One of my favourite creatures.

It is almost here! That one night out of the year where lovemaking is all around us, and what do we need to eat to make it happen? One might call it an “aphrodisiac”, some might call it revolting, but I like to order these by the dozen and slurp them down with reckless abandon. I am of course talking about the ever lovable and super sexy, oyster.

What can I say about these bivalve molluscs? They are quite certainly Mother Nature’s most perfect food; salty, chewy and slippery on the tongue. These slippery little suckers also pack a vitamin rich punch! High in zinc, calcium, Iron and vitamin A and B12. A dozen of these eaten raw, is also the supreme diet food; adding a mere 110 calories to your body.

All healthiness aside, there are a few things you should know about the beloved oyster. Did you know it takes between five and seven years to grow an oyster from spat? (Spat; a baby oyster). Oysters thrive in in plankton rich, well oxygenated salty water, that is why the Maritimes is the perfect place to cultivate them.

What about choosing the perfect oyster? I prefer larger, more meaty oysters, while my husband likes the smaller more delicate ones. Always make sure to buy oysters that are tightly shut. If it is open, it should close when touched and if it doesn’t, then don’t buy or eat it! An old rule about the oyster was that is was best to consume during the months that contained an “R” in their name. Not sure about that shucked oyster that was just brought to your table? If in doubt, don’t eat it, but let me just say that a “bad oyster” can be a extremely foul smell that you could sniff from a mile away. I was known, back in the day, the be the bad girl who would drop the rotten oysters in the compost bin beside the head chefs work station. Needless to say, he put a quick end to that!

How do you store an oyster? Simple rule; do not store them in water! Keep them in the fridge, and store cup-side down, with a damp newspaper over them. Some people say to eat immediately, some say two weeks, and I have even heard of a few months. The longer they sit in your fridge, the drier they will become as they will lose all that precious salty liquor that keeps them juicy and moist.

How to eat them? I am a purist; raw with no adornments. My husband, on the other hand, prefers the Tabasco, lemon and horseradish combination. I always tell people to try one naked before deciding on a topping. A classic French way to eat them is with “mignonette”; it is a red wine vinegar, shallot and black pepper mix. Sharp, pungent and tangy.

Can’t bear the thought of slurping them down? Try to bake them on the half shell. Cooked spinach, bechamel sauce and a little grated Gruyere cheese is a nice combination. As is bacon, apple and heavy cream. Why not throw then in a seafood chowder? How about the classic “Po Boy Sandwich”? It could also be a simple as dipping them in a tempura batter and giving them a quick fry to serve with lemon wedges.

‘Tis the season to celebrate love, so go crazy and get your hands on a few dozen oysters and throw yourself a party! Bottle of bubbly, platter of oysters and your best friend by your side. Can’t go wrong with that combination. Perhaps you aren’t in the mood to shuck? Head out to many of the great restaurants in the city that will do that for you. Press Gang, Five Fishermen Grill and Bistro Le Coq all have amazing oysters on their menus, and some even offer amazing deals during “happy hour”. Go on, get your oysters on this Valentine’s Day.

Sexy Scallop Salad

Looking for a super simple, yet elegant salad for this holiday season? Here is one of my favorites! Crunchy, salty and sweet, this salad is perfect to start one of those heavy, sleep inducing holiday meals.

This simple raw salad or slaw can be made and dressed in advance. The seared scallops should be made to order and placed on the salad while they are still hot. Some of vinaigrette can be reserved for drizzling over and around the salad after it’s plated.

Salad (Makes enough for 4-6 people)

1 celery root / celeriac; peeled, julienne
1 golden beet; peeled, julienne
1 candy cane beet; peeled, julienne
1 firm tart red apples; julienne
1/2 C dried cranberries
1/2 C chopped flat leaf parsley
2 lemons; zest

Vinaigrette

1 C  olive oil
1/2 C walnut oil
1/2 C apple cider vinegar
1/4 C  honey
1/4 C  lemon juice
salt & pepper

Mix all salad ingredients and dress with vinaigrette right away to ensure that apples do not turn brown.

Seared Scallops

3 Frozen Scallops (10/20) per serving
Grapeseed oil (for frying)
Salt & pepper

Chilled Razor Clam Salad

It isn’t very often that chefs can get together to enjoy an evening of fun and frolic, but on Monday, June 20th, at Chives Canadian Bistro, it happened.

What kind of event could bring together the well known Canadian chef from Toronto, Michael Stadtlander, Craig Flinn of Chives, Michael Howell of Tempest Restaurant, Ray Bear of Mix Fresh Kitchen and myself, the “Feisty Chef”? Well, it was non other than a fundraising dinner for the upcoming Canadian Chefs’ Congress taking place in Nova Scotia in 2012.

Each chef had the chance to showcase their talents and personalities with the preparation of one course for the 85 excited diners. I was assigned the cold appetizer course, so I was extremely happy to be able to use gorgeous razor clams, courtesy of my friend Nick Budreski of CANSEP. Each clam had been hand harvested in Pictou County by his father, Paul, and brother, Matt.

In order to let the clams do the taking, I decided to keep this dish fresh and simple. I steamed the clams open, then placed them ever so gently on a bed of chervil from Riverview Herbs, shaved Jerusalem artichokes, Jona Gold apples, asparagus, lemon and a walnut and avocado oil vinaigrette. Nothing more, nothing less.

It was a great evening, a great event, and included some great company! A special thank you to all the staff of Chives, who helped us make the evening a success.

2012 Canadian Chefs’ Congress Dinner Menu

Cookstown White Asparagus Soup With Atlantic Lobster
Michael Stadtlander

Chilled Nova Scotia Razor Clam Salad With Jerusalem Artichokes, Apple, Chervil And Walnut-Avocado Oil Vinaigrette
Yours Truly – Me!

Nova Scotia Arctic Char, Spring Pea, Haraki Turnip & Eigensin Farm Bacon Fricassee, Chive Beurre Blanc, Roasted Beet And Dulse Coulis, Celeriac Hay
Michael Howell

Nova Scotia Prime Rib Stuffed With Salt Cured Egg Yolk Marrow Brioche Crust, Dark Bone Jus, Seared Rib Cap With Kohlrabi Puree, Red Wine Gastrique, Butter Poached Radish and Carrots
Ray Bear

Rhubarb Toffee Sticky Pudding, Stewed Valley Cherries, Maple Creme Brulee, Lavender Honey Whole Milk Ice Cream, Berry Liqueur Whipped Cream
Craig Flinn

Ethiopian Berbere Spice

It doesn’t take much to make me smile. A nap, a glass of wine or some extra stinky cheese can often be enough. But on a day where I thought I might lose my mind, just as the screams from my kids were piercing my ears, a smooth male voice came to me from my mudroom. There he was, the velvety voiced Costas Halavrezos, standing in my entry way while being harassed by child #1. As I ran to shield him from her begging, he handed over a small container of what I can now only describe as bliss. It was a  jar of the Ethopian Berbere spice from the Montreal based company Épices De Cru.

Since retiring from CBC Radio a few months ago, Costas has decided to pair up with acquaintances from Montreal and become the Épices De Cru man on the East coast. After recently mentioning this spice mix to me, and as he lives in my ‘hood, he was kind enough to help out this damsel in distress on drop some off.

Berbere Spiced Shrimp Couscous

I had no intention of letting the day finish without giving this extra special spice mix a test drive. After some quick decision making, I decided to marinate some Pacific white shrimp in the spice mix before sauteing them in a hot pan. I used the same pan to fry some cauliflower with cumin seeds, fresh tomatoes and cilantro. I placed the cauliflower along with the shrimp on top of  a quick couscous of raisins and orange. (Keep in mind, I only have 20 minutes to make dinner each night while Doug reads to bebe #1!).

After reading Green Eggs & Ham the our lil’ Queen, Doug floated down the stairs  to find the the heady aromas of the Berbere spice emanating from the kitchen. Our dinner was ready! You have to believe me when I tell you how happy I was to sit down with a large glass of Nova Scotia L’Acadie Blanc and a plate of my quick Épices De Cru inspired concontion.

Thank you again Mr. Halavrezos for the spices and for saving this poor soul’s life! If you aren’t as lucky as me to have such a dapper man deliver spices to your door, you can find him at the Halifax Brewery Market on Saturdays or on Twitter @CWNH.

Japanese simplicity.

This past Sunday was extra special to us here in Dartmouth. Not only was it the season finale of “Mad Men”, but it was my 36th birthday! I  had but one wish on this blustery Sunday – to sleep in until 7am! But to no avail, as the lil’ people must have sensed something and decided to wake us up at 5:30am.

After many pots of coffee, a birthday party with cake (not for me, but for my nephew Henry who turned 2) and some horrible Sunday afternoon TV (Top Gun was on again!), you would think that I would have gotten a break from cooking for one day. Especially since it was my “big day”! But apparently that option did not exist in my household. With Zoe nipping at my heels wanting her black marker, and Philippe going squirrely in his Jolly Jumper, I told Doug we needed to get outta the house and make a trip to Heiwa Oriental Market on Chebucto Road in Halifax to load up on some provisions for dinner.

It is always a pleasure to go visit Heiwa. The staff is super friendly and as a bonus, they’re able to entertain Little Miss Drama (that’s Zoe) while we browse all of the amazing Korean and Japanese products. Mary, one of the owners, quickly attended to Miss Drama, and offered her some roasted seaweed and rice snacks. Zoe gladly accepted. Philippe got placed in the corner to stare at Pocky boxes and chopsticks, while Doug & I ran around trying to decide what we needed. For starters we grabbed some udon noodles, wakame, and fried tofu . We also picked up a container of Heiwa’s own extra spicy Kimchi.  A few more goodies and a bottle of aloe vera juice and we were off.

Back at home, the kids were bathed and put to bed by daddy dearest while I whipped up a dinner that was to be enjoyed during some prime time TV watching. The line up included East Bound & Down, Dexter and Mad Men.

To prepare this salad, I tossed some cooked udon noodles with mirin, soy sauce and ginger; fried tofu, red pepper and edamame beans. I poached some shrimp, reconstituted some dried shitake mushrooms, steamed some market fresh tatsoi and added them to our salad our salad. A sprinkling of the Japanese red pepper mix was added at the end to spice up our noodles and then we collectively headed towards our couches to pack it in for an evening of relaxation.

Now that I have turned the dreaded “36″, I have come to realize that simplicity in cooking is the only way that I want to go. Goodbye to ring molds, tweezers and hypodermic needles…this lil’ lady is takin’ the simplicity route from now on! Now, what will happen to me when I turn 40? Stay tuned!

Clam Chaos

• 5lbs clams; steamed and shucked and kept in their cooking liquid until needed

• 1 lbs snow peas; julienned
• 1 apple; julienned
• 10 radishes; thinly sliced
• 1 lbs potatoes; thinly sliced and cooked
• 1/2 cup basil; chiffonade
• 1/2 cup parley; chopped
• 1/4 cup walnut oil
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 white wine vinegar
• salt & pepper
• truffle oil; optional

Mix all the ingredients together and add the drained clams at the end. This recipe makes enough for 4 people as a main course.

Tip: Use a mandolin or Benriner to prepare the thinkly sliced or julienned ingredients. As you may already know a Benriner is one of my favourite kitchen tools. Click here for my 10 Kitchen Tools I Can’t Live Without.

Nothing better than a bowl of udon!

About ten years ago, I was invited to my sister-in-laws’ parents house for a traditional Japanese meal. There in the kitchen were several generations of Taira women cooking up a storm! Udon, tempura, gyoza, teriyaki & sushi all being prepared while these women talked and gossiped. It was amazing to see them work together, rhythmically, without any communication about what was going on around them. Peggy had the udon on the go, Toyo was frying up some tempura and Aunt Lil was gossiping about the recent trip to the casino while rolling sushi. I was in culinary heaven! It was then and there that they beckoned me into this kitchen and asked me if I knew what they were doing. My response was vague, telling them that I had eaten and seen most of these things, but had never cooked them myself. Peggy and Toyo simply giggled and Aunt Lil pulled me by the arm and took me over to the stove to explain to me how the udon was made. What an education these three women gave me, and have continued to give me for years after. So, it probably  comes as no big surprise that I keep a secret stash of Japanese ingredients on hand at all times; bonito flakes, kombu, nori, tofu, wakame, edamame - you get the picture.

On a recent Sunday morning, when the thought of bacon and eggs was not even an option, I pulled out my big green Creuset and proceeded to make a big batch of udon for Doug, Zoe and I to enjoy. On this day, I made my dashi broth by cooking the kombu in water with the bonito flakes and some tamari (click here for a simple dashi recipe). While letting it cool, I cooked off my udon noodles and strained the stock. I was lucky enough to have a few fresh scallops leftover in the fridge, as well as some lobster meat – both perfect additions to the soup. I added in some shitake mushrooms, tofu, edamame and spinach and had myself a pretty amazing udon!

The great thing about udon is that you can basically add anything to it and it always tastes great! I suggest that on some blustery day, when you don’t know what to cook, have a go at making your own udon and see what combination works for you!

Click to enlarge.

My view on sea urchins.

Roll back twenty years to 1989; my first encounter with the prickly sea creature known as sea urchin. I still remember the trepidation I felt as my sister’s boyfriend took it upon himself to order our sushi feed; tuna, salmon, mackerel, eel and uni. Uni? What is this uni? Does this come from the Ottawa Valley? I dare not think so! I still picture the sushi as it came to our table; there it was, an orange hued blob (the only way a fifteen year old could describe it!). The first taste surprised me; salty, slightly sweet and slimy. I also remember thinking that the flavour has a slightly funky aftertaste, one which I cannot describe in this story as I would not want to offend anyone! So, I pretty much gagged on my uni, spit it up and vowed to never, ever try this vile creature again!

Let’s fast track to 2007; I was then somewhat of a grown up (I am sure that some will beg to differ!) and had just been hired as Executive Chef of The Five Fishermen restaurant in Halifax. My new position had me excited and I was pumped about working with local ingredients that I had never worked with before. Enter Nick Budreski, my seafood guru and pal, and his magical box filled with goodies. Oysters, bay scallops and sea urchin? ‘You gotta be kidding me!’ I told him; as sea urchin was still fresh on my palate. He explained to me that these had been harvested only hours earlier, by he and his two brothers, Matt & Mike. ‘Come on’, he said, ‘just crack it open and try it’.  As my staff looked on, I felt the need to be the leader that I was being paid to be. ‘OK.’ I grabbed my knife and a cloth and proceeded to crack open the prickly sucker. Once open, a bright orange roe spilled out of the shell along with many other goodies. The roe is the only edible part of this creature, and I scooped it out with my fingers. Once in my mouth I closed my eyes, swirled it around and got those old familiar tastes; salty, sweet, and yummy? That is right! What had I been missing all these years? This was awesome! I stuck my greedy fingers in for more and encountered more nirvana. As I continued to discover the urchin, I also tasted a familiar taste; rosewater. Rosewater you ask? Yup! I was now totally hooked. ‘Budreski!’ I shouted, ‘I need more of these spiny suckers ASAP!’ Needless to say, these bad boys have made their way onto my menus on many occasions over the years.

This past week I got thirty or so urchins for a tasting menu, which gave my staff a chance to learn about these lil’ guys. When handling these urchins remember to use a cloth as their spikes can get into your hands and cause major pain!  You can crack them open with a sharp knife on the top (the side without the beak). As I mentioned before, the roe is the only edible part, and any other “stuff” is not to be ingested. I would say that 99% of the time, sea urchin is served raw, and to me, that is the best way! I have served the roe on oysters, on top of a chowder & all by itself on a crostini.

Indian Point Scallop

My mother used to pride herself on her “Coquilles St. Jacques” whenever guests came over. Out came the pink, scallop shells, the tiny forks and the “good” china. I remember having my first taste and finding it salty and sweet. Scallops have played a major role in my life since my first salivating scallop moment at the age of six. While working in Toronto and Ottawa, they were always featured on my menus. While in Europe, they baffled me as I spent many hours cleaning their delicate shells and then “shucking” them. While in the Caribbean, they were shipped to me, first class, only to be gobbled up quickly by my boss. In Prince Edward Island, they were demanded by my guests, and paired with fatty, unctuous pork belly. Yes, that is my signature; scallops and pork belly. It has been on several of my menus, in several different ways, but it is always there; like a security blanket.

My usual Saturday morning these days consists of baby – baby feeding, baby changing and a baby outing to the Halifax Farmers’ Market. On this particular Saturday, I left for the market  with a purpose; Saturday night dinner. I was fortunate enough to finally get sommelier Alanna MacIntyre and her husband, Flavio, over for dinner, as well as a ‘foodie’ named David Hachey, and our usual suspects, Lekas and Shannon. So, to market to market to get a fat…scallop? Yes, there they were, staring directly at me from the stall of Mr. Peter Darnell of Indian Point Marine Farms. Peter has supplied me in the past with his meaty mussels and scallops, but on this particular day, they were so goddamn gorgeous that I had to have them! Big and meaty with their orange roe still attached; something quite rare these days. I snatched up a few pounds and started plotting my attack. Do I shuck them and serve them raw? Would I broil them with bread crumbs and cheese? Would Momma Lavallée get a phone call and a request for her Coquilles St. Jacques recipe? Nope, they were thrown into a 500F degree oven and baked in their shell until they opened, then doused with my special stash of Lungarotti Extra Virgin Olive Oil, fresh lemon juice and Maldon Salt. Alanna and David both brought over crazy amazing Chardonnays (Mazzocco from Sonoma & Springfield Estate from South Africa) that went beautifully with them. Eight bottles of wine later and a platter full of scallop shells, we finally rose from our long wooden dining table with a level of satisfaction that only be achieved by the right combination of scallops, fine wine and good friends.

Tomorrow's Lunch

I remember my first fishing trip; I was eleven years old and my dad decided to take me on the “annual” fishing trip after making much commotion about not being able to go, as I was a girl. Well, off we went on a Friday night (my brother came too) to a lake that was pristine, but also three hours away with a house that had no heat or plumbing! My adventure left much to be desired; I spent the weekend complaining about the cold and the rampant smell of farts that was coming from my brother (yes, I got my first taste of the “Dutch Oven” on this trip!). That was the last time that I attempted to fish. Many years later while living in the British Virgin Islands, I took up fishing again and enjoyed it! Perhaps it was because it was hot, and my brother was nowhere in sight. I mostly caught small, tropical fish that I didn’t want to eat, but my love affair had been sparked.

When I met my husband, one of my qualities that I told him about was my ability to fish; so as a Valentine’s gift, he got me a fishing rod. I have yet to use the rod (I always forget to bring with me), but when we went to Cape Breton a while back, he asked me if I would like to go mackerel fishing. Well, of course I did, and off we went on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Our hosts offered me a rod, but I opted to fish with a traditional hand line, something that I had never done before. Fun! Here I was, off the coast of Cape Breton, fishin’. Doug had never seen me in action, and I think he was slightly skeptical as to whether I not I could actually a fish. A few minutes later, my jigging payed off and I caught 5, count em’, 5 mackerel! I took them off the line and dropped into a bucket for grilling later.

I don’t have a specific recipe for these bejeweled beauties; we usually clean them, then grill them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Some people find the flavour to be too strong, but I find dipping the grilled flesh in some citrus aioli to be the perfect balance! Pair this with a crisp white wine, such as a l’Acadie Blanc, and you are off to the races.

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