Small bite. Big flavour.

On my first night in London—after wandering around aimlessly, hungry and lost for hours—I finally made it to familiar territory in this nice plaza with restaurants, just a short walk from my hotel. I would have loved to go to a restaurant, but I was alone and it’s weird eating at a nice restaurant by yourself. I saw an interesting menu from Gourmet Burger Kitchen so I decided to order takeout [or as the Brits say it: “takeaway”].

I’ve never had a burger worthy enough to be called gourmet. I’ve had a lamb burger and a bison burger; burgers with toppings like avocado, gorgonzola cheese, crispy onions, smoked cheese, and spread with special mayos and sauces. But for me, something that is ‘gourmet’ needs to really step out of the bounds of a classic. I’ve been to a burger joint that considers themselves to be gourmet, but the meat is all the same, the buns are the same for each burger, and there aren’t many unique toppings or combinations.

I wouldn’t say Gourmet Burger Kitchen is that ‘gourmet’ or original as other burger joints I’ve seen on Triple D [Diners, Drive-ins and Dives] but there are special toppings like the onion jam and cajun relish, and unique combinations.

One thing that definitely attracted me was the names of their burgers such as Kiwiburger [beetroot, egg, pineapple, aged Cheddar, salad, mayo & relish], Pesterella [mozzarella, basil mayo, salad & relish] and Jolly Cow [brioche bun, grilled mushroom, gorgonzola, crispy onion ring, garlic mayo, salad & relish]

I ordered rosemary fries and 3 beef sliders:

The Frenchie – brioche bun, gorgonzola cheese, crispy bacon, onion jam, salad and relish

Habanero – fiery tomato & habanero jam, mozzarella, lettuce and mayo

Taxidriver – brioche bun, American cheese, crispy onion ring, cajun relish, dill pickle, lettuce and smoked chilli mayo

If I had to rank them, Taxidriver was the clear winner because of it hit all taste buds of sweet, sour, spicy and savoury and the different textures from the crisp pickle and lettuce, crunchy onion ring, creamy cheese and chunky relish. However, the Frenchie was a close second. The gorgonzola cheese killed it for me because I’m not that big of a fan of gorgonzola. Habanero was good but way too spicy for me to handle, even with the bit of mayo to cool it down. I particularly liked the mini bun for it, which had toasted fennel seeds on top.

As for the skinny fries with rosemary—a perfect pairing. I love rosemary and potatoes. Usually when I roast potatoes with rosemary, the rosemary is not too edible, often hard. But when it’s fried, it is crisp and delicious even on its own.

I was so full afterwards [and in desperate need of milk]. These sliders may have been small, but they packed a ton of flavour, heat and probably calories. Totally worth it.

I-rish for some more pub grub

Earlier this week, my friends and I went out for dinner and a movie [The Avengers!!!!] For dinner, I suggested the Irish pub right across the theatre. I wanted to go to the pub on St. Patrick’s Day but it was packed. I remember checking the menu for it a month ago and really liking it. I enjoy pub grub; decent price for good food.

Their daily special was a choice of appetizer for $6. I noticed “Mac ‘n’ Cheese Fritters” and it sparked interest. I have heard of them and seen them on Food Network shows like “Diners, Drive ins and Dives” but never in a restaurant around here. How can you resist mac ‘n’ cheese made with smoky bacon, breaded and deep-fried to golden perfection?

And I can’t forget the fact that there were peas in the mac n cheese! It reminded me of the first time I tried carrots and peas in Kraft Dinner after seeing a host on a TV show say she sometimes puts carrots and peas in macaroni and cheese for her kids.

The order came with 6 fritters served with house made smoked ketchup. If you like dipping your grilled cheese and ketchup, you’d like it better with the ketchup. I preferred it without, but it was still good with the ketchup. They were crispy on the outside, and warm and creamy on the inside. The smoky bacon and peas added a nice textural contrast to the creaminess, while the ketchup gave it a bit of sweetness to counter the salty and savoury elements of the fritters.

For an entree, I didn’t want to go to an Irish pub and order chicken wings and a beer. I wanted to try something traditional. I ordered a classic Irish stew made with lamb, beef and root vegetables, then served with rosemary soda bread. I always wondered what gave Irish soda bread its uniqueness. They were dense, a little chewy, but the rosemary gave it great flavour that complimented with the root vegetables and meat. The Irish stew was very hearty with the big chunks of meat, potatoes, carrots and celery. They were in a hot tub of peppery gravy that the soda bread soaked in well.

Would I come back? Heck yeah! There are more interesting items on the menu I would love to try. Maybe next time I’ll get an Irish beer to go along with my meal.

Holy Moly Ravioli

In an earlier post about a delicious grilled cheese sandwich I made, I mentioned that the inspiration came from a food truck I went to last November. I also said I tasted something else that blew my mind. In that post I said my goal was to make those two items at some point. A few weeks ago, I accomplished the grilled cheese. I can now say I also accomplished the deep-fried ravioli.

I never thought of deep-frying pasta but it was quite a genius thing to do. Actually, the food truck I got it from is probably my favourite food truck in Ontario because of the owners’ creativity with the menu.

Last Thursday, I invited my friends over to my house. One of the menu items was breaded and deep-fried ravioli with marinara sauce. A few of my friends are vegetarian and many of my friends are not big meat eaters so I stuck to a spinach and ricotta cheese stuffed ravioli that everyone would enjoy!

The recipe was dead simple. It just took a while to bread each ravioli and to fry them in batches. But that’s where my handy assistant [also known as my good friend] came along to help me out!

They turned out great. If I could have made the ravioli myself, they would have been stuffed to the max as the ravioli did lack filling. On their own they were crispy and golden delicious, but sprinkling them with fresh-chopped parsley and dipping them in the roasted garlic and herbs marinara sauce made them taste even better!

Breaded and deep-fried spinach and ricotta cheese ravioli from Toasted Tangerine

TOTAL TIME

30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package of store-bought spinach and cheese ravioli
• 1 cup of buttermilk
• 2 cups of italian-style breadcrumbs (with herbs and parmesan cheese)
• vegetable or canola oil for deep-frying
• 1 can or jar of marinara sauce
• fresh-chopped parsley [optional]

PREPARATION

1. Fill a frying pan/pot with 2 inches of oil. Heat over medium heat.
2. Prepare two shallow bowls. One for buttermilk and the other for breadcrumbs. Dip each ravioli in the buttermilk then place into breadcrumbs to coat. Place on a pan/tray/plate.
3. Once the oil is hot and ready, fry the ravioli in small batches, flipping them halfway to cook evenly. Once golden brown, 3-5 minutes, transfer fried ravioli to a plate lined with paper towel to drain excess oil.
4. Serve sprinkled with parsley (or parmesan cheese) and with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

The Great Canadian Grilled Cheese

I’m no health nut, but I try to watch what I eat. Most people just look at calories, but I look at the entire nutrition facts label—the fat, the sodium, the carbs, and especially the nutrient count. It’s nutrition that is most important to me. So what if a sandwich is 600 calories? A lot of those calories could be from the veggies in it. I try to look at things as a whole. Another important thing for me is flavour. I would never sacrifice flavour for calories. And I’ve learned over the years that you can still have the flavour and have the nutrition. So that is my philosophy when it comes to food. When I go to Subway, I choose fat-free honey mustard sauce instead of full-fat mayo. Not only is there no fat and much fewer calories, but it adds great flavour to my sub. But I must say, moderation for all things that are really bad for you. After all, you only live once!

Guys from the Gorilla Cheese food truck making their Lumberjack grilled cheese sandwich

Today I splurged. But it was soooo worth it! Six months ago, I went to my first food truck rally that was near my university. I was doing an assignment about the rising food truck revolution, something I am very passionate about. I tasted food from each food truck, and only two items set off my taste buds. Breaded and deep-fried spinach and ricotta ravioli from one truck and the “Lumberjack” grilled cheese from another truck. Since then, I made it my mission to make those two items. Six months later, I can finally say I made one of them—the “Lumberjack” grilled cheese!

The sandwich itself had bacon, aged Cheddar, granny smith apple and maple syrup. Odd combination? Maybe to you, but I thought it was genius. A few years ago, I thought it was odd. I watched Rachael Ray put apple slices on a grilled cheese sandwich and it sparked my curiosity. So I made it and it forever changed every grilled cheese sandwich since then. Not to mention the classic pairing of apples and soft cheeses like Brie.

Okay, now you don’t get the maple syrup and bacon? Well think about it, maple syrup is sweet. Haven’t you ever had pineapple-glazed ham or honey-glazed ham? It’s really no different. It’s a great combination! And when you have apples in dessert, there is usually brown sugar to go along with it. Maple syrup has the same sweetness as brown sugar so of course it would all go well together!

They called it “Lumberjack,” but I associate the term with something meatier like the Lumberjack poutine (with sausage and eggs) I saw at a poutinerie in the summer. So I’m calling mine The Great Canadian. And it’s not because I am great and because I am Canadian (although both statements are true), but it’s because all of the ingredients I used (yes, each one on the list below) are Canadian brands.

Back to my topic about nutrition and flavour. My ingredient list isn’t specific. I left it open for you to create your special grilled cheese with these ingredients. You can use any type of bread (white, wholewheat, rye, brioche), any type of cheddar (low fat, medium, mild or aged), any type of bacon (smoked, lean, turkey bacon, maple flavoured), any type of apple (Granny Smith, Macintosh, golden delicious), any type of liquid sugar (maple syrup, honey, even artificial kinds) and you can use any type of browning agent (butter, margarine, “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter,” Pam cooking spray). The options are endless, and each sandwich will taste different when you change up the types of each ingredient you use. I did that today to make a full-fat ultimate grilled cheese with and a slightly slimmer one. They both tasted delicious, but the ultimate one was definitely richer. So change up your grilled cheese experience by experimenting! Ditch the plastic cheese slices and ketchup dip for something unique like this recipe. You won’t be disappointed!

SERVINGS

2 sandwiches

TOTAL TIME

30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 4 slices of bread
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
• 4-6 pieces of bacon, cooked
• 2 cups of cheddar cheese (medium, mild or aged)
• 1 apple; peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons of butter

PREPARATION

1. Preheat a non-stick flat grill or pan to high heat.
2. Butter one side of all the bread slices, then face them buttered side down.
3. Evenly spread 1/2 cup of cheese on each of the four bread slices.
4. On two bread slices, put a layer of sliced apples. On the other two bread slices, put a layer of cooked bacon.  Lightly drizzle two slices [or all four slices] with maple syrup. Place together to form two sandwiches.
5. Place the sandwiches on the grill or pan. Cook for 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Then flip to the other side and cook for another 5 minutes, or until golden brown.
6. Enjoy your ultimate grilled cheese sandwich.