The London Chef

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a private cookery class with The London Chef. Now based out of Victoria, B.C., The London Chef has been Rick Stein's Commis Chef, and a Sous Chef at Poissonnerie de L'Avenue in London. He has opened two restaurants, including a Fishworks location in London. In Victoria, The London Chef is teaching at various cookery schools, including Thrifty's Tuscany Village and French Mint. 

It's been a couple years since I've worked in a restaurant, and I had almost forgotten how great it is to watch a good chef working in person - he navigated the kitchen with Food Network calibre skills. Of course, the fact that the kitchen happened to be outfitted like Kitchen Stadium didn't hurt either. Overall, it made me want to get back into a restaurant. Something to consider in Paris...

His demonstrations and tips included knife sharpening techniques, how to properly filet a fish, when to season meat, what rice to use in a risotto, and how to dice efficiently. He even flaunted a skill that would make most home chefs nervous - how to dispatch a lobster humanely with Bear Grylls-like precision. His knowledge of how to handle various ingredients was nothing short of professional, and I left with pages of notes. As you can see below, the food was pretty good too.

Pan seared diver scallop on cauliflower and vanilla puree, with crisp leeks, beurre noisette foam and a balsamic reduction infused with smoked bacon and garlic

Sophie's special crisp cheese sandwich, served with fresh mayonnaise and cherry tomato ketchup

Classic white risotto, topped with sauteed asparagus and fresh greens

A melange of East coast shellfish in a Marseille inspired spiced cream broth

It's always a pleasure to be in a home with an impressive, well-stocked wine cellar - strong self control required 

Maintained at a strict 54 degrees, the cellar contained wines arranged by type and region

Swordfish steak charred with black pepper and sea salt on crushed new potatoes with salsa verde (London Chef specialty) and caramelized lemon

Pan roasted fillets of gilthead sea bream on a fennel, sweet onion and lemon zest confit with sauce vierge and herb salad

The paired wines were all Ontario based, and included bottles from Stratus, Tawse, and Le Clos Jordanne.

That's the kind of night I could easily get used to.

GG

The Proletarian Gourmand

Nothing satisfies the soul quite like a bowl of hearty soup. And what better suited for this purpose than say an onion soup? The oldest recipes for onion soups transport us back to a plebeian dwelling. The definition of 'poor food', even the cruelest of feudal lords would probably have allowed a few onions to be allocated to his serfs after a long, thankless fortnight of toiling.

Today, it's not uncommon to spend 8 euros on a bowl of French onion soup in Paris. To put that into perspective, that's the rough equivalent of the yearly combined income of every single Roman peasant - after heavy taxes of course. Though in Paris you're bound to get bourgeois ingredients with surroundings (almost) fit for Henry VIII, the idea hasn't really changed. This one came to me by pigeon from a friend in France, and I attempted it last week with fair success. Sorry, no measurements in Troy weight...

Here's what you need to feed 6-8 legionaries:

- 6 cups of cooking onions, sliced lengthwise

- 2 tablespoons of oil with a higher smoke point + olive oil for drizzling

- A good dollop of butter 

- 6 cups of beef stock (hut-made if you can)

- 4 tablespoons of flour

- 1 tablespoon of sugar

- Gruyere cheese (3/4 of a pound)

- Parmesan, for garnish

- A bay leaf and a sprig of thyme

- Salt and pepper

- 1 cup dry white wine (Alsace)

- A couple tablespoons of cognac

- 8 or so flat slices of baguette

* Heat a pan with cooking oil and butter, add the onions and cook covered and low until tender

* Raise the heat, add sugar, season with salt, and cook the onions until caramelized - the last two steps will take an hour, don't burn it!

* Once they're brown, add the flour and a bit more butter, mixing evenly

* Add a cup of the stock to deglaze, and scrape the pan

* Transfer to a large pot (Le Creuset), add the rest of the stock, bay leaf, thyme, season with pepper and simmer for half an hour

* Lay the bread on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and bake at 350 until hard as rock - don't burn it!

* Remove the sprig and bay leaf, stir in some Gruyere, add the cognac, and simmer for another minute

* Now you can transfer the soup to oven-ready ramekins, or keep it in the pot and make a vat of it!

* Layer with bread and cover with the rest of the cheese - exposed bread will burn

* Bake at 350 for another half an hour and then broil to brown

* Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with Parmesan, and distribute!

If you burn anything, the livestock won't even eat it - if all is good, it's fair trade for a king's ransom

GG

You like me, you really like me!

The Global Gourmand has officially received its first piece of fan mail from a food basket customer! What great advice he gives!

My thousands of letters and media mentions to come will be posted here! 

GG

Dear GG, 

Just writing to let you know that the gift basket you prepared for my family was incredible. We all thoroughly enjoyed your wonderful selection of fine cheeses, meats, dips and crisps. The macarons were a hit! We really appreciate how considerate you were in accommodating my father's allergy to shellfish. You were very professional and courteous to deal with. The gift basket arrived right on time and was not only delicious from start to finish, but also aesthetically pleasing. 

For anyone reading this, book now with The Global Gourmand before his schedule fills up!! He'll definitely be hearing from me again. This guy has the best palate in Toronto! 

- T.M., Toronto

Work for Tinkers' Hands

I see it all the time - people buying their pots and pans from the same place they buy their hönjvars and kevigs. Not that I have anything against that place, as I am there all the time, but there's a place for everything.

I'm a big proponent of the 'buy it once' (or as few times as possible) philosophy. It doesn't mean that the most expensive item is the best, it just means that the cheapest one probably isn't. Why buy 3 cheap saute pans that don't work well or last long, when you can buy one great one that does the job well for years?

Ok, I think I've made my point.

So do you buy the 30-piece set once for $6,000? No. In my humble opinion, any budding chef needs a small sauce pot, a couple larger pots - one with an insert for steaming, 2 frying pans, a saute pan (there is a difference), a cast iron skillet (don't forget to season it), a large pot for soups and stews, a dutch oven (Le Creuset), a roasting pan with a rack, and maybe a wok.

I recommend:

Metal handles, bolted on - sturdy and can go straight into the oven

I do NOT like Teflon and other non-stick coatings - I swear I can smell it coming off some pans when they get hot.

I love copper cookware. Do I own any? Probably won't for a while.

Lots of info out there, do your research!

Treat your cookware well!

GG

Arroz a la Mexicana

When it comes to Mexican cuisine, the rest of North America suffers from a very unfortunate condition - 'ignorancia'.

This condition manifests itself in its host through many symptoms; the primary one being the inexplicable tendency to believe that all Mexican food should be wrapped, folded, and/or covered in cheddar. Blame whoever/whatever you want, whether it's the fast food industry or a protectionist government. The point is, in Toronto alone, I've been to a few really good traditional Mexican spots. Why this hasn't really translated to the public psyche is beyond me. Anyway, I'm definitely no Francisco Madero, I'm just going to share a recipe.

My good friend's mom just got back from a Quinceañera in Tulancingo, and she brought this recipe for me. The traditional way to cook this is in a barro, but a heavy pot will do just fine.

 

Here's what you need:

- 1 1/2 cups of arroz (rinsed and cleaned)

- 3 or 4 seeded and diced tomatoes (keep some juice, or 800 ml can of diced is fine too)

- Cooking oil with a high smoke point, like canola (no extra virgin olive oil)

- 1 medium-sized cooking onion

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 1 cup of peas (or mixed veg)

- A sprig of fresh cilantro (if you love it)

- Salt, black pepper, and chili flakes (or chiles if you like it hotter)

* Put the rice into a large mixing bowl and cover it with near-boiling water for 10 minutes

* In a blender, puree the tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, cilantro, and chiles 

* Drain the rice and add it directly to a pan on medium heat

* Add enough oil to bring it almost to the level of the rice - it looks like a ton but it will be drained

* Cook the rice until it's golden brown, stirring minimally to avoid burning

* Drain the oil, and add the rice, puree, and veggies to your trusty barro

* Add about a cup of water and simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid is gone

The cure for ignorancia? An afternoon on Wikipedia and a trip to Mexico (Club Med is not Mexico). 

GG

Be a Good Kid, Eat Your Meatloaf

The best home cooked meals I didn't have at home, I had at my grandmother's. There are two dishes in particular that we'd have on a Friday night that I still request when I get the chance. One is glazed chicken, the recipe for which has never been disclosed, and the other is meatloaf. 

There's no shortage of meatloaf recipes out there, and this one isn't shocking, but it's the favorite. Grandma likes to keep up with all things modern, so there's no pre-war kitchenware in sight - no retro stove that takes 30 minutes to warm up but gets as hot as Venus, and no 10-pound baking pan. It must be how she does it. As a retired program developer for TVO with a masters of education, she was no leave it to beaver housewife, but I still have visions of her adding secret ingredients when I leave the kitchen.

Here's what you need:

- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup of ketchup
- 3/4 cup of lukewarm water
- 2 slices of day-old bread, crumbed, with top crusts removed
- 1 package Lipton's onion soup mix (because she was a busy lady afterall)
- 2 pounds ground beef, chuck or sirloin

* In a large bowl, beat the eggs, and add the ketchup and water
* Stir in the onion soup mix with the day-old bread
* Mix in the ground beef, get the hands in there!
* Move the mixture to the meatloaf pan, making sure it's evenly spread but not too compressed
* Top with a little more ketchup and bake at 350 for an hour (give or take)

Serve with potatoes and asparagus, and even though we never called it this, what you've got is Shabbat dinner at Bubbie's.

I have a really tough time not experimenting with a simple recipe, but good is good. Was mine as good as hers? Depends who you ask.

GG

The Upper Crust

So the other day my mom asked me to help her find the 'ultimate sandwich bread' - one that is hearty, sumptuous, and non generic. This got me thinking about 2 things. 1: Seeing as bread is probably the epitome of a 'global food', does such a thing exist? and 2: Why haven't I done a bread post yet?

Nearly every culture has some sort of bread for dipping, sopping, wrapping, topping, or filling. There's naan, pita, tortilla, injera, shokupan, and baguette, just to name a few. For me, I don't know if I can pin down a perfect one, even for a sandwich. Warm French loaf is inspiring; but turkey calls for whole wheat, pulled pork and ciabatta are like Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, and the sweet, spongy texture of challah is also unbeatable with something savory.

I thought that instead of making a bunch of suggestions, I'd follow up on another global food post with a little bit of history.

It's no surprise that bread is ancient. Bread in archaeology is a big topic, and some use it as a benchmark to gauge a society's development. When wheat and other grains were first stockpiled, it's likely that they were consumed directly. Bread 'paste' was probably first developed, by crushing the grains and mixing them with water. When heated, this paste could have been kept for days. Like with cheese, it's thought that bread making may have first happened by accident - through the introduction of airborne yeast to the dough before heating, or through the naturally occurring yeasts on grains. The first sourdough was made by adding a piece of previously made dough for leavening, again akin to cheese making techniques.

Bread has become so essential to life that it even has religious importance. So, appreciate that slice of bread you're having in front of the TV!

As for the ultimate sandwich bread, any ideas?

GG

GG open for business!

I'm stoked to announce that while in Toronto no less, my first order came in for a food basket full of GG approved goods. The customer is an avid snacker, so clearly I related to them and knew where to go. I know you all must be dying to know what was in it!

Without giving away too many trade secrets, I included some of my favorites that Toronto has to offer. There may have been a couple things from the Westside Market as well, but that doesn't count.

Among the things in it were some of the best French macarons available on this side of the Atlantic, stellar crab dip, a selection of artisan cheeses and meats (including a bright green colored basil garlic gouda), and lots of crunchy things!

 

GG

Bright Lights, Big Portions

Hold on travelers, GG is coming to you 'live' from NYC! Leave your belts at home because there will be no big apples here.

I've only been to New York a handful of times, so I'm still pretty excited to go. Anytime I'm there I make a conscious effort to act local and not look like the country mouse, but what's great about this city is that no one cares. You could literally dance down the street in a polka-dot dress with matching poodle, and no one would look twice. I know because I saw it.

Allow me to nerd-out for a moment...

Manhattan itself is not exactly a huge place. It's under 22 km long and just over 2 km wide. In that relatively small space though, it has a resident population of 1.7 million. Include the 5 boroughs and what you get is the most densely populated city in the US, with a resident population of between 8 and 9 million. With a population of that size and diversity, both culturally and economically, you end up with a city where anything you could possibly want (and just as many things you don't want) are readily available.

So just how many restaurants could there be in NYC? Well, according to New York's tourism board, the number is 18,696, but the NYC Department of Health lists more than 20,000 on their restaurant inspection web site. So 20,000 restaurants... that's enough to eat at a different restaurant each day for almost 55 years... sorry, I couldn't resist. I was aiming to hit at least 1,000 this weekend, but I think I only got about halfway there.

What were the highlights? 

Shake Shack - Do you remember the place where you had the best hamburger of your life? Well if that place doesn't happen to be Shake Shack, then fuhgeddaboudit! I couldn't possibly explain how good these things are in words but 'gourmet McDonalds' comes to mind. Maybe it's their deliciously high fat proprietary beef mixture, but even the bun is magical. Good enough that Jon Stewart used one to try to bribe King James to come to the Knicks. How good is it exactly? Check the live CCTV 'Shake Cam' to see the line outside the place.

Beard Papa's - Mochi ice cream. Japanese rice cake with ice cream filling. Am I the last one to find out about these things? It's a good thing they let me buy just one.

Jean Claude - Even though I'll be back in France in 2 months, I just can't stay away from French restaurants. I also forgot just what a pat of garlic butter does to a steak. My friend Carl from Guadeloupe and I both ordered the steak frites, and our first bite (which just happened to be in unison) was followed by a good 15 seconds of silence.

Katz's Delicatessen - An NYC institution, where Harry met Sally, and my Mecca. Is it as good as Sally Albright says? Depends how much you like pastrami.

Union Square Market - We had the good fortune of some great weather, so we took advantage of some great outdoor markets.

The Westside Market - I always have a soft spot for gourmet grocery stores.

Rocco's Pizza Joint - Classic New York style Italian spot. The eggplant parmesan is phenomenal, and it's easily enough food for 2 meals.

Zabar's - More gourmet catering on Broadway. Some of the best rugelach I've had anywhere.

Joe's Shanghai - Delicious soup dumplings. Whoever spills first buys them.

Sadly I didn't make it to the Food Network offices in the Chelsea Market (though I tried) or to one of Sir Flay's restaurants, but I have a feeling that I'll be back soon!

Salad this week for sure.

GG