A day in the life of dohhead

Why I love baguettes....

There's something about a baguette:  Maybe it's the crunchy, caramelized crust....Or the "grigne", the ear that curls back from the baguette, with a dark golden grin...Maybe it's just the tender, chewy interior, that marries itself from cheese to pate to hummus, and beyond..There is just something endearing about the baguette...If you can make a great baguette, then the bottle of wine, hunk of room temp brie and the picnic blanket are just a suggestion away from scoring with that special someone....

A sammie is born....And some ooey-gooey goodness.

First day at Indulge cafe/bistro....What could I expect??  New kitchen, strange surroundings, out of my comfort zone.....Shudder!  Naw, I am dohhead, and I don't fear the heat of the culinary stadia...First up, I had to create a sandwich, for the shop. We had discussed making some roast, cutting it into cubes for some Beef/barley potage. The balance would be used to fashion a pannini type sammie. The sumptuous sirloin would be sliced razor-thin, and combined with caramelized onions, some horseradish aioli, melty Provolone, Roma tomatoes , and a chiffonade of fresh basilico. A nice side of homemade slaw, a Montreal pickle spear, and some thick cut Kettle tater chips......Rounded out the platter. I was salivating at the repast...Of course, I managed to snag a few glamour shots: 

....And

Oh, allright, one more to p--s you off!

Lastly, I had been crowing about having a good, honest-to-goodness sticky bun...My boss obliged, and the Sticky Indulgance was born...

Tomorrow, you know where to come back for more food porn, dontcha? Stay tuned.....

Indulging......just a bit, in AYR.

The nature of this business, unfortunately, is that it can be somewhat transient.  As dining out can be a luxury, at times, so can buying your little treats at the local gourmet shop.  Winter in the north, is unkind at times....Awful weather, roller coaster temperature swings, and paying off the bills, from the holiday season. These factors contribute to a shrinking, (albeit temporary) take at the till. I took this opportunity to peruse the local classifieds for additional work required in a needy kitchen...I found one!!  This little oasis, is located about 10 miles from Cambridge, Ontario.  It is a quaint little town, christined: AYR, Ontario..    http://bit.ly/youF6g    http://bit.ly/xCF4FL   Settled in 1824, incorporated in 1884.  It boasts many beautiful , old structures with high ceilings, sturdy facades, and eye-pleasing angles seldom seen on modern buildings. My search led me to: Indulge bistro/cafe. 

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  A corner cafe, at the crossroads of the 2 streets that bisect the tiny burg..

 

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 I was immediately taken with the 19th century edifice, complete with embossed period tin ceiling, and massive brick support columns, ensconcing cozily burning fireplaces...The wood and stone emit a calming vibe , of an era long gone.....O, if these walls could speak, what tales they'd tell!!!   The menu is a combination of tasty wraps, pannini sammies, baked goods and Seattles Best coffee........Ice cream, hard scoop, on a house-made waffle cone, is a summer favorite..C'mon summer, you can't get here soon enough!  I look forward to many kitchen forays, producing all manner of food porn, for this darling little boite...I put on my whites, Tuesday next.....You KNOW I'll keep you all posted!!

 

 

Wally week, BBQ'd pizza, and Harris ranch filet...

After much coaxing, cajoling and prodding....We got mum to commit to leave dad's bedside, and make a trip to SoCal to visit her now grown grandkids....My role in this trip was twofold: To provide assistance for preoccupied mum, and to cook up a storm in Santa Clarita, a bedroom community about 35 miles from LA.....Night number one, found me in the kitchen, with my very eager to assist  niece, Erica, she is an absolute sweetie, and knows I'm just a kiddin'!
 

Risotto, was on the menu the first night, and I made a pilgrimage to my favorite store in the world.....Trader Joe's....

In beautiful Pasadena....

I purchased my ingredients,
and after a very strenuous afternoon, of doing absolutely nothing, this......Prompted me to begin dinner....

Barley risotto, with Pinot Grigio, thousand day old Gouda, Gorgonzola,  some roasted fennel, and  crispy sauteed prosciutto, (o, the sacrilege, to sautee it.....I know).

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 Apparently, it tasted allright....    

The following day, it was decided that pizza would be the meal of choice for the dinner option..

Some locally sourced cheeses, a little imported crushed tomatoes, and turkey pepperoni....On a homemade WW crust....The first pie, made on a stone, would handle the first wave of hungry diners..

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The second pie, with the addition of some sauteed mushrooms, satisfied the adults partaking in this repast...The pie is slid directly onto the hot barbq, then the heat is turned down, so as not to burn the crust....The result is a lovely, crisp crust, with just a hint of smoke from the hickory chips smoldering on one corner of the grill...

An apres-souper Bolivar, provided the perfect end to the meal....Thank you, Zack!

 

The following day, I fashioned some cinnamon sticky buns, and a cream cheese/raspberry filled coffee cake for a friend....Prior to parking my ass for another day of arduous lounging..... 

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The doh....

The buns....

The danish coffee ring....

Lunch , on this day was at a little eatery in Playa del rey....Alejo's.
 Reasonably priced, delicious Italian fare..  ..Everybody left with a full belly, and the odd burp was heard!   

The last night together as a family, would feature some of the tastiest beef that I have tasted, short of that hand fed stuff from Japan...But this is America, baby!   I made up a dry rub for the filet, and allowed it to marinate overnight..
..Roasted potatoes, a large green salad, with some Mesclun and baby herb mix...Very basic, but very tasty....The steaks were buttery smooth, and sliceable with a mere butter knife....Superb...

The meal apparently , was a family favorite....    

The last part of the evening was spent delivering the special coffee cake to a very special citizen...The gent in question, was responsible for dousing a fire, resulting from a horrific car crash, that almost killed my middle nephew....He is a hero, in my eyes...My brother in law, another one of my heroes....He with the s--t eating grin, delivered the goods...

I hope this little sojourn in SoCal with my kinfolk has left you entertained....There's nothing like being with family, especially ones that are this special, and like everything that I make!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eating well, intimately well...

Over the last little while, I have noticed a dramatic shift in the reader demographic, for this blog. About 6 months ago, my typical reader was between the ages of 32 and 45, male (90%), well-educated, and earning between $75,000 and $100,000 per annum.  As it stands today, my readership has shifted dramatically. The age bracket has remained the same, as has the typical income level....What has shifted radically is the gender of the reader....70% of my readers are NOW FEMALE.  I revealed my recent findings  to my soulmate, Janice...She suggested perhaps, because I had mentioned HER in several of my posts, I had struck a chord with a female audience...Being a little naive, at times, and clueless perhaps, it made perfect sense....For the weekend leading up to Valentines day, I had proposed a little sojourn in the Laurentian mountains, approximately  1.5 hours from Montreal, Quebec.  As I live in Guelph, Ontario, there would be an 8 hour drive to pick up my precious cargo, and shuttle her to an idyllic little town of 2,500 people, where we would inhabit a cozy little cabin, which sits on a gorgeous lake, with a stunning vista from the kitchen table of the local ski hill...

Here is the view, Monday morning, prior to breakfast....Here is the view, with brekky in the foreground, the sun shining on the ski hill in the distance...Sweet, ain't it??  

Funny how plain old bacon and eggs, a little homemade crusty bread, and a beautiful woman across the table from you in your Jeans shirt can make this country breakfast a meal    fit for a king...

 
The evening before had been a hurriedly consumed Quiznos sammy, and a little wine by the fire upon arrival....Sunday evenings fare would show a little more promise.....I promise!   Sunday dinner, after consulting with my valentine-to-be would involve a shopping trip to the local grocer, to procure some local groceries....Now I had surprised Janice, and I know she WAS surprised, because she squealed, when I gave her this box, of chcolate sin, that I had concocted:

2 kinds of cream pies, one covered in milk chocolate, the other in rich, unctuous Ganache. The heart shaped goodie at 2 o'clock is a double chocolate rasperry filled, ganache -dipped mouthgasm.  The crowning  touch, in my opinion, the triple chocolate cheesecake heart that , apparently touched hers!  Score One brownie point for dohhead....Dinner would be a veal loin  stir fried, with toy choy, bell peppers, crispy pancetta shreds, Baby bella, and oyster muchrooms, sherry  vinegar, local, and I mean from behind the cottage , local....Maple syrup, along with a little sea salt, and cracked pepper.  A little white house wine, and dinner was served...

Now , I don't remember when dessert was served, but somehow, I remember it being a whole lot more delicious than the main course, in my humble opinion...Hope your Valentines day was as tasty as mine was!