Imperial Creme Brulee Stout

Imperial Creme Brulee Stout

Delicious...nuff said.

Ok, maybe not "nuff" said. How could that be possible with a beer this good? Seriously, this might be one of the best tasting, most interesting beers I have ever tasted. Its a very light stout, with only a little carbonation. The whole creme brulee flavor really shines through (vanilla is listed as an ingredient on the label?) but has a clean finish and a long lasting after taste. I tried this beer with some different chocolates and found that they were a match made in heaven.

I'm not sure what this beer retails for, but if you have a chance to try it don't pass up the opportunity. It definitely not an everyday drinking beer, but more for a special occasion.

Roast Elk with all the fixings

During my stay in Toronto, I was asked by my dad to help host a dinner party for some of his friends. He told me that he had a elk loin in the fridge and that we should try to use it. Now I had never cooked or eaten elk before but I figured by the way the elk loin was BRT (boned, rolled & tied in the industry) that it was supposed to be roasted like a prime rib or roast beef. I set to work trying to think of tasty things that would help showcase the elk. After consideration, it was decided that the elk would go well with a chocolate Demi-glace based sauce, brussel sprouts with bacon and candied walnuts, and a Gruyere cheese potato gratin.

Lots of shopping later, with a menu of courses in my mind, I set to work. Using up what was already in the fridge (there were lots of interesting things from Toronto's cheese boutique, such as duck prosciutto) and some stuff we bought, this is what we came up with.

Amuse-bouche of julienned cantaloupe, duck prosciutto and Belgian endive in an endive cup.

Plating the amuse

Coddled egg in a lemon-lime coconut broth with chives and green onion. This dish was inspired by an amazing dish I once had at Bouley in NYC. People love this one.

The main attraction. Roast elk loin, medium rare with chocolate Demi-glace sauce, brussel sprouts with bacon & candied walnuts, potato gratin.

French Gruyere Potato Gratin cooked till perfection.

Intermezzo palate cleaner of lemon sorbet.

Orange Sugar. Fine zest 2 oranges and mix with granulated sugar. Delicious topping for cakes, ice cream. Even better if you brulee it afterwards.

Crepes Suzette with Grand Marnier sauce, vanilla ice cream and orange sugar. Served with a delicious dessert wine by Banfi, called Florus. Highly recommended for people who are new to dessert wines.

The Cheese Boutique

Pictures from Toronto's Gourmet Cheese Boutique

Toronto Tequila and Pizza

What are two of the best man-made creations ever? Pizza and tequila of course! Ok, so maybe not together, but certainly they are each a delicious work of art when they are done right. And done right is exactly how they are made in Toronto's Reposado and Pizzeria Libretto.

Our adventure begins at Reposado, an ultra-hip tequila bar that serves up a wide variety of tequila for the novice drinker to the tequila connoisseur. Organized by type and age, the tequilas are listed with a brief description and are easy to choose from. I tried to order a certain blanco tequila, only to be told it was sold out, but was quickly given an alternative that was one of the the bartenders favorites. Always willing to take a chance, I gave the go ahead, and was soon after served up a shot in a Grappa style snifter. The tequila I was given was called Amate, and it was certainly worth the hype. A blanco tequila, Amate had notes of green melon, a little spice, and sea salt. Delicious by itself, and even better with the cheeses and pickled vegetables we ordered to snack on. The bar itself was very lively, with good music and a relaxed vibe. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful in choosing the right tequilas for every different taste.

After our tequila tasting, we headed over to Pizzeria Libretto. Libretto is a hip, eco-friendly super busy pizzeria that specializes in wood-fired traditional Italian style pizzas. We ordered a bottle of Primitivo, and some calamari for an appetizer. The wine showed up, and at first seemed like it would be un-drinkable. The nose was funky to say the least, but we decided to let it open up and then see what was really going on. It ended up being good in the end, but not as typical for a Primitivo as I was expecting.

Soon the calamari arrived and it was supremely light and delicious, some of the best fried calamari I have ever had. Our pizza's arrived just after that...and I have to say that they were good, but not great. Maybe its the cynical new yorker in me that just loves NYC style pizza, but I just didn't think that for the hype the pizza was as good as it could be. Our pizza margherita wasn't crispy enough, kind of mushy-doughy in the middle, and I just wanted more salt or flavor to the sauce. I know that traditional Italian custom dictates that they don't always salt their mozzarella, but this mozz could have used it. However, our prosciutto pizza was very good, with a crisp crust, and salty and rich prosciutto. Our waiter was very friendly, and so were the cooks making all the food.

Overall, it was a great way to start a winter trip to Toronto.

Reposado's Logo

Amazingly smooth "Amate" Blanco Tequila with a spicy tomato chaser

"Shot" of reposado's bar area

Reposado's large and extensive tequila list, by blanco, reposado, & anejos

The happy line cooks at Pizzeria Libretto

The wood-fired oven in the background

Pizza Margherita and a Sausage Pizza

Prosciutto Pizza - salty and delicious

A collection of wines - a cool shot really

Reinventing Breakfast (A Brunch Dish)

So to begin my story I have to take you on a brief walk to the past, a particular day at work. On this day, we served what is a common occurrence in the restaurant, a wines luncheon. At this wines lunch, there was a manzanilla sherry served with one of the courses. Now it is also fairly common that at the culinary, the students tend to recoil in horror at the taste of dry sherry (actually most sherry in general). I, however, either loving the unusual, or being of a sophisticated palette (I can dream, right?) fell in love at first taste. The sherry that I tasted that day was La Gitana by Bodegas Hidalgo. La Gitana has a slightly briny, mineral flavor to it, and is very refreshing when very cold. Once I tasted the sherry, I was immediately overwhelmed with the idea for a dish that it would pair well with.

At home, I started to work on the dish I had in mind. It was the kind of dish you would have at a leisurely Sunday brunch.

The dish consists of a whipped potato "cake" that is filled with shallots, onions, and bell peppers that are sauteed in butter and some of the sherry. It is then coated in panko and fried, topped with an over-easy egg, and served with maple bacon and honey-balsamic oven roasted tomatoes. Very filling, and delicious.

If you haven't really tried sherry before, then I would say this is a pretty good bottle to start with.

P.S. I found this very interesting article about La Gitana. Seems they felt the same way about it as I did.

Click here for the story

La Gitana Sherry by Bodegas Hidalgo

Potato Cake, over easy egg, maple bacon, thyme honey-balsamic tomatoes

The potato cake base

Au Pied De Cochon

A few months ago I made a trip with my close friends to Montreal just to eat at the famed Foie Gras Restaurant, Au Pied De Cochon. It was one of the best, heaviest, indulgent meals of my life.

Poached Pear

Pudding Chomeur

Foie Gras Poutine

The amazing Ploye Au Champlain

Au Pied De Cochon Melting Pot

Beef Tartar Sushi Style

Bison Tarragon Tongue

Tomato Tart

Foie Gras Cromesquis, simply amazing

Pickled Tongue

Random Pictures

Home-salt cured foie gras.

Just a few random pictures of some delicious things. More to come soon!

Benmarl Winery. America's Oldest Vineyard

Benmarl Winery. America's Oldest Vineyard. 

With a claim like that, I had to check it out. Ok, so actually my friends invited me to go, but

that's not nearly as dramatic sounding. The Benmarl winery is a short trip from the CIA, and is definitely worth the trip. They have a

beautiful property, and they grow many different types of grape varietals that are iconic for the Hudson Valley. I didn't love all their wines,

but a few worth noting are their Cab. Sauvignon and their Founders Reserve ( a blend that is very good).

Visit their website: http://www.benmarl.com/