Back after travels, and restaurant reviews are coming

Hi All,
Sorry for the recent lack of updates, been out of town for a few (many) weeks enjoying the sights and sounds of other cultures and cuisines. Now that I am back, it’s time to get back into the groove of the kitchen and also to the blog. For a while now I have been thinking about adding reviews of restaurants to the blog and have decided to go ahead and try it out.
Believe it or not but a majority of chefs that I would consider friends are not that hard to please in when we go out to dinner. Usually it’s because we understand what our fellow brethren are up against on a given night.
For me if I can see effort in what the chef prepared, I am a happy camper. No effort and I rarely give the place a second chance. What do I mean by effort; quite simply did they take care in prep or open up a jar or can and serve it. One of the simplest items to make for example is a classic caesar salad, when done with care can be a simple item of great beauty and taste. Done without effort and using shoddy produce shows how much the chef truly gives a damn about his customers. For me one of the biggest pet peeves is when a caesar salad comes with out of the box croutons. To me that is a massive what the fuck!
Most restaurants have bread, and after a few days have stale bread, and if they choose not to do anything with the bread, they are lazy time wasting chefs who cannot be bothered to care for the customer. To me it is unforgivable to show this lack of effort for my customers and usually it is after seeing this that one can generally guarantee how the remainder of the meal will be presented.
In the next week or so, expect to see our first review; going forward should any readers out there want a review of a specific place, please do not hesitate to ask and we will try our best to get a review out for you.
Until next time,
Happy Eating

Home Made Chicken Stock

Hello again all, hope everyone had a great holiday season! Over the last couple of weeks of cooking, teaching, catering, found myself using a lot more stock than usual and thought about how often people just buy a simple stock from the grocery store. For those that haven't had the pleasure of using a freshly prepared stock, I suggest trying the following recipe for a simple chicken stock. The flavour will be immense and using a quality bird will enhance it even more so. Enjoy!

1. To make basic chicken stock, we used the bones from two organic chickens, water, 2 medium onions, 2 medium carrots, 2 stalks celery and 1/4 of celery leaves, 15 whole black peppercorns, and a bay leaf. This yields about 2 quarts of stock.
2. Remove as much fat from the chicken bones as possible. Don't worry about getting it all; you'll skim off the remaining fat before the stock is finished.

3. Place the bones in a large stockpot and add water to cover. Bring the water to a near-boil, and immediately reduce the heat to low. (Boiling causes impurities to churn in the pot rather than rise to the top where you can skim off any foam.) Cooking at a low simmer ensures a clear golden stock.

4. While the water is heating, chop the vegetables. Since they'll be discarded after flavoring the stock, they don't need to be bite-sized: quarter the onions or cut them in large chunks.
5. Peel and trim the ends off the carrots. Cut them in thirds or coarsely chop.
6. You can add the entire celery stalk, leaves and all--just be sure to clean the leaves thoroughly. Cut the celery into chunks.
7. Combine the chopped veggies, peppercorns, and bay leaf in a bowl.
8. Check the simmering stock: a layer of fat will have risen to the surface.
9. Use a ladle or skimmer to strain off the fat.
10. After the stock has simmered for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, add the vegetables to the pot. Bring the stock back to a simmer and cook for an additional 45 minutes, skimming occasionally if fat rises to the surface.
11. Strain the stock through a fine colander.
12. The finished stock should be a clear, light tan color and have little or no fat floating on the surface. The stock is now ready to use. If you don't need the full amount for soup, pour it into ice cube trays and freeze them, so you'll have small amounts ready to use.
After making this a few times, start adding a few simple herbs to change the flavor, some garlic or ginger for a nice twist.

The Greatest Cranberry Sauce EVER!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello All,
So chatting with a few clients some of whom are using Kitchen Inspired to prepare their Christmas Dinner, and a few that have asked for pointers and tips/tricks for doing it themselves. Whether catered or done yourself there is nothing like a proper Christmas meal done from SCRATCH, that means no pre stuffed butterball, no jarred cranberry sauce, or powdered gravy. Nothing beats a pre brined turkey, pan drippings used for gravy, perfectly whipped potatoes or perhaps a potato gratin with pounds of swiss emental, a stuffing done with corn bread mmmmmmmm, getting hungry just thinking about it. With the holidays fast approaching I thought I would share with you a recipe I found online a while back on an amazing cranberry sauce. Cannot take credit for it, but oh man is it ever good. I will go on record and say for me this is the best cranberry sauce I have ever had.

With nothing more to say other than enjoy, here it is:

Spicy Cranberry Sauce with Pinot Noir Recipe
Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (about 8 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 cups Pinot Noir or other dry red wine
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon each of tumeric powder and cumin powder
• Large pinch of Chinese five-spice powder

Method
1 Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cranberries and fresh ginger; stir until cranberries begin to burst, 3-5 minutes.

2 Add wine and sugar; boil until mixture is reduced to 2 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes.
3 Add crystallized ginger, cumin, tumeric and five-spice powder.

Serve sauce cold or warm. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Holy Crap Cereal from Dragon's Den

For anyone watching Dragon's Den on CBC this past Wednesday, you may have seen a husband and wife present what they called the healthiest thing you will put into your body, a cereal so amazing that once eaten you too will say Holy Crap that is the best breakfast cereal I have ever tasted.

I had received a couple of emails this morning asking if I have had the chance to taste this yet. It is advertised as being Vegan, Wheat Free, Gluten Free, Lactose Free, and 100% natural and raw. The Dragon's did enjoy what they tasted and Jim Treliving of Boston Pizza fame said he wanted to deal and gave Holy Crap exactly the investment they were looking for. As of a few minutes ago, I too have purchased this from their website. I am going to be doing a review of this cereal as soon as I get it and will post my thoughts hopefully within the next week or so on how it turned out.

Here is a link to their website for those that don't want to wait for the review. Enjoy

Holy Crap, The Worlds Best Breakfast Cereal

Cheese Please

Sorry to all for the lack of posts lately, things have been quite hectic with catering and October and November brought with it a number of family and community events.

Today I received an email from Kim, who asked about the etiquette and method of having a cheese plate as the main event for a small dinner party. For those not well versed in cheese, now is the time to step away from the marble and kraft mozzarella that have plagued your fridge and learn about the textures and flavors of cheeses from around the world.

First thing to do is find a proper place to purchase your cheese, and that rarely means your superstore grocery store where the cheese is next to the diapers which is next to the linens which is next to the carrots. In Ottawa there are a few places to visit: Farm Boy, La Bottega, The Farmers Market, The House of Cheese (in the market) and Serious Cheese (on Bank St.). These are places that carry a variety of cheese with experts well versed in the language of cheese. If you are a novice in the cheese department, I highly recommend Serious Cheese on Bank Street. Just walk in there, ask someone to introduce you to some different types of cheese and let them do their work. They will take the time to explain the cheese, its region and the tastes, everything from salty to creamy and nutty. Once you become familar with a few cheeses, and are ready to build your first cheese plate for either an appetizer or as your main meal, ensure you do not choose too many, the general recommendation is 4 to 6 cheeses. Three ounces per person if it’s an appetizer, 6 ounces per person if it’s the main event and choose cheeses with a variety of milks, regions, and textures. For example:

• A medium-aged Manchego (Spain, semifirm, sheep)
• Redwood Hill Bucheret (California, semisoft, goat)
• Prima Donna (Netherlands, hard, cow)
• Gorgonzola dolce (Italy, soft, cow)
• Mimolette (semi-hard – cow – France)
• Le 1608 (semi soft – unpasteurized cow - Quebec)

When plating your cheeses, if you do not have a cheese board, a simple wooden cutting board works just fine, and try to arrange your cheeses from mildest to strongest in terms of of flavor so that when you introduce your cheeses to your guests they can start there sampling in an organized fashion and get a taste of everything before moving around to their favorites.

A proper cheese knife will help with the cutting and if you can get your hands on small cheese knives for each of your guests so much the better, but if this is your first time and  you do not have a cheese slicer, use a fillet knife which can actually work very nicely for your cheeses

Lastly, what to serve with your cheeses. Stick to plain simple baguettes, water crackers nothing with too much flavor like a sourdough or garlic crackers as they can drown out the taste of cheese. Next to add to your cheeses are accompaniments such as apples, pears, figs, dates, grapes and berries. Stay away from citrus, which is too acidic and will overwhelm your cheeses. Try chutneys, fruit pastes, jams, and honey.

As you progress with your cheese plates, you can change it up from a variety of cheeses from different regions to sticking to cheeses from one region and changing the accompaniments. For example doing a cheese plate from Italy, and have a gorgonzola, ricotta salata, bel paise and real parmigiano reggiano and pair with that some honey or dates, or even have some antipasto with it like marrinated artichokes or spicy marrinated eggplant. FYI, when I wrote real parmigian in that last sentence I meant the real stuff, if you use the kraft simulated stuff hang your head in shame, I have no clue what that crap is, but it isnt parm no  matter what the label says. Real parm is stamped with a date, has a rind and you must shred it, it is a hard salty cheese that is amazing, that pre shredded simulated cheese you can also find at pizzerias is a disgrace.

Oh before I forget, what drinks go well with cheeses? Well you can't go wrong with having some different wines both red and white, as well as dessert or fortifed wines such as sherry to go with your cheeses. The best way is to discuss this when purchasing your cheeses with the cheese monger. Also ensure that you have on hand a few bottles of sparkling or still water on hand for guests to get the flavor of the last cheese out of their mouth before hitting the next cheese.

Happy Cheeses Everyone

Chiffonade

Was recently at a cooking demonstration, where one of the guests asked what a chiffonade was. As soon as she asked, almost everyone else nodded and was also wondering as they had heard the term before. I quickly explained the cutting process for a chiffonade and many knew it once they saw it, or have done it often but just did not know the official term for it. So for any others out there curious here is the definition along with a pic depicting it

The French term "Chiffinade" means "made of rags". In cooking, it is a technique for slicing herbs and leafy vegetables into long thin strips.

To chiffonade something, stack and roll a small pile of leaves and then slice or snip them into thin ribbons.

See pic below.

The Perfect Espresso

Pulling the Perfect Espresso

Last year I was travelling though Italy on a food, wine, olive oil, and scenery tour. My lovely wife and I worked our way from Venice to the Amalfi Coast, and everyday had multiple memories that will last a lifetime. Food and wine are a passion there, and unlike most North American places fast food is not just the golden arches. Everything there was done properly and done well when it came to anything food related. We saw men fishing in the early day time and serving what they caught us in the evening, if I had a craving for red snapper and none was caught, none was being had case closed. Throughout our travels, we asked many locals about the best place to eat in the particular area we may have been at the time and the answer was almost always the same, best place...”My house”...which was sometimes followed by, “you come, eat with us”.
I cannot wait to go back and cannot stress enough that if you have the chance to go, jump on it, but very importantly stay away from tourist areas and tourist traps, find out the where the locals eat, or go to their market and you will see the real Italy.
Before we had left for Italy, I was told by a good friend of mine who happens to be Italian that I would travel for my espresso. When I pushed for a more clear explanation, he told me how here if you want a coffee you pull into the nearest timmy’s, maybe starbucks or if you are really bold here in Ottawa you will hit Bridgehead. To top it off if you are in a rush you will get it from the drive through and drink it in the car towards your destination. My friend explained that in Italy you have to first find your favourite coffee place...sorry espresso! When Italians think of Americanized coffee they call it “Stained Water”, to them it is espresso for your caffeine fix. In Italy I was further told, that your favourite place does not have to be the corner destination, it can be a place 30 minutes down the road and they will go there multiple times a day for the hit of espresso. Initially I scoffed at the idea of finding a place, I like a good espresso and each place that, if it does it well would work for me. Well I was proven wrong! I enjoyed my espresso in most places, but about a 15 minute walk from my B&B in Florence was Corona’s Cafe, a place that had an espresso with my name on it. Cannot explain why, but the atmosphere the way the barrista pulled the shot of espresso, the mini antipasto plate served after work, just everything about this place was right for me. As I was told I would do, I made sure that two to three times a day I went for my favourite espresso from my new favourite place, and I really never really lingered there for more than 5-6 minutes, but when I needed my caffeine hit, there was only one place for me.

Many of the locals stand around have their quick hit, and head off to work, home or where ever their destination is, some linger on for a bit chatting it up with other locals, and then usually more cafe is ordered, then some vino, then some antipasto, then some more vino etc, etc, etc...

But one thing I noticed and also fell in love with was called cafe corretto, which means corrected with booze, yes booze! Think of it...a strong shot of caffeine topped with sambuca or grappa, I could have danced all night!
Anyways, below is a video from youtube about pulling the perfect espresso, also below is a list of the different types of cafe found in Italy. If you get the chance and there is a little Italy near where you live, try and find a good quality espresso like the one described in the video, then go back to Starbucks and order one from them or any other chain coffee shop and see the difference.

Espresso : known a Cafe in Italy, served in a 3 oz or demitasse cup. Strong in taste with a rich bronze froth known as a crema on top.

Doppio : Simply a double espresso.

Ristretto: More concentrated than a regular espresso that is made with less water.

Lungo or Caffe Americano: An Espresso made with more water - opposite a Ristretto.

Macchiato: Espresso that is "marked" with a dollop of steamed milk on top.

Corretto: Espresso that is "corrected" with grappa, cognac or sambuca.

Cappuccino: Espresso with foamed milk and containing equal parts espresso, steamed milk and foamed milk.

Cappuccino scuro: Cappuccino prepared with less milk and is a darker color.

Cappuccino chiaro: Cappuccino prepared with more milk (but less than a cafe latte) and is lighter in color.

Cafe' latte: Espresso made with more milk than a cappuccino but only a small amount of foam. In Italy it is usually a breakfast drink.

Latte macchiato: Steamed milk that is "marked" (sometimes ornately) with a shot of espresso coffee.

Catering Ottawa: Kitchen Inspired: Mother's Day

Hi all,
Just wanted to toss out an idea that has been brewing. Our Ottawa catering company Kitchen Inspired, is thinking taking it up a notch when it comes to cooking demonstrations and getting people passionate about food. Thinking about Mother's Day yesterday, and how we were asked by a few gentlemen to cater for their wives and moms. While I already booked myself for my own family, I thought about the number of guys in Ottawa who want to have their special day catered from Kitchen Inspired, simply because they were too lost in the kitchen. I have completed by book for men, called Grin N' Bear, A Men's Guide to Surviving the Heat of the Kitchen, now comes the fun task of properly publishing it. But before going further with that, I want to see if Men in the Ottawa Area who want learn more about cooking, but aren't interested in taking any continuing education classes to contact me and lets see if we can get a Men's Only Cooking Group organized. Hope to hear those interested soon.

Harissa

Sharik asked about harissa, how to make it and where to buy it in the Ottawa area.

After a bit of research I was able to find it at La Bottega in the Ottawa Market, and also the Whalesbone Oyster House on Kent Street, and Alladhin on St.Laurent Blvd.

Harissa is a North African hot sauce where the main ingredients are Piri piri style chili peppers, tomatoes and smoked paprika.

Now the following recipe for Harissa comes from the Professional Chef Series Volume 7,

Ingredients:


•10 dried red chili peppers
•4-5 cloves garlic, finely minced
•1 teaspoon salt
•2-3 tablespoons olive oil
•1 teaspoon coriander seeds
•1 teaspoon caraway seeds
•1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

Directions:
Soak the dried chilies in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain. Remove stems and seeds.
In a food processor combine chili peppers, garlic, salt and olive oil. Blend.
Using a mortar and pestle grind the coriander and caraway seeds to a fine powder.
Add remaining spices and blend to form a smooth paste.
Store in airtight container and top with a little olive oil. Can last up to one month in the fridge.
see below a picture of the finished product.

Hope this helps and would love to hear what you tried making with Harissa.

Grandmothers to Grandmothers, from the Stephen Lewis Foundation

A little over a week ago, I had the privilege of doing a cooking demonstration for a wonderful charitable organization called Grandmothers to Grandmothers, which is a campaign of the Stephen Lewis Foundation. These grandmothers have jewelry parties to raise money for grandmothers looking after their grandchildren in Africa. The jewelry is made in Africa and sold here with all the proceeds going back to them.

Kitchen Inspired provided a cooking demonstration at their party and included demonstrations on authentic African cuisine from the regions of Tanzania and Dar es salaam. Below are pictures of the demo and pics of some of the dishes, which included cumin oil shrimp and crushed peanuts, and an Indian/African Fusion Sambusa(very similar to Samosas of India)chaat.

To find out more about the Grandmothers Campaign please see visit the following site: http://www.stephenlewisfoundation.org/grandmothers.htm

Photograph Credit: Maureen Murphy

When all else fails...a good Frittata never hurt anyone

Long day, cannot decide what to eat, wife is in the mood for whatever, raining outside and it is very gray and dreary. When all else fails a good Frittata is the way to go, all you need are a few left over items in the fridge and you are good to go. Today we went for a goat cheese, spinach and roasted red pepper one. Below is the recipe, and it totally hit the spot. Hope you enjoy...sorry no pic for this one

6 eggs
1/4 cup milk
Generous pinches of salt and pepper
1 roasted red pepper, patted dry and cut into bite-sized strips
A handful of baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup creamy plain or flavoured goat cheese, crumbled
1 Tbsp. butter

Preheat broiler and set rach about 3 inches from element.


In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with milk, salt and pepper. Stir in roasted pepper, spinach and half the goat cheese.

In a large nonstick pan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir egg mixture, then add to pan. Evenly distribute red pepper, spinach and cheese.

Once edges start to set, tilt pan and lift set edges. Let uncooked egg run onto pan. Cook until the top is barely set, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining goat cheese.

If hand of pan is not ovenproof, wrap with foil. Set pan under broiler for 30 to 60 seconds. Let stand a couple of minutes before serving in wedges.

Recommended beverage: a Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Mimosa, Bloody Mary, Screwdriver

thinking about that garden

It's that time of year again, to start thinking about what to plant for the upcoming summer season. Last season the tomatoes almost took over the house and we were worried about being attacked, so this year green beans, peas, one tomato plant, and maybe some peppers are the way to go. Our yard while small in size has an area for planting that is really beautiful. Two years ago, watermelon was grown, and despite everyone laughing at an Ottawa boy attempting watermelon, 4 of the biggest juicies watermellons came out of my yard. One was ofcourse injected with vodka for a perfect refreshment, while one was used for a watermelon salad with olives and feta....if you haven't had the opportunity to mix your watemelon with a salty feta, make sure you experiment with that this summer. The flavours are amazing and with the right herbs like mint, or lemon parsely it just adds an freshing spring to the taste.

Watermelon Salad with olives and feta
1 small red onion
Juice of two limes
1.5 kg sweet, ripe watermelon (you can also use watermelon injected with kirtsh, or vermouth)
250g feta cheese
bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
bunch fresh mint, chopped
6-7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
100g pitted black olives that have been dried in an oven (about 45 minutes at 150 degrees)
black pepper

Peel  the red onion and cut into strips and put in a small bowl with the lime juice.
Remove the rind and pips from the watermelon, and cut into medium bite sized pieces, and the cut the feta into small pieces but not crumbled and put them both into a large, wide shallow bowl. Use spring of parsley , and add to the bowl along with the chopped mint.

Tip the onions, along with the lime juice over the salad in the bowl, add the oil and olives, then using your hands toss the salad very gently so that the feta and melon don’t lose their shape. Add plenty of freshly cracked black pepper to finish and serve.

Watermelon

Al from Chicago has a request to impress

Al from Chicago said...
Chef Bear,
Once a year, the men in my family prepare a gourmet dinner for our wives. We like to impress so we have several courses like appetizers, soup, salad, main dishes and then dessert. We even do a themed drink. The issue is we always have twice as much food as we need and since this tradition has been going on for several years, we are running out of ideas.
Any suggestions that can make our dinner a success to earn us the points we need for the rest of the year?
Please help!
Al from Chicago

Al and I have exchanged emails since his post and the following information is added to the above request: No allergies, 15 person guest list, 5 course dinner is ideal, no specific food aversions, everyone likes their meat and seafood, all the men share items to make and then bring it over, and wine pairings are not neccessary.

So with this information in mind, I have decided to suggest Al an "Around the World Surf and Turf". It will incorporate all the elements of land and sea from a variety of nationalities and incorporate many different flavors. When this was suggested to Al, him and his team seemed ready and willing to give it a shot. The first and most important thing to remember was that each course is not a main course sized meal. The amouse-bouche is meant to be a one to one and a half bite item, the soup will be served espresso style so it is only about 7-10 small spoonfuls.

Here is the menu set out for Al....Tune in tomorrow where the recipes will be included on the blog site.

Menu: Around the World Surf and Turf

Amouse Bouche –
Tequilla Infused Shrimp(along with dessert, the only non themed menu item)

Appetizer - Salmon and Rib Eye Crostini

Soup Course – Italian Mussel Wedding Soup

Mains – Cumin Crusted Tuna and Jerk Crusted Pork Loin

Dessert – Chocolate Espresso Pot De Creme

Remember tomorrow I will include the recipes for these items, and I will ask Al to post how it all went.