When life gets rough, it can be therapeutic to turn to those things that seem familiar. For us, we cook and we gather to break bread. This week, I needed a hug, so who better to invite than Trish… Recently our friend Luke worked front of house, for Trish’s recital, and they have become fast friends… If I may quote his favorite part of the show, it was her rendition of “If you’re good to Mama, from Chicago” and as he described it, her boob juggling…. So with our trio, Trish and Luke, we gathered to break bread and share.
For an appetizer, we pulled out an old favorite, at least as far as my nephew Jesse is concerned. Planked crab cakes, with horseradish mayonnaise. Basically it’s just crab, not a whole lot of filler….
For the main, we kept the planking theme going and served planked salmon, with grilled asparagus. Shawn’s new favorite lemon oil made an appearance and gave a bit of zing to the meal, to balance the dish.
Our dessert was a Lemon Tart with Mascarpone cream, combining the tartness of the lemon with a creamy accompaniment.
It turns out, the whole meal was old favorites, mixed up and re-imagined. Comfort food…. just what we needed.
I don’t often combine updates, but let’s face it, we have fallen behind… Steph and Lois were going to have a gardening day, so afterwards they would be hungry. We had a new challenge, that has been simmering a while. Steph had recently visited 5th Town Artisan Cheese Co, in Picton, and brought us a lovely Capreggio.
We wanted to use this in a dish, but really wanted to feature this cheese. That can only mean adding a cheese course….
We arrived and Steph’s and due to the weather, there was not much gardening going on, but they still used their time wisely and of course need to be fed. Trish had joined them, to make this a quintet. Luckily the rain had let up, so we could get the charcoal lit. Our little group gathered, to enjoy flat bread pizzas with shrimp and white bean humus.
Homemade grilled flat breads, shrimp, caramelized onions, melted leeks, with micro greens and parmesan… and lets not forget the white bean humus. This stuff is gold!
The main was very photogenic…. Good thing it was also tasty. We served grilled chicken supreme, stuffed with mushrooms, and a mushroom-orange vinaigrette, alongside roasted tomatoes and grilled white asparagus.
This plate was vibrant, and yes the grilled tomatoes look fake, but I can assure you that they are real and the freshness of this plate was the star. Chicken and mushrooms, set of with the acid of the orange vinaigrette, with fresh grilled veggies. Finally summer may begin.
Now to our challenge…. How to feature a milder cheese in a dish. Well make the cheese the star of a cheese course, of course. Shawn designed a dish of dried figs and apricots, in a mustard glaze, to create a dried fruit jam. This way the cheese was feature, but with the sweetness of the fruit.
I did not know what to expect from this dish, but the flavours complimented each other so well. The creaminess of the cheese, with a syrupy jam and a big of a bite from the mustard. Simple, yet elegant.
Dessert was something we have meant to make for some time…. The classic key lime pie.
Our Pax Christi season was over, but we still gathered and broke bread and shared with each other. Sometimes getting into the old routines is just what we need.
Great to get caught up on all these memorable dishes. I will be visiting the Fifth Town cheese company in Picton this weekend. Do you want me to pick anything up for you?
http://www.fifthtown.ca/artisan_cheese
Hi David – Greetings from Athens. My condolences on the loss of your mother. You are right – something we must all expect, but that does not make it any easier to accept. But you are on the right track for therapy. The dishes you and Sean produce are all comfort food, both for the consumers and the creators.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, all the way from Athens. Looking forward to seeing you, when you are back.