Strawberry Margaritas

Are you looking for a refreshing summertime cocktail? Now that many of us have packed away fresh local strawberries into the freezer, we should consider that they won't all go to pies and jams.

This strawberry margarita has a full berry taste but it also has a bit of zip from the freshly squeezed limes. Happily, not a very sweet drink, considering the hint of sugar on the rim and the simple syrup in the lime mix. The sweetness is mostly from nature. Your beautiful, freshly preserved local strawberries.


Strawberry Margaritas
Inspired by Mo'Nique and Martha Stewart

Serves 2 to 3, depending on glass size

3 Tablespoons Tequila
1 Tablespoon Triple Sec
1 cup frozen strawberries, partially thawed
1 cup ice cubes
2 Tablespoons Strawberry Sauce, or jam
5 Tablespoons Lime Mix

Garnish:
Lime
Sugar
Fresh strawberries

To prepare Simple Syrup: Combine equal portions of sugar and water. Bring to a boil. Gently simmer for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Cool. Store in a sealed sterilized glass jar in the fridge for few weeks. Simple syrup is great for using as a drink sweetener.

To prepare Lime Mix: Freshly squeeze limes. Remove seeds and keep pulp. To every 3 parts lime juice, add 2 parts simple syrup and mix.

To make Strawberry Margaritas: Run a fresh lime around the edge of the margarita glass. Dip the rim into a plate of sugar. Combine tequila, Triple Sec, partially thawed strawberries, ice, strawberry sauce and lime mix into the VitaMix (or a blender strong enough to make frozen drinks). Blend until the ice and strawberries are crushed. Pour or spoon into sugar rimmed glasses and garnish the edge with a fresh strawberry.

Roots and Shoots Farm - 2nd Week of CSA Food 2012

Roots and Shoots Farm is in high gear with their 2012 growing season. They are located south of Ottawa near Manotick Station. This year they are farming 8 acres and now have 4 greenhouses. They are certified organic. As well as being active at local farmers' markets, their CSA shares are already into their delivery cycles around the city.

This is our 3rd season participating with Roots and Shoots Farm's CSA program. Yesterday we picked up our first basket of this year. Perfect timing, as portions of the broccoli, summer squash and green onions became part of our dinner.

Here is the produce included in our basket. If you are tempted, stop by the Ottawa Farmers' Market at Brewer Park on Sunday and stock up.


Basil


Radishes


Arugula


Summer squash


Buttercrunch Lettuce


Green onions


Russian red kale


Japanese turnips (Hakurei)


Magenta Lettuce


Swiss chard


Broccoli


Garlic scapes



If you want to learn more about the farm, the contact information for Roots and Shoots Farm is:
ROBIN TURNER
robin@rootsandshootsfarm.com
www.rootsandshootsfarm.com
www.facebook.com/rootsandshootsfarm
www.twitter.com/RootsShootsFarm

LCBO Food & Drink Magazine - Summer Issue 2012

Don't judge a book by it's cover.

If it wasn't for my bi-monthly habit, I am not sure I would have picked up the Summer issue of LCBO's Food & Drink this time around. The sand dollar cookies in a brown sugar 'sand setting' conjured up feelings of baking heat, beating sun and just plain sweaty. It seemed faded. Too beige. Too much like burnt July.

Maybe a tall, cool glass of something from the prop stylist could have grabbed me and drawn me in. I am someone who needs a big splash of vibrant colours to sell me 'summer'. So where was the colour? It was tucked inside. And, thankfully, lots of it.

Perhaps the heat is getting to me, but there were other things that seemed jarring with this issue of LCBO's Food and Drink.

In Grade Eh Wine & Cheese by James Chatto and Pat Crocker, Pat's beautiful recipes would go totally unnoticed if you didn't read every word of the article. There was no tag line with the picture, naming the recipe, to draw you in. I happen to be a big Pat Crocker fan, currently working my way through her book, Preserving. But tell me, when you were flipping through the pages, did you notice any of these?

• Chunky Fruit & Nut Biscotti
• Confit of Fennel & Sweet Onion
• Gooseberry-Melon Relish
• Dried Cherry Chutney

The cheeses chosen for the article are some of my favourite (including Lacey Grey from the now defunct Fifth Town Artisan Cheese dairy, as of early May. Darn those deadlines that are months ahead of the publication release date.) But I can't help but think that it would be more than the well-matched wine that would showcase their beautiful flavours. Pat is a true talent with preserves. Her flavour combinations can give a dish that special je ne sais quoi. Dig deep to find her recipes and do give them a try. Better yet, buy her book, Preserving.

One of the problems with a publication that comes out every 8 to 10 weeks, it is hard to know what recipes to pitch, to make sure they are relevant and timely. For produce that tends to yield on the cusp of two issues or a year that has unseasonal weather, recipes can end up in the 'wrong issue'. A real challenge for writers and editors. I was thrilled to see such coveted recipes as Stockyards Spareribs and Hardy's Pulled Pork, in Smoke Signals by Nancy Won & Lucy Waverman. I just wished that they had been in the Early Summer issue as our barbecue season has been well underway for months.

Another case of 'which issue' might also be the playlist. At the beginning of May we were prepping our playlists for the Olympics, set to begin the end of July - then months away. Meanwhile the hot weather came so early. I always look forward to what Rick Sherman and Earl Torno pull together. This time they rallied around the "sounds of summer". A hot weather classic favourite for me is (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding. Check out the entire list on iTunes.

Enough of my quibbles and on to the fun stuff. Included in your cellophane is the Wine Country Ontario Travel Guide 2012. It includes a very handy Official Map of Ontario's Wine Route. Tuck it in your car now before it folds into your stacks of magazines, only to surface at the time of the great culling.

Doesn't Brenda Morrison have the best job, searching out 'must haves' for her column Inspired Ideas? With tattoos all the rage now, I wouldn't let her Signature Styles feature, a cattle style branding iron, anywhere near my 20-something-crowd on a party night! It is meant only to brand your dinner meats. The device does come with three letters. If that is your party gig, then might I suggest you consider an M and an O and an other M, when picking your letters!

Some additional recipes I will keep on my radar:

• Fresh Corn Cakes with Avocado Tartare and Triple Berry Summer Tiramisu (From On the Waterfront by Monda Rosenberg)
• Lamb Keema with Single Fry and Papas Rellena with Aji Picante (From Eats from the Street by Christopher St. Onge)

Plan ahead: The Autumn issue hits the stores in 10 weeks on Wednesday, September 5th.

Pat Crocker's Strawberry Sauce Is My New Jam

Pat Crocker's Strawberry Sauce is now my new jam. It uses very little sugar compared to conventional jams, allowing the taste of the strawberry to stand forward. She also provided depth in flavour to this creation by incorporating molasses and sweet raspberry vinegar. I think a twist of the pepper grinder would have made a good seasoning as well.

I wanted a thickness closer to jam. Sugar plays a big role in the thickening process. Where a batch of jam typically takes 6 1/2 to 7 cups of sugar, this recipe only takes 1 cup. Although she suggests that the mixture cook for 15 minutes, I kept it on the cook-top bubbling away for closer to 30 minutes. The sauce was no longer runny but a bit less viscosity than a lemon curd. It could still pour off the spoon. Not something typical of jam. This batch would have yielded 4 250 ml jars but because of the extra reduction, my sauce produced a little less than 3 1/2 jars.

Pat is also a big proponent of food safety and she is thorough in her reinforcement of proper sterilization of the jars and also the scalding of the snap lids and rings. Always use new snaps and rings when preserving.

Although my jars of sauce are going in the freezer, and I could forgo the water batch method, sterilized jars are still a critical step in making this sauce.

Pat suggests this sauce is a wonderful accompaniment for dishes like pancakes, waffles and ice cream. I think it would also work well along side duck or poultry. I am even considering it as my secret ingredient in my killer strawberry margaritas. My first taste of the sauce was a smear on top of punchy fresh Gouda cheese on a piece of Crazy Grain bread from Art-is-in Boulangerie.

Pat Crocker's book, Preserving, has been by my side since the day I bought it in late winter. Not only are there recipes laid out by the seasons, there is a wealth of information about many of the fruits and vegetables we are going to encounter throughout our growing seasons. As a very active CSA member, I can't imagine being without this book to help me to maximize the gifts in my food baskets - weather it is ensuring proper care or just using every bit of it in the most delicious way.

Thanks to Pat, her Strawberry Sauce is now my new jam.

Pat Crocker's Strawberry Sauce
[includes my small changes]

4 cups mashed or blendered strawberries that are well-ripe-to-overripe
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 packed brown sugar
grated rind and juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon fancy molasses
1 tablespoon raspberry wine vinegar (can use balsamic vinegar)

Homemade Luscious Lemonade To Beat The Heat

Today is the first full day of summer. The heat descended on this town early this year and had us reaching for a thirst-quenching drink to share as we lounged on the the patio.

Over the past few months we have squeezed many lemons and tried a number of versions of easy-to-make lemonade.

We have settled on this very simple recipe that balances the zing of a freshly squeezed lemony taste with a hint of sweetness to eventually give ease to your pucker.



Simple Homemade Luscious Lemonade

Simple Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

1 2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, with pulp
4 cups of ice water

Garnish (optional):
thin slices of lemon
raspberries

To make the simple syrup, combine sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium to medium-low heat. Do not stir. Let the mixture boil slowly for 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

To juice the lemons, make sure they are at room temperature. Before you squeeze them, wash them in a hot water bath. This helps to bring out the juice when squeezing. You will typically use 5 to 6 lemons. Preserve as much of the pulp as you can.

To make 'ice cold water', fill your 4-cup measuring cup with 2 to 3 cups of ice cubes. Then fill up the measure with cold water to the 4-cup line. That way your ice cubes won't water down the lemonade too much. You do want it to smack!

Combine the juice, ice cold water and simple syrup in a beautiful glass pitcher. Include thin slices of lemons when you serve. Let the ice melt out a bit before serving. A few raspberries can be a nice treasure to discover at the bottom of your glass!

Modern Day Smørrebrød - Chèvre, Avocado, Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

The Danes are well-known for their open-faced sandwiches (smørrebrød). There are many tried and true recipes that have been handed down through the generations. Preserving these recipes is an important part of our culinary heritage. My food friend, Marcus, is doing a superb job of that on his food blog, Danish Open Sandwiches (Smørrebrød).

The underlying principle of smørrebrød is to provide a healthy meal, using the local delights on hand from the fridge and pantry, and allow the flavours to stand out boldly but to also complement each other. Bread is minimized and serves as the canvas. (The traditional bread used is rye bread.) Danes also take great pride in making their smørrebrød visually pleasing and much fuss is made of food styling. It is healthy, flexible, affordable and food life cycle friendly.

As is the Danish custom, smørrebrød is eaten with a knife and fork. It is considered a civilized way to approach the meal but it is also very practical as some smørrebrød can be vertically challenging.

The choices in our fridge and pantry in the 21st century, especially here in Canada, is so much more culturally diverse. It makes the possibilities endless for the modern day smørrebrød. Maybe even more favourful! (Some of the foods on today's lunch are more associated with Jewish, French, Mexican and Italian kitchens.)

Today's smørrebrød lunch was made using:

• half of a sesame bagel from the Ottawa Bagelshop, toasted
• chèvre from Clarmell on the Rideau, a nice spread to cover the bagel all the way to the edges (a smørrebrød rule)
• arugula
• avocado slices
• oven-roasted tomatoes
• salt & pepper
• sprinkling of chives

If I had pesto on hand, I would have put a smear on the goat cheese or a few dollops on the tomatoes.

The best smørrebrød shops in Copenhagen, like Ida Davidsen, have a two week wait to get a reservation.

My dream for the Ottawa restaurant scene would be to have an adventurous and creative chef embrace smørrebrød and begin Ottawa's Smørrebrød Revolution.

And please don't take as long to open as Aamanns in NYC. It has been 'opening soon' since last October. I'm still waiting...

Vegetable Strudel

Vegetable Strudel

1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup spring onions, chopped
2 garlic, minced
1 1/4 cup celeriac, finely diced
3/4 cup zucchini, finely diced
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
salt and pepper
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, diced
1/2 cup roasted orange peppers, diced
1 1/2 cup asparagus, chopped and steamed
140 grams chèvre goat cheese, softened
1 egg
8 sheets of phyllo
1/4 cup of melted butter
3 tablespoons bread crumbs

In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook spring onions, zucchini, celeriac, garlic, marjoram, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper, stirring often until softened. Approximately 5 minutes. Add roasted peppers and asparagus. Take off the heat.

In large bowl, beat eggs and cheese until smooth. Stir into vegetable mixture.

Place 1 sheet of phyllo, with long side closest, on damp towel on work surface, keeping remainder covered with another damp towel to prevent drying out. Brush lightly with butter; sprinkle lightly with some of the bread crumbs. Repeat layering with 7 more sheets.

Arrange vegetable mixture in strip 2 inches from long side of phyllo and leaving 2-inch border at each short side. Fold long border over filling; using towel as aid, roll up pastry, folding in sides. Place seam side down, on greased baking sheet. Brush with butter. (Make ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.)

Cut 7 slits in top of each strudel. Bake in centre of 400ºF (200ºC) oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Slice each strudel into 8 servings.

This recipe was inspired by one I saw in Canadian Living's Holiday Best Magazine 1999.

Fontenelle Restaurant

If you wait long enough, your mid-century modern sense of decor will come back into vogue again. Well, at least the formica table tops, vinyl-covered booth seats and sit-up counter stools. I am not sure that the velvet wall art will ever be more than kitsch.

Such as it is at the Fontenelle Restaurant on 55 Montreal Road, across from the Bingo Hall. Frozen in time.



Breakfast starts at 4 am and the place closes up at the end of lunch hour at 3:00 pm. It is open 7 days a week.

Although, not quite 60's pricing, they are one of the cheaper breakfast deals in town. This morning, we were the only newbies. The regular patrons were given a familiar greeting when they made their way to their preferred pew.

I was charmed by the waitress's casual way of collecting all the order details without pen and paper, let alone repeating it back. She seems like the kind of gal that will ask me next time if I want the usual. Me thinks she has worked here a while.



I chose the one egg option with one meat (choice of bacon, ham, bologna and sausages) and two sides (choice of home fries, tomatoes or beans). It comes with a refill of coffee, toast (white or brown) and a jam. All for $5.60. I hear that if you want onions in your home fries, you just need to ask.



The plates arrived within minutes. (Crikey. An hour on the parking meter was way over estimating this visit.)



You won't find them on the internet. No website. No Facebook. No Twitter. None of that stuff was invented back then. So how are they still doing a steady business? The mid-century modern way - good old-fashioned word of mouth.

Fontenelle Restaurant
55 Montreal Road
Ottawa, Ontario
613.749.0332

Mon - Sun: 4:00 am - 3:00 pm

Oven Roasted Tomatoes and Three Cheese Tart

Oven Roasted Tomatoes and Three Cheese Tart

7 tomatoes
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
3 sheets phyllo
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 oz mozzarella cheese, grated (or slices)
2 oz Havarti cheese, grated (or slices)
1 1/2 oz fontina cheese, grated (or slices)
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
salt and pepper

Heat oven to 225ºF. Cut tomatoes in 4 pies lengthwise. Lay out on parchment covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Slow bake in oven for approximately 3 hours. You want the tomatoes to be reduced in moisture but not dry.



When the tomatoes have completed roasting, increase the heat in the oven to 375ºF.

Mince garlic into 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil.

Cut 3 sheets of phyllo lengthwise and place under a damp tea towel.

Lay one sheet of phyllo on another damp tea towel. Brush with melted butter. Lay another sheet of phyllo on top. Using an offset spatula, smear 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard over the second sheet. Repeat with the remaining 4 sheets, ending with mustard.

Lift the prepared phyllo sheets into a long, rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom. Mine is 14" x 4 1/2".

Cover the bottom of the tart with mozzarella, Havarti and fontina cheese.

Lay the oven roasted tomatoes over the top of the cheese. Do not overlap.



Top with oregano and the minced garlic and the garlic flavoured olive oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes. The cheese should be melted and the phyllo should be golden. The length of time will depend on your oven.



Let rest for a few minutes before cutting. Serve warm.



It can make for a light meal, served with a handful of mixed greens, tossed in a mild vinaigrette.



CHEF'S TIPS:
You may not need all of the slices of oven roasted tomatoes. Feel free to freeze the remainder for another recipe. How many tomatoes you need, depends on the size of the tomatoes. Plum tomatoes are my usual choice.

Use any combination of the cheeses if just want to use what you have on hand.

You can adjust the amount of garlic, oregano and cheese, depending on your tastes.

You can cut up the tart into 4 pieces for an appetizer plate or cut small squares for an hors d'oeuvres platter.

I will make oven roasted tomatoes in big batches and store in the freezer. That way you can just take them out as you need them. Saves a lot of time prepping for a dish such as this one. Minimizes the use of the oven on a hot day too.

This recipe was inspired by one I saw in Canadian Living's Country Cooking Cookbook by Elizabeth Baird from 1991 called Easy Cheesy Tomato Pie.

Odile is Habit Forming

Odile is habit forming.

Day 4 of Odile's opening week and I returned for lunch. If my Saturday brunch visit was any indication, this was going to be memorable. Again.

Odile is Marysol Foucault's second eatery opened 19 months following Edgar's arrival at 60 rue Bégin in Hull. She prepares high quality, local, seasonal food at both locations.




I quenched the high heat of the day with a Pamplemoussi - sparkling water, grapefruit juice and ginger syrup ($3.25) The serving size is substantial.



Then on to the lunch choices.



I picked the seared halibut accompanied with grape tomatoes, tapenade, capers, eggplant fondant, fiddleheads, black quinoa and of all things, daisy buds. ($16)



I had NO room for dessert but hoped to leak the house-made lemon gelato around and through the lunch crevices.

Marysol delivered the bad news that it was all sold out. She insisted that the the tarte tatin must be tried [at least that's how I remembered it ;) ] and I had this treat on the house. Pear and pistachio praline. Marysol whips her cream by hand so with muscles like that, resistance is futile.



I regret that I only saw her Rocket espresso machine as I said my good-byes and thank-you's. That would have made for a fine, fine finish. Next time.

Yep, Odile is habit forming.

Odile
47 rue Montclair (at the corner of Berri)
Hull, Quebec
819.205.4425
Facebook: Odile
Twitter: chezodile

Bin 790 Tapas and Wine Lounge in Kanata - Shuttered

Bin 790 Tapas and Wine Lounge in Kanata's Centrum shopping plaza has been shuttered. The bailiff's notice of May 10 is posted on the door beside their empty patio area.

This was our go-to place when I did movie night with my west-end gal pals. The film flick would be dissected over a glass of wine and a few nibbles. My last time out, I enjoyed their fish tacos.

I looked on Urbanspoon this morning and of the 274 voters, 83% liked the place. There are two blog posts. One by Carie and she really liked it. One by FoodiePrints. They didn't like it. Other restaurant review sites seemed to be generally positive.

Bin 790 just celebrated their second anniversary December 19, 2011. They were voted Best Restaurant in Kanata for 2010 at the Kanata Chamber of Commerce People's Choice Awards ceremony in February 2011. They were nominated again the following year.

I am left wondering, so what happened?

Bin 790 stood apart from the multinational food chains dotting the asphalt of the Centrum acreage. They strived to share local fare. As an example, Seed to Sausage out of Sharbot Lake was on their charcuterie board, along with The Elk Ranch.

Kanata must be nearing 100,000 people. When not patronizing the food chains, where is this town going for their dining experience? Are they heading into Ottawa's downtown core?

We are reminded again that restauranteuring is very risky business and when a place closes suddenly, there is collateral damage.

Childhood Days in the Garden

When I was a very young girl I would venture to the garden come harvest time, sit down in the dirt and eat right off the plants.

My favourite was the tomatoes and cucumbers. I would wipe them clean with my t-shirt first. Sometimes I brought the salt shaker to enjoy the tomatoes.

This heaping plate at yesterday's garden party brought back those big, bright, succulent memories.

Do you have any fond eat-off-the-plant experiences from yesteryear?

Odile is Open

Odile is open.

When Marysol Foucault's vision of her first eatery, Edgar, came to fruition Halloween weekend 2010, who knew that this dynamo culinary queen of tastes, quality and presentation would dare to be on to a second location so soon.

Odile is larger than the 11-seater Edgar, though still somewhat compact. Along with a few floor tables, there is a full wall banquette allowing for a lingering sit-down visit at typical restaurant sized tables. High stools line up at a counter for those craving a view of the outdoors and the side patio scene. (A patio also larger than Edgar's.) A few high stools also give you a close up view of the open kitchen. Her overall feel is bright and inviting.

The Odile experience comes with table service. The brunch menu presented on this first day offered 3 mouth-watering choices.





Wanting protein, I picked the "Forestier". Two poached eggs, fingerling potatoes, double smoked lardons, mixed mushrooms, fiddleheads, brown butter, arugula oil. Slices of fresh bread on the side served with herbes salées du Bas-du-Fleuve. ($14)





As my dish was being made with tender loving care just steps from me in the high heat of the kitchen, I sipped away on my refreshing sparkling lemon soda with a sour cherry reduction. ($3.25) Waiting for me at the bottom of the drink were 10 flavour-soaked cherries for the munch.



Some might consider $14 pricey for a brunch outing. But Marysol will also fill this place too and likely with line-ups out the door. There are plenty of people that want the peace of mind that comes with eating local ingredients prepared flawlessly, with layers and layers of flavour so carefully placed in harmony. Marysol is one of the few eateries in the region that delivers on this consistently.

Odile is not just a bigger Edgar. When the liquor license comes through, she will be open for dinner service as well.

I, for one, am delighted to soak in the visionary goodness of Marysol's never-ending ambition.

Odile
47 rue Montclair (at the corner of Berri)
Hull, Quebec
819.205.4425
Facebook: Odile
Twitter: chezodile