Day 34: Pan Seared Foie Gras

We have contender number 2 for the quintessential food. And this will likely come as no surprise to anyone that Foie Gras is one of the most decadent, most gluttonous, and most sinful of all foods - thereby increasing its appeal one hundred fold, or possibly even two hundred fold. Even crabapples taste that much better when they are the forbidden fruit.

Do you really think puffer fish tastes that good? I bet you if it wasn't toxic, it would rank up there in the minds of food enthusiasts right alongside such heavy hitters as sardines and smelts. I'm exaggerating... chill out.

The first thing you notice is the fragrance, much like that of duck fat. Then the fattiness of it. Can you see how shiny the liver is? Yeah, that's fat. The texture is unbelievable, like little pillows of clouds. There is a slight sweetness to it and there is an unmistakeable red wine flavour. And there's the high that follows, like light headedness, probably from the cholesterol. And your whole body starts emanating heat, as the fat gets processed.

One of the best ways to enjoy this is to cook it yourself. That way, it gets to you right off the pan, so hot that you can't even eat it or it scorches your tongue. That way, you can control how rare or done you want it, and also there's no necessity for the chef to add the flavours. Just on a piece of toast is delicious, maybe with a squirt of lemon. But don't eat too much at once. I bought half a lobe and by the end, I think it was harder to appreciate.

For me, food tastes best when I'm absolutely hungry, and when I know there is a scarcity of the ingredient. So try and share this with some friends, so that each person enjoys every bite to the maximum.

On the ethical issue of foie gras, I can only acknowledge the pain and suffering of the goose that has given its life for us. Like any food that you eat, it is worthwhile to always give thanks to those that helped bring it to your kitchen table - whether it is the farmer, the fisherman, the rancher, or in this case, the sacrificial goose.

The price is around $50 for half a lobe, which gets you about 4 pieces, so best enjoyed as an appetizer for four.

On foie gras:

Foie gras is a food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened. This fattening is typically achieved through gavage (force-feeding) corn, according to French law, though outside of France it is occasionally produced using natural feeding.

Day 33: Sheep Milk Cheese with Truffle (Cacio di Bosco) from St. Lawrence Market

This cheese gets high ratings for truffle flavour. As you can see from the picture on the left, you get big large chunks of truffle, and even in the pieces without truffle, you still get a real flavour out of it.

The one drawback was the texture which was a little bit grainy, like an aged parmesan that wasn't stored properly. But having bought this from Chris the Cheesemonger at St. Lawrence Market, I feel that they would not overlook something as fundamental to cheese as handling.

A light smoke is tasted right after you swallow, and as an added bonus, you can actually taste the milkiness of the cheese, something I usually only associate with raw milk cheese which this certainly is not. On a side note, did you know raw milk cheese is legal in Canada? I used to think it was illegal. I used to enjoy it in France, and I actually found a small supplier in Ontario, and all along, I thought he was operating on a black market, which is why I never said anything to anyone.

On truffles, apparently you can't get truffles these days in Ontario because the lastest shipment got stopped at the border?? So I went to a few suppliers that might have the connections, and no one could find any. In any case, Christmastime is when we'll see the supply increase. Good thing Christmas is 6 months away, right? Although, I am certain that if I knew the right people, it would be a different story - one of the downsides in being a rookie in Toronto :P

The price tag is a hefty $90/kg.

On Cacio di Bosco (from pastacheese.com)

Cacio Di Bosco al Tartufo is a Tuscan cheese made from both sheep's and cow's milk. It is studded with tiny specks of truffles and is pure heaven to eat. The long maturation balances the taste of pecorino with the strong taste of truffle, and it has a friable and slightly sour paste.

Day 32: Hefeweizen beer from Konig Ludwig

Few things in life better than beer on tap. A snappy bitterness, with very light citrus and banana notes, with more subtlety than Hoegaarden. I had it served with a perfect temperature and a perfect head, and when it's done like that, sometimes I don't even care WHAT beer I'm drinking. It's amazing!

On Konig Ludwig Brewery:

The König Ludwig GmbH & Co. is a brewery with headquarters located in Upper Bavaria. Their slogan "Beer of royal highness," refers to the brewery's heritage which can be traced back through the Kingdom of Bavaria. The current proprietor, Prince Luitpold of the House of Wittelsbach, is the great-grandson of the last King of Bavaria, Ludwig III.

The House of Wittelsbach began the first brewery in 1260. 32 years later, Herzog Rudolf built the Schloss Kaltenberg, which houses a part of the brewery's facilities today. The brewery as it exists today was opened in 1870.

On Weissbier (from company website):

Our wheat beer, König Ludwig Weißbier, is brewed using traditional methods and is bottle fermented (the “méthode champenoise”). This produces a lively, refreshing beer with a tight head and flavour notes of apple and bananas, which is highly accepted in many parts of the world. In its home market, König Ludwig Weißbier is among the top 6 wheat beer brands and is widely recognized as a Bavarian specialty.

Day 31: Tankhouse Ale from Mill St. Brewery

My first taste of this was puckery bitter, like the sensation when taking a bite into a bitter melon. Not sure why. Possibly my palette wasn't prepared? The texture of the beer is velvety, a long finish, the flavour rests on the back of the tongue. The colour is a much darker brown than in the picture... like an ale, I suppose. I got mine on tap, so I had that fresh cold tap flavour.

On Mill St. Brewery:

Mill Street is a Canadian brewery founded in December 2002 in Toronto by Steve Abrams, Jeff Cooper and Michael Duggan. Joel Manning is currently the head brewer. The brewery has won numerous awards in its relatively short existence, including Golden Tap Awards for Best Toronto Microbrewery ('04-'08) and Best Toronto Beer (for Tankhouse Ale: '04-'07). Mill Street was named "Canadian Brewery of the Year" at the Canadian Brewing Awards in 2007, 2008, and 2009.

On Tankhouse Ale (from company website): Brewed with 5 different malts and an abundance of Cascade Hops, this balanced and satisfying 5.2% beer is our pridemaster's pride and joy.

Day 30: Scottish Beer from Innis & Gunn

My God... you have to taste this one!!! I am not kidding at all

I feel really plagiaristic about these tasting notes because they almost come straight from the bottle - but they are spot on. The colour is like a light pilsner, but then there's just this load of flavour and complexity. There's the toffee, paired with vanilla, and a richness almost like a scotch which probably comes from the oak barrel aging. A balanced sweetness in finish. This is an amazing beer.

On Innis & Gun (from company website)

Innis & Gunn oak-aged beer is like no other.

Our pioneering production process is unique to us, a world first. In fact, it was discovered by accident! Using oak to age beer is unheard of. But, the flavours imparted by the oak barrels (previously used to mature bourbon) lend an incredible depth of taste. Think vanilla, toffee and orange aromas, with a malty, lightly oaked palate; soothing and warm in the finish. There is nothing like this among mass produced beers.

Day 29: Trappist Beer from Chimay

A Trappist beer is one which is brewed under the control of Trappaist monks. Chimay is a Belgium abbey and one of my favourites, although some will claim that it is an acquired taste.

For me, it's a bold flavour, slightly citrusy, and slightly pine-like. The citrusiness will remind you a bit of Hoegaarden and Leffe. Perfectly carbonated with just enough carbonation to waken the tastebuds. The frothiness on the tongue is feels like a light marshmallow. A winner.

On Trappist Beers

A Trappist beer is a beer brewed by or under control of Trappist monks. With the recent exception of Koningshoeven's Bockbier, Trappist beers are all ales, that is, top fermented, and mainly bottle conditioned.

Dubbels (a category of trappist beers which includes Chimay Red) are now understood to be a fairly strong (6%-8% ABV) brown ale, with understated bitterness, fairly heavy body, and a pronounced fruitiness and cereal character.

On Chimay Red

The Chimay Brewery ("Bières de Chimay") is a Belgian brewery founded inside Scourmont Abbey, in the Belgian municipality of Chimay in 1862. It was the first brewery to use the Trappist Ale designation on its labels.

The water for the beers is drawn from a well located inside the monastery walls. The filtered solids from the beer mash are recycled into livestock feed which is given to the same cows that produce the milk for Chimay cheeses.