Edena _ Sheidon CUISINE SCENE - CELEBRATION! ! THE word ’ generally brings to mind fond memories, great antici- - pations, a bit of reverence, “new beginnings, some expec- ‘tation, and usually good food ' as the fecal peint. © A case in point is the 50th. “> anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. I have my own per- = sonal celebratory bit of recollection * to'share with you in connection With this’great event. My Uncle John (brother of my ; mother) served in the Army Air ‘ Corps in WWIL. Not abie to write and send letters back home giving much detail as to whereabouts of * missions, etc., any communications ‘to family awaiting news was vague, to'say the least. . However, 1944 brought with it the occasion of my first birthday in August: My mother received a brief . _ telegram following the D-Day inva- sion from Uncle John that stated: *“Final mission conipleted. Stop. Be - home in time for Edeny’s first birth- “day party on Aug..17. Stop.” Which brings me to the point of elebrations. My family ‘has trea- sured 35mm home movies of that ” first birthday party; held on our _ front lawn, white picket fence and all with me, seated upright in my fooden high-chair, and an enor- mous homemade three-layered coconut frosted cake with candle set , before me-: “My hands and face v were > covered ith frosting, as were my tussled brown Shirley Temple ringlets. : With my father’s home camera : ‘rolling,’ a taxi cab pulled up in front : of our-house. And, true to his ““'telegrammed promise, Uncle John _ ¢limbed out of that taxi (to the “«" ‘squeals and tears of joy of my fami- . ly) to celebrate that very first birth- . day with me! :. Speaking of birthdays, this week ‘itis the birthday of a much-respect- ed chef, and dear friend of mine, Pierre Delacote, executive chef at " Seasons In The Park (at Queen ‘Elizabeth Park). * ~ T met with Delacote last week for a few hours of talk and to see “and sample some items from his new menu. The new dishes are eS stunners, and great examples of how exciting simplicity can be in the hands of an artist like Pierre (yes, he draws as well as he cooks!) » “On my new menu, I’ve gone back to simpler things. Someone “asked me recently (a food writer) to “comment on what direction | _ believed the food of the future would take. I said “it will be total confusion, like life right now, with everything all mixed together’.” ; So, to avoid confusion, Pierre ~ has taken an approach to simplify .. his plates, noting that he wants “nothing superfluous on them. He? concentrates, instead, on balancing color and textures: textures ae very fnaqortant to Delacote, Take for example his seared peppered Sei ilops With green poa and peppermint purée wilh fried lecks. “Taste i" he said: The smooth purée, the slightly gummy texture of the scallops with their crunchy peppered crust. with the very crispy texture of the fried leeks." And, he is absolutely right, Other pew innovations of note: Shrimp Cocktail 1994 — “almost a traditional shrimp,cocktail from the “80s bound up in a ‘94 sheet of soft- ened nori (black seaweed sheet) into a parcel held fast by a comb of diagonally sliced celery (rom his. hairdressing days way back). His treatment of fresh asparagus is inspired (some of the best Fve had): marinated in sesame oil, grilled, and served atop a pool of warm beurre blanc sauce punched with fresh ginger, cilantro, and toasted sesame seeds, The presentation is a stunner, with crispy fried lotus root chips on top. Not to be missed. . There's a new sun-dried and Roma tomato tart with Canadian goat cheese in a crispy phyllo crust, surrounded by a river of beetroot oil, tiny capers, and puckery Nigoise olives. - And, oh yes, towards the end of our visit, Delacote mentioned some- thing in passing about a great new waffle he is doing tor Sunday Brunch: a crispy waffle tapped with super-rich mascarpone cream cheese to fill all those little squares and topped with a warm skillet- caramelized mélange of fresh berries and fruit. ; Now that certainly calls for some sort of celebration in itself! If for no other reason (and there really is no better) than to take time out to smell the roses (the Rose Garden is in full show right now) and to share - great food in a perfect setting. Tell. - Pierre that Edena sent you. And by the way, bonne anniver- saire, Pierre (June 9)! Sesame Grilled Asparagus. Delacote’s version of grilled “asparagus with an unctuous beurre blinc sauce calls for a wee bit of expertise in the sauce making. Here is the original, with a simple may- onnaise-based ‘variation of my own following. ‘ * Both are lovely. Serves four as an appetizer. 2 Ibs. (1 kg) fresh asparagus (thin or medium) % ¢ (50 mL) sesame oil (for mari- nating) ”e (125 mL) vegetable oil 1-2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and pressed Thin stices Cresh Move Peel dower third of asparagus (using a swivel vegetable peeler) only Wf very hinge and tough. Otherwise, do not bother. Combine vegetable oil plus sesiune oi) with the garlic. Brush over all the asparagus, ina hirge, shallow dish, and let marinate about tive minutes, Grill the asparagus over a barbe- cue or indoor grill until just tender, and sll crisp. Remove fram grill ind set aside, Have warm beurre blanc (or mayonnaise variation) prepared, Have crispy fried lotus root chips (if using) ready, just before serving, To present, spoon a pool of warm sauce onlo centre of each of the four plates. Place a bundle of six to eight grilled asparagus spears in centre. Top with three to four crispy lotus chips. Twist a thin slice fresh lime as garnish, scatter with - toasted sesame seeds, and serve, Delacote suggests blanching asparagus first to ensure a tender end result. To blanche, plunge into “a large, uncovered pot of boiling, salted water. Remove immediately when water resumes boil (about one minute), Drain completely before- marinating. Ginger-Cilantro Beurre Blanc Sauce Ac. (150 mL) white wine %« plus 1 Tbsp. (90 mL) white wine vinegar 2 Thsp. (30 mi.) minced shallots ¥ Ib. (259 g) chilled unsalted but- ter cut into small cubes - Salt and freshly ground white pepper 1 tsp. (5 mL) grated fresh ginger 1 Tbsp. (15 mL) minced. fresh cilantro ’ tsp. (2 mL) toasted sesame oil 1 tsp. (5 mL) fresh lemon or lime juice Toasted sesame ‘seeds (garnish) Place wine, vinegar and shallots in small non-reactive (stainless steel or enameled) saucepan. Reduce, over high heat, uncovered, until syrupy and reduced by half. Over very low heat (and moving the pan on and off the heat) begin adding the chilled butter, cube by cube. Whisk in each bit of butter just until it almost melts in, and . then add another cube. Whisk ‘con- stantly, and do not allow the sauce to boil or even simmer. Mixture should be just warm enough to allow each cube to melt. _ in. By whisking, sauce should result in a creamy, light, and silken- smooth sauce. Finish by whisking in the salt and pepper to taste, grated ginger. _ personal Singles from ali over the Lower Mainland are talking and meeting each other through Taiking Personals, every week in their VAN community classifieds. Call 1-300-466-6856. ‘Talking Personals talking Persona.+. are for singte deople over 18 looking fora sincere relationsmp. Expheit of wnpltcit Seaual language will not be accepted, soned ae eter Joan MEWS photo Nelt Lucente SEASONS IN The Park executive chef Plorre Delacote presents a quintet of new appotizer dishes from his: newest menu, including (irom left): a sun-dried and roms tomato tart, shrimp cocktail 1594, sesame grilled asparagus, seared peppered scallops with pea puree, and vichyssoise with smoked ssimon. cilantro, sesame oil and citrus juice. Taste and correct for seasoning... Serve warm with the asparagus as suggested. Lotus Root Chips i fresh lotus root (lock’ in Asian ’ marketplaces) Cornstarch Vegetable oil Peel the lotus root. Slice into thin disks. Dredge very lightly with cornstarch to coat, place disks’in a mesh-sieve and shaking off excess. Deep-fry in 350°F (180°C) hot vegetable oil, several chips at a time (do not crowd or chips will steam and not crisp up nicely) until very EDGEMONT VILLAGE Corner of Edgemont Blve. + Queens crisp and light golden in color.” Drain on absorbent Paper. Serve. " Ginger-CHantro-Sesame.. ey Mayonnaise 30 I tried a quick variation of the sauce at’ home: for the grilled asparagus — with Delacote’s" per-. mission. He thought about it, and decreed: Yes. that wilt work nice- ly. ” He added, “When i was very a young,. my mother Jacqueline |. taught me how to make a mayon- naise by hand. She.was very explic- it in telling me to only whisk it in See Seaton page 46.