Menu Curated by Fanshawe Graduates Da’Shon Cooper and Alexandra Rupert

Bread

Jamaican Coco Bread with Maple Caraway Butter

Amuse Bouche

Caesar Gelee with Whipped Chèvre, Caribbean Jerk Spices, Smoked Sea Salt, Celery Olive Pickled Bean Skewer

Paired with Cazal Viel Rose, France

Starter

Mushroom Fritter with Scallop and Prawn Ceviche, Bahamian Pico Di Gallo and Lime

Paired with Te Mania Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand

Main Course

Grasshopper Wheat Ale Braised Bison Short Ribs, Red Kidney Beans and Rice, Cornbread Cookie, Da’Shon’s Coleslaw, Braising Liquor

Paired with Bruce Jack Malbec, South Africa.

Dessert

Alex’s Canadian Whiskey Flapper Pie Whiskey Custard, Torched Meringue, Graham Cracker Crust, Pineapple Mango Coulis

Paired with Amalaya Riesling, Argentina

The concept of the “black box” was the inspiration for July’s Chef’s Table. The chef (Kyle Nichol – Executive Chef) was challenged to create a dinner (for 21 people) from a set of ingredients that Kyle was introduced to the morning of the event.

Nate (Nathan Grindstaff, sous chef) undertook the major, secretive “shopping” expedition. He visited local markets and grocery stores looking for options. The product was to be representative of the Ontario summer. Nate joked about the effort of carrying all of the bags. Interesting that some product like the lamb posed availability problems to get the quantity necessary for the occasion. Super Store coincidentally had an organic Ontario lamb offering – the main course. Smith Cheese at Covent Garden Market was the source for the crème fraiche and a variety of goat cheeses. Nate included truffle chips and waffle cones that he thought would really challenge Kyle’s creativity.

Aside: Nate expressed reservations about a rematch with Kyle doing the shopping and Nate figuring out what to deliver to the patrons.

Bread & Butter

Herbs de Provence Foccacia (made in house using lavender and herbs like rosemary and oregano – recipe on YouTube) with Torpedo Onion Butter. Whole torpedo onions were part of the “black box” and the greens were chopped into the butter.

Soup (Amous Bouche)

Sweet corn, mushrooms and double smoked bacon chowder with roasted chestnut, queso fresco (Queso fresco is a Mexican cheese whose name literally means “fresh cheese.”) and truffled potato chips perched on top.

Paired with William Wright Chardonnay, California. Not a typical California Chardonnay to my taste but acidic and cut the fat of the soup.

Salad (Appetizer)

Baby Romaine lettuce with fresh mozzarella, grilled tops of the torpedo onions, yellow tomatoes, kohlrabi, red current and balsamic vinaigrette and basil croutons.

Paired with Te Mania Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand

Main (Entree)

Oven roasted rack of lamb, crispy yellow potatoes, garlic scapes, asparagus. Jus was boosted by mint jelly and peach salsa.

Paired with Cantine Minini Audax Pinot Noir Italy.

Interesting – Pinot not all that well known from Italy.

Dessert

Black cherry and strawberry shortcake with biscuit and creme fraiche chantilly. Waffle cones were broken up into praline chips.

Paired with a vanilla old fashioned.

Chef’s Table – from Portugal with love

Starches Meats & Cheese with Olives

Bread presunto cheese & marinated olives

Paired with Due la Deu Monção e Melgaço— Alvarinho — Vinho Verde

Francesinha

Ham, sausage and roast beef, toasted white loaf, quetjo Flamengo molho de francesinha

Paired with Super Bock — Portugal

Feijoda

Vegetarian stew with beans, onions, tomatoes, turnip, potato, kale & cabbage

Paired with Castello d’Alba—Douro

Bacalhau & Alentejo Porco Preto

Salted cod with potatoes, onions, tomatoes, olives, garlic & olive oil with grilled black pork marinated in flavours present throughout the Alentejo region of Portugal

Paired with Quinta do Espirito Santo—Lisboa

Pastel de Nata Duo

Traditional nata with lemon & cinnamon Port flavoured nata

Paired with Da Foz Tawny Port—Douro

Chef’s Table July

July 27 and 28

As promised at May’s Chef’s Table Chef Kyle has created another themed and eclectic offering.

First the opportunity to enjoy was doubled – two seatings of 24, two successive evenings.

The components of the meal were sourced locally but not quite meeting the 100 mile challenge. Olives don’t grow in the area but the Greek olive oil was at least acquired at a local market, Thomas Bros, on Colonel Talbot Road just south of Lambeth. As were the Kozlik’s mustards and the corn. The greens came from Sleger’s in Strathroy, the wine from Niagara, the goat cheese from Gordon’t Goat Dairy in Wroxeter, handeck cheese from Gunn’s Hill in Woodstock and cheddar relish from St. Mary’s. Niagara peaches, Strawberry Fool from Heemans, Shaw’s Ice Cream from St. Thomas and Jakeman’s maple syrup.

To get really local there was house made focaccia (flour from Arva Mill), house made butter, house made vinaigrette.

Bread and Butter

Fresh made Arva Mill bread with the house made butter.

Amuse Bouche

Grilled Focaccia, caramelized cipollini onion, apple cider vinegar gastrique, goat cheese, basil sprouts.

Kyle created this dish for his final exam earning a commendable 97%

Wine Pairing

Trius Cabernet Sauvignon

Surprised at this pairing but the wine was quite soft with flavours of dried fruit and vanilla so it seemed to work.

Starter

Spinach and Arugula salad, mustard vinaigrette, macerated black cherries, crostini

Wine Pairing

Trius Sauvignon Blanc

Fresh and crisp – good pairing for the salad.

Main Course

Beef tenderloin, grilled. Potato chips, shaved chilli, cucumber salad, grilled corn, cheddar relish, sprouts

Wine Pairing

Peller Estates Private Reserve Pinot Noir

Described on the Peller site as light bodied and silky – worked with the complexity of the elements of this dish.

Dessert

Cobbler with ice cream, strawberry fool and salted caramel

Wine Pairing

Trius Brut Sparkling

Nice light finish to a very flavourful dessert.

At the end of the evening, Kyle showed off some of the key ingredients – many available at Thomas Bros Market, some at Remark – and also shared recent pictures of his baby.

Chef’s Table

May 19.

Another opportunity to enjoy eclectic cuisine and sip on paired wines. Chef Kyle came up with a very creative A, B, C and D menu. Take note of the starting letter of most of the words describing each course.

Chef Kyle indicated that the next Chef’s Table will be in July.

Housemade bread

With Canadian Sea Salted Butter (with a seasonal addition of ramps – wild leeks that are available only for a couple of weeks in the spring – grabbed up quickly by those in the know)

Amuse – Bouche “A“

asparagus arancini, avocado aioli, arugula almond pesto

Wine Pairing

Orchidess ‘Cover des Terroirs’ – Sauvignon Blanc, France

Starter “B“

Beet borscht with bannock breadcrumb, bacon, balsamic jam and basil sprouts

Wine Pairing

DeLoach California Pinot Noir, United States

Main “C“

Cornish hen, crispy cheddar cheese curd corn polenta cake, caramelized cider cabbage, carrot chive chutney with chili vinaigrette and celery leaves

Wine Pairing

Ogier ‘Heritage’ Cotes du Rhone, France

Dessert “D“

Date pudding donut with dark chocolate ganache and dulce de leche

Pairing

Whiskey cinnamon coffee cocktail

Nova 7 Sparkling Rose, Benjamin Bridge, Nova Scotia

Hidden Bench Wine Pairings Spring 2018

The Hidden Bench customer-facing team rolled out their new wines in a pre-release Wine Club event – proprietor Harald Thiel, winemaker Jay Johnston, retail manager Meg McGrath, assistant retail manager Maura Casey.

They hit another one out of the park. The pairings were truly innovative. The only thing that would have made it perfection would have been a slice of baguette to sop up the amazing sauces with the mussels and the pork ragout.

Served while the participants were gathering:

2013 Natur, Zero Dosage – paired with Harald’s Upper Canada Cheese Niagara Gold Gougères – Tasting Note

At the tasting:

2016 Roman’s Block Riesling – paired with shaved Ontario pork ‘lard’ on a sourdough crostini with Riesling jelly

2016 Felseck Vineyard Riesling – paired with butternut squash ‘gravlax’ on a sourdough crostini with Riesling glaze

2016 Rosomel Vineyard Fumé Blanc (90 pts, Rick VanSickle) – paired with pistachio and Upper Canada Cheese Nosey Goat crusted schnitzel – Tasting Note

2016 Estate Chardonnay (92 pts, Michael Godel) – paired with grilled cheese with Upper Canada Cheese’s Comfort Cream

2017 Locust Lane Rosé – paired with Moules Provencal (marinated in the rosé) – Tasting Note

2017 Nocturn Rosé – paired with grilled octopus salad with lemon-caper dressing – Tasting Note

2015 Rosomel Vineyard Pinot Noir (93 pts, Rick VanSickle) – paired with chicken and fingerling potato confit with a Pinot Noir and pearl onion jus – Tasting Note

2015 Felseck Vineyard Pinot Noir (91 pts, Rick VanSickle) – paired with slow braised mushroom, tomato and pork ragout – Tasting Note

California Wine Trip – June 17-24, 2017

To begin my recap of my vacation and wine study, I will inform you, the reader, that I took extensive notes on the wine part of the vacation and lost them all to a mishap with melting ice and non-waterproof ink. My apologies that the notes on my wine tastings are written based on memory – 7 wineries in two days.

So that I don’t tire my readers I have broken my travels into four parts:

Los Angeles and San Francisco
Wine and Dine
Sonoma
Napa Valley, Central Coast, Los Angeles and Home

I hope that my notes and photos capture the essence of the trip.

Unfortunately, I also lost my cell phone at the theme park on the last day of the trip. Thankfully I was able to recover the photos.

I hope these blogs are an entertaining and educating read and if you have any questions about the regions and sub regions I visited, the wineries, or wines or any other part of my trip, feel free to ask me at the clubhouse as I would love to re-live the experience!

Oh, and how could I forget? These were all the wines I purchased, only three made it home, and all of those have been drunk with friends over wonderful pairing meals.