Dessert as light as spring From page 32 and mushy at the ends, nor withering or wrinkling at the stent end. Snap cach spear by hold- ing the end of the thick stem and bending the bud end until the tough part of the stem breaks off. Cook the bud end (usual- ly 4 to 8 inches) in as little water as possible, just a tablespoon in the microwave, removing to cat before it changes to a browner green. Drizzle a little butter and lemon over the cooked spears, cat it plain, or make a fancy hollandaise sauce to decorate it with. If you want to add a grain to this meal, or substitute it for the poratoes, the Mediterranean flavour is enhanced with a bulgur pilaf. le Snow f ‘or a light-as-spring-itsel dessert, try this Auffy but refreshing concoction, which cam be made ahead of time. 4 med. cooking apples" 3 egg whites Ke. su 1T bsp. lemon juice Peel, core and slice apples into 2 saucepan. Add 4 c. cold water and cover tightly. Cook slowly until they’re mushy. Mash and whip until they’re smooth and fluffy. There should be nearly I ¢ stiff sauce. Chill. Beat egg whites until just ° fluffy, and gradually beat in the sugar and lemon juice. Continue b-ating until very ‘stiff and smooth. : Fold in the chilled apple fsauce until thorcughly © $blended. Pour into individual ‘serving dishes and chill. Betore serving decorate awith a small Jemon wedge, a rig or mint or a glazed ARGENTINE wines have been doing a fast- forward in quality the last couple of years, but this pair of bargain bot- tles, both from the Martin Santos firm, show a remarkable level of skill and diversity. One is a Shiraz/Malbec blend, the other a straight Shiraz, but they couldn’t be more difterent in style. One thing they have in common besides their maker: they're two of the best value reds cur- rently available for under $10. Both are non-vintage, which allows for a little back-cellar “adjustment” to guarantec consistency and so far it scems to work. I've yet to encounter a duff or uneven bottle of either during exhaustive “quality control” testing. Martin Santos Shiraz/Malbec. $9.95 Argentina This is a very good knock- off of the Aussie style of blending grape varieties to produce jammy, full flavoured, instantly drinkable bingo that goes down 2 treat with slabs of brute red meat seared over hot coals in the open, accompanied by thick north shore news ip HOOD Argentine Shiraz quality impresses john ‘Moore WINE SPOTS slabs of rustic bread, no frilly side dishes and a minimum of utensils. That pretty much describes the “assado,” the traditional cookout of the famous gaucho cowboys of the Pampas. These guys could give Aussies lessons in Barbecue 100: for the real thing, they spit a whole steer, light a bonfire under it and somebody gives it a turn once in while, if he happens to be passing and not busy singing, playing a guitar, sucking red Wine trom a goatskin or toss- ing his bolos over his shoul- der. Diners cut chunks of bread from huge loaves, fold them like pita bread, and slice bits of burned outer beef onto the bread with big Bowie-styie knives they also use to trim their nails, pick their teeth and settle complex gaucho feuds later in the evening when suf- ficient red wine has been con- sumed, Ole! Martin Santos Shiraz. $9.95 Argentina Total surprise, this is a whole different animal from the same line. This Shiraz is made in the classic, more austere style of the Rhone. Its dense, concen- trated blackberry fruit flavours and slightly “ropey” texture mellow with a lide air-time into an unexpectedly sophisti- cated Shiraz. A big bonus is that when you get down to the fast glass and say, “Can this wine be this good for §9.952” you can afford ta open another bottle and repeat the experiment without applying for a budget t. P Excellent value for the money, with good aging potential, despite being a non-vintage wine. Buy it up fast before everybody clues in and demand is so heavy that the gaucho gnomes working the vats run out of whatever old vintages they're lacing the stuff with and can’t maintain the quality. Important note: read the labels carefully. These wines look identical, both sporting a label which looks ike a an Argentine stamp featuring a gaucho at full gallop, bolos a- Taste the Nation fights poverty THE tastiest way to fight hunger is less than a month away. And tomerrow is the dead- line to buy discounted carly- bird tickets to this year’s Taste of the Nation, taking May 13 at the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre. More than 45 purveyors of fine foods and liquids will be gathering in a convention cen- tre transformed for the night. into an_ historic’ Vancouver, with cobbleszone lanes, gas fit lanterns and fog imported from Burrard Inlet. Eighty per - cent of proceeds raised will go to local charitable organiza- place * . Pointe. tions fighting hunger and poverty, while 20% will go to international organizations Ambleside Bistro and Salmon House on the Hill will make up the Narth Shore con- tingent at the giant-sized tast- ing, where other award win- ning participants include the Four Seasons Hotel, C Restaurant, The Cannery and celebrated out-of-towner, The restaurant. at The Wickaninnish Inn. i This is the ninth annual Taste of the Nation, presented by Share our Strength, the par- ent organization of the event. Tt will take place in more than 100 cities across the continent, introducing the all-new 4-Door VIFARA. The newest member of the celebrated VITAFG family of compact sport utilities. so ® 259 |: Buy frora 983-2088 i oF. 2.909 - TP. oo ean pavdes Freight & PDE *20,890 North Vancouver Suzuki 1695 Marine Dr. North Vanccuver 5.332 Laat taxes * Rear door chid sofery locks * 4-wheel ADS (optional) wipe * 16” of-seoson radials © 2.5 lave, 16-valve DOHC engine ® Reintorced ladder box frame * Power-assisted rack H Pinion steering * Drive Selecr 4x6 * Dual air bags ¢ Side impact beoms * Auto-on lighting system * Tachometer © Tit steering * Cenne console * Roof rails * Seating for 5 SUZUKI CO ed All you have to do i¢ drive one including eight in Canada. Tickets are $49.95 uncil April 15, $59.95 after that date., available through TicketMaster at 280-4444. For more intor- mation, call the Taste of the Nation ‘hotline at 691-7764. — Deana Lancaster Dr. David Bo Zhong, CMD Herb and Acupuncture specialist Qigong Master “dT was 38 weeks pregnont and my baby was breech, which meant { would have had to have u C-section. After 2 visits to Dr. Zhong my baby turned back to a head first position and f went on to. deliver him vaginally 3 weeks later.” Wednesday, April 14, 1999 -- North Shore News — twirl. The price is identical; the wine is not. My own taste runs to the unblended Shiraz; the blend may hit your Gaucho-Spot. Try one of each, then go back and make sure you buy into the one you want. Tuck it away and we'll clock in with these wines in a year; taste what's on the shelf if they're both still listed, and take a liquid reading on how the current batch is holding form in the cellar. to see what makes a Montessori education so much more effective Saturday, April 17", 11. am - 2 pm, at North Star Saturday, May 15", 11 am - 2 pen, at North Stor Please come and see what a Montessori education can do for your child! TELEPHONE 990-1205 FOR MORE INFORMATION Including: Arthritis/ Rheumatism/ Sport & Accident Injuries/ Tendinitis/ Fibromyalgia/ Allergies/ Cancer Consultations will be held during this seminar for other serious conditions Saturday, April 17th at 11:30am Ann McDonald Hall, Pres. House, Arts Ctr. 333 Chesterfield, North Vancouver For further information, please call 879-9686 “One acupuncture treatment complete- ly relieved (my assistant's) pain (headaches) and it did not recur. Some of my patients whom I referred to you, ““peported similar results” Dr. Imre Csapo B. Se. F.. M.D. 1305-1750 E. 10th Ave., Vancouver Dr. Zhong, a former Head Doctor at China's National Clinic’ for Special and Incurable Diseases, is pleased to’ announce Dr. Wang has recently joined the clinic. Dr. Wang was Chief of the Dept.’ of ‘Eastern and Western Medicine in Peru's National Institute of Medicine. - Dr. Zhong’s team are experts i in the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine and will be offering some FREE Acupuncture and Qigong Treatments at his seminars. For information, call our Talking Yellow Page’, ad 33