Local Delicious

I read a brief product review in the March 2009 Chatelaine magazine showcasing a soft goat cheese, “…from the award-winning Quebec cheese maker Alexis de Portneuf.” That sounded really good and since Local Delicious is all about locally produced food, I wanted to delve a little deeper.

As it turns out, the artisan cheese maker is actually a facade. A Maclean’s article from April 2008 described it this way:

“Who is Alexis de Portneuf? By some accounts, he is a Quebec artisan cheese-maker who appeared out of nowhere a couple of years ago to sweep top honours at awards shows, secure a place on high-end restaurant cheese plates and at the same time snag prominent displays — at considerable cost — in supermarket counters across the country. In fact, Portneuf is the creation of Saputo, one of Canada’s biggest dairy companies. Think Betty Crocker — he’s a marketer’s fiction…”

The cheese itself may well be made in Quebec, and produced from bona fide raw milk produced by genuine Quebec cows.

But I was still a little disappointed that it isn’t actually made by a micro cheese producer. I felt a little misled, frankly. And am reminded that it pays to check a little deeper into where your food is coming from rather than believe everything you read.

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Janice Bobec of My Fathers Garden

Janice Bobec from My Fathers Garden makes preserves like my grandma used to make. Every once in a while I get a hankering for a good, old fashioned jar of homemade jam. Not the kind so loaded with sugar and bereft of fruit that you have to hunt for any evidence of plant life and most of the ingredients sound anything but healthy.

This is the good stuff. My Fathers Garden does it all: jam, jelly, pickles, chutneys, fruit vinegars… you get the picture. Look for her at farmers markets and craft fairs throughout the Greater Vancouver area.

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You can be forgiven for thinking the word “vegan” means the opposite of “tasty” as I did until my recent run-in with New World Natural Foods chocolate Bliss Balls. I’d seen them around before, but always steered clear since the regular ones look a little too wholesome and fibrous to actually taste good.

I expected them to be full of chewy ground nuts, grains and fruit, but these chocolatey treats are more like large, quality chocolate truffles than a (slightly) more healthy alternative to same. What they don’t have is eggs, milk or wheat. What they do have is smooth, velvety, melt-in-your-mouth, great taste.

I guess what it boils down to is this: some people want to eat vegan and still have a few treats, and those of us who aren’t vegan like the idea of eating a more socially responsible form of chocolate decadence.

I’m good with that.

Note: Another thing I like is that the container was made of corn and fully biodegradable, even though it looks like standard issue, plastic.

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Listen, if I can make ceviche, anyone can make ceviche.

Once described to me as Mexican sushi, I first discovered my love of ceviche on a Mayan resort where I ate it almost daily for lunch. Between that and the fresh salsa and fresh guacamole, I was in heaven. No other food required. Especially not hamburgers and hotdogs. (Come on, people, are you kidding me?!)

I’ve never been one to cook a lot of seafood, mostly because (a) I grew up on the Prairies where the rare, fresh, rainbow trout got stuffed and cooked beyond recognition or digestibility, (b) fish is too easy to overcook and I’m never sure, and (c) I haven’t a clue how to season without overwhelming it. I make a mean Thai green curry chicken, but let’s be kind and say seafood is not my forte.

Then in rides Simply West Coast on a white horse. They have bottled gourmet flavour and combined it with easy, easy prep — so easy even I can’t mess it up. I stopped by the Dundarave Fish Market the other day, took the staff’s recommendations on a mix of fresh seafood, and bought a bottle of the Sun Soaked Ceviche Marinade. Back home a couple of hours later, I had a delicious, restaurant-worthy dinner ready to go.

Now that I’ve discovered how easy it can be, I intend to relive my Mexican vacation and demonstrate my love of ceviche on a very regular basis.

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You’ll love the brief and fully pronounceable ingredients list on HevyD’s Kettle Korn. According to the label, all you’ll find in the package is popcorn, canola oil, sugar and sea salt. No preservatives, no trans fats, no GMO oil, and no cholesterol. And no guilt.

I recently checked out a well appointed 190g bag (really, why bother with anything smaller) from our very own backyard in Vernon, BC. Now, I like a good buttery mix of salty and sweet in my kettle corn and while this one was a bit more sweet than salty, the flavouring was light enough not to feel overdone — why, practically healthy, even.

I’d like to be able to tell you how it tasted the second time I tried it, but even with the bigger bag it didn’t last long enough for that. (In my defense, I was sharing.)

In addition to producing a very tasty snack, HevyD’s Kettle Korn offers fund raising opportunities and a new music portal in support of indie musicians. My snack came with a coupon for 20 free downloads, which I fully intend to take advantage of.

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There are many sweet and tasty products made in Québec , which produces of over 85 percent of the world’s maple syrup.

Newest on the go is award winning Equinox Maple Flakes by Decacer. This latest innovation is a unique sweetener made by dehydrating maple syrup. Maple Flakes received the most innovative product award at Sial Montreal 2007 and a “SIAL d’OR” at SIAL Paris 2008.

The popular Maple Flakes are used by chefs and artisans, as well as food processors, to add a sweet maple taste, a crispy texture and all the health benefits of maple syrup to all manner of food.

Your only limit is your imagination.

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