Whoa!! Can you believe half the year is in the bag? Happy JULY and happy belated Canada Day!! Summer vacations, backyard dinners, barbecues, bike rides and bare feet, Farmer’s Markets, ice cream, rosé...
What will you get up to in July?
Hot days and warm evenings lend themselves to a more relaxed style of eating and drinking. Formality (if it ever was a thing), is out the window. The magic comes in the simplicity of it all as al fresco cooking and dining take centre stage. Everything tastes better when it gets grilled outside. The usual protein suspects (beef, chicken, pork, lamb) are always invited to the party but it’s the newcomers that keep it interesting (or so my colleagues say). Hello smoky slabs of veg from the Farmer’s Market charred to perfection and drizzled with a punchy, herby sauce (which you can get at Te Passionat. Since we are a cheese shoppe we would be remiss not mentioning the magic that comes in grilling a fat wedge of Halloumi or elevating your burgers (or ours) with something other than the standard slice. How about a swipe of our Bacon Whiskey Jam and our Applewood Smoked Cheddar, one of our great Blues or some Comte? Or the slight smokiness of our Spanish Idiazabel sheep’s cheese? A few Torres Potato Chips and a Putter’s pickle on the side and we have ourselves a meal! Let’s not forget our Peaches and other fruits! These girls split in half and grilled to bring out their juicy sweetness can join us in an app, a gorgeous salad and of course as dessert (toss with a little brown sugar before grilling to get that caramelized goodness). Perfect piled high on a pavlova with some whipped cream or curd, paired with a buttery shortcake or just plain vanilla ice cream. Sounds like a divine ending to me!
So apparently you loved the Nanaimo Bars we made for Canada Day weekend and they sold out before the weekend! We got the message and will give them a regular spot in the pastry case for the rest of the summer.
For the days you don't feel like donning your apron, check out the seasonally evolving selections in our freezers, including these lovely choices...
Spatchcocked chickens, BBQ Ready Flank Steak, Drunken Baby Back Ribs in our house made marinade, Mona's chicken Shawarma, Ultimate Beefy Burger Patties. All are vacuum sealed and ready to go.
STORE HOURS:
Monday - CLOSED
Tuesday to Friday: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Saturday: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Don't just walk by, drop in and say Hi!
Lisa
"Everything magical happens between the months of June and August."
—Jenny Han
School's out for summer...
Well sort of. We have a couple classes in both July and August (Sold out) but “The Big Release” of our Fall Classes will happen in the next Newsletter. Registration will be Tuesday August 5 10am. We welcome your ideas and feedback on what you want to see in the next round of classes so please drop us a message any way that works for you! (in person, Instagram, email, FaceBook, carrier pigeon…)
IN THE STORE
Summer Sipping and muddling along...
My favourite summer sipper is a chilled glass of a bone dry French rosé (ok full disclosure I “sip” that all year long) but we also have some lovely white wines, including a new Italian from Sicily that I rediscovered when I was there in the Spring. If red is more your jam (pun intended), we are also getting some lighter selections that are perfect barbecue companions. If something spritzed, citrusy or herbal is more up your alley we have cocktail accessories to make that happen whether it's a muddler, cocktail shaker or just a great glass to put it in. Cheers friends!
Summer welcome
Set it up right!
While we are more casual in the summer, who doesn’t love a nicely set table that says “Welcome - we’re expecting you!” We have great wicker chargers that act as both placemat and landing pad for your guest’s dinner plates and co-ordinate with whatever napkins or glassware you love. We have one set of lovely cloth napkins left with a water colour olive pattern and lots of summery jute napkin rings. (Actually, those tassled jute napkin rings would be awesome with white floursack tea towels that double as the best oversized napkin ever!) Of course lemons are never wrong so we have some great dinner napkins, table runners and other accessories to channel that Amalfi Coast vibe. Lastly we have wine glasses in several styles if you need those too. Send out the invites (or evites) - we are ready!
Devon Cream Company
English Clotted Cream
Ready for your summer berries, cream tea, scones, biscuits or anything else you want it slathered on!
Available in our Gourmet to Go case.
Clement le Gourmand
Pate de foie au poivre
Smooth and creamy liver pate handmade in Magog, Quebec. They claim to be made with love (like our house made products) so it must be good!
Available in our Gourmet to Go fridge.
Natural Living
Wine & Cheese Tool Set
This great little Wine & Cheese set includes a serrated bread knife, corkscrew and small cheese knife. Beautifully boxed for gift giving but priced reasonably enough to buy for yourself so you are always "picnic ready". Wine, baguette and cheese not included (but available at the Passionate Cook's Essentials).
Little Shop of Lobsters
Coming Next Week!!
Lobster Mousse
Endless possibilities for this powerfully flavoured, pleasurably tasteful product! The fresh flavours of the lobster mousse go great with salmon, potato and pasta to name some personal favourites.
Crab Mousse
This Crab Mousse goes great with bacon, mushrooms and if you don’t mind a kick, anything Jalapeño offers an amazing compliment! These few ideas heighten the experience while balancing the flavours in this fresh creamy delicacy!
CHEESE NEWS
You choose what you want or we are happy to make the choices for you. Prices are based on the weight of the products chosen and we can work within whatever your budget is. Are you looking for crowd pleasing favourites for 12 or a higher end curated board for a small gathering with foodie friends? Either way we will make it look fabulous with the addition of dried fruit, nuts, seeds, olives, chutney and garnish. All you need to do is remove the lid and it is ready to roll! Let the nibbling begin!
Can't decide between Goat, Sheep or Cow's milk cheese? We have La Tur back in from Italy which combines all 3!
New:
Myzithra is a Greek whey cheese that is hard and salty. It is comparable to a Parmesan or Romano and often used as a grating cheese. You might remember the famous iteration of Spaghetti with Mizithra and Browned Butter as one of the signature dishes at the iconic Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant in downtown Toronto.
Bon Mayennais Camenbert - Lovely small wheel (250g) of French Camenbert perfect for a cheese board or picnic.
Both available in our Gourmet to Go fridge.
RECIPE OF THE MONTH
GLUTEN FREE CORNER
Places I have been recently:
I went to Stakeout in Stouffville last week for Lobsterfest, delicious East coast sweet lobsters. Yum! They are very knowledgeable and we had a wonderful meal.
WHAT'S NEW IN GLUTENFREE GOODNESS
Gluten Free Flours-We have all the very best ones!
My 'go to' flour for most of my baking is Cup 4 Cup developed by Thomas Keller, reknowned chef/owner of the French Laundry in California.
For my signature pizza, I always use Caputo flour. It's made in Italy and produces a beautiful crust that just might make you cry.
If battered fish or veg is in your future, why not try GF Batter Mix from Annie's. Annie's is a celiac safe restaurant in Stratford, Ontario. The success of the restaurant prompted them to offer some of their recipes to the retail market. Lucky us!