The Dinner Guest (Me!) Wins Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award

I never win anything.

The only thing I remember winning is a singed Eurythmics album, which I lent to someone and never saw it again. So to have been bestowed this great honour by the lovely Allyson Latta means so very much. Thank you for the shoutout, Allyson. You’ve always been one of my biggest supporters and that kind of backing makes such a difference, especially to those of us freelancing, where one day you’re being praised and the next, no one will hire you.

She awarded it to me for my Dinner Guest column over at Poetry of Food, which is one of the most delightful and rewarding places I’ve ever had the opportunity to contribute.

There are rules for this award.

1. Thank the person who awarded me. Check.
2. Tell you 7 things about myself. Oh Lord.
3. Pass this award on to some new bloggers. Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about.

First, the other bloggers:

Allyson Latta – I’m not naming her because she chose me for this award, but because no one puts more work into her posts than Allyson. Have you seen how in-depth her posts are? Her site is more of a magazine for writers and memoirists than a mere blog. Spend some time looking around. I bet you’ll learn a ton.

Beth Dargis’ My Simpler Life – A personal, yet minimalist blog that helps you focus on what’s important. Beth recently lost her teenage son, yet her posts remain honest and helpful. I admire her and thank her for years of great advice.

And there are so many food and organizational bloggers that I follow. I’m going to have to make a separate entry and list for these. Stay tuned…

And in the meantime, here goes. Seven things:

1. I am a fierce and loyal friend.

I have always treated my friends as extended family. Once I love you, I love you forever. Some people in my past have found this to be a bit much. I can see that. But my intentions are always good.

2. If I didn’t have to worry about money, I’d still work 14 hours a day, but I’d be running a southern restaurant in there too.

I am not happy not working. I’ll be at my desk at 110. You just watch. But I will stop to get up and make you some dinner. And maybe even dessert…

3. None of my ex-boyfriends have any online presence whatsoever and this might be my fault.

Like with friends, I was a fierce and loyal girlfriend (I am now fianceed). But I may have loved some too intensely because none of my former fellas are anywhere online. I may have inadvertently scared them away from many things and now they are worried about being tracked down. I can see that. If you went out with me, know that my intentions were always good.

4. Simple things make me extremely giddy.

Dressing up and going out for dinner, going for a walk, my pile of library books in the living room awaiting me, finding an amazing deal on clothes, housewares or stationery, making dinner for my fella or friends. Seriously. It doesn’t take a lot to make me happy – walk me to the library and I’m yours.

5. Restaurants thrill me more than they should.

I ended up in the right business being a food writer and restaurant critic. I love every inch of restaurant life from the china to the pass, the sea bass to the chef coats.

I am very lucky that my fella puts up with my hobby – I have a chef coat that makes me giddy and that combined with my restaurant pots and pans has me working my one-person kitchen like a real restaurant. He even orders and pretends to pay the bill.

I shadowed my favourite chef once in the kitchen and it was the best night of my life.

6. Much of my life revolves around food. I hope it stays that way.

What you see -  food articles and columns, chef interviews, restaurant reviews, food photos

What you don’t see - all the food that I eat but I can’t write about due to a limiting food count, the incredible amount of time I devote to choosing a restaurant,the insane amount of time I spend scrolling through restaurants when a friend or colleague asks for a recommendation, the time I spend prepping for chef interviews, the time I achingly switch between a single word in a review to get it just right, the painstaking process of grocery shopping for two big eaters (the many stops and trips and carrying of heavy, overflowing bags that I have to heft up the stairs and then find room for in our tiny l’il place), the copious food stains on everything I own, from eating and cooking, the early mornings I spend pouring over menus, thinking about what to make for dinner and if I did have my own restaurant, what my menu and specials would be that night.

7. It’s impossible to think of 7 things.

I know that as a writer I should be able to extricate things from my darkest depths, but I am much better talking about other people than myself. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I’ll talk to a room of 1,000 people about a subject as long as it doesn’t have to do with me. As much as the night of my first book launch was incredibly momentous, it was excruciating – the hardest night ever. It’s better to ask my friends what people don’t know me. Anyone out there – a little help?

Summer in the City Food – Roasted Corn on the Cob

Summer food is often evocative of family vacations you took as a kid or traditional outdoor eats like burgers and hot days.

For me, it’s about vibrant flavours and colours and awakening my palate after a long, long winter of root vegetables and slow cooked meats.

So when I was down at the Beach boardwalk to meet my friend Diana last week, she reminded me of the corn on the cob that is roasted on the street then rubbed with fresh lime and chili powder. I always get some from a Caribbean stand down at Harbourfront when various food festivals are going on and I also get it when I head to Little India to restock my pantry. I love the way the mix of citrus and spice enlivens your palate. It really is a taste sensation.

Ever since last week, I’ve had a mad craving for it, but I wanted something pretty basic so I could make it quickly and not have to heat up the house too much (In this weather, our place holds onto it for days after I’ve cooked).

I went online to find a recipe and this Spicy Stir-Fried Corn and Peppers was close, but I still wanted something simpler.

So I went on the basis of the recipe and pared it down to:

Corn with Chili & Lime

4 ears of corn, kernels removed and cooked for 5 mins  (or 1 can or 1 1/2 cups of frozen)

2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon tamari

1/2 tablespoon of chili powder (or more if you like)

1 scallion, thinly sliced

6 grape tomatoes, halved

cilantro, salt and pepper to taste

In a pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil (I used a green non-stick pan, so I skipped this step).  Add corn and chili powder. Cook for 1 minute. Mix tamari and fresh lime juice. Cook for another minute. Take off the heat and add scallions and tomatoes. Toss and serve. Garnish with cilantro and add salt and pepper to taste.

Next time, I’m going to add the kaffir lime leaf that the other recipe used and also play around with different variations.

I’ve got the rest of the summer to figure out the perfect combination. In the meantime, I think I’ll head out and do some “research” and see how other folks in the city are preparing it.

Stay tuned.

In the meantime, tell me how you do it.

Titantic Dinner at the Crown Plaza Toronto Airport Hotel

The RMS Titanic was an ocean liner built for transatlantic passenger and mail service between Southampton and New York.

As noted on Encyclopedia-Titanica, “On April 10th 1912 the Titanic sailed from Southampton with 2,200 passengers and crew, four days later the Titanic collided with an iceberg and sank. 1500 people died and 700 survived.”

So it was with complete awe and honour that I accepted an invitation to dinner on Friday, June 10, where an “authentic first-class meal served aboard the great RMS Titanic when it launched 100 years ago” 12-course menu was going to be recreated, along with paired wines from Peller Estates.

The concept was executed by Chef Tony Fernandes and the Canadian Horseshoe Culinary Team and the dinner was held in the Algonquin Ballroom at the Crowne Plaza Toronto Airport Hotel. It was held in support of the team’s trip to the 2012 World Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany.

The room was full of energy, with  diners in tuxes, luxe dresses and a few even in costume. A live string quarter played throughout the evening.

Out first course was Canapes a L’Armiral – rich and smooth shrimp butter on a slice of thin toasted baguette, garnished with caviar. They were like a fancy version of the insanely good Creamed Salmon with Peas my Mum used to make me as a kid.

Next up was Consomme Olga – a beef consomme flavoured with port and garnished with truffles, celeriac bulb, carrot and sea scallop. It was paired with Harvey’s Bristol Cream!

Poached Salmon with Mousseline Sauce came out next, following by the fourth course, Vegetable Marrow Farci.

Unfortunately, I had to leave after the marrow. The dinner was late in starting, so I missed out on the other eight courses. I was most looking forward to course 5 – Roast Sirloin of Beef Forestiere and course 9 – Pate de Fois Gras with Celery.

I am thinking that I should recreate them myself here at home. Or I could always go to the next 100th anniversary dinner…

[Thanks to the staff of the Crowne Plaza, the Canadian Golden Horseshoe Culinary Team and Duet Public Relations for putting this all together]

Tourism BC Dinner at Origin

We are fortunate to have Claudio Aprile in our city.

With Colborne Lane and now Origin, we can delight in his creations and ethereal offerings.

I was one of the lucky chosen ones to attend a Tourism British Columbia Media Dinner at Origin a few weeks ago.

Press dinners are often very rigid and follow a certain agenda, but these fine folks showed that West Coast folks really do know hospitality and merely wanted to share their love of their cities with us over fabulous food. PR companies, take note! Representatives from Tourism British Columbia (Josie Heisig), Vancouver (Amber Sessions), Whistler (Breton Murphy) and Victoria (Holly Lenk) know how to do it up right and in style, to boot!

Origin’s decor was well-suited for this kind of night. As you can see by the lighting fixture (pictured at top) over our private dining table, it is a whimsical, magical place.

The menu was a bunch of fun appetizers to start – Smoked Cod Croquettes with Saffron Aioli, Plantain Chips with Guacamole, Bangkok Salad with Peanut Brittle (pictured above), Asparagus Salad and the best oysters I’ve ever had in a delicate yuzu dressing.

I had to leave after the salad as I was throwing my fella a surprise get together a few city blocks away. Too bad. I think I may have missed out on some doozies.

Origin

107 – 109 King Street East
Toronto, ON

416.603.8009

www.origintoronto.com