Eat Magazine - Recipes

Halibut with Bacon Dressing & Roasted Beets

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

From the March/April issue of EAT

photo: Rebecca Wellman recipe: Jennifer Danter

The sweet and salty flavours of the bacon dressing may seem a bit overpowering on it’s own, but when paired with meaty halibut, well, it’s divine! Especially if you use bacon from Choux Choux. A hint of horseradish with earthy beets adds a little kick too.

4 beets, trimmed and scrubbed

Olive oil

1 tsp prepared horseradish

4 6-oz fillets fresh halibut (choose thick centre cuts)

Knob of butter

3 thick strips bacon, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 shallot, minced

1/4 cup Spinnaker’s Apple Cider Vinegar

1Tbsp Babe’s honey

1/4 cup good quality olive oil

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

1. Place beets on a large piece of foil and drizzle with a little olive oil. Seal to form a package and place on a baking sheet. Roast in 375°F oven until tender, from 35 to 45 min., depending on size. You want them tender but not too soft. When cool enough to handle, slip off skins. Chop beets, then toss with horseradish and a drizzle of olive oil. Cover and keep in a warm spot.

2. Season fish with pinches of salt and pepper, if you wish. Melt butter in a frying pan over medium-high. When bubbly, add fish, skin-side up. Sear until golden, 2 to 3 min., then place, skin-side down, on a small baking sheet. Finish cooking in preheated 375°F oven until cooked through, 8 to 10 min.

3. Meanwhile, wipe out frying pan. Add bacon and fry until crispy. Remove bacon to a plate but leave 1 Tbsp fat in pan. Add shallot and reduce heat to medium. Cook until soft, 3 to 4 min, then add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 min. Pour in vinegar and scrape up any bits from pan bottom. Stir in honey and oil until well mixed, then remove from heat and stir in parsley.

4. To serve, place beets on plates and top with fish. Spoon dressing overtop.

Kiwi Feast

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Pictured above: Fresh Green Shell Marlborough Mussels Steamed with Thai Spices

Photo by John Sherlock

Recipes from New Zealand by Nathan Fong

Barbecued Asian Marinated Butterflied Leg of Lamb

This wonderful marinated leg of lamb is a recipe by Cuisine Magazine food editor and my friend Lauraine Jacobs, who prepared it for us at a dinner welcoming me to her country. Towards the end of the trip, we met again and I commented on how wonderful the food scene was and she exclaimed in delight “ … so what took you so long to visit?” I’ll be back soon!

Serves 8 to 10.

1 large boned and butterflied leg of lamb

3-4 kaffir lime leaves, cut into thin slivers

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 Thai red chili, finely chopped

3 Tbsp olive oil 3 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp oyster sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 limes

Small bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Trim the lamb of any extra fat, but leave a thin covering of fat over the meat. Cut a few slashes in the surface skin so the marinade can find its way to the centre of the meat.

Mix the kaffir lime leaves, crushed garlic and chili together in a small bowl. Add the olive oil, soy and oyster sauces and mix everything together well. Smear this sauce over every surface of the lamb, rubbing in well. Sprinkle with plenty of salt and pepper. Leave for at least half an hour before cooking.

Heat the barbecue until it is very hot, then place the lamb on the grill. Turn off the burner directly under the lamb and reduce the heat of the other burners to low.

Cover with the barbecue hood. Turn the lamb occasionally and cook until the surface is crisp and the meat cooked through. You will see the lamb start to shrink ever so slightly when it’s cooked, and this should be about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how thick the meat and how hot the barbecue.

Allow to stand for at least 10 minutes before carving into thin slices. Place slices on a platter and squeeze over the juice of one of the limes. Cut the other lime into thin wedges and arrange these over the lamb. Scatter the chopped cilantro over and serve.

Tempura Inari Pockets

This creative Asian-inspired dish is by chef Peter Gordon, one of New Zealand’s famed international chefs who owns the restaurants dine in Auckland and The Providores in London. This starter course showcases a simple inari, a fried tofu pocket stuffed with seasoned sushi rice infused with roasted tomato and lightly tempura battered. The accompanying refreshing avocado puree and the nori sauce along with a yuzu vinaigrette dressed salad makes this an outstanding Kiwi fusion dish.

Inari pockets

2/3 cup sushi rice

1 Tbsp mirin

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

2 tomatoes, cut in half, drizzled with olive oil,salt and pepper and slowly roasted until semi-dried (325°F for 2 hours)

1 green onion, finely chopped

10 inari pockets (available at Japanese food stores)

All-purpose flour

1 pkg tempura batter mix

Canola oil, for deep frying

Rinse the rice thoroughly under cold running water until liquid runs clear. Place in a heavy bottomed saucepan and add 1 cup cold water. Place over high heat and bring to the boil, then place a lid on and turn to low heat and cook 12 minutes; do not take the lid off. Take from the heat and drizzle on the mirin and rice vinegar, put lid back on. Begin to finely chop the tomatoes, and if excessively moist, squeeze some of the liquid from them before continuing to chop. Stir into the rice with the green onion and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Divide into 10 equal portions and stuff the inari pockets, gently pressing them flat and sealing them.

Make tempura batter according to package instructions. Dust pockets with flour before dipping in the tempura batter. Dip the pockets into the batter one at a time and deep fry in hot 350°F oil until crisp and golden. Remove and place on a baking sheet lined with paper towel, keeping warm.

Avocado horseradish tofu puree

1/2 ripe large avocado

100 g silken tofu

1 Tbsp grated horseradish

1 tsp fresh lime juice

Puree everything together until smooth, season with salt.

Sweet nori puree

3 Tbsp mirin

3 Tbsp sake

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp Chinese black vinegar

4 sheets nori, lightly toasted then shredded

Bring liquids to the boil and cook 30 seconds, take off the heat and stir in the nori, then simmer for 30 seconds. Puree finely.   Yuzu dressing: 1 tsp yuzu juice 1 Tbsp mirin 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil   Whisk everything together.

To assemble, cut the tempura battered inari pockets in half, on an angle. Dollop some of the nori puree on each plate, place some frisee or mesclun to one side and sit the inari on top; add a dollop of the avocado mixture then drizzle with the yuzu dressing.

Barbecue Duck and Coconut Laksa with Green Tea Soba Noodles

This is a brilliant dish from Peter Gordon’s restaurant in Auckland. Laksa, the curry-infused coconut broth “meal in a soup bowl” is one of Malaysia and Singapore’s most treasured dishes. Traditionally they can be made with various seafoods and the noodles are usually thick rice noodles. At the restaurant, this dish was served with Japanese matcha tea soba noodles and shredded smoked duck. I’ve adapted this dish using a store-bought Chinese duck, which I think is a great substitute!

Serves 4 to 6.

One Chinese barbecued duck

2 Tbsp canola oil

Laksa paste (see recipe below)

6 cups chicken stock 2 tsp palm or brown sugar

1 tsp salt

2 cups coconut milk

1 pkg (about 10 to 12 oz) green tea soba noodles

4 squares fried bean curd puffs, halved diagonally

1/2 English cucumber, seeded and julienned

1 cup bean sprouts, blanched

Fresh mint and cilantro sprigs

Lime wedges and fried shallots, to garnish

Remove meat, with as much skin intact, and cut into thin 1/3-inch julienne strips. Set aside.

Heat oil in a hot wok and fry laksa paste for about 5 minutes, until fragrant. Add stock, sugar, salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add coconut milk, stirring constantly as it heats. Do not boil or the coconut milk will separate.

Cook noodles in salted boiling water until al dente.

Distribute noodles among warmed serving bowls and ladle in the hot soup. Serve with the barbecued duck, cucumber, bean sprouts, mint and cilantro. Garnish with lime wedges and fried shallots.

Laksa Paste

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 Tbsp grated ginger

1 Tbsp grated galangal (or substitute ginger)

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 stalks fresh lemongrass, white part only, sliced

6 dried red chilies, soaked and chopped

4 to 6 whole dry roasted macadamia nuts or a small handful of cashews, chopped

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika 1 tsp ground cumin

Place all ingredients into a mortar and pound until well blended or add to food processor and process until smooth.

Fresh Green Shell Marlborough Mussels Steamed with Thai Spices, Baby Bok Choy, Coconut Cream and Coriander

The Bay of Many Coves, on the breathtaking Marlborough Sound and the Queen Charlotte Inlet at the top end of the Southern Island, is certainly one of the most stunning resorts I have ever stayed at. The contemporary designed glass and wood bungalows are set camouflaged on the hillside amongst the heavy brush of tree ferns and foliage. Mark Jensen, their talented executive chef, executes dishes showcasing their local and seasonal cuisine, many with Asian ingredients. Here he utilizes pungent Thai red curry paste and New Zealand’s famed green shell mussels to create this comforting dish, perfect for the cool autumn weather. We can find fresh green mussels occasionally but if not, our local ones will substitute just fine.

Serves 4.

4 to 4 1/2 pounds fresh Marlborough green shell mussels

2 tsp Thai red curry paste (we make our own, but good quality store-bought is fine)

2 tsp palm sugar

2 tsp fish sauce

1 fresh Thai red chili, seeds removed and finely chopped

2 fresh kaffir lime leaves, bruised to release aroma

1 tsp toasted coriander seeds, then finely ground

1 Tbsp dark soy sauce

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, leaves and stalk

4 baby bok choy, cut into quarters

1 cup coconut cream

Clean mussel of all barnacles, seaweed, etc. Set aside.

Put all ingredients except for cilantro, bok choy and coconut cream into large pot and bring to the boil. Add mussels, bok choy and cilantro; cover and cook on high for 4-5 minutes or until most mussels are open. Shake pot to mix sauce while cooking. Reduce heat and stir in coconut cream (add more if you want to make it more mild)

Divide into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro and slices of fresh limes. Serve with jasmine rice.

Red Thai Curry Paste

Makes about one cup.

17 to 20 prik haeng (dried hot red chilies), halved and seeds discarded

4 tsp coriander seeds

2 fresh lemongrass stalks

1 tsp whole black peppercorns

4 tsp finely chopped peeled fresh or thawed frozen galangal

6 fresh kaffir lime leaves (sometimes called bai makroot), finely chopped

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro roots or stems

5 small shallots, chopped (about 6 Tbsp)

1/4 cup chopped garlic

15 to 20 red prik kii noo (fresh bird’s-eye chilies) or serrano chilies, finely  chopped

2 tsp ga-pi (Thai shrimp paste)

1/2 tsp salt

Special equipment: a large (2-cup) mortar and pestle (preferably granite)  or a mini food processor

Cut dried chilies into quarter pieces with kitchen shears and soak in warm water until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain well in a sieve.

While chilies soak, toast coriander in a dry small heavy skillet over moderate  heat, shaking skillet, until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes, then cool. Thinly slice lower 6  inches of lemongrass stalks and finely chop.

Finely grind coriander seeds and peppercorns with mortar and pestle (or in mini food processor), about 2 minutes, then toss together with lemongrass, galangal, lime  leaves, coriander stems, shallot, garlic, fresh chilies and soaked dried chilies in a bowl.

Pound mixture in 3 batches with mortar and pestle until a fairly smooth paste is  formed, 8 to 10 minutes per batch, transferring to clean bowl. (If using food  processor, add about 1 1/2 Tbsp water per batch.) Return all of curry  paste to mortar, then add shrimp paste and salt and pound (or pulse) until  well combined, about 1 minute. Keep refrigerated in an air-tight container, up to a month.

Sous-vide Black-peppered Vension Loin with Celeriac Puree and Caramelized Figs

Chef/owner Simon Wright’s acclaimed French Café in Auckland has been winning most of the country’s major culinary awards since its opening a decade ago. I was introduced to his restaurant last year when I judged the IACP cookbook awards and the restaurant’s entry was one of the most beautiful cookbooks in my category. The restaurant’s interior and food lived up to the cookbook’s presentation. One enters through a thick frosted pivoting door into a crisp Zen white and chocolate brown interior. The restaurant is broken into a bar, outer front dining room and a courtyard room, all surrounding the massive centralized kitchen.

This signature recipe comprises a succulent sous-vide cooked venison loin, which is seared last minute and served atop celeriac puree and garnished with caramelized figs and simple sautéed Brussels sprout leaves.

Serves 4.

Four 5 oz venison loins

1 Tbsp crushed black peppercorns

2 heavy-duty zip-lock-style freezer bags

1 Tbsp olive oil

Sea salt, to taste

4 Tbsp butter

1 large shallot, finely minced

3/4 cup red wine

1/2 cup beef or veal stock

2 Tbsp cold butter

Heat a large saucepan of water to barely simmering (there should be steam visible but no movement on the water surface); the water should be kept at about 150°F if using a thermometer.

Coat the loins well with the crushed black pepper and place two in each bag. Slowly seal bags, tightly squeezing out as much air as possible, and place in the slightly simmering water, cooking for 12 minutes. Remove the venison from the bath and carefully take out of the packets and dry carefully.

Heat a skillet with the olive oil over medium high heat; season the venison with salt and quickly sear the venison on all sides. Add the butter to the pan and when it starts to foam, baste the venison. Remove the venison from the pan and allow to rest, keeping warm.

Return skillet to heat and add shallots, sautéing and removing any brown bits. When they start to colour, add the wine and reduce until one third. Add the stock and reduce until half or slightly thickened. Whisk in cold butter and season. Strain and keep warm.

Alternatively you can sear the venison in a hot pan and cook for 6 minutes in an oven at 425°F, then baste with the butter and allow to rest.

To make the celeriac puree

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1 1/3 cups coarsely chopped celeriac

1 2/3 cups milk

1/4 cup whipping cream

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, over medium heat and add onion, garlic, thyme and a pinch of salt and slowly cook until soft without browning. Add celeriac and cook for a further 2 minutes, then add the milk and cream. Bring to a boil, season and simmer until the celeriac is soft. Pour the celeriac mixture into a blender or food processor and process to a smooth puree. Set aside. To make a fine puree, pass the mixture through a fine chinoise or sieve.   To make the caramelized figs: 6 whole large figs 2 Tbsp sugar   Preheat the oven to 425° F. Cut the figs in half, place cut side up on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar; place in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until soft and caramelized. Remove from the oven and allow to rest, keeping warm.

For the sprout leaves: remove the outside leaves of about 12 Brussels sprouts with a sharp knife and blanch in boiling salted water for about 2 minutes. Refresh in iced water and drain. Sauté in a small skillet with a small amount of butter; season to taste.

To assemble, place a line of celeriac puree down the centre of a warm serving plate, slice the venison in three and place 2 pieces on one side of the puree and one piece on the other. Top each piece of venison with a caramelized fig, place a pile of sprout leaves at each end of the puree and drizzle a little of the red wine sauce around the plate.

Warm Chocolate Fondant with Butterscotch Sauce

The Marlborough wine region is renowned not only for its fine wines but its superb restaurants and cafés. This sublime dessert is from the restaurant at the Hotel D’Urville, a beautiful boutique hotel housed in a former Art Deco bank. Built in 1920, it has an intimate 40-seat restaurant under executive chef Maree Connolly.

Serves 4 to 6.

6 oz butter

6 oz dark 70% chocolate, coarsely chopped

3 eggs

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

Place chocolate and butter together in a double boiler and set over simmering water, stirring until melted. Stir well to mix.

In another bowl, beat together eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in chocolate mixture and then add the flour. Do not overmix.

Butter 4 to 6 individual ramekins and pour in chocolate batter. These can be refrigerated at this point for up to a day.

To bake, place into a preheated 350°F oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to rest for 1 to 2 minutes then invert ramekins upside down onto dessert plates and garnish with butterscotch sauce.   Butterscotch Sauce 1/4 cup golden syrup 1/3 cup brown sugar Small pinch salt 4 Tbsp butter 1/4 tsp vanilla extract 1/3 cup whipping cream   Bring to boil the golden syrup, brown sugar, salt and butter until it reaches “soft boil” stage.

Remove from heat and cool slightly then stir in vanilla and cream and mix well.

Spring vegetables in a Court-Bouillon

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Photo by Rebecca Wellman

Court-Bouillon (pronounced koor bwee-YAWN)

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, bruised

juice of 1⁄2 lemon (reserve other half)

1⁄4 cup olive oil

1⁄2 tsp whole coriander seeds, toasted until aromatic

1 1⁄2 cups dry white wine

3/4 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

bouquet garni: 1 sprig of thyme, 3 or 4 parsley stems, 1 bay leaf and 6 whole peppercorns wrapped in cheesecloth or bundled together with a couple of leek leaves and tied with kitchen string

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Discard the bouquet garni.

Vegetables

6 baby carrots, peeled and left whole

1⁄2 cup mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered

1⁄2 cup small shallots, peeled and quartered

1⁄2 cup fresh peas

2 very ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and quartered

1 bunch asparagus (prep instructions below)

Garnish

freshly chopped parsley

a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Gently simmer the carrots, mushrooms, shallots and peas, one variety at a time, in the court-bouillon until just tender. (Don’t be tempted to throw them all in at once; carrots need lots of time; peas do not.) Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and set aside before adding the next batch of vegetables.

Cut or snap the woody ends off the asparagus and peel the remaining stalk with a vegetable peeler. (It's worth the trouble, the asparagus cooks more evenly and it eliminates those tough, chewy strands.) To retain its vibrant colour, blanch the peeled stalks in rapidly boiling, generously salted, water for two to three minutes until lightly cooked. Remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water. The asparagus may be left whole or cut into pieces. The asparagus will be briefly reheated in the court-bouillon, just before serving. (Be careful; prolonged reheating will diminish the colour.)

When all the vegetables have been cooked, return them to the court-bouillon, along with the fresh tomatoes, and reheat. Check the seasoning; add more lemon and salt, if desired.

Place the vegetables in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.

Don’t toss out the asparagus trim!

To make a delicious asparagus cream sauce, slice the woody stalks and place them, along with the peelings, in a small saucepan with enough cream to cover. Simmer the mixture, uncovered, until the trim is softened and the cream turns a lovely pale green. Using a food processor or an emulsion blender, puree the mixture until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer and reheat the cream in a clean saucepan. Adjust the seasoning with a few drops of fresh lemon juice and a pinch of salt. If the mixture needs thinning, add a bit more cream and/or a bit of chicken stock. The consistency of the sauce should lightly coat the back of a spoon.

Submitted by

Denise Marchessault

Proprietor / Culinary Instructor

French Mint

www.frenchmint.ca

Roasted Sablefish with Warm Israeli Couscous, Lentils, and Watercress Verjus

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Robert Clark, Executive Chef at C Restaurant created this recipe for the Canadian Sablefish Association.

Serves 4

Sauce:

1 Tbsp (15 mL) butter

2 Tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped shallot

1/2 cup (125 mL) white wine

1/4 cup (60 mL) vermouth

1 cup (250 mL) fish stock

1/2 cup (125 mL) watercress leaves

1/4 cup (60 mL) butter

1 tsp (5 mL) verjus

salt and pepper to taste

1 lb (500 grams) Sablefish fillets, skin on, cut into four equal pieces

3 (50 mL) Tbsp butter, divided

1 cup (250 mL) cooked lentils

1 oz (25 grams) sea cucumber muscle, cut in 1 inch/2.5 cm strips

1 cup (250 mL) cooked Israeli couscous (in saffron broth)

1 cup (250 mL) blanched assorted baby vegetables and asparagus tips

4 tsp (20 mL) oatmeal oil

Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add butter and shallots and cook for about 1 minute. Add white wine and vermouth and cook until volume is reduced by half. Add fish stock, cook and reduce volume to about 3 Tbsp/50 mL. Pour reduction into blender; add watercress and butter and blend until smooth. Add verjus and blend briefly. Season to taste. Transfer to samll saucepan and keep warm.

Season Sablefish fillets with salt and pepper. In a lightly oiled, non-stick skillet, over medium high heat, sear fillets, flesh side down, for 1 minute or until golden. Turn fillets over and place skillet in preheated oven and bake for about 6 minutes, or until the edges of fish fillets flake easily when tested with a fork.

In a small skillet over medium heat, melt 1 Tbsp/15 mL of butter. Add lentils and reheat until warm through. Add sea cucumber, toss, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Reheat vegetables and couscous in 1 Tbsp/15 mL of butter each as above and season to taste.

To assemble plates: Place a portion each of couscous and lentil mixture in the centre of each warmed plate. Arrange a portion of vegetables around and top each with a Sablefish fillet. Spoon some sauce onto each plate, garnish with a sprinkle of oatmeal oil and serve immediately.

Buckwheat Pancakes

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

From A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg, published by Simon and Schuster, 2009

Introduction

This recipe uses an unconventional mixing trick that I learned from Cook’s Illustrated. Rather than adding the melted butter directly to the wet ingredients, you first mix it with the egg yolk. It does require an extra bowl, but it helps the butter to better incorporate into the batter, making for a more even-textured pancake.

These pancakes are great on their own, but they’re even better with some fruit. Slices of banana are always nice. Or you could try blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries, either fresh or frozen, 4 to 5 per pancake. You don’t even have to thaw them before adding them to the pancakes; the heat of the pan takes care of that. Whatever you use, let the pancakes cook on their first side, undisturbed, for about 1 minute before you add any fruit. That gives them time to puff and begin to set.

Ingredients

⅔ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

⅓ cup buckwheat flour

2 tsp. sugar

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

¾ cup buttermilk

¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. milk (preferably not low-fat or nonfat)

1 large egg, separated

2 Tbsp. (1 ounce) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Vegetable oil, for brushing the griddle

Fresh or frozen fruit, such as bananas or berries (optional)

Pure maple syrup, for serving

Method

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Pour the buttermilk and milk into a medium bowl. (A 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup also works well; you can measure right into it.) Whisk the egg white into the milk mixture.

In a small bowl, use a fork to beat the yolk with the melted butter. Whisk the yolk mixture into the milk mixture. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients all at once, and whisk until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be somewhat thick.

Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Brush the skillet with oil. To make sure it’s hot enough, wet your fingers and sprinkle a few droplets of water onto the pan. If they sizzle, it’s ready to go.

Ladle the batter in scant ¼ cupfuls into the skillet, taking care not to crowd them. After 1 minute, add fruit, if desired (see headnote). When the undersides of the pancakes are nicely browned and the tops start to bubble and look set around the edges (about 2 to 3 minutes), flip them. Cook until the second sides have browned, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Re-oil the skillet and repeat with more batter. If you find that the pancakes are browning too quickly in subsequent batches, dial the heat back to medium.

Serve warm, with maple syrup.

Yield 8 to 10 pancakes

Chocolate Molten Cake

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Denise Marchessault, Cordon Bleu-trained chef and owner of French Mint, shares a luscious dessert recipe with us this week. For best results, weigh ingredients with a kitchen scale

Ganache (The Molten)

120 mls cream (1/2 cup)

20 grams light corn syrup (1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. )

100 grams good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped in small pieces (4 ounces)

30 grams softened butter ( 2 Tbsp. butter)

Cake

250 grams good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped in small pieces (9 ounces)

38 grams of butter (2 Tbsp plus 1 teaspoon)

2 egg yolks

24 grams sifted flour (3 Tbsp. sifted flour)

6 egg whites

50 grams sugar (1/4 cup)

pinch of cream of tartar

Equipment & Extras

Small ramekins (approx. 3” diameter)

Baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or Silpat)

Pastry bag (optional)

Extra butter and flour for preparing ramekins

Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush ramekins liberally with butter and refrigerate. When the butter has firmed, brush with another layer of butter and dust lightly with flour. Set aside.

Ganache

Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream and corn syrup in a saucepan until just boiling. Pour the hot cream and corn syrup mixture over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted. Add the softened butter. Set aside until the mixture has cooled down and firmed slightly. When the chocolate mixture is firm enough to drop by the spoonful (or pipe through a pastry bag) place loonie-sized portions of chocolate (approx. 1 cm thick) onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Set aside in the fridge or freezer until firm.

Cake

Gently melt the chocolate and butter over a double broiler. (Your can make your own double broiler by placing the chocolate and butter in a large bowl placed over a saucepan filled with a few inches of simmering water.) Add the yolks to the melted chocolate mixture, mix and set aside. Whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar; gradually add the sugar and whisk to a firm peak. Gently fold the egg whites into the melted chocolate mixture, in three to four batches. Fold in the flour. Remove the ganache from the refrigerator. Spoon the batter into the prepared ramekins and fill approx. ¾ full. Place the ganache in the centre of each filled ramekin (pushing the ganache down slightly, into the batter) and cover with a bit more batter. Do not overfill the containers. Bake for 10-15 minutes until cake has risen slightly above the rim of the ramekin.

Invert onto a serving plate while warm. Delicious served with ice cream and fresh fruit.

Wild Morel Cream Sauce

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

In the winter months we turn to our store cupboards, looking to preserves and dried foods for a taste of the warmer months. Eric Whitehead, Vancouver Island's professional mushroom forager par excellence (the man behind Untamed Feast), shares his favourite morel recipe with us, adding that dried mushrooms such as morels offer a more intense, concentrated flavour.

Ingredients:

20 g dried morels (1 pkg. Untamed Feast morels)

1 cup water, room temperature

1 Tbsp. butter

1 cup onion, chopped

2-3 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1/3 cup bacon or pancetta, diced

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 Tbsp. aged cheddar, crumbled

2 Tbsp. dry white wine

2/3 cups table cream

2 tsp. all-purpose flour

3 cups pasta of choice

fleur de sel

Method:

Place morels in large bowl with water. Swirl the morels around with your fingers to ensure they all get wet. Let stand for 10-15 minutes, kneading gently occasionally; this ensures full rehydration and helps any grit from nature settle to the bottom of the bowl. While the morels soak, finely dice onion, garlic and bacon. Sauté over medium-high heat in frying pan until golden and slightly crisp. Remove morels from water, gently squeezing them over the soaking bowl. Do not discard soaking water. Finely chop morels and add to frying pan. Reduce heat to medium and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Slowly pour the morel soaking water into the pan, leaving any grit in the bowl (you can also use a fine sieve to catch any grit). Reduce heat to low and simmer 5-10 minutes.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Add aged cheddar, wine, salt and pepper to morel sauce. Simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Combine water and cream. Sprinkle flour over cream and whisk until well incorporated. This mixture will be used to thicken the sauce. Add the thickening mixture to the mushroom sauce, stirring to combine. Reduce heat, simmer and stir for 5-10 minutes. Pour wild morel sauce over cooked pasta, and sprinkle with fleur de sel. Serve with your favourite steamed green vegetable.

Serves 3-4.

Cranberry Wheat Germ Scones

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Jill Heffner, owner of the new Venus Sophia Tea Room on Fisgard, shares her family's favourite recipe for scones. Perfect with a cup of Earl Grey!

Prep time: 5 minutes, total time: 35 minutes

Overworking the dough will make the scones tough, so handle it as little as

possible. The dough should come together into a rough mound and should

feel slightly sticky.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups of all purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/4 cup wheat germ

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/3 cups dried cranberries

1 1/4 cup heavy cream

2 Tablespoons unsalted melted butter

Method:

Preheat oven to 425. whisk together flour, wheat germ, sugar, baking

powder and salt in a large bowl. stir in cranberries. add cream, and stir

just until combined.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently gather

dough into a mound just until it holds together. Pat into 8" circle about

1/2" thick. Cut into 8 wedges.

Place wedges on oiled and lightly floured baking sheet. Brush tops

with melted butter. Bake until golden brown, 20 minutes. Cool on wire

racks. Serve warm or at room temperature with softened butter.

Serves 8

Halibut Chowder with Lardons

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Chef Matt Thompson, from Bistro Caché, offers this recipe, guaranteed to warm you up on cool winter days.

Equipment:

Sharp knife

Heavy bottom pot

Wooden spoon

Ingredients:

12 pieces, Thick cut double smoked bacon cut across length into “lardons” or match-stick size

3 Medium White onions, fine dice

1 Bunch (about 8) medium carrots, peeled and topped, sliced widthwise about 1/4” slices

3 Stalks celery, fine dice

300g Butter

1kg Baby Potatoes cut in quarters lengthwise and then sliced into 1/4” triangular slices

200g Flour

1 Glass White wine

1 Litre Fumé/Fish stock or clam nectar

1kg Halibut in one inch chunks. Skin on is sides are great so we can use the skin for stock, and smaller pieces are fine, we can save the large thick pieces for another use

2 Litres Heavy cream

Your favorite salt and pepper

Good Extra virgin olive oil

Fresh chives

Method:

For Fumé/Fish stock

For a simple flavourful liquid, simply cover halibut skin, bones and trim in cold water with some rough chopped aromatic vegetables. Bring to a boil, simmer for a few minutes, strain and cool.

For Base:

Pre-heat pot on medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and stir bacon lardons with a wooden spoon until crisp but not burnt. Add onions, carrots, celery and butter. Season and taste. Sweat these vegetables until they are translucent. We may need to adjust our heat at this point, particularly on a gas range, these vegetables should not colour. Add flour while constantly stirring to create a thick paste, stir constantly for five or until blonde in colour. While stirring, add wine and your fumé/fish stock or clam nectar. Add chopped potatoes. Season and taste. At some point this liquid must boil so we know how thick our end result will be, once it does turn down to low heat and simmer until potatoes are just under done. Be sure to stir occasionally and to scrape the bottom of the pot with your wooden spoon. At this point we have a chowder base that we can refrigerate or freeze to finish at a later time for a quick meal.

To Finish:

Bring Chowder base to a simmer, or just continue if we are doing this all at once, add heavy cream while stirring until you reach a little thinner than desired viscosity. Season and taste, adjust seasoning if needed. Add Halibut chunks and simmer until just done. Split between bowls, and garnish with chopped fresh chives and extra virgin olive oil.

Serves 6

Gin Figgle

Mon, 4 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Image used with permission, courtesy of in the Mix magazine.

Charlotte Voisey, Hendrick's Brand Ambassador, shares her recipe for a delicious cocktail.

2 slices ginger root

2 bar spoons fig jam

3/4 oz freshly squeezed orange juice

2 oz Hendrick's Gin

Muddle ginger root, add jam then other ingredients and shake well

Serve over fresh ice in an old fashioned glass

Finish with an orange twist - Spritz the oils over the surface of the cocktail first then drop in.

Tomato Provencal Mussels

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Chef Jason Kleinfeld of The Sandbar on Granville Island shares his recipe for mussels. He uses Gallo mussels from the waters off Cortes Island, and recommends pairing this with a beer from the Granville Island Brewery.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup sliced fennel

2 sliced shallots

3 sliced garlic cloves

24 mussels

2 cups diced fresh tomato

1/4 cup fresh basil

1 tbsp. fresh tarragon

2-3 smoked or dry-cured chorizo sausages, cut into small chunks

2 tbsp. butter

1/2 cup white wine

splash pernod (optional)

24 mussels

Method:

Clean mussels in several changes of cold water. Remove beards.

In a medium size pot, over medium - high heat, add oil, fennel, shallots & garlic

Cook one minute until tender.

Add mussels, tomatoes, herbs, chorizo, butter & white wine.

Gently fold over ingredients once or twice and cover.

Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until all mussels are open. Discard any unopened mussels.

Serve Mussels to guests.

Cassis Braised Red Cabbage

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Chef Brad Horen of AURA Restaurant shares this recipe, saying it makes a perfect accompaniment to roast goose.

5lbs red cabbage, shredded

¼ lb butter

2 large white onions, julienned

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 bay leaves

Toasted caraway

500ml cassis vinegar (raspberry vinegar can be substituted)

Sugar to taste

500ml Red wine

Toast caraway in pan with butter. Add onions and sauté until translucent. Add red cabbage and sauté until soft. Deglaze with wine and vinegar then add aromatics and simmer. Cook until cabbage is soft and liquid has reduced by half. Add sugar to adjust acidity to desired sweetness then continue to cook until liquid is reduced and thickened slightly.

Crispy Kale

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I first came across this recipe in Betsy Block's The Dinner Diaries (Algonquin Books, 2008). If you have ever tried to reconcile ethical and sustainable food choices with a household full of picky eaters, then you will enjoy the book, as well as this recipe. Everyone likes the texture of this kale - as Block writes, "this kale is crackly, crispy, and salty - what's not to like?" You could even just call them "green chips"!

1 head curly kale

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Wash and dry kale. Trim any tough stems, then chop or tear into medium-sized pieces. Pour oil into a salad bowl, add kale pieces and toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake 12-15 minutes, giving the pan a shake every 3-4 minutes to avoid any charred bits.

Once you've mastered these plain, it is easy enough to improvise variations, adding a minced garlic clove to the oil, or some ground cumin and coriander with the salt for spicier kale.

In humid weather, the kale may lose its crunch quite quickly, so serve immediately, or just return to a hot oven for a few minutes to crisp it up again prior to serving.

Serves 2-3 as a side dish or snack.

Naturally Raised Pork Shoulder Roast Braised in Milk with Garlic, Lemon & Fresh Herbs

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This week, EAT Editor Gary Hynes shares one of his recipes. He writes:

"This is an old winter classic from Italy that really shines using our fine local pork.I prefer a bone-in shoulder. When testing these recipes I used Qualicum Bay Sloping Hills naturally raised pork, which I purchased at Peppers – a wonderful independent grocer located in Cadboro Bay, Victoria."

2.5 kg (5 lbs.) naturally-raise, bone-in but trimmed pork shoulder

4 cups of organic, homogenized milk, warmed but not boiled.

2 Tb. Minced garlic

2 Tb fresh lemon juice

10” x ¾” strip of lemon peel, scrape off the white pith with a paring knife

3 whole onions, peeled

3 large springs of fresh sage

3 large springs of fresh rosemary

3 large springs of fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

3 cloves

1 tsp. sea salt

6-8 whole peppercorns

½ cup crisp, unoaked white wine

(not hard to find in Vancouver Island wine)

Preheat the oven to 325.

While the oven is reaching temperature, gently brown the pork in olive oil in a larger frying pan until all sides are a lovely mahogany colour. Transfer the pork to a big Dutch oven or a casserole pot. (I love my 4.7litre burgundy-colour, oval clay stewpot from Emile Henry.)

Add the garlic, onions, herbs, milk, pepper and salt, lemon, cloves. Cover and simmer in the oven for approximately 2-3 hours or until tender.

Golden Harvest Soup

Wed, 2 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

photo: licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License

Chef Heidi Fink shares her recipe for a warming late autumn soup with a twist - a swirl of sweet ginger crème.

Soup

4T butter

1½ medium yellow onions, diced

2 lbs sweet winter squash - I use Kabocha, Buttercup, Sweet Mama, Red Kari, or Ambercup (there should be 5-6 cups peeled and chopped)

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

1 pinch cinnamon

2 bay leaves

4 large ripe pears (about 4-5 cups, peeled and chopped)

1 tsp salt, or more to taste

6 cups stock or water

To make soup: Heat a heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the butter and heat until butter is melted and frothy. Add the onion and stir. Sauté, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent and cooked through. Turn heat down, and continue to cook until onions are deep gold and caramelized. This will take over 20 minutes. Use this time to prep the squash and pear.

When onions are ready, stir in the ginger, cinnamon and bay leaves and sauté until fragrant (a few seconds). Add the stock, the salt and the chopped squash. Bring to a boil, simmer for a few minutes, then add the pear and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until everything is fall-apart tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove bay leaves. Puree the soup using a hand-held immersion blender, or in batches in a counter-top blender. Return to pot, if using a counter-top blender, and taste to see if it needs more salt. Don’t be tempted to add more ginger unless you are not going to use the garnish.

Garnish: Sweet Ginger Crème

½ cup crystallized ginger, chopped

1 to 1½ cups heavy cream

To make garnish: Place the chopped crystallized ginger and about ½ cup cream in the work bowl of a food processor. Puree, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary, until the mixture is as smooth as possible. Add another half-cup of cream and puree until thickened. Scrape out into a bowl and stir in more heavy cream until garnish reaches the consistency you like. If you are going to serve the crème in a dollop, add only a few tablespoons more heavy cream. If you are going to put the crème garnish into a squirt bottle to make swirly designs in the soup, add half-cup or more extra cream to make the garnish thin enough to pour.

To serve: Ladle Golden Harvest Soup into bowls and garnish with a dollop or swirl of Sweet Ginger Crème. Serve immediately.

Lemon and Lavender Shortbread Cookies

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

photo: Sacred Mountain Lavender Farm

Sacred Mountain Lavender Farm on Salt Spring Island offers up this variation of a holiday classic.

Ingredients:

1 lb. unslated butter

1 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2-3 Tbsp. Lavender florets

Zest of 1 large or 2 small lemons (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 275°F. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients to form dough. On a cutting board or smooth work surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness and cut out shapes with cookie cutters, or roll into logs, chill, and slice into disks. Place cookies on ungreased baking sheets or use parchment paper, sprinkle with a few extra lavender florets if desired, and bake until golden brown - about 12-15 minutes. Allow cookies to cool skightly before removing them from baking sheets and allow cookies to cool completely before stacking. Dust with confectioner's sugar if desired.

Recipe created by Janet Langford, for Sacred Mountain Lavender Farm.

Comox Brie, Portobello Mushroom and Butternut Squash Fall Quiche

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

From Alesha Davies, Owner/Operator of AJ's Organic Catering:

When skies begin to darken earlier and the weeks leading to Christmas start moving in fast forward, it is time for quick and easy meals that are delicious and hearty.

Quiche is often overlooked as an easy supper fix. This versatile meal can be made with the greatest of ease and easily transformed into a gourmet meal with the addition of local cheeses, fresh veggies from your local farm stand and herbs that are still thriving in your own garden.

Here is a local organic quiche recipe that I think you will enjoy. Keep in mind that the mushrooms, squash, herbs and cheese can be substituted for those you may have on hand. Pair this quiche with a simple green salad including carrot curls, shredded beats, bite size cauliflower florets and garlicky vinaigrette.

1 homemade pie crust (see recipe below) or store bought crust

1 tbsp organic olive oil

1 clove of minced garlic

1 medium chopped onion

1 medium size portabella mushroom chopped

½ cup of diced butternut squash

4 organic local farm eggs

¼ cup milk

1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 tsp chopped fresh parsley

ong>Salt & pepper to taste

1 dash of hot sauce (any kind will do)

1 round of Comox brie (or another type of soft ripened brie)

Preheat oven to 375*F

In a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and sauté onions for 2 minutes followed by the garlic. Add the diced squash and sauté an additional 3 minutes. Add portabella mushrooms and continue to sauté until onions, squash and mushrooms have all softened but are not mushy.

In a medium size bowl, add the 4 eggs, ¼ cup of milk, chopped parsley, rosemary, salt & pepper and a dash of hot sauce. Whisk until well combined (mixture should be bubbly around the edges).

Add the onion mushroom sauté to the egg mixture and stir. Pour this mixture into your prepared pie crust.

Slice the brie into long strips. Lay the strips on top of the quiche mixture from the middle fanning outwards. Sprinkle with pepper and place into the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes. When gently wiggled, the quiche should be fully set (no jiggle) and lightly browned.

Pie crust

2 cups organic flour

1 cup vegetable shortening (cold)

1 tsp salt

½ cup cold water

In a large bowl, whisk flour and salt. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or two knives until coarse crumbs the size of peas appear. Stir in the water (you may want to use a little less water than the full ½ cup) until the mixture forms a ball. Divide in half with a knife, wrap both balls and refrigerate at least 1 hour. (You can freeze the second dough to make this quiche again next week saving you a lot of time). Roll out the dough into a floured surface (do not over mix!) and push into pie dish. This dough will be nice and flaky.

Roasted Vegetables with Traditional Duqqa

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

photo credit: foodista.com

Duqqa, or dukkah (Doo-ka) is a traditional Egyptian spice blend, using roasted and ground hazelnuts, sesame seeds, coriander, cumin, fennel seeds, peppercorns, mint and salt. Most often used as a dip for olive oil-drizzled bread, duqqa is a versatile mixture that can be mixed into yogurt for a creamy dip, or used as a crust for meats, fish and poultry. To find a recipe to make your own duqqa from scratch, click here. Otherwise, use a prepared blend from Hot Chick Spice Company (available at specialty food shops throughout BC - click here for a list of retail outlets).

1 medium sweet potato or yam

2 potatoes

2 carrots

1/2 butternut squash

1/2 white onion

1/2 lb. white mushrooms, quartered

2 cloves garlic, peeled and diced

3-4 Tbsp. Duqqa

2-3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350°F. Peel and chop veggies into 1-inch pieces and put into a 9x13 inch baking pan. Add garlic and mushrooms. Drizzle with olive oil, add the duqqa and toss to coat. Add 1/4 cup water to pan, cover with foil and bake for an hour. Serve with roasted chicken, lamb or salmon.

Serves 4.

Stinking French Onion Soup

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Illustration and recipe taken from Kitchen Scraps, published by Whitecap.

The French are foul-mouthed. They find enormous pleasure in cussing, eating stinky cheese, and smoking like chimneys. But for some reason they have a globally recognized technique for kissing that involves a lot of tasting of the other person's mouth. The ultimate contradiction is that the national soup of France is composed nearly entirely of onions.

1 stale baguette

5 white or yellow medium-sized onions, chopped

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp flour

1 glass red wine

3 sprigs of thyme

bay leaf

4 cups water

salt and pepper

8 oz Gruyère, grated

Tear up the French bread into 2-inch chunks, and put it in an oven at 200°F. (Don't worry about preheating the oven.) Dry out the bread while you prepare everything else. Chop the onions. Heat a large pot of medium heat. When it's hot, add the oil and the onions. Now you can chill out and, if you have a TV nearby, put on something French with subtitles while you slowly cook the onions... because it's going to take a while - about 30 to 40 minutes.

As the onions cook, they will release moisture. Think of it as forcing the onions to perspire in a sauna and cleaning their smelliness from the inside out. The next thing is the onions will slowly begin to turn brown. The sugars deep inside the onions are being released and caramelizing.

PARADOX DECODED

By slowly cooking the onions you replace their harsh sulphurous stench with a much more palatable sweetness. To emphasize this sweetness, this recipe uses only water instead of stock, allowing the onions to stand out. The success of this dish li es in your ability to walk the thin line between golden brown and burnt-to-merde. You need enough colour so the onions give the soup flabour that will carry it without the help of stock. Just as they are beginning to look perfectly browned and the bottom of the pan is covered with crispy brown flavour clingers, it is time to melt in the butter. Mix it in smoothly, then sprinkle on the flour and stir it quickly to avoid lumps. Cook this for about 30 seconds. THen crank up the heat and toss in the red wine to deglaze the pan. The liquid will help release all the clingy bits at the bottom, which translate into flavour.

When it stops smelling like raw booze, toss in the thyme, bay leaf and water. Bring it to a rapid boil and reduce it by a third, approximately 30 minutes.

While your soup reduces, it's a good time to take the bread out of the oven. Then crank up the broil setting for the final meltdown.

When the soup has reduced, taste it for salt and pepper, and season as needed. It may need lots of both at this point (seasoning it before it reduces may result in something too salty).

Fill up a deep bowl with chunks of dried-out French bread. Scoop in the onion soup to cover, making sure you get lots of onion and also plenty of broth for the bread to soak up. Cover the whole thing with a big messy handful of cheese, and blap it onto a tray and into the oven. Keep an eye on it until the cheese gets crusty, bubbly, and golden-brown delicious.

Serve it sizzling with a bottle of French red wine.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

When I asked Jesse Blades, chef at the Village Restaurant in Oak Bay, for this month's feature dessert, he confessed it would take some work to get his mother to give up her secret recipe. Try it, and you'll be glad he succeeded!

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream

¾ cup canned pumpkin puree

½ cup whole milk

½ cup white sugar

2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk

¼ tsp. salt

¾ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. ground allspice

¼ tsp. ground cloves

5 cups challah bread (preferably home made), cut into 1” cubes

1/3 cup melted butter

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9” x 13” glass baking dish. In a bowl, whisk together all ingredients except the bread and butter. Set aside. Throughly toss the challah bread cubes with melted butter in a large bowl. Pour pumpkin mixture over the challah bread cubes and mix gently (you don't want to mash up the bread too much!) Transfer to the prepared baking dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the custard has set.

Makes 9 servings (or 6 if you really like it!)

The Village Restaurant

2518 Estevan Ave.

Oak Bay, BC

(250) 592-8311

Organic Spinach Risotto with Moonstruck Feta and Riesling Cassis Poached Pears

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Michael Ringland, Executive Chef at Haro's, kindly shares his recipe for risotto, explaining that "we like to use anything we can get locally, like the spinach from Saanich Organics and local pears."

Risotto:

1/2 Lb Unsalted Butter

1/4 C Olive Oil

1 Kg Box Arborio Rice

1 Yellow Onion Small Dice

2 C White Wine

8-10 C Hot Chicken Stock

6 C Cleaned Spinach Leaves

1 C Grated Parmesan

1/4 Lb Butter

Farmstead Feta (from Moonstruck cheese on Saltspring Island, or any type of feta)

Salt & Pepper

Riesling Cassis Poached Pears:

3 Pears (we used Anjou), peeled cut in half and cored

1 Vanilla Bean Split

1 Bay Leaf

12 Whole Black Peppercorns

1/2 C Sugar

1/2 Bottle Riesling

1 C Cassis Flavouring

Method:

Poach the pears first by adding all ingredients together and let them simmer for about half an hour or until they are soft and let the pears cool down in the liquid. Use a quarter of a pear sliced thin for each dish. You can freeze the liquid after to use in the future or make a sorbet with it.

For the risotto, sweat the onion in the 1/2 lb of butter and olive oil on medium heat, add the arborio rice and cook for about 2-3 minutes, de-glaze with the white wine and cook until the rice soaks it up, start ladling the hot stock in, just enough to cover the rice, when the stock is about 3/4 soaked into the rice add more stock, continue this process until the rice is cooked. The rice should have a little bite to it when it's finished - about 20 minutes, although it may take a bit longer, there is no exact amount of stock to make risotto so you may have some left at the end. The risotto should be a bit loose with liquid in it so it's not dried out. Add your spinach to the risotto at the very end as it will cook quickly, add the parmesan and 1/4 lb of butter and stir in fast so it all comes together and has a nice creamy consistancy. Stir the rice carefully in the beginning stages as you don't want the rice to break up. Place the risotto in a bowl, sprinkle the crumbled feta over top and place the pears on top. Finish the dish with mint and flat-leaf parsley leaves dressed in olive oil. Season risotto in 3 stages, beginning, middle and end.

Makes 12 small servings

Mixed Salad Greens with Pear and Pomegranate

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

photo credit: Zoë Bakes.com

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp orange juice

1/4 cup walnut halves, finely chopped

2 tsp honey to taste

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

10–12 cups mixed baby salad greens

1 ripe medium pear, halved, cored 1 and thinly sliced

1⁄3 cup pomegranate seeds

Preparation:

Place the oil, vinegar, orange juice, walnuts, honey, salt and pepper in a salad bowl. Mix well to combine. Add the salad greens and toss to coat. Divide the greens among 6 salad plates. Garnish the top of each salad with the pear slices and pomegranate seeds.

Serve immediately.

Eric’s options

Instead of mixed baby salad greens, use baby spinach. For a less tart taste, substitute sweeter tasting balsamic vinegar for the red wine vinegar.

Serves 6.

Available at fine bookstores throughout BC. Published by Whitecap.

Butternut Squash Soup with Pumpkin Seed Oil

Tue, 6 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This recipe was taken from the harvest menu section of the Araxi cookbook.

Chef James Walt writes:

“This soup is very simple to make. Use unblemished squash that are heavy for their size, and if butternut squash are not available, try pumpkin. I grow winter squash in my garden and use it year-round: we fry the blossoms in the summer, then make soups with the flesh in the winter. Pumpkin seed oil is available at fine grocery stores; use hazelnut oil instead if you need to."

½ cup unsalted butter

2 shallots, sliced

5 lbs butternut squash (about 2 small), peeled, seeded and thinly sliced

7 cups chicken or vegetable stock

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

¼ cup whipping cream

3 Tbsp pumpkin seed oil

2 Tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds

1 Tbsp chopped chives

In a large saucepan fitted with a lid, heat the butter on medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until lightly coloured, about 5 minutes. Add the squash and lightly season with salt and white pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the squash is very soft.

Heat the chicken (or vegetable) stock in a medium pot on medium heat. Once the squash is very soft, pour enough stock over the squash to cover it by about 1 inch/2.5 cm. Simmer the squash mixture for 5 minutes, then add the Parmesan cheese and the nutmeg and cook for two minutes more. Remove the soup from the heat, transfer to a blender and purée until smooth or use a handheld blender. Strain the soup through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl and discard any solids. Stir in the cream and season with more salt, if necessary.

TO SERVE

Pour the soup into 16 small espresso cups or ladle it into 6 bowls. Drizzle each serving with pumpkin seed oil, and top with pumpkin seeds and chives.

WINE

Some of BC’s fine Pinot Blanc or a Mâconnais Chardonnay would complement this soup.

Araxi is published by Douglas & McIntyre.

Spiced Pot Roast

Fri, 2 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Spiced Pot Roast

by Nathan Fong

Serves 4 to 6

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

8 oz smoked slab bacon, cut into 1-inch by 1⁄4-inch pieces

sea salt

One 2 1⁄2 to 3 pound beef chuck roast, cut crosswise into 4 equal steaks

6 medium onions, thinly sliced

12 lg garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1⁄2 cup beef stock

20 allspice berries

12 black peppercorns

1⁄4 to 1⁄2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 bay leaf

1 cup chopped canned tomatoes

2 cups dry white wine

1 cup beef stock

2 Tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

In a large heavy casserole or Dutch oven with a tight fitting lid, melt 2 Tbsp of the butter over medium heat. Add the bacon and reduce heat to medium low and cook until crisp but still tender, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pot.

Generously salt the beef. Increase the heat of the pot to medium high and cook the steaks until browned on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Work in batches if there is not enough room in the pot. Remove steaks to a platter and set aside.

Add in the onions, garlic and 1 tsp salt into the pot and sauté over medium high heat, stirring regularly until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add beef stock to deglaze bottom of pot. Remove everything from pot and transfer to a side dish.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Rub the inside of the pot with the remaining 1 Tbsp butter. Spread half of the onion mixture over the bottom of the casserole. Lay the meat in a single layer over the onions. Scatter the allspice berries, peppercorns, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, chopped tomatoes and half the reserved bacon over the meat. Add the remaining onion mixture on top and scatter the remaining bacon over the top. Slowly pour the wine, beef stock and any collected beef or onion juices on the plates into the pot. Add more wine and stock to just cover the solids if necessary.

Bring to a bubling simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Cover and transfer to the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 250 and continue cooking for 3 to 3 1⁄2 hours or until meat is very tender.

Turn off oven, uncover pot and let the pot roast rest in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Divide the meat among wide serving dishes. Spoon over the onion broth, garnish with parsley and serve with hot steamed rice or mashed potatoes.

Qualicum Bay Scallops with Wild Rice, Radish and Shiitake Mushroom Sauté, Santa Rosa Plum Glaze

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit: Rebecca Baugniet

From Vancouver Cooks 2

Published by Douglas & McIntyre, October 2009.

Andrea Carlson, of Bishop’s writes : “Plump and beautifully textured, these scallops from Qualicum Bay on Vancouver Island will soak up the sweetness of their glaze. Though Santa Rosa plums are ideal, any juice plum from the Okanagan, Similkameen or Kootenay valleys will do when in season.” Andrea suggests pairing this meal with a Church and State Wines Viognier.

Plum Glaze

1 cup dry sherry

1 cup dry white wine

20 Santa Rosa plums, very ripe, pitted

2 shallots, sliced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

4 sprigs oregano

4 sprigs thyme

Wild Rice, Radish and Shiitake Sauté

5 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

3 shallots, thinly sliced

1/2- inch piece ginger root, peeled, julienned

36 baby shiitake mushrooms, stemmed,

or 20 large shiitake, stemmed and sliced

1 cup cooked and drained wild rice

30 sugar snap peas, cleaned, strings removed and blanched

30 leaves baby kale, 2-inch diameter

6 Tbsp vegetable stock

3 Tbsp coarsely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley

6 French Breakfast radishes, thinly sliced on the diagonal

6 sprigs pea shoots for garnish

Scallops

18 Qualicum Bay scallops, tough outer muscle removed

2 to 3 Tbsp vegetable oil

Plum Glaze

Combine all of the ingredients in a small non-reactive pot on medium heat and bring to a simmer. Do not boil. Simmer slowly for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the sauce is viscous. Season to taste with salt. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and discard solids.

Wild Rice, Radish and Shiitake Sauté

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Melt butter and oil in a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, or until translucent. Add ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until tender. Add wild rice and cook for 3 minutes to heat through. Turn down heat to medium, then add snap peas, kale and stock. Cook for 4 minutes, or until kale is tender. Stir in parsley and radishes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm in the oven while you cook the scallops.

Scallops

Season scallops with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a heavy frying pan on medium-high heat. Add scallops and sear on one side for 1 to 2 minutes, or until caramelized. Flip over scallops and remove the pan from the heat (they will finish cooking on the pan off the heat).

To Serve

While the scallops are cooking, gently reheat the plum glaze. Spoon the wild rice mixture onto warmed plates, drizzle with plum glaze and arrange three scallops on each serving. Garnish with pea shoots.

Serves 6.

Kabocha Squash Salad with Apple and Mixed Greens

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

When I approached Naotatsu Ito about contributing a recipe for EAT’s recipe box, the chef generously invited me into the Daidoco kitchen to watch him make his own dinner once the lunch rush was over. Here is the salad he made, using all organic produce from Umi Nami Farm in Metchosin.

1 Gala apple, cored and cut into matchsticks

½ lb. kabocha squash, cut into matchsticks (about 1 cup)

4 oz. mixed greens

1 tbsp. garlic oil

1 tsp. fresh lime juice

¼ cup sliced blanched almonds

Preparation:

Stir a pinch of salt into a medium bowl with water. Rinse apple matchsticks in salt water to prevent discoloration. Drain quickly and set aside. Place kabocha squash matchsticks in a medium nonstick frying pan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes until squash is tender but not soft. Drain. Gently toss apple and squash and arrange on a bed of mixed greens. Drizzle with garlic oil and lime juice. Garnish with blanched almonds.

Cook’s note: Chef Naotatsu used a homemade garlic oil, telling me to simply crush a few cloves and simmer in canola oil until the garlic turns golden brown. I used 4 crushed garlic cloves to 1/4 cup canola oil with good results.Refrigerate leftover oil for up to a week.

Chocolate Mint Zucchini Cake

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

photo credit: Rebecca Baugniet

Dayle Cosway of Terralicious Gardening and Cooking School offers this fall recipe, saying “zucchini are so easy to grow for those of us with the space to do so and so plentiful and inexpensive for those who choose to buy it at the market. However it arrives at home the zucchini will be much appreciated in this delicious dish”.

Ingredients

2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini (about 2 ½ medium)
2 tsp. fresh mint, finely chopped
2 ¼ cups sifted all purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 ¾ cups sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Beat sugar, butter and oil in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Mix in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk in three additions each. Mix in grated zucchini and mint. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top.

Bake cake until tester inserted into centre comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan.

Serves 8-12.

Baked Polenta with Roasted Red Peppers and Artichoke Hearts

Tue, 8 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Baked Polenta

Ingredients

3 c stock or water
1 c cornmeal (polenta)
1-2 TBSP olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt and dash black pepper to taste
1/3 c artichoke hearts, chopped
1/3 c roasted red pepper, diced *
1/2 tsp chipotle pepper puree
50 grams (about 1/2 c) grated cheese- I like asiago best- parmesan or white cheddar also good)

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).

Method

1. Put stock/ water in a large saucepan and bring to the boil.
2. Add the salt and black pepper.
3. Gradually pour in the cornmeal, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon, into the water in a steady stream.
4. Reduce the heat to low, and cook for about another 10 minutes, stirring regularly.
(polenta is thick and sticky and needs to be stirred regularly so it doesn't stick/burn on the base of the pan).
5. Mix in the artichoke hearts and red peppers.
6. Taste, and add more seasoning if necessary.
7. can do one of 2 variations:

Option 1) Baked Homestyle (as was served at Hollyhock for 70)

-Pour into olive oil greased ramekins or a big casserole/gratin dish and cover with aluminum foil.
-Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden.

or

Option 2) Crispy Triangles (my favourite when not such a big group)

Lightly grease a 30 x 20 cm (12 x 8 inch) baking sheet with some olive oil.
Pour the cooked polenta onto the sheet and spread evenly.
Leave to cool and firm in the baking dish (can put this in the fridge to hasten this process)
Cut the polenta into 10 cm (4 inch) squares and then across into triangles.
Lightly grease another baking sheet with olive oil and place the polenta squares in a single layer

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden. (Serves 4-6)

* can roast a red pepper over a flame on gas stove/grill or in broiler, pop in a brown paper bag to loosen charred skin, and peel once cool enough, de-seed and chop!

Simple Roasted Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

2 lbs. tomatoes, (about 10-14 depending on type/size, I used romas)
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dry)
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp dry)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 T red wine or sherry
Or splash or red wine vinegar

Method

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
On large greased baking sheet, lay out tomatoes, place in oven.
Roast 45 to 65 minutes (*depends on type/size), or until tomatoes are tender, lightly browned / bits of skin about to blacken.
In the meantime saute onions and garlic in saucepan, chop herbs.
Once tomatoes roasted, peel off any blackened bits of skin.
Roughly chop half, and blend the other half in the blender.
Add to onions/garlic in saucepan, along oregano, basil, salt and pepper.
Simmer 15 mins
Add red wine/sherry or a slash of red wine vinegar towards the end to bring out the flavours
(Will make about 2 cups)

Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Yields 6 servings. The new ‘Ryza’ rice milk isn’t overly sweetened, nor chalky. You can even stomach it as if it’s a glass of milk and chug cold with a chocolate chip cookie! With fresh berries, or a compote, you’ve got a light, not too sweet and healthy dessert that will satisfy those that ‘need’ a sweet post dinner.

Ingredients

3 1/3 cups plain Ryza
½ cup milk chocolate, chunked
1 ½ tbs F+H #6 black tea
½ vanilla bean, split and scraped
5 sheets gelatine

Method

1. soak gelatine in cold water to soften.
2. meanwhile, heat rice milk in a saucepan. Add tea and steep 5-7 minutes. Strain and press on tea leaves to get all ‘flavour’.
3. reheat milk to steamy and pour over chocolate. Stir with a spatula to make smooth.
4. squeeze gelatine sheets to remove extra water. Drop into steaming milk mixture, stir well to smooth. If you are concerned about lumps, heat slightly and the gelatine will melt. Add the scrapings of the vanilla bean.
5. pour into ‘dariole’ cups or other mold. Set in fridge to chill. Make these the day before for best results.

to serve: run a tin knife around the edges of the mold and tip onto plate. If it’s stuck, set in a shallow pan of hot water for a few seconds and then try to tip out. Serve with fresh berries/fruits.

White Corn Tamale, Serrano Spiced Portobello, Avocado and Raw Cacao Mole

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Serves 4–6

White Corn Filling

12 corn husks
5 cups white corn kernels
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and minced
¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1¼ cups pine nuts, soaked 1-2 hours
1¼ cups cashews, soaked 1-2 hours
1teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
2 tbs. minced red onion
2 tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/2cup lime juice

Place 3 cups of the corn, the tomatoes &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; the red bell pepper in a bowl; set aside. In a food processor, blend the remaining ingredients until very smooth. Pour into bowl with other ingredients &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; mix well with hands.

Serrano Spiced Portobello

4 Portobello mushrooms, cut in half and into 8 slices per side.
1 Serrano Chili, Seeded and minced
3 tbs. olive oil
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Toss mushrooms with olive oil, Serrano and salt then spread on Teflex sheets to dehydrate for 12 hours

Mix corn filling with Portobello

Raw Cacao Mole

6 dried ancho/chipotle chilies, soaked 2-3 hours and drained
½ cup chopped red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbs. sunflower seeds, soaked 4-6 hours and drained
½ cup almond butter
½ cup raisins, soaked 20-30 minutes
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup water
2 tbs. agave
2 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp.cayenne
1 cup cacao powder

Blend all ingredients in vita-mix until smooth.

To Prepare Corn Husks

Soak corn husks in warm water for 1 to 2 hours. Dry carefully.

To assemble, lay the corn husks flat and place about 1/2 cup of the corn mixture onto the center of each. Fold the bottom up over the filling and then fold the sides over. Using the husk strips tie the tops of each tamale. Place the tamales in the dehydrator for 2 hours.

Guacamole

3 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and roughly chopped
1 large handful cilantro leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 scallion, finely chopped
1/2 red chili finely minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

Place all ingredients in a small bowl &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; mash well with a fork.

Assembly

Cacao Powder for garnish
Cilantro Leaves

Spoon a generous amount of mole sauce on each plate, and set two tamales on sauce. Spoon Guacamole on top and garnish with cacao powder and cilantro leaves.

Recipe excerpted from Entertaining in the Raw, published by Gibbs Smith Publisher, 2009. Click here to purchase online.

Traditional Nicoise Style Roasted Lake Trout Salad

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Vinaigrette

1 Tbsp Fresh Tarragon Leaves (reserve Stems for Potato)
2 Tbsp Pommery Mustard (Grainy Mustard)
1 Lemon, Juiced
1/4 Cup Red Wine Vineger
1 peeled Shallot
1 Tbsp Ice Wine
1/2 Cup olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients but the Olive Oil in food processor, Blend Smooth
2. Add Olive Oil Slowly to emulsify while Blending
3. Season with Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Salad Ingredients

4 6 oz Lake Trout Filets (Alternatives- All Trout Species, Salmon)
4 Lg Organic Free Range Eggs Medium Boiled (Add boiling water to room temp eggs and boil for 9-10 minutes)
4 Medium Size Red Potato Boiled with tarragon Stems Boil until cooked 3/4 of the way through. Keep warm for serving.
150 g Organic Field Greens ( A nice combination of Bitter, Sweet, and Spicy).
1 Bulb Shaved Thin Pickled Fennel (Sweet Pickling juice Preferred).
4 Pickled Asparagus-(Traditional Pickling juice Prefered or use Fresh Grilled in Season).
12 Cherry Tomatoes
4 Day Lily Flowers

Sea Salt
Cracked Black Pepper

Directions

1. Pre Heat Oven to 350
2. Lay Fish Filets, Skin Side down on Baking Tray with Parchement Paper, Season with Salt and Pepper
3. Drizzle each Filet with a Small amount of the Vinaigrette
4. Bake Trout for 12 Minutes for medium texture
5. Slice Vegetables & Quarter Eggs, divide evenly in the center of four large Plates
6. Place a small handful of Greens over each vegetable presentation
7. Place Trout on top of Each Salad
8. Drizzle a Liberal Amount of Vinaigrette over fish and greens
9. Garnish with Edible Day Lily Flowers & Fennel Frawns

Bon Appetit!

Photo by Katie Zdybel

Curry of Spinach and Eggplant

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Ingredients for 6 Servings

1 large, firm, shiny eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 tablespoons black or yellow mustard seeds
6 tablespoons clarified butter

For the Curry:

1 large onion, diced (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped garlic (3 to 4 large cloves)
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
3 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 cup water
1 tablespoon palm sugar (or light brown sugar)

For the Finish:
2 bunches (20 ounces) fresh spinach, washed, stemmed, and cut into 2-inch slices

Special Equipment Suggested:

A 6-inch frying pan
A 12-inch frying pan
A 10-inch saucepan

Preparing the Eggplant:
Wash the eggplant, cut off and discard the green cap, and cut the purple part lengthwise into even 1/2 inch slices. Cut the slices into 1/2 inch strips, and the strips into 1/2 inch dice. Toss in a colander with the coarse salt, and let drain for 20 minutes.

Preparing the Mustard Seeds:
Meanwhile, measure the mustard seeds into the dry 6-inch frying pan and saute briefly over moderate heat, until they turn gray and start popping--the heat brings out their aroma. Set aside.

Sauteing the Eggplant:
When the eggplant has drained for 20 minutes, dry it thoroughly in a paper towel, so that it will saute rather than steam. Pour 4 tablespoons of the clarified butter into the 12-inch frying pan and set over moderately high heat. When the butter is hot, add the eggplant and saute for several minutes, tossing and turning; regulate the heat so that the eggplant is no darker than a nice golden brown. When soft, turn it into a bowl and toss with the mustard seeds.

Preparing the Curry:
Heat the remaining butter in the 10-inch saucepan over moderately high heat. Stir in the onions and salt and saute, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden and soft. Add garlic and ginger, cook just a few seconds until their aromas are released, and then stir in all of the spices listed. Cook an additional minute, stirring constantly to blend spices and prevent them from scorching. Stir in the tomatoes, water, and sugar. Turn the heat to high and bring to boil.

Ahead-of-Time Note:
You could stop at this point. Cover and refrigerate everything, and bring to boil several hours later.

Finishing the Dish:
Add the spinach, bring back to boil, then stir in the eggplant. When the eggplant is heated through--in about a minute--the dish is ready to serve.

Halibut Ceviche

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Citrus is something that all but the most ardent locavore will permit in the kitchen. Cucumber and sweet peppers are all readily available locally right now at the various farmers markets, or if you planned far enough ahead, in
your back yard. Halibut season is in full swing right now, and will be available until October or so.

At work, we make the marinade in bulk and marinate as much fish as needed for the day, but the recipe yields in the neighbourhood of one kilo of ceviche so most home cooks would want to cut that recipe in half for two people to share. Garnished simply with some good olive oil and served with some grilled bread, pita crisps or the classic tortilla chip this is an easy and refreshing way to get some nice summer sunshine onto your plate.

Variations would include adding diced avocado and tomato after straining, but I prefer to keep it a little simpler as an appetizer course.

1 cup fresh lime juice
1 tbsp lime zest
½ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
½ cup fresh orange juice
¼ cup white wine vinegar
½ tsp sambal oelek
2 shallots, minced
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1 kg fresh halibut filet, skin off and cut into 1 cm dice

½ cup English cucumber, very small dice
½ cup red (or other) bell pepper, very small dice
Place in bowl and lightly dress with olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper.

For grilled bread:
slice baguette on a bias, lightly brush with olive oil and grill over medium heat until toasted on both sides.

Combine all ingredients except seafood into a large glass bowl, mix well. Add halibut and let marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for at least four hours, but no more than 8. Drain liquid from halibut and place into serving bowls. Top with cucumber and bell pepper brunoise and serve with grilled baguette.

Image by M. Rissling

Smores from scratch

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Marshmallows

You’ll want to start these the night before because the marshmallows need to sit overnight to dry.

* 2 envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin
* ½ cup cold water
* 2 cups granulated sugar
* 2/3 cup corn syrup
* ¼ cup water
* ¼ teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* Powdered Sugar
* Potato Starch

PREPARATION
Prepare a 9x13-inch or 8x13-inch glass baking pan by sprinkling the bottom generously with powdered sugar.

Pour ½ cup cold water over 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.

Measure 2 cups sugar, 2/3 cup corn syrup and ¼ cup water into a heavy saucepan. Using a narrow, deeper saucepan works better than a wider, more shallow one. This helps in terms of tracking the temperature. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue boiling until it reaches 250 degrees F, the hard ball stage in candy making.

With the paddle attachment of the stand mixer in place, and with the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour the sugar mixture into the gelatin. Add ¼ teaspoon salt. Increase the mixer speed to high. Continue beating on high speed for 10 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and let it sit overnight to dry.

Combine ½ cup powdered sugar and ½ cup potato starch on a plate for dredging the marshmallows. Using a pizza cutter or just a sharp knife, cut the marshmallows into the desired shapes. Dredge them in the combined powdered sugar/potato starch mixture on all sides.

Graham Crackers

Graham flour is hard to find. It is technically winter wheat flour with the germ left in. For this recipe, you can use a mixture of whole wheat flour and unbleached white flour with successful results.

* ½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
* 1 large egg
* 6 tablespoons sugar
* 4 tablespoons honey
* 1-1/2 cups graham or whole wheat flour
* ¾ cup unbleached white flour
* ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
* ½ teaspoon baking soda
* ¾ teaspoon salt

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment or aluminum foil.

Combine the sugar, butter and egg in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth and creamy. Stir in the honey.

Stir together the graham or whole wheat flour, unbleached white flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add to the butter mixture in two parts.

Dust a surface with the graham or whole wheat flour. Form the dough into a ball and roll out to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut the dough into 2 dozen crackers or cracker size and shape of your choosing. Prick each cracker with the tines of a fork.

Move to the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 6 to 9 minutes or until a deep golden brown. Cool on a rack.

Assembling the S’Mores

Place graham crackers on cookie sheet. Top with your desired 5 gram square of Scharffen Berger chocolate. We particularly like to use the 82% Cacao Extra Dark. The flavors go very well with the sweetness of the marshmallow.

Top the 5 gram square with a marshmallow.

Put the tray under a broiler and carefully watch so the marshmallow browns but does not burn.

Published in The Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking With Fine Chocolate, by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg. 2006 Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker, 2006

Citrus and Tarragon Cured Wild BC Coho Salmon with Fennel, Bean and Potato Salad

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer or light meal.

12 limes, juiced
2 grapefruits, juiced
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
3 Tbsp fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
1 lb boneless, skinless wild BC coho salmon fillet

Fennel, Bean and Potato Salad

4 -6 new potatoes, washed
1 sprig of fresh mint
sea salt
1/2 lb green and yellow beans, trimmed, cooked and cooled
1 bulb fennel, green fronds removed, trimmed, cored and thinly shaved
6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp grainy mustard
4 Tbsp coarsely chopped Italian parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
Maldon sea salt
cold pressed grapeseed oil or extra virgin olive oil

1. Mix the citrus juice, ginger and tarragon together. Using a sharp knife, thinly slice wild BC coho salmon into 1/8-inch (0.3 cm) thick slices and transfer to a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) glass baking dish. Pour the citrus juice mixture over salmon, cover and refrigerate for one hour. r />
2. Place potatoes and mint in a pot. Cover with water and add salt to taste. Bring to simmer and cook until tender. Drain, discarding mint, and let cool. Dice potatoes and add to beans along with fennel.

3. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, mustard and parsley together. Gently toss with potatoes, beans and fennel. Season to taste.

4. To serve, remove salmon from citrus juice and divide equally onto each plate, placing slices flat. Sprinkle with Maldon sea salt and drizzle with oil. Place salad on top of salmon and serve.

Provided by the BC Salmon Marketing Council. Phone: 604.267.3030, E-mail bcsmc@bcsalmon.ca

Artichoke Pesto

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Ingredients:

5 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
10 oz drained quality canned sliced artichokes
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp drained capers
1/2 tsp. Balsamic vinegar

Method:

1. Heat 2 tbsp. of the olive oil in a large pan. Add onions. Reduce heat to very low and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in sliced artichokes and cook for 5 minutes - cool to room temperature.
2. Puree artichoke and onion mixture with remaining 3 tbsp. olive oil. Add the balance of the ingredients and puree together.
3. Cover and store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Note: pairs best with Reggiano Parmesan & Rosemary Crackers. View Gone Crackers online at www.gonecrackers.ca

Image from angelicasfoodcorner.blogspot.com

Prescription Julep

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

From Imbibe, by David Wondrich:

"This little piece of medical humour comes from 'A Winter in the South,' a serial Harper's Monthly ran in 1857. It also happens to be the tastiest Mint Julep recipe I know. Cognac and rye whiskey are a marriage made in heaven, the cognac mellowing the rye and the rye adding spice to the cognac.

The doctor accordingly wrote out a prescription for the case, as follows:

1/2 oz. white sugar
with spring water, as much as necessary [1 oz]
1 1/2 oz. strong cognac
1/2 oz. spirits of rye
mint leaves, as desired
infuse [the sugar, water, and spirits with the mint]
then add as much powdered ice as necessary and mix it all up

Repeat dose 3 or 4 times a day until cold weather.
"Quackenboss M.D."

source: Harper's Monthly, 1857

Notes on execution: Dissolve the sugar in the water, lightly press the mint leaves in resulting syrup, add the spirits and the ice, and stir. If desired, you can add another hedge of mint to the top. And have at it with a straw."

Excerpt from Imbibe, Perigee Trade (November 6, 2007).

Black Rice Pudding with Banana and Lime

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Nutty black Thai rice is combined in this recipe with creamy coconut milk, sweetened with banana, and given a hint of lime to create this rich, purple-coloured breakfast sensation. It’s a sweet way to say good morning to anyone.

ingredients
½ cup black Thai rice
1 cup water
¾ cup coconut milk
1 banana finely diced
½ tsp lime zest
toasted coconut to garnish

1. In a small, covered saucepan, bring the rice and water to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow the rice to simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Add the coconut milk, banana and lime zest, cover the pan again, and allow the mixture to simmer on very low for 30 minutes. serve hot, garnish with toasted coconut.

* Look for black Thai rice in Asian food stores.

Cook’s tip: coconut toasts very quickly. It is best to toast it in a small frying pan on low heat.

Recipe from Hollyhock Cooks, originally pubiished by New Society Publishers, 2003.

Image from shesimmers.com

Coconut Curried Vegetables

Mon, 1 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Ingredients

1 med. cauliflower , cut into medium pieces
1 med. eggplant, cut in 1 1/2" cubes
2 lg. red bell peppers, cut in 1 1/2" cubes
2 lg. ripe tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 lg. onion, finely chopped
2 lg. cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 level tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
15 fresh curry leaves (available at most Indian grocers; they should be green, not brownish green)
1 400 ml can of pure coconut milk
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
3-4 tablespoons canola oil

Method

In large saucepan heat oil over medium heat for one minute and add curry leaves and mustard seeds. Wait until they start to sizzle and let sizzle for approximately 30 seconds or until a few start to pop. The curry leaves will cook and become shriveled. Immediately add garlic and onions. Saute until onions are golden brown. Add tomatoes and all powdered spices. Continue to saute until the oil seperates from the tomato "masala." Add coconut milk. Bring to a light boil, add eggplant, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add remaining vegetables, cover pan and cook to taste, approximately 15 minutes. Turn off heat, stir in cilantro.

From Vij's, published by Douglas & McIntyre.

Spring Borscht: Beet, Fennel, & Local Rhubarb, with Tarragon Crème Fraiche

Tue, 26 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Ingredients

1 medium sweet white onion, diced
1 bulb fennel, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh garlic, minced
6-8 medium beets, diced
2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 lrg. ribs (2 cups) local rhubarb, diced.
2-2.5 litres chicken or vegetable stock
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme, plucked and lightly chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh tarragon, lightly chopped
3 Tbsp. honey
Salt and pepper, to taste.

Toss beets in sherry vinegar, vegetable oil, and salt and pepper. Roast in 350 degree oven for 30 min. Sweat onion, fennel, celery, ginger, and garlic in a large pot for approx. 20 min. Do not brown.

Add stock and roasted beets to the onion etc. and simmer for 15 min. Add rhubarb and simmer for another 15 min.

Add thyme, tarragon, and 3 Tbsp. honey, simmer 5 min.

Season generously with salt and pepper. Add more honey if the rhubarb is still too tart.

Garnish each bowl with a generous dollop of the tarragon crème fraiche.

Garnish

1 cup crème fraiche
4 Tbsp. fresh tarragon, lightly chopped
½ tsp. salt

Fennel & Apple Salad with Candied Almonds, Aged White Cheddar, and Honey Creme Fraiche Dressing

Wed, 20 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Serve with some warm crusty bread —grilled cornbread is my choice in the
restaurant.

For 4 servings, you will need:

1 large head romaine lettuce; washed, dried and torn
1 small fennel bulb, 2 apples of your taste; shave fennel and apple with
mandolin or slice thin
1/2 cup - 1 cup shaved or crumbled aged white cheddar
1 cup candied almonds
1 cup honey-creme fraiche dressing

Candied Almonds

1 cup almonds (use whole almonds)
3 tbsp butter
1tbsp ground coriander seed
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Toast the almonds on a baking pan for about 8 min. In a saucepan, melt
butter until foamy, add the brown sugar, turn heat down to medium and add a tsp. of cold water. Stir constantly for 3 minutes until sugar is completely dissolved; turn heat off and add coriander, nutmeg and salt. Put warm almonds and hot sugar mix in a bowl; toss together quickly and lay back on baking pan to cool and set.

Creme Fraiche Dressing (allow 24hrs for creme to set!)

1 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup buttermilk

Put together in a bowl, cover tightly with saran wrap and let sit for 24hrs
in a warm place in the kitchen. Creme fraiche can be purchased at most grocery stores now; home made is always the best if time allows. After the creme has set Add:

4 tbsp honey
fresh squeezed juice of 1 lemon

Whisk together gently.

Assembly
In a large bowl, toss the romaine, apple and fennel together with 1/2
the creme dressing (add more to taste). Add most of the candy almonds and
aged cheddar (reserve a few for garnishing). Chilled plates are best! Use your hands to pile the salad high on each plate, garnish with your reserved nuts and cheese. Serve with warm bread!

Store your leftover creme fraiche dressing in the fridge and eat with fresh fruit later. This salad is so delicious and versatile. Any roasted nut or sharp cheese would do well; it's the creme dressing with crisp romaine that make it such a divine palette to start from. The above recipe is how it is prepared on the Rebar menu.

Spring Minestrone with Peas and Asparagus

Tue, 12 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Prepare:

1 cup dried cannelini or borlotti beans
This will yield 2 1/2 to 3 cups of cooked beans. Reserve the cooking liquid.

Heat in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat:
¼ cup olive oil

Add:
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces. Do not let it brown.

Cook for 15 minutes, or until tender. Add:
2 or 3 stalks of green garlic, trimmed and chopped.
5 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt

Cook for 5 minutes longer. Add, and bring to a boil:
3 cups water

When boiling add:
2 small leeks, diced

Cook for 5 minutes, then add:
1 cup shelled peas (from 1 pound in the pod)
½ pound asparagus, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal into ½-inch-thick pieces.

Add the cooked beans, cook for 5 minutes then add:
1 cup bean cooking liquid
2 cups spinach leaves, coarsely chopped (about 1 pound)

Cook for 5 minutes. If the soup is too thick, add more bean cooking liquid. Remove the bay leaf. Serve in bowls, each one garnished with:
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon or more grated Parmesan cheese.

If not serving this soup right away, cool it down quickly in an ice bath so the asparagus does not lose its bright green color.

Image of Spring peas from Bon Appegeek.

Spring Spinach Salad

Fri, 1 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Ingredients

Baby spinach, rinsed and torn
Almonds, toaste and slivered
Goat cheese
Fresh berries
Thinly sliced green apple or pear
Wineland dressings Raspberry and black pepper vinagrette

Method
Arrange spinach in serving bowl. Crumble over goat cheese, add sliced
apple or pear and fresh berries. Sprinkle over toasted slivered
almonds. Drizzle on raspberry and black pepper vinagrette.

Blue Cheese Lamb Burger

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Lamb Patty

5 lbs Local Organic Ground Lamb
½ cup Rosemary Pesto
¼ cup diced dried apricots

Mix together and then form into 6oz patties and grill. Top with slices of your favorite blue cheese and keep on grill until slightly melted. Place on a fresh bun with all your favorite fixings.

Rosemary Pesto

1 cup of fresh rosemary
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup pine nuts
2 medium sized garlic cloves (minced)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine the rosemary in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. Add the garlic, pulse a few times more. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Makes 1/2 cup

Pink Swimming Scallops with Tomato-Lemon Compote

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Serves 4

    * 28 fresh pink swimming scallops
    * 12 Roma tomatoes
    * 1/4 cup olive oil
    * 2 shallots, sliced
    * 1 clove garlic, sliced
    * Zest of 1 lemon
    * 1 Tbsp chopped capers
    * 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
    * Pinch of sugar
    * 2 Tbsp butter
    * 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
    * 1 Tbsp thyme leaves

Shuck scallops, keeping bottom shells and discarding top shells. Remove the beard and dirt sack from each scallop, but leave the scallop muscle and roe intact. Fill a pot with salted water, add scallops and allow to rinse for 5 minutes.

Fill a bowl with ice water. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil on high heat. Add tomatoes and blanch for 10 seconds, then plunge them into the ice bath. Peel and seed the tomatoes, then dice the flesh.

In a medium sauté pan, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and lemon zest, then reduce the heat to low and cook until tomato water has evaporated, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, add capers, parsley and sugar, then season with salt and pepper.

Melt butter in a sauté pan on medium heat. Add bread crumbs and cook for 1 minute, or until golden brown. Add thyme leaves and mix well to combine.

Turn the broiler on. Place the scallop shells on a baking sheet, then onto each scallop shell, spoon 1 tsp of the tomato-lemon compote. Top with a scallop, then sprinkle the scallops with the bread crumb mixture. Broil for 3 to 4 minutes, until bread crumbs are golden and the scallops are cooked.

To serve: Divide the scallops evenly among four plates.

Suggested wine: This dish would be best with a crisp bubble; try something from the Okanagan.

Celery Root and Chile Gratin

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Ingredients:

3 lbs celery root
3 TBs olive oil
1/2 to 1 fresh red chile, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 cup 1/2 and 1/2 cream
salt and freshly ground pepper

Peel the celery root and slice as thinly as possible -about the thickness of a dime is ideal; use the slicing blade of a food processor if you like. In a large mixing bowl, toss the slices with 2 TBs of the olive oil and all the other ingredients until the slices are evenly coated and the garlic and chile well distributed. Transfer to a lightly oiled gratin dish, spreading out the slices with your fingertips; you don't have to layer piece by piece, but try to have pieces lying flat. Pour over any cream left in the bowl and trickle remaining oil over the top. Bake in a preheated 375 F oven for 40 to 50 minutes until celery root is completely tender and the top is browned and crisp. For extra crispness you could finish it under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes.

To read our review of the River Cottage Cookbook, click here.

Honey Cake

Wed, 8 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Ingredients

Cake Batter

150g butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 TBs finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 eggs beaten

Lemon Icing

2 cups icing sugar
100g soft butter
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 TBs fresh lemon juice

Grease and line an 8 1/2 inch spring form tin. Put the butter, brown sugar, and honey in a small saucepan and add 1 TBs of water. Heat gently, stirring once or twice until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Leave it to cool for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 180C.

Sift the flour, baking power, and cinnamon into a bowl and add the rosemary. Add the honey mixture and eggs and beat until smooth. Pour into the tin and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean when you poke it into the centre. Leave in tin to cool completely.

To make the lemon icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the butter, lemon zest and juice and 1 TBs water and beat until smooth. You might like to add a few more drops of the lemon juice afer tasting it. Spread over the top and side of the cake. The cake softens as it sits and will keep well up to a week in a cake tin.

Decorate with rosemary flowers or other edible flowers.

amp;gclid=CI7AgPaX4pkCFR0SagodGnz7XA">Apples For Jam by Tessa Kiros is available at Munro's Books. To read more about local honey from the Simikameen click here. You can find local honey at the pocket markets, Thrifty's, Market On Yates, and Plenty Epicurean Pantry.

Photo: Katie Zdybel

Fish Muffins

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Ingredients

1 large (16 oz) jar of salmon
1 egg
1/2 cup finely crushed crackers
1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
salt and pepper to taste
light sprinkle of garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix all ingredients together.
Fill well-greased muffin tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

The mixture will hold together as the cheese melts and the egg cooks. You could also do this in a loaf pan, but you would have to cook it longer (40 minutes).

Serving suggestion: serve with salad or freshly steamed vegetables.

Makes 6-8 medium muffins.

“Thetis Queen” Albacore Tuna Tacones with Spicy Spot Prawn Mayo

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

(tacones are a taco-cone or a tortilla handroll) makes 10 tacones

Ingredients- for Tacones

5 x 12 inch flour tortillas
A 9-10 ounce troll caught tuna loin
1 thinly shredded small head of cabbage
One half cup roasted and ground pumpkin seeds
2 thinly sliced red onions (that have been soaked in 4 ounces of lemon juice and 4 ounces of mirin for 2 hours)
One half ounce pea shoots
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon fresh cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon toasted ground coriander seed
One half table spoon toasted ground cumin seed
4 ounces olive oil
1 cup “spicy spot prawn mayo”

• Lightly oil one side of each tortilla
• Thinly shred cabbage and mix with pumpkin seeds, spicy spot prawn mayo and one quarter of the spice mix
• Oil the tuna loin and season with remaining spice mix
• In large very hot pan or very hot BBQ sear tuna on all sides for 30 seconds per side and place on cutting board for slicing
• In large very hot pan or very hot BBQ lightly grill tortillas
• Line grilled tortillas up evenly and slice in half
• Position semi circles of tortilla with straight side on a forty five degree angle
• Slice tuna loin in one quarter inch slices and place three slices on the middle of each tortilla
• Add one quarter cup of cabbage mixture, 3 or 4 pea shoots and one heaping table spoon of onions on top of tuna slices
• Take the bottom corner of tortilla to the top and pull back over mix leaving you with a cone shaped taco or tacone

Ingredients- for Spicy Spot Prawn Mayo

One half pound spot prawn (flash sear on high heat with canola oil, then add all ingredients except mayo to deglaze)
One half ounce canola oil
1 and a half ounces sriracha
1 ounce lime juice
1 ounce mirin
1 teaspoon Sea salt and pepper mix
2 cups mayonnaise

• Thoroughly food process all ingredients except the mayo then push through china cap or fine sieve into mayo and vigorously whip mixture into mayo with use of emersion blender.

Red Fish Blue Fish: 1006 Wharf Street in Victoria, British Columbia
(at the foot of Broughton on the pier below Wharf Street in the heart of downtown Victoria). Check out their new location in Cook Street Village near the corner of Cook and Mckenzie. 250.298.6877

Red Fish Blue Fish menu image by Shelora Sheldon/Bill Blair

Verjus Caipirinha Highball

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Serves one. Double for two.

Ingredients:

½ tsp sugar
8 mint leaves
thin slice of ginger (about as round as a nickel)
2 oz Venturi-Schulze Verjus
ice
1½ oz rum
ginger ale or ginger beer
5 additional mint leaves

Mix first three ingredients and mash with the back of a spoon. Add the verjus and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Fill a highball glass with ice, strain the mixture into the glass, add the rum and stir. Fill the glass with ginger ale and stir in the 5 whole mint leaves. Viva!

Verjus is available at Venturi Schulze (visit their beautiful vineyard or shortcut it to their website). Also available at Plenty.

Deep-fried Artichokes and Lemon with Mint and Anchovy Dressing

Mon, 9 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Serves 4.

12 small, tender artichokes
juice of 1 lemon (if preparing ahead)
2 unwaxed lemons
corn oil, for deep-frying

Batter

375g plain flour
pinch of sea salt
125 ml olive oil
80 ml sparkling water
1 egg white

Anchovy and mint dressing

5 good-quality anchovy fillets packed in salt or olive oil
bunch of mint, leaves only
2-2 ½ tbsp red wine vinegar
120ml extra virgin olive oil

First make the batter. Sift the flour into a bowl, add a pinch of salt and make a well in the middle. Pour in the olive oil, whisking well to combine, then whisk in the sparkling water. In another bowl, whisk the egg white to firm peaks, then fold into the batter. (You can make this batter a few hours ahead.)

For the dressing, rinse the anchovies well if they are packed in salt, then drain and pat dry. Place the anchovies in a blender, along with the mint leaves and 2 tbsp wine vinegar. With the motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil through the feeder tube until it is all incorporated. Taste and add a little more wine vinegar if you like, you shouldn’t need any salt.

To prepare the artichokes, trim away the darker tough outer leaves with a sharp knife an trim and peel the stem. Cut off the tops of the artichoke leaves at the point where their colour becomes darker. Now cut each artichoke in half lengthways and remove the hairy choke. If not using immediately, immerse in a bowl of water acidulated with the lemon juice to prevent them from discolouring. Slice the lemons into fairly thinly rounds (but no so thin that they will fall apart when deep-fried).
When ready to cook, drain the artichokes and pat dry. Heat the corn oil in a deep-fryer or other suitable heavy-based pan to 180 degrees C, or until a cube of bread dropped in sizzles and browns quickly. You’ll need to cook the artichokes in batches. Dip in the batter and turn to coat, then lift out letting the excess batter fall off. Deep-fry three or four at a time for about 1 ½ minutes until golden and tender. remove and drain on kitchen paper; keep hot while you cook the rest. Deep-fry the lemon slices in the same way- don’t overcrowd the pan or they will stick together. When golden, remove and drain.

Serve the crispy artichokes and lemon slices on warm plates drizzled with the anchovy and mint dressing. I like to serve a simply dressed rocket salad alongside, for a nice clean contrast.

To read the review of Skye's book, My Favourite Ingredient, click here.

Chowder Recipes

Sun, 1 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Photo by Tracey Kusiewicz

Classic Corn Chowder

Not all chowders contain seafood. Fresh corn makes a wonderfully sweet version of the classic chowder and is popular from the Canadian prairies to the U.S. Midwest and southern states. Serves 4 to 6.

3 slices bacon, diced

3 Tbsp finely chopped onion

1 small red pepper, seeded and diced fine

2 1/2 cups diced potatoes

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 cup finely chopped carrot

1 cup chicken broth

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 15-oz tin cream-styled corn

1 cup fresh cut or frozen corn kernels

2 cups milk (or 1 cup half-and-half and 1 cup milk)

In a stockpot, fry bacon over medium-high heat until it begins to brown; add onion and red pepper and sauté until soft. Add potatoes, celery, carrot and chicken broth. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Stir in creamed corn and kernels and bring just to a boil; stir in milk and simmer to heat through.

Vietnamese-style Crab and Asparagus Soup

The French first introduced white asparagus to Vietnam during the Indochine period, and over the years its popularity has grown throughout Asia. Asian chefs used traditional cooking techniques to introduce this new ingredient into their cuisine. This soup combines both colours, which showcases the different textures and fresh flavours. Although not considered a true chowder, this soup has the thick characteristics of a chowder with the addition of cornstarch and beaten egg white. Serves 4 to 6.

12 spears of fresh asparagus

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp minced ginger

6 cups chicken stock

1 tin white asparagus, cut on the bias into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 pound Dungeness crabmeat

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp white pepper

1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed into 2 Tbsp water

1 egg white, beaten

2 Tbsp fresh cilantro

2 green onions, finely chopped

Cut off any tough ends of the asparagus. Cut spears into 1/2-inch pieces. Bring a medium-sized stockpot or saucepan of water to a boil and add the salt. Add the asparagus and cook until tender-crisp, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and immediately place into an ice water bath to cool and drain well. Place in a bowl, cover and chill until ready to serve. Set aside some of the tips to use for garnish.

Place the saucepan over medium high heat with the oil. When hot, add the ginger and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broth, both kinds of asparagus, crabmeat, soy sauce and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened slightly, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and slowly drizzle in the egg white while constantly stirring. Ladle into warm soup bowls and garnish with reserved asparagus tips, cilantro and green onions.

If tinned white asparagus is unavailable, use fresh ones and blanch until crisp tender.

Birch Salmon Filets on a Cedar Plank

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

4-6 salmon filets
1/2 cup soft butter
1 cup Boreal Amber birch syrup
black pepper, freshly ground

Soak 13" x 9" cedar plank for 5-6 hours in water. Cover bottom of lightly greased cedar plank with salmon filets. Spread butter over salmon and pour syrup over all. Top with pepper. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Image: from Real Simple

Dark Chocolate Panna Cotta with Blackberry Port & Balsamic Glazed Cherries, Crème Fraîche, and Almond Tuile

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Panna Cotta

Non-stick cooking spray
1 cup milk
2 1/4 teaspoons gelatine
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
5 ounces quality semisweet dark chocolate
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Cherries

1 pound fresh cherries or substitute 1 jar preserved sour cherries, drained.
3/4 cup Vancouver Island Starling Lane Blackberry Port…see www.starlinglanewinery.com
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Firm Crème Fraîche

1 cup whipping cream
4 tablespoons buttermilk
sugar to taste

Almond Tuile

¼ cup whipping cream
½ tsp almond extract
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup fine ground almonds
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
pinch of salt, orange zest to taste
½ cup sliced almonds for garnish

For Panna Cotta (Prepare a day ahead)
Spray six large ramekins with the non-stick spray. In a small pot- pour in cold milk, sprinkle in gelatine, let soften 5-10 min then lightly warm the mixture, reserve. In another pot- combine cream and sugar. Heat to just below the boiling point. Add chocolate, whisk until melted. Add chocolate mixture to the gelatine mixture. Stir in vanilla. Mix well. (An immersion blender may be used).
Stir over an ice bath until syrupy and divide among the ramekins. Refrigerate overnight.

For Cherries
Combine port, sugar and vinegar. Simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add the cherries. Remove from heat.

For Crème Fraîche
In a sanitized container combine the whipping cream and buttermilk. Cover and let sit in a warm room 24-30 hours.
Once thickened, chill overnight. Whip with the sugar until fluffy.

For Almond Tuile
In a small pot- heat the butter, orange zest and cream until the butter is melted. Add the vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients, combine with the cream mixture to form a smooth paste. Chill until thickened. Portion into 1 tbsp balls, do not flatten, (these are self spreading). Bake at 325ºF until golden brown, aprox. 7 minutes sprinkling with sliced almonds half way through baking. Cool slightly and quickly roll around a wooden dowel. Protect from moisture.

Serving:
Run a paring knife around the inside of the ramekins. Flip over the ramekins and firmly tap the ramekin to release the panna cotta onto the plates. Garnish with whipped crème fraîche, tuile and cherry sauce.

Local Foods Recipe: Roasted Buttercup Squash with Garlic and Rosemary

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Buttercup squash is the blocky green type that looks like a curling stone. It's my favourite because its dense, dry flesh melds well with savoury oil. This recipe is from Tina Baynes, my friend and farming mentor.

1 buttercup squash, halved with seeds removed
4 tablespoons of butter
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 sprigs of rosemary

Preheat the oven to 350 ºF. Place the squash halves, cut side up on a baking tray. Put a generous pat of butter into the cavity of each half and rub some of it into the cut surfaces of the squash. Put the garlic cloves and rosemary into the cavities as well. Roast at 350ºF until tender. If the top starts to brown too much, cover with foil. The rosemary and garlic should be wonderfully fragrant and delciously deep fried in the butter. Cut into quarters and serve.

Tandoori Salmon on Cumin-scented Basmati Rice with Minted Cucumber & Spanish Onion Slaw

Mon, 9 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Serves 6-8

3 lb fresh salmon cut into 6-8 oz fillets
Tandoori marinade:
1 1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns
3 black cardamom pods, seeds only
1 tablespoon green cardamom pod seeds only
1 teaspoon whole cloves
3 fresh hot green chilies, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 inch piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon mild chili powder or paprika
1 cup plain yoghurt
4 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tblsp tomatoe paste

Combine the cumin seeds, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, and cloves. Toast gently for 2 minutes on low heat and grind to a fine powder. In a food processor combine the chilies, garlic cloves, root ginger, salt, chili powder (or paprika), tumeric, yoghurt tomato paste and sunflower oil then blend to a paste. Add the ground spices and mix thoroughly to form a marinade. Coat salmon liberally and let sit for 2-4 hours.Bake in 375 degree oven for 10-15 min.

Basmati Rice

3 cups basmati rice
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 cloves minced garlic
Salt
1 tablespoon butter

Sauté cumin seeds and garlic lightly on low heat for about 1 minute. Add rice and coat with butter, add 6 cups water, bring to boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for approx 10 minute. Fluff with fork. Serve immediately.

Cucumber Slaw

1 english cucumber
1 small red onion
10 mint leaves
1 oz white vinegar
1 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Seed cucumber and slice into thin strips. Dice red onion into ¼ inch cubes. Chiffonade mint and combine with cucumber and onion. Add vinegar , sugar and seasonings. Chill for 1 hour.

Steamed Oysters with Fresh Ginger

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Ingredients

1 dozen oysters (on the half shell)
½ c. of finely chopped green onions
½ c. of finely chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
½ c. of butter
Salt & pepper to taste

Method
Melt butter & then add ginger, garlic, onions, salt, and pepper to melted butter mixture.Steam oysters in another larger pot for 10minutes.
When oysters have been steamed, add 1 tbsp. of mixture to each individual oyster & serve hot.

Solstice Cafe's Hot Chocolate made with Denman Island Chocolate

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Good equipment is important. We use 70% cocoa, organic chocolate from Denman Island Chocolates. it must be melted slowly in a heavy pot to prevent burning.
We use a ceramic lined cast iron pot, but anything with a thick base
should be okay. The next most important and only other ingredient is milk.
We use organic whole milk. Alternatively, soy milk, rice milk, and almond milk
are all available at Solstice, with the homemade almond milk being
our favourite as the flavours pair very well together. We add a scoop of melted chocolate (3 - 6 tbsp, depending on taste) into a cup or so of milk and steam it with our espresso machine (it's very difficult to blend completely without a good steamer). For an extra treat, top it with whip cream (unsweetened and organic)
and chocolate shavings (same great chocolate as above).

We also serve a Mayan Hot Chocolate," which is the same as above,
but with a teaspoon of hot chili oil added before steaming, and cinnamon
and nutmeg sprinkled on top instead of whip cream and chocolate shavings.

About Solstice Cafe

"Solstice café came about as the fulfillment of a dream and as such embodies the spirit of its creator, David Cardinal. David chooses to sell only organic, fair-trade coffee and tea, made with organic sugar, chocolate, dairy and soy milk and light lunches and snacks made with organic and/or locally grown and produced foods; in making these choices David strives to help protect the environment and stimulate growth on the island.

The cafe is also being used to showcase local musical talent, improv theatre, poetry readings and as a space for philosophy cafe. The walls of the cafe are used as a gallery to display the works of local photographers both amateur and professional.

Come in, relax and help us change the world for the better, one coffee at a time!"

Click here to visit Solstice Cafe online.

Simple Homemade Sausage

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Makes 1 pound.

Sausage is quite easy to make. This recipe is for sausage meat that won't be stuffed into a casing. It is good for making patties and meatballs, and for stuffings and pasta sauces. In general, for sausage to have a good texture it should contain 25 to 330 percent fat. Much of this fat is rendered while the sausage cooks, but without it the meat will be dry and lack flavor. it follows that the best ground pork to use is ground from the shoulder, which has more fat than the leg or loin. When made with fresh meat, sausage will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Ingredients:
Using you hands, lightly mix together

1 pound ground pork
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves or 1 teaspoon dried sage
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
a pinch of cayenne

Mix well enough to distribute the seasonings evenly, but avoid mashing the meat. Make a small patty of meat, fry it in a small skillet, and taste. Adjust the seasoning as needed.

Variation:
To make fennel sausage, replace the sage nutmeg, and cayenne with 2 teaspoons fennel seeds toasted and lightly pounded; 2 garlic cloves, pounded to a puree; 3 tablespoons red wine; and if you like, 2 teaspoons chopped parsley and 1/2 teaspoon dried chile flakes.

You can find The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters at Plenty in Victoria and Barbara Jo's Books for Cooks in Vancouver.

Image from wellfed.net

Citrus Salmon Confit Salad

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the salmon

4 x 5 oz wild sockeye salmon fillets
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp chopped dill
1 lemon zested
1 lime zested
1 orange zested
500 ml extra virgin olive oil

For the olive tapenade

4 oz kalamata olives
2 anchovy fillets
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp capers
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
2 sprigs thyme picked
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

For the salad

8 mini Yukon potatoes
4 free range brown eggs
6 artichoke hearts (canned is OK)
8 amarosa or cherry tomatoes
3 oz pancetta
4 oz spinach
1.5 oz shaved parmesan

For the lemon vinaigrette

1 fl oz extra virgin olive oil
1 fl oz lemon juice freshly squeezed
.5 oz basil chiffonade
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. Cure the salmon: Place the 4 fillets in a small bowl and mix with the salt, sugar and dill. Marinate for 30 mins, only. Wash under running water and pat the fish dry. In another small bowl combine olive oil and the citrus zest. Add the salmon fillets. Cover and refrigerate for 45 mins.

2. Make the olive tapenade: Combine all ingredients (except olive oil) in a blender or food processor. Slowly add the olive oil until the tapenade reaches the consistency of a vinaigrette.

3. Make lemon vinaigrette: Slice basil very thinly and combine lemon juice and olive oil. Mix thoroughly.

4. Make the salad: Cook eggs in simmering water for 7 mins or less for softer eggs. Place in ice bath till cooled down. Peel eggs and reserve. Quarter potatoes and cook in another pot until just tender. Reserve and cool in fridge. Cut pancetta into lardon (2cm x .5cm x .5cm). Render down in a pan on medium heat until crispy. Drain on paper towel and reserve. Quarter artichokes and set aside.

5. To confit the salmon: Preheat oven to 190 degrees F. Remove salmon from oil and place on a non-stick oven tray. Brush salmon with remaining olive oil and insure that some of the citrus zest is on the salmon. Put salmon in preheated oven and set timer for 8 mins. The aim here is not to cook the salmon but to change the texture and taste. The salmon will be barely cooked, it will remain medium rare though out and the color should not change. If the salmon starts to overcook it will leak white proteins (albumen).

6: Plating the salmon: Combine the potatoes, artichoke, pancetta, parmesan, and spinach. Dress lightly with lemon vinaigrette. Divide the salad between 4 plates. Cut the eggs and the tomatoes in half; divide between the four plates around the salad. Place a piece of salmon (while still warm) on top of each salad. Drizzle the olive oil tapenade around the plate. You are now ready to wow your friends and family. Enjoy.

Un Dîner Québécois

Fri, 2 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Un Dîner Québécois

A meal steeped in tradition and rich in regional and seasonal ingredients.

by Nathan Fong

From chic Montreal and its cosmopolitan cuisine, to Quebec City and its fertile neighbouring farmland in Île d’Orléans, to the wonderful seafood bounties of the Quebec Maritime region of Gaspésie, this province is brimming with culinary plenty. Fat lobes of foie gras, plump magret breasts, cheeses, fresh succulent scallops and buttery rich lobsters—the place is a gourmand’s paradise.

To honour Quebec City’s 400th anniversary this past year, EAT offers this small collection of cherished regional recipes from inland to the waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Bonne fête!

Warm Mulled Cranberry-Apple Cider

Quebec is renown for its cranberry and apple harvests and their wonderful by-products, such as the famed ice-cider. This warm spiced drink is perfect for those ultra-cold and snowy Quebec winters. Serves 6 to 8.

Strips of zest from 2 oranges

24 oz cranberry juice

24 oz apple cider or juice

2 cinnamon sticks, about 4 inches each

6 whole allspice

8 whole cloves

2 whole star anise pods

2 pieces vanilla beans, about 2 inches each

Remove the zest from the oranges in strips about half an inch wide. Set aside 2 long strips. Cut the remaining strips in 6 to 8 pieces, about 2 inches long. Cut a small slit in each so that the zest can be slipped onto the rim of a glass as a garnish.

In a non-reactive saucepan, combine the juices. Place the 2 long orange zest strips, the cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise and vanilla bean pieces into a small square of double cheesecloth and tie up with string to make a small bundle. Add to juice and place over medium high heat, bringing to almost a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve with a piece of the zest on the rim of each glass as a garnish. For an alcoholic boost, add a shot of brandy to each glass.

Brandade de Morue (creamed salt cod)

Cod, one of the most important fishing industries on the East coast has long been plagued by decreasing stocks. From the scenic historic fishing village of Rivière-au-Renard, near Gaspé, to the salt cod processors of Sainte-Thérèse-de Gaspé, near Percé, these many communities along this dramatic coastline based their livelihoods on cod. Nowadays, other forms of seafood have replaced the once thriving cod stocks, such as shrimp and lobster. Salt dry cod is still an important product made at the Lelièvre, Lelièvre & Lemoignan processing plant as it has been done for centuries. Although Atlantic cod stocks have decreased as much as 60%, much of their supplies are being shipped from Alaska.

Here is celebrated recipe made from this important ingredient.

Makes 4 servings

2 pounds salt cod

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 shallots, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 large russet potatoes

3 Tbsp flour

1 cup milk

1 cup whipping cream

4 Tbsp parmesan cheese or grated aged cheddar

6 Tbsp chopped chives

1 loaf crusty French bread, cut into 1 –inch slices and toasted

Soak salt cod in cold water, changing daily for 2 days. Boil the potatoes until tender. Peel and cut into ½-inch cubes. Drain salt cod and cut into ½-inch cubes. In a 12 to 14-inch sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat, until just smoking. Add shallots and garlic and cook until softened but do not colour, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add cod, potatoes, and flour and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until warmed through. Add milk and cream and bring to a boil, stirring just barely breaking down fish. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Pour into a shallow baking dish, sprinkle with cheese and chives. Place under broiler until golden. Serve with toasted bread slices.

Velouté de Navets à l’érable (Cream of Turnip with Maple Syrup)

The restaurant in the historic 1860’s William Wakeham Inn, has long been a culinary fixture overlooking the York River and the Gaspé Bay. Innkeeper and chef Desmond Ogden offers traditional and contemporary regional cuisine in their heritage Victorian style dining room. Here, a traditional country turnip soup is transformed and enhanced with local maple syrup and garnished with fresh lobster.

Serves 6 to 8

3 Tbsp butter

4 large shallots, coarsely chopped

2 cups coarsely chopped leeks (white part only)

1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped

2 lbs peeled and diced turnips, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 litres chicken stock

2 sprigs rosemary

3 to 5 Tbsp brandy or sherry (optional)

1/3 cup whipping cream

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

¼ cup maple syrup

6 oz chopped fresh cooked lobster meat

chopped fresh chives

Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat and add the butter. Add shallots, leeks and celery and sauté until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes; do not colour. Add turnips and sauté for about 3 minutes to slightly cook. Add broth and rosemary sprigs and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until turnips are tender. Remove rosemary sprigs.

Carefully process with a hand-blender until smooth or divide into small batches using a blender. To make a smoother textured soup, pass the pureed soup through a fine mesh sieve. Return the soup to the soup pot, add brandy, maple syrup and slowly stir in cream. Season.

To serve, divide the lobster meat and place a portion in each warmed soup bowl. Ladle the soup and garnish with chives.

Lobster and Seafood Gratinée with pernod

Although fresh caught seafood is available year round on the Quebec Maritime coastline, it is especially special during the holiday season. La Maison William Wakeham Restaurant in Gaspé and La Maison du Pêcheur in Percé, are both outstanding restaurants featuring the freshest of regional seafood. Although I experienced and loved the delicate battered cod tongues, they’re hard to find here on the Pacific coast! Both restaurants had their wonderful versions of seafood gratins, but here is my adapted version, which would make a great holiday appetizer for on your menu.

Serves 4

2 Tbsp butter

3 shallots, finely chopped

1/3 cup white wine

4 Tbsp pernod

½ cup whipping cream

2 cups béchamel sauce

Freshly cracked pepper

4 very large fresh scallops, rinsed, dried and sliced in half into two thick coins

½ lb (225g) fresh handpeeled shrimp

Cooked Lobstermeat from a 2 lb lobster or 300g lobstermeat

¼ lb (115g) goats cheese

3 Tbsp finely chopped green onions

Melt the butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium low heat. Add scallops to the melted butter just to warm through until they become opaque. Do not overcook. Remove and place onto paper towels to drain. Increase heat to medium and add shallots to the pan. Saute until they become soft; add white wine and simmer for a couple of minutes. Add pernod; lower heat to low and add cream, simmer until reduced by half. Stir in béchamel sauce and green onions. Whisk well and simmer until velvety smooth texture. Remove from heat, and season to taste with pepper.

To assemble, divide shrimp onto four oven proof gratin dishes. Sppon on some sauce over the shrimp. Divide and add the scallops over the shrimp and spoon on some more sauce. Arrange lobster meat over the scallops and cover with sauce. Top each dish with crumbled goat’s cheese. Place all gratin dishes onto a baking sheet and place under broiler; bake until golden brown.

Garnish with lemon wedge and chopped chives.

Hachis Parmentier

Francois Blais is the talented young executive chef at Panache, the signature restaurant in the stunning Auberge Saint-Antoine in Quebec City. Situated, which once was part of an 19th century maritime warehouse, the dining room serves traditional French Canadian cuisine, “with a contemporary twist.” Chef Blais draws inspiration uniquely from local Québec produce, varying the manu according to what is in season. His use of wild game and mushrooms is at the peak this time of the year, showcasing venison to chanterelles. Here, is a twist on the Anglo “Shepherd’s Pie” or the Quebec “Pâte de Chinois”, with en elegant, yet comforting Parmentier, made with wild hare, topped with a potato and celeriac purée.

Serves 4 as an appetizer

2 large hare legs (or substitute rabbit)

1 Tbsp olive oil

20g of salt pork, cut into ¼-inch dice

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 cup mirepoix (250g), mixture of chopped celery, carrots, onions and leeks

100ml dry red wine

200ml game or beef stock

bouguet garni of fresh herbs (peppercorns, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, juniper berries)

1 large russet potato

½ small celeriac, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 leek, finely chopped

30g butter

160g goats cheese

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Cut the legs into two. Heat the olive oil and salt pork in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the legs to brown, turning occasionally. Add the garlic and mirepoix and sauté with legs until slightly coloured. Add the wine, stock and bouquet garni. Cover, bring to boil; place into a preheated 325F oven and cook until soft and tender, about 3 hours. Remove legs to serving platter and strain the pan juices into a small saucepan. Season jus with salt and pepper. Remove leg meat and “pull” into small shreds.

Bake potato until tender. Cook celeriac in salted water, until tender; drain and mash with potato, passing through a fine mesh sieve. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside, keeping warm. Add some butter if necessary to make a fine puree.

Heat the butter over medium heat and sauté leeks until soft. Add the rabbit to warm and season to taste. Divide and place the rabbit mixture into four small oven-proof serving dishes or moulds.. Divide and top with a layer of the potato mixture and garnish with goat’s cheese on top.

Place into hot oven and broil until cheese is golden brown. Remove from moulds and serve with the jus.

Tourtière

Nothing showcases a French-Canadian celebration like the traditional rich meat pie called tourtière. Recipes vary from region to region throughout the province, from traditional wild game fillings of venison and grouse, pork and beef inland to seafood such as salmon and shellfish in areas close to the Quebec Maritimes. Every family has its own “original” recipe, passed down through generations, some with potato, some with none. This is an adapted recipe from my dear friend Margarite Lamothe, who has been making her family recipe for decades. Makes one 9-inch pie of 8 servings.

1 large russet potato

1 pound ground pork

1/2 pound ground veal

1/2 pound ground beef

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp ground sage

1/2 tsp celery salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup water

2 recipes Flaky Pastry (see following)

1 egg yolk

Boil potato in its jacket until cooked. Peel and mash; set aside.

In a large saucepan, add the meat, garlic, onions, spices and water. Cook over medium high heat until bubbling, stirring to break up meat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until almost no liquid remains. Mix in potatoes and add additional seasoning to taste.

Let cool, stirring occasionally (mixture will thicken as it cools). Roll out and line plate with pastry. Fill with meat mixture. Roll out remaining pastry. Brush pie rim with water; cover with top pastry and press edge together to seal. Trim and flute.

Mix egg yolk with 2 tsp water; brush top pastry. Cut steam vents. Bake in bottom third of a 400ºF oven until hot and golden brown, about 50 minutes.

Flaky Pastry

Makes 1 double-crust 9-inch pie.

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup each cold butter and lard, cubes

1 egg

2 tsp vinegar

Ice water

In a bowl, mix flour with salt. Using pastry cutter or two knives, cut in butter and lard until coarse crumbs with larger pieces.

In liquid measure, beat egg with vinegar, add enough ice water to make 2/3 cup. Drizzle over flour mixture, tossing with fork until ragged dough forms. Divide and press into two discs. Wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. (This can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Ragoût de Pattes et Boulettes

This dish truly represents the Quebecois farmer. Rustic and hardy, the rich and simple stew made with pigs’ trotters and simple meatballs is a traditional winter dish served typically with mashed potatoes. Serves 8.

Des Pattes:

3 lbs pigs’ feet or hocks, skinned and cut in half

1 Tbsp coarse salt

1/2 tsp each ground cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg and black pepper

1/2 tsp each dried thyme and savoury

3 Tbsp canola oil

2 onions, chopped

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup toasted flour (see below)

1 cup cold water

Boulettes:

1 1/2 lb ground pork

1/2 lb ground beef

2 slices of country style or French bread, cut into half-inch pieces and soaked in half a cup milk

1 medium onion, chopped

2 Tbsp d’herbes salées (salted herbs; see below)

1 egg, beaten

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Wipe the pig’s feet with paper towel and place into mixing bowl. Mix together the spices, salt and pepper; sprinkle the whole mixture over the pigs’ feet and rub well to marinate.

In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high and add the pigs’ feet in small batches, browning for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove to a platter and repeat until all are browned. Set aside.

In the same pan, heat the butter over medium heat and sauté the onions till golden, about 5 minutes. Place the pigs’ feet back into the pan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to simmer and cook until tender, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, skimming occasionally; the meat should pull away from the bone. Add more liquid if necessary, to keep the feet covered.

While the feet are cooking, heat the oven to 375ºF and mix together all the ingredients for the meatballs. Shape into 2-inch meatballs and place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Thirty minutes before the feet are cooked, add the meatballs to the pigs’ feet stew and continue to simmer. Before serving, remove the meatballs and feet with a slotted spoon, leaving the liquid in the pan. Skim and remove excess fat from the liquid. Debone the feet, reserving the meat. Reheat the broth in the same pan. Whisk together the flour and water until well blended.

Slowly whisk in the flour mixture into the broth until well blended; bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.

Place the meat back into the broth, reheat and serve with mashed potatoes.

Toasted Flour: Toast flour by adding all-purpose flour to a dry heavy skillet over high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the colour becomes golden, about 5 minutes. Remove and pour flour immediately into a mixing bowl to avoid overcooking.

Salted Herbs

Makes 2 1/2 to 3 cups.

1/2 cup chopped fresh chives

1/2 cup chopped fresh savoury

1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley

1/2 cup chopped fresh chervil

1/2 cup grated carrot

1/2 cup chopped celery leaves

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup coarse salt

In a medium bowl, combine the herbs. Layer one inch of the herb mixture in the bottom of a crock or glass jar and sprinkle with some of the salt. Repeat layers until all of the herb mixture and salt are used. Cover and refrigerate for 2 weeks. Drain off accumulated liquid and pack herb mixture into sterilized jars. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Maple Tart

One of the most popular desserts in La Belle Province, maple tart is to Quebec what the butter tart is to the rest of Canada. As with most Quebecois recipes, maple tarts vary from gooey fillings to thick rich cream ones. The flavour and colour of the tart will vary also depending on the quality of the maple syrup used.

This wonderful dessert is from Martin Picard’s famed Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal, certainly one of my favourite carnivore haunts in the city! Makes two 9- to 10-inch tarts.

2 cups maple syrup

3/4 cup whipping cream

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

4 large eggs

1 recipe Flaky Pastry (see above), or frozen pie shells

Combine the maple syrup and cream in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Add the butter and stir until melted, then stir in flour. Set aside, keeping slightly warm. Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Roll out pastry and cut two rounds to line the bottom of the tart moulds (with removable bottoms). Blind bake the empty tart shells by carefully lining the shell with parchment paper or foil and filling with uncooked rice or dried beans, with enough foil overhang to be able to remove. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove paper/foil/beans and set aside.

Reduce oven to 300ºF.

In a bowl, lightly beat eggs, then add to the maple syrup mixture and stir well to mix. Place the tart shells on baking sheets and divide the maple mixture between them. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the filling has set at the centre and there is a slight bubble at the edge of the moulds. Let cool completely before removing the tart bottom. Serve with whipping cream.

Beet Snow Sorbet

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Beet Snow Sorbet

Phil McCaffrey, chef at Inn on the Lake, provided this recipe to accompany Julie Pegg's Jan/Feb 2009 Food Matters (pg. 9)

6 large beets, peeled and quartered.

5 juniper berries

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

Place beets in small pot and fill with water until beets are covered.

Cover with lid and simmer. Add juniper berries.

When beets are cooked, but still firm, remove lid. Add salt and

vinegar. Reduce until

beets are fully cooked. Remove from stove, discard juniper berries. In

a blender, puree the beet mixture covering

the lid with a cloth. Add mixture to ice cream machine, then transfer

into shallow pan and freeze.

Grilled Rack of Lamb with Red Currant Jelly

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Ingredients

1 rack of lamb
1 cup red current jelly
1 cups Dijon mustard
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shallots (minced)
2 tablespoons rosemary, crushed

Preparation

Mix jelly and mustard in saucepan and simmer on stove top for 5 minutes to melt jelly. Remove lamb chops from rack and French cut, being careful not to remove the fat from the eye (the fat will protect the meat from burning on the grill). Allow sauce to cool completely. Submerge lamb chops in sauce and allow to marinade overnight (place in refrigerator). Grill over Hickory coals 4 to 5 minutes (for medium to medium-rare), basting with sauce as it cooks. Turn once half-way through cooking time. Prepare garnish sauce by browning shallots in butter and stirring in the white wine and rosemary. Serve lamb with garnish sauce and grilled potatoes and vegetables.

Click here for instructions on French cutting a rack of lamb.

Chocolate Wine Sauce Martini

Mon, 8 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Ingredients

1 shot Espresso Vodka (Van Gogh's)
1 shot plain or vanilla vodka
1/2 shot Bailey's
1 Shot Hot Chick's Chocolate Wine Sauce

Shake over ice and pour into a martini glass....mmmmm.

Click here from more recipes using Hot Chicks Chocolate Wine Sauce.

The Chocolate Wine Sauce is available at Plenty in Victoria and Edible BC at the Granville Island Market. Click here for a full list of shops that carry Hot Chicks' products.

Mon, 1 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

2 tbsp butter

10 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp flour

6 cups beef broth

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1/4 tsp pepper

salt to taste

4 eggs beaten

6 slices baguette, toasted

1 1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese

1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add garlic and flour. Cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, parsley, and pepper. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary. (The soup can be prepared ahead to this point, cooled, covered, and refrigerated up to 1 day. Bring to a simmer before proceeding with recipe.)

Slowly whisk the eggs into the soup. Heat gently, but do not boil or let the soup get too hot or the eggs will curdle. Place 6 warmed oven-proof soup bowls on a baking sheet. Ladle the soup into bowls and place a slice of toast on each. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the toast. Place under a hot broiler element and broil until the cheese melts, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve at once.

Serves 6.

Butternut Squash Chutney

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Ingredients

1 onion
2 tbsp garlic puree
2 lbs butternut squash,1 cm dice
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp sambal olek
500ml white wine vinegar
1 cup water

Method

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer until squash is tender. Cool.

Image from allposters.com

Jack Daniels Dark Chocolate Truffles

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Ingredients

500 grams dark chocolate
200ml heavy cream
50 ml Jack Daniels, or Whiskey of choice

Method

Place 500 grams of dark chocolate chips, or block chocolate chopped into chip size pieces in a large mixing bowl. Add 50 ml of Whiskey to chocolate, set aside.

Scald the cream, (bring just to a boil in a pot, then remove from heat)

Pour cream over chocolate and Whiskey and whisk until all chocolate is melted, and the mixture is smooth. Heat the mixture over a double broiler if necessary. This will be your ganache, the soft center of the truffle. Let mixture cool in fridge, about two hours.

Remove the hardened ganache from fridge. Using a melon-baller, scoop out ganche and roll into balls on a large surface.

Sift some cocoa powder into a small bowl. Using gloved hands or two spoons, roll the ganache balls in the cocoa powder to coat them.

Store truffles in an air-tight container in fridge for up to three weeks.

Sherry-Poached Pears with a Pear and Raisin Compote and Maple-Roasted Walnuts

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Poached and Roasted Pears

4 ripe Bartlett pears
300 mL oloroso sherry
100 mL sugar
zest of 1/2 orange
1.25 mL ground black pepper
50 mL raisins
30 mL honey
juice of 1/2 lemon

Maple-Roasted Walnuts

200 mL walnuts
50 mL maple syrup
Crispy Filo
15 mL honey
15 mL unsalted butter, melted
2 sheets filo dough

Serves 4.

Poached and Roasted Pears
Peel and slice off the bottom half of each pear. Dice the bottom halves and set aside. Place pear tops in a medium sauce-pan with sherry, sugar, and orange zest and simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Allow to cool. Remove pear tops from the liquid and set aside. Heat 200 mL of the liquid on medium heat until reduced to a syrup, about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180'C. In a small roasting pan, combine diced pears, black pepper, raisins, honey, and lemon juice. Roast this mixture in the oven, stirring periodically, until pears are tender but not mushy, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Maple-Roasted Walnuts
Preheat the oven to 180'C. Spread nuts on a baking sheet and lightly toast them in the oven for 10 minutes. Shake off and discard the skin from the nuts. Drizzle nuts with syrup and toss to coat. Return to the oven and, stirring every 5 minutes, bake until all the maple syrup has crystallized, about 20 minutes.

Crispy Filo
Preheat the oven to160'C and line a baking sheet with parchmet paper. Whisk together honey and butter and brush onto one sheet of filo dough. Place the other sheet on top and flatten with a rolling pin. Brush the top with the honey butter. Cut the dough into 2.5 mm strips and lay them out on the baking sheet. Bake about 10 minutes until golden brown.

To serve
Roughly chop walnuts and toss with roasted pear mixture. Divide the pear and walnut mixture among four ring moulds the same diameter as the pear tops, pressing gently down with the back of a spoon. Carefully remove rings. Place the poached pear on top and drizzle sherry reduction over the pear. sprinkle filo strips around the pear to look like a nest.

Suggested wine: try a very good cream or Pedro Ximenez sherry.

Velvety Parsnip Bisque

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Velvety Parsnip Bisque

At my house, we always serve soup as a first course at Christmas. It gets the whole family gathered at the table for the toast and cracker-popping (does anyone really like to wear those paper crowns?!) before the madness of serving the turkey sets in. Makes 8 cups

Sweet onion, finely chopped, 1

Avalon organic butter, 1/4 cup

Garlic cloves, minced, 3

Bay leaves, 3

Fresh rosemary, finely chopped 2 tsp

Sea salt, 1 tsp

Parsnips, peeled, 8

Chicken stock, 4 cups

Avalon organic whipping cream, 1 cup

Arugula, coarsely chopped, 11/2 cups

Olive oil, 1/2 cup

In a large saucepan, sweat onions in butter over medium heat until translucent but now browned, 8 to 10 min. Add garlic, rosemary, bay leaves and salt. Sauté for 1 min., then add parsnips and stock. Boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer until parsnips are very soft, 15 to 20 min. Add cream and simmer for 5 more min. Working in batches, pure in a blender, then strain into a clean saucepan.

In a blender, blitz arugula with oil and a pinch of salt. Add more oil to loosen, if needed. To serve, ladle soup into warm bowls and spoon a dollop of arugula pure in centre. Using a toothpick, swirl through pure.

MAKE AHEAD Freeze soup up to 1 month. Prepare arugula pure up to 2 days before using. Press a piece of plastic right on top so no air gets in. This will help preserve the bright green colour. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Individual Cranberry Puddings with Ice Wine-spiked Whipped Cream

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Individual Cranberry Puddings with Ice Wine-spiked Whipped Cream

These single, serving sized puddings develop a wonderful flavour if allowed to mature several days in the fridge or freezer after baking (see method on how to do so). The splash of ice wine in the whipped cream served alongside adds an intriguing, deluxe flavour.

Serve the rest of the bottle of ice wine in glasses alongside the pudding.

• Preparation time: 30 minutes

• Cooking time: 50 minutes

• Makes: 8 servings

For the whipping cream:

1 cup whipping cream

1 oz. BC ice wine (see Note)

1 Tbsp. icing sugar, or to taste

3 Tbsp. dried cranberries, finely chopped

Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Mix in the ice wine and icing sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Fold in the dried cranberries and store in the fridge until needed.

For the puddings:

3 Tbsp. melted butter

1 (300 gram) bag fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped (see Note)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup packed golden brown sugar

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup currants

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup boiling water

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Fresh mint sprigs and twirls of orange zest for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven 325F. Thoroughly brush 8, 1-cup glass baking cups (sold at stores that sell kitchenware) with the melted butter, set in a large, roasting pan, and then set aside.

Place the cranberries, flour, brown sugar, raisins, currants, almonds and spices in a large bowl and mix well to combine. Place the baking soda, salt and boiling water in medium-sized bowl and mix to dissolve the baking soda. Mix in the molasses, maple syrup and vanilla. Mix the wet mixture into the dry until well combined. Batter will be very, very thick.

Divide, spoon and pack the batter into the baking cups. Cover each pudding with a piece of buttered tin foil. Pour hot water into the pan until it reaches halfway up the baking cups. Cover the pan with foil and oven-steam the puddings for 50 minutes, or until they spring pack in the middle when gently touch.

Remove the puddings from the pan and cool on a baking rack 5 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; invert and unmould the puddings on to the baking sheet and cool to room temperature. Individually wrap and store the puddings in a tight-sealing container in the fridge or freezer until ready to serve. Can be kept refrigerated for up to a week, and frozen for up to month, thaw before reheating.

The puddings can be reheated in the microwave for a few minutes, or set on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, covered with foil and heated in 250˚F for 10-15 minutes.

If desired, garnish servings of the pudding with orange zest and mint sprigs as shown in the photograph.

Note: If the price of ice wine is too costly for you, you could use another sweet, B.C. dessert wine, such as Late Harvest Riesling, to flavour the whipped cream. The cranberries can be coarsely chopped with a sharp knife on a large cutting board, or in food processor, in batches, pulsing the berries until very coarsely chopped.

Photo by Michael Tourigny

Pan Roasted Chicken with a Double Smoked Bacon and Cider Cream Sauce

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Ingredients

4 Free Range Cowichan Valley Chicken Breasts
3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped shallots
¼ cup chopped double smoked bacon
1 cup of your favourite cider (we use traditional cider from Merridale Cidery)
¼ cup light chicken stock
¼ cup of heavy cream
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

Directions

* Oven to 350 F degrees

* Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

* Heat oil in a heavy skillet over moderately high heat

* Brown breasts, skin side down. Transfer to oven dish skin side up and finish cooking in a 350 degree oven.

* Reduce heat to medium and add shallots and bacon, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.

* Add Cider and reduce by half.

* Add the stock and cream let simmer for about 3 minutes.

* Add herbs and serve

* Serve chicken breast over wilted spinach and roasted fingerling potatoes and spoon sauce over the chicken.

Alternate: you can use pork or roast the whole chicken and carve at the table.

photo from Cowichan Bay farm

Earl's Braised Lamb Shanks with the 2007 Discovery Series Zinfandel from Inniskillin

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Wine: 2007 Discovery Series Zinfandel from Inniskillin winery in the Okanagan

The grapes for this wine were fermented on the skin for 14 days to give
the wine its deep colour and rich flavours. After malolactic fermentation,
the wine was aged for 11 months in 60% French oak and 40% American
oak barrels. This Zinfandel exhibits vivid aromas of pomegranate,
raspberries, and licorice. Layered flavours of cinnamon, black pepper and
ripe red fruit combine with chewy tannins in this bold wine.

The Recipe: Braised Lamb Shanks from Earl's Restaurant

4 lamb shanks, about 350 grams each, patted dry with paper towel
1 Tbs kosher salt
1 Tbs pepper

1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 large onion, roughly diced

1 large carrot, diced into 1/2" pieces
1 or 2 celery ribs, diced into 1/2" pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp orange zest
1 bay leaf
1 or 2 rosemary springs
1 or 2 fresh thyme sprigs

1 cup red wine
1 tbs red wine vinegar

2 cups chicken stock
2 cups demi glace
1/4 cup tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 225° F. Preheat a wide-bottomed pot to medium high heat. Season the blotted lamb shanks evenly with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in the preheated pot. When the oil is lightly smoking, place the lamb shanks into the pan making sure they are evenly distributed. Sear the shanks for approximately four minutes on each side (three sides total) or until they are well browned. Remove shanks from the pot and set aside.

Add the onions to the pan, saute them while stirring occasionally until they are lightly golden brown and starting to soften. Add the rest of the vegetables, herbs, and seasonings to the pan and continue sauteing for another two minutes. Deglazethe pot with the red wine and vinegar. Scrape any small traces of browning off the bottom of the pot. Bring liquid to a simmer, and reduce the liquid by one quarter.

Add all the rest of the ingredients and bring the liquid back to a simmer. Return the lamb shanks into the pot. It is important that the shanks be fully submersed. Cover the pot or wrap the top of the pan tightly with aluminum foil so that it is airtight. Place the pot in the oven. Cook for three hours, then check for doneness. The shanks are done when the meat has all pulled back of the shank bone and it is almost impossible to pull the meat off the bone with tongs. If meat is not done, cook for another thirty minutes and check until the meat slightly falls off the bone.

When cooked remove the insert carefully from the oven and place on the counter. Remove the shanks delicately from the sauce. Strain the sauce through a sieve into a sauce pot. Bring the sauce back to a simmer and reduce until thickened. Serve with the zinfandel.

Chanterelle Mushrooms with Roasted Chestnuts and Garlic

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Serve this dish as an accompaniment to your favourite roast. A cast iron or other heavy-bottomed pan works well for roasting the chestnuts. With a sharp paring knife score an X on one side of each nut, making sure to cut through the shell and into the flesh itself. Place the nuts in a roasting pan and bake in a preheated 375 - 400 degree Farenheit oven for 25 - 30 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly, then peel off the shells and inner skin.

1 lb fresh chanterelle mushrooms
2 tbs unsalted butter
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 whole heads fresh garlic, sectioned, peeled, and the cloves left whole
6-8 small onions, peeled and cut into 8 wedges each
1 lb fresh chestnuts
1 cup chicken stock
2 tbs fresh thyme leaves, coarsely chopped
1 tbs fresh chopped rosemary
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Tip: when harvesting or buying fresh chestnuts look for unblemished nuts that feel hard when pressed. Any give in the shell indicates age or infestation.

Heat a heavy-bottomed saute pan on medium high heat and add the butter and olive oil.

Add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes, turning them over to sear both sides.

Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.

Add a little more butter or oil to the pan if necessary and toss in the garlic cloves and sectioned onions. Stir to prevent burning and cook a few minutes until the garlic begins to brown slightly.

Add the roasted peeled chestnuts, the chicken stock, thyme, rosemary; and salt and pepper to taste.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10-15 minutes, adding more stock or water if the pan becomes too dry.

Remove the lid and add the mushrooms to the pan.

Heat the mushrooms through, stir in the parsley and season if necessary.

Chez Panisse Turkey Brine

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Wild Manila Clams with a Tomato Vinaigrette

Fri, 3 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Serves 4 people

4-5 lb medium size wild manila clams
250 ml dry white wine
2 Heirloom beefsteak tomatoes (or any other organic tomatoes)
½ bunch parsley
75ml good tomato juice
24ml balsamic vinegar
½ lemon
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
Course sea salt

Method:

1. For the vinagraitte, combine in a blender tomato juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, the juice of ½ lemon and 1 tbsp of course sea salt. Blend and re-season if necessary (some tomato juices are sweeter than others). Set aside.

2. Cut the tomatoes into concassé (taking the seeds out and straining the tomato juice into the vinaigrette).Cut parsley into chiffonade and set both aside.

3. Submerge the clams into cold running water so they “spit” any sand they may have and strain them.

4. In a large shallow pot, add the dry white wine and the clams on high heat. Steam clams (lid on) until all the shells open. (You can keep the clam nectar from the steaming if you would like to make your own “Clamato” juice) Discard any clams that stayed closed.

5. Plate clams in large bowls, dress with vinaigrette and garnish with lots of tomato concassé and parsley. Serve with grilled or toasted baguette.

Wildfire's Blackberry Cobbler with Rosehip Mirroir

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Cobbler

2 cups blackberries
2 eggs
125 gm butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 TBs milk

Using a standing mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time (always use eggs at room temperature to avoid curdling). Add vanilla while mixer is still running. Stop mixer. Fold in flour and sifted baking powder. Add milk (slightly warmed). Pour batter in a lined pie dish, spreading evenly. Spread blackberries out over the batter and press them into the batter so they are partly submerged. The top should be even with the fruit swirled in a little. Bake at 325F for 25 minutes or until cobbler springs back lightly to the touch.

Shortbread

250 gm butter
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour

Also in mixer, cream butter then add sugar and mix until smooth. Add flour. Remove from the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to cool for 1/2 an hour. Take shortbread from the refrigerator and roll out until 4mm thick, cut into small rounds using a cookie cutter. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until pale golden.

Mirroir

4 cups rosehips
4 cups water
1 cup sugar
juice of 1 medium lemon
2 tsp agar

Boil rosehips for 45 minutes to extract maximum flavour; the water should reduce to a concentrated 1 cup of rosehip water. Drain through a muslin cloth, then place in a saucepan with lemon, sugar, and agar. Whisk thoroughly to avoid any lumps (agar incorporates really easily though). Place in the fridge and allow to set. Remove cobbler from dish and slice into one inch square pieces, place on top of shortbread. Remove miroir and slice into one inch square pieces, place on top of cobbler, and serve.

Fuel's Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Chicken

1 Polderside Farms Redbro Chicken, cut into 8 pieces
300 ml buttermilk
7g kosher salt
flour for dusting, seasoned with salt and pepper
fresh black pepper
canola oil for frying

Place chicken in a sealable bag with the buttermilk, salt, and a good amount of black pepper. Seal bag and try to remove as much air as possible. Marinate for a minimum of 24hrs, and up to 48hrs. Place into another sealable bag and drop into a pot of water that is at 71C, for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from bag and drain away the buttermilk and discard. In a very large heavy bottomed pot, bring about 3 litres of canola oil to a temperature of 190C or 375F. Dust the still warm chicken with the flour making sure to coat it well. Lay the pieces into the oil and fry until very crispy. Do not overload the pot as it will drop the temperature or make the oil overflow the pot. Remove from oil and drain well.

The Gravy

1 litre smoked brown chicken stock
50 g butter or lard
50 g flour
salt
black pepper

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan make a chocolate brown colored roux; take care not to burn. Take your time with this. Whisk in the stock in 3 additions, bringing it to a full boil each time. Season well with salt and lots of black pepper. Strain and reserve.

The Biscuits

9 oz flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
8 tbsp cold butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
3/4 c buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 F. Mix all dry ingredients first then cut in butter It should look like coarse meal place in fridge to cool. Add buttermilk and gently mix to form a dough transfer to floured board and roll out to about 1 inch thick and cut with a 2 inch round cutter. Place onto a baking pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. DO NOT OVERMIX. Be sure to handle gently.

photo credit: Tracey Kusiewicz

Cinnamon Baked Apples with Hazelnut-Fennel Brittle

Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Baked apples satisfy the craving for apple pie without the commitment. The spiced nut brittle adds a caramelized crunch reminiscent of candied apples.

Brittle

Hazelnuts, whole, toasted and skinned, 1 cup
Granulated sugar, 1 cup
Water, 1/4 cup
Babe’s honey, 2 tbsp
Salt, 1/4 tsp
Fennel seeds, 1 tbsp
Baked Apples
Brown sugar, 3/4 cup
Ground cinnamon, 2 tsp
Apples, 8 medium, such as local Gravenstein, Spartan, Jonagold,Rome Beauty or Spy
Butter, softened, 8 tsp

For the brittle, coarsely chop hazelnuts. Measure out 1/3 cup and set aside. Finely chop remaining nuts and set those aside for the apples.

The best way to approach brittle is not to rush and to keep the heat moderate. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a thick-bottomed medium sauce pan, stir sugar with water, honey and salt over low heat until dissolved. Increase heat to medium and let boil and bubble until light amber. Occasionally (and carefully) swirl pan to prevent any dark spots. This will take about 4 to 5 minutes. Immediately pour onto parchment. Tilt baking sheet to spread out as thin as possible and sprinkle with chopped nuts and fennel. Let cool completely. Break into shards.

For the apples, in a bowl, mix brown sugar with cinnamon and finely chopped nuts. Trim bottoms of apples so they sit flat. Core apples, using a melon-baller. Peel a 1/2-inch ring around the cored opening. Stuff apples with cinnamon sugar mixture. Press 1 tsp butter into top of each.

Place in a 9X13-inch baking dish. Pour in 1/4 cup water. Cover and bake in preheated 375F oven for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until very tender, 10 to 20 more minutes. Pierce with a sharp knife to check they are soft all the way through. Serve with vanilla ice cream and tuck in shards of brittle.

photo credit: Rebecca Wellman