Tasty Tangents

Food, life and other morsels

July 31, 2009
by admin
Comments Off on Chocolate Chip Cookies: A History

Chocolate Chip Cookies: A History

So I stumbled across this link to CakeSpy’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Timeline on blogger Bakerella’s site and given my huge soft spot for chocolate chip cookies, (or chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, or cowgirl cookies or anything that involves chocolate chips and dough), I was totally fascinated by the cookie history. Of course the adorable drawings don’t hurt either.

The timeline covers the evolution of the cookie, and even the advent of the chocolate chip, which didn’t arrive for some time after a clever baker chopped up a chocolate bar to make her cookies stand out from the crowd. Anyway if you’re a cookie lover like me, check it out. And if you’re a sweet lover of any kind, both sites feature some of the most mouth-watering photos of sweet things you’ll find anywhere.

July 26, 2009
by admin
Comments Off on The Gospel of Food: Everything you think you know about food is wrong

The Gospel of Food: Everything you think you know about food is wrong

"The Gospel of Food: Everything you think you know about food is wrong" by: Barry Glassner

With a lot of interesting insights into the culture of food, I expected to like this book by Barry Glassner more than I did. I think in his attempt to cover such a wide-ranging subject, including; home cooking, grocery products, restaurants, fast food, obesity and food science, it may have been a little more than one book could handle.

Fascinating insights into how restaurants handle food critics, misconceptions about the sate of fast food and the downright unscrupulous health claims of marketers trying to sell everything from watermelon and avocado to cereal and hamburgers abounded. If you’re interests lie anywhere in understanding industrial food and the restaurant world, youll find plenty to chew on here.

But what hit home for me was the level of conflicting information on diet, obesity and the benefits and harms of certain foods (or may I should say food-like products). Someone once told me you can get an economist to say anything, so diverse are their theories and opinions on how the system works. But I’ve always felt doctors, scientists and other “health professionals” shouldn’t be swayed despite corporate funding and/or the need for publicity. However, this insidious culture appears to be alive and well among the people who purport to tell us what’s healthy and what’s not. And that makes me mad.

July 17, 2009
by admin
Comments Off on La Taquizza: A Review

La Taquizza: A Review

Tostadas and Tacos at La Taquizza

Tostadas and Tacos at La Taquizza

I’d like to start off by saying I’m no restaurant reviewer. In general, I like to describe my experience at a restaurant, or with a recipe, and let readers make up their own minds.

I’m making an exception here.

Hidden in a strip mall on the outskirts of the massive Vaughan Mills Shoping Centre is a small restaurant called La Taquizza (28-3175 Rutherford Road in Vaughan, 905-669-2277). Run by a family from Mexico’s Jalisco area, the faux stucco may not fool you into thinking you’ve traveled to hotter climes, but the authentic food surely will.

An accidental find, this gem even wowed one of the biggest critics of Mexican food I’ve met in the GTA, my sister, who has lived, studied and eaten her way through much of Mexico.

While you’ll find the traditional taco and burritos on the menu, you’ll also find spectacular, spicy soups that are not to be missed. And the serve yourself station of homemade salsas ensures every dish is as hot, or not, as you like it.

Our waiter (also the owner) may have been joking when he said his mother was in the kitchen, but I highly doubt it. The service may not be perfected yet (they seem eternally short-staffed), but it was genial and never left us waiting too long.

The food is fresh and tasty, and I’ll certainly be returning for another Sopa de Frijoles or Sopa Azteca and an order of Totopitas, homemade tortilla chips served with guacamole. Plus their Tres Leches (three milk) cake is to die for. Yum.

July 7, 2009
by admin
Comments Off on Laziest post ever

Laziest post ever

So I’ve been ridiculously busy lately, and I feel I’ve neglected my foodie responsibilities. So I thought I’d slap together a quick post the fastest way I know, in pictures! Here it is, from Bobby Flay’s Grill It! cookbook.

The Book:

Bobby Flay's Grill It!

Bobby Flay's Grill It!

The Recipe:

Bobby Flay's Avocado Relish

Bobby Flay's Avocado Relish

What I Did:

I substituted flat-leaf parsley for cilantro and I lightly sauteed the onions and jalapenos in vegetable oil to make the heat a little more manageable. A tip though, wear gloves when cleaning jalapenos, you’ll thank yourself later.

The Results:

Deliciously tangy with just enough lime to balance the heat of the jalapenos.

Bobby Flay's Avocado Relish (along with the main components)

Bobby Flay's Avocado Relish (along with the main components)

July 1, 2009
by admin
Comments Off on The Feast

The Feast

Auberge du Pommier tasting menu

Auberge du Pommier tasting menu

I decided that at least once I wanted to try one of those fancy and of course expensive tasting menus you can get at some upscale restaurants. It’s the kind of meal where the chef makes multiple small dishes of his choosing and you get surprised with every course. I recently had the opportunity to try just such a menu at Auberge du Pommier, a French restaurant in north Toronto that is part of the Oliver and Bonacini group of restaurants. It was partly exactly what I expected, and partly not at all what I expected. The food was delicious, the service was impeccable, the ambiance was lovely and the company was exceptional. The meal also lasted over three hours and included ten courses. I have to say I was impressed with everything, but especially how eating different combinations of the elements on each plate led to a different flavour experience. I thought I’d share some of the highlights and some of the tips I gleaned from the menu the chef chose. I warn you though that you may be hungry if you choose to read on.

We started with an ‘amuse bouche’ of sweet pea velouté with heirloom radishes. What amazed me the most was how after eating a fresh pea, you really could taste a stronger pea flavour in the soup. Next was a deconstructed house Caesar salad served with a quail egg, white anchovy, parmesan crisp and lentils. Also delicious. Our third course was a battered lobster claw crusted with pearl barley and served with herbed mayonnaise, mandarin orange segments and a mandarin reduction. Wow! I think this course remained hubby’s favourite for the rest of the meal. The sweetness of the mandarin really brought out the sweetness of the lobster.

Our fourth course (and the only one I forgot to take a picture of) was a diver scallop served over kobe beef cheek and pureed squash with a cranberry reduction and crispy potato. The scallop was perfectly cooked, and the beef was melt in your mouth good. Next was a carpaccio and a mushroom terrine served with shaved truffle and parmesan cheese. The course also included a mushroom consommé topped with a beef-based foam and parmesan biscuit. OMG! I’ve always been a mushroom soup fan, but this combination was absolutely delicious, and the earthy truffle really emphasized the flavours.

When we hit the sixth course, we really thought we were at dessert. It was a green apple sorbet over an apple reduction with Calvados foam, served alongside a Niagara apple cider. I never realized how wonderfully complementary flavours can work together. The four apple combo was really a hit. As it turned out though, this was just a mid-meal palate cleanser. It was followed by lamb tenderloin served over lamb shank on top of mustard greens, with a side of potato croquettes over a sweet potato cube and parsnip puree. I must say I’ll never look at potatoes quite the same way again.

Our eighth course was really eight courses in one, with a sampling of a group of Canadian and French cheeses served with fresh multigrain bread, honey and bee pollen. While it was all delicious, I have to say a Canadian cheese called ‘1608’ was a stand-out star. Courses nine and ten were both fantastic desserts, and that’s coming from someone with far more than one sweet tooth.

The beginning of the end was a passion fruit and white chocolate pavé with yogurt sorbet and a crumbled milk chocolate biscuit. The flavours on the plate also included caramel, strawberries, lavender, ginger and pineapple, which all served to compliment the star of the show. Finally we sampled what may have been the simplest dish of the evening, a walnut wafer cookie served with a raspberry. Deceptively simple, and simply delicious.

Here’s what I learned; parmesan cheese can act like salt to intensify the flavour of other elements of a dish, multiple layers of the same flavour like mushrooms or apple make it even more intense, both complementary and contrasting flavours seem to enhance a dish, and potatoes and yams are truly among the most versatile ingredients. Also, food is akin to theatre, an amusing, delightful and entertaining way to spend an evening.