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
Calling all foodies – Retail Associate wanted for Granville Island Retail Store
Edible British Columbia, Canada’s largest culinary tourism business, is seeking a part-time Retail Associate at our store in the Granville Island Public Market. We carry the highest quality BC and Canadian artisan food products.
Duties include, but are not limited to:
-Stocking shelves
-Receiving inventory
-Interacting with customers
-Answering phones
-Relaying product knowledge to clients
-Gift Basket design and assembly
The right candidate is flexible, hard working, reliable, and has great customer service skills, accompanied with a real passion for the local food scene. Must be available to work weekends and afternoon/evening shifts. Previous retail experience is an asset.
The Edible British Columbia Retail Store has been part of the Granville Island Public Market for almost 5 years, providing locals and visitors with a one-stop shop for top quality local artisan food products. We also offer chef guided tours of the Granville Island Market and Chinatown, Gourmet Kayaking Adventures, Market Dinners with local chefs, plus customized tour itineraries for individuals and groups.
Edible British Columbia – Sightseeing for your tastebuds.
Please send resume and cover letter to jobs@ediblebritishcolumbia.com. No phone calls, please.
Recipes: Zucchini Lasagna, basil pistachio pesto, macadamia ricotta
Earlier this month we had the pleasure of welcoming Afke Zonderland back for a second annual Raw Food Feast – as part of our BC’s Best Market Dinner Series. Her recipes are so incredibly flavourful and creative – I had a lot of trouble picking just one recipe to post.
Zucchini Lasagna
basil pistachio pesto, macadamia ricotta, with walnut zucchini crackers
Arrowleaf Cellars Zwiegelt 2007
Serves 4
Zucchini Noodles
4 zucchini – celtic sea salt; Italian herbs
Thinly slice zucchini in long thin strips.
Macadamia Nut Ricotta Cheeze
1 ½ cups Macadamia nuts
¼ cup pine nuts – soaked 1 hour
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp celtic sea salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
6 – 8 tbsp. water as needed
Combine first four ingredients in a food processor ( S-blade) to a fine meal.
Gradually add olive oil, and just enough water to make a thick smooth sauce.
Spread the cheeze over the zucchini noodles in the glass dish
Sun-dried Tomato Marinara
6 ripe roma tomatoes
1 ½ cups sun-dried tomatoes – rehydrated
1 cup finely chopped basil
1 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. celtic sea salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried rosemary
5 drops Stevia
1 cl garlic – minced
Cut the fresh tomatoes in half. Scoop out the seeds ( optional) and chop tomatoes small. Transfer to a large bowl. Combine the sun-dried tomatoes with all the remaining ingredients and process in a blender until smooth. Stir into chopped tomatoes.
*If using canned tomatoes drain excess juice and soak sun-dried tomatoes in this. After soaking, drain and process the sun-dried tomatoes with the tomatoes , spices, herbs , oil and lemon juice until the marinara is fairly smooth. *Recommended in the winter when fresh tomatoes taste bland.
Marinated Mushrooms
3 cups shiitake mushrooms
½ cup finely chopped fresh basil
3 scallions, finely chopped
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
a few drops stevia
1 tbsp Braggs Liquid Amino’s
Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl and toss gently.
Marinate in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours or overnight
Drain the liquid from the mushrooms and layer them over the cheeze
Top with reserved zucchini strips
Kim Thai the Silent Chef is not so Anonymous Anymore – by Stephanie Yuen
General Manager Linda and Chef Thai welcomed guests
Who is Kim Thai? He’s a good friend of mine, a creator of divine West Coast cuisine; someone that enjoys working with fresh ingredients resourced locally. He is also the Executive Chef of The Coast Plaza Hotel & Suites (Comox & Denman) and was the Culinary Director and Executive Chef of The Sutton Place Hotel for many years. Chef Thai is the silent type that shines in his culinary cockpit; his comfort zone is the hotel kitchen. There, he masters global recipes by fusing in his Chinese and Vietnamese cooking secrets.
But fans he has many. A lot of my foodie friends have been enjoying his cooking since his Sutton Place days. I met another 60 of them in an engrossing wine paired fundraising dinner hosted by The Coast Plaza Hotel & Suites and Sumac Ridge Estate Winery for A Loving Spoonful.
That enchanting evening took place on the roof top dining room where an amazingly wine-paired 6-course dinner was served. Jason James, Winemaker for Sumac Ridge was on hand to describe each wine pairing. From smooth Truffle mousse stuffed chicken (Sparkling Tribute) to the velvety Roasted venison chop (’05 Red Pinnacle), each bite was an eye-closing pleasure.
While each course was as intriguing as the next one, it was dessert,however, that was my favourite of the evening. This is my first encounter of both chocolate (in the form of ‘Gold dusted bitter chocolate brulee’) and Pont l’Eveque (uncooked, ripened cheese) on one plate. With roasted pistachio and marinated fig and a glass of ’05 Sumac Ridge Pipe, I was on cloud nine!
Another highlight of the evening came towards the end when Chef Thai was placed at centre stage as the grand auction prize. His ‘Multicourse dinner cooked at your home for 8 plus boxes of Sumac Ridge wines’ was auctioned off for a very impressive $2500! Chef Kim Thai cannot stay anonymous anymore.
Captions:
An inspiring dessert with chocolate mousse and Pont l’Eveque
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
School of Fish Floating Restaurant – by Stephanie Yuen
your floating floor
There, over by the seawall off ‘C’ and ‘Nu’ Restaurant, moors the diligently crafted and designed raft which floats on 1700 rescued plastic bottles. It is the one and only floating restaurant of its kind in the world. And fortunate for us, it belongs to the School of Fish Foundation, co-founded by Shannon Ronalds and renowned Chef Robert Clark, whose goal is to make sustainability a culinary requirement for chefs across the land.
This hand-crafted single-room restaurant opens nightly, rain or shine, and seats twelve persons. It is a temporary nocturne at False Creek and will only run till the end of September, meaning that no more than 750 diners will be lucky enough to enjoy this prestigious dining experience, complete with majestic sunset and gorgeous harbour views. The 12X20’ dining room may be a raft, but a raft with a European style chandelier, beautiful flower arrangements and candlelights. It is filled with the glamour of a luxurious fine dining room of ingenious beauty. And most of all, this is one dining room with a mission.
The special 6-course wine-paired repast is prepared by Chef Robert Clark, who is known for both his culinary skill of creating superb seafood dishes and his passion in promoting Ocean Wise and sustainability. The wine pairing is done by none other than Shannon himself who is a certified sommelier.
I happened to be one of the first groups to dine inside this floating restaurant on a recent hot summer evening. We boarded the raft while the golden sun was shining upon us; while we were indulging in the fine food and great wine, the skyline changed hue in front of our eyes. The evening went on at such an easy, almost zen pace; we almost forgot we’re at sea. As we said goodbye to the hard-working serving staff who had to run back and forth to ‘C’ Restaurant and went up and down the ramps all night long, and to Shannon the ocean warrior, we all agreed this immaculate evening was one to cherish for a long long time.
Reservations are a must www.schooloffishfoundation.org
*You can also make the floating restaurant your own private dinner event – just gather a group of 12 and book an evening ASAP.
DETAILS from the SCHOOL OF FISH FOUNDATION
With the assistance of a marine engineer and with all safety regulations taken into account, we have designed and built a luxurious dining room which is staying afloat with the use of 1,675 plastic 2-litre bottles built into its frame.
This elegant “raft” will be moored alongside the prestigious False Creek Yacht Club and once boarded, your 6-course sustainable seafood dinner will commence.
How Does it Work?
Within this floating dining room will be a table for twelve guests. Tickets are $195 per person plus tax (when booking prior to July 31 and will be $215 thereafter). You are invited to dine with us in the warm summer air while floating on your own private dining room with an up-close view of the sailboats passing by throughout the night.
C Restaurant, one of Canada’s most recognized seafood restaurants will be catering this multi-course sustainable seafood menu (designed by chef Robert Clark) while School of Fish Foundation’s founder, Shannon Ronalds, will be serving in true fine dining style. Unique wines have also been selected to pair with each course and are included in the price.
Sample Menu (subject to change based on availability of the finest ingredients)
Crispy Humboldt Squid citrus marinated tuna, red onion & dill yogurt
Smoked Trout Saladpickled beets, toasted almond, endive spot prawn & apple vinaigrette
Seared Scallops octopus bacon wrap, truffled celeriac remoulade sherry brown butter
Hazelnut Crusted Salmon caramelized onion tart, sauteed brussel sprouts sherry scented béarnaise
Gabriel’s Heirloom Apple Tarte Tatin brown butter, apple, grain of paradise ice cream
Local Artisan Cheese Tasting selection of handmade cheeses from Poplar Grove Cheese
Why Floating Plastic?
With a significant decrease in the world’s ocean resources, awareness towards both the cause and the solution must be addressed.
We are staging this summer-long awareness and fundraising campaign in order to gain public support and to positively affect the sustainable seafood supply chain while rewarding and promoting the work already in motion.
The floating plastic represents the issue of our oceans becoming a collecting ground for discarded plastic; one of the many threats to our seafood supplies.
Details of the Dining Room
All materials going into and coming out of this floating dining room will be renewable, recycled, reclaimed and/or repurposed.
Intimate lighting, soft music, designer furnishings, bone china dishes, elegant silverware and crystal glassware will all be included to add to this unique experience.
The floating plastic represents the issue of our oceans becoming a collecting ground for discarded plastic; one of the many threats to our seafood supplies.
For reservations, please call 778-997-6977 or email us atcontact@schooloffishfoundation.org.
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