It’s quince season

I love smell of quince. I’m looking forward to have it this time of the year. Conversely to the aroma, they are tuff, dry taste when you try it raw.

I cooked them as savoury with yuzu, Mexican mint, organic sugar, vegetable dashi broth and salt.

Additional, Mexican mint has great aroma, it smells like tarragon and mint, a hint of vanilla.

You will try this sauce with a rulade dish, at my vegan dinner pop up at Burdock & co. 18th October.

This is the last pop up 2022. Don’t miss it. Tickets link is here

Vegan farm to table dinner vol.11 at Burdock & co

Maest food presents - Vegan farm to table dinner vol.11 at Burdock & co.

October 18th. Full 3 course and a snack. The ticket price is including a glass of wine or soft drink. Tickets and details are here.

Introducing one of the course.

Zucchini roulade with lentil pate.

Roulade is a French dish, usually a rolled shape meal made with meat or pastry. This one is without meat, rolled with zucchini and pate.

The pate is made with lentil and with some umami improving Japanese ingredients.

Zucchini is marinated with sage oil. Will serve with sliced pine mushrooms.The photo is oyster mushrooms since I am asking forager to get pine mushrooms.It is still early for this year.

The sauces are exciting too.

Miso mole. Mole sauce made with white miso, cacao butter and other ingredients. Flavourful mildly spicy sauce.

Quince and yuzu sauce. Quince are cooked with Mexican mint, the details are here.

For the side, seasonal local vegetables and sourdough.

Cheese board, green walnut

Finished for a test for one of a menu for vegan contemporary dinner series vol.9 Far East.

We will feature Vancouver vegan’s favourite, plant based cheese shop, Blue Heron’s products.

We call it “board”, cheese samplers are on a pear compote(the cheeses on the pear are ideal, we don’t have actual products yet since we need to serve them fresh).

Pears.When I saw the pears at a farmers market, I bought it right away.

They looked like a treasure that I found in a cardboard, beautiful product.(And actual taste is perfect too)

Green walnuts. I received them from a farm where I took a field trip to, and then preserved in pickling liquid in mid summer.

I’ve tried the taste of nochino before but not pickled green walnuts.

After fermented a few days, the liquid got so black and I was excited how strange they are. Then left it about a month.

When I tried them two weeks ago, it was slightly too bitter and I thought I can’t use it for the event. Then I tried it again this week -happy surprise! It wasn’t bitter. Food science and time made a magic. Wonderful fragrance, unique texture and taste. Great addition for cheese & wine snack.

Shiso. Found them at a farmers markets then made an extract, then jelly. Very unique flavour, in between anise, basils, and mint.

Try them at our event. September 14th at Burdock & co. 7 course tastings dinner with a glass of wine, cold brew coffee & a dessert. The details are here.

Vegan weekend pop up -country style Inari bento

This weekend’s vegan takeaway pop up is “Inari bento.”

And it is country style. Foraged cherry blossoms and blackberry shoots, fiddle heads - Lots of fresh spring taste from the forest.

About the main item, “Inari” sushi is sushi rice in a puffed tofu pocket.

This version is open faced Inari sushi with foraged, wild vegetable toppings.

The highlights are Salted cherry blossoms, almond pulp miso pickled fiddle head, Espresso miso roasted eggplants.

Every content is made with thoughtful method to balance the each flavour, cured or marinated, etc.

A set with seasonal vegetable miso soup.

Pick up 24 & 25 April at Harken coffee, 338 Powell street.

Pick up time : 11-4pm.Limited numbers. Pre-order from our market site.

More photos and descriptions Tomoko Tahara instagram

Vegan cereals

When I was working at Harken coffee, Tomoko Tahara made a series of flavoured puffed rice cereals.

Since the menu was dine in basis, the cereal was simple, combination of toppings and flavoured milk made the charactor of the cereals.

This time is packaged so it has flavours in the cereals.

There are two kinds. Tamari candied almonds and seeds, brown sugar oats, raisins and cocoa nibs. Nice variety of flavours and texture, and good saltiness from the Tamari.

An another one is marshmallow puffed rice and almonds, seeds, freeze dried blueberries.

Not only for your breakfast, they both can be a dessert with good creamy “m*lk”. & fresh fruits, and nice with vegan ice creams.

Oh wait! Vegan miso “butter” is new item too.

Available for online pre-orders, as well as in store at Harken coffee (338 Powell street)

Vegan shawarma weekend

Shawarma..yes, its shawarma without meat. Our next weekend takeaway pop up at Harken coffee 338 Powell street. 27 & 28 March, 11:30-4:30. Pre-order basis.

Our House made shawarma and pickles(Blueberry flower pickling liquid), romaine, tomato, avocadoes, fluffy elegant pita from Super baba on Main street.

You can order online.

Super slow cooked celeriac is the mock shredded meat.It took two days to process.

Wrap it up with flour dough - mixed some glutamine-rich flavours.

They look like giant meat balls?

Slice, then braise, then some more process.

Take a glance look for vegan take away lunch box pop up on 6th & 7th March / Rose hip jam

Our pop up 0.1 : Vegan takeaway lunch box at Harken coffee.
What is in the box?

We introduced about the artisan bread on the last post.

The preserve for the bread.

Rosehip and Shiso jam.

Shiso is one of Japanese herbs. Tastes like mixed of basil, licorice, and mint.

The tanginess of the rosehip and the distinctive aroma from the Shiso herb are matching very well.

The taste of the jam reminds me plum jam, then I researched about those two plants - plums are a part of rose family. Probably that is because I reminds the taste of the plum jam?

Anyways.

Surprisingly, many of fruits such as pear, apples, cherries, strawberries and almonds, and more are Rosacae(rose) familly.

Ok, ok..back to the subject.

A mini sized jam is with the lunch box, also available full size at Maest market .

Our full menu on 6th and 7 th March.

Confit carrot, sunflower seed “cheese”, Crushed candied Tamari almonds

Charred broccoli with yuzu salt, shichimi, evo

Marinated, compressed Tempeh steak

Buckwheat Sourdough

Preserves : Shiso rosehip jam

Kale caesar salad

$18 before tax

Limited number. Pre-order the lunch box from Maest market, or just simply walk in to Harken coffee 338 Powell street.

Maest food at Iktsuarpok coffee stand

Our Vegan hojicha chocolate chip banana bread is available at Iktsuarpok coffee stand (425 Carrall street )from Saturday, 27th February.

This banana bread is all about flavours, good smoky bitterness from hojicha tea & bitter sweet chocolate, aroma of caramel, fruitiness of banana..

Available by slices.

Vegan Hojicha chocolate chip banana bread.