INGREDIENTIA: On Hazelnuts, Going Beyond Nutella & Making Thierry’s Awesome Sablés

by Claire Lassam | My love affair with hazelnuts started when I was very young. I don’t remember having them around the house, and as an Ontario girl, I don’t remember them growing around where I lived. What I do remember is Nutella.

I vividly recall the first time I ate it. It was a big spoonful shoved into my mouth by my Dad to make me shut up in the back of our car after a early morning run to Little Italy. I remember the chocolate, the instant rush of sugar, but mostly I remember the taste of hazelnuts. Now, despite 56 roasted hazelnuts per jar and a whole cup of skim milk, I can’t keep Nutella in my house. I’m far too addicted to the stuff to keep it anywhere near, so I get my fix in smaller doses elsewhere.

You can’t even imagine my happiness when I moved here a few years back and found that not only were there beaches and mountains, but also hazelnuts! Consider me sold, Vancouver. Now, Nutella has been produced since 1963 (and a slight variation from Ferrero was produced beginning in 1944), which seems like a long time, but when you consider that archeologists have found traces of hazelnuts in Scotland that date back 9000 years, well, half a century seems only a blink of an eye.

Hazelnuts were grown in Ancient Rome; they were given to the sailors and explorers of England because of their long shelf-life; fhey have been flavouring liqueurs in Italy for over 300 years; and more recently, they’ve been used as food for Oregonian hogs to make some of the best prosciutto to ever come out of North America. BC makes up a very small part of the hazelnut trade. They’re mostly grown in Agassiz, where we only produce about 330,000 kilos a year. In contrast, Turkey cleans up with 625,000 tonnes a year, which is about 75% of the global market.

Those grown here are still the best I’ve ever eaten. They’re often thinner then commercial filberts; slightly longer with a crunchier texture and a stronger, more pronounced flavour. And they just so happen to be in season right now.

At home, I often pulse them with basil and lemon zest in my food processor and pour the resulting pesto on everything from pork roast to pasta, or I grind them up and put them in cakes or macarons. If you feel like having someone else do the work for you, get into West on South Granville for hazelnut spaetzle with pork, or get the duck breast at Boneta, which is served with brussel sprouts and local hazels. One of my new favourite chocolatiers, Beta5, caramelizes them and enrobes them in Michel Cluizel chocolate, and those things are pretty close to heaven my books. And of course there’s the masterful Thierry Busset, who uses hazelnuts over and over again in his Alberni St. store. You can snag some in his financiers, tuiles and sable cookies, and in his macarons as well. And if you can’t get enough, you can make them at home now, because he has very kindly given us a recipe… Read more

Seen In Vancouver #325: “The Window Community Art Shop” Opens On The DTES

The Portland Hotel Society throws down with yet another community-building venture. This one, located at 9 West Hastings (a few doors east of Save On Meats), is called The Window Community Art Shop. The non-profit is a place where local artists and designers can flog their wares without forking over huge commission fees. And don’t roll your eyes yet. Just because it’s not-for-profit doesn’t mean it’s full of itchy, ill-fitting sweaters and lacy lavender pillows. This is a really cool retail/studio space where people can buy, sell and create arts and crafts. Think of it as Etsy or Cargoh in 3-D with a little bit of DIY on the side. Scout popped in the other day to have a browse and this is what we saw:

The not-quite-ready-website might be here one day. For now, hook up with The Window on Facebook and note well that the grand opening goes down from 5pm to 8pm on December 2nd.

Tuesday – Saturday | 10am-6pm | The Window Community Art Shop (9 West Hastings)

EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER

The Pointe Restaurant at the Wickaninnish Inn

Details

The Pointe Restaurant at the Wickaninnish Inn
PO 250 Tofino, BC V0R 2Z0
Telephone: 800-333-4604
Web: www.wickinn.com | Facebook | Twitter

Gallery

The People

Charles McDiarmid, Managing Director
Nicholas Nutting, Chef de Cuisine
Matt Wilson, Pastry Chef
Warren Barr, Sous Chef
Jamie Wilson, Sous Chef
Daniel Vogel, Pointe Restaurant Manager
Andre McGillivray, Maitre D’ and Pointe Restaurant Supervisor

About The Pointe Restaurant

Wickaninnish Inn, a Relais & Châteaux property since 1997, overlooks the Pacific Ocean from a rocky point on Vancouver Island’s rugged west coast, near the eclectic town of Tofino and Pacific Rim National Park. Two contemporary cedar buildings, set against a backdrop of ancient rainforest, boast an extensive local art collection (complemented by the neighbouring wood carving shed), and all rooms and suites offer ocean or beach views, gas fireplace, soaker tub and individual balcony. Uncompromising service, including a Clefs d’Or Concierge team, is a standard. The sole resort on Chesterman Beach, Tofino’s longest at 2.5km/1.5mi, the Inn is home to naturally-inspired treatments at its intimate Ancient Cedars Spa and refined West Coast cuisine at award-winning The Pointe Restaurant.

Surveying the panoramic vistas from the westernmost point of Tofino’s idyllic Chesterman Beach, The Pointe Restaurant’s inspired West Coast cuisine and attentive service come gift-wrapped with 240 degree views of the Pacific Ocean, surrounding islands and wildlife. Much of the fresh seafood is fished from the very waters overlooked by The Pointe, and a longstanding focus on locally sourced,  high quality ingredients is evident. Dinner is offered on a seasonal à la carte menu, but for the best of the best, try Chef de Cuisine Nick Nutting’s weekly tasting menu. Daily brunch is a true treat and a favourite with local Tofitians. Out of the ordinary desserts reflect an innovative Pastry program where most everything – from bread to butter to scrumptious chocolate croissants are house made.

An extensive wine list, recognized yearly by Wine Spectator magazine, showcases BC’s finest selections with a broad range of international bottlings.  Over 100 Scotch Whiskies and a creative cocktail menu can be savoured in the comfortable On the Rocks Lounge.

A true taste of Rustic Elegance On Nature’s Edge – and the West Coast’s best views – are on the menu at Wickaninnish Inn and The Pointe Restaurant.

Reviews/Accolades

Member, Tofino Ucluelet Culinary Guild
Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, Best Resort Dining
Wine Spectator, Best of Award of Excellence (July 2011)
Travel + Leisure Magazine, T+L World’s Best Awards, #1 in Canada 91.67
Andrew Harper’s Reader’s Survey, #7 International Hideaway out of 1,000 Inns (October 2011)
Sunday Times Travel (London Times), 100 Best Hotels in the World, #1 in North America (October 2011)

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GOODS: “Pink Elephant Thai” On Alberni Set To Launch New Menu Tomorrow Night

Pink Elephant Thai is located at 1152 Alberni Street in Vancouver, BC | 604.646.8899 | www.pinkelephantthai.com

The Goods from Pink Elephant

Vancouver, BC | Desmond Chen, president of Thai House Restaurant Group, is pleased to announce that his newest restaurant, Pink Elephant Thai, is launching a new, expanded menu with mass appeal on October 18th. “We’ve learned a few things since opening in April,” said Chen. “One of our observations is that many guests are looking for their go-to Thai favorites, and our original menu didn’t cater to this group. Sure we had green curry and Pad Thai, but they were served with fish balls and crab instead of chicken and shrimp. We still offer the many of the more adventurous options, but now they are positioned alongside some more familiar choices as well.” Plus, Pink Elephant Thai has taken it one step further for those who want to take the guess work out of ordering… Read more

The 15th Clayoquot Oyster Festival Goes Deliciously Down In Tofino Next Month

Ooh, Fall in Tofino is pretty awesome. We were just up there, and it was amazing, as per usual. The cool air is heavy with salt, the crowds are way down, the morning mists linger longer and the thousand+ shades of green are high-lit with the occasional autumn flash. Plus – my god – there are Oysters! And the good people of Tofino really know how to celebrate the bivalve. Their 15th annual Clayoquot Sound Oyster Festival will be proof positive of that: “Twelve oyster farms in the area produce roughly 50,000 gallons of oysters each year, and the festival is a chance for the farmers, chefs, the local community and visitors to come together to celebrate this bounty.” Events include oyster farm tours, oyster and wine tastings, educational seminars, the legendary Oyster Gala, and the Mermaid’s Ball costume party. There really isn’t a time of year when Tofino isn’t a great getaway, but the Oyster Fest makes a November excursion especially attractive. We’ll be there, and we hope to see some of our readers up, too.

The Mermaid’s Ball | Friday, November 18 | 8pm | Tofino Community Centre
Oyster Gala | Saturday, November 19 | 7 pm | Tofino Community Centre
Where to stay? Pacific Sands | The Wickaninnish Inn | Ocean Village
Where To Eat? Sobo | The Pointe | Spotted Bear

RANDOM SHOTS FROM SCOUT’S MOST RECENT TRIP

How To Help Out Hungry Local Kids Over Thanksgiving Without Spending Any Money

This Thanksgiving, we’re asking Scout readers to do something for disadvantaged kids in our community without spending a dime. The Vancouver Inner-city Backpack Food Program runs out of the Strathcona Community Centre and provides nutritious snacks and meals for food-insecure children (elementary schoolchildren and their siblings) on the weekends when they aren’t assured nourishment at school.

Inner-city children face food insecurity on a regular basis, which affects their behavior in the short term and their overall health and development in the long-term. Children who are hungry or undernourished are more likely to become sick, miss school, exhibit behavior problems, and fall behind in class. By offering a weekend food program for children, we will be able to provide many benefits including: increased ability to participate in recreation, close the gap of food insecurity over the weekend, help improve attention span and behavior during the week in school, mentoring interpersonal and communication skills to the children who received the backpacks, providing leadership and pre-employment training to youth volunteers.

The program is looking for funding from the Aviva Community Fund to purchase food that cannot be obtained from a food bank (think dairy, fresh fruits and vegetables). In order to secure that dosh, they need your vote. That is all. Many thanks, Happy Thanksgiving, and be sure to pass this on.

GOODS: Everything That You Need To Know About This Halloween At The Waldorf Hotel

The Waldorf Hotel is located at 1489 East Hastings in beautiful Vancouver, BC | 604.253.7141 | WaldorfHotel.com

The GOODS from The Waldorf Hotel

Vancouver, BC | You’ve been asking for it so here it is… the lineup for our four-day, property-wide Halloween bash. Aside from top entertainment in multiple rooms, your ticket to any of these nights gives you access to all the other goings on at the hotel… Read more

Chambar Veterans Eleanor Chow & Slavita Johnson Opening “Cadeaux” On The DTES

by Claire Lassam | With big name bakeries like Thierry opening up downtown it takes no small amount of confidence to open another beside the Number 5 Orange strip club on the DTES, but that’s the plan for young, first timer owners Eleanor Chow and Slavita Johnson. The Chambar alumni have big ideas for 172/178 Powell Street (at Main). It’s a new building in an area that’s quickly changing (see Big Lou’s and Two Chefs & A Table), and their plan – with me as their assistant – is to change up French classics with local ingredients (think perfect French macarons with cranberries, cakes seasoned with fresh herbs and more). They want to make the place feel cozy, clean and warm, and with the help of designer Craig Stangetta (see Revolver, Meat & Bread, Pizzeria Farina), that’s unlikely to be a problem.

Slavita has already started collecting cake stands in her apartment, and in less than 3 months they hope to debut the room with its huge glass counters displaying everything from cookies to wedding cakes. The most important thing, Eleanor says, is “to make food that we want to eat.” That means unfussy and unpretentious but still executed with the techniques she and Slavita learned from working desserts and pastries at places like Lumiere and Blue Water Cafe.

They’re hoping to include the greater community by naming ice creams after friends and local celebrities, and to make it a spot that people commuting downtown from anywhere east of Main St. can grab their morning coffee or pick up dessert on their way home. If all goes according to plan, expect a pre-Christmas splash. In the meantime, I, their trusty assistant, will continue making pastries (sold at the Dirty Apron Delicatassen) and getting excited for opening day.

ALL ANTICIPATED RESTAURANTS

Claire Lassam is a baker, blogger, and freelance writer based in East Van. She has been cooking and baking her way through the city for nearly five years, working in restaurants ranging from Cioppino’s to Meat & Bread. She currently toils at the soon-to-open Cadeaux Bakery in Railtown and runs the baking blog  Just Something Pretty.

VANCOUVER AT WORK #7: Multimedia Mastery At Gastown’s “Sharks + Hammers”

Reader “A.U” | Sharks & Hammers | Gastown | 3:45pm

“Designing take out chopstick packaging graphics while listening to a YouTube playlist of Charles Bradley.”

With Vancouver At Work, we invite Scout readers to send in photos of their work spaces, be they home offices, corporate cubicles, artist studios, fishing boats, bars or kitchen lines. It’s a lot like our View From Your Window feature, only you tell us your initials, your title at work, your place of work (optional), the neighbourhood, and the time the photo was taken with “Vancouver At Work” in the subject line. Photos and info should be sent to scoutmagazine [at] gmail [dot com], and need to be as high res as the sender can manage. Cell phone shots will do if they are no smaller than 588px wide. Now get snapping!

GOODS: “Tinhorn Creek” Owner/Winemaker Sandra Oldfield Launching Harvest #TinChat

Tinhorn Creek is located at 32830 Tinhorn Creek Road in Oliver, BC | 1-888-484-6467 | www.tinhorn.com

The GOODS from Tinhorn Creek

Oliver, BC | Tinhorn Creek’s Sandra Oldfield (@SandraOldfield) will host a weekly one-hour Twitter chat (#tinchat) about the Okanagan’s fall wine harvest. Every Wednesday evening, wine + social media lovers everywhere can have a conversation with Sandra, ask questions and pick her brains about grapes, vines and all things wine. Watch for guest hosts and Tinhorn experts to delve more deeply into several topics. Get the details after the jump… Read more

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