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Photos & Updates from Eat to the Beat 2015!

Posted by ettb12 on 2:48 pm in Food For Good | 0 comments

This year’s Eat to the Beat was a delicious success!

Thank you to everyone who volunteered, cooked, poured, ate, bid and drank to support us at this year’s Eat to the Beat. Together, we raised over $200,000 for Willow Breast & Hereditary Cancer Support!

See below for some highlights from the night!

Eat to the Tweet Contest

Posted by ettb12 on 1:38 pm in Contest, Food For Good | 0 comments

Show us your Inner Foodie!

Being held on October 27 at Roy Thomson Hall, Eat to the Beat is a mecca for urban foodies who come to experience the best Ontario’s culinary scene has to offer. It is the only event in Canada that exclusively features the talent of 60 female chefs – women supporting women through the challenges that come with a breast cancer diagnosis.

Guests have the opportunity to dine on some of Toronto’s greatest dishes, along with a selection of wine, beer and non alcoholic libations from the finest beverage purveyors.

Make sure not to miss THE food event of the year!

 Eat to the Tweet 2015 Contests

Contest 2 :#FoodieFriday: Show & Tell Us Why You Are the Ultimate T.O. Foodie

How to Enter:

From Friday, October 16 to Friday, October 23 tweet to show us your inner foodie.

Whether preparing your favorite meal in the kitchen, or having dinner out on the town, show us your love for all things food!

Make sure to include @EattotheBeat_TO and #ETTB2015 in all of your entries.

Contest Rules:

• The contest starts at midnight on Friday, October 16 and ends at midnight on Friday, October 23. 
• To qualify as an entry, all tweets must include the following: @EattotheBeat_TO and #ETTB2015.
• There is no limit to the number of entries per contestant, but each entry should contain original content. Retweeting and/or copying previously tweeted content does not count as additional entries.
• To win, you must follow @EattotheBeat_TO on Twitter.
• The winner will receive two tickets to Eat to the Beat 2015.
• The winner will be selected at random from all valid entries and contacted via direct message on Twitter on Saturday, October 24.
• The winner must be 19 years of age or older to attend Eat to the Beat. Should the winner be unable to attend the event, an alternate will be drawn from valid entries.

Make sure to include @EattotheBeat_TO and #ETTB2015 in all of your entries.

CLOSED: Contest 1 :#ThrowbackThursday: Share Your Photos from the Last 20 year’s of Eat to the Beat!

How to Enter:

From Thursday, October 1 to Thursday October 8, tweet to show and tell us your favorite memories and moments from the past 20 years of Eat to the Beat!

Make sure to include @EattotheBeat_TO and #ETTB2015 in all of your entries.

Contest Rules:

• The contest starts at midnight on Thursday, October 1 and ends at midnight on Thursday, October 8. 
• To qualify as an entry, all tweets must include the following: a photo from a past Eat to the Beat, @EattotheBeat_TO and #ETTB2015.
• There is no limit to the number of entries per contestant, but each entry should contain original content. Retweeting and/or copying previously tweeted content does not count as additional entries.
• To win, you must follow @EattotheBeat_TO on Twitter.
• The winner will receive two tickets to Eat to the Beat 2015.
• The winner will be selected at random from all valid entries and contacted via direct message on Twitter on Friday, October 9.
• The winner must be 19 years of age or older to attend Eat to the Beat. Should the winner be unable to attend the event, an alternate will be drawn from valid entries.

Early Bird Rate Extended!

Posted by ettb12 on 4:00 pm in Food For Good | 0 comments

Due to popular demand, we have extended our Early Bird deadline until September 16th!

Make sure to get your tickets before they’re gone!

$150

(regular price $175)

LAST CHANCE: Early Bird Closes Tomorrow at Midnight!

Posted by ettb12 on 2:08 pm in Food For Good | 0 comments

Don’t Miss THE Food Event of the Year!

Take Advantage of our Early Bird Rate Before it’s Gone!

To order your tickets now visit universe.com/eattothebeat or call 416.778.6314 ext. 236

The Countdown Begins: Willow’s Eat to the Beat 2015

Posted by ettb12 on 11:14 am in Food For Good | 0 comments

Welcome back to Food for Good, a blog in connection with Willow Breast & Hereditary Cancer Support’s annual fundraiser Eat to the Beat.

About Eat to the Beat

Willow’s Eat to the Beat is a culinary showcase held every October at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall. The event is currently celebrating its 20th year and is the only event in Canada that exclusively features the talent of 60 female chefs who donate their time and expertise in support of women through the challenges that come with a breast and hereditary cancer diagnosis. The evening also includes live music, a silent auction featuring must-have items, mystery bags and a raffle draw for great prizes. Eat to the Beat has been named one of the top 15 Food, Wine & Hospitality events in Toronto by BizBash magazine, and to date has raised more than $3.7 million in support of Willow. Over 80% of the evening’s proceeds are directed to Willow’s free-of-cost programs and services.  For more information on Willow and the support offered, please visit www.willow.org.

About Food for Good

This year, Food for Good will continue to delve into Toronto’s unique culinary world, exploring everything from the chefs and recipes that are showcased at Eat to the Beat, to the food and beverage trends that are sweeping the nation. Stay tuned as the Eat to the Beat team brings you the latest and greatest in the culinary community. Also, keep your eyes peeled this fall for your chance to win tickets to Eat to the Beat with our signature Eat to the Tweet Contest.

Make sure to take a look back at all the Food for Good posts for delicious recipes from our Chefs.  Also, make sure to Follow us on Twitter and Pinterest and Like us on Facebook.

Photos & Updates from #ETTB2014

Posted by ettb12 on 4:11 pm in Food For Good, Uncategorized | 0 comments

This year’s Eat to the Beat was a delicious success!

Thank you to everyone who volunteered, cooked, poured, ate, bid and drank to support us at this year’s Eat to the Beat. Together, we raised $216,857 for Willow Breast & Hereditary Cancer Support!

If you would like to help us reach our $220,000 goal, donate here.

See below for some highlights from the night!

Valrhona Cream Puff Whipped Vanilla White Chocolate Ganache/Salted Dulcey Caramel/Karlingo Feuilletine, Scaramouche Restaurant Pasta Bar & Grill – Photo by Ken Yan

Nick Pigeau Photography

Sabai Sabai Kitchen and Bar – Photo by Andre Van Vugt

Roasted Pork Belly with Crabapple Glaze and Pink Sauerkraut, George Brown College Chef School – Photo by Andre Van Vugt

Photo by Ken Yan

Apple Caramel Cheesecake, Pauline’s Pastries – Nick Pigeau Photography

KPMG Silent Auction – Photo by Ken Yan

Starbucks Canada Cafe – Photo by Andre Van Vugt

Eat to the Tweet Contest

Posted by ettb12 on 2:21 pm in Contest, Food For Good | Comments Off on Eat to the Tweet Contest

Show us your Inner Foodie! Use Instagram, Vine, or simply words to show and tell us why you deserve to win two tickets to Eat to the Beat!

Being held on October 21 at Roy Thomson Hall, Eat to the Beat is a mecca for urban foodies who come to experience the best Ontario’s culinary scene has to offer. It is the only event in Canada that exclusively features the talent of 60 female chefs – women supporting women through the challenges that come with a breast cancer diagnosis.

Guests have the opportunity to dine on some of Toronto’s greatest dishes, along with a selection of wine, beer and non alcoholic libations from the finest beverage purveyors.

Make sure not to miss THE food event of the year!

How to Enter:

From Wednesday, October 8 at 2pm  to Tuesday, October 14 at 10am, tweet to show us your inner foodie!

Whether preparing your favorite meal in the kitchen, or having dinner out on the town, show us your love for all things food!

Make sure to include @EattotheBeat_TO and #ETTB2014 in all of your entries.

Contest Rules:

• The contest starts on Wednesday, October 8 at 2pm  and ends on Tuesday, October 14 at 10am.
• To qualify as an entry, all tweets must include the following: @EattotheBeat_TO and #ETTB2014.
• There is no limit to the number of entries per contestant, but each entry should contain original content. Retweeting and/or copying previously tweeted content does not count as additional entries.
• To win, you must follow @EattotheBeat_TO on Twitter.
• The winner will receive two tickets to Eat to the Beat 2014.
• The winner will be selected at random from all valid entries and contacted via direct message on Twitter on Tuesday, October 14.
• The winner must be 19 years of age or older to attend Eat to the Beat. Should the winner be unable to attend the event, an alternate will be drawn from valid entries.

Food Trends & Menu Predictions

Posted by ettb12 on 5:11 pm in Food For Good, Uncategorized | 0 comments

The Eat to the Beat team is eagerly waiting to receive this year’s event menu. For the moment, all we can do is guess what components we may see in the dishes served on October 21st. The team has chosen four food trends for 2014 that we may see this year’s event.

Coconut

Expect to see coconut everything this year. From intricate desserts to simply dried chips, coconut will be a very popular ingredient in 2014.  Try out these recipes to sample coconut in a whole new way!

Spicy Coconut Risotto with Lime Shrimp

What You Need

4 cups vegetable stock

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup arborio rice

1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

2 teaspoons fresh ground ginger root

1/2 cup light coconut milk

2 tablespoons sambal oelek

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup roughly chopped cashews or macadamia nuts

Sriracha, to taste

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 pound raw 16/20 count peeled and deveined shrimp, patted dry

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

What to Do

1. In a small covered saucepot, heat vegetable stock over medium heat. When simmering, turn off heat and keep covered.
2. In large high-sided skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add rice, shredded coconut and ginger. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until rice begins to become translucent at edges of grains, stirring constantly.
3. Add 1/2 cup hot stock; stir constantly until mostly absorbed. Add additional stock in 1/2 cup increments, stirring after each addition and cooking until stock is mostly absorbed before adding more. Cook 20 to 25 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring frequently and adding stock as needed. Stir in coconut milk, sambal oelek, salt and pepper.
4. Meanwhile, prepare Lime Shrimp: Heat butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook 4 to 5 minutes or until opaque throughout, turning occasionally. Add lime juice; toss to combine.
5. Divide risotto between warm pasta bowls. Top with shrimp and garnish with cilantro, cashews and sriracha.

Recipe courtesy of: http://foxeslovelemons.com/spicy-coconut-risotto-with-lime-shrimp

Toasted Coconut Margarita

What You Need

1 ounce cream of coconut
1.5 ounces Tequila
1 ounce Cointreau
3 ounces lime juice

1 ounce simple syrup
3 ounces coconut milk
1 splash half and half
sweetened coconut flakes

What to Do 

1. In a small frying pan over medium heat, cook 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes until the edges are brown. Allow the flakes to cool and then crush them with your fingers.
2. To create the rim, brush honey on the outside of the glass all the way around. Be sure to keep the honey on the outside of the rim, not inside. Next, roll the honeyed rim in the toasted coconut flakes until it is covered completely.
3. Combine the cream of coconut, tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, simple syrup, coconut milk, and half and half into a shaker with ice. Shake and serve over ice. Garnish with a slice of lime if you like. Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of: http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2014/04/toasted-coconut-margarita.html

Coconut Chips

What You Need

1 coconut

Coarse salt

What to Do

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Test each of the three eyes at stem end of coconut to see which is the softest. Then use an ice pick (or a screwdriver) and a hammer to pierce two of the eyes. Strain water through a fine sieve into a bowl; reserve for another use or discard.
2. Place coconut on a rimmed baking sheet; bake for 30 minutes, or until coconut shell begins to crack. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
3. Wrap coconut in a clean kitchen towel; holding coconut with one hand, hit it with a hammer in the same place several times to crack the outer shell and split the coconut into several large pieces.
4. Separate coconut flesh from shell, and use a vegetable peeler to remove the dark outer skin, if desired. Rinse and dry coconut. Using a mandoline or a vegetable peeler, remove strips from edges.
5. Divide coconut strips between 2 rimmed baking sheets in a single layer; season with salt. Bake until toasted, about 10 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of: http://www.marthastewart.com/315342/coconut-chips

Biscuits

The comfort-food of 2014 will be the biscuit. By itself, or being used to hold a sandwich or burger, expect to see the biscuit in you restaurant adventures.

Sweet Potato Breakfast Biscuits

What You Need

3.5 ounces cooked and well-mashed sweet potato
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1/2 cup milk (whole or 2% works best)
for breakfast biscuits: add poached eggs, bacon, cheese and your jam or spread of choice

What to Do

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda, and whisk until combined.
3. Using a fork, pastry blender or your hands, add butter pieces to the flour and mix until coarse little crumbles remain.
4. Pour in milk and add sweet potato, stirring with a spoon until thoroughly combined, but not overmixing. Use your hands if needed to bring the dough together.
5. Use a 1/4 cup measure to drop batter onto a nonstick baking sheet, or press dough on a sheet of parchment paper or cutting board, then use a biscuit cutter to shape the dough into rounds.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until biscuits are slightly golden and puffy. While biscuits are baking, prepare your breakfast sandwich ingredients. Eat!

Recipe courtesy of: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/08/sweet-potato-breakfast-biscuits/

Chicken Wings

This year, prepare to see a more upscale version of the traditional dish. Look out for signature sauces, stuffed wings, and new meats like duck, catfish, pork belly and goat being used in 2014.

Baked Asian Chicken Wings with Raspberry Hoisin Glaze

What You Need

2½ lbs. chicken wings, tips removed, drumettes and flats separated

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 tablespoon McCormick’s Far East Sesame Ginger Blend

⅓ cup hoisin sauce

¼ cup raspberry jam

¼ teaspoon of fresh ginger, minced

¼ cup of green onions, sliced

Sesame seeds to garnish

What to Do

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. Rinse wings and drumettes and pat dry. Transfer chicken to a large bowl and toss with canola oil and McCormick’s Far East Sesame Ginger Blend until well coated.
3. Position wings on baking rack in a single layer. Space wings far enough apart so they are not touching.
4. Bake for 25 minutes, turn the chicken wings over to the other side and bake an additional 20-25 minutes. Remove wings from oven and transfer to a large bowl.
5. In a small saucepot over medium-low heat, whisk together hoisin sauce, raspberry jam with preserves, and fresh minced ginger until warm.
6. Drizzle wings with sauce, tossing until well coated.
7. Serve immediately. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.

Recipe courtesy of:http://www.joyfulhealthyeats.com/baked-asian-chicken-wings-raspberry-hoisin-glaze/

Firecracker Duck Wings

What You Need

4 whole duck wings

Sea salt

Pepper

2 dried bay leaves

1 stalk lemongrass, chopped

2-4 cups duck stock or chicken stock

2 cups duck fat for frying

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup Sriracha

2 tbs coconut aminos

Fish sauce to taste, about 2 dashes

What to Do

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. While oven is preheating, rinse duck wings with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Season both sides of wings liberally with salt and pepper. Let stand 30 minutes to 1 hour.
3. Add duck wings, stock, lemongrass and bay leaves to a large roasting pan or dutch oven, cover and roast in oven for 2 to 4 hours. The goal here is to get the wings close to fall off the bone tender yet not quite.
4. Remove wings from the oven and let cool slightly.
5. Place wings in a separate pan or airtight container, strain braising liquid and pour over wings. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
6. Remove wings from refrigerator, pat dry and set aside to come up to room temperature.
7. While wings are resting, add duck fat to a heavy bottomed pot or deep fryer and heat to 350°F.
8. Fry duck wings until crispy and golden brown. About 5 minutes.
9. Place wings on a paper towel to soak up any excess fat. Toss immediately with firecracker sauce, serve and enjoy!

Firecracker Sauce

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat.
2. Once butter has melted, whisk in coconut aminos, sriracha, and fish sauce. Set aside and keep warm.

Recipe courtesy of: http://www.pasturedkitchen.com/recipes/firecracker-duck-wings/

Eclairs

The new sweet trend that you will be seeing featured in many bakeries is the éclair. From the classic chocolate éclair to new flavours like popcorn, salted caramel, passion fruit, and green tea make sure to try one of these delicate sweets today!

Salted Caramel Eclairs

What You Need

For the Choux Pastry

125 ml milk

125 ml water

pinch of salt

10 grams sugar

100 grams butter

150 grams flour, sifted

4 eggs, beaten (around 200 grams)

What to Do

1. Place the milk, water, salt, sugar and butter in a saucepan and heat until the butter has melted.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour all at once. Stir the flour off the heat for a minute and then place the mixture back on the heat to dry out the pastry for around 5 minutes. Make sure to stir the choux mixture vigorously, over a medium heat.
3. Remove the choux mixture from the pan and tip it in to a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat this mixture over a medium speed and gradually add the beaten eggs, a quarter at a time and make sure the egg is fully incorporated before adding more.
4. When you’ve added around 3/4 of the egg mixture in, check whether the batter is ready. To do this, scoop some of the batter on to a spatula. If the mixture adheres to the spatula and then falls off, it’s just right. If it does not stick to the spatula, it’s too dry, add the egg mixture a little bit at a time until you get the right consistency.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 180 Celsius
6. Place the choux pastry in a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle that is 1.5cm thick and put in the refrigerator to allow to cool slightly.
7. In the meantime, get some baking paper and you’re ready to create guides which will help you as you pipe the mixture. Using a ruler and a marker, draw rectangles that are 10 cm long and 2.5 cm wide, spaced around 4 cm apart. Place another sheet of baking paper over the guide.
8. Take the mixture from the refrigerator and carefully pipe on to the baking paper, using the marked baking paper as a guide.
9. Lightly spray some water over the piped choux pastry and place in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes and then lower the heat to 150 and bake another 20 minutes. Once done, turn off the oven and leave the pastry in, another 5 minutes. (Never open the oven door while baking the eclairs as this will cause it to deflate) Remove the pastry from the oven.
10. When the pastry has cooled, use a serrated knife to cut along the tops of the pastry and fill with the creme patisserie.

Creme Patisserie

What You Need

300 ml milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

100 grams sugar

90 grams cornstarch

1 egg yolk

80 ml milk

100 grams butter

500 to 600 ml thickened cream

Salted Caramel sauce to finish the éclairs

What to Do

1. Heat the 300 ml of milk over a low heat. Add the vanilla.
2. In a bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch and egg yolk. Mix thoroughly then add the 80 ml of milk. Add this mixture to the 300 ml of milk and allow to thicken, using a whisk to stir the mixture. When the mixture has boiled, quickly take it out of the heat and place in a stand mixer. Allow the mixture to cool around 5 minutes. Using a whisk attachment, gradually add the butter until it is fully incorporated. Place the custard in a bowl and cover with clingfilm. Place in the refrigerator for around an hour.
3. When the custard has cooled, take it out of the refrigerator and give it a good mix to loosen it slightly. Weigh the custard mixture. Let’s say the mixture weighs around 550 grams, take the same amount of cream and whisk it using a stand attachment to stiff peaks. Before adding the cream, add around 50 grams of the salted caramel sauce to the custard. Then, add 1/3 of the cream to the custard until well combined then carefully fold in the rest of the cream to lighten the mixture.
4. Place the creme patisserie on to a piping bag fitted with a very small round tipped nozzle (about 6mm). Make three holes on the bottom of the eclair and pipe the cream patisserie filling.
5. To finish the eclairs, spread some salted caramel over the eclairs and top with some sea salt flakes.

Recipe courtesy of: http://trissalicious.com/2013/10/07/salted-caramel-eclairs/

What do you hope to see at this year’s Eat to the Beat? Let us know in the comments, Facebook, or Twitter!

Early Bird Rate Extended!

Posted by ettb12 on 2:44 pm in Food For Good | 0 comments

Due to popular demand, we have extended our Early Bird deadline until September 16th!

Make sure to get your tickets before they’re gone!

$150

(regular price $175)

The Countdown Begins: Eat to the Beat 2014

Posted by ettb12 on 10:06 am in Food For Good | 0 comments

Welcome back to Food for Good, a blog in connection with Willow Breast & Hereditary Cancer Support’s annual fundraiser Eat to the Beat.

About Eat to the Beat

Eat to the Beat is a culinary showcase held every October at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall. The event is currently in its 19th year and is the only event in Canada that exclusively features the talent of 60 female chefs who donate their time and expertise in support of women through the challenges that come with a breast and hereditary cancer diagnosis. The evening also includes live music, a silent auction featuring must-have items, mystery bags and a raffle draw for great prizes. Eat to the Beat has been named one of the top 15 Food, Wine & Hospitality events in Toronto by BizBash magazine, and to date has raised more than $3.5 million in support of Willow. Over 80% of the evening’s proceeds are directed to Willow’s free-of-cost programs and services.  For more information on Willow and the support offered, please visit www.willow.org.

About Food for Good

This year, Food for Good will continue to delve into Toronto’s unique culinary world, exploring everything from the chefs and recipes that are showcased at Eat to the Beat, to the food and beverage trends that are sweeping the nation. Stay tuned as the Eat to the Beat team brings you the latest and greatest in the culinary community. Also, keep your eyes peeled this fall for your chance to win tickets to Eat to the Beat with our signature Eat to the Tweet Contest.

Make sure to take a look back into the 2012 and 2013 Food for Good posts for delicious recipes from our Chefs.  Also, make sure to Follow us on Twitter and Pinterest and Like us on Facebook.

A Look Back at Eat to the Beat 2013