May 2008
Acid Trip
Move over, balsamic. Wild poppy vinegar is here By Ivy Knight
Sometimes the latest, greatest thing is as old as the hills. To wit: the hottest new product in Toronto’s hautest kitchens is wild poppy vinegar from Martin Pouret, a French company founded back when Napoleon was busy invading Italy. The family-run firm prepares red and white wine vinegars the old-fashioned way, by slowly fermenting Loire Valley wines in oak casks. Its poppy vinegar ($14.95, 250 mL, Einhorn Fine Food in Caledon East) has a mildly floral pucker courtesy of the hundreds of blooms that have been picked, dried, boiled and filtered down to a sweet essence. Here, three dishes made with the ambrosial acid.
Jason Bangerter
Auberge du Pommier
Foie gras terrine with peach compote, $22.
“I get so excited by new ingredients,” Bangerter says,
“it’s like being on a first date when it seems like you might get lucky.” He first cures the foie gras in peach brandy and
lavender sugar before turning it into a savoury terrine.
The peaches are poached in wildflower honey, poppy vinegar and lavender flowers. Brioche toasts and an ethereal foam of the vinegar lifts the dish to dream date status.
4150 Yonge St., 416-222-2220.
Jason Inniss and Bertrand Alépée
Amuse-Bouche
Sardines with red beet seedling salad, $15.
An Old World escabèche of Portuguese sardines (their
flavours sweetened by the vinegar) meets the New World
in a crispy olive oil garnish. A poppy vinegar gastrique
adds kick. 96 Tecumseth St., 416-913-5830.
Jesse Vallins
Trevor Kitchen and Bar
Pork cheeks with sweet pea purée, $13.
Vallins ushers in spring with three elements: sweet peas, succulent pork and poppy vinegar. The pork sits atop fresh peas puréed with cream; a wild poppy agrodolce, updated with poppy seeds and chives, adds the final touch. “When I smelled the vinegar, it reminded me of an aromatic apple cider,” he says. “I can’t think of anything better with that than pork, and pork just happens to be my favourite
vegetable.” 38 Wellington St. E., 416-941-9410.
