EAT, DRINK: A Jill Wilcox recipe and the best of craft beer

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Cheers to the weekend. It’s time to learn a new recipe with Jill Wilcox; find the best local craft beers with Wayne Newton; and remember to create some great memories with your friends and family.

COOK THIS: Mozzarella stars in sensational summer salad

By Jill Wilcox, Special to Postmedia News

As an avid herb gardener, I’m always looking for new ways to use the assortment of leafy greens that are in my small garden.

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When I was in Italy this spring, I was presented with the most simple of tomato salads that featured fresh mint and basil. The basil I was expecting, but the mint I was not. What a delightful combination.

That reminded me of another unusual combination that I enjoy this time of year — tomatoes and strawberries.

So this week I’ve combined both of these usual pairings in a salad.

The star of the salad is creamy fresh mozzarella. You can it at most cheese counters in grocery stores or at any specialty cheese counter. There are domestic and imported varieties.

You can also use baby bocconcini and if you are a fan of feta cheese, crumbled feta would work for this salad, too.

I like to serve this salad with pieces of grilled bread to mop up all the delicious juices from the dressing, and of course to use it to spread the creamy cheese on.

This is a spectacular summer dish that will stretch the boundaries of what you think about a salad.

Tomato and strawberry salad

(Serves 4-6)

6 cups (1.5 litres) of leafy salad greens

1-1/2 cups ( 375 ml) of grape tomatoes halved

1-1/2 cups (375 ml) of strawberries, hulled and halved

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1/4 cup (50 ml) torn basil leaves

1/4 cup (50 ml) mint leaves

1 to 2 balls of fresh Mozzarella cheese

4 Tbsp. (50ml) extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. (25 ml) balsamic glaze or thick balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

1. Place the greens on a large oval platter.

2. Place cheese in the middle.

3. Scatter tomatoes evenly over greens

4. Scatter strawberries evenly over greens.

5. Scatter herbs evenly over top.

6. Drizzle olive oil over entire salad followed by the balsamic.

7. Season with salt and pepper.

8. Serve with crusty grilled bread.

DRINK THIS: Summer beers abound

By Wayne Newton, Special to Postmedia News

Sessionable, crushable, lawnmower beer, dock beer. Breweries have lots of descriptions for the thirst-quenching brews of summer.

The quest is beer that’s refreshing and thirst quenching. Look for lower – or zero – alcohol and high carbonization.

Here are the styles to have on ice to impress summer guests on hot days:

Wheat beers. Most are highly carbonated with a hint of citrus. They pair well with summer salads of crispy iceberg lettuce or bitter greens and goat cheese. Side Launch, the Collingwood brewery owned by Equals of London, has a wheat beer as its flagship brand. It’s sold at the LCBO and the new retail store at the Equals brewery on Sovereign Road in London. Think effervescent and sweet. Or go with a seasonal taste with the new Strawberry Moon, a Belgian wheat beer made with Norfolk County strawberries by Meuse Brewing.

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Kolsch. With fruitiness of an ale but crisper, a kolsch is a nice choice. The style was the first beer brewed by Cowbell in Blyth with Absent Landlord eight years ago. There’s a new one with a neat name at London Brewing this summer: Sleeping on the Kolsch Tonight. It’s a collaboration with Dad Club of London that was released in time for Father’s Day. Brewers used Newdale organic malt from Harvest Hop and Malt in Guelph and organic pilsner malt from Malterie Caux-Laflemme in Quebec.

Cream ale. The “cream” has nothing to do with dairy, but does describe the silky smoothness of this style. The pinnacle of the style, especially for Southwestern Ontario beer drinkers, is the award-winning Anderson Cream Ale brewed on Elias Street in the Old East Village. Bayside in Erieau brews a honey version of a cream ale. Try it with nachos and salsa.

Sour beer. Intentionally tart, sour beers include Belgian lambics, Flanders red and gose. Sour fans lost something special when Half Hours on Earth in Seaforth closed. Some breweries have fun with the style such as Mascot of Toronto with its Watermelon Beet Sour. Nickel Brook has a sour Berliner weisse, Jam Stand Raspberry brewed with vanilla and hibiscus at the LCBO. Sour beers might contain beneficial bacteria that’s good for your gut in addition to being fun to drink.

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Saisons. An ideal choice for summer, the best are brewed in Norfolk County by Meuse Brewing Co. The style originated in Belgium and is perfect for summer. Saison de la Meuse is at select LCBO stores, but there’s a whole lot more at the farm brewery near the community of Scotland.

Light lager. Straightforward beer that’s four per cent alcohol is a mainstay of summer. While MacLean’s has departed Hanover for shared space in Collingwood, its beers from craft brewing pioneer Charles MacLean continue to resonate. With its optimistic mountain peak label that’s more Colorado than Collingwood MacLean’s Light is at the brewery if not yet at other retailers.

Pilsners. More complex and interesting than a light lager, think Czech and Saaz hops when you think pilsner. Stone House Brewing might not be the first brewery that comes to mind when you think of Huron County, but it was the first and its fine reputation was built on its Czech pilsner, available at select LCBO stores. Mackinnon Brothers, a farm brewery in Bath, uses Chinook and Cascade hops grown by Hayhoe Farms of Aylmer to brew Philomena Pilsner.

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Non-alcoholic beer: No stigma, no more. Beer with just 0.5 per cent alcohol is cool and one of the most popular is Bellwood’s non-alcoholic version of Jelly King, a peachy-flavoured sour. Lager fans reach for Muskoka’s Veer. There’s lots more to choose from including those from companies that do nothing but non-alcoholic beers. Selection heaven is in London at Designated Drinks in London.

NEW AND NOTED

Sons of Kent has a low-alcohol IPA that’s also a fundraiser for Rise House International, a Chatham charity helping women and children in Haiti. Rise House Micro IPA is 2.5 per cent alcohol, light but still flavourful

At Red Barn Brewing in Blenheim, there’s a new East Coast IPA that’s almost a double IPA. The Pig, brewed with Galaxy, Citra, Nelson Sauvin, Idaho 7 and Cryo Pop hops, measures 7.8 per cent alcohol.

Upper Thames in Woodstock and Indie Ale House of Toronto collaborated to brew Homegrown IPA. They used thiolized yeast to maximize the fruit character. It’s on tap in Woodstock at Upper Thames and Brickhouse Brewpub.

The Express series at Railway City has a fresh entry, a helles lager. The German-style beer is mildly sweet and available in cans and on tap at the brewery.

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