jittery cook

recipes worth sharing

  • Join Jittery
  • Jittery Categories
    • Appetizers
    • Beans and Legumes
    • Favourites
    • Breakfast
    • Condiments
    • Crackers and Breads
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
    • Fish and seafood
    • Fruits
    • Grains
    • Meat
    • Pasta
    • Pizza
    • Poultry
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches
    • Sauces
    • Sides
    • Snacks
    • Soups
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
    • Reviews
      • Product Reviews
      • Restaurant Reviews
      • Jittery Reviews
  • 500 Jittery Recipes
  • Jittery Jabber
  • Jittery Who?

Appetite for Books with Derek Dammann

December 10, 2015 By Jittery Cook 10 Comments

Chefs Jonathan Cheung and Derek Dammann

Derek Dammann doesn’t speak in sentences; he speaks in stories, from the heart. He wears his heart on his tattooed sleeves and intersperses cooking demonstration with details on the provenance of ingredients and glowing preparatory descriptions, keeping you in the creative loop.

Derek Dammann preparing First Course: Pickled Rainbow Trout with Nduja

I went alone to Appetite for Books, taking the single remaining seat, only to find myself flanked by two friends and a charming young lady with an extraordinarily well-educated gourmet palate. How’s that for kismet?

Using recipes from his new cookbook True North: Canadian Cooking from Coast to Coast, Derek showed us what Canadian food means to him. I’d scanned the book briefly during a book signing at Appetite for Books and read all the media buzz so it was high time that I met the man behind the legend.

First Course: Pickled Rainbow Trout with Nduja

Nduja, the first ingredient in our appetizer, took Derek six months to produce.

First Course: Pickled Rainbow Trout with Nduja We all oohed and ahhed like a Greek chorus. Lovely to see, even better to taste, the meaty and spicy nduja, atop crispy toast, contrasted perfectly with the clean, sharp, briny fish and pickled veggies. In case you’re wondering, nduja is spreadable Calabrian salami made with properly raised swine (which takes 2 years, not 8 months).  It’s spiced with grilled, roasted, smoked, dried and then blended chilies and peppers, takes six months to cure and yields a flavorful kick with a 5 out of 10 heat level.

Second Course: Baked Oyster with Marmite

Second Course: Baked Oyster with Marmite  Apparently you need to be very strong or very brave to swallow huge oysters raw. Cooking huge oysters can solve that problem. You can actually chew them. Our Beach Angel wild oysters came clear across Canada from Out Landish Shellfish Guild (you’ve got to love that name) run by hippies. Marmite — a fermented yeast extract byproduct of beer production — Japanese mayonnaise and mushroom duxelles coated the oysters and elicited swoons all around the table.

Derek Dammann preparing Main Course: Quail with 4-Spice and Aioli and Foie Gras

Main Course: Quail with 4-Spice and Aioli and Foie Gras. We learned about deboning quail, curing meat and the importance of allowing food to come to room temperature before cooking. The garlicky, supersmooth aioli and foie gras on toast were divine pairings for the crispy perfectly-cooked quail.

Derek Dammann preparing Main Course: Quail with 4-Spice and Aioli and Foie Gras

What are the four spices? Cinnamon, cloves, black pepper and allspice go into the potato starch used to dredge the quails after briefly pre-cooking sous vide until just medium-rare and before quick deep-frying.

Main Course: Quail with 4-Spice and Aioli and Foie Gras

The plate looks plain and deconstructed; the food tastes anything but.

Dessert: Sucre A La Creme Pot De Creme

Dessert: Sucre A La Creme Pot De Creme. Dizzy with pleasure after all that dining goodness, not to mention the good company, dessert simply slid from plate to mouth in one long inhale. The Maldon salt helped to temper the sweetness, but spoonful after spoonful it disappeared and all I could think was “I’m so glad I don’t have to share this.”

Dessert: Sucre A La Creme Pot De Creme

You don’t have to take my word for Derek Dammann‘s culinary cleverness. Read his book, True North: Canadian Cooking from Coast to Coast; it’s filled with simpler recipes you can and will make — or stop by his restaurant, Maison Publique in Montreal’s Plateau, to sample his entrancing gourmet wizardry.

 

  • Share
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)

Related

« Rice Noodles – It’s all about the Sauce
Salted Caramel Granola Ice Milk – Sugar Sugar »

Comments

  1. Diane G says

    December 10, 2015 at 6:36 pm

    Wow! Some pretty edgy stuff!

    Reply
    • Jittery Cook says

      December 10, 2015 at 6:54 pm

      I know! It was exciting to try so many new and unusual dishes.

      Reply
  2. Cheryl says

    December 10, 2015 at 7:12 pm

    Lesley chesterman should be looking over her shoulder!😀

    Reply
    • Jittery Cook says

      December 10, 2015 at 7:19 pm

      Oooo! I like that!!!

      Reply
  3. Joanne Eidinger says

    December 10, 2015 at 7:55 pm

    What an engaging and beautifully descriptive posting of Derek D and his cutting-edge culinary artistry!

    I would never have paired nduja with fish, but I’ll trust your thumbs up scoring. What exactly was in the dessert? Besides sugar…

    Reply
    • Jittery Cook says

      December 10, 2015 at 8:20 pm

      Straight from Derek’s book: 1/2 c unsalted butter, 1 c brown sugar, pinch kosher salt, 1 1/2 c whipping cream, 1 c whole milk, 8 egg yolks, flaky sea salt. Mmmmmmm.

      And apparently the acidity in the pickled fish cuts the richness of the nduja. Derek gives a wonderful description of how he makes the nduja. Such an entertaining chef!

      Reply
  4. susan schwartz says

    December 10, 2015 at 10:04 pm

    What a wonderful-sounding class! I am so sorry I did not register quickly enough. You did a fabulous job of describing the class & Derek’s choices for the menu. Sounds also as if you enjoyed your class/dinner immensely:)

    Reply
    • Jittery Cook says

      December 10, 2015 at 10:11 pm

      I’m beginning to realize that special events at Appetite for Books are too special to be missed. It’s a place where food magic is tangible. Thanks for enjoying my take. Unbridled enthusiasm!

      Reply
  5. Jovina Coughlin says

    December 11, 2015 at 12:02 pm

    Very interesting.

    Reply
    • Jittery Cook says

      December 12, 2015 at 9:19 am

      Seriously! It was so eye opening. So many new experiences in one meal. You do need an open mind and a willing palate, but you gain trust with every bite.

      Reply

Jittery loves comments! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Sign Up!

Welcome to Jittery Cook!

There are over 490 recipes for you to discover. Subscribe above for a new Jittery recipe each week.
Meet Jittery...

Search Jittery Cook

Find Jittery Cook

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • RSS Feed
  • What’s cooking?

    Jittery since 2011:

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.