The stars have spoken and... 

No, not those stars. Sit down Gwyneth Paltrow. 

The STARS! Oops... my musical finger slipped... not quite but closer...

It's been a wild and wooly couple of years, and amid the uncertainty and chaos, we have all been trying to make sense of what is happening around us... but this time make it delicious!  Our next gourmet theme centers around all things astrology and horoscopes. Think of birth charts and star signs, Chinese astrology, divination, and generally how our puny brains look to the heavens to make meaning of the chaos and brilliance of the universe.  It's time to ask the stars for help and get some answers (to our hunger) 

When: Sunday June 26, 5pm
Where: Chez Amy von Librastein

Hors D'oeuvres: Dean
Appetizer 1: Leah
Appetizer 2: Dallas
Soup/Salad: Christine
Main: Amy
Dessert: Vanessa

​We managed to sneak in a gourmet club before the winter came, and test our culinary survival skills.  

Sous Chef Vanessa started us off with an hors d'oeuvre of mini pasta nests with tomato-vodka sauce, parmesan and bacon (or mushrooms for those so inclined).  She pulled from her back-up food supply of pasta and sauce, always on hand in case of emergency.  Her drink was a custom cocktail with soda, cranberry liqueur, vodka and espresso.  

To the table for Sous Chef Dean's appetizer of Puffed Campfire - roasted carrots and red and yellow peppers, caramelized onions and baked brie over a puff pastry (from scratch) with a parmesan chip flame on top.  The drink was made with gin, that was infused with foraged wild sumac he had dried- very adventurous! 

Sous Chef Leah leaned on her key survival food of many decades- peanut butter sandwiches.  She served the crowd a homemade toasted mixed-nut butter, with a side of roasted grapes and freshly baked biscuits.  The elevated PB and grape 'sandwiches' were served with a choice of a New Zealand White or California Red wine (which also helps her survive).

Next up, Sous Chef Dallas tapped into 'faking it till you make it' survival approach, with her jerk (fake) chicken (tempeh), on a bed of spinach and homemade dressing.  We washed it all down with a refreshing dark and stormy cocktail. 

Master Chef Abe showed his foraging survival skills for all to taste! He had harvested black walnuts during a camping trip in the summer - He removed the fruit, dried the nuts for a month, shelled, and turned the nut meal into a walnut pesto. He served the walnut pesto on bed of homemade noodles, with a heavy sprinkle of parmesan.  The fruitiness of the local black walnuts was complimented by a glass of late autumn Riesling.

Sous Chef Amy provided the chefs with a cornucopia of freeze dried delicacies including: blueberry cheesecake ice cream, mint chocolate chip ice cream, lemon bars, skittles candy, Neapolitan dots and mocha chocolate mousse - channeling a childhood experience with space food- freeze dried ice cream!  Her drink was an individually wrapped packet of freeze dried chai tea mix.

This post is long overdue, as our Survival gourmet was followed by two additional waves of COVID and an illegal occupation of the city.  It's been quite the winter...but the snow has melted and the flowers are on their way.  We are moving from surviving to thriving! 

Next up: Master Chef Amy

Well, here we are again! Yahoo!!  Welcome back to full-fledged gourmet event! 

Chef Abe, a member of bubble gourmet, will be hosting our first event back and would like to celebrate SURVIVAL! He is directing chefs to think about your skills, techniques and approach for surviving situations, for example being lost in the woods, stranded on a desert island, or perhaps locked in your house during a pandemic.  

When: Saturday Nov 27, 6pm
Where: Chez Greenbar

Hors D'oeuvres: Vanessa
Appetizer 1: Dean
Appetizer 2: Leah
Soup/Salad: Dallas
Main: Abe
Dessert: Amy

Congrats to new mom Christine!

We search for buried treasure (with our taste buds)...and found it!

Our evening began with Sous Chef Amy's Salmagundi (poached chicken, heart of palm, pickled onions, capers) and a slab of goat cheese, on a homemade rusks.  Rusks, commonly enjoyed by sailors on long voyages, were slightly sweet and very crunchy, deemed truly delightful by the chefs.  To fight off the risk of scurvy,  we sipped on a lemony French 75, spiked with a shot of St. Germaine. 

To the table for Sous Chef Abe's Berried Treasure Salad, where raspberry dressing "X"s marked the spot to find a mixture of spinach, fried goat cheese, candied walnuts,  and raspberries and blueberries.  Along side, we enjoyed cups of Gold Bubbles with  goldschlager and prosecco. 

For the main,  Master Chef Leah was inspired by pirates, sailing around the tropics as she served Black Beards Last Supper.  Her dish of BBQed pork tenderloin was served with tropical fruit salsa, grilled corn polenta, and a guava puree.  The Tropical Treasure cocktail was a blend of spiced rum, pineapple, and watermelon. 

Our evening ended with a taste of citrus by Sous Chef Vanessa. Her tangy and fresh key lime pie with graham and coconut crust was topped with whipped cream, sliced limes and lime zest. The drink was a fiery punch made with pineapple juice, soda, rum and muddled jalapeños. 

Next up Master Chef Abe!

'Let us heal!' cried Master Chef Amy with much vigor.   "There be much suffering in this world, we are ailing and we needth a cure.  Learned sous chefs, bring forth thou best remedies, vaccines, and treatments!".
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With the first offering of wellness, Sous Chef Leah stepped forth to the table with a soothing combination of rice (arancini) and yogurt (mango, yogurt, spiced rum cocktail).  As the guests swallowed their final bites,  sous chef Leah asked "How doth your tummies feel?".  

"Much improved fair chef" declared Master Chef Amy, "yet I am still in need of nourishment!"
 
"Dear Master Chef, methink I have a tasty morsel to offer ye gentlefolk!"  Sous Chef Vanessa.  "Thy lentil soup hath a deep history of friendship and nutrients, topped with a swirl of yogurt and fried spices".  The room suddenly filled with slurps of soup, sips of cucumber gin and chewing of crispy parathas. 

"You doth brought much joy' affirmed Master Chef Amy, 'yet my kin are still not satisfied.  Hence forth, eat thee some fried poultry marinated in sour milk."  The chefs humbly obeyed, dipping fried chicken into a variety of sauces,  sipping on bespoke ginger cocktail.  

"Gentle chefs, thou art in need of refreshment?' posed sous chef Abe.  "Come hither for  frozen orange ices and sips of Kitty Burke cocktails!".  

​"Huzzah!" cried the chefs.  "By my troth, what a feast!"
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Our Instructions from Master Chef Vanessa
​NEVER BEFORE...
You may interpret this in whatever way you see fit, but at its essence I would like you to have a significant element of your dish be either something you've never made before or with a technique or an ingredient that you've never used before.

And don't do something cute like make a chocolate cake because you've only ever made vanilla cake before. :) The exception, of course, is for Soup/Salad course, where you have obviously made both of those core foods before...so get creative with your techniques and ingredients!
______

Another lovely meal by our gourmet bubble (gourbubble?)

Sous Chef Abe decided to make (for the first time ever) fried chicken!  The crispy bird was served on a savory cheesy waffle, and complimented by three different delectable sauces (local maple syrup, sweet & smoky BBQ sauce, and secret sauce).  Like the amateurs we are,  we all had numerous servings, alongside a second round of old fashions.  What can you do. It was so good. 

Sous Chef Amy had her least favourite course of soup/salad, and added to her personal misery by doing something she has never done before: Followed a recipe!  #TheSufferingIs(not)Real She made the NYTimes recipe for Roberto Soup, with italian sausage, kale, white beans and tomatoes.  Though her creativity was stifled, the taste of the soup was excellent!  With the soup, she made brioche buns (for the first time ever),  with a classic Bartlett cocktail of sweet vermouth with a side of lemon.  

For the main, Master Chef Vanessa outdid herself with a truly delightful main of Beef Wellington.  A challenging dish in it's own right,  she experimented with a sous vide for the first time ever and upped the anti by also making her puff pastry by scratch. Holy moly!  The Beef Welly was served with a side of vegetables and a trio of complimentary sauces (au juice, caper, and horseradish).  We washed it all down with a lovely french red wine - way to go MC!

For dessert, Sous Chef Leah scanned through cookbooks, until she found a recipe for a pink grapefruit tart which she's never made nor tasted. The tart had a number of new elements to bake including shortbread crust, an almond creme layer, topped with a creamy grapefruit curd.   The tart was served with sweetened whipped creme, and a grapefruity Sauvignon Blanc.       

Next up: Master Chef Amy

As one might guess,  our gourmet club is currently on hold until we can all be in the same room together and share a meal. While we wait for the soon-coming vaccine,  our COVID bubble (me, my spouse, my sister, and my good friend) have decided to do a bubble gourmet with the four of us.   All are current or past members of the gourmet club. 

The theme of our first bubble gourmet was Fall Rhapsody, lead by Master Chef Abe.  Celebrate all this related to Fall colours, changing leaves, and the autumn harvest. 

The meal started with our always impressive Sous Chef Vanessa and her creation of crispy Turkey Dinner Eggrolls, filled with turkey, sage and root vegetables.  The eggrolls were served with a tangy cranberry dip, and a Late Autumn Riesling. 

Next up, Sous Chef Leah focused on a new variety of root vegetable with the roasted Honeynut Squash salad.  The salad also included fennel, sweet potato, whipped goat cheese, and a orange vinaigrette, with skewers of bacon.   The beverage was Echeverria Chardonnay.  

For the main meal, Master Chef Abe prepared a dish of sweet potato gnocchi.  The gnocchi were served slightly crispy, with sautéed kale and a brown butter parmesan sauce.   These tasty bundles and the rich sauce was complimented with Henry of Pelham Riesling wine. 

Sous Chef Amy really focused on flavour for her Scotch Apple cake,  served with a dollop of maple syrup infused whip cream.   The apple-filled cake was complemented by a scotch-based hot toddy, to round out the meal.

I had a lovely time, enjoying a meal albeit with a smaller group of friends.  Vanessa brought along Opal, a sprightly Corgi, as an added element of joy.   

Next up- Master Chef Vanessa
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We explored our various roots with the additional company of two guest chefs, one spouse and one visiting mother (quote “I’m the root!”).  

​The meal began with Guest Chef Roberto’s small amuse bouches of homemade corn tortillas filled with avocado, queso fresco, and chili, with miniature rum and cokes. Very fresh and fun! Sous chef Dean celebrated the roots of humanity and root vegetables with his 5-day homemade Ethiopian injera bread bites topped with spice-laden atalkilt wat (potato curry).  The Juan Collins cocktail included tequila from his recent trip to Mexico sweetened with agave nectar.  To the table for Sous Chef Vanessa’s delicious baked artichokes which were stuffed with goat cheese and pine nuts, and served with a tangy aioli for dipping the leaves.  We sipped a light Pinot Gringio as we worked our way through the many layers of the plant.
 
Sous Chef Amy created an ode to the parsnip, “the underdog of the root vegetable world” (so says SC Amy). We enjoyed a savory donut filled with parsnips and caramelized onion, accompanied by a sweet parsnip jam.  The dish was served with a shooter of parsnip, apple and lemon juice, to be combined with a boozy lemonade (bubbles everywhere!).  Sous Chef Christine reflected on cooking with her grandmother as she prepared a family-favourite Armenian tart yogurt soup called Manti, with 107 (!) small baked dumplings.  With the soup, each chef had a traditional Armenian coffee – unfortunately we did not have the in-house expertise to read our fortunes in the coffee grounds.      
 
Master Chef Dallas explored both root vegetables and the historic roots of Manitoba cuisine with her main meal.  The chefs were served a trio of tastes with Iranian cabbage rolls (very light), roasted beet and preserved lemon salad (very fresh), and a potato tart with puff pastry and roasted tomatoes (very savory); the dish was enhanced with a glass of oaky chardonnay.  For dessert, Sous Chef Leah focused on all things ginger root with a layered cake of lemon-ginger curd and ginger custard, topped with gingered pears.  The drink of fresh-pressed carrot juice, rum and ginger ale provided a light end of the meal.    Last up, Guest Chef Bessie/Mom made delightful carrot-shaped carrot cakes for all the chefs to take home and enjoy later.  
 
Next up Master Chef Amy! 

For our next gathering of deliciousness and good times, Master Chef Dallas declares the theme to be 'ROOTS!".  

Master Chef Dallas instructs chefs to 'Interpret as you please!'. 

Date: February 22nd, 6pm

Courses
Amuse Bouche: Guest Chef Roberto
Hors D'oeuvre: Sous Chef Dean
Appetizer 1: Sous Chef Vanessa
Appetizer 2: Sous Chef Amy
Soup/Salad: Sous Chef Christine
Main: Master Chef Dallas
Dessert: Sous Chef Leah

Winter holidays are so fun to celebrate! 

We deliciously dined our way through the many winter holidays, surrounded by Master Chef Christine's (early) holiday decorations and warm crackling fire. 

First up was Guest Chef Liam,  presenting the chefs with a pile of delectable yorkshire puddings, a common sight on his families holiday table. Might have had seconds (and thirds).  The yorkshire puddings were served with two types of butters, one herbed garlic and the other a mustard butter.  Americano's with optional almond baileys completed the course. 

Next up, Sous Chef Dallas presented us with her family favourite for the holidays, a cheese ball encrusted with walnuts.  The cheese ball was served with homemade rhubarb chutney and a variety of homemade crackers, sesame being this chefs favourite.  To mark the special occasion,  we echoed her family tradition of a little bit of bubbly and enjoyed some  chilled processco to complete the cheese.

To the table for Sous Chef Vanessa's holiday favourite, potato latkes served with sour cheese, apple sauce and cinnamon sugar.   The piece-de resistance was the pecan maple crusted bacon - amazing! The breakfast-for-supper was served with Swedish glogg, mulled wine with slivers of almond and raisons.

Next up, we celebrated the excesses of Winter Solstice with a flavourful french onion soup from Sous Chef Leah.  The cheese-toped caramelized onion soup was served with chilled Gewürztraminer from the Alsace region of France. 

For the main dish, Master Chef Christine presented a playful "gingerbread" house, constructed of a lentil nut loaf, mash potatoes, and a lawn of green peas. Little tree crackers were delightful.  A pour of hot vegetable gravy pulled all the elements together.  

For dessert,  Sous Chef Amy wowed the crowd with a chocolate mocha bouche de noel, with a ricotta filling.  The bouche was presented with chocolate meringue mushrooms and chocolate ganache almond pinecones. A digestif tea with ginger and rooibus tea was a light herbal end to the meal. 

A joyful celebrate, with a visit from sous chef Dean.  A big thanks to Master Chef Christine for such a lovely celebration of winter holidays. 

Next up:  Master Chef Dallas

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