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February, 2006 Volume 1 Issue 2
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In this Issue:
Welcome to the February Foodletter
Recipe of the Month: Roast Rack of Lamb Dinner
Supplier of the Month: Buzz Stop Fine Coffee & Teas
Watch this Space: Update
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Welcome to February's Foodletter!
Hello from Sebringville, where the weather changes on an almost hourly basis, from sunny and warm to highway-closing blizzard conditions and back again. It's a little dizzying, but it beats the usual unending snow from November to April.
We were really pleased with the response to our first Foodletter. Thank you all for subscribing. It was encouraging to hear from all of you. We can now boast an international readership (and I do mean boast - our friends are getting sick of us!). We will try our best to live up to your expectations. This is quite new to us, but we're ready to learn and improve as we go.
After "Sign me up!" the most popular comment we received was, "What's with the name?" Some of you even offered a guess or two: that we'd made it up as a variation on the French for bread, thinking that a store named "Pain" might attract a different clientele than we intended in this very English-speaking area, or that we'd formed an alliance with that guy who plays the pan flute (thanks, Mark!).
It's really much simpler than that. We wanted to go with a family name, but have discovered that both of ours are considered tongue-twisters. Looking to previous generations, we quickly realized that none of Alan's would work in our non-French area. We can just imagine the variations on "Tourangeau's"! Barb's great-grandmother's family name seemed a natural fit. It's pronounced just as it's spelled and it sounded just right for our bakery/food shop. So thank you, Ellen Pannifer Winter Mullen for letting us borrow your name!
Since this is the quiet season, we've been working on our website and hope to have it launched by the end of the month. It's a little basic at the moment, but it, like the rest of this venture, will grow over time. Along with "who we are and where to find us" info, we'll offer links to our favourite food blogs and other websites we find interesting and we'll be archiving our "recipes of the month". We'll send a quick announcement when we're up and running!
The window stickies are done!
When we opened for business, all we had to show who we were was a sign we made ourselves out of scrap-wood we found in the basement and computer-generated letters spelling out "Fresh Bread Today", until some of them fell off in a windstorm. For a few days the sign said "Fresh Bread Tod". Tod never came in....
We decided it was time to call in the professionals. Ron and Teresa of Diesel Design Associates have done an amazing job (see the logo at the top of this letter). We still have a "Fresh Bread Today" sign, but all the letters stay on no matter how crazy the weather gets. And now we have window signs. I smile every time I look at them.
And just this morning, we took delivery of our Interac machine. We can now take care of those all-important impulse buys. Happily, the instruction booklet on this thing is smaller than the one that came with our cell-phone. We'll definitely have it all figured out by summer travel time.
We hope your lives are moving in happy directions, too!
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Alan's Recipes of the Month
When Alan worked in restaurants, they called Valentine's Day "The Night of the Terrible Two's". Everyone wanted a table for two. How do you make a cozy experience for a couple at a table that normally seats ten? The service staff had their work cut out for them and things were really hopping in the kitchen, too. We haven't been to a restaurant for Valentine's Day since we were dating. Unless you're ten minutes into a new relationship and want to share your joy with the world, why not stay home instead? Restaurants are packed, the weather (at least in this part of the world) is generally lousy. And, unless you're lucky enough to live round the corner from some nice little place, you won't be able to drink nearly as much as the occasion would seem to demand. Instead, why not stay in? Light a few candles, open a bottle of wine and maybe invite some of your single friends to share this menu with you. You'll need to double or triple the lamb recipe, but for a night of fun and friendship in the middle of a long, cold winter, it'll be worth it!
Roast Rack of Lamb with Rosemary & Mustard Crust
Serves 2
1 Rack of Lamb, bones frenched (fat removed from between the bones)
2 6-inch long sprigs fresh Rosemary
4 T Mustard, Dijon or grainy or a mixture of both
Salt and Pepper
4 T Unsalted Butter, divided
4 oz Chicken Stock (optional)
4 oz Red Wine
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Strip leaves off rosemary stems and chop fine. Mix with mustard(s).
Heat a heavy pan over med-high heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of butter and swirl to coat. Add lamb fat side down. Season the bone side with salt and pepper.
When the lamb has seared and browned on the fat side, turn over to the bone side. Season with salt and pepper and then coat with the rosemary-mustard mixture.
Place the pan in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes for medium-rare.
(To check doneness, insert a metal skewer or small paring knife into the thickest part of the meat and hold for 10 seconds. Then gently touch this to your lower lip. The hotter it is, the more done the meat is. For med-rare, you want the metal to be hot, but not burn you.)
Remove the meat from the pan and place in a warm spot covered loosely with aluminum foil.
Pour out the oil from the pan and place the pan back on the burner over high heat. When hot, and just starting to smoke, pour in the wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits of meat stuck to the pan. Reduce this by 3/4. (If using, add the chicken stock at this point and reduce by 3/4, as well.)
Remove the pan from the heat and swirl in the remaining butter.
Cut the Rack of Lamb into individual chops.
Best served with garlic mashed potatoes and just barely cooked green beans. Place beans in the centre of the plate, top with mashed potatoes and stand chops up in a circle around the potatoes. Spoon half the sauce around on each plate.
Enjoy!!
** TIP ** The above tip for checking doneness also works for all meats. The hotter the metal, the more cooked the meat is. The cooler, the less done.
Dark Chocolate Mousse
Serves 4-6
4-1/2 ounces Dark Chocolate (use the best you can afford, such as Lindt), chopped
3 lg Egg Whites
1/4 cup White Sugar
2 lg Egg Yolks
1/3 cup 35% Whipping Cream
Melt chocolate in a large bowl over barely simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water) until just melted. Remove from the heat and mix in the egg yolks. Then mix in the whipping cream (unwhipped).
In a clean mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites (by hand with a whisk or on low speed with a set of beaters) until they double in volume. Sprinkle in the sugar and continue whisking until the whites are thick, but not dry. (When you lift the whisk out of the whites and hold it upright, the whites should form a curlicue just like the top of a soft ice cream cone. Professionals call this 'dairy queen consistency'.)
Pour one third of the whites into the bowl with the chocolate mixture and gently fold them in to incorporate - use a rubber spatula for this. When mostly combined (it need not be complete), add in the rest of the whites. Again, fold in gently, but this time be sure there are no streaks.
Portion out into individual ramekins or glasses (martini glasses look great), cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Serve with fresh raspberries and dusted with icing sugar.
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Supplier of the Month: Buzz Stop Fine Coffee and Teas
When we opened our doors last July, we had on offer our fresh-baked bread, a dozen jars of locally-made Red Pepper and Apricot Jelly and a few pounds of coffee beans from The Buzz Stop in Stratford. Looking around the shop today, I can't believe we started with so little! But people came in. And they came back, so I think we started with the right products!
Nancy Hotson's been with us from the beginning. Her shop in Stratford is a daily stop for many locals as well as a "must see" for out-of-town visitors.
Nancy bought the business in August of 1992 - it had been open for a few years before that. As she tells the story, she stopped in for a coffee at a different coffee shop one night on her way home from work and as she was heading out the door, she picked up the real-estate advertiser. It had a small ad for a "turn-key operation on a quaint street".... She called the next day and within three weeks, was the proud new owner. (I'm glad to see we're not the only ones who jump into something without giving ourselves time to think!) Since then, the business has grown as Nancy has gotten to know her customers and their needs. She sells fine coffees and teas, both to take home or take-out, fine cigars and an amazing array of coffee accessories and gourmet treats.
I asked her what her business philosophy is and she said that customer service is key, ahead of advertising or anything else. This philosophy is in evidence as soon as you walk into her shop; everyone is treated as an old friend. There are doggy treats behind the counter for her four-legged friends, and in the summertime, the courtyard in front of her store is set out with tables and chairs so you can enjoy a quiet moment with your favourite brew.
BUZZ STOP
Fine Coffee & Teas
17 York Street
Stratford ON N5A 1A1
519-273-6768
www.buzzstop.com
E mail: nancy@buzzstop.com
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Watch This Space:Update
Well, just as the course of true love does not run smoothly, apparently neither do the really good ideas of small-business owners! The plan is to offer a Gift-Package-of-the-Month, themed to the season and shipped right to your door. We believe that distance should not keep you from having access to good bread and other yummy food. We're working away on it, but sadly, ran out of time before we had everything in place for this month. We're very disappointed. And we hope all of you can find some decent chocolate and other heart's desires in time for Valentine's Day. And that you have a very good one, no matter how you choose to celebrate it.
Keep watching this space, though, and we'll keep trying!
Cheers!
Barb & Alan
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