The latest apps: the holiday season’s best appetizers

This December, caterers are culling from the classics to create familiar hors d’oeuvre with a twist. Here, the most stylish and sumptuous small bites.

Mac-and-cheese[1]
Chef Evan Wright’s haute iteration combines pasta, house-cured bacon and sharp old cheddar. It was a hit with the ladies who lunch at a recent Forest Hill fundraiser. To Go, 416-921-1717.

Pumpkin soup shooters [2]
Drinking these exquisite creations feels a little like defacing art (the garnish is made from radish seedlings, candied beets and edible gold leaf), until you realize they taste even better than they look. Lindsey Shaw, 416-926-9133.

Spinach salad[3]
The greens are dressed in a tart raspberry vinaigrette and topped off with a two-bite brie crostino that puts lowly croutons to shame. Plus, everything tastes better in a Chinese takeaway box. Bite, 416-222-2483.

Annatto pan-seared scallops [4]
The peppery annatto seasoning plays well against the smooth guac (gussied up with apple and cucumber). The Chinese soup spoons make tricky hand-to-mouth issues a moot point. Sabrosito, 416-624-9157.

Buckwheat blini[5]
These treats are 100-Mile Diet approved: the buckwheat flower, duck and goat’s milk cheese are all Ontario born and bred. They may account for the Leafs’ early winning streak; Dish became the official caterer to the boys in blue this year. Dish, 416-920-5559.

Oysters Rockefeller smores [6]
The Mad Men–era classic gets a lusciously campy make-over: the rich, gooey middle is a savoury, spinach-flavoured marshmallow. Daniel et Daniel, 416-968-9275.

BLT éclairs [7]
Who wants whipped cream when you can have double-smoked bacon? The buttery choux makes an ideal shell for one of the world’s most beloved sandwich combos. Salt and Pepper, 416-924-0715.

Chèvre truffles [8]
Crunchy endive makes a perfect vessel for its rich contents (which also includes chili pralines and fig jelly). These snacks have pedigree; they’ve been served at a private dinner for Bill Clinton, a National Ballet gala and several TIFF soirées. Eatertainment, 416-964-1162.

Bud Light Lime coconut shrimp [9]
Chef Jason Smidt got the idea one afternoon while enjoying his citrusy beer of choice. The dijon-horseradish marma­lade is good enough to gulp. Jay Caterers, 647-345-3386.

I’m very humble to be mentioned amount some of the best caterers in the city.

Yours from the hot press,

Carlos

The President’s Choice 1000 Tastes of Toronto meant that there were more chefs showcasing their food. Luminato also welcomed more artists, musicians, filmmakers and dancers from all over the globe. And let’s not forget Cirque de Soleil, which performed for free for the crowd once the chefs tore down their tables. “One City One Table” was done serving food by 8pm.

With Kelly at our table

My team and I decided to make something simple and great. We went 80 per cent local, as in corn tortillas, queso fresco, onions and greenhouse tomatoes. We made an onion confit and used it as a sweet note. We made a loose coronet with the tortilla and stuffed it with queso fresco, the onion confit and a sexy avocado relish, and we handed to our happy customers in a banana leaf. I’m happy to report that it was a hit with all of our vegetarian friends.

Single tortilla; Vegetarians loved us.

Ready for the crowds

It was great watching people enjoy the food, particularly our groovy organic vessel. Let’s hear it for composting.

Special thanks to Adam McDowell of The National Post for mentioned me in his blog, as his favorite taste that day. It’s good to be notice.

Looking forward to be back next year!!!
Yours from the Luminato.
Carlos

With films showing the diaspora of the Spanish language, the festival reveals an unlikely integration of Latin influence on many seemingly disparate cultures. Most interesting is Zhao, a film directed by Susi Gozalvo, about a young Spanish woman of Chinese origin, struggling between the love of her life and the compromise to the country where she was born. Another film is My Mexican Shiva, a Jewish-Mexican comedy on death and culture.

The world is getting to know a new generation of award-winning Hispanic filmmakers like Maria Novaro, Alejandro Gonzalez Irarritu, Marcelo Piñeyro, Luis Puenzo.

Thanks to festival organizers Raul Galvez and Kim Mckenzie-Galvez for bringing a little of our roots to us through film.

The Galves hosted a launch bash at the Drake on Wednesday night, featuring jamon serrano courtesy of Michael Tkaczuk from Serrano Imports.

Slicing jamon is a unique skill, and called in to do the honors was Jose Luis Atristain, who happens to be from the Spanish consulate.

Yours celebrating Latin American film in Toronto
Carlos

With Ospina: champion of Latino accomplishment in Canada

It’s time to identify and properly recognize our role models, Ospina says. The fact is that there are more than 900,000 Hispanics in Canada. We are five years younger than other immigrant groups, and we are more likely to be university educated than other Canadians. Most of us live in the GTA, and more than 70 per cent landed here in the last two decades.

The November 18th awards dinner is like a dream come true for me. Seeing all these accomplished Latinos, celebrating the contributions they made in our adopted country.

This year, 600 attendees will vote for their choice of the top 10 from a shortlist of 20, which were selected by a distinguished panel of journalists and executives from the CBC, the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, Canadian Business Magazine, the Hispanic Press Association of Canada, the Canadian Council of the Americas.

With Dr Zuniga-Pflucker and his wife

These are last year’s winners:

ELVIRA SANCHEZ DE MALICKI is founder of the Canadian Hispanic Congress, which has united Hispanics from 22 different countries, with over 250 member organizations to lobby government on such issues as persuading Statistics Canada to amend census gathering data to better reflect the true Hispanic profile. Ms Sanchez de Malicki has been a nightly news anchor for CFMT-TV and an independent producer of the national TV program Hispanos en Canada.

LUZ  BASCUAN has a teaching degree from the University of Chile and an MA from University of Toronto. As a public school trustee for the Toronto Board of Education for three consecutive periods, Ms. Bascuan became the first Latin American elected to public office in Canada. Since 1998, she has been the Education Advocate of the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto and created Escuela Pioneros de la Paz for teaching conflict resolution and social skills to children and youth within the context of the Latin American culture.

LITA GONZALEZ-DICKEY has been the Spanish Community Relations Officer of the Toronto Catholic District School Board for nearly 30 years. She has been instrumental in placing thousands of Hispanic children into schools, including those from many undocumented and refugee families. Ms Gonzalez-Dickey created Centro Bienvenidos, the board Spanish Resource Centre from where she helps children with their homework and provides opportunities for foreign trained teachers to get familiarized with the school system and obtain Canadian experience.

MARIA CARMEN ROMERO was granted a fellowship by the Canada Council for Arts and Humanities to pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Toronto. Her postdoctoral research at York University analyzed the positive effects of bilingualism in the early development of literacy. A teacher and principal for 28 years, Dr. Romero worked in the Canadian Centre for the Prevention and Treatment of Torture with refugees from all over the world. She has done similar work in Guatemala with the Canadian Central American Relief Effort. She initiated the opening of 17 educational programs in both the Toronto District and Catholic District School Boards.

JUAN CARLOS ZUNIGA-PFLUCKER is a professor of immunology at the University of Toronto. He recently discovered how to grow T cells in a laboratory using embryonic stem cells. T cells are the foundation of the immune system, which HIV, chemotherapy and radiation destroy. Dr. Zuniiga-Pflucker work attempts to answer one of the fundamental questions in the field: How certain cells respond to key molecular signals, making them develop into disease-fighting T cells.

JUAN CARRANZA, LLB, is the first Central American called to the Law Society of Upper Canada, with a law degree from Osgoode Hall and an MBA from Queen’s University. He is founder Carranza Barristers & Solicitors, Toronto’s largest ethnic law firm, serving clients in over ten languages, including extensive probono work by he and his firm. In 2000, Juan received the prestigious Community Service award from the Law Society of Upper Canada and was instrumental in obtaining from the CRTC Canada’s first Spanish-language radio station in 2003.

MARCO A. GUZMAN before attending St Francis Xavier University, where he was later awarded an LL.D., Mr Guzman he created Voluntarios en Accion in his native Bolivia, an organization with a 36-year record of such humanitarian work as providing thousands of school desks for children. For the last 10 years, he as been Executive Director of Frontiers Foundation Inc. He has placed thousands of national and international volunteers into partnership with aboriginal Canadian hosts and co-workers in hands-on affordable housing and education projects, such as Project Amik is a 75 -unit facility in east Toronto, with half the suites designated for aboriginal residence and 14 of the total space reserved for handicapped tenants.

ALEX JADAD. MD is one of the few doctors in the world with a doctorate in knowledge synthesis, which he received from Oxford University. In 2000 he joined the University of Toronto and founded the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation. In 2001 and 2002, he was featured by Time Magazine as one of the new Canadians who will shape Canada in the 21st century.

ESTEBAN LASSO is an international development professional with 14 years experience in social development projects, working extensively in the rural and child development sector with organizations such as Christian Children’s Fund, Catholic Relief Services and UNICEF. Since 2001, Mr Lasso has been dedicated to improving the availability of quality medical treatment and care for children and adults with left clip and palate, and related cranion-facial disorders through the nonprofit organization Transforming Faces Worldwide.

FEDERICO ALLODI, MD is recognized internationally as a pioneer, expert and activist in the field of mental health for immigrants, refugees, and torture victims. He founded the first specialized centre for the treatment of torture survivors and has participated in numerous international campaigns (many in Latin America) to advocate for health coverage for the poor.

Yours in proudly celebrating the accomplishments of Hispanics in Canada,

Carlos
Happy Hispanic Heritage month…

I am going to celebrate with a class to showcase the Mexican influences on the regional flavours of California cuisine.

Our foodie-road trip and what we’re making…..

First stop: Gilroy, the garlic capital of the world and the southernmost city in Santa Clara County.

Sopa de colilfor con ajo y crema
Cauliflower-garlic soup with crema la vaquita

Second: Oxnard, a community also in south, which has been honouring its Latino heritage for the last 15 years with an annual festival.

Oxnard salsa picante, queso fresco y tortillas.
Spicy tomato salsa, fresh cheese and corn tortillas

Third: Guadalupe, in Santa Barbara County, with Mexican influences not only in food but in music and art as well.

Ensalada tibia de cordinez con chili y chocolate
Warn quail salad with organic greens and spicy chocolate sauce..

Last stop before returning home the Anderson Valley, is located along highway 128 in Northern California about 2 1/2 hours north of San Francisco. famous for its culinary and viniculture heritage.

Torta con Fresas y dulce the leche
Strawberry shortcakes with dulce de leche

The cherry on top:
Great wines to match each course.

For more info please call LCBO Summerhill, 416 922-0403

Join us.

Yours in good food and celebrating Mexican culture and cuisine
Carlos

My friend and Torito Chef Carlos Hernandez has invited me to cook with him at the Montreal High Lights Festival.

This year’s ninth annual winter festival includes 14 Toronto chefs strutting their stuff in key Montreal restaurants.

We’re going to be in very esteemed company. The other invited chefs are Honorary President Susur Lee, Bertrand Alépée et Jason Inniss of Amuse-Bouche, Christopher Brown of Perigee, Jason Carter of Lee, Jean-Pierre Challet of The Fifth Grill, David Chrystian of Chez Victor, Keith Froggett of Scaramouche, Jamie Kennedy, JK Kitchens, Lorenzo Loseto of George, Gabriele Paganelli of Romagna Mia, Marc Thuet of Bistro & Bakery Thuet, Anthony Walsh of Canoe and Anne Yarymowich of the Art Gallery of Ontario – some serious heavy-hitters.

It’s a tremendous honour that Carlos has asked me to cook with him. I’ve admired his work for years. He has a beautiful, deceptively simple style, where flavours rule and sing. His ingredients are always the best, and his execution is highly skilled. I’m a regular patron of Torito, because there’s nowhere else in the city that can make simple food with such finesse.

Carlos just got back from Montreal yesterday, where he met with the culinary team of the Pullman Restaurant, our hosts for two evenings of cooking, and he was very excited about our trip next month.

He also told me to keep our first night in Montreal free so that we can go to Pied de Cochon, the illustrious restaurant that got so much acclaimed attention last year.

“Keep the whole evening free,” he insisted. “It’s not the kind of place to drop in to for a taste of this or that. We’re going to be there for the night.”

Sounds good to me.

If you’re going to be in the neighbourhood, come by to see us at Pullman Restaurant on Wednesday, February 27 and Thursday, February 28.

Yours in good food in Montreal
Carlos

The LCBO has picked me as their Featured Chef for the 2008 Winter Season Cooking Education Program.
This is my second Latin Fever Series for the LCBO, and the first time in seven years that a South American chef has been chosen to be Featured Chef.

It’s also a testament to what I’ve been working on – establishing Sabrosito as the go-to Latino cooking teacher and gourmet-party caterer

At the Kingsway LCBO kitchen

Talking about my roots and celebrating Latino food and heritage have given me the chance to expand people’s understanding of this cuisine.

It covers great many cultures, is influenced and developed by three continents, 23 countries, and many island nations.

For me, La Cocina de las Americas, or The Cuisine of the Americas, is rich, fresh, humble and beautiful, like many other world cuisines, let’s face it.

But just as people’s perception of Italian food has evolved far beyond spaghetti and pizza over the last 20 years, this is the age when popular awareness of Latino food will go far beyond burritos and guacamole.

More and more, people are going to be working on their guisados and tiraditos. They’re going to be expanding their ideas about cactus and chocolate [more on that soon] and daring to buy and cook boniato [white sweet potato] and chayote [vegetable pear]

I see it when I work on dinner party menus with my clients. I see it in the faces of the people who participate in my cooking classes.

I love what I’m seeing.

For that, I say, Gracias

Specials thanks in particular to the LCBO’s Joanne Leese and Rita Stephens for their recognition of my work and continued support. It’s always a pleasure working with you both. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.

Pick up a fresh copy of the Educational Program Brochure at your local LCBO. Take advantage of their great roster of classes.

Yours in good food and Latin Fever, LCBO-style
Carlos