Dec. 08, 2010 - Issue #790 : Holiday Guide
Food
• Elm Café is a great place to start. Owner Nate Box places a premium on local ingredients when creating charcuterie or coffee and sandwiches for your party and the food is truly delicious. No, seriously: it’s as if an angel pitched a tent in your mouth. Even the charcuterie board he uses are local, designed by Geoffrey Lilge. Head to elmcafe.ca for information on catering or Zocalo (10826 – 95 St) to acquire your own charcuterie board of the first order.
• If salty charcuterie isn’t what you think your party needs—or, more likely, once it’s all been eaten—then sweets are a good place to go next. A cake from the Duchess Bake Shop is sure to impress, and while you’re picking it up you can check out the gigantic gingerbread Notre Dame Cathedral that owner Garner Beggs has created. Check out duchessbakeshop.com for more info.
• If chocolate is more your thing, then Kerstin’s Chocolates has got you covered. With chocolates of all kinds from bars, to truffles, to drinking chocolate and more, Kerstin’s Chocolates’ handmade creations are worth their weight in gold. And if you’re really into drinking your chocolate, try a recipe for Fleur de Sel Hot Chocolate, made from one of the shop’s most popular bars. Also, head to kerstinschocolates.com for more info.
Fleur de Sel Hot Chocolate
Steam 3/4 cup milk
Add 1 fleur de Sel bar (crushed)
Warm until blended
• Cocktails are always a hit at holiday time, but if you’ve got no knack for mixology, Bryn Bratton Wall of Distill Cocktails can come to your rescue. Providing personalized cocktail catering for your party, she will be able to get it from dowdy to rowdy in no time. Check out distillcocktails.com for contact information or try a few recipes yourself.
Alexander
1oz vs cognac
1oz dark creme de cacao
2oz heavy cream
nutmeg to garnish
Combine cognac with the creme de cacao and cream in a mixing glass with ice. Shake well. Strain into a small cocktail glass and garnish with a pinch of fresh nutmeg.
Tangerine Mule
3 tangerine segments
juice of one lime wedge
1 1/2 oz orange vodka
splash of ginger beer
lime wheel for garnish
In a mixing glass muddle tangerine segments and lime juice, add vodka and ice, shake and strain into high ball glass. Top with ginger beer and give it a stir.
• And what would a party be without locally made beer? It would be nothing. So it’s time to source a little something from the likes of Yellowhead Brewery, which is available at Devine Wines and Sherbrooke Liquor. While at Sherbrooke you may want to check out the store’s own brand of beer, Glenn Sherbrooke, brewed by local brewer Alley Kat.
• And if wine is more your speed, en Santé winery—located in Brosseau, Alberta—is a great place for festive, fruit-based wines. Made of locally-grown fruits like rhubarb, raspberry and saskatoon berry, these wines are sure to be a hit. Available in Edmonton at Sherbrooke Liquor.
More stories in the Holiday Guide »
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