A Case of The Februarys

Sunshine! Lime Green Salad Varietal Tomatoes From Casey's 

February is not my favorite month. I dream of sunshine and often suffer from that "getaway" feeling. You know, where if you don't getaway to somewhere else, you might tell your colleagues, friends and family to get away from you... Anyway, Spring & Summer here in Calgary are short, and I like to harness some of that delicious brightness by growing some of my own veggies. I started with just a little tomato pot here and there, then moved to a 2' x 5' box, and now I have rented a garden plot from my Community Garden. Last year we had a plethora of potatoes, swiss chard, lettuces, carrots, and kale. It was amazing what that little plot produced for us. To augment the garden supply of veggies, I also lovingly tended to heirloom tomatoes that I started from seed. My seeds came from a fantastic community seed event called Seedy Saturday, and Casey's Heirloom Tomatoes of Airdrie. My unique tomatoes were so beautiful and interesting, and truly tasted amazing. They were perfect in salads, bruschetta, and even just on their own with a little Himalayan pink sea salt. 


A friend recently gave me a cookbook that was compiled by some of her friends and family, and the community of Nelson, BC. (Check it out if you are ever there; Seasonings: A Year of Local Flavour in Words and Recipes). In it, there was a wonderful ode to tomatoes, written by Antonia Banyard. Here is just an excerpt...

JD's Special C-Tex Varietal From Casey's 

"You have flushed with new colours. The light bounces off your curves. The lines on your skin darken from white to yellow to orange. Your smells are so familiar, I could find you with my eyes closed. I know every blemish and wrinkle, every scar. Some of you are misshapen or maturing too quickly. I will keep all of you. I will wait until you ripen. I will take you all in." 

Can you smell that terrific, oh-so-Summer scent of those tomatoes yet? I can't wait for Seedy Saturday to get started on growing some new varietals.

Pass the Bearnaise! Recipe Share

Recently, we were invited to a cook-off dinner party. Before you start imagining Kitchen Stadium or Top Chef style blow-outs, this was a good-natured, friendly competition between friends, about culinary training, and the general enjoyment of cooking beautiful meals. We were all winners for being involved.

The party started with Prosecco (something all parties should start with, in my opinion), and we enjoyed a feast highlighted by Saganaki, private reserve olive tapenade, Spanakopita done with HAND-MADE (!?!) phyllo pastry, secret recipe chicken curry, perfectly done beef tenderloin, and what might possibly be the world's best béarnaise sauce. This meal was the definition of decadence. We even had the luxury of a sommelier in our midst! 

Besides these culinary masterpieces, we were also treated to great conversation with new friends, and old. While it can sometimes be difficult to schedule time for socialization, dinner parties are a perfect excuse. You have to eat! If your evening is topped off by an animated discussion about wine that smelled like garlic sausage (you could have served it with sauerkraut and mustard!), then a good time is sure to be had. Gratitude to all involved. 

I'd like to share with you the Best Simple Béarnaise sauce recipe, brought to you by one of our fantastic chef's, that would like to remain anonymous. His wife says he will usually do the "Béarnaise Walk" around the table about half way through the meal, just to be sure you have had enough. Is there such thing as enough?

Best Simple Béarnaise

• 4 tbsp fresh tarragon
• 3 egg fresh yolks
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 lb unsalted butter
• salt & pepper to taste
• cold water, if necessary

1. Roughly chop fresh tarragon, and crush it gently with a mortar & pestle.

2. Combine tarragon, egg yolks, chicken stock in saucepan over very low heat, whisking vigorously and constantly until thickened and warm.

3. Slowly add butter by spoonfuls, still whisking constantly.

4. Add salt & pepper to taste.

4. If sauce is too thick for your liking, remove from heat and thin with small amounts of very cold water. Serves 4 people very generously, and is good on almost everything. 

Recipe Share: Potato, Cheese & Onion Tart

A few blogs ago, I mentioned in passing, a potato tart. I would like to share this recipe with you, in case you like to impress your friends and family with your culinary masterpieces. This recipe first impressed me in Vancouver over brunch with our very good friends. It might have been the experience, or the smell of the melted Gruyere, but this is one of the best things I have ever tasted. For you purists, don't balk at the use of ready to bake puff pastry or frozen hash browns. They are just time savers, make your own if you want. This recipe is being shared with you, from a beautiful Kitsilano kitchen...

• 2 (9 1/2 by 9-inch) sheets puff pastry, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded Gruyere cheese
• 4 cups frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 3 shallots, peeled and sliced thin
• 1teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup créme fraiche or sour cream
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place puff pastry on baking sheet and press sheets together at the short ends. Brush perimeter with water and fold over to create 3/4-inch border. Poke interior with fork and make horizontal cuts around outer perimeter. Tops with 1 cup cheese and bake until golden, about 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, pat potatoes dry with paper towels. Cook bacon in large non-stick skillet over med-high heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towel lined plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat. Add shallots and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in potatoes, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until lightly browned, 4-6 minutes. Stir in bacon.

3. Combine créme fraiche and tarragon in small bowl. Top parbaked pastry with potato mixture. Cover with remaining cheese and dollops of créme fraiche mixture. Bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Serves 4 people generously.