I love coffee...Two If By Sea

There is something I love more than most things in the world. It is part of my daily routine and is my pick me up when I'm feeling a little sluggish.

Coffee. My big warm hug every morning!

I am a coffee snob. I will admit this (part 1 of the 10 step process right?) I usually drink a coffee first thing in the morning, and then sometimes treat myself to another later in the day.

Double Americano, Americano Misto, Cappucino, Latte, Espresso, Macchiato, or just plain ol' cup of Joe are a few fav's that i've been stuck to for years.  Being a coffee snob is great. I am always on the hunt for a new place to sip, smell and savor coffee. The other day I did just that and hallelujah did I ever find one. 

Two If By See Cafe in Dartmouth Nova Scotia.

 A few days ago I had a wonderful morning adventure.  I crossed a bridge, met my cousin, was taken to her lovely neighborhood haunt and drank the best double Americano I have had since moving back to Nova Scotia.

Two If By Sea Cafe, doesn't just produce great coffee. They have pride in their product. The barista's take care in ordering specialty fair trade and organic beans from around the world and buy from 49th Parrallel in B.C. 49th Parrallel isn't just another roaster; they source the worlds finest coffee beans, roast them fresh and are committed to selling the highest quality of bean. 

I like that Two If By Sea Cafe, also has variety in drinks. For all you tea lovers a selection of fine loose leaf tea's and cold drinks await you so don't dismay.

Up to now I've told you half the story of why Two If By Sea Cafe stole my heart. This is the other half:

 They make the most < YUMMY < Crunchy on the outside buttery on the inside croissants I have ever tasted. I literally traveled back to the country side of Lyon for a moment while biting into my delicious home made Pain au Chocolat. As you can see from the photo, the size of the croissant is almost equal to my cousins head (and that is after I scarfed half of it) 

I also purchased and took home a plain croissant, which was one of the smartest decisions I have ever made. Later when I was hungry it came in handy...

Homemade pastrami (Thank you Chef Thomas), avocado, grainy Dijon, tomato, arugula on a Two If By Sea Cafe croissant. Sooooo satisfying.

Two If By Sea is welcoming, bustling and contagious. I say that because I woke up the next day with a hankering to run the 20 km to the cafe in order to score another fine cup of love and almond croissant which i have yet to try but seriously dream about. (I didn't...=( 20km at 6am is a bit of an oversight) 

The owners of the cafe are fun loving, innovative and friendly. I had the opportunity to meet them earlier in the week. It is refreshing to meet young, energetic people who love what they do, and in turn have their employees smiling and their customers treated like family.

Eat, drink and enjoy,

Memories are made of this... Rice Paper Rolls

Tuesday morning here we are! I can only imagine that the start of the week has been good to you. This means that your belly is full and sleep came soundly. Hopefully this post will have you waking up into Tuesday with a new idea for dinner.

-Vermicelli Rice Paper Rolls - With Sweet Chili dipping sauce

The first time I made Vermicelli roll, was for a good friend around 8 years ago. Since then whenever we see each other there is a twinkle in her eye and on the tip of her tongue is the questions of making them. This is flattering and hilarious because they really aren't hard to make, and work beautifully for lunch, hors d'oeuvres or even dinner if you ramped up the rolls with a few hearty side dishes. Walking back from my friends house tonight I thought... why not share this recipe with you so that you can wrap your friends around your petite culinary finger.

First things first... You will need:

Small Vermicelli noodles. You an usually find this in your local grocery store or at the closes specialty store.

1 Red pepper, Yellow and Green

1 Mango

1Cucumber

Basil

(If you don't like the veggies I have chosen feel free to sub in ones you like) I also sometimes but sprouts in because they taste fresh and make a great filler. 

Core Sauces: Sweet Chili Sauce, Soya Sauce, Sesame Oil, Sriracha (not necessary unless you like spice)

Rice Rolls....................... Either small, medium or large

 

Now that you have the necessary ingredients lets start!!

Place vermicelli noodles in a large bowl, heat water to boil and then pour over noodles. Leave for approx. 5 minutes and then drain the water out. (Or until the noodles have softened) After the noodles are drained sprinkle with Soya Sauce a few basil leaves and Sriracha (hot sauce. only if you like heat).  Put aside. 

Boil more water and put in empty bowl to cool while you cut vegetables. 

Slice vegetables into small strips and set aside.  In this photo you can see I am slicing the vegetables and then placing them on a plate next to my boil of noodles.

Now the hard part is over!

Moisten paper towel and lay down on the surface of your kitchen counter. The one thing to keep in mind while making these is that rice rolls dry out incredibly quickly so you want to make sure that each surface the rice paper rolls touch provide moisture.                                             After you lay our the moistened paper towel take your circular rice paper and place in hot water for approximately 20 seconds. You will see that it will turn opaque and become quite flexible. Similar to a very thin goey crepe. 

Now lay the moistened circular rice paper onto the moist paper towel:

In the picture my pink bowl is filled with warm water that I have dunked my circular rice roll into. I then layed them onto my moistened paper towels that I had placed on my counter.                   To fill the rolls place the cooked vermicelli noodles in the center of the roll. On top put some of each vegetable and mango. To finish add a few fresh leaves of basil.

 Now we roll!

Pretend you are making a burrito. Fold the bottom over the top of the vegetables and noodles. Then pull towards you to tighten the roll. Tuck in each side and then continue to roll forward. 

Eh Voila!! You have made Vermicelli Rice Rolls. 

To store place in moist paper towel on a plate and saran wrap until you are ready to eat. They will dry out, so make sure to refrigerate properly. 

For the sauce, zest and juice one lime. Add in 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce and garnish with fresh basil.  

I guarantee that this will be a hit! Just be careful because friends will remember the fresh light taste of your yummy vermicelli rice roles. Could become addictive..

Eat Drink and enjoy!

Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows.... DeeDee's

Here is a nice tale and restaurant profile to go with your delicious Saturday evening.

Yesterday, I was sitting writing recipes and prepping a bit of food for a catering job. It was a beautiful day out and I was being a bit of a grump. In order to turn my unnecessary frown upside down I decided to cheer myself up and go get an ice cream. I am incredibly fortunate because I have wonderful neighborhood ice cream shop just down the street...so my smile wasn't far away. 

Dee Dee's is a local small business with three locations and they make ice cream. They boast that "The ice cream is made with fresh milk, cream, raw organic sugar and only the highest quality extract"  The same with their spirit lifting sorbets that are dairy free and open for business to anyone lactose free.

This ice cream is melt in your mouth, creamy, and delicious.  Picture a basket filled with anything that makes you smile. Then turn that basket into an ice cream and you have Dee Dee's. Not to mention the whole shop comes in this beautifully made package that just reminds you of carefree days in the sun. 

Dee Dee's also sells homemade burrito's that are the size of half a leg and cost very little (between $6-9). They have a few different options ranging from vegetarian to chicken or beef. Again they use all locally sourced ingredients to fill the burrito as well as Nova Scotian home grown organic lettuce (Whoot  Whoot to them..) Lettuce that tastes like lettuce is hard to find these days. They look awesome. I have yet to try one but will be sure to the next time I am looking for a meal and dessert. I can say that I did see a few hungry customers walk out beaming holding their large burrito which is a good indication that it's worth the try. 

The staff were friendly, fast and enthusiastic about the ice cream and their favorites. They even asked the customers while we were in line if we had any song requests from their ipod. So cute. I snagged a photo of them to share with you!! 

I left Dee Dee's with a hop in my step and in my hand a homemade waffle cone with a scoop of coffee icecream. Fully rejuvenated for the rest of the day. Hurrah. 

Eat, drink and enjoy!!

The Magical Mystery Tour...

Tis the middle of the week my friends.  I hope you are well fed and happy this evening.

Having recently moved home I have been checking in with ol' chef friends.  It is always fun to sit and reminisce about  glutness meals, failed menu's, food idea's, playful memories and catching up on lost time in the kitchen with each other.

A good friend of mine here in Halifax Chef Thomas surprised me the other night with a marvelous 6 course meal offer. This meal offer came from the guilt of missing my business launch because of getting a little too "happy" aka plastered the night before at his friends bachelor party.  Now I'm not one to ever turn down the offer of a tasting menu especially when I know it comes from the heart and a place of wanting to strike a deal. I  fully appreciated the fact that this was his peace offering and so in tow my lovely mother and I headed down to a meal made by a food loving, respected chef.

I would now like to share the glory of this meal with you. I call this the Magical Mystery Tour because walking into a tasting menu, you never know what could be thrown at you!!!  I walked out with my mom saying she had been taken to the heavens, the moon and back. If that doesn't describe magic in a meal I don't know what does. 

 Homemade Biscuits to start. This was a happy reminder that we are in the east coast.

Amuse Bouche (This is a small 2-3 bite starter that is supposed to awaken your palate before the meal, in english amuse your mouth... tickle your tastebuds...) And after this mine had practically jumped out of my mouth.

Sesame, pickled red cabbage slaw with due of mussels

 - Crisp, Elegant,Balanced

 First Course: Let me preface this with, if I had to write a menu for my last meal by golly would this ever be on it, for at least 3 different courses. SO GOOD!.

Truffle, Potato Soup with Salt Cod Fritter and Seared Fois Gras (Chervil Garnish) - Rich, Simple, Love in a bowl

2nd Course:

 Saffron Lobster Ravioli and Dragons Breath Cheese (made here in N.S.) Sauteed Asparagus, Shaved Fennel, Lemon, Tarragon and whole butter - Pungent, Flavourful, Filling

Thinking about this course I may or may not be drooling right now. 

Palate Cleanser: This is to clear the palate and get it ready for the next course. If you read again the above dishes you can see that they were fatty, a little heavier and did have a merriment of flavours between the 1st and 2nd course. Now came the time to clear away the old tastes and bring in the new. 

Mango and Raspberry Sorbet. Simply delightful in every way.

Now drum role please..... The Main:

Dried Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Fig Spread and Veal Reduction, Roast Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts - Aromatic, Tender, To Die For!

I wish I could share with you the amazing smell that wafted through the dining room as this plate was brought to our table. If I could I would bottle it and then wear it as perfume. (I would smell like the loveliest roasted garlic in the world)

Last but not in the very bit least..... Dessert:

Deepfried Apple Pie, Salted Caramel, Peanut Brittle and Cream Cheese Ice cream

Deepfried Blueberry Pie, Salted Caramel, Peanut Brittle and Banana Ice Cream

This was around the point where my mom proclaimed that she had indeed been to the heavens, the moon and back! 

Thank you Chef Thomas my friend, for an amazing meal, for taking my mom and I into your world of flavour creation and food magic. 

Eat, drink and enjoy!

I Am The Egg Man

Good Monday food loving friends. 

Today I would like to pay tribute to Eggs. I have been enjoying many different types of eggs as of late and would like to share the many different  ways I have been eating them lately for breakfast. This post is more of an ode to brunch treats where the eggs are queen and all the other surrounding ingredients bow down to them. 

Quail eggs, Duck eggs, Chicken Eggs, chocolate eggs... All have pleasantly tickled my palate in the last week. 

Poached egg with arugula, feta cheese, chives on a bed of roasted lemon thyme yams and potatoes. Add a bit of chili oil and guaranteed you will be in breakfast heaven.

Semi-soft boiled egg with home cured bacon and poppyseed flatbread.  Simply yet incredibly satisfying. Make sure to put some fresh cracked pepper on your yoke to play on your tastebuds.

Asparagus, red pepper, mushroom, aged cheddar and egg white frittata with maple cured bacon and roasted tomato foccacia bread.

I was making ice cream this week and had many egg whites sitting around. A frittata is my favorite way to use up egg whites because I find it's very easy to create a nice robust flavour. Egg whites always need a pick me up! ( I add chilli's to my egg whites before adding to the vegetables... this will certainly give it a kick)

 A petite quail egg atop a lovely mini curry infused beef burger, caramelized onions and homemade bun. 

It's never to early for a burger when there's an egg atop of it!

Eat, drink and enjoy!! 

With a Little Help From My Friends...

First off, Happy Friday! I hope that you've had a good week and enjoyed some good food and drink throughout. Today I would like to dedicate this blog post to friends and new acquaintances. I'll explain why.

Earlier this week I went to the bank to register my business account as a sole proprietor.  Since then the idea of "sole proprietorship" has been bouncing around my head. My business is a partnership with my community, the farmers I buy from, my local grocers, wine producers, local breweries, friends and family.

This Sunday is my business launch and  I have an abundance of help. My friends have graciously offered to volunteer as servers, bartenders, sous chefs, help with rental pick ups, offer in kind donations and moral support (the best help of all) I can't thank them enough the generosity. Highland Drive has been built with this love and support.

When I started planning this launch I knew that I wanted to market locally. So I reached out to local wineries, breweries, farmers, pastry chefs, small businesses and other chefs in the city. I've received an amazing amount of positive feedback, in kind donations and community help.

Irises Flowers is graciously donating les belles fleures (beautiful flowers). I would seriously check them.out. Not only do they have a beautiful selection of flowers but sell Perks Coffee as well. (I love coffee with any shopping that I do) The owner is sweet as pie.

This week I had a lovely visit to the Muir Murray Estate Winery in the Annapolis Valley. I sat with the owner, had a beautiful tour of the grounds, gaped at the beauty of the vines, and tastes some lovely locally made wine.

It is so exciting to learn about all the grape varietals that Nova Scotia has to offer. The winery will be donating three different wines for my launch to be paired with food I am serving.

I am blown away with their generosity, support for small local business growth and all around passion and shared joy in the wine that they produce. 

Garrison Brewing Co. has very generously donated product for my launch so that I may provide a beer sampling on Sunday. I love their beer and I must say they have the most remarkable staff of any brewery I have ever been to. I went to pick up the beer yesterday and one of the employee's remembered helping with out with a sampling over 2 months again. Great memory, great brews, amazing flavours and tremendous at providing locally.

Raspberry Wheat

This golden wheat ale comes alive with it’s unique, natural raspberry flavour. A crisp, refreshing, one-of-a-kind taste that’s a perfect summer thirst quencher!

Tall Ship Amber This refreshing premium ale is golden-amber with light maltiness, crisp hop aroma, and smooth, clean finish. Launch into Halifax’s own Tall Ship Amber Ale, and celebrate our rich nautical history. Two lovely summer tasting brews! THANK YOU GARRISON. All in all this week has left me feeling like the luckiest girl in the world. Eat, drink and enjoy

A Beautiful Morning..... Chickpea Flatbread

The weather is unpredictable. Similar to peoples palates. However, I believe that if we pay a little more attention to the weather, same with the produce we select to cook from it is possible to strike a deal with both balancing flavor and good weather.

This morning I woke up and saw that the sun was trying hard to shine on Halifax. To help encourage I went to work in the kitchen.  I decided to make gluten free, rosemary caramelized onion flat bread. This is an Italian recipe that I picked living in Italy and I love it.! The flat bread resembles the sun so it is sure to encourage good weather, it is simple and can be used/flavoured in many different ways. 

Recipe

1Cup Chickpea Flour (gluten free hurrah)

1Cup Water

2Onions sliced thin

Rosemary

Salt

Olive Oil

Directions: Mix chickpea flour and water in a bowl. Beat together until smooth (2min).Put in fridge and let sit for at least 1 hr. I usually make the batter a day in advance that way I don't have to wait out the hour! While your batter is sitting take onions and slice thin. Put in frying pan on medium heat with 1tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with 1tsp salt. Let cook on medium until the onions start to brown. The onions will caramelize naturally over time so don't rush it. Keep the frying pan on medium and let the onions do there thing. As moisture releases (which the salt helps to do) the onions will let there natural sugars do all the work. Once this is done set aside caramelized onions in a bowl to cool.

When the onions are on the stove and cooking take rosemary off stems and set aside in a small bowl. You should have at least 3 sprigs of rosemary.

After an hour your chickpea batter is ready.  Put a frying pan on the stove and head on medium. When the frying pan is nicely heated add 1tsp oil and then spoon in 1/3 cup batter and then quickly spread around so that it is hitting all edges of the pan. This should resemble a crepe. Sprinkle with a bit of salt, a thin coating of the caramelized onions, and some a little rosemary so that the base is nicely covered. Then spoon another 1/3 of batter on top and repeat salt, rosemary and caramelized onion toppings. The flatbread has two layers of taste. 

The flatbread will cook in a matter of minutes. You will know it is cooked when the bottom is crisp and thetop is set. Feel free to pop these in the oven for 1 min on broil. That way you will get a crisp top and bottom.

You can make this flatbread sweet - instead of onions and rosemary add in some cinnamon apples and sugar.

You can make this flatbread into a pizza - I added red pepper, roasted tomatoes, goat cheese and arugula

You can make this flatbread into a Quesadilla - add refried beans, cheese and salsa 

OR

Just eat it plain and simple. I paired it with some nice grilled veggies and gave it to a friend for a nice light lunch.

Eat drink and enjoy! 

p.s. The sun is shining!!!

Hey Hey We're The Monkeys... The Wooden Monkey

 I love cooking, and serving wack loads of people food and drink. However, on the flip side I love eating other peoples kitchen creations.  In fact one of my favorite pastimes is enjoying food and drink in the company of good friends.

Saturday night presented such an evening. Two of my fun loving girlfriends called me up and offered to take me to dinner. This offer was ridiculously sweet for two reasons:

a) I just moved back to my home province Halifax N.S., and am starting my own catering/culinary class business. This endeavor is eating up most of my current funds at the moment.(Who knew they didn't print business cards for free.... or that you can't barter your way into kitchen space by offering the landlord cookies... silly really)

b) This blog is supposed take readers on an adventure of not just my culinary endeavors but the eateries around town.

So, I jumped at the occasion with a promise to return the favor and to cook dinner for them on a day of their choosing.

- The Wooden Monkey -  Nestled in the heart of downtown Halifax The Wooden Monkey is a two story restaurant that strikes the perfect balance between country cottage inn and Dublin pub. The lower level of the restaurant has large inviting windows that offer a beautiful l view of downtown Halifax. I enjoy natural light and couldn't help but notice how before dusk they provided a perfect pairing to the funky and inviting hand crafted wood tables (how fitting)  

 We were seated right away. In a split second our server was beside us with a charmed greeting, a warm smile and the questions of libation (much appreciated) I had a dirty gin martini, and they vodka. The martini's were chilled, and shaken to perfection. The bartender even asked the server to check on us a second time making sure we were satisfied with the level of dirt (olive juice) Such care. 

The meal started off with Nacho's to share. Sometimes I loath the idea of nachos to start a nice meal because they can be greasy, with sad cheese that has no taste and out of the jar salsa. Not at The Wooden Monkey The nachos were flavourful, light and colourful. Picture this: Organic blue tortilla chip base, sprinkled  mozzarella and white cheddar garnished by jalenpenos, red peppers,red onions and homemade salsa with locally sourced ingredients. ohhhh my.

 

*demolished* Enough for three and then some

After my pleasant nacho surprise I started seriously considering my choice of mains. The menu is full of many tempting options. Not to mention gluten free offerings for all you celiacs! The server was patient, attentive, and when I asked her for her favorite options she became flustered at the thought of choosing just one and spoke highly of all dishes on the menu. A good sign.

We finally decided on:

Roast Chicken and Pesto Sandwich
Free-range chicken, spinach walnut pesto, raisin aioli, fresh cut apple and cucumber served in a porridge pita
... $15

Tomato
sun-dried & fresh tomato, mushrooms, red onion & feta
9"... $15
12"... $19

* Scallop and Sun dried Tomato Pasta
Digby scallops, roasted garlic, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and basil pesto, with organic brown rice noodles, finished with a dash of cream and parmesan cheese
... $24

The food superb, and I ate each bite grinning ear to ear.  

The service was the best service I have had at a restaurant in a long time. Patient, attentive, sweet and knowledgeable about the restaurants food and beverage options. 

The Menu, charming with plenty of flavour and variety. The restaurant uses only locally sourced products and emphasizes the importance of supporting the community. You can taste the difference! Hurrah for Farm to table cuisine The company!! Fabulous, and entertaining honestly two of my favorite people to dine with. The drinks, well received and continuously flowing The atmosphere comfortable, easy going with a hint of elegance.

Check out their website: http://www.thewoodenmonkey.ca/index.shtml
 I would go back in a heartbeat (and will) 

Eat, drink and enjoy!