Stanley Park Windstorms

Our usual bike route around Stanley Park had to be altered due to the damage that recent windstorms created. It was quite surprising to see so many massive trees with roots that spanned nearly 15-20 feet uprooted by such strong winds. Parts of the seawall are still closed as the huge task of cleaning up remains. It is still pretty though. After all, it is just Mother Nature at work. Here is a picture of Marcelo standing by one of the uprooted trees. Click here for more pics.

Tagged as: [ canada stanleypark vancouver ]

Sumptuous Places | Ganache Patisserie

When the sun peeks out from behind the gray rain clouds during Vancouver's winter season, one cannot help but want to spend every moment outdoors. Yesterday I walked around Vancouver for most of the day and after burning off all of those calories, I couldn't think of a better way to reward myself than to indulge in an exquisite dessert.

My friend Jenn and her cute baby Jacob strolled to Ganache Patisserie in Yaletown, which is a gorgeous boutique patisserie. We must introduce little Jacob to the fine pastries in life right off the bat! Marcelo and I had visited Ganache last year and drooled over everything in the showcase, uncertain of which delicacy to try out first. Jenn and I faced the same dilemma and struggled to make our final decision. Jenn chose the Menthe et Chocolat cake and I settled for the Chocolat-Banane.


Both were very satisfying and what made the visit even more special was to see a former pastry classmate at work doing her practicum. Check out Charmaine's blog as she enters the industry after pastry school. It is great to see and hear what other graduates are up to. As usual, Charmaine didn't have a spot on her uniform as she works extremely clean and professional. She is getting invaluable experience and happily making all sorts of entremets, even though the work is physically demanding (as she notes in her blog).

A little bird told me that Ganache will be celebrating its third anniversary on February 3rd. Make sure to drop by and taste one of these fairly priced, Parisian-style desserts!

Tagged as: [ ganache pastry patisserie vancouver yaletown ]

Dine Out Vancouver | Gastropod Review

Following a good tip from a past culinary classmate, we decided to try out Gastropod during Dine Out Vancouver.

We had visited restaurants during a similar event in DC but found that either the portions were far too big for a 3-course meal or the restaurant was too pretentious and annoyed at the fact that they were participating in the affair.

Gastropod turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Having been open only 7 weeks, everything was spot on. Not surprising, given Chef Angus An's impressive experience! 

In the $25.00 prix fixe dinner, we each had beef brisket stew braised in espresso with croutons. It was piping hot and seasoned very well.

Marcelo's entree consisted of a very moist pan roasted chicken breast that was served with warm Israeli couscous, tossed with chorizo, capers, spinach and parmesan cheese. I had the roasted wild mushroom risotto with garlic foam. It was decadently rich and full of flavor.

Dessert was tasty. I chose the coffee brownie with vanilla crème fraîche and caramel ice cream. Marcelo had the creamy vanilla rice pudding with pine nuts, nutmeg syrup, and crushed nutmeg tuiles.

The ambiance was warm and the service was fantastic – attentive (but not overly), helpful, and refreshingly unpretentious. We both thought the portion sizes were perfect and the time between each course was well spaced out. We will definitely visit this restaurant again.

Tagged as: [ culinary dine gastropod review vancouver ]

Beef Rendang

Rendang, a dish that originates in Indonesia, is one of many appetizing curry dishes. I have adapted this version from several different recipes I have tried out.

2   lbs.	stewing beef, cut into 1" cubes
3   tbsp.	vegetable oil
	salt
2    small	onions, diced
2-3	garlic cloves
2"  piece	fresh ginger, peeled & minced
1	fresh serrano chile
1    small	shallot, finely chopped
	zest of 1 lime
2   tbsp.	minced lemongrass
2   tsp.	ground coriander
1/2 tsp.	fennel seeds
2    tsp.	cumin seeds
1/4 tsp.	cloves
3	dried red chilies
1    400 ml.	can of coconut milk
1/2  cup	water
1    tsp.	tamarind pulp
1    tbsp.	lemon juice
1    tbsp.	grated palm sugar
	salt to taste
	fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1. Prepare all ingredients before beginning to cook. Mix the onion, garlic, ginger, and serrano chile in a small food processor and blend until it forms a smooth puree. You may need to add some water for easy blending. Set aside.


2. Using a mortar and pestle, grind the coriander, fennel, cumin, cloves, and red chilies to a fine powder. Set aside.


3. Pour approximately 1/4 cup of boiling water over a 2" piece of tamarind to soften the sticky pulp. Push the tamarind through a fine mesh sieve to extract the pulp from the seeds. Set aside.


4. Using paper towels, pat dry the stewing beef and season liberally with salt. Preheat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, and to avoid crowding and steaming the meat, brown the beef on all sides. Set aside.


5. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Sauté the shallots, adding a touch of water, if necessary, to scrape up all of the browned bits left behind from the beef. Add the puree and cook for a few minutes. Add the lime zest and lemongrass and stir to combine. Push all of the mixture to one side of the Dutch oven.



6. In the empty spot, pour the spice mixture and stir to toast the spices for a minute or so. Stir the spices into the onion puree to form a paste.


7. Add the coconut fat from the can to the spice mixture and cook for a few minutes. Pour the remaining coconut milk into the pot, adding 1/2 cup of water, the tamarind pulp, lemon juice, and palm sugar. Return the beef to the pot.


8. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Allow the mixture to simmer, uncovered, for approximately 20 minutes. Cover and continue to simmer for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally.


9. Uncover and continue to simmer if the liquid has not reduced enough. Add salt to taste. The Rendang is ready when the fat separates from the mixture. Pour over cooked white rice and top with fresh cilantro. Serves 6.

Rendang is even tastier when it is refrigerated overnight and reheated the next day.

Tagged as: [ beef cuisine indonesia recipes rendang ]

Kimberley and the Chocolate Factory

Last week I did a stage (a practicum) at a local artisan hand-made chocolate company. I can honestly say that I haven't worked that physically hard since renovating our condo from top to bottom a few years ago. Laying tile, spreading grout, sawing and installing laminate flooring and baseboards, replacing the kitchen and bathroom, and painting was just as tiring. In the industry, long hours are spent on your feet and your hands become your most cherished asset. Every knuckle feels as if it couldn't possibly bend again by the end of the day. No, these aren't my hands but they felt like it!
 
I remember making chocolates out of my home years ago but obviously that was on a completely different scale. In a production kitchen, there is always something to do even if you are a newcomer and feel clumsy and out of place. I lost count at how many tools I had dropped and people I had bumped into. My head was trying to keep track of so many details: where things are located, where to put and not put items, what is ready when 1 of 5 different timers go off, etc. I did enjoy it, even though I yearned for that cushiony office chair under my butt! What did I get myself into?

In that short week I was happily covered in chocolate, helping to mold chocolates, mix ganache recipes, create transfer sheets, pipe truffles and dip lots and lots of chocolates. One of the things I really enjoyed was lustering chocolates with different edible shiny powders, which give them a gorgeous color and sheen. Perhaps I enjoyed that task the most because my little hands got a bit of a rest.

Compared to working in the industry, culinary school felt like a vacation and there were days in school that I felt wiped out from studying! I probably sound like a big baby but I assume (and desperately hope) that one's body gets used to it, bending down, and leaning over tables to study what you are doing while keeping a steady hand.

I am most impressed with the amount of organization that has to happen to get a day of work completed. I guess it is like anything else. Everyone needs to be on the ball and it certainly helps that the head chef has a complete grip on the order of the tasks and what has the most priority. It is also intriguing to see how a small business is run and the amount of equipment and staff that is needed to make it successful. A strong team is key.

Even with all of my education thus far, I still get surprised at the amount of work and skill that is put into a product that is truly artisan – it isn't easy. If people that go into the industry are astounded, I can only assume that the general public has little awareness or appreciation for the way our food comes together. When you pay $1.75+ for one handmade truffle that looks beautiful and tastes delicious, it is well worth it.

I received an e-mail a short while ago from a student that has just started culinary school. His first few days were incredibly exciting and by the end of the week, he felt completely humbled. I told him that we have all been there. I think I can speak for most students when I say that they may go into the program thinking, how hard can it really be? But you soon come to realize that this job is not a simple one. Sure, anyone can learn how to make something really beautiful in his or her own kitchen but try to pump that same item out in probably a tenth of the time in the industry, with the same standards, and you will appreciate it even more.

Tagged as: [ career chocolate food industry practicum professional ]

Don't Turn Your Back For a Minute!

This is what happens when your back is turned for one minute and you have a chocoholic husband in the house. No chocolate, no matter how cute, is safe. The aftermath was quite disturbing. He wasted no time with the ears and went straight for the head. I still have to keep the chocolate chef under close surveillance, as he threatens to polish it off, starting with the buttons. :)

Tagged as: [ chocolate ]

Lomo Saltado

Lomo Saltado is a popular Peruvian dish that contains simple but delicious ingredients. I first tasted it while dining at El Chalan in Washington, DC, which quickly became a favorite place to go for lunch and dinner. The combination of salty, sour, and spicy is always something to die for! Here is the version that I created at home using oven-baked fries, rather than deep-fried ones.

4    medium	russet potatoes
2    tsp.	vegetable oil
	salt and pepper to taste
2    cups	hot cooked white rice
1    lb.	flank steak, thinly sliced across the grain
3    tsp.	vegetable oil
1    large	onion, thinly sliced vertically
1    medium	red pepper, thinly sliced
1    medium	green pepper, thinly sliced
2    medium	tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/4  cup	soy sauce
1/4  cup	white wine vinegar
	salt and pepper to taste
	Sambal Oelek to taste (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

2. Peel and uniformly cut potatoes into thick-sized French fries. In a large bowl, soak the cut potatoes in very hot tap water for 10 minutes. Drain and dry with a clean towel. Toss potatoes with 2 tsp. of vegetable oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Spread in a single layer on a silpat-lined baking sheet and wrap tightly with foil. Bake for approximately 10 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake 10-15 minutes until the bottoms are golden and crisp. Using tongs, flip each over for the other side to crisp, another 10-15 minutes.

3. While potatoes are baking, season sliced flank with salt and pepper and set aside.

4. Prepare rice and set aside.

5. Heat a large stainless steel pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tsp. of vegetable oil and, when hot, stir-fry the thinly sliced flank. Remove from the pan when it is just cooked. You do not want to crowd the pan, therefore, you may need to do this in batches. Crowding the pan will result in steamed - not fried - beef. Set aside each batch of beef on a plate.

6. Heat another teaspoon of vegetable oil in the pan. Sprinkle in the onion and a pinch of salt and sauté for a few minutes. Add the sliced peppers and another pinch of salt and continue to cook until everything just begins to brown.

7. Add the tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes until they begin to break down and release their juices. Return the beef to the pan.

8. Pour in the soy sauce and white wine vinegar and let the mixture bubble for a few minutes while you remove the crispy French fries from the oven. Add the fries to the pan and toss to combine. Serve immediately over hot cooked rice. Season with sambal oelek, additional soy or white wine vinegar if desired. For more heat, or if you don't have sambal, sauté slices of jalapeno peppers with the onions.

Serves 4

Tagged as: [ cuisine lomosaltado peruvian recipes ]

Making Sugar Showpieces | Part of the Pastry Final at NWCAV

Because our pastry class ended so close to the holidays, I have barely had any time to post the things that we had worked on in the last few weeks of the program. As part of our final exam, we had to present either a sugar or chocolate showpiece. I chose sugar because it is fun to work with and I knew that I would be taking the Advanced Chocolate Class shortly thereafter, so, it was a good opportunity to work with sugar one last time at the school.

To prepare for the final, I had sketched out what I had in mind and discussed it with Chef Marco. Having only one day to work on the showpiece, he thought I was being a little too adventurous with the amount of things that I wanted to create in my "Christmas Living Room Set". I decided to go for it anyway, preparing in advance all of my stencils and cutouts that I would need and figured out the order in which to do things.


So there I was, trying to get back on schedule to complete my list of things to do. The day flew by and I had quite a few mishaps. I would have loved to complete what I had in my sketch, but Chef Marco was right...it was a little too adventurous for one day. The Rock Sugar, which is a recipe to create shapes like this:


would have been great for the smoke and a little hill for the snowman to stand beside in the snow globe. I wish I would have had the time to make the blown sugar snow globe. I had attempted this at home and thought it would have looked adorable:



Yes, the ball is broken in the picture above, but you get the idea of what it generally would have looked like. Blown Sugar is fascinating. A piece of Pulling Sugar is attached to the end of a pump and you gently pump air into the mass and it starts to grow like a chewing gum bubble. Too much air will burst the bubble. Once it cools, you heat up a knife and gently cut the ball off of the pump because it is extremely fragile.



For more pictures of my showpiece and other students' sugar and chocolate showpieces, click here.

Tagged as: [ blowing casting nwcav pastry pulling rock school showpiece sugar ]

Advanced Chocolate Class at NWCAV

To end 2006 with a bang, Chef Marco kindly put an advanced chocolate class together for a few of us that are completely addicted. In the first two days, we made 8 different chocolates and then spent two more on building chocolate showpieces. We learned new techniques such as folding caramel and nougat together to form a center for a chocolate that resembles puff pastry. This was so delicious that it didn't even need to be dipped in chocolate. Putting it together was a little tricky (and messy) as you had to work quickly with semi-hot caramel, folding the layers, and then cutting it into pieces before the mass cools and turns hard.


We made two chocolate showpieces. Chocolate showpieces are made completely out of chocolate and are entirely edible. We first made an underwater world which consisted of a sea-bed, coral/sea-life, and fish. The second was a chocolate chef who turned out to be absolutely adorable. The showpieces are so much work which is why we probably don't see them that often. If you ever get the chance to see one up close, really appreciate how much time and skill goes into it. For us die-hard chocolate fans, it would have been nice to spend more time on each piece, perfecting them, but Chef Marco would have been trapped at the school until next year...literally!


Not saying that you will learn all of these techniques in these classes, but if you are interested in beginning to learn more about the basics of the pastry world and chocolate, without committing to a full-time program, try out Chef Marco's Serious Foodie Pastry Classes. They will not disappoint!

As for me, I will not be making a New Year's resolution to eat less chocolate. I believe quality chocolate is healthy and has a wonderful healing affect. In the New Year, I plan to have my own little chocolate factory in my own kitchen. I will keep on experimenting with different flavors and techniques and be sure to share what I learn as I go!

Click here to see more of our work during the course.

Tagged as: [ chocolate nougatine nwcav showpiece ]