There is no one better who demonstrates healthy living in his cooking, creating and every day life than Chef Ned Bell of the Yew.
Please note that I was invited by ProNamel and my meal was comped, but all opinions are my own.
A couple stats about acid in the food we eat daily:
- Wine, vinegar, fizzy drinks, lemon juice and iced tea are all on the higher end spectrum of acidity levels
- Pears, bananas, probiotic yogurt, carrot juice, black tea and honey are in the lower end of acidity levels
I’m not gonna lie, I love my wine, pop and ice tea so my teeth are probably heading down this road real fast. The damage is irreversible, so what can we do for prevention?
- avoid swishing, swirling or holding acidic food or drinks in your mouth
- avoid sipping acidic drinks over a long period of time
- use a straw when drinking acidic beverages
- using toothpaste like Pro Namel to protect from the effects of acid wear
Now back to the food, Chef Ned put together a conscious and delectable menu for us to experience.
For starters, we had Chef Ned Bell’s Interactive Seafood Tackle Box, which includes pacific oysters, humpback shrimp, BC spot prawns, Albacore Tuna – all OceanWise friendly of course. All very nice, refreshing and served with great presentation. My favourite tastes from this were the sliced apples, Albacore tuna and avocado.
There were an assortment of breads to go with our appetizers: gourgeres, milk buns and even some warm salted almonds and cashews.
We paired the Tackle Box appetizers with a little bit of Moet & Chandon which always works beautifully with oysters and seafood in general. Well, let’s be honest…champagne is always delicious.
My first course was the Seared Qualicum Scallops (crispy and raw cauliflower with orange dressing). What I loved most about this dish was it’s simplicity, scallops are delicious on their own and with a bit of the orange dressing, brightened up the dish. The raw cauliflower gave the dish a bit of a crunch without adding too much ‘other’ flavour to the dish.
Paired with this was the Truchard Roussanne from Cameros, California. I loved this wine, it wasn’t too sweet and was very clean on the palate. I would have to say that this is one of my favourites now!
The next course – Roasted Oceanwise Halibut, lemon truffle vinaigrette, apple butter and Agassiz hazelnuts (which there is a recipe for at the bottom of this post). Again, simple but elegant. Roasted to perfection where the fish is meaty and not flaky, seared perfectly on the top. I could’ve ate this fish on it’s own but the accompanying sauces were a beautiful compliment to the fish itself. The lemon truffle and apple butter mixed beautifully with crisp and clean flavours that gave the fish that extra pizzaz but for me it was the hazelnuts – I LOVE hazelnuts. I’ve never really thought of using it in cooking this way, but I’ll have to try it out some time soon.
This dish was paired with the Jordan Chardonnay from California. Again, a great pairing and a wonderful Chardonnay that I won’t soon forget!
Our main course was the Pemberton Meadows Organic Beef Tenderloin, served with smoked golden potatoes, lobster and vanilla bean hollandaise. I am patting myself on the back for choosing this dish as my main dish – the vanilla bean hollandaise piqued my interest but it tantalized my tastebuds! The hearty meat and the slight sweetness from the hollandaise will make me question any other sauce on beef from now on.
Sadly, I had to leave right before dessert (which is my favourite course of any meal) – but from the looks of it, was delicious!
I’d like to thank Chef Ned Bell for all his delicious creations that align with healthy living, also Pro Namel for the invitation and education.
To learn more about the Yew, be sure to check out their website here.
To learn more about Pro Namel, check out their website here.
Finally, the recipe!
Roasted OceanWise Halibut, Lemon Truffle Vinaigrette, Apple Butter, Agassiz Hazelnuts Recipe
Ingredients:
1 piece 6 oz halibut
(sablefish or salmon are great substitutes)
Method:
In a small pan, roast the fish in canola oil for 4 minutes per side!
Apple Relish/Butter:
2 cups fresh diced granny smith apples
1 cup dried apple pieces
(BC Blueberries or cranberries are a great substitute)
1 cup apple juice
½ cup honey (maple syrup is a great substitute)
2 tbsp sea salt
Method:
Bring all the ingredients up to a simmer in a small pot over medium heat for 10
minutes.
Lemon Truffle Vinaigrette:
1 cup olive oil
2 tbsp truffle paste
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
½ cup lemon juice
1 tsp sea salt
Method:
Blend all the ingredients together in a Via Mix
For the Hazelnuts:
1 cup roasted and chopped Agassiz Hazelnuts
Sprinkle on top of the fish after it comes out of the oven
