Jarritos - The Perfect Cocktail For Any Party

When it comes to entertaining often times the hardest part of putting a party together is trying to figure out what drinks you'll be serving to all your guests. Of course you can go the easy route and have a selection of store bought juices, pop, and beers on hand, but that's not the type of party you want to have. That's not the host you want to be! You want to provide your guests with choices. You want to elevate your party with home-made cocktails that get the alcohol flowing and people talking. Something that can be put together in a jiffy without leaving you stuck in the kitchen for hours on end. By the time you get through reading this article, you'll have at least one more party trick up your sleeve and let me tell ya. This is a good one!

A simple solution to spice up your next party that will surely be a hit among all your guests is by offering up the Mexican soda, Jarritos. Introduced in 1950 as Mexico's first national soft drink, this drink has stood the test of time and is still enjoyed by millions of people around the world. Made with 100% natural sugar, many of their 12 delicious flavours here in Canada are sourced from actual fruit trees in Mexico. You can drink them straight up out of their distinctive glass bottles or turn them into colourful cocktails for a new and exciting way to make some boozy drinks.

A few weeks ago Jarritos helped celebrate "Dia de los Muertos" aka Day of the Dead or All Souls Day in Toronto, where they hosted a media dinner at one of the city's finest Mexican restaurant La Carnita. We had the most epic Mexican feast the night after Halloween which consisted of Dips & Chips (the fresh guacamole was amazing), chicken wings, Mexican street corn, tacos, and paletas. One of the highlights of this feast was definitely the Jarritos cocktail that started the night off for me, and ended the night as well. I just couldn't stop drinking it and lucky for us here I have the recipe to re-create it back at home!

The "Strawberry For The Souls Cocktail" was created by Joanna Matysiak of La Carnita and incorporates the strawberry flavour of Jarritos in it. This is the perfect cocktail to incorporate at your next party because it's so easy to make and it just tastes absolutely delicious and refreshing with the aromatic strawberry flavour it brings.

Strawberry For The Souls Cocktail Recipe

Ingredients:

2oz Tequila
1oz Lemon Juice
3oz Coconut Water
3oz Strawberry Jarritos
Strawberry Slices (garnish)
Dehydrated Lemon Wheel (garnish)

Directions:

Combine tequila, lemon juice, and coconut water in a shaker and shake away. Strain contents into a mason jar (or glass) over fresh ice. Top up with strawberry Jarritos, garnish, and enjoy!

All pictures on this blog post taken by Josh Tenn-Yuk courtesy of Jarritos Canada

If you want to switch it up a bit, or add some more variety of flavours into the mix just replace the Strawberry Jarritos in the end and try some other fruit flavours such as Pineapple, Mango, or Grapefruit (all personally my other favourite fruit flavours from Jarritos). Half of the fun is getting to experiment with all the colourful and fruity flavours Jarritos offer!

Toronto Catering Showcase Season Two!

One of my favourite foodie events and experiences is coming back (thankfully) for a second season and it's all going down in just over a month's time on October 15th, 2017 from 12PM to 4PM. The Toronto Catering Showcase was such a huge success in its inaugural event last fall that it's no surprise the demand to have it again this year was buzzing.

In case you missed attending last year, The Toronto Catering Showcase is held at The Bram & Bluma Appel Salon inside the Toronto Reference Library bringing together twelve of Toronto's most notable and talented culinary masters in the catering world. The setting is elegant and luxurious, an ambiance of a live band playing on stage sets a relaxing and casual mood, and the best part of it all is of course the all-access pass to an afternoon of pure epicurean indulgence.

What sets this event apart from the other food festivals and events in this city is just how organized and simple they make it for us attendees. Once you show them your pre-paid ticket at the front door the world inside is basically your oyster. There are no drink or food tickets you need to buy. In fact there is no need to even bring cash or a credit card. Once you get in it's an all-you-can-eat and drink affair and you can basically hop from one vendor to the next at your discretion eating and drinking to your heart's content. You can even go back to the same vendor time and time again to grab the same dish if you choose to do so, but my suggestion is to save room in your stomach to try a dish from each vendor first before going back for seconds!

Below are the twelve caterers this year that have dedicated their careers to the art of fine food and exceptional presentation in which you will experience first hand while attending.

1) 10tation Event Catering

2) The Food Dudes

3) Drake Catering

4) Encore Catering

5) Treeline Catering

6) Presidential Gourmet

7) en Ville Event Design and Catering

8) MaRo Catering

9) Toben Food By Design

10) Kiss The Cook Catering

11) Daniel et Daniel

12) Elle Cuisine

As there is an all-you-can-drink element in this (and yes I'm talking about alcohol), this is indeed a 19+ event. General admission tickets start at $65 if you purchase them now online by clicking HERE, and a limited number of tickets will be sold at the door for $80.

New to this year is if you do plan to drive down to the event, complimentary valet parking will be provided by Adagio Valet Service, and every ticket purchased this year will also automatically enter you in a draw to win a prize! This is an event you do not want to miss out on so grab the tickets before they are sold out! Hope to see you all there!

Robbie Burns Day - Scotch Egg Club

An annual celebration, Robbie Burns Day is a tribute to the life, works, and spirit of the great Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759 to 1796). Celebrated every year on his birthday, January 25th, it encompasses more or less of formal gatherings involving the indulgence in a traditional Scottish meal, the drinking of Scotch whisky, and a recitation of the works made famous by Burns himself.

This year in Toronto, Tommy's Egg Kitchen made its Canadian debut putting together a public event called the Scotch Egg Club where acclaimed Scottish chef James Forrest hosted a scotch egg competition. The culinary competition featured six renowned chefs from across Canada who competed for the title of the best scotch egg. Guests than had the chance to eat and judge, tasting each of the finalists' scotch eggs to determine the ultimate winner. Not only was there an abundance of gourmet scotch eggs that night, but each egg was paired with a Dewar cocktail for the ultimate combination of Scottish fare.

The Scotch Egg Club takes place in cities around the world and is designed to celebrate two of Tommy Dewar's great passions: whisky and chickens. Not only did Tommy Dewar produce some of the finest whisky, him and his sons raised a collection of pedigree chickens which also laid some of the best eggs. This was the origin of the relationship between scotch eggs and whisky and the Scotch Egg Club was born!

Held at the Tommy's Egg Kitchen on King Street West, we were spoiled by an infinite array of the finest Scotch and Dewar's whisky cocktails, and of course six different versions of a scotch egg. After all the eggs were eaten and the votes were tallied, the winner came out to be Chef Adam Donnelley of Segovia Tapas Bar in Winnipeg! His winning chicken and foie gras Scotch egg recipe won the crowd over and will be the reigning champion of the Scotch Egg Club in Toronto. Looking forward to see what next year brings!

President's Choice Insiders Collection With Suits Star Sarah Rafferty

We were at the launch of the new PC Insiders Collection at the PC Cooking School inside Maple Leaf Gardens where we had a chance to explore twists on holiday traditions using the new line of products offered by President's Choice. This is such a festive time of the year right now with non-stop feasting starting from the weeks leading to Christmas all the way to New Year celebrations in January, that this launch event came at the perfect time to discover all-new ways to holiday that will help anyone elevate their entertaining super powers to new heights. 

At the helm of this event was Tom Filippou, Executive Chef of President's choice where he organized this intimate event by separating it into three food categories, "Mingle, Dinner, and Dessert." Each of these food categories were highlighted by the new line of products from the PC Insiders Collection that features over 200 products including 70 new launches. President's Choice took us on a food journey from start to finish, focusing on an all-encompassing dinner party that starts with mingling during happy hour, dining with must try products at the dinner table, and ending the night off with some sweet treats. 

Below you can find some inspiration on some of the products offered in the PC Insiders Collection to use when hosting your next party, or even just pick up some of these goodies to enjoy all to yourself. No one's judging here. 

Mingle

Seacuterie Board
Charcuterie Board
PC Waffle Chicken Fillets with Spicy Maple Syrup
Crispy Rice Cake Bites with PC Tuna Tataki
Baked PC La Belle Riviere Cheese with Apple-Pear Confit

Dinner

PC Double Stuffed Turkey
Korean Fried Potatoes with Cabbage, Bacon, and PC Memories of Soul
Piri Piri Rapini with PC Memories of Eggs Benedict Hollandaise Sauce
Crispy Fried Cauliflower Ravioli with Creamy Harissa Sauce
Beef Tenderloin with PC Black Label Onion Cabernet

Dessert

Avocado Lime Coconut Cheesecake
Mini Chocolate Brownie Bites
Spiced Cookie Dippers with PC Chocolate Ganache Pots
PC Pistachio Pudding
PC Chocolate Pecan Bar
Lemon Squares
PC Apple and Pumpkin Galettes

The icing on the cake to this event was getting to have the TV and food world collide when Sarah Rafferty, who plays Donna on one of my favourite TV shows Suits was at the event as well. Sarah was joined by her mother Mimi on stage where they showcased their traditional Rafferty family holiday recipes by adding unexpected twists using ingredients from the PC Insiders Collection. 

Sarah and her mom made us their personal holiday cookie recipe for us to try (I can't believe I tasted some of Donna's cooking!) Their cookies incorporated a unique twist by adding in the PC Organic Mint European Dark Chocolate into the mix, and below you will also find a video of Sarah and her mom talking about this very recipe and how they like to get the kids involved! 

I hope you all get a chance to discover twists on traditions with the new PC Insiders Collection. Holidays will never be the same again! 

Taste of Toronto (2016)

There's no festival better at showcasing the flavours of our city's food scene than Taste of Toronto, a world renowned restaurant festival that takes places in cities all across the world. Each year Taste of Toronto keeps on getting better and better, with the addition of new chefs, restaurants, vendors, and interactive cooking demos where you can either watch it all unfold at the Taste Theatre or sign up for an hands-on cooking lesson at the Metro Master Class.

Celebrity chef Chuck Hughes kicked off opening night this past June leading a live demonstration of gastronomic delights at the Taste Theatre, inside the Garrison Common at Fort York where this festival was taking place. It was only the start of what was to come after opening night as over 24,000 guests sampled more than 60,000 dishes throughout the 4 day festivities from June 23rd to 26th.

No restaurant festival is complete without handing out some hardware! At the Best of Taste Awards this year, Chuck Hughes, Franco Stalteri (Charlie's Burgers), Rebecca Fleming (Toronto Life) selected the top three dishes, plus the best dressed booth handing out four trophies to well deserved winners.

The winners were:

First place: Chinatown Platter, The Drake Hotel Properties
Chef: Ted Corrado, corporate executive chef
 
Second place: Aburi Oshi Sushi, Miku Toronto
Chef:  Kazuki Uchigoshi, head sushi chef
 
Third place: Porchetta Pizza, Carver
Chef: Rob Bragagnolo, chef and co-owner
 
Best dressed booth: Mamakas Taverna
Chef: Chris Kalisperas

Here were some of my favourite dishes at this year's Taste of Toronto.

Kanpai Snack Bar

Formasa Ceviche - shrimp, squid, citrus fruits, bell peppers, bird’s eye chili, ontario apples and tromba tequila with Crispy taro chip. Cost - 8 Crowns

El Caballito Tequila y Tacos & Los Colibris

Churro Nest - with housemade dulce de leche or vanilla bean hard ice-cream. Cost - 8 Crowns

The McEwan Group

Crispy Calamari Po-Boy - with Ace Bakery charcoal bun, lemon caper aioli. Cost - 8 Crowns

Piano Piano

Veal Parm Sangouche - Hot Peppers, Roasted Onion, Mozzarella. Cost - 10 Crowns

Richmond Station

Fresh Waffle Cone with Organic Ice Cream - waffle cone, organic ice cream, praline. Cost - 6 Crowns

If I were to hand out my own Best of Taste Award at this year's Taste of Toronto, it would have to go to The McEwan Group and their Crispy Calamari Po-Boy. A complimentary glass of white or red wine while you waited for your order may or may not have influenced my decision. All I can say is that sandwich hit all the right notes!

Not only did I get a chance to try many dishes from this year's restaurant line up, but I was lucky enough to take part in the Metro Master Class where I cooked a dish following the instructions of a celebrated local chef, Mike Ward. The classes are on a first-come first-serve basis so make sure you sign up early to reserve a spot in one of the three classes for each of the afternoon and evening sessions.

Once you are one of the lucky ones who managed to snag that coveted spot in the Metro Master Class, you will be taken to a make shift kitchen with top of the line appliances, kitchen tools, and fresh ingredients supplied by Metro that you will be sharing with a partner throughout the cooking lesson.

The dish that Mike Ward taught our class was "Chicken with Cumin, Tahini, Lemon & Burnt Onion." The first hurdle to try to overcome was trying to figure out how to operate this very fancy, top of the line Electrolux stove that uses touch sensors to turn the stove on and off and to set the temperature. Luckily there were always experts on site to help us out if we ever had any questions on the cooking hardware.

The first task was to flatten out the chicken breast. Not so hard right? You couldn't possibly screw that up? Wrong. I thought I would be smart and use the pan as a hammer to flatten out the chicken, but I totally forgot that the pan was hot, and as you can see from the picture below part of the chicken got stuck and heated by the pan. Oops. Luckily it didn't affect the end result of the dish and I totally dodged a bullet there and not let my partner down.

The onions then needed to be chopped and put in the pan. The dish incorporates "burnt onions" and burnt is no understatement. Mike Ward re-assured us that even though to the average eye the onions looked overly burnt, that was exactly what the dish requires and was he ever right. I loved the smoky flavours the burnt onions brought to the dish at the end.

We spiced up the chicken with some cumin, salt, and pepper and put some lemon zest over the chicken as well to give it a nice earthy flavour to it. The chicken went in the hot pan and we seared it using a medium to high heat for about a good five minutes on each side. To bring the dish together we mixed in some olive oil to the tahini and used that as the sauce for the chicken. The final touches were to sprinkle on some chopped pistachios and parsley and about 30 minutes later the dish was complete and ready for consumption!

Mike Ward made sure to walk around to each individual several times throughout the cooking lesson to give out helpful hints and tricks while we were cooking to ensure we were all on the same page. He even noticed me using a hot pan to smash the chicken in the beginning and he didn't even laugh at me. I can certainly appreciate that he made me feel like I totally knew what I was doing.

All in all it was another great year at Taste of Toronto and I enjoyed every minute of it. Not only did I just get to enjoy the food at this year's festival, but I also was able to learn and bring home some practical skills and knowledge I can use forever back in my own kitchen. The countdown is now back on until we get to partake in next year's festivities and I cannot wait!