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…

Hazelnut Sablés

INGREDIENTS

3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened cut into small cubes
7/8 cup icing sugar
1 3/4 tsp salt 8 mL 2 cups whole blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped

GARNISH

2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon (or other spice 5 mL of your choice)

METHOD

Place the butter cubes, salt and sliced hazelnuts in a bowl. Using a sieve, add in the flour and icing sugar. Work in the butter cubes, using your fingers or a pastry cutter, until a dough forms. On a clean, floured surface, roll the dough into the shape of a cylinder. Divide the dough into four equal pieces and tightly wrap the pieces of dough in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a minimum of two hours until chilled, or overnight if possible. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Once the dough is chilled, remove the dough from the fridge and place on a lightly floured, clean work surface. Slice the dough into pieces that are between ¼ and ½ inch thick. Using a brush, slightly wet the slices with water. Place the slices on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl until well incorporated. Sift the cinnamon–sugar mixture onto the slices. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°f/175°c. Bake the sablés for five minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool.

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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.

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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

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…  The menu begins with both New World and Traditional combination dinners for parties of two to six, as well options for shared appetizer platters.  Several of executive chef Parichat Poomkajorn’s standout dishes are Peeg Gai Yaad Sai, delectable boneless chicken wings stuffed with vegetables and glass noodles; Briased Pork Hock, marinated and slow cooked with Thai herbs on a bed of spinach;  Grilled Free Range Duck Breast, served with spicy garlic and chili sauce; and How Mok, traditional Thai steamed egg curry with fish filet, tiger prawns, sweet basil served in a banana leaf.

Pink Elephant Thai features a popular communal table running the length of the restaurant, as well as oversize booths, and a chef’s table to catch all the kitchen action.  Overall, the look is ultra sleek with gleaming white, cool grey, polished black, and lots of the restaurant’s signature pink.  Creative cocktails, imported beers including Thailand’s Singha, along with a varied and well priced wine list, all pair nicely with the menu that ranges from just a touch to totally spicy.

Details

1152 Alberni Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 1A5
Telephone: 604.646.8899
Web: www.pinkelephantthai.com
Twitter @pinkethai | Facebook

Gallery

The People That Make It Happen

Owner: Desmond Chen
General Manager: Panee Mesri
Manager: Sunisa Keawpradit
Chef: Parichat Poomkajorn

About Pink Elephant Thai

Desmond Chen, president of Charm Modern Thai, Urban Thai Bistro, and Chilli House Thai Bistro, opened his newest restaurant, Pink Elephant Thai, at 1152 Alberni Street on April 29. Pink Elephant Thai is open daily from 11:30am through midnight, serving lunch, dinner, cocktails, plus everything in between.

The restaurant is comprised of 88 seats, including 8 at the bar, with a large communal table running the length of the restaurant. The oversized booths are sure to become coveted tables, while a chef’s table, ideal for larger groups, has a view of all the action in the kitchen and below from up above on the mezzanine. Overall, the look is ultra sleek with gleaming white, cool grey, polished black, and lots of the restaurant’s signature pink. The name, Pink Elephant Thai, marries old world Thai culture and tradition with all that is fun, sexy and hot – hot pink that is.

Pink Elephant Thai’s menu is inspired by all of the regions in Thailand as well as popular Thai street food faves, with a $5 to $17 price range to match. Guests seeking classic dishes such as Pad Thai with soft shell crab won’t be disappointed, while oxtail curry with pumpkin will delight more adventurous palates. Bring one friend or many, dishes like Floating Market – spinach tempura and prawns served with a spicy Thai applesauce – Double Spice Sukiyaki Beef, or the pomfret fish with mango shallot sauce are all perfect for sharing.

Executive chef Parichat Poomkajorn’s exceptional broths are the base of Pink Elephant’s Thai noodle soups such as Keaw Teaw Moo with ground pork, prawns, crispy bacon and ground peanuts; or guests may create their own combination by choosing from four types of noodles, five soup bases, 10 meat and seafood choices, plus crispy toppings.

Creative cocktails, imported beers including Thailand’s Singha, along with a varied and well priced wine list, all pair nicely with the menu that ranges from just a touch to totally spicy.

At the front of house, the restaurant group’s general manger Panee Mesri and manager Sunisa Keawpradit, formerly of Urban Thai Bistro in Yaletown, set the tone for service that caters to guests looking for a “sanook” dining experience, that’s Thai for fun with tons of energy; or those who prefer to “sabai sabai,” or relax and chill.

For more information please visit www.pinkelephantthai.com, follow @pinkethai on Twitter, and become a fan on Facebook.com/pinkelephantthai.

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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.

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.