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]

Down in the treme

I don’t know why I didn’t take something out for dinner in the morning.

Maybe my hearty dinner at Caplansky’s for our book club meeting the night before made me want to put off choosing some meat.  After all, I had the Cabbage Borscht to start, following by the biggest knish I’ve ever seen, complete with smoked meat sauce and then their big salad to finish.

I had brought home a Caplansky burger for my fella – 20 % smoked meat, 80% ground beef – but told myself that one person can only have so much smoked meat in a day, so I didn’t even have a bite.  Maybe secretly I want as many excuses to go back there as possible!

So I winged it up until the last minute last night. Not my usual style, but planning too much can be a bad thing, so I thought, “Okay Dickison, what are you going to come up with? Is it going to be your usual boring standards of roast chicken, meatloaf or pork tenderloin?”

I left it up to:

- what I found at the grocery store and

- what I could remember I had on hand at home.

Here’s what I turned out:

Baked Tilapia with Southern Crust (breadcrumbs seasoned with Cajun All-Purpose Seasoning, brought back from Louisiana by our good friends Jill & Rob)

Coconut Ginger Rice

Fresh Farmer’s Peas topped with Horseradish Butter

Chickpea Salad with Roasted Red Peppers, Black Olives and Fresh Basil Leaves in an Olive Oil Vinaigrette

Broccoli Coleslaw with Onion Dressing

Not one of those things are a part of my repertoire, so I think I did okay. Plus my fella made “mmm” sounds all throughout dinner.  Our amazing neighbour John came in the door fresh off his tour with the popular band Holy F***,  and ate a heaping plateful and gave it a 9 out of 10 (Because giving it a 10 would seem insincere, he said. I told you he is amazing).

Because I am so easily influenced (see my previous post I Totally Fell For It), I was trying to think of where I got my idea for all of it.

I’d like to think it is because I love the Treme (HBO) character Kim Dickens is playing – she’s this amazing chef just trying to make exquisite New Orleans food after Katrina and she’s having a helluva time staying afloat.

Of course it could simply be that the tilapia was cheap and cheerful and everything else was just what I bought and had in the pantry.

But there’s no romance in that version. I think I’ll stick withthis, my simple ode to the Bayou.

All or nothing

My friend Chris went through a time where he had 3 bottles of capers going at once.  He was practically begging for caper recipes in order to get it down to one jar.

Last night I am in the midst of making Rainbow Trout with Horseradish Butter, only to discover that we are completely out of horseradish.  We either have a bottle taking up valuable condiment real estate for f-o-r-e-v-e-r or it goes in 2 nights.

The same goes for many of our pantry essentials.  Olives – all or nothing.  Jam, same thing.

So after getting groceries last night and this morning, I still have a host of items I’m out of.

I’d love to know what you go through like crazy or what’s been hanging around at the back of your fridge since grunge was popular.