Food

Menumental

Eric Vellend
Email Author

If you love food, this columnist will show you the way.

more from this author

Mother's Day treats

May 7, 2008 11:08 AM
 
 
My father recently found a sheaf of letters that he had written to his mother from 1972 to 1974 while our family was living in Boston. Trudeau was running for office, Nixon was in hot water and this pint-sized writer was a stubborn, brooding handful. It certainly made me appreciate the importance of Mother's Day. Here are some delicious ways to thank Mom.

On Mother's Day weekend, dining out is more of a contact sport than a celebratory treat. You are much better off rolling up your sleeves, dusting off your favourite cookbook and cooking for Mom, as she did for you for many years. Mother's Day happens to coincide with the first verdant veggies of Ontario's growing season, so a spring feast is in order. How about chilled asparagus soup to start, risotto with wild leeks and fiddleheads and rhubarb crisp and vanilla ice cream for dessert?

If Mom happens to be a hostess with the mostess, then you should add Dish Entertains (HarperCollins, $44.95) to her kitchen library. Local caterer and TV personality Trish Magwood shares her entertaining secrets in a stylish tome that has both brains and beauty.

Each chapter is split into "everyday simple" and "special occasion", and recipes are flanked with a sidebar of tips covering shopping, equipment, timing and technique. I tested three recipes, and they were all delicious, especially gooey butter tart squares.

Most mothers I know are avid readers. For something hot off the presses (and affordably priced at par with the U.S. edition), I highly recommend Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper (W.W. Norton, $24.95), a culinary memoir by esteemed cookbook author Fuchsia Dunlop.

Painstakingly researched, beautifully written and impossible to put down, Dunlop takes us on a tantalizing tour through China in what's sure to be the gastronomic book of the year.

Fluent in Mandarin, Dunlop gets the real scoop and provides some hilarious insights into Chinese dietary habits including their visceral distain for Western food, especially cheese.

Most mothers I know are also chocoholics, and there is no better place to satisfying their cravings than Soma (55 Mill St., Building 48, 416-815-7662, www.somachocolate.com) in the Distillery District. From the city's only scratch chocolate bars to freshly churned gelato, everything from the hands of owner David Castellan is pure magic.

Speaking of chocolate, some serious brownie points can be earned by splurging on a pair of tickets for Toronto Taste, the city's annual gourmet charity extravaganza. Food will be provided by the likes of Globe Bistro, Fred's Bread and Kristapsons with libations poured by such local favourites as Cameron's Brewing Company and Huff Estate Winery.

The event is being held at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (6 Garamond Ct.) on Sunday, June 8 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $225 (tax receipt for $125), with the proceeds going to Second Harvest, a local charity dedicated to fighting hunger in the GTA. For tickets, visit www.torontotaste.ca or call 416-408-2594.