Don’t ask me how, but it seems I’ve gone years without noticing the small North Side kiosk in the St. Lawrence Market on Saturday’s where Cordon-Bleu trained Karen Viva Haynes, of Viva Tastings, sells a fine selection of artisanal foodie delights ranging from cupcakes to spiced pecans to mushrooms stuffed with sage and pesto. There really is no excuse for going years without noticing, but I’ll blame it on the fact that I typically have an ingredient list in mind when tackling the large Saturday morning crowds, and have never really “explored” the market. Excuses aside, I think I’ve found my new favourite market retailer.
My eye was caught by the beautiful terrines in the display fridge, which looked like miniature art pieces. Bright greens, pinks, and reds catch your eye and you can’t help but stare at the little delectable goodies. Karen suggested I try the sampler pack, which contained two slices of the leek, asparagus and shitake terrine, one slice of the roasted carrot and chardonnay-infused goat cheese terrine, and one slice of the roasted vegetable in roasted garlic tomato aspic terrine.
The leek, asparagus and shitake terrine looked sublime. A bright leek wrapper held a luscious white goat cheese with hints of lemon, layered with asparagus halves and a shitake mushroom in place. It simply looked stunning; the green popped off the plate, crying for attention. It tasted as fresh as it looked, but still packed a serious punch with the rich taste of asparagus and delicate flavours of shitake mushrooms.
The roasted carrot and chardonnay-infused goat cheese slice was by far my favourite. I seriously could have consumed a pound of the goat cheese. After taking my first bite, I had to answer a phone call, which lasted no more than 2 minutes. By the time I hung up, my mouth was watering, aching for another bite of this savoury treasure. Like all of Karen’s terrines, this one was just beautiful to look at, the colours so bright, that at first, I thought the roasted carrot slices might be salmon.
The roasted vegetable in roasted garlic tomato aspic slice, rich in deep reds, dark greens and muted yellows, tasted like it came directly from southern Italy. All the roasted ingredients lend the terrine a slight smokiness that would pair well with an old-world red. The basil adds a nice robust and slightly spicy finish to each bite.
All in all, these terrines met my expectations.
The next time you’re throwing together a dinner party, get an assortment of terrines from Viva Tastings. They look fantastic, and taste the part too. Serve individual slices, or cut into smaller pieces and serve them atop crispy baguette slices. If you’re not at the St. Lawrence Market on Saturdays. you can always visit Viva Tasting’s retail location at 402 College Street (see comment below).
