Hot chef cooks with cool new technology

Why is Cory Vitiello, chef of the Harbord Room, joyously tossing peppers in the air? My guess is that he’s so happy with the induction range he’s cooking on. Even a humble home chef like me can appreciate the benefits of induction – it’s super responsive, keeps the kitchen cool, is easy to clean and allows for very precise temperature control. Vitiello recently showed me around a Thermador induction range at the Summerhill LCBO kitchen. (True, freelance writing doesn’t have a huge number of benefits, but there are occasional treats, such as having a handsome young man make lunch for me, without expecting me to do the dishes afterwards.) We had a great chat, discovering that we share very lukewarm feelings toward Chardonnay and both love to cook with cheap cuts of meat! Vitiello will be teaching classes at the site on May 19 and 27, incorporating ingredients thought to be aphrodisiacs (it could get REALLY hot in there, induction notwithstanding,) and innovative spice pairings. You have to win a seat in a Thermador-sponsored contest to attend. Click here to go to the site to enter. If you don’t win, you can still make one of his fabulous recipes, which I’ve included below.

BTW, when Chef Cory and I were chatting (such a nice young man), he happened to mention his pal Anton Potvin, whom he described as having a “ridiculously good palate”. That was enough to send me to the site of the Niagara Street Cafe, where Potvin reigns. The menu looks terrific, and I was seriously tempted by the notion of wild mushrooms on toast, smoked cheddar, pickled honey mushrooms, and mustard horseradish cream. Mushrooms are one of may fave foods. As long as they don’t suggest a glass of Chardonnay to go with it.

Vitiello’s Spice Crusted Sashimi Grade Tuna with Mussels, Saffron, Kaffir lime leaf, Thai Basil, Bird's Eye Chili, Cilantro and Smoked Sea Salt

• 4.5 oz pieces of center cut sashimi grade tuna
• 2 tablespoons toasted and freshly ground fennel seed, cumin and coriander seed

Lightly toast the spices until they give off their scent. Grind in a coffee grinder or blender. Roll tuna in the mixture until it is lightly coated. In a hot pan sear the tuna on all sides for 2 minutes total, leaving the centre very rare.
• 1 lb fresh mussels
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 finely diced bird’s eye chili, seeds removed
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Pinch of saffron
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1 small leek, julienned
• 2 pieces baby bok choy, finely sliced
• 2 tablespoons cold butter
• 2 kafir lime leaves, bruised
• 1 piece lemon grass, bruised and cut into two-inch pieces
• Small handful of torn fresh cilantro
• Small handful of torn basil leaves
• 2 teaspoons salt
Method: In a large shallow pan cook the garlic, shallot, ginger, chili, saffron, leek, carrot, lemongrass, lime leaf,and salt in a small amount of canola oil until just tender. Add mussels and bok choy, bring to a boil and cover for 2 minutes or until mussels fully open. Add lime juice, butter, cilantro and basil; stir constantly until butter is incorporated.

Assembly: In large shallow bowl spoon equal amounts of the mussel/sauce/vegetable mixture. Slice the tuna down the center and present it cut side up. Lightly season the cut side of the tuna.

The Kindle Crusher

No, that headline is not the title from my soon-to-be-published novel, but it is what media types are suggesting Kobo might be. I have to admit that I was skeptical about Kobo, the new eReader from a company that evolved from Indigo and which has partnered with U.S. book-selling heavyweight Borders. As a life-long book-lover, I repeatedly told family and friends that I would never make the switch from book to byte. But after testing this device, I’m sold. It has good, clear print that you can customize by style and font type (serif or sans serif). It comes pre-loaded with 100 books, but can hold up to 1,000 titles, which can be purchased from Indigo or other retailers. At 221 grams, it’s super light ­— perfect for subway reading.  And a big plus for me – if I had one by my bedside, it could take the place of the tottering, dusty pile of books that I keep there. (It’s not a pile of books,” I tell my husband, “it’s a Tower of

Erudition!”) It’s also easy to use – a boon for Luddites like myself. Wouldn't it be great for cookbooks in the kitchen,too? My only gripe?  I wish Kobo had a dictionary function – what does propitious mean, anyway? All in all, I love this little baby and at $149, I find it very affordable. It would make a great Mother’s Day present (hint,hint). And yes, style hounds, the device is pretty, with an attractive and discrete logo on the front and a quilted back.  

Stanley has a girlfriend

Stanley Tools has hooked up with Barbara Kavovit, a well-known home improvement personality south of the border, to bring her female-friendly line of tools, called Barbara’s Way, to Canada. It makes sense — a 2009 home improvement survey found that 60% of women in the U.S. consider themselves to be moderately or very handy. While I’m sure the numbers roughly apply to Canadian women, I’ve found anecdotally that many women find conventional tools too heavy or too big for their hands. This new line (see pic above) has been designed to address that issue, and are made to fit a woman's hand. Each tool also comes with how-to-tips that offer instruction to the neophyte DIYer. (I hope to test some samples next week. So I’ll let you know if they fit this girl’s small but mighty mitt.) These tools, with their pretty purple handles, are now available at Walmart stores  - just in time for Mother's Day. Prices range from between about $6 and $12. Later this year, multi-compartment organizers and soft storage bags from the line will roll out. By the way, if you become a Barbara fan, you can follow her on Twitter or Facebook.