We have been a fan of Olivier and his Frenchway Bakery and Cafe at his first location on west Academy and watched with interest as his new locale, mid-Academy was being assembled.  Then, we heard through the grapevine that he was also going into the former Bread and Circus location.  Having been involved in single restaurant openings ourselves, we knew what an under taking this would turn out to be.  Olivier needed to call in for reinforcements and as a result Raphael has transplanted himself from Nice and Antibes (the prompt for my digression yesterday).

D arrived to pick me up for our anniversary lunch with an armful of white lillies.  I gave him an NFL magazine, so you can tell who is the romatic in this marriage.  I plunked them into the bread-maker cylinder that was soaking in the sink, so that we could savour the little piece of time that we had eked out of our day.

I let D chose for us because I could have easily ordered one of everything but even with his decision-making powers we did not make it past the Appetizer selections.  And so three “little plates’ arrived at our table to share. 

The Tarte Tomate was a flaky and tender puff pastry filled with pesto and ricotta cheese and topped with grilled tomato and fresh herbs. The creamy cheese was the perfect balance to the sparkling tomato taste.

Next up were grilled vegetables with a fresh mozzarella and prosciutto (which was optional if you wanted a meatless item).  Even though we appreciate hot vegetables with a hot entree, these were served at room temperature which is the perfect manner to detect the nuances of taste variations.  The first time we sampled a plate of vegetables served in this way was at Cumpa Cossimo our world favourite restaurant located in Ravello on the Amalfi Coast in Italy.  Raphael’s preparation was equal to the very best.

Influenced by the “Frenchman” who is close to our family, we had to try the Petite Tourtiere Maison.  As compared to a Canadian Tortiere, this was more like a giant meatball surrounded by a flaky pastry.  Different and delicious!

We finished off with a tart filled with a sublime custard and a variety of fresh fruit.  The pastry had a cookie quality and made the use of a fork rather challenging.  Who were we kidding, we should have just picked it up with our fingers?  This selection had a “circle of life” feel to it as it look just like the cake that we had for our wedding 27 years ago. 

Kath’s quote: “Light, refined, learned and noble, harmonious and orderly, clear and logical, the cooking of France is, in some strange manner, intimately linked to the genius of her greatest men.”-Rouff Marcel

I was going to write about a recent lunch at the Frenchway Cafe and got out my travel journal about France for reference.  But I have now been swept away with memories of Nice as we were there exactly at this time, two years ago.  When I open my journal, it is as if it were last weekend.

In celebration of a milestone wedding anniversary, D and I travelled to Italy and France (very much motivated by the food offerings of the regions).  En route from the Italian Riviera to Paris was a glorious stop in Nice.  D wanted me to experience his favourite hostel from his backpacking adventure with our son, a couple of years prior.

Can you see me under the palm fronds on our balcony?

Villa Saint Exupery was everything he promised and more.  He had booked us a “suite” which in hostel terms, meant that we had our own bathroom and did not  have to sleep with strangers

The view from our 5th floor window was of the city below us, all the way to the Mediteranean and from our 180 degree balcony of another cityscape, the hills and the sunset.

There was a delay in the preparation of our room because the hostel staff had run down to the Marche aux Fleurs to ensure that flowers were waiting in our room (as D had arranged in every city we arrived in on this second honeymoon).  The lilies were absolutely glorious and I can remember their scent even now.  No wait, those are fresh lilies I smell, a gift from D marking this year’s wedding anniversary.

I digress.  I am supposed to be musings about food, so back to the culinary adventure.  At the Villa, a glass of French wine was a single euro but if you bought the entire bottle, it was only 4 euros-duh.   The hostel’s chef prepares a pizza each evening in addition to one other dish.  So D and I shared an amazing sausage, red pepper and artichoke pizza and a grilled chicken breast, turnip puree, sauteed green beans and roasted baby potatoes-all for 12 euros! 

We sat in the garden and chatted with travellers from all over the world.  Truly, an unforgettable time for us.  

Kath’s quote: “Your words are my food, your breath my wine. You are everything to me.”-Sarah Bernhardt

Today we grilled our very first pumchini on the BBQ. There were a couple of things that made this a very special part of our last meal of the summer. The pumchini is a vegetable that is a crossing of the pumpkin and zucchini. Two of my favorite vegetables. The treasured vegetable was cultivated, harvested, and gifted to us by our dear friends Cliff and Daphne Seruntine. They have an enchanted homestead- the Hollow- 45 min away from us. Cliff and Daphne are true Eco-Organic Farmers. In fact Cliff and Daphne have become such experts at raising organic livestock, and cultivating organic produce, that they are regarded by many in these parts as ‘the go to people’ for inquiries and advice in this field.

As we sat at the table for our last summer meal, we gave thanks for our present of the pumchini. I found a fantastic, very simple recipe for bbq zucchini and gave it a try. The large wedges, accompanied by tomatoes, were grilled to perfection. But this was not the foundation for my gratitude.

As I looked around the table and observed the family enjoying the pumchini, I thought about our dear friends Cliff & Daphne, who had spent the better part of spring and summer cultivating, and encouraging this amazing vegetable. I thought about how incredibly exhausted Cliff looked after spending the day harvesting, and tending to the farm. I thought about the unabashed love and respect that Daphne and Cliff have for the land, and Mother Nature in all her glory. Then I thought how they Blessed us by sharing their Spirit and Friendship with us, by giving us the prized harvest of the day.

Kath’s quote: “The first zucchini I ever saw I killed it with a hoe.”-John Gould 

Back in the olden days, when our kids were young, money was tight, but we still loved fine food and wine-we had a “gourmet club”.  Many friends came and went as they moved away or became uncoupled.  Two members of our group were Doug Stephen and Jim Armstrong both of WOW! Hospitality.  We saw Doug recently and vowed to get together soon.  I haven’t seen Jim in eons but happily that changed recently when I arrived for lunch at 529.

Jim was created to steer the 529 Wellington ship from the lobby of the beautiful restored mansion.  His food knowledge and expertise has been apparent to me ever since I met him in Brandon, not far from his home town of Dauphin.

This was a special lunch with a good friend and business associate who is trying very hard to retire.  The more valuable an employee you are, the harder it must be to leave that employment.  Turned out,  the official day has not yet been announced and we have postponed  my treat until it has been made so.

It was a gorgeous, summer Friday and as we were sat on the terrace over-looking the river, I saw many of Winnipeg’s who’s/who enjoying the day.  The service was helpful and prompt and lunch delicious. My lunch date had a chicken Caesar salad which he quite enjoyed and we shared the fries that are cut from Kennebec potatoes.  Being the “Polak Princess” (as my husband affectionately refers to me) and loving my carbs, I am especially fond of these potatoes.  They have a wonderful balance of sweetness, starchiness and earthiness and a slightly nutty flovour. 

Reuben sandwiches are another in my “favourite” repetoire and 529’s version is an interesting variation on the theme.  The distinctive taste is because their version contains house-made corned beef which is stronger in taste, fattier and tougher than deli corned beef.  I suspect that as well as being house made, it is dry-cured which would account for the firmer, denser quality.  None of these attributes are bad, just different.  The strength of the “corned” taste meant that I could not identify the subtleties of the sauerkraut and Swiss cheese but the combination was delicious.

Looking forward to going back to enjoy the lingering days of summer.

Kath’s quote:  “The corned beef is exquisitely done, and as tender as a young lady’s heart, all owing to my skilful cookery; for I consulted Mrs. Hale (Sarah Hale’s cookbook) at every step, and precisely followed her directions. To say the truth, I look upon it as such a masterpiece in its way, that it seems irreverential to eat it. Things on which so much thought and labor are bestowed should surely be immortal…..”-Nathaniel Hawthorne

We have adult children and I am happy to say that when the kids were younger they rarely got into trouble (or mischief that was reported to us, at any rate).  One of the reasons for our good fortune may have been that they were always involved in a sport or artistic endeavour.  Swimming lessons were mandatory and they could pick one other activity each, that we would pay and drive them to.  Now I know that this is because we live a privileged life in a safe community and that is not a luxury for all my fellow Winnipeggers.

The Boys and Girls Club of Winnipeg tries their darndest to equalize the playing field.  Their programs allow boys and girls the opportunity to relate to caring and positive role models who are interested in helping increase their skill levels to make good decisions for themselves.  This is a wonderful organization who deserves our support.

A delicious way to do so is by purchasing a ticket to their upcoming 100 Mile Dinner which takes place on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at the gussied up Crescentwood Community Club at 1170 Corydon Ave.

Volunteer Chefs will be Luc Jean, Scott Bagshaw, Adam Donnelly, Makoto Ono, Norman Pastorin, Ariel Shor, Alexander Svenne, Ben Kramer and Chef Rob.  They will be serving up pickerel, bison, elk, cheese made by Trappist monks and John Russell honey. 

Tickets are $125.  Call 982-4941 or email kozak@wbc.mb.ca for tickets and/or more info. 

I’ve got my ticket and I’ll see you there.

Kath’s quote:  “Often, admiring a chef and getting to know him is like loving goose liver and then meeting the goose.”-George Lang