Dear Food & Wine Lover,

Welcome to this month's edition - this month we are 'taking you on a taste of New Zealand'...enjoy!

Come On A Taste of New Zealand 'Kiwi Test Drive'.

Imagine the journey of a lifetime to the fabled South Seas - a culinary and cultural journey to the enchanted islands of New Zealand with your own personal Chef, Judie Owens.  Learn the secrets of Kiwi cuisine while exploring the country's culture with the locals - tour leaves early 2008.

If you are in the Toronto area in September come on out for a taste of New Zealand and hear all about our Kiwi food adventure. To whet your appetite, come along for an exclusive 'Kiwi Test Drive' and sample a taste of New Zealand's finest foods and exceptional wines.  Meet your personal Chef for the journey down under in Cambridge (Ontario) on Thursday September 20th or Hemingway's in Yorkville (Toronto, Ontario) on Monday September 24th. From 6:30 to 8:00 pm you will be treated to fresh coconut ceviche, lamb kabobs and a mouth watering Green Lipped Mussels dish - all paired with a selection of world class Kiwi wines.  There will be a whole lot of Kiwi camaraderie, special gifts and offers that make attending more than worth the $35 registration fee.  The 'Kiwi Test Drive' includes gourmet food tasting, two glasses of wine, entertainment, journey of a lifetime details and a donation to Breakfast for Learning.

Click here right away to listen to your own personal invitation and be 'taken away'!  We'd love you to come with us, please RSVP to jackie@gourmetsafari.com or if you are anywhere in North America simply call us at 1-800-839.5795 by September 13th.  Space is limited to this exclusive evening.

The time is now.  Take the plunge and reward yourself with this incredibly unique, once in a lifetime experience to travel down under and immerse yourself in an amazing culture!

If you can't come out to the 'Kiwi Test Drive' here is a 'taste' of the trip highlights.

What:  Learn the secrets of Kiwi cuisine...from cooking lessons, to wine tastings, to a unique 'behind the scenes' taste of down under that you won't experience every day.

When:  A Taste of New Zealand Tours depart February and March 2008.

Why:  New Zealand is a leader in Pacific Rim cuisine, a style combining fresh seafood and meats with flavours 'borrowed' from Europe, the Mediterranean, Polynesia and Thailand...mmmmmm...

Who:  Travel with your own personal Chef, Judie Owens.  And I plan to travel with you as well!

How:  Easy...just contact me, jackie@gourmetsafari.com!

Foodie's Corner.

Recipe of the Month. 

Fresh Coconut Ceviche - The delicious flavours of fresh coconut combined with seafood all in a zesty coconut milk give this dish a unique combination of Kiwi flavours. 

I made a video on how to prepare this recipe.  Click here to watch it.

Half a fresh coconut

½ cup fresh coriander, chopped

¼ cup chives, chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lime

2 Thai chilies, chopped

1 tin can good quality coconut milk or pure creamed coconut

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

2 pounds of white fish, such as Tilapia or Perch

1 tin can good quality crab claw meat

1 c freshly squeezed lemon juice

How to make it:

1) Cut out the white coconut from the shell, remove the skin and place coconut chunks in a food processor. 

2) Add the coriander, chives, lime zest and juice, and Thai chilies to the food processor and pulse all together.

3) Add the coconut milk and red onion to the food processor, pulse, set aside and refrigerate.

4) Finely chop fish and crab meat, add 1 cup (or so) of lemon juice, enough to cover fish.  Refrigerate for approximately ¾ of an hour, until the fish is opaque.

5) Drain the seafood mixture well and add to the coconut mixture.

6) Serve chilled, using the coconut shell as decoration.

Uncorked!   

Perfect Kiwi Match.

One of New Zealand's star whites (in our humble opinion) pairs perfectly with this savoury Ceviche dish.

Recommendation:  Nobilo's Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, classic Sauvignon in a New World style. It is delicious with seafood, white meats and mid-aged cheeses.

Tasting Notes: Pale straw with green tints and brilliant clarity. A full range of ripe varietal characters such as gooseberry, lychees and passion fruit, which are typical of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Concentrated mouth-filling ripe varietal fruit showing gooseberry and mineral flavours. Good palate weight, with tangy acidity and a clean, well-balanced finish.   

Wine Spectator:  "This New Zealand offering is made in a zesty, refreshingly bright style spilling over with juicy pear, lime and passion fruit flavors that linger on the open-textured finish. A great deal on a flavorful white. Drink now. 40,000 cases made."  88 Points!

Nobilo Wines:  A Croatian immigrant, Nikola Nobilo, whose winemaking heritage stretched back 300 years, established the House of Nobilo in 1943. Today, Nobilo is renowned in New Zealand for pioneering new developments and is the country's fourth largest winemaker. Situated at the original settlement in Huapai, outside Auckland, Nobilo boasts state of the art winemaking facilities coupled with traditional winemaking techniques.

Trendspotting. 

This month's trend is all about the delicious and oh so good for your New Zealand honey.

Healing Honey.
Honey has been around forever, the ancient Egyptians used honey in cooking and for medicinal purposes...and made sacrificial offerings of it to their gods.

And a time that holistic treatments have become more mainstreamed, the medical community has recognized the importance of New Zealand's native Manuka Honey for its medicinal properties.  Manuka honey, gathered from the manuka tree (leptospermum scoparium), has exceptionally strong antibacterial and antiseptic properties, it's an untapped resource that is becoming widely accepted and regularly used. The healing properties of Manuka Honey are in most cases more effective than antibiotics, honey is no longer considered a home remedy!  Honey has many other medicinal purposes as well -- from treating allergies to soothing coughs and sore throats -- and it has vitamins and amino acids, too and can help retain calcium in the body.  Here's to honey...

Delicious Honey.
Honey is nature's sweetener, nothing has been added or taken away!  Honey should be stored in a dry place as it absorbs and retains moisture. Honey is sweeter than sugar. One teaspoon of honey is equivalent in sweetness to 1.5 tsp sugar. Cakes, puddings, biscuits and sweets will stay fresh longer when made with honey.  Honey contains all the vitamins and trace elements which nutritionists consider necessary for good health and unlike fruit and vegetables, it will never lose its vitamins during harvesting, storage and preparation.

To find out more about any of our culinary vacations please feel free to call me at 416.238.9987 (Toronto) or 1.800.839.5795 (in North America).  Email works well too at jackie@gourmetsafari.com.

Gastronomically, Jackie

Gourmet Safari supports BREAKFAST FOR LEARNING - proceeds from every culinary vacation go to this special charity.

PS: Please help save the environment by recycling this email -- help spread the word and forward it to all your friends!