Wild leeks
Jamie Kennedy preserves these pungent alliums (which add a deep flavour to vinaigrette) with a slice of beet for colour. Gilead Bistro, 4 Gilead Pl., 647-288-0680
Quail eggs
Joan Olsen classes up the saloon staple by steeping them in white wine vinegar, bay leaves and allspice. Swirl, 946 ½ Queen St. E., 647-351-5453.
Cherry bomb peppers
Anthony Rose ferments bushels of these little Jewish deli–style fireballs and sends them out whenever he has a hole to fill on a plate. The Drake, 1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042.
Honey mushrooms
Pickled with coriander seed and star anise, these are chewy yet slippery, a nice fit with Nick Liu’s rabbit rillettes. Niagara Street Café, 169 Niagara St., 416-703-4222.
The preserved/pickled green tomatoes at Cowbell may rival their artichokes!
January 5, 2011 at 2:15 pm | by JasonIt’s good to see that we are doing some back to basics cooking again in Toronto. Too many people have been trying to do fancy cooking without understanding the basics. That has hurt the restaurant scene in Toronto a lot.
I find in Europe they have a stronger appreciation for mastering basic food preserving methods like pickling and curing. I am cooking in Denmark right now and they are doing some really interesting things there with preserving food.
If interested, you can see what restaurant life is like in Denmark on my blog haanpc.blogspot.com.
January 6, 2011 at 3:31 pm | by HPCPickled food is also done very well is many Asian countries.
January 11, 2011 at 8:46 am | by LovetoeatI love pickled foods , these are all really good , i have tried a few of them , restaurants that make there own fresh items is really good to see, the FOXLEY ON OSSINGTON does a great job, and BLD RESTAURANT on adelaide street makes everything fresh , thats what dining out is supposed to be about a dining experience where we taste what ll the great chefs of toronto make for us.
January 12, 2011 at 11:18 am | by frankduring the holidays i enjoyed some exceptional pickled products from a new toronto-based company called bumpercrop. with cheese and charcuterie we tasted red wine pears, pickled celery, and the most fabulous beer onions and peppers. where can we buy bumpercrop products? these were not listed…but should have been!
January 20, 2011 at 8:30 am | by susan