For an idea (and free view of 17 of the chefs), head to Time magazine (this is joint project with CNN and Bloomsbury US). The photography is by the talented Melanie Dunea(more pictures from the book are available on her site). The books articles provide more info than the simple blurbs on these links though I find them interesting and compelling to read.
I know my final meal would include dear friends and family in addition to some home cooking. A touch of wild meat and certainly a dash of preserves. Charcuterie would be a must (I love the concept that many people can eat from the same plate or board and share a communal plate which is so common with cheese and meat trays), great cheese and there would be tomatoes, onions and garlic incorporated. A local influence would also be important.
I am very uncomfortable posting the following clip (there is nothing gruesome to see) – uncomfortable because of how much I enjoy eating, cooking and consuming meat. I am not a vegetarian and will not stop eating red meat (I already tried that for 5 years). I am posting it because I think it is rather tasteful and compelling to think about what they are presenting in this coming film:
The film is presented by Marianne Thieme who is a Member of Parliament of the Dutch Party of Animals. I`m not sure that I buy into their total vision but thought you may enjoy this food for thought..
For a bit more of the story and a slightly different take (and more explanation which point further problems at industrial farming, mass consumption and the usual suspect, corn):
The first one of the summer is always so sweet. We’re off to the cabin in the woods. Joel has some posts prepped and ready to go if you’re on a computer this weekend – but take a break! We’re going off the grid, going to get our hands dirty looking for some wild leeks and exploring the woods near huntsville. I’d love to hear about any of your long weekend food experiences. I know a lot of people going away, whether it’s camping or NYC or staying home BBQing in the back yard, food (and beer!) is a big part of Victoria day weekend. Have a great one everybody!!
Just over a week ago we were invited to attended an event for Bombay Sapphire Gin. I was a little hesitant, as gin has never been my drink and advertising isn’t the aim of WellPreserved. We have an as yet unwritten ‘policy’ that we ONLY write about things that we’re inspired by or truly enjoy in our own words and using wherever possible our own images/pictures.
That being said, I really did enjoy the Gin party, they did a fantastic job of promoting the brand by focussing on the idea of food pairing and simple impactful entertaining tips. Food pairing was something that was just a ‘wine thing’ for a really long time but there has been a serious trend to pairing other types of beverages with food in recent years. Rasputin Vodka Bar, in our neighbourhood, makes sure you understand how to drink vodka…straight up paired with a pickle and rye bread. I recently experienced a Chocolate Stout paired with dark chocolate dipped parmesan cheese that was out of this world….courtesy of Joel after he learned it at a Leslieville Cheese event. I’m sure that with my growing appreciation of Scotch we’ll find something to eat with that soon.
I’ve always associated Gin with martini’s or a G&T, i’ve never been able to drink too much of the stuff so if i’m going to drink it, it has to be mixed liberally and made into something interesting to sip slowly. The “Mixologist” was Merlin Griffiths who apparently has the pretty sweet job of travelling all over the world mixing cocktails and socializing. I decided to have a Sapphire Ginger Mint which is simply 1 and a half oz of Gin with 3 oz of ginger ale and a fistful of fresh mint leaves, you’re supposed to place the mint leaves in your hand and clap once to ‘open the flavor’. I wonder if this would work with Ginger Beer instead (it’s my favorite)?
Sebastien Centner (Eatertainment) was in charge of cooking and entertaining tips, the food was great, plentiful and not too over the top (even I could make it..ha!) They recommended the skewers to go with the Ginger Mint drink, very basic shrimp beef and vegetable skewers, they were accompanied by different dips and served across the mouth of a Bodum glass with dip in the bottom (handy for juggling drink in one hand and food in the other, think i’ll ‘borrow’ that idea for our next party).
beef tenderloin with pesto dip, shrimp with sweet potato mayo (yum!) and vegetables with hummus.
My favorite dish was the citrus seared salmon over wild rice with herbs and dried fruit. I think I’ll make the rice on it’s own, it would be great cold (email me if you want the recipe). I’ll post it up here later.
The event was held at Ted Rogers Sr.’s historic house in Rosedale, beautifully renovated in the past couple of years by it’s current owner who was nice enought to give my friend and I a tour. You can’t really go wrong entertaining in a place like that.
Rainbow Cinemas(near the St Lawrence Market in Toronto) have a retro feel and occasionally one of these vintage ads appear before the movie. Other unique theatres that capture the feel of days gone by include The Roxy(in Uxbridge) and the unbelievable Highlands Cinemasin Kinmount, Ontario (there are 550 seats in multiple `theaters`in this town with a population of 350).
Put your feat on the seat in front of you and take a few minutes of your day to enjoy!
It’s amazing how we associate specific food with particular events of our life. Imagine singing Happy Birthday over a spinach salad? Getting brockley in your Halloween bag? Pulling out a lobster in the middle of a movie theater? The patterns that we establish as “normal” in our lives at an early age form long lasting comforts and associations long after we are able to cognitively explain them.
I’ve come back to my hotel room in Virginia to watch a hockey game tonight. It’s the first full game I’ve watched on television all year and it’s a highly emotional game 7 that throws 2 of the teams youngest and brightest stars against each other – Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. The winner will continue to the next round and the loser will be done for the year. It’s a night of blogging, packing and a few Magic Hat #9s. It’s a good night!
Dana’s post about ketchup (kerplop!) made me think – of my youth and, combined with tonight’s featured television, made me ponder what my favorite food for hockey might be…
I played hockey for several years as a child. I really wasn’t very good if you measured skill – but I had a lot of fun and actually enjoyed the team environment. I also liked the concession stand (go figure) and loved to go there after playing or while watching our junior team. This memory makes my favorite hockey food in the world a very, very easy choice:
The pogo is an all-time favorite hockey area food for me (I don’t think I’ve ever eaten one anywhere else). A corn dog on a stick that was so hot it hurt to eat as ketchup awkwardly dripped to my hands (later to be wiped on jeans). I’ll have to settle on the #9s and some chicken pasta from room service tonight but the memory is comforting!
I had the television on in the background while i was doing a few things around the house last night and this commerical came on. Suddenly I was 12 again and found myself singing along to the lyrics….”on meatloaf, sausage and bologna….KERPLOP!” I think it’s great that they brought this one back for summer, even thought it looks and sounds completely dated (and who eats bologna these days!!!) it’s fun to think that the next generation of kids might remember these goofy lyrics. They just don’t do jingles like they used to huh?
The first 6 months of this year include a lot of business travel for me – I’m currently in the middle of 4 business trips (a week long each) over a 6 week period. This amount of travelling makes blogging about food difficult – little time in the kitchen, long days at work and some hit and miss food events combine with a lack of my normal equipment (such as camera and laptop) and the disruption of typical patterns make it difficult to find substantial items to post about.
There have been more beer posts than normal here these days – beer becomes an easy topic to study when traveling – it’s quick, easy, portable and new adventures can be found affordably and easily.
There is, however, always room for exception. If you are ever near Richmond, Virginia you simply must pop by the Capital Ale House. The beer list is an incredible 36 pages. Beer runs from around $3.50 to $30 and is available in a huge variety of bottles and draft. There are more than 30 vintage beer including the Stone Epic 07.07.07 and 08.08.08 (something I thought I’d have to wait another 5 years to try).
The selection is mind blowing and service is friendly. Our barkeep was incredibly knowledgeable and didn’t mock my obvious excitement in trying some of the rarer breeds – they actually offered to give the rarer empties as a souvenir (thus understanding and validating my inner beer geek). Their beer list is fabulous in that there is an explanation of every beer they have (I actually recommend you save a copy as a way to guide yourself through many of the world’s beers). By my count there are almost 400 beer on the menu. It’s like beer university and I was in the advanced study class!
All bottled beer is available to go at a significant cut from their list price as well.
My only regret? Until recently they had a “secret” list that held some very rare vintages that they decided to do away with and they put them all in the main fridge – sounds like I missed a chance to try some rare treasures by only a few weeks. I’ll get over it and head back and try some other treasures!
Not as much as these guys though….anybody out there have a food tattoo they want to share? Send me a picture and I’ll add it to the post! My favorite in the pool is from the guy who started it. People are passionate about a lot of things, but the longer we have this little food blog, the more i’m seeing that Foodie types have a particularly focussed obsession. I’m tattoo free and so is Joel, but maybe there’s a food tattoo in our future. There’s only one person I’d let put a needle to this skin.
*update* ask and you shall receive…this piece is by John Wayne proprietor of Beesting Tattoo in Belle River Ontario. Thanx John! you’re awesome. John and I went to design school together, needless to say we’re both using our ‘education’ in different ways…but he did just give me an idea…. Any renegade bakers need some packaging?? hmmmm….
Arrived in Richmond (Virginia) on Sunday – found this tonight:
Arrogant Bastard was the beer that launched Stone Brewery. It defines bitter and pours a deep red color. Read the text on the bottle closely – this is a beer that mocks you into trying it. Mmm mmm Good.
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