Last night saw the much-anticipated Toronto Gold Medal Plates gala unfold at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for a huge and glittering crowd. The British theme was greatly in evidence, especially during the VIP reception where last year’s champion, Frank Dodd, rose to the occasion with four separate stations representing (most deliciously) Wales (Welsh cakes), Scotland (deep fried miniature “Mars bars”), Northern Ireland (wee cones of colcannon) and England (a spectacular “breakfast broth” of bacon, egg and mushrooms in a demitasse of delectable consommé).
This year we were delighted to welcome Patrick MacMurray of Starfish as a non-competing chef. He too followed a British theme, bringing superb oysters from the U.K. including great plump beauties from Mersey Island in Essex. The judges had to be dragged from his station when the time came to sit down to work.
We had the strongest line-up of chefs ever assembled in Toronto and the most gloriously decorated stations we have ever seen. Dave Mitton of The Harbord Room is our guest mixologist for the cities of the east, creating unique cocktails to showcase our three Canadian artisanal spirits – Iceberg vodka from Newfoundland and Labrador, Victoria gin from B.C. and Alberta Premium rye from Alberta. Dave also happens to be President of the Ontario Chapter of the Canadian Professional Bartenders Association and last night he was very ably assisted by renowned local colleague, Scott Mochrie. I sampled one of his offerings – the Old Fashioned Vic, made by muddling orange and lemon zest with Dave’s own cherry-vanilla bitters and simple syrup. Gin is added, the mixture is stirred over ice and then strained to be served straight up with an orange twist. I thought it was a great cocktail, the citrus nicely underpinning the subtleties of the gin.
Thus fortified, I made my rendezvous with the other judges. Our gallant posse was led, as ever, by Senior Judge Sasha Chapman, food writer, editor and now senior editor at The Walrus magazine; celebrity chef and author Christine Cushing; chef and educator extraordinaire, John Higgins; author, broadcaster and Canada’s gastronomical guru Anita Stewart; author, food editor and trusted columnist with the Globe and Mail, Lucy Waverman; and last year’s Toronto Gold Medal Plates champion, Frank Dodd of Hillebrand Estates in Niagara. A formidable bench indeed. Which was just as well, because the standard of the dishes set a new gastronomical high with five of them jostling for the podium. In the end, and after considerable debate, we reached unanimity.
Our bronze medal was awarded to chef Michael Steh of Reds Bistro and Wine Bar, who also medalled last year. He called his dish “Bacon” but as he explained when he introduced it, there was no bacon or pork of any kind in any of the three elements on the plate. They were inspired by bacon and they alluded to it in their textures and flavours and especially with a bold use of three different kinds of smoke. The first element was a slice of fresh brioche with a smooth, creamy scallop mousse at its heart. On top lay three rashers of oak-smoked duck breast, cooked sous vide to an enchanting tenderness. Beside that was a shot glass of rich, tangy cheddar-and-sweet-onion soup topped with a crispy, tissue-thin tuile of apple that had been cured with spruce, chili, pepper, garlic and salt and then cold-smoked over applewood. The third component was a hollowed egg shell partly filled with a soy-lavender egg custard, slivers of northern kiwi, finely chopped riesling jelly with a lively and fruity acidity and some shards of “coconut bacon,” a fabulous notion involving curing coconut with salt and pepper and then smoking it over hickory wood. Chef Steh’s chosen wine, a glory in its own right, stood up to these bold flavours beautifully – Chateau des Charmes 2008 Old Vines Riesling from Niagara.
Our silver medal went to chef Rob Gentile of Buca who chose to work with goose. He cured the breast with salt, cinnamon, cloves and orange rind for 24 hours then sliced it incredibly thinly, setting the ruby meat like carpaccio on the plate. Perched on top was a single, perfect tortello of soft, delicate pasta filled with a tangy, well-seasoned mixture of the goose offal and chopped porcini mushrooms. The more technically minded judges marvelled at the skill with which the chef timed the tortelli for 750 people! Texture was added with fragments of crispy goose skin, crumbled hazelnuts and crisply fried rosemary leaves. Two sauces ringed this beautifully composed and harmoniously unified creation, one a vincotto reduction of the chosen wine, the other a bright yellow emulsion of Peking duck egg. Chef gentile’s wine hit all the right notes, particularly with the goose offal and breast – the 2010 Merlot from 13th Street Winery in Niagara.
Our gold medallist, who won silver two years ago, was Jonathan Gushue from Langdon Hall. I don’t recall tasting a more elegant and refined dish at any previous Toronto GMP event. It looked like a tiny salad – almost a garnish – in the bottom of the plate, but there was a miniature world of flavour to be found. Chef had used many ingredients from Langdon Hall’s garden including the dish’s principal component, Brussels sprouts. He had separated the sprouts into tiny, perfect leaves, tossing them for 30 seconds in warm butter and then using them as dainty bowls for a number of treats – a quarter-teaspoon of the yolk of a duck egg, hard-boiled and grated almost to powder, another little scattering of the egg white, treated in the same way; and three dabs of smoked trout caviar bringing salt and richness. Little crisps of fried black salsify from the garden were tucked in amongst the Brussels sprout petals. Beneath them we discovered preserved oysters – Virginias from Nine Mile Creek in PEI that Chef Gushue had prepared sous vide for 10 minutes with leek, cold-pressed canola, pine, cider vinegar and sea salt – extraordinarily delicious! Beneath them was a silky purée of white salsify and apple. Scattered over the top were pungent chives and calendula petals. It was a dish that caused innumerable oohs and aahs from the judges as they discovered its Lilliputian treasures. It was also the wine pairing of the evening with the 2009 Fume Blanc from Organized Crime Winery in Niagara.
The line-up for the Canadian Culinary Championship next February is almost complete – just Ottawa-Gatineau and St. John’s to go. It promises to be a spectacular competition!
David Lawrason now provides his wine report of the event:
Toronto Wine Report 2011 – Wineries Bring Their A Game
Toronto chefs brought their A game to the Metro Convention Centre, and so did Canada’s wineries. It was the best collection of wines, all from Ontario, of the 2011 Gold Medal Plates season, complemented by two very fine beers from Beau’s and Mill Street. And although we wine judges were not officially voting for a best match, I did find the level of wine pairing skill very high as well, at the same level of expertise as Vancouver. We were unanimous in picking the Gold Medal-winning dish by Jonathan Gushue of Langdon Hill and Organzied Crime 2009 Fume Blanc as the best match of the evening.
For the Best of Show wine judging I was joined by two colleagues from WineAlign.com. John Szabo, Canada’s first master sommelier, is a writer for several publications and a judge at the Canadian Wine Awards. Most recently he has been contracted to create the wine program at Toronto’s Trump Hotel. Sara d’Amato is a sommelier as well, currently raising a young family and writing for several publications. She too has judged the Canadian Wine Awards.
In a tough field our Best of Show wine was a slam dunk. Chateau des Charmes 2008 Old Vines Riesling has won several other awards as well, including gold at the Canadian Wine Awards and White Wine of the Year at the Ontario Wine Awards. It is deep, rich and powerful. The refined, rich, layered Status 2008 White placed second, with refined and nuanced Tawse 2009 Laundry Vineyard Cabernet Franc ranking third.
The Tawse Cab Franc was one of several generously poured for the VIP reception and Celebration and Awards portions of the evening. From Nova Scotia we enjoyed a delightful sparkling Cremant from Blomidon Estate Winery. Malivoire’s sumptuous, elegant 2008 Moira Chardonnay graced the Awards portion along with the fine, surprisingly complex Trius Brut, and the smooth, young Black Hills 2009 Syrah.
Other wines donated for the Chef Pairings included: Henry of Pelham 2010 Riesling, 13th Street 2010 Merlot, Closson Chase 2009 Churchside Pinot Noir, Hidden Bench 2008 Terroir Cache, Niagara College 2007 Dean’s List Meritage, Mill Street Organic Helles Bock and Beau’s Night-Marzen Oktoberfest Lager.