Archive: 2010

Experience BC ingredients whipped into spectacular food creations by guest chefs. This August in Vancouver, chefs from around the world will be guest cooking in the swallow tail garden, exclusively. More details to come, reserve your seat now as there is only room for 20 people to taste. Email – [email protected] Aug 14 – Chef Eddy Mysliwiec – from Paris, France -SOLD OUTAug 22 – Chef Kristine Kittrell – from Austin – SOLD OUTSept 26 – Chef Merida – representing legumes (renowned vegan chef – Vegan Secret Supper Club)Sept 27 – Chef Ted – from Refuel Restaurant in VancouverOct 16 – Chef Montri from Montri’s on 4th – Thai Chef Suggested wine pairings will be provided from around the globe by resident Chef Robin to compliment the affair. As well, she will forage for some of the highlight ingredients; fish,…

The Urban Forager – Wild herb walk in Vancouver – book it while the sun still shines and the mushrooms are still peaking out.

A good, aged, traditional balsamic vinegar is like the blood of the Gods. Combine that with ripe, sweet strawberries and you have IT. Yes, IT, the thing you’ve been waiting for all your life. I ate two portions of angel food cake with balsamic at last nights supper club and skipped dinner. Okay, here’s a bit of a rant about “the blood of the Gods” as you can find it in Vancouver. It is really hard to pick balsamic at the grocery store unless you know what you are looking for. Just because it says Modena on the bottle doesn’t mean it’s going to taste good. Look for Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena to find traditionally aged balsamic which will naturally be more expensive and WAY better quality. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for. It takes 3-50 years of…

The star of the evening was local BC BBQ Duck, parsnips and rhubarb in white wine, smoking cinnamon, deep fried salted fennel, raddichio marmalade. Ha-cha!

You thought they were so sweet and nice, but really they’re pure EVIL! Ingredients:Ripe Summer Strawberries400 grams Bitter Chocolate, ONLY Callebaut or another high quality brandOptional Port Directions:Take a little bit of love (the strawberries) and a little bit of pure, evil, dark chocolate from Callebaut. Dip the love in the evil. Serve to friends and fiends alike. Melting the chocolate:I usually melt it in the microwave, slowly, 20 sec at a time making sure you don’t overheat it (stir lots). Take it out and temper the chocolate with 2 Tbs of chocolate shavings, mix in well. Chocolate is ready for dipping now. Optional Booze filling:You can also take an apple peeler and cut a small hole in the strawberry, fill it with goodness like sherry or port! Dry the strawberry off if it’s moist. Then, cover the strawberry with…

I’ve been stumbling about the forest, lately, here are a handful of my tasty finds near Vancouver…Oyster Mushroom Log – Eureka! Red Leg Frog – Blue listed species, okayyyy… I won’t eat it. Anyone eaten any frogs in the wilds of Vancouver? I’ve eaten frogs legs before in Cambodia, they were delectable. Chanterelles! Good eats… Come on a hunt with me if you have an interest in Urban Foraging and fine food.

Light and fragrant with a zippy kick of booze at the bottom, what more could you want? Great summer dessert, especially, with the lavender flowers blooming right now. Substitute salmonberries, blueberries or raspberries if you don’t have huckleberries. RecipeServes 14 small portions2 Cups whipping Cream – whip to stiff peaks1 cup yogurt1/4 cup lemon juice1 Tbs grated lemon rind1/4 cup sugar1/2 cup – 3 cups berries (I used 1/2 cup for the one in the picture)1 Tbs lavender flowers, in fine pieces1/3 cup Amontillado Sherry ( or whatever booze you like, experiment) DirectionsStir together yogurt, lemon juice, rind, 1/2 of the lavender flowers and sugar. Fold the cream into the yogurt mixture (don’t overmix). Pour booze of your choice into the bottom 14 glasses with a tsp of berries.If you are using a sour berry like huckleberries, dust them with…

Elder flowersMiner’s Lettuce Cleavers Sweet Cicely Watercress Spring has pounced upon us, even though the warmth seems to have left us, lately. All sorts of tasty snacks are growing out of the ground. Wandering the forests and meadows of the Lower Mainland there are a few rules you should follow if you are interested in some unusual eats. Take note of the water sources surrounding your planty prey. Watercress, for example, is very nutritious and grows near running water. It also absorbs toxins quite readily. So, if a stream has pollutants in it (near a non-organic farm for example) the plants may not be safe to eat. Unless you’d welcome the growth of a third eye. Take plant cuttings, try not to disturb the roots, that way the crop will be replenished. Be sure of what you are eating. Buy…

I’m always on the hunt for new and unusual food sources that you can pick in British Columbia. Apparently, edible cattails are yummy; the female (non flowering) head can be cooked and eaten like corn (it doesn’t taste like corn) and the young shoots can be cooked like asparagus. I’m going to forage for some today and will report back! Anyone tried them before and have a good recipe? I would love to hear from you. Okay, I’m off to get my boots wet… chat soon. I’m back from a successful hunt, found some cleavers and lemon balm too. I pulled some of the inner shoots (stalk core) of cattails (Typha latifolia) out to do a recipe test with. Sauteed them up with green onion, olive oil and garlic. Very exciting. And….. they were tasteless and kind of slimy. Damn….

I’m always on the hunt for new and unusual food sources that you can pick in British Columbia. Apparently, cattails can be eaten two ways; the female (non flowering) head can be cooked and eaten like corn (it doesn’t taste like corn) and the young shoots can be cooked like asparagus.I’m going to pick and try this out today, I will report back! Anyone tried them before and have a good recipe? I would love to hear from you.Okay, I’m off to get my boots wet… chat soon.