Series 5, Episode 2
In episode two, Tastes Like Home looks back at Catherine’s visit to Donegal and Tiny Township in Canada as well as creating new dishes based on the flavours she tasted during her Canadian travels.
In Canada, Catherine visits the Apple Pie trail, a Maple tree farm to discover how Maple Syrup is made and stops at Blue Mountain the local ski resort. This week Catherine will teach us how to cook sweet lovers delight, Maple Taffy, and for the cheese lovers, Irish Cheddar Cheese Curd Poutine with smoked bacon and whiskey gravy followed by a Spiced Bramley Apple Cake with Maple Whiskey Glaze – mouth watering!
This week, Catherine has the pleasure of meeting with brother and sister Nuala and Mark Bradley. Nuala Bradley and Patrick Friel live in the small village of Kerrykeel, Co. Donegal which lies between Knockalla Mountain and Ranny Hill and is on the shores of Mulroy Bay. Patrick is a lobster fisherman and Nuala runs the Curlew Café. Nuala’s brother Mark now lives with his wife Marilyn and kids Noah and Finn in Canada.
Catherine Fulvio said of her Canadian experience “Mississauga is a beautiful part of the world, with its relaxed vibe and to see how they celebrate the humble apple in the nearby town of Collingwood made me feel right at home. But the highlight for me was experiencing the maple syrup being harvested and learning about the levels of flavours, what to expect from a good maple syrup and how delicious maple syrup butter is by the way!”
The Curlew Cafe specialises in seafood as all the seafood served is caught locally by Nuala’s husband Packie and it’s this freshness and tastes and favours that Mark has missed the most in his new life in Canada, as well as his longing for proper wheaten bread which his mother used to make and they all grew up eating and his sister now makes daily in the cafe. Catherine visits with Nuala and Packie to learn the secrets of making these dishes before heading to Canada to recreate it for Nuala’s brother Mark.
Nuala said of her TLH experience, “We really enjoyed the whole experience, Catherine was delightful and very easy to connect with, our only regret was that we could not actually join my brother and his family and friends at their party on the beach in Canada! “.
Mark and his wife Marily are Podiatrists and run their own clinics in Mississauga where Mark and his family live midweek but they all feel their “real home” is two hours north in Tiny. Tiny, also known as Tiny Township, is a township in Simcoe County, south-central Ontario, Canada and can be found in the southern Georgian Bay region and Mark’s home backs directly onto the lake. In Summer their life revolves around the water with kite-surfing, sailing, swimming, and in Autumn / Winter it’s walking, cycling and skiing.
“Having the taste of home crew here was taste enough for me, relaxed, easy going and fun. It was such a beautiful opportunity to introduce a taste of my home in Ireland to several great friends with several delicious twists to the taste. Can’t wait till next time!!” said Nuala’s brother, Mark Bradley.
The fifth series of Tastes Like Home is sponsored by Belling.
For further information, imagery, recipes from any or all series or interviews with Catherine or any of the Irish based participants, please contact; Ann-Marie Sheehan, Aspire PR & Marketing, T: 018275181 / 0872985569
Editors Notes
Tiny Township:
An environmentally focused, diverse family of communities providing a healthy lifestyle for its residents and visitors alike. Our Guiding Principles encompass the environment, culture and heritage, recreation, our shorelines and municipal administration.
The picturesque Township is located in the Southern Georgian Bay area and boasts some of the most beautiful trails and beaches in the region. Is a culturally diverse community with a strong Francophone influence which adds to our rich heritage.
With a population is approximately 10,784, but as a popular destination for tourism and cottagers, sees the population double to approximately 20,000 over the summer months.
We are home to the Tiny Marsh Provincial Wildlife Area; Ontario’s first provincially owned and managed wetland. It offers visitors year-round use of 600 hectares of marsh and 300 hectares of field and forest. Residents and visitors can also take advantage of Awenda Provincial Park, set on the beautiful shores of Georgian Bay, for camping, hiking, and cross-country skiing.
The Township has a total area of 344 square kilometers and has a coastline on Georgian Bay measuring 70 kilometers. The southern boundary, about 16 kilometers long, abuts the Springwater Township and the northern tip of the Town of Wasaga Beach. The eastern boundary, 17 kilometers long, marks the western boundary of Tay Township. The Township skirts the municipalities of Midland and Penetanguishene and embraces the coastline in a sweep around the peninsula.
Poutine is a Canadian dish, originating in the province of Québec, made with French fries and cheese curds topped with a light brown gravy.This fast-food dish is typically found across Canada and in some places in the northern United States. The dish is thought to have originated in rural Québec, Canada, in the late 1950s, and several provincial communities claim to be the birthplace of poutine, including Drummondville (by Jean-Paul Roy in 1964) and Victoriaville. Prior to this, since 1901, the closest dish to poutine was known as “chips, cheese and gravy” and was widely available in the UK (particularly the north of England and Scotland). Some believe that the Canadian classic “poutine” was somewhat inspired by this British dish.
In the basic recipe for poutine, French fries are covered with fresh cheese curds, and topped with brown gravy. Heavy beef- or pork-based brown gravies are rarely used. To maintain the texture of the fries, the cheese curd and gravy are added immediately prior to serving the dish. The hot gravy is usually poured over the room-temperature cheese curds, so that the cheese is warmed without completely melting.[16] It is important to control the temperature, timing and the order in which the ingredients are added, so as to obtain the right food textures which is an essential part of the experience of eating poutine.