In a Golden State 4: Big Sur, pt. 1

fig. a: fading fast

Quick! Before these memories fade any further...

fig. b: fogbound

We had pretty astounding luck on our trip to California last summer. Yes, we all remember that tired old Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain line about the summer he spent in San Francisco, but much of Northern California had been languishing under an unusually cold, grey, and miserable summer when we arrived in August. Our friend C. was in Frisco just before us, and the whole time she was there she kept sending us the most dire emails. "It's freaking cold here!!" "Dress warm when you come here--apparently it's the coldest summer in 100 years." That kind of thing.

Well, she wasn't exaggerating. When we showed up it was definitely "freaking cold." And everyone we talked to confirmed what C. had told us--it had been an unusually cold summer. Bitterly cold. But then the very next day, the miraculous happened: the weather broke. The sun came out, and it started to warm up. Everywhere we went, people were reveling in the sun and the warmth. And that trend just continued the entire time we were in California--it just got nicer and nicer. By our last week, the weather had done a complete about turn: it was freaking hot! San Francisco was suffering from a full-blown heatwave.

Anyway, when we went down to Big Sur, mid-way during our California vacation, for a three-day camping, hiking, and noshing jaunt, we had the same kind of good luck. It was overcast when we got up and hit the road, and the combination cloud cover & cool conditions lasted all the way to the Monterey Peninsula. We knew the weather could be highly unpredictable in Big Sur and we were prepared to have to bundle up for a few days, but then another minor miracle happened. When we got about five miles from our Big Sur campsite, the sky broke.

fig. c: first glimpse

And by the time we'd driven those five miles, that cloud bank had pushed out to sea, never to return for the duration of our stay. We were pretty happy about this rather fortunate development, but what we didn't realize at the time was that this was the first time there'd been any sun in Big Sur for over two months (!). Again, everywhere we went, it was like the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. Big Sur's natives were going around in a serious sun daze.

Our time in Big Sur was spent camping, hiking, visiting, walking, and relaxing on various beaches (as well as taking the occasional plunge in those frigid Pacific waters), and while we did a fair bit of roaming, the two focal points of our stay were our campsite and the Big Sur Bakery.

fig. d: Big Sur by BSB

Michelle and Philip Wojtowicz's The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook: A Year in the Life of a Restaurant was easily one of our favorite cookbooks of 2010 (and it's continued to be a fave well into 2011). It's beautifully photographed and it's chock-full of amazing recipes of all kinds, but we love the detailed account of Big Sur Bakery's seasonality and the focus they place on the community of producers, harvesters, and foragers who make the restaurant's cuisine possible.

I'd always wanted to show Big Sur to Michelle anyway, but after we got hooked on The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook we had even more reason to pay a pilgrimage to the area. We ended up going to The Big Sur Bakery a lot. There were numerous reasons for this, but it certainly didn't hurt that the very first time we visited The Big Sur Bakery we had a major (and majorly Californian) star sighting.

Actually, the story bears repeating:

Okay, so we'd brought along a copy of The New Yorker on our trip. The issue in question contained a story on the mysterious life and times, and recent disappearance, of painter, ex-Lounge Lizards saxman, Jim Jarmusch muse, and Fishing With John host John Lurie. The author actually managed to locate Lurie fleetingly towards the end of the article, and apparently one of his safe havens was the home of Red Hot Chili Pepper funk-punk bassist extraordinaire Flea--in Big Sur. This detail struck us as hilarious, for some reason. "Can you imagine? What if we run into Flea?" Michelle had visions that Flea would instantly recognize her as a celestial twin and welcome us into his home. We'd instantly form a deep and lasting bond and he'd ask us to stay on as his personal chefs, as well as the witnesses and chroniclers to the spiritual quest that is his Big Sur existence.** I thought it would be pretty cool to run into Lurie, too. I was sure the two of us would have plenty in common.

Anyway, who should be the very first person that we run into as we made our way from the parking to the Big Sur Bakery on our very first visit, but...

Flea? Nope.

John Lurie? Sorry, not him, either.

Are you ready for this?

Anthony Kiedis! I have to admit, I didn't get the fullest look. I noticed some buff, tanned, long-haired, mustachioed, surfer-looking dude in a flannel shirt and a tuque, but was too fixated on the bakery to make the connection. Michelle, on the other hand, locked eyes with AK (the other AK!) and apparently received a very knowing glance. Not quite an invitation to his buddy Flea's place, but almost!

Let me tell you, from that point on, we were even more enthusiastic about visiting and re-visiting The Big Sur Bakery. After all, this wasn't just some cheap celebrity sighting. It felt like we had a date with destiny.

fig. e: breakfast by BSB 1

We didn't have every meal at The Big Sur Bakery. That would have felt a little decadent, even if we hadn't been camping. We did, however, begin every morning there.

fig. f: breakfast by BSB 2

They had a great selection of doughnuts, morning buns, and assorted viennoiseries, and some decent fresh-brewed coffee, so Michelle insisted on a small taste of civilization each morning before we set out on our hikes. It was worth it just to see the locals roll in for their morning fix.

To be continued...

aj

* a.k.a. The Chi Peps!

** Michelle follows Flea on Twitter. She knows.

Summer Picnic/Barbecue 101

fig. a: not bad

1. Find yourself a perfect spot to spend the day. Preferably one with easy access to a big, clean, and natural body of water. Preferably one that allows for barbecuing.



figs. b & c: afternoon snack

2. Bring yourself an afternoon snack to give you plenty of energy for an afternoon of swimming, and to tide you over until your late afternoon/evening barbecue.

Sample snack:
Maplebrook Farm burrata
Red Hen Baking Company ciabatta
extra-virgin olive oil
fresh basil
farm-fresh tomatoes

Drizzle your ultra-ripe burrata with extra-virgin olive oil. Serve with a fresh tomato salad and a crusty loaf of bread. Devour.

fig. d: don't hold back

3. Go swimming. A lot. (Note swimming pier + floating swimming platform to the right of the frame.)

fig. e: read a book

4. Do some summertime reading. Bring a good read. Relax. Take in the breeze. Listen to the birds.





figs. f, g, and h: steaks, corn, beets, cipollini

5. Plan a simple meal: one that doesn't take a great deal of preparation, one that makes full use of the barbecue, and one that's not overly elaborate. Part of the goal, here, is to make sure you'll have as many opportunities to swim as possible. Your meal should be a complement to this goal, not an impediment.

When it is time to prep your meal, crack open a crisp beer or a nice bottle of wine. You're picnicking, after all. You're outside and the weather's beautiful. Enjoy yourself.

Sample meal:
Santa Barbara steaks
grilled corn
grilled cipollini
grilled summer squash
roasted beets
fresh tomato salad

fresh peaches

for the steaks:
sirloin or rib steaks, preferably grass-fed

Using your hands, apply Santa Barbara rub generously to your steaks. Allow the steaks to reach "room temperature." Grill over a medium-hot fire for 2 minutes per side. Move steaks away from the coals and continue cooking over indirect heat (without flipping them) for roughly another 4-8 minutes, depending on your preferred doneness (and on the thickness of your steaks). We like ours rare to medium-rare.

Santa Barbara rub works wonders with tri-tip, but it's also pretty great with sirloin steaks, rib steaks, and t-bones.

We mixed a batch of Santa Barbara rub before we left home, based on the following recipe:

Santa Barbara Spice Rub

1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ground cumin (preferably toasted)
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup ground black pepper
1/8 cup cayenne pepper
1/2 cup sweet paprika (preferably Hungarian)

Mix everything together and keep in an air-tight container until use.

[recipe from Jane & Michael Stern's Popular Plates BBQ 2010]

for the corn:
Keeping the husks intact, remove the silk from your ears of corn. Pull the husks back over your corn cobs and soak your ears of corn in water. Tightly wrap the corn in aluminum foil. Place the foil-wrapped ears of corn directly onto your medium-hot coals, and cook, rotating a quarter turn every 10-15 minutes, for about 45 minutes. Some of your kernels should have caramelized. The others should be moist and perfectly tender. Peel back the husks, add salt and butter or chipotle-lime butter, and serve.

for the beets:
Peel the beets and chop them. Place them on a sizable piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and add salt and pepper. Wrap the piece of aluminum foil into a tight package. Place the package directly on the coals and cook, flipping once, for about 40-45 minutes. The beets should be perfectly tender, with some signs of caramelization showing.

fig. i: sun set

6. Get back in the water at least one more time before the sun sets.

When you've gotten your fill, climb back out of the water, find a seat with a view on the beach, on a rock, or on the grass, and pause to watch the sun set. Fully.

7. Pack up your things. Put out your fire. Leave nary a trace.

aj

Raspberry Social Wrap-up

Such a good crowd, such amazing weather, such a great time! And such beautiful raspberries!

fig. a: framboises

From the outside, you might have just thought it was a particularly busy day at good ole Parc Laval.

fig. b: Parc Laval

On the inside, however, you found the sweet, sweet sounds of the Better Late Than Never String Band (version 2.0: banjo + fiddle) and a couple of trained professionals

fig. c: Team Laloux

serving up the most heavenly sponge cake, raspberries, and whipped cream combo,

fig. d: heaven

along with a veritable battery of drink options.

Big thanks to all of you who were able to make it down for our Raspberry Social (including a whole whack of Ottawans!), as well as all those who wished us well from afar. Once again, it was a smashing success (over 100 people!).

Will there be another social before the end of the summer? (The blueberry fanatics* have been clamoring for a Blueberry Social, among other things.) We're still not sure, but stay tuned to AEB for all the latest Summer Social information and updates.

Thanks again to Restaurant Laloux, Café Myriade, and Better Late Than Never (who tore things up!) for their invaluable assistance and their camaraderie. You guys are the best!

aj

* You know who you are!

Raspberry Social!

fig. a: best event ever

Raspberries are here!  We're on! And you're invited!

That's right, AEB's Summer of the Social continues:

fig. b: QC in the house

Raspberry Social
Sunday, July 31st
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Parc Laval (avenue Laval, 1/2 block south of Laloux, between avenue des Pins and carré St-Louis)

gorgeous, height-of-season Quebec raspberries served with Michelle's sponge cake and whipped cream

rhubarb lemonade, iced tea, and iced coffee by our friends at Myriade

live music by the Better Late Than Never String Band

fig. c: BLTN

$10 suggested donation

all proceeds go to Santropol Roulant

See you on Sunday!

aj

p.s. If you missed our Strawberry Social, this is what it looked like!

Winesdays

One Wednesday evening, a few weeks ago now, a friend of mine launched into a theory of hers:

"Wednesdays are the new Thursdays!"

I was a little skeptical at first, but then I looked around me. We were standing in the middle of a gorgeously appointed gallery in Montreal's west end. There was a vernissage going on in full effect and the place was buzzing. A DJ was spinning tunes and the bass was rumbling through the cavernous space. And representatives from Rézin, the local wine importation house, were serving up generous pours to lubricate the proceedings. And, like I said, it was a Wednesday. Maybe she was on to something.

fig. a: winesdays @ La QV

Fast forward a week, and I found myself at La QV--"votre caviste"--on Beaubien, where Team QV was hosting another installment of their 20-week extravaganza, La QV Été. You've heard of a "cinq à sept"? How about a "cinq à dix"? That's right, 5 hours of wine & beer tasting (mostly wine), nibbles, socializing, and shopping (wine, beer, charcuterie, etc.), all in the cozy confines of La QV. Sound like fun? It is.

A couple of weeks ago, Daniel (a.k.a. Montreal Oyster Guy) brought a selection of popping-fresh oysters from New Brunswick, Massachusetts, and Washington, and Team QV matched it with a crisp Sancerre. Ten days ago there were pickled pigs' tongues paired with an Austrian urkorn beer. This past week there was a beautiful terrine aux poireaux served with a lovely sylvaner.

And this coming Wednesday, July 20th, there'll be another collaboration going on: Team QV will be providing chopped liver plus samples of a Côtes du Rhône (Domaine de la Roche Buissière's Petite Jeanne, in magnums!) and AEB's very own Team Švestka will be providing a selection of summer pickles, along with our famous oignons confits, all of them for sale at near-wholesale prices.

I should add, Team QV knows their Côtes du Rhônes, and Domaine de la Roche Buissière is an outstanding producer. Their 2007 "Flonflons," which we had the pleasure of having at Lawrence one night last year, was one of our top three bottles of 2010--utterly enticing, and a remarkable value (Thank you, Etheliya! Thank you, La QV!). It would be an understatement to say that I'm excited about their latest vintage.

fig. b: Švestka Summer 2011

So come by, have a glass of wine and a nibble, and say "hello." Here's what you'll find on tap:

--Domaine de la Roche Buissière's Petite Jeanne
--Julie's chopped liver
--Švestka Preserves Inc.'s oignons confits, spicy carrot pickles, gingery pickled beets (red and gold), zucchini pickles, and pickled radishes
--and a selection of Quebec cheeses

plus

--Domaine de Pervenches lamb
--organic sausages by Fou du Cochon
--beautiful petits chèvres from the Eastern Townships
--and a juice-of-the-week selection*

Anyway, I'm still not 100% sure about this "Wednesdays are the new Thursdays" business, but with La QV Été going on well into October, I'm positive that for the time being, at least, Wednesdays are my new Winesdays, and I like it.

Santé!

Salon de dégustation de La QV, 29 Beaubien Est, 504-5082 (Little Italy)

aj

p.s. To keep abreast of the whole La QV Été schedule, contact "info at laqv dot ca"

* To pre-order the lamb, the sausages, the chèvres, and the juice, please contact Julie ("julierondeau at laqv dot ca") by Sunday.

Strawberry Reveries

fig. a: who's that girl?

For those of you who just can't get enough, we've got still more summer strawberries for you--this time in the form of a "strawberry smackdown" hosted by Lesley Chesterman of the Montreal Gazette. The idea was to pit two local chefs in a friendly strawberry-centric competition. Michelle jumped at the opportunity. So did our good friend Stéphanie, of Pâtisserie Rhubarbe fame.

Michelle's entry was her latest strawberry dessert from Laloux, a deceptively simple-looking strawberry fantasy that's come to be known as her "Bohemian Rhapsody" around these parts.

fig. b: Michelle's Bohemian Rhapsody

If you haven't had the pleasure of hearing Michelle describe the dessert herself, it all started with stories her mother used to tell her about summertime in Czechoslovakia. It seems that instead of summer camp, Czech kids used to be carted off to these summer work camps where they'd spend a couple of weeks picking hops as part of the national beer-making effort.

Summer work camps? Nationalized industries? Doesn't sound like a lot of fun, does it? Except that apparently it was.

The kids were out of the city and in the countryside, they were camping, and they were relatively unsupervised. There was music every night, there were songs and dancing, and there was no shortage of summer intrigue, and a fair bit of summer romance, too. There were also strawberries--lots and lots of wild strawberries--and flowers.

Michelle loved hearing these stories (she still does!), especially because her mother would get so animated when she told them (she still does!). They were/are clearly among her mother's fondest memories.

Anyway, earlier this year, before strawberry season even began, Michelle came up with the idea of creating a dessert that would capture elements of these remembrances of Czech summers past. There would definitely be hops, of course--the most floral she could find. There would also be strawberries and flowers--an homage to the wild strawberries and the wildflowers that grew alongside the hops in the Czech countryside. There would be malt--another nod to the art of making beer. And there would by rye--Michelle imagined rye crumbs mingling with the hops and the strawberries and the wildflowers after the Czech youngsters had had their lunches in the fields.

Beyond just a nice story with a lot of vivid visuals, Michelle saw the potential for a great strawberry dessert--and thus the Bohemian Rhapsody was composed.

You really have to stop by Laloux to experience Michelle's strawberry fantasy exactly the way she envisioned it, but if you don't live in the Montreal area, or if you'd prefer to try making it yourself, you can find Michelle's recipe here, along with Stéphanie's utterly gorgeous fraisier

fig. c: Stéphanie's fraisier

and the rest of the "strawberry smackdown" story.

aj

Strawberry Social Wrap-Up

fig. a: exterior decorating*

We're a little exhausted, and our hands are still deeply stained with strawberry juice, but--oh, man!--was it ever worth it.  We honestly couldn't have been happier with the results.

Perfect size, perfect weather, perfect setting, perfect ambience, perfect company.  And the strawberry shortcake tasted pretty good, too.

For those of you who couldn't make it:

Silk-screened strawberries helped soften the look of The Wall.

fig. b: The Wall

Seth & Michelle were in charge of serving the strawberry shortcake.

fig. c: S & M

Michelle shows off a portion of her lovely strawberry shortcake.

fig. d: strawberry shortcake!

The view from the street.

fig. e: AEB street view

Michelle was pretty pleased with the results. She was simply beaming.

fig. f: triple strawberry

Matt and Max, a.k.a. The Better Late Than Never Band, had some attendees dancing up a storm.

fig. g: get down!

Thanks to our friends at Laloux and Myriade for all their assistance (especially Melanie and Seth!). Thanks to Matt & Max for providing the sweet sound of music. And thanks especially to all of you who joined us and helped bring the time-honoured tradition of the strawberry social to the streets of Montreal.

aj

p.s. Interested in getting your very own AEB limited-edition silkscreened strawberry social print or t-shirt? Drop us a line at ajkinik at gmail dot com.

* Photo courtesy of Mark Slutsky.

Strawberry Social!

fig. a: how strawberries are picked

You've heard us wax poetic about Quebec's strawberry socials before, now, in collaboration with our Kaffeklatsch partners, Restaurant Laloux and Café Myriade, we're holding our own! This Sunday, July the 10th!

Get this:

Fresh Quebec strawberries will be served with freshly baked shortcake and freshly whipped cream.

Iced coffee, tea and rhubarb lemonade will be on hand to refresh.

Live music will be played.

And it's all taking place outdoors, in lovely Parc Laval (on avenue Laval,* 1/2 block south of Laloux, between avenue des Pins and carré St-Louis), in the heart of the Plateau.

The strawberry social will last from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm (or until the strawberries and shortcake last!), and it will be by donation only (suggested donation: $10), with all proceeds going to help our friends at Santropol Roulant.

And, finally, more information (of the "social media" kind) can be found here.

Come One, Come All & God Bless Strawberry Shortcake!

aj

* That's right: on Laval, not in Laval, silly.

Thrill of the grill 2

Like I said, sometimes you just want the more immediate pleasures of barbecue, the thrill of the grill. And, frankly, sometimes only Asian skewers will do.

fig. a: Thai Street Food

It's safe to say that this latest spate of activity was inspired by David Thompson's rather impressive Thai Street Food. Like the major works of Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, Thai Street Food is richly photographed and over-sized, and much more than just a coffee table book: it's passionately written and comprehensive, it strives for the very heights of authenticity,* and its topic is much bigger than just "food." This is a book that's about the entire culture that surrounds the preparation and consumption of "single-plate food" on Thai streets and in Thai markets. It's also incredibly artful. Sure, there are dozens upon dozens of carefully composed studio shots of mouth-watering dishes like Crab Noodles From Chanthaburi and Stir-Fried Squid with Flowering Garlic Chives, but at least half of the photographs fall under the category of street photography and they can be remarkably gritty and purposely un-pretty.

fig. b: Thai market culture

Anyway, it might have had to do with that cover photo, with those tantalizing satay skewers, but when it came time to give Thai Street Food a whirl, I found myself fixating on the grilled recipes, and especially the skewers. Photographs like this one,

fig. c: grilled pork skewers

for Grilled Pork Skewers, and the fact that Thompson begins his write-up for this recipe with the words "I am addicted to these," didn't hurt either.

He then continues as follows:

Along the street there are small grills, often just a large metal bowl with a rack perched on top. I'll stop and look and long for the fruits of their labour--smoky grilled skewers of pork. I'll smuggle some home as if carrying a guilty secret to relish in private. Sometimes, most of the time, I'll break into the cache on the way home.

It all sounded so illicit, so louche. By the time he got to describing the importance of charcoal to the process ("Using a charcoal grill imparts a depth of flavour that makes meat such as this grilled pork irresistible" [my emphasis]) I was 150% sold on those skewers.

Now the actual grilling time on Thai skewers like these is fairly short. After all, the pork is cut into small cubes and it's marinated. But you definitely don't want to grill them over a blazing-hot fire. The idea here is to use a fairly cool fire--Thompson recommends lighting the fire 30-60 minutes ahead of time, and waiting until the coals "glow gently." This isn't a smoked pork dish in the American tradition (ribs, pork shoulders, whole pigs), but smoke is integral to the process, so you want a fire in the neighborhood of 200º-250º F.

The marinade is positively heady. The meat is then basted with coconut cream on the grill. And the whole combination--the pork, the smoke, the marinade, the coconut cream--is pure thrills.

Grilled Pork Skewers

9 oz pork loin, neck, or shoulder
2 oz pork back fat (optional)

for the marinade:
1 tsp cleaned and chopped coriander roots
pinch of salt
1 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
2 tbsp shaved palm sugar
dash of dark soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil

12-15 bamboo skewers
1/4 cup coconut cream**

Slice the pork into thinnish pieces about 1" square. Cut the pork fat, if using, into small rectangles (1" x 1/4").

Next make the marinade. Using a mortar and pestle, pound the coriander root, salt, garlic and pepper into a fine paste. Combine with the sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce and oil. Marinate the pork and fat in this mixture for about 3 hours. The more cautious can refrigerate this but, if doing so, then it is best marinated overnight.

Soak the bamboo skewers for at least 30 minutes before use.

Prepare the grill. Meanwhile, thread a piece of pork fat, if using, onto the skewer first followed by two or three pieces of the marinated pork. Repeat with each skewer. When the embers are glowing, gently grill the skewers, turning quite often to prevent charring and promote even caramelisation and cooking. Dab them with the coconut cream as they grill. This should make the coals smoulder and impart a smoky taste. Grill all the skewers.

On the streets, they are simply reheated over the grill to warm them through before serving, although this is not entirely necessary as they are delicious warm or cool.

[recipe based very, very closely on a recipe from David Thompson's Thai Street Food]

Not sure if Thompson would have approved--this being "single-plate food," after all--but we served ours with rice, cilantro, limes, and a selection of simple Asian pickles, and the spread looked something like this:

fig. d: grilled pork skewers à la AEB

That smoky, caramelized pork was just layered with flavor. Thompson claims that the recipe "makes enough for 4-5," but we had a hard time putting a few skewers aside for the next day's lunch. He was right. They are irresistible.

aj

* For instance, in the introduction to Deep-Fried Salted Beef with Chilli and Tamarind Sauce, one finds this moment of authenticity: "The chilli and tamarind sauce is delectable. It can be served with any deep-fried meat or fish. I like to use maengdtaa fish sauce (made from rice roaches, bugs that scurry through the paddy fields), for its haunting aroma, but any good-quality fish sauce will do."

** More authenticity: Thompson highly recommends making your own coconut cream from scratch, a process that requires one to place the grated (or blended) coconut in cheesecloth and then "squeeze murderously, therapeutically, to obtain as much of the creamy goodness as possible." He does recognize that using canned coconut milk is "a more realistic option," however, and that's exactly what we've been doing up till now (although we're dying to make the real deal). The coconut cream is the clotted substance one finds in the top half of a can of coconut milk.

Even the canned variety imparts a wonderful flavor. One can only imagine what the artisanal stuff that one finds in Thai markets, some of which is perfumed with jasmine flowers or pandanus leaves (!), is like.

Just in time for Canada Day...

...the good people at SweetHome.ca have seen fit to name "...an endless banquet" one of their Top Ten Canadian Food Blogs.

We're honoured to have been selected and pleased to hear that we've been able to provide "desk-bound dreamers" with food for thought.

SweetHome's list includes food blogs "from coast to coast (and from Google to Bing)," so be sure to check out the fine company we keep--you'll be treated to a culinary tour of Canada in the process. Write-ups on all ten featured blogs (plus links) can be found in this attractive gallery.

aj