[Yes, I know, this is a belated post given we are now in the latter half of of January. Still, it was a very un-Christmas Christmas chez nous.]

Unlike previous years, we didn’t quite eat out as often as we usually do during the holidays, so there will be no “Eating Out (Fine Dining Edition).”

Such had something to do with one of the three major illness strains, paying an unwanted visit to the household during the latter half of December. Ottawa has been beset by particularly virulent strains of the flu, stomach flu (norovirus), and cold with a hacking cough. Not only did we spend most of the holidays quiet, we spent some of our vacation in bed, recuperating.

With some rest, homemade soup (blessed be the fortitude to make stock and freeze it), and vitamin supplements (including zinc), we managed to pull off Christmas dinner, a multi-course feast designed around a handful of requested dishes.

It was during the two days of prep that I realized several things. The only new year resolution I ever make, involves resolving not making new year resolutions. Though, I plan to practice somethings differently this year.

[If you feel compelled to resolve or "bucket" list something, look to my friend Susan Murphy's suggestion. Pick three words to help define the coming year. Mine are "bacon, lettuce, and tomato." Why is the subject of another post.]

Less Tweating, More Dining
Firstly, when I dine out with pleasant company, I refuse to play the “place the cell phone in the middle of the table (first one to reach for it pays for the meal)” game. But, there will be less “tweated” meals.

Already, I pass the smart phone to my wife when we dine out together or with friends. It goes into her purse until we walk out of the restaurant. If something is important, people know to contact her. Hers is a “less than smart” cellular phone.

Believe it or not, I also don’t always carry the D/SLR when I go out to eat. When I dine out with fellow food bloggers or attend a food event, I indulge.

Still, there will be less tweating.

More Grainy Pictures
Secondly, to address the growing sentiment that food bloggers are perverting food and taking the joy out of cooking, there will be more snapshots in our recipe posts. Only, we won’t be styling ingredients to look like they came from a studio.

I dabble in photography, practicing what I glean from books like Helen Dujardin’s Plate to Pixel and Nichole S. Young’s Food Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots. However, I sympathize with readers who look to food photos and wonder why their attempts at recipes do not match what was plated, styled, “lighted”, photographed “raw”, post processed, and then rendered for print or web.

You will see more snapshots, taken hurriedly with the smart phone, of dishes in progress, complete with spills, splatters, and over crowded counters and stove tops. I think it more honest and less discouraging.

Less than Lowly Leftovers
Finally, I plan to cook more with leftovers in mind.

To explain this, shall we retire to the kitchen?

Here is what we served for Christmas dinner:

• Fishcakes, made with parsnip, potato, and salmon (canned)
• Seared Duck Breast (ghetto sous-vided to 150 F), served with michaelsdolce spiced cranberry jam, roasted carrots, and bashed neeps
• Miso-cured Short Rib, served with roasted mini-potatoes, onions, and zucchini
• Roast Pork Belly served with potato pave, slow cooker caramelized onions, & slow cooked spiced apple sauce
• Lo Mai Fan (essentially Chinese stuffing)
• Eggnog Red Bean Ice Cream

The fish cakes were made with half batches of bashed parsnips and mashed potato. Both were made by simmering the respective roots in salted water until fork tender. The parsnip and potato were then processed into mash using a food mill. Then, butter and milk were added. And, the mixture was cooked on a medium-low burner until some of the moisture was cooked out.

Fork Tender Parsnips

Food-mill Processed Parsnips

Finally, salmon was flaked into the mixture and it was shaped into cakes. The cakes were lightly coated in flour and pan fried crisp to serve.

The seared duck breast is a tradition. Whenever we cook Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, Jenn and I always prepare something duck for one of her sisters. This year, we exercised our ghetto sous-vide muscles from a Food Day Canada addendum project.

The miso-cured short rib was a request. We used the recipe we submitted to Courvoisier last summer. Only, we served it and the accompanying cognac mushroom cream sauce on double buttered fresh egg noodles.

The roast pork belly was another request. We used the recipe we submitted to Canadian Tire two Autumns ago. This time around, we cured the pork belly in what was essentially leftover “rimmer” from our bloody caesars project. In effect, we cured bacon precursor with bacon, but let’s not dwell on that…

Fish Cakes, ready for pan frying

Miso-cured Short Rib with Potato Pave and Roasted Vegetables

Roast Pork Belly with Potato Pave, Spiced Apple Sauce, and Caramelized Onions

Lo Mai Fan (Chinese Sticky Rice)

The ice cream is a take on the eggnog ice cream recipe we put together for Natrel. Only, we added a cup of cooked and “candied” adzuki beans. The red beans were slow cooked from dry in 4 cups of simple syrup, infused with cloves, cinnamon, and star anise.

Adding Slow Cooked Adzuki Beans to the Ice Cream Base

Eggnog Red Bean Ice Cream

All in all, we didn’t serve traditional Christmas dishes.

And, here’s what we did with the leftovers…

- Duck Confit Ravioli
We bought a whole duck to make this feast. The breasts were removed skin-on and reserved for sous-viding and then searing. The legs were removed and confited. The carcasse, it was made into a consommé, roasting the bones and then very gently simmering everything in liquid (starting from ice). The consommé was used to make the Lo Mai Fan above. The skin and fat were rendered for the confit. The resulting duck rinds, well, they just “disappeared.”

Brining Duck Legs for Confit

Slow Cooking the Legs in Duck Fat

Duck Confit

There is NOTHING to waste when it comes to duck.

To serve the duck confit, we pulled the meat, mixed it with some sauteed onions, and stuffed the mixture between sheets of wonton wrapper. Boiled, the ravioli was plated with leftover roast vegetables, which we cooked into a hash (essentially crusting to reheat in a cast iron pan set to medium-high heat).

Roast Vegetable Hash

Duck Confit Ravioli, Plated with Roast Vegetable Hash

Fun Plating of Duck Confit Ravioli and Roast Vegetable Hash

The sauce is just michaelsdolce fig and blood orange jam, slightly adulterated with ginger. Yes, we go through a lot of michealsdolce when we make special dinners.

- Shakshuka (Cheaty)
Shakshuka is an age-old Mediterranean/Middle-Eastern dish that is analogous to Mexican huevos rancheros. Essentially, eggs are poached in a spiced mixture of tomatoes, chiles, and aromatics.

Me, I decided to pull leftover short rib and duck carcass meat and reheat everything in homemade roasted tomato sauce with sweated onions, red bell pepper, and carrots.

[Every summer, Jenn and I make a handful of batches of roasted tomato sauce, which we freeze for the winter.]

This, I dumped into an oven proof pan, made some wells, cracked some eggs into those wells, and placed the pan under the broiler until the eggs were soft set.

Everything was served on buttered leftover noodles.

Cheaty Shakshuka

This Christmas, my wife and I prepared a feast, knowing we’d have leftovers. So, we chose dishes whose components could easily be made into other dishes. It is a strategy we often use to have fodder for lunch the next day. For instance, roast a larger than necessary joint so you can slice meat from the leftovers for sandwiches the next day.

What are your favourite leftover solutions?

Snow is falling
all around me
children playing
having fun

from “Merry Christmas Everyone”

That is, until you consider Mom and Dad, scrambling to figure out what to serve company that will be coming over for “dancing all night long.” You know? When the kids are put to bed, tuckered out from a day’s frolicking in the snow…

Need a quick dessert? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to reach into the freezer for a carton of premium ice cream; the fridge for a jar of artisan jam you could thin for a sauce; and the pantry for some really nice dark chocolate (with hints of raisin and citrus) to shave and sprinkle over top?

If you are familiar with the local food scene in Ottawa, a carton of Pascale’s All Natural Ice Cream, a jar of michaelsdolce Gourmet Confectionery jam, and a bar of Hummingbird Chocolate‘s Hispaniola fit the bill.

Need to serve drinks? Take some ice, cognac, and a jar of michaelsdolce’s kiwi and lime jam to your blender. Blitz. Chill some martini glasses and serve it up.

Need a sauce to accompany roast beast, be it pork, chicken, or beef? And, you’ve a guest who doesn’t like reduced pan sauces enriched with cream? Consider Major Craig’s Chutney or Mrs. McGarrigle’s mustard.

How about another common Christmas predicament?

Been invited to a potluck by that friend or neighbour who really knows how to cook and you were tasked with bringing dessert? Everyone loves pie! Consider a sweet pie from Life of Pie (1095 Bank Street) or, better yet, an ice cream stuffed yule log from Pascale’s.

Now, you could ask a local food blogger where to source these goodies. I’ve a list of usual suspect shops. The thing is, it is MUCH easier to take advantage of the Christmas markets coming up that feature local artisans.

With more than a hundred vendors, the vast majority selling edibles, the Ottawa Farmers’ Christmas Markets are your best bet. Now hosted out of the Ernst & Young Centre (formerly the CE Centre at 4899 Uplands Drive), two remain this season: December 9th, and 16th. They open at 9 am. The closing bell rings at 3 pm.

But, the market I think should not be missed this holiday season is the third annual Ottawa Locavore Artisan Food Fair (LAFF). Organized by food artisans for food artisans, twenty vendors, including those listed above, will be on-hand.

• Art-Is-In Bakery
• Aunti Loo’s Treats
• Clarmell Farm Goat Cheese
• Happy Goat Coffee Company
• Kawalsa Salsa
• Koko Chocolates
• Relish the Flavour (food truck)
• Richard’s Kithcen Flavours
• The Salty Don
• Scratch Kitchen
• Siren Bakery
• Stone Soup Foodworks (food truck)
• SuzyQ Doughnuts
• World of Tea

This year, the LAFF will be held Saturday, December 8, 2012 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at Memorial Hall (39 Dufferin Road) in New Edinburgh. It is open to the public. Admission is free.

According to the media release by Amy Karlin of Splendid Events, attendees can

browse and sample creations by michaelsdolce, Art-Is-In Bakery, Koko Chocolates, Happy Goat Coffee Company, and many more. In true Canadian fashion, local gourmet food truck Relish the Flavour will brave the chilly December air [to serve] up delicious eats all day long. So after you’ve crossed a few names off your shopping list, pick up some lunch and settle into the LAFF’s warm and cozy dining area to indulge.

Also a community event, the LAFF will once again partner with the School Breakfast Program, which feeds 11,000 children in Ottawa everyday. Many of the participating vendors and event sponsors have donated to a silent auction in support of this charitable cause.

Now, three years have passed since Michael Sunderland of michaelsdolce, Pierre Richard of Happy Goat Coffee, Jacqueline Jolliffe of Stone Soup Foodworks, and Loreli Lees of Siren Bakery conceived the event.

According, the LAFF’s Director, Fumie Watanabe,

many things have changed since then… Now you can find Siren Bakery’s granola and michaelsdolce jams all over Ontario. You can see Stone Soup Foodworks’ green truck “Sweet Pea” regularly [on] campus of the University of Ottawa. Happy Goat Coffee has his own micro-batch roastery, as well as coffee beans subscription & delivery system.

But, some things don’t change. Attendees at the LAFF will find high quality goods to tempt the foodie on your Christmas list.

Case in point, something I love to find in gift baskets is Siren Bakery granola. Lees’ low sugar, but high fiber granolas, often accompany my morning cereal or yogurt.

I finish dishes with these granolas as well, both savoury and sweet.

Here is a suggestion for a vegetable side for your holiday feast: roasted cabbage with a mustard vinaigrette.

A proponent of pickling and curing seasonal ingredients to extend their lifespans, I adore the idea of roasting aged savoy cabbage as described by local freelance journalist Laura Zahody in a post on her blog Zahlicious. Zahody’s method for letting a head of savoy “sit for a week or two” imparts a pleasant acidity, almost akin to mul (water) kimchi or very young kraut.

Aged savoy, sliced into thin wedges and roasted in a 350F oven for a half hour, breathes new life into the tired wedge salad dish steakhouses still serve. This past Thanksgiving season, I encountered several recipes for roasted cabbage in the blogosphere, starting with one from fellow Ottawa food blogger Kelly Brisson’s blog, The Gouda Life.

Here is my take.

Roasted Cabbage with Mustard Vinaigrette and Siren Bakery’s Cranberry Almond Granola

For the vinaigrette, mix together 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, and 1 tsp maple syrup. While whisking, drizzle in 4 tbsp of olive oil (preferably extra virgin). Season to taste.

Drizzle the vinaigrette over roasted wedges and top with roasted nuts, toasted seeds, and dried fruit. I just reached for my morning granola.

Only, I prefer more vinaigrette on my wedges, which leads to a less photogentic plating.

Roasted Cabbage with Mustard Vinaigrette and Siren Bakery’s Cranberry Almond Granola

Whatever the case, give the gift of great food this holiday season. Visit the LAFF to stock your fridge, freezer, or pantry to make entertaining easy. Many of the artisan products also look great tied with a bow under the Christmas tree!

After preparing and shooting our take on the rather multicultural tacos (Bosnian caseless sausage cevapcici (also called Serbian cevapi) on Scottish oat-cake tortillas with Italian pesto and ajvar-inspired sauce), we attempted Korean beef bulgogi-inspired ones. The concept behind these latter tacos originally launched the taco project series. The bulgogi tacos will be written up later this week.

While we at foodieprints eat out once a week for the blog, we do spend time in the kitchen. In my humble opinion, it is difficult to appreciate food if you don’t cook. So, when in doubt, Jenn and I are usually messing with the pots and pans.

michaelsdolce at the Ottawa Farmers’ Market

A single taste and I immediately thought it would temper the earthy gaminess of duck, particularly seared duck breast. It is the by-product of an oriental diet growing up that I associate duck with fruit and tart flavours, sweet and sour.

That day, with two 60 mL jars in a shopping bag, I purchased a pair of skin-on Brome Lake duck breasts from the Farm Boy location in the Britannia neighbourhood (1495 Richmond Road). Farm Boy is a wonderful local grocery store chain that celebrates Canadian food.

Then, I followed a technique described by Chef John Mitzewich of vlog Food Wishes. I scored and salted the skin. I dried the duck carefully and applied generous seasoning (Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and dried sage) to the flesh exposed sides of the duck breasts. These, I placed into a large zip to bag, which I forced as much of the air out of as I could. I left the bag in the fridge for an hour.

Meanwhile, I took a heavy-bottom pot, filled it with water, and brought the temperature of the water to 140F. To maintain this temperature, I had to toggle between minimum (lowest setting on my stove-top) and slightly above minimum heat. I placed the bagged duck into the water bath for an hour, raising the heat a little at first to quickly bring the temperature back to 140F.

To finish, I seared the breasts on both sides (5 minutes on the skin side and 2 minutes on the meat side), using a cast iron skillet set to medium-heat.

Stove-top Sous-vide Duck with grilled cherry tomatoes, duck fat green beans, and f-rye bread

Sous-vide is a cooking method by which food is vacuum sealed and then heated at very specific temperatures for a period of time. This is normally accomplished with immersion circulators and vacuum bags. The thing is, the principles can be simulated with residential equipment.

The result, by gently cooking duck breasts to the temperature they should be served at, is very little moisture loss. The flesh is extremely succulent. Unfortunately, because sous-vide is essentially a wet cooking method, the breasts need to be seared afterward. For a good sear, dry the breasts and lightly salt the skin side a second time.

Duck Breast, cooking Sous Vide at 140F

Very Succulent Seared Duck Breast

We served the duck breasts, sliced and dressed in yellow plum jam. Accompanying the duck breasts were green beans (blanched and lightly fried in duck fat), duck fat grilled rye bread, and grilled cherry tomatoes. The green beans and tomatoes were purchased from Cleroux Farms at the Parkdale Farmers’ Market.

Employing Canadian ingredients, consider this tasty meal and post an addendum to our Food Day Canada one. It is Food Day Canada much more often that once a year in my household.

The red miso and maple syrup-cure isn’t new. It is something I looked into when attempting Chefs Jason Duffy and Jason Bangerter’s dish from this year’s Celebrity Chefs of Canada (CCOC) event. Chef Duffy is the executive chef behind The Lounge at Ottawa’s Arc the Hotel (140 Slater Street). Chef Bangerter is the chef behind Toronto’s Oliver and Bonacini’s Canteen and Luma restaurants. Both are situated at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Bell Lightbox (330 King Street W., Toronto) in the entertainment district.

Their dish of braised elk ribs with creamy polenta and “tasty crispy bits” was inspiring. In fact, it was so inspiring I set about trying to source either elk side or back ribs to attempt the dish at home.

After all, one of the perks of attending CCOC at the National Arts Centre (53 Elgin Street) is taking home a program that profiles the participating chefs and includes recipes for each and every dish served. Then, I remembered Duffy said he and Bangherter cleared out the entire supply at The Elk Ranch in Kanata for the event.

This year’s CCOC was quite the bit of redemption for organizing chef Michael Blackie, by the way. Not only did Blackie attract international celebrity chef Susur Lee to participate, the event’s cooking demonstrations, evening tasting reception, and post-event gala were nearly flawless, organized and well executed. The event was masterfully emceed by local radio and television hosts. Notable chefs like Lynne Crawford and Vikram Vij partnered with local chefs to serve up great food and entertainment.

As another aside, Vij served “encrusted lamb lollipops” flavoured with cumin, coriander, paprika, and tumeric at CCOC. The dish is interesting because, during the finale episode of 2012′s Top Chef Canada, which was aired this past Monday evening, he was critical about finalist Chef David Chrystian’s “deconstructed” lamb biryani dish. The dish employed the same cut of meat. Top Chef Canada’s filming wrapped during the past summer, everyone from judge to contestant made to sign confidentiality contracts.

So, back to my grill experiments and the miso cure. With no elk ribs, I opted for beef ribs, attempting the recipe with short and back ribs.

The evening I attempted my first batch, restauranteur Randy Fitzpatrick of Petit Bill’s Bistro mentioned he too was working with short ribs, so he asked for a show and tell.

Red miso and maple syrup cured short ribs, with polenta, and Jason-squared's "tasty crispy bits

For that attempt, the red wine employed in making the braising liquid was Rosehall Run Sullyzwicker Red 2010.

My second attempt was for an Ottawa food blogger get together at our wine blogger Claire’s home. That attempt was to keep a promise to Kelly Brisson of The Gouda Life, who was not able to attend the CCOC tasting reception. The red wine employed in making the braising liquid was Sandbanks Estates Shoreline Red 2010.

Now elk being gamier than beef, I decided to compensate with something umami. What resulted was a distinct beeriness that worked well with the cure’s maple sweetness.

And, this beeriness is what I wanted for two racks of pork back ribs I found in the freezer last week. I am not about to ask you to oven braise anything with the arrival of warmer weather in the nation’s capital. I am going to ask you to pull out your slow cooker, which is useful year round.

Here’s why. Authentic barbecue involves hot smoking food at 120F to 140F for a good long while. Not all of us have access to smokers. Many of us have access to gas grills. So, I propose a compromise: braise your food and finish it on the grill.

Without too much difficulty, you can get results like the following:

Miso-Cured Pork Back Ribs Finished in Fig and Blood Orange Jam

How? First defrost your racks of ribs if you did not buy them fresh. Then, remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. Ottawa’s barbecue expert Steph Legari recommends using a butter knife for this task. When I am not serving guests, I just take a paring knife and perforate the membrane well, trying not to cut into the meat. You’re better off removing the membrane.

Make the red miso cure, which consists of 2/3 cup red miso, 1/2 cup maple syrup (amber is better), and 6 tbsp of sake or dry sherry. That’s it! Coat your racks well in the cure and place them in a covered container to cure overnight.

The next day, wipe off as much of the cure as you can with a paper towel. Then, stand the racks up in the slow cooker. I leaned one rack on the other for stability.

Add 2-3 cm of non-hoppy beer to the slow cooker and set it to low. Let the racks slow cook for four hours. Tenderness takes time.

Finally, find yourself something with which to glaze the ribs. That something needs to be sweet. Barbecue sauce works in a pinch. Personally, I dislike commercial barbecue sauces, so turned once again to pilfering my better half’s stash of michaelsdolce jam, fig and blood orange to be exact. What I adore about confectioner Michael Sunderland’s jams is that they are NEVER cloyingly sweet or stupidly acidic. They taste of fruit, which is what I wanted to cut the richness of the cure.

Light your grill. Glaze your ribs and grill them on medium flame for 3-5 minutes on each side. Bring a squirt bottle or water gun with you to knock down any errant flames.

Slice and serve hot! Pair the ribs with a nice vinegary salad of peppery greens. Done!

So, while the weather is good, head out and grill something this weekend.

“Come on! When does that stupid bus arrive? They’re barely on schedule when the weather is good!” I remark, exasperated. “At least, when the farmers’ market moves to Brewer Park, we can use the O-train to get to Carleton University and just cross Bronson to get there.”

“Relax, honey, we’ll get to the market before the afternoon bell. Did you bring the cloth bags?” my better half asks, wondering if I had forgotten them again.

“Yes! You shoved them at me on the way out,” I protest, rummaging around the crumpled bags in my pouch for my smart phone. “Look! Pascale‘s tweeting she’s nearly out of her ice cream sandwiches again!”

“Do I get any this time? Last time, you bought one to share and ate most of it yourself!” Jenn chastises me as we climb onto the bus and it begins its winded meander down Bank Street.

“Uhuh…what’s on your shopping list today?” I counter, changing the subject.

“Some salsa. And lunch, which you promised to buy me!”

Looking up in mid-tweet, “Uhuh…thin crust wood-fired pizza from The Flat Bread Pizza good with you? Chili burger from Bearbrook, like Abby had during the previous Xmas Market?” I ask.

“Hmm…” she replies, considering her options.

“We out of Hall’s Apple Syrup yet?” I interject.

“No. I haven’t eaten it all…” she replies. “Are we going to Urban Craft next month? It’s the first Saturday of every month, right? Do you know if Michael or Fumie are going to be there?”

“O-M-G! There’s actually space in the revered fridge door compartment for more michaelsdolce jam?” I mock.

“Hmph! You used up most of my jar of cranberry and apricot for one of your project dishes.” she pouts.

“So, you’re going to make me replace it?” I ask.

“Yes! And stop taking my jam without asking! It’s a food group. Remember?”

Thankfully, we arrive at Lansdowne Park and proceed into the market.

Walking amongst the stalls, I stop, pick up a jar, and ask, “This good enough to replace the jar I used up?”

“No, that’s not michaelsdolce!” she whispers to me. “Are you seriously trying to pull a fast one on me?”

Replacing the jar on the display, I thank the vendor and point us to the concessions. “Lunch, then?”

Well, I kinda raided Jenn’s jam stash yesterday evening to plate some Canadian lamb.

Seared Lamb Shoulder Chops with michaelsdolce plum and star anise jam

A pair of shoulder chops were marinated overnight in leftover Sandbanks Estates Winery Shoreline Red. I then seared the chops in a cast iron pan set to medium-high heat, positioned sage leaves on both sides of the chops, and placed the pan in an oven preheated to 350F until the chops reached medium doneness. To serve, I swiped some michaelsdocle plum and star anise jam on a plate and dotted on some preserved lemon oil.

Now, I don’t know how many of you have jam debts to clear, but if you “should” need to visit twenty local producers, all gathered together in one place, consider the inaugural Spring Locavore Artisan Food Fair (LAFF) on May 12, 2012, from 10am – 4pm.

LAFF was originally conceived by Michael Sunderland of michaelsdolce, Pierre Richard of Happy Goat Coffee, Jacqueline Jolliffe of Stone Soup Foodworks, and Loreli Lees of Siren Bakery to be an annual one day event. Memorial Hall (39 Dufferin Road) in New Edinburgh will host 2012′s first, the third LAFF since 2010.

Founders Sunderland and Jolliffe will be returning. Joining them will be Pascale Berthiaume of Pascale’s Ice Cream, Mike Mackenzie of Seed to Sausage, Sue Hamer of SuzyQ Doughnuts, Mark Snyder of The Flatbread Pizza Company, and many more.

According to the media release, there will be outdoor food stations and an onsite dining area.

Admission is free.

The venue is wheelchair accessible.

A vendor list follows:

• Auntie Loo’s Treats
• Chamomile Desjardins Hot Sauces
• CHA YI Tea House
• The Flatbread Pizza Company
• Hall’s Apple Market
• Harvest Honey
• Kinburn Coffee Company
• kōkō chocolates
• Life of Pie
• Major Craig’s Chutney
• michaelsdolce Gourmet Confectionery
• Morsel Specialty Dessert Catering
• Mrs. McGarigle’s Fine Food
• Pascale’s All Natural Ice Cream
• Perogies
• Richard’s Kitchen Flavours
• The Salty Don
• Seed to Sausage
• Stone Soup Foodworks
• SuzyQ Doughnuts
• Yummy Cookies

Frequenters of both the Ottawa Farmer’s Market and Urban Craft will notice a blending of vendors from both events.

What is becoming apparent is many of them are collaborating to create delectables exclusive to the LAFF. Take, for instance, Mandi Lunan of Auntie Loo’s Treats and Pascale Berthiaume of Pascale’s Ice cream. They pooled their talents to create a vegan “ice-cream” cake, which Berthiaume and Lunan demoed for morning television host Kurt Stoodley yesterday.

Participating Richard Nigro of Richard’s Kitchen Flavour, formerly of Juniper Kitchen and Wine Bar, also demoed boar ribs on CTV Morning Live.

As per LAFF tradition, vendors will donate their products for a silent auction. Proceeds will go to the School Breakfast Program, which feeds 11,000 children in 148 Ottawa schools every day.

Care to join me Saturday May 12th at LAFF?

Even if you have no jam debts, LAFF is being held Mother’s Day weekend. With so many planning to spoil Mom with breakfast in bed, may we suggest your visiting LAFF first? Just about every vendor will offer samples of their delectables, so you can test anything you want to include with Mom’s brunch. Or, you could put together a very nice local food gift basket.

Good cause! Great food! Good gift ideas!

Particulars:
Where: Memorial Hall (39 Dufferin Road)
What: Locavore Artisan Food Fair
Date/Time: Saturday, May 12, 2012 10am – 4pm.
How Much: Free Admission

Ottawa Foodie Challenge (November 13, 2011)
Whether you are a food enthusiast or just someone who wants to learn more about Ottawa’s vibrant edible landscape, consider the 2nd Annual Ottawa Foodie Challenge (OFC) this Sunday, November 13th. The OFC starts when a set of food related clues is released. The list will be released physically at Urban Element (424 Parkdale Avenue) at 9:00 AM. It will be posted on the OFC blog at 10:00 AM. Here is last year’s official list.

OFC is a photo scavenger hunt where teams of two compete by snapping photos, based on the clues, until 6:00 PM. “Solving” a clue, which can be as simple as making a “fish”-face in front of the Whalesbone Oyster House on Bank Street, rewards the team with points. The goal is to accumulate the most points.

Photos must be uploaded to Flickr, labeled, and placed in an album. The albums must be e-mailed to Carolynn@ottawafoodiechallenge.com before 6:00 PM. Winners will be announced at 7pm, the same day, at Sidedoor Contemporary Kitchen & Bar (18 York Street).

Team registrations cost $50. All funds raised for the challenge will be donated to the Ottawa Food Bank.

What: Ottawa Foodie Challenge
Where: All Over Ottawa
Dates & Times: Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:00 AM-6:00 PM
How Much: $50 per two-person team

Aside: Last year, the foodiePrints team participated in the inaugural Ottawa Foodie Challenge as a “clue.”

Jenn and I at Bridgehead

A mo-brother team

Mo-brother team, made up of Dedicated To Deliciousness bloggers

Even a Mo-baby

First team to find us

Another team with a blogger from Dedicated To Deliciousness

We met some great Ottawa locals who told us they were having a lot of fun on the scavenger hunt. Everyone highly recommended the experience.

Ottawa Locavore Artisan Food Fair (December 10, 2011)
The holiday craft fair season is upon us. What sets an event apart? How about it being the second annual Ottawa Locavore Artisan Food Fair (LAFF), originally conceived of by Michael Sunderland of michaelsdolce, Pierre Richard of Happy Goat Coffee, Jacqueline Jolliffe of Stone Soup Foodworks, and Loreli Lees of Siren Bakery.

This year, LAFF will be held Saturday, December 10th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at the new Crichton Cultural Community Centre (39 Dufferin Road) in New Edinburgh. It is open to the public. Admission is free.

According to the media release:

A gathering of 25 of Ottawa’s celebrated food artisans will be selling their products which include cookies, pies, breads, teas, coffee, jams, chutneys, marinades, olive oils, granola, cheeses, soups, chocolates, ice creams, mustards, take home meals and gluten free baking. These items make wonderful gifts and will also reduce the stress of your holiday cooking and shopping. There will be lots of sampling of the gourmet products and the on-site café will be serving delicious soups all day long.

There will be a silent auction at the Ottawa LAFF with products donated by the vendors. Proceeds from it will go to the School Breakfast Program which feeds 11,000 children in Ottawa every day.

We wanted to support a charity that was food related and the School Breakfast Program is a perfect match for us. They are promoting healthy eating and making sure kids have energy to start their school day.

Source: Michael Sunderland, Ottawa LAFF Media Release

Returning food artisans follow:

• Art-is-in Bakery
• Auntie Loo’s
• Chamomile Desjardins Hot Sauces (table condiment at Jak’s Kitchen)
• Life of Pie
• Major Craig’s Chutney
• Manotick Village Butcher
• Rochef Chocolatier
• The Salty Don
• Stone Soup Food Works
• Tea & Ginseng
• Terra Foods
• Urban Baking Co.

New food artisans follow:

• Dolci Bake Shop
• Island Spiced Hot Sauces
• Just Wing’it
• Kawalsa (salsa)
• Mrs. McGarigle’s Fine Mustard
• Pascale’s All Natural Ice Cream
• Scratch Kitchen
• La Trappe à Fromage
• Vegetarian Treasures
• Yummy Cookies

Of course, michaelsdolce’s jams, Happy Goat’s coffee, and Siren Bakery’s granola will be available for purchase as well. Their jams, coffee, and granola make especially great gifts for the food enthusiast in your life!

What: Ottawa Locavore Artisan Food Fair
Where: Crichton Cultural Community Centre (39 Dufferin Road)
Dates & Times: December 10, 2011 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
How Much: Free Admission

Each year, Don and I ask the same question, “What shall we do with the turkey?” You see, while Don grew up eating turkey every October, it was rarely served by my family. My parents were unsure how to roast such a large bird and my siblings had had less-than-stellar experiences eating turkey at other peoples’ houses.

Five years ago, Don and I set ourselves to task: convert my family into turkey lovers. Some years, we roasted entire turkeys, complete with stuffing. Other years, we roasted the breast (bone in) and stewed the wings and drumsticks. Each year, the flavours were different, yet delectable. Though my family greatly enjoyed their meals, not everyone jumped onto the turkey wagon. Last year, we tried a new recipe with the thighs and drumsticks: turkey confit. It worked beautifully and was very well-received, so we have decided to do turkey confit again this year.

Turkey Confit with brussel sprouts, cranberry sauce, and sweet potato and lotus root chips

And, thanks to Canadian Tire, for our second mission, we were provided with a KitchenAid 18-inch Roaster with Lid. According to its specs, it can hold between 20 to 24lbs and is oven safe up to 500°F (260°C). We usually struggle to find a large enough vessel to make confit, turkey cuts being as large as they tend to be.

I really like confit. Firstly, it works just as well with goose or duck, the latter being a popular restaurant dish. Secondly, by making it at home, I can control the salt content and create my own flavours for the brine. Yes, we know confit is traditionally prepared with a dry cure. Brining creates a more succulent texture. Thirdly, this recipe must be started 2-3 days before serving. This helps eliminate some of the cooking stress by forcing me to start prep early and allows me to concentrate making side dishes on stove top.

Recipe: Turkey Confit
Serves 6-8 people

Ingredients
4-6 turkey drumsticks and thighs
4-6 cups of duck fat (keep refrigerated until needed)

Brine:
6L water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup kosher salt
7 whole star anise
10 dried red chilis
1 tbsp thyme
2 tbsp whole black peppercorns
1 3-inch stick of cinnamon

Instructions
1. In a large pot, mix all the dry ingredients into the water. Bring mixture to a boil. Let simmer for 5 minutes and then cool. If your pot cannot hold 6 litres of water, then boil 3-4 litres and dilute the mixture later with 2-3 litres of cool water.
2. Place the drumsticks and thighs in the roasting pan. When the brine has cooled completely, pour into the pan. The turkey should be fully submerged.

Turkey drumsticks and thighs in brine

3. Cover with plastic wrap (or lid) and place it in the fridge for 12 (overnight) to 24 hours.

Turkey brining in the fridge

Lidded, the roasting pan did not fit in our fridge, so we used plastic wrap.
4. Pre-heat your oven to 200°F. Liquify your duck fat in a large pot on medium-low heat. In the meantime, remove the turkey pieces and submerge them in a large container of fresh cold water for approximately an hour, refrigerated. This will help draw out some of the excess salt. However, this purging step is entirely optional as the turkey has only been in a brine for a day.
5. Lay out the turkey on a rack and, using a paper towel, pat dry each piece on both sides. Place the drumsticks and thighs into the roasting pan.

Turkey after a brief fresh water purge

6. Cover the turkey completely with the duck fat. If you don’t have enough, top it off with an inexpensive high-smoke point oil. [We had to top ours off with vegetable oil.] If you are unable to find duck fat at your local butcher shop or fine food shop, you can attempt this recipe with oil. Cover with the lid.

Turkey submerged in duck fat

7. Place in the oven for 3 hours. The relatively low temperature will gently braise the turkey.
8. After three hours, turn off the oven and leave the turkey in place to cool completely before moving it to the fridge for at least six hours, preferably overnight. This will allow the turkey to age and its flavour to develop. Again, if you cannot fit the lidded pan in the fridge, as we did, tightly seal with heavy duty aluminium foil.
9. To reheat the turkey, preheat the oven to 350°F. Cover a sheet pan (or lipped cookie sheet) with aluminium foil or parchment paper. Remove the turkey confit from the fat. Place the drumsticks and thighs onto the sheet pan. Reheat for approximately 30 mins. Afterward, broil for 5 minutes to crisp the skin.

Turkey Confit with KitchenAid Roaster

Turkey Confit: ready to serve

For side dishes, anything goes! Be creative and choose colourful dishes that represent the best of a late fall harvest. Don and I chose some lovely brussel sprouts at the local farmers market. Gently wilt some shaved brussel sprouts (3/16″) with pancetta (or thick cut bacon) and sweated chopped onions. Serve warm.

Not enough time to make mashed or baked potatoes on Thanksgiving day? How about making some sweet potato chips instead? They can be made ahead of time, baked in an oven or deep fried, and reheated the day of. For our chips, we baked 3/16″ slices of lotus root and sweet potato (both orange and white) at 350°F for a half hour.

Looking to make a quick cranberry sauce, but couldn’t find any fresh or frozen cranberries at the grocery store? We picked up a 190ml jar of michaelsdolce cranberry apricot jam. Pour the entire contents into a small pot on medium to medium-low heat. Add coconut vinegar (rice wine vinegar works too) to taste and water as needed to thin the jam. The vinegar will add some additional brightness, which will contrast the savouriness of the turkey. Whisk in 2-3 tbsp of unsalted butter to finish the sauce. This will give it a shine and help emulsify the sauce. This last step is optional.

Turkey confit with cranberry sauce and brussel sprouts with baked lotus and sweet potato chips

A Thanksgiving Feast

Hungry anyone?

Overall, this roaster is a very good pan and was perfectly suited for this recipe. I found the pan to be very sturdy and its side handles made it easy to maneuver. It also doesn’t dent easily. [When opening the box for the first time, I accidentally dropped it on my foot before it crashed onto the ceramic tile floor.] With a lid, it’s also a great cookware to use when transporting your dish from one home to another.

However there are also some drawbacks. The pan would likely be too big to fit in an apartment-sized oven or fridge. In addition, with the pan already as heavy as it is, adding several more pounds of food make carrying the roaster quite a workout. Also, as we have a very small kitchen in which cupboard space is rather limited, we will need to figure out where and how to store this pan.

Whatever you decide to do for Thanksgiving, have fun and invite your guests into the kitchen! You never know what you can learn from one another. Besides, extra hands make lifting this roaster easier!

Disclaimer: We are being compensated beyond receiving the KitchenAid 18-inch Roaster with Lid for participating in this mission for the Canadian Tire Kitchen Crew. The experiences and opinions are our own.

This Kitchen Crew series highlights [our] stories, recipes & tips with promotional consideration made possible by Canadian Tire. If you want to uncover your kitchen’s true potential, stay tuned to the Kitchen Crew for [our] weekly missions.

In a tweeted response to our Serious Grilled Cheese post, someone wondered aloud how we could visit Serious Cheese (1189 Bank Street), talk about its grilled cheese, and not mention its mac ‘n cheese. The reason has to do with this post.

During February, we followed a path left by michaelsdolce jam to mac ‘n cheese. Essentially, when the Ottawa Citizen’s Arts & Entertainment Editor, Peter Simpson, released his round up of Ottawa’s mac ‘n cheese, we were taken aback by how many local establishments he visited also retailed Chef/owner Michael Sunderland’s jams.

michaelsdolce Jams at Life of Pie

We cross-referenced Simpson’s chosen mac ‘n cheese purveyors with the michealsdolce website, and went to try various takes on mac ‘n cheese.

Incidentally, Simpson’s piece would lead to Thyme & Again, re-formulating their take. The general public would be invited to provide input. Their new and improved mac & cheese is on our to try list.

Thyme & Again’s chef Guillermo Muñoz, would state

…mac ‘n cheese, being a simple dish…must be made with quality ingredients, respecting the cooking method of pasta, and creating a great Mornay sauce…

Source: Thyme & Again’s website

Later, we would learn Chef Muñoz described one of two types of mac ‘n cheese we encountered on our tasting. The latter, I would learn to make from the pages of Chefs/bloggers Aki Kamozawa and H. Alexander Talbot’s Ideas in Food book. But, more on that later.

The Piggy Market
First up, I visited Chef/Co-owner Dave Neil of The Piggy Market (393 Richmond Road), self-dubbed “Ottawa’s Premiere Local and Artisan Delicatessen.” There, Dave (he gives me a dirty look every time I call him Chef) explained to me the ecosystem he created during the colder months for cheese. Like other cheese retailers, he has leftover pieces when he portions out rounds for resale. Instead of letting them go to waste, he made mac ‘n cheese. In fact, Dave tries to include a little blue in every batch of mac ‘n cheese he makes.

You will find portions, costing $8.50 each, in the refrigerated display case. One can easily feed 2 people!

The Piggy Market’s mac ‘n cheese

Unwrapped

Please take note The Piggy Market only stocks local artisan cheese from some recognizable cheese-making names, including Glengarry Fine Cheeses, Canreg Station Farm and Pasture Dairy , and La Fromagerie les Folies Bergères. Dave’s cheeses are indeed quality ingredients.

Re-heated

Going back to what Chef Muñoz said about mac ‘n cheese, I could discern no Mornay sauce in The Piggy Market mac ‘n cheese. Mornay sauce is made by carefully integrating grated cheese with classical French mother sauce béchamel (seasoned milk, thickened with a butter/flour roux). Mornay is popular in mac ‘n cheese recipes because the starch thickened béchamel helps to stabilize the cheese mixture, protecting the cheese from splitting. The béchamel, however, can dilute the flavour imparted by the cheese.

Conversely, The Piggy Market’s mac ‘n cheese was very strongly cheesy and savoury. I was given strict instructions to re-heat my purchased portion in an oven, slowly at 200F. Then, broil the top. This way, the cheese won’t further cook and split, making the mac ‘n cheese seem greasy.

Topped with a finely ground cracker crumb and its small pasta shells just slightly past al dente (even after re-heating), Piggy Market’s mac n’ cheese was a revelation for me.

Life of Pie
When Jenn and I visited Life of Pie (1095 Bank Street), we came across a mac ‘n cheese that was more traditional to us. It employed a Mornay sauce.

Life of Pie’s mac ‘n cheese

The elbow macaroni noodles were weighed down by a starchy and cheesy sauce that helped hold the mac ‘n cheese together.

This take was made with an aged cheddar and mozzarella. It was also topped with an herbed bread crumb.

The elbow macaroni was very soft (over cooked), but, with mac ‘n cheese pasta typically double cooked (pre-boiled and then baked), it is rare to come across pasta more toothsome. Besides, who can turn down a generous eat-in or take-out lunch of scratch mac & cheese or smoked bacon & chipotle chili with a scone for a measly $5?

Sign

That Day’s Bacon and Chive Scone

These lunch specials change daily, Life of Pie announcing their specials via their twitter account, @lifeofpieottawa.

Incidentally, Life of Pie originally started life as an online order service for baked goods. Now an established brick and mortar bakery, it sells cookies, cupcakes, breads, sweet and savoury pies, and cakes to a loyal customer-base that streamed through the door the lunch hour we visited.

Bakery Interior

Cupcakes

Freezer Case

Serious Cheese
Serious cheese is the sister store to Grace In The Kitchen (1165 Bank Street) and is a tremendous cheese shop.

Serious Cheese

On its Cafe Menu, you will find two things, Grilled Sandwiches (Grilled Cheese, Ham & Cheese, Turkey & Cheese) and mac ‘n cheese.

Cafe Menu

During our visit we had the “Serious” mac ‘n cheese, made with Perron cheddar, Thunder Oak gouda, elicoidali pasta (similar to rigatoni), and “spices.”

Unfortunately, we visited a little past 1:00 pm on a Saturday, so owner Jamie Nadon served up a generous portion of what remained of his day’s batch. Even well-packed into an 8 oz container for $4.99 (12 oz will run you $6.99), it was obvious Nadon was serving up something special here.

8 oz Container of mac ‘n cheese

Like Life of Pie’s mac ‘n cheese, the pasta was a little overcooked, but the mixture of cheeses was wonderful, savoury, sharp, and delicious. The gouda’s nuttiness seems to be key. If this mac ‘n cheese were made with a Mornay Sauce, it was a thin one.

I am eager to try Serious Cheese’s “Mariachi” mac ‘n cheese, made with peppers, cauliflower, onions, jalapenos, corn, elicoidali pasta, and, of course, a carefully chosen blend of cheeses.

While we are not entirely sure how Serious Cheese’s mac ‘n cheese is made, I did ask Nadon about what cheeses would work best if I were to attempt a take without a Mornay sauce. Nadon’s response, raclette, which happened to be on special that afternoon.

Raclette

Why? Raclette is a nutty cheese, prized for its melting characteristic. It melts at a variety of temperatures but does not readily split, primarily because it is not a comparatively oily cheese.

mac ‘n cheese Experiment
Having tried and enjoyed a Mornay-less mac ‘n cheese, I decided to look for a recipe and attempt it. I found one in the “Ideas in Dairy” chapter of Ideas in Food. That is, after reading the chapter on hydro-colloids. In case you are wondering, starch is a hydro-colloid, the most prevalent one in home kitchens. And yes, this means I read the final chapter of Chefs Kamozawa and Talbot’s book first.

Now, I’m not about to copy out the recipe verbatim into a blog post as we modified it very slightly. I recommend picking up a copy of the book, turning to page 172, and following along.

On a side note, if you ever want to learn something about pasta and find yourself amidst Italian cooks, ask, “Pasta? What does it matter what kind you use?” Then, mention you don’t understand farfalle, the bow-tie pasta shape that is fun to eat, but near impossible to cook al dente properly because of the “knot.” After you get past the glares, you will learn lots about pasta.

Because I know the pasta in a mac ‘n cheese will likely cook beyond al dente, I banked on the textural contrast farfalle would give me. The knot would stay al dente, even as the bows go beyond. It worked.

Farfalle

Step 1: Soak 454 g (1 lb) of dry pasta for an hour in however much cold water it takes to cover by about an inch.

Step 2: Drain the pasta and set it aside.

Soaked Pasta

The soaking hydrates the pasta, not unlike what boiling does. You will notice the pasta is nowhere near “cooked”, but no longer hard or dry.

Step 3: Grate a little under 550 g of refrigerated cheese. Cold cheese generally grates easiest. Set the grated cheese aside.

Cheese

Grated

Step 4: Grate approx 50 g of Parmigiano-Reggiano and mix it with an equal mass of panko bread crumbs. Set the crumb mixture aside.

Step 5: Butter a 3 qt baking dish, set it aside, and set your oven to broil at 300F.

Step 6: Take a heavy bottomed 3 qt pot and melt together 1/2 cup of butter, 12 oz evaporated milk, a pinch of salt, and 2 pinches of cayenne pepper over medium heat.

Step 7: When the mixture steams, but does not boil, slowly add in fistfuls of cheese, whisking and making sure everything melts before adding the next fistful. Keep the heat at medium. You will need the heat to help melt the cheese.

Step 8: Lower the heat a couple notches below medium. Add the now room temperature pasta. Essentially, the pasta will finish cooking in the liquid, contributing some starch and absorbing the sauce. The mixture will thicken.

Cheese and pasta mixture

Step 9: Pour the cheese and pasta mixture into the buttered baking dish and cover with the crumb mixture.

Step 10: Drizzle the top of the crumb mixture with some olive oil and place the baking dish (or dishes) in the oven.

Ready to Bake

We don’t have a baking dish large enough to contain the entire cheese and pasta mixture, so we had to use two.

Step 11: Broil for 5 minutes at 300F

Step 12: Raise the temperature to 450F and broil for another 5 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.

Done

Step 13: Let cool for 5 minutes.

Step 14: Slice and serve warm

Served

Using evaporated milk (milk reduced by 60% water content) and leveraging starch from the pasta to create a base to add cheese to was a departure from making a Mornay sauce. The completed dish was distinctly cheesy. The farfalle was cooked through, a little past al dente, but had a nice chew. The crust crisped up nicely. All-in-all, it was a good take we will make again.

All this to say, you can’t really compare the various takes of mac ‘n cheese available in Ottawa against one another. If you feel like a very cheesy mac ‘n cheese, visit the Piggy Market. If you want a mac ‘n cheese the way your mom or grandma made it, visit Life of Pie. If you want something in between, visit Serious Cheese.

Alternatively, you could attempt a non-Mornay recipe. The look on my better half’s face when she found the bowl of pasta soaking was priceless.

Particulars:
The Piggy Market
400 Winston Avenue
(613)371-6124

Life of Pie
1095 Bank Street
(613) 693-1853

Serious Cheese
1189 Bank Street
(613)422-6090

Twestival (or Twitter-Festival) is a one-day global movement using the power of social media to organize communities to support a local cause. Since 2009, over 200 cities (from Buenos Aires to Bangalore, Seattle to Seoul) have participated, raising close to $1.2 million. Local events are organized 100% by volunteers and 100% of the funds raised through ticket sales and donations go directly to a local charity.

Twestival Ottawa (@TwestivalOTT) will be held on March 24, 2011 from 7:00pm to 10:00pm at Daly’s at The Westin Hotel (11 Colonel By Drive). This year, funds are being raised for The Royal Foundation for Mental Health (formerly The Royal Ottawa Hospital) and their efforts to launch specialized Women’s and Cultural Health programs.

The first batch of tickets for Twestival cost $25 and went on sale this past Friday. Successive batches will cost $5 more. Click here to buy one. Get in early!

Those who have purchased tickets already or visited the Amiando-powered site, may notice there are numerous other Twestival events listed, all scheduled for March 24th: Cornwall, Exeter, Plymouth, Suffolk, Honolulu, Detroit, Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Houston, San Francisco, Edmonton, Toronto, and Montreal.

The foodiePrints team is involved in Twestival Ottawa, our having been called to action by one of the event organizers Paola St-Georges (@cestboncooking) of C’est Bon Cooking. Together with Stéphanie Montreuil (@fleur_de_lotus), Brian Alkerton (@brianalkerton), Bianca Spence (@biancaspence, Kelly Rusk (@krusk), Stacey Diffin-Lafleur (@TheStacey), and Kirsten (@kirstenduke) and Aaron Duke (@AaronDuke33), the organizing committee is assembling what will be quite the “meet and tweet” evening. There will be a raffle, a silent auction, a live auction, “Twitter 101″ sessions, and professional Twitter avatar photo shoots. Twestival Ottawa will not be your ordinary Tweet-up…

Twestival Ottawa’s auctioneer will be none other than radio personality Stuntman Stu (@stuntmanstu). Its Master of Ceremonies (MC) will be Ian Capstick (@iancapstick). Both are popular Twitter-personalities.

On our end, besides contacting a number of local businesses to encourage them to contribute to Twestival, we are putting together a luxury gift basket, containing locavore products for auction. The idea: attendees will be bidding for an all encompassing “kit” to have a picnic.

Here is what the basket looks like to date:

Artisan Jams

These were donated by the good people at michaelsdolce (@michaelsdolce)
[Loyal readers will recognize michaelsdolce as our editor Jenn's favourite brand of jam.]
Value: $30

Artisan Granola

The granolas were donated by Loreli Lees of Siren Bakery (@SIRENBAKERY)
[I eat Siren Bakery granola just about every weekday morning with yogurt!]
Value: $30

31 Piece Picnic Backpack

This item is being donated by us. The backpack was purchased at Stokes.
Value: $40

Gift Certificate to Credible Edibles

This gift certificate to Credible Edibles (78 Hinton Avenue North) was donated by Chef/owner Judi Varga-Toth (@creded).
[We are big fans of Chef Varga-Toth and Credible Edibles.]
Value: $25

Gift Certificate to Koko Chocolates

This gift certificate to Koko Chocolates was donated by owner/chocolatier Jennifer Winter (@kokochocolates).
Value: $30

Chateau des Charmes Brut

Rose Vaughan (@ottambassador) of Total Synergy Marketing has sponsored a bottle of Chateau des Charmes Brut.
Value: $23

Gift Certificate to Art-Is-In Bakery

These gift certificates to Art-Is-In Bakery (250 City Centre Avenue) were donated by Co-owner Stephanie Monnin. The $15 gift certificate will be included in the basket. The $25 certificate will be raffled off.
Value: $15

The good people at Jacobsons: Gourmet Ottawa Food (141 Beechwood Ave) have committed to donating a gift certificate to their fine food store. Their cheese wall is quite the sight!
Value: $50

We are presently looking for sponsorship of chocolate, a bottle of wine, and gift certificates for bread and cheese for the basket. Tweet us at @foodieprints or e-mail us at blog@foodieprints.com.

The organizing committee is also looking for additional sponsors as well. Sponsors will benefit from the high level of exposure to event attendees. There will be media coverage, and of course, live tweeting. The organizing committee alone has a potential Twitter reach of 10,000 people.

Already, the Ottawa Senators have donated a signed player jersey and 100-level tickets for the live auction (Value: $450). Several fine dining restaurants have expressed interest in donating gift certificates. Local caterer Essence Catering (430 Parkdale Avenue) has donated a catered luncheon for 8 to auction off.

What: Twestival
Where: Daly’s at The Westin Hotel (11 Colonel By Drive)
Date: March 24, 2011
Time: 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Price: $25 pp

Follow @TwestivalOTT to keep up-to-date.

Do you have your tickets yet?

Aside: The “Big Cheese” at Serious Cheese (1189 Bank Street), Jamie Nadon, recently came up with cheese pairings for michaelsdolce’s jams. They follow:

1. Apple & Cinnamon jam + Comte 18 Month = A Serious toasted sandwich!
2. Blueberry & Lavender jam + Bleu Elizabeth = A creamy punch with lavender gloves – TKO!
3. Cranberry & Apricot jam + Hercule de Charlevoix = Sweet & Subtle – Perfect afternoon snack!
4. Fig & Blood Orange jam + Cape Vessey Extreme = X-treme sports for your taste buds!
5. Kiwi & Lime jam + Beaufor = It's fantastic!
6. Lemon & Rosemary jam + St. Agur = It's like a little taste of spring – Your mouth will thank you.
7. Mango & Ginger jam + Pecorino Semistag Pepato = Michael was in for this one "Amazing!"
8. Orange & Ginger jam + 8 yr Le Silo Cheddar = Instant marriage!
9. Papaya & Pink Grapefruit jam + Niagra Gold = Grilled on a crostini – It's a new addiction!
10. Peach & Cardamon jam + Avonlea Cheddar = Sweet & Spice meets something Creamy & Nice!
11. Pear & Vanila jam + Ossau Iraty = "It changed my life!" – Quote from Emma, Serious Cheesemonger.
12. Raspberry & Orange jam + Rose Haus with Beau's beer wash = "Beaus-rose-a-licious"!
13. Spiced Cherry Jam + Blue Benedictin = If you want to get crazy, topped on ice cream!
14. Strawberry & Balsamic jam + St. Paulin = A dessert that will make you skip dinner – It's that good!

Source: micahelsdolce’s Facebook Page

Now, if only someone would come up with wine pairings?
[Or bread pairings for that matter...I know of two artisan bread bakers who will give you bread pairing advice.]

Something like pairing the Cape Vessey Extreme and Fig & Blood Orange jam with

• Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes: perfect
• Chateau Raymond Lafon: Less costly
• Any Sauternes

[Yes, our lovely wine blogger Claire volunteered to come up with pairings for the rest as well!]

Tourtière apparently has two definitions: a meat pie (traditionally made of seasoned minced pork or beef and served by French Canadians at Christmas) and a baking tin used for making pies or tarts. As a dish, it varies geographically in Quebec. There are no steadfast rules to making tourtière. Variations can include root vegetables, lamb, veal, or even seafood. I have come across a tourtière that is more of a ragu, topped with piped potato.

Last week, I asked Twitter for what people recommend accompany the more recognized form of tourtière, minced meat with a starch component (potato, oats, or breadcrumbs) in a savory pie pastry.

The response was tremendous. Tourtière is a very loved dish that is eaten with all manner of accompaniments, all meant to provide contrasting flavours (usually bright ones) and textures:

@runsonsugar (Dec 07, 01:03 PM)
@foodiePrints ketchup and french fries or steamed veggies!

@Stacerella (Dec 07, 01:04 PM)
@foodiePrints My mum’s bf from yrs ago used to serve it with a bit of tomato sauce on side as a dip. That’s it, that’s all. Nothing fancy.

@Ivyknight (Dec 07, 01:04 PM)
@foodieprints ketchup & pickled beets

@SimplyFresh (Dec 07, 01:04 PM)
@foodiePrints Gotta have ketchup! But hoping one day to have one so amazing it doesn’t need it.

@Cestboncooking (Dec 07, 01:16 PM)
@michaelsdolce Between you and me, I somehow see the spiced cherry working with meat pie. Don’t tell @foodiePrints I said so though!

@PrincessDoubt (Dec 07, 01:16 PM)
@foodiePrints tortiere deserves a really thick and delicious (preferably homemade) chili sauce. Mmmmmmm.

@jpblogger (Dec 07, 01:16 PM)
@foodiePrints There’s a place for commercial catsup. Homemade better. Seasonal cranberry sauce or coulis is nice – always pickle

@Splendid_Events (Dec 07, 02:09 PM)
DH makes ketchup from scratch: 3 recipes so far w/less salt & sugar! @Cestboncooking @foodieprints Definitely homemade or homestyle ketchup

@LabradorGem (Dec 07, 03:40 PM)
@foodiePrints Gravy is awesome too!

@tgrevatt (Dec 07, 05:17 PM)
@foodiePrints I enjoy coleslaw w tortiere, or braised red cabbage, or savoy cabbage sauteed in worcester sauce + garlic

@gadgetgirl_ca (Dec 07, 05:34 PM)
@foodiePrints I suggest a nice, dry rosé. It would pair with the tourtière & the beets, cabbage, pickles, chutney etc

My favourite suggestion, something we have taken note of for when ground cherries are in season again:

@songberryfarm (Dec 07, 08:03 PM)
@foodiePrints nothing beats homemade ground cherry sauce with tourtiere!

Our wine blogger Claire (@gadgetgirl_ca) would get back to use with another suggestion:

@gadgetgirl_ca (Dec 12, 08:23 PM) @foodiePrints @michaelsdolce @cestboncooking @chezedgar Try Jamaican spicy love apple sauce with tourtière. Fab. (and a Pinot noir or Syrah)

With so many great suggestions, I decided to try out some of the accompaniments with tourtière this past weekend. We sourced ours from Edgar (60 rue Bégin, Hull), a little cafe Jenn and I visited for lovely Sunday brunch. Made by the caring hands of owner/proprietor Marysol Foucault (@chezedgar), the tourtière was topped with piped potato. Its filling was tasty, well seasoned, and seemed spiced with cumin. The filling’s texture was loose. Its pastry was flavourful.

It came pre-baked and frozen (cost: $9.95).

Frozen

We re-heated it in a 350F oven for 40 minutes.

Re-heated

We tried Edgar’s tourtière with a locally-made artisanal jam (michaelsdolce’s craberry and apricot) and hot sauce (Redhead Pantry’s XX Hot Sauce).

Jam and Hot Sauce

I tried Edgar’s tourtière with sriracha…

Sriracha

Jenn’s favourite accompaniment for the Edgar tourtière was ketchup.

I think a sweetened sriracha gel, akin to something I encountered at Courtyard Restaurant (21 George Street) would be my choice.

However, more testing is definitely in order

Particulars:
Edgar
60 rue Bégin (off of Alexandre-Taché), Gatineau
(819)205-1110
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays