EBC PRODUCT PROFILE: ALMOND BUTTER CRUNCH – by Kim Peterson
don't miss the patriotic pooches at the Kid's Market on Canada Day!
Happy birthday Canada – from all of us at EBC!
Break out the temporary tattoos and paper flags and join thousands of patriotic people for Canada Day this July 1 on Granville Island. There will be dozens of family friendly activities including buskers, free theatre performances, jazz concerts and crafts for kids, not to mention the parade, which winds its way from the cement factory starting at 1:30.
Edible BC will be right in the thick of everything, supplying ice-cold water and MaxFrut frozen bars to revelers in need of a cool down. Canada Day will also mark the official launch of a product to which everyone here is already addicted.
Almond Butter Crunch from Fraser Valley Gourmet has a dark-sweet caramel flavor, rich dark or milk chocolate topping and crunchy almond slivers throughout. The best part though is its texture: a fabulous crunchy candy that doesn’t stick to the teeth! It’s got to be the butter, which is 100% real and fresh from Vancouver Island. The butter crunch is made in small batches with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. But even besides all that, its biggest selling point is that it is delicious, like multiple-O gooooood.
Kathy from Fraser Valley Gourmet will be in our store, handing out samples of her handmade candy this Wednesday, and we hope that everyone who makes it out to Granville Island will come down for a free nibble.
Check out the full listing of Canada Day activities on Granville Island here
And buy the best butter crunch you’ll ever eat here
BISHOP’S COOKS OUT OF THE BOX
When you think of dinner at Bishop’s, you don’t usually imagine it coming out of a box – but that is literally what will happen this coming July and August. Bishop’s Executive Chef Andrea Carlson is a huge supporter of CSA’s – Community Supported Agriculture. For those who are not yet familiar, CSAs allow small-producer farmers to pre-sell their crops. For a fee, people ’subscribe’ to share in the harvest. Each week during the season, ’shareholders’ receive a box brimming with just-picked, organic produce straight from the farm.
The trick with this system is that you never know exactly what you are going to receive from week to week. You might have a fair idea based on what is in season but you never actually know until you lift the lid. “Every week is a special creative challenge,” says Chef Carlson. “It’s a bit like Christmas, every box is a surprise – it’s a lot of fun to work with.”
Currently Bishop’s is supplied by two CSAs – Glorious Organics Cooperative (Fraser Common Farm) and City Farm Boy.
More than 30 years ago, a group of like-minded people banded together to form Fraser Common Farm Cooperative which bought its first ten acres of farmland near Aldergrove. Eight years ago, they were able to purchase a neighbouring property thereby doubling their land base and production. Two co-ops – Fraser Common Farm Co-op, whose shareholders own the land, and Glorious Organics Co-op, who farm it – work together to run this ‘community farm.’ Members of the farming co-op are all shareholders in the land co-op. David Catzel, who heads up the CSA ‘division’ of the Fraser Common Farm, says they grow more than 30 varieties of salad greens along with peas, beans, squash, garlic, herbs, onions, leeks, beets, carrots, potatoes, fennel, Jerusalem artichokes and edible flowers.
City Farm Boy, the brainchild of Ward Teulon, is the ‘new kid’ on the CSA block. Mr. Teulon’s approach is unique, he farms plots of land within Vancouver – usually yard gardens in private homes or unused allotment spaces. This year he is selling only 30 ’shares’ and has planted a wide range of produce: beans, broad beans, beets, carrots, rhubarb, sugar snap peas, cucumbers along with several varieties of lettuce, peppers and tomatoes to name only a small portion of the 2009 crop.
“From each box I create a menu that accommodates approximately 10 people as our fresh sheet and early bird menus. When it’s gone it’s gone. They send what they harvest – that’s the point – it’s sharing in a portion of the harvest – not customizing,” says Chef Carlson.
The three-course ‘Out of the Box’ early bird menu is available every evening in July and August (while supplies last) from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The price of only $38 is certainly a pleasant surprise.
If you wish to add a wine pairing created by Maitre d’ Abel Jacinto, then that is an additional $20 for 3 oz. pours or $38 if you prefer larger 6 oz. pours.
Reservations are always a good idea and can be made online by calling 604-738-2025.
Bishop’s
2183 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver
SUMMER OF RIESLING
The cheese and wine bar Au Petit Chavignol is celebrating with The Summer of Riesling. All rieslings are being marked down by an additional 25% OFF.
As if we needed another reason to drink Riesling – or visit this amazing 36 seat cheese and wine bar.
Au Petit Chavignol
845 East Hastings Street, Vancouver
BC SEASONAL COOKBOOK: GAZPACHO WITH FRESH TOMATO WATER
Every Sunday we share a recipe from EBC president Eric Pateman’s cookbook – The British Columbia Seasonal Cookbook. This is perfect for summer days when it’s too hot to cook.
GAZPACHO WITH FRESH TOMATO WATER
Gazpacho is a cold soup with origins in Spain. It is typically served during the warm summer months using a combination of ingredients, including stale bread, garlic, olive oil, salt and vinegar. It wasn’t until the early 16th century that the tomato and bell pepper were introduced to the ingredient list. During the months of July and August in BC, heirloom tomatoes come into season from specialty growers such as Vista D’Oro Farm in Langley and Stoney Paradise Farm in Kelowna. These tomatoes are as sweet as candy and they create a soup that is beyond compare, as if the flavour of the summer sun were caught in your bowl.
Serves 8
Ingredients:
- 8 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium English cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- juice from 1/2 or 1 lemon
- 2 tsp sugar
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 6 or more drops of Tabasco sauce
- 4 cups tomato water (see recipe below)
Method:
Combine all ingredients. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight for the best flavour. Serve gazpacho cold with some crusty fresh ciabatta bread.
Tomato Water
Roughly chop 2 lbs ripe tomatoes and mix with 1 Tbsp salt. Line a fine sieve with dampened cheesecloth and set over a large bowl. Pour the tomatoes into the sieve, making sure that the cheesecloth is tied securely, and let the tomatoes sit for at least 12 hours for all the tomato water to drain into the bowl.
36 HOURS IN TACOMA
Seaside Chambers Bay Golf Course
Last weekend we spent a super quick 36 hours in Tacoma, Washington. If you’re like everyone I talk to who hasn’t been, you’ll be asking “why Tacoma?” Anyone who knows Tacoma, you’ll be asking “why so short?”
We make it down to Seattle a few times each year, and while I love the city, we were looking for something a little less city-ish. That, and the fact that it was Father’s Day weekend and rb booked a tee time at highly reputed and highly awarded Chambers Bay Golf Course, site of the 2010 US Amateur and 2015 US Open Championship.
an Arthur Erickson design
Chihuly's Bridge of Glass
Outside of top tier golf, Tacoma has another huge draw – ART. The recent passing of Vancouver architect Arthur Erickson initially spurred my decision for the trip – Erickson designed the stunning Museum of Glass, which is where I spent a great deal of time (I have an Art History degree). A piece of art in itself, the contemporary art museum focusses on many local glass artists, including the world’s most famous – Dale Chihuly . You can reach the waterfront museum by crossing Chihuly’s outdoor Bridge of Glass, a naturally lit tunnel full of brilliantly coloured glass art.
Once inside the Museum be sure to watch glass artists at work in the The Hot Shop and visit the gift shop to see everything from tiny baubles to pieces in the thousands of dollars - all supporting local glass artists.
Hotel Murano lobby
The MoG isn’t the only place to see some of the best glass art in the world – you don’t even have to leave your hotel to do that! Hotel Murano has quickly made a name for itself for not only its impressive glass collection (exhibits on every floor and throughout all public areas), but for the high level of service and amenities this boutique hotel provides. Sister property to my Seattle favourite, Hotel Max, as well as my Portland favourite, Hotel DeLuxe, I knew what to expect: soft, plush beds, high thread counts, subtly intuitive service, flat panel tv’s, Aveda toiletries, a dock for my iPod, and an amazingly high committment to showcasing artisic talent. A five minute walk to the Museum of Glass, and even less to the Tacoma Art Museum (my next visit) and the new Tacoma Conference Center, this absolutely merits a visit if you’re a hotel/art/design fan – and worth the extra 30 minute drive south from Seattle.
But what’s a trip – or an Amuse Bouche posting – without food and drink? Though we only had a short time in Tacoma, the easily accessible city allowed us to make the most of it – some highlights:
Bite – located in our hotel, we only managed to grab breakfast from here – but what a start to the day! Overlooking four floors of art, we enjoyed gingerbread french toast, apple smoked bacon and freshly squeezed orange-tangerine juice.
The Harmon Brewery - We popped into this brewpub for a refresher after a long day of golf/mueums. Located across from the museums and minutes from the University of Washington Tacoma campus, this lively hub is accessible to all – there’s even restaurant seating allowing us to bring my 1 year old inside. Point Defiance IPA and Puget Sound Porter certainly made our sore feet not so noticeable 
Primo Grill - Chef Charlie McManus was recently named best chef in Tacoma by the locals – a good sign! They know of what they’re talking – applewood roasted lasagna and flat bread pizzas plus grilled flat iron steak with pancetta-potato gratin fit the bill, with a well thought out wine list organized into categories like Fat & Sassy and Light & Bright.
Cutters Point Coffee - this chain has a couple dozen locations sprinkled throughout Washington and California. Their espresso was quite nice – and welcomed at 6am as we headed homeward north. Nice atmosphere and helpful staff.
pooped after a full day of art
As mentioned above, the museum district overlaps the university district, giving rise to numerous small eateries, cafes, galleries and funky shops. Restaurants here offer very good value – especially when compared to Seattle. Too much to see, and eat, on this quick trip – but I know where to go when I need to break out of the city and refuel with friendly fare and accessible art.
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