local travel
A Wine and Food Tour of the Fraser Valley
Spring is road trip season, and whether you travel by bicycle or car, Fraser Valley is an amazing destination for both its natural sights and its locally produced food and wine. The Fort Wine Company is a great stop for berry wines sipped at the saloon-style tasting bar (26151 84th Ave., Fort Langley, 604.857.1101) ), while the Domaine de Chaberton Estate Winery -the oldest and largest of the Fraser Valley wineries- serves authentic French cuisine at its Bacchus bistro (1064-216 St., Langley, 604.530.1736). At Township 7, all the wines are made by hand in small lots. Taste their 2002 Chardonnay, winner of best white wine in Canada, at 21152 16th Ave., Langley, 604.532.1766.
D'Oro Farms offers a spectrum of inventive jams (check out this summer's Plum Jam with Vanilla and Star Anise) artisanally made in tune with the seasons (20856 4th Ave., Langley, 604.514.3539). By visiting Lotusland Vineyards, at 28450 King Rd. Abbotsford, 604.857.4188, you'll be able to taste a variety of their organic, limited release wines. They've taken honey to a new level at Campbell's Gold Honey Farm (2595 Lefeuvre Rd., Abbotsford, 604.856.2125), where you'll find Jalapeno and Chocolate Orange varieties, as well as the Black Dragon Special (black currant liquer honey).
The Granville Island Public Market is a good start or finish to your food and wine tour. Packed to the gills with fresh produce, cheeses, pastries, and Granville Island Brewery's much-loved pale ale, you can fill up a picnic basket with local goods.
www.eatmagazine.ca/foodandwine
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Charity
Renowned Designer creates 10th Anniversary EAT poster to raise funds for BC Breast Cancer
EAT Magazine commissioned international designer Andrew Lewis to create a poster commemorating ten years of good EATing. Known for using powerful colours, lines, and texture in his art, Lewis' renowned posters can be viewed in international collections including the National Library of France, The Library Congress in Washington D.C., El Instituto Cultural Cabanas, Mexico and the Merrill Berman Collection in New York City.
A limited 100 six-colour lithographic posters, signed by the artist, are available from EAT Magazine for $50 CDN including shipping and handling. All proceeds from the sale will be donated to the BC Cancer Foundation to fund research in their fight against Breast Cancer. Call 250.384.9042 to order your poster.
Visit www.alewisdesign.com to read more about artist Andrew Lewis.
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Event
Defending Our Backyard
The Island Chefs Coll aborative has come up with a brilliant, timely idea. To celebrate the bounty of Island-produced foods, they'll be throwing a "Defending Our Backyard" local food festival on May 25th at Fort Rodd Hill. Arrive hungry; there'll be a West coast style pig roast, pizza spinning and baking, oyster shucking, and mini farmers markets. Tuck your hemp napkin into your shirtneck and pair your sustainable wooden plate with samplings of Vancouver Island wines, beers, ciders, and mead. The festival is also designed to illustrate to eaters the journey their local food takes to get to their table. Listen in on talks such as "A Day in the Life of a Farmer." Food demonstrations, a silent auction, and live music fill out a day that is sure to be as delicious as the Island's best edibles, more enlightening than your average festival, and hipper than a county fair.
Tickets available at: BC Wineguys Cadboro Bay Road, Mattick's Farm VQA Wine Shop, The Wine Barrel (cash only), Smoken Bones Cookshack, Spinnakers Spirit Merchants, & Six Mile Liquor Store
www.iccbc.ca/public/events for more details.
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Home Entertaining
Behind the EAT cover
Wondering what those glasses were on the cover of EAT? Littala is a Scandanavian design company with a philosophy of streamlining household objects into a functional, simple esthetic. The Aarne glassware featured on EAT's present cover was designed by the late artist and glass designer Goran Hengell of Helsinki, Finland (on page 7, the glass on the left is the Aarne Champagne Flute and the glass on the right containing the Seafood Terrine is the Aarne Highball). Hengell's first version of the Aarne collection was presented in the 1930s and later became his most famous design as well as an international trend-setter. In 1954 he won the gold medal at the Triennale Design Museum in Milan for his Aarne collection. Glasses are for sale at the Designhouse in both Victoria and Vancouver (http://www.designhouse.ca/).
Read more about the Littala design company and its policy against 'throwawayism' at:
www.iittala.com
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In Season
 Asparagus
For anyone bravely adhering to the 100-Mile-Diet (or some increment thereof) and for those who just want something fresh from the ground after many barren winter months, the asparagus is a welcome sight. In BC, it shoots out of the cool ground mid-May and runs a short season so get it while its hot. With its slightly sweet crunch of more good things to come, this predecessor of green things from the ground is amazing just plain steamed with olive oil. For a more sophisticated approach, try this week's recipe.
Check your neighbourhood farmers' market or local produce-carrying grocer. A few other suggestions:
The Asparagus Farm, 1550 Robson Lane, Cobble Hill, 250.743.5073
Mar Farms, Michelle Brothers Farm, and the Christmas Tree and Ostrich Farm all of Central Saanich
For a listing of farms on the mainland, visit www.circlefarmtour.com
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Seasonal Recipe
Mediterranean-style Asparagus Platter
Extra virgin oil, balsamic vinegar, roasted peppers and nicoise olives are some of the ingredients that give this locally grow n asparagus dish an inviting, Mediterranean-style flavour. It makes a great side dish for just about anything cooked on the barbecue, such as salmon, lamb or chicken.
Preparation time: 20 minutes, Cooking time: About 3 minutes, Makes: 6 to 8 servings
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until firm-tender and vibrant green, about 3 minutes. Carefully drain the asparagus, and then cool in iced-cold water. When cold, drain the asparagus well again, dry on towels, and then arrange in rows on a large platter. Decorate the top of the asparagus with the olives, small pieces of the goat cheese, roasted red pepper and the sliced or grated lemon peel. (The dish can be made to this point a couple of hours in advance; cover and store in the fridge until ready to serve). Whisk the olive oil and balsamic vinegar together in a small bowl, and then drizzle over the asparagus. Sprinkle the asparagus with the sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Let stand 10 minutes to allow flavours to meld, and then serve.
Note: Nicoise olives and roasted red peppers are available at most delis at supermarkets.
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Wine of the Week
Tantalus Old Vines Riesling 2006
When feasting on asparagus its good to keep in mind a few suggestions for choosing a wine. "Asparagus makes everything you drink with it taste green," said Sid Goldstein, author of The Wine Lover's Cookbook. "The worst white wine with asparagus is Chardonnay, which not only tastes vegetal, but also exaggeratedly oaky."
Ok - so, ditch the chards, what does work? In BC our Germanic-style whites are among the best. Go with a crisp Pinot Gris or Riesling that has good fruit and little or no sweetness. Our recommendation is the Old Vines Riesling from Tantalus in the Okanagan just outside of Kelowna (http://www.tantalus.ca). This is an exceptional wine from the outstanding 2006 vintage and well worth the effort of finding a bottle. In the glass it exhibits perfumed scents of white peach, lime and talc, passion fruit and gooseberry flavours and its lively acidity gives the wine excellent structure and will enable it to age gracefully for years to come. The grapes come from vines planted back in 1978.
Read John Schreiner's review at
www.appellationamerica.com/wine-reviews
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Cool cookbook alert
Bistros and Brasseries:
Recipes and Reflections on Classic Café Cooking
In 2004, Chef Lou Jones and Sommelier John Fischer, both professors at the Culinary Institute of America, decided they needed to dive into the experience of French cookin g, and take a break from the academics of it. So they went on a tour gastronomique de France, whirlwinding from bistro to brasserie and rediscovering the subtle differences that make French cooking unique. The bistro pleasures they experienced coupled with gorgeous photographs of both the dishes and the French locales they derive from, make up Bistros and Brasseries. Add in Fischer's wine pairing suggestions (and more importantly, a concise, easy-to-understand reason for his suggestions), plus ample simple tips for getting the perfect texture from a potato, and how-to instructions on clarifying butter, toasting flours, or checking shellfish for doneness. With a convivial, conversational tone, but a serious adherence to the particularities of French cooking, Bistros and Brasseries is one of those cookbooks that will surely become a kitchen fixture, covered in butter and flour over the years from much use.
Check your local bookstore or visit Chapters online at:
www.bistrosandbrasseries-chapters.com
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