mix and match

sometimes its nice to mix things up a bit.

so we did.

this week we ran the first of a new series of exciting dinners featuring two talented ottawa chefs. chef steve mitton of murray street and chef charlotte langley of whalesbone (who, might i add, are both off to work their magic at gold medal plates next week) joined us for a night of mixing, matching and well, quite frankly, a bit more collaboration than competition!

the premise of these events are that the chef's duel it out on the plates - each interpreting their version of one common ingredient per course. our sommelier team groovy grapes then finds two interesting and out of the box wines to pair with each dish.

this particular challenge featured four starring ingredients: beets, arctic char, pork, and pumpkin. chef mitton and chef langley came up with a theme they called "in and out" - each using the featured ingredient from either its "inside" or its outer layer.

here were the results....



plating roasted beets, soft chevre, Ontario-sourced walnuts and local honey


heads and tails.... local arctic char from thistle springs

plating the main course - smoked confit shoulder of pork, mustard spaetzle, trotter broth....


the final plate... on the side: pork liver pate with calvados and peach preserves garnished with home-baked crackers (speckled with pork fat)

pumpkin "pie" with graham cracker crust and fresh marshmallow topped with brown butter pumpkin seed brittle

thanks steve & charlotte!

(watch for two more mix and match dinners to appear on our 2011 calendar)

“in and out”

Pickled beets/ walnuts vs.

Roast beets/ walnut shells/chevre

BABICH BLACK LABEL SAUVIGNON BLANC 2009

Marlborough, New Zealand

CLOS DU BOIS ROSÉ 2008, California,

United States




Arctic Char Roe vs. Whole Arctic Char

TERRA SERENA PROSECCO,

Congeliano, Italy

FELICITÉ PINOT NOIR 2009,

South Africa

Pork Liver Pate/ Calvados/ peach preserves vs.

Smoked confit shoulder/ mustard spaetzle/ trotter broth

DR. PAULY-BERGWEILER RIESLING KABINETT 2008

Mosel, Germany

HERENCIA REMONDO LA MONTESA 2007

Rioja, Spain

Brown butter Pumpkin seed brittle vs.

Pumpkin pie/ graham/ marshmallow

GHIONE PICCOLE GIOIE MOSCATO D'ASTI 2009

Piedmont, Italy

GONZALEZ BYASS SOLERA 1847 OLOROSO DULCE

Jerez, Spain