Category Port Credit

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Lorne Park, Mississauga is a darling, French-inspired bakery: Le Délice Pastry Shop. It’s been there for 27 years. How did I not know about this?! Actually, my friend has been raving about it for quite some time. It is her neighborhood’s tried-and-trusted, go-to spot for desserts with wow factor; the Raspberry Clafouti is renowned at dinners in her neck of the woods.

She took me there for the first time yesterday. What took me so long?! I nibbled on samples of Pumpkin Cheesecake and Pecan Shortbread – sweet bliss! I came back with some photos to share with you and some pies and croissants for my family. So worth the trip.

Husband and wife team, LeRoy (pastry chef) and Lisa MacDonald, pour a lot of love into their business. And only the best ingredients: fresh whole eggs, sweet butter, 35% whipping cream, and the very best Belgian chocolate. Everything is handmade and beautiful. Thank goodness they seem so young and energetic. Let’s hope they continue for another 27 years.

Yesterday was the last day for pre-ordering from their Christmas menu. From now to Christmas choose from what is available behind their counter. They are trying hard to keep the selection plentiful but get there on the sooner side of now! Oh, it’s going to be a very Merry Christmas chez nous! Wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy 2016.

Open Monday December 21st
Tuesday to Friday: 8 am to 6 pm
Saturday: 8 am to 5 pm

Le Délice Pastry Shop
(in the Centennial Plaza)
1150 Lorne Park Road
Mississauga, Ontario
L5H 3A5
905-278-9684
www.ledelicepastryshop.com

For more details, please visit their website or my instagram.

Just a peek of some of the great things I spotted at Port Credit Farmers’ Market this morning.

#unearthingglobalflavours #portcredit #farmersmarket #zucchiniblossoms #beauties

A photo posted by Olive (@olive_to_eat) on Jun 27, 2015 at 8:17am PDT

#freshflowers #portcreditfarmersmarket #treatyourself

A photo posted by Olive (@olive_to_eat) on Jun 27, 2015 at 8:28am PDT

Last of the season #asparagus #portcredit #farmersmarket #unearthingglobalflavours

A photo posted by Olive (@olive_to_eat) on Jun 27, 2015 at 8:14am PDT

#mississippiqueenfoods #portcreditfarmersmarket #unearthingglobalflavours

A photo posted by Olive (@olive_to_eat) on Jun 27, 2015 at 8:25am PDT

We try to eat red meat less often. So when we do, we make it worthwhile by buying the best beef we can afford.  Recently we splurged on two huge, well-marbled, boneless rib eye steaks from Black Angus Fine Meats & Game and shared them. They were tender and juicy with rich, full-on beef flavour. Black Angus has a beautiful selection of fine meats such as beef (Kobe, dry-aged, and Angus), local lamb, and free-range chicken. If you are hunting for game meat, this is your spot: bison, elk, kangaroo, game birds, crocodile, etc.  Shop on-line or in-store.

How We Prepare Our Steaks:

1. Rub a cut garlic clove over the surface of the steak. Season generously with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add your favourite steak spices if you like (if they contain salt, cut back on the coarse salt).
2. Bring to room temperature on the counter for half an hour before grilling.
3. Grill to your liking according to the temperament of your grill (ours is on its last legs).
4. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing across the grain.

We serve our steaks with nothing else but copious quantities of homemade Caesar Salad (who has room for anything else?). I like to set the warm steak right on the salad; the flavours of the juicy steak and garlicky dressing cuddle up so nicely together. It wilts the salad a bit so serve the salad on the side if you prefer.

It’s a meal fit for someone about to embark on their journey through high school, from a lovin’ mom with a secret agenda (I’m hoping the garlic will ward off the girls).

Classic Caesar Salad

I was thrilled when my friend Liz shared her delicious recipe (she is a fabulous cook). It brings me right back to my Mom’s kitchen counter, watching Mom lovingly prepare this classic dressing in her well-worn wooden salad bowl while I waited in eager, lip-smacking anticipation.

Coddling cooks the egg very slightly, just enough to warm the yoke and thicken the dressing.  Please read Eat Right Ontario’s warnings about consuming raw or slightly cooked eggs; most importantly, avoid serving to the very young, elderly, immune-compromised, or pregnant women. Serve the salad immediately after you make the dressing.

Ingredients:

1 head of romaine, halved and sliced into bite-sized pieces, washed and dried thoroughly
1 head of curly green leaf lettuce or a 2nd head of romaine, halved and sliced into bite-sized pieces, washed and dried thoroughly

Optional:
Cooked and chopped bacon
Croutons

Dressing:
1 very fresh egg
2 cloves of garlic
½ teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
3-4 drops Tabasco sauce
4-6 drops Worcestershire sauce
1 lemon
1 cup best quality extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ cups freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, divided (the real stuff)
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Coddling the egg:

1. Fill a small but deep saucepan with enough water to cover the egg; bring to a boil while you leave your egg to sit at room temperature.
2. Carefully lower the egg into the boiling water using a spoon. Immediately cover the pan and remove from heat. Let the egg sit covered in the boiled water for 2 minutes. Drain immediately and run the egg under cold water to stop the cooking process.
3. Place the container you will make your dressing in and a small bowl on the counter. Crack the shell and separate the yolk into the dressing container and the white into the small bowl; discard the white and only use the yolk for the dressing.

Preparing the dressing:

1. Crush, mince, and purée garlic in salt; set aside.
2. Add the mustard, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, and the juice of only half of the lemon to the bowl containing the egg yolk; whisk to combine.
3. Slowly whisk in oil.
4. Using a wooden spoon, stir in garlic and 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (the garlic will get caught in a whisk). Add freshly ground black pepper to taste and more lemon juice, if desired.

Dressing the salad:

1. Pour about two thirds of the dressing in the bottom of a large salad bowl.
2. Add the lettuce. Toss gently, scooping under the leaves and into the dressing, gently rolling the dressing onto the leaves to avoid bruising the lettuce. Taste and add more dressing as desired.
3. Add bacon and croutons if desired. Sprinkle with remaining Parmigiano Reggiano. Serve immediately.

Black Angus Fine Meats & Game

Website: http://www.blackangusmeat.com/

Have you been to Snug Harbour lately? Recently renovated, modern lux decor; spacious, open dining room and sweeping, waterside covered patio. Great new menu. Seafood and sailboats on a sparkling summer’s eve: the perfect spot for a celebration meal.

Deep-fried Calamari: golden and crunchy. Served with a gorgeous cayenne, lemon, and garlic-spiked mayonnaise.  Somebody’s fingers just couldn’t wait ‘til after the photo.

Raw Malpeque Oysters on the half shell in their own liquor: fresh, clean, pure. My first time slurping raw oysters – what took me so long? Served with traditional seafood sauce and horseradish.

Tuna Martini: stunningly presented, seared Ahi tuna, crusted in sesame pepper. Delicious dipped in soy-based sauce, hot sauce, and herb oil. Served on a bed of greens with hoisin, wasabi, pickled ginger, and seaweed salad.

Roasted Beet Salad: fresh baby arugula, tender roasted beets, crumbles of soft, creamy chèvre. Spot-on balanced, sweet honey vinaigrette. Enough to share as a starter; or add Blackened Shrimp and call it a meal. Consistently good – my favourite local beet salad!

Brown Butter Lobster Sandwich: East Coast lobster mixed with mayonnaise, red peppers, and celery. Stuffed into two toasted buns. Served with Caesar salad (or market salad or fries). Good and gobbled before I could plead for a bite.

Seafood Bouillabaisse: a steaming pot of fresh fish, shrimp, mussels, and clams poached in a flavourful and spicy roasted tomato fennel broth. Served with bread for mopping up every last drop. My husband had already dug in before I could take the photo. And who could blame him?

Sea Scallops: four East Coast sea scallops, bronzed and lightly crusted on the outside; perfectly cooked, tender sweetness on the inside. Sitting in a pool of sublime Meyer lemon lobster butter sauce: nutty richness balanced by the sweet tanginess of Meyer lemon. Served with nicely seasoned rice and flavourful julienned vegetables.

Snug Harbour doesn’t take reservations on the weekends. We arrived early (at about 5:30 p.m.) on a sunny Friday, asked for a table inside, and got one right away (outside was a different story). Though the place was bustling, the service was fast, friendly, and efficient.

Have a hankering for some freshly baked, homemade cookies? No problem if you live in Port Credit, thanks to the drive of Bridget Leon, a self-professed foodie and first year University of Guelph Food & Nutrition student. Bridget and her siblings (Madeline, Mary Frances, and Justin) are building up their own business from scratch. Their tools of the trade? Mom’s signature oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe, their bicycles, and some creative business savvy.

A simple phone call or e-mail order is all it takes to have a batch of freshly baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies arrive at your doorstep, delivered with a warm smile and a sense of nostalgia by Bridget or her siblings on their bicycles.

Baked by Bridget using her Mom Marg’s family-favourite recipe, these soft and chewy oatmeal cookies with hits of rich, dark chocolate and hints of coconut are seriously addictive. Marg’s recipe has always been the hit of the ‘hood. Neighbor Cobi Ladner confessed “The cookies are so amazing that I hide them if Marg sends them over to our house. We’ve been eating them at every school event, birthday, and neighbourhood party for years.  Everyone loves them and requests them.”

The presentation is beautiful: packaging is labeled with a charming old-fashioned bicycle sticker and tied with gorgeous Tiffany-blue ribbon. Order by the dozen and choose from one of three attractive packaging options. A handwritten bicycle-stamped card is included with Option 3.

Perfect to celebrate life’s milestones, cheer up life’s rainier days, surprise a special someone, or act as the secret weapon in a promposal. Beautifully packaged, baked-from-scratch goodness can be delivered to your door, when you want, in the Port Credit area seven days a week. Special arrangements and customer orders are possible. Amendments can be made to the ingredients listed on the website. Click here for ordering instructions and contact information.