KHAO SAN ROAD

Khao San Road is Toronto's acclaimed Best Thai Food, featuring real fresh flavours from the streets of Thailand!

This place has been open for a while now, and I realized that I had never blogged about it. A little late to the game on this one,  but with a recent visit I thought this would be a good chance! Who doesn't love looking at pictures of some truly incredible Thai food?!

Open for lunch & dinner and located in Toronto's Entertainment District, Khao San Road is a perfect spot for a flavour filled quick lunch or a fun vibrant dinner. The feeling of the restaurant is not like your typical Thai restaurant! It is fun, lively and ALWAYS packed! A really homy & welcoming spot to be, with great tunes playing all the time.

Featuring a diverse menu Khao San Road has great appetizers for sharing (they are big!) and wonderful curries, noodles, specials and some of the best pad thai I have ever had! I adore pad thai, and if you do too, you know it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to find a good pad thai in Toronto! But look no further, if you haven't been then I have answered your prayers, check it out! Featuring two types, Street Style and Chef's Style (Sweet, Sour or Savoury) you can't go wrong!

You must also get the Chai Nom Yen: an infusion of Thai spices and black tea mixed with condensed milk and served over crushed ice, also known as Thai Iced Tea! It is so delicious and refreshing! It is big though, so you could easily share between too because you don't want to fill up before the food from your drink!

Gaeng Massaman (curry) is my other favourite, and a favourite of a good friend who spent a lot of time in Thailand! She informed me that this Massaman is equally as good as the ones she ate while travelling. This dish is, "The only Thai curry with a twist of tamarind, cooked with onions, peanuts, potatoes, and bay leaves, topped with crispy fried shallots." So incredibly tasty!!

Another appetizer I tried were the Gra Bong squash fritters! A really light batter on shredded squash seasoned with ginger, lemongrass and red curry. These were a great start to a meal!

For a wonderful dinner (or lunch!) filled with real Thai food, making you feel like you are in the middle of the road in Bangkok, check out Khao San Road!!!

Khao San Road

326 Adelaide St West

647 352 5773

www.khaosanroad.ca

@khaosanroadTO

photo credit: my own

CATCH

Catch, a new seafood themed restaurant opened early February on St Clair West kitty corner to its sister restaurant The Rushton, and I had the pleasure of going last week!

Lately I have been seafood obsessed! I never used to be one to order fish off a menu, but with this new found love I seem to be ordering it all the time! It's nice to start comparing a different type of food, usually I go for the meats or pasta choices but now I am having so much fun trying out the different fish varieties that menus have to offer. The most popular these days I have found are trout, Arctic char and halibut!


So, I went to Catch, a seafood restaurant with a menu featuring oysters, mussels, scallops, salmon, smelts, char, halibut, tuna belly and sea bream, you really can't go wrong. Catch lived up to every expectation I had for a place specializing in seafood. It's not everyday you find beautiful cooked fish, but everything at Catch was pure perfection. Our waiter was incredibly knowledgeable, sharing interesting facts about many of the menu items. Such as the oysters, which come in three sizes. And the smallest of oysters was one of the only original oysters native to North America. Most other varieties have been brought over and then grown, but the small ones they had at Catch were a true native oyster!


Since living on the East Coast for four years I have become a mussel connoisseur, and I know that mussels are not always delicious or fresh when you aren't on a coast! I'm also not always a fan of the larger mussels as I find they don't always have a nice texture and taste fishier. But the mussels at Catch were nothing like a bad batch of mussels. They were rich and luxurious, cooked to perfection accompanied by tomato, garlic confit, sumac preserved lemon and parsley. 


For my main I had the Arctic Char accompanied with roasted artichokes, Kalamata olives, cherry tomato, and a tarragon buerre blanc. This was truly heavenly! I didn't want it to end! With warm olives and blistered cherry tomatoes and a tarragon beurre blanc, how could I go wrong?!


The other great thing about Catch is that are serving environmentally responsible fish through their partnerships with Oceanwise. They use fish that are line caught, and responsibly farmed and making sure to stay away from products that are endangered or fished by drag nets. 


The meal was truly special, and with a small dining room seating I'd say around 35-40, the restaurant was just humming! A definite gem on the St Clair West strip, Catch is not to be missed!!


ps. Order the side of brussel sprouts! Just wonderful!!

774 St Clair Ave West

Tues-Sunday 4pm-Close

416 658 0568

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE & PARSNIP RISOTTO

Risotto is one of my all time favourite winter comfort food dishes.

This winter I made one with two of my favourite vegetables, parsnips and Jerusalem artichokes. Now Jerusalem artichokes also go by the name of sunroot and sunchoke. Despite the name the vegetable is not actually an artichoke, so get that notion of a green bulb out of your minds! The grow from a large plant that actually really resembles a sunflower and a yellow daisy.

Jerusalem Artichokes

Here is the recipe for a very simple and delicious risotto! I love the toasted breadcrumbs on top, it gives this silky risotto a little crunch!

Recipe serves 3-4
Time: 20 minutes to cook the risotto and about 35 to roast the vegetables

- 2 cups arborio rice
- 1.5 L chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
- 1 small diced white onion
- 1/4 cup white wine
- drizzle of olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 6 piece parsnip
- Roughly same amount for Jerusalem artichoke, but depending on the size it could be 12 little pieces or 8 larger pieces
- 1/4 cup toasted breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Roast the veg. Peel the parsnip & artichokes. Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for about 35 minutes in a 375 oven until golden brown
2. Once the vegetables are roasted, you can begin on the risotto. (Put your stock in another pot on the stove and warm it up, making sure it is warm during the whole cooking process)
3. In a pot sauté the onion in a little bit of olive oil until it becomes translucent, do not brown.
4. Add in the rice and coat with the olive oil & onion mixture, let the rice "toast" a little
5. Add in the wine, it will begin to bubble stir continously until the alcohol has burned off
6. One ladle at a time slowly begin to incorporate the stock into the rice. It will take about 18 minutes to incorporate all of the stock and ensure that the rice is cooked through. I always taste test throughout just to make sure it is coming along the way I want
7. When the risotto is basically cooked add in your vegetables (I always give them just a rough chop before putting them in) to re warm and allow the roasting flavour to mingle with the risotto
8. Add in half of the parmesan cheese and season again with salt and pepper
9. To finish, plate your risotto and sprinkle with the toasted breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese

TOP CHEF SEASON TWO

I am an avid Top Chef watcher! I have watched a few seasons from the US show, I really liked the most previous one out of Texas. But I am a Top Chef Canada fanatic!

Last year was it's first season and really great! And now they are back with a second season, last week was the first episode so be sure to tune in!

Monday nights on Food Network

Meet the contestants at http://www.foodnetwork.ca/topchefcanada/

2011 Top Ten

Every year brings new discoveries and 2011 was right up there for new things in my world of food!

Here are the top ten things from 2011!

TOP TEN

1. Completing an 8 week internship at BUCA and then getting hired on the Salumi Station

2. Dinner at Toronto's Campagnolo, a 2011 winner of Air Canada's EnRoute Top 10 New Restaurants

3. Experiencing one of my favourite types of food: BBQ in Chicago at legendary barbecue joint Chicago Q 

4. Finally making it to EATALY in NYC (from previous posts you will know, it is an Italian foods mecca located in the heart of Midtown, NYC)

5. Managing to cater a three night weekend event for 25 people each night all on my own! Including menu design, presentation etc. I really felt I pushed myself on that one!

6. Learning to finally make different types of pasta. Also with the use of two new pasta machines!

7. Eating at The Breslin in NYC. An incredible nose-to-tail restaurant run by a fabulous British Chef, April Bloomfield 

8. Catering a three course meal + appetizers for 12, for a company office party with my two good friends from GBC

9. Attending a Jamie Oliver event in Toronto where I loved every minute of hearing him talk about how he has helped children's eating through his food campagins 

10. Finally starting to master some desserts in the kitchen! Not always my favourite part of cooking, but I am finally embracing desserts and really taking some chances!

RECENT HIATUS

As many of you have probably noticed my blog has been on a bit of a "hiatus."

In September I started an internship at BUCA Osteria & Enoteca in Toronto (which led eventually to a part-time job!) and then the continuation of my final two semesters of culinary school! Between juggling school & work my life of food has been quite busy!

But I am back now to blogging away bringing tasty treats and ideas to all my readers, enjoy!

And as Julia would say,  BON APPETIT!

GRILLED PEACH SALAD

I can't BELIEVE I forgot to blog about this incredible salad! I made this dish as an appetizer for two of my friends Kate and Kelly earlier this summer and they loved it! I just adore peaches, especially in the summer as they are at their sweetest and juiciest point! I have had this recipe on the backburner for a while waiting for the perfect night to bring it out!

This salad is but of course a Jamie Oliver recipe and truly a crowd pleaser! Very Italian as during his time there Jamie found that fruit in Italy is often grilled, hence the inspiration behind this dish!

The peaches are served with bresaola, which is a very thinly sliced, cured, dried beef that you can find at Italian delis or more specialty high end supermarkets. It's very salt and savoury and holds up quite nicely with peaches, arugula and cheese! The recipe says to serve the salad with goat cheese but I decided to stick more with the Italian theme and opted to use ricotta instead. Ricotta is a very creamy Italian cheese made from sheep's milk. And for me the silky texture was perfect for a juicy peach!

Enjoy!!

Ingredients:
Serves 4
- 4 just-ripe peaches
- a few fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
- olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper optional
- some woody herb stalks or branches (such as rosemary or thyme)
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon natural yoghurt or crème fraîche
- 16 slices of bresaola or Parma ham ***(I actually only bought 8, I think 2slices per person is plenty, size depending)!!
- a few sprigs of fresh tarragon, leaves picked
- 2 handfuls of rocket, washed and spun dry
- 100g goat’s cheese, crumbled

Directions:
- Preheat a barbecue or griddle pan until hot. Cut the peaches in half, then twist them to remove the stones – don’t worry if they break up when you do this. Toss them in a bowl with the chopped rosemary, a splash of olive oil and a little salt and pepper. If you’re cooking on a barbecue, throw some herb branches on to the coals if you like – this will give the peaches a herby, smoky flavour. Grill the peaches for a couple of minutes on each side until nicely charred, but not burnt!
- Pour the vinegar into a bowl or a Flavour Shaker and add three times as much extra virgin olive oil. Add the yoghurt or crème fraîche and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk or shake until mixed together well.
- Drape the bresaola over four plates, pinching it up here and there so it’s not lying flat. Place the peaches over the bresaola. Toss the tarragon leaves and rocket in the creamy dressing and pile the salad on top of the peaches. Drizzle with a little more extra virgin olive oil, scatter with the crumbled goat’s cheese and tuck in!

THE EX

The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE or also known to Torontonian's as the "Ex") has been an August staple in Toronto for years. Fried food has been typical at these types of carnival fairs for years, and with food becoming ever so popular and fun, of course carnival food too has upped its game! Here are some of the craziest treats this year at the Ex, don't think any of them would be too good for the waistline!

The one that everyone in Toronto is talking about - The Krispy Kreme Doughnut Burger! 
Two Krispy Kreme doughnuts, a very generous 6 oz. beef patty, cheese, lettuce and tomato and for only $1 more you can treat yourself to the extra toppings of an egg, bacon or cheese!

Deep fried fudge!
A block of chocolate, vanilla or maple syrup fudge deep-fried for one glorious minute and 50 blessed seconds in doughnut batter.

Deep-fried mac-and-cheese; deep-fried mac-and-curds
Crispy fried balls, two ways: macaroni and cheese, and macaroni and cheese curds

Deep-fried cola
Coca-Cola batter squirted into a deep fryer and served with whipped cream

Has anyone tried these creations yet! Personally I think I'd like to try the fudge!! Happy eating at the EX!


photo credit: toronto life

"EAT"

3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage... all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ....into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films.....

Obviously the clip that captured my attention was EAT, hope you enjoy it as much as I did!


EAT from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.


source: http://vimeo.com/27243869

ROASTED TOMATO SOUP WITH BLT CROUTON

Last week was our final exam for our Culinary Skills 2 class. We had to make an appetizer and a main course, and the appetizer was a delicious Roasted Tomato soup with a BLT crouton. We have quite a bit of artistic liscense in our class, as we are always encouraged to find our own way to garnish the dish! I decided to make a mini bite sized BLT!

The tomato soup is really delicious, a great soup for the summer, and especially heading into the fall if you are still dying for that taste of summer. The soup is light, but rich at the same time. Finishing it off with a touch of cream and basil just makes it that more luxurious.

Serves 4
Ingredients:
8 plum tomatoes
50g tomato paste
1 onion
1 celery stalk
1 carrot 
4 slices of bacon
60g of butter
60ml olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 sprigs of basil
For the mini BLT ( 20g of iceberg lettuce, 2 slices white bread + some bacon and slice of tomato)
1 L chicken stock
1/4 cream (optional)
Salt and pepper

Method:
1.    Roast tomatoes in a 400 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes
2.    In a pan, add butter and oil and sauté bacon, mirepoix (celery, onion, carrot) and garlic puree until lightly browned
3.    Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and cover with chicken stock and let simmer for 45-1 hour
4.    Blend the soup, and strain
5.    Return to stove and keep warm
6.    Chiffonade basil
7.    Add basil and cream into soup
8.    Adjust seasoning and serve warm
9.    Shape crouton and fry in butter until golden brown
10.   Assemble mini BLT on skewer