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Off to see the Wizard – Heading to Stone Brewery in San Diego for dinner tonight

A quick post as I write after almost 12 hours of travel from Toronto to Chicago to San Diego.  I’m here until Wednesday and glad to have my feet on the ground.

It’s an exciting trip for me – a conference that I am thrilled about attending in addition to receiving a wonderful honour (thanks to my team at work for that one!) and I am having a tour and dinner at Stone Brewery tonight!  Stone are the people behind I am a Craft Brewer (I maintain it’s the most inspirational 4 minutes on the Internet for beer fiends and some foodies), Vertical Epic (the beer you collect for 11 years before drinking in a single night) and Stone World Bistro & Gardens.  They are consistently named as one of the best (if not the best) brewers in the world and certainly in North America.

In short, these guys are the superheroes of beer.

I offered to take a few samples of Canadian craft brews to them without thinking.  Once I realized that opening my mouth to offer a taste of our local product to some of the best in the world I realized the enormity of the task.  I also struggled with the 100ml limit of liquids in your baggage.  A few phone calls confirmed it was worth a shot and I packed with a lot of garbage bags – Im thrilled that all 8 made it in tact!

Here is what I brought – picked on interest as much as anything else:

 Neustadt Springs 10W30 Malty Grain Premium Dark Ale 473 ml can.  5.5%
Possibly the ugliest website in the world (even “better” with sound): http://www.neustadtsprings.com/
Claim to be the oldest brewery “building” in Canada.  This beer is based on engine oil.  The draft handle (which was rarely in pubs/bars) was shaped like an oil can for a long time.  Big flavor and dark as sin.

 Great Lakes Brewery Devil’s Pale Ale – 666 – 473 ml can.  6%
www.greatlakesbrewing.com
They seemed to put every 6 they could in this one.  6 malts. 666 kilograms of malt.  6.66 kilos of hops.  66.6 minutes of boiling.  You get the idea.  They also claim they came up with the idea on June 6, 2006.  So it’s my shoutout to the Vertical Epic…

 St Ambroise Vintage Ale 2009 – 20th Anniversary Edition – 341 ml bottle.  9.8%
http://www.mcauslan.com/
From Quebec (the French region of Canada) this is a special batch of their Vintageline which they package once per year.  This can be cellared or drank immediately.  Should age well.

 The rest come from a single brewery – Mill Street Brewery out of Toronto. 
I think you’d get along with these guys – the brew master knows I was bringing these to you and I’ll pass on his contact if you’d like.  They have a public brewery in a fantastic area of Toronto and a decent pub to match with it.  Canadian Brewer of the year in 2007 and 2008 and multiple winners for their beers…  Mill Street is in the heart of Toronto in 150+ year old brownstone district of Toronto.
www.millstreetbrewery.com

Tankhouse Ale – 341 ml bottle.  5.2%
Peoples Choice Winner 2009 Ontario Brewing Awards
Gold Canadian Brewery Awards – North America Style Pale Ale or Bitter 

Belgian Wit – 341 ml bottle (2 of them).  5%
Gold Medal 2009 Ontario Brewing Awards.

Coffee Porter – 341 ml bottle (2 of them).  5.5%
Gold Canadian Brewery Awards – Porter.
Proof that beer is a breakfast food again.

12 or 15 – what’s the value of a number? Balvenie 15 year: cask #2774, Bottle #1

I love the romance of Scotch.  On a recent trip to Glasgow, it was explained to me that it starts off similar to vodka as it is poured crystal clear into the wooden barrels that it ages it.  The color and much of the flavor come from hand turning the barrels and applying a lot of patience.  It is an art as much as it is a science.

The entire process is very hands on and is a very special craft practiced by few.  The entire line of The Balenvie, as an example,  is produced by a team of 17 craftsmen (their website breaks down the 17 as follows though the math appears slightly off):

  • 4 malt men who turn the malt as it germinates and later dry it in the kiln
  • 4  mash men who change malted barley into wash
  • 4 still men who create the spirit
  • 7 coopers who create and restore the casks (barrels)
  • A dedicated distillery coppersmith (the last one in Scotland)
  • One malt master (David Stewart).

The aging process is a particularly funny one – wood adds an unpredictable element that adds the the charm and intrigue.  This was highlighted in Canada with the arrival of two bottles from legendary Cask 191 of The Balvenie.  This special cask managed to keep adding flavor to it`s liquid for 50 years which is extremely odd.  Most Scotch aged that long would transform into a dank syrup that would be rendered almost undrinkable.  Cask 191 continued to produce flavor and the rarity (83 bottles total) drove the price to legendary heights.  The LCBO had to pay for additional programming so their systems could handle a number with 5 digits as the bottle is currently available for $30,000 (if you are seriously interested, there were bottles in the UK for around 6,000 pound which seems like a deal!).

There is also the Angels Share.  Each cask loses 0.5-2% of it`s volume to evaporation every year.  That means a 15 year old bottle can lose up to 25% of it`s original contents – the 50 year bottle could lose north of 60% (which explains the very low amount of bottles released to the world).  The age of the Scotch is measured by the yongest (not oldest) liquid in the bottle if it is a mixed blend of Scotches.

I recently was gifted a wonderful and charming bottle of The Balvenie Single Barrel 15 year Single Malt.  Examine it closely – it is hand numbered, dated and identified (the signature is not done by hand).  Take a good look at the pen in red and see if you notice anything interesting:

The first thing I noticed was that it is bottle 1 from Cask 2774.  I wonder where the rest of the bottles from this cask are (there are no more than 350 of them in the world).  Each cask will produce slightly different tastes and this attention to detail increases my love for it.  I feel connected to the spirit and the people whom made it.

Take another look – what year was this bottle?

I am told that the year is indeed 2007 though I thought it was 2004 when I first got it.  An `07 would be 15 years and an `04 would be 12.  The distillery looked into this for me (there is a separate identification process to determine the age) and it appears as though the writing (and not the liquid) is suspect.  I actually think the riddle makes the bottle all the more intriguing – I`d love to know from other people who have Cask 2774 if there`s is any easier to read (though they may not have been bottled at the same time).  I am very comfortable that this is indeed 15 years now, I just thought it was an interesting story and a unique bottle.

What`s it taste like?  I’ll have to get back to you – I know I won’t be disappointed!

Italian Sushi (inspired by Dave Pasternack and ESCA, NY)

I recently fell in love with Dave Pasternack.  As a chef out of New York’s Hells Kitchen, Chef Pasternack has been dubbed “the fish whisperer.”  Amongst other claims to fame (including that he has the mouth of a long-haul trucker), Chef loves fish.  He actually catches many of the main courses he serves himself and other dishes center around produce picked from his home garden.  He partnered with Mario Batali to open ESCA (Italian for “bait”) which has fish lovers raving from coast-to-coast.

When he is not catching fish, he is hand selecting the best from the pier daily.  People claim he knows everything about them and can instantly understand complex information, such as what a fish ate, how it was caught and how tasty it will be, by simply looking at it.  He appears to obsess about fish.

The arrival of ESCA came at the same time that sushi was taking over New York City’s top kitchens.  I recently heard of his Mediterranean spin on sashimi (tuna, lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper) and decided to give it a try and a bit of my own touch.  I love spicy food and his version lacked the kick of wasabi (a clearly Asian/ Japanese flavor) and I wanted to extend the Mediterranean/ Italian theme in my own way.  Here’s my attempt – to me it was worth the experiment and we’ll be eating it again…

I have fallen in love with garlic scapes.  They are the green stem and flower that grow from a garlic bulb and look like the child of a green onion and a chive and taste like mild garlic.  They cook at much higher temperatures than garlic without burning and are mild enough for a pesto or to be chopped fine into a salad.  The flower is edible and the stems are about 12 inches when harvested.  The easiest way to obtain them is to grow your own or to chance apon a farmers market or produce vendor who stock them (previously available in the spring and summer I have found them in the St Lawrence Market for the last few months and will share the location to those interested – fire us an email or post a question)…

I wanted long, thin strips to add to our tuna.  Garlic is a quintessential Mediterranean flavor and could overpower the mild tuna.  The thin strips and mild scapes would allow for an accent while paying a satirical tribute to pasta (I know it’s a stretch but it did make me smile).  I actually used our Zenga Star Peeler (we really oughta sell these $6 wonders) and finished them off, when needed, with a pairing knife.

Squeeze bottles make this easier – lemons in one and olive oil in the other.  Slice the tuna thin (about 5 mm or 1/5 inch thick) and remove any silvery fat.  It’s important you slice across the grain like the photo below.  Assemble your ingredients into little piles in advance – you want to eat this as soon as it’s prepared.  Olive oil, lemon juice, sushi grade tuna, garlic scape, freshly ground pepper, sea salt and chilies are the entire list.

Start with a small pool of lemon juice (as much as a tablespoon) in the middle of the plate – feel free to drizzle a bit extra around the plate.  It is essential that you put the lemon under the fish and not on top as it will change the color of the fish as it cures it (even in a few moments).

Pepper, a few chilies, olive oil (on the plate and fish) and a garlic scape top it all off.  Dash with coarse sea salt at the last minute (you want it to be coarse enough to add a crunch as you eat the fish).

We added a lot more garlic scape on the side and enjoyed.  Less than a third of a pound each and we were shockingly full.  Try it out – it`s a wonderful taste of the sea and a great twist from the soy and wasabi treated chicken of the sea that we know and love.

Great balls of Fire – Dragon Fruit

Although I consider myself to be very open minded, I find that it’s the oddest things that I can struggle eating.  Tripe?  Gizzard?  Heart?  Brain?  Tongue?  No problem.  A new fruit?  What you talking about Willis?  It’s like I become all Sam-I-Am and all sense of culinary adventure is instantly thwarted.

My Father recently reminded of Michael Smith’s tirade that if you see food that you’ve never hear of, buy it.  I had seen and heard of Dragon Fruit before but never tried one:

I have learned that the one we tried is officially a red pitaya (pitahaya) and are native to Australasia, Central and South America.  They are a sweet fruit that grow on cacti in fairly dry and warm climates.  Although sweet , their flavor can border on bland and they will taste better chilled than warm (our specimen was served warm).

Cutting it open revealed it’s inner mysteries:

The fruit was moist (though not juicy) and black seeds that I could have easily mistaken for black sesame seeds filled the fruit (they are edible).  The flesh and characteristic of eating this low-calorie fruit is very similar to that of a kiwi (minus the green color and “furry” skin).  The texture was virtually indistinguishable from a semi-firm kiwi.  Eating is simple – use a spoon and treat the outer flesh like a bowl.

They come in a variety of colors (on the inside and the outside).  They make a pleasant desert or could be used to refresh your palette between courses.  Many Asian fruit and produce stores carry them as do T&T in the Toronto area.

When was the last time you tasted something for the first time?  Be bold and explore and discover the world around us today through all of your senses – including your sense of gastronomic adventure!

Thomas Hardy`s Ale (2008 Edition, Bottle 29,328)

The more I learn about beer, the more I know I have yet to learn.  The statement “I don`t like beer” once made sense to me – however it makes less sense as I learn more and more about beer from around the world.  We live in a day and age that makes sampling the world`s finest easy and show us that beer is not simply a golden carbonated beverage.  Varieties which resemble fruit juice, others that a crisp like champagne, rich and mixed with coffee, fermented in bottle and others that feature toasted smoky hops are just a few of the many of the varieties that show beer to be as diverse as vegetables.

I`ve been waiting for a while to crack this bottle:

Thomas Hardy`s Ale is not for everyone.  It`s a small bottle (250 ml) and a strong pour (in flavor and alcohol as it`s 11.7%).  This English Ale was created in 1968 and is regularly collected by beerhounds around the world.  The label claims people have allowed the beer to age for more than 25 years and a search on the Internet will reveal claims of people sampling 40-year old varieties.  The beer is bottle conditioned, meaning that it continues to ferment and develop flavor in the bottle and can continue to develop flavor for years in the bottle (similar to Fuller`s which we previously wrote about).  Unlike Scotch, this means that you can buy a young bottle and let it gain value and flavor in your cellar.  This makes is more affordable (though not cheap at almost $5 a bottle in the LCBO) though far more tempting to break in to.

We had a sample last evening.  It poured like syrup and tastes closer to hard liquor than beer.  A wonderful after-dinner drink or something to match with beer and chocolate it resembles a stiff mixed drink more than one would expect with the word “ale.”  It is not so much refreshing as it is a slow-sipping treat that can be stretched for an hour or two (I actually paused to drink a pilsner when I got a little hot in the kitchen).  There is very little carbonation and the flavor will potentially overwhelm your mouth with flavor.

This beer is highly regarded amongst beer drinkers of the world and is very hard to find in many places.  As Canadians are still discovering the beers of the world, this is surprisingly available at a lot of LCBOs.  I predict that this type of thing will become more difficult to find in years to come and while you may not love it, I highly recommend trying it while you can.

Good Food Festival and Market (Event Review)

I went to the 17th annual Good Food Festival and Market this weekend at the International Center (near the Airport in Toronto`s west end).  My Father and I thought it was our first time at the event until we walked the halls of the show and had a feeling of deja vu and think we may have attended a previous version many years ago.

Despite arriving about 30 minutes early we were still surrounded by a crowd and were several hundred people deep in a line to enter.  People were in high spirits and the chaos was fairly well organized and it wasn`t the nightmare it could have been (we were fortunate to find out we had originally stood in a lineup for people who had pre-purchased their tickets and were able to move to another line without much pain).

The show was busy!

We didn`t know what to expect – I was a bit confused at first when we noticed that a lot of people had brought big bags and grocery trolleys.  A 20-year veteran of the show explained that there were some samples and other products that were heavy (such as pickles) and her cart would save multiple trips back and forth to the car.

I really enjoyed the show – though it was different from what I would have guessed.  there were a tonne of free samples; often of food I had not seen or tried.  When you tasted something you liked you could follow it up with purchasing the product at very good prices.  Most of the food would keep in the pantry (pickles, canned fruit) or the fridge (pastrami, cheese and the like).  Samples were plentiful and I enjoyed the show a great deal.

There were many food demonstrations as well – the main attraction was the exposure to new foods that I had not seen before and I thought the show delivered on it`s promises here.  The event bills itself as a festival of Home Cooking and Home Eating – and I thought it was exactly that.  This was an exhibition featuring ingredients rather than dishes and, as such, was great for us.  If you`re not into cooking at home or trying new products to cook, you may want to skip.  If you`re looking for exposure to new things and groceries at good (and even great) prices, this is something to check out next year!

Sunshine Farms – pickled asparagus and other veg straight from the Jaques family

I have so much respect for those who work so hard creating food for our tables.  My brief insight into the lives of farmers, fishermen (and women) and those who support them is one that leaves me doubting that I do what they do.  long hours, unpredictable yields and pricing are made more complicated by expensive technology, competing needs (such as real estate) for their land and feast or famine years.  Their numbers are dwindling and the family farm is something that is scarce and declining and something that I hope to inspire others to support.

I had the absolute privilege of briefly meeting John Jaques and family from Thamesville, Ontario this weekend.  Thamesville is north of the 401 between London and Windsor.  Their family farm goes by the moniker Sunshine Farms and specializes in asparagus.  The family-owned farm continues to be worked by John, his wife Claudia and their sons (Josh, Ben and Adrian).  They offer standard vegetables in addition to a line of certified organic produce.  They are super friendly and most excited about what they are doing.

John was exhibiting at the Good Food show and market featuring the farms 24 different types of pickled vegetables.  His Zesty Asparagus was nominated and competing (and, in my opinion) should win a best in show prize.  They are picked from the field by hand, individually (hand) loaded into jars and turned into a wonderfully crunchy, somewhat spicy, dill-infused piece of heaven.

We bought 5 jars of product from Sunshine Farms and the ingredient list reads just like the carrots below.  There are no preservatives, no chemicals and feature ingredients you likely have in your own home.  This is the closest thing to making your own pickles that you can get without actually making the pickles.

The results are wonderful and taste as good as they look:

 

One of the things I really admire about Sunshine Farms is that they aren’t scared to make products that they clearly like.  Their are many spicy and zesty lines that may scare some people away and have the rest of us lining up.  You get the sense that the products are made the way that they believe it should be – as opposed to making a product based on what they think people will buy.  This integrity is transparent in their food and makes me feel good enjoying it.  I don’t feel as though I’m eating a product – rather I feel like I am sharing their family recipe of pickles and this makes the experience much more similar to tasting pickles from a friend as opposed to factory.

This is truly food that is made by hand and heart.  Go out of your way to Support Sunshine Farms and you’ll be rewarded for your efforts with a wonderful treat that you’ll be proud to share.

Infused vinegars from Niagara

There was a long time in my life that I didn’t think much about vinegar – it was something that came from a bottle and I considered it to be something manufactured as opposed to crafted.  Vinegar is much closer to wine and beer than the commodity I considered it to be and, at it’s finest forms, relates closely to wine and specialty cheese.

Essence of Niagara is bottled by Niagara Vinegar Co. and was a wonderful discovery at the Good Food show.  The Essence line of products was purchased by Niagara Vinegar about 18 months ago.  The company manufactures jellies and vinegars using local area grapes from vineyards as the common inspiration in it’s products.

They sold a sample pack of 6 Wine Vinegars (for an incredible deal of $5) which includes Chardonnay Peach, Sauvignon Blanc Cucumber, Vidal Maple, Baco Noir Blueberry, Baco Noir Raspberry and Vidal Cranberry Plum.  We were fortunate to try several of the Vinegars and I was thrilled with the fresh tartness offered in these sweet elixirs.  These are surefire winners for salad dressings and other cooking – I am excited to use the maple the next time we put salmon under the broiler (the maple is from actual maple syroup).  There was an honest pride apparant in the products and the kind team who presented them to us.

I was also thrilled with many of their jellies – including this gorgeous Red Pepper Jelly:

We purchased a different jar – a wine vinegar jelly which features cranberries and cinnamon to bring a sweet bite that is calling out for the closest piece of cheese it can find.  It was interesting, original and tasty!

Essence of Niagara is essentially exactly what it claims to be.  I admire the careful attention to finding new ways to share the grapes from Niagara with the rest of us and really recomend you sample some of their wares (a list of stores can be found on their site).

I am a Craft Brewer

Whether you are interested in beer or not, invest the 4 minutes in watching this wonderful video which features the passion, vision, character, excitement and commitment of a clan of people dedicated to challenging the way things are done.I have been declaring and praising the American Craft Beer industry as being something special for some time now. This praise is often met with a raised eyebrow north of the border – although that is starting to change as Canadians are gaining access to more American beer and are more curious about beer in general these days with a renaissance occurring.

Beer is becoming hip and the average beer drinker is learning far more about what they are drinking. I believe we are going through a transition that wine went through in California in the 1970s – it is becoming better understood, receiving a share of the spotlight and gaining status that will elevate it beyond the adult equivalent of lemon aid – something to drink on a hot day after cutting the grass.

A lot of the credit to the emergence of beer at the adult table is to the credit of hundreds (and likely thousands) of craft brewers across the world. Meet a few of them in this video (and thanks to Mike Palmer from Stone Brewing for sharing)

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more about “I Am A Craft Brewer“, posted with vodpod