Archive for February, 2011
Araxi
I’ve wanted to try Araxi restaurant in Whistler since we moved to Vancouver and we visited it recently during a long-weekend getaway for our friends’ wedding and my birthday. I’d heard lots of great things about Araxi, and I was also familiar with it due to the many hours I’ve wasted watching Hell’s Kitchen on TV (a chef job at Araxi was the big prize a couple of seasons ago). The restaurant is located in the heart of Whistler Village and focuses on innovative regional cuisine. It was full the night we ate there with a mix of Canadian and international guests, and also a surprising number of kids – the little American boy at the table next to ours somehow convinced his parents to let him order the market-price crab legs, which must have cost a pretty penny!
I was really impressed with Araxi. Thanks to my husband’s job in the wine industry we have the privilege of trying a lot of good restaurants in many different places, and I thought Araxi delivered on the hype. The service was great; the atmosphere was relaxed and upscale in a way that felt very Whistler; and the food showcased Pacific Northwest regionality with local ingredients brought together in an innovative way that reflects the confluence of Canadian, Asian and European culture and cuisine that is unique to this area of the world. It was also refreshing to eat at a fine-dining restaurant where the menu is not dominated by meat. Lots of fresh, Oceanwise-certified fish, good vegetarian options and I loved the raw bar with its focus on sushi and sashimi-inspired dishes.
Araxi chefs at work assembling food from the Raw Bar menu.
Fresh bread hot from the oven served with a Tuscan bean spread, olive oil and sea salt
We had champagne with dinner – a special birthday treat.
Seared tuna with micro-greens and ponzu pearls
Roasted Pemberton beets with blue cheese, spiced pecans, pink lady apple and rosemary vinaigrette, frisee and baby sorrel
Wild mushroom risotto with grilled prawns
No dessert was required after all that!
Roasted tomato and basil pesto pasta
Oven-roasted tomatoes are something I see all the time in cookbooks and on food blogs and I’ve been meaning to try them for awhile now. I think this dish would be amazing with the abundant, ripe tomatoes that are harvested garden-fresh in late summer and early fall, but for now this is a good way to use up those poor grocery store tomatoes that have been lingering too long in the fruit bowl.
Roasted tomato and basil pesto pasta
Makes 2 servings (double or triple for a bigger crowd)
3 cups of dried pasta
3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
3 tablespoons basil pesto*
1-2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
Fresh ground pepper and grated parmesan cheese
Combine tomatoes, pesto and garlic in a glass pie plate or other oven-safe dish. Cook for 15-20 minutes at 400F. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a pot of boiling, salted water. Drain the pasta and pull the tomatoes out of the oven. Stir the drained pasta into the tomato mixture and serve on plates. Sprinkle with fresh pepper and parmesan cheese and enjoy with a salad and red wine.
*I used store-bought pesto but should really try to make it myself someday. As a substitute for pesto, you can also try 3 tablespoons of olive oil plus a squeeze of lemon juice and some chopped fresh herbs.
Happy Birthday
What a nice birthday I’ve had this year: time off from work; a long weekend away in Whistler with perfect weather and a great group of friends; and cards, cash, flowers, champagne, cake, dancing, phone calls, emails and Facebook messages. Thank you all for leaving me feeling so well-loved and thoroughly spoiled as I turn another year older and wiser.
Tomatoes
I planted a handful of tomato seeds about 10 days ago after being inspired by Gayla Trail’s recent post “Tomato Plants Offer Cheap Therapy.” She’s absolutely right about this. Scent is a powerful provoker of memories and emotions, and that smell of warm tomato vines is a such a happy place. (more…)
Raspberry chocolate scones
In honour of Valentine’s Day, here is the recipe for my husband’s favourite breakfast scones – raspberry with bittersweet chocolate. Gluten-free, of course, and best paired with a steamy hot chocolate. What a good wife I am for making these for breakfast today.
1-1/2 cups flour*
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup flaxseed meal or ground flaxseed
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used bittersweet)
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix together flour (and xanthan gum for gluten-free), sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and flaxseed. Stir in raspberries and chocolate chips, and then add yogurt and vanilla. Stir together only until the dry ingredients are well-mixed with the yogurt. Spoon onto a greased baking sheet and bake at 375F for 20 minutes or until scones are lightly browned.
*I use Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour mix. For gluten-free, also add 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum.
