Last night I made Beef Tartar and Moule Provencale. This was a slight change from the bowl of cereal and side of toast I had cooked up the night before. Don’t get me wrong, there was a lot of passion and attention to detail that went into the preparation of the cereal and toast (I may have even severed a glass of Jus d’Orange), but there’s something about serving beef tenderloin and following it up with a colourful display of steamed mussels that just feels special.
It was a Tasteful Tuesdays event at Willowpark Wine & Spirits called ‘Belgo Brasserie & Bubbles’. The evening took place in the Tasting area of the Willowpark wine store, which is equipped with a full kitchen, expansive dining area, and all the provisions for the possible disasters that might occur when a Kraft Dinner Chef makes an attempt at fine dining. Belgo’s executive chef was not only friendly enough to have the whole room of thirty plus people on a first name basis with him, but Chef Steve managed to convince us all that we were capable of creating mouthwatering masterpieces. I had my doubts, especially since we were sampling a variety of Bubbles.
Bubbles, in this case is not the amigo of Ricky, Julian, and the rest of the trailer park, it is the general term for everything brut, sparkling, or of the region of Champagne. We were introduced to a Conde de Caralt Brut, an Italian Sparkling Pinot Griogio from Voga, a Ca Montini Prosecco with a subtle sweetness, and a wonderful Brut Nature ‘Zéro Dosage’ Champagne by Ayala. Some say that the treasured CO2 that bubbles through the wine allows for an easier absorption of alcohol. Some then clarify that it ‘Makes you Drunk really fast’. Regardless, the truth about the Bubble is, it’s not the celebration that calls for the Champagne, it’s the Champagne that calls for the celebration.
So we have one Chef Steve, two Sommeliers, and a room full of hungry, cleaver wielding students on the Bubble. Two small miracles occurred. The first was that no one injured themselves or anyone else while under the influence of raw meat, sea invertebrates, and the Bubble. The second, and possibly the most remarkable, I created edible dishes that one person described as ‘delectable’ and ‘worthy of an encore’. That person was me, but nevertheless others also sampled my Beef Tartar and Moules Provencale and did not die, so it was a great success. It was a great success for everyone who attended, as the entire group enjoyed the fruits of their labour while gathered together around 2 large dining tables enjoying the liquid fruits of others’ labour. Hats off to Chef Steve; a gentleman and a scholar and a teacher of the culinarily sluggish.
The evening was fun, educational, delicious, and exciting. It was also terrifying and hilarious, but in a good way. And after only a couple of hours I had expanded my cooking repertoire from fan favourites such as ‘Can O’ Soup’, ‘Peanut Butter Sandwich’, ‘Frozen Pizza’, and ‘Microwave Popcorn’, to include some European delicacies far beyond my ‘Open a Bag of Salad and Serve’ skills.
It was not the first Tasteful Tuesday I had participated in, and it would not be the last. It lacks the pressure of a full fledged cooking class, has the fun of a wine tasting, and lets you learn, eat, and drink within a casual atmosphere surrounded by new friends. Plus by the end of the evening, as you begin to feel anxious about the prospect of your newly acquire knowledge drifting away like the bubbles of your favourite Champage, they provide you with a recipe booklet, wine list, and point you in the direction of those Must-Have bottles. Because after all, you are already conveniently in a wine store – seems they have thought of everything…
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