Barman Rob ‘Borgo’ Scope’s “Tales of the Cocktail 2010”

I recently returned from New Orleans, Louisiana, where I attended ‘Tales of the Cocktail’, a conference on everything booze. From tasting rooms; featuring the best spirits, to seminars; hosted by industry professionals, to cocktail parties; bartended by the best in the business. Tales of the Cocktail is hosted by the Hotel Monteleone, and the Royal Sonesta Hotel, both located in the historic French Quarter of New Orleans. The French Quarter, or Vieux Carre, is an area packed with tons of restaurants and bars, all within stumbling distance of each other.

Tales of the Cocktail is held annually over a five day period in July and I was fortunate enough to be able to go to several seminars and tasting events over the course of the weekend. After signing in and recieving the ‘Tales’ kit, I decided which seminars and events I wanted to attend. But first things first, off to the Carousel Piano Bar & Lounge in the lobby of the Hotel Monteleone to sample a cocktail after a long day of travel. First up, the classic Sidecar. A mix of cognac, Cointreau and fresh lemon juice with a sugar rim. Just what I needed to calm the nerves and set me up for a weekend of drinking (and learning). The ‘Carousel’ has a circular bar that slowly turns so that you can get a view of the whole room. (Can you imagine how dizzy you might get after few cocktails?)

The Carousel Bar

The first seminar that I attended was called ‘Umami in Cocktails” at the Royal Sonesta Hotel. Umami, also referred to as savouriness, and in Japanese translates to ‘pleasantness’, is one of the five basic tastes. It was hosted by Darcy O’Neil, an ex-bartender who also specializes in science. The main examples of Umami are meat, tomatoes, oysters, mushrooms, soy, potatoes, olives, MSG and green tea. Think Bloody Ceasar’s.

Darcy O'Neil

Later that day was the Cointreau ‘Bar Star’ Mix Off, in the Hunt Room of the Hotel Monteleone. Four finalists from around the States competed for a trip to Paris, France. Cointreau was hosting the event and all of the bartenders were busy making great drinks. My favourite, and eventual winner, was the ‘Cointreau in the Rye’, by Danielle Marchant of Bruno’s in San Fran. It was a mix of Russels Rye, Cointreau, lime, egg white and muddled white peaches. Nice.

The Winning Cocktail

The second seminar I attended was again at the Monteleone, called the ‘Science of Stirring’, an interesting seminar showcasing the differences and similarities between shaking and stirring of cocktails. It compared shaking and stirring times, dilution rates, and the effect they have on making cocktails. As well, they chilled a Manhattan with dry ice (kinda nerdy, but totally cool).

Dry Ice Manhattan vs Stirred Manhattan

The next seminar was the ‘ F Word’, hosted by Tobin Ellis, along with a panel of bartenders; Joe Brooke, Phillip Duff, John Hogan and Danny Valdez. All of whom are regarded as great bartenders in the States. This seminar talked about how ‘flair’ has become a bad word amongst the industry; with bartender, mixologist and bar chef being the more popular description of the trade. Basically, it’s ok to have some flair behind the bar, as long as you don’t make me wait too long for my drink.

The F Word

One of the tasting rooms I couldn’t resist missing was sponsored by Sazerac Rye, and home to one of my favourite cocktails of all time, the Sazerac. Made with American rye, simple syrup, Peychaud Bitters (a product of New Orleans), an Absinthe wash (or herbsaint) and a touch of lemon zest. Sooo Good.

The Roosevelt Hotel

The Sazerac is now the official cocktail of New Orleans, and was made famous in New Orleans pre Civil War Era. Having loved and made this cocktail for some years, I had to find out exactly how the natives in New Orleans made it, so I headed to The Sazerac Bar in the Roosevelt Hotel (where better to get a Sazerac than at the Sazerac Bar). It did not disappoint. The barman took great care into making the drink and it was perfectly balanced and refreshing.

The Sazerac

I also tried a drink at the Sazerac Bar called ‘The Rose’. This is another style of drink that i love. Hendricks Gin, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, muddled cucumber, fresh basil, sugar, rose water and lemon juice. The rose water and the cucumber enhance the flavour of the Hendricks Gin, while the basil adds an earthy aroma and flavour.

The Rose Cocktail

One thing I love about New Orleans other than the great cocktails is the food. The south is blessed with great dishes ranging from BBQ ribs, po’ boys, gumbo and southern fried chicken. I even tried fried alligator at ‘Cochon’, a nose to tail philosophy restaurant, (not unlike Refuel) just outside of the French Quarter on Tchoupitoulas St. (ya, try pronouncing that name). It was a busy night, so I sat at the bar (perfect for me), and ordered an Old Fashioned, another of my all time fave’s. A heavy dose of Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Agnostura bitters, simple syrup and an orange peel, garnished with a cherry. After my meal, the bartender, Matthew, gave me a shot of Buffalo Trace White Dog, a 125 proof distillate that is clear in colour. It’s what bourbon is before is sits and mellows in oak barrels.

It's pronounced Choppa-tu-less

On the last night of ‘Tales’, I attended ‘The Bartenders Breakfast, an event hosted by Plymouth Gin. There were several satellite bars set up around the room, all tended by the best bartenders and mixologists from around the States. The bar with the biggest and longest wait was the Tiki Bar, which were serving up cocktails in hollowed out pineapples, and the New Orleans famous Ramos Gin Fizz. The Ramos Gin Fizz, aka New Orleans Fizz, is a mixture of gin, cream, lemon, lime, sugar, egg white and orange flower water. This drink takes a while to make, as the original recipe calls for a shake of 12 minutes. The egg white emulsifies with the cream and the sugar creating a frothy foam on top of the drink. 12 mins seems a bit much, and a shake of 2-3 mins will make the drink frothy and delicious just the same.

Ramos Gin Fizz

After experiencing all of these cocktails in New Orleans and learning a few things along the way, I have decided to share these cocktails and stories with the guests of Refuel Restaurant and Bar. I will be featuring the Sazerac, the Ramos Gin Fizz, the Rose, and the Old Fashioned, each for $5. So come, sit at the bar, relax and sip on some of the best cocktails New Orleans has to offer.

The Rose, Old Fashioned, Sazerac and Ramos Gin Fizz

Cheers,

Rob Scope

P.S. After a week of cocktails, even the hardy veteran sometimes just needs a cold beer.

piggy piggy pig pig

And so it continues.  After a long hiatus, we are back on the interwoo.  I usually get pretty amped up do off menu dishes, and last night was no exception.  At 7pm, refuel regular Joseph Mallozzi and guest sat at table 35, ready for a serious spread.

it's all in the plan

As detailed in Robert’s previous post, a magical animal, we use ALL of the hog, including the much adored head.  So, for tonight, we lightly cured the whole head and then confited it in it’s own fat.  That process takes around 4 days, and we let it age for another week.

all dressed

Next step, dust the cooked head in starch and fire it in the 360 degree crisper (fryer) for a little bath.  This takes 10 minutes or so to crisp up all the skin on the outside.

Into the a low oven for 90 minutes with a hot temperature finish for about 10 minutes.

sooooo crispy!

While the head was resting, we prepared a shit-ton of accompaniments.  A few different dry seasonings, cold sauces, hot sauces and vegetables made it to the table in anticipation of the main event.

our fearless diners

I carved half of the head tableside, explaining my favourite bits, and kept the other half hot until they were ready for round two.  It didn’t take long.

give us a top up

Finally, we cooked a special dish with the brain, sauteed spaetzle, pig’s brain, sage and pickled mustard seeds.  Unreal.

nothing wasted

This is why I cook.  Not to use the fanciest, most extravagant and exotic ingredients, nor flash plates or fancy jackets.

The satisfaction of maintaining the integrity of the animal and it’s origins wins everytime.

-Ted

proud

Katharine Takes Us Home For the Holidays!

Since I was a little girl, my family made the drive on the Crowsnest through the mountains to visit my Gramma (not a spelling error, that is just how I’ve always spelled it) for the holidays.  My parents decided to make the move back to my dad’s home town in the interior, when they retired almost 12 years ago. The tradition is now mine, to make the 6 hour drive to their quaint and secluded homestead in the southern interior of BC, each year.  I have been making the drive for so long that it just doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving without it!

On the road with Tim Horton

Snacks are an essential ingredient for any successful road trip.  I indulge in amazing food on a regular basis and have grown accustomed to it  but this road trip has its food traditions and the word gourmet does not describe any of them. So, with my Timmy’s in hand and a bag full of guilty pleasures, I am prepared for the glorious drive.

We (my fiancé and I) lucked out with a beautiful sunny day.  The sky was vibrant blue and the roads were clear. Unfortunately, as BC experienced such an incredibly warm and long summer, the landscape wasn’t filled with as many vibrant colours as we are accustomed to this time of year. I am certainly not complaining and neither were the deer. They were out in full force.  It was truly amazing the number of white tail deer we spotted on this trip.

Grown Here (sometimes) Sold Here (always)

The stop in Keremeos (the fruit stand capital of Canada) is always exciting but the fall is an exceptionally special time of year.  The stunning colour palate of squash, apples and peppers that fill the fruit stands is as much candy for the eye as it is for the belly. “Grown Here Sold Here” is the slogan for this farming community! If you value supporting local and organic farmers you still need to be observant and ask questions but most of what you will find, at these stands in the fall, is grown right there in the south Similkameen Valley. I like to stop at a number of the fruit stands in Keremeos but this year we are  on a tight schedule, driving on Thanksgiving Sunday and dinner is at  6pm sharp. I only have time to stop at Mariposa. They always have the most impressive harvest anyway.

Mariposa Fruit & Veg Stand Keremeos

I was overwhelmed by the variety of squash this year.  Some, simply, looked awesome but I wouldn’t have an idea what to do with them in the kitchen. Others screamed potential for winter entrées, soups, mash & purées.

Small Wonders Spaghetti Squash is one of my fav’s; roast it in the oven, scrape out the long strands and toss with olive oil, s&p and parmesan.  Turban Squash caught my eye due to it’s unique shape but I did wonder, “is the name turban squash politically correct?” I have never cooked with it and I am not sure I want to.  Apparently, the flavour can differ tremendously from nutty to bitter depending on the age of the squash.  I was also happy to find red kuri squash. We currently serve it at Fuel. The boys made a velvety red kuri squash purée and serve it with a variety of fall vegetables and a crispy poached egg.

Hot Peppers

Mariposa also had an abundance of  peppers. The “Ring of Fire” variety always makes me giggle.

Apples, Apples, Apples

We loaded up on apples as they have such unusual varieties.

We always pick up Aurora’s for my niece who shares the name, a case for the horses and Red Romes for us.

Red Rome’s look like they jumped right off the screen from Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs. They have vibrant red skin, brilliant white flesh, are extremely sweet and flavourful, very refreshing after all the road goodies we devoured.

Orofino Winery in Cawston BC

We make a quick stop in Cawston at Orofino Vineyards to pick up some of their beautiful Pinot Noir.

Kick Ass Scenery in the interior

As we get closer, the change in scenery becomes very nostalgic for me.  As a little girl, my dad would tell us stories, reminiscing of his youth, when he was a cowboy and would guide the cattle down the mountain on horseback on his friend Johnny’s farm.

We arrive and are escorted in by a very hospitable host

We arrive at the old homestead and it is bustling.  Dogs are barking, tails waging, Aurora greets us, Gramma is in the living room sitting by the fireplace with sherry in hand, Mom, Dad, my big  brother and his wife are in the kitchen preparing the Thanksgiving Feast.

The Turkey

Mom and Dad pull the turkey out of the oven. It smells heavenly. That is my que to make sure everything wine is ready to go.

My dad always serves up Langenbach Rheinhessen Kabinett on Thanksgiving.  It is aromatic, off dry, light, crisp and $10 at the LDB, great value! I brought a couple of bottles along too. The ’99 Jakoby Mathy Kinheimer Rosenberg Kabinett that we are currently pouring by the glass at Fuel and you can find it retail at Kits Wine Cellar. I can’t get enough of this wine, it is off dry, great acid, incredibly balanced, crisp and fruity with a hint of petrol and a beautiful mouth-feel. And of course the Orofino Pinot Noir, a complex little BC Pinot,  strawberry and black cherry notes, earthy with a touch of smoke. It wouldn’t hurt to cellar this bottle for a couple of years but it is great with food now.

The standard Thanksgiving plate

And dinner is served. I imagine this plate looks familiar to many of you. Cauliflower gratin, mashed potatoes, turkey, sage stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce,carrots, brussel sprouts and mustard pickle. My mom’s cooking is the best. Nothing even comes close.

Obviously, we have pumpkin pie for dessert. I have a philosophy when it comes to pie and it involves equal parts whipped cream and pie. I paired dessert with a lovely bottle of  2003 Château La Rame Saint Croix du Mont that I received as a gift from my boss, Tom Doughty. A sweet blend of semillion and sauvignon blanc, with notes of herbs, baking spice and orange peel.

Aurora holds the gate open for dad

Nugget

The next morning Aurora and I head out to the barn to say hi to the horses. Dad beats us out there as he is up at the crack of dawn. You can take the man out of the military but…

Aurora feeds Shane some delicious apple

We feed the boys some of the apples I brought. The horses are getting old so we have to cut up the apples and take out the seeds to make them easier to chew and digest.

Dawn picks a pumpkin to carve on Halloween

Before we all get back on the road and head west we each pick out a pumpkin from my mom’s incredible garden to carve on Halloween. It’s tradition!

through a cooker’s eyes

A normal day in a professional kitchen is long and hard.  Beautiful moments end quickly, so it’s nice to have a camera handy.

lardo

bedard farm's finest

lard at work

summer evening light

best. steak. ever.

And then, sometimes you just see something that makes you laugh, and laugh hard.

"i'm a mushroom bear"

Happy cookers in clean kitchens make amazing food.

Ted

CHI-TOWN, USA

Loving all things food, Paula and I decided to visit the city of Chicago for the first time and we ate…and ate…and ate. Chicago turned out to be a tremendous food mecca. Everyone we spoke to were passionate about their cuisine. We loved the fact that someone would tell us the “only” place to get pizza and if you mentioned any other place they would rage and call it a dump. Chicagoans have true food convictions and love to share them. We took plenty of photos, some of which were good, so I thought I would share some of our trip with you all.

Tom

Moto Restaurant

First up was a 5:30 reservation at Moto Restaurant, where Chef Homaro Cantu pushes the envelope with his cuisine. The first dish you receive is an edible menu with the 10 course menu written on one side and the 20 course grand tasting menu written on the other. Very cool and quite tasty as well.

Edible Menu

Next up was French onion soup with smeared gruyere cheese and house made funyun.

French onion soup with Funyun

The following dish started with an edible picture of what was to come. The picture was also flavoured like the following dish!? It was roasted breast of Capon with shredded confit leg of capon, blue cheese emulsion, celery leaves and pequin chili sauce. In short, it was supposed to taste like buffalo wings and it really did.

Edible, flavoured Picture

"Buffalo Wings"

The next dish was known as the daily pasta and it was actually a Reuben Lasagna. Layers of sauerkraut, corned beef, swiss cheese and caraway seeds. On the plate is house-made 1000 island dressing and a dehydrated dill pickle chip. While very interesting, the dish tasted exactly like a Big Mac, which was kind of creepy. When we told the server of our discovery, she was less than impressed. Oh well.

"Reuben Lasagna"

Our first dessert followed, which was supposed to be a Passion Fruit and Black Currant Ice Cram Happy Face but I think maybe their freezer was broken as the resulting dish was a bit of a mongoloid face.

Happy Face?!

Then came a second dessert with a pound cake on one side and a “Hamburger Macaroon” on the other side. There was also a “S’mores Bomb” along with an authentic marshmallow wick which they lit on fire and it burned down. Pretty imaginative.

Burger Macaroon and S'mores Bomb

Right next door to Moto is their sister restaurant Otom. After our first meal of the night we ventured next door for some casual cuisine. I enjoyed an interesting cocktail there comprised of Honeydew Melon, Watermelon Foam, gin and Prosciutto powder on the rim of the glass. We had 4 more dishes at Otom.

Morning Dew Cocktail

Cast Iron Mac'n'Cheese

"Potato Chip" Gnocchi with Pinenuts and Champagne Grapes

This was an interesting dish as they used crushed potato chips instead of potato for the gnocchi and the texture was like nothing I had experienced before.

Roasted Octopus with Fennel and Cherry Tomatoes

"Falafel Waffle"

This dish was a waffle shaped falafel with tahini yoghurt and roasted peach. Savoury and sweet. Different. We then took our leave from Otom and moved on to our third dinner of the night. L2O is the latest offering from acclaimed chef Laurent Gras (who also has an excellent blog, by the way) It is a seafood restaurant located in the Belden-Stratford Hotel near Lake Michigan.

L2O Front Door

This was one of the most beautiful restaurants I had seen and even though we were getting pretty full, I wanted to get the full experience.

Lobster Amuse Bouche

Olive Oil Poached Cod with Onion Flower

Santa Barbara Prawns

This was a phenomenal dish. It had the prawns prepared 3 ways. Grilled, Tempura and Sashimi (with the roe being deep-fried also) Then the head and brains were deep fried and served on a dish with a dipping sauce made from the shells; almost like a bisque mayonnaise.

Prawn head and dipping sauce

Next up was another amazing dish. So simple and textural. Fluke Sashimi with Ume Plum, Garlic Chips and Black Shiso leaf. Truly delicious.

Fluke Sashimi

 Following that dish was some piece of art. I was told it was Foie Gras, but had to do some serious hunting to find that tasty liver!

Foie Gras with Cotton Candy, Bee Pollen and edible Flowers

A little digging revealed the prize within!

The Gem Within - Foie Gras!

This dish was good but was definitely more art than substance. I guess that is the whole point of cotton candy though? I was anticipating “smoked” ribeye next but the server was a little overzealous and “accidentally” ordered the Wagyu Beef supplement for me (for a $105.00 supplement for that single dish!) I could tell by the look in his eye that he would probably be fired if I kicked up a stink so I gladly tucked into the dish.

Wagyu Beef with Lobster

This dish was great,adorned tableside with sauce americain. Potato Croquettes and Lobster mushroom. Paula’s Foie is in the way so the following picture is the completed dish.

Tasty Beef #2

This Beef was something special. The intramuscular fat was unbelievable and I may have well been eating meat flavoured butter!

Intramuscular Fat - the 2 sexiest words in the English Language

Next up was a mindblowing dessert. Chocolate, of course!

Chocolate Box

To the unasuming eye, a box of chocolate, but voila, never judge a book by its cover.

Layered Goodness

The interior consisted of Praline, Caramel, Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Cake and Frangiapane. Possibly the best chocolate dessert I have ever had. Mignardise were up next.

Grapefruit Macaroons

Hibiscus Marshmallow

That was the end of the evening except for a tour of the amazing kitchen which I will post at another time. We ate a lot on that first day and were more than ready for a good sleep. Next up, Chicago-Blog day two. Get ready for Deep dish Pizza and Alinea. Two very different spectrums.

Tom

A Magical Animal

Butcher

At Campagnolo, we have room in the the restaurant that is for general day to day prep, but every Thursday, I get to be a butcher. I clear my schedule, i write my list and get to cutting.

Over the years I have been on an never ending quest to find the best possible raw materials for my cooking as I can. Tracking down these ingredients can be much more difficult than one might think. For me it started with Pork. So about 5 years ago, I wanted to find the best I could so I went to the source and found a pig farm in the fraser valley. Now, I did not know exactly what I was looking for but that farm was not it. The farm was state of the art and the owners were wholesome, good, god fearing folk who were proud of what they did and were proud to show it off. The problem was the smell.  The smell of hot rotting piss, a smell that permeates everything and gets into your skin and lingers for days. The state the art facility made their own feed, the grain was trucked in from the prairies and mixed using the national pork boards recipe. This allows for the pork to taste the same across the country. The place had no windows and was like a WW2 bunker. Solid concrete walls and steal grating for a floor, to allow the piss and shit to go through. These types of farms dot the fraser valley and across the country to provide us canadians a cheap, insipid protein marketed as the other white meat. Consistency is the goal and the cost is the flavor. I could go on about the conditions of the animals but i won’t. Suffice it to say it is difficult for me to eat factory raised pork because I can always smell the rotting piss when I eat it.

Factory raised pork. A sow feeding piglets from a farrowing crate.

I educated myself on all things pork. Breeds, types of feed, genetic lineage and flavor profiles are what helped me discover a farm on Vancouver Island called Sloping Hill. Dirk Keller and his wife Birgit own and  raise their pigs ethically and humanely, but what is even better is that they use heritage breeds. This gives us a great flavor profile; something that factory pork had lost after all of those years of manipulation.

Sloping Hill raises some of the only commercially grown pastured pork in BC. As far as farm animals raised for food goes, these animals have some of the best living conditions I have ever seen. They eat mostly food grown on the property and from the neighbors. Their diet changes throughout the year to correspond to the seasons. The flavor, texture, and fat content of the meat also changes during the year. This is what makes Dirks pork so special. As the flavor and fat content change, different dishes or types of charcuterie can change with it. So we adapt the recipe to the product, not product to the recipe. This way we can highlight and emphasize the great qualities and differences in the meat.

Dirk, with his pastured pigs at Sloping Hill Farm

Looking for some wild edibles

Hampshire in the haze of the morning sun.

When I first contacted Dirk, he told me he only sold his pork in full carcasses. So I would have to figure out how I would butcher it, in order to deal with 200lbs of meat. It was incredibly exciting as a chef trying to make the menu work with the product as opposed to the other way around.  Where could we fit it in, what sort of things could we do. This is where the first recipes for my charcuterie came from. It was a situation that all people have when they butcher a whole animal. What am I going to do to make this entire animal not go to waste. I remembered when my grandfather and father told me stories of the pig slaughter on their farm and how they would make bacon in the barn. It gave me stronger connection to my families’ history a connection to my grandfather that I had never had.

When we opened Fuel, I knew that our connection to the farmer would be even greater than it had in the past. So we started getting one pig a week, and the look I got as broke down the carcass in the front window of the restaurant were some of the best looks I have ever seen. When other chefs how can I afford to use the whole animal. I tell them there is no other way I would do it. There are two reasons to do whole animal butchery in a restaurant environment. Firstly, I am able to teach cooks the importance in the skill of basic and advanced butchery, something rarely taught in restaurants anymore. This gives the cook a basic understanding of where primary and secondary cuts come from and how they can be used. Also seeing unusual cuts that we have come up with in advanced butchery. Also I am able to teach the cooks basic and advanced charcuterie methods, again very rarely seen in a restaurant kitchen. Secondly, we are able to use and support the local farming community. Over the last five years we have helped in giving Sloping Hill Farm a steady stream of business, first from Fuel and now Campagnolo. When other farmers see this support from there restaurant community, it empowers them to do the same and perpetuates the cycle.

With whole animal butchery, it allows you to do things that you may have not seen before. A great example of this our belly rack. I was breaking down a pig one day and was looking at the bone structure of the belly and how it attached to the back bone and was seeing how I could cut out a rack of pork. Now a rack of pork is a beautiful thing, but as I was looking at those ribs attached to the belly, I thought why not a rack of belly. So I cut the ribs off the back bone and trimmed up the belly, cleaned the skin off and rolled it up like pancetta with the bones sticking out the top. We give it a quick cure and confit it whole in lard, sous vide. After about 16 hours of cooking, we rest it in the fridge for about two weeks before we cut into it. This cut of pork has become one of our most popular menu items, even with its very limited availability.

Hanging Carcass

Our belly rack

Just out of the immersion circulator and being retied for ageing

The most important aspect of our butchery is the making of charcuterie. It is charcuterie that allows us to do whole animal butchery in the first place. Charcuterie, in its essence, is the preservation of meat. When you have a 200lb carcass to deal with and you are having a slow week in the restaurant, what do you do? You have to make it tasty, and make it last. Confit, rillete, rillion, fermented sausage, pate, ham, lomo, pancetta, bacon, lardo, lard, stesa, capicolla, fresh sausages, crown bacon. These are the things we make on a regular basis with pork. They are flavoured with different herbs and spices throughout the year depending on what season it is.

Pork loin being turned into lomo with salt, rosemary and tellicherry pepper

Freshly stuffed chorizo, on its way to becoming a fermented sausage

Chorizo tied and ready for incubation

Meat, fat, liver, kidneys, seasoning, spices, panada, shallots and garlic = Pate

Another aspect of using Sloping Hill’s pork is the differences in the breeds we get and the time of year. Each breed has its own characteristics that make it more or less suitable for different charcuterie preparations. As an example, a Berkshire pig that has been fed a lot of vegetables over the summer will have a higher ratio of intramuscular fat than say a Hampshire pig raised right beside it. This would make the Berkshire pig perfect for large muscle curing, like dry cured ham, capicolla, lomo or stesa. Whereas a Hampshire, because of it abundance of hard fat, is great for making a fermented or fresh sausage. These characteristics can make it difficult for some people to deal with but we have always seen it as an advantage. It allows us to bring out the best characteristics and not be mired in the variations of the meat.

With the starting of the separate company called “the cure”, we are now using 8 whole pigs a month with both restaurants. We hope to continue to grow and use even more pork in the future.

Summer BBQ Action

For my birthday in June, my lovely lady gave me a Weber charcoal bbq. My bbq experiences previous to that fateful day were clouded by propane tanks and automatic starters. I am now a convert, and have no problems spending 5-6 hours prepping and bqq’ing with charcoal on any given day off. One of my favourite dishes is ribs and I get excited just thinking about preparing and of course eating them. The following is a brief account of a typical summer bbq on a day off at Tom’s place.

Ribs have arrived looking a little naked.

There are 2 schools of thought on the removal of that back layer of silver skin. One side says that it should always be removed because it stops the smoke from permeating the ribs properly and the other side says “pshaww”. I thought I would check out both ways and see for myself.

French's Baby, not just for hot dogs!

As I was preparing a dry rub for my ribs, I needed something to help it stick and French’s yellow mustard is just the ticket. It helps the rub stay in place and the flavour seems to disappear by the time the ribs are fully cooked.

guard this container with your life, dammit!

While I cannot tell you the complete recipe for my dry rub, I can tell you that it is recommended to make it fresh, always use toasted spices, freshly ground and allow at the minimum about 3-4 hours of time for it to marinate the meat. There is cumin, coriander, brown sugar, thyme, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and a few other tasty treats in there. The quantities of each ingredient will be taken to my grave!

Ribs in fancy dress

Apply the rub liberally, cover and place in fridge for as long as you can handle waiting. Use this time to prepare any other dishes you are going to grill or just drink beer and contemplate.

Sexy Onions

A trip to the Trout Lake Farmers Market revealed these beautiful local onions as well as a plethora of fresh veggies to make a killer salad.

Love the smell of Fresh Salmon in the morning

Rob had just returned from a guest chef stint at a local fishing lodge and was kind enough to donate a beautiful piece of Wild Spring Salmon into the mix. I believe he caught it using only his bare hands and teeth and extreme cunning!

Smokey Boy

Ribs are rolling now, try to keep the temperature between 200 and 300 by opening and closing the vents at the top and bottom. I use a blend of charcoal hardwood and charcoal briquettes. One gets hotter but one has more longevity. The ribs cook at this temperature for about 3.5 hrs. Every hour, I would add more soaked hickory wood chips to the fire and about 8-10 additional pieces of lit charcoal. Try to lift the lid as little as possible during this time.

Sexy Onions 2.0

We just roasted the onions without peeling them on the grate until they became soft and wonderful. As John Bishop would say, Booyah!

Cute little guys

New baby potatoes were wrapped in foil and actually roasted on the bottom rack next to the coals with some olive oil and a couple of heads of garlic.

Happy Fish

Salmon was slow roasted at about 200c on the propane bbq as I did not want to taste the smoke with the fish. The ribs would be smokey enough, hopefully.

Oh Baby!!!!!!!!

Ribs are now finished and we threw a few links on there too for good measure! Notice the drip tray underneath to catch fat and help avoid flare-ups.

Get in line, my little pretties!

Ahh, the anticipation of it all!

Candid Salad Shot

Just so we don’t feel too guilty about all the pork we are about to devour.

Smokey Deliciousness

Speaking of Pork.

This little piggy went "whee, whee, whee" all the way home

Those ribs did not stand a chance, in fact all was eaten and enjoyed, even the salad. Yeah, I know! Next time, everyone is invited over.

Tom

The Raspberry

During my first summer as the Sous Chef at C Restaurant here in Vancouver, we were going through a massive turnover in our kitchen. One day Chef came to me and told me there was a young cowboy, who was going to spend the day with us. This is how I came to know Luke Kennedy. He worked for me as a line cook off and on at C for 4 years. He eventually even became a Sous Chef of mine when I became Chef de Cuisine. One thing Luke always boasted about were the raspberries his mom and stepfather grew on Gabriola Island. “They are best you will ever taste”, was what he would always say. The kitchen crew finally got to try some raspberry jam his mom had sent over for Christmas. Now I have never really liked jam that much, always found it to sweet and cloying, but when I bit into that piece of grilled bread with a smear of that jam it was life changing. It was so fresh tasting, a perfect balance of sweet and tart, it had a lot to do with the expertise in which the jam was prepared but there was more to it. The flavor of those raspberries came through as clean and delicious as the day they were picked. Then Luke said, “This jam is a little sub par, I’ll try and get some fresh ones for you next summer”. Sub par, my ass. He is pulling my leg. So I waited, and waited, through those rainy months and into the heat of summer.

It was late July and we had about 150 reservations in the book and Luke comes up to me at 4 o’clock and says, “the raspberries will be here in an hour. They are being flown over from Gabriola and have to be picked up at the harbour plane terminal downtown”. I had no time so I asked Chef Clark if he could pick them up. At about 6, Chef Clark calls me into the garage to where his car is parked and  he has a weird smile on his face. He shows me the empty pint container full of raspberry juice and tells me to eat one from the flat in the back of his car. I take one and then another and then another, and on my next grab Chef stops me, “leave some for the customers”.  Luke pokes his head out the door and sees what is going on and just says,”I told ya!”.

Now, there are times in a persons life when they get to taste something that is truly special. We have all had it. I feel lucky, because as a Chef I get to try these special things a little more often than most. These raspberries are truly a special ingredient. I have been buying as many of these raspberries I can, every year since that summer. Ingredients like this are a very rare find and because of that, we exclusively use these little gems at the restaurants. When they are done, you won’t see another raspberry used until they become available again the following summer.

This year Ted Anderson and I came up with a dessert that I think does these raspberries justice. Ted calls it a Highpoint Farms Raspberry Creme Moussiline, buttercrunch, raspberry sorbet. I call it fucking good. For not having a dedicated pastry chef at Fuel, we do all right.

Robert.

Hawkshaw Salmon Arrives!

you beauty

There is a time of year that I crave almost more than any other.  The stone fruit starts to slowly arrive at the farmer’s markets, fresh peas are abundant, tomatoes are just around the corner and, we receive a phone call from Fred and Linda Hawkshaw, of Terrace, BC.

salmon toro. chum is NOT a garbage fish - let's change the way we see fish

I was first introduced to this amazing salmon in 2005, when I was cooking at C Restaurant.  The way they fish should be copied by all.  Longline caught, the fish are kept in saltwater tanks in the hold of the boat until they reach the docks, where they let them calm down overnight.  The next morning, the fish are killed, bled, gutted and packed in a ‘coffin’ and flown to the city.  You just can’t get fish any fresher or better looked after.  We buy as much fish as we can possibly use/cure during the summer months when the Skeena and Nass rivers are open; receiving all five species on some occasions.  Lot’s of sockeye, springs, cohos, chums, and, if we luck out, amazing pinks!

tunnel of love - no decay here

We got our much anticipated first shipment last week, scoring sockeye, chum and springs.  Alvin got all the sockeyes at Campagnolo, and we cut into the chums first, as they are best used quickly.  Oh my god the fish is awesome!

glorious onions

After talking with Susan from Glorious Organics in Aldergrove, she assured me that she could sort us out with some spring onions for a month or so.  I was totally stoked on getting these beauties and serving them simply with the amazing salmon.

the slow roast won the battle

We tried a few techniques for cooking the salmon, slow roasting and searing being the two favourites.  While the seared had awesome crispy skin and a pleasing roasted aroma, cooking the salmon in a 200F oven for about 15 minutes had the most amazing flavour and texture.  This technique lends itself best to fish with a good amount of fat present, like this gorgeous chum.

foaming butter. i just can't quit you

The onions were taken into three sections – the tops were pureed with potato and creme fraiche, then used to fill agnolotti.  The very bottoms were roasted in butter, finished with caramelized honey and some sherry vinegar, while the middles were sliced and sauteed in foaming butter.

pillows of oniony love

The onions are finished with a few leaves of young spinach and the plate is sauced with more creme fraiche, this time hot and spiked with a little dijon.

beginning of summer, on a plate.

The salmon will be around only for a short time, so it’ll make it’s way onto one of the starters as well.  A couple of dishes with cherries and a dessert or two with raspberries in the works for next week.  I love this time of year.

-Ted

Polderside Farms Lamb

So, each year Virginia and Jens-Hugo raise about 12 lamb on their farm in addition to their incredible chickens and ducks. Last night, we were lucky enough to serve one of these incredible milk fed lambs in the restaurant. We sent the invite out to our mailing list and at 7pm yesterday we had a full house all ready to eat some tasty lamb. Rob butchered the lamb and removed the entire saddle. We cooked it sous vide and then seared the edges to crisp it up. Ted prepared a couple of warm up courses consisting of Ultra Rare Albacore Tuna and a Wild Leek Risotto and then we displayed the saddle to our guests. The flavour was amazingly delicate, like no lamb I had ever tasted before. Max Trammell, our intrepid regular and good friend, took a few pictures, as I was running around a lot. (Seating the whole restaurant at 7 o’clock in hindsight is a questionable idea!) Hope it looks as delicious as it tasted.

Tom

Intrepid Diner Max Trammell

Amuse Bouche - Shaved White Aparagus

Rob serving up the risotto

Teamwork

Wild Leek Risotto with lomo

Lamb Saddle ready to be displayed

Milk Fed Polderside Farms Lamb

Strawberry Eton Mess

A wonderful night with great feedback on all the dishes. Can’t wait to do it again. Thanks for the photos, Max.