Colborne Lane...lessons in food

Well, my exam overload is finally over so I can get back to some delicious food and relax over the holidays. However, I did have some free time 2 weeks ago when my Mom took a visit into Toronto. We went out to a few extraordinary restaurants that have inspired me to be a better chef, but one of them stood out from the pack; that was Colborne Lane.The wait was worth it. After 16 months of taking walks down to St.Laurence Market just to pass by Colborne Lane and look through the glass, I finally had a chance to sit down and eat their. From the minute you set foot in the place you know that you're in for a different food experience. The energy from the restaurant is a vis of a love for food. People who come here are here for the food. Period. If you have any reservations about going, discard them right away, you need to eat at this restaurant. It is as close as you can get to a pure emotional response from food.
Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of all of the food. So, if you do manage to make it out there the food will probably not be on the menu anymore for you to try. The menu rotates frequently. Though, tasting the caliber of food that was offered I know that what ever is offered will be...delicious...

1. The special of the night ~ Toro Belly Sashimi done 3 ways
Simple. Light. Tasty.
Almost did not need the extra ingredients. As a frequenter of sushi, this dish made me understand why simple dishes are sometimes better than the more complex ones. The parts in this case were more important than the whole. The olive oil, fois gras and tomato were unnecessary. The toro would have been able to hold its own.

2. Prosciutto and White Chocolate Gnocci Soup
Presented without the cream and then poured on table side. The soup was silky but thick at the same time. Because the other ingredients were not cooked into it it gave it a unique texture that I have yet to find in another soup.

3. White Caramel Squid

4. Miso Foam Salmon
Actually, this salmon my least favorite. It tasted fine and the spices worked perfectly together. Yet, salmon outside of the west coast does not taste that fresh. I don't know...must be a west coast thing.

5. Green Pepper Indian Spiced Rack of Lamb

6. Sable fish (Black Cod)!
This was easily the best plate of food I have ever had in my life. I cannot being to describe how all the favors worked together. It is the mark of a good chef when he is able to make 3 or 4 different flavors work at the same time instead of them simply mixing together in the food. I had to stop and let the food sit in my mouth just to pick out the distinct individual flavors. That is what made this dish, and most of the others, stand out against the pack.


7. Nitro Ice Cream
Just look at the preparation for this dish. The matre'd come to your table with a metal bowl full of liquid nitrogen. He then takes a bowl full of white chocolate vanilla cream and pours it into the the nitrogen; freezing it instantly. Then he added nuts, marshmallow, and chocolate to the mixture. Imagine, ice cream created at your table. As cold, fresh, and smooth as instant ice cream can me. A marvel of science and food.

See...see...this enlightening experience has taught me two valuable lessons. Look above, specifically the gaps. Looks like a bad test I failed to study for. The mislabeled dishes and the empty picture spots. Shameful. I broke the first rule of writing about food. Always know what you are eating and how to describe it. I cannot properly do that with knowing the dish and showing the dish. Therefore, onto the rules. First, I must always remember and write down what I ate. I cannot come back here empty handed with incorrectly labeled food. Its an amateur more. For how can anyone first understand the food if they cannot know what it is. Secondly, to really appreciate the food it must also been seen, as well as eaten. Pictures must always, always be taken.

Lesson learned.

Tappo?

Did anyone happen to make it out to Nuit Blance a few weeks ago? The scene was incredible. Toronto actually managed to turn it's concrete playground of a city into an all night art exhibition. Easily the most engaging city wide festival that you will participate in and the best part was how accessible and diverse it was. If you did not like the atmosphere in one area you could simply stroll over to another place and see what they were presenting.

Before me and my date decided to stroll around Toronto we stopped off at an Italian restaurant in the distillery district called Tappo. After wading through the crowd of people watching the glass and clay blowing demonstration we finally reached the restaurant which was unappealing from the moment we saw it. It had all the aspects that could have made it a good restaurant, but it seemed to accentuate all the aspects that it shouldn't have.
After waiting 10 minuets for a waiter to seat us, it seemed their host/hostess had the night off, we were directed to a few tables. It seemed that even he did not know where he wanted to seat us. After pulling out his treasure map from his back pocket and directing us to the "X" on it we finally sat down. Did I mention that we had reservations? Then after another 5 minuets we received menus, but it think the hostess/waiter is supposed to give them to you when you are seated, but not here. After waiting, again, I knew that the waiter was here to take our order only by the slap on the back he gave me. More excess waiting ensued before we could even flag down our waiter to give our order. While he was leaning over both of us to take our order, which he forgot promptly and had to be reminded of, we could see that the pressure of the night was starting to get to him. The sweat the was sticking to his forehead had had enough and he proceeded to sweat on us and our table. I believe that was the aperitif of the night.
It seemed that all the people who were out at the distillery district just to be seen descended upon it's bar hoping that their presence alone would elevate the atmosphere away from the trendy art scene and onto themselves. This was most fervently demonstrated by the middle aged mother who, while hitting on all the men by showing them pictures of her kids, would continue to lean over and tell me not to eat her salmon. You could really tell she was out for her kids as was accentuated by the 4 bottles of wine and the pair of empty cigarette packages on the table. But the reason I go out is not the people around me or the wait staff, it is about the food.
After our orders were finally on the table the food, after all the build up with everything the restaurant had bombarded us with, was less than expected. For an Italian restaurant to overcook an antipasto is simply unacceptable: chewy calamari, dry and chard quail, and hoary vegetables. The mains were still on order until 30 min after I ordered, I was told that they were out of the Boar and as a good waiter he decided to choose a substitute for me. Except, it was not what I was in the mood for. Even when I got to reorder I was let down. Salmon on a bed of greens with tomato sauce out of a can is not an Italian dish, it is something from a 24 hour diner. Now this is not to say the salmon that I ordered and the tenderloin that my date ordered was not cooked well only that when you go out to an Italian restaurant you would expect some Italian flair or content with your meal. Not simply a clone of a plate you could eat at any other restaurant.
Bad service. Poor Food. Suffocating atmosphere. Tappo has it all. The saving grace for the night was the wine which we received 30% off of because the server decided not to tell us, after all of our orders went in, that the bottle we previously ordered was out of stock. Sufficient to say, the bottle that we did receive was excellent...except it has fallen out of my possession so I cannot tell you what it was. Sorry
All in all I would stay away from Tappo. It just happens to be yet another overpriced Italian restaurant in an otherwise saturated market.
Cheers!

Sushi and Coffee Shops

If you're walking around your neighborhood I'm sure you can see a growing trend of budget sushi and coffee shops popping up around you. Pre-packaged "boutique" restaurants are practically on every corner and their social and ascetic aspects have been lost; most notably are sushi restaurant and coffee shops.

I'm sure people have started to notice a horde of sushi restaurants encroaching everywhere. Not surprisingly, they basically have the same thing all menus: rolls, udon, bento box and sashimi. Substitute salmon for tuna here and eel for squid there and you have yourself a 'unique' roll that the guy around the corner does not. Most troubling is the people running these restaurants are not even Japanese any more! I feel quite betrayed when the person who is rolling my sushi is speaking to the server in Cantonese or Korean. Now, not all Italian restaurants are run by Italians. However, the people that own and operate them do not dress up like Italians and decorate the inside of the restaurant as if it actually was an authentically Italian. So if you're running a Japanese sushi restaurant and you're not Japanese, don't advertise that your restaurant is authentic.
The growing trend of mono-culturing sushi is part of the problem that is plaguing the food service industry. Its no longer about the product that is being sold, it is about how is it marketed. Advertising and packaging are paramount to how some perceives a restaurant. Honestly, how often have you walked past a restaurant only to dismiss it purely on the way the outside appealed to you without even looking at the menu? It could be one of the best meals of your life but that opportunity is gone because of purely superficial concerns.

Gone are the days were a coffee shop was a personal experience: fresh baked goods, personal service, relaxing atmosphere and actual coffee. With Starbucks and Second Cup appearing on every corner, sometimes even across from each other, - Robson and Thurlow! - where have all the real coffee shops gone? Delaney's is a ripe example of what a coffee shop used to be. Now, just like any other business, it is set its sights on expansion and in the process alienated its customers. From what I can gather about running a business, you never want to make your customers feel unappreciated or mundane. Remember, its all about the customer and stores like Starbucks know that. They make their employees act personable and cheery (company policy) so that when you order they act as if they are interested in you. Except they are not. It's all a shame; there is no love, no interest. It has come to the point where at my local Starbucks - which I try to avoid at all costs - they have stickies across all the equipment in the back reminding them that they need to smile, ask us how we are doing, and show a 'personal' interest in the customer.
How can the interest be personal if it is printed in the employee handbook?
We would all like to believe that we are somehow helping people and doing our part but when it comes to big name coffee shops, or big name anything, it is really not the case. They don't need us or our money because the person behind us will just take our place. It is when this happens that the coffee shop loses exactly what makes it a coffee shop. It is not about the coffee that makes a place special, it is about the community: the interaction you have with people, striking up a conversation with someone new about current events, or commenting on a book someone is reading. Doing all this while relaxing to a cup of coffee and a freshly baked scone; a slice of the nostalgic life in an otherwise hectic day. In and out caffeine IVs need to end their personal facade. Large comfy sofas, dim lights and menus in French/Italian don't make a place unique, they just make it unitary; all of it was thought up by a R&D guy to promote the aesthetic vale of the place with the idea that it will also give it character. Its like playing lounge music at a restaurant, its just filler to distract.
The last and only true coffee shop I have found is Honey's in Deep Cove, Vancouver, BC. Hands down the best place to get fresh baked goods, great coffee, and a warm atmosphere. Go in a try for yourself what all the locals know.

What is most important about the experience of food is it's substance: who is is made by, what are the ingredients, who are you experiencing it with, where are you, and how it makes you feel. It is everything from the decor to the staff to the chef to the location, and all of this is lost when restaurants start to become uniform and governed by a code on conduct guide. So stop supporting the places that pop up just to make money or are just clones of existing places. If you start going to independent coffee houses or eating authentic Japanese sushi, you still start to appreciate the extra effort and care that these places pride themselves on and it might make you want to experience that personal touch a bit more.

West

Welcome to West, the jewel of restaurants in Vancouver that otherwise drowns in a sea on mediocre food. I'm not saying that the food in Vancouver is bad, just that after eating out in restaurants around the world, this city has a lot of catching up to do. West on the other hand, simply stands out. It reveals exactly what a food experience should be:impeccable food, service, decor, and charm. This is a restaurant that makes you smile the second you walk in because of the sheer energy that radiates out of it.

The food, the food; simply one of the best meals I have ever had. All that needs to be done is look at their presentation to understand the complexity of the food. Just to mention a few favorites: Quail Ravioli with Double Smoked Bacon, Bison Tenderloin, Lobster Cannelloni, Warm Chocolate Tart with Caramel Center, Pan Seared Scallops with Walnuts and Pears...just to name a few.

Backyard Adventure

Among the trendy cookie-cutter restaurants of College Street in Toronto lies somethings unexpected. Just off the man drag is a quaint little restaurant, where if you didn't take a closer look you would be mistake it for a home.

This is Olivia. Easily the most most charming and romantic restaurant I have set foot in. Converted from a turn of the century house it has something that most restaurants, regardless of their food, lack; that is character. It has the essence of being back at home, even though you are in the middle of the city, for a summer meal outside with your family. The backyard has been converted into a patio who's centerpiece is a large tree with a hanging firefly lantern . Just to get to the backyard you have to cut through the kitchen. Sound just like home. Exploring the house further I saw that the wine cellar in the basement also doubled as their private party room, through I'm sure they don't leave the guests unattended with all those bottles just waiting to be corked. The main dining room is lit by candles which gives the appropriate atmosphere to the Cuban jazz band in the corner. This is a restaurant that must be revisited again and again; if not for the food, then for the atmosphere. It has the experience that you expect from a intimate restaurant and it delivers one that is rarely delivered.

The most unexpected and talked about dish that night was the roasted red pepper and watermelon summer soup. Simple. Crisp. Innovative. I talked to the Chef and he told me to prepare it...

Olivia's Roasted Red Pepper and Watermelon Soup

1 Roasted Red Pepper (No seeds or stem)
1/2 a Watermelon
2 Springs of Mint (No Stems)

Simple? Simply roast the red pepper until the skin starts to turn black. Then remove the stem and seeds. Take the rinds off the watermelon so all you have left is the red inside. Throw everything into a food blender, including the mint, and puree until it is smooth and has no chunks. Chill and serve cold with mint garnish.

Enjoy!

PS.
Happy Canada Day!

玄米茶

For most people, a cup of tea involves a bag from a box and water from the spout. However, just as with wine, tea becomes a much more complex drink when the time is taken to prepare it correctly. When fresh tea is used and steeped correctly, the true taste of the leaves comes out. Consider the Japanese tea 玄米茶 (Genmaicha) a very basic green tea. When steeped incorrectly it loses the unique texture and instead simply tastes bitter. For being the 'commoners tea', Genmaicha is a surprisingly hard tea to brew correctly or even make.

To make the actual Genmaicha tea there are two processes. The sencha tea leaves are first prepared by steaming them in a traditional Japanese fashion. Secondly, rice is roasted until it becomes a golden brown color. Afterwards both ingredients are combined.

The actual steeping process of the tea is what will determine whether it is a good pot or not. A traditional iron Japanese tea pot is the best bet. It keeps the temperature constant longer so that the tea steeps correctly. The water that is boiled should be filtered water because impurities change the subtle taste of the tea. After the water has come to a boil it must cool to 85 degrees before it is added to the tea. For ever cup of water one heaping teaspoon of tea should be used. Add the tea first to the pot then add the water. The tea should be steeped for 2 and a half minuets then removed; any longer and it will become bitter. If all this is done then you have a great cup of Genmaicha. The more you make it the more you will get a feel of just how long you should steep it and how hot the water should be. These measurements are simply guidelines; more experiences means a better cup of tea. If done correctly it should taste like a smoky sencha.

If your ever looking for a place to get some tea that has something more then Tetley stop off at The Urban Tea Merchant they have the best selection of tea in North America because they are the only offical supplier of Mariage Frères - the oldest tea company in the world - this side of the Atlantic.

Enjoy

Infamous Bread

This has been getting a lot of attention in the past few days, The No-Knead Bread recipe. Mostly because some food blogger, who will remain nameless, have been trying to pass this off as their own invention. They should check their facts, it was posted in the NY Times a year ago...

None the less its still a FANTASTIC recipe.

Try it out

Enjoy

The Finer Side of Pennask

Possibly the most quintessential experience that a father and son can have during the son's adolescence would be a fishing trip. This is a time honored tradition that is practiced throughout the world. Whether it is with a young child or mature adult, their is something primal about being a boat with ones father. You learn a lot about the other because, well you're forced too. As much as most son's do feel a disconnect from their farther during their childhood (Mr. Palahniuk said "We are a generation of men raised by our mothers") their is something about hunt for food that brings out the primal emotions that all men share. They cannot be communicated between each other. Both just know that they have experienced something foreign to their urban nature, but it is something that draws them closer to each other. A sense of more the just family ties, but fraternity, comradely, and fidelity. An experience such as this would seem mundane if it was interrupted by an unimpressive lunch; a fest must be had! And so it shall be...

Pennask Pumpkin and Bree Stuffed Trout

Fish Prep:
Clean and gut the fish down it's belly. Once everything has been removed lay the fish on it's side and make a small cut, perpendicular to the one made gutting the belly, from the back of the fish to its belly. Do this every 3 inches and on both side of the fish. This will make sure the fish does not curl on the grill and make it easier to flip and cook. Make sure you have some skewers soaked in water to close up the fish after it has been stuffed.

Stuffing Prep:
Simply mix everything but the cheese and limes together in a bowl. Once the fish is ready to be put on the grill stuff the cheese in to the fish first and squeeze lime into it. Once that is done add the rest of the stuffing into the Trout. Now 'sew' up the trout where it was gutted with the soaked skewer. This will prevent everything from falling out when it cooks.

Ingredients:
Because the size of every fish varies, it is up to your own discretion on how much or how little should be stuffed.
Fresh Caught Trout (Rainbow)

Crushed Pumpkin Seeds Creamy
Bree Cheese
Fresh Rosemary
Fresh Oregano
Limes
Salt and Pepper

Soaked Skewers

and Olive Oil for the grill

*Optional Tin Foil if you don't want to lay the fish on the grill or in a frying pan*

Cooking:
Simple enough...brush the grill with the olive oil and just lay the fish directly on the grill and cook each side until the tail starts to curl over. Should take no more then 5min a side. If you opted to use the tin foil, this will reduce it from sticking and will take longer to cook. Your food will also be lacking the the tried and true cookout taste that is to be expected. If cooked correctly the trout should be pink throughout. Enjoy!

PS. Happy (Early) Fathers Day Dad

Back in Black

It's been quite a while since i last posted on my blog...not that I have a dedicated fan base yet to disappoint yet, however keeping up with this should be habitual. Yet as with all aspects of an extra curricular activity life gets in the way:exams, work, friends, moving, and all the rest. I'm still trying to bring the best of the best, as can be afforded by me, to this site to show the joy of food.
During my time off from writing here I have been keeping busy going out and trying new restaurants and food, and some wine to top it off. The only thing is that I simply have not had time to write about it. I have had the time to go out a fair bit, its just finding to the time to put it all down on the page that has been difficult.

So without further adieu....

During my time off is spent a fair amount of time restaurant hopping around Toronto. Now, most people would go to The Rex for some jazz. However, The Rex, while known for it's music, is not known for it's food. The place that I decided to settle down at for a night, 'Nawlins, not only offers a better atmosphere and music, but food as well.
We spend the night polishing off plate after plate of apps and a bottle of Gewürztraminer wine. To my dismay, the bottle broke while transporting it back home. If i could remember the brand i would easily buy the bottle again. It was perfect for a little chit chat over candlelight and jazz music. Besides the wine, the one dish that stood out from all the others appetizers was the 'Coconut Shrimp'. Could you expect anything less from a Cajun Restaurant? But it was mssing something, a few things in fact. So I decided to come up with this...

Sweet Poached Shrimp with Coconut

Ingredients:

5 Giant Prawns

Poaching Liquid
1 1/2lb of Butter
1/2 Cup of Water
2 Tsp of Honey
1/2 Cup of Lime Juice
Salt to Season

Sauce
1/2 Cup of Butter
1/2 Cup of Coconut Milk
1/2 Cup of Heavy Cream
1 Tsp of Cinnamon
2 Chipotle Chili Peppers
Salt to Season

Garnish
Mint Springs
Shredded Coconut
Kaffir Limes
1/2 Cup of Wine (Chardonnay)

In a sauce pot melt the poaching butter, after it has been completely melted mix in the other poaching ingredients and bring up the temperature. If you bring up the temperature too high the butter will separate, don't let this happen. When the temperature is around 170 - 180 add the shrimp and let them poach in the butter for 5 - 8 min until cooked. Once cooked skewer them with a wooden skewer.
In another pot, melt the butter for the sauce (Yes this recipe has a lot of butter, but butter makes everything taste better!) After it has melted add the rest of the ingredients, except for the peppers. Keep whisking the pot so everything stays together. Once it starts to boil, add the whole peppers. Reduce the sauce 3/4 to a 1/2 of its original size.
To serve, pour the sauce into a small bowl and place the skewered shrimp above the sauce without touching it. Garnish with springs of mint and shredded coconut shavings. Put a lime on side of the plate just to add some zest.

Castello di Monsanto

Possibly one of the best wines that i have had in recent events has been the Chianti Classico Riserva. I don't pretend to know a lot about fine wines. I don't know whether it has come from the south of France or the north, whether the grapes are 3 years or 30 years, or whether the tannins were used properly. All I know is whether a wine tastes good or not, and this wine tasted good...
In North America people see wine as something that accompanies very fine dining. People don't understand that wine is not something that sophisticated people drink, it is something that everyone should drink. I want to curb the stereotype that wine is only for the people that can afford it. Wine should be enjoyed by everyone. It adds another detention to the food that you are eating. It does not matter if you know anything about wine, as long as you enjoy it. The bottle could be $8 dollars, but if it makes the food you eat that much better then it was worth it. To enjoy wine you do not need to hand over a lot of money, but simply know what food to pair what wine with. A $100 bottle of wine, paired with the wrong food, will taste as if it was poured out of a box.
The real power in wine is the conversation it invokes from people. It draws out the humanity in people. They share things that they would otherwise keep personal. Accredit this to the alcohol or to the majesty of a good bottle of wine, it does something to a conversation between people.
I don't know what it was about this wine, but everything just clicked. I had the lamb chops that night, but even before that, paired with the cream of bok choy soup, the wine held it's own. Seeing as how I'm Italian and this is an Italian wine, I might just have an affinity for things Italian. However, my guest that evening also shared my sentiments about this wine. It was like walking through strawberry fields in Florence; a sweet but bold red. If you can find this wine on the shelf, I suggest you grab it. From one person who loves food to another, you won't regret picking it up.

Couillard's Spice Room and Manyata

I don't know if any students follow the food industry as close as I do. Probably ones that go to cooking school, but for myself who has no access to a full working kitchen, it is hard to follow it as closely as I would like. I can read all the books about cooking that I want to, but unless I can actually do it myself, it is basically a waste of time. I'm not a 'foodie'. I find that term very derogatory towards the way I perceive food. A foodie's like good food and there is nothing wrong with that. I on the other hand, am a Chef. I not only enjoy good food, but I make it my mission to find out just how to make what I just ate.
However, all that is about to change. I was just hired to be a server at Greg Couillard's new restaurant called Manyata. After a quick chat with Greg, I also might have a job in the kitchen as well.
This is hands down, the most creative kitchen I have ever seen. Granted when I asked Greg if he dabbled in molecular gastronomy, he chuckled and told me that, "[he] actually cooks and leaves all the other stuff to the new guys." and from looking at the menu he's not bullshitting anyone. His menu is simple enough that it won't scare away the casual eater but elaborate enough to entice any food snob. This is the menu for people who want good food and want to recognize it at the same time. Your not going to pay $50 for a half portion of expensive tar-tar, here you get what you pay for. If your going to bleed out of your wallet for a meal, it will be reflected not only is the quality of the food but also the quantity.
While the section of the restaurant, Spice Room, is not open yet Manyata, the courtyard part of the restaurant, is up and running. I highly suggest anyone in the Toronto area to stop by for lunch.
Everyone needs to try the Lamb and Stilton Burger. This is a burger for people that love burgers. It's stuffed with the blue cheese and served with a medley of toppings that are almost found on your everyday burger. These are the same ingredients, but with Greg's own twist to them; a different kind of tomato other then your signature North American red and lettuce that is a bit more exotic then just a leaf from a head.The masterpieces of the kitchen don't end when dinner service is over they continue over to dessert. The pastry chefs that work in the back are geniuses when incorporating Greg's vision into the dessert. These desserts look very sexy, simple concepts but masterfully executed when presented. Just try the spice cake and we'll talk later.
Cheers!

Alumni Dinner

Ohhhh....my head...just another alumni dinner at the Beta house in Toronto...
On Thursday, me and another up and coming chef that I live with, put together a little something for the actives and alumni of my house. Two nights of prep later we had a meal fit for a Beta, 70 Betas to be exact. To start, we had a simple salad with a vinaigrette, nothing too fancy. The next course, the soup, was the dish that took all of time to prepare. We made an Apple and Squash puree that was amazing. Few of the 60 year old alumni decided to forgo their spoons when they were nearing the end of their course, in favor of their tongues to lick the bowl clean. I think it was a hit among them all. The next course was baked chicken with a 3 mushroom sauce, brown sugar glazed carrots and garlic mashed potatoes. To finish the night we had a tipple layer espresso angle food cake with whip cream, blueberries and strawberries.
I'm fairly impress that Dodge and myself were able to throw this together for the members of my house. Seeing as we had never done anything like this before. All in all, it was a fairly impressive meal with an even better crowd.
I, on the other hand, decided to celebrate a little to soon after the last course was out. On that note I decided to drink a whole bottle of wine to catch up with all the others. Bad idea. I spent the whole day over a stove and then I spent the whole night over the toilet. Poor sportsmanship on my part.
With that I'm going to leave the recipe for the soup, since it seems that people thought it was the most impressive part of the meal.

Theta Zeta Apple and Squash Alumni Soup

4 Peeled Apples (Red Delicious)
3 Acorn Squash
3 Butternut Squash
3 Cups of Chicken Broth
1 L of Half and Half
1/2 tbs of Cinnamon
1/2 tbs of Pepper
1/2 tbs of Chili Flakes
2 tbs of Chopped Walnuts
1 Leek Leaf (Finely Chopped)
1 tbs of Chopped Garlic
3 tbs of Butter

Pre-heat the oven to 375 and put on a pot of chicken broth (if you don't have any broth just have some bullion cubes at hand). While the oven is warming up take your apples and cut them up into bite sized chunks. Put the squash into the oven once it has hit the correct temperature and let them bake for and hour or until the squash is tender enough to scoop out with a spoon. Once they are done baking scoop out all the squash into the same bowl that you are storing your chopped apples (it will just be easier to transfer them later)
Put a stock pot on the burner over medium head, enough to melt the butter but not burn it. Now add the leeks and let them simmer for 5 minutes. After they have simmered add the garlic. Now it is time to add the apples and squash. After they have been added turn the heat up to medium-high and let them cook a bit while your stir the pot, say for about 5 min. After then, add everything thing else: cinnamon, pepper, chili flakes, walnuts and the half and half. Stir in everything for about 10 minuets over the medium-high heat.
Now you need to transfer all the contents of the pot into a blender and puree it until the texture is smooth.
Transfer the puree back into your stock pot and let it simmer for 40 min over a low head. Once this is done you are ready to serve. The final presentation should be the soup with a cream (or half and half) drizzle over top and some walnuts in the center.
This soup may be fitting for the Autumn, but it is also good for those cold and rainy spring days. Just what you need to warm yourself up.
Cheers!

Bobby Flay's Peanut Butter French Toast

Bobby Flay is probably what is wrong with celebrity chef these days, too much flair and narcissism. His personality just seems so manufactured along the same lines as Emeril's. Catchphrases and antics rather then food and results. That being said, they can both cook damn well; a lot better then i could hope to. I just wish he would get to cooking it rather then standing on tables gloating during an Iron Chef match.
What did impress me about Mr.Flay as of late was his recent performance on Iron Chef America when he battled a local Canadian chef Lynn Crawford with the peanut. Both of them put up a great fight; you cant expect anything less from an Iron Chef battle (Season 4 Episode 2). However, it was Bobby that really put up the 'wow factor' with his 'Peanut Butter French Toast'. This is a dish that everyone needs to see let alone eat it. He took something as rag-tag a French Toast and spiced up far more then most restaurants could ever hope to do. This was more then just a little powered sugar and maple syrup.Being forced to eat as a student does I don't I'll be creating something like this for a long time. However, I scoured the episode just to find out what he actually put in it so that maybe in the near future I could attempt to make it. I have what i think is the recipe for "Iron Chef Bobby Flay's Peanut Battle Peanut Butter French Toast". I just hope I picked out all the ingredients from the episode. Enjoy!

Iron Chef Bobby Flay's Peanut Battle Peanut Butter French Toast from Iron Chef America Season 4 Episode 2

Serves 6

Toast Filling:
2 Cups Peanut Butter (Chunky)
2 Cups Cream Cheese

Peanut Butter Batter:
3/4 Cup of Whipping Cream
3/4 Cup of Whole Milk
1/4 Cup of Brown Sugar
6 Large Eggs
2/3 Cup of Peanut Butter (Smooth)
1/2 tbs of Nutmeg
1/2 tbs of Cinnamon

Pino Mayhaw Sauce:
1 Bottle of Pino Noir
1 Handful of Grapes (Still on Stem)
1 Cup of Water
1 Cup of Brown Sugar
1 Cup of Mayhaw Jelly
2 Sticks of Cinnamon

1 Loaf of Sourdough Bread

6 tbs Butter

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
To make the syrup combine 1 cup of water and brown sugar saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Now add the grapes, cinnamon sticks. Add the whole bottle pino to the mixture and let reduce by 3/4 or until it becomes a syrup. Let cool. When cooled add the jelly. Now for the toast...
Mix the chunky peanut butter and the cream cheese in a food processor until they are throughly mixed. This will be the filling for the French Toast. Now cut double the amount of slices of bread as you want pieces of toast. Cut the crust off of all the pieces. Spread the filling onto one slice then add the other slice on top to make a peanut butter sandwich.In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until well blended now add the cream, milk, peanut butter, nutmeg, and cinnamon and sugar and whisk until well mixed.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter on a nonstick pan griddle over medium heat. Dip your peanut butter sandwich into the batter. Make sure you allow both sides to absorb the custard. Grill the soaked bread until they are golden brown. I would say 4 minutes per side. Put the finished product into the oven onto a plate to keep warm. Repeat.
Once all the toast has been cooked, present on a plate a dollop the pino sauce on top. This should be done in front of the person you are trying to impress because it adds effect to the whole experience.

That is it. I hope I have everything down. Maybe Bobby is not that bad. I mean he did come up with this...
Cheers!

Fresh food and why I'm not allowed to eat it (sometimes)

Seeing as how I'm a student living on a meager budget I'm forced to live on the bare 'student essentials diet'. This consists of such fine food as black coffee in the morning, KD at lunch, and fast food for dinner. This really makes me appreciate what goes into a good meal. But more then that it makes you wonder, 'If you're paying more for food that was grown and prepared well, what are you getting when you buy the other stuff?' Now everyone knows that a hamburger you get at Hero Burger is going to be of better quality, and better for you then the squeeze out ground beef that they serve at McDonalds.
While I am forced, because of my budget constraints to eat alot of grade-c protien, I would like to know that even through it is of lower grade that it is still just as safe for me as the triple-a cut. My concerns have been recently highlighted in Bitter Harvest and Fast Food Nation. Take a walk in these books and you'll start to see, just as I am, that the food we eat, whether fast food or in a restaurant, is not a good for us as we once thought.
Im seriously thinking about trying this 100-mile diet that the good people at eatlocalchallenge.com have suggested, but it just seems to impractical to me to go out and do it. I value my body and that is why i try to eat as healthly as possible and excerise as much as i can. However, how does a person find the time to go shopping in local markets all the time and pick out only local foods when they sitll have a variety of other commitments to deal with. I only have to contend with school, clubs, and a part-time job, but how do the people with a family, work, and a full time job cope? Seeing as I don't own a car or a bike I'm forced to walk or take transit everywhere, so getting everying localy might be a little bit of a problem. I'm not say this challenge is wrong, I just wish it was more accessible to everyone.
The real issue here is why people (such as me) who can not afford fresh food are forced to eat food that is polluting their bodies. There is a simple solution; don't eat that. I have found that it costs just as much to by fresh food then to go out to a fast food restaurant for a meal every day. You don't need to go to Whole Foods and spend everything you earned on 5 gingergold apples flown in from the hills of West Virgina and a pound of 100% free trade-organic coffee from Peru. You just need to keep shopping where you shop, but look at where the food your eating is coming from and whats in it. You can buy organic/fresh/healthly at a local store, it just takes effort. There is no need to hop around the city going from specialty store to speciality store. The reason they charge such a high amount is because the people who can afford to spend their time hopping from store to store can afford to pay twice what I can.
And if all else fails, make it. You can make a lot of peanut butter if you put it together yourself.

Appetizer

Law school has nothing to do with food, drink, or even tea for that matter, but that seems to be the direction that I'm currently in. I'm just going to be another one of the countless 'suits' staring out the window wishing he was in another profession rather then working 70 hour work weeks just to get ahead of the guy down the hall. Depressing as it sounds not all people who work 9 - 5 in the most conventional and conservative of jobs have a heart that reflects the same aspects. This is the raison d'etre for this blog.
I want to explore as much as possible the lighter side of life, especially through food. I'm convinced that the only thing that connects every human being is food. We spent countless hours slaving away over stoves or sitting in restaurants, and then we do it all over again the next day. However, most of the food we eat is simply not that good; we eat our daily dose and thats all we crave. I believe food should is an expression of the person that makes it, bluring the lines of art and functionality. You know that you have experienced this when you have had a meal that looks as good as it tastes. You simply do not what finish the meal because then you cannot look at how it anymore.
This is going to be my escape from everything corporate in my life. A place to show people that food is more then something that is served to them, it is an escape; one to be savored. Every little discovery of food that I find I'm going to post. Because if we can't agree over a meal, I don't know what we can agree over.