sip & Savour Ontario 2009

The 10 Chefs with Tony Aspler & Debra Aspler

The Production Crew, including me (Danielle Rose) in the back

Chef Tim Dunnill, The Old Mill Inn & Spa

Chef Bertrand Alepee, Amuse-Bouche

You can spot me (Danielle Rose) with Kevin Brauch and Sandy Kurbis of Forefront Communications

Chef Michael Wilson, Crush Wine Bar

Spot me (Danielle Rose) in the crowd on the left talking to my beautiful sister

Anne Yaryowich, Frank Restaurant / Art Gallery of Ontario

Live Culinary Theatre with Tony Aspler, Martin Kouprie, and Kevin Brauch

Tony Aspler with Chef Michael Wilson in the Culinary Theatre

Kevin Brauch with Chef Bertrand Alepee

Chef Martin Kouprie, Pangaea

Me (Danielle Rose) with Patricia Crease of Forefront Communications, and other guests

Chef David Agee with Kevin Brauch

June 16th was a very exciting day for Ontario.  On June 16th at the Fermenting Cellar in the Historic Distillery District, sip Ontario and Savor Ontario joined together for a celebration of Ontario wine and produce for sip & Savour Ontario.  The event brought together 34 award winning VQA Ontario wineries and 10 top Ontario chefs to showcase what Ontario has to offer. I had been looking forward to this event for quite sometime, and let me tell you, it exceeded far beyond my expectations!  

The Fermenting Cellar was decked out with exquisite flower arrangements and candles, turning the originally barren brick walled venue into a warm and inviting atmosphere.  The large space was lined with stands for each one of the 34 wineries, as well as a special feature room for the top wines selected from the Ontario Wine Awards, which took place on May 8th in Niagara. Attendees were invited to sample as many wines as they pleased, as well as the 10 food pairings that accompanied 10 of the wines, which were all created out of entirely Ontario produce.  The many sampling booths allowed for attendees to not only sample, but interact with the many winemakers, sommeliers and chefs.  The food pairings were created by the following chefs:

• Bertrand Alepee - Amuse-Bouche
  
• Ben Denham - Six Steps
  
• Tim Dunnill - The Old Mill Inn & Spa
  
• Ryan Gustafson - EPIC
  
• Martin Kouprie - Pangaea
  
• Brad Long - Veritas
  
• Kevin McKenna - Globe Bistro
  
• Michael Steh - reds Bistro
  
• Michael Wilson - Crush Wine Bar
  
• Anne Yaryowich - Frank Restaurant / Art Gallery of Ontario

In addition to the 10 food pairings, there was also a Live Culinary Theatre that three of the ten chefs participated in.  The Culinary Theatre took place throughout the evening in a candlelit tent that the Fermenting Cellar led to.  The Culinary Theatre allowed guests to sit and relax while learning how to prepare a gourmet dish out of Ontario produce, as well as how to pair it with Ontario VQA wine.  How can you have a celebration of wine without it's best friend cheese?  As well as the food pairings and Culinary Theatre, there was also an impressive cheese table provided by the Dairy Farmers of Canada.  

I was not only impressed by the events spotlight on Ontario, I also greatly appreciated the way it showed how Ontario is committed to helping our environment.  The entire event was powered by Bullfrog Power, a company that uses 100% low-impact renewable electricity. The water poured at the event was all provided by Gaia: Blue glass Water, a water company out of Caledon Ontario that recycles all of their beautiful blue bottles for future use.  In addition to that, all of the plastic cups that were used for the water, were biodegradable.   

I was very lucky to have been able to take a behind the scenes look at sip & Savour Ontario, as I was actually working the event.  Because of this, I was able to be apart of the exclusive industry luncheon.  A lunch dedicated to providing information and inspiration on how Ontario is progressing in terms of their produce and wine, and how businesses can be apart of this growing trend. At the head table sat Kevin Brauch, the Thirsty Traveller and Master of Ceremonies for the Evening; Tony Aspler, the Wine Guy and the Founder of the Ontario Wine Awards; and four keynote speakers: Gurth Pretty, Founder of CheeseofCanada.ca; Cynthia Beretta, Owner of Beretta Organic Farms Inc.; Ann Sperling, Director, Winemaking and Viticulture of Southbrook Vineyards; Thomas Bachelder, Winemaker and Vineyard Manager of Le Clos Jordanne.  The lunch was a 4 course meal prepared by top up-and-coming chefs.  The menu went as follows:

Chef Cory Vitiello 

The Harbord Room

Lightly cured and smoked Creemore Springs Arctic Char Salad

Shaved asparagus, morel and pine nut salad with a brown butter and pickled wild leek vinaigrette

Le Clos Jordanne 2006 Village Reserve Chardonnay

&

Le Clos Jordanne Claystone Terrace Chardonnay

Chef Nick Liu

Niagara Street cafe

Rabbit roulade with house cured bacon, fresh bean cassoulet and natural jus

Pelee Island Winery 2007 Reserve Pinot Noir

2009 OWA Bronze Medal

Chef David Chrystian

Victor Restaurant & Bar

Ontario Texel Lamb Curry "Tamil Style"

Stonechurch Vineyards 2007 Reserve Syrah

2009 OWA Gold Medal

Cheese Course

Sponsored by Dairy Farmers of Canada & The Stonemill Bakehouse

Evanturel, Niagara Gold

Thunder Oak Farmstead Gouda

Artisan Breads: 9 Grain Rye & Cranberry Pumpkinseed

Creekside Estate 2007 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc

2009 OWA Gold Medal

&

Vineland Estates 2007 Chardonnay Non-Oaked

2009 OWA Gold Medal

Southbrook Vineyards

2008 Cabernet Rose

After a fabulous day filled with amazing food, wine, music, and company, I could not have been more proud to be an Ontarian and to be involved with such a successful event.  Since the event, I have already seen a significant change in the way that I cook and shop.  I am much more aware of what my province is producing, what is in season, and how I can use that to my benefit to promote the land I am from.  See you at next years sip & Savour Ontario!  I wouldn't miss it!

Photography by Rohit Seth, of Seth Photography.

Strawberry Daiquiri

When life hands you strawberries, MAKE STRAWBERRY DAIQUIRIS!  Last week, despite having made a pie, and eaten a ton of strawberries on their own, I still had lots of strawberries left from my St. Andrew's Acres strawberry picking adventure.  I find that the best way to use up strawberries, or any fruit for that matter, that is on its last leg, is to puree it.  When you know that your fruit is on or near its last day, turn it into some sort of sauce, soup, or drink. Strawberry daiquiris have been a favourite of mine for years, so it was a no brainer when I had to quickly come up with a way of using up my leftover strawberries.

Tip: To dress this drink up for company, run a a cut lime around the rim of the glass and dip the rim in sugar.  

Ingredients:

2-3 cups strawberries (you may use frozen)

3 oz rum

2 tbsp lime juice

1/4 cup simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, boiled till dissolved, and cooled)

1-2 cups ice

Directions:

1.  Mix all ingredients in a blender until it reaches desired consistency. Serve garnished with a strawberry or lime slice.

La Bamboche

For several months now I have been eagerly awaiting the opening of La Bamboche at 1712 Avenue Road.  Whenever there is a new restaurant or bakery in the area, I get filled up with excessive amounts of excitement, hoping that my neighborhood will have gotten ourselves a real gem.  It looks like La Bamboche will finally be the gem we have been waiting for and will live up to all the hype.  After months of anticipation for the opening, I found out that they actually have another location in Toronto at 4 Manor Road East.  So of course, I had to check it out!  Just stepping into pastry chef Stephen Nason's little bakery feels like, what I would imagine it's like, stepping into a classy Parisian bakery.  The shop is filled with exquisite confections, cakes, tarts, quiches, preserves, and their famous macarons.  Attempting to describe the art that these delicious treats are transformed into would be pointless, as words cannot describe how beautiful each item is.  To see for yourself, check out La Bamboche's blog, which features many of their extraordinary confections.  

After much debate on what I should purchase from the store, I settled on getting a chocolate almond croissant and a blueberry danish.  Hands down, this was the best chocolate almond croissant I have ever tasted!  The buttery croissant was perfectly flaky and filled with layer upon layer of rich semisweet chocolate and delicious almond paste that genuinely tasted like real almond paste, and not that strange mixture of almond extract and marzipan that is often found in almond croissants.  The blueberry danish was made from the same flaky croissant pastry and was filled with fresh, big blueberries, bursting with flavour.  My mouth is watering all over again just thinking about how much I enjoyed them!  I just have to wait a little bit longer until I can walk on over to La Bamboche on a daily basis! La Bamboche's Avenue Road location opens mid-summer 2009.  See you there!

Montreal Weekend Getaway

Me (Danielle Rose) with some ladies I befriended in Old Montreal...funny, they refused to speak or acknowledge me 

My mum and I (Danielle Rose) at the Notre-Dame Bastilica of Montreal "And Then There Was Light" show

Chuck Hughes restaurant, Garde Manger 

Chuck Hughes restaurant, Garde Manger 

l'Acadamie

Brulerie St. Denis

Reubens Deli

My empty plate at Reubens....right after I realized I had forgotten to take a photo of my colossal Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich

Two of many sangrias

Jardin Nelson

Inside Jardin Nelson

Orange and cranberry pancake stuffed with mascarpone, ricotta, and cheesecake, with berries and berry sauce from Jardin Nelson

Baked smoked salmon, goats cheese, and red onion omelette with spiced home fries from Jardin Nelson

Bloody Caesars, final drinks in Montreal

This past weekend I fled rainy, stinky (the city is still in full force with their garbage strike) Toronto to spend some time with my mum in Montreal.  I have been to Montreal twice before, and both times had a blast. The only problem was, the last two times I went, I was with my friends who were more concerned about partying and shopping in the same stores we have at home in Toronto than actually going around to see different parts of the city and experiencing the culture and, most importantly, the FOOD! 

We arrived in Montreal on Friday afternoon, and despite the weather forecast calling for thundershowers, the weather was beautiful! Warm and sunny! We took advantage of the nice weather by walking around Old Montreal, an area that I had never been to but had been told by native Montreal friends that I would love!  They were right! Old Montreal is a fabulous area! It is so nice to walk down the cobblestone streets, stopping into little shops, cafes, and classy restaurants. The atmosphere is so charming that, combined with everyone speaking french around you, you feel like you are in a whole other country!  

After walking around for several hours, we decided to walk over to the the Notre-Dame Bastilica of Montreal where we had seen a large sign advertising their show entitled "And Then There Was Light."  The show is a light and sound show that tells the story of how Montreal was built around this extraordinary cathedral.  We figured our feet needed a break, and soaking up a little history never hurt anyone.  I think that they had a very interesting concept, but didn't carry it out quite as successfully as I would have hoped.  Despite being disappointed with the production value, it was all worth it to see the exquisite reveal of the gorgeously detailed cathedral.  I would have never appreciated the beauty, history, and meaning of the cathedral as much as I had through the seeing the show.  At $10 a person, I would definitely recommend it.

That evening, we walked over to the Latin Quarter where my mum had told me about a great place to go for dinner.  l'Acadamie is a large, 3 story restaurant, located in the heart of the thriving Latin Quarter.  There are several restaurants in Montreal that allow you to bring your own bottle and, conveniently, l'Acadamie is located right next store is a small liquor store.  So before settling at our cute little open window seat with a view of the busy street, we stopped into the liquor store to pick out a bottle of red wine for our meal.  I ordered the breaded veal scallopini with prosciutto and mozzarella and my mum ordered a veal scallopini with a lemon and white wine sauce.  I was almost knocked right out of my seat when our food arrived because I could believe the size of the portions! Not only did I have a large piece of veal, smothered in browned mozzarella, I also had, what looked like, an entree size side of spaghetti! Let me tell you, for a hungry foodie who had only eaten flavourless train food all day long, I was in my glory! So much so....that....I forgot to take a photo.  I am still new to the blogging world, and I suppose I am much more dedicated to my own taste buds than I am sharing my foodie findings.  I was just so hungry and excited to see such a delicious looking plate, I dove right in and savored each and every bite!

The next morning we woke up to a light rain.  So we decided to first head over, once again, to the Latin Quarter for breakfast, as it was close to our hotel.  We stopped in at Brulerie St. Denis, a cute french cafe with an impressive selection of coffee beans, and fresh croissants. Both my mum and I ordered a croissant toasted with brie.  Just as I was delighted with the large portion size the evening before, my croissant was covered in delicious, creamy, melted brie, with a very large portion of zesty shredded carrot salad.  It was delicious and satisfying, just what I needed to start off a day of shopping on St. Catharine Street.  

St. Catharine street is a strip of popular stores in the heart of downtown Montreal.  After shopping for several hours, we figured we needed a break from the rain, so we saw a movie, and then time for lunch!  Ok, now for a little confession.  I love Montreal.  I love the atmosphere, the people, the language...but...my favourite part of Montreal is actually...Reuben's Deli!!!!!!  A trip to Montreal is not complete without stopping at Reuben's for one of their famous enormous Montreal smoked meat sandwiches.  You simply cannot compare it to any other deli on earth! It is simply the best!  The first time I came to Montreal, my friends and I were there for 2 nights and 3 days, and we went to Reuben's twice, and contemplated going a third time! It's just that good!  I ordered their Euro sandwich.  It is packed with their original Montreal smoked meat, but instead of rye, it is served on a fresh poppyseed kaiser bun with swiss cheese. I prefer this to the original rye because the bread is able to hold up to the massive amounts of meat, instead of disintegrating in your hands.  Also, a little cheese just makes the sandwich even more delicious.  The sandwich comes with a large portion of thin cut fries, their homemade zesty coleslaw, and a pickle.  Once again, I had forgotten to take a photo.  I was so excited to see my favourite sandwich, that wolfed that baby down the moment it arrived at the table!  It was just as I pushed my plate away from me that I realized I had forgotten all about it, but I still managed to get a lovely photo of my empty plate! 

We were so full after Reuben's, we couldn't even think about eating again that night.  The rain had finally cleared up to reveal a beautiful warm evening, so we went back to the Latin Quarter and decided to hit up as many bars as we could manage to try each ones sangria.  It was a lot of fun trying out each bar, their sangria, and finding new places to people watch.  We slept well that night, needless to say.

The next morning was our last day.  Our train was leaving at 3:40 so we decided to have a big brunch that would keep us satisfied till our in-train meal.  We had remembered seeing a really cute restaurant called Jardin Nelson in Old Montreal and decided to check it out to see if they were open for breakfast.  They indeed were.  From 10:00 am their breakfast begins with a live jazz band playing on their very large outdoor space, adding to the beautiful, flower filled atmosphere.  When we arrived we were able to get a table right away and the restaurant was still pretty quiet.  But just 20 minutes later, the place was packed! Looks like we found the Sunday morning brunch hot spot!  Everything on the menu sounded so delicious and unique that my mum and I decided to each order something and split them, so that we would at least try two of the many delicious things from Jardin Nelson's menu.  We settled on ordering something sweet and something savoury.  We ordered the baked smoked salmon, goats cheese, and red onion omelette with spiced home fries and the orange and cranberry pancake stuffed with mascarpone, ricotta, and cheesecake, with berries and berry sauce.  They were both beautifully presented, once again fitting right in with the charming atmosphere, and tasted just as they looked.  My mum and I savored each and every bite! I would definitely recommend coming to Jardin Nelson on your next visit to Montreal.  I can't imagine coming to Montreal and not coming back to Jardin Nelson to eat again.

We ended our trip in Montreal with bloody caesars on the outdoor patio of another restaurant in Old Montreal, with a perfect view of the entertaining street performers.  It was a lovely way to end an incredible weekend away.  I am already planning my next trip back to Montreal for this summer! Stay tuned!