a match made in heaven

there are few things in life that qualify as a "match made in heaven" but in my humble opinion, when food and wine marry - when its carefully selected and hand-crafted by those who take their passion to heart - it has the potential to create one of the most divine, sublime and memorable impressions.

take for example the marriage of stratus wine and chef ryan crawford's cuisine.

recently we held an exceptional food and wine event that celebrated both the nature of stratus' philosophy - the art of assemblage - and the fine craftsmanship of in-house food production of artisanal products by chef ryan crawford of stone roade grille in niagara. stratus considers assemblage to be "the quintessence of winemaking"- referring to "the crafting of several grape varieties to create layered wines of complexity, wines that are a true expression of the vineyard's terroir" (not to mention, these wines are absolutely delicious!).

charles baker led the group in a lively interactive wine tasting throughout the evening and the wines absolutely sung with the food. this group was even lucky enough to savour his own Charles Baker Piccone Vineyard Riesling - which has, since its debut, sustained quite a cult following of its own. (if you want to pick a bottle up for yourself, you are in luck - the CB Riesling 2008 will be released in limited quantities in Vintages this weekend)

stone road grille is self-described as niagara's first "gastro-bistro" where on any given day you will find chef ryan crawford and his team producing a variety of house cured meats, salamis and pates - amongst other delicacies. for their signature charcuterie plate, artisanal home baked sourdough breads and house made preserves are delectable accompaniments. although taking such care and consideration to procure specialized products and use of local ingredients has become a bit of a standard in many modern day kitchens, the magic is truly felt when ryan's flavours meet on the plate.

stratus and stone road grille have shared a history of fine wine and food pairing and enjoyment over the years and here, in photo documentary, is the mouthwatering story of what unfolded at urban element that night....




Preserved White Asparagus /House Smoked Salmon Salad
Ice Syrup/Citrus Vinaigrette
2009 Charles Baker Riesling Picone Vineyard



Sustainably Caught Wild BC Tuna
Clams “Casino” Sauce
2006 Stratus White



“Shepherd’s Pie”
Braised Lamb Shank Ragu/Roasted Root Vegetable/Potato Puree
2007 Stratus Red



Monforte Goat Cheesecake
Strawberries Preserved in Balsamic/White Peppercorn Sauce
2008 Stratus Icewine Red

guest blogger: mix & match dinner

I'm pretty excited.

The Urban Element has started hosting a pretty cool event. It's this take on an Iron Chef evening - two chefs, one theme, and 4 courses... each. Marc Lepine had mentioned he was participating in the event when I interviewed him for the Celebrity Chef Event. As soon as he said the magic words: Urban Element + Trish Larkin + Marc Lepine = I just knew I had to be there.

It was sold out.

Of course it was! Who wouldn't want to attend a dinner cooked by two of Ottawa's most notable Chefs?

So I called Carley and asked if I could come and just take pictures. I promised to stay out of the way. I never even dreamed of tasting the food. She agreed and invited me to arrive while the Chefs were setting up. Perfect.

I arrived and was met with probably the calmest kitchen environment ever. Trish and Marc were calm and cool as they organized their prep and set out their plates. Both were laughing and smiling as they directed their assistants (A.J., Trish's sous-Chef at the Black Cat bistro and Luis, one of Marc's cooks at Atelier). Super laid back, lots of fun, incredibly professional and talented - that's what I would take away from my evening.

Carley greeted the 20 Urban Element guests and introduced the Chefs - who then explained the menu.


The theme was Underwater.

Trish had thought it up at about 4 am one morning (sleepless nights result in inspiration), called Marc up and he agreed. They then figured out their ingredients for each course: oysters, caviar, tuna, and cranberries.

Once those ingredients had been selected both Chefs went off on their merry way ... the next time they would discuss their plates would be that night, at the Urban Element.

One might think that might not work. It might be a disaster. That each two dishes per course wouldn't work together.

One couldn't be more wrong. Both of their menus were successes.

Every single plate was DELICIOUS. Simple. Beautiful. Flavourful. Exciting. It was everything you hope one of these events will be: mouth-watering food that leaves your pallet eagerly anticipating the next course.

And the Chefs ... well ... they were just plain super nice to hang out with. No drama, no tense moments - everything was lighthearted and fun - even when a 1/4 full tray of tuna fell on the ground - nothing. Just pick it up, toss it out and grab some uncut seared tuna from another tray. Done and Done. Even when a dessert wasn't being plated as quickly as the Chef had hoped - no big deal - work as fast and as efficiently as is possible ... and then do a demo so that everyone could see exactly what was required to get that plate to the table (let me tell you - no one minded either ... it was a pretty cool demo).




My task in all of this was simple: take pictures, chat with the chefs and taste the food (yes there was enough to allow me to sample). I anticipated liking either Trish or Marc's food better - I wasn't sure who's - but I was certain there was going to be a stand-out.

It didn't happen.

Each course was an adventure - and I think everyone would agree it was a fun one: where one Chef would serve us something delicate and mild in flavour; the other would then shock us with a spicy kick, or something more complex. But neither one seemed wrong - they both worked. It was AWESOME.

While the guests were enjoying their meal, I got to hang out with Trish and Marc in the kitchen - where they would both talk me through their dishes.

Marc used some liquid nitrogen (too cool for words ... especially when he used it on dessert), he also excitedly told me about his microwave cake (batter to cooked in 40 seconds!!!) that was then dehydrated and became this addictive crispy ginger thing (it almost resembled the texture of a crouton ... but way better and looked more like coral).

Trish was able to use the event to make dishes she wouldn't make at the restaurant - lots of little details, lots of flavour, all the components adding to the whole effect. She pulled out this pancetta that still makes my mouth water just thinking about it. It was probably the best pig product I've ever tasted. Oh yeah - and then she served a rich, creamy panna cotta that would make a person swoon.

I'm glad I wasn't asked to pick my favourites. But if I had ... well it would have been a close draw ...

oysters

Trish: sea angel oyster, preserved lemon & horseradish-foam

vs.


Marc: raw oyster with bacon, apple, and jalapeno


caviar

Trish: whitefish & salmon caviar, creme fraiche, smoked potato & cranberries
vs.
Marc: potato and dill salad with black olives and whitefish caviar

tuna

Trish: albacore tuna, BCB pancetta, charred tomato and olives
vs.


Marc: thai curry dish with tuna (lime, coconut, cilantro)

cranberries


Trish: sour cream panna cotta, cranberry jelly, white chocolate ice cream & almond biscotti (apologies ... I didn't take a picture of the plate with the ice cream on it ... it was melting at I just wanted to eat it)
vs.

Marc: chocolate, cranberry, tonka bean

this is what happens to Marc's dessert when he allows it to melt ... :0)

The evening was a brilliant success. If the Urban Element wants to host another evening with Trish and Marc - count me in. Seriously.

I took rather more pictures that what you see here (almost 500 pictures prior to editing ... but I still have a large amount ... so I'll link up my flickr album to my own blog the twisted chef - feel free to check those pictures out as well)

and a way we go...

wow! its already february! can anyone tell me where january went?!

we've started 2011 with a bang and already have had lots of exciting events and classes since we re-opened after a short break between the holidays. pies, breads and duck has been a major component of january.

february means winterlude for ottawa. now that winter has officially arrived, and the canal has finally frozen over, thousands of people will take to the festivities and culinary events happening over the next few weeks. as part of taste of winterlude we're thrilled to be hosting stratus wines and stone road grille from niagara-on-the-lake for a spectacular wine dinner next week.

stay tuned for a few new faces on the blog this year. i'd like to provide a bit more visual perspective from the kitchen with the camera - and we have some foodie friends who will be sharing their up close and personal urban element experiences with us.

in the meantime i'll be hibernating with a hot mug of chocolate (my ode to valentines day) fingers crossed that my reservation for the CABANE À SUCRE comes through this year.

already dreaming of maple.....

-carley

have a very merry and delicious holiday!

'tis the season to eat drink and be merry! we wish all our clients, friends and family a most delicious time of year...thank you for sharing your enthusiasm and inspiration with us; its been a fabulous year of food, cooking and collaboration.

we're winding down on the last few events of the season - i love the energy in the studio this time of year, spirits are high, people are festive and there is an outpouring of kindness and generosity to be shared....yes, its a crazy time of year for us in the food industry, but we are all well adjusted to it by now and bring a good dose of humour to the kitchen to help offset the frenzy!

we just completed another successful round of holiday baking classes with chef candice - this year the palmiers, drunken fruit cookies and coconut chocolate fingers were a big hit! be sure to watch for our newsletter this week if you missed the workshop as the palmiers recipe is included.

no matter what is on your agenda this weekend, we hope it is merry and bright...

see you in 2011!

carley & the urban element team

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

missing in action.....

you may have been asking, "where have we been"? well.... lets just say that we have noticed that summer quickly faded into fall... and now as we see the flurries begin, we realize just how fast time flies when you are having fun! being super busy also made us fall behind on capturing these past few weeks of activity and we're sorry we've been missing in action..... actually, at this very time it is the calm before the storm as we are just on the cusp of holiday festivities starting in about 2 weeks!

so, what have we been up to?

well, lets see...

september:

shortly after our tomato tasting with matthew brearly (ahem, our last post) it was labour day long weekend and i was off to niagara on the lake to visit some family and tour some wineries. its a glorious time of year to be amongst the vines and breath-taking scenery in southern ontario. some highlight wineries included organized crime and thirteenth street winery (where the cuvee 13 rose is a definite must purchase!).

the good earth cooking school is a very good place to visit indeed. nicolette novak, owner and consummate hostess, has been friend and a mentor of mine for years. she opened both an indoor and al fresco cooking school in 1998 and has never looked back since. recent addition to the property is the 'good wine' aspect - which it certainly is! we sipped on some delightful riesling, chardonnay and my personal favourite, rose, over a little nosh of charcuterie and cheese. it was a bit too chilly to dine on their new covered patio but the warmth and charm of the dining area gave splendid views to the vineyards and offered the perfect place to relax. the school is located on a working fruit farm and so after lunch we wandered through pear and peach orchards and were invited to sample some of the goods - i can still taste those sweet, succulent peaches....you can't get any fresher than this.

i got a little help from my nephew for this shot - now, isn't this perfection?


before we knew it, it was october.

october for urban element meant beau's oktoberfest in vankleek hill. boy, does this family know how to put on a festival or what! a fantastic weekend revolving around the delicious locally brewed beau's beer - you can feel good about buying a ticket as it all helps raise funds for an array of local charities. we were thrilled to take part in this year's two-day festival and together with 18 other ottawa and area restuaranteurs were there to dish up beer friendly foods to all attendees. on our menu was yummy pulled pork sammies topped with hall's apple and red cabbage slaw. i have to say, the combination of the music, the beer, the food and the amazing hosts kept smiles on our faces all weekend long. thanks beau's for a great event -until next year!


and we ended october with a truly intriguing class. rene rodriguez of navarra rolled out a special series he has coined "the secrets series". limited to 16 guests, this is your chance to get up close and personal with chef rodriguez and ask all your burning questions about food and the culinary world. for this first class, we were an intimate group of 12 and we started in the kitchen (bubbly in hand), reviewing a decadent yet rustic menu of butternut squash soup with braised octopus, papardalle with lamb ragu, and deliciously rich caramel bread pudding. half of the group started in the kitchen with sous chef brian, cooking and assembling the first course while the other group got to "grill" rene at the communal dining table with all their burning food (and non-food related) questions. after enjoying the first course, the group switched places. by the end of the night, guests reconvened around the kitchen counter, bellies full, swapping stories and sipping dessert wine. the premise is of this series is that in a short period of time you get access to a wide variety of culinary topics - that the questions and answers will be compiled (over 65 in all) and shared with all attendees though an email after the course. its a great way to rub shoulders with a professional over the course of three hours and learn something you maybe were curious about but too shy to ask.... come and share some secrets with us next time.

next class is scheduled for monday november 22nd.




hope to see you soon - and i promise -sooner than later on the blog!
carley

Castlegarth Heirloom Tomato Tasting

It's been awhile, hasn't it?

It simply got busy here. Weddings. Summer shing-dings. Kids camps. Classes.

I promise to keep you all updated from now on. Promise.

We spent a beautiful evening in the company of Chef Matthew Brearley of Castlegarth restaurant. I have to admit that one of the perks of working here is meeting some extraordinary people, getting to see all the behind the scenes, the preparation and the satisfaction of watching an evening unfold. The misshaps. The surprises. The oh-so-perfect moments and the very memorable ones.

The tomato tasting fell into the last category. The colors. The taste. The beauty.

Chef Brearley took the time to present each course, talk about the specific variety of tomato and guided the tasting. Melon. Earth. Berry. Red wine. Pepper.

All these beauties (more than 80 varietals now!) are grown on a farm land next to the restaurant. From seed. Vulnerable to our weather, sometimes imperfect, sometimes overflowing and gorgeous. Feeling the weight of them in your hands, seeing how the flesh is perfect, not grainy, and so full of flavor.

Chef Brearley admitted to not loving tomatoes as he was younger - he simplyhad not yet tasted good ones. John Taylor was apparently the one that made him change his views on the fruit some years ago...

Delicious cod cheeks floating in a golden tomato dream.

Peach & scallop carpaccio, tomatoes and local hemp oil.

THE tomato tasting plate. Matthew stayed with our guests until they all finished their plates, asking what they thought they were tasting, talking about how they grow, knowing each of them by name.

I missed the last two courses in pictures... but we had wonderful homemade sausage as well as melting pork belly. And dessert? Cannoli with tiny bit of tomato in a creamy luscious disguise.