01
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For an Easy Weeknight Supper
Montreal-made spice blends in fashionable black packaging. Lightly pound the salted peppercorns in a mortar and strew through pasta and cheese for a delicious cacio e pepe.
The Product: Kanel Spices Fresh Salted Peppercorns, 70 g, $13.99; kanel.com
02
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A Wonderful NYE Pairing for that Celebration Dinner
Got an occasion that calls for something special? Lobster and champagne are the ultimate combination.
The Food: Lightly season lobster with white pepper and salt, encase in puff pastry and serve with a French vadouvan sauce tinged with tarragon. It’s an easy to prepare pastry appetizer (or main, depending on the size).
The Champagne: CSL paired the dish with Champagne Armand De Brignac Gold. A complex but sharply focused brut with a lovely density, tight bead, creamy texture, and a long finish. This champagne loves food. Made by a staff of eight in Chigny-les-Roses, France, it has been owned by the same family since 1763.
Why it Works: Balanced acidity and notes of brioche marry well with the lobster. To temper the spices and offset the zesty notes of the champagne we used butter and a dash of cream in the vadouvan.
Alternative Champagne: A nod to the classic art nouveau style of artist Alphonse Mucha, this packaging from makes the perfect host/ess gift. Moët & Chandon Imperial Mucha Edition imparts orchard fruit (apple, peach and pear) are perfectly balanced by citrus and notes of gooseberry to enliven the palate.
03
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Not All Heroes Wear Capes. Attention salad lovers
Vinegar can sometimes be the unsung hero of the kitchen, though the acidity is perfect for pickling, white vinegar can be hard to balance. That’s why chefs are obsessed with Spanish sherry vinegar – it’s complexity and round flavour is also super versatile. This chardonnay vinegar is made in the same process, using oak and chestnut aging, resulting in a more complex final product that can be used in vinaigrette or a gastrique, a tangy-sweet reduced sauce that can accompany meat dishes.
The Product: Boulou Chardonnay Vinegar 500 ml; $29.53; qualifirst.com.
Quick Vinaigrette
3 parts oil
1 part vinegar
Salt, pepper, flavourings to taste
04
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Give It a Boost with Bagel Spice
Hint: this blend is not just for bagels! Sprinkle on fish before grilling, grind with nori to make a quick furikake-inspired topper or place alongside olive oil and balsamic as a dipper for bread.
The Product: Nud Fud Everything Bagel Spice Blend, $12, 225g; nudfud.com
05
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Breakfast Done Well with Buttermilk
It’s flannel weather and that means Saturday morning pancakes. Rather than use the boxed stuff, try a few tablespoons of buttermilk powder to your standard mix. The difference? Pure sweet cream buttermilk is rich and the powdered formula does not add any extra moisture to your baked goods, so no need to worry about a gummy dough. We love adding to biscuits, for the most tender, flaky crumb.
The Product: Bob’s Red Mill Sweet Cream Buttermilk Powder, 624g; bobsredmill.com
06
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Koji Koji Koji
Usually, mould is frowned upon in cooking, but many of our favourite eats have some form of culture – think yogurt, cheese, bread. This particular rice, inoculated with a Japanese mould, aspergillus oryzae, delivers amped up umami, (the ‘meaty’ flavour that can found in mushrooms and soy), and is the key ingredient used in miso, amazake (a sweet rice beverage), shio koji and even sake. Finely crush the grains, and use as a marinade for meat or fish, or as a salt substitute.
The Product: Epigrain Koji Dried Rice, 454 g, $25.94; qualifirst.com
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This original food article first appeared in the Winter 2023/24 issue of City Style and Living Magazine.
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