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tasting menu at teatro

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Today is my birthday! As long as I don’t think about the fact that I’m a year older, I love birthdays. That may be due to the fact that in our house, we celebrate all week long! Our celebration began on Friday and since then, we’ve been to the hockey game, had dinner with my fabulous cousins and had a celebration with my awesome family. My birthday present this year from hubby was an evening at Teatro for the chef’s tasting menu.  We had been wanting to do this for a while, ever since we observed another table enjoying the food when we were last there and I was happy to finally experience it on Sunday.

Good food is always better when enjoyed with friends so we were happy that some of our food-loving friends were able to join us. The food came out at a great pace. We savoured the meal and enjoyed the company and I was surprised that three and a half hours had passed by. Every time I thought I had tasted my favourite, they would bring out something even more delicious. It was an incredible experience and definitely worth the time and money.  Teatro is great at making people feel special and their extra touches, like the stools for your purse, are well received. I also love the open kitchen so you can watch the chefs in action as they prepare the delicious food.

Here’s a recap of our fabulous meal:

Venison tartare
Apple consommé with butternut squash

Root vegetables with goat cheese and ouzu encapsulation

Brussel sprouts caesar salad with lemon air, toasted parmesan, shaved parmesan
Duck prosciutto with focaccia, garlic aioli and raspberry spaghetti
Passion fruit marshmallows and dehydrated passion fruit
Kale filled tortellini with red pepper and saffron sauce with a citrus buerre blanc
Parsley crusted scallop with spaetzle and morels and lemon foam
(they also, using liquid nitrogen, created the ambience of the ocean)
Dry aged sous vide beef tenderloin with parisian carrots, fried mashed
potato, brussel sprouts with a fermented garlic beef jus
Goat cheese snowman with a sage cream puddle and dehydrated blueberries for the eyes and buttons
Parsnip creme brûlée

Caramel ice cream made with liquid nitrogen and topped black Cyprus sea salt

Birthday Tiramisu

Teatro on Urbanspoon

salted caramel chocolate pie for pi day

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Today is Pi Day (3.14 = 3/14 = March 14). What better excuse than to celebrate with a pie! I’ve been wanting to try out a salted caramel chocolate pie for some time, just needed an occasion to do so.

Just use your favourite crust recipe, fill with caramel and top with chocolate ganache. This recipe is incredibly rich but so delicious. Hubby, who is not much into the sweet stuff, loved this pie. I even saw him go back for seconds! I couldn’t trust myself around this pie. To ensure that the two of us didn’t inhale it ourselves, I gave most of it away.

Q wanted to get in on the pie making action too.  He really wanted an apple pie and made up these little pies.  He rolled the dough, mixed the apples and even cut the stars for the top.  He was very proud of his creation.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Pie
From Sprinkle Bakes

Caramel:
1 cup sugar
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed
½ cup plus 2 tbsp. heavy cream at room temperature
¼ tsp. sea salt

Melt the sugar over medium-high heat in a large pot. Whisk the sugar as it melts, and cook until it becomes a deep amber color.

Add the butter and stir it in until melted.

Pour in the heavy cream (the mixture will foam) and whisk until the mixture becomes a smooth sauce. Note: If lumps form, keep stirring over gentle heat until they have melted.

Remove from heat, stir in salt and let cool slightly.

Pour the caramel into the tart shell.  Tilt to cover the bottom evenly.  Let cool in the refrigerator until caramel is firm.

Chocolate Ganache
3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cups heavy cream

Place the chocolate in a medium bowl.

In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium-high heat until just boiling.

Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and gently whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Allow to cool slightly before using.

Very gently pour the ganache over the caramel layer.  The caramel may want to move around a little, so pour a little at a time.  Place in refrigerator until firm.

Sprinkle with coarse sea salt before serving. 

sour cream cake

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My father-in-law celebrated his birthday on the weekend, and we definitely needed a cake to cut and enjoy. My FIL has two favourites – the tres leches and just plain cake. Since we had the tres leches last month for my MIL’s birthday, I opted for the plain cake.

Sour Cream Cake

This plain and simple cake is one of my favourites as well. It is moist and buttery and is so comforting dipped in a cup of tea. Since we were celebrating a birthday, I added some icing to make it more festive.  With or without icing, it’s always well received.

Sour Cream Cake
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Instructions

  1. Combine the butter and sugar and beat for a couple of minutes.
  2. Add the vanilla and eggs until incorporated. 
  3. Add the sour cream.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and add to the butter and sugar mixture. 
  5. Put batter in a greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
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https://foodmamma.com/2013/03/sour-cream-cake/

cauliflower “bread” sticks

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The recipe for cauliflower “bread” sticks were making the rounds on Pinterest a while ago and I finally had a chance to make them this week.  They were so good, I had to make a second batch the same day.

Looking at them, you would never guess that these sticks were made out of cauliflower! Combined with eggs and cheese, they were irresistible.  I think they are hubby’s new favourite thing.

This also makes a fantastic crust for a pizza!  This is an amazing recipe that is so full of flavour. With a sometimes picky four year old, I love that it incorporates veggies in a very sneaky way.

Cauliflower “Bread” Sticks(From An Edible Mosaic)

1/4 of a large head of cauliflower or 1 1/2 cups grated
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 oz mozzarella cheese, freshly grated and divided (low-fat cheese is fine)
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning, divided
salt
pepper

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a tray with parchment paper and spray it with cooking spray.

Grate the cauliflower, using a cheese grater or a food processor. Put the grated cauliflower into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave (uncovered) until softened, about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally (don’t add water or anything else); cool slightly. 

To the bowl with the softened cauliflower, add the garlic, egg, 3/4 of the cheese (reserving 1/4 for topping later), 1/4 teaspoon of the dried Italian herb seasoning (reserving 1/4 teaspoon for topping later), and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Stir to combine and then spread on a sheet pan forming it into a pizza crust.

Bake until set and starting to turn golden, about 30 minutes. 

Preheat the broiler.  Cut the crust into sticks.  Slightly separate the pieces and sprinkle the cheese on top along with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning.  Broil a couple minutes until the cheese is melted and golden in spots.  Serve hot or warm.  (If you let it cool for about 10 minutes after taking it out of the oven, the crust will harden a bit so it’s easy to hold like a thin-crust pizza.)

coconut tres leches

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I can’t believe it’s already March! Despite the crazy storm we had yesterday and the foot of snow we have outside, March is one of my favourite months.  It’s full of birthdays! Mine, my dad’s, my father-in-law’s, nephews, nieces, many friends…meaning lots of cake!

Last month, we had a delicious cake to celebrate my mother-in-law’s birthday. She requested Tres Leches but I decided to change it up a bit and make Coconut Tres Leches. The addition of the coconut just upped the flavour factor and made for an even tastier cake. Topped with toasted coconut, it was definitely a winner!

Coconut Tres Leches
From Chow

1 cup flour
6 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 can condensed milk
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 cup flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 TB icing sugar

Heat the oven to 325°F and arrange a rack in the middle.

Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer. Reserve the whites in a separate, very clean, medium bowl. Add the sugar to the yolks and, using the paddle attachment, beat on high speed until pale yellow, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl; set aside. Thoroughly clean and dry the stand mixer bowl. Place the egg whites in the clean bowl and, using the whisk attachment, whip on high speed until medium peaks form, about 1 1/2 minutes.

Using a rubber spatula, stir about a third of the egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Then gently fold in the remaining whites. Sprinkle the flour over the egg mixture and gently fold it in, just until there are no more white flour streaks. (Do not overmix.)

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake until the cake is puffed and golden and the edges pull away from the sides of the pan, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the three milks in a large bowl and whisk until combined; set aside.

Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack. Using a toothpick or wooden skewer, poke holes all over the cake and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Pour the milk mixture evenly over the cake and continue cooling, about 45 minutes more. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

When the cake is ready to serve, spread the coconut in an even layer in a large frying pan. Toast over medium heat, stirring often, until lightly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Place the whipping cream and icing sugar in large bowl and whisk until medium peaks form. Top the cake with the whipping cream and toasted coconut.

playing with spices: sumac

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I have heard much about the spice sumac and came across it recently in a local middle eastern store.  The sumac spice is made from ground dried sumac berries, which are a relative of poison ivy(!).

Sumac is a middle eastern spice that is burgundy in colour.  The taste of sumac is lemony and tart but more complex than a lemon.  It is used as a condiment, like salt, but also in spice rubs, dressings and marinades.  The spice is gaining in popularity.  In fact, Alton Brown named sumac his official spice of 2012.

You often encounter sumac at donair shops, sprinkled over the raw onions.  It is also a great topping for hummus.

Sumac is best known for being a key ingredient in Fattoush, a middle eastern salad containing pieces of crispy pita bread. The salad is made with romaine lettuce, chunks of cucumber and tomatoes, herbs like mint and parsley and tossed together with the pita and the dressing. I used sumac in the dressing as well as sprinkled it on top.  It adds a great sweet and sour taste to a refreshing salad.

Fattoush (Middle Eastern Pita Bread Salad)

Romaine Lettuce
Tomatoes, diced
Cucumbers, diced
Green onions
Parsley
Mint
Sumac
1 pita bread, brushed with oil and toasted

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp sumac

Mix the salad ingredients together. Top with as much dressing as you need and then sprinkle with some sumac.

win a fabulous home and garden show gift basket!

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There is more winning here with the Calgary Home and Garden Show! They have a fabulous gift basket containing items from a few of the businesses featured at the great event.  Along with two tickets to the home show, this basket contains some great items, from amazing food & snacks to discounts on services.

Items in this gift basket include:

Craft beer mug and gift certificate
Crave cupcakes gift card for cupcake pack
Trend Trunk gift card
$200-$2,600 discount off of Sunshine houseboat rentals depending on coupon #
Aspen Clean cleaning kit
Swimco sunglasses
Kienna coffee pods and adapter
Green kids crafts seed pod kit
Awake chocolate bar
Dominion Lending Centre Letter openers
Tums
Glad bags
15% off of Waite Woodbeck imagery and Design

Entering is easy!  Contest closes on Wednesday at 12pm. Click here for another chance to win tickets.