Luke's Gastronomy!

I’ve been spending all my free time reworking a couple of the dishes from our menu. It’s something I do frequently and the process can be quite piddly. Sometimes it’s because I have no choice, ie: spinach is no longer in season so I’ll have to rework the dish to accommodate a replacement. Other times it’s because I’ve become obsessed, as happened a couple of weeks ago. I was plating the Beef Cheeks, one of our most popular entres, when I was gripped with a sudden urge to change it. And so the process begins, starting with a few days just thinking about it, jotting notes and sketching possibilities. Then into the kitchen to play and experiment…. this can take a few days or a few weeks. Then, when all final decisions have been made, final sketches made and we’re all in agreement, I begin making all the new components. The whole process is similar to building a house (metaphor lovers of the world, unite!).

Of course, the taste of the foods is the most important. But I always want the entire experience to be more than the sum of it’s parts. I want people to feel the full gamut of emotions when eating our food. To accomplish this all senses must be fully engaged. I find that by having contrasting flavours, textures, temperatures, colours and complexities on the plate is the best way to achieve this. Do we have salty, sweet, sour, bitter and umami? Does the plate need something crispy or soft? Maybe something slightly acidic to cut through the richness? A few splashes of colour?Have some fun with this in your own kitchen. You’ll be amazed with what adding a few extra opposing components can do. Accessorize your plates!

I also LOVE presenting foods in ways that people don’t expect. Romaine as ice cream? Parsnips that look like gnocchi? Beets as a cupcake with umami frosting? That cannot be a duck breast! By engaging the brain in the culinary experience brings it to a heightened level. It’s like adding 3-D glasses or fireworks when you weren’t expecting either.

I just heard 50 lbs. of slowly braised beef cheeks calling me back into the kitchen. They say they’ve done their part, having turned out so succulent &  beefy. Now they are demanding to be transformed into something that will shock and inspire and that, of course, will not look like beef cheeks! Oh, you cheeky things!

Tastefully Yours, Luke

Here we are, sliding into month 2 of 2010. I realize I have not been very diligent about posting of late. Possibly too preoccupied with the new year and thinking about what it will possibly bring. But that does bring something to mind that makes my fingers anxious to say Hello to my keyboard.

I use to be the type of person who resisted change, and quite adamantly. When I was a wee lad I liked everything to be just as it was yesterday. No one ever accused me of being wild and crazy! In fact, up until only a short time ago, I would cross the street if I saw Spontaneity walking towards me. No, no, no… when things were the way I liked them,then dammit, that is how I wanted them to stay. My mum would call me a curmudgeon, an old fart, but I could be a very stubborn old fart!

When I became Chef I did have to loosen the seat belt a little bit, because after all, the art of food creation is not black and white. I had to learn, grudgingly at first, that it was OK to step outside the box. I didn’t want to be someone who regimentally followed recipes and other peoples’ rules. As Harold Mcgee  encouraged in his brilliant tome On Food & Cooking, I wanted to question everything I read. If a recipe insisted that only certain steps be followed, only the requisite ingredients be used… well, that made me want to experiment, to try to make it my way. Similarly, when I would get a dish exactly as I wanted it I felt relieved. ” There, the lamb shanks are perfect. I won’t have to change them for some time now”. I slowly began to realize that very few things are perfect, that there is always room for improvement. That was one of the things I loved about food — the playing and experimenting and striving to make it better!

Sure, I’ll admit that making changes still does make my palms a tad sweaty, but I no longer cross the street to avoid spontaneity. I welcome it and thank it for making me a better Chef and, more importantly, a better person. In fact, I’ve decided that my mantra for this new year will be to do something everyday that makes me feel a little uncomfortable.

I highly recommend this to anyone who might not be a big fan of change. Lamb chops? Try a shank. Only jazz? Try on some Funk. Short hair? Grow it long. Murder mysteries? Reach for a biography. Couch potato? Downward dogs on the double! Tomorrow I’m going to wear a red bow tie, listen to hip hop, make some small changes to the menu, get a new funky haircut, and have a port instead of my customary sherry. Change is Good! Damn, palms are getting sweaty……. !

Tastefully Yours, Luke

This time of the year we are inundated with lists of what will be ” in” this coming year. Music, fashion, movies, and yes, food! They make me simultaneously laugh and engage in primal scream therapy ( Quite the sight, let me assure you!) And so many people take these lists seriously. Playlists, restaurant menus, theatre offerings, stores, books, runways— so many allow the “what’s hot” lists to dictate to them what they will offer consumers. Grrr! Just because something was on last year’s list, but didn’t make the cut this year, are we expected to wildly abandon it?

As a Chef, it is the food lists that drive me crazy. Bacon’s in, green tea’s out, kimchi is hot, parsnips are not, spelt is sexy, quinoa is so yesterday! I have one thing to say— Delicious is Timeless! Wonderful foods cannot go in and out of fashion. Sweet succulent pork belly is not a mini skirt! I have an idea…….. drum roll please…… let’s collectively start permanent lists. Under “What’s Hot” – - -delicious food, local foods, made-from scratch foods, locally raised pastured animals, community gardens, farmers’ markets, eating how Mother Nature intended, eating 6 small meals a day, sharing foods and ideas. Under “What’s NOT” – - – jet-lagged foods, mass-produced meals, commercial feedlot meats, any purchased grocery item with any unrecognizable ingredients, “fast food”, gorging on 3 meals a day, eating on the run, foods (and I use the term lightly) thought up in a boardroom and produced in Frankenstein’s lab.

There, now we have food lists we would be proud to call our own. No further need to buck the trends. I think we’re onto something! But we still have work to do about all the other lists. Hmmm. If skinny jeans are in, let’s do boot cut. If the world is listening to Lady Gaga, let’s dance to Parliament and Afro Celt Sound System. Polkadots? Hah, we’ll do stripes!

Ok, the movement has begun – - – non-conformists of the world unite!

Tastefully Yours, Luke

So, the big day has come and gone. Presents exchanged, thank you’s  given, turkey bellies causing groans of contented bliss. All the Christmas cliches came out to delight and comfort; now eager to be tucked back into storage until next year.

We had a wonderful couple of days. Dinner on the 25th was just perfect; our heirloom turkey rewarded us for the brining and herb-roasting, and accompanied with savoury sweet potatoes, caramelized carrots & celeriac, and a spelt bread stuffing with saucisson d’ail and oodles of garlic, sage, fennel & white wine, it was truly a meal to remember. After removing the leftover turkey from the bones I threw them into a big pot with onions, garlic, peppercorns, carrots, fennel seeds, thyme and rosemary sprigs and celery. Six hours later I had a beautiful stock I’ll use to make a winter-worthy soup.

We had some extra fun with our gift giving this year. As we don’t like using commercial wrapping paper, we have always wrapped with newspaper. We like to disguise things so they don’t look like what they are. ( Hmmm…..also sounds like what I like to do with food…. I see a pattern here!) But this year we went one step further and we gave each gift a clue to help, or hinder, the person receiving it. It added an extra element of fun. All those in favour of fun say “Yay”! UH-HUH, the yays have it!

It’s so wonderful having a little time off. Extra time to read, to write, take long walks, engage in more elaborate debates and discussions, and make every meal a little bit special. We even light candles for breakfast at this time of the year. And music… the new additions received as gifts (this year Stravinsky, Doobie Brothers, DeVokchta, Londinium, etc.), and, of course, our stand-by favourites (Jamiroquai, Morrissey, Zero 7, Billy Bragg, REM, Joni Mitchell, Ella, K’Naan, Pretenders, and so on and so on and so on…) And I suppose I don’t have to tell you how much I love having free kitchen time to experiment and play. (Gee, Luke, really? Yeah, yeah, I do realize I can be a tad predictable sometimes!)

Right now I’m playing with a blow torch and spoons. How predictable is that? HAH!  Seriously, I’m having a blast, creating the funkiest spoons that will, without a doubt, end up funkifying a plate or two in the New Year! I’ll have photos in my next post.

Until then, remember to take every opportunity to make your days fun and memorable. Play, listen, learn, tell someone you love them, have a food fight, turn up the volume, add extra hot sauce, dance, get flour on your nose, pick up a book or a dumbbell, plan a garden, have another food fight, and laugh!

Tastefully Yours,

Luke

Well, finally the holidays are upon us. Not next month or next week even. Right now… beautifully in our face. I absolutely love this time of the year, I know it was how I was brought up. Gifts were always meaningful, never trivial. Meals were always incredibly planned, not even necessarily fancy. Just the bounty of what was available prepared and served with tender respect. And from as young as I can remember, my mom always started the season  a few days early. Two days before the 25th I’d be given a stocking stuffer or two, then on the 24th perhaps e few more small gifts, with the rest coming forth on the 25th. She says that this is how her parents raised her— to do whatever you can to spread out wonderful, special times. Why limit the joy to an hour or two when you can extend it over many days? Their holiday meals were also spread out— a few extra special meals always preceded their Christmas feast. It is a tradition that I have come to respect and look forward to. Now that I plan and prepare the meals, and do all my own shopping and such, I wouldn’t have it any other way! Think about it, for most things in life we demand instant gratification. Life has become so fast, so focused on speed and multi-tasking. Whewwh! Every now and then wouldn’t you love to slow things down, make it last, take the time to really wrap your brain around what’s just happened and ENJOY it to your hearts content? Maybe that is why I love slow-cooking, braising, long-roasting, cooking en sous-vide — by extending the process I am also extending the resulting pleasure.

Do try my mom’s “special time” theory! Take the time to spread out the good times. A little bit here, a little bit there, a little bit really can go a long way! We deserve it, don’t we?

Happy opening, receiving, eating, savouring, sipping, and SLOW it down, man! Think slow motion, but less goofy!

Happy Slow Holidays and Tastefully Yours,

Luke

Well, the time for procrastination is over. No more dilly-dallying. The time has come for all good things… That’s right, Christmas is only a week away. Where does the time go? Really, I want to know. I would never want to play hide-and-go-seek with time…I’d always lose!

Actually, this year I’m very proud of myself. Last night I finished the last of my wrapping, and for me that is quite the accomplishment. I’m typically one of those hapless people running around desperately on Dec. 24, even more panic stricken because I’ve just noticed that all stores will be closing in 20 minutes! Hah, I like no longer being a member of that club anymore. Other than a few last minute errands, well I can always do that tomorrow. Oh, wait, I’m busy all weekend doing prep for that private party on Monday. Well, there’s always next week…damn, I have important meetings set up for all of Tuesday & Wednesday. That’s fine, I’ll just finish up on Thursday…… if you’ll excuse me a moment,  I must pull my last- minute membership card out of the trash.  Maybe next year!?

I am, however, completely organized on the food front. All meals have been planned, foods ordered and delivered, lists checked & double-checked. I have muscovy ducks that I’ll be confiting, beef short ribs I’ll be preparing in the style of osso bucco, and all ingredients are ready for my annual cassoulet ( I made saucisson d’ail for this last weekend). And our heirloom turkey arrived today. I am so thrilled, as I always am, that every single ingredient we use, for the restaurant and our own dining table, comes from local farmers…it makes me giddy! But back to the turkey… I’m going to brine it. On roasting day I’ll make a smooth paste of garlic, lots of assorted herbs, fennel seeds, fresh pepper and good olive oil. Very gently I’ll pry my fingers between the skin and flesh and massage the flesh with the paste. A piddly task to be sure, but oh so worth it! Start at the breast bone, butt end, work slowly towards the neck, then gently down into the legs, massaging all the way. Carefully smooth the skin back in place, drizzle over some melted good unsalted butter, splash on a few glugs dry white wine, a few cracks fresh pepper and into the oven. Baste every 1/2 hour or so. Ridiculously delicious!

So yes, I’m 99% ready for this holiday season.For my family it’s really all about being together around the table with wonderful foods to fill our tummies and being grateful for what we have. It’s a time of reflection, of moving over-heated cats away from the woodstove ( when will they learn!), gifts that come from the heart, and intoxicating smells from the kitchen, and lots of pictures being taken.

I want to wish all a fabulous holiday season, with all the tidings and joy you can muster. And don’t forget to be green. I guess I’m wishing everyone a green/white christmas!

Tastefully Yours,

Luke

Oh, summer, what can I say about you that hasn’t already been said? You’re everybodies favourite. You’re always voted the season ” most likely to succeed”. You always get the gold medal, the Academy award, the Emmy and the Tony! I personally think you’re letting all this adoration go to your head, starting to act a little too smug. Oh sure, your days are gloriously long and hot, and beautiful foods and flowers grow under your watchful sun. But, if I may give my opinion, I think some of your days are too damn hot. Give me 24 degrees w/ a balmy breeze and I’m a happy camper. Hell, I’ll even squeeze the damn lemonade. But 32 degrees, 100% humidity, and no breeze— is this your idea of a joke? Guess what… I’m not laughing!!  No, I’m developing a heat rash and humming ” Heatwave” too damn often. And another thing, why must you force everyone to BBQ everything? It’s all about all foods being cooked over flames, hot coals, burning embers. Big bbq’s, small bbq’s, they’re everywhere—from tiny habachis on balconys to monstrosities the size of a schoolbus in custom-built outdoor kitchens overlooking the olympic size swimming pool. What about a nice garden salad, steamed market vegs w/ an herb vinaigrette, and a perfectly roasted quail? Mmm Mmm— and it didn’t require me to don a goofy apron, standing under the scorching sun, flipping something over more scorching heat! So, can the heat & sell your shares in BBQ King and maybe, just maybe you’ll get my vote next year.

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