frosty am(s)

I guess it's that time of the year when the winter wants to make some sort of statement. Flying away from freezing Offtarian lands a couple of weeks ago didn't prevent waking up with temperatures below zero.

This is obviously far more manageable than winter survival in Canadia, but it still makes the first few hours of the day a bit challenging. Our lemon trees are the ones suffering the worst consequences of it.

mira

In the Spanish Kingdom at this time of the year it's not unusual to eat a lot of sweet creations. Turrones y polvorones may be the most common ones, together with mazapanes, glorias o yemas. 

There is a shop in Madrid -not far from the Congress where the corrupt Spanish politicians enjoy their lives of privilege and excess-, where they make very nice ones, which happen to be rather expensive.

Last week, in my way back from Munich, I had to stop in Madrid for a few hours, so I decided to enjoy that sunny Tuesday and visit Carrera de San Jerónimo. I got turrón de yema tostada, turrón blando de Jijona, turrón de avellana and some polvorones. All of them leave a sensation of dryness that requires a good drink, and nothing better than a glass of cava for that particular purpose.

crassostrea gigas

There are few things better than a good oyster to start a meal with a gigantic freshness sensation, assuming they are in good shape. Apparently these ones, commonly known around here as curly oysters, taste better now than five months ago.

I was curious to try them with a white wine from the Rosal area, and this M-100 was the chosen one. Three varietals became the usual suspects in the Southern part of this Iberian corner, not too far from Portugal: Albariño, Loureiro plus Caíño blanco.

atlantic lemons

It may sound strange, but on this Atlantic cost it's not very hard to find lemon or orange trees. We also have clementines and grapefruits.

I picked these three ones last weekend, which are not too many, but considering the winter started yesterday it's rather sensational.

valença

Portugal is such a friendly place to visit that it often feels like home. Last Friday I had the chance to cross the old bridge over the Minho river, and there I was, enjoying our sister language.

Right across the Tui border Valença do Minho is the first town to be found. Breakfast used to be the reason to drive there in the morning many years ago: natas and bolos de arroz.

liquidoz

Thursday turned out to be a very nice day for a little excursion to the Yarra Valley. A sunny morning, after another visit to Proud Mary's, provided the right climate to feel the local terroir deep inside.

The limitations of my luggage often create a sensation of incompleteness. Except for two Standish bottles, the Victorian selection was one of the most uneven ones I can remember.

melburning

This week was full of great meals, as always, in the most livable city on the globe, according to the Economist ratings.

Lau's Family Kitchen in St-Kilda is always a great place to start, or finish, and their Pekin duck is a brilliant option to keep in mind.

on rib eyes

Ontario beef can have multiple faces, so we are in the process of comparing some of them which are supposed to be at the very top.

Aware of the difficulties ahead, the first round was supplied by two of the local meat-ing heroes: Rowe Farms and Cumbrae Butchers.

bc salmon (cohonudo)

This bloody cold autumn in Offtario has dramatically limited my outdoor activities lately. This often means I eat more and logically I drink more.

At the very end of the season I was able to score a decent piece of coho salmon, all the way from Tofino.

a quiet tongue

Last week I saw Manolito, the butcher, who had recently returned from his deserved vacation in the Canary Islands. I was planning to get tenderloin, but he didn't have any left. From the available options I went for an unusual one: tongue.

I actually like it very much, but it's not easy to find it, and cooking it requires a substantial amount of time.

mushroom week

Earlier than usual, this autumn the mushrooms seem to be enjoying the late and unexpected warm temperatures. Following a rainy week, they are everywhere. 

This Boletus pinophilus could easily be my favourite. It is a meaty one with some hidden sweet and smoky flavour. Its compact texture is very nice to bite.

The Agaricus deliciosus is perhaps the second best for me. Around here it is also known as níscalo and, like in this case, sometimes it is a number of them that suddenly pop up. I love their light orange colour.

flan-ing without borders

Another sweet episode of the season was this flan, which probably has marked a new era in flan making.

After a quick immersion this past summer, I can proudly state that we have reached an undeniable degree of perfection, never imagined before.

An innovative caramel technique has made possible these enjoyable result.

yarra-ing with steak

Tonight we ended our modest Yarra trilogy in the heart of Corktown. Our last bottle coming from this Victorian oasis is now gone. A new trip should be scheduled soon.

It was a rainy Tuesday for the most part, so I jumped into my wellies, even if it felt kind of soon to do so.

New art in development was part of my walk on King St. One of the few occasions when an urban highly inconvenient bridge was useful, at least for this artistic effort.

rhode island chicken

Maybe as some sort of thanksgiving anticipation, yesterday we chose to have chicken for dinner. I had no special requirements in mind, but I wanted to eat a nice bird.

I found this bottle of 2005 Yarra Yering's Dry Red Wine N.1 from our trip to Melbourne last summer. I'd say it was as an unusual pick among my Yarra predilections, but totally satisfying.

caffeine

I've discovered a staggering number of coffee bars in TO over the past few weeks; ok, four.

The most recent one is basically around the corner and it goes by Tandem.

Mr. James, who also roasts beans, is perhaps the most appealing one, but it's kind of far for regular visits.

corn fields

They day before yesterday I went to the country. Monday was a sunny day, almost ideal to start admiring the breathtaking colours of the fall around Offtario.

bone marrow

It's been a while since our last visit to St. John's in the English capital. However, we still managed to enjoy some fine bones before this past month of September was over.

mapled mornings

This is my year of amber maple syrup. Robust colour and nutritious flavour, of course, always sourced in the heart of Gowanstown. 

Perfect with a good toast or even by itself, the flavour is sensational.

This Monday we added a couple of new elements into our morning dietary routine: Cocord grape focaccia and Ontario red plum Danish, both worth the ride to the other side of town.

concord grapes

The best sweet focaccia I had in years was this one, and it enormously contributed to an excellent breakfast. Baked on Baldwin Street, it made this autumn time very special.

The celebrated Concord grapes are in season, but not for very long. So, this is the right time to enjoy them.

sweeter summer

This time of the year provides an additional list of ingredients to finish a good meal. Fresh fruit of many colours and sizes becomes a fundamental part of my summer digestions.

vacationing

In the Northern hemisphere the summer is about to enter its final stage, which sometimes happens to be the best one. September can be, in fact, the nicest month of the year in terms of outdoors life.

pan, pan

Bread: perhaps the ultimate element to make a good meal a great one. This summer I'm trying a number of different ones, which certainly make things much better.

This first one is the classical "bollo", made with a mix of different flower.

Carral is a village famous for its bread, and the one above was one of the most captivating ones.

carbayones

A few decades after my previous visit, last week I decided to drive all the way to Oviedo, Asturies. We had a lunch scheduled in Arriondas, but we made a first stop fifty minutes before reaching our destination in order to satisfy some elegantly sweet requirements.

One hundred years operating a shop suggests that someone must be doing something right. In this case it was obvious.

Camilo de Blas is a pretty unique space where pastries are made like in the very old days. They are tasty and sweet, but with enough moderation to make them almost the perfect pastry.

Once the selection has been made and the tray has been filled up, a perfectly wrapped package is handled over the counter holding the carefully assembled construction.

clamland

Today we landed in the heart of the Rías Baixas. I was hoping to try something new, and we did. We ended up in Carril, a small town where clams happen to be an almost essential part of life.

44

A truly nice Saturday to celebrate another summer weekend. Cava -perhaps my favourite- to start, and Albariño -probably the best ever- to continue, were a massive asset for this healthy afternoon.

muy bonito

Another fish in season. In Burela, where they capture tons of it, they talk about "a costeira do bonito". Its deep flavour has always made it a summer highlight for me, together with "sardiñas".

flowers

During the summer we tend to have our regular dose of zucchini blossoms, at least as long as they happen to be around the garden. Besides looking spectacular on the plate, they also have an interesting taste that goes beyond the vegetal category.

domestic "sardiñada"

It's sardine season. A more than recommendable time of the year to enjoy this deep and peculiar taste, lubricated by the yummy fat that provides a natural sauce, worth dipping a generous piece of fresh crunchy bread into it.

Padrón peppers, preferably grown in Hervón, add a nice green accent of the summer to such a marine dish.

manolito

I am more of a fish eater than a meat eater, but when it comes to a nice piece of mammal, I can get pretty excited. Over a decade ago we used to get all our meat from this butcher, who knew all the creatures he was going to sacrifice before offering them to the general carnivore, or omnivore. His name, as you may have guessed, is Manolito.

bbq-ing

It may sound unbelievable, but the truth is that I had never operated a coal barbie until this week. Somehow it was a little bit of a mysterious revelation. Getting it started was complicated, but after several testing sessions it seems to be a more accessible reality.