Resto Review: Hoof Cafe

I've never considered myself a restaurant reviewer, but after the brunch I had today and with the amount of amazing restaurants there are in this fair city of Toronto I have decided to mix restaurant reviews in with my own recipes and culinary experiments, because I often get inspiration from the food I eat when I'm out.

For my inaugural restaurant review I feel compelled to tell you about the Hoof Cafe (923 Dundas West Toronto). The Hoof Cafe just opened this week and comes to us from Jen Agg and Grant van Gameran, the owners of Black Hoof (928 Dundas West Toronto) the well-known charcuterie. Now I'll be up front about the fact that I haven't yet been to Black Hoof, it's been on my ever growing list of spots to try but we haven't made it there yet. The plan was to hit up the One of a Kind this morning and then head back west to check out Black Hoof tonight. As the boy was making some final purchases I was tweeting away on my blackberry and saw that @Foodie411 was at the Hoof Cafe and raving about it. I quickly replied asking how busy he was and with his tweet of "come now there's lots of room" I insisted we head over there for some grub since we were already in the West End and were hungry.


We walked in to modern meets shabby chic room filled with a generous bar and gorgeous cabinets covered with lead-paned glass doors and retro aluminum chairs. The rest of the space is tiny with only about 8-10 tables black tables and modern wood chairs. We were graciously greeted by someone at the bar and the hostess and brought to one of the few still empty (thankfully!) tables. The menu on the table was for cocktails, beer and wine. All the wines were from Ontario and the cocktails were all custom designed by Jen Agg, the cocktail maven over at Black Hoof and included her commentary on each one. Drinks are divided by White & Brown, The Rosy Cheeks (white) and Kwanza in Havana (brown) both sounded amazing to me, but I'd happily try any drink on that menu.

The food menu was written on a chalkboard, that since the boy had his back against the wall the chalkboard was on I had the pleasure of reading it aloud, hopefully not to the annoyance of any of the diners around me. The menu is comprised of, among a few other things, Pig Skin Soup, Granola with Goat Yogurt, Hoof Hash (made with tongue), Suckling Pig Benny, Brioche French Toast with an optional slab of Foie Gras, Rabbit & Buckwheat Pancakes and Pig Tails & Grits. The boy went for the Suckling Pig Benny with a latte to drink and I went for it with the Brioche French Toast topped with the Foie Gras. I had some serious trouble making my pick even when the server was there taking the boy's order. When I finally ordered my French Toast, I hesitated for a second before adding the foie gras and when I did got an impressed nod and a "Nice!" from our server. At this point I wasn't sure if I just don't look like the type of girl to eat that, or it was his favorite dish and he was happy that I ordered it.

We sat and sipped our warm drinks on this blustery December day and ogled as other people's food was served. The couple next to us got the Hoof Hash, Pig Tails & Grits and Sabodet (a side of sausage and lentils). While both dishes looked great, I still eagerly anticipated our food. I watched as a few plain French Toasts went by and while it looked good I can't imagine seeing foie gras as an add on to a dish and not going for it. Luckily for me and my cholesterol it's not on all that many menus of places I visit regularly. Finally our wait was over (and I say finally as I really was looking forward to my meal, not because we waited a long time, because we didn't) and oh was it worth it. The presentation was perfect, just elegant enough with out being stuffy or overdone, went perfectly with the decor and service we had experienced thus far. The server carefully explained what each dish was comprised of and after a few quick pics, it was a must. We dug in. My first bite was a bit of perfectly seared foie gras, with a flake or two of sea salt, a bite of french toast and smear of ginger peach preserves. All I can say is that I was in heaven. The buttery foie gras, with the sea salt and then the just sweet enough french toast and preserves. It was the perfect sweet and savory bite. They brought over some maple syrup for me, but I can't imagine who in their right mind would ruin the perfection of this dish with maple syrup. Don't get me wrong I love maple syrup but this dish was so well thought out that it needed nothing else. I got the feeling the server agreed as the syrup was definitely placed down as an after thought, with a "just in case you want it." At this point I was confident that the server approved of my order because how could you not just die over food this good.

The boy's plate had two biscuit halves topped with confited suckling pig, a perfectly poached egg and pickled jalapeno hollandaise. It also came with a baby arugula salad topped with house made pork rinds. I was honestly just about done eating what I could on my plate before I finally asked him for a bite, just in time too as he only had two left! It was delicious with the kick of the pickled jalapeno hollandaise really making it special and adding just the right amount of kick. This could be the perfect hangover cure, I'll have to try it as that next time I'm nursing one. I still had about a third of my plate left, so we switched and the boy finished my french toast as I finished his greens. While everything was delicious it was all a bit rich and the baby arugula added some nice, light freshness. Make sure your stomach candle handle some rich food before braving these dishes. That's not a bad thing in my opinion, we should all indulge every once in awhile.

All in all I cannot wait to go back to the Hoof Cafe to try the rest of the menu, most especially the Tongue Grilled Cheese. I will also be getting over to the Black Hoof sooner rather than later.

T&C: Thumprint Cookies

For this month's Taste & Create I was paired with Simran over at Bombay Foodie. I initially felt like I should do a fabulous Indian dish bust since I'm starting to plan for my holiday cookies I decided to try these delectable looking morsels which I knew would pair very well with my homemade jam. PLus I almost forgot to do my entry and I had all of the ingredients easily on hand. All that being said I'm glad I discovered these cookies and all of my friends should look out for them in their cookie tins this year. Don't forget to check out what everyone did here.




Thumbprint Cookies
from Bombay Foodie

60 grams butter - room temperature
30 grams superfine sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup ground almonds

1. Cream butter with sugar. Mix 1/2 cup flour with 1/4 cup ground almonds and add to the creamed butter. Mix to form a dough, then chill in the fridge for half an hour or so.
2. Preheat oven to 350F. Place small balls of dough on a baking sheet, and press with your thumb to flatten and make a dent in the middle of the cookie. Bake for 15 minutes. You can either fill these dents with jam before you bake (in which case it gets a bit chewy) or you can bake them plain then fill them.

Apologies for not converting the measurements, I used my kitchen scale so I didn't need to worry about it. I'm a little flat out getting ready to travel home for Thanksgiving. I used about 10 grams more butter that the recipe called for as I found the dough a bit too dry, but once I did these gorgeous little cookies were perfectly butter with a delicious almond flavor. The boy loves my jams and loved this cookie with them too.

Enjoy!

Sage Roasted Turkey

Here is my final Thanksgiving Day Feast recipe. I apologize in advance for no photo but I made this meal for a group of hungry people who had just spent a November day in and out of a cold lake in Central Ontario bringing the dock in for the winter. Needless to say when this meal was done not one person had the patience to wait to be served a hot meal and after all the work they did I didn't think they should. As you read the recipe you'll see why it was hard to even snap a quick pic of the bird or shall I say a pretty quick pic of the bird. Even though there isn't photographic evidence of this deliciously tasty bird. I urge you to try it, whether it's with a turkey or a chicken. It's the only way to cook them as far as I am concerned.

Sage Roasted Turkey

serves 8 with leftovers

1 12 lb turkey
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 tsp sea salt
12 fresh sage leaves
1 lemon - washed and quartered
1 small onion quartered
6 or more fresh rosemary sprigs
6 or more fresh sage sprigs
1 head of garlic

1. Make sure your turkey is fully defrosted and at room temperature before roasting. Remove giblets and neck. Rinse and pat dry inner cavity and skin.
2. Preheat oven to 325F. Place butter, sage leaves and sea salt into a food processor and pulse until sage leaves are chopped and combined with butter. Set aside.
3. Sprinkle sea salt and fresh cracked pepper inside the turkey's cavity. Stuff the turkey with lemon quarters, onion quarters, whole head of garlic and sprigs of herbs.
4. Rub the sage butter all over the turkey's skin. Truss up the legs and wings. For instructions on how to truss a turkey click here.
5. Place the turkey, breast down in a roasting pan and place in the heated oven. Roast for 15-20 minutes per pound basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices. As the roasting time winds down, test the thigh with and instant read thermometer. It is ready when the temperature is 170F and the juices run clear.
6. When done remove roasting pan from the oven and remove the turkey to a carving board letting rest under a tent of foil, breast side down for 15 minutes before carving. Turn the turkey over to carve and enjoy with your favorite gravy or jus and sides.

Roasting the bird with the breast side down, allows all of the deliciously rich thigh juices to run into the breast keeping it moist and tender. Resting it breast side down just continues the process. While it doesn't make for the most photogenic bird, the flavor speaks for itself. As I have never carved a bird at the dinner table, and I doubt most people don't unless they live in some Norma Rockwell alternate universe, I'd say forgo the gorgeously browned breast for flavor and tenderness. Instead of a traditional gravy I made a jus with the pan drippings and some red wine.

I have one great leftover recipe that I'll post on Friday, so in between all the Black Friday craziness, if you are looking for something a bit different to do with your turkey leftovers check it out.

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

Cornbread & Sausage Dressing

When it comes to Thanksgiving I feel like there are two camps, those who make stuffing that they stuff the bird with and those that make dressing which is served along side the bird. I grew up in a dressing home. As I began roasting my own chicken and turkey, I held to making dressing rather than stuffing as the bird roasts much faster not being stuffed. We generally have a more traditional dressing at Thanksgiving and in the spirit of trying something different I decided to make a cornbread sausage dressing.


Cornbread & Sausage Dressing
Serves 4-6

2 Sweet Italian sausages
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion diced
2 stalks celery chopped
1 carrot chopped
6 corn muffins
1 cup or more chicken or turkey stock
2 Tbsp sliced sage leaves
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup dried cherries
salt & pepper to taste
handful of chopped flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

1. Preheat a skillet over medium heat with olive oil. Remove sausage from casing and brown in skillet. Remove browned sausage with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate.
2. Using the sausage drippings and adding more oil if necessary, saute to carrots, onion and celery until soft. Add back in the sausage, add in the sage and one cup of stock, let simmer until stock reduces by half. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cut the corn muffins into approximately 1" cubes. Gently toss the cornbread, walnut pieces, dried cherries and sausage mixture. Pour into a baking dish, cover with aluminum foil and keep at room temperature.
4. Thirty minutes before serving place the covered baking dish into an oven heated to 350F. Bake for 30 minutes to warm through, check halfway into cooking time and add in more stock if dressing is too dry. Serve garnished with parsley.


I loved the way the sweetness of the cherries and cornbread played off of the savory sausage. It worked really well and made for a nice complement to a roast turkey. Enjoy!

Roasted Sweet Potato and Banana Mash

This dish came about as a result of my desire to do a potato side that was different from standard mashed potatoes, and while I LOVE candied yams they are not the most healthy option. Since I am ramping up on the whole getting into shape thing for my wedding next year, I am always looking for satisfying dishes that are a bit healthier. Sweet potatoes are generally better for you than plain old white, if you don't douse them in tons of sugar and syrups. I decided to roast up some sweet potatoes and banana, mix it all with maple syrup and voila, a healthier answer to candied yams and mashed potatoes and gravy.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Banana Mash

4 large sweet potatoes
2 bananas
1/4 maple syrup
1/4 tsp nutmeg
sea salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Using a fork poke holes all over the sweet potatoes, place on a cookie sheet in the preheat oven and roast for approximately an hour or until soft all the way through. Place the bananas, with peels on into the oven for the last 20 minutes of the roasting time.
2. Once the potatoes and bananas are roasted remove from oven and let cool until they are easy to handle. Cut potatoes in half and scoop flesh into a large bowl. Carefully peel bananas and add to bowl.
3. Mash potatoes and bananas using a potato masher. Add in maple syrup, nutmeg and salt & pepper to taste, stir to combine. Serve.

This was so very easy to make and packed a huge amount of flavor from roasting the fruit and vegetable. The maple syrup added just enough sweetness to echo traditional candied yams without being too cloying. Try these ones on your family this year and let me know how they go over.

Enjoy!