The Savvy Gourmet

Welcome to The Savvy Gourmet blog!

There are thousands of food blogs. Why add another?

To find recipes and comment on them, to pinpoint the best restaurants in your neighbourhood and publish your opinion, to discover and comment on chef’s shows and many other related subjects – there is a wide selection of blogs, magazines and websites for all this and more.

On the other hand, discovering and making use of the characteristics of a category of foodstuffs, finding guides and indicators to help you choose the best product or seeing that the fine foods you choose come with quality assurance is quite something else. In fact, it can be a difficult and frustrating task.

The purpose of our blog is to partly fill the information gap on fine food products, simply and honestly. It is produced by OGourmet, an online food store for gourmets.

Continue reading "Welcome to The Savvy Gourmet blog!"

New Collaboration between TerroirsQuébec and OGourmet!

TerroirsQuébec is an online fine food store specialized in food products from from artisan producers. It was created and is operated by Spidmail, a company founded by Cedric Fontaine.

TerroirsQuébec and OGourmet have agreed to collaborate in the development of eCommerce of the foodstuffs. Their complementary competence and experience will make it possible to accelerate the development of this field.

It will also help in offering consumers a wider range of high quality products with improved sales conditions.

Producers in the Spotlight – Maison Ferber (France)

Jams created by “The Jam Fairy” are sensational! Expensive, yes.

But for Christine Ferber, this is what you should expect if you use only fresh fruits of the highest quality, create subtle blends and combinations of ingredients, and employ methods of preparation that can extend over two and even three days for certain jams.

Her recipes can be found in many gourmet books published in several languages. It thus comes as no surprise that Christine Ferber has acquired an international reputation and received prestigious awards.

If you have time and patience, you can follow her recipes at home. For those who prefer to rely on this famous chef, pleasure is guaranteed.

"Farber...is one of France's leading patissiers...innovative flavor combinations and pristine ingredients yielding pure flavors." - The Art of Eating, April 2005

New Guide to Jams and Jellies

There is a lot of confusion about the differences between compotes, jams, jellies, marmalades, spreads, etc., all sweet things cooked for our pleasure.

To get off on the right foot, this guide is first of all a lexicon of names for the various sorts of jams. More analysis of particular jams will be added gradually, as we discover more about the very best jams and jellies in the world.

To learn more about these sweet things, follow the guide!

Ogourmet Gets a New Look

A new logo, an improved website, new presentations, new formats, new products, etc. – Ogourmet gets a new look!

Ogourmet site improvements have been designed by OZ Studio, an enterprise where talents create magic.

A new shopping experience at the new Ogourmet website.

A great store with great foods!

OGourmet Manager Honoured

At the University of Sherbrooke (Quebec) graduation ceremony on September 22, Guy Rochon, one of the founders and principle managers of OGourmet, was awarded an honorary doctorate degree.

The award was an acknowledgement of his remarkable contribution to promoting science and business development in the field of information technologies, geomatics and remote sensing.

No doubt about it, Guy has his feet firmly planted on the ground! And he certainly knows how to navigate through the world of gourmet food products!!

Producers in the Spotlight – La Chaiseronne (France)

Founded in 1980, La Chaiseronne is a butcher shop and delicatessen in Normandy, France. From the outset, La Chaiseronne was a pioneer in offering consumers complete transparency by providing both the name of the breeder and each animal’s pedigree.

Now with 25 employees, La Chaiseronne continues its commitment to product traceability, quality control and sustainable development, and follows the requirements of ISO Standards 9001:2008 and SD 21 000 (Sustainable Development).

Old-style products made with modern technology and quality control.

Producers in the Spotlight – Sociedade Agrícola do Conde (Portugal)

The centuries-old Quinta Vale do Conde property is located in the upper Douro region, district of Bragança, northern Portugal.

Ancestral traditions combined with modern technologies result in the production of an exceptional olive oil.

The aromatic characteristics and quality of this olive oil have been recognized in some of the most prestigious international oil competitions all over the world.

Awards

2011. Gold Medal - 1st prize, Mario Solinas Award – Spain.

2011. Honours with distinction in the Intense Fruity category, 7th China International Exhibition Olive Oil & Edible Oil – Shanghai

2010. Gold Medal, XI Olivomoura (Moura) – Portugal.

2010. Gold Medal, Prestige at Terra Olivo Award – Israel.

...

Winners of the Olive d’Or 2012 Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition

On May 9, the winners of the Olive d’Or 2012 extra virgin olive oil competition were announced. 100 olive oils from 15 different countries were part of this competition organized by SIAL Canada.

SIAL Canada is part of the SIAL international network of annual professional trade shows held in Buenos Aires, Paris, Montreal and Toronto (in alternating fashion), and Shanghai.

The olive oils are divided into three categories: mildly fruity, medium fruity and very fruity. The winners of each category are rewarded with the following prizes: “Goutte d’Or”, “Goutte d’Argent” and “Goutte de Bronze”.

The Goutte d’Or winners are Ottobratico from Olearia San Giorgio – Italy (Mildly Fruity), San Pietro from San Pietro Foods – Chile (Medium Fruity), and Rincón de la Subbética Alamoda from Almazaras de la Subbética – Spain (Very Fruity).

The Goutte d’Argent winners are Olave Organic from Valle Grande S.A. – Chile (Mildly Fruity), Olio Oliva Titone D.O.P Valli Trapanesi Biologico from Azienda Agricola Biologica Titone – Italy (Medium Fruity), and Melgarejo Gourmet from Aceites Campoliva, S.L. – Spain (Very Fruity).

The Goutte de Bronze winners are San Pietro from San Pietro Foods – Chile (Mildly Fruity), Sofra from Sarra Huiles – Tunisia (Medium Fruity), and Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tradizionale from Planeta – Italy (Very Fruity).

Kitchen Myths – Searing Meat to Seal in the Juices

To minimize the lost of juices when cooking, sear the meat quickly. True or false?

This idea, introduced by Justus von Liebig around 1850 and later embraced by contemporary cooks and cookbook authors, is not true. Simple experimentation showed that seared roasts lost the same amount of moisture or more.

Nonetheless, it remains an essential technique in cooking meat for several reasons:

• High temperature browning of the surface creates desirable flavours through caramelization and the Maillard reaction.  

• The appearance of the food is usually improved with a well-browned crust. 

• The contrast in taste and texture between the crust and the interior makes the food more interesting to the palate.

To learn more on this subject:

von Liebig, Justus. 1850. Researches on the Chemistry of Food.

McGee, Harold. 2004. On Food and Cooking (Revised Edition). Page 161, "The Searing Question".

Searing in Wikipedia.

Does Searing Meat "Seal In" Juices? More controversial materials in About.com Culinary Arts.

Producers in the Spotlight – Cluizel (France)

Since 1948, Cluizel has been one of the rare chocolate manufacturers to process cocoa beans himself. Cluizel creates exceptional chocolates in its Normandy (France) workshops, employing 240 people.

Strong relationships established over the years with cocoa planters have reinforced his position as a cocoa expert, thus ensuring clear traceability for his chocolates.

Cluizel chocolates have won several prestigious awards in international competitions. For example:

2011. Golden Bean award for the Noir au Café chocolate bar, Academy of Chocolate Awards, United Kingdom.

2011. Bronze medal for the Noir 85 % chocolate bar, Academy of Chocolate Awards, United Kingdom.

2010. Winner of the Confectionery category for the Bio Los Anconès 67 % chocolate bar, 22nd Edition of the Soil Association Organic Food Awards, United Kingdom.

2009. Silver Medal for the Grand lait 45 % chocolate bar, Academy of Chocolate Awards, United Kingdom.

2008. Gold Star for the Grand lait 45 % chocolate bar, Great Taste Awards, United Kingdom.