How To Make Tuna Tostadas from Earl's Restaurants

Have you ever tried the Tuna Tostadas from Earl’s Kitchen and Bar? These delicious bites are a favourite appetizer item at Earl’s. A spiced piece of Tuna sits on top of a crispy tortilla, garnished with a tasty jicama slaw. The recipe was created by their talented team of chefs (aka The Chef’s Collective), and now they’ve opened their kitchen doors to show you how they're made! If you’d like to make your own Tuna Tastadas at home, check out the full recipe and behind the scenes Tuna Tostada video, including tips from Chef Ryan Stone. If cooking is not your thing, you can always visit Earl’s Restaurants locations across Canada. 

We are also teaming up with Earl’s Restaurants for an exclusive Instagram Giveaway of 2 x $100 Gift Cards. Check out the full contest post and details on the @goodfoodtoronto Instagram page. Contest ends on Feb 4, 2016.

Cactus Club Cafe- First Toronto Location

Written by Rayanne Y. aka @goodfoodscarborough (Good Food Toronto guest writer)

I had the opportunity to get a sneak peak of the Cactus Club Cafe Toronto located at 777 Adelaide Street West during their media event this past October. Cactus Club Cafe is a well established restaurant in Western Canada so I was very excited to see what they had in store for Toronto. 

As I entered the restaurant, I was warmly welcomed by the hostesses. I was then ushered to the glass elevators that took me upstairs to the second floor. As the elevator doors opened, you can see that the area was tastefully decorated. The vibe is upscale, yet relaxed enough for a drink with friends or an after work visit with coworkers.

The friendly bartenders served the Cactus Club's signature cocktails which were thoroughly enjoyed by the guests. Their bellinis were delicious and on point. They served samples dishes from their menu that were created by Canadian Celebrity Chef Rob Feenie.

If you crave a lighter fare, the Tuna Tayaki is an excellent option. Seared Albacore Tuna, papaya slaw, pine nuts, yuzu vinaigrette and cilantro. The fresh ingredients really makes this dish very refreshing.

Rob's Crispy Chicken Sandwich was really tasty. Perfectly fried panko-crusted chicken with swiss cheese, sambal mayo, lettuce, tomato and onion. This was my favorite item I tasted that evening.

After sampling the food and drinks I went to check out the third floor of the restaurant. This floor had a rooftop restaurant feel and an amazing retractable roof which will be prefect for patio season. The lower floor had a classy sports bar feel and would be a great place to watch games with friends. I had a great evening at the Cactus Club Cafe.

My overall impression of this establishment was that it is conveniently located in the heart of the Toronto financial district and is a great place to relax, mingle and grab a few drinks and food after work or on the weekends. They offer exceptional customer service along with a great selection of food and drinks. Thanks for a great experience Cactus Club Cafe Toronto, I will be back for that chicken sandwich.

Bourbon Poached Persimon® with Finnish Pancakes Recipe

I recently had the opportunity to learn, taste and create a recipe using Persimon® brand Persimmons.  The Persimon® Rojo Brillante variety of persimmons are grown in Ribera del Xúquer Valley (Xúquer River Valley) near Valencia in Spain. They are available seasonly (October to January) in Metro and Sobey’s stores in Toronto.  I purchased a box of Persimon® Rojo Brillante Persimmons, which are different than other varieties because the fruit is firm, sweet, and immediately ready to eat.  This variety does not need ripening (ripe when firm), as opposed to other types of persimmons that need to become soft and ripe to be eaten.  I liked these persimmons because I could wash them, cut them up and eat them without any special prep.  They were mildly sweet with a little bit of crunch, kind of like a hybrid mix of a ripe mango and a crunchy apple.  Persimon®  persimmons are also rich in fiber, vitamins and only available seasonally in Toronto.

After snacking on some Persimon® persimmons, I got some help from dessert expert Jessica (@jellymean) to create a recipe for a beautiful Persimmon dessert.

RECIPE:  Bourbon Poached Persimon® Finnish Pancakes

This recipe is split into 3 parts.  Part 1 is for the bourbon poached persimmons, part 2 is for the finnish pancakes and part 3 is where the whole dessert is put together!

Part 1- Bourbon Poached Persimon® Persimmons

Ingredients (Bourbon Poached Persimon®):

2 tablespoons of Butter

¼ cup of Bourbon of your choice (we used Bulleit Bourbon)

½ tbsp of honey

2 Persimon® Persimmons Sliced (can save extras for snacking)        

Instructions:

1. Microwave 1 tablespoon of butter in a microwave safe bowl
2. Add ¼ cup of Bourbon
3. Add ½ tbsp of honey and mix
4. On medium heat, melt small amount of butter on pan
5. Fry sliced persimmons on pan and flip when one side starts to char
6. Spoon over butter/bourbon mixture on top of persimmons
7. Cook until sauce reduces and gets sticky. Remove persimmons from pan

 

Part 2- Finnish Pancakes

Ingredients (Finnish Pancakes)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 cups milk

1 cup flour

Instructions (Finnish Pancakes)

1. Combine and whisk all ingredients until smooth. Optional: Run the batter through a sieve to get out all the lumps
2.  Let the batter rest for 30 minutes (or overnight) in the fridge
3. Heat non-stick or lightly greased pan to medium
4. Pour in a thin layer of the batter just so it covers the bottom. Once it is golden brown on one side, flip and cook the other side to golden brown. These Finnish style pancakes are more similar to crepes than regular pancakes.
5. If you have a grill pan that would be a good nice grill marks on the persimmons. But if not a pan will do.  

Part 3- Plating the Bourbon Poached Persimon® Finnish Pancakes

Place the bourbon poached persimmons (Part 1) onto the completed Finnish Pancakes (Part 2).  You can have fun with this part and use more persimmons per pancake depending on your taste. Fold the pancakes however you would like and serve with vanilla ice cream for extra tastiness!

Read more about Persimon® Persimmons at persimonsays.com!