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16 Acton/Georgetown, Friday, August 10, 2007 A vacation to `the islands' provides treats for the palate Gerry is writing today. We just returned from a holiday in the islands. You may wonder "Why are they going to the Caribbean at this time of the year?" Well, we didn't. The islands we visited were Manitoulin in Northern Ontario and then Mackinac Island in the straits of Mackinac, between Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. We enjoyed a very relaxing, but different holiday on both islands. We stayed with friends from Georgetown at their new bed and breakfast on Manitoulin first. We were treated to a tour of the island and a picnic through the day, then out to dinner at the Garden Gate restaurant, close to Gore Bay in the evening. I discovered upon having dinner there that this great restaurant is listed in Anne Hardy's Where to eat in Canada 2007. Upon glancing through this book at the restaurant, I learned that there are two more restaurants on Manitoulin also listed. They are The Schoolhouse and Rocky Raccoons. I was quite surprised to discover such fine dining on these northern shores and only wished that we were staying longer to try all of them. The Garden Gate restaurant offered a lovely dining experience. Very comfortably decorated, with a welcoming atmosphere, we passed the obviously homemade dessert counter on the way to our table, but sadly never got to try any, after we ate our way through appetizers and dinner. The first food treat I enjoyed on our trip, besides our hosts' cooking, was here-- eating garlic scapes. I had never eaten these long green tops off the garlic plant, with their curly, slinky appearance. These I enjoyed with my fresh whitefish from the North Channel of Lake Huron. Yum-yum. The only other place I have ever heard of them was at a cooking class where Toronto chef Jamie Kennedy was instructing and he served his pickled garlic scapes, as he serves in his Toronto wine bar. After dinner, on the front porch, the hostess and I talked of food (she's a great cook) and I picked up some new recipes to try from her collection. Then, off to Mackinac the next day, where I experienced three more foodie treats. At the Jockey Club at the Grand Hotel on the first evening there, I noticed some chimineas ready to be lit on the patio. Well, in we went for a delicious dinner of lobster chowder, lobster salad and filet of beef. Great meal and atmosphere, except for the couple nearby who were having a loud and unfriendly discussion! As we finished our dinner, they sadly, finished their relationship. As dusk fell, I Lori Gysel & Gerry Kentner noticed the chimineas were fully ablaze and went out to see what was going on. Well, they were having a s'mores party for their guests! The four chimineas were ready and waiting for us to toast our marshmallows and pop them onto the chocolate then sandwiching this all between two graham wafers. The patio tables were piled with graham wafers, baskets of marshmallows and stacks of Hershey's dark chocolate bars, surrounded by lots of long handled forks. This treat may have been intended for the children, but the child in all of us brought many adults right up front. A very simple treat, but it sure made a lasting impression. The next day, touring the downtown, we, or I should say "I", succumbed to one of the many fudge shops-- at tradi- tion on Mackinac, which I have previously written about. The next evening, we dined at the Iroquois Hotel on the beach. Again, I relished my whitefish from Lake Superior, this time just plain broiled in butter, no crust, no sauce. Dave's appetizer was smoked whitefish cakes and we shared a fabulous soup of sweet potato, leeks and maple, which I will try to duplicate in the fall and pass on. It's hard to say what the best treat at this restaurant was-- the view, the whole meal really, but starting with the fresh warm, sugar-topped blueberry muffins in the bread basket. Now that's my kind of meal-- starting with dessert! Always on my adventures, I learn more and experience lots and am inspired to come home to my kitchen! Have fun and keep cooking! (Lori and Gerry can be reached at whatscookin@independentfreepress.com) one per person is enough). 6. Coat peaches with sauce on both sides. 7. Place peaches on barbecue. Turn once or twice as you cook. Keep lid to barbecue closed as much as possible. The peaches will get grill marks and will be golden in colour, but not burnt when they are finished (approximately 3-4 minutes per side). 8. When serving, drizzle some of the remaining sauce over top. Cook's notes: This dessert is great served over ice cream! You can substitute brown sugar for white sugar if you prefer. You can also substitute orange juice or cointreau for the peach schnapps. You can substitute nectarines, plums or pineapple for the peaches-- or make a combination! Grilled peaches on the barbecue Ingredients: · · · · · · One third cup butter One third cup white sugar One quarter tsp cinnamon One quarter cup peach schnapps Grated rind of 1 orange 4-6 peaches Method: 1. To prepare the sauce for the peaches, melt the butter together with the sugar, cinnamon and peach schnapps. Heat on stovetop, just until butter and sugar have melted together with other ingredients. 2. Add orange rind. 3. Remove sauce from heat and set aside. 4. Turn barbecue on medium low. 5. 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