Bien manger à Montréal (deuxième partie)...

It was that time again-- brushing the end of summer vacation with our now annual drive à Montreal to see my husband's family and relatives for the long weekend. See here for last year's visit. Like it is every time, the few days stay is never short of great eats. And when I say great I am mainly talking about great home-style Vietnamese cuisine! I swear I was Vietnamese in my past life-- my bestie, close friends, current husband and past relationships have been Vietnam bound and shall I say I absolutely hunger for Vietnamese food!! As my mind also swirl with bagels and French patisseries, it was my sister-in-law's lovely fruitful purple plum tree I was looking forward to ambush. And this year the firm purply beauties were abundant and super ripe for the picking! 

I just love the beautiful shapes, sizes and colours of fresh fruit displayed together!

Ultra-sweet muscat grapes cascading my sis-in-law's wired fence and up their wall.

Oh purple plums, how much do I love thee! Wait 'til I get my hot hands on you and what I'll do!

My mind is set on baking some of these lovelies.

Boxes of plump ripe plum and vine tomatoes picked up at the farmer's market for preserving and canning! Boiled whole and skinned, plum tomatoes are packed whole while the larger tomatoes are diced, packed and sealed in sterilized glass jars. A family affair for my other sis-in-law Veronique and her side of the family. Second year in the making, I am told it is a joyous time to get together, sleeves rolled up and preserving tomatoes and time together!

Noodles! Vermicelli (bun) to be exact-- is Vietnam's answer to steamed rice! Meals often replace white Jasmine rice with white thin rice noodles as the staple and swirled with several spoonfuls of nuoc mam (seasoned fish sauce). Over two and a half days we had bun (pronounced boon) at every single meal- lunch and dinner served with an assortment of meats, herbs and veggies. I'm not complaining- I love noodles and prefer it over rice any day!

One of the first meals was Vietnam's equivalent to Western chicken noodle soup. Prepared for lunch, chicken thighs were boiled to make the broth, and then its meat raked with a fork to shreds and topped in the noodle soup along with Vietnamese pork loaf (cha lua) and shredded egg omelet. It is really comforting and nourishing- simplicity at its best! It is a nice delicate alternative to the more strongly seasoned Vietnamese beef soups, and is a great soup to have on a day you don't want to eat heavy. I would say pretty light on the preparations and in your belly, but satisfying nonetheless. See my post for the recipe.

All heads down, picking up, blowing and slurping away!

A little douse of fish sauce goes a long way to elevate the natural chicken broth's flavour!

Pennywort is a grassy water loving plant that is favoured by the Vietnamese to make a refreshing herbal drink. Blended with a little honey and served cold, it is delicious as it is nutritious. Known to purify blood, relieve arthritis and cure nervous conditions. I love it!

My sis-in-law's home brew with a bunch of fresh organic pennywort
picked up at the farmer's market grown by a Vietnamese family.

Dinner with more rice vermicelli (bun), grilled beef, chicken wings and ribs, and sauteed shrimps, cauliflower and shiitakes with a side of mixed greens. We didn't forget that seasoned fish sauce to tie the flavours together.

Shredded carrots is often added in the nuoc mam for extra flavour and crunch.

Lunch the following day with a more traditional bun bowl of noodles (what you would order in a restaurant)-- meat and crunchy bean sprouts, cucumber, lettuce and herbs. Sauteed shrimps in garlic along with spicy lemongrass pork were the meat offerings. Crispy golden homemade taro and meat spring rolls capped off the individual DIY dish. That's what I love about bun bowls-- take a little of this, a lot of that and make it to customize your own taste!

I was so happy that we were able to get out and about, enjoy the sun and the beautiful belle de provence in a stroll through Old Montreal (vieux Montréal).

Alas, our fourth and final meal of our Vietnamese-eating weekend and yes more bun!! My husband's cousin's extra large family (over 30 people) were celebrating the anniversary passing of their father, and we were invited! Dinner looked like this with lots of Chinese deli roasted meat, thinly sliced to be wrapped with thin pan-fried clusters of vermicelli noodles and lettuce/herbs. And served with nuoc mam but of course.

Usually noodles are served as the base of a meal or wrapped in rice paper such as in Shrimp and Pork Salad Fresh Rolls. In this meal, the thin cluster of pan-fried vermicelli topped with green onion oil serves as the exterior wrapper!

There is never enough time. Of course family comes first and our stay is always too short. I wanted to stroll down St.Catherine's street, pay a shopping visit to Simons and slowly savour a beautifully crafted patisserie. But nothing :(. Leaving on Labour Day, with five dozen sesame bagels in the trunk picked up the day before, I was trying my luck for an opened boulangerie/patisserie to make my great weekend, even greater! Just as we were about to hit the highway, I caught a glimpse of Première Moisson, an artisanal bakery chain I recognized also as I used to know a Chef who helmed one of their numerous shops. I happily grabbed a couple of muffins, croissant au amandes and an apricot danish pour moi! YUM! Jusqu'à la prochaine fois...Je reviendrai!

Première Moisson

An ExtraVaGanzza Gourmet Seafood Feast of A Weekend...

Crab, lobster, fish, shrimps, scallops, abalone... Oh my! Wow, what an exceptional gourmet seafood feast of a weekend it was starting on Friday with an eight course crab dinner, and then a ten course premium Chinese banquet dinner loaded with top seafood dishes Saturday. 

Friday was a girl's night out with my dear lovely friend Eve and she was craving succulent crab.... snow crab to be exact and we were both dying to try Crab Harbour in Richmond Hill, Toronto. I couldn't wait to get these tastebuds' party started...

Photo Credit: Crab Harbour

My pal Eve and I

The glass dining tables displayed a sandbox underneath reminiscent of the beach adorned with various size shells and pretty starfish. 

Steamed cold snow crab started the tasting, with thin forks to scoop out the flaky flesh to dip into sweet vinegar and a hearty spoonful of pureed crab paste to enjoy.

Steamed Cold Snow Crab

Marinated Octopus with Wasabi Stem served wrapped in Nori Sheets

Crab Egg Custard (Chawan Mushi) with Crab Paste and Udon

With our heart's set on snow crab, we were disappointed that the restaurant did not serve it as part of the centre meal (an overall shortage in supply) so we settled on crystal crab, hailing from Australia that has a firm flaky textured, succulent white flesh with a distinctive sweet taste. These crabs are best steamed and used in hot pot.

This baby weighed about four pounds!

Steam steam baby! And served on top of seafood-flavoured egg custard thinly baked onto the plate.

Meat was firm but flaky

Spider Roll made with deep-fried crab

Shabu Shabu is a hot pot course, cooking first the morsels of chopped crab in a seafood broth, removed, then soup filled with all kinds of vegetables from chrysanthemum to enoki mushrooms, tofu, nappa cabbage to vermicelli. The cooked crab is served with ponzu-- a yuzu citrus flavoured tangy soy sauce complementing the sweet meat. 

Shabu Shabu with Crab

Rice or udon noodles is added to the flavourful broth and egg is then swished and drizzled into the hot soup for a congee finish to the filling meal (a typical ending to many course meals in Japan). Thinly sliced green onions and nori finesses... Deeelish and comforting! And then the meal capped off with a sweet ending- ice cream.

Crab Congee

And the eating frenzy continued on Saturday at my cousin's mom-in-law's 90th birthday at a Chinese banquet restaurant Casa Deluz in Scarborough, Toronto. Banquet menus are shareable between wedding and birthday celebrations, and with each incredible dish served graced with high-end seafood in sequence, there was no question a premium menu was selected for this fine occasion. 

Chinese banquet food has special symbolism: mostly wishes of happiness, longevity, or fertility. At a birthday banquet, nine dishes are served with noodles at the end not including dessert to signify longevity. The words for “nine” and “long” are homophones, words that sound the same but have different meanings. Although the dishes served are similar for birthday and wedding celebrations, their symbolism differs. The following is the auspicious take for a birthday festive union, which is mainly celebrated for someone's later-in-life age milestone such as 60, 70, 80, 90 plus.

My boyz!

The nine course meal started with the ping poon-- a cold appetizer dish to whet the appetite. Typically it consists of roasted suckling pig and jellyfish duo but it can also have other deli meats such as roasted duck, BBQ pork, cured pork slices and vegetarian bean curd slices. Roasted suckling pig symbolizes peace and purification. Its incredible crispy roasted skin is offset by the slightly chewy noodle-like jellyfish. A perfect and popular taste combination.

Roasted Suckling Pig with Jellyfish

Stuffed crab claw are loved by children especially with its convenient claw for handling and of course chomping into its deep-fried breaded luscious shrimp mousse filling. The Chinese word for shrimps ha sounds like laughter. Dipped into red vinegar, its a taste sensation close to heaven for many :)

Deep-Fried Stuffed Crab Claw

All round or coin-shaped foods such as scallops and shrimps in this dish symbolizes prosperity, completeness, perfection, family unity, and continuity. Shrimps also represent liveliness. Vegetables indicate strong family ties and here there were enoki mushrooms, snap peas, celery and carrots.

Stir-Fried Shrimp, Scallop and Vegetables

Shark fin and crab are considered premium delicacies and are served to indicate wealth.

Shark Fin and Crab Thick Soup

Vegetables represents close family ties. Seasonal green Chinese vegetables such as mustard greens and snow pea shoots symbolize money while abalone is a festive luxury food. The Chinese word for abalone bao yu sounds similar to “assurance of wealth”, thus wishing prosperity and good fortune. 

Braised Abalone and Snow Pea Shoots

The chicken is served whole with the head because it represents togetherness, completeness and also for prosperity and rebirth. The chicken is steamed and served with a ground ginger and green onion oil condiment.

Steamed Chicken 

Lobster for a birthday setting represents joy, energy and spirit. Anything red in Chinese means good luck so even more reason to celebrate an occasion with lobster. Another lobster dish which is more popularly served is sauteed with green onions and ginger. 

Stir-Fried Lobster in Maggi Sauce

Fish is, to ensure long life and good fortune. A whole fish represents togetherness and abundance as the Chinese word for fish Yu, rhymes with the word for 'surplus.' Two fish signifies double the good blessings.

Double Sea Bass with Soy, Ginger and Onions

The last course is always a duo rice and noodle dish to finish the savoury meal. Noodles should be served uncut as they represent long life, while rice represents luck and wealth.

Yeung Chow Fried Rice and Mushroom E-Fu Noodles

Sweets!  The red bean dessert represents the sweetness of life and happiness (and again it’s red for good luck)! The sticky rice coconut mango dessert indicates togetherness (sticking together) with more red bean in the jelly to signify happiness.

Red Bean Soup, Coconut Mango Rolls and Coconut Red Bean Jelly

Lotus seeds represent a full wallet and the yellow mellow sweet paste is made from lotus flower seeds. The steamed bao (fluffy bun) is shaped and coloured to resemble peaches since the peach represents long life. What a beautiful and delicious dessert to complement a 90th birthday milestone celebration!

Lotus Paste Buns 

A reunion with my cousins (three in centre with me).

Family!

Trillium Chefs Canada Quest For Gold at Culinary Olympics...

Last evening, I was honoured to be in the presence of talented Trillium Chefs Canada at a fundraising Canada's Quest for Gold reception dinner held in a local Toronto hotel. My amazing long-time friend Chef Frederick Oh is the team's advisor and his diverse culinary team of renown chefs have competed in competitions around the world and won multiple medals such as at Culinary World Cup, Culinary Olympics and many other international competitions. It is the most prestigious culinary competition in the world and attracts the most talented chefs globally.

This year, they will represent Canada regionally at the 2016 IKA/Culinary Olympics from October 22nd to 25th, 2016 in Erfurt, Germany. The event has been staged at Erfurt every four years since 2000 but originated as early as 1896 in Germany, and held in their other local cities. Trillium Chefs’ long term objective is to groom and develop local, professional and upcoming chefs representing Canada in major world culinary competitions while promoting culinary art and techniques. They will compete in ten categories: Team-A, Team-B Individual Entrees and Junior Chefs with each team composing of a team captain, three chefs and a patisserie.

Trillium Chefs will provide a wealth of knowledge to not only the team, but to chefs in training, the culinary industry and the community. You can join this adventure and become a part of the Culinary Olympics Team by supporting the Trillium Chefs with funding and sponsoring the team. Contact Frederick Oh (Team Advisor) or Dilup Attyagalla (Team Captain) at trilliumchefs@live.ca.

* A huge thank you to my friend Alvin Hoang who attended the evening with me and came to my rescue as my trusted photographer when I completely forgot to bring my camera! Shout out to you for all the visual credits as this post would not have been without you :D!

The Trillium Chefs Canada Team

In preparation for the Culinary Olympics, the chefs are tirelessly raising funds for the team’s competition expenses. Planning ahead for the competition includes a Canadian-inspired menu, astounding presentation and showcasing exceptional teamwork throughout. Plates must be practical, creative and innovative while demonstrating new techniques and nutritional value. At last night's gala, the food offered at serve-yourself stations and hors d'oeuvres being passed around by team members displayed the team's panache for detailed presentation and combination of wonderful flavours that included Asian and Mediterranean inspirations.

Honeydew melon carving by Chef Frederick Oh

Multi-talented Chef Oh is a master fruit and vegetable carver. It took him less than an hour to carve this watermelon and at his quickest in twenty minutes!

Stunningly beautiful! I love the watermelon skin carved into leaves.

I was Chef Oh's assistant for the night making sure the carving station looked at its best as well as inviting guests to come up to help create a decorative fruit and vegetable centre piece by inserting "flower" carving skewers (beet roses, zucchini lilies, radish flower buds, kale leaves, carrot and celery spikes) into head lettuces.

Which should ultimately look like this immaculate one... See more on Fred's carvings in my post 
The Art of Fruit and Vegetable Carving at a previous event.

Chef Oh at Feast of Fields promoting
local agriculture and organic farming

Niagara Peller Estates sponsored their gorgeous red merlot and white chardonnay wines.

I loved this shrimp and smoked salmon rose skewer with capers and dill-- so pretty and tasty!

The dessert tasting station was right off the venue entrance (on purpose perhaps to tantalize the taste buds)-- and what a delightful spread and presentation it was. From mini portions of crème brûlée, lemon meringue (my favourite), strawberry chocolate tarts, chocolate ganache cake, raspberry mousse with coulis and nitrogen ice cream!!

Canadian Culinary Federation Chef Cornelia Volino and Trillium Chefs Canada Team Captain Chef Dilup Attyagalla delivered their welcome speeches, praise and encouragement and introduced each team member to come up on stage.

Go Canada Go!

Chef Frederick Oh, Chef Dilup Attyagalla and Professor Leo Chan

Aside from a generous silent auction, another activity invited participants to show off their plating skills in an Iron Chef competition. The black box ingredient revealed cooked quail and four participants along with faculty chefs assisted to create their desired plate with their choice of seasonings and prepared ingredients. Judging and deliberation revealed a winner of a gift basket of goodies!

Four corner food stations were served up by Trillium Chef members. 

What a wonderful spread of flavours highlighting our local meats and produce!

Stuffed Supreme of Chicken 

Caprese-Style Bread and Butter Pudding

Roasted Beef Short Ribs in Espresso Balsamic Demi-Glace

Thank you Chef Fred Oh for your warm invite. I wish you and your team every success as you venture to Germany and showcase the talent you guys got! Continue to make Canada proud as you have been doing all these years! 

Trillium Chefs are forging our Canadian heritage cuisine's presence in the international arena of professional chefs and cooks. You can join this adventure and become a part of the Culinary Olympics Team by supporting the Trillium Chefs with funding and team sponsoring. Contact Chef Frederick Oh or Chef Dilup Attyagalla at trilliumchefs@live.ca.