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Issue No. 8
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September 1, 2008
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EAT: Tapas
keeping your food news fresh
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Falling For Fall
First EAT of Autumn
on stands September 1st
featuring...
My Seattle
With the dollar near par there has never been a better time to visit.
Victoria's Culinary DNA
Gillie Easdon takes us on a journey of past restaurants and noted chefs.
Sweet Lily
The bulb of the beautiful purple camas lily - traditionally cooked for up to 24 hours in a steaming hot food pit- were once a vital staple of the First Nation diet, economy and culture.
No More Lunchbox Lament
With a little creativity and ingenuity, parents can get kids eating omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants -important for growing brains.
In Praise of Pumpkin
Those big, beautiful orange orbs are so much
more than just jack-o'-lanterns and punkin' pie.
Let the Game Begin
Unrepentant carnivore Jeremy Ferguson likes his yak curried, his kangaroo grilled and his camel roasted. But organic Canadian venison is still his favourite wild ride.
and...
Michelle Morgan on eating and acting
Tea cuisine at Silk Road
Around the World with Apples
Nathan Fong's recipes
Wine: An Okanagan Road Trip, Boreaux 2005
Sage Roasted Quail with a Pear, Blue Cheese and Walnut Tart
Preserving the Harvest
Click here to read EAT online.
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back to school
Edible Education
Tuck a fork in your pencil case and get ready for the back-to-school season; there's a class for everyone in the halls of BC's edible educational institutions. The University of Victoria is offering a program in Sustainable Gastronomy designed to educate eaters' tastebuds and minds in response to human and food issues that a re all the buzz. David Mincey of Camille's will be assigning the oh-so-hard homework of eating chocolate in a class on the food of the gods. For more classes and registration information click here. Over on the mainland, UBC's student farmers need help protecting campus farmland from development. On September 10th, there will be an online auction for the prize of a dinner for eight, cooked in your own home by Barbara-Jo McIntosh of Barabara-Jo's Books to Cooks and Farmstead Wine's Anthony Nicalo. Click here for details and stay tuned for more UBC fundraisers. Heidi Fink, previously executive chef at Rebar, has a semester of international flavours planned for her fall cooking classes. For a full schedule click on www.chefheidifink.com. And inside Plenty's cozy quarters, gather in a circle and gab about food systems and their impact on culture in a Canadian Earth Institute discussion group. To learn more about the group, click here. Now scoot, the bus is coming and you haven't finished eating your homework.
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local travel
Ladies Only Fly Fishing on Quesnel Lake
This one's for the ladies: Rainbow Waters Fly Fishing Academy is offering a course for women only through the Elysia Spa & Wilderness Resort. Learn the subtle art of fly fishing with a gaggle of your girlfriends, led by Quille Farnham, resident guide and fishing expert. Learn fly fishing etiquette, knot tying, and hooking up and playing the fish; Farnham makes it all look downright graceful. BC trout are plentiful through October, but even if you don't catch a thing you'll be on serene Quesnel Lake, dining on hearty meals, and staying at the spa with your best friends. Quite a catch.
Click here to read more about Elysia Spa's fly-fishing package.
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wine of the week
Sonovino Pinot Grigio/Chardonnay
and Ciao Sangiovese Terre di Chieti
Certified sommelier  Michelle Bouffard of House Wine reports: "Tetra Paks make the perfect companion to camp
fires and kayaking trips. They are lighter to carry, environmentally
friendly, unbreakable and you don't need to worry about a corkscrew.
The selection isn't nearly as wide as wines sold in bottle but you can
still find some that are good enough to make you forget that they are
poured from a box."
Michelle recommends:
2005 Sonovino, Pinot Grigio/Chardonnay, Sicilia IGT, $13.95
Ciao Sangiovese, Terre di Chieti, $13.99
Glean more vino tips from Micheala and Michelle on CFUN radio live.
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book
Cooking With Les Dames D'escoffier:
At Home with Women Who Shape the Way We Eat and Drink
Les Dames D'escoffiers are like the cool group of girls in an imaginery high school for students of food. A creation of the  feminist movement, the dames have been at the forefront of the gastronomic scene for three decades, teaching their peers how to select an artichoke, display a cheese plate (white ceramic is a must, the dames claim), connect children to their food, and improve the local farmers' market. In short, these are the 'it' girls who have made an art of growing, cooking, and serving food, making it all look so stylish and effortless when we all know they work quite hard at what they do. With members like Julia Childs, M.F.K. Fischer, and Alice Waters, they may almost seem unapproachably chic, which is why they've created Cooking With Les Dames D'escoffier, a book with all their tips, memories, and favourite recipes. They've invited you to the club with this assurance: "The instructions are all laid out for you; there's no expertise needed. All you need is to begin." How cool is that?
For more information on the international organization, Les Dames D'escoffier click here.
To read more on the book and order it, click here.
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in season
The Tomato
Grande dame D'escoffier Alice Waters offers these tips on tomatoes in The Art of Simple Food:
"Farmers' markets (and your own backyard!) are the best places to go for tomatoes. Choose deeply colored tomatoes that are neither to soft nor too firm. Tomatoes will continue to ripen off the vine, and do so best out of direct sunlight. Don't put your tomatoes in the refrigerator; the cold really steals their flavour. Wash the tomatoes and cut out a cone at the stem end to remove the core. To seed a tomato, cut it in half, coaxing the seeds out of each little cavity with your fingers. The juice can be strained to use in cooking, or to drink."
BC tomatoes can be found at the farmgate,
at your local farmers' market,
Capers Community Markets, and at Market on Yates.
Or sign up for a local organics delivery, such as the one offered by Saanich Organics farm.
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recipe
Bruschetta With Tomato, Fresh Mozzarella, and Basil
from Fields of Plenty by Micheal Ableman
A simple recipe lets the full flavours of a just-picked tomato shine. (Might I suggest Natural Pasture's Buffalo Mozzarella for the perfect tomato companion in this recipe from Salt Spring Island farmer Micheal Ableman's Fields of Plenty.)
Serves 10
1 1/2 lbs ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
Kosher salt to taste
freshly cracked black pepper to taste
one 1 lb. loaf rustic country bread or crusty baguette cut into 1/2 inch thick slices (cut baguette on the diagonal)
olive oil for brushing (about 1/2 cup)
1 or 2 cloves garlic
1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar for drizzling
leaves of 2 sprigs fresh basil
Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper and set aside while you grill the bread (the tomatoes benefit from being seasoned in advance). Brush both sides of the bread slices with olive oil. Place on the grill rack over medium heat and grill until the first side is darkly grill-marked, then turn and toast the second side until grill-marked.
Rub one side of the grilled bread slices generously with garlic cloves and top with a layer of mozzarella and a sprinkle of salt. Top each with a layer of tomato slices. Drizzles with the extra virgin olive oil and a few drops of the vinegar. Garnish with one or two basil leaves and serve.
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the Tapas bulletin board
Vancouver
Hart House is holding their annual Evening in Provence dinner on Sept. 3 with food and wine inspired by the sun-soaked Mediterranean coast known for its flavours. Call 604.298.4278 for reservations or visit the website.
A seven-course dinner paired with vintages from Kettle Valley Winery will be held in Gastown's So.Cial at Le Magasin on Sept. 16. Visit socialatlemagasin.com or call 604.669.4488.
Coffee lovers take note: Ethical Bean is releasing a very limited amount of Chicaloma coffee beans which just scored 12th out of 26 top Bolivian coffees in the Cup of Excellence competition. Find it at Urban Fare and Meinhardt's in Vancouver.
Boneta's new lunch menus are the perfect blend of decadence and sensibility. Chef Jeremie Bastien's three course $25 fall lunch menus are a mid-day shot of luxury in the sophisticate, comfortable Boneta. boneta.ca
Lisa's Dining Club is a group for epicureans to meet and eat. The next dinner is scheduled for Sept. 8 at The Whip Restaurant Gallery. Toast to new friends who understand your obsession with gastronomic topics.
Vancouver Island
From Sept. 7 to 26 the first ever Victoria Local Food Fest is encouraging folks to try the 100-Mile Diet for the duration of the festival. Participants will receive a 'Locavore Festival Guide' containing lists and information on local produce, farmers' markets, partner organizations, box delivery programs in Victoria, as well as listings to the many events taking place throughout the festival. victorialocalfoodfest.ca
The Hotel Grand Pacific in Victoria is holding a dinner featuring Yalumba Winery Australian wines on Sept.9. All proceeds from the event will be donated to Camosun College Child Care Services, which provides much-needed quality child care services in Victoria. Call 250.380.4478 for tickets.
Venturi-Schulze will be opening its doors for a rare tasting of new releases Aug. 30 and 31. Be one of the first to taste the 2007 Millefiori. venturischulze.com for more information.
Winemaker Andy Johnston of Averill Creek and Chef Cory Pelan are pairing up for the Winemaker's Dinner at Arbutus Ridge, Sept.20. Vintner and chef will be present to speak about the pairings and answer diners' questions. 250.743.5100 or visit satellitebargrille.com.
islands
If you don't have weekend plans yet, head to Pender Island for their 3rd Annual Winestock, Aug. 30th. A line-up of rocking musicians and bold wines unite. Camping available at Morning Bay Vineyard where the event is held.
interior
Eating my words. Sorry all, the Executive Chef at the Four Seasons in Whistler is named Scott Dolbee not Thomas Dolbee as I wrote it in the last Tapas.
"Besides loving the bakery, you can't help but love this couple whose tale of romance following a chance meeting in Greece six years ago led them back to Kelowna..." Click here to read the rest of the mouthwatering article on Okanagan Grocery's artisan breads by food writer Jennifer Schell.
New releases will be uncorked and open for the first time and in keeping with local tradition, Naramata's Uncorked band will provide groovy tunes to get you in the mood to kick off your shoes and dance the night away. Come to the Naramata Tailgate Party, Sept. 13.
Stroll the grounds of Quail's Gate Winery listening to live music, meeting local artisans, and eating delicious, 100-Mile-Diet inspired cuisine at the Quail's Gate 100th Anniversary Harvest. quailsgate.com for more information.
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Did you know?
We archive each Tapas e-letter so you don't have to. Click here to access all previous Tapas and look up that book or recipe that caught your eye. You can even make our archive your homepage for easy referencing.
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EAT Magazine
Box 5225 Victoria, British Columbia V8R 6N4
www.eatmagazine.ca
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