Stonefruit season begins...

Stonefruit season has begun, and though we've been getting this California fruit for a number of weeks now, it doesn't truly "begin" to me until I take a bite of that first perfect tree-ripe peach. We are hopefully about a week away from the start of the BC cherries, moving into apricots, plums, nectarines, peaches, summer apples, melons, squash-- I can hardly wait!

Here's some photos of us appreciating the fruit in Blush Lane today!
California Stonefruit in all its glory!

Jeda enjoys the first tree-ripe peach of the season! I found it, perfectly ripe, in the bottom of the peach box. I couldn't resist cutting it up and sharing it around the store! We were covered in juice but thoroughly satisfied!

How gorgeous is that?!

Pascal’s Patisserie - June 17, 2011

What’s better than fine French pastries in a Paris cafe? Fine French pastries right out of your oven! Now you can enjoy artisanal French pastries made with all natural locally sourced ingredients any time you want with Pascal’s Patisserie Take & Bake French Pastries.

Pascal’s Patisserie is a new local business headed by a classically trained French Pastry Chef from Toulouse France with 20 years experience and who has the knowledge of the classic French style of pastry-making in his head, his hands and his heart.

Blending time-honoured tradition and craftsmanship with technology, he creates fabulous French pastries unbaked vacuum-sealed and fresh for your freezer to enjoy whenever you wish.

All you do is thaw, bake and voilà..the best pastries this side of Paris! Your home has the amazing aroma of a French patisserie and you’ve just transported yourself to France - no passport or brushing up on your high school French required.

Perfect for weekend brunches or with your favourite coffee or tea. Beautiful for summer wedding breakfasts or make any moment special with these classic continental treats. Bake up a few and bring to the office and your colleagues will adore you. Executive business and board meetings will never be the same. Your book club, girls get-together, meet-up groups, bridge club, any time any where is a great time and place for French pastries.

The boutique menu includes: classic croissant, cinnamon rolls and pain au chocolat. If you’re going to treat yourself, say ‘oui’ to these! Pastry lovers of the world unite! You can have authentic classic French pastry - warm right out of your oven. Pick up a package in the frozen section and add a little ‘ooh la la’ to your life!

pascals@shaw.ca
www.pascals.ca

June 8 - Wine and Cheese at Casel Marche

As we speak, there's a celebratory wine and cheese going on at Casel Marche. Jon and I set up a display of our beautiful produce as a hint of what's to come on the Grand Opening Saturday June 11, when we will be fully stocked and open for business!

Cheese of the Month - Natural Pastures Smoked Boerenkaas

One of our most popular cheeses now comes in a smoked version! Ever since I started working in the deli at Blush, (yes even the old deli!), the Boerenkaas was always hands down, the most popular cheese. Made by Natural Pastures Cheese Company, in Courtenay, British Columbia, they place great importance on animal stewardship and sustainability. After reading a bit about their cheese-making processes from their website, I learned they pride themselves in using fresh milk from local farms, practising sustainable farming with the cows raised on a grass-fed diet in a healthy environment. Their numerous varieties of cheese-- all of which you can find in our store-- have true quality artisanal taste!

Boerenkaas, in Dutch translating to "farmer's cheese", is a semi-hard cheese with salty and buttery tones, with a slight sweetness towards the end. It is wonderful in everything from soups, salads, omelettes, pizzas and is even used in the Tuscan turkey sandwiches we sell! It is as versatile in food as it in on a cheese platter with red or white wine. Just recently, we got in a smoked version of the Boerenkaas. Not surprising to me, it was just recently announced a winner in its category of "Flavoured Cheese with Added Non-Particulate Flavouring" at the 2011 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix: considered the most prestigious cheese competition in Canada. It is cold-smoked using a blend of local hardwoods in their own smokehouse. The smoked Boerenkaas retains the sweet and buttery tones of the original, with a wonderful smoky finish that lingers. The uses to this cheese are countless and is just as great on its own.

It's hard to explain how amazing it tastes in words, so come try it out for yourself and you will be hooked!

By guest blogger Regina

Hotchkiss Alberta-Grown Heirloom Tomatoes!

A co-worker and I had a discussion today about Hotchkiss-- we forget, as produce nerds, that not everyone knows what "Hotchkiss" means in Calgary. She was snooping in someone's fridge, and found a little bag of greens, and exclaimed, "Is that Hotchkiss?" (I can just picture the retort, "No, it's Arugula!").

So, if you don't know about Hotchkiss, you need to! Hotchkiss is the most local produce we get here in Calgary, short of growing it in our own gardens. Plus, a lot of their farm is indoors, which means it's gracing our shelves year-round! Arriving on our doorstep, the day after it's picked is chard, arugula, potted herbs, romaine lettuce, spinach, sundried tomatoes, pea shoots, beans, broccoli, purple cauliflower, carrots, green onions, and ridiculously beautiful heirloom tomatoes!

Hotchkiss, to us produce nerds, is synonymous with quality: the best of the best.
http://www.hotchkissproduce.com/

Fresh Heirloom tomates from Hotchkiss, $4.99/lb


For more on this story, follow the blog this week when we take a field trip to visit the Hotchkiss farm in Rockyview, Alberta.

Regina writes about Oka!

When I am asked for recommendations on the perfect cheese for a cheese platter, the first thing that always comes to mind is the Oka cheeses! For anyone who has ever asked me for my favourite cheese, I always get excited and encourage everyone to try the Oka. It was the first cheese I tried when I started working in the deli and I have been in love ever since.

Named after the small village in Quebec in which it is made,( just southwest of Montreal), Oka has become a household name in Quebec since it was first made by Trappist Monks in 1893. All five have a relatively similar taste and texture profile but each is hidden with a unique flavour. (Each is ripened for different periods of time and each rind is handled differently.) My personal favourites are the Oka Classique and Oka Artisan, both made with raw milk, with a perfect balance of nuttiness and butter tones, I can eat a few slices of both just on their own. Oka Mushroom has been a recent addition to our deli, with the wonderful creaminess of the Oka Classique with delicious mushrooms, it won 1st Place in flavoured cheese category at the Quebec Fine Cheese Contest in 2010. However, they are also the mildest in flavour of the Oka's, so if you are looking for something a bit stronger, the Oka Regular or the Oka Raclette (are best). Both cheeses are ripened for over 35 days in the cellars of the Cistercian Abbey in Oka, before shipped, and possess intensified aromas of butter and hazelnuts. The Oka Raclette is made in the traditional style of the Oka, with the culture of Raclette, giving it the most intense flavour of all, while still retaining its creamy texture.

Classified as a semi-soft, the Oka's are perfect for crackers, cheese platters, wine pairings, cooking and it is perfect for melting. The rind of the Oka's intensify the flavour but are wonderful eaten without it as well.

I have used the Oka Artisan in sandwiches and burgers, as well as pizza's and nachos! (In fact, my perfect snack is cubes of Oka Mushroom with Falafel Chips, washed down with a GT Kombucha!), After reading more about the Oka's, I found countless recipes using the cheese, in poutine, pasta's, fondues, pastries, and basically anything imaginable!

So come try the Oka's in our deli today, you will not be disappointed! As a nice little bonus, the Oka's are also 15% off until May 29th!

Interesting recipe.
http://www.pleasureandcheeses.ca/recipes/oka-cheese-twists

By Regina

Blush Lane Organic Orchard in bloom!

Here's some current photos of the orchard. It's beautiful and in bloom!