Student Competition at the Delft Blue Veal Farm

creating a recipe for burgers is no easy feat ... and especially not when the key ingredient is beer!  Steam Whistle Beer and Delft Blue Veal sponsored at student competition for the best burger.  The was to create a unique burger with excellent flavours and using both veal and beer.  To see the recipes, check out the Steam Whistle RECIPES page on their site.

Liaison College students rose to the challenge and spent a few hours preparing their best efforts on gas grills for a panel of judges.  Teams from several locations vied for the prize.

 

 

 

And the winners:  People's Choice - Tracy Winkworth and SouthCoast

1st place - Jeff Kenny - Brampton

2nd place - Jeff Kenny - Brampton

3rd place - Gene Mallette - Hamilton

 

 

Kudos .. well done!

Dinner Experience at Envers

Every now and again you want a really great dinner out .... a night out where the dinner is the attraction rather than a show or event of some kind.  And such a dinner it was at Envers of Morriston where we enjoyed three courses of culinary bliss.

The menu is an assortment of flavours and concepts:

Soup of the day
Enver's caesar salad with double smoked bacon and shaved parmesan
Deerfield's mixed organic greens salad with root vegetable preserve, sweet roasted chestnuts and vanilla cranberry vinaigrette
Butter roasted sea scallops with lemon garlic creamed brussel sprout leaves and maple candied bacon Enver's duck liver pate with pickles, chutney & onion confit House made whole duck pastrami with fried duck egg on sourdough with habanero sweet potato hot sauce and pickled fennel Pan seared Quebec foie gras on brioche French toast with toasted pecans and apples preserved in Empire apple gastrique Tandoori grilled giant prawns and mango chutney with Calcutta style puffed rice, fried chickpeas, cucumber, tomato and fragrant herbs Appetizer Plate for two or more Entrees Chassagne Farm's Partridge: Roasted breasts and apple sage stuffed legs served with parsnip and pear puree, natural jus and roasted squash, caramelized onion and pumpkin seed tart Pan roasted ribeye of bison over a fricassee of potato, smoked guanciale, wild mushrooms and roasted shallots in red wine jus Vegetarian sweet potato perogies with seasonal vegetables, sherried black beans and lime creme fraiche Pan seared beef tenderloin with creamy Du Puy lentils and Bordelaise sauce Tortiglioni pasta tossed with homemade guanciale, green kale, wild mushrooms, garlic and fresh herbs in white wine creme fraiche sauce Dry aged Canadian Angus AAA striploin 10oz with Yukon gold potato puree and homemade steak sauce (larger cuts available) Duo of Ontario Lamb: Roasted rack over Colcannon potatoes with natural jus and Wellington Russian Stout lamb stew spiked with whole grain mustard topped with rosemary scone Fresh fish of the day Seasonal Vegetables Handcut Yukon gold frites with fresh thyme sea salt & aioli "Tasting portions available upon request" We shared an appetizer platter consisting of:  pork bellies, prawns, scallops and pate. I ordered the halibut special:  fish crusted in nuts served with goat cheese potatoes and crisp vegetables.   The dessert list was undeniable.  A warm upside down apple crumble cake served with brown sugar icecream.  Divine.

Farm Gate - an unapologetic celebration of local food

FARM GATE is an annual celebration of the harvest in Norfolk County.  Under the watchful eye of Chef Tracy Winkworth from Liaison College SouthCoast, the pastures and trails of the YU Ranch in Tillsonburg are transformed into a gourmet's delight.

When you arrive at the Ranch, you are invited to enjoy the cheese board (supplied by Sam's Cheese in Hamilton) and a glass of wine.  This year's winery partner was Burning Kiln Winery - the winery was built on a former tobacco farm in the SouthCoast Region and still uses the tobacco drying shacks. The wine is awesome.

Shortly after arriving you are starting on the "trail tour"

 

 

Through the meadows, around the bend into the Carolinian forest, over the babbling (and very clear, I might add) brook and up the hill and dale to the first station.  Luckily this was a wine tasting stop and we sampled a red and white from Burning Kiln.  My favourite was the Riesling - and I'm not a white person per se usually.

 

My friend Gail was a willing participant in the wine tasting and even went back for seconds.  Actually, we all did!

 

We continued on the walking journey through the open field flanked by cow pastures and we were told that there are strategically placed thickets and grasses that attract birds.  Birds help the cows stay free of pests.  And happy cows taste better.  These cows enjoyed a leisurely life of eating and relaxing in the open fields.

 

 

and this lead us to our next stop where we were invited to taste a beef tongue sandwich.  The burst of flavours from the beef accompanied by pickles and onions and a host of condiments was delicious.

 

After relishing the sustenance, we continued on the hike and meandered to another station en route and then finally back to the ranch where 22 (yes, that's not a typo) food stations were waiting for us.

 

 

To our new friends and others who travelled this culinary journey with us we say "cheese" - see you next time!!

Oakville Student Brings it ON

Nick Annis is a budding chef with aspirations to feed your passion.  He is currently attending Liaison College and working in the industry as a line cook at The Watermark in Waterdown, ON.

At Nick's recent Chef of the Day Luncheon experience, not only was he gearing up to dazzle his family and friends, he also invited his boss and boss' boss from the Watermark Taphouse and Grill.  They were not disappointed.  And they found out that Nick knew how to make flatbread.  Really good flatbread that was served with marinated  and garlic as an amuse bouche.

The entire menu was a creation by Nick to showcase his love for food and food science.  The flavour combinations were inventive and inspired.  Especially the "gun powder" served alongside a tangy sorbet on chocolate for dessert.  Yum!

Here's the menu for the lunch:
Appetizers:
Three Mushroom Bruschetta
Enoki, oyster, button mushrooms, roma tomato jam, parmesan foam

Beet and Pear Napoleon
Candy Cane Beets, Bartlett Pear Jelly, Tarragon Orange Vinaigrette

Entrees:
Raviolo Bolognese
Spinach, Ricotta, Bologonese, Bechamel

Sole Banane
Dover Sole, Banana Aspuma, Fondant Potatoes

Dessert:
Blood Orange Sorbetto
Blood Orange, Chocolate Merlot Reduction, Habenero powder, Lemon "Caviar"