My recent surf trip to South America became more of a storm tour than anything else. From the moment I flew in to Alajuela, the heavy rain poured down for 10-20 hours a day as 2 tropical storms piggybacked into the area and a tornado sat off the coast of Mexico. While I am always up for a challenge, attempting to surf in the equivalent of a washing machine was only amusing until I got smacked in the face with a chunk of driftwood and had to pick pebbles out of my leg after being dragged across the ocean floor by a massive wave.

It was clear we were going to need to find other things to keep us amused. Although I started the trip traveling alone, I had quickly met up with some folks at the Cuesta Arriba Hostel, in Santa Teresa. After a day or 2 of hanging out with the howler monkeys and reading trashy novels to kill the time we decided to make a move before the roads washed out and we got stranded on the Nicoya Peninsula.

We took a soggy ferry ride to Playa Hermosa (the one close to Jaco) and bunked in at the Cabinas Rancho Grande. While the surf didn’t improve much I don’t think we could have found a better spot to hunker down.

The hostel manager Roberto was a walking history book (but more entertaining than one) with incredible stories and insight into Costa Rican and Hawaiian cultures– the indigenous people, politics and the development of the land. He took me to the weekly farmer’s market in Jaco- the one right beside the river with the massive croc living in it. Unfortunately the torrential rain kept the Amish away from the market that day so I didn’t get to try their famous goat yogurt but the produce was incredible and the fresh herbs were a nice addition to my otherwise staple meal of hard boiled eggs (the kitchen at Rancho Grande is the only thing I would dock marks for).

After seeing how much coffee my mates Mike and Taylor were consuming Roberto suggested we needed to try REAL Costa Rican coffee. We are talking about 100% organic Costa Rican highlands coffee. The good stuff baby. And (of course) he knew a guy.

It pretty much went down like a Hollywood movie drug exchange. A sunglassed, shirtless guy rolls up in his truck and whips out a few tightly sealed packages disguised in burlap. We insect the goods, exchange some money and once the business has concluded we sit down together and try a sample of the goods.

Ok, so nobody was wearing a wire and we should have inspected the goods before paying up so it wasn’t exactly Tinseltown but, seriously, when we met Juan Barrantes Fernandez from Finca Rica he was rocking board shorts. Don’t let that fool you though, this man knows his family business and hung out with us for a while explaining the history of his grandfathers farm, their harvesting techniques and the little touches that set them apart, like drying the beans in the sun before roasting. The Finca Rica farm is high in the volcanic mountains of San Ramon and Palmares which has the best climate, soil, altitude and environment for producing the highest quality beans.

You might say, ‘Sure sure, I get Costa Rican coffee at my local corner store and it’s okay but…’. Sorry my friend but what you are getting up here in those vacuum sealed foil bags is about 10-15% highlands coffee and the rest is filler from the lower laying farms that produce lesser quailty beans. Sipping on a cup of 100% organic highlands coffee is a completely different experience. Finely ground beans were spooned into the cloth filters suspended by the wooden stand, a cup placed underneath, boiling water added and within seconds the freshest cup of coffee was ready and steaming. Simple and effective. No use for your fancy espresso makers here and you were definitely not going to soil your cup with cream or sugar.

This was like nothing I had ever had before. I’ll try to avoid wanky coffee snob terms but low acid created a smooth, mellow cup allowing you to actually taste the terroir (oops, there’s the wank) of the farm. The smell was so clean and incredible. Believe me, given that it was my last day before heading home, that sack of coffee was the only thing smelling good in my backpack.

So… while my surf trip wasn’t quite what I expected, as always if you keep your eyes open you are bound to stumble upon something interesting.

NOTE-When it came time to clear customs you can bet I didn’t use the word kilo anywhere on those forms! That will be 2.2lbs thank you very much. I wasn’t ready for another adventure just yet.

Here are some behind the scenes images from that night…

Executive Chef Kris Kabush, Hart House Restaurant paired up with Notch Hill Organics.
Lightly Cured Snapper with Pickled Cippolini & Crosnes Salad

Chef Maxim Ridorossi & Jenna Dashney-The Food Lovers Cooking Co paired up with Rootdown Organic Farm.
Cured Pemberton Beef Breasola on a pumpkin cracker with celeriac, squash & Pemberton Valley red wine mustard preserve.

Chef Lee Humphries of C Restaurant paired up with Organic Ocean Seafood.
Grapefruit Cured Pink Salmon with spiced squash & honey ginger tuile

Chef David Robertson of The Dirty Apron Cooking School paired up with Mikuni Wild Harvest.
Roasted Duck & Wild Chantrelle Mushroom Cake.

Chef Alessandra Quaglia of Provence Restaurants paired up with Stein Mountain Farm to create a Pissaladiere.

Chef Jane Cornborough of ReFuel Restaurant paired up with UBC Farms to create a velvety Cinderella Pumpkin Soup, simply elegant with a dollop of sage cream to finish.

This might have been one of my favourite flavours of the night. So simple, but when you have such a delicate fresh pumpkin flavour you really don’t need to hide it with anything fancy.

Chef Andrea Carlson of Bishop’s connected with SOLEfood.

Eggplant ‘Tartare’ with pickled nasturtium seeds, bull’s horn red pepper glaze, quail’s egg & Farmhouse caerphily cheese.

Vij’s & Rangoli co-owner Meeru Dhalwala paired up with Klipper’s Organic Acres and presented a Roasted Eggplant & Butternut Squash with Paneer.

Having had the pleasure of working with both mixologist Lauren Mote (CHOW restaurant) and Chef Jonathan Chovancek (Culinary Capers) I am a bit biased about their newest venture together; Kale&Nori Culinary Arts. Watch out for this power team!

Miss Mote in classic Lauren-style posing for the camera. More importantly though check out her line of housemade bitters, soon to be released.

Lauren paired up with Parsons Farm Market to create the solo cocktail of the evening.
Willy’s Fizz is a complex gin cocktail with the subtle sweetness of William’s pear balanced with housemade peach & pepper bitters & a hit of green cardamom & smoked black pepper spice.

Some of our ‘Growing Chefs’ helping out in the kitchen. Who wouldn’t love finger painting with beet puree?

Chef Jonathan Chovancek of Kale&Nori Culinary Arts paired up with Glen Valley Organic Farm Co-operative.

Vancouver Island salt roasted beets with Glen Valley vegetables.

Chef Angus An of Maenam has long been one of my favourite local chefs. Back in my days of working at Fuel Restaurant Angus would often drop by (we were right next door after all) with gifts from his kitchen. His Geng Gari Chicken on Sunday reminded me of those days.

Paired with Helmer’s Organic Farm, Chef Angus ‘ Geng Gari Chicken was an aromatic curry of Maple Hills chicken confit with Helmer’s organic potatoes & oven roasted onions.

Guests got to wander around through each of the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts kitchens and witness the Chefs in action before tasting the small plates.

Chef Scott Jaegar of The Pear Tree connected with Stoney Paradise Farms.

Chef Jaegaer’s Stoney Paradise Sungold Tomato Float was like summer in a glass. Enough said.

Chef Marc-Andre Choquette and Sous Chef Tret Jordan  from Tableau Bar Bistro paired up with Sapo Bravo and created Bone Marrow with Squash Fritter, oxtail & tomato marmalade on toasted brioche.
This was my absolute favourite dish of the night… it might even be the best dish I have tried this year. They had me at ‘oxtail’.

This was the first time I have had the pleasure of tasting one of Chef Lucais Syme’s dishes. The Chef of La Quercia did not disappoint. Paired up with Thomas Reid Farms, Chef Syme created a light and fresh flavoured  Chicken Liver Pappardelle.

Executive Pastry Chef Chris Janik of Miku Restaurant paired up with Apple Lane Orchard and created a beautiful Tarte Tatin.

Pastry Chef Rhonda Viani of West paired up with Canadian Hazelnut. Her Hazelnut Brown Sugar Cake with lime bavarois & candied hazelnuts was simply… sublime.

Last but not least… Pastry Chef Merri Shwartz (founder of Growing Chefs!) from King Pacific Lodge paired up with Astra Organics and O’Neils Orchards to create Poached Quince with See Ya Later Ranch Gewurtztraminer Sabayon.

Judging from the satisfied murmurs coming from the crowd, I would say the event was a rounding success and for me it was a reminder of how strong the relationship is between our restaurant community and the amazing farmers and suppliers that provide us with such abundance here on the Westcoast.

If you have never checked out Growing Chefs!, please take a moment.
Growing Chefs! runs a Classroom Gardening Program teaching kids about growing,cooking & eating healthy food and teaches them about sustainable agriculture.

Early September is my favourite time of year to do this drive for one reason– fruit stands. The road through Keremeos is lined with hand painted signs claiming their stand has the best deals & freshest produce for sale. I can’t resist the 20 lbs of peaches so ripe and juicy they have to be gently placed side by side in the box, layers of paper protecting their delicate flesh from bruising and splitting on the ride home.

The intoxicating smell reminds me of sunshine and fills my head with thoughts of all the delicious things I will do with these peaches once I get home. Recipes people… we’re talking about recipes here. Kind of like this super simple peach jam recipe. With just a touch of honey this ‘jam’ is not just for spreading on thick slices of rye bread fresh from the oven (although that IS amazing!) it also makes a great compote to serve warm over french vanilla ice cream.

Honey Sweetened Peach Jam

As a general rule I prefer my jams less sweet so it’s all about the fruit! I use Pomona’s Universal Pectin which is designed for making low/no sugar jams.

4 cups mashed peaches
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4-1/2 cup honey
3 tsp pectin powder
4 tsp calcium water (part of the Pomona package)
5-250 ml mason jars with lids

1.Make calcium water. Put 1/2 tsp calcium powder and 1/2 cup water in a small clear jar with a lid. Shake to mix.

2.Wash and rinse jars; let stand in hot water. Bring lids and rings to a boil; turn down heat; let stand in hot water.

3. Wash, peel & pit peaches. Mash fruit. Measure 4 cups of mashed fruit into heavy bottomed saucepan.

4. Add calcium water and lemon juice to the mashed fruit; stir well.

5. Measure honey into separate bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into honey.

6. Bring fruit to a boil. Add pectin-sugar-honey; stir vigorously 1-2 mins while cooking to dissolve pectin. Return to boil and remove from heat.

6. Fill jars to 1/4″ of top. Wipe rims clean. Put filled jars in boiling water to cover. Boil 10 mins. Remove from water. Let jars cool. Check seals–lids should be sucked down.

For a delicious golden plum jam recipe check out my ‘A plum of a jam session’ blog post.

In the twelve odd years I’ve known Mel we’ve been on many a wild escapade (see her post on our Vegas Hitchhiking Roadtrip). On July 30th, she began her biggest adventure of all– motherhood, as she and her partner Cam welcomed little Oliver Welsh Whitehead (Ollie dub dub) into the world.

Instead of a shower we decided to have a ‘Welcome to the World Brunch’ so we could all coo and make silly, cute faces at Oliver. Not that he cared, he was happy to curl up with Mom and napped most of the time, but for us it was a great excuse to reconnect with old friends, meet some new ones and enjoy a leisurely Sunday brunch.

Welcome to the world Oliver!
You don’t know it yet but we’re just going to continue the adventures your Mom and I started.

Sunday Brunch Egg Frittata

This frittata is great for a healthy brunch and even better when you slice it up and take it on a picnic!
makes 6 wedges

Ingredients
6 eggs
1/2 cup cottage cheese (not fat free)
2/3 cup grated cheese (I prefer a nice sharp parmesan)
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cup fresh spinach, ripped into bitesize pieces
1/2 red pepper, chopped
handful fresh basil, ripped
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Line a cast iron pan with parchment paper
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs until light and frothy
Add cottage cheese and whisk to combine
Stir in cheese, tomatoes, spinach, red pepper and basil
Season with salt and pepper
Bake in oven until middle of frittata is set (approx 30-45 mins)

I like to serve this egg dish with sliced heirloom tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.

The rich, thick aroma of charred wood, charcoal and singed meat threw me back 20 years and instantly I was back at the family cottage, warm sand between my toes with the familiar smell of barbecue smoke filling the summer air. The smoke billowing out from the chimney wrapped around me like warm, comforting arms pulling me back to reality and towards the front door…
(a bit dramatic? perhaps or maybe you haven’t read enough of my posts to know how I feel about BBQ!)

As I walked into the dark restaurant I knew this was the place. This wasn’t just a BBQ restaurant, this was a smokehouse. The bbq dominating the open kitchen was packed with fresh meat, the entire room coated with years of char and smoke. A big friendly smile and hello from the guy lounging at one of the tables and you knew he owned the joint.

It smelled amazing and I was starving, having not really had a decent meal since I had arrived in Tampa. I won’t get into all the flowery, wanky words we food writers use. They don’t apply here. This was just a good old southern smokehouse with red vinyl cafe chairs, styrofoam plates and plastic cutlery. Nothing fancy but I would be dubious of any BBQ joint that was.

The food was pretty darn good. Huge ribs with a ton of meat,perfect amount of juicy fat to keep it moist and just enough sauce to add some sweet heat without masking the subtle smokey goodness of the meat itself. I’ll admit, I wasn’t stoked on the pulled pork. It was a little dried out for my taste but mixed together with a little bit of the creamy coleslaw it made a mean little pulled pork sandwich.

Everyone was super friendly, from the staff to the steady stream of locals coming in to eat. Now that I think about it I think I chatted with almost every group that came in.
While I won’t pretend it was the best BBQ I’ve ever had I would definitely go back, I may even go back tonight and try the sausage. It was $9.50 well spent. I just wish I was still going to be around on Friday when they serve collard greens and cornbread.

All in all I would rate Jazzy’s 7 paper napkins out of 10.
That’s my new rating system for BBQ, I figure the really good stuff I go through a least 10 napkins.
I just made it up. Think it will catch on?

Jazzy’s BBQ
5703 West Waters Avenue, Tampa, FL 33634