wild treasures that North America has to offer. From wild ramps and morels in Spring, to incredibly fragrant Hen-of-the-Woods Mushrooms in Fall, Connie's recipes truly use these seasonal gems to their full potential. For those unable to forage for such ingredients, Connie provides helpful substitutions with more common products as well as variations on each recipe to inspire the mind as it wanders on such wondrous wares. Don't miss out on this terrific cookbook; the recipes are superb, the photography is excellent and you're guaranteed to put the book down having learned a thing or two about what treasures are growing in our own backyards.

 

Reviewed by Kevin, I'm the newest staff member and I graduated from French Culinary Institute in NYC. Why am I passionate about food - because it touches all the senses.

My Breakfast At Michel Bras, Laguiole, France

This was my special order breakfast at Michel Bras, a 3* restaurant in France. Tripe (stomach) stuffed with chopped tripe. So simple, but one of my favourite breakfasts in France.....another delight for you passionate food adventurers!!

Roasted Pig's head, Tongue and Tail at Via Allegro Restaurant, Toronto.

The Pig's Head

The Tongue, Tail and Other "Goodies"

One of the great dishes of the city, roasted pig's head at Via Allegro restaurant! It comes with the tongue and tail as well and some pickled veg, herbal honey and herbal mustard. Such a classic dish. Worth the journey for you passionate adventurers!

Jonathan Safran Foer: Eating Animals

In Person...Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Eating Animals

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

George Ignatieff Theatre

Ensuring the interview started on the right foot, interviewer Brent Bambury (currently of CBC radio one fame) sported a fantastic pair of green and white sneakers that (coincidentally???) matched the book-jacket colour of Jonathan Safran Foer’s most recent literary endeavour – Eating Animals. As Foer explained in the interview, this non-fiction work explores the stories we are told about where our food comes from (particularly as they relate to animals and animal by-products) and how these stories have changed over time.

An eloquent and engaging speaker, Foer answered Bambury’s – and for that matter, the audience’s – queries knowledgeably, politely, and without hesitation, throwing in the occasional fact in support of his points. I think even the most ardent of meat-eaters in the audience would have been encouraged to reduce the number of times per week meat is included in their diet, especially when Foer presented the staggering figure that giving up one meat-inclusive meal per week is equivalent to five million cars off the road (with respect to environmental impact).

There were no uncomfortable, “I’m right, you’re wrong,” moments, however, and I believe this stemmed from the fact that, at the outset of the interview, Foer pointed to the issue as being not a moral one, but rather a common sense one – a reduction or elimination of meat in our diet is simply a basic, human decency, and an increasingly significant reality, required for a functioning society.

The discussion was not all serious either – Foer’s story-weaving capabilities ensured that, as in any good narrative, there are moments in which the tension is eased and laughter can ensue (think of Foer’s comments about his dog, George, and his comparison of her...yes, George is a “she”...to a hairy human, like an older brother).

To look forward to...

Currently in the works is Foer’s next project, a fiction novel. There was also mention made of a potential documentary version of Eating Animals.  Foer pointed out that, with the book version of Eating Animals, pictures were strategically omitted, as he felt that to include images would have been too aggressive and would only emotionally deepen, rather than broaden, the conversation. So a documentary, should it actually be produced, would have to serve this broadening. In any case, we will certainly be keeping our ears open for news of any further output from this intelligent and well-spoken author.

This post was written by the newest Jennifer on staff at the cookbook store (not to be confused with the eminently more knowledgeable and much longer-serving assistant manager, Jennifer Grange). The Jennifer of this blog is vegan (and has been for almost 2 years). Not to worry...no animal activism or environmental politicking here; just an openness to sharing my vegan experiences with those of an inquiring or curious mind.

Chef René Redzepi Event October 9th, 2010

What a way to spend part of Thanksgiving weekend, talking about food with the world's #1 chef, René Redzepi from Noma restaurant in Copenhagen. He was articulate, funny and most of all inspiring. The theatre was full of anticipation as Chef and Alison took to the stage for the interview. A full account will follow shortly but suffice to say that the most oft used word after the discussion was "inspiring!"

Jennifer, Rene Redzepi and Alison

Eating at Noma the # 1 Restaurant in the world, with a stop in London along the way!

For my birthday, the hubby said let's use up the air miles and go on a trip, how romantic, but not to be deterred I said London for the first leg of the trip and he chose Copenhagen for the next part. Yes, we booked this in the spring before Noma became #1 restaurant. Chef Redzepi's publisher Phaidon called and said guess what we're publishing Noma cookbook and we would like to bring Rene Redzepi to Toronto, and so a holiday now became part "work research" as of course we had to eat at Noma! Luncheon reservation secured off we traveled.

In London, Jamie Oliver and family welcoming their new son, Buddy Bear, managed to get on the front pages of the tabloids just in time before being bumped with the Pope's arrival........
We decided to forgo high dining in favour of doing the markets and every food shop we happened upon. Partridges food shop, near the Saatchi Gallery, we stumbled upon and well worth a detour especially on a Saturday when there was a wonderful farmers market set up in the plaza out front. Timmy's Pies were delicious, as were the Cumberland sausages. Neal's Yard Dairy also had a stall with too many cheeses, well there's never too many cheeses!

Raspberry Meringue from Ottolenghi

So Borough Market,(Brindisa Spanish foods), Spitalfields(Leons), Portobello, Brick Lane(street food stalls and the famous Biegal Bakery) with stops at three out of the four Ottolenghi in between. Whole Foods Market in Kensington was a site to behold of beautifully displayed seasonal, local products.  Apple season in full swing we decided to make different apple ciders our quest. The winner was Aspall English Cider made from Bramley and Cox apples, truly the best tasting apples around. Runner up was Copella Apple Cider pressed from Boxford Farm in Suffolk.

Biegel Bakery in Brick Lane

But the highlight  was the trip to Copenhagen and Noma. Located in a centuries old customs warehouse over looking the water where you can see Copenhagen's stunning new opera house.

Danish Opera House

Chef Rene Redzepi and Alison

Noma was a 27 "course" almost 5 hour lunch, no written menu. It was an incredible homage to locally sourced or foraged ingredients. Presentation of "courses" is mostly done by the chefs (35 of them in the kitchen, 17 nationalities) using a playful turn on platters and serving dishes, for example a weekend foraging trip had turned up beautiful stones which they used to serve. After a warm welcome at our seats the waiter said with an understated flourish - here is your first course and slid the flower vase into the middle of the table filled with edible flower, pea shoots and herbs!  The rest was a sublime 4+ hours of them asking us if we were full yet and us saying no, so the food parade blissfully kept coming. There was no sense that technology had come between you and the ingredients, such was the reverence paid to the food.

Chef Redzepi is an intellectually interesting man who is curious not just about cooking, but food in the context of culture, specifically Scandinavian culture.We had a long discussion on language which morphed into Chef giving us a brief history of Scandinavia. I cannot begin to tell how impressed we were and came away saying what an interesting person Chef was, beyond the discussion of food.

Nordic is a trend to watch - (in all facets not just food), and Rene Redzepi will lead the vanguard becoming an international celebrity and you can see him on October 9th as The Cookbook Store hosts Rene for an onstage interview, Q & A and book signing.

Chef Rene Redzepi in Toronto exclusively
with The Cookbook Store
Saturday October 9th, 12:30pm
Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St. West
Tickets $65, includes copy of the cookbook Noma
Available only through The Cookbook Store