4 minute read
MEAT ME IN THE KAWARTHAS
Meat Me in the Kawarthas
Meat tastes so damn good because it contains glutamic acid, glutamates and nucleotides, which are amino acids and these define the taste of protein known as Umami. The flavour can be strengthened by matching the proper cooking method for each cut while giving consideration to the marbling, quality, degree of doneness, breed, feeding practices and knowing that well exercised muscles have more umami. We put all of these dynamics into practice at the A Taste of the Kawarthas “Meat, Greet & Eat” which was held at Chef Basel Cuisine.
The beef came from Otonobee Meat Packers, Traynor Farms, One Fine Food, Franz’s Butcher Shop, Leahy Farm and Flannigan’s Butcher Shop. The pork sausage was from Ralph’s Butcher Shop. To accompany the meat, Christel, the owner of Delectable Fine Foods brought delicious cheeses that were served as appetizers to start the evening. And what could be better than pairing each dish with Kawartha Country Wines?
Kicking it off was a tray of 5 amazing cheeses from Delectable Fine Foods. There was a young, natural smoked Goudda from Holland. Next, we had a tasty buttermilk Blue Cheese (Blue Moo from award win ning Cows Creamery in Prince Edward Island). Also, a Pecorino Romano, and a lovely Gruyere that is a cave aged, raw milk cheese and is great for cooking and snacking. Lastly, we had a Lindsay Bandaged Cheddar.
The first tasting was a Flat Iron Steak cut from the shoulder from One Fine Food. The meat had a fine, even marbling and was a very tender and flavour ful steak. It is a great value to purchase and is best cooked medium rare to medium. The steak is from Penokean Hills farm on the North Shore of Lake Huron in Bruce Mines, Ontario. It is pasture raised and finished on pea and barley.
Next up we hunkered down on a mouth watering Rib Eye Steak from Franz’s Butcher Shop with a fine a fine texture flesh. Pow! Another one to the kisser! This delicious cut paired perfectly with both the Ber ries Treasure and Black Currant wines that we were quaffing from Kawartha Country Wines.
Next, we ventured off in a different direction with three premium Sausages from Ralph’s Butcher Shop. The Piccadilly, Peachy Brie and Buffalo Blue all had distinctly different flavours. Everyone was surprised at how tasty they were served in pasta with tomato sauce which ramped up the taste profile and mouth feel to new levels of oral pleasure.
Back to the beef, a Rib Eye Steak from Leahy’s Farm that gave a delicious, meaty bite was brought to the table. The guests were getting satiated, but definitely enjoyed the melt in your mouth taste.
Next up, a Grass Fed Flank Steak from Traynor Farms that was marinated in a Caribbean-style barbecue sauce made with The Spice Co’s own Reggae Rub Jerk Seasoning, Kyoto Coffee and lime juice yielding a delicious mouth feel.
Second to last was a Skirt Steak from Otonobee Meat Packers that was topped with veal bone gravy. Look ing around the table, you could see how much the guests were appreciating it.
We closed off the evening with a New York Strip Loin from Flannigan’s Butcher Shop that had a very tasty flavour and texture and was paired with Black Elder Kawartha Country Wine.
The guests of A Taste of the Kawarthas magazine learned that all cuts of meat, regardless of how they were raised, fed and their breed, are just as important as how you handle and prepare them if you want to truly enjoy a feast.
For video and more photos of the evening, go to the online version at www.atasteofthekawarthas.com
