Modena’s Balsamic Vinegar- One of the World’s Sexiest Condiments

Few things say Modena, in Italy’s northern Emilia Romagna region more proudly and deliciously than a fine Aceto Balsamico (balsamic vinegar). And few have been making it for as long or as well as the Giusti family at the Gran Deposito Aceto Balsamico di Modena Giuseppe Giusti. A mouthful? Yes, but it sounds as seductive as it tastes.

Bon Vivants from across Canada taking a bite out of The Flavours of Tuscany tour will be guided through the gran deposito by the charming Claudio Stefani, a 17th generation descendant of Giuseppe Giusti himself. In fact, his family is credited with being the first to record the balsamic vinegar recipe in history and it doesn’t hurt that these vinegars are also listed in the book “101 Things to Buy Before You Die” as a must-try.

Deep burgundy in colour, luscious and infinitely complex, Giusti balsamic vinegars are like a rare, edible historical artifact that are meant to be savoured like a fine wine. Using generations-old barrels, the vinegars start out as grape must that is aged and reduced over years in the family’s beautifully appointed facility in Modena. Take a step back in time as you are guided by Claudio himself into the prized cellars where “Il Profumato” (the perfumed one), the Giusti White Label “Il Classico” or my favourite, the 10 year old “Il Denso” – which as its name suggests is sweet, thick, and sexy- are all created. A sampling of all five “Historical Collection” balsamic vinegars as well as two of the family’s “Traditional Balsamic Vinegars” will be lead by Claudio on site.

For the culinary curator, there’s the prized “Scrigno – Giusti Complete Collection” containing all five Giusti balsamic vinegars. The collection came to be as a special request from the late tenor Luciano Pavarotti. He asked for a unique prize that could be donated for a Red Cross charity auction in December 4th 2006 in Modena. The vinegar set sold for a handsome € 1100. Today, you can pick up a set of your own for a more moderate €180.

And since the Flavours of Tuscany tour is about giving travelers an intimate taste of the culinary landscape in that part of Italy, the group will head over to the Locanda delle Quattro Stagioni for a bespoke lunch featuring Giusti’s various balsamic vinegars. There’s nothing quite like a well-made ravioli drizzled with a thick and deeply intense balsamic vinegar to elevate a dish to Mount Vesuvius proportions. And this is just a taste of things to come.

The Bon Vivant Tour of Tuscany: an intimate food & wine adventure

Bon Vivants it’s the moment we have been waiting for….. our first exclusive culinary adventure. We have enlisted the help of our blogger Mary Luz and she has put together an amazing journey into the ‘real’ Tuscany. For those of us who read ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ and are driven by the dream that maybe some day we too can live in an old palazzo and spend our days strolling the town’s markets buying fresh local ingredients, sipping espresso in the piazza with our neighbours, and then make our way back home to slowly prepare that sacred meal of the day, that eventually we will enjoy on our terrazza, savouring a glass of Chianti and taking in the beauty of the countryside. Well for those who decide to join us on this intimate tour each day will bring these types of experiences.

In the next few weeks Mary Luz will bring this tour to life for us. She will share her own personal experience of traveling through Tuscany with her husband Mario. Her idea of the ideal culinary adventure is to go off the beaten track and meet ‘real’ people who have been able to make their dreams and passions come true. To learn more about the Bon Vivant flavours of Tuscany Tour please visit our web site at www.bonvivanttravel.ca

Life on board the Queen Mary 2 is truly a foodies fantasy

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a chef prepare all your meals? Once you get on a Cunard Cruise, you don’t have to wonder anymore.

Where dining is always an adventure, Cunard Cruises menus are overseen by none other than Chef Jean-Marie Zimmermann, the recipient of a prestigious Michelin-star. Each recipe and dish gets his stamp of approval before any guests get to taste it, so you can be sure that your every on-board meal meets the highest standards.

This Alsatian-born chef grew up on the apron strings of his grandmother, where he first honed his culinary skills. From there, it’s been a non-stop journey to chef stardom as he rose through the kitchen ranks, stopping only for the occasional accolade or laurel. Although his career started in the town of Strasbourgh, he has plated meals in Cannes, Juan Les Pins, Monte Carlo and London. He has competed and come out with gold medals at the Culinary Olympics, which are hosted every four years in Erfurt Germany, placing him among the leaders in his trade, worldwide.

It was Zimmermann’s time as proprietor of his own restaurant in Berkshire, England called “The Warrener” that earned him his Michelin star, but when chef Zimmermann decided to write a cookbook, it was about the cuisine that has now captured his attention.

The cookbook titled “Queen Mary 2 Ocean Liner Cuisine” lets guests of the cruise line take home a visual reminder, through its photography of their dining experiences on-board. It also lets them try to recreate some of the spectacular meals in their own kitchens.

On board the Queen Mary 2, there are 10 dining options, ranging from sophisticated upscale dining and Mediterranean cuisine to pub and patio fare. If you fancy a spot of tea, the Queen’s Room serves a proper British Tea complete with finger sandwiches and scones. Keep your eye for the Todd English restaurant, the namesake eatery of Cunard’s other claim to culinary fame, the Boston-bred chef.

The dishes at Todd English reflect a taste of Maine with a strong penchant for seafood like a Maine Crab Cake with Todd’s Fiery Sweet and Sour Tomato Sauce and a Ricotta Gnudi and Brown Butter Lobster served with Zucchini and toasted Hazelnuts.

No matter which way you look at it, the food on board these ships is tasty enough, that you may not want to leave for your shore excursions. But when you do disembark, you’ll undoubtedly be reassured that the food onboard is without a doubt world-class, no matter where you sail.

When Stars Get in Your Eyes

A few years back, when my husband and I decided to travel to Europe together for the first time, we started our journey in London, England. Grand architecture, gleaming gold statues of historical figures and a bustling city with a myriad of accents greeted us. We indulged our fish and chip hankering, wondered at the marvels at the TATE Modern Museum and traversed the Thames a few times in our quest to fit in as much as humanly possible in three short days.

Travelling on the Canadian dollar can make London seem a little steep (or “dear” as locals like to say), but every once in a while, you just have to stop the calculator in your brain from converting every pound and live a little. With this spirit in mind, we found ourselves at the hallowed halls of Harrods- that stately purveyor of fine goods that has some of the most impressive “food halls” I’ve ever laid eyes on.
We pass the high-end cosmetics and perfume counters and made a B-line for the abundant showcases of gorgeously prepared and fresh foods. It’s there that I spot a woman clad in black- from head to toe. A black skull and cross bone bandana worn over long raven tresses, sunglasses, leather jacket and yes, black velour track pants proclaiming “Juicy” across her backside. I look carefully from behind a mountain of tropical fruit at her chiseled features and I think “I’ve seen that face before.” It isn’t until we wait to be served at the deli counter (Mario spots game Biltong- a dried, jerky type of meat from South Africa that he loves) that I realize I’m standing next to Cher!

So much for being incognito- everyone and their butler soon realizes it’s her although no one says a word about it- that would be gauche. Once Cher’s 500 grams of green peppercorn German salami has been thinly sliced, packed and handed to her, she makes her way to the check-out and into the next food hall - perhaps to an awaiting limo.

I wonder what she’ll do with the various kinds of salami she’s purchased (must have been 7 or 8 kinds)? Mario and I imagine it’s for canapés or an appetizer platter for an informal get together at her London-based pied-à-terre in some tony St. Johns Wood address. We laugh at our folly, pick up a few treats of our own and join the post-work crowds filling up the streets. We find a quiet park bench a short walk away and dig into our impromptu picnic. It’s no high end pied-à-terre, there aren’t any celeb pals to feast with, but to us, under the canopy of an old oak tree, it feels like we’ve won a lottery!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! Join me for a Guiness...

I was born on St. Patrick’s Day. This means I never have trouble finding a party on my birthday, even if one hasn’t found me. When in Ireland, the locals even take a holiday in my honour.

Although I had no trouble adapting to the ‘warm’ beers of England, getting my brain around the creamy heads of the Irish brews was quite another matter. You will rarely find me with a pint of Harp, Smithwick's or Kilkenny. There is of course, one exception.

When Arthur Guinness started brewing in 1756, he could not have known that his influence would fuel drunken revelry and a series of international bars with dubious links to Mother Ireland.

It is said that the best pints of Guinness are to be had in Ireland and at the brewery itself, in particular. Whether this is true or simply a state of mind, it does seem to taste ‘fresher’ at the Guinness Storehouse at St. James's Gate in Dublin. Also, I like the little shamrock they can make in the head. On St. Patrick’s Day you get in for free if your name is Patrick. Your date of birth won’t help you. Still, with DJs, street performers, live bands and food, it is a pretty good deal for 15 Euros.

You will often see the claim that ‘Guinness is Good for You’ and there is rumour that one glass of orange juice, two glasses of milk and 47 pints of Guinness a day supplies all your nutritional needs. The only question is how long you can survive alcohol poisoning and all those bathroom breaks.

The other great thing about Guinness is that, no matter how much food dye you add, it won’t turn from black to green. I mean, green beer, how tacky is that?

Whatever your pint of choice, please be sure to drink responsibly. I know, that will make you stand out on a day famous for stomach pumping and embarrassing dancing, but you will thank me for it on the 18th.

This advice makes me think not of a Guinness ad but one for a great Brewery in Southern Wales. The beer is called Brains SA and their decades-long advertising campaign is very simple and carries a nice double meaning.

‘It’s Brains You Want.’

This is rather undermined by the locals telling everyone that the ‘SA’ stands for ‘Skull Attack’, but you get the idea.

Have a wonderful St. Paddy’s Day and may the road rise up to meet you.

Irish Food Beyond the Stew and Pub Fare

To fully experience this new dawn of delicious Irish Food, travellers must head to the quaint coastal town of Kinsale (from the Irish, Ceann tSáile - 'Head of the Sea'), just under an hour’s drive west of Cobh. Dubbed “the Culinary Capital of Ireland”, Kinsale, with its brightly painted cottages, yacht-filled harbour, and highest concentration of quality restaurants anywhere in the country, enjoys a well-deserved reputation for its gourmet restaurants serving the most exquisite locally-caught seafood.

Devoted foodies and the casual fine food admirer alike can savour mouth-watering dishes at Kinsale restaurants such as the Fishy Fish Cafe with its skate wing and samphire – deliciously tender salty asparagus-like stalks – served with capers and chanterelles, Hake with a fennel purée and coriander buttered clams, or breast of duck with caramelised apples and Calvados at Toddies. Both the Fishy Fish Café and Toddies, whose fresh menus change daily, were honoured as top 100 Irish restaurants in the prestigious Bridgestone Irish Food Guide.

Kinsale’s International Festival of Autumn Flavours, held every October, presents the food lovers with a delectable treat, showcasing the best of the town’s restaurants through tastings of fresh seafood, world cuisine and traditional Irish cooking. This world famous festival is the time when the town greets visitors from across the world with the Gaelic phrase “Céad Mile Fáilte” or “One Hundred Thousand Welcomes”.

An hour east of Kinsale past Cobh lies Shangarry, a small village known for The Ballymaloe Cookery School, one of Europe’s finest. Ballymaloe claims to be the only cookery school in the world located in the middle of its own 100-acre organic farm and strictly adheres to the principles of modern Irish cuisine – fresh ingredients locally grown, the use of seasonal produce and awareness of environmental impact.

65 Chefs at Sea

Holland America Cruise lines is taking top chefs from kitchens and restaurants all around the world and inviting them on board, this year, more than 65 guest culinary experts are participating in the hugely successful program. Culinary notables this season include Bravo-TV’s “Top Chef” contender, Nikki Cascone; Mark Bittman, food columnist for The New York Times and award-winning cookbook author; and Keith Coburn, television personality of the hit series, “Deadliest Catch.”

The line’s complimentary demonstration classes are only one feature of the extensive culinary enrichment program, there is also a one-hour food-and-mixology demonstration, wine tasting and party-planning sessions, ice carving and floral arranging workshops and hands-on cooking classes for kids. A new feature in the line’s culinary program is Dine with the Chef held in the Culinary Arts Center. A combination of a cooking demonstration and a fine-dining experience, guests sit at elegantly set tables and interact with the chef as he or she prepares a five-course dinner in which each served course is paired with an appropriate wine.

A permanently installed, state-of-the-art “show kitchen at sea,” the Culinary Arts Centers resemble the elaborate show kitchens used by celebrity chefs on television cooking programs. Each facility features a theater-style venue, with two large video screens to display overhead and close-up video views of food preparation, and a large cooking display counter where guests can learn from the masters.