A Memorable Feast

I sit at my computer with a semi-lost gaze and a mind that's clouded. Maybe it's stress but I'm sure it's just a desire to take a 'time-out' from life, escape back into that place of little to no worry and let my head become clear and refreshed so I can return to tackle the everyday. I need a vacation, as I'm sure a lot of us constantly do. Unfortunately, right now is not a feasible time to do so, so I pop in a CD of pictures from vacations past.... not nearly the same, but it'll get me through until I can physically escape once again.

My last "real" vacation was Taiwan just over a year ago. I've done a week back in Ontario since, but I hardly think that counts as I was running around more than anything. Looking back at my short stint in Asia, I've come to realize how much I love the culture, people and especially food. In fact, my most memorable meal to date was on that trip.

As night grew, the muggy heat seemed to calm only slightly with the absence of sun. With Laura by my side and Lei and Atai leading, we make our way through a maze of streets in the busy downtown of Taipei. Turning down one road that I would more commonly describe as an alley we come to a tiny restaurant, maybe 15 seats total and all situated around a long bar. My curiosity is peaked as I'm told we are going to have Japanese BBQ..... With BBQ being amongst my top 5 preparations of food, excitement fills me and I prepare my palate.

We take our seats and are handed menus, some Asahi beer quickly follows as we make up our minds of what to partake in. Leaving the decisions to my fantastic hosts, I sit back ready to indulge. Two small cast iron pots filled with very hot coals is placed in front of us and a small wire mesh screen is placed on top. Soon after our food arrives. Anchovies, octopus, very thinly sliced beef and various other meats and seafood.... all raw. I can figure out what's next, so chopsticks in hand I toss some on. Something about food cooking in front of my eyes is a sight I'll never take for granted. The beauty of that process, to see the colours change and the smells begin to mix causing a mouth watering effect.

Food done and no time to wait, down the gullet it goes. The conversation flows just as fluidly as the beer to my stomach. I begin to glow, realizing this is the kind of moment my life was created to experience.....

....Snap back to reality. I glance at my clock, 11:30am. It's that time. I muster up the strength.... work demands yet again. Soon I'll be able to regain that state of mental bliss, but until that day I'll have the memories like these to get me through.

Easy as pie.... or Yorshire Pudding!

Honestly, who can resist those golden brown airy pillows of pure love. I'll admit making hundreds can be a bit more work, but with a dinner for two virtually no effort more than patience is required.... the proof is in the pudding.

Ingredients:

1/2C Flour

1 Egg

190ml Homogenized milk

pinch of salt

2 tsp Bacon fat

1. Mix together flour, salt and egg. pour in milk and whisk until no lumps remain.

2. Pass mixture through a fine strainer into a cup for easy pouring. Cover with saran and let sit for at least 30 min.

3. During this wait time preheat oven to 350F and place muffin tin on middle shelf to heat.

4. After the rest period, put 1 tsp of bacon fat in two of the muffin cups, place back in the oven for a minute to heat the fat.

5. Pour the mix to the top of each cup, place back in the oven and let the magic begin.

6. Approx 20 - 30 min later they should look big, beautiful golden brown and when lightly squeezing the sides there should be no squishy center.

7. Pop out and enjoy.

Safe to Eat?

Mmmmmm...... Looks delicious. I want nothing more than to turn that beautiful mass of fine ground beef into some of the most mouth-watering burgers (quite possibly my favorite food ever is a nice thick and juicy hand-made burger). This being said, I cannot possibly forgive when an establishment (prized for their so-called "quality" burgers) serves me a potential health risk (can you say burnt outside, raw inside?), luckily being caught only 2 bites in. Trust me when I say that I have not and will not go back.

It might just be me, but I've noticed that within the past 10 years we've been playing a little Russian Roulette with some of our food.... whether or not we know it. It's almost becoming common for people to become subject to a day of gut wrenching pain, sweats, shits and horrible thoughts of killing whoever mishandled or fed you that questionable ingredient. I know for certain I never want to experience it again.

But what happens when it not the dirty kitchen or the cook that doesn't care enough about your safety? What happens when the food is tainted from the source? I'm sorry to the Republic of China, but melamine in milk, baby formula and some milk based products...... are you kidding me? Maybe though I shouldn't be as shocked as that, it's not really the first or last time something like this is going to happen.

Case in point, let's bring it home with a little thing called Maple Leaf Listeria. Not only was this so recent there are still people dying from the symptoms, but of the deceased was a 64 year old man who ate tainted meat in a hospital. Come on... That's ridiculous! And as of October 1 there have been upwards of 20 deaths due to this contamination.

Tops Meat Co. is another name that pops into mind when I think of tainted meat. In 2007 they had the second largest recall of meat at around 21.7 million pounds worth, topped only by Hudson Foods Company who in 1997 recalled 25 million pounds worth of ground beef.

None can forget the scares associated with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, most commonly known as Mad Cow Disease. This epidemic was brought on by the food the cow was eating, therefore being infected before even going to slaughter. In England alone more than 163 people have died as a result and over 4.4 million cattle have been slaughtered as per the eradication process.

Avian flu, a hybrid super-bug that is able to infect more species than a normal flu virus and is also lethal to humans. A wide spread pandemic across most of Asia, Europe and parts of Africa.

Almost makes me want to become a vegetarian...... but wait, just recently in 2008 there was a huge recall of fresh jalapeño and Serrano peppers, fresh tomato, green onion and cilantro from Mexico due to a salmonellosis outbreak. Also in 2006 there was another huge recall of both fresh spinach and lettuce across all of North America due to e. coli......

Wondering as I walk the aisles of my local market, picking up products and placing them in my cart. Does this food have the potential to seriously injure or kill me? How is this going to change in the future? I know I'm going to be keeping my eyes and ears wide open, but I don't want to have to question my food. I want to enjoy it.

Tastes Likes Comfort

What is it about food? A simple bite can cause your thoughts to whisk you away from the time and place you happen to be, something so subtle yet so powerful all in the same instance. You're brought to an location within yourself where nothing matters but the taste, the memories and feelings it provides. The most beautiful part about this is you're not limited to simply one occurrence..... anything you eat can cause a sort of bond with life past, almost like as long as you can have that taste the moment will always be there.

There is comfort food because food is comfort. I'm trying to re-develop my priorities when it comes to how I cook. I used to cook simply to impress a taste for adventure, now I'm more focused on pleasing one's heart as well as their palate. Food is art, yes.... but it should become so because how it makes you feel, not just the colours and pretty arrangement on a plate.

Don't lose yourself or you'll lose what food should really be about..... the comforting taste.

Pan Seared Salmon on Caramelized Apple & Fennel with a Maple Ginger Glaze

Welcome ladies & gentlemen, to the first of many recipes I'll be letting loose upon your eyes for your palate's indulgence. This particular recipe, not unlike most that will be displayed here, are merely experiments gone fantastically right. Fortunately I do have knowledge enough to realize what flavours will mingle with each other, therefore thankfully these recipes usually aren't complete shots in the dark. I do hope you enjoy.... I did.

Serves 2

2 6oz pieces of salmon (skin on but with scales removed)
1/2 medium size white onion, thinly sliced
1/2 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
1/2 bulb fennel, core removed and thinly sliced
6 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 tbsp minced ginger

fresh tarragon leaves

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Place the sliced apple, fennel and onions in a frying pan with 6 tsp of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Saute on med-low heat, periodically stirring so as to develop even cooking throughout the dish, until they become a sort of caramel brown colour. make a small pile of mixture in the middle of the plate.
3. Heat up a pan on top element, high heat, until extremely hot, add a touch of oil and place salmon in skin side down. Continue to cook on that one side until skin becomes brown and crispy (not burnt). Turn over salmon on flesh side and place in oven. Remove from oven approx 5-6 min later (the salmon should be just starting to discharging a white substance from the flesh, don't be alarmed.... it just means delicious)
4. Remove salmon and place it on the caramelized apple and fennel. Using the same pan place back on the top element, med-high heat, add maple syrup, ginger and butter. Stir together until sauce thickens and starts foaming (should happen within about a minute of heating and mixing). Using a spoon, glaze over the salmon and surrounding plate.
5. Garnish with fresh tarragon.
6. Eat.