Food in the News - It's all about the alcohol

My tendencies toward being a bit of a lush have been stopped in their tracks by this pregnancy. How I miss a cold glass of beer on a sunny day or a nice glass of wine with dinner, gin and tonic by the pool, a litre of sangria just because - you catch my drift.

Here is a round up of recipes and articles for all of you still able to imbibe:

Fancy Tequila cocktails - Globe and Mail

Italian reds under $10, just in time to kick off your summer - Toronto Life

How to have fun, when you are "too poor for drinks" - Chow

Brilynn's recipe for Sangria Bites - Jumbo Empanadas

Booze in the News

Beer cocktails, a twist on the usual - GlamDish (photo credit goes to them)

The return of sherry. I never knew it left! - Saveur


In a shaky economy $10 - $20 wines give the best bang for your buck - NY Times


Q tonic, some Hendricks and a squeeze of lime, just may be the best drink ever - National Post


Mission Hill Oculus, a gorgeous wine - Vancouver Sun

Cooking Club - Local, Seasonal Food

It is almost every chef's mantra to use the best quality, local and seasonal ingredients in their cooking. Our group of amateur cooking club members decided to join them in this.

Our menu included:

Imogen - Tomato "Burgers"

Tomatoes from Essex County are simply the best

and are only enhanced with basil right from the garden.

Danielle - Cumin Scented Beet Latkes with Canadian Horseradish Goat Cheese &

Carrot Latkes with Gingered Michigan Applesauce

Beets and carrots from the backyard, doesn't get more local than that.

Dana - Pasta with Five Fresh Herbs

Rosemary - Roast Pork Stuffed with Chestnuts and Apple

The ingredients were very seasonal, maybe not so local.

Jillian - Roasted Fingerlings with Red and Yellow Piperade

Melanie - Fabulous Fall Fruit Crisp

All of this was served with Walkerville Brewery beer and Pelee Island wines.

Noteable and Noteworthy Blogs

There are a couple of new blogs around that I have taken an interest in...

My friend Andrew has decided to start a blog titled "What I Eat", which discusses the food he consumes as a vegetarian living in Toronto. What he eats may change now that he has a newborn little boy, I'm anxious to find out. His recipe for Oyster Mushroom Poutine is right up my alley! - What I Eat

From the former sponsors of Tastespotting, comes a new website that shows not food but alcohol porn! It is aptly named Liqurious - which I am seriously thinking of naming my first born. - Liqurious

Food in the News - The Drinking Edition

The best "bang for your buck" is what I look for when buying anything. Though I don't mind splurging on a bottle of wine every now and then, bottles for $10 or less are even better - Toronto Life

I'm not sure why some people just never get into beer. With the variety and quality that many breweries have to offer - there is something out there for everyone.

Canadians make some of the best beer around. -

Globe and Mail

National Post

Cooking Club I - Liquor

June was my hosting month for Cooking Club I. A theme that I had been mulling for a while was that of using alcohol in food. I like the way it enhances flavours and that one can make a drink to go along with the meal as well. The interpretations of the theme that were presented at our meeting were quite interesting to say the least. How did we end up not using wine?

Jillian - Grilled Corn, Shrimp, and Avocado Appetizer - tequila

*recipe below

Very fresh tasting, I liked the smoky crunch of the corn and smoothness of the avocado.

Would be great as a salad as well.

Danielle - Romaine with Fresh Cherries, Pistachios, Feta and Corn Bread Croutons - kreik beer

Turned out WAY better than I expected. I subbed in corn bread for olive, pistachios for pumpkin seeds and 4 T kreik + balsamic for the white balsamic.

Rose - Avocado Soup - tequila

Had a surprising spicy after bite. Smooth and velvety.

Melanie - Coconut Chicken Fingers with Spicy Mango Sauce - rum

Kids would love these. A great indulgent snack choice.

Imogen - Penne with Prosciutto and Vodka Sauce - vodka

Smoky flavours and quite filling. Great for lunch the next day.

Dana - Brownies with Peanut Butter Icing and Chocolate Ganache - Kahlua

VERY dense and sweet. Could put one into insulin shock.

Grilled Shrimp Martinis (from Heart Smart, Bonnie Stern)

1lb shrimp
1T olive oil
1t salt
2 ears corn
1 small onion
1 sweet red pepper
1 jalapeno
1/3 cup cilantro
1 small avocado
3T lime juice
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 t chipoltle puree
1/2 cumin
2 T tequila
tortilla chips
(I also added mexican cheese con fresca to make it a little less heart smart).

1. Grill shrimp, corn, onion, and red pepper on BBQ
2. Dice all along with jalapeno, cilantro, and avocado.
3. Mix lime, garlic, chipotle, cumin, and tequilla.
4. Stir it all together. Serve in martini glasses with tortilla chips.

Food in the News - The Drinking Edition

I seem to have gathered quite a few articles about drinking. Hopefully this only leads you to believe that I would like my beverages to enhance my meal and not that I am a full-on lush.

Do you believe in biodynamic wineries? - Globe and Mail

Robert Parker seems to be raising his ratings and lowering their relevance - CHOW

Call it ethical, green or organic; it is still vodka. - Globe and Mail

Wines for your patio party - Toronto Star

How to make your own beer liquer- National Post

Cooking Club II - Spring

The weather in Windsor has been gorgeous for the last month - a well deserved treat after the awful Winter we were dealt. Jillian hosted our cooking club meeting for April and chose Spring as her theme. We had a smaller group of four that evening which made it a great time to get to know each other more and really get into some interesting food discussions.

The menu included:

Jillian- Budding Cocktail (recipe below)
The Maple Berry (recipe below)

Budding cocktail has a great appley tart flavour while the Maple Berry is a gorgeous burst of fruit!

Christine - Malaysian Spring Rolls

Looked like an amazing amount of work but were soft, crispy, crunchy, spicy and delicious.

Lisa - Pork Tenderloin with Plum Chutney

This reminded me that I need to start using plums in my cooking more often.

Jillian - Polenta with Spring Vegetable Ragout (see recipe below)

Great way to showcase Spring veggies.

Danielle - Pink Peppercorn Pavolva with Strawberries, Vanilla Cream, and Basil Syrup

Way easier to make than I expected. Could find the peppercorns but worked well anyway. I used a Silpat instead of parchment and I chopped up the blanched basil into the syrup and boiled on low heat for a short time. Will make this again!

Budding Cocktail (Michelle P. E. Hunt & Lisa Hunter)

Fill a tall glass with ice. Add 1½ oz Bacardi Big Apple rum. Top with limeade and garnish with an apple slice and a mint sprig.

The Maple Berry

To a cocktail shaker at 1/8 cup blueberries and 1/8 cup strawberries. Muddle or mash. Fill the shaker with ice and add 1 1/2 oz vodka, 1 oz white cranberry juice, 1/2 oz maple syrup and 1/2 oz lemon juice. Shake and strain into a martini glass and garnish with a skewer of fresh blueberries.

Polenta with Spring Vegetable Ragout

(from A Matter of Taste, L Waverman and J. Chatto)

Polenta

2T olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 cup cornmeal
4-6 cups boiling water
2t salt
1/4 cup butter
1 cup parmesan cheese

Vegetable Ragout

2T olive oil
12 oz. mixed wild mushrooms (chopped)
8 oz asparagus, (chopped)
1/2 cup green peas
1 bunch wild leeks (green onions if you can't find them)
1 cup chicken stock (i used veggie)
2t Balsamic vinegar
2t chopped parsley
2t chopped chives
2T butter
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350

Heat oil in oven proof pot over medium high heat, saute onions until transparent. Add cornmeal and mix, pour in boiling water, stirring to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil, stirring, add salt. Bake for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Beat in butter and parmasean.

While polenta is cooking heat oil at medium high heat. Saute mushrooms for 2 minutes, add asparagus, saute for 1 minute. Add peas, leeks, stock and vinegar. Saute for 3-4 minutes or until asparagus is crisp, tender and sauce is thickened slightly. Remove from heat, stir in remaining ingredients. Serve over Polenta.

Recipe Reviews

Though I rarely crave sweets, there recipes were too good to pass up.

Pineapple Mojito - Miche Mache Blog (picture credit goes to them)

Plain and Simple Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes - The Cupcake Blog

Hot Tamale Macarons - Tartelette Blog

Christmas Eve Brunch

By Dec. 24 I was starting to get my ability to taste and smell back - thank goodness. It was on this date that my husband and I hosted a brunch for our families. The Frittata Stuffed Mushrooms seemed to be the most loved of all the dishes served.

The menu included:

Prosecco with Pomegranate Molasses

Jillian's Mulled Cider

Minted Fruit Salad

Frittata Stuffed Mushrooms (see below)

Miniature Lobster Crepes with Bearnaise Sauce *

Port Basted Peameal Bacon (see below)

Pecan Sticky Buns *

* recipes available in Food & Drink Holiday 2007 edition, which should be available online by the end of January 2008.

Frittata Stuffed Mushrooms

24 large white mushrooms, stems removed and partially scooped out

3 green onions, finely diced

2 t dried dill

salt & pepper, to taste

1/2 c crumbled feta cheese

2 eggs, beaten lightly

Preheat oven to 325 F. Place mushroom caps on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until caps are filled with liquid. Remove from oven and drain off liquid and pat caps dry with a paper towel.

Mix together green onions, dill, S&P, and feta cheese in a small bowl. Scoop a small amount of the mixture and place into each mushroom cap. Spoon beaten eggs on top of cheese mixture until the caps are brimming over.

Bake mushrooms at 325 F for about 10-12 minutes or until egg mixture is set. Serve warm.

Port Basted Peameal Bacon

(adapted from a Canadian House & Home recipe)

2 lb piece of peameal bacon

3/4 c ruby port

1/2 c brown sugar

1 T brown mustard

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Place the bacon in a baking dish and bake, uncovered for 1 hour. Basting every 15 minutes with the port. While bacon is in the oven, combine the mustard and brown sugar. 15 minutes before the bacon is finished, spread the sugar mixture over the meat and finish baking. Let the meat sit for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.