Year 3, Day 151: The Fruit Scientist

OH GOD, LET IT BE TRUE.

August 1, 2007

Summer's sweet headliners
Strawberries are here - the real, local deal - and the crop looks bountiful. Chefs who wait for them all year find intriguing roles for that perfect flavour

JULIAN ARMSTRONG, The Gazette
A bumper crop of Quebec strawberries is forecast and, in contrast to earlier times, it won't come all at once and then be gone. "It will be a big, big, big strawberry season, for sure until the beginning of October," says Andre Plante, a Marche Central official.

Montreal chefs are already working their magic with the berry they have been waiting for all year long. Responding to the prospect of all those sweet, juicy local strawberries, they are expanding their strawberry repertoires, from Grandmother's shortcake and a strawberry mille feuille, to the more far-out: Strawberries with seafood, anyone? Or in vinaigrette with the savoury likes of red onions and basil?

"It's one of our best strawberry years ever, and maybe we'll even have Quebec strawberries at Thanksgiving dinner," said Plante, executive director of the Association des jardiniers maraichers de la region de Montreal.

Fruit scientist Shahrokh Khanizadeh agreed, citing the traditional varieties of Quebec's favourite berry that are on sale now, and the new breeds that have extended the season into autumn. "We had wonderful temperatures (this spring), no frost at blossom time, and the perfect amount of sunshine and rainfall," he said from his federal research farm at L'Acadie.

Breakfast
Kashi
Canadian Strawberries
Massachusetts Blueberries
Bananas from Ecuador
Soy milk from Silk
Coffee from Peet's

Snack
1.5 oz Boston Lite Popcorn
4 Sticks Beef Jerky
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar

Dinner: Quince
Assorted Olives
A few bites of very white bread with mushroom butter (this sickened emily)
Smoked Salmon on a Slice of Pickle
Field Greens "Dressed for the Season" (this meant Almond Slivers, Cherries and Goat Cheese)
Artic Char, on Spinach and White Bean Succotash

Dessert
1 Small Meringue cookie with Almond Slivers

I came home early and Emily and I played tennis indoors at the Wellesley spot. The lights went out in the middle of our second set. She won both 2-6 and 5-7. We tried to go to Sweet Basil (a fave Italian spot in Needham) afterwards, but it was crawling with ants (shaped like people) and so we tried the next best thing, which was the place across the street with very few people in it. This turned out to be a good choice and certainly better than the Rice Barn, a restaurant a little farther away with absolutely NO people in it.