Fire Starters - Outdoor Cooking Escapade! BBQ madness in Vancouver

For all of you that love a good barbecue, it's summer, come outside and watch the flames with us. Join us for an outdoor cook-off where local chefs (Andrea Carlson of Bishops for one) will be firing up a storm: spit roast, fire pit baking, BBQ, grill & smoke. Taste the fire in your food. And while you're eating your outdoor dinner, you'll do some good! Proceeds from the event will support the non-profit Growing Chefs! Chefs for Children's Urban Agriculture.

Whats extra exciting? ...The first Canadian appearance of smoked Tur-duck-in-hen-quail-con will be unveiled! Yes, the con is for bacon.

When: Sunday, July 25th
1pm or 3pm ticket times

Early Bird Discount Tickets: (Purchase before July 16)
5 Tasting Ticket - $10
5 Tasting Ticket with wine/beer pairing - $20

Tickets after July 16th
5 Tasting Ticket - $15
5 Tasting Ticket with wine/beer pairing - $25

Location: Swallow Tail Secret Supper Club, Vancouver, BC

Email: robin@swallowtail.ca for tickets and more details!



With your tasting ticket, you will get to sample of each team's treats. The teams will also have larger servings for sale if you hunger for more of you favourite tasting! Prices range from $5-$15 for the larger plates.

Sponsored by Windsor Meats and R&B Brewing
Cancellation Policy - All tickets are final sales, no refunds, you are welcome to sell them to other guests

Warm, Smokey, Blue Cheese Salad

Eating a blue cheese salad with a knife and fork is exciting; you feel both barbaric and refined all at once. This is one of my new favourites as I've fallen in love with my new wood BBQ.

Ingredients:
For Dressing:
1/4 c Olive oil
1 lemon, squeezed
salt and cracked pepper to taste
1 Tbs grainy mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp anchovy paste

For the Croutons:
1/2 of a baguette, chopped into 1cm cubes
2 cloves of garlic
4 Tbs Olive oil

A head of Romaine lettuce, cut in 1/4 length-wise and washed, then spun dry
4 slices of double smoked bacon, fried crispy
1/2 cup size chunk of a good blue cheese like Tiger Blue(Poplar Grove Cheeses, BC)

Serves 4 as appetizer portion
Recipe:
Make dressing; combine all ingredients into a small jar and shake vigorously.
Make croutons: grate garlic, put in bowl with olive oil, toss in bread cubes, spread on a baking tray and bake till crispy 5-10 min (400F oven).

Oil & then heat up your Grill or BBQ(BBQ will always taste better) to high(450 F approx). Put the romaine on the grill cut side down, grill 1 min then turn to grill the other cut side.

Remove from BBQ, plate, drizzle dressing over the lettuce, crumble the bacon and blue cheese over it, add cracked pepper and croutons and serve warm right away.

Wine pairing would be a lovely Chardonnay; something full and fruity to stand up to the big flavour of the blue cheese. I had an amazing Noble Ridge Chardonnay, BC, 2007, it went perfectly.