soupnancy

June 6, 2007

Finders Eaters  A write up in the Globe and Mail about Francois, me and what we do at the table champêtre..

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070606.wxlforager06/BNStory/lifeFoodWine/home

All in all, I think it's a great piece, and I am grateful for the exposure, of course.  I especially like the title.  Although François has been in the media extensively himself, it has been mainly in Quebec, and very little in the English media.  I do, however, have a few minor corrections to make..  Even if these are details that probably only matter to me, just for the sake of accuracy, I feel the need to qualify a few points..  

-I was 'executive sous-chef' or 'chef de cuisine' at L'Eau à la bouche, not executif chef; that title is Anne Desjardin's, the renowned chef owner, and a pioneer in Quebec cuisine. 

-I was indeed short-listed for the GG job, but although I have not heard anything since the last round of tests which was monthes ago now, I think I can safely assume I did not get the job, which I never expected anyhow.  I did not really want Rideau Hall mentioned, but I understand that with a national audience, it is a catchy, meaningful tidbitit that would be tempting to slip in for a journalist.  However, who I am as a chef is more properly represented by what I do at the table champêtre, my blog and my time at L'Eau à la Bouche. 

-The wild grapes in the 'balsamic type' sauce I make come from the Lanaudière nearby, while the wild berries in the vinaigrette come from Ungava Bay up north.  

-The restaurant belongs to François', I am just hired help.  But like any good chef and girlfriend, I boss him around a lot, which he puts up with in exchange for taking care of the kitchen so that he can spend as much time as possible in the woods.

-One last thing: François and I met 7 years ago while I was at l'Eau; we started dating 4 years ago, and only started working together on a regular basis 2 years ago..

Bits and Bites

May 29, 2007

Latest on the Montreal restaurant scene : a quick overview of what I’ve seen, heard and tasted recently..

New Restaurant ‘Dual’ to open in old Area location with an original concept: Chefs Laurent Godbout (of l’Épicier) and Chef David Biron (formerly of Yuzu in Quebec ) will face off Iron Chef style with customers dining on the results.. http://www.hrimag.com/spip.php?article2058

'BazAar’ open, Anise reincarnated : By now, most of you have certainly heard that Racha Bassoul has reopened the Anise location on Laurier O. as BazAar, a bistro-grill concept offering more casual, but equally interesting contemporary food with Middle Eastern influences.. http://www.anise.ca/

Cuisine Dependence : Sophisticated but simple French fare with flare, the talented chef Jean Paul Giroux of Le Saint Augustin opened this place last fall with Danielle of Le Club des Pins in the front. The décor is minimilast French bistro, the cooking is spot on, with clean flavours and good ingredients, definitely good value here. My favourite dish the night I dined was a mini pot au feu that stood out, utterly delicious and refined.

Bistro du Sommelier : Tasty, inventive bistro fare by a young Quebec chef with lovable (and knowledgable) Sommelier Guy Lelièvre running the room. They have changed their initial tasting menu format to a simpler table d’hôte with two courses for 25$ or 3 for 30$, offering a short but inspired list of entrées and mains, and some good wines by the glass. I enjoyed an asparagus, quail egg and goat cheese salad (decomposed) and an open ravioli of beef cheek and mushroom; the Caesar salad was also good. Right across from the Rideau Vert theatre, this unassuming little place is worth a visit, primo terrasse space on St-Denis too. http://www.lebistrodusommelier.com/

Limone: A welcome addition to the Atwater market hood on Notre Dame (in front of Joe Beef). This unpretentious neighbourhood restaurant is Mexican bistro style, casual and abuzz with 30+ professionals that live in the condos nearby. Go for the guacamole (best I’ve tasted in a restaurant in a while) and the quality margaritas if anything. The cactus salad was good and bright. I haven’t sampled many of the mains; I’m kind of scared of being disappointed, like in other pseudo Mexican places where everything is heavy and tastes like that same burrito taste.  Nonetheless, I will be back to venture forward but even before, just for a 5 à 7 and some of that great guac.

Lucca : My first time dining at a Montreal favourite. This charming, modern Italian bistro in Little Italy (on Dante just off St-Laurent) serves up simple yet elegant Italian classics with great service; overall a breath of fresh air in the sea of tired, over-priced, standard menu Italian restaurants in Montreal. A short menu but everything sounds good and out of the 8 dishes sampled, 7 were winners, not bad at all. The risotto was perfect, the calamari super crisp, and the tomato sauce is dynamite.

Watch François on La Semaine Verte On Radio Canada Channel 4 Sundays at 12:30pm or Saturdays at 18:00pm or on the internet.. where every Sunday, he introduces a new wild edible plant or two.

27 Mai, Hémérocalles, monarde, chou gras: http://www1.radio-canada.ca/actualite/semaine_verte/reportage.aspx?idDocument=37966&idItemMenu=31

20 Mai, ortie: http://www1.radio-canada.ca/actualite/v2/semaineverte/archive63_200609.shtml

Flaveurs newsletter highlights new products of interest on the Quebec market, notably Green&Blacks fair trade organic chocolate, the new Quebec spring water Eska, and a new line of sauces from La Maison LeGrand, who make great pesto and tapenade, handy home staples. http://www.flaveurs.com/INFO%20lettre/InfoLettre_mai_2007/InfoLettre_mai2007#ActualiteGastronomique

Ecoholic, by Adria Vasil , my new favourite book, and a must-have reference book for any Canadian household. This is a guide to the most environmentally friendly information, products and services in Canada : useful tips to help you green your home, your body, your pet, or when it comes to renovations, clothes, electronics, food, even your sex life.. This book is chalk full of surprising information about the products around us, what about them is bad for us and for the environment, what companies offer what solutions, etc. I had no idea how many things I could potentially change or phase out with very little effort or sacrifice. I encourage you to take a look. With educational tools like this, we have the power as consumers to make more sensible choices and actually make a difference.

Corn ethanol, a growing debate. Read 'Family Feud': Why agribusiness giants are facing off over corn ethanol in the U.S. This is a no win situation: cheap food or cheap fuel with industrial corn at the center, ruling our lives, and this is just as much an issue here for us as Canadians, btw. http://www.grist.org/comments/food/2007/05/24/ethanol/index.html

Being egg-savvy: a little help when shopping for eggs http://www.culinate.com/cook/food_features/The+eggsentials

Harold McGee explores the 5 second rule.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/dining/09curi.html?ei=5090&en=241e6e22e405bc24&ex=1336363200&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print

A terrific quote by Marian Burros on Over-salting "In the current culinary mode salt is making too much of a statement. A couple of weeks ago I had dinner at a new restaurant and I have no idea how the food tasted because each dish was sprinkled with coarse salt like so much white confetti. If under-salting is the sign of a timid chef, over-salting is the sign of an arrogant one."

Chefs are getting skinnier This struck me as funny since everyone else seems to be getting fatter..

http://www.waitrose.com/food_drink/wfi/foodpeople/chefs/0705064.asp

New culinary website and blogs that I’ve recently discovered:

www.grassrootsstore.com A Toronto store and leader in offering a wide range of eco-friendly products.

www.culinate.com A content rich site for foodies with columns, interviews, articles, and a good blog feed..

www.obsessionwithfood.com A very thoughtful blog by Derrick Schneider, a computer programmer, food writer and wine teacher. (He writes for the Art of Eating.)

www.gastroville.com A pair of passionate food and wine enthusiasts rate restaurants around the world.

www.forkandbottle.com About artisanal food, wine and cheese by Jack and Joanne in San Fran.

Bits and Bites

April 25, 2007

Top 50 Restaurants in the world: El Bulli reclaims the number one spot on S.Pelligrino’s annual list of the top 50 Restaurants in the world.. Spain has the most in the top ten, France the most overall, with the U.S. better represented every year. The French Laundry is fourth and top in the Americas , Jean Georges is in 18^th and Trotter in 30^th, with Alinea climbing fast. Whatever any of that means.. Not that I wouldn’t mind dining in any or all of them.. http://travel.guardian.co.uk/article/2007/apr/24/restaurants

Chinese Penis restaurant: Yes, dozens of varieties of penis of all sizes, simmered, sauced or sushi style, with the supposed effect of boosting vitality and sexual performance. I heard a reporter who visited the infamous restaurant telling his story on CBC; he didn’t seem sold on the eating of the penis part, but who knows what it might have done for him in the bedroom..

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/17/wfood17.xml

Corn the culprit: Corn, so innocent looking, but so evil (in the wrong hands). It is in so much of our food, it is the reason our food is so cheap, and so bad for farmers, bad for the environment, not to mention bad for our health, a leading cause of the obesity epidemic… quelle scam. If you haven’t read about this already (Michael Pollan..), look for the documentary, King Corn. View the trailer at:

http://www.kingcorn.net/trailer.html

Heirloom tomato windowsill kits – Cool! Also tomato growing tips and paraphernalia..

http://www.windowbox.com/store/category/Heirloom+Tomatoes.html

Farmed sturgeon caviar from New Brunswick : A promising Canadian replacement for real caviar.. http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/weekendlife/story.html?id=8ee0ae8a-6dc6-455c-af4b-0eb499cb8354

Fair Trade: I saw this heart-breaking documentary on PBS about the coffee trade. Parallel to my reading Carol Off’s book Bitter Chocolate, it is all almost too much to take; capitalism can be so cruel. Many of us are aware of the exploitation and outright injustices associated with our beloved java, but not enough of us are doing something about it. All it takes to force change is spending your money in the right places. Fair trade should not be a choice. Check this film out, and your coffee will never taste the same again. Or just do it - buy fair-trade already. It would make my Mom very happy (this has been her cause for over 15yrs). http://www.independentlens.org

La Quinzaine de l’Equitable: Events marking 15 years of Fair trade..

A fair trade wine tasting is being held at Dix Mille Villages in NDG.

The wine is from Paarl , South Africa , called Winds of Change. There will also be a screening of the film Aftertaste. To reserve or find out more about this or other events, please email dixmillevillages@journeymontreal.ca or phone 514-483-6569 or visit the store at 5674 Monkland Avenue .

Going Carbon Neutral. Everyday, another big gun jumps on the environmental bandwagon, weehoo! Now, it is Yahoo and Lancome going carbon neutral. Good for publicity, good for guilt and good for the environment, a win-win situation. Compensating for your own carbon emission footprint by reinvesting in global sustainability projects, planting trees and so on, is a great concept, as long as everyone reduces and reuses FIRST. Then, why not take the next step?

http://www.fashionweekdaily.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=399693&itype=8486

http://yodel.yahoo.com/2007/04/17/dont-even-leave-a-footprint/

To make your own contribution, go to http://www.carbonfund.org/site/ or listen to David Susuki. He tells you all you need to know about going carbon neutral with links to different carbon calculators and offset companies..

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Climate_Change/What_You_Can_Do/carbon_neutral.asp

http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2006/10/10/gies/

http://carboncounter.org

The Experimental Cuisine Collective kicks off, a NY association of cooks, scientists and artists with big goals. They will be meeting regularly to brainstorm and work on projects, all towards pushing the boundaries of cuisine. I bet it will end up being more about a bunch of crazy guys hanging out with some food, some beakers, protein powder, and lots of wine, with everyone just having a good time. Sound like fun.

http://starchefs.com/features/plating/vol9/index.shtml

Back to the tap: Good on Leslie Chesterman for bringing up the water issue in her Saturday column and challenging restaurateurs to put some thought and effort into the water they serve. Following Alice Water’s lead and serving filtered tap water sounds smart to me, as opposed to encouraging the wasteful snobbery of ‘specialty’ imported bottled water lists.. Not only because of the hazardous effects on the environment with all the plastic, glass, and carbon miles, but afterall, we are the water capitol of the world, so why aren’t we drinking our own? Especially, if all it takes is a wake-up call and a slice of lemon..

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/columnists/story.html?id=686ed37d-79f0-4118-ade9-433881220d34

Curing an egg yolk looks like an interesting activity, to do ONCE, maybe, when you have lots of time to waste in the kitchen..

http://www.starchefs.com/events/studio/techniques/PRudolph/index.shtml

Bittman’s ‘The Best Recipes in the World’: This website is a great source of reliable recipes from around the world, an electronic version of Bittman’s book, ‘The best recipes in the world’. http://www.randomhouse.com/broadway/bittman/main.php?p=recipes

“The Best Recipes in the World” is also a celebrity chef/travel/cooking show featuring Mark Bittman, whom you might know from his column in the New York Times. Although he regularly pairs up with celebrity chefs, he remains a very down to earth guy and cook. I’m a fan. His recipes are generally seductive and simple, and he always throws in some interesting tidbits of information. His recipes are known to be reliable, although I think they often need some jazzing up, a splash of wine or lemon or spice. Then again, I can’t follow a recipe for the life of me. ‘They’ say his recipes work. Any of his books are indeed a good buy even just for inspiration, and although I’m not a big food network connoisseur, I’m sure his show is better than most of the stuff on there.

The 100 mile diet, a movement that is really gathering steam.. I think it is just good in that it makes us stop and think about where every bit of what we eat comes from, which inevitably leads you to make some different choices, cutting out the unnecessary, and buying local when you can. Baby steps count.

http://www.100milediet.org/

Bits and Bites April 2007

April 5, 2007

Time to sugar off

You can go to your favourite sugar shack nearby for the regular deal, or you can go upscale..

Join Slowfood in Bromont on the 14 or 15^th of April ( 11:30am ) at le vignoble Domaine les Brome, a tradition cabane à sucre and also a winery who will present a fancied up sugar shack menu with their wines. Also on the bill will be La Ciderie Fleurs de Pommiers from Dunham who produce cider and ice cider.

For reservations: call 514-282-5162, Cost: 25$ for member, 30$ for non-members.

Before the season draws to an end (or when it resumes), you should really get out to the country and partake in that intoxicating old Québécois tradition. From the small ‘friends and family only’ type of operation to the bigger touristy one, there are tons of options out there, mere minutes from Mtl. (even if you don’t eat pork!). Although I have to admit that for me, the sugar shack is very much about the pig in all its forms, it is perhaps more about the fun, the country air, the folk music, and the maple syrup of course. Personally, I don’t like to eat so much before sun-down, but I do make the exception when at the cabane à sucre.

Mostly, I like sitting around watching (and smelling) the process, the sap before it’s boiled down completely, sampling it at multiple stages with a mini hit of cognac, chatting with all the weary people who worked all day lugging the buckets of sap to the tank, who are now enjoying the fruit of their labour. I listen to their stories of the day, the 4-wheel breakdowns, the back-breaking work on snowshoes, the unpredictability of the weather and the trees, their speculation about how long the season will last, how good the syrup will be, where the prices will fall, etc. It all sounds so exotic to me, the city girl with country sensibilities, who knows so little about this world. I love the way everyone in the vicinity stops everything for ‘le temps des sucres’; it’s a celebration of community and our love of the sweet stuff, forcing this communion between us and nature, a natural rite of spring in Québec not to be missed.

Les Halles wine cellar auction was held last week… If only I had the cash…sigh. Did anyone score?

Raclette de Joliette from Martin Guillebault (Fromagerie Champs à la Meule)

Look out for this new cheese, the first Québec Raclette style cheese, which arrives on the market this spring. I was lucky enough to be paired up with this producer at the Banc d’essaie de la Lanaudiere last month, an event that brought together chefs and producers from the regions, along with students, to come up with dishes and new ways to use their products, from duck to condiments and olive oil, to cheeses. Together we put together a 7 course meal for 50 highlighting the artisans of the region. My contribution was the second course: I made a salad using the Raclette, hot, in a buckwheat crepe crust, alongside a parsnip, celery and apple salad with arugula and a cider vinaigrette with François’ boletus oil. Yum.

I encourage you to seek out or rediscover Martin’s cheeses at a store near you: Victor & Berthold, LaRacam, le Fétard, and now La Raclette de Joliette. He is also working on a Comté style cheese, as well as Suckling pig (to make use all his milk by product).

Chef turned Dominatrix: The story of Susan Winemaker

Channel surfing at 3am, I came across the preview of an interview with this chef turned dominatrix from London who had just written a book on her life (5 years) as a dominatrix. It all sounded very interesting, but soon became incredibly so, when I saw that the girl in question was Susan Winemaker, my best bud in cooking school. I lost touch with her several years after cooking school (probably somewhere around the time she went off to London to work as a private chef), and had often wondered what had become of her, if she was still cooking. Now I have my answer. She certainly made the case for openness towards the Dominatrix thing. She was smart and human, describing it all in a very basic, engaging, but un-sensational manner. And it got me thinking.

It appears that the qualities of a good dominatrix are the same as for a chef. Control freak meets giver of pleasure. Being strong, taking charge, being creative while in tune with people and the senses in general, caring for people, having that innate desire to please, all while being somewhat ego-centric and living a marginal lifestyle… It all sounded strangely familiar. So, I guess the leap is not such a stretch. I’m happy for her. She probably made a lot more money as a dominatrix, and besides, she was always the literary type. So, she got her book, and found her path albeit in a round about way, and cooking was a part of that journey. Cooking seems to always open a lot of doors, and can introduce all kinds of twists to a life, just with the characters you meet in a kitchen alone. Myself, I’m happy behind the stoves, but I did find her story inspiring in a sense, and I hope to meet up with her again. Maybe for a themed dinner of sorts, but I would stick to the beating of the egg whites, she could take care of the rest.

Alice Waters , my hero, with another great initiative in food.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/03/edible_schoolyard.php

Hungry for the truth’, by Anne E. McBride, An interview with my other hero, Michael Pollan, whom you should meet, if you haven’t already..

http://www.leitesculinaria.com/writings/interviews/pollan.html

Excerpt: My hope is that if people have the knowledge, and if they actually see where their food comes from and have access to the information, they will make better ethical choices. Whatever those choices are, they'll be better than eating in ignorance, and shopping in ignorance, which is what most Americans today do — because it's very hard to understand anything about your food. The food chain has gotten so long, so intricate, and so opaque that most people have no idea what they're eating.

The first step towards solving the omnivore's dilemma is knowledge: eating with full consciousness. When that happens, I have a lot of confidence that people will make good choices.

Bistro du Sommelier They’re getting pretty creative at the Bistro du Sommelier, the latest Italian inspired menu is looking good, I must check it out.. www.lebistrodusommelier.com