Wednesday, March 6, 1991 -

North Shore News - 49

Throw guilty thoughts of ex-
panded waistlines and blawn
budgets to the wind — this festi-
val is a major fundraiser for the
Playhouse, so you can justify your
enthusiastic participation as your
charitable deed for the day.

The offerings of 103 wineries
from 10 countries will be offered
for tasting this Thursday, Friday
and Saturday, March 7 to 9, from
7 to 10 p.m. in Ballroom B of the
Vancouver Trade and Convention
Centre.

Cost for the evening is $39, in-
cluding your tasting program and
‘“‘palate cleansers’’ supplied by
Freybe, Starbucks and Venice
Bakery. Once again this year,
Molson Breweries is hosting
‘“*‘Take Care’? — a complimentary
taxi ride home, to a maximum of
$15, for overindulgent wine
tasters,

A number of special events will
tempt wine novices and experts
alike.

An authentic I 1-course Canton-
ese banquet complemented by
eight sparkling international wines
will be held at the New World
Harbourside on Friday, March 8
at 6 p.m.

The $100-per-ticket ‘Beijing
and Bubbles’’ event begins with a
Meet the Wine Maker Reception.

On Saturday, March 9, women
wine makers are in the spotlight
during ‘West Coast Meets
Mediterranean,’’ being held at
noon at the Cin Cin Restaurant,
1154 Robson St.

Chef Kim Boyson will match
her Mediterranean cuisine with

Vintage festival

Annual Piayhouse showcase set for Trade Centre

IF YOU'RE looking for an excuse to indulge in some fine
wines, look no further than the Vancouver Playhouse’s
annual International Wine Festival.

By Peggy Trendell-Whittaker
News Reporter

West Coast wines, and guests will
have the chance to meet with the
women from the featured
wineries. Tickets are $57.

Get lighthearted, if not
lightheaded, with the ‘'Gonzo
Wine Panel" at the Mystery Wine
Game on Saturday, March 9 from
4 to 6 p.m. in the Convention
Centre’s Meeting Room |.

Using al! the tools at their
disposal, blindfolded wine experts
will ry to identify 10 wines that
audience members will also have
the chance to sample.

“The Mystery Wine Game will
be the most theatrical and un-
conventional wine tasting you will
ever attend,’’ festival publicists
promise. The cost for this event is

26.

Other highlights include a Late
Harvest Botrytis Semillon Tasting,
a Nacional Port Vertical Tasting
and a Vintners’ Brunch.

A Liquor Distribution Branch
Festival Wine Store will be open
during the tastings at the Conven-
tion Centre if you discover a new
favorite wine that you’d like to
purchase. Major credit cards will
be accepted.

Tickets to the events can be
purchased on a credit card by call-
ing the Playhouse at 873-3311, or
can be bought in person ai the
Playhouse Box Office, 543 W. 7th
Ave., Vancouver, from 9:30 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.

YMCA hosting wine course

THE WEST Vancouver YMCA is
hosting an evening seminar on
wine appreciation with Pammela
Wright of Peter Mielzyuski Agen-
cies, a national wine and spirits
company.

On Thursday, Mar. 140 from
7:30 to 9 p.m., patiecpants will
discover the imporance of
balance, acidity and finish, while

exploring six varietal wines from
major wine tasting regions of the
world.

The open discussion that will
follow will allow participants to
share their views and ideas with
Pamm and the rest of the group.

For more information call 926-
554}. Please pre-register as space
is limited.

The glues

GUMBO IS so much a part of Southern cooking, that the
phone number of the Louisiana Office of Tourism is 1-

800-33-GUMBO.

Both gumbo and jambalaya are
flavorful minglings of meat,
seafood, poultry and segetubles in
skilful one-pot meals.

Though considered ‘country
cooking’, gumbo and iambalaya
use a sophisticated combination of
thickeners. Rice, roux, okra and
file are reminiscent of the
Spanish, French, African and In-
dian influences which have con-
tributed to robust Creole fare.

The differences between gumbo
and jambalaya are slight. Gumbo
resembles a thick pungent soup
served over rice, so no broth runs
astray as the soup is served.

Jambalaya is more like a stew
containing rice. Usually the rice
for jambalaya is sauteed in fat

until it’s translucent and golden,
giving added flavors even before
it’s cooked.

As jambalaya simmers, the
starch granules in cice swell to
thicken its zich eroth,

Because rice has no time to
swell and thicken gumbo, it begins
wilh a dark roux -- a mixture of
fr and Nour deeply browned be-
fore any liquid is added.

Originally, lard was used, but
now vegetable oil, shortening or
oacon fat are often substituted,

Butter is never part of a gumbo
roux. Ks smoking pcint is so iow
the roux simply burns.

Often recipes call for more
Nour than fat because the heat of
browning breaks starch down into

NEWS photo Paut McGrath

THE PARK Royal Hotel's Mario Corsi tasted his way through a variety of Spanish wines at a recent
tasting put on by Vinos de Espana at the Bayshore Inn. Restaurateurs, home winemakers and rank
novices have their chance to try wines from all over the world at the Vancouver Playhouse [nier-
national Wine Festival taking place this weekend at the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre.

of Creole cooking

Eniquisitive

ANNE SUE

GARDINER WILSON

simpler forms. So browned our
always loses some of its thickening
power.

But browning also gives rise to
toasted flavors deliberately
creating an unusual backdrop for
shrimp. crab, chicken and
sausage, plus tomatoes, peppers,
bay leaf and other wonderful
choices.

Browning flour and = fat de-
mands a heavy skilet, moderate
heat and constant whishisg until
the roux is deeply tanned. Tiny
black specks throughout and a
bitter taste are signs of scorching.
[t's worth trying again,

Okra, a cousin of the hibiscus,
is an unusual thickener. These
small dark green capsules are
believed to have been carried from
Africa to the Southern States,
where okra has become a popular
vegetable.

When simimered, okra releases a
clear slippery substance cof tong
carbohydrate molecules, that

thickens like gluc.

File powder (pronounced fee-
lay), a Choctaw Indian invention,
adds a special favor to Creoie
cooking. But it’s also considered a
classic Suuthern thickener.

It’s made by grinding the leaves
of the sassafras tree, native to the
eastern United States.

Like okra, file releases a type of
mucilage when cooked. However,
File powder is added only after the
cooking is done. i turns stringy
or ‘ropey’ if overheated.

File powder isn’t found on the
Canadian market, for sassafras oil
contains safrole, a known car-
sinogen, Southern purists use ei-
ther okra or file, but never both,
Okra is the option here.

Zap your tastebuds with hearty
gumto or jambaiaya. Yhey're
Creole cookin’ at its best.

aa th