A One of a Kind Bakery

The tiny river village of Wakefield, Quebec is on the map for many reasons. Great music at the Black Sheep Tavern; a plethora of restaurants (some 23 for a populace of 800 + tourists) and now the Pipolinka Boulangerie, which would be a serious culinary destination for any major Canadian city. But here it sits, beside the river, serving forth the best lemon tarts I've ever tasted, butter-rich croissants and authentic sourdough breads made with flour milled and grown in Quebec. Today's faves were the hot cross buns (warm from the oven); the mushroom pâté-filled pastry (my breakfast) and their Paris Brest, an authentic choux paste piped into a round and filled with praline whipped cream.

All about the MEAT!

At CharCut, Calgary's new meaty, hot spot, there is no getting away from it. Being a carnivore rules. The pigs head mortadella is spiked with pistachios and truffles. The shaved lamb ham has been cured and 'slowly aged' before being topped with grated Gruyere. Crispy chicken skin makes it to the menu in a salad with buttermilk dressing. A heart stopping version of poutine is smothered in truffle gravy. Mains are char-boiled and wood-smoked. Butchering is done on site and hung till tender and perfect. Attention to flavour, locale and detail continues to dessert...saskatoon berries are layered with cheesecake in a small Mason jar. Cookie crunch gelato are served in sea salt sugar cones and if you crave chocolate, the cookies are still warm when they're served along side, what else, a tiny mint/vanilla milkshake. MMMmmmm....

Details: CharCut is on 9th Avenue in Hotel Le Germain.

And to go with the wines....

Students not only learn to make wine, they create their own charcuterie - great with the Dean's List Pinot Noir. The simple College White was spectacular with the Niagara Culinary Institute (NCI) maple-glazed duck breast...awesome!

Traditional Foods

The Gulf of St. Lawrence surrounds and feeds the people of Les Iles de la Madeleine. Snow crab and lobster, shellfish and, of course, seal. Survival depended upon harvesting and using whatever food was at hand and, today, the islanders, serve it forth with pride.

Jamie Oliver's Speech at TED

Jamie Oliver is a man on a mission. His TED prize allowed him to speak to a room filled with America's top movers and shakers. His wish is to teach children about food. It's a powerful and extremely important message! It needs to be shared.

Coming Home!

Planted firmly in a snowbank beside my front door when I arrived late at night was a 6 foot reminder of how we are a winter nation. My neighbours have a sense of humour but the beauty of it made me smile as much as a bouquet of flowers. Think I'll decorate my front yard with giant icicles.

Toasting Our Team!

The new name for 'bartender' is 'mixologist' ... a person, in this case a engaging Aussie, who combines being a shrink with being a salesman / gastronome. Jacob Sweetapple tends his (s)willing flock at the swish Fairmont Pacific Rim's lobby bar. He sized us all up - we were all completely fried after our pre-games breakfast event, and suggested that he just make a flight of drinks. Bingo. Don't remember who had the signature cocktail named "O'Shaku" (we were told it's Japanese for 'one who pours' but it could've been Greek for "totally yummy"). It's based on pear vodka, Armagnac, peach bitters and so forth. He created a Scratched Sidecar for the gal who clearly had worked the hardest that day. But my fave was the Bramble...a concoction of good gin, plum liqueur, a splash of lemon and sugar with a couple of perfect raspberries balanced on raft of lemon peel. Apparently it's a classic (you can google it) and it's going to be one that I hope to make in largish quantities sometime next summer during G&T season and when the blackberries are ripe.

BTW...Try Victoria Gin from Victoria, B.C. -- it's a close second to the marvelous Myriad View brand from P.E.I. which is stellar but made in such small batches that you have to visit the distillery or one of the nearby Island liquor stores to buy it.