Ginger² - High Level Diner

Ginger² - Your favourite Crabbies Original alcoholic Ginger Beer with a 1 oz. shot of Skyy's Ginger Vodka, served in a 20 oz. glass over ice - $20 (CAD)

***

Hmm... I think CJ may have accidentally deleted a post on the spicy octopus salad...

So, my sous chefs of note may recall that CJ had done a review of Crabbies a little while ago, and when he had breakfast a few months ago with his ex-coworker at High Level Diner, the Ginger² was discovered.

CJ knows how Christopher Columbus must have felt when he discovered the Americas... "Damn! I need a good drink!!"

The presentation of the drink is fine: a shooter glass of vodka, the green-bottled Crabbies and a class filled with ice and a slice of lime and a slice of lemon. All very nice, yes?

The taste? Well, pretty ginger-y, if that's a word. I suppose the first half glass you could sense the vodka, but after it's been watered down a bit and you pour the rest of the beer in, it's basically just Crabbies.

The cost? A little on the high side. Mind you, Crabbies is expensive all by itself anyways, and adding the shooter was only an additional $2.50 (CAD) anyway, so you aren't going to have to sell your first-born just to get the vodka added.

The proof:

The grade: just because Ginger Spice was CJ's favourite Spice Girl doesn't mean he would give her (or this drink) a perfect score: a 7.9 out of 10.0.

Big Rock Rye & Ginger

Big Rock Rye and Ginger 6-pack $12.99 (CAD) plus $0.60 deposit

***

Greetings, humanoids.

It was back in CJ's 4th year of university, when he first heard about Big Rock Brewery. It turns out the introductory financial accounting professor was a fan of beer, and had used the (was it 1997?) annual report to help teach, well, financial accounting. The financial statements were pretty simple and basic back in the day, but the prof really like using it, as he had an acronym to help us learn about the structure of a company's balance sheet: Assets = Liabilities + Equity, or ALE for short... Pretty clever, wasn't he?

Ever since that day, CJ has either loved or hated Big Rock's beers. Grasshöpper Wheat Ale was a big favourite. Traditional, not so much, and DON'T get CJ started about their Rock Creek Cider - it's simply not fit for a Crown Float, perhaps the greatest libation of all time...

So while driving home one day from my day job, there was an add from Jason Gregor who mentioned the Big Rock Rye and Ginger Ale. As you all know, CJ likes all things "ginger" so a purchase was in order.

Very refreshing beer! Not too sweet like a ginger ale, but more of a beer with a bit of the sharpness of ginger combined with a bit o' sweetness. No question, I would buy this beer again and again.

The photograph:

The grade: 8.3 out of 10.0. A very solid score for a Canadian beer...

Lemon & Herb Rubber Canadian Pork Tenderloin - Gingered Noodle Salad with Mango and Cucumber

Lemon & Herb Rubbed Canadian Pork Tenderloin

1 Canadian pork tenderloin, well trimmed, approx. 12 oz / 0.375 kg

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp / 15 mL lemon zest
4 sprigs fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 sprig fresh rosemary, finely chopped

2 Tbsp / 25 mL canola oil

0.5 tsp / 2 mL sea salt

0.5 tsp / 2 mL chili pepper flakes


Gingered Noodle Salad with Mango and Cucumber
(dressing and salad separated as per Lou's preference...)


Vinaigrette:
6 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1.5 tablespoons vegetable oil (Chef Jebediah used canola oil)

1.5 teaspoons chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 teaspoon minced jalapeño or serrano chile (including seeds), or to taste

1 garlic clove, chopped

Salad:

0.5 pound bean thread (cellophane) noodles

1 seedless cucumber (usually plastic wrapped), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced diagonally 

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced diagonally (1 cup)

1 firm but ripe mango, peeled. pitted. and thinly sliced

2 thin carrots, very thinly sliced diagonally

1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro sprigs (CJ went a little light here, too)

***

Well, CJ had the good fortune to visit Calgary during the Stampede a few weekends ago. Between the rain and watching the Working Cow Horse Classic, CJ visited the agri-dome(?) where they showed city-folk where milk comes from, what's canola, eggs, chickens, etc... and pork, of course. CANADIAN pork, to be more precise, and they all had various recipes to (honestly, the recipe read "CANADIAN" pork tenderloin...)

So CJ picked up the postcard-sized recipe (along with my I (heart) Alberta Beef) tattoos, and decided it was time for another pork tenderloin dish.

The writeup on the card mentioned that it would be well suited with "...rice or pasta and your favourite fresh vegetables or a salad with citrus fruits and pine nuts". Wham! So a salad was found (maybe not the well-suited) to accompany the pork.

The rub was incredibly easy, and left overnight. Pork was popped into the oven, for about 10 minutes longer than suggested, and it was still moist and tasty! Good seasoning, not too overbearing. CJ was a little tight with the lemon zest, so a second or third lemon is recommended.

The Gingered Noodle Salad with Mango and Cucumber was up next. CJ has always had a soft spot for soba noodles, so this salad seemed like a good fit.

The vinaigrette wasn't processed in a blender, unless you consider CJ's powerful wrists and biceps as heavy machinery. A nice flavour, with little to no aftertaste. Refreshing, if you will.

As for the salad, not a lot of cilantro was used, probably less than 0.25 cup. Use more, next time, CJ will. And it was a little disappointing that the noodles didn't toss well enough with the fruit and vegetables. Why didn't it mix well enough? Were the noodles a little too well cooked? Still too wet?

Regardless, my little sous chefs are probably foaming at the mouth in anticipation of a photo of the latest culinary wonder ...

 Well, there you have it!

The Grade: Pork Tenderloin: 8.1 out of 10.0. Salad: 7.0 out of 10.0.

Barley Sushi Salad with Nori

3/4 cup pearl barley
5 shiitake-mushroom caps, cut into strips
1/2 cup sliced smoked salmon
1/2 English cucumber, seeded and sliced into half moons (I used a non-English cucumber - I forget which type)
3 tbsp pickled ginger, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
2 tsp dark sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 sheet nori seaweed
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

***

Well, here is the Chatelaine recipe, Part Deux.

If I had to describe this salad in as few words as possible, while still maintaining it's "character" I would say: "Virgin Sushi Salad". Those three words is all it takes.

"Virgin": because it's close to raw fish, but not really, and the barley is a proxy to the rice

"Sushi": because it's still fish and there's the pickled ginger you will find accompanying said sushi.

"Salad": because it is indeed a salad.

In fact, I might even suggest this dish to someone who hasn't had the pleasure of tantalizing their palate with sushi before - a good "Virgin Sushi" dish... Like for that uncultured friend/relative of yours who has trouble trying something new. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.


I spent quite some time at my not-so-local Asian market to find the ingredients. My suggestion - find the Japanese section, and you'll find most of the necessary reagents there and not have to waste your time wading through the other sections.

In terms or preparation, this bad boy only takes about 30 minutes, most of which is spent waiting for the barley to cook.

Taste was pretty fresh. Not too overpowering, but I do like the combo between the pickled ginger and sesame oil/rice vinegar. It just reminds me of sushi.

Evidence:

It doesn't look fancy. I really should have spent more time separating the salmon, but, proper food presentation is a harsh mistress. I have yet to learn all she has to teach... Additionally, maybe a bit more barley to salmon/ginger ratio would be suggested too.

Overall, a solid if unspectacular grade of 7.6 out of 10.

Gingered Carrot Soup

1 tbsp butter
2 cups carrot
1 cup onion
1/2 cup celery
2 tbsp ginger
3 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup long grain brown rice (I used mixed rice)
1 tbsp liquid honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

***
After you mix the reagents together, you say "An Nox" and BAM! you are cured of what ails you! Just kidding...

I obtained this piece palate-pleasing soup from one of my current co-workers. She had the recipe book in front of her during lunch hour, and I asked if I could quickly peruse through it. With my good looks and charm, she couldn't resist. Quickly I had found two recipes that tickled my fancy (and it would appear my co-worker's as well) - this ginger carrot soup and a goulash soup.

What are you going to do on a Saturday night after studying for your CASB final evaluation on the upcoming Friday? Well, what I did was cook some soup. I really wish I could have recorded the smell. When I added that ginger root to the onions, celery, carrots and butter, it was like ginger heaven - all that was missing was beer, a decent hockey game on tv and scantily-clad women. I would have added that smell to the website for all my little sous-chefs to enjoy.... ahhh technology, why have you forsaken us? Sure, you give us 3-D tvs, but when will smells come out?

Speaking of ginger, when I was younger one of my brother's friends was snooping through our refrigerator. He pulled out a ginger root and said, "What's this?". Either my brother or I helped the culturally-challenged individual and told him it was ginger. "Really?", he replied, and proceeded to bite it. He didn't take a bite out of it, he just bit it. Then he put it back in the fridge. Needless to say, this individual is depraved.

Back to the soup.

It has the usual vegetable-triad of carrots, onions and celery. After the cooking and the pureeing is done, it ends up being pretty thick. And tasty.  I actually added more ginger than the recipe asked for, and was worried that it would be too strong. But it wasn't at all. To my palate the ginger wasn't strong enough. Next time I'll have to up the ante.

Also, I didn't make enough to taste the soup the following day. Because, as everyone knows, soup is always better the second day. Well, I've made a mental note to double up the recipe for next time.

Final score: 7.0 out of 10.

Here is the photographic evidence:

Got ginger?

Banana Ginger Squares

1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped candied ginger
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

***

Well, I busted out Mr. Hyam's ol' Thai cookbook this afternoon, after I had finished my revisions to my week 3, Module 1 CASB assignment....

Regardless, I was thinking I should use up some of those bananas we had. Yes, banana bread would be a great idea, but how else can you combine bananas, ginger and coconut?

Mummy and I had some warm Banana Ginger Squares while we watched some episodes of season 4 of Homicide. Good stuff. Really, I should have added a little pad of butter to it, so it could melt and find it's way into all the nooks and crannies of the bread....  Indeed, another option I was considering was adding chocolate chips to the batter before it goes into the oven.

Here's the whole pan, at a 3/4 view:

...and now a side view. You can see the banana see clearly mixed in. Tough to see the ginger, but believe me, it's in there:

Overall, a quick and easy bread to make. My tastebuds give it a 7 out of 10.

Coconut Ginger Chocolate Brownies

1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
2 eggs
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 chocolate chips
2 tablespoon diced crystallized ginger
1/2 cup dried, unsweetened shredded coconut

***

Wow. Have you ever been kicked in the mouth with pure delicious flavour before? Well, it tastes like these brownies. If you like chocolate and ginger, then this is right up your alley.

I cooked this up on Saturday afternoon, and had them warm and fresh from the oven. It indeed was chocolatey-ginger goodness. Unf*cking believable is what these were...

I bought a Thai cookbook about 6 or 7 years ago (Honestly, who doesn't love Thai??? Actually, I do know someone - I think my cousin's wife doesn't like Thai food). It's from an American chef - Nathan Hyam, and this recipe was contained therein. He tends to westernize some of the Thai recipes, but it's still a great resource. I have to admit, this cookbook is my favorite, and I've made a handful of desserts and a few main courses. All but two have worked out. I'll see if I can throw together something else from his book soon.

Even before I took my first bite, I think that maybe a suitable substitute for the ginger might be dried cranberries. (Seriously? Yes, Niki, SERIOUSLY). All my little sous-chefs know that I like cranberries, and you can see that I've cooked with them before. I do think the chocolate flavours would go along swimmingly with the cranberries. When I try it I'll let you know.