Category Archives: Travel and Food

Edibles on the Road

August 10, 2011 · 10:50 am

American Cheese Society Conference: Cheese a Go-Go

Setting Up the Festival of Cheese

This is what 1676 cheeses look like set-up for nibbling.  The Festival of Cheese which is also open to the public concludes the events at the ACS conference.

I was lucky enough to get a peek while the room was being set-up.  This is only one side of a giant conference room.

It smelled pretty amazing in there.  Fresh, milky and rich.  Cheese land.  And the roller coaster was awesome.

Here are a few more images of the room to make you wish you were there.

This is the soft, bloomy-rind table underway.  Some of the really rich yellow ones were made with Jersey milk.  Comfort Cream from Upper Canada Cheese Company is in there–it won a ribbon.

Ontario also had winners from Glengarry Fine Cheese (Aged Lankaaster), Monforte (Abondance) and Best Baa Dairy for their yogurt (a no-brainer, especially if you’ve had the maple flavoured one!) and Mouton Rouge, a washed-rind wheel.

Here is the part of the blue table.  One of the Quebec winners was one of my absolute faves–the sheep’s milk Bleu Moutonnière .  YUM. YUM. YUM.

Finally-we had 44 Quebec ribbons over all and here are a few of the winning Fromageries:

La Moutonnière (5) Fritz Kaizer (3) Maison d’affinage Maurice Dufour (2) and of cour La Presbytere whose Louis D’Or took third prize for Best in show.

Cheesed out yet?   Someone get me a green salad.


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August 8, 2011 · 8:57 am

Toast Post: American Cheese Society Conference, Day 2

Oka recipe creates Fromage de la Trappe in Manitoba.

Remember that film The Notebook?  The one starring Ryan Gosling that’s about a monk who made washed-rind cheeses and kept secret notebook of brining techniques?

That version of the film is actually an NFB doc called A Monks’ Secret.  (You won’t recognize Ryan Gosling–he plays the actual notebook.  Amazing immersion into a role.)  The doc is a story of Fromage de la Trappe, the cheese you see above.

Fromage de la Trappe comes from Manitoba and is made by Brother Alberic at the Cistercian Abbey Our Lady of the Praires.  The old recipe was passed to him by the Trappist monks in Quebec (at Oka Abbey de Notre-Dame-du-Lac).

The original Oka recipe was sold to Agropur in the 1981 when the Oka Abbey in Quebec could no longer sustain the demand for the cheese.  The factors may have been more than economical–monks do not want to be known as cheese makers, cheese making is simply a means to an end so perhaps the business was in conflict with their values.  It may have also been hard to find people to keep making cheese in general as they got older and their numbers got smaller.

Fromage de La Trappe (left) and Agropur Oka (right)

One of the original Oka cheesemakers, Father Oswald had kept a  notebook that was passed on to the Manitoba monastery when they started to make cheese as a source of income.  The caveat that came with the hand-written notes was that should the Monks ever go out of the cheese business or the Abbyy close, that notebook would be destroyed (never to fall into a non-religious hand).  This cheese is God’s business and no one else’s..Due to the craft secrets in notebook, what started out as a mediocore cheese, became something unique and flavourful.

Celebrating a ribbon for Louis D'Or

Celebrating Louis D’Or.

And I cannot sign off before leaving you with a picture of Jean Morin, celebrating after his raw, organic milk cheese Louise D’Or received 3rd place in the Best of Show category.  And we’re looking at over 1600 cheeses entered.  That’s right he’s feeling smug.  He damn well should!

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August 5, 2011 · 7:51 am

Toast Post: American Cheese Society Conference, day 1

Cheese-alanche

Soak it up.  I ate it up.  A room of cheesemakers from the US and Canada offering their cheese at the American Cheese Society conference in Montreal.  The luscious fromage in the photo above is from Beecher Handmade Cheese in Seattle.  This is a new version of their Flagship cow’s milk cheese, it’s a mixed milk cheese (sheep and cow).  I walked by the table, popped a piece in my mouth and walked on.  And then went back.  The flavour of this cheese just kept evolving and lingering.  I left with more in  hand and some wrapped in a napkin stashed in my purse. (It was that or the waistband of my jean skirt and I already had a washed-rind tucked in there.)

Better than Cheetos (maybe)

A hit of cheese anyone?

These awesome little cheese bites above come flavoured with lavender, saffron, rosemary and chili.  They are called Hannahbells and hail from Shy Brothers Farm. These thimble-like cheeses are made in the style of the French “boutons de coulottes”. (Trouser Buttons).

Bleu Moutonnière up front, Apple Ice Wine in the rear

This is my tasting plate from the Taste Buds and Molecules session–a discussion about the science of pairing food and wine. Sommelier Francois Chartier, author of Taste Buds and Molecules led the tasting, he’s worked with Ferran Adria amongst others, helping create about 50 dishes for El Bulli (which just closed last Saturday) using the science of deliciousness.  He would never serve you Perrier if you didn’t want to partake of  alcohol with a meal—at his house he would offer spruce beer or green tea–so your bevvie would compliment your meal, not just wash it down.

Stupid Perrier.  Smart molecules.  Amazing Pairings.  Hercule de Charlesvoix +apricot+ apple marshmellow and curry butter+apple ice wine.

YES, YOU WANT THE MARSHMELLOW CURRY BUTTER RECIPE.

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June 28, 2011 · 8:50 pm

Chicago + Food + More Food

Day 1 started with three meals plus cocktails, Day 2 we worked up to four meals plus cocktails/wine. Day 3 we were only able to fit in 2 meals, no cocktails.  I guess we peaked early.  I need to talk to that guy who won all those hot dog eating contests.

Day 1, Friday

The Purple Pig. Crispy pig’s ears. Crispy Kale (ok, so now I know that when kale is deep-fried it is the most delicious food on earth.)  Same with pig’s ears.  Or old gym socks.  If you fry it, I guess I’ll eat it.

Still partaking in the deep-fried portion of the menu we move on to chorizo-stuffed olives.

Razor clams.  These were actually a little rubbery when they arrived.  But in case you’ve never seen a razor clam, here they are.  In other amazing stories, we were told by our waitress at the Girl and Goat (coming up) that a customer once claimed she had accidentally eaten the shell of a razor clam.  Yet, she wasn’t bleeding from the throat.  Or a professional sword swallower –as far as anyone knew.

BBQ dinner at “Q“.  Both of the pictures are terrible, I know.  But the lighting was bad and all our hands were covered in rib sauce. I forgot to care enough.  I do feel bad now with some perspective.  But, forgive me and check out the menu.  And drool.

This is my plate of the Award-winning “competition, full-slab St. Louis ribs”.  The ribs continue beyond the water glass and onto the floor.  It was crazy.  The bread and butter pickles are house-made and the four sauces are house BBQ, spicy BBQ, mustard sauce (for the Kobe brisket–we had that too–see, how could I be expected to concentrate on picture taking) and a thinner, savory sauce for the pulled pork sandwich.

And of course we started with House Bacon Cheddar Hush Puppies.  Knowing it was a bad bad good idea.

Day 2, Saturday

Lunch Part A:

I know this kind of looks “whatever” but it was delicious!  Spicy chicken tortilla soup at the Neimann Marcus cafe (Thanks Martha!).  It was like a super-deluxe Campbell soup.  I asked for the recipe and the waiter laughed.  Which I took for a “no”.  (update, look what a Google search revealed!  RECIPE.  Will try ASAP. Ingredients include cheddar cheese spread–see-I knew there was comfy canned soup feel)

Lunch Part B:

Pastoral.  A local cheese store.  Our cheese monger is slicing off a soft piece of buttery Stichelton.  Which is Stilton made with raw milk.  AOC Stilton, is only allowed to be made with pasteurized milk.  Did you know that? Just below the cheese board is a very yellow washed-rind cheese made with Guernsey milk.  It was incredible.  And the label is somewhere in the garbage.  I guess its just sweet memories for me.

Dinner.  We stayed at the Hotel Palomar which has a restaurant in it called Sable.  So it was either Chicago Deep Dish or Sable.  Sable won.

Might have been the Sweet Corn Crème Brûlée.  All the dishes were good but this was “let me lick the plate” delicious.  Sweet corn in a baked custard that is caramelized and sprinkled with sea salt.

OR might have been the cocktail menu:

Here are three we enjoyed with loud slurps:

War of the Roses
Pimm’s, Bombay Dry Gin, St-Germain, mint, fresh lime

Drunken Angel
Yamazaki 12 year, Punt e Mes, Mathilde Pear, fresh orange juice, Regan’s orange bitters

Board of Directors
Noilly Prat Dry, honey, Green Chartreuse, lemon

Girl and the Goat, midnight snack

The Girl and the Goat, 11:45 pm, The only reservation I could get calling a month in advance

The March issue of Saveur called The Girl and the Goat, “America’s Best New Restaurant”.  If you want a proper review, then go HERE to read the  piece by Dana Bowen.   The food was amazing.  Lick the plate delicious.  Worth-eating-a-fourth-meal-at-midnight good.  Consider moving to Chicago inspiring.

We had:

kohlrabi salad . fennel . evalon . toasted almonds . blueberry . ginger dressing

grilled baby octopus . guanciale . wax beans . radish . favas. pistachio-lemon vinaigrette (IN PHOTO)

smoked goat rilette empanadas . masala . ramp yogurt

AND one scoop Shiitake gelato and streusel. Dangerous.

Day 3, Sunday

Sardines Anytime!

We visited the Chicago Art Institute.  Toulouse-Lautrec inspired me to eat more sardines.

OK, so at the bottom is the blue raspberry flavour, then cherry, then cola and post-photo I added a dollop of banana.

It was a beautiful hot day and on my way back to the hotel I saw a 7-11.   How could I resist?

And to pair with my Slurpee I stopped in at Pastoral again for a sandwich, The Quack Attack.

The Slurpee/obnoxiously artisinal sandwich combo was kind of perfect.  Good Bye Chicago!  I’ll never eat again.  (Til dinner.)

Home Sweet Home.

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