Another “themed” Chef’s Table event. This one – course by course – takes us from ground offerings to the leaves and flowers.
Also as with the last Chef’s Table the menu is delightfully presented.
The meal started off with Chef’s country loaf bread with a butter infused with chimichuri.
“Roots”
Potato Gaufrette with beet whipped feta mousse and pickled carrot and ginger
Comment: Everything on the plate is grown underground– well close. The greenery doesn’t fit the category
Campo Macciane Moonlight Chardonnay, Toscana, Italy
“Bark and Trunk”
Parsnip Soup with Maple Cinnamon Crema and Porcini Mushroom Dust
Comment: Parsnip looks like a tree trunk. Cinnamon is bark, Maple Syrup extracted from the trunk, Some Mushrooms grow on the trunk (dead trunk).
Paired with Cantine Minini Audax Pinot Noir, Veneto, Italy
“The Birds and Bees”
Sous Vide Duck Breast with crispy Duck ConfitCaramelized Honey Juniper Glazed Carrots,Star Anise Espagnole, Mushroom Risotto
Comment: Circulated a container of Star Anise. The Espagnole is a French sauce made with beef or dark stock – used the bones from the duck confit thickened with potato flour. Sous vide (the duck breast) vacuum sealed and poached and roasted to crisp.
Paired with Humberto Canale Black River Malbec, Patagonia, Argentina
“Leaves and Flowers”
Lavendar Creme Caramel, Basil Rosewater Fool, Orchid and Red Sorrel
Paired with Amalaya Torrontes Riesling, Salta, Argentina
Menu curated by Chef Kyle Nichol using only Canadian ingredients. The theme obviously reflects the current somewhat chaotic environment. Kyle’s exploration of local, and Canadian, products and sources was enlightening. He generously provided information on how to source the components of the menu dishes.
Take a look at his Facebook post on this event. Amazing pictures.
Bread
House made, of course, but not super store flour. Kyle sources his flour from the Arva Flour Mill north of London. It is the oldest commercial flour mill in Canada – since 1819. There is an onsite store. Less accessible is the butter from Mr. Amish. Strathroy. This one is sea salted.
Amuse-Bouche
Steelhead Smoked Trout Salad with Kozlik’s Mustard with PEI Potato Gaufrette and Sleger’s Sprouts
Den Beston Trout farm in Ontario farms the trout. It is smoked by Steelhead in St. Thomas. (Steelhead has a wide range of seafood and is open to individual customers – at the moment Monday is “seniors day”)
Sprouts are from Sleger’s in Strathroy – just trim as needed.
The mustard is also sourced locally.
Appetizer
Cookstown Carrot Soup with Local Yogurt Creme Fraiche and Baby Leeks Duo
The yogurt and the cream comes from Hewitt’s in Hagersville but available at Remark.
The carrots were roasted and steamed in a special oven called combi therm.
Entree
AAA Braised Short Rib of Beef with Ontario Pork Sausage and Bean Cassoulet, Sunchoke Puree and Manitoba Sea Buckthorn Au Jus
The beef came from Woodward Meats in Oakville. Sourced exclusively from Ontario farms and farms that grow the feed for the animals. Sometimes they have lamb from New Zealand but beef and pork if more is needed it is sourced from other Canadian farmers.
The cassoulet is made from Romano beans grown in the prairies. The sun choke is a Jerusalem artichoke, a root vegetable, that comes from Cookstown – the same Bradbury farm that sourced the carrots. Again Sleeger’s sprouts.
The wine pairing with this course was Sandhill Syrah from the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. This wine was also used in the braise.
Dessert
Nanaimo Tart with Toasted Coconut Custard, Rheo Thompson Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate Shortbread Streusel
The custard was made with Hewitt’s cream and eggs from Conestoga Farms (available at Remark). Free range chickens. Deep yellow yolk. Mr. Amish butter. The chocolate came from a candy shop in Stratford.
The all butter shortbread shell came from a bakery in Quebec.
Local/Canadian Products
Arva flour
Mr. Amish butter
Hewitt’s cream and goat yogurt
Cold press canola oil – if available – otherwise unrefined sunflower oil
Apple cider vinegar – Filsinger’s Organic or Wellesley Apple Cider
Eggs – Conestoga Farms
Rheo Thompson Candies
Riverbend honey
Wine Pairing
From coast to coast
Braised short ribs pairing – Sandill Syrah (Okanagan Valley, British Columbia),
