Friday, March 23, 2012

When Food Meets Drink

So I am watching one of my favorite TV shows,Diners,Drive Ins and Dives,when they featured a joint that was offering lobster martinis.What a combination.It was a basic start to a lobster bisque with the liqour of a martini.Served in a martini glass with a lobster claw as a garnish.I love the concept!The mixing of drink and food is a new trend that is still waiting to take off.If you have ever watch Iron Chef America,the chefs are creating food themed drinks all the time.There is a Bar slash restaurant in New York that challenges their chef to create new food based on the ingredients of the new drinks.I wonder what other food drinks we could come up with.Maybe Key Lime Rum Collins?

Thursday, March 1, 2012

The Great Canadian Food City

I was watching No Reservations the other day and they were talking about the food scene in Chicago and how it was so different than other cities in the US.It got me thinking of what would the greatest Canadian food city.We are such a diverse country that we are still trying to define Canadian food.
Could it be Toronto or Montreal in the east or Winnipeg in central Canada.Vancouver,Edmonton or Calgary in the west.
We have great food in Canada we just have let the world know about it.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Fish & Chips

Well this is a bit of a home coming for me.If I have one comfort food in this world it is fish and chips.I am of British decent and my father was a fish and chips fanatic.

Growing up there was a little shack that sat on the one of the main streets in my home town.The shack was always there.Every spring it was a rite of passage ,the little fish and chip shop on King Street would open for the season.Night and day through out the summer it would be open.I can remember late night runs after the bars would close for a fish and chip fix and a cold beer .Oh those were the days .

Tonight I am going to recreate that magic,I hope ! I have purchased the freshest haddock that I can find .The potatoes are grown in fields not a mile from my home and I have the plumpest yellowest lemon I could find.What could be simpler?Not much! Just goes to show you that not the most complicated meals are always the best.
Cheers.

Monday, February 13, 2012

A Trip

What to do for a spring time getaway?Well why not a jet-setting trip to Old Montreal.
My wife loves music.One of her favorite bands is playing in Montreal in April ,so why not a road trip.
Montreal is not a city that I have spent a lot of time in.It has a rich diverse culture and a European feel.Montreal is the home to some world renown restaurants.Gordon Ramsay and Chuck Hughes both have places as well as world champion race driver Gilles Villeneuve .So here goes a foodies adventure.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Food Alchemy

Alchemy is best known as turning ordinary items into gold.What a better way to define the chemistry of good cooking.Taking simple ingredients and turning them into a golden delicious food experience.By using age old techniques or modern magic one can transform food into not just a meal but a wonderful way to spend time.

In North America we have lost the concept of the family meal.We have become slave to the clock.Fast food is the norm.However we still crave home style cooking.One trip down the isles of a grocery store will show you that there is an mass of pre-packaged gourmet food.Some is good but most are just cheep and cheerful knock offs of the real thing.For the time that it takes to drive to store,find the food and then re heat it most of the time you can create a delicious meals from scratch.

Monday, January 31, 2011

a Long Winters Nap

A long winters nap I wish.It has been a very busy couple of weeks around here.My work as a fast food restaurant manager has kept me hopping as well our two kids.That doesn't mean I haven't had time for food.I have been watching lots of cooking shows and travel logs.

One thing I have been noticing lately is a movement to get back to basics with buy local.restaurants across North America have started to realize that the best ingredients are the one that come from right in your back yard.This movement has been boosted by the likes of Jamie Oliver and his food revolution.

It only make sense to try and help local people and not the large chains that are faceless with in our community.It is not easy though.With our current economic slow down people look for the best possible bargain.whether it is produce grown in Mexico for a dollar day wages or cookies produced in a third world country that are on the shelf for less money than a local retailer can even but them for.

We need to make a statement and stand up for local farmers and local retailers and help our communities first.
Now I will get off of my soap box.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Bread And Beer

These is an ethereal connection between bread and beer.Both bread and beer are created using similar ingredients and techniques that date back centuries.There is something almost spiritual in the very act of ripping open a loaf of bread still warm and smelling the earthy notes of yeast.I get a similar feeling when I crack open a well brewed bottle of beer.

The list of ingredients are fairly simple.The ingredients for bread are water,flour( wheat),yeast and salt.The list for beer are,water,hops,grain(barley)and yeast.
These are simple ingredients that produce a heavenly product.