Mia Stainsby
Sun

When you’re a professional Hoover (a restaurant critic) and one that lives in present tense more than in past (has a bad memory), then an occasional salute to delicious dishes eaten seems like the decent thing to do. Otherwise, all the talent, the care, the skill involved in preparing these fine dishes disappear into my river of forgetfulness. So many of my good food memories simply drown. I stick my head into the water and I see a tumbling blur and a few amazing dishes might bonk my memory.

Cooking, unlike other creative endeavours, comes to an unfortunate end. People eat what chefs create; they chew up their art; they digest it and well, you know the rest. There is no displaying of it in living rooms, let alone galleries; there is no listening to it, enraptured, over and over; there is no post-mortem discussion afterwards, like after viewing a Cohen brothers or Spike Lee or Godard movie. It is ephemeral, like theatre, but at least at a play the audience pays attention and it knows.

And with the open kitchens of today, chefs have to make nice even if customers are being ungrateful philistines. No more apoplectic yelling at their staff in displacement behaviour; no more making the line cooks cry; no more throwing pots at them like their mentors used to do to them.

Fulfilment for chefs is more of a metaphysical matter. It comes in knowing that people love their food and there’s pleasure in purely, simply feeding others. Anthony Bourdain might have broad-penned chefs into irresponsible, out-of-control, backroom fiends, but it so happens that the restaurant community, led by the chef, does more charity events than most, giving time, food or portions of their sales (the annual Dine Out Vancouver, Dine Out For Life) to causes. And besides, with all the open kitchens, even the bad boys and girls had to learn to behave better.

I decided it was time to showcase some of the memorable dishes I’ve had recently. The dishes that bobbed to the surface of my consciousness are telltale signs that I must have been in need of comfort and that the weather was still a bit chilly as my choices tended to be simple comfort dishes cooked exceptionally well (except for the Oysters with Horseradish Snow dish I had at Gastropod). Nevertheless, I think there’s something eternally satisfying about comfort dishes like Pied-a-Terre’s Onion Tart, Raincity Grill’s Tagliatelli with Onion Fondue and Mushroom Ragout, and Chambar’s Braised Lamb Shank with Honey and Figs that are memorable and leave their calling card. They’re my kind of soul food.

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CHAMBAR’S BRAISED LAMB SHANK WITH HONEY, FIGS, CINNAMON

(Tajine D’aziz a L’agneau)

I can’t NOT have this when I visit Chambar, it’s so delicious. It’s best served with the classic couscous but it would go well with rice or fettucine noodles, too. Chef/owner Nico Shuermans say this is an all-seasons dish. “It’s really nice on hot days, too. It’s a dish from Morocco, right?” He prefers New Zealand lamb to Canadian for this dish because the shanks are generally smaller.

4 x 1 pound lamb shanks

2 onions finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

5 tablespoons honey

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 pinch of saffron

2 cinnamon sticks

2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger

3 tablespoons coriander seed

Salt, pepper

Water

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1 cup whole dried figs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sear lamb shank to golden brown colour with olive oil and salt in saucepan. Place in deep roasting pan JUST large enough for 4 shanks. Add all ingredients around the shanks except for the cilantro and figs, fill pan with water to cover meat. Cover with lid or tinfoil. Roast for 4 hours.

Add figs, and fresh cilantro and let sit for 1 1/2 hours. Reheat before serving. let spices infuse.

Makes 4 servings.

PIED-A-TERRE’S ALSATIAN ONION PIE

Alsatian onion pie (or tart) is an ideal comfort food. The version at Le Crocodile in Vancouver is well known, but I recently found another at a more everyday kind of bistro, Pied-a-terre. Owner/chef Andrey Durbach says it’s something he can eat again and again when having lunch there (one of his three properties). “It’s comforting, familiar and most importantly, delicious. It’s one of those old classics that I never seem to lose my appetite for.”

Pate Brisée

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, cold

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon cold water

Onion Filling

10 yellow onions, thinly sliced

1 cup butter, melted

4 egg yolks, beaten

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Pate Brisée: Place flour and salt in a mixing bowl and make a well. Cut butter into small pieces and put in well. Mix with fingers until a crumbly dough is formed. Add egg and water and knead until a ball is formed. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. Roll out pastry on a floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Place in an 8 x 1.5-inch tart pan with removable bottom and prick dough with a fork. Blind bake pastry with pastry weights or beans for 15 minutes at 350 F.

Onion filling: Cook onions in butter gently over medium heat for 45 minutes in an 8-litre saucepan with a solid bottom. Drain cooked onions in a colander to remove excess moisture. Transfer to a mixing bowl and mix with all other ingredients. Pour into blind-baked pastry shell. Return to oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour until set firm and lightly browned. Leave for about an hour before cutting.

Makes 10 appetizers or 6 main courses.

GASTROPOD: OYSTERS WITH HORSERADISH SNOW

This is a standout dish at Gastropod. It requires timing and prep work. Use the freshest oysters possible, from a place like Lobster Man on Granville Island. For the “horseradish snow” chef/owner Angus An uses an inexpensive Tiger Brand ice shaver he purchased at Fujiya Japanese store on Clark Dr. I was told they won’t have any until summer so An suggested freezing the horseradish snow in a bowl, then “shaving” bits off the top with a spoon.

Horseradish snow:

2 cups milk

1/4 to 1/2 cup grated horseradish root, grated on microplane

1/4 cup yogurt

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1 tablespoon sugar

Juice of 1 medium lime

Shallot reduction:

5 shallots

1 cup rice vinegar

Sauternes jelly:

1 cup sauternes

2 1/2 — gelatin sheets (measuring 2″ x 4″)

2 dozen fresh, medium-sized Pacific oysters, like Golden Mantles

Horseradish snow: The ‘snow’ needs to be made a day ahead to freeze properly. In a saucepan, bring the milk to a low simmer. Remove the milk from the heat and grate the horseradish root into the milk, depending on the strength you desire,grate about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of grated horseradish into the milk. Bring the milk back to a simmer and turn off the heat to infuse the flavour. After about 30 minutes, the milk should be cooled. Stir in the yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of sugar and the lime juice. The milk should taste subtley sweet with a hint of lime and the taste of horseradish should be prominent but not overpowering. Put into the container provided by the ice shaver and freeze over night. Or, if you don’t have an ice shaver, freeze in a bowl.

Shallot reduction: Finely mince the shallots and place in small saucepan. Cover with the rice vinegar and bring to a low simmer on the stove and then turn it down to the lowest possible setting. The slower the shallots cook, the better the finished product. It should take about 40 to 60 minutes. Cook until the shallots have absorbed the vinegar. When you tilt the pan, it shouldn’t have any residual vinegar left. Near the end, stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cool in the fridge.

Sauternes jelly: This needs to be made 2 hours before serving. Use a good quality sauternes. Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water until soft. In a pot bring sauternes to low simmer and whisk in the softened gelatin. Do not boil and make sure there are no gelatin lumps; strain if there are. Cool in the fridge until set. When ready, the jelly should be soft and look slurpable.

Oysters: When guests arrive, shuck the oysters and set them on crushed ice or coarse sea salt. When shucking oysters remember to use a proper oyster shucker and a dry towel to hold the oysters in place. Wrap the dry towel around the oyster with the flat end facing up. Insert the tip of the oyster knife through the back of the oyster, there should be a tiny hole where the two shells meet. Apply pressure without being too aggressive, otherwise you could break the shell or cut your hand. Once the knife penetrates the shells, move along the top shell until you cut the muscle that connects the two. Inspect the oyster, make sure it isn’t foul smelling and is free of broken shells and sand. On each oyster place 1/2 teaspoon of shallot reduction and 1 teaspoon of the sauternes jelly. With the ice shaver, shave the horseradish snow onto a bowl before your guests arrive. If you’ve frozen it in a bowl, shave the surface with a spoon. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of snow on each oyster.

Makes 4 to 6 appetizer servings.

RAINCITY GRILL’S MUSHROOM TAGLIATELLI WITH ONION FONDUE

Patience. The results will be worth the time and effort. I loved the mix of the mushrooms, gorgeous onion fondue in a carbonara-like sauce in this dish. Use fresh mushrooms like oyster, chanterelle, shiitake, namenko, shimiji. Raincity Grill chef Peter Robertson says he’ll probably vary this dish by adding asparagus and broad beans as they come in season.

Handmade pasta:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

9 egg yolks

Salt

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons olive oil

Mix together in a food processor to form loose, dry dough. Bring it together by hand until reasonably tight and knead for about 5 minutes. Let rest for a minimum of 1 hour and ideally, 2 hours. Cut into about three pieces then put through pasta machine starting at the widest setting and progressing to ever-finer settings. Roll through the second-finest setting (No. 2) twice and cut into tagliatelle noodles on the machine or by hand. Hang the pasta on a wooden pole or stick to dry, from 40 minutes to overnight, until completely dry.

Onion Fondue:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 large yellow onions, finely sliced

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sherry vinegar

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

In a large saute pan, 40 cm. across, melt the butter on a low heat then add the onions and salt, mixing to ensure the butter coats the onions.

Continue to cook the onions on a low temperature for between 21/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally making sure the onions do not take on any colour. This long cooking process brings out the natural sweetness of the onions. To finish add the vinegar, thyme and adjust the seasoning. Reserve.

Note: You will have more onion fondue than required for the pasta, however it is a great condiment to have on hand.

Mushroom ragout:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 cups mixed mushrooms (cleaned, trimmed, cut)

2 tablespoons chardonnay

2 tablespoons veal demi glaze (available at Stock Market, Granville Island)

2 teaspoons thyme leaves

Salt to taste

In a large pan, melt the butter on medium heat and take to beurre noisette (nut brown). Add the mushrooms and cook out for 5 minutes. Deglaze with chardonnay then add the demi glaze. Cook out on a medium heat until the liquid has reduced and coats the mushrooms like a glaze. Add thyme, adjust seasoning and reserve.

The assembled dish:

Dried tagliatelli

2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives

2 teaspoons chopped parsley

2 teaspoons chopped chervil

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup parmesan, finely grated on micro-plane grater

3 egg yolks, beaten

Salt flakes to taste

In a pan of salted, simmering water (about 2 per cent salt content) cook the hand-made pasta for about 4 minutes.

Remove from water and transfer to a metal mixing bowl, add herbs, butter, cheese, egg yolks. Season each element with salt flakes as you go. Divide mushrooms and onions and place on 4 large bowels next to each other. Using the tines of a carving fork, twirl pasta into a cylinder beside the mushrooms and onions. Finish with some grated parmesan over the pasta.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 27th, 2008 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Restaurants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.