So.. the launch was a lovely elegant affair in a lovely elegant building, adorned with fantastic art and incredible furniture.
Note the throne they seated me on and the special little signing mat, and the height of the table which meant supplicants practically had to kneel for audience.
Here you see the back of Pam Porter, winner of this year’s GG for Children’s Literature, whose own poetry collection is due out any second now from Coteau and will doubtless sparkle brightly with a light all its own.
And here’s a gaggle of gastronomes nibbling on that ever present smoked salmon cheesecake. More photos another time, perhaps, once I’ve seen more of them.
I caught the cooking section of CBC’s North By Northwest this weekend; apparently Ricardo Larrivee is Quebec’s answer to Jamie Oliver (and way prettier, IMHO). He was by some curious coincidence making a vegetarian lasagne with eggplant caviar — which latter substance was one of the items I made for the launch. I wonder if I can use leftovers in a lasagne?
Yes the launch was a literay and culinary delight. And Rhona (without a D) was in fine form indeed! The smoked oyster pate was as delectable as my memory of the one at St. Pete’s. The smoked salmon cheesecake was, well, divine.
Great photos, gorgeous place, but fuddle-duddle, R, I can’t read the PDF file.
Looks wonderful. Congrats on your launch–wish I could’ve been there.
Bummer, B. Should work fine with your Acrobat reader but here it is in text:
Lasagna with Eggplant Caviar & Grilled Sweet Red Peppers
By Ricardo Larrivée
Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour & 30 minutes
Not so long ago, all lasagna were the same. Nowadays, layer still follows layer, but they’re
always different. Neither are they as thick as before, and they’re more varied and subtle. In my
recipe, everything is easy to prepare. Of course, you must take the time to cook the eggplants
and grill the sweet peppers. Grilled peppers bought in jars, especially when out-of-season
peppers are expensive, can replace the fresh ones.
Ingredients:
3 sweet red peppers
2 eggplants
salt and pepper
4 cups (1 L) tomato sauce, homemade or store-bought
9 lasagna noodles, cooked
½ cup (125 mL) fresh basil, minced
6 ½ oz (200 g) mozzarella, sliced
Method:
Place rack in top of oven. Preheat oven to broil.
Cut peppers in half, seed and place on cookie sheet, skin side up. Grill peppers under broiler
until skin darkens. Place peppers in an airtight container and cool. Remove skin and set aside.
Place rack in centre of oven and preheat to 350°F (180°C). Prick eggplants with a fork and place
on a cookie sheet. Cook in oven for about 1 hour. Cool and cut in half, lengthwise. Using a
spoon, remove flesh and mash in blender or with a potato masher. Season with salt and pepper.
Set aside.
To make the lasagna, cover bottom of an 11×7 inch (28×18 cm) pan with half of the tomato
sauce. Lay three pasta strips on top of the sauce. Cover with sweet peppers and basil. Place
three more strips and cover with the eggplant caviar. Place last three strips on caviar and top
with the remaining tomato sauce. Cover with cheese.
Cook in oven for about 20 minutes at 350°F. Brown under broiler.
What to drink?
A red Italian from the Friuli region will make a tasty companion.
From: Weekend Cooking by Ricardo
Published by Whitecap Books, 2006
Re-printed with permission
Broadcast on CBC Radio’s North by Northwest Cooking Club
http://www.cbc.ca/bc/cookingclub
Thanks, R! Looks grande!
No problema B. And Tracy, I wish you coulda been there too. Though there was a distinct dearth of both chocolate cakes and cupcakes, which I infer are important features of Saskatchewan’s literary events.
Saskatchewan literary types are known to bring cake. I wish I could’ve been there, too. Looks like it was lovely.