Scrumptiously Fit Food

Food Blogger Bake Sale at Casel Marche

2012-02-10T09:02:00.000-08:00

It’s that time of the year again, time for the second annual Food Blogger Bake Sale! Once again Calgary food bloggers are coming together to organize a bake sale that’s benefiting the Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids Society. We have even more bloggers joining in on the fun this year, meaning more selection, quantity and hopefully even more money donated to charity.
The Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids Society is a program dedicated to providing healthy and nutritious lunches for Calgary’s youth who would otherwise have no access to food. Their lunch program started in 1990 and is going strong today serving close to 30,000 children in over 60 communities. Each day they provide over 1,500 lunches to 60 schools within the Calgary area free of charge to the kids. The program is completely ran by volunteers and supporters, so please drop by the bake sale this weekend and help their cause.

This year the Food Blogger Bake Sale will be held at Casel Marche located in the new building on 17th Ave and 24th Street SW, who has graciously offered up their space for the endeavor. The sale will run on both Saturday Feb 10th and Sunday Feb 11th from 10 am – 5:30 pm. So please stop by pick up a couple goodies (perfect for Valentine’s day!) and say hi!

For more information check out the Facebook link here!

Casel Marche
2503 – 17th Avenue SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 770-4700
Website: http://www.caselmarche.com/

Celebrating Apple Month with an Apple Fennel Salad

2012-02-06T11:05:00.001-08:00

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a BC Tree Fruits hosted event celebrating Apple Month! The event was held at Home Tasting Room on Stephen Avenue downtown and featured many specially prepared dished by Chef Rogers. Some dishes we got to sample include an apple and cheddar tart, duck confit and apple pastry, apple and feta salad, not to mention the tasty drinks served as well. The crowd favourite was definitely the pork belly overtop apple puree with a light apple foam. I enjoyed washing mine down with the apple juice and hennessy cocktail.

Aside from the great food and company, I found it the perfect opportunity for me to learn more about the apple and their operations. BC Tree Fruits is a Canadian based company locally sourcing their apples (and other fruits such as cherries, plums, etc) from the Okanagan Valley. They represent over 800 local BC farmers who produces up to 4 million carts of apples a year, which allows them to limit their environmental footprint and by purchasing their products, so can you.

During the evening, a local BC farmer also spoke about her passion about apples and how it relates to healthy eating and sustainability. All of which I found very inspiring. What better wisdom to pass down then living a better healthier lifestyle and enjoy eating wholesome natural foods? I found it motivating and wanted to celebrate this great month by creating a fresh and healthy recipe which highlights the apple in all its glory. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Apple Fennel and Arugula Salad with Apple Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
1 fuji apple, cored and cut in to matchsticks
1 fennel bulb, cored and cut finely
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
Arugula
Pecans
Dried cranberries

Preparation:
In a small bowl, combine the apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Stir until the honey is fully dissolved. Add in the olive oil if using. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add in the apple, fennel, and onion. Pour in the apple cider dressing.

Toss until all the ingredients are coated with the vinaigrette.

To serve, place a bed of arugula on a plate, top with the apple and fennel slaw. Add pecans and cranberries over top. You can also add a bit of the fennel fronds on top.

Enjoy!

Serves 4

Restaurant Review: Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria

2012-02-01T11:24:00.000-08:00

Just over this past weekend I went on my first winery tour through Southern California (closer to Santa Barbara in the Santa Ynes Valley). Most of the wine produced there aren’t exported and kept pretty local, so I felt privileged to be able to taste the different varietals grown there, mainly Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. I remember thinking during lunch that I would very much enjoy a pizza to go with my pinot as opposed to the bread and cheese we were served. Now that I’m back in town I can definitely use some thin crust pizza and seeing as it’s Wednesday, what better time then to head over to Famoso. Where they feature specific wines each Wednesday and if you ask nicely, you can even taste them as if you were taking a mini wine tour of your own.

Atmosphere: Casual, laid back surroundings where you place your orders up front then sit back and enjoy the view of Calgary’s 4th street.

Food and Wine: It’s a different and interesting concept at Famoso, reminiscent of a coffee shop. Where you order at the front, take a seat and then your food gets served. It works well for those who are familiar with the menu and know what they want. However, if you’re unfamiliar with the menu feel free to take a seat first before deciding. We were the latter.

After being seated, we were treated to a sample of the wine features that day (coincidentally it was a Wednesday). The server also notified us that with any bottle of wine we also got a free appetizer that evening. We chose the Bruschetta which came with a side of grilled pita. There was quite a bit more tomato than onion, but the dish was very light, I really enjoyed the chewy pitas that the dish was served with.

We decided on two pizzas that evening, one red (tomato) sauce based and one white. The Cappricciosa which came with Italian ham, mushrooms, artichoke hearts and olives was on the lighter end. The artichokes and olives adding that extra bit of tanginess, cutting through the olive oil and cheese, but we did find it a little under seasoned. The Proscuitto Arugula pizza came with a white sauce made from olive oil, oregano and garlic. It was topped with pecorino romano cheese and of course proscuitto and arugula. Both my husband and I preferred this one over the first because we’re garlic lovers and this pizza definitely had a good amount of it! I enjoyed the chewy crust and how thin the pizza was and am looking forward to trying another white sauced pizza.

To end the evening we had to order the Dolce and Banana. Nothing beats caramelized bananas with brown sugar and more caramel with vanilla bean gelato. Vanilla and bananas go together like peas and carrots. The caramel sauce was light and not overly sugary. The bananas were soft with a nice bruleed topping. Great way to end the meal!

The featured red wine that evening was the Seven Terraces Pinot Noir from New Zealand. It was a lightly acidic red, with minor touches of oak and berry notes. The wine was a bit tart with a mild finish. It was a nice complement to the white pizza without overwhelming the taste of the pie.

My Picks: Proscuitto Arugula Pizza, Dolce and Banana

Overall: With the lack of vineyards in and around the Calgary area, the next best thing we can do is aim for wine tasting at a wine store or restaurant. I prefer the latter since nothing truly brings out the greatest in the wine then accompanying it with some great food and vice versa. While on that note, what brings out wine better than food that it was made to go with from the lands of Italy? Famoso is a great place to enjoy both in a more relaxed laid back sort of way.

Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria
105 2303 4th Street SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 455-3839
Website: http://www.famoso.ca/

Hong Kong - A Foodie's Paradise

2012-01-26T10:39:00.001-08:00

With it being Chinese New Year right now, it has really got me thinking about our last Asia trip, especially all the delicious food that we found in and around Hong Kong! Crispy BBQ pork, roasted goose, stinky tofu! Although some might not see those as delicacies, no worries, there are a plethora of different cuisines and dishes offered. Ranging from street food for the adventurous ones to upscale Michelin star restaurants serving Italian and other foreign fair. I can only imagine what the foodie adventures would be like during Chinese New Year since I’ve never been during this time.

I can’t even being to imagine what it must be like in Hong Kong during the Lunar New Year aka Chinese New Year. The busting night markets must be even busier, the food must be even tastier and the lights are probably brighter everywhere you go!

Thinking back there were definitely some must sees. Avenue of the stars was one of those destinations because of its location and the amazing view it provides of Hong Kong Island. Located along the southern end of Tsim Sha Tsui on Kowloon Island. The promenade highlights all the Hong Kong stars and their achievements in arts and film (iron Bruce Lee statue also located here). At 8pm nightly there is also a light show display.

Since you’re already on Kowloon Island, don’t forget to check out Mong Kok, where you can find many different eateries selling the famous BBQ pork, duck, cha siu and other amazing Chinese rotisserie goodies. Mong Kok is also where the Ladies Street night market is located. There you can find a variety of items sold at very low prices. Remember to haggle because that is really part of the fun! The store keepers already know who the tourists are, so make sure not to start your pricing too high.

If you continue south of Mong Kok you’ll hit Temple Street, another night market area where they will tell your fortune. There are also a lot of eateries along the sides of the street and you can truly experience outdoor street dining. Remember to bring lots of tissues because these eateries do not provide tissue paper, but you can buy some for a small charge.

When dining in Hong Kong, you can’t miss the dim sum and bakeries! A must during the day or as a mid afternoon snack. People enjoy going to dim sum restaurants in the early afternoon and just sit with a pot of tea (yum cha) while enjoying small dim sum (meaning touch of heart) aka small dishes. Going with a larger group of people will allow you to try a variety of different foods. It’s like Chinese tapas for brunch!

The thing I miss most about Hong Kong is their bakeries. All the different selection of goodies, sweet and savory buns! My favourite remains the Bo Lo Bao with taro stuffed in the middle. I was also able to find green bean stuffed Bo Lo Baos (straight translation meaning pineapple buns because of the way it looks, no pineapples are actually used to make the bun).

If you get a chance to wonder over to Hong Kong Island, you must check out The Peak. The view up at the peak is one of the best in Hong Kong. There is also an attached shopping mall and many places to eat. A common trend throughout Asia, you won’t ever go hungry because no matter where you are..there is a restaurant or eatery. We had the opportunity to eat at The Pearl Restaurant overlooking the amazing view. We ordered the seafood platter, which was more than enough to fill us up, but we couldn’t stop there. Other dishes we tasted included the warm mushroom salad, seared scallops and amazing desserts (molten chocolate lava cake and bread pudding). I still remember the meal today.

I’m really curious how a city that’s so bustling and lively can get even more so, but there really is no other holiday in the Chinese culture that’s bigger than the Lunar New Year. I can only imagine what the night markets would be like. How the temples must be overflowing with people (Wong Tai Sin Temple is a must see as well!) and how the food must be even more bountiful! I guess the only way to really find out is to experience it myself one day….whenever that day is!

Prosperity Cakes for Chinese New Year

2012-01-24T06:25:00.000-08:00

I remember being a kid and going back to school in January. All the kids at school would be extremely miserable because all the Christmas festivities for the season were over. No more Santa, presents or goodies, at least not for another year. I on the other hand couldn’t wait for January because I knew Chinese New Year was always just around the corner (and my birthday)! This meant even more food, goodies and better yet, money. All of it very much a part of growing up in a Chinese family, especially mine since my parents are very very traditional.

My parents celebrate Chinese New Year for the full 15 days. Cooking a myriad of different dishes daily, they’re still trying to explain to me all the different meanings behind each dish. I only hope that I will one day be able to remember them all, let alone learn how to cook each one. I truly admire my parent’s ability to hold on to their traditions all these years and I would love to pass that along to my children (when we get around to that).

Since I enjoy each dish, it’s always been extremely tough for me to pick a specific one to highlight on my blog. I decided on the Prosperity Cake (aka Fat Go) essentially meaning rich and prosperous in Chinese. I chose this recipe because it was something I really enjoyed as a kid, when my parents used to make them, but then they stopped for a while because the temperatures and flour found here just didn’t produce the same quality cake that they were used to.

As for me, I thought they were delicious none the less. So I was pretty sad when they decided to stop making them. It wasn’t until a couple years ago that the Asian supermarkets around town started to carry them. My parents started buying them again and I started eating them every chance I got. Although I still don’t find that they taste the same as my parents. Now that I’m older and have really discovered the joys of cooking and baking just like my parents do. I decided it would be a neat idea to make these cakes and in turn give them to my parents for Chinese New Years.

Below is a modified version of the recipe I found online.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did growing up and that they bring you true prosperity! Happy Chinese New Year, Sun Neen Fai Lok and I hope everybody has a great year of the Dragon!

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 1/2 block Chinese brown sugar (or 1/2 cup golden brown sugar)
1 cup rice flour (or self rising cake flour)
1 tsp baking powder

Preparation:
Line 6-12 ramekins with cupcake liners, depending on the size of the ramekins.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, dissolve the brown sugar in the water (if using Chinese brown sugar, you’ll need to use hot water or heat up the mixture until all the sugar dissolves).

In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking soda.

Slowly stir the flour mixture in to the sugar mixture until combined.

Divide up the batter evenly amongst all the ramekins.

Steam for 15-20 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Variation:
You could use 1/4 cup coconut milk and 3/4 cup water to add additional coconut flavour to the cake. I prefer the traditional one, but it never hurts to experiment.

Enjoy!

Restaurant Review: Charpop

2012-01-18T09:12:00.000-08:00

Every year it gets harder and harder to decide on a birthday surprise for my husband. I realized that eventually I’m going to run out of ideas. But this year I was extremely lucky (and inspired) to have happened upon the “pop up” restaurant concept within Calgary. What better way to surprise someone with something that I don’t even know anything about! Can’t really let anything out of the bag that way! So when I heard about the collaboration of John Jackson, Connie DeSousa (Charcut), Aviv Fried (Sidewalk Citizen Bakery) and Toronto Chef Grant Van Gameren (Black Hoof, Enoteca) were getting together for a 3 day only exclusive dining event. I pretty much stayed computer side waiting in anticipation for the resos to kick off.

Atmosphere: A tight knit relaxed space with a contemporary cool flare, especially since it was set up to be torn down in 3 days.

Price Range: Mid $10s - $30+

Food and Wine: Normally I enjoy googling up the menu before we head to a restaurant but since this was all part of the experience of a pop up restaurant (unknown location, unknown menu) it was really neat being surprised. The menu was grouped in to four different categories, small plates, large plates, sides and dessert. It was definitely not for the faint of heart (quite literally), since most of the menu contained offal (the yummy insides of different animals) ingredients.

We started with a couple of the small plates and ordered the The Original Tongue on Brioche and the Smoked Veal Sweetbreads. The texture of the tongue was very different from what I have had before and this could be due to the way it was presented, shaved very thinly. When I look at the sandwich it reminded me more of pastrami or corned beef, rather than tongue. It tasted very similar as well, except the meat was very tender, not dry at all. The accompaniments of the mayo and grainy mustard definitely raised it to a whole other level.

The sweetbreads were served in a creamy white bean and escarole sauce. I didn’t really see much of the pig skin and maybe that was what was missing in this dish. The sweetbreads were soft and creamy, went well with the rich sauce but it was missing a textural contrast. Both my husband and I could taste the smokiness of the sweetbread, which lingered at the end of the dish. It was different, I enjoyed it.

From the large plates, we decided on the Beef Heart Steak and Beef Cheeks. The heart was served overtop a chewy bannock bread, with lots of arugula and shaved ricotta. The lightness of the cheese and peppery arugula was a perfect pairing for the vinegary beef hearts. However since I love the normal taste of offal, I felt the vinegar removed a bit of the heart taste for me. My husband liked it the way it was cooked, but then again, cooking offal is extremely subjective. None the less, we ate it all up and I’m still wishing we had more.

The beef cheeks were extremely tender after many hours of braising I’m sure. Served with fall apart squash and carrots, it was a perfect stew style dish for the cold evening. My husband really liked the savory goat cheese scone, which he used to sop up a lot of the sauce. At the same time our side of Hot Vinegar Beets were served. They were sweet, with a slight tang of orange and a hint of thyme. The beets were a nice light side to the meal we were having.

At the end of our meal, I could barely wait to order dessert (which I’ve been thinking about this whole time after seeing what they were). We had to try one of each, since we didn’t get to try one of everything else on the menu (wish we had a larger group to share everything!). The Cast Iron Baked Cinnamon Bun came with a Spiced Rum and Raisin Gelato. It was a very generous size and I couldn’t be happier! The cast iron really kept the cinnamon bun warm to the last bite. It was chewy, sugary, spicy, everything a cinnamon bun should be and more! The gelato added a nice cooling break to the decadent sweetness. If Sidewalk Citizen Bakery makes these, I’m going to be back real soon.

It was nice ordering the Lavender and Lemon Poached Pears Galette because it contrasted well against the sugary cinnamon bun. The galette is served cold with a dark Valrhona Chocolate sauce. The mild lavender cream brought out the lemon in the poached pears. The chocolate was an added delight, nice and thick. It was a great with the Caffe Umbria coffee!

We couldn’t not have wine for the evening and the wine list was very much hand picked specifically for the menu. We decided on the red Mother’s Milk Shiraz. Dark purpley red in color, it wasn’t overly tannic yet still had a nice and soft acidity profile. I enjoyed the berry notes and it was pleasant on the palate.

My Picks: A tough choice but here they are:
Tongue on Brioche, Beef Cheeks, Cinnamon Bun

Overall: The meal was inspiring indeed, it reminds me that even though sometimes you think there really any way you can push it that much further. You can, there is always something out there that hasn’t been tried yet, or still new. So they surprises don’t have to stop and I hope the “pop ups” don’t either. The concept was thoroughly enjoyed by all and the dishes were amazing and unique. Can’t wait for another event like this one!

Charpop
Website: www.charpop.com

Lightened Up Hollandaise Sauce

2012-01-16T09:44:00.000-08:00

There have been a lot of new changes around me lately and I’ve found some people not responding well to them. People normally don’t respond or cope with change all that well, but what they don’t realize is, not all changes are bad. Some open new doors and create great opportunities that might not have occurred if the change never happened. So I try not to look at change as a bad thing, but instead I get excited about it. Looking forward to the different results that may occur and the exhilaration of it can all be very exciting.

Of course this translates over to my cooking as well. This happens a lot with different recipes I’m trying. Especially when I have to alter the classics, recipes that have been passed down through the generations, it makes it harder to change, but not impossible. Small adjustments don’t necessarily mean that the taste of the recipe will be altered. We can still keep the taste of the final product intact while making it easier, faster or best of all…healthier!

A good twist on a beloved classic is the eggs benedict. Brunch has really taken off and the eggs benny has been brought to a whole new level! Ingredients can now feature lobster, smoked salmon, tomatoes, avocado and switching up the hollandaise sauce. Since restaurants usually focus on ingredients that bring out flavour, they don’t really center their attention on the healthy aspects of a recipe. So when I cook at home, I try to create a healthier alternative without sacrificing taste.

My version of the eggs benedict, includes a classically poached egg served over a homemade buttermilk biscuit and a light hollandaise sauce. Sometimes I would add a bit of prosciutto or asparagus if I wanted something lighter than ham or bacon.

I’ve included the recipe for the lightened up hollandaise below, it was adapted from the Eating Well Magazine. I’ve made a few adjustments myself and feel free to do the same. Remember…sometimes change can be good!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 large egg
1 tbsp lemon juice
Additional Salt and Pepper

Preparation:
In a small saucepan, whisk together half of the buttermilk, all of the cornstarch, salt, and cayenne pepper until everything are combined.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg and slowly whisk in the remainder of the buttermilk.

Set the stove top to low-medium heat and warm up the small saucepan. Keep whisking the buttermilk mixture.

Slowly add in the egg mixture, a bit at a time as not to cook the egg too fast.

Continue to simmer the sauce on the stove until it thickens, keep whisking to prevent lumps from forming.

Once the sauce comes to a nice consistency. Remove it from the heat and add in a bit of lemon juice, pepper and a bit of salt to taste.

You may also want to add in a tbsp of melted butter if you wish. I let my mood dictate that.

Serve warm over top eggs benedict.

Makes 3-4 Servings.

Buttermilk Panko Baked Chicken

2012-01-11T07:33:00.000-08:00

With all the indulgence over the holiday season, people tend to try and eat a bit cleaner at the beginning of the New Year. However, there is no reason why we can’t still enjoy certain foods that are usually in the “bad” or “unhealthy” categories, by lightening up the recipe and using different cooking techniques. It’s a great time to explore how steaming, baking and sautéing make for just as good if not better alternatives for certain dishes.

A great dish to make over was is fried chicken. It’s great for both adult and children because who doesn’t love a crispy chicken thigh or drumstick? Since lately I’ve taken up on making butter (recipe to come), I have also had an excess of buttermilk on my hands (as a by product). I can only eat so many biscuits and wanted to change things up. What better way then to use it to marinate some chicken for a healthier version of fried chicken.

Nutritional Tidbit: Buttermilk is high in potassium and probiotics, both of which are highly required by our bodies. We often experience high sodium levels due to processed foods. By eating more potassium it balances out the high sodium and helps bring down blood pressure. Probiotics or live bacterial cultures are important in keeping a healthy digestive system. They boost immunity and help ease digestion. Plus buttermilk is usually lower fat then regular milk and also provides other nutrients like vitamin B12, calcium, riboflavin and phosphorus.

The second important ingredient in this recipe is the panko bread crumbs. It’s what really gives the chicken that extra bit of crunch, otherwise missing in regular bread crumbs. So if you were to substitute an ingredient in this recipe, make sure to stick with the panko or else you might end up with a completely different outcome.

The best part about this recipe is, while my husband was eating it, he didn’t really miss the fried chicken! He did say it was less greasy, which is a bonus. Also feel free to play around with the different spices used creating your own personalized version as well.

This is an adaptation of the original which can be found here

Ingredients:
6 skinless chicken drumsticks
1 cup low fat buttermilk
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 tsp salt

Preparation:
In a large glass bowl, place chicken, buttermilk, thyme, basil, cayenne, paprika, pepper, salt, garlic and onion powder together and let sit at least 1 hour to overnight. The marinating times will differ depending on whether the chicken was frozen or fresh. I marinated mine for at least an hour, but if left overnight the buttermilk will continue to tenderize the meat while the seasonings really get a chance to flavour the chicken.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with tin foil. Also spray a bit of pam on the tin foil to prevent the chicken from sticking.

In a small mixing bowl, beat the eggs and set aside.

In a separate small bowl, combine the panko bread crumbs with 1 tsp salt, you could also try seasoning salt, all purpose seasoning or even chicken spice rub instead. However stick to panko bread crumbs because that’s what really provides the crunch and texture in this recipe.

Remove the chicken from the fridge (if marinating overnight), do not rinse off the marinade and dredge it in the eggs and quickly place it in the panko mixture. The egg allows the bread crumbs to adhere without falling off.

Place each drumstick on the baking sheet without them touching. Giving it each drumstick enough room is important for them to cook properly and remain crispy.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the juices runs clear. Best served straight from the oven.

Enjoy!

Makes 2-3 Servings

Restaurant Review: Ox and Angela

2012-01-05T08:48:00.000-08:00

I know it’s a new year and the majority of people are looking to eat better and be healthier overall. However, I think there is always still room to enjoy (while being mindful about it)! I don’t think I could ever give up dining out and trying all the exciting new dishes and menus, especially because they’re ever changing. Everything in moderation is key right? Plus, who could resist something Latin inspired especially when living in such a great city with a new bursting foodie scene?

Atmosphere: Contrasting atmosphere between the cool ‘Ox’ lounge and the warm ‘Angela’ restaurant. Either is a great setting for tapas for an evening out.

Price Range: Mid $10s - $30+

Food and Wine: After being seated on the ‘Angela’ restaurant side (couldn’t help peeking over in to the lounge as well), we received our menus and decided on a couple of appetizers.

We started with the Empanadas, which came exactly 3 to an order (there was 3 of us and was perfect for sharing, 1 each was ideal). The empanadas were filled with a lovely braised oxtail, caramelized onions and queso fresco blend. I didn’t find it oily or heavy, which can usually happen with deep fried items. Luckily for us we had the Ceviche served shortly after. Made with fresh snapper, lime, not very spicy jalapenos, cilantro, and creamy avocado, it was served with a side of house made crispy tortillas. I found the best part of the dish to be the tortillas. The ceviche itself wasn’t overly spicy or acidic, overall it was fairly mild. It was nice to get fresh fish in Calgary during the winter though!

For our entrée dishes we shared the Duck Breast and Braised Lamb. The duck breast was oven roasted and served with duck confit all in a chocolately mole sauce. The duck was very tender and had a light smokey flavour due to the dark chocolate. The dish came with a very nice butternut squash hash which accompanied the apple and tomatillo salsa very well. The lamb shank was extremely tender after many hours of braising. It was literally fall off the bone tender. It came with quinoa, roasted beets all in an adobo sauce, which I really enjoyed. I did leave off the citrus slices on the side though, I’m not a huge citrus fan when it comes to mains and decided that the adobo sauce was great the way it was.

After scanning their dessert menu, I knew we had to get the Churros as a dessert item. They were extremely crispy with lots of cinnamon and sugar (almost good enough to warrant not dipping in to the chocolate sauce, but how could you resist that). The side of warm chocolate sauce was thick enough for the dipping but not stiff. They really give you a lot of the chocolate and we almost ended up wanting to order just a side of churros to go with the sauce. Instead we decided to just eat it as is! For the second dessert (we were sharing, one is never enough!), we tried the Dulche de Leche Mille Fuille. A mille fuille is usually made up of many layers of sauce or cream in the middle. In this case it was layered with dulche de leche and served with a bit of crème fraiche on top. I found the it to be a bit too sweet and ended up balancing it out with the chocolate sauce!

The wine for our meal was the Dialogo Douro Portugal wine 2008, from the Douro region of Portugal. A deep ruby red in color, but not overly bold compared to other Portuguese wines (usually what they’re known for). Soft tannins, fruity flavours and a long finish, it went great with both the duck and lamb dishes.

My Picks: Ceviche, Churros

Overall: I hope everybody does achieve their new years resolutions and still remembers to take the time to enjoy! What better place then at Ox and Angela, where you can choose either tapas or going all out. Where the food journey is really up to you, plus sharing the moment with others over great food is always a bonus!

Ox and Angela
528 17th Avenue SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 457-1432
Website: www.oxandangela.com

Year in Review with Oven Baked Apple Fritters

2011-12-31T09:49:00.000-08:00

Another year is about to pass and it’s always fun to take a look back at everything that has happened. It’s amazing how fast 2011 flew by and it has been a great year full of get-togethers, great memories and of course…food. I look forward to continuing the celebration tonight with more said good food and great friends. Here’s hoping that everybody’s New Year brings in even more joy and happiness!

Here’s a recipe to help end everybody’s year in a bang, baked apple fritters! It’s a healthier version then deep fried fritters, but still remains decadent and apropos for any celebratory event. I adjusted the original recipe (found here) a bit to reduce the amount of sugar used in the dough and nobody seemed to notice (especially because the final step includes rolling the fritters in a bit of cinnamon sugar). I hope you enjoy this recipe and I look forward to another great blogging year!

Oven Baked Cinnamon Apple Fritters

Ingredients for fritters:
1/4 cup brown sugar, do not pack down the sugar
2 tbsp white sugar
1 1/2 cups of bite size chunks of apple, peeled and cored
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp clove
1/3 cup cold butter, frozen and I’ll tell you why later
1 egg
1/4 cup skim milk

Ingredients for coating:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon powder

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350F and grease two muffin pans.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugars, salt and nutmeg in a bowl.

Remove the butter from the freezer and grate in to mixture using a mandolin. This makes the dough moist because the butter remains in solid pieces. Combine until the dough becomes crumbly.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg and then mix in the milk. Fold in the apple chunks until combined.
Carefully fold the flour mixture in to the egg mixture without over stirring. Place a spoonful of batter into each mold of a buttered muffin pan.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in to fritters come out clean.

Remove from the oven, unmold and lightly brush each fritter with the melted butter. Roll the fritter in the sugar and cinnamon.

Best served warm but the fritters can be made in advance and then rolled in butter and cinnamon sugar shortly before serving.

Enjoy!

Restaurant Review: Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

2011-12-22T13:30:00.000-08:00

I remember when the Calgary Tower used to house a Chinese restaurant when I was younger. It was my family’s favourite go to place because of how quiet it was. Chinese restaurants and quiet don’t normally go together, but this place was and it was perfect in my mind (as a 7 year old). I enjoyed going to the Calgary tower every weekend, although I didn’t necessarily get to ride to the top of the tower I still got to walk around the base and look at the souvenir shops. It really doesn’t require much to occupy a kid’s attention. However, as quiet Chinese restaurants go, it’s quiet for a reason and unfortunately didn’t last very long. I was sadden by this and over time the space has been occupied by many different restaurants, which I haven’t really visited until Ruth’s Chris took over the location and again made it a place where I wanted to return to.

Atmosphere: Mahogany wood interior, high glass windows and plush surroundings with a great view of Center Street due to its location at the base of the Calgary tower.

Price Range: Mid $20 - $50

Food and Wine: It was a fairly large group of us heading to dinner that night and it took us a bit to get settled (I didn’t help the situation). However, it didn’t really take us that long to order our food. Most of us were there for the steaks of course. Ruth’s Chris normally carries USDA beef, however since Calgary is the heart of steak central, our Calgary Ruth’s Chris does have a selection of Alberta AAA beef on their menu, in case you were concerned.

Unfortunately we didn’t realize that we forget to order our appies at the same time (like I said, took us a while to get in to the groove of the evening, too focused on steaks). After calling our waiter back, he was able to suggest a few sharing options. We settled on the Calamari, which is fried and then coated in a light sweet chili sauce; and the Lemon Thai Chicken, crispy pieces of chicken breasts with a similar but citrusier honey ginger sauce. I found the chicken itself to be a bit dry and preferred the calamari. The table all enjoyed both of the appetizers. Although next time I probably wouldn’t order them both at the same time seeing how they were very similar in taste.

It took a bit for our entrees to arrive due to the size of our group, but in the interim we were served some Garlic and Cheesy Bread. I wasn’t a huge fan of the cheese bread, but couldn’t stop eating the garlic ones. Nothing beats butter and garlic on toast in my opinion. With my order also came a Harvest Salad to start, with pecans, bacon, dried cherries, corn and crispy onions all over wild greens. The lemon basil vinaigrette was pleasantly tangy and didn’t overwhelm the delicate greens. It was definitely a nice way to lightly start in to my meal.

My Petite Filet Steak arrived with my choice of side, which was the Chef’s special that night, green beans sautéed with garlic. There are many other options available as sides also including mashed potatoes, fries, etc. I enjoyed the side of green beans because it helped cut through the heaviness of the butter on the steak. Aside from that though, the beans didn’t really have much flavour to them. My steak was seared perfectly rare and came with their signature butter garnish on top (actually more all over as seen in the picture). I’ve never really been a huge fan of the butter since I find it overwhelms the taste of the steak, seeing as how salty it is (my husband disagrees). I purely forgot to ask them to taper down the amount used. Since I decided to go with the set menu that evening, my steak was not Alberta beef (I know, I do prefer Alberta myself on a normal basis, but I rolled with it). I am glad to report that it was very tender, still succulent and juicy.

It didn’t take me long to decide that I needed dessert to end the evening. A quick browse through the menu landed me with the Banana Cream Pie a la mode (which cost $4 more but was well worth it). The pie does come cold, so should you decide not to order the ice cream, it’s still quite refreshing. The custard, actually the whole pie overall, wasn’t overly sweet. It had a nice balance between the crust and bruleed bananas on top. The size was also good for sharing. I found it hard to finish the whole pie all by myself, guess the ice cream didn’t help in that regard.

My dining companions decided on the Pennys Hill Shiraz to compliment our red meat heavy meal, but to my surprise it was a much milder, fruitier shiraz then I expected. Lots of berry notes with a gentle tannic finish.

My Picks: House Salad, Petite Filet

Overall: Even though now I’m eating steak and not dim sum, I find the food definitely defines Calgary more so then Chinese food at the tower (but that also includes an increase in the price point). The location itself still holds fond memories for me and I’m glad that I can once again visit it and enjoy the quiet in a different sense. I just need to keep in mind not to order the steak with all the butter next time, totally a personal preference though (husband continues to disagree)!

Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse
294, 115 9 Ave SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 246-3636
Website: www.ruthschrisalberta.ca

Bruschetta and Market 17

2011-12-17T19:31:00.000-08:00

Since the first time I visited Cassis Bistro, I’ve made a mental note to check out the organic food market, Market 17, connected to the restaurant. What better way to ensure fresh ingredients at a restaurant then to have your supplier next door!

I just had to stop by one day on my way home from work and pick up some fresh ingredients for a recipe I had in mind…bruschetta! Cravings usually win the war in my world.

To my amazement, the market carried many different items that couldn’t be found in regular grocery stores. I found myself lost in there for quite some time and ended up picking up a few items that weren’t necessarily in my ingredients list. Right now they also have a few items on special for the month of December and I was informed that they’re promoting items for the Christmas season and the Drogheria Balsamic Glaze was one of them. Perfect for bruschetta! See here for their other specials.

Usually I make my own balsamic reduction for bruschetta (instructions included below), but I was a bit short for time and decided to try the imported Italian glaze instead. I found the glaze to be sweet and tangy, a nice addition to the bruschetta. It’s a bit less tart then reducing my own balsamic vinegar and would go nicely with many different appetizers or salads.

Nutritional Tidbit: Not only is balsamic vinegar low in calories, but it’s full of antioxidants. Great at fighting off free radicals that cause damage to our bodies. It has also been shown to boost digestive enzymes in the body, which is good for heartburn and other stomach related issues.

Bruschetta Recipe
Ingredients:
4 small tomatoes, diced
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
5 basil leaves, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Balsamic glaze or 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 loaf crusty bread, I prefer sourdough but any baguette works

Preparation:
In a medium sized bowl, combine tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil and olive oil.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cut the bread in to 1/2 inch slices.

Place a spoonful of the tomato mixture on top of the bread.

Drizzle the balsamic reduction on top and serve. (Or if you don’t have a reduced balsamic glaze, you can reduce your own balsamic vinegar. Place 1/2 cup of the balsamic vinegar in a small pan on low to medium heat. Let it go on a small boil for 15-20 mins or until the vinegar starts becoming thick. Cool and use as a glaze.)

The bruschetta can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in an air tight container in the fridge. Making it ahead actually allows the flavours to blend and come together.

As an aside, another great thing about Market 17 was the fact that they carried Sidewalk Citizen Bread, known for their scones and sourdough bread in Calgary. I couldn’t help but pick up a baguette to use as a base in my bruschetta. What a great one stop shop!

Market 17 at Casel Marche
2503 17 Avenue SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 770-4700
Website: www.caselmarche.com

Restaurant Review: Una Pizza and Wine

2011-12-14T13:09:00.000-08:00

Lately I’ve been throwing around the idea of heading off to Europe again. Preferably to some place warmer then Calgary in the middle of winter (it’s really not that hard to find such a place). Southern Italy definitely sounds a lot more inviting then Southern Alberta. However, our work schedules are really preventing us from making any solid plans. So to appease my desires of Italy and everything Italian (for now), we decided to stroll on over and grab a few bites of Italian pizza instead.

Atmosphere: Vibrant, boisterous and extremely busy. Get here early to ensure you get one of the few coveted tables (or you could also take the pizza to go as well).

Price Range: Mid $10s - $20

Food and Wine: Una is one of the new restaurants in town where they don’t take reservations, so it’s often pretty hard to get a table. A great way to know when they’re free is to follow their twitter account, since they give up to date wait time estimations.

When we do go, we opt to go early! This definitely helps the table situation. When we arrived, the restaurant was still fairly quiet and we were able to get a seat pretty quickly. There are a couple features of the day, so make sure to pay attention to the chalkboard at the front.

We decided to start with the Patatas Bravas, which is a popular Spanish tapas dish. I was surprised to find that Una also had a tapas menu (aka their bar menu). The patatas are basically fried baby red potatoes served with smoked paprika ketchup and a garlic aioli. The potatoes are lightly salted and super crispy. I really enjoyed the garlic aioli, but since it’s fairly heavy the ketchup helped cut through the oiliness.

It was hard to decide on which pizzas to try, but we were able to narrow it down to two. The first being the Mushroom Pizza, with roasted cremini mushrooms, smoked mozzarella, grana padano cheese and topped with lots of fresh arugula and truffle oil. I really enjoyed the nice crust on the pizza (people who don’t eat the crust are silly…don’t be surprised if I reach over and steal it), but still has a nice chewy texture. The truffle oil was a great addition. Truffles being in the mushroom family just go hand in hand with the cremini.

The second pie was the Prosciutto Pizza with thinly sliced crispy prosciutto, provolone cheese, over tomato sauce and topped with more fresh arugula. Arugula on pizza really contrasts the fatty cheese and prosciutto. There were just enough toppings on this pizza to still allow the dough to shine (as with all their pizzas), which is a closer representation of pizzas found in Italy. I definitely prefer my toppings this way compared to what we’re used to here in North America.

No dinner is complete in my books until I get dessert, even though I was quite full at this point. We decided to go with the dessert special on the chalkboard, which happened to be the Lemon Chevre Cheesecake. It came with a red wine poached pear reduction and whipped cream. I’m not a huge fan of goat cheese and wasn’t a fan of the cheesecake. I found the goat cheese taste overwhelming. Instead I went with the Pear Sticky Toffee Pudding with vanilla bean gelato, it was definitely calling my name. The toffee sauce and the gelato itself were nice, but I did find the pudding itself to be a dry.

My friend isn’t much of a drinker so I stuck to only ordering a glass or two of wine that evening. I wanted to stick with the Italian theme and went with the Corallo Valpolicella. A medium bodied ruby red wine with hints of oak and berries. It paired well with the truffles in the pizza but would have also been good just by itself.

My Picks: Patatas Bravas, Mushroom Pizza

Overall: The chewy yet crusty dough, the light but flavourable toppings all makes me reminisce about our times in Italia. Definitely one of the best I’ve had so far in Calgary and unlike Italy, I don’t have to jump on a plane for 8 hours. Instead I just need to make sure I jump the line and go for an early dinner to quell my cravings.

Una Pizza and Wine
618 17 Avenue SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 453-1183
Website: www.unapizzeria.com

A New Party Favorite - Pizza Bites!

2011-12-09T08:42:00.000-08:00

With the holiday season pretty much in full swing, I’ve found that I’m constantly in the kitchen baking and cooking. The holidays always go hand in hand with cookie exchanges and potluck parties. It isn’t always the easiest to figure out what to make for those parties since there are so many people. You never know if you’ll end up bringing the same side dish as everyone else. Next thing, there are 6 casseroles sitting on the table.
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To avoid that ever coming to fruition, I decided to go with something bite sized. What’s better then providing people with something that’s easy to eat while they’re trying to juggle their drinks and conversation? Plus, the explosive taste of all the ingredients in just one single bite. Sign me up!

I had a perfect recipe in my mind. Pizza bites! Who doesn’t love pizza, especially when they come bite sized, I doubt anybody can resist. Great for adults and kids at any party!

The recipe that I found recommended making your own pizza dough and I’ve included that recipe below. If you’re pressed for time, you can always buy your pizza dough as well. I did really enjoy the dough recipe and found that the leftovers were great as a flatbread as well, just spread some pesto, spices and cheese over top!

Pizza Dough Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup warm water
1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp) instant yeast
1 1/4 cups water, room temperature
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups bread or all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tsp salt
olive oil for brushing crust (optional)
garlic salt for brushing crust (optional)

Preparation:
In a small bowl, mix together the warm water and yeast until it all dissolves. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to allow the yeast to reconstitute.

Stir in the room temperature water and oil. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add in the flour and salt. Stir to incorporate them and slowly start pouring in the yeast mixture.

The dough will start to come together and pick up all the flour. It will quite sticky, refrain from adding more flour. It’s supposed to be this way.

Now it’s time to get your hands dirty. Start kneading the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic. It’s done once the dough is no longer sticky but nice and smooth.

Brush some oil the bowl and form the dough in to a ball and place it in the bowl.

Let it rise at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours or until it doubles in size. You’ll definitely be able to tell when it’s done, punch down the dough and it’s ready to use.

Use in any pizza or flatbread recipe (including pizza bites)!

Pizza Bites Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 of the above Pizza Dough
mozzarella cheese, cubed
Pepperoni slices
olive oil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Pizza sauce

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400˚F.

Prepare a 9 inch pan by greasing it with olive oil and set aside.
Punch down the pizza dough if it’s starting to rise again and tear off a golf ball sized amount.

Stretch the dough into a small circle and place in a cube of mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slice.

Pull the edges of the dough together to seal the edges and form a small ball.
Place it in the 9 inch pan with the seam side down.

Repeat with the rest of the dough. When placing the dough in the pan, have them slightly touching so when they bake it forms together.

Brush the top of the dough with some olive oil and sprinkle on the oregano, basil and parmesan cheese. You can also add crushed chili peppers or other herbs and spices.

Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or remove once they become golden brown.

Great one their own or with pizza sauce as a dipper.

Next time I’d like to try adding the sauce right in to the dough itself or change it up and use pesto. Feel free to experiment yourself!

Enjoy!

Restaurant Review: Giuseppe's Italian Market

2011-12-05T14:33:00.000-08:00

My husband loves everything to do with the ocean, snorkeling and scuba diving, even just the smell and sounds of the waves crashing against the rocks amazes him. So needless to say he’s a big BIG fan of seafood as well. It just goes hand in hand right? However, we live in Calgary. Great seafood is hard to come by in our little land locked part of the world. So the last thing we expected when we went for dinner at Giuseppe’s Italian Market, was to get some of the best seafood in town, matching some of those great cities by the sea.

Atmosphere: Casual market downstairs serving forno baked pizzas and Italian products, but hidden upstairs in a quiet and secluded dining area, great for romantic dinners.

Price Range: Mid $10s - $20s

Food and Wine: Luckily from reading previous reviews I knew just to walk right past the market area downstairs and straight for the stairs leading up to the restaurant. The actual dining area is more of a balcony that overlooks the market below and can be missed if you’re not looking for it.

It was a slow start because they didn’t have our reservations and our waiter mentioned that their wine list was currently being updated and he had to check with the kitchen to see what they had on hand, same with the specials of the evening.

After finally getting settled, the waiter brought us some bread with olive oil, balsamic and olives. We perused their menu and decided to start with two appetizers the Cozze Alla Marinara (Marinara Mussels). We were shocked at how many mussels came with the order, which consisted of fresh mussels sautéed with garlic, white wine, chili flakes and tomato sauce served with crispy crostinis. The mussels were big and juicy, I’ve personally never seen them so big and they looked more like oysters then mussels (I wonder who their distributor is?). The sauce was perfectly balanced, didn’t overwhelm the mussels and we couldn’t stop using the bread to sop it all up.

Our second appie plate was the Calamari Alla Puttanesca, seared calamari with olives, capers, anchovies, chili flakes and tomato sauce. It isn’t very often that I can find grilled calamari at a restaurant and I always order it when I do because you can really taste the sweetness of the squid. The saltiness of the olives, capers and anchovies were a perfect contrast to the tart tomatoes and the squid. The calamari was perfectly cooked. We both really enjoyed the great sauce and couldn’t stop dipping in to it either. Our bread was running really low by this point, I was tempted to ask for more but from the size of our appies, I had a feeling our entrees were going to be quite large as well.

When they did arrive, my husband ordered the Linguine alla Pescatora (seafood linguine) with prawns, clams, (more) mussels, calamari in a spicy garlic, basil tomato sauce. The portion was fairly large as expected and the noodles were cooked al dente. The seafood was fresh like our starters with prawns being slightly overcooked. This could be due to the fact that the noodles were prepared a little early and were ready before we were done our appetizers, so the dish sat out a bit longer then ideal. However it didn’t ruin the overall taste.

I heard the pizza was good, some saying it was better than other local pizza restaurants in town, so I just had to try it. They had a good selection but I decided on their house named Giuseppe pizza. It featured mozzarella, hot pancetta, red onions, and sundried tomatoes on a spicy red sauce. It was a traditional forno baked Italian thin crust pizza and the blend of toppings complimented one another. One thing I did miss on the pizza was a bit of greens. I personally would have liked it even better with a bit of spinach or arugula to give it that little something extra. It wasn’t a bad pizza though (wasn’t the best since I prefer a chewier crust) and I wouldn’t mind trying some of their other combinations next time.

For dessert, our waiter again had to check with the kitchen for the dessert of the day, which was carrot cake. Definitely calling my name! The cake was moist, nicely flavoured with raisins throughout and the coconut cream cheese frosting wasn’t overly sweet. Seeing how large the portion sizes were all evening I was a bit surprised that the dessert was quite a bit smaller. It was just enough to allow us to finish off our espressos, which I guess is really all the dessert I needed anyhow.

From the choices of wines our waiter gave us at the beginning of our meals, we decided to go with an Italian Ruffino Chianti wine. It was medium bodied with fruity and floral notes. Since our meal was very seafood heavy, it worked well for us. I think anything with a bolder finish would have really hindered the flavours of the seafood.

My Picks: Cozze Alla Marinara (Marinara Mussels), Calamari Alla Puttanesca.

Overall: Even right now as I’m typing this blog, I’m craving the mussels that I had at Giuseppe’s and I can’t wait to go back and try some of the other dishes that I saw on the menu that night (gnocchi and risotto anyone?). I know my husband won’t say no either, since he can’t have the ocean he’s always wanted, at least he can enjoy a part of it…in his stomach.

Giuseppe’s Italian Market
1207 1 Street SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 232-6230
Website: www.giuseppesitalianmarket.com

Restaurant Review: Model Milk

2011-11-30T11:32:00.000-08:00

Recently I’ve been wondering if I am really impatient. I wasn’t shocked really. Instead I attributed it to being an only child growing up. I never really had to wait for anything or anyone. We had two washrooms in my house, one for my parents, and one for me. I always got both of my parent’s attention (often way too much). So really, in my defense, I didn’t really get a good go at it from the start. But now that I’m older, I think I’ve worked well with what I’ve got. I’ve managed. Although, I’ve found a new way for me to gain some of that needed patience. What better way to work on it then to wait for a table at a restaurant. Especially now with all the new places popping up that no longer take reservations? Sometimes the stomach just edges out all else.

Atmosphere: Trendy surroundings with the iconic Model Milk brick wall logo highlighting a two level dining space. The area evokes a casual comfy cool, a place to linger and enjoy your favorite libations.

Price Range: Mid $10s - $20s

Food and Wine: To avoid the dinner time rush, my dinner companion and I decided to have an extra early meal (I’m working on the waiting thing), which lasted until late in to the night (sorry to all that was eyeing our table, just be patient).

To kick start our long dinner feast, we started with a couple of the ‘small plate’ items like the Foie Gras Parfait. A smooth almost mousse like foie served with a thick layer of blackberry compote on top and crispy crostinis. I really enjoyed the blackberry which gave the foie the added sweetness it required. We were utterly amazed by how much foie gras came in the ramekin and had to order extra bread to finish off the parfait.

The Calamari Fricasse also came out at the same time, but I found that I was busy attacking the parfait and as such the calamari didn’t get as much attention. It wasn’t a bad dish, though I did find it to be slightly over salted. I wasn’t sure if it was the bacon or the crispy croutons or both, but they sort of over powered the plate and the calamari taste was lost.

Our server was nice enough to wait until we finished the first two dishes before bringing our next plates, which was the Chanterelles. The dish was decadent and creamy, made with none other than…you guessed it, cream and cheese. It was also served with freshly baked bread (which again we had to ask for an extra order). Many people know that I’m not a big cheese eater, but for those of you that are, you’ll love this dish. Lots of stringy cheese paired with lovely chanterelle mushrooms making it velvety and rich.

When we were finally ready for the ‘large plate’ orders, we choose the sesame crusted Walleye served over gnocchi and mushrooms in a cream sauce. The dish came with two pieces of the nicely seared fish, though I did find it a bit milder and somewhat bland. If you’re in to flavours, then I would stick to the meatier dishes.

By now we were stuffed with all the food over last couple of hours but just couldn’t bring ourselves to skip dessert. So we ordered the Pecan and Bourbon Pie with cardamom ice cream. I’ve never been a big fan of pecan pie, but serve me anything a la mode and I’m done. This wasn’t any different. I loved the cardamom ice cream, nicely spiced (and yes, we ordered an extra scoop), creamy and refreshing. I could have eaten it alone and called it a night, but I didn’t. The pecan pie was chewy with a crunchy crust, nice texture contrasts. My companion enjoyed it quite a bit.

To get us through our long night, we ordered a bottle of the 2009 Chateau Nenine Bourdeaux. It’s a blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. It was a fuller bodied wine with lots of blackberry notes and a nice chocolate finish. It was a nice compliment to the creamy foie gras and chanterelle mushrooms, but did over power the fish a bit. It needed quite a bit of aeration to truly bring out its flavours, making it a nice sipping wine.

My Picks: Foie Gras Parfait

Overall: The food was definitely worth the wait and I can see why the lines continued to lengthen as our meal progressed throughout the evening. However, was my patience truly increased? That is yet to be seen, though I did find that the addition of vino to a satiated stomach definitely increased patience all around.

Model Milk
308 17 Avenue SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 265-7343
Website: www.modelmilk.ca

Making Pulled Pork in the Slow Cooker

2011-11-25T10:14:00.000-08:00

There is nothing better than going home after a long days work. Period. Well…there is one thing. Going home, opening the front door, smelling delicious food stewing away and realizing that dinner is ready. Don’t have to cook and still enjoy an amazing meal because it’s been brewing away all day in the crock pot while I’ve been at work. That’s a pretty amazing feeling.

Lately I’ve found that I’m using my slow cooker more and more. I wonder if it’s because the cold weather is calling for that warmth and comfort or because I want to spend more time by the fireplace and less time everywhere else in the house. Either way, it works for me. I’ve been meaning to try a slow cooker pulled pork recipe for a while now, so I really didn’t need any excuse (who needs excuses for pulled pork?).

Nutritional Tidbit: The original recipe calls for the use of pork shoulder because it’s a bit fattier and will provide more flavor, but you could also use pork tenderloin. Tenderloin is the leanest cut of meat often touted to have less fat then chicken breast. So if you’re conscientious of the fat content (especially saturated fat) of the pork then go with the tenderloin. Definitely let the meat stew on lower heat and use a bit more liquid to ensure it doesn’t dry out.

The inspiration for this recipe was one that I stumbled upon online during the summer while I was craving BBQ. I figured it would work nicely when the BBQ is tucked away during the winter, but I can still get a BBQ styled dish without actually having to smoke anything for hours outdoors. You can find the original version of the recipe here. I’ve made a few adjustments to the recipe below and added notes where I found they helped me. Also instead of serving the pulled pork on a bun, I opted to go for little pulled pork tacos, allowing the pork to shine more without having to fight with the big burly bun.

Hope you enjoy the smells of yummy slow cooked pork as you walk in through the door this frosty winter!

Ingredients:
2 – 3 lb pork shoulder blade roast (bone in) or pork tenderloin
1/2 tsp canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp garlic powder
3 bay leaves
1/4 cup favorite BBQ sauce (I found using a bit of the BBQ sauce gave it that extra smokey flavour that was missing when it wasn’t included)
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
Water
Salt and Pepper

Preparation:
Heat oil in skillet over medium to high and sear pork until it becomes brown and caramelizes all over (really adds additional flavour). Transfer pork to slow cooker.

Mix together the chili powder, coriander, garlic powder, bay leaves, BBQ sauce, worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar and brown sugar. Rub it all over the pork.

Add in water until it just about covers the pork. Toss in the onions and garlic.

Turn the slow cooker to medium for a cooking time of roughly 5 hours or high for roughly 2-3 hours of cooking. (Low for overnight or all day).

To test whether pork is done, try to remove the bone (if bone-in pork shoulder used) or shredding off a bit of the pork for tenderness.

Once ready, remove the pork from the slow cooker and place in bowl, began to pull the pork apart. The meat should fall apart without much effort.

Empty the remaining sauce in to a pot and reduce to create the mop sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

When ready, add the pork back in to the sauce and serve.

I served them with a vinaigrette based coleslaw (recipe here), cliantro and home made tortillas. You can opt to serve them on the traditional bun or just with the slaw itself.

Enjoy!

Restaurant Review: Haru Sushi and Grill

2011-11-22T10:57:00.000-08:00

I like order, schedules and lists. I’ve found that I am a very organized person and will have planned things out to the ninth degree in everything I do. It could be work, dinners with friends and even outings with family. It’s very nice knowing what my calendar looks like and what my free time is for the upcoming weeks. However, sometimes things spring up on you and that’s just life. One of those curve balls occurred the other week when we looked at our groceries and decided that we just did not want to eat anything that was inside our fridge. I know, shocker, but food is a big deal to me. Luckily for me, there was a new sushi restaurant that just opened by our place and it didn’t take much convincing at that point to eat anything but what we were staring at. So off to Haru Sushi we go.

Atmosphere: A contemporary and tranquil space due to the usage of calming colors and keeping the dining area nice and open. Great for small groups and families.

Price Range: Mid $10s

Food: Since we arrived without me getting a chance to look at the menu online first (which is what I always do). I’ve realized that it was quite the menu to peruse. Luckily for me, we always have certain go-to dishes when we eat at a sushi restaurant. Although there was a dish that did jump out at me when I was reading the menu and that was the BBQ Squid and I’m glad I decided to go with it.

When the dish arrived, the squid came on a hot plate with a bubbling sweet teriyaki sauce on the bottom and drizzle with spicy mayo. The aromas were amazing. I couldn’t wait to dig in and lucky for me, it tasted just as good as it smelled. The combo of the sweet and spicy sauce went very well with the squid which was a bit chewy, but nicely flavoured. I could have eaten nothing but that the whole night, but our sushi quickly came to the table shortly afterwards.

We stuck with the Spicy Tuna Roll – a must whenever we eat sushi. Each section of the roll came with a good amount of spicy mayo. I found I didn’t even need to dip my roll in to the soy sauce. It was good just the way it was. Another thing we noted was how perfectly uniform the rolls were. Each with just the right amount of rice surrounding the tuna and none of the rice were falling apart when we picked it up, very impressive indeed.

The fish was fresh tasting and we both definitely noticed that when our order of the Favorite Sushi Combo arrived. It’s a sushi platter made up of 6 nigri sushi (Tuna, Salmon and Ebi aka Shrimp) and a Tuna Maki Roll. Each piece of the nigri sushi had just the right amount of rice and wasabi. A lot of restaurants no longer put wasabi in the nigri sushi so this was refreshing.

To end we had an order of the Stampede Roll, which is a Haru special roll made up of salmon, avocado and cucumber wrapped with tuna, red tuna, avocado & mango. They say you eat with your eyes first and this was definitely the case with this roll. The different combination of colors on this roll made it look really appetizing (not to mention the amazing uniformity of the rice to filling ratio as well). The balsamic reduction drizzled on top was a nice added touch. Again the light acidity from the balsamic made the use of the soy dipping sauce almost obsolete.

My Picks: BBQ Squid, Stampede Roll

Overall: The food at Haru definitely makes me to come back (if not for anything but that squid) so I may sample more of their semi fusion sushi menu. Especially the appetizers, with mouthwatering sounding items like Chili Prawns and Grilled Scallops. Plus the proximity of it to our house makes it that much more inviting. Who knew that sometimes not planning is the greatest plan of all!

Haru Sushi and Grill
150, 35 Mckenzie Towne Ave SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 457-5880
Website: www.myharu.ca

Restaurant Review: Catch Restaurant and Oyster Bar

2011-11-15T09:41:00.000-08:00

Cold weather always make me crave good wholesome food and since Calgary is cold 10 months out of the year…makes sense why I’m always craving food. However, it’s not always that I find a great place with great food. So when I recently got invited to the grand reopening at one of these amazing restaurants I couldn’t wait to attend, but I was crushed to find out that I was out of town during that time. Therefore when I got back I couldn’t wait to mosey my way over to this great newly renovated space to satiate not only my appetite but also my visual senses.

Atmosphere: An elegant upstairs dining area, refurbished to focus on the restaurant’s unique rustic brick surroundings. Great cozy place for a romantic evening out. If you’re looking for something more casual, check out the Oyster Bar below.

Price Range: Mid $10s - $40+

Food and Wine: We had the opportunity to try both the upstairs dining area and the downstairs oyster bar. I definitely noticed the difference in atmosphere but the food was equally delicious.

When were seated upstairs our waitress quickly took our orders and brought out some of their great house made bread. It was delicious and had a caramelized onion flavour (we had to ask for seconds). It wasn’t long before our appetizer arrived, which was the BC Seafood Terrine served with Pumpernickel Toast. The terrine has big chunks of seafood complemented by the creamy crème fraiche and ikura caviar (roe). The roe was very much needed because it provided that bit of saltiness which was required by the terrine. We needed quite a bit more bread to finish off the terrine and the waitress was happy to bring us more.

Our waitress suggested that we try the “Naked Lobster” as an entrée and how could we not with a name like that. It came with honey and dill glazed root vegetables and wilted spinach. This dish was made with lots of buttery goodness. The vegetables and the spinach were all bathed in the aforementioned butter, but it wasn’t overwhelming. Since the lobster was literally naked (with no shell, no sauce or seasoning) the sauce on the vegetables was required and complimented the lobster very well. The lobster itself was perfectly poached and since the shell was removed, it took away all the nuisances of eating a lobster.

The second entrée dish we tried was the Qualicum Beach Scallops and Alberta Veal Cheeks served over top a cauliflower and truffle emulsion, sautéed wild BC mushrooms and gremolata. The braised veal cheeks were so tender that I didn’t even need a knife to cut through it, due to the hours of braising. Every bite was to be savoured and I wished we had more at the end even though the dish came with three good sized portions. The scallops were just as succulent. Each had a perfect sear and cooked wonderfully. Eating them with the truffle emulsion and mushrooms made for a perfect blending of flavours.

At this point we wanted to order dessert but the evening was still young. So we decided that it would be a good idea to grab a few drinks before ending the night off. Since the oyster bar was right downstairs we headed that way for the remainder of the night. However after glancing at the menu downstairs we noticed that the Moule Frites were on special that evening…how could we not order them? There’s always more room for seafood. The mussels were cooked in a classic Provencal style with white wine, garlic, shallots and tomatoes served with a side of crispy fries and aioli dipping sauce. The mussles were cooked just right and the sauce was divine. We asked for some bread (mmm more onion bread) to dip in to it as well. We could have dipped the fries, I guess that’s why they serve them together, but they were so crispy that it would have been a sin to make them soggy by dipping them in to the broth. Instead I suggest sticking with the fries and aioli with mussels, broth and breading combo.

To end off the evening we finally ordered our dessert, which they allowed us to do so from both the Catch menu and the Oyster Bar menu. After such an amazing meal we couldn’t wait to try the dessert. We decided on the Pumpkin Pie Crème Brulee with biscotti (which was a bit tough to bite through more so then the usual biscotti). The crème brulee did indeed taste just like pumpkin pie with a nice crunchy bruleed top. Our second dessert was the Toffee Coffee Cake with Berry Ice cream. When I dug in the cake was dry and crumbly, which wasn’t what I expected for a toffee cake. However the waitress noticed that we were a bit disappointed and offered to bring us a dessert to replace it. So we had the Brownie with ice cream from the Oyster Bar menu. Unfortunately this was no different, the brownie was dry and hard. I couldn’t even get my spoon in to the brownie, which was shocking. The berry ice cream was good though.

Later the waitress apologetically told us that their desserts weren’t actually made in house but catered by the Hyatt, which was really too bad since the meal was so phenomenal we really couldn’t wait to end the meal on a high note and dessert, which was the last thing we ate, was not.

Our wine for the evening was a bottle of the Tolaini Al Passo Sangiovese Merlot, which took me a while to decide on since Catch now offers their wine selections on an ipad and it was quite the selection indeed. Catch has always been known for their extensive wine list, but with this new ipad format, you really need to know which region or wine varietal you’re looking for instead of perusing through the whole list…which would take quite some time. The sangiovese merlot blend had nice cherry and earthy flavours with a nice tannic and long finish. It complimented the veal cheeks well but I found I had to put it aside when enjoying most of the seafood.

My Picks: Qualicum Beach Scallops and Alberta Veal Cheeks, Moule Frites

Overall: Catch didn’t disappoint visually or in the taste department. My dining companions and I still talk about the dinner to this day (although we do leave out the sad dessert ending). I can’t wait to go back and try more of Catch’s new menu (and the Oyster Bar) and lucky for me…there’s still another 8 months of cold weather to keep me craving for more!

Catch Restaurant & Oyster Bar
100 8 Avenue SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 206-0000
Website: catchrestaurant.ca

Lamb Casserole with Beans and Biscuits

2011-11-09T13:05:00.000-08:00

Now that the weather is starting to cool outside, I’ve found that I’m starting to crave warm recipes and comfort foods. Nothing says cozy like something piping hot, warming you up from the inside out (even better when consumed by a fireplace in your PJs…). So I’ve broken out the crock pot again and started experimenting with different recipes that I’ve been collecting all through the summer.

One recipe that really jumped out at me was the Lamb Casserole. Everything in this recipe read delicious, lamb, beans, and dumplings. Perfectly braised lamb is succulent and tender. Then rosemary and thyme are added in to the pot and it just brings forth a whole new level of wonderful. The addition of beans not only works to thicken up the sauce, but also provides an added source of protein.

Nutritional Tidbit: Cannellini beans aka the white kidney bean like all other beans are a great source of protein and fiber, both of which keeps us feeling fuller longer. A cup of kidney beans provide 45% of your daily fiber requirement. They’re also a great source of iron, folate and magnesium. If using beans from a can, remember to by the low or no sodium versions. Canned goods often have hidden sodium content aside from just salt.

Since the original recipe called for dish to be cooked in an oven proof casserole dish, I altered it a bit to utilize my crock pot but it still turned out great. My husband and I both really enjoyed it and can definitely see ourselves eating it a couple of times throughout the long Calgary winter.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp canola or olive oil
1/2 lb lamb shoulder, cut in to chunks (I used bone in for extra flavour)
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 cups white wine
1 cup low sodium beef stock
2 sprigs of thyme or 1 tbsp dry thyme
1 rosemary stalk or 1 tbsp dry rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp dry parsley
1 can of cannellini beans
Salt and Pepper

Preparation:
In a medium skillet, heat the oil for 2-3 minutes. Put in a third of the lamb shoulder meat and brown. Rotate each piece until brown on all sides and remove from the skillet and transfer to a bowl.

Repeat with the remainder of the lamb.

Add in the onions, carrots and celery to the skillet. Cook for 5 mins or until the onions start to become translucent.

Stir in the lamb, wine, beef broth and herbs. Add in a good pinch of salt and pepper. Heat until the liquid begins to boil.

Remove and pour it in to a crock pot. Turn the crock pot on high and let it simmer for 2 hours.

Meanwhile you can make the rosemary biscuits. (Recipe below)

When about ready to serve the casserole, preheat the oven to 350º.

Using a ladle, remove the contents in the crock pot and place everything in a 9x13” baking dish. Add Salt and Pepper to taste.

Remove the biscuit dough from the fridge, split the dough in to 6 or 8 sections and place on top of the casserole.

Bake in oven for 10-15 mins or until the dumplings are golden brown (you'll notice them puffing up). Remove and enjoy!

Rosemary Biscuits Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp finely chopped rosemary or dried rosemary
3/4 cup milk or yogurt

Biscuit Preparation:
In a mixing bowl, add in flour, baking soda and baking powder.

Slowly cut in butter using a mandolin or pastry cutter. Working fast so the butter doesn’t melt.

Mix in the rosemary. Slowly pour in the milk a bit at a time until the dough pulls away from the bowl.

Once the dough is formed, wrap it in up and place in the fridge until ready to use.

Restaurant Review: L'epicerie French Deli

2011-11-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

When I indulge, whether it be really good crispy fries with creamy aioli or an extremely decadent dessert, I want it to be just that. The best of the best. If I was going to eat a chocolate chunk cookie, I want it to be warm and soft with big chunks of chocolately pieces in each bite. If I’m going to be bending the rules (and obviously it’s something that I felt was well worth it), then why not take it beyond. So if I was craving a really amazing French sandwich, where else would I go then to L’epicerie located on Macleod Trail for what else? Their delectable French sandwiches and soups of course!

Atmosphere: A quaint French styled bistro surrounding serving soups and sandwiches du jour to fine French deli imports

Price Range: up to mid $10s

Food: I’ve heard many great things about L’epicerie for a while now but couldn’t seem to find time to visit because they’re not open on Sundays (our usual days or lounging around and brunch). So when we finally got a chance to get out of running some errands, we ran straight over to sample their delectable soup and sandwiches.

I ordered the decadent Duck Rillette Sandwich (similar to a duck pate) made with big chunks of tender duck. The creamy rillette melded perfectly with the fresh crunchy baguette and crispy lettuce. It was very rich, but perfect with a nice cup of coffee. As a side I opted for the Lobster Bisque, which you could also buy to take home. It was creamy and had a strong lobster taste, perfect for a cold day.

My husband ordered the Le Breton Sandwich which has ham, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers all stuffed inside a French baguette. His sandwich was a bit lighter than mine, but still just as scrumptious as ever. All the veggies were fresh and the ham was nicely salted. He got a mixed salad as his side, which had a very light dressing and complimented our meal well.

My Pick: Any of the Rillettes as a sandwich or to go.

Overall: Aside from the delicious sandwiches, L’epicerie also offers cassoulets and boeuf bourguignon if you’re looking for something a bit heartier. It was also fun looking through all the different French imports displayed throughout the store. It’s like having a little piece of Paris here in Calgary and I can’t wait to go back to pick up some French specialities like chestnut spread.

L'epicerie
1325 First Street SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 514-0555
Website: www.dominiquemoussu.com

Taiwanese Foodie Adventures

2011-10-31T09:36:00.000-07:00

Even before going to Taipei, I knew it was going to be a foodie’s heaven. Every site I visited online had endless lists of must try dishes, drinks and desserts. I couldn’t wait. One thing I didn’t count on was how remarkable and breathtaking the rest of the city was as well. Aside from the foodie scene, Taipei is an astounding city with the best of both worlds. Starting from its modern downtown core with the Taipei 101 tower appearing from all angles and housing all high end shopping to the amazing temples situated on the side of Maokong park. The urban sprawl of Taipei manages to mix chic modern whilst never loosing it’s innately Buddhist culture. Walking around the city you can see alcoves and cubbyholes made up as tiny altars with offerings to the gods while the across the street you can find a full fledge shopping mall.

Yes, it does sound similar to other cities in Asia, however the main difference with Taipei is everybody does style with grace, order and poise. I was utterly amazed at how clean the city was and how polite all the people were. My husband thought we stepped in to the twilight zone. The scenery was breathtaking. If you’re ever in Taipei, the Maokong area with little tea houses where you can enjoy locally grown tea, is not to be missed. It was one of the most relaxing portions of our Asia trip and will be forever etch in to our minds. Sitting a top the beautiful lush green canopy, having the experts teach you how to properly steep and pour tea. Then to slowly sip each cup overlooking the canopy along side some simple but tasty Taiwanese food was out of this world! If you’re unsure of which tea you’d like to try, they will instantly “pao cha” (steep tea in Mandarin), so you can try each flavour until you find one of your liking.

After you’re done enjoying cups and cups of delicious tea, you can take the gondola to either the Taipei Zoo or Zhinan Temple. We decided to stop by the temples, which is actually made up of 3 temples in total. A complete spiritual experience, each temple elaborate and unique in their own way, plus you would be silly to miss the amazing view of downtown Taipei. We were there during the sunset and what a sight indeed.

If you’d like to take on the modern aspects of Taipei, then shopping and dining in Taipei 101 is for you. The tower holds all the brand name stores and has a huge selection of fast food restaurants in the basement food court. It was amazing to see restaurant quality Chinese food being prepared in a mall food court. I had a fried oyster cake with fresh veggies and a nice comforting bowl of soup. My husband enjoyed his roasted chicken with a veggie rice bowl and fish ball soup. A complete meal in my mind, especially considering it was in the mall.

The food gets even better when you hit the streets of Shilin Night Market. There are many different markets all over Taipei (we ran in to a few of them not even expecting them) but the most famous one is the Shilin Night Market located right beside the Jiantian MTR station (very convenient). The locals were all lining up for the deep fried chicken, which reminded me of a weiner schnitzel, but we were their for the local Taiwanese street food like Stinky Tofu, Turnip Cakes, Beef Noodle Soup and Glutinous Dumplings. (Aside from the food, this night market also has a bunch of stalls selling consumer goods, which always makes for a fun time strolling up and down the streets, oh and they’re open late).

This wasn’t my first time trying stinky tofu since I already had my fill in Beijing, but everybody has told me that no other stinky tofu can rival the ones found in Taiwan and they were correct. They were stinky in a sense that it smelled like rotten fish (not the best thing to be thinking of when you’re hungry) but once you taste them, they are more akin to a crispy french fry with sweet and spicy soy sauce. Hard to explain, my recommendation is…you’ve got to try it on your own. I’ve had turnip cakes before and when we walked by the stall we didn’t really know what to expect. We thought they resembled a dessert cake due to its shape, but after the first bite, we immediately wanted another one. They were soft and flavourful, not gummy and gooey like the ones here. A must as well.

Finally you can’t go to the street market and not try the dessert there. The stalls don’t offer one type of dessert, instead the list is so long, they pretty much list the ingredients and you can mix and match what you want. I usually opted for the mung bean, red bean, sweet tofu and glutinous rice dumpling mix. I love beans, especially when they’re sweet and mixed in to dessert. My husband enjoys his grass jelly (a mild asian jelly which doesn’t have much flavour and you must add sugar to it, its suppose to be good for the lungs) along with glutinous dumplings and coconut. No matter how you mix the desserts together they’re a hit. We had more then our fair share during our time in Taipei at many different markets and they were each just as delicious as the one before it.

After a long night of eating, it’s hard to imagine that I’d think of food first thing when I wake up in the morning (well you don’t know me well enough). I had read online that there was a soymilk king right by our hotel and I had it in my mind that I was going to find it. So I dragged my poor husband up and down Fu Xing road to find Yong He Soymilk King. I’m sure he wasn’t that happy with me at the beginning but once the food hit his stomach, all was forgotten. The soymilk was fresh and their Yau Tiao (Chinese fried donut) was crispy with a nice doughy center. Just thinking about it now is making me hungry. They also have a wrap made with scrambled eggs, green onions, yau tiao all wrapped in a black sesame pita bread. Great for when you’re on the go.

So now that I’m nicely full, of course there is more food to be had. One must not miss the Taiwanese bakeries. The selection of freshly baked buns and tarts are to die for. Since these are eaten best when they’re warm and fresh out of the oven, I highly recommend that you do so, however, it’s not always that your stomach is willing. So pick up a few because they’re just as delicious when you need a snack. Honorable mentions include: Taiwanese Drunken Chicken, Sushi (very fresh), Taiwanese Beer and the amazing fresh fruit!

From sightseeing to eating to everything else that Taipei has to offer, I would do it over again in a heartbeat. The Taiwan travel slogan really does ring true. Taiwan – it touches your heart (and your stomach)!

Restaurant Review: Shiraz Persian Cuisine

2011-10-25T07:44:00.000-07:00

When I was young, I was never really in to food (gasp, I know!). Back then, to me meal time was always just a means to an end. To get filled, to be full. Then all of a sudden it grew on me, out of no where I started to try new recipes, think about food, eat all types of food…blog about it. It’s gotten to the point where all my parents and I do when we get together is talk about different dishes and how we can improve on them to make it better. My friends often ask me how that all came to be and to be honest I’m not really sure, but I have a feeling. I seriously think it could be due to travelling. I am just as addicted to travelling as I am about food and there is no better way to truly experience a people’s culture then through their food. To me both are one and the same. So it really isn’t surprising that during my travel lulls I get urges to go try different exotic cuisines, which brought me to Shiraz. So begins another foodie adventure…in Calgary.

Atmosphere: Contrasting red and black décor provide contemporary accents throughout the dining area, which was designed to accommodate a moderate sized group.

Price Range: Mid $10s - $20s

Food and Wine: After getting our menus, it didn’t take us long to spot all the platters that are offered. Since I enjoy variety, it was really pretty obvious what we were going to order. It was also our first time at Shiraz and this way, we’ll know what we like most and can order it again when we come back.

First up was the Shiraz Appetizer Platter which had samplers of all the following dishes. Dolmeh (grape leaves stuffed with rice, onions, dill, mint and spices). They were a little bland and not the highlight of the plate, but worked well when you ate them with the dips that came with the platter.

The Kashk-e-bademjan (roasted eggplants mixed with kashk or whey, flavoured with garlic, onions and mint). Similar to baba ganoush except that it’s served warm. I liked it that way. The warmth of the dish enhanced the aromas and made it comforting in a way. Although I did find it to be a bit heavy due to oil in the dip, I think this dish would greatly benefit from a bit of acid and less olive oil.

A dip called Mast-o-khiar (yogurt, cucumber and mint dip), similar to the better known tzatziki, a nice tangy change to the roasted eggplants which could get heavy if served by itself.
Salad-e-Olivieh which is described as a Persian cold salad made from a combination of egg, potatoes, carrots, green peas, chicken and mayonnaise. It tasted just like you thought it would, a creamy potato salad.

Overall, it’s quite the platter and was a good size for the three of us (would be good for four, if everybody also orders their own entrée). It helps that the platters also comes with pita and if you don’t have enough, don’t be shy about ordering more since there is quite a bit of dip to be had.

For our main, again we stuck to the combination platter called the Tour of Persia. It’s hard to resist when the food promises to take you on a culinary tour. The platter came with a combination of barg (strip loin), chicken barg (breast) and koobideh kabob, served with basmati rice (a plate for each person) flavoured with saffron, soup of the day and grilled veggies. Everybody enjoyed the kabob. It was moist thanks to the added onions and spices, plus it had a nice char from the grill. The strip loin was well marinated, but we found it to be a bit dry as is the same with the chicken. The stew of the day was the Ghormeh sabzy or Persian green herb stew. It consisted of sautéed chunks of beef and fresh herbs, simmered with kidney beans and dried limes. It wasn’t quite as thick as the stews I’m use to and was a bit under seasoned leading me to think that I probably wouldn’t order this platter again. I’d stick to the kebob platter next time.

At the end of our meal the server also mentioned that they had the Persian ice cream available that day. So as they twisted my rubber arm, we got both the ice cream and the Baklava. It’s the first time I’ve ever tried Persian ice cream, which also came with a side of faloudeh, which is a frozen sweet vermicelli like noodle topped with a sweet syrup. When combined with the saffron tasting ice cream, it was very unique. Reminiscent of desserts I’ve had in Morocco. It was very floral, not what I expected. Our baklava was a bit dry and needed more syrup, but the good thing was it wasn’t overly sweet. I recommend trying it with coffee, but that’s a recommendation for any baklava. I find that coffee brings out the honey flavours and makes for a perfect pairing.

My Pick: Kashk-e-bademjan

Overall: There is no better escape then through food, especially when it’s something exotic and unique. Shiraz is distinctive since it offers a different take on menu items we thought we were use to. However, there is always that little room to take the dishes and make them better. Can’t wait to see how Shiraz will reinvent them and make it to the next level.

Shiraz Persian Cuisine
1120 Centre Street NE
Calgary, AB
(403) 452-4050
Website: http://www.shirazpersiancuisine.ca/

Spicy White Wine Mussels

2011-10-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

Hands down Asian food has always been my go to cuisine of choice when I’m in a bind for time. Maybe because it falls within my comfort zone, but a bit of soy, fish or oyster sauce can never do any wrong in my books. However, after our recent Asia trip, I’ve found that I do miss European or Western food. I guess you can get too much of a good thing after all. So it’s nice to be able to mix things up and that’s just what we did over the past weekend, which included a bit of Italian, Spanish and of course….French.

The best thing about French cooking is the sauces. Being able to grab some bread and use it to sop up all the extra broth or sauce at the bottom of a dish is of my favourite things to do (plus I’m a carboholic). Plus, it really does add that extra element to your meal, making it more tactile. Nothing like engaging all your senses right?

Since I wanted something fast, simple, tasty and sop worthy. Mussels popped in to my head. They cook extremely fast, goes great with wine and the broth unquestionably requires some bread. I chose Provencal styled mussels, with white wine, lots of garlic and onions plus a bit of spice. For those who find mussels a bit fishy, the garlic will put that to rest.

Nutritional Tidbit: Garlic has long been used in all forms of cooking as a flavour enhancer, but it does a lot more than just that. There has been studies demonstrating the use of garlic to prevent the common cold due to its high level of sulphides. Since those compounds are considered antioxidants, eating more garlic over time increases the health benefits. The best way to release those healthy compounds from the garlic is to chop or crush the garlic. The more you do so the greater the reward, plus, you’ll get more garlic flavour as well.

There are quite a few different variations of this dish online, but here’s my take on it. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter
½ onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped (or more if you want it really garlicky)
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup white wine
2 Bay leaves
1 tsp crushed red peppers
2 lbs fresh mussels, cleaned and scrubbed
Parsley, roughly chopped
Salt and Pepper
Tomatoes (optional)
Lemon wedges (optional)

Preparation:

Melt the butter on medium heat and add in the onions and garlic, cook until the onions become translucent (roughly 5 mins).

Pour in the white wine, followed by the chicken broth. Add in the bay leaves and crushed red peppers.

Once the liquid boils, add in the mussels and tomatoes (if using, I prefer them without). Put on the lid and let the mussels cook for 5-10 mins. Watch for when the mussels start to open.

When the mussels are done, remove them from the pot and turn the stove up to high to reduce the sauce. Add salt and pepper to the broth to taste and pour over the mussels.

Sprinkle chopped parsley on top with wedges of lemon and enjoy!

Restaurant Review: Koto Sushi Lounge

2011-10-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

The traffic situation in Calgary definitely doesn’t evoke bliss and serenity. Half the time I wonder why we decide to leave work at the time that we do. So there are many instances where we’d rather stay downtown, have dinner and then try to have a go at the traffic. At least then we might be in semi-bliss. It just so happened that there was a new sushi restaurant near by my office the recently opened up and what’s better to evoke bliss then a bit of sushi and sashimi? Enter in Koto Sushi Lounge.

Atmosphere: Modern, roomy and contemporary with Asian (albeit not Japanese) accents throughout the dining area.

Price Range: Mid $10s – 20s

Food: We arrived fairly early in the evening (we were starving after work), so the restaurant was still pretty quiet. It was nice. We got a table near the back of the dining room and had the whole place to ourselves. The server quickly took our order and the food didn’t take long to arrive.

We started with the Seaweed Salad (a usual for us). It came very nicely plated in a martini glass, which I thought was very elegant and unique. The seaweed had a nice crunch and was seasoned well. The addition of tomatoes, lettuce and onions gave it that little something extra. Although we enjoy the special sushi rolls since they’re unique to the different sushi restaurants you go to, we still like ordering the more traditional sushi and sashimis to start. This evening was no different. When the combo arrived, it came with salmon and tuna sashimi, a California roll as well as the usual suspects of sushi (salmon, tuna, shrimp and the like). The sashimi was thick and fresh tasting (as fresh as frozen sushi in Calgary can be) and the sushi were correctly plated with a bit of wasabi in the middle. California rolls pretty much speak for themselves.

After we had our fill of the more traditional kinds of sushi, the three special rolls came. The Lobster Dynamite Tempura Roll consisted of lightly deep fried lobster rolled with crabmeat, mayo, cucumber, avocado and tobiko. I enjoyed the combination of the crunchy lobster and cucumber with the velvety avocado and crabmeat. However, I found there wasn’t enough lobster at times to balance out the crabmeat. In the end it tasted more like I was eating another California roll rather than a lobster roll.

Second was the Deluxe Spicy Tuna Crunchy Roll with spicy miso tuna tartar, spicy sesame miso sauce and jalapeno pepper. My husband and I both enjoyed this roll the most. We enjoy spicy food and found this roll to be very well balanced. The light coating of miso around the tuna gave it a unique flavour we haven’t had before in other spicy tuna rolls. Although we did find that there was a bit too much rice in each roll (in all three of them) and would have preferred it if there was less. It probably would have made the rolls a bit smaller but I wouldn’t have minded.

Lastly was the Shichimi Spicy Prawn Roll highlighting the center with tempura prawns and tobiko then topped with traditional Japanese spice, chopped prawns mixed with spicy mayo and a sweet eel sauce, the roll was creamy and complex. I did find that there was a bit too much mayo which hid the prawn flavour and a bit too much batter around the tempura prawn. However, it was unique since we haven’t seen shrimp rolls too often without other accompaniments such as avocado or cucumber.

My Picks: Sashimi, Deluxe Spicy Tuna Crunchy Roll

Overall: Its fun to try different types of special sushi rolls when you’re at a new restaurant, but some times nothing beats good old tradition. Such is the same at Koto, although their special rolls are worth a shot, you can never go wrong with the sashimi. Who knows, maybe it’ll bring you that little bit of bliss and serenity and seriously we all could use more then a bit of that.

Koto Sushi Lounge
435 4 Ave SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 457-2898