Amuse Bouche
Defn: to tickle your palate, whet your appetite, make your mouth happy
Amuse Bouche is where we share with you the things that make our mouths happy. From recipes to wine reviews, from producer profiles to our culinary journeys - this is sightseeing for your tastebuds.
There are so many amazing food and wine events across this province. We recommend visiting Wine & Dine BC News - an excellent resource for keeping track of these events so you can plan your calendar and don't miss out. And Cityfood Magazine is a terrific site for keeping track of Vancouver's food & beverage related press releases, restaurant news, promotions and more.
Visit often - we'll be tasting, travelling and posting for you.
Cheers,
Treve Ring
Amuse Bouche Editor
Sushi, Sake & Summer – by Sheila Whittaker
Sushi, Sake & Summer, July 25, 2010
It was a magical night to be on the terrace of the Granville Island Public Market. The intoxicating stylings of the Emma Posti Quintet flowed over the candle-lit cocktail tables as the full moon slowly climbed above False Creek. It was hard to say whether it was the light breeze, the atmosphere, or the anticipation of celebrity sushi Chef Hidekazu Tojo’s meal bringing goose bumps to the bare arms of the attendees.
Global TV news anchor Sophie Lui was there to welcome 100 guests to the sold-out event that raised $4,000 for the YWCA. Vancouver YWCA provides over 30,000 hot meals each year to the women and children of the downtown eastside through its Crabtree Corner facility. Funds from this event will help run a series of seminars and demonstrations for underprivileged women so that they can feed their kids in a healthy, nutritious, organic way.
Tojo and his team of chefs, Masayoshi Baba, Michi Ogawa, Akira Usui, and Tomoaki Kinoshita, served guests buffet-style, allowing them to interact and answer questions about the menu. GardenWorks collaborated with Chef Tojo by providing fresh, seasonal herbs and they attended the event to share information about herb gardening with guests.
In addition to six of Tojo’s original rolls (Tojo Roll, Golden Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll, Spicy Tropical Roll, Spider Roll and Northern Light Roll), the team also prepared Salmon Teriyaki, yakisoba, organic green salad with soba noodles, and shrimp and cucumber salad with vermicelli noodles.
All of this could be washed down with unfiltered and unpasteurized Granville Island Osake Junmai Nama, artisan sake made by Masa Shiroki. Although he makes half a dozen types of sake, he chose to pour only one so that guests could focus on Tojo’s food. The Osake Junmai Nama complimented Tojo’s seafood well, as it was light, crisp and dry with citrus and riper tree fruit notes.
Wine, beer and cocktails were also available to sip while strolling around the creek-side patio and admiring the cityscape. Granville Island Brewing offered Ginger Beer and Robson Street Hefeweizen, while Victoria Spirits showed off Canada’s first premium gin, fashioned into a delicious Shizo Martini. A selection of wine was generously poured by St. Hubertus Estate Winery.
Evaleen Jaager Roy, author of Four Chefs One Garden and YWCA board member, was on hand to sell and sign books, with $1 of each sale going towards feeding kids on the downtown eastside. She is an avid cook and gardener, and her book takes readers through the seasons with four of Vancouver’s great chefs: Michel Jabob (Le Crocodile), Umberto Menghi (Umberto’s & Il Giardino, in Whistler Trattoria & Il Caminetto), Hidekazu Tojo (Tojo’s) and Vikram Vij (Vij’s, Rangoli).
***** Editor’s note *****
After the final ticket counts were tallied, a grand total of $4000 was raised for the YWCA. Thank you Vancouver for all of your support of this fantastic fresh food initiative!
Edible BC & Evaleen Jaager Roy would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to all of our generous suppliers & partners. Their contributions to this amazing event allowed us to raise much needed funds for the Vancouver YWCA.
Please extend your thanks to these wonderful sponsors:
Musicians Emma Posti, David Blake, Wynston Minckler, Stefan Thordarson & Jens Christiansen
12 Tickets Opened Up! Sushi, Sake & Summer – Tojo Comes to Granville Island for one Amazing Night!
Sushi, Sake & Summer!
*12 Tickets Just Opened up for this Sold Out Event*
Come and join Edible British Columbia, Celebrity Sushi Chef Tojo, GardenWorks and Author Evaleen Jaager Roy of Four Chefs One Garden for an unforgettable evening on Granville Island, Sunday, July 25, 2010.
This exclusive event, held outside on the False Creek Waterfront, will be where 100 lucky guests will gather to enjoy the masterful cuisine of Chef Hidekazu Tojo, sip award winning sake by Artisan Sake Maker Masa Shiroku, sample local wine and craft beer and watch the sun set on our beautiful city. Chef Tojo will gather his inspiration from the seasonal fresh local herbs onsite, grown by GardenWorks. Guests can watch the master chef at work and sample his creations while learning more about herb gardening and growing these culinary delights.
Author Evaleen Jaager Roy will be on hand to discuss her recent book, Four Chefs, One Garden. This book combines inspirational, seasonal local cooking and gardening with sumptuous photography and original recipes from Vancouver culinary icons Tojo, Vikram Vij, Michel Jacob and Umberto Menghi.
Global TV morning weekend news anchor Sophie Lui will be the evening’s Master of Ceremonies. All net profits from this event will be directed to the Vancouver YWCA ‘s Crabtree Corner facility, and used to provide nutritious meals to needy women and children living in the Downtown Eastside. The YWCA provides over 30,000 meals to women and children in need every year.
Tickets for this outstanding event are only $100 each plus HST, and can be purchased on Edible British Columbia’s website here or by calling our retail store at (604) 662-3606. Only 100 tickets will be sold, so act quickly to reserve your space. We expect this event will sell out quickly as an exclusive evening with artisans such as these does not happen very often!
Sushi, Sake & Summer
July 25, 2010
8-10pm
$100 per person, plus HST
For more information:
www.ediblebritishcolumbia.com
www.fourchefsonegarden.com
www.tojos.com
www.ywcavan.org
www.artisansakemaker.com
www.gardenworks.ca
North American Brewers Association Likes Howe Sound Brew Pub – a LOT
Just one of the many benefits of using a brew pub for a 2nd office…
Eric was logging ‘office time’ in Howe Sound Brew Pub this afternoon, and found out that the pub was recently recognized with 6 medals at this year’s North American Beer Awards.
Drum Roll Please:
Double Gold – King Heffy (Heffeweizen)
Silver – Imperial Pothole Filler Stout
Silver – Baldwin & Cooper Best Bitter
Silver – Devil’s Elbow IPA
Bronze – Garibaldi Honey Pale Ale
This year, the coveted competition drew entries from over 150 breweries totalling some 1,200 beer. Hometown heroes Howe Sound came in the top 5 overall!
Located in Squamish, HSB is one of British Columbia’s fastest growing micro-breweries, easily recognized by their large format pot-stopper bottles. Earlier this year, they released their very popular ‘Three Beavers’ Imperial Red Ale, proving just as popular as their ‘Bailout Bitter’, in response to the economic meltdown of the past year.
Congrats to the entire crew from all of us at EBC – especially Squamish boy (and Howe Sound Brew Pub regular) Eric!
Recipe – Sloping Hills Farm Organic Pork Chop
Here is an early summer recipe from Eric featuring one of our favourite local suppliers – Sloping Hills Farm, on Vancouver Island’s Qualicum Beach – the home of happy pigs. Treve recommends using Spinnakers Nut Brown Ale in both the dish and to pair with this dish – though Cannery Brewing Company’s Naramata Nut Brown Ale would also be a great partner.
SLOPING HILLS FARM ORGANIC PORK
Caramelized Cipollini Onions, Local Spinach, Yellow Courgette, Nut Brown Jus
serves 8
• 8 – 8oz ½” Sloping Hills Pork Chops (Lynn Valley Meats)
• 4 Tbsp Olive Oil (Edible BC)
• 24 Cippolini Onions (Green Grocer)
• 2 Bunches Fresh Local Spinach, Cleaned (Green Grocer)
• 2 Yellow Courgettes (Zuchinni), Sliced into Rounds (Green Grocer)
• 1 Tsp Garlic, Finely Minced (Green Grocer)
• 2 Tsp Shallots, Finely Minced (Green Grocer)
• 2 Tbsp. Ale Mustard (Edible BC)
• 1 Cup Nut Brown Ale (Liquor Store)
• 1 Cup Demi Glace (Stock Market)
Peel onions and sauté in a non-stick pan with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil for 1-2 hours over medium low heat or until nicely caramelized and soft. Remove from heat and keep warm.
Heat grill or BBQ to medium heat and grill pork chops until medium rare (5-6 minutes per side). Remove from heat and cover with foil to let rest.
While the pork chops are cooking, heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the remaining olive oil, garlic and shallots and sauté until transparent.
Add the mustard along with the Nut Brown Ale and Demi Glace and cook the sauce until it is reduced by 75% and coats the back of a spoon.
After you have taken the pork chops off the grill, toss the sliced courgette in a couple tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper and then grill on medium heat until cooked (approx. 1 minute on each side).
At the same time, sauté the spinach in another pan until just wilted.
To serve, slice the pork or leave as whole chops, and place on plate with courgette, onions and spinach.
Top the pork chop with the Nut Brown Ale demi glace.
Women & Beer – by Sheila Whittaker
Rebecca Kneen, Crannog Ales and Rachel Sawatzky, CocoaNymph Chocolates and Confections
Although the minority in both production and consumption of beer, women came out in force to support female brewers and sample their offerings last Thursday night at The Refinery on the Granville entertainment strip.
Clever men who list women and beer at the top of their interest charts also secured tickets to the sold-out event.
Once I got passed the friendly volunteers with the guest list, I was handed a branded Vancouver Craft Beer Week sample-sized beer glass and directed to R&B Brewing’s cask of Extra Special Bitter, an extra special treat and not one of R&B’s usual offerings. Perhaps it will be soon — it was well-liked! It’s a moderately (not overpoweringly) bitter English-style ale and not lacking in hoppy, floral and citrus flavours.
The tables were spread with Lesley Stoweís Raincoast Crisps and Saltspring Cheeses for nibbling. The evening officially kicked off with a welcome from VCBW event coordinator, Lundy Dale. Also president of the Vancouver chapter of CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale), the senior ales advisor at Firefly Fine Wines and Ales, and in hot pursuit of her Cicerone certification (the equivalent of a sommelier in the beer world), Dale is a woman who knows and loves beer. Lauren Mote, general manager of The Refinery and award-winning mixologist, is no stranger to quality bevvies and was on hand to make sure the evening flowed as smoothly as the brews.
Chef Mike Carter was busy at work in The Refinery’s kitchen creating delicious appetizers to pair with the evening of ales. First up was the seasonal Heatherdale Ale from Saltspring Island Ales. This ale is infused with the aroma of Heather flowers from the Butchart Gardens, and was described by brewery co-owner Becky Julseth as a ‘girlie’ beer. It was paired with a spot prawn and chorizo nestled atop a cracker-like form of parmesan polenta. It inspired fantasies of backyard hammock relaxation, and non-stop refills of refreshing Heatherdale Ale from a cabana boy.
Next, Saltspring showed its tougher side with the Whaletail Ale — an amber bursting with hops. It was a huge leap from the subtle drink we’d just finished, but showcased the diversity of Saltspring’s offerings. It was the favourite of local travel writer John Lee, who attended the event to give away a couple copies of his recent book, Drinking Vancouver.
R&B made another appearance with its Red Devil Pale Ale. It’s an easy beer to sip because of its slightly sweet malty qualities and refreshing finish.
Leslie Fenn, the owner and director of Howe Sound Brewing introduced the Three Beavers Imperial Red Ale. It is a strong, malty ale with 7.5% alcohol. Chef Carter paired it with coffee-crusted lamb loin, pickled fennel and vanilla dressing, cleverly served on a round slice of potato. My mouth is watering for the mere memory of this bite-sized gem.
The new Squire Scotch Ale was presented by Patt Dyck, Co-Owner of Cannery Brewing. It’s a medium, caramel ale with little hop, lots of malt and a touch of sweetness. It’s a great beer for food and paired well with three-cheese flat bread with roasted tomato.
The perfect cap to the evening was kindly offered by Rebecca Kneen, co-owner and assistant brewer of Crannog Ales and Rachel Sawatzky, chololatiere of CocoaNymph Chocolates and Confections. The Back Hand of God Stout, a rich, smooth drink with definite coffee and chocolate notes made a perfect pairing with the gourmet, artisan chocolate.
To ensure guests’ memories of the evening were lasting, all were sent home with a goodie bag that included Cynthia Sylvia Stout shampoo from Lush (made with Crannog beer), Cannery Brewing Blackberry Porter with Hops soap, and other fun stuff.
The first Vancouver Craft Beer Week hosted events all over the city for beer enthusiasts to get out and enjoy.
Experience Intoxicating Adventures with Sheila Whittaker
Professional Freelance Journalist
Wine, travel & more
Vancouver, B.C.
www.RubySuitcase.com
- Local Foods
- Retail Store
- Online Store
- Gift Guide
- Contact Us
- Retail Store: 604.662.3606
- Tour/Events: 604.812.9660
- Email Us
- Follow Us On
