Smoke’s Poutinerie

Smoke’s Poutinerie
218 Adelaide Street West
Toronto, ON M5H 1W7
416-599-CURD

The thought of poutine (fries + gravy + cheese curds) has never really appealed to me.  Growing up I thought that gravy was disgusting and you can’t have poutine without gravy so poutine was never really a dining option for me.  Until I went to Montreal that is.  When I went to Montreal I knew that I had to eat some of the specialties of the area… Montreal bagels and of course poutine. My mom and I went to Patati Patata for some Poutine and LOVED it.  Let’s just call it the beginning of the end.

So now I LOVE poutine and my hatred towards gravy has subsided.  I don’t choose gravy for other meals but when it comes to poutine dump it on!  So when I heard that a restaurant was opening up in Toronto that sold nothing but poutine I just HAD to check it out.

The thing about Smoke’s is that they don’t just sell your standard poutine with gravy and cheese curds.  They sell that but they also kick it up a notch and have poutine (15 varieties to be exact) with all sorts of toppings including pulled pork, bacon, hot dogs, curry chicken, nacho toppings etc.  Some sound awful (goodbye curry chicken) but some sound delicious (hello pulled pork!). I enlisted my trusty dining companion and after a few false starts we were chowing down on some poutine.

We opted to go for the Traditional and the Pulled Pork.  First of all, the portions are HUGE.  HUGE.  We knew this going in but still wanted to get two orders to compare their wares. We calculated that the perfect poutine to person ration is 2 to 3.  Two poutines for every three people.  I was happy to see the ratio of fries to gravy to cheese.  I didn’t think there was too much or too little of either.  And I was REALLY impressed by the amount of pulled pork they used.  It was like going to a BBQ restaurant and ordering a pulled pork entree.  It was crazy.

Now to the meal…

Fries: The fries were really able to stand up to the all the toppings.  They were crispy, hot and really fresh.  I’ve read complaints about them not having enough salt on them but I didn’t find that to be an issue.  But I’m also not a fan of salt.

Gravy: The gravy was the one downer to the whole endeavour.  It was more herb-y than meaty which was kind of a bummer.  I think the offending herb was rosemary or maybe thyme… I’m not sure.  Less herbs more meat!

Cheese: yum.  That’s all.  Yum.

Pulled Pork: The pulled pork was pretty good.  It worked within the context of the meal.  Was it the best pulled pork I’d ever had?  No.  But was I judging it according to traditional BBQ standards?  Not so much.

Overall a good poutine experience though not my favourite.  Would I go back?  Sure but there are other stops on my poutine list to visit first.  If they switched up the gravy I’d be back sooner.

Here’s what others have to say:
Blog TO
The Toronto Star
NOW Magazine
The National Post

Lobster Newburg

Lobsters have been on sale at various grocery stores for a few weeks.  And when I say sale I mean SALE.  We’re talking $6.99 a pound for 1 – 1.25 lb lobsters!  According to this article from the NY Times it’s because of the bad economy. Basically the lobster industry has too many lobsters and people haven’t been buying so prices are going WAY down. Works for me! Now I’ve never bought a lobster before. When I have lobster it’s either steamed whole at a seafood restaurant or in a lobster roll. But when I saw the low low prices I knew that I had to take advantage of the deal.

I spent about a day going through lobster recipes. I knew I didn’t just want to eat it steamed – that’s boring. So I went to Epicurious and typed in “Lobster” and looked at many many recipes. Did I want to make a lobster macaroni and cheese? Lobster pasta? Lobster quiche? Lobster Thermidor? Maybe! I finally ended up settling on this recipe for Lobster Newburg from Gourmet circa 1991. I had never had Lobster Newburg but thought it sounded fancy and delicious.

With my recipe in hand I went to Loblaws and picked out a frisky little bugger which I promptly had the guy at the fish counter steam for me. Part of me wanted to bring home the live lobster because it had an element of the “hunt” to it but then I thought about bringing home a lobster on public transit and vetoed that idea.

This recipe was super easy to make and didn’t involve a lot of extra things to buy.  Aside from the lobster the only other thing I had to buy was some brandy.  I love meals like that!  Everything went smoothly for the most part but when it came time to whisk in my yolks they got clumpy very quickly.  I’m thinking I should have used a smaller pan and lowered the heat earlier on.  To solve the problem I added some more cream.  I think the dish came out a bit thicker than it should have but it was delicious nonetheless.

The recipe says to serve over “toast points”.  Now I have no clue what I toast point is.  I read the recipe and meant to google it but forgot to do so before heading out.  So while at the supermarket I grabbed some brioche and ciabatta and figured I’d make cute little toast rounds out of them hoping that those are what toast points are.  The brioche was espcially delicious with the lobster because the buttery goodness of the brioche really enhanced the cream sauce.

YUM

Rating: ****1/2 (out of 5)

Ingredients

three 1 1/2-pound live lobsters
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon medium-dry Sherry
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon brandy
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
cayenne to taste
4 large egg yolks, beaten well
toast points as an accompaniment

Method

Into a large kettle of boiling salted water plunge the lobsters, head first, and boil them, covered, for 8 minutes from the time the water returns to a boil. Transfer the lobsters with tongs to a cutting board and let them cool until they can be handled. Break off the claws at the body and crack them. Remove the claw meat and cut it into 1/2-inch pieces. Halve the lobsters length-wise along the undersides, remove the meat from the tails, discarding the bodies, and cut it into 1/2-inch pieces.

(Gourmet Magazine – January 1991)

More on No-Knead Bread

Clearly I have not been so up on my New York Times reading recently since I missed Mark Bittman’s most recent article on No Knead Bread.

Click on the link below to read:
No-Knead Bread: Not Making Itself Yet, but a Lot Quicker .

The article takes a look at how to shorten the time needed to make the already easy no-knead bread.  He also has a recipe for whole wheat bread which has been stumping bloggers left at and right (myself included).

For a little history on the no-knead bread phenomenon check out the first article that appeared in the NY Times:
The Secret of Great Bread: Let Time Do the Work .
Also check out the great follow up article: No Kneading, but Some Fine-Tuning.

I’ve made the no-knead bread a bunch of times and have blogged about it here , here , here , here , and finally, HERE all with varying degrees of success.

Enjoy!

Yummy Things on the Internet

Here are the results of some lazy Sunday afternoon blog surfing…

Perfect Pecan Pie at The Traveler’s Lunchbox . I love this recipe because it doesn’t use corn syrup!

I’ve never had Sticky Toffee Pudding but this receipe over at David Lebovitz’ site sounds absolutely divine!

The recipe for this Mushroom Casserole from  101 Cookbooks came into my inbox a few weeks ago and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. It’s going into rotation shortly.

More savoury… how about Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes with Fried Sage via The Wednesday Chef ?

And speaking of brown butter how about Brown Butter Cookies from Everybody Likes Sandwiches … yum!

Last but not least does Pear Ginger Compote sound delicious for a blustery winter day? Thanks Whipped !

Grits with Shrimp and Roasted Red Bell Pepper

Now, I’ve blogged about my love for shrimp and grits before.  In fact I’ve blogged here and here .  Clearly I love me some shrimp and grits.

I’ve been trying to use up foods in my cupboard before the end of the year and discovered that I had a partially used container of grits and a full one.  I always have shrimp in the freezer and knew something would be cooked up a la shrimp and grits.  I wanted to make something new so I logged onto Epicurious for some ideas when I came across this recipe which had a lot of unique elements.

I liked the addition of roasted red bell peppers.  Now that I figured out how to make them under my broiler I love roasting peppers like it’s 1995!  I don’t mind that roasted peppers are totally played out.  I also thought the feta cheese was an interesting addition.  Totally not Southern sounding at all but I was willing to go with it.

This was a super easy but delicious dish that came together very quickly.  I was nervous about just putting the shrimp on top of the grits to bake without any seasoning but they turned out very flavourful.  The grits are very flavourful and well-seasoned and I guess infuse their flavour into the shrimp.

I think this recipe would be a great base for other ingredients.  Maybe scallops instead of shrimp.  Throw some spicy sausage into the grits mix.  Top with different cheese.  Lots of possibilities!

Rating: **** (out of 5)

Check out the link below to see what others have to say about this recipe:
Batter Splattered

Grits with Shrimp and Roasted Red Bell Pepper
2 large red bell peppers

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 cup quick-cooking grits
3 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

30 uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Fresh thyme sprigs

Butter 11×7-inch glass baking dish. Char peppers over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag; let stand 10 minutes. Peel, seed, and coarsely chop peppers.

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, green onions, and chopped thyme. Sauté until onions wilt, about 2 minutes. Add grits and stir 1 minute. Whisk in broth and cream. Simmer until liquid is absorbed and grits are thick and tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Whisk in salt, hot pepper sauce, and black pepper. Fold in roasted bell peppers. Spread grits in prepared dish. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Press shrimp, on their sides, onto top of grits in single layer. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake until grits are heated through, shrimp are just opaque in center, and cheese begins to brown, about 20 minutes. Garnish with thyme sprigs.

(From Bon Appetit)

Food Goals for 2009

On Chowhound there’s a fun thread going on right now on people’s Top-5 Cooking Goals for 2009. I thought I’d go ahead and list mine here. But why stop at just five?

1. Bake more bread! Seriously, it’s easy and so much better than store-bought. AND you can avoid pesky things like HFCS. My success with my loaf of challah has inspired me.

2. Eat more seafood. I know, I cook a lot of fish and shrimp but there are so many things that I rarely cook if ever. I want to try cooking more scallops, crab and lobster. Not necessarily as the centre of the meal but maybe incorporated into other things.

3. Make fancy desserts. I always flip through Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook and see lovely fancy desserts that I never think to make. This year, I’m making them.

4. Be more adventurous with my Mexican cooking. I love Mexican food and this year I’ve managed to acquire three different Mexican cookbooks. I’ve used them a few times each but I find that I always make food that I’m familiar with such as enchiladas or chillaquiles. This year I want to try some that other stuff.

5. Use my ice cream maker in the winter. I usually only use the contraption when it’s warm outside and actually didn’t use it once this summer. Time to dust it off.

6. Make my own pie crust. I’ve been too lazy to try this before. 2009 will be the year.

7. Join a CSA or go to the Farmers’ Market more often. When I lived in NYC I would always go to the Union Square farmers’ market at least a few times a week. Since I’ve been back in Toronto I rarely go at all.

I’m sure there’s more things I’m missing but this is a good start!

Fruitcake Bars

This fruitcake is going to ruin my holiday season.  Seriously.  I was flipping through Canadian Living the other day and came across this recipe for Fruitcake Bars. Now I realize that fruitcake is one of those things that is controversial.  I’ve never been a big fan of fruitcake especially from only really having the kind that you get from the supermarket.  Gross.  My uncle makes Jamaican Black Cake over the holidays but that’s another story.  I realized that fruitcakes could be delicious when I tried a Monastery Fruitcake from Berryville, Virginia. It was delicious and fresh and the dried fruit wasn’t freaky!

This year I wanted to order a fruitcake from them for the holidays but never got around to it (next year, I swear!) but still have been craving some yummy fruitcake.  I considered finding a local purveyor but didn’t want to think about the whole endeavour that long.  When I saw the Canadian Living recipe the whole thing seemed very feasible.  What made me very happy was that the recipe didn’t call for raisins.  Raisins freak me out.  It called for dried pears.  Dried pears!  Who knew that dried pears belonged in fruitcake?  The recipe had me at hello.

I headed out to my local bulk store and stocked up on various dried and candied fruits, went to the LCBO and bought some rum and went to work.  I ended up making a 9″ x 9″ cake instead of a 13″ x 9″ cake – so I made about 3/4 of the recipe instead of the full one.  That was fine.  I also forgot to buy icing sugar at the bulk store and then my local Metro was sold out of icing sugar (crazy!) so I decided to forgo doing an icing rather than trek around my neighbourhood in search of icing sugar.  Not a problem. And Brazil nuts don’t do it for me so I went for pecans.

Now I say that this cake is ruining my holiday season because I made the cake on Saturday evening.  It is now Monday evening and there is only a 2-inch square of cake left.  There are only two of us eating this cake.  I kid you not.  This cake is so delicious that it has been inhaled.  I’m contemplating making another one for New Year’s… I’m not quite done with quenching my thirst for fruitcake!  This cake is so moist, just boozy enough with the rum and the fruit to cake ratio is perfect.

I’m loving it.

Rating: ***** (out of 5)

1 cup (250 mL) candied mixed peel
3/4 cup (175 mL) each coarsely chopped dried apricots and  dried pears
3/4 cup (175 mL) coarsely chopped candied pineapple
2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 cup (50 mL) amber rum or brandy
1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp (4 mL) mace (or 1/4 tsp/1 mL ground nutmeg)
1/2 tsp (2 mL) each ground cinnamon and allspice
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
Pinch baking soda
1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened
1/2 cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar
2 tbsp (25 mL) liquid honey
3 eggs
1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla
3/4 cup (175 mL) coarsely chopped Brazil nuts
Rum butter Icing:
1/2 cup (125 mL) butter
2 cups (500 mL) icing sugar
4 tsp (20 mL) amber rum

Preparation:
In large bowl, combine mixed peel, apricots, pears, pineapple, ginger and rum; toss well. Cover and let stand for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.

In small bowl, whisk together flour, mace, cinnamon, allspice, salt and baking soda. In separate bowl, beat together butter, brown sugar and honey until fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time; beat in vanilla. Stir in flour mixture just until incorporated. Add fruit mixture and Brazil nuts; stir to combine. Scrape into 13- x 9-inch (3.5 L) metal cake pan lined with double layer of parchment paper.

Set shallow pan on bottom rack of 300°F (150°C) oven; pour in enough hot water to come halfway up sides. Bake bars on centre rack until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Let cool in pan on rack; remove from pan and remove paper.

Rum Butter Icing: In bowl, beat together butter, icing sugar and rum until smooth; spread over bars. Trim edges. Cut crosswise into 6 bars. Cut each into 12 slices.
Additional Information

* Tip: To soak dried fruit quickly, toss with rum in microwaveable bowl. Then cover and microwave on medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes or until hot. Let cool, covered, until at room temperature, about 1 hour.

(From Canadian Living, December 2008)

Roasted Baby Potatoes with Capers and Rosemary

The other day I bought a few fillets of sole and wanted some a bit different as a side.  As I was pushing my shopping cart through Loblaws I came across a display of all sorts of baby potatoes.  Now, I don’t usually buy baby potatoes because they always seem like such a scam.  They are so much smaller than regular potatoes but double the price-per-pound – the bargain shopper in me usually can’t take the plunge.  But I guess that day I was feeling frisky and decided to go for it.

When I got home I logged onto Epicurious and did a search for “baby potatoes” to see if I could find some inspiration beyond the usual potatoes roasted with rosemary. In my search I came across a recipe for Roasted Baby Potatoes with Capers and Rosemary that had appeared in Bon Appetit in 2006. I admit, it’s not totally different from the norm but it has capers! Capers are totally different, so I went for it.

This is totally a simple and impressive side dish, definitely one that I’m adding into my rotation since I pretty much always have capers on hand.  I didn’t have fresh rosemary in my fridge and didn’t feel inclined to run out and get some (it’s winter!  it’s cold! it’s snowy!) so I used the dried stuff, not a big deal.  I like the idea of using an assortment of over-priced baby potatoes but that’s for another time or when I’m trying to be fancy and impress somebody.

One thing to note, I found the cooking time to be way too hot and way too long.  I started my potatoes at 400F for the first 15 minutes then turned it down to 350F for the next 15 minutes and at the end of that cycle the potatoes were cooked and starting to shrivel.   I know every oven is different but it’s worth keeping an eye open.

Rating: ****1/2 (out of 5)

Roasted Baby Potatoes with Capers and Rosemary
Yield: Makes 8 servings

3 pounds assorted baby potatoes (such as red-skinned, White Rose, and baby purple), halved
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, each broken into 4 pieces plus more for garnish
3 large garlic cloves, halved
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
3 tablespoons drained capers

Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange potatoes in single layer on large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with rosemary pieces, garlic, and salt; toss to coat. Roast until potatoes are tender, stirring every 15 minutes, about 45 minutes total. Mix in capers. Roast until flavors blend, about 5 minutes longer. Season with pepper. Transfer to bowl. Garnish with rosemary sprigs.

Mildred Temple Kitchen

Mildred Temple Kitchen
85 Hanna Avenue, suite 104
Toronto, ON
416-588-5695

When it comes to the restaurant scene in Toronto I’m definitely NOT a hipster.  Sure I follow the latest openings and closings but I rarely make it out to the hot spots.  To be honest, I’m not quite sure why.  Maybe that will be one of my goals for the New Year… eat at more hot spots.

A week or so ago a few of us girls decided to have a brunch date.  I had been reading about Mildred Temple Kitchen and thought that it would be a good choice.  Yummy food, gorgeous space, and hot spot-like qualities.  Funny enough, the day after we made plans a review showed up on Sweetspot.ca – excellent timing if I do say so myself!

(Photo from Sweetspot.ca)

Mildred Temple Kitchen is the long awaited sequel to Mildred Pierce – a restaurant that I never made it to but was a very popular Toronto spot but closed in 2007.  Pretty much all summer I had been reading posts wondering when the new restaurant would open up.  With that much anticipation I knew I had to check it out.

The restaurant, located in Liberty Village, is a BEAST to find.  If you’re making your way over there just walk along the path just to the right of West Elm.  Or if you’re coming from King Street you can take the big staircase that is in front of West Elm.  Feel free to call the hostess for directions, she was really great.  When I entered the space it took my breathe away – literally.  And I’m a hard nut to crack.  The space is huge and airy with a really modern, clean feel.  The northern wall is a giant window that overlooks the train tracks.  Sounds sketchy but is actually beautiful.  The day that I was there it was snowing so it gave the restaurant a really cozy feel.  It must be really cool when the train goes by.  Opposite the windows is an open kitchen.  Now, I have mixed feelings on the open kitchen.  I feel like it’s a little played out.  Don’t open kitchens feel kind of 2000 to you?  Maybe it’s just me.  BUT I like how they handled it.  They even have a table on the same level as the kitchen so that it must feel like you’re IN the kitchen (without any weird health code violations).  We were seated just below the kitchen area and I did find myself checking in to see what was happening.

ON TO THE FOOD…

We were expecting a brunch menu.  We went on a Saturday afternoon and the menu that I found online indicated brunch.  Turns out the site I went to posted the old Mildred Pierce menu (I learned this by e-mailing the restaurant… super helpful and awesome).  Fine fine, we can do lunch.  When we sat down the waiter came around with bread and rather than leaving a bread basket on the table they asked us to select which bread we wanted (I chose an Olive bread) and they laid down a nice thick slice and left what I believe was a goat or sheep’s milk butter.  YUM!

For my meal I decided to have two appetizers.  I did the Italian Bread Soup and the Gnudi.  The soup was interested, granted I don’t ever really order bread soup but they brought a bowl with a few large bread cubes and some parmesan shavings but then came back with a steaming kettle of broth and poured it over the bread and cheese!  YUM.  I thought that was kind of brilliant.  I liked the soup overall but found it a tad salty and thought that the garlic in the broth tasted almost burnt.  Might have been an off batch.

The Gnudi was GREAT.  It was served with Berkshire pork bits, fried sage and carmelized onion.  This was definitely the highlight.  Ever since trying Gnudi at the Spotted Pig in NYC I’ve been obsessed.  This may fulfill my Toronto Gnudi craving.

This was a great experience and I will definitely be coming back.  Mildred Pierce was known for their brunch and I imagine that Mildred Temple Kitchen will do a killer brunch.  It’s totally out of the way from where I live but I will travel for brunch.

Here’s what other’s have to say…
Martini Boys
NOW Magazine
Toronto.com
Taste T.O.
Chowhound

Old-Fashioned Tuna Noodle Casserole

I didn’t grow up eating a lot of “traditional” foods.  I didn’t eat Kraft Dinner, grilled cheese sandwiches or casseroles in general.  When I went away to college I started to branch out and try some of these foods.  Kraft Dinner never really caught on but I became a fan of grilled cheese (with or without bacon) and discovered my love for pot pies and tuna noodle casseroles.

Something about making tuna noodle casserole makes me feel a bit like a Stepford wife and I love it!  There is something oh so Betty Crocker about pulling a bunch of packaged foods out of the pantry and making a meal that the whole family would love.  Not that I’m married… or children… but you get the point.

Tuna noodle casserole is one of those recipe that begs for interpretation.  I use this recipe from The Whole Foods Market Cookbook which serves as a good base.  From there I build.  This time around I added some carrots, green peppers on corn.  Green peas are a good things to throw in there as well.  Really most vegetables that you may have on hand would probably work well.  I also recommend going the route of the breadcrumb topping – a totally yummy and crunchy addition.

This is a perfect recipe for these cold days when you just want to cuddle under your blanket… with a bowl of tuna noodle casserole!  oh wait, maybe that’s just me…

Rating: **** (out of 5)

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

Canola oil cooking spray
2 cups dried whole wheat ribbon noodles
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups low fat or whole milk, warm
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
6 white mushrooms, sliced
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 (6-ounce) cans tuna packed in water, drained
3/4 cup dried whole wheat bread crumbs

Method

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain well.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan. Stir in flour, and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute, or until the mixture bubbles but does not brown. Slowly pour milk into flour mixture, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbly, about 3 to 5 more minutes. Remove from heat, cover and set white sauce aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add peppers, mushrooms, onions, salt and pepper and cook for about 7 minutes, or until mushrooms give up their liquid. Add tuna and cooked noodles and toss to combine. Transfer to baking dish and pour reserved white sauce over the top, covering it completely. Season with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, mix together bread crumbs and remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Arrange bread crumbs evenly over top of white sauce and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

(from The Whole Foods Market Cookbook)