Cooking up his third annual OTMH gala By Nathan Howes OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Chef Michael Bonacini and company will be cooking up a feast full of support for Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) in early November. Bonacini, who co-owns Oliver & Bonacini Café Grill (OBCG) in Oakville and has been featured on the Food Network and CityLine, will prepare the 20th annual OTMH Candlelight Ball's four-course meal Nov. 5. To prepare for Bonacini's third OTMH fundraising gala, a menu tasting was held at his Oakville restaurant for a dozen event committee members and sponsors. "We're preparing a series of hors d'oeuvres that will be used during the reception portion of the event. We will explain what will be found on the table such as an artichokeand-chick pea spread, instead of butter, and the artisan breads that we make in our bakery and a selection of warm, salted almonds," said Bonacini. "We have a four-course menu, which we will pull to pieces during dining time and put it back together, make a few tweaks and ... put out a tremendous dinner (that) evening." Bonacini said plans for the first course include a cold cured hamachi tuna, "using a little limoncello" complete with citrus salad because the theme of the evening g is g golden hearts. "We're trying to use that as part of a theme throughout the entire menu and the colour of limoncello and hamachi is a more golden colour and, therefore, would fit quite nicely with the golden beets (and) the golden eggs (caviar)," said Bonacini. "The second course we're looking at doing is a rich, mushroom broth with golden chanterelles, which are in season right now, and that would also have flavours of f porcini and truffle, (which) gets a nice pastry crust (and) is baked in the oven so the pastry crust puffs up." As for the main course, Bonacini and his team of 18 employees are planning on presenting a beef tenderloin, "the deluxe cut of f meat," he said. "It is probably the safest red meat to go with because there's hardly anyone that doesn't like a beef tenderloin. We will be serving that along with some pulled grazed beef short ribs," said Bonacini. In addition, the evening menu will include an innovative golden nugget squash and a foie gras-buttered stuffed Yorkshire pudding." "It's a gala dinner, so we want to make sure that the guests feel it is a night of little extra pampering and it will get them to splurge a little bit more," he added. See Menu page 16 15 · Wednesday, October 26, 2011 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com ERIC RIEHL / OAKVILLE BEAVER GALA MENU: Chef Steven Kwon, a team member of head chef Michael Bonacini, dishes out some of the fare that will be served at the 2011 Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital Candlelight Ball. Bonacini will be the gala's head chef for the third time. CLEARANCE SALE Stressless and Natuzzi Sofa f s sele ected fl flo oor mo odels Stressless Granada Sectional Reg. $15,995 ANUFA F CTURER AUTHORIZED Halloween at Hopedale Mall Trick or Treat, just follow the feet thats right just follow the skeleton feet from store to store for some really good treats! t Friday, O Friday Octob cto ctob ctober ober ber 28 28th from 6pm from 6p 6 pm - 7pm 7pm th t then hen h en e n st sta stay sta tay t ay a & enjoy enjoy the en the Sphere Sphere ph pher here ere Monster Monste ons nst te er Band er Ba and an nd n Up to 50% off $6,995 3245 Fairview Street · Burl lington, Ontario L7N 3L1 (905) 633-7226 · 1-866-556-7226 · www.scandecor.ca Hours: Mon.-Wed. 10-6 · Thur.-Fri. 10-8 · Sat. 10-6 · Sun. 12-5 HOPEDALE MALL 1515 Rebecca Street, Oakville QEW Bronte Rd. 3rd Line 4th Line Rebecca St. Lakeshore Rd. Dorval