Canoe - Taste Prairies

Supurb finish to @OliverBonacini's Canoe @ChefHorne's Taste Canada series. #GoodEats

With a focus on grains, big meats, and traditions from the Prairies, this tasting brought a bunch of new and unique flavours and textures to the table. This was without a doubt one of the heartier meals out of the series, with its regional influences and the season being in the middle of winter, the meal was still very nicely balanced and the total experience of the meal built upon the previous dish. As always, Chef Horne and his team executed a perfect meal, and took new and fun approaches to some traditional dishes. 

If you missed out on previous tastings, you can take a look at them here: Taste Québec, Taste British Columbia, Taste Maritimes, Taste 60th Parallel, and Taste Ontario.

Amuse-bouche: Stampede

Corn Dog, with Milkweed Pods, Pickled Carrot, Housemade Ketchup, and Pickled Mustard Seeds.

Paired with Nickel Brook "Babbling Brook's" Root Beer, Burlington, Ontario. 

Course 1: Homestead Beef Soup

Osso Buco, Hominy, Carrots, Sunflower Oil.

Cooked in white sweet corn, then dehydrate, chopped, and recooked for a very unique texture. Carrots slow cooked in sweet syrup.

Paired with Mill Street Brewery Dammerung Dunkel, Toronto, Ontario.

Course 2: Bison Carpraccio

Pickled Saskatoon Chanterelles, Pemmican Threads, and Shaved Duck Yolk Bottarga, Milkweed Pods, Mustard and Barley.

Paired with Rye & Ginger Shot.

Chanterelles are picked at the height of the season in August then pickled to preserve their flavour and texture. One of the most fun and interesting pairings, a Rye and Ginger shot, as you eat it, it changes. It keeps changing and keeps you finding different things, different flavour points, it's really complex. Really Flavourful. It takes away the sour notes from the pickle, the cedar flavours come through, and the giner cure from the bison shines. 

Course 3: Alberta Lamb

Curried Squash, Dinosaur Kale, Garlic, and Mixed Lentils.

Paired with Burrowing Owl Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, 2011.

Roasted lamb loin sitting on lamb terrine made with neck meat. Spanish sweet and sour sauce, and roasted squash. 

Intermezzo: Birch

Buffalo Yoghurt and Birch Syrup.

Course 4: Manatoba Lake Trout

Cabbage, Puffed Grains, Swede Broth, and Rutabaga Pierogies.

Paired with Keint-He Portage Rosé, Prince Edward County, Ontario, 2013.

One of the most understated dishes of the night, the crystal clear consommé was full of flavour from the cabbage that had been braising for 6 hours to give it a melt in your mouth sensation. The drizzle of olive oil provides just enough texture to give it the broth a velvety feel.

Course 5: Granola Bar

Saskatoon Berries, Hemp, Buckwheat, Olive Oil Ivoire Cream, Cashews and Quinoa.

Paired with Hinterland Ancestral, Prince Edward County, Ontario 2013.