About when Michael was putting the elk on the grill from Amber Lane Game Farm, at the City Market bi-weekly, Thea was serving up an unexpected surprise! On the way to the farm, much earlier in the day, she was foraging for mushrooms and found several. The ones below in her right hand she identified as “Aspen Boletus”, an edible relative of the porcini family in the process of possibly being titled the “œAlberta Mushroom”. How exciting! Now, this is the quintessential slow food member’s raison d’être: in this case, our Edmonton Slow Food Convivium Leader, Thea Moss. I was excited to be part of her sharing. The mushrooms had absolutely no smell. Odd, coming from the porcini family, but then, I have never sniffed a fresh porcini, either.
Minutes after her sharing her finds with some of us, she appeared with a frying pan in her hand filled with a steaming duck egg and “œAlberta Mushroom” frittata. What else did she add? Salt and pepper. It was really yummy. The texture of the cooked mushroom was tender and lovely. The flavour was very delicate. I had to take a little of the cooked mushroom separately to really get a sense of the flavour. It really had a gentle “œumami“ kick to it that I thought drying might intensify. Thea said that it would lend itself quite well to drying.
There is not an event that I go to with these people that I don’t learn something new, fascinating, and that excites me!
Oh, yes, there is more. I couldn’t believe it either! Michael has grilled more duck breasts, again to perfection, and is slicing them for the platter. He covered them with choke-cherry syrup: a marriage made in heaven. YUM! YUM! YUM! They were to be accompanied by Saskatoon Berry Compote. What a happy, happy accident.
Did you think they were finished? Well, take another look. Don’t forget about the luscious grilled elk from Amber Lane Farm. It was a highlight for me at Indulgence 2009, and did not disappoint again. The only problem with preparing the dishes one at a time, is that one can only eat, taste, or enjoy so much food. But, I must have been the only one with that problem because almost everything was gobbled up. (I did see a lot of people loosening their belts!)
You can see how tender it is, can’t you? Unbelievable!
Once again, Arianna’s turn to shine. Out come her desserts made with duck eggs and the farm fruits and vegetables. Above is a dense and moist carrot cake crowned with a sprig of fennel. Who would have thought? Arianna, that’s who. “œIt just needed a little something,” she said, “œso I pinched off a little fennel.” Absolutely perfect. Fennel on the cake. Perfect. Simple. Gorgeous. Flavourful. And right outside the door! Standing ovation for Arianna! ….for her culinary prowess, and creative instinct.
She had two zucchini loaves, also scrumptious, and this rhubarb-raspberry crisp. I loved it. (That’s my green plate with a taste of each on the table in the top photo”¦) And, last, yes ““ we have come to the end: Gelato! Dennis Yurkiwky and his perky partner in the straw hat brought their gelato from their store, Chocolate Exquisite in Oliver Square. Again, I had a taste of each. Strawberry was my favourite, and I almost didn’t taste it.
And, as promised, an anonymous photo of a little someone very special.
Leave a Reply