:: The Zen Gourmand ::

The cheese, actually. But…

“Le Riopelle de l’Isle” is a triple cream cheese from Quebec. More specifically, from l’Isle-aux-Grues, which is part of an archipelago of islands in the middle of the St. Lawrence river east of Quebec somewhere between the l’Île d’Orléans and l’Île-aux-Coudre.
It is an artisinal cheese made by the dairy cooperative “La fromagerie de l’île-aux-Grues”.

The Riopelle de l’Isle is a “blooming rind” cheese with a thin downy white mould rind. The “melt-in-your-mouth” center is creamy and smooth, reminiscent of rustic triple cream cheeses, with a salty and slightly acidic taste. It delivers delicious flavour and seductive texture, tasting of fresh milk and cream, a hint of soft butter and faint notes of mushroom. This cheese is positively “Zen Gourmand Approved”.

This cheese does borrow its name from the famous Canadian abstract impressionist painter Jean-Paul Riopelle (1923 – 2002) who was also the island’s most famous resident.
Just months before his death, the artist agreed to lend his name to the cheese and to allow the use of one of his masterpieces on its label stipulating that one dollar from every wheel sold is donated to an education fund for the island’s youth.

Anyone who knows me also knows I love cheese. Soft ones, hard ones, mouldy ones, stinky ones, blue veined ones… I love them all.
We don’t have any really great cheese shops where I live so it usually means a treck to Downtown Toronto where we have several excellent shops.
The one I frequent most, simply as a matter of convenience, not as an endorsement, is located in the St. Lawrence Market.
Extensive selection, reasonable prices and good service.
Now, I’m not a guru on cheese and will admit I often have to look up a cheese I’m not familiar with. This means I have to reach for the "World Encyclopedia of Cheese", prominently featured on of my bookshelfs.
This is a fantastic book and has a ton of information on pretty much any cheese ever made anywhere in the world. It’s beatifully illustrated and even has some decent recipes along with some essential chapters on general cheese making, cheese types and how they are made, wine and cheese pairing considerations and how to assemble the perfect cheeseboard.
This is definitely a "Zen Gourmand Approved" book any cheeselover should have on the bookshelf.

	The World Encyclopedia of Cheese An indispensible, fully ilustrated reference to cheeses of the world, combined with a fabulous collection of over 100 recipes.

Going through one of my bookshelf the other day I came across a book I meant to mention here for some time.

The book is calle “Have Some Dim Sum” and was written by a good friend of mine, Evelyn Chau.

If you enjoy Dim Sum and always wanted to know more about it or even how to prepare some of these dishes yourself, this book is for you.

Or perhaps you are always a bit intimidated at a Dim Sum restaurant wondering what it is you are looking at?

After alll, there could be as many as 60 or 70 different items to choose from!

In Have Some Dim Sum, Evelyn Chau takes the mystery out of dim sum dining.

Not only does Chau explore the evolution of Dim Sum but also has some 20 clearly written recipes and the book is generously illustrated with gorgeous photographs by well known Toronto food photographer Vince Noguchi.

After reading the book you’ll know that when you are ordering Ha Guen you are getting those delicious shrimp balls you love so much  and that Chinese Tapioca Pudding is made with tapioca pearls and lotus paste.

Yum!

Check it out: Have Some Dim Sum

Montboissié, Cow’s milk, semi-hard cheese (24%)

It is to Bernard’s credit (Nice Bistro, Whitby, ON) and his passionate persuit of fine cheeses for his restaurant that I discovered this marvel of gastronomic delight.

Produced by the Societe Fromagère du Livradois in the heart of the Auvergne region, Montboissié is a pasteurized version of Morbier. Originally named after a little farm town in France.

Montboissié Cheese

Montboissié is a semi-hard cheese with a layer of vegetable ash midway between top and bottom. Today, the ash is purely decorative, a nod to the method by which this cheese was once produced in Franche-Comté. Originally, the evening’s fresh curds were sprinkled with ash to prevent the formation of a rind overnight. The next morning, new curds were laid upon the thin layer of ash to finish off the wheel.
The wheel is then washed and rubbed by hand, forming a rind to protect the rich, creamy interior and create a delectably pungent aroma. Contrary to its smell it has a mild taste with a wonderful nutty aftertaste.
Perfect with tangy whites and light fruity reds.

I loved this cheese and look forward to getting my hands on some more.
If you’d like some, send me an email with your request and I’ll get you some!

Definitely “Zen Gourmand Approved”

Enjoy an evening of Spanish food paired with the Wines of Spain and guided by Bruno Cantieni in the capacity of acting Sommelier and Zen Gourmand! This event takes place at the fabulous La Vie Restaurant located in the rolling hills just north of Uxbridge at the Highfields Country Inn and Spa. Chefs Christine and Jeremy will prepare an exquisite 5 course extravaganza starting with Tapas and Cava for Hors d’hoeuvres followed by four courses of Spanish delicacies and a 5th course consisting of a selection of fine cheeses to complete the dinner.

For full details and reservations call La Vie at 905.473.6621 or visit their website at http://www.restaurantlavie.com/ to book your reservation online!

There are only a few seats left for this event, so please act quickly to secure your reservation.

Reception from 6 – 7 PM
Dinner starting at 7 PM

See you there!

The Zen Gourmand has been messing around in the Kitchen developing some of the popular items usually exclusively produced for Spa clients of Julie Moore Spa and is now making them available to the general public under the Zen Gourmand label.

I’m offering you a preview of two of the products and I am taking orders for these at this time. Just call or email me for the time being. The on-line store will go live in approximately 2 weeks.

These items make excellent gifts both personal and corporate. For corporate gifting, lables and tags can be customized with your business logo and special message!

This is a truly Super Premium Gourmet Food item. Top quality Sun Dried Tomatoes and a secret blend of fresh herbs are simmered in Red Wine and subsequently aged for a minimum of 2 weeks with additional herbs, spices and garlick in Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

These marinated sun dried tomatoes are exquisite on their own, as a finishing touch on a variety of pastas or salads, on tapas and appetizers or in marinades to suggest just a few uses.

250 ml jar as shown, $15

These incredibly delicious biscotti will leave you craving for more and belive me if I say “One is never enough”! Availble in a wide variety, options and packaging choices.

• Cherry – Hazelnut
• Vanilla Tradizione
• Chocolate – Espresso
• Chocolate – Almond
• Rosemary – Pecan
• Romano – Sesame – Pine Nuts

Where appropriate, specify white or dark chocolate dipped as an option.

Six Biscotti, elegantly Cello wrapped, from $12

Biscotti Tin, 240g approx., from $20

Individually wrapped Biscotti, from $2, exclusively available at Julie Moore Spa

During the recent Toronto Wine and Cheese Show I had the pleasure of meeting Anna Olson, famous pastry chef, author and host of the Food Network’s “Fresh with Anna Olson” along with old acquaintance Michael Fagan from the LCBO aka the “The Matchmaker” in “Food & Drink” magazine’s column of the same name. The specific occasion was the “Wine and Chocolate” seminar held Friday night of the Toronto Wine and Cheese Show.The seminar Anna and Michael presented explored the fundamentals of pairing wines with chocolate which is always a bit of a challenge as chocolate can have and comes in many forms. Pairing a wine with a simple bar of unsweetened dark chocolate is not going to require the same criteria as pairing a wine with a rich, creamy and sweet chocolate brownie.

The lineup of wines consisted of a NCT (Niagara College Teaching Winery) 2005 Late Harvest Cabernet Franc, a McGuigan Black Label Shiraz and a W&J Graham 2003 LBV Port while the chocolate delicacies consisted of one of Anna’s famous brownies, a chocolate chip cookie and a white chocolate crusted artisanal brie. While Anna demonstrated some of her chocolate based recipes we also learned a lot about various characteristics of chocolate as well as some neat chocolate recipe tricks from her. Michael guided the group through the various possible combinations of the wines and chocolate treats presented and the attending crowd ended up leaving with an elevated understanding of what works and what doesn’t.Here is a quick Zen Gourmand summary of Wine and Chocolate pairing considerations:

• - The wine should be as sweet as or sweeter than the chocolate (fundamentally applies to pairing any dessert with a wine)
• - Heavier wines with heavier chocolate based desserts
• - Dark or Bittersweet Chocolate requires a wine that echoes roasted and bitter (tannic) flavors and possibly offer a hint of chocolate on the nose and palate (Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel make good candidates)
• - For Milk Chocolate look towards a lighter bodied wine such as Pinot Noirs, light bodied Merlots, Rieslings and Muscats.
• - For White Chocolate, steer towards Sherries, Moscato d’Asti, even an Orange Muscat in order to pick up the mellow and buttery flavors and possible fruit tones.
• - Rich and creamy Chocolate Desserts and Treats call for sweeter wines such as a Port, Late Harvest Vidal or Cabernet Franc, Ice Wine, perhaps even a Tokay Azu.

Don’t forget to check out some of Anna’s books. You will find some truly amazing and easy to do recipes.

Anna and Michael Olson Cook at HomeJoin premier chefs Anna and Michael Olson as they entertain at home Anna and Michael Olson Cook at Home invites readers into the home kitchen of Ontario’s premier chefs …

SugarOn her Food Network show Sugar, pastry chef Anna Olson shows viewers how to create simple, original desserts that they can create at home…

Another Cup Of SugarSatisfy that sweet tooth — some more! You can never have too much of a good thing. Anna Olson brings you more of her favorite dessert recipes in Another Cup of Sugar…

The Zen Gourmand series of cooking demonstrations and tutored tastings continued on Saturday January 12th with an authentic Swiss Cheese Fondue and a tasting of three appropriate whites. Traditional convention pairs cheese fondue with wines such as Fendant, Riesling, Veltliner, Gewürtz and Pinot Gris. I chose a Peller Estates Signature Series Pinot Gris 2006 ¹⁾, a Hillebrand Artist Series 2006 Gewürztraminer ²⁾ and the Peller Estates French Cross Dry White Vidal ³⁾ which I often use a my standard white cooking wine.

The evening got under way by cracking a bottle of Ice Cuvée (see Linzer Torte post) to get everybody in the swing. It didn’t take long for the cheeses to make an appearance for sampling as well. This included Gruyere, Emmental, Appenzeller and some pretty potent Vacherin.

While the participants were still sampling cheeses I set out to pour the wines for a blind tasting (bottles carefully wrapped in aluminum foil and at proper service temperature).

Palates cleared with bread and water, the tasting proceeded and the results were not unexpected with the Pinot Gris the winner while the Gewürtz was a bit of a disappointment barely nudging out the FX Dry.

Once the fondue was prepared (using the FX Dry as the wine component) the participants had an opportunity to evaluate the wines once more on the basis of how well they paired with the fondu.

The consensus was again in favour of the Pinot Gris with the others sharing second place.

The fondue itself was a hit and the participants were polite enough not to lick the pot at the end :)

You can download the recipe here.

Winemaker’s notes:

¹⁾ Hint of copper colour with a fresh, aromatic nose of peach, melon, orange and banana with just a hint of white pepper spice. A medium-bodied wine with a soft, opulent mouth-feel and flavours of honeydew melon, pear and peach. A summer-fresh finish with flavours of green apple, lemon and pear

²⁾ Intense floral aromas and lychee notes make this classically styled Gewürztraminer easy to identify. The palate is weighty with great floral notes and a hint of honeydew.

³⁾ Pale yellow straw; Cooked pear and yellow apple aroma. Off-dry with soft round fruit flavours and light tropical fruit notes. Easy drinking wine.

Saturday Nov. 17th saw another successful evening of cooking demonstrations and a tutored tasting of sparkling wines with the Zen Gourmand.

The evening started out with the wine tasting. The three sparkling wines tasted were the Peller Estates Cuvée Niagara Brut ¹⁾, Trius Brut VQA ²⁾ and the Peller Estates Signature Series Ice Cuvée VQA ³⁾. The latter one being the clear winner.

The Linzer torte was a great hit as well. I had one made up beforehand using black currant (cassis) jam which is what the earliest recorded recipes were calling for. For the actual demonstration I used the more conventionally used raspberry jam. When the demo torte was ready to eat (a bit warm still), the consensus voted for the raspberry version. Personally, I prefer the more sophisticated and a bit tarter taste of the black currant version. If you are interested in trying your hand at one of these fabulous creations, you can download the recipe here.

Enjoy!

¹⁾ Peller Estates Cuvée Niagara Brut:  A medium-bodied sparkling wine exhibits tiny bubbles with apple, citrus and floral aromas. On the pallet echo juicy green apples and pear followed by a refreshing citrus finish.

²⁾  Trius Brut VQA : A medium-bodied sparkling wine offering pretty lively mousse, refreshing acidity and follows through with citrus, apple and yeasty notes.

³⁾ Peller Estates Signature Series Ice Cuvée VQA: A brilliant yellow/straw coloured sparkling wine exhibiting aromas of apricot and ripe apple with hints of honey and yeast. These are followed by tropical fruits on the palate and a refreshing sweet grapefruit finish.

I’m having a great time this summer trying out all kinds of different ways to grill and BBQ foods.
Earlier on I posted my secret rib recipe.
Well, I have another one now and the title of this post should give you a clue.
I finally decided to try ribs on my grill without precooking them and rubbing them instead. In doing so I discovered 2 things.
1. It’s easier
2. They taste even better
Granted, you have to like your grilled meats boldly flavoured and I’m not talking about just drowning then in some BBQ sauce or smoking them with some exotic or raunchy woods.

The other neat thing about rubbing your ribs is that there is really no wrong way to rub the ribs. Essentially you can just o through your pantry or cupboards and see what you’ve got that makes any sense. After that, and providing you have some stuff to play with, you can impart your ribs with a variety of flavours and call them “Cajun”, “South Western”, “Mediterranean”, “French Prevençal” or whatever depending on what you are going to mix up for the occasion.

Here is my ZenGourmand version:

Makes about 250ml (1 cup) which is enough to rub 2 rack of baby pork back ribs.
50 ml (4 tblsp) fresh rosemary leaves, ground up in a mortar (crushed if all you have is dry)
50 ml (4 tblsp) fresh thyme, leaves picked and chopped (use dry if you don’t have fresh)
50 ml (4 tblsp) freshly cracked black pepper (use ground white if you want to be more French)
5 bay leaves, crumbled as fine as you have patience for
8-12 juniper berries* (this can be a challenge to get unless you pick them yourself or try your healthfood store)
25 ml (2 tblsp) ground cumin
25 ml (2 tblsp) salt

Now mix this all up thoroughly. If you are making this ahead of time, or if you are multiplying the recipe to last you all season, place the ingredients in a jar of appropriate size, close with a tight fitting lid, shake it well to thoroughl blend all the seasonongs and store at room temperature.

If you are going to do the ribs the same day, take your ribs and rub your creation onto them on both sides and on the ends, patting them to make the rub stick. Don’t be shy, use lots.

If you are in a hurry, you can proceed to grill your ribs right away but if you want a more sensational taste and have the time, place them in suitable dish, cover them with foil and “marinate” them in the fridge for 4 hour or more. Just remove them sufficiently ahead of time to let them come up to room temperature before tossing them on the grill.

So now we get to the grilling part.
Does your grill have a smoking chamber? Great. Soak a good load of your favorite wood chips (mesquite, hickory, chipotle), and load up the smoke chamber. Keep enough chips soaked and ready to toss in the smoker over the time it takes to cook the ribs, about 1.5 – 2 hours.
Fire up your grill full blast on the side with the smoker only. Get the smoke happening but then keep the grill at 180 C (350 F). Put the ribs on the grill and slowly cook for 1.5 – 2 hours depending on your grill. After about 30 minutes, start basting (mopping) them with a suitable and complimentary BBQ sauce (try to match the smoke and the sauce to the ingredients). For the ZenGourmand rub, use mesquite chips and a mesquite sauce or chipotle chips and chipotle sauce.
This accomplishes two things.
1) It prevents your ribs from drying out
2) It gives the an additional flavour attitude and a nice looking glaze

<>Don’t forget to turn the ribs once in a while and top up the smoker.
The ribs are ready whee they look read and the meat wiggles from the bone.

Enjoy