Superb Mashed Potatoes via Silvia Pikal, Culinaire Magazine (page 15)
Serves 4-6
- 4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chucks
- 1/2 tsp (4 g) salt
- 3 tbs (42 g) butter
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) heavy cream
- truffle oil to taste
- pepper to taste
1. Wash, peel and cut the potatoes into small pieces. Please the potatoes in a large pot and cover with salted water.
2. Bring water to a boil. Reduce hear and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Poke potatoes with a fork to ensure they are done.
3. Do bit drain the water completely. Leave some salted water at the bottom at the pot. Add the butter and mash until smooth, than add the heavy cream and mix well.
4. Stir in the truffle oil.
5. Season with pepper.
Gourmet Options:
Garlic Mashed Potatoes:
- 1 tbs (15 ml) olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- handful of fresh parsley, chopped
1. Saute the garlic in olive oil until it starts to brown, for about 5 minutes.
2. Add garlic to mashed potatoes after you have drained the water. Mash into potatoes with butter until smooth.
Parmesan and Truffle Oil Mashed Potatoes:
- 1/2 cup ( 60 g) Parmesan cheese, grated
- white or black truffle oil to taste
1. After mashing the butter into the potatoes, fold in Parmesan and mic well.
2. Stir in the truffle oil to taste.
Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions:
- 2 tbs (30 ml) olive oil
- 1 large onion, halved, thinly sliced
- 2 tbs (30 ml) balsamic vinegar
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium hear, Add the onion and cool, stirring frequently, until lightly brown, about 15 minutes.
2. Stir in the vinegar and cool 1 minute longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. When your mashed potatoes are ready to serve, top with caramelized onions.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
YYC Burger Week 2013
YYC Burger Week had come to an end this past Friday. This is
the first time Calgary has had burger week and i was fortune enough to know
about it and went to try 5 feature restaurants out of 16.
I’m no food critic but i know what i like to eat and what i
don’t like. Here is my review of these 5 burgers for charity that i was able to have in my tummy.
Friday, May 3rd:
NOtaBLE (4611 Bowness Road NW)
Went to NOtaBLE for their feature burger made just for YYC Burger Week. Instead of the hour wait for a table, I decided to do take-out, which was only a 15 minutes wait. NOtaBLE burger for charity was pretty good. The patty was thick (bang for your buck), juicy and sweet. It was a bit burnt from the grill which made a backyard BBQ feel while eating it. The truffle mushrooms and THICK-cut bacon added a nice touch to the burger.
Went to NOtaBLE for their feature burger made just for YYC Burger Week. Instead of the hour wait for a table, I decided to do take-out, which was only a 15 minutes wait. NOtaBLE burger for charity was pretty good. The patty was thick (bang for your buck), juicy and sweet. It was a bit burnt from the grill which made a backyard BBQ feel while eating it. The truffle mushrooms and THICK-cut bacon added a nice touch to the burger.
Saturday, May 4th:
Anju (507 10 Street SW)
Went to Anju Restaurant for another YYC Burger Week feature restaurant this late afternoon, and because it was such a beautiful day out, I decided to do take-out and sit at the park in Eau Claire. Did you know you get a FREE CD for every feature burger (for charity) you order?!?! I didn’t know this. They also pack their take-out orders with everything, forks, loads of napkins, wet napkin, and the right sauces. I think they may have read my mind about eating in the park because the wet napkin came in handy. VERY IMPRESSED ANJU! :-) Now onto the feature burger, BiBim Burger, which was so amazingly yummy. The patty was just the right size and had a Korean kick to it with the loaded mixed gochujang veggies and kimchi butter... and the runny yolk of a fried EGG on top! Yummy burger for a picnic in the park. :-)
Went to Anju Restaurant for another YYC Burger Week feature restaurant this late afternoon, and because it was such a beautiful day out, I decided to do take-out and sit at the park in Eau Claire. Did you know you get a FREE CD for every feature burger (for charity) you order?!?! I didn’t know this. They also pack their take-out orders with everything, forks, loads of napkins, wet napkin, and the right sauces. I think they may have read my mind about eating in the park because the wet napkin came in handy. VERY IMPRESSED ANJU! :-) Now onto the feature burger, BiBim Burger, which was so amazingly yummy. The patty was just the right size and had a Korean kick to it with the loaded mixed gochujang veggies and kimchi butter... and the runny yolk of a fried EGG on top! Yummy burger for a picnic in the park. :-)
Tuesday, May 7th:
Ship & Anchor (534 17 Avenue SW)
initially we went to check out Naina’s Kitchen but it was closed at 3pm. Fine Diner was the closet stop to where we were, which was also closed at 3pm. Since it was during the afternoon rush hour, called Market to see if they were open, unfortunately they only serve their feature burger for charity during the lunch time.
Next on the list (that was close to us) was Ship & Anchor, they were open and they did serve their feature burger for dinner. Their feature burger, Phat Duck Burger, was okay. It was missing some ingredients that were listed, for example, i wasn’t able to taste their fried chicken liver pate, and their pulled hickory duck. I mean it was there, but it was tasteless. The patty itself was flavourful but dry. Another disappointment was that it wasn’t served with the 3 onion rings and a choice of side... just some fries, which were crunchy and good. I’m disappointed to say that this was the first burger of YYC Burger Week i wasn’t able to finish.
initially we went to check out Naina’s Kitchen but it was closed at 3pm. Fine Diner was the closet stop to where we were, which was also closed at 3pm. Since it was during the afternoon rush hour, called Market to see if they were open, unfortunately they only serve their feature burger for charity during the lunch time.
Next on the list (that was close to us) was Ship & Anchor, they were open and they did serve their feature burger for dinner. Their feature burger, Phat Duck Burger, was okay. It was missing some ingredients that were listed, for example, i wasn’t able to taste their fried chicken liver pate, and their pulled hickory duck. I mean it was there, but it was tasteless. The patty itself was flavourful but dry. Another disappointment was that it wasn’t served with the 3 onion rings and a choice of side... just some fries, which were crunchy and good. I’m disappointed to say that this was the first burger of YYC Burger Week i wasn’t able to finish.
Thursday, May 9th: downtownfood (628 8 Avenue SW)
My 5th stop of YYC Burger Week was to downtownfood, which is now where Opus Nightclub was. The feature burger, Double Down burger was quite impressive. They served it open-faced with a soft poached DEEP FRIED egg on one burger bun. Deep fried!!! I never thought an egg can be deep fried beautifully and was still runny. So i poked the egg so the yolk can drench the pastrami on the other burger bun. Their bacon and pickled leek added a really nice crunch to the sweet patty. It was served with some fries and a broxburn strawberry shake. So the feature burger was very delicious, but i do wish it was bigger cause i couldn’t get enough of it.
My 5th stop of YYC Burger Week was to downtownfood, which is now where Opus Nightclub was. The feature burger, Double Down burger was quite impressive. They served it open-faced with a soft poached DEEP FRIED egg on one burger bun. Deep fried!!! I never thought an egg can be deep fried beautifully and was still runny. So i poked the egg so the yolk can drench the pastrami on the other burger bun. Their bacon and pickled leek added a really nice crunch to the sweet patty. It was served with some fries and a broxburn strawberry shake. So the feature burger was very delicious, but i do wish it was bigger cause i couldn’t get enough of it.
Friday, May 10th: The Fine Diner (1420 9 Avenue SE)
Last day of YYC Burger Week, i was able to get off early and thought i would give Finer Diner another try. Don’t worry, we called ahead to see if they were open... and yes they were! Their feature burger, Texan Diner Burger was quite delicious with abit of a kick to it because of the jalapeños, which was a nice touch to the burger. Even tho the jalapeños were quite spicy with my nose running abit, i couldn’t stop eating their burger. I loved their house-cured bacon which was thick and sweet, paired with some avocados. If they still have this on their menu when burger week is over, i’ll defiantly be back... but i may have to request that they put the jalapeños on the side.
Last day of YYC Burger Week, i was able to get off early and thought i would give Finer Diner another try. Don’t worry, we called ahead to see if they were open... and yes they were! Their feature burger, Texan Diner Burger was quite delicious with abit of a kick to it because of the jalapeños, which was a nice touch to the burger. Even tho the jalapeños were quite spicy with my nose running abit, i couldn’t stop eating their burger. I loved their house-cured bacon which was thick and sweet, paired with some avocados. If they still have this on their menu when burger week is over, i’ll defiantly be back... but i may have to request that they put the jalapeños on the side.
Yesterday, Tuesday the 14th, they announced the winner of this year’s YYC Burger Week competition,
Congratulation to Naina’s Kitchen!
One YYC Burger Week feature burger i wasn’t able to try. I did write a tweet to Naina, and YES, they will keep the winning burger on their menu. Guess i know what’s for dinner tonight. J
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)