Gourmet

The Fifth Annual TasteCamp is now over, a three day visit to Quebec, tasting wines, ciders, beers and local foods. Approximately twenty five of us, bloggers and their significant others, journeyed to Montreal, our base for the trip. During the next couple weeks, I will be providing my thoughts about what I tasted in Quebec, both as part of TasteCamp and also what I did on my own. I have been to Montreal before, and think it is a great destination for those who love good food and drink, but I haven't previously explored much of the rest of Quebec.For the first time, TasteCamp conducted a beer tasting, a walk around event where eight Quebec microbreweries presented a selection of their beers. For two hours, we got to sample what were probably at least 40 beers, and then there was an eight course meal afterward, each course paired with a different beer. Not my usual idea of fun as I have disliked about 99% of the beers I have previously tasted. I dislike the bitterness I find in beer, which seems due to the use of hops.However, I bravely took my empty glass and went to the various tables, seeking a beer that I might like. Surprisingly, the results were much better than my usual average. I found two beers which were ok, which I might drink a glass or so under the right circumstances, such as with the proper meal. Then, I found two beers which I would drink on their own, including one which might be my most favorite beer ever. What a monumental discovery!My discovery is illustrative of a greater principle, one which I have advocated for before, that you should continually taste wines, beers and spirits, even in categories which you might think you dislike. You should not write off an entire category, such as Chardonnay or Tequila, because you have disliked most of the items you have tasted. There is so much diversity in the alcohol world, that even if you dislike many items in a category, that doesn't mean you will dislike all of them. I have disliked a huge number of beers that I have previously tasted, but I keep trying them, and have found a few that I like. TasteCamp's beer tasting led me to find a couple more beers I liked. One should never give up on an alcohol category.Le Castor is a microbrewery that produces organic beers. Their Grande Reserve Wee Heavy Bourbon is a Scottish ale, with an 11% ABV, that was aged in bourbon barrels. It had a prominent bourbon flavor as well as elements of malt, caramel and spice. On the finish, there was a touch of the beer bitterness I generally dislike, but it was mild enough that I could enjoy a glass with dinner. I know numerous other attendees who really enjoyed this brew.The Brasseur de Montreal is a brewery and restaurant that produces about seven beers plus several seasonal ones. Their Chi is an unfiltered pale beer, with a 4.5% ABV, that is made from barley, wheat and rice malt and is also flavored with ginger, citronella and citrus. There was plenty of ginger flavor up front and then more citrus notes on the finish. It was light and crisp, though you better enjoy the taste of ginger. I would probably enjoy a glass of this with Asian food, maybe some spicy Thai.One of the most popular tables at the tasting, as well as the one with the most beers, belonged to Trou du Diable, roughly translated as "The Devil's Hole." I loved the look of their labels, which showed very cool artwork. They also seem to have a diverse portfolio, with beers that will appeal to almost any palate. The Dulcis Succubus is a Saison, with a 7% ABV, that was aged for six months in botrytis dessert wine oak barrels. It is an intriguing and complex beer with floral, citrus, vanilla and spice notes. Like the legendary succubus, it is an alluring brew, one sure to captivate you with its sensual pleasures. This is a beer I could drink on a nice, summer day..The overall best beer of my night was their La Grivoise de Noel, which roughly translates as "Ribald Christmas." This is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, with a 7.5% ABV,

Woodshed Margarita: How to Barbecue a Cocktail, adapted from 'Smoke: New Firewood Cooking' by Tim Byres in the Weekend Journal (Still thirsty? See Liqurious)

Crazy weather day here in Italy in a Cartizze vineyard in the Veneto. I got caught in a hailstorm and torrential rain. Nothing like what the poor folks just got in Moore, Oklahoma. Sharing this video - the hailstorm cannons made for an eery situation, considering the many real battles that took place in this area in the 20th century. video by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy wine blog + Italian wine blog + Italy W

Raspberry-Infused Vodka Recipe (Still thirsty? See Liqurious)

Apricot Bourbon Smash (Still thirsty? See Liqurious)

...all reflect a boom in the cookbook publishing business. A paperback reprint will lower the cost to the purchaser, and also give a publisher a chance to correct egregious errors or add a postscript. Some will reissue a book in paper covers with a new layout or photos. Others will rearrange existing material to present it as more informative text while keeping the focus tight. Here are some recent "re-editions"... 16. OFF-PREMISE CATERING MANAGEMENT. 3rd ed. (Wiley, 2013, 550 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-88971-8, $70 US hard covers) is by Chris Thomas, a food and drink writer for more than 30 years and now a consultant, and by Bill Hansen, who owns his own catering firm. This is a practical guide, first published in 1995 by Bill Hansen. Thomas has taken over and extensively reviews the off-premise caterer's job ? including menu planning, pricing, food and beverage service, equipment, packing, delivery, and set-ups. Also: legal implications, financial considerations, human resources, marketing, and health/safety regulations. This new edition, last revised in 2005, has stuff on sustainable ("green") practices, current food trends, recent equipment, website developments, and social media marketing. There's a brand new chapter on beverage service that includes material on off-premise bar setups (always a sticky point here in Ontario), new cocktails and their ingredients, and guidance on selecting the right beers and wines for events. Along the way there are forms, schedules, and checklists of value, illustrative of actual circumstances in the field. There is also an Instructor's Manual available. Of course, it is a text book, so each chapter ends with a useful summary and some questions for discussion. Quality/price rating: 88. 17. BREAD. 2d ed. (Wiley, 2013, 478 pages, ISBN 978-1-118-13271-5, $45 US hard covers) is by Jeffrey Hamelman, bakery director of the King Arthur Flour Company and a Certified Master Baker. He was captain of Baking Team USA, and the first edition of this book won a Beard Award. This second edition includes 140 step-by-step recipes for a range of breads; 40 of them are new to this edition. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, and there are also tables of metric equivalents. There's a glossary and a bibliography, and as well, there are specialized sections in the appendix for developing and perpetuating a sourdough culture, additives, baker's percentages (scaling), computing batch coat, and sample proofing skeds.He opens with a primer on baking and hand mixing, and then moves on to types of breads: yeasted pre-ferments, levains, sourdoughs, and regular dough. There are also chapters on braiding techniques and decorative/display projects. Unfortunately, there is nothing on gluten-free breads ? which is now a coming food trend. Quality/price rating: 87. 18. GLUTEN-FREE COOKING FOR DUMMIES. 2d ed. (John Wiley & Sons, 2013, 362 pages, ISBN 978-1-118-39644-5, $19.99 US soft covers) is by Danna Korn and Connie Sarros, both authors of gluten-free cookbooks. The first edition was originally published in 2008, and of course much has happened in the gluten-free world since then, In fact, it is now a highly respected growth industry. The book is a practical guide, with basics of what is and what is not gluten-free, how to set up a pantry and kitchen, the various flours available, about 165quick recipes, comfort foods, and cooking gluten-free with the kids. And of course, there are Rich Tennant's wonderful drawings. There's a quick list of some ten top comfort foods such as mac and cheese, clam chowder, puddings, veggie soups, potato salad, meatloaf, and more. Prep times, cooking times, and yields are clearly indicated. For this new edition, there are additional recipes from Cindy Kleck, RD, LD, who is also a cookbook author. These preps are a bit

Summer might be my least favorite season in Chicago. I know! I know! I feel very conflicted about it, too. Admittedly, there is much I like about summer, especially as it relates to food: farmers markets! local everything! hot dogs! The thing is, I really dislike being hot. My thermostat is off, I run hot already. And the humidity in Chicago really gets me down. So, unlike every other Chicagoan who cant wait for summer….I am ambivalent. Of course, there are those dry sunny days in the 70′s that I too love, but they’re pretty rare. Mostly it is too hot and too humid. So, I look for ways to cool off. This lassi does the trick. It is more of an idea than a recipe, try adding some coconut milk to your shake. Not enough to make this very coconut-y or tropical, just enough to add a little suppin’ suppin’. I got the idea from this month’s Bon Appetit, which has a whole spread on strawberries—harbingers of summer in the Midwest. The original recipe was a little more subtle, I wanted a bright pink drink, so I increased the amount of strawberries. You do what you like. But do make this, because it is really delicious and it gave me another reason to appreciate summer. Strawberry-Coconut Lassi (recipe adapted from one by Yvette van Boven) 2 cups halved, hulled, strawberries 1 cup ice cubes 2/3 cup buttermilk 1/3 cup coconut milk 1 tablespoon sugar Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth. Serves 2. ***Bryan astutely observed that the sliced strawberries looked exactly like dolphins! Cute overload. Permalink to Strawberry Lassi | 13 comments so far

The gooey filling for these juicy burgers was inspired by the Mexican dip chile con queso, made with melted cheese and roasted chiles. © Tina Rupp Food & Wine's senior recipe developer, Grace Parisi, is a Test Kitchen superstar. In t...

It sounds like an impossibility, or maybe an enigmatic Zen koan. However, I learned this weekend that you can melt cheese in a fridge. And that knowledge didn't make me happy. Over the weekend, I stayed at a hotel in Montreal while attending TasteCamp, a wine bloggers' conference. Montreal is a great city for food lovers and I spent some time wandering through the stalls of the Jean-Talon Market, a large and compelling food market. While I was there, I purchased a number of different local cheeses from Quebec, including a superb blue cheese. As many people know, good cheese isn't cheap.When I returned to my hotel room, I placed the cheeses into the cool fridge in the room. Which any normal hotel guest might do. Inside that fridge, I also placed some water as well as a bottle of wine. Everything seemed normal until the next afternoon when I opened the fridge to find that it was actually hot inside of it! Hot? Why the hell was it hot inside a fridge?Several of the cheeses had started to melt due to the heat. I immediately contacted the front desk but they were less than helpful. I was told that sometimes when the outer door is closed, the fridge overheats. Though no one ever warned me of that contingency, and there was no warning posted on the fridge. I was also told that the fridges were not meant to keep anything cold. Instead, they were allegedly intended to keep things "fresh." This made no sense to me.The manager was not on duty so I was not able to raise this issue with her. I will have to email her about this issue. Later that evening, the hotel placed a small box of chocolates in my room, as a little way to make me happier over this issue. That was not successful.This episode helps to point out an important issue that arises every summer. Summer is a major time for traveling and food & wine lovers often explore markets, shops, wineries, farms and more. They are likely to purchase various foods and drinks but they still need to transport their purchases home. If such items are just placed in your car, the summer heat could damage or destroy them, and your money will have been wasted. Those valuable items need protection.It is essential to have a cooler and/or insulated bag in your car at all times when you travel. You never know when you might need it. They will keep your food and drink cool and safe during the hot weather. I always travel with both a cooler and insulated bag, and often find use for them in my travels. I would hate to lose a fine bottle of wine or two to the heat while driving home with it from a wine region. I hated to lose some of my Quebec cheese to the heat of the hotel fridge.This summer, don't lose your valuable food and drink. Make sure to keep it properly insulated while traveling. And be wary of hotel fridges. They might not actually keep your items cool like they should. Instead, they might turn into an oven, like the inside of your car on a hot summer day.

Cherry Vanilla Sparkler, a light sake cocktail from Set the Table (Still thirsty? See Liqurious)