Winter Cooking

Provence is a mere memory and winter is biting hard this year in Toronto. In France it is the warmest winter in a century, I was just in Paris and it was warm enough to have a drink on the cafe terraces (with the heaters). Here it is the coldest winter in some time. It feels like the coldest since I first arrived, but my memory for cold is very selective. One big plus is that this bone chilling and pipe freezing -18C weather, yes we still have a heater warming our bathroom pipes, usually means bright sunny days. The photo was taken during a snow storm, but most of time I can sit in my living room bathed in brilliant although not warm sunshine.

Fat Dinner

This plate of fat, was my snack before the fat dinner! I knew there was going to be lardo, that is what is filling my plate, but I didn't know there would be such a choice. Chef Rene from Neumarkt restaurant, had been to Salone del Gusto and returned with six different types. He created lardo heaven.

Fat is now Fett

I was very excited to learn some time ago that Fat would be published in German and now it's finally a reality. To celebrate the Swiss publisher is holding a Fat dinner on Friday November 9, in Zurich.

Vinegar - so much more than sour wine

I've always been a bit ambivalent about vinegar. I usually have red and white wine vinegar, and balsamic and sherry vinegar on hand, but I'm never convinced about the difference between vinegars, chardonnay and champagne for example. Vinegar is vinegar right? No wrong, there is a world of difference between vinegars and between good and ordinary vinegar.

Fat-tailed lamb follow up

Well I finally tasted my version of qawarma. No favas, no yoghurt, no mint I just warmed it up in a pan and spread it on bread and it was fabulous. Well spiced, lamby and delicious. There were only three of us and it was a snack with drinks before dinner. However, we polished off two-thirds of it and would have eaten it all if I'd warmed up the remaining third, but I'm keeping for my friend Naomi to taste this evening.

Fat tailed Lamb

I was very excited when Laurie from Hawk Hill Farm contacted me. She raises heritage breeds, which include Tunis sheep. They put fat on their tails and she had read of my search in Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes for fat-tailed lamb. Generously she sent me tails from lambs that were pastured and slaughtered at 6 months.

Odd Bits Dinner in Waterloo

Last night I was at Nick and Nat's Uptown 21 in Waterloo. I met Nick last year at Savour Stratford, when we were both judging the Best Chef competition. Nick asked if I would participate in a cookbook dinner at his restaurant sponsored by the local bookstore Wordsworth Books. I said yes,  Nick had told me he loved my Fat book, authors always fall for flattery. Also I love this type of event, the chef does all the work and I have time to meet people who like my books and I can continue my mission of convincing people to try odd bits. Nick made my food shine and alas my photography doesn't do it justice - I had a camera incident - my flash had a mind of its own deciding when it would and wouldn't work, but I've posted the snaps anyway.

Something to watch

I'm off to Kitchener/Waterloo for an interview with Daiene Vernile at CTV Provincewide and then on to the Odd Bits dinner at Nick & Nat's Uptown 21, tonight. The menu includes testicles and chocolate blood ice cream, a full report soon.

In the meantime you can watch my conversation with Alison Fryer at the Cookbook Store in Toronto.

Gooseberries

I'm obviously going through a green phase. Looking back on recent posts I can see a lot of green. Perhaps it's a reaction to Toronto's stifling heat and humidity? Green is such a cooling colour. This photo of my gooseberry bush is a few weeks old. I have stripped it of all its fruit because I like my gooseberries tart. If you leave the fruit on the bush it will start to turn a maroon colour and loose its acidity. Gooseberries are not a giving fruit; the thorns are large, sharp and numerous and it's not a fruit you eat straight from the bush, their sharp edge needs to be tempered with sugar.

In my hands

The first copy of Odd Bits is in my hands. It is very exciting to be holding something that you ave only seen on a computer screen or endless black and white printouts. There is still and always will be something special about a physical book. Here is a sneak peek......

New York

I've just come back from a great week in NYC. Serious eating plus some promotion for my book Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes and catching up with friends. I plan to post about my trip when I finally catch up with everything I let slide while I was away. In the meantime you can read about one of my adventures here.

Still Alive

Yes I'm still here. I've been in southwestern Ontario and southern Michigan promoting FAT at two food events. It's been fun but very tiring so I haven't posted. I will catch you up on all my experiences very soon.

London Notes

I was in London this week doing some promotion for Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes and I spent a lot of time on Marylebone High Street. This is a great street that feels Parisian, it's a popular London location for many French or French-style stores.
La Fromagerie is my favourite, a treasure of a store. If I lived in London it would have to be with in walking distance asit has everything I love, raw milk butter, cheese, charcuterie, wine, coffee and fresh fruit and vegetables. Next door is the Ginger Pig where I could shop for meat.... ahh perfect.

Also on the street is Daunt Books a wonderful Edwardian bookshop filled with natural light from graceful skylights and with oak galleries perfect for browsing. Although they specialize in travel books they have a good selection of all subjects including cookery. When I wasn't eating I'd be here.

So if you happen to find yourself in London you must simply put aside time to walk along the high street. Start at La Fromagerie with some breakfast and plan to return for lunch with a glass of wine then you can wander further afield and explore Regent's Park.
After all that exercise you'll have the perfect excuse to return to La Fromagerie for a spot of afternoon tea.

How to get a head!

It is not often I go to a restaurant and pretty much ignore the menu but that is exactly what I did last week. I left the confines of downtown Toronto and ventured out in the wilds of suburbia to a restaurant located in a mall, yes a shopping mall. I was there for this –














Roasted Pig’s head and tail. James Chatto, local restaurant critic and bon vivant told me I had to try this dish. As soon as he began describing it I knew it was the dish for me, so with several other intrepid foodies, some of whom already knew about the delights at Villa Allegro, we headed for the 'burbs.
















We began with– the cherry wood smoked quail, flattened and grilled over cherry wood. It comes right to the table hot coals and all. Poached quail's eggs on toasts and cherry tomatoes completed the dish. I love quail, missed the bones 'though, but it still made great tasty finger food.


Here are the pig's heads, that followed the quail. Notice how the staff expertly carve them, no half a head plunked on a plate. I love silver service, please note this restaurant has stools for your handbag, it reminds of France. We were given a choice of pieces; I of course, had everything. Two types of lentils, yellow and black, were served along with the head and there was cabbage as well. This was no place for a vegetarian but we did eat our veggies.



















Here is my plate, from the front in a clockwise direction it holds cheek, belly (yes they added roast pork belly in case we were really hungry) lentils, tongue, tail and that cabbage mixture. Needless to say I wasn't paying too much attention to the vegetables. A piece of ear was added later, but by that time I was too busy eating to photograph it, sorry. It was all it should be - crispy skin, a thick layer of fat and moist melting meat, chewy cartilage (the ear) - James was right.

















One of our group had called ahead to order brains. First these calf’s brains arrived in a crisp crumb coating. The sauce was buttery with capers a classic match and some chopped capers in the coating. Look! Even more vegetables, favas and a caramelized onion.















Then came the real show stopper - A huge wooden platter with six roasted lamb's heads, here is a close up view. The natural containers for the lamb’s brains and while this might put some of you off, one of our party wasn’t up to it, but then she wasn’t even up for the quails, you must admit it is great presentation.


If it wasn't the heads themselves it was the sight of the brains being scooped directly from them that did her in. I, on the other hand, was delighted. The brains were cooked longer than normal, turning them into the consistency of thick creamy – just wonderful. I would have liked to try the cheeks too, but nobody offered them and I was getting rather full.
There was pasta, tasty merlots from Chile, dessert and even grappa for the brave but all that faded into the mist. This was an evening about getting a head and eating it.
You can of course go to this restaurant and enjoy more regular fare, pasta, risotto, and great beef. And you should owner Felice Sabatino is the consummate host; the staff professional and you could spend the rest of your life reading the wine list. If you want a read a review of this restaurant that constantly makes Toronto's top ten list look here.
However if you want to experience dishes that rarely appear on menus on this side of the Atlantic call ahead and order, the roasted pig's head and tail, the brains, the horse meat or if you're lucky the lamb's testicles and discover how delicious these overlooked pieces are.


This last photo was taken by the team of Adjey/Correia - thank you.

The best thing about Easter Ham?

This is my Easter ham with the Orange Dijon glaze recipe from Bones. We managed to demolish a good part of it for Easter lunch with my in-laws. I think their eyes were glazing over as I kept on talking about fat, but I have seen margarine in their fridge so they need all the help they can get. Ham fat, English butter on the table and organic milk in the potato gratin, olive oil with the braised rapini and garlic. More good fat by way of the pavlova with its topping of whipped cream and lightly poached hot house rhubarb. However, the best thing of all about Easter lunch yesterday is what I have here.
Yes, this wonderful Berkshire ham fat, white, smoky flavoured and absolutely delicious, I've already used it to cook some carrots to go with leftovers tonight. That's what I love about ham - there are always leftovers and a thousand recipes using a slice or two of good ham. This is going to be a great eating week.

mmmmm bacon

I tested a dish last night for the second time. My husband said straight away “it’s not as flavourful as the first time”. He was right but I couldn’t figure out what I had done differently. Then, when I went to serve up the main course, I realized my mistake there next to the stove was a dish of cooked crispy bacon that I’d forgotten to add. It's hard to imagine life without bacon. I've posted this whimsical photo of a bacon tree – if only you could plant a bacon tree in your yard, or have it on the kitchen windowsill next to the herbs. This photo was taken by Fred Sauceman at a Southern Foodways Alliance event and sent to me by member and good friend Miriam Rubin. Without knowing me, Fred has graciously allowed me to post his shot. Bacon lovers are good people.

Bacon has many fans and there are numerous internet sites dedicated to bacon. Recently the New York Times weighed in and then I received an email from Belgium with this link. Next Pav at Overnights, an Australian radio show where I am a regular guest, asked me about the Bacon Explosion, which it seems has traveled the world. Its fame is now assured as it has a Wikipedia page. Bacon is back. I claim to have done my bit with my book Fat and reading the responses to bacon on Mark Bittman’s blog just shows how deep our love of bacon runs. For me bacon comes from a pig, but recently I tried some lamb bacon made by Christopher at Whitehouse Meats. While smaller than regular bacon there was enough fat on the lamb belly to make it appropriately fatty and so tasty. Here it is on toast topping a spread made from lamb's testicles, more of that later.

Epiphany

I would like to start 2009 with a post about one of my favourite cakes, la galette des rois, traditionally baked in France to celebrate Epiphany. Epiphany is tomorrow January 6,and marks the visit of the three wise men to the Christ child. These three eastern kings have wonderful names, Gaspard, Balthazar and Melchior. I've only met one Gaspard, the son of my friends Maryse and Cyril Lalanne and Balthazar reminds me of a restaurant so I doubt these names will come back into fashion anytime soon. However, I propose we adopt the French designation for the three wise men - Les Rois Mages - the sorcerer kings - it sounds so much more magical.

More Fat In Paris

If you are a foie gras lover this photo will make you swoon. Our friends Matt and Victoria, who we met at the Epicurean Classic in Traverse City, Michigan, stopped in Paris on their way home from the Frankfurt book fair. We'd planned this dinner in September at the Classic, Matt asking simply for good Burgundy and foie gras. Well that was easy, we chose Le Régalade, a restaurant close to our apartment in the 14th. This is a good, friendly restaurant (many of the staff speak English) with an excellent menu at 32 euros. Plus, there are always special dishes available for a supplement. As it is autumn, these included game, mushrooms and this wonderful foie gras. Also joining us for dinner was Victoria's charming brother Tom, who was experiencing Paris for the first time. It took us a while to make our choices but sautés of cepes, girolles (which are chanterelles in English) game pate studded with foie gras and this magnificent whole roasted foie gras were our choices for entrées.
Matt and my husband shared the foie gras (it was for 2) and joy of joys it arrived perched on a sautéed thick slice of quince - notice how it stays yellow when cooked quickly - a perfect foil for the rich foie gras.
I have a recipe for sautéed foie gras on gingered vanilla quince in my book FAT. I've only tried roasting a whole foie gras once - with disastrous results. I was left with a tiny liver and a pan of fat! Of course I thought it was my fault or bad recipe instructions but I have since learnt that the older the liver the more fat it releases. So when I try again I'll be sure that I have a very fresh liver. Until then I am happy just to walk down the street to La Régalade and enjoy it accompanied by a glass of Jurançon.

Paris and Fat

Well it's official, I just not a good blogger. I do have an excuse - last Thursday I gave a talk on fat at Type books on the Danforth in Toronto. It was co-sponsored by Cook's Place and brave fat lovers came out in the pouring rain to hear me. They also risked missing the party leaders (Canadian) or the vice-presidential (American) debate.
For once I was glad to be over 50! A young lady in the group told me that she'd grown up eating nothing but vegetable oils and fake fats - oh dear! No wonder the younger generation packs on the pounds.
The next day I left for Paris, the one in France not Texas. And yes you guessed it, the first thing I did on arriving here was eat a freshly baked baguette slathered with good French butter. Now that I have been here a few days I am beginning to settle in - getting used to croissants for breakfast, slipping into cafés and knocking back a kir in the afternoon and going for dinner at 9pm. So I promise to try and blog more frequently to keep you up to date with la vie française.

Just to whet your appetite, look at the photograph below of the wonderful fatty lunch I ate yesterday. My husband and I had been at BHV (Le Bazar de l'Hôtel de la Ville) looking for a part to repair our shower. Renting helps pay our Paris apartment bills but it also means that for the first few days we are trying to find where the last tenants have put things and doing little repairs.
The basement of BHV is my husband's favourite store in Paris, it's the hardware section and he can spend hours just looking. Every time I descend those stairs I just want to scream. Well we found the shower part without too much trouble and then as we were hungry we went for lunch.

My husband spotted Le Fer à Cheval a few blocks east of BHV and we managed to snag a table just inside the door.
















Now perhaps you can make out a salad in the background that was husband's choice. Yes it had some greenery, but when the dish arrived, that greenery was hidden under slices of cured ham, smoked duck breast and toasts topped with melted chèvre cheese! I was more upfront with a platter of charcuterie, which included cooked and cured ham, cured sausage, pâté and rillettes, served with baguette and butter, of course. I had a glass of Morgon, I have become an amateur of Beaujolais, and my husband drank a beer called Pichon but more of that later.

Where have I been?

I know you are supposed to blog often but I've been too busy to blog, sorry. I've been talking up animal fats in the Midwest as a presenter at the Traverse City Epicurean Classic.
My session was titled "Fat is not a four letter word". I wasn't sure how I would be received, especially as en route I stopped to pick up a coffee. Usually I drink my coffee at home so I am confused, early in morning by the plethora of choice. Finally, I negotiated a tall cappuccino with an extra shot of espresso, what ever happened to small, medium and large? Then I was side swiped by "skim or 2% milk?" "Whole milk", I replied. Then I was told that 2% was whole milk!!!!!!! I patiently explained that whole milk was 3.8% fat and better in every way. I was tempted to whip out a book and let them know I was the FAT lady. However, there was no convincing this barista, so 2% milk it was, and she explained "it was Michigan thing". How could I talk about fat if these people didn't even drink whole milk?

The barista was wrong. Midwesterners appreciate fat and they liked what I had to say, that it's OK to put quality animal fat back in your diet. Fat won't make you fat, eating too much will.
I met lots of people, they are very friendly in the midwest, and I also was able to meet some of the other chefs and cookbook authors who were at the event. If any of you are in the area in September, make sure you go. And, if you can't make the Classic, at least visit Traverse City. It's a interesting town, in a beautiful location with lots of good restaurants, a perfect place for a holiday.