A Twain of Tasty Tarts

Suzy was inspired to try something different by a bunch of local asparagus the other day.  Some puff

pastry, Gruyere, asparagus, olive oil, tarragon, salt, and pepper later she produced this delightful little treat for our neighbour's farewell barbeque.  We will miss you Adam and Lucy!

A couple of days later inspiration knocked again. An old roll of puff pastry from my mother's freezer, some Beau's Cheddar, pesto, and four farm fresh eggs became Canada Day brunch for us and friends on our northern adventure.  

The principle is simple, the recipe not much harder... roll out pastry, score, baste with oil or pesto, bake, add cheese and stuff, bake some more, and voila!  However, good instructions make everything simpler. Here they are in a little more detail...



Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface roll out:
1 package of thawed puff pastry
Score the pastry all the way around an inch from the edge. Prick all over inside the lines with a fork and brush with:
Olive Oil.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden.  Remove the pastry from the oven. Spread
4 tablespoons of pesto (optional)
inside the lines and sprinkle the pastry with
6 ozs of grated cheese (whatever will grate and suits your fancy)
Top with items of your choice
1.5 lbs of asparagus laid out and brushed with olive oil (20 minutes)
4-6 whole eggs (15 minutes or until the whites are firm but not the yolks)
and sprinkle with fresh or dry herbs.

Share and enjoy!

These are just a couple of examples we have tried.  We would love to see what you make of this recipe!

Have you ever tried to Barbeque a Pizza?

Suzy and I were surprised to find we had a $100 store credit at our go to kitchen store, IQ Living. A baking stone has been at the top of our list for a while, and this was all the excuse we needed to finally pick one up.  Aija asked for us to make pizza at home for some time, and the new stone was the perfect excuse to try barbequed pizza.  We had first seen it at a lovely evening at Daryll Irwin's house, but had never tried it ourselves.

Suzy got picked up a fresh batch of pizza dough from, well, Dough on the Danforth. I made up the sauce from the last of the San Marzano's from Jim Hayward we put away last fall. Aija grated together a three cheese mix from Montfort Dairy.  Pesto from our recent batches were on had as an alternative to tomato sauce.  Kale from Ben and Jessie Sosnicki, Canadian bacon from Fresh from the Farm, home cured olives from Briar Jansons, and other treats came from the usual suspects.  All we had to do was cook these tasty treats.


Abby Heidebrecht's experience proved invaluable, and she prepped
crusts while I headed up the barbecue. Barbequing them proved to be simple as can be: fire up the charcoal, drop the stone on the grill, then cook the pizzas for 12 minutes (or a little longer as the barbecue cooled down.  We made half a dozen different pizzas in no time at all.  A beautiful summer like evening made the whole thing a perfect al'fresco experience!


When will you try to barbeque your own?

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Fondue Pot

When I was a boy the fondue pot would often appear when my parent's closest friends visited. Savoury fondues of cheese or meat accompanied by good wine and better conversation were the norm.  We would be arranged carefully around the table; men and women in alternation. The excitement ran high when a piece of bread went astray in the pot.  The men would rise to refill the glasses if the errant crumb was theirs.  My mother would always laugh nervously before she kissed the man next to her despite having known them all for decades.

Somewhere along the way the fondue pot fell by the wayside.  The last time I can recall seeing the simmering away on the table was in the eighties.  I am fairly certain Flock of Seagulls was still popular at the time. It just softly and suddenly vanished away, never to cross my mind again... Until this morning.  Toby Stevenson and I had planned an afternoon to experiment in the kitchen while Suzy and Toby's wife Lisa took the boys to the hockey game.  Suzy and I were discussing what Toby and I might make over tea this morning when the word appeared.  Fondue. The word was good. It bore with the scent of smoky cheese, beef simmered in oil, and echoes of laughter.

If only we had a fondue pot. Suzy opined that Toby and Lisa would have one if anyone did. I texted Toby.  No luck! Undeterred, I set a menu.  It was too early to call, but IQ Living was certain to have a pot for us!  That afternoon Toby and I set forth.  The Liquor Store was first. The Meat Department was our next stop for their excellent local grass fed beef.  We ordered a couple of pounds of sirloin cut into small cubes.  The trip got better when they offered us a half pint of local ale while we waited for the meat to be cut.  Then it was off to Alex Farm Products to sample the new arrivals and pick up a piece of cheese. IQ Living set us up with a fondue pot as expected, and also let me know that Suzy and I had a hundred dollar credit on our account.  The day kept getting better and better!


Back at the Hotel Cavell Toby and I cleaned up and prepared the food and equipment.  The boys were fed and went off to play, and we set our plan in motion. The table was set.  Pickles, fruit, sauces, bread and cheese were laid out to accompany the pot of simmering oil and cubes of fresh, red, local beef.  We talked. ate, drank, and were merry. Memories of other times and other friends were refreshed by the laughter and scent of beef in hot oil.

When we had all had our fill and the table was cleared I called me parents.  My mother, Sylvie, answered the phone. "Guess what we had for dinner!" I said.

My mother said, "Well, I don't know." She paused. "Fondue?"

Oh how I laughed!  "How did you guess?"

"Guess what we're having for dinner!" was her reply.

"Fondue?"

It was indeed.  Coincidence though it may be, my heard grew light with memories of good times past and present.  Some things are as good as you remember.



P.S. I could not help but notice how long it has been since my last post. It is good to be writing again after a long hiatus, and I hope to share more in the weeks to come.

Roast Provencal Chicken

The roasted chicken was another hit of yesterday's memorial dinner.  Even my cousin Lee, a lifelong vegetarian, was briefly tempted by the aroma.  We roast capons. The bigger bird makes for generous portions.  It also takes longer to cook.  If you flatten it, as I described in this post back in January, you can marinate it more readily and the cooking time is dramatically reduced.  This time round we made two. Nyls and I prepared the marinade, I flattened and marinated the birds, and my father, Nick, manned the barbeque!

Prepare the the marinade several days in advance to allow the herbs and garlic to infuse the oil. Combine:
Zest of 3 lemons
2/3 cup of lemon juice (approximately 3 lemons)
3/8 tsp of pepper
1/2 head of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon of dried herbs (Herbs de Provence, rosemary, or the classic parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme)
in a Mason jar. This is enough for one chicken.

On the night before or the morning of:
Flatten a 7 pound chicken
Rub with:
Coarse, kosher, or sea salt.
Place the bird in a large baking dish and pour the marinade over the bird. Marinate for up to 24 hours, turning occasionally. If you start the marinade the night before you should cover and put it in the refrigerator.  If it is the day of you can do it at room temperature.

When you are ready to cook the chicken pre-heat the grill to 400 degrees.  Have one side of the grill on and leave off on the other.  Place the bird on the unheated side and close the lid.  The cooking time is approximately 10 minutes per pound.  Baste the bird with the marinade every fifteen minutes or so.  Do not flip the bird or you will break up the delicious, crispy skin!  Remove, cut into pieces, and serve!

The Perfect Pastry

One of the culinary highlights of yesterday's memorial dinner was Lee's quiche.  The foundation was the fabulous pastry.  Here is Lee's recipe!


Knead together:
1 1/4 cup of flour
1/4 cup of butter
Until it forms crumbs.  Add:
2 1/2 tbsps of cider vinegar
3 tbsps of water
And knead lightly.  Roll out and form in the pan. If the filling will create a lot of liquid, like peaches or apples you need to bake the crust to prevent it from getting soggy.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prick holes into the crust and line with:
Tinfoil
Fill to the brim with:
Dry rice or beans
and bake for 20 minutes.  The filler keeps the crust from expanding.  Remove the foil and filler and voila!

Quiche is easy, and so Lee made two, one for dinner yesterday, and one for breakfast this morning. Our friend Abby also prepares and freezes prepared crusts so you can whip up a pie whenever you need one.

A Menu for a Mediterranean Memorial

Jacques Ducau in North Africa as a young man

It has been a few months since my Uncle Jacques passed away.  At the time the cold and dark winter made a memorial seem a sadder occasion than it ought to be. My cousin Lee and I planned a gathering in the summer to celebrate and remember. This weekend, while Lee's daughter visited from England,family and friends gathered at my parent's to remember over a few of things Jacques loved most: good conversation, good food, and good drink.  Jacques would have prepared the entire dinner himself. We shared the load, cooked for most of the day, and we found a new appreciation for just how remarkable Jacques was.

 Here is the menu and a pictures!

First Course:
Fresh Cherries
Salmon in Cream Sauce
French Potato Salad
Crudites with Hummus
A Selection of Cheeses
Baguette
Spicy Pickles and Pickled Asparagus

Second Course:
Gherkins
Grilled Hallumi and Baguette
Beet Salad
Corn on the Cob
Flattened Grilled Chicken
Mediterranean Salad
Quiche
Tart Tatin



The day started with rain.  Then the sun came out, a beautiful breeze tempered the heat.  Three generations of of family gathered on the shore. A pair of local pilots demonstrated their dog-fighting prowess in their bi-planes over the Sound.  We ate, drank, and made merry until the sun went down.

The People

Nyls prepares the marinade for the chicken

Lee making pastry for the quiche

Sooneiah after cleaning the beans

Jacques son Jacques with some of the grandkids: Jack, Elyse, and Sooneiah

John's wife Susan enjoying a moment without one of the twins

Nick and Sylvie in one of their favourite spots

The memorial board

Nyls watching the dog-fighting biplanes over the Sound

Aidan tries on Oma Norma's hat

Aunty Norma talking as usual

Nyls and Aija using their spotting scopes

The Food

The Flattened chicken

Beet Salad

Mediterranean Salad

Grilled Hallumi

Tart Tatin

Orzi e Pisi al Limone

If you mention orzo in Canada most people will think you has the pasta in mind.  However, the pasta shape is named after the grain its named for, namely barley.  Another surprise is that barley (or orzo) substitutes readily for rice.  When prepared in the manner of risotto the creamy texture is familiar, while the nutty flavour and "al dente" texture of the barley makes for a delicious variation on a familiar theme.  Enjoy with a glass of sparkling wine!

Over medium heat in a small saucepan bring
4 cups chicken stock (unsalted)
1/2 teaspoon salt
to a simmer.  In a frying pan or dutch oven over medium-low heat melt

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Add the whites and pale green parts of :
3 medium leeks, thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
and sautee until soft, approximately 5 minutes. Add:

1 cup pearl barley
and stir until coated with the oil and butter. Add:
1/2 cup of white wine
and stir until absorbed.  Add:
1/2 cup of warm stock
and stir until absorbed, approximately 4 minutes.  Adjust heat if too fast or slow. Repeat until you have a half cup of stock left and add:
1/2 cup of stock
1 cup of frozen or fresh peas
Stir until the liquid is mostly absorbed and then add:
2 tablespoons of whipping cream
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 to 1 cup of parmesan cheese
Blend in and serve immediately sprinkled with:
Chopped mint leaves
Parmesan cheese.

Quantities can vary, so watch the stock to ensure it does not evaporate too quickly from the side pot.  Add a little water if it is reducing too quickly.  Also, towards the end of the stock start tasting between rounds, and stop when the barley reaches the desired texture.

Arroz con Pollo Anyone?

Along with Julia Child's Beouf Bourginon this is one of the greatest dishes we've ever made. While we follow Julia's Beouf recipe religiously, we've introduced a few variations to this classic Spanish dish to both make it a bit more authentic and flavourful.  Remarkably, the subtle aroma of the basmati rice not only survives but combines with the saffron and paprika into a delightful whole.

Separate:
1 whole chicken (approximately 6 lbs)
into serving sized parts.  Season with:
Salt
Pepper
Heat in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat:
4 tablespoons of olive oil
Brown the chicken on all sides in batches, then remove to a bowl.  Pour off all but:
4 tablespoons of fat 
from the pan.  Reduce the heat to medium and add:

2 large onions, chopped
6 ounces of sliced Serrano ham (or prosciutto) cut into small squares
Sautee until tender but not brown (approximately 5 minutes) and add
3 cups basmati rice
Stir until the grains are coated with fat.  Add:
3 cloves of minced garlic
2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
2 teaspoons of Spanish paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoons of ground pepper

Cook for one more minute.  Add:
5 cups of chicken stock or broth
3/4 teaspoon of oregano
3/8 teaspoon of saffron threads
Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, scraping the bottom of the dutch oven to remove any brown bits.  Return the chicken and any juices to the pot.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for 30 minutes.  Check to see if the rice is ready.  If it is not, give it 5 more minutes. When the rice just about right, stir in:
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1/2 cup of roasted red peppers cut into strips
1/2 cup of triple rinsed whole green olives stuffed with pimentos
Cook five minutes more and remove from the heat.  Do not be concerned if all of the liquid has not been absorbed.  Let stand covered for 15 minutes and the remainder of the liquid will be absorbed. Share and enjoy!

For the stock we recommend using extra giblets and necks as it's much more strongly flavoured than what you can buy off the shelf.  This balances the potent effects of the saffron and paprika.  

How to Flatten a Chicken in Three Easy Steps

I have seldom seen a flattened chicken served. This is a shame, as while a little messy, it is a quick and easy process.  It also eases marinating a whole bird, dramatically reduces the cooking time, and makes a great impression when served at a dinner party.  While tonight's big cook will be Arroz con Pollo, which requires that I dissect our six pound bird from Fresh from the Farm into parts, it seemed like a good opportunity to document the process.  All that is required is a cutting board, a sharp knife, and a good pair of kitchen shears.  The high carbon steel knife and shears are two of the most used implements in our kitchen, and both are courtesy of Lee Valley Tools. We usually buy our birds frozen, and then thaw them.  If the bird is still partially frozen it makes managing and cutting it easier.

The first step is to remove the bird's backbone  Flip it over on its breast bone and score the skin with the knife.  Then, take the shears and cut along the lines an pop out the backbone.

Spread the body until you hear a crack as the breastbone loosens. You will now see the the bottom of the breastbone under a membrane.  Score the membrane with the knife on both sides, then use the knife to separate the white meat from the breastbone.  The only trick is to avoid cutting through the skin. You can do this by making smooth angled cuts.  The fat will help keep the knife from going through as well.

Towards the neck hole there are some bigger bones.  Take the shears and cut through them, pop out the breast bone.  Flip over the bird and you're done!

You can avoid wasting the bits if you make stock at the same time.  The fresh chicken and giblets make for the best flavour.  Just make sure to strip off the skin first so the stock isn't too fatty!

Enjoy!

Goulash: Western Take on an Eastern Specialty

Traditional goulash is more of a soup than a stew.  We had an excellent example of it this summer made by our friend Maria over an open fire. Rather than try to copy that recipe, we decided to make something a little more in line with the Western versions that have evolved over the years. Here is the recipe we developed.  Frying the paprika dredged meat imparts it with the colour of beef roasted over an open fire.  Braising it slowly in the oven breaks down the connective tissue in the meat from the shank and allows you to savour it's phenomenal taste without the toughness. Overall the recipe has a rich and hearty balance of flavours that combines the sweetness of the tomatoes and smoked paprika with the mild spiciness of the czabi and the sourness of the lemon juice.  

Makes 16-18 servings

In a large bowl combine:

6 tablespoons of flour

6 tablespoons of smoked paprika

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Dredge:

4 lbs of cubed beef shank (meat only)

in the mixture.  Melt:

3 tablespoons of bacon grease

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Brown the meat in the hot fat, adding extra if necessary.  Put aside the beef in a strainer.  Remove all but:

2 tbsps of fat

From the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and fry:

3 large onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

Until they begin to brown at the edges.  Add:

1/2 cup of tomato paste

and fry for another 5 minutes.  Transfer the meat, tomato paste, and onions to a large dutch oven  and add:

1 litre of San Marzano tomato sauce

1 litre of diced tomatoes

2 cups of beef stock

2 medium spicy Hungarian czabi sausagues, chopped

6 bay leaves

1 tsp caraway seeds

And bring to a simmer over high heat.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 275 degrees.  When the mixture is simmering transfer it to the oven and cook covered for 3 hours, checking occasionally to stir and make sure it is still simmering. A half an hour before the end add:

2 large red peppers, chopped

Remove from the oven and skim any fat from the top. Add:

Juice of 1 lemon

and add:

Salt, pepper, and paprika to taste. 

Serve with a:

Dollop of sour cream.

The lemon juice is a critical element of the balance of the recipe, so don't omit it because it seems odd.  Similarly, the czabi imparts a mild spiciness that infuses the dish without overpowering it.  Finally while frying in a mixture of pork and beef fat may not make this health food, it creates a flavour that is truly divine.  Egészségére!

Merry Christmas from the Hotel Cavell!

It's been a busy year that hasn't afforded a great deal of time for posting here.  I have regretted that for a while now, and made a promise to myself to post something before the new year. Christmas morning madness is done, the mess cleaned up, and brunch is behind us.  The kitchen is clean, there is a pot of stock simmering on the stove.  Soon the whole family will take a nap before Christmas dinner at my sister-in-laws this afternoon.  This will be followed by me returning to writing for my masters while Suzy works nights tonight.  Until then, here is a quick update on what's been going on in the kitchen at the Hotel Cavell.

Beyond the usual canning, cooking this year has been particularly challenging.  Working on mymasters, looking for a new job, then a different schedule that came with the new job, and Jane taking six weeks vacation made everything harder.  At the beginning of December Suzy and I took a page from the old ways, and put together a meal plan.  It's not prescriptive so much as a pattern, and it goes like this:

Sunday - "Big Cook" - Lots of extra to store for future meals
Monday - Soup
Tuesday - Grilled meat
Wednesday - Pasta
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Order in (usually pizza from our favourite joint, Bona Pizza on Donlands)
Saturday - It depends - Saturdays are varied, so we play them by ear

Leftovers from the day before become lunch the next day.  Grocery lists are prepared in advance and scheduled.

Over the past month eating out and general waste of food has gone way down. The stress that used to come from having to answer the question of, "what are we having for dinner," has vanished in the face of certainty.  It's also one less decision to make in what has been a hectic time.  For the first time in living memory the Christmas presents were bought and wrapped before Christmas Eve.  Only Christmas cards were a bridge too far this year, as we lost all of our addresses to a nasty bit of malware several weeks back.

The other side effect has been that we've been trying out new recipes for the first time in a while.  Jambalaya, Goulash, Almedras Saldanas, and an update on our classic pea soup recipe are just a few examples.  I will be putting up the recipes again as well, as we seldom cook right off the page...

Until then, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

The Clock is Ticking

The silver lining of our long winter was that there was still asparagus available when I returned from Victoria, unlike last year.  Since there is only one more week left for this year for this most ancient of vegetables.  Suzy and I have been taking advantage of the time, and have revisited the household favourites: Pickled asparagus, roasted asparagus, and asparagus soup.  All of the asparagus are courtesy of Jim Hayward of Haystrom Farms, and here's a panoramic of Suzy  preparing the first batch of brine...

Speaking of the brine, the old recipe is a bit arcane due to some unit of measure mismatches, here it is in plain cups:

8 cups of white vinegar
8 cups of filtered water
1 cup of salt

Plus a few more of the work in progress(with our amazing new immersion blender in action) and the finished products: