BC SEASONAL COOKBOOK: ASPARAGUS & CARMELIS CHEVRE SALAD
Every Sunday we share a recipe from EBC president Eric Pateman’s cookbook – The British Columbia Seasonal Cookbook.
ASPARAGUS & CARMELIS CHEVRE SALAD
BC, like other Canadian provinces, is dotted with artisan goat cheese producers. One to visit if you are in the Okanagan is nestled on a hillside outside of Kelowna overlooking the lake. Carmelis is a family-owned boutique dairy that produces a multitude of delicious goat cheeses for all tastes with milk from goats raised on their farm. One of their most popular styles of cheese is chevre (French for goat), a tangy fluffy and soft cheese synonymous with the French style of goat cheese.
serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 x 2 lbs bunch of asparagus, trimmed
- splash of olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper to tasete
- 1 lb package frozen peas, refreshed in boiling water, drained and cooled
- 1 cup chevre, crumbled
- 1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
- 1/2 fresh basil, chopped
- 1 lime cut into 4 wedges
Method:
Preheat barbeque to medium-high heat. Toss trimmed asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill for 4 minutes, turning once. Set aside.
In a bowl, toss together the remaining ingredients, except the lime. Cut the warm asparagus into bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl, toss and season again if needed. (You cut the asparagus after because it is much easier to grill if left whole!) Divide among 4 plates and garnish each salad with a lime wedge.
Tips:
1. Soft cheeses such as chevre do not slice well – they often end up as a crumbled mess, half stuck to the knife. The easiest way to cut soft cheese is with taut dental floss. Just be sure to use unflavoured floss!
2. Allow cheese to come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes (longer for hard cheese or if the room is particularly cold) before serving in order to enjoy its full flavour and aroma. Portion cheese, if desired, while cold and keep it wrapped so it doesn’t dry out before you are ready to serve.
CUISINE DU TERROIR WITH JOY ROAD CATERING
Sourcing and showcasing the bounty of the Okanagan continues to be a way of life for Cameron Smith and Dana Ewart, chefs and owners of Joy Road Catering. Their diverse culinary projects include a cult-worthy baking stand at the Penticton Farmers’ Market (of which Cameron has been voted President this year), the South Okanagan’s leading catering company, specializing in food and wine pairing for 10-200 guests and as hosts for their celebrated mountain top outdoor dining experiences.
This summer’s Sunday Al Fresco Vineyard Dinners will be hosted on the grounds of the heavenly God’s Mountain Estate B&B just South of Penticton. This unparalleled Okanagan dining experience began May 17 and runs through Thanksgiving.
These unique multi-coursed dinners unite curious diners, local epicureans and culinary tourists alike, at a communal, outdoor table overlooking one of the oldest Riesling vineyards in the Valley and shimmering Skaha Lake. The evening includes a sparkling wine reception and a carefully chosen, local wine pairing with each course. The Dinner With a Winemaker series will be offered on select Wednesday evenings this season with some of the Okanagan’s leading boutique wineries:
- July 1- Road 13
- July 8-Wild Goose
- July 15- Herder
- July 29- Black Hills
- August 5- Orofino
- August 12- Blue Mountain
- August 19-La Frenz
- August 26- JoieFarm
- September 2- Laughing Stock
Guests will dine with the winemaker, the menu is created around the wines from the best ingredients that foragers and local farmers present as well as fruit picked on estate. Reservations are required for both Sunday and Wednesday as these events sells out quickly!
Sundays – $95*
Wednesday Winemaker Series – $105*
(plus GST and gratuity)
THE WINERIES OF BRITISH COLUMBIA – 3RD EDITION RELEASED
I’m SO excited to hear that the 3rd edition of The Wineries of British Columbia hit the shelves in May. John Schreiner, one of my favourite wine authors and undeniably the leading authority on the BC wine scene, has updated his ‘BC wine bible’ to keep us all abreast on the rapidly expading industry.
According to John, the first edition was released in 1994, including 40 winery profiles. A decade later, the second edition was released with close to 130 profiles in its 376 pages.
The latest edition is a hefty 496 pages (and only $30!!), with approximately 200 wineries covered, several of which are either just opening or still under development.
A major undertaking indeed – it took John two years of interviewing and writing, trying to take a snapshot of a moving landscape. On his terrif blog in mid-May John posted this: “Shortly after the manuscript was locked down, I came across Cerelia Vineyards, a new winery just opening near Cawston in the Similkameen Valley. And I just interviewed Judy Kingston, a former technology lawyer, whose Serendipity Estate Winery opens a year from now near Naramata.”
Time to start working on the fourth edition!
Wineries, wine lovers, wine tourists, wine writers, wine stores – all of BC really – owes a big debt of gratitude to John for this reasearch and undertaking. Now get out there and buy your copy!!
The Wineries of British Columbia, 3rd Edition – by John Schreiner
published by Whitecap Books
ICC LOCAL FOOD FESTIVAL – DEFENDING OUR BACKYARD
If you were planning on being on Vancouver Island this weekend (and even if you weren’t, there’s still time!), save Sunday for The Island Chefs’ Collaborative 2nd annual Local Food Festival. Defending our Backyard takes place at Colwood’s Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse on Sunday, May 31 from noon-4pm.
The chef-run event is one of the highlights of Vancouver Island’s festival year. Chefs from some of the finest restaurants on Vancouver Island are working together to raise public awareness of the importance of local food and supporting local farms. Defending Our Backyard celebrates Island food, farms and flavours.
Defending Our Backyard is aimed at the growing audience of people interested in food issues and increasingly seeking local food. In the first year, Defending Our Backyard brought together over 600 people. This year we’re expecting over 1,000 to attend.
And this year they have expanded the event to feature more local food, information and activities. Defending Our Backyard focuses on personal experience and, in addition to sampling some tastes of the Island, participants will also learn about growing more of their own food, composting, the ethical harvest of seafood, local wineries and breweries, the work of food-related special interest groups and farmers’ markets.
About the ICC
The Island Chefs’ Collaborative (ICC) is a community based, social profit organization dedicated to supporting sustainable food and agriculture on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Over the last five years, the ICC has provided $22,000 worth of equipment to 16 small farms on Vancouver Island – helping to make those farms more sustainable. The ICC’s inaugural Defending Our Backyard in 2008 raised funds to provide $9,500 in grants to:
Sooke School District’s WestShore Teaching Garden in Colwood | Haliburton Community Organic Farm in Saanich
Silver Cloud Farm in Sooke | Holland Farm in Saanich | Kennego Farm on Salt Spring Island
Tickets are $45.00 for Adults, $25.00 for Youth (9 to 15 years of age) children 8 and under are FREE and $99.00 for Familly of 2 Adults and 2 Youth
You can call to reserve your tickets for pick up at the gate – or drop in to one of the Ticket Outlet locations:
Spinakers Spirit Merchants, Smoken Bones Cookshack, Crossroads Bar and Grill, Ristorante La Piola, Cook Street Village Wine Store and BC Wine Guys on Cadboro Bay Rd.
For more information visit the ICC website or call 250.888.2047.
WINESPEAK: LAUGHING STOCK VINEYARDS BLIND TRUST WHITE 2008
Who – Laughing Stock Vineyards
What – Blind Trust White 2008
Where – Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley
Why – Love this name – these people are the kings of marketing! In the financial world, Blind Trust is where executors have full discretion over the assets. Well here, the folks at Laughing Stock have full discretion over the blend – so you’ll have to trust them! So do a blind taste – see if you can pick out the layers of grapes woven in this bottle. The assets are kept under wrap and seal (well – under the capsule on the neck). So if you’re stumped at this Blind Trust Blind Taste, peel back to reveal the blend. **Or read WINESPEAK below where I spill the grapes – I mean beans**. Aromatic and full bodied with apricot and melon aromas leading to spice, sweet vanillan, tropical fruits and grapefruit. Nice acidity throughout and finishes freshly. I’d HOLD some of my stock for awhile…
When – pair with cream based spring pastas – scallops would be a nice addition.
How (much) – $25.00 at the winery direct (under 500 cases made)
Winespeak of the Week – Couldn’t guess the grapes? (nah – I didn’t get them all either) The inaugural Blind Trust White combines lush Pinot Gris (65%), aromatic Viognier (18%) fresh Pinot Blanc (13%) and spicy Sauvignon Blanc (4%).
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