pastries galore

I am finally almost hungry again. It only took five days... I'm sure you can guess what happened. Yes, I ate multiple pastries on Saturday, and they were so very good, that I did the same thing on Sunday.

Now, this has happened before, but at least I was pregnant. All I can say now is that Yann's pastries are just that ridiculously delicious.

If you live in Calgary, or anywhere nearby, I highly recommend making an immediate visit to Yann's Haute Patisserie in Mission. Not only is it family owned and run, but the family also lives right above the bakery. How cool is that! Do note that this never happens in Calgary....


I've been Yann's probably a bit more than sparingly. I've adored every morsel. I've never had anything from Yann's that was less than exceptional. I particularly love their chocolate croissants, which are perfectly flaky, but they don't explode into a million crumbs and make a gigantic mess. They also contain enough chocolate to bring your taste buds to a satisfactory high.

I also adore their skinny baguettes, and yes I know, and they know that pastry shops don't typically carry baguettes, but there was such an overwhelming demand for them, I think they just couldn't refuse. I can't say I've ever done anything with one of them except rip off the pieces and devour it as quickly as possible. With or without butter. They are good enough to make your gums bleed, as a proper baguette should, but also still tender enough to melt away into nothingness. Divine.


My new favourite, and we're talking to-die-for, I would walk a hundred miles for in freezing rain for, are Yann's chocolate hazelnut donuts. Like an Italian bomboloni; a stuffed donut. I am not normally a donut seeker, but I cannot overstate enough, just how absurdly good these are. In one bite, the outer section immediately gives way to a succulent center, chock-full of chocolate-hazelnut pastry cream. I surely could eat a dozen of these in one sitting, if given the opportunity, and hopefully one day I will. It is good to have dreams, is it not?

If you haven't indulged enough yet for the holidays, Yann's will surely help you out.
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taste alberta and retro redone

So I have to tell you about something new.  Although, I did say there was something retro, I really want you to know more about Taste Alberta.

It was just over year ago when Dinner with Julie, Kitchenscraps, Patent and the Pantry, Backseat Gourmet, and I, met up for a "Julie and Julia"-styled dinner. So it is only fitting that I flipped through the pages of some Julia Child recipes, and recalled why there were so many pink sticky notes, to mark the multitude of pages on which the recipe I created were found. Yes, that's right, there were multiple pages... what was I thinking?

Oddly enough, we recalled all of this yesterday evening, at the Calgary launch party of Taste Alberta. We sampled some superb Alberta products, expertly prepared by Alberta chef's...oh darn. The idea is to create awareness about the "huge variety of food grown, raised, produced and processed in the province, where to buy it and how to prepare and serve it." It will evolve in the Calgary Herald on Sundays, and in the Edmonton Journal on Wednesdays, and here.  A great opportunity for everyone to learn more about the vast amount of food and produce grown in the province.  Stay tuned!

And in honour of the pink-sticky notes still attached in  my Julia Child cookbook a year later, I made a gratin.  I have recently become completely entrenched in the knowledge of a gratin.  There is so very much to love;  it sounds so elegant, but yet it is really quite simple to throw together.  Quite literally in fact.  You just might have to dust your face with a little flour, and dirty a few more dishes, just to make it seem like you have been slaving away for hours on end; without actually having to do so.

Yes, I actually make most of this dish while carrying my five month old baby in a wrap on my chest.  Okay, not the flaming, cooking over the stove parts, but the whisking parts.  The breaking the egg parts.  He likes it, and heck, so do I.

Oh, and, there's usually leftovers.  Usually.

Did I mention that it's like a quiche without the shell?  It is quite rich, so paired with a fabulously colourful, and perhaps semi-flamboyant, red cabbage coleslaw, there isn't much to complain about.

The gratin has shrimp, curry, eggs, and a whopping cup of whipping cream.  It's heavenly in a seriously retro casserole dish.  The coleslaw?  Right. It's inspired by Nigella Lawson herself, with red cabbage, fennel, red onion, beet, garam masala, buttermilk, mayonnaise, and orange marmalade.  I know it sounds totally and completely bizarre, but just trust me that it is something that you will relish having made a large batch of.  Then, there's more time the next day, say for making cookies or other holiday deliciousness.

The retro part? Well coleslaw is always fashionable, but a dish like this? This is old school. But corning ware dishes are never out of style.


Add some cheese for the last ten to fifteen minutes.


No, it does not look like "dino-cut out chicken fingers" (thank goodness!), but it sure is colourful.


Especially when paired with this colourful festive coleslaw -


A Gratin with Shrimp & Curry

2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 pound peeled and deveined raw shrimp
1 tsp curry powder
3 eggs
1 cup whipping/heavy cream
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 tsp kosher salt
white pepper
1-2 tbsp grana padano

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Heat the butter in a skillet until foaming. Cook the onion, until soft and translucent, 5-10 minutes. Add the shrimp, and stir, stir, stir, until the shrimp is nearly cooked. Just cooked so there is not a hint of grey left, but no more. Stir in the curry powder, and turn off the heat.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Stir in the shrimp mixture.
4. Transfer the mix to a glass or ceramic baking dish suitable for the oven. Bake until the middle has risen as much as the edges, and jiggles just a bit. Sprinkle over a little grated grana padano, and place back in the oven with the oven off. When the cheese has melted, serve immediately.

Colourful Festive Coleslaw

If you own a food processor, this is a snap. It's a fabulously delicious way to enjoy raw vegetables in the middle of winter.

1/2 head red/purple cabbage
1 fennel bulb
1 medium beet
1/2 red onion
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup orange preserves, aka marmalade
1 tsp garam masala (delish Indian spice mix)

1. Using the food processor, chop the vegetables using the grating attachment. Just chop the pieces small enough to insert into the machine. Just trim the cores and ends of the vegetables. Include the top of the fennel bulb, beautiful fronds and all.
2. Combine the buttermilk, mayonnaise, preserves, and garam masal in a mason jar. Shake! Give it all you've got. You've really got to work to get the marmalade mixed in.
3. If you have enough eaters to devour all of the coleslaw, toss the veggies with all of the dressing. Otherwise, spoon over the dressing over each individual serving, saving the remainders for the next couple days. Enjoy!
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zotter chocolate

Organic, Fair-Trade, and delicious? Yes, it does exist, and it is very, very good. Zotter Chocolate comes from Austria, and I was nearly camped out at Bite Groceteria awaiting their arrival. I called, and emailed, and then once the chocolates arrived I eagerly helped to take them out of the boxes. Pathetic patience, I know. I will go out on a limb and say that these are now some of the best chocolates available in Calgary, if not the best, depending upon an individual's preference, or even mood. I am taking into account the ability to buy different and unique flavours of chocolates, not just pure chocolate, but the hand scooped and balleros chocolates shockingly taste like something, and the pure chocolate is superb. There are so many facets to describing the brand, but I think I'll start with the taste. Love it. The chocolate is smooth, creamy, and silky. Flavourful, nutty, and there are so many unique flavour combinations. The balleros, pictured above, are essentially little ball-like shapes and different flavours of chocolates. I adore the hazelnut balleros, and the chocolate-covered-almond with rose petals (below). But there is also cocoa in cocoa and coffee arabica (chocolate-covered coffee beans). The chocolate covered almonds with rose petals are quite heavenly, although they do resemble rocks in a photograph. Best rocks I've ever had. The photo below reveals most of the stash I bought, and I'm sure that the owners of Bite, Julie and Doug, think I am certifiably insane. I think I took one chocolate bar from nearly every box that arrived, but I didn't take any of the drinking chocolate (with the insistence that it is spring). Don't worry, I haven't eaten all of it yet..... The balleros are on the right hand side, the hand scooped chocolates are mostly in the middle, the labooko or plain and pure chocolate bars are in little folding "books" at the bottom, and the basic or baking chocolate bar is on the left hand side. I felt like it was Halloween!! Zotter invented a few new chocolate varieties, and a new chocolate production technique called hand-scooped. Zotter's website indicates that hand scooped chocolates have developed a cult-like following. He wanted to create distinctive chocolates to create a product that would make his chocolates unique from the usual pure chocolates. Apparently, there are machines out there which will "hand-scoop", but it was misunderstood by manufacturers who attempted to replicate the process, as it should not be pouring chocolate into a mould, but used instead to create layers in which the chocolate and the fillings melt at different stages. This is what the inside of the hand scooped balsamic caramel bar looks like, notice the three distinct layers. Below are a few of the varieties of hand-scooped chocolate bars available from Zotter. I love each of these on their own, but think of the multitude of flavour pairings available to enjoy along with the chocolates. A little wine, a small bowl of stawberries with aged-balsamic, or a little chunk of cheese. Why not? The Labooko chocolates are pure chocolate, and very smooth and silky. They come in pairs, organized like little books with one percentage chocolate on one side, and something slightly different on the opposing side. The sneaky thing with these chocolates is the surprising quality of the chocolate in such fantastically designed packaging. I would be more than happy with the chocolates any which way I could get them, but the packaging is creative, and beautiful too. A nice touch. These are all phenomenally tasty, but for originality, I am drawn to the yogurt and fruit yogurt (on the left with Carmen Miranda). They both lightly chocolatey and feature the use of yogurt instead of milk powder. The fruit yogurt is practically pink! Super delicious. It is also advised to enjoy chocolate slowly, for the ultimate indulgence, to "unveil the secret of the taste of chocolate, we recommend to first let the chocolate “breathe” in an opened state at room temperature and to nibble it afterwards in small pieces. For even a small piece of zotter chocolate contains enough power and intensity to convince." I am sorry to say that I have no idea how much each bar is, as nothing was priced at the time I gathered up my bag of chocolates. I am going into Bite Groceteria this afternoon to pay my bill. I'll keep you posted. Zotter.
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fri five fave food finds

Favourites of the week! 1. Cake Failures at slightlywarped. This is beyond hilarious. It probably helps to have a sense of spelling, but even so, it's quite fun. 2. HistoryBites - bits and bites of everything related to food and the history of food. 3. The Extraordinary Dining Society - love it! 4. Forage - as they say, "farm to fork, ready to go!" 5. Butterscotch Pudding @ Caviar and Codfish - you didn't think I'd really leave you without a recipe did you?! Later today, learn more about our Tour of Italy dinner at Capo!
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adventures!

Sometimes I cook the same foods over and over, especially with recipes that I really like. But usually this is short-lived, and then I move on to another obsession, and then only make the obsession occasionally, as anyone *normal* would do. Although, I am always looking for more inspiration. Sometimes I find great ideas in cookbooks. Oh, if you only knew how many books! The local public library must always be short on cookbooks, as I think most of them are floating about the house... I do like to search out odd and unusual dishes, which are not already popular. Ancient or geographically faraway dishes with some historical significance. Magazines are certainly a joy too, albeit far more trendy. Although, I also frequent books about travel, and search out websites of restaurants which sound particularly delicious. Certainly, I find a lot of ideas on the internet - the resources are unlimited, and constantly evolving. The internet is a fascinating source of information, due its completely fluid nature. Simply amazing. Of course, there is a lot of inspiration to find while in the act of eating too! When all else fails to be of any interest, there are always the local shops. I love little eating adventures. Every outing is the favourite part of my week! You just never know what you're going to find. A new mustard or a deliciously tart cherry sauce, can really invigorate the palate in a month full of otherwise drab produce. Although I do not consume many prepared products, those that I do purchase need to list ingredients in non-scientific, and plain terms. For example, a dried pasta with semolina flour and eggs, is just good real stuff, and in plain and understandable terms. Anything with excessively multi-syllabic wording is something I choose to avoid. Nothing is perfect, but I have also personally found this to be quite healthful, although I even eat seemingly very rich, fatty, and even sugary foods.... But this is all stuff made with real ingredients, and balanced with a variety of fruits, vegetables, and foods that someone must grow in one way or another. I probably frequent Bite Groceteria almost too often. And if you have been to Bite, on a Saturday afternoon, I was probably there sipping a latte and picking up multiple baguettes for the coming week. I don't think this little write-up really does it justice. But I love that they are a gourmet grocery store, that actually has real food, and not just jars of sauces and goop, and packets of this or that which I might only use once. This cute sign was photographed on Valentine's Day. It usually has the newest item to the shop featured. The chandelier below sets the stage, and it is unforgettable. However, the quality products and service are what bring me back. If you haven't been fortunate enough to learn about olive oils or balsamic vinegars from Doug or Julie, then this needs to go to the top of your to-do list! A few of my favourite products are their Rougie duck products including foie gras, cheeses from Salt Spring Island Cheese, buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes (back in the spring!), Granoro pastas, fresh parmigiano-reggiano, BAGUETTES from Canmore, canned-tomatoes, prosciutto (di Parma and others too), mortadella, vanilla beans, Palitos sweet maca breadsticks, milk-fed piglet from St-Canut farms (do ask, it is unbelievable), excellent olive oils, balsamic vinegars, the best white truffle oil, bibi caffe, and barral olives. Oooh the little blue and white jars of cherries are good too! And I'm probably forgetting all the other things I adore. Honestly, this is just a taste of the products they offer. Of course, they have pink peppercorns too! I guess you could say that these photographs don't really show you absolutely everything about Bite, but just to create a little intrigue. Like the little coffee counter on the other side, and left of the slicer. It's an adorable little spot, but if I show you, then I'd have to.... No, no. Just go, and have a very good latte, or try one of tnik's teas. A bit of an overview of the front of the shop. It's very cute. The first time I went, I was absolutely giddy for days! And don't miss the hula girl!
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phil & sebastian coffee company

Bad coffee. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Phil & Sebastian. Coffee Company. You've never ... had a shop in L.A. Giggling? Go ahead and google "Phil & Sebastian coffee", and that's what you'll get. If you're not yet in hysterics, go back and look for the phrase: "Nobody makes coffee like we do... But we're a bit odd." And I suppose that it is a bit peculiar, because well Phil & Sebastian is located in a city known for another kind of black gold, the oil business, not usually the coffee business. Calgary is a pretty new city, as things go, and it's not a historic centre on the silk road, or a cultural mecca with thousands of generations of coffee-goers who sit around composing cantatas in honour of coffee's goodness. But now is a good time to start, and this is just part of why Phil & Sebastian coffee is so fantastic to have in town. This coffee is really darn good stuff. Shockingly, the coffee actually has flavour, and not something you want to mask by excess milk, cream, sugar, or syrupy gunk; it reveals layers of flavour which tastes just as good as it smells. [ok strange... now I look at Starbuck's clover site - and that's they use the word layers too!! I swear that is what I was thinking when I had the coffee! The word dimensions is nice though, wish I'd thought of that.] Phil & Sebastian is a cool and quirky coffee company that luckily got their hands on a clover coffee press, and while I heard it was pricey, it was $4 for the best cup of coffee I've ever had. I have to say that, the best part is that it... well almost doesn't taste like coffee! It creates a very honest flavour, and I could use all kinds of descriptors, but then it would be a bit more like reading a wine-connoisseur's wordy description, and it might not even make sense, unless every yummy adjective is used. I will say that there really was something a bit grassy, but really just very natural and lovely. If you haven't been to the shop yet, do check it out. The shop at the Calgary Farmer's Market: Barista and the Clover on the right: The Clover coffee on the left, and some fantastic latte art on the right: Want to know more about the clover? An informative video by wired.com Phil & Sebastian Coffee Company at the Calgary Farmer's Market Quesnay Wood Drive Southwest Calgary, AB T3E
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sweet treat

It might be a Hallmark Holiday, but if it means eating chocolate, then I'm all for it. Above, is a Valentine's, black-forest-inspired-dessert from Manuel Latruwe. Delicious!
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valentine's in calgary

Valentine's may be a bit of a Hallmark holiday, but even so, a little bit of romance will warm up these cold winter days. Of course, there's many different ways to celebrate, and sometimes a little bubbly is all that is in order. But perhaps, if you have more of an appetite, there might be a few things worth checking out. My choices for a Valentine's in Calgary this year, with a few places thrown in that I haven't been to, but am anxious to try (and hear feedback about!): 1. Chef's Table and get a room at the inn... 2. Capo (albeit sold-out!) 3. River Café or for Sunday brunch the next day 4. Vin Room, I'm a sucker for pots de crème 5. Jaro Blue, sharing is romantic, n'est-ce pas? 6. Dominique Moussu's take home dinner for 1, at l'Epicerie (just go!) 7. Brûlée Patisserie, and skip everything else Of course, there are many more places, but they are probably mentioned on here enough as is. xoxo
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dice, chop, mince

*Courtesy Knifewear site I am so excited. Well I was much more excited when I discovered the store, but I am sooo very ecstatic to tell you about the up and running website for Knifewear. Calgary has its very own hamono-ya! Don't worry, I had no idea what it meant either, but it means knife store. Hooray! The cutest little, and I mean little, store in Calgary, owned and run by chef Kevin, "the knife guy". I can't help but love this part, "We like exclusive, scary sharp, high performance blades." HAH. Or the fact that Knifewear began as a way for him to "support his knife buying habit". Very cool, very witty and sharp too. The website is equally cunning. Kevin is hilarious, or so I think. But yes, he can also sharpen your existing knives. This is great! Although I very much like my fingers, my knives are now wickedly sharp, and I nearly fear losing them. My fingers, I mean! However, it is a small price to pay for the ease of cutting tomatoes with ease every time, or peppers for that matter, the nasty critters they can be. Then there is the beauty of the knives he sells. They are so beautiful I could cry. I think I almost did one day selecting a Mother's Day gift (for my mom, although of course, I scoured for myself for future reference...ahem). These knives are not just for cutting, but serious works of art. You can also pick up some funky t-shirts, or gorgeous cutting boards (I'll assume they work pretty darn swell too). Don't worry my mom has not lost any fingers...yet. Nor have I! Check out Knifewear, located inside Bite Groceteria, 1212a 9 Ave SE, Calgary, AB p.s. I swear I will finish my posts about the trip to NYC and the food show. But this couldn't wait.
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Nectar of Yum!

Sometimes I just want something sweet. Well sweet and a little tart, and I don't want to.....or can't (for whatever reason) make it myself. This is especially true of desserts. Last January, Jeff and I ventured to ChikaLicious in NYC, and I still can't wait until we can go back. Essentially, it is a dessert bar with three courses, and beautiful wine pairings. Everything was very refined, but very satisfying. However, ChikaLicious is also very far away!

Obviously, we don't expect ChikaLicious to pop up in our neighborhood in cowtown, but at least something a little better than complete gluttony would be fantastic. Until now, there was really nowhere in the evening, in Calgary, to go just for dessert that is just for dessert, and is a cut above slabs of ice cream or cheesecake. Something a little bit more refined, but still satisfying without having to go to a restaurant. Thankfully, there is finally an answer to my prayers.

Nectar Desserts in Calgary's Inglewood is a nice cozy place to enjoy a cocktail, glass of wine, or a coffee, but far more importantly, a yummy dessert. This includes many kinds of tarts and cakes. It even feels a little bit like NYC, as if you can watch the world going by from the upper level. The first time Jeff and I stopped in, we couldn't help but to stay. I ordered a trio of chocolate with the amarone wine pairing. This is a fabulous way to cheer up a dull week! The caramel chocolate tart was the highlight for me. It had a chocolate crust, a buttery and gooey caramel mid-section, and chocolate ganache on the top. The best part of it was the little bit of fleur-de-sel in the middle, and there are few things which highlight the flavour of chocolate more than a nice bit of salt. Very nice. Wine was good too. Somehow I must have been exceedingly engrossed in my dessert that I completely forget what Jeff had. But he did have a very nice vin santo paired with his dessert, which he really enjoyed.

The duo of desserts above were from a purchase another day. The blackberry tart with lemon mousse must have been good, because I inhaled it. I love blackberries, and they were highlighted perfectly. And again, the chocolate caramel tart was killer, but this time with cocoa nibs. Jeff also picked up a piece of lemon chiffon cake. I am not the biggest fan of cake for cake's sake, but I did really like the frosting. It tasted like someone made it with real ingredients (thank goodness!!), not just junk.

I also picked up a bottle of vanilla ($14.95). I have yet to open it and take the first whiff!

Check out Nectar, and save a seat for me. Upstairs – 1216 9th Avenue SE in Inglewood
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Oh what to do?

Jeff went back to Bite on Thursday to pick up some more duck. I can't really blame him, but he came home with virtually the entire store, plus a few items that Bite will hopefully be carrying soon. He bought a gigantic aromatic mango, organic crème fraîche, 2 250 mL of organic 54% cream, canned cherry tomatoes, a baguette, and a duck breast. We were excited because these are some very cool items, that you just can't normally get. Time to experiment.

We made the duck recipe below..and I altered some of the cooking times. We consumed most of the baguette before the duck was cooked - mostly just tonnes of butter, and we made a simple bruschetta with the tomatoes. It doesn't really work as bruschetta, but more as a good tomato sauce.

We made an enormous mistake...for some odd reason we thought we were going to make whipped cream out of one of the bottles of 54% cream. First of all, you can barely get the cream out of the bottle, it is insanely thick. We should have known....within 10 seconds we had whipped butter. Oops! Luckily, it ended up tasting great on our breakfast crêpes with berries, but it certainly wasn't whipped cream. We saved the rest for slathering on bread with dinner. After spreading it on slices of bread, we sprinkled a little kosher salt on it. It didn't last very long.

I love the crème fraîche, it is very rich and only a little of the tang sour cream has. I was making chocolate bread pudding, and you HAVE to have ice cream to make it seem less rich. Seriously! CBP (chocolate bread pudding) as we like to call it contains no bread, but croissants instead. So, I purchased a greek-style 8% fat 750g tub of yogurt. I beat in a 3/4 cup of vanilla sugar, and 1/2 cup of crème fraîche. I put it directly in the ice cream maker and it came out wonderfully. It was so rich, and tangy. Except, the fat content is still not high enough. When I tried a taste the next day, the consistency was too solid. Next time, I will add a bottle of the 54% cream - that should help. I will re-post the recipe then; it has a lot of potential. I'll probably add a tablespoon or two of honey too. Yum!
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