Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Check this out!

The second season of "French Food at Home" cooking show is back for it second season.
The show is hosted by New Brunswick native Laura Calder.
Gourmandises Avenue Patisserie Fine & Chocolaterie
was approached to participate to the show for couple episodes.
The show is on the Food Network at 7.00pm.
Check out on Tuesday April 8th, Monday April 14th and also Monday May 5th.

http://www.gourmandisesavenue.com/home.html

Brooklyn Warehouse- A Star is Born

I have to say, normally a sandwich doesn’t really interest me…Normally. You usually get lots of doughy bread with minimal spread, and even less exciting toppings. I was satisfyingly surprised when I ordered a fantastic sammy from the Brooklyn Warehouse. Actually, I made the plan to go when I saw said item on the menu. I went out of my comfort zone with this choice, but the toppings were just so enticing on paper that I had to give it a try. The result was one of THE best sandwiches I’ve ever had…and I’ve thought about it…a lot, ever since.

My meal was a Sweet Smoked Meat Panini for $8.00, with the option of soup or salad for an extra $3.00. The contrast was incredible, layers of sweet vs. heat and a salty bite mellowed by smooth creaminess. The star of this sandwich was tender, thick cut slices of Montreal smoked meat, given an extra kick by the prosciutto; a seasoned salt-cured ham. These were enclosed within a spread of spicy Dijon quark; a Scandinavian cheese with a texture and taste similar to cream cheese, and an apricot marmalade. The richness of the cheese was accented by the bright sweetness of the fruit spread. There were no greens, but they were unnecessary with the other flavors goin’ on. The veg component consisted of thick cut slices of tomato which added another ‘meaty’ element and complimented the spiciness of the Dijon quite well. The oozing, buttery Swiss cheese set off all these flavors. It was not your typical sandwich bread either, but a hearty, earthy rye. Did I mention it was grilled-pannini style?

The Warehouse opened in September 2007. Its décor is funky and eclectic and the open kitchen made for some great entertainment. Tomorrow, April 15th, they will be releasing their new Spring/Summer menu. I just hope this sammy makes the cut. Go- order it! You won’t be disappointed.

2795 Windsor Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia

902.446.8181

www.brooklynwarehouse.ca

Reservations Recommended for Dinner
Reservations not taken for Luncheon

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Sarah's Birthday Breakfast Dinner

I asked a friend of mine what she would like me to make for her birthday dinner, and what did she say? BREAKFAST! Out of all the gourmet meals that I could have prepared, she wanted breakfast! However, as it turns out, she had more on her mind than the regular bacon 'n' eggs. This girl is moving to Ireland in a month, and wanted a Traditional Irish breakfast- and that's just what we did. Well, minus the blood pudding… not for the ick factor, but more so for the lazy one!

My favorite meal is actually brunch- I love bacon at any time of day and would incorporate it into chocolate cake if I could (although the thought does somewhat gross me out). I also tend to choose savory over sweet, so I was all over the idea of breakfast for dinner. We started off with a non-traditional appy of Chocolate Chip Banana bread. Actually this was more of an “I have to eat something while I wait for those damn sausages to cook” course. This was accompanied by a toast to the B-day girl with Mimosas, a champagne/o.j cocktail.

Then came the main event, the 'full-on' brekkie if you will. We had eggs over easy, fresh cheesy buns, maple baked beans, breakfast sausage and peppered bacon. To authenticate our ‘Irish’ breakfast, I threw in my personal favorite, a 'must-have' breakfast side dish of roasted grape tomatoes. I tossed the tomatoes in olive oil and S&P, then threw them in the oven on 450 degrees until they popped. They were warm and savory, but still burst in your mouth when you bit down.

Thank goodness that the girls wanted fried eggs as well, ‘cause I was not about to switch it up! Thought it may gross you out, the eggs were gooey with a sunny, runny yoke. The peppered bacon and savory sausage added to the table’s dreamy spread. My favorite bite consisted of a piece of bacon, egg, a roasted tomato and a good crack of black pepper. We were also fortunate enough to have pure Nova Scotian maple syrup and a serious steak sauce that takes fried eggs to a whole new level. I’m sure if we tired we could have made the meal a little more gourmet- we did use beans from a can after all. However, shortcuts aside, we had a great time. Comfort food, laughs and champagne- what else could we ask for?

Happy 25th Griffiths!