Holiday Guide
Liquid Lunch
Duck meets gourd in a soulful mash-up By Rob Mifsud
Turkey and squash. Yawn. Another holiday, another dry, flavourless bird with moribund veg. But the maestro of broths, bisques and hotpots behind RaviSoups (and Mildred Pierce before that) is turning tradition on its head. Ravi Kanagarajah first saw the magic of soup as a child in Sri Lanka, watching chefs simmer massive pots over open wood fires. Now he’s turned his gaze to the holiday meal cliché, opting for a more flavourful fowl. Duck is the soul of this bowl. Kanagarajah first roasts, then simmers the bird’s bones, distilling their essence into a rich stock in which he cooks and then purées butternut squash. Strands of succulent duck confit float on the surface, garnished with a sprinkling of duck crackling—a crispy contrast to the velvety liquid. The finished soup echoes the gamy and sweet notes of its primary ingredients, but with a dramatic boost in texture, flavour and imagination over the bland standard. Turkey be damned. This is a holiday dish worth gobbling up. $8.
RaviSoups, 322 Adelaide St. W., 647-435-8365; weekdays 8–8.
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