Gourmet Stampede...but Christmas is starting to sneak up on us!

OMG! I've been so busy eating my way through the Stampede season that I JUST realized - Christmas time is 5 months from now. I need to get a move on things if I'm going to get everything done in time. I'll post details later on...as we don't want to spoil the surprise in case any of my friends and family who are getting my foodie treats are reading this :)

Time is ticking to source out ingredients, hit the farmers markets and cross my fingers that I'll be able to find jars (unlike last year when I ran all over town to find the half pint size).

Places I've eaten at during Stampede include Home Tasting Room, NOtaBLE, WURST, and of course, countless BBQ lunches, pancake breakfasts...and the stampede grounds for those irresistable mini donuts. Service has been great so far at most places....but I've been reminded why I don't ever go to Ceili's by choice. 



Wurst - Sir Perry Pear Cider (England)

I had a 200mL & 1/2 litre portion

 

Wurst - East Coast Oysters

Horseradish cocktail sauce & champagne jelly

  

Wurst - Schweinshaxen

Roast Pork Knuckle with Braised Cabbage and Potato Dumpling

(Seriously, this thing was bigger than my head) 



NOtaBLE - Dungeness Crab and Scallop "Corn Dog"
Served with Chipotle Aioli, blue cheese "Ranch"



NOtaBLE - "Beef on a Bun"
Braised beef shortrib with foie gras, brioche and
cipollini onion relish

NOtaBLE - Creamsicle and Donuts
Grizzly Pop orange semi-freddo with
mini vanilla donuts

NOtaBLE - DH "Big Mikey" Burger



Home Tasting Room - Grilled Flatbread
Proscuitto, basil ricotta, roasted red pepper & arugula



* Dishes not shown:

Home Tasting Room - Cheese Tasting, Charcuterie Tasting

WURST - Chocolate Fondue for two, Black Forest Cake



Homemade Bacon Vodka

When I first heard about Homemade Bacon Vodka....I thought to myself "WHHAAAAAAAAATTTTT?!". At first, I felt a little nauseated. Then, I became intrigued. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I'm a firm believer that bacon makes everything taste better. So, is it really that weird to make several batches of bacon flavoured vodka?

For starters, you might ask - what does one do with said vodka? Well, for years, I have been making Caesars with either plain (gasp) or pepper / Chile flavoured vodka. I've even been known on more than one occasion to spice things up by throwing a couple of spoonfuls of horseradish or wasabi into glass (which is delightful, although looks pretty nasty).

This would also be the perfect accompaniment to our annual Wine and Swine event. I mean...how awesome would it be to go to a party and receive a Bacon flavoured Caesar garnished with a strip of crispy bacon (Sorry pickled asparagus / spicy green bean / olives....you have been replaced), and then proceed to the main event - a whole Chinese style roasted pig. OMG! I think I have died and gone to food heaven!

But now, onto the recipe. Special thanks go to McAuliflower at Brownie Points Blog for the easy to follow recipe.

Pictures will have wait. I'm too busy wiping drool off my keyboard....

Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival

Can you believe that this amazing Wine & Food festival has been running for thirteen years now?!

It is a local show that showcases more than 50 local area restaurants and more than 120 beverage exhibitors.

Every year, I've been meaning to go and check out this event...BUT it seems that every year, I just so happen to miss it because I waited too long to get my ticket and the event is sold out. So, this year I decided that I needed to stop being a serial procrastinator and bought myself my ticket ridiculously early. I arrived to the event on a cool, and snowy day, full of excitement/anticipation...and armed with my tasting glass, program guide and BlackBerry, I set about to wine and dine my way through the Grand Tasting Hall. And yes, you read that right...I took all my photos with a BlackBerry (sad, but true).

Now, I'm not going to write about absolutely everything I drank and ate (and boy, did I have a lot to drink) but just the stuff that was truly memorable. Besides, if I can be totally honest - as the night went on, my pictures got progressively worse. Funny how that works eh?

All in all, a great night out....and considering it was $30 for the ticket and $40 for 80 tasting tickets, for a grand total of $70, I left with a full and totally satisfied belly. Will definitely be back next year!

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The Kraken Black Spiced Rum

Shiver me timbers....'tis be not ye typical spiced rum! At a whopping 94 proof (47% alcohol), I tasted this bad boy on the rocks. This rum is distilled in Trinidad & Tobago, then infused with more spices and flavoring in Indiana.

What drew me in was the unique bottling. The Kracken has a couple of grip handles for ease of drinking whist on the pirate ship. Another thing that drew me in before even tasting it was the beautiful labelling. Seriously?! This rum has a Latin name (Acchiteuthis dux)...AND how can you resist a bottle that says:

BIZARRE & FIERCE Sea Creatures

As seen through the eyes of imagination

Rusted hook line 'n sinker, I had to be off in fer a taste. As fer th' taste, 'tis dark rich 'n smooth.

I detected chocolate and molasses, with a strong vanilla finish. Definitely something that would be wasted if you are serving it as a cocktail or even a highball. This one, I highly recommend to be served on the rocks - or if you must, with a splash of water (leave the mixed drinks to your trusty well brands). Then again, it's not me holding the bottle to your lips!

Best part is that this rum retails for approximately $20. Now go get yourself a bottle or two.


Ballast Stone 2004 Emetior Shiraz

This was a great wine which I found quite unusual from my typical Shiraz picks. Although my friends thought that I was nuts when I told them that I detected a hint of coconut in the nose, (What?! Is it wrong that I may have a better palate than my sommelier friends?) all I can say is "Ha! I'm right!" (doing my happy dance)...

The vines are apparently over 65 years old and the vino is matured in both American and French oak for 30 months. I detected smokin' vanilla, oak, chocolate and coconut with a hint of floral notes (courtesy of the violets). It's big and bold, with not too much of a tannin finish. Highly delicious!

I don't know where I can find this wine sadly. I need to look it up - because this one, I can seriously drink all the time.

Giuseppe Campagnola 2006 Amarone

I.LOVE.AMARONE. What more is there to say? I'm such a sucker for it...I'll try them all....

Made in the Passito (pah-see'-toe) method, the grapes are harvested and laid on racks until January when they are then crushed and fermented into wine. Because they essentially turn into raisins before being pressed, it results in a much more concentrated sugar ratio.



The result is a really full bodied wine where I detected an explosion of fruit. Bright jammy flavor with hints of blackberries, red apple, vanilla, oak and cola. Smooth and velvety, this puppy retails for approximately $40.

The Food

After all my drinking, I started to get a little tipsy (and hungry), so I went in search of some nosh. Pictures of my two favorite bites of the night. A delectable Foie Gras (sadly, I don't remember where this was from), and an unbelievable lamb lollipop (from Broken Plate).

Some honorable mentions need to go out to:
1. Quincy's for the Kim Chi Burger (although IMHO, it needed more Kim Chi)
2. Springbank Cheese for their amazing cheeses (I waited 20 minutes for a little taste of cheese heaven)
3. Kefi for tasty cheeses and olives