Sunterra Market December 2014

Sunterra Market

PEARS Perfectly curvy, piquant pears are in season. Try a juicy round anjou, tall and woodsy bosc or bright-red floral starkrimson for starters. See inside for our opulent poached pear recipe.

DECEMBER 2014

FEATURE STORY

This month we’re featuring the kind folks at Coco Karamel in Calgary and how they went about bringing their favourite hometown food to Canada. Get a behind-the-scenes peek at just how they make the splendid treats called alfajores.

Dulce de Lovely

LEFT TO RIGHT A stack of traditional alfajores, Marissa and her latest batch of alfajores, the ingredient list, the final product ready to eat

B Y N ATA S H A C O U S I N

G

ood-looking, sweet and interesting. Although this doubles as our date wish list, we’re actually talking alfajores. Coco Karamel alfajores to be precise.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of meeting one of these charming cookies, let us introduce you. But be warned – you’ll fall head over heels in love.

Pronounced alfa-hor-es, these sweet snacks are staples in Argentina. Traveling by bus? They’ll hand out alfajores. Going to a party? You’ll be served alfajores. Celebrating a milestone?

You’ll get the gift of alfajores.

“In Argentina, it’s crazy. You go over there and people are eating Alfajores for breakfast, lunch and snack,” explains Sergio Lopez, co-owner of Coco Karamel.

Sergio and his wife Marisa are both from the province of Buenos Aires, where Marisa learned to make Alfajores at an early age.

“In Argentina, every woman knows how to make a traditional alfajor,” Marisa says with a goodhearted laugh, as if it’s the silliest question she’s heard all day. We’re in the sun-filled front room of the new Coco Karamel building in Calgary and I’m blitzing her with questions about the curious little cookies while Spanish music plays softly in the background.

Sitting down at a dainty white table ornamented with pink flowers to have a cup of coffee and an alfajor, I see why they’re so popular. Each alfajor comes individually wrapped by hand and sealed with a sticker, which makes unwrapping your cookie feel like the start of a luxurious little break to the day.

Once you bite into the soft but dense snack, the crumbly

cookie melts in your mouth and the smooth filling lingers deliciously on your tongue.

The traditional alfajor is made with two vanilla cookies protecting a creamy dulce de leche filling with a little bit of coconut rolled along the circumference, sticking to the sweet insides that bulge out slightly. For the uninitiated, dulce de leche is a sweet milk caramel that is very popular in South America.

Coco Karamel also offers semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate versions made with dulce de leche and chocolate cookies dipped in more chocolate, and a quince version made with vanilla cookies and fruit jam.

Marisa makes the majority of the cookies by herself, getting help from family members now and then. As she takes us into the production room to walk through the many steps of making an alfajor, her perpetual smile and eagerness to educate tell us she doesn’t mind all the hard work. The company has grown from its farmers’ market roots with a rolling pin and cookie cutter, but most of the process is still done by hand.

“I like the stage we’re in,” says Marisa. “The cookies are still homemade.”

And while the dulce de leche is imported from Argentina (it’s better there, insists both Marisa and Sergio), the rest of the ingredients are purchased locally whenever possible and contain no added preservatives.

You can purchase Coco Caramel alfajores in all Calgary and Edmonton Sunterra Markets. For custom orders, visit cocokaramel.ca.

Pay with points! Use your Fresh Rewards points at a cashier’s till to take home any of the items below.

Friday Night Feast Schedule

Bakery

DECEMBER 5

Juice

Thai noodle salad Shrimp rice bowl with baby bok choy Fresh fruit flan DECEMBER 12 Lentil soup Beef stroganoff on egg noodles Black Forest cake DECEMBER 19 Roasted cauliflower soup Chorizo stuffed pork loin with roasted garlic potatoes and vegetables Pear and apple galette DECEMBER 26 Sweet corn chowder Pesto salmon with asparagus and white and wild rice Lemon tart

Our Friday Night Feast menus change weekly, find the schedule in our newsletter or online at sunterramarket.com $14.99 per person. Each bag contains two dinners for $29.98 or 1,200 Fresh Rewards points

Single cookie ($1.19)...................................................................................40 pts Muffin, scone, or sliced loaf........................................................................64 pts Square or brioche cinnamon bun...............................................................68 pts Scone or muffin 2-pack.............................................................................112 pts Full square pan..........................................................................................320 pts All fruit pies (9 in.).....................................................................................400 pts

Fresh squeezed juice (470 ml)..................................................................140 pts Fresh squeezed juice (940 ml)..................................................................224 pts

Deli Yogurt & granola cup................................................................................120 pts Greek yogurt parfait..................................................................................140 pts Soup of the day.........................................................................................144 pts All sandwiches...........................................................................................240 pts Grab ‘n’ Go meal ($6.49)..........................................................................240 pts Grab ‘n’ Go 6 in. pot pie or quiche..........................................................260 pts Grab ‘n’ Go pizza (uncooked)...................................................................280 pts Boxed salad...............................................................................................320 pts Grab ‘n’ Go meal ($8.99)..........................................................................360 pts Grab ‘n’ Go 9 in. pot pie or quiche..........................................................480 pts Grab ‘n’ Go dinner ($15.99)......................................................................640 pts Friday Night Feast for two (1 pack)........................................................1,200 pts

DECEMBER stockboy specials Select Sable & Rosenfeld products ..................................................140-248 pts HannahMax cookie chips (170 g)............................................................. 192 pts Lesley Stowe’s raincoast crisps (170 g).................................................... 240 pts Silly Cow hot chocolate (480 g)............................................................... 252 pts Santa Cruz organic apple juice (2.84 l).................................................... 400 pts Mighty Leaf tea (15 pk)............................................................................ 440 pts

DECEMBER FEATURES Valbella coppa (100 g) .............................................................................152 pts Comté (100 g) ......................................................................................... 200 pts

The following items can only be redeemed by filling out a redemption form. Ask a cashier or fill one out online at sunterramarket.com

Gift Cards $20 ............................................................................................................800 pts $50 ........................................................................................................ 2,000 pts $60 ........................................................................................................ 2,400 pts $100 ...................................................................................................... 4,000 pts $150 ...................................................................................................... 6,000 pts $200 ......................................................................................................8,000 pts

Cooking Classes Sunterra Lunch ’n’ Learn Cooking Class for 2 (Calgary Only) .........................1,360 pts Sunterra Private Cooking Class for 10 ................................................25,200 pts

Catered Meals Sunterra Catered In-home Dinner for 10 (Standard Menu)........................23,200 pts Sunterra Catered In-home Dinner for 10 (Premium Menu) .......................28,000 pts

Impress your friends and family with a “Wow, that looks amazing!” recipe.

poached pears

FEATURE RECIPE

DID YOU KNOW?

Serves 12 to 16

Most pears do not change colour as they ripen. To check if a pear is ripe, press its neck gently with your thumb. Ripe pears will give slightly.

750 ml red wine, Merlot

or Cabernet 1 cup water 1 cup sugar 2 cinnamon sticks 1 or 2 pcs star anise 1 orange 6-8 pears, Anjou or Bosc 1 tsp. corn starch (optional)

Pears ripen at room temperature, so keep your pears on the counter until they’re ripe, then pop them in the refrigerator (or eat them right away).

Pour wine, water, sugar, cinnamon and star anise into a sauce pot. Zest half of the orange and add to the pot.

Then cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice into the pot.

Peel the pears, leaving the stem on, and immerse into the wine mixture. Ensure all the pears are fully covered by the liquid.

Remember to wash pears even if you’re peeling them for poaching. This will prevent dirt from getting into the flesh when cutting or peeling.

Poach on medium heat until the pears are just tender.

Cooking time varies from 20 to 30 minutes depending on the ripeness or type of pears.

PERFECTLY PEAR’D There’s something so lovely about pears and cheese in the winter. Here are some suggested pairings: Anjou pears with brie or soft goat cheese Bartlett pears with fontina or Saint André cheese Bosc pears with aged white cheddar or Parmesan cheese Starkrimson pears with blue stilton or brie

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Gently transfer the pears to a ceramic bowl. Strain the remaining poaching liquid and return to the saucepot. Thicken with corn starch and 2 tbsps of water or reduce over medium heat until a syrupy consistency is achieved. Pour the syrup over the pears and refrigerate overnight or for a few hours.

Before serving, cut the poached pear in half and remove the seeds with a Parisienne scoop.

Red wine poached pears taste great with vanilla ice cream, alongside a cheese plate or on a fruit tart.

@sunterramarket

Trendspotting

COMTÉ It’s France’s finest cheese. From the picturesque Jura mountain range near the Swiss border comes this aromatic raw cow’s milk cheese with a full spectrum of flavours including nutty, fruity, peppery and sweet.

Tummy-warming pot pies, aromatic French cheese and buttery-soft cured pork are some of our favourite things this month.

Regular Price $5.99/100g Dec. Stockboy Special $4.99/100g VALBELLA COPPA You don’t have to go to Italy to get a great coppa. We’ve got the good stuff right here in Alberta, from Valbella Gourmet Foods in Canmore. Primo Sunterra Farms pork is cured up to 10 weeks.

FEAST YOUR EYES ON OUR PIES

Regular Price $4.29/100g Dec. Stockboy Special $3.79/100g SABLE & ROSENFELD ENTERTAINING PRODUCTS Knocking it out of the park for over 40 years, Sable & Rosenfeld’s cocktail garnishes, appetizers and condiments make entertaining a cinch.

Regular Price $4.29-$7.69 Dec. Stockboy Special $3.49-$6.19 SILLY COW HOT CHOCOLATE Organic kosher cocoa in flavours like Chocolate Moousse, Marshmallow Swirl and Peppermint Twist. Snow days don’t seem so bad anymore.

POT PIES Our meat pies are made in market daily, with a flaky, buttery crust and ooey gooey insides.

Regular Price $7.49 Dec. Stockboy Special $6.29

December Cooking Class Schedule CALGARY* call 403-263-9759 Dec. 2 Social Kitchen: Holiday Entertaining | 6 p.m. | $49.99 Dec. 3 Perfectly Paired: Wine & Charcuterie | 5 p.m. | $24.99 Dec. 5 Lunch ‘n’ Learn: Tourtière & Winter Squash Soup | 12 p.m. | $15.99 Dec. 9 Social Kitchen: Holiday Entertaining | 6 p.m. | $49.99

Dec. 10 Croque Monsieur & Poached Pears | 12 p.m. | $15.99 Dec. 11 Perfectly Paired: Mulled Wine & Cheese | 5 p.m. | $24.99 Dec. 12 Social Kitchen: Holiday Family Dinners | 6 p.m. | $49.99 Dec. 13 Kid’s Kitchen: Holiday Cookies 1 p.m. | $14.99

Dec. 17 Lunch ‘n’ Learn: Jambalaya & Bananas Foster | 12 p.m. | $15.99 Dec. 18 Perfectly Paired: Wine & Charcuterie | 5 p.m. | $24.99 Dec. 20 Kid’s Kitchen: Holiday Cookies | 1 p.m. | $14.99

Dec. 16 Social Kitchen: Holiday Family Dinners | 6 p.m. | $49.99

*Calgary classes held at Sunterra Market, Keynote. Visit sunterramarket.com for more information.

H O L I D AY M E A L S CHRISTMAS

NEW YEAR’S EVE

S O U P : Creamy root vegetable

S O U P : Seafood bisque

S A L A D : Roasted squash and pomegranate

S A L A D : Green chickpea and grape tomato

ENTREE:

ENTREE:

herb roasted Belwood turkey

New York striploin steak

with buttermilk mashed potatoes, brioche stuffing, gravy, market-made cranberry sauce and winter vegetables

with wild mushroom sauce, roasted Yukon Gold potatoes and honey glazed vegetables

OR

thyme and pepper roasted chicken breast

honey ginger glazed spiral ham

with buttermilk mashed potatoes and winter vegetables

OR

with wild mushroom sauce, roasted Yukon Gold potatoes and honey glazed vegetables

D E S S E R T: Eggnog tres leches cake

D E S S E R T: Decadent chocolate lava cake with berry coulis

$23.99 PER MEAL OR REDEEM 960

$25.99 PER MEAL OR REDEEM 1040

FRESH REWARD POINTS

FRESH REWARD POINTS

Available Dec 23 and 24.

Available Dec 31.

To order, visit us in store or go online at sunterramarket.com beginning December 1.

Meals require reheating.