Toronto has a population of three million but compared to New York City feels far less crowded and noisy. I’m basing this far from scientific observation on a recent six-day visit.
My friend C lives in a spacious condo in an almost parklike setting. It feels distant from “downtown” but it’s only a few minutes away. Many of her family members live close by enabling lots of time together.
While there we watched Ted Lasso which I’d somehow let slip by. It’s charming but can’t say I became a huge fan. We ate well, enjoyed lots of wine, caught up on the past and cooked together.
The Gardiner Museum is devoted to ceramics. The physical space is light and airy; the exhibits are terrific. So is the gift shop but buying ceramics that would require shipping seemed silly do I didn’t.
Tilting moves the liquid.
Among the current exhibits was the International Ceramic Art Fair full of contemporary work. There are also areas devoted to the kind of porcelain (Chinese export and related) I have far too much of but, as it largely belonged to my family, can’t jettison. After lots of viewing we had a delightful lunch at Clay, the museum restaurant.
Also loved the Bata Shoe Museum showcasing, hardly surprisingly, footwear. The exhibit devoted to artifacts from Vindolanda, a Roman auxiliary fort just south of Hadrian’s Wall in England. So many variants on sandals! Also on view are items capitulating the history of footwear including “shoes” from all over the world—these Indian paduka from Jaipur were likely for a very formal occasion. If you’re into the American Wild West you can see a display of cowboy boots.
Indian Paduca –tread carefully
One night we went to Sorrel, an excellent restaurant in a hot area of the city where prices seemed high to me because the American dollar is high compared to the Canadian. The grilled artichokes and my bouillabaisse were great. Another night we whipped up quite a good pasta with shrimp, beans, fennel and crushed tomatoes courtesy of the New York Times cooking site.
Compared to New Yorkers, Torontonions, (how they style themselves), are incredibly polite. Even airport personnel are polite! I saw fewer dogs than at home but perhaps wasn’t in a particularly dog-enhanced area. The city feels less foreign than London, Paris or Palermo, probably because it’s part of North America. After all, we speak the same language although Canadians have certain advantages like a different government and universal health care which my friend says works well although certain situations require a long wait.
Although C mentioned butter tarts we didn’t eat them. However, I can see why they would be delicious.
Canadian Butter Tarts
- 1/3 cup dark corn syrup
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 24 frozen tart shells defrosted according to manufacturer’s instructions
Preheat oven to 375F. In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, combine corn syrup, melted butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and mix well. Add lemon juice and vanilla and mix well. Stir in the pecans and raisins.
Place the tarts on a rimmed cookie sheet. Fill the tarts with the mixture and bake for 12-15 min., until golden. They will puff up and then fall back down. Cool and serve.
Sing Oh Canada while you pass them around. I don’t know the words as I focus on this anthem only during televised Olympics, nor do I plan to make the tarts which my friend described as similar to pecan pie. I love pecan pie but it’s a dessert for cooler weather than we are currently experiencing. Even though I’m a hot weather person this has gotten out of control. I don’t long for winter (far from it) but a little moderation would be welcome.