Monday, November 11, 2013

My Sunday

Had a fab day. Girlfriend picked me up and with her son, we went to Elora GorgeElora, and older town some 35 or so minutes away. We went to lunch at an excellent restaurant called Mill Street Bakery and Bistro. If you follow the link there are all kinds of pictures. It’s a stone building and very attractive. They are right on the Grand River which we could see from the windows (in summer you can sit on their outside patio). Elora is renowned for its Gorge which is very attractive and attracts lots of tubers and kayakers in the summer. Actually we saw kayakers today and it was damned cold out there. I started with a mushroom pâté, a blend of cremini mushrooms, onions, garlic, white wine, pecans, feta cheese which two of us shared and then I had a lamb burger without the bun together with a small soup which they called Stone Soup but Mill St. Bistrowas basically made with all kinds of veg, lamb and beef. It was very good. In fact all the food was very good. No camera of course, my friend took some pix on her phone, but I will have to wait for them. On their menu they listed three kinds of Poutine which seems to have become a Canadian national dish. I have never touched it. In the first place I do not like gravy on my fries. My friends both had the soup, a larger bowl, and one had a macaroni cheese which didn’t look bad, and her son had bison chilli on nachos. Didn’t look bad.

After this we headed to the Grand Theatre in Fergus for a production of M*A*S*H. Sunday matinée being their last performance. A small but delightful theatre. A mutual friend was stage managing the Corporal Klingerproduction and did an excellent job. I hadn’t realised, but the production was to raise money for the local hospital and they even had three local doctors who did walk-ons for the play. One even came in wearing a dress with a big hat à la Corporal Klinger. Great sport I thought. I loved the dress a bright red. I recall Corporal Klinger was always very well dressed. We got back home about 5 and my friends had to carry on home as they had a fair distance to go yet. It was a good day.

Today is Remembrance day and we all know what that means. Hilary Melton-Butcher did a good blog about it over the weekend. I have been trying to wear a poppy but no matter what, it keeps falling off my coat. I will try yet again when we go bowling today.

In Flanders Field

In Flanders fields the poppies blowPoppy
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae

Here is a recipe for Mushroom Pâté – obviously not the one I ate today, but nevertheless it sounds delicious.

Mushroom pâté

Mushroom pâté

Making a homemade mushroom pâté can be easy and rewarding, with a more subtle flavour than shop-bought varieties.

8 servings.

Ingredients

For the pâté
For the chutney

Preparation method

  1. Heat the butter in a large saucepan and fry the mushrooms, onion and garlic for 10-12 minutes, or until soft. Add the lemon juice and place the mixture into a colander to drain away excess moisture.

  2. Blend half the mushroom mixture, the cayenne and nutmeg in a food processor until smooth. Fold in the ricotta and mascarpone, along with the rest of the mushrooms.

  3. Pack the mixture into eight dariole moulds or ramekins, or alternatively put it into one large air-tight jar. Cover with a layer of melted butter. Set aside to cool completely.

  4. For the chutney, heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onions and chili until soft.

  5. Add the sugar and vinegar, and boil for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fold the gherkins into the mixture.

  6. Serve the pâté alongside the chutney and rye bread.

Have a great day.

Jo_thumb[2]

6 comments:

  1. Lovely location for a restaurant. I wouldn't fancy the poutines either but that's part of the 'Great North/South Divide' in the UK I guess. We're Southerners. Up North they have chips and gravy we have our dry (as they're meant to be). My Yorkshire born son-in-law (to be) won't eat the fish from fish & chip shops 'down south' as we leave skin on .... they remove it before frying Up North apparently!

    Re. the poppy falling off. I replace the dress pin with a safety pin, thread the poppy stem through the small hole in the non opening end of the pin. I also use a bit of BluTak putty on the pin fastener section once the pin is secured and press one of the poppy leaves against the putty for extra security.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't know about that Sue, I can't stand chips and gravy, but I guess those that are used to them love 'em. Poutine just adds cheese curds to that.

      Hmm, our poppies don't have stems and I don't see that I could exchange it for a safety pin. Will check it out. Thanks for the tips.

      Delete
  2. Hi Jo .. I agree about the chips and gravy .. in fact I like my gravy separate anyway ... I know eventually it'll get mixed up - but I prefer things separately .. all on the same plate is fine!!!!

    Sounds like a lovely day out ..

    Thanks for the shout out .. it's good to write about Remembrance Day ... and remember that we're free for others' sacrifice ... all the best Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't much like gravy at the best of times. Most Canadians seem to drench their chip with ketchup if they don't do the gravy thing. I don't much like that either.

      It was a great day out. Managed to keep my poppy on all day on Remembrance day.

      Delete
  3. That's one of the best poems ever written. And looks like a fabulous and fun trip!

    Sarah Allen
    (From Sarah, with Joy)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right Sarah, it is.

      Yes it was a fun day, wish I had more like them

      Delete