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| AT LAKE LOUISE |
What a beautiful country we live in! And what better way to truly experience a Canadian adventure than to spend a winter vacation in the mountains of British Columbia? We gathered together a group of friends for a ski trip and spent 10 days travelling from Kitchener, Ontario, to Calgary, Alberta to Lake Louise, to Golden B.C, then up into the Purcell Mountains, back to Lake Louise and finally home.
First, we enjoyed the downhill skiing and blue skies at Lake Louise and Kicking Horse. But the highlight of the trip was experiencing the most exhilarating skiing, majestic views, astonishing amount of powder, and terrific meals while back-country skiing from the Purcell Mountain Lodge.
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| Steph, Ted, Andrea, Jim, Rupert, Tim, Mel, Pam, Terry, Bev, Kris, Mark (clockwise from upper left). |
The only thing missing at Purcell was a Broil King barbecue and our best friend, Bev. Happily, she was able to join us at The Post Hotel, a beautiful Relais & Chateaux Hotel in Lake Louise, where we shared a magnificent Valentines Day dinner.
A most magical evening was spent in the Ice Cave that Tim built for us at Purcell, thanks to the huge snow falls , not to mention his hard work and perseverance.
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| Celebrating completion of the Tim's Cave, phase 1 |
But words really can’t begin to describe the beauty and fun of the trip, so please enjoy some of our photos, as well as some recipes of dishes that were prepared for us by Blu, our beautiful and tenacious chef from Purcell. We have modified them for the grill.
Grilled Beef Tenderloin - 20/20/20
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| Ted and Blu had a great strategy for the tenderloin! |
Once you have mastered the technique of grilling this beef tenderloin, you will use it every time you have a large party. It is definitely worth the effort to learn, the pay back is the wow reviews that you will get from your guests.
1 whole beef tenderloin , at room temperature(6 lb)
1 tablespoon olive oil
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat barbecue and set temperature to MEDIUM.
Pat tenderloin dry with paper towels, and brush with olive oil. Season
with salt and pepper.
Place the tenderloin on oiled barbecue grids at a 30 degree angle for 20
minutes, rotating the meat by 1/3 every 6 1/2 minutes, to get grill marks
on all sides.
Remove the tenderloin from the barbecue to a glass dish and tent with
foil, leaving it stand for 20 minutes.
Return the tenderloin to the grids, placing it on the opposite 30 degree
angle and grill for the final 20 minutes. Rotate the meat by 1/3 every 6 1/2 minutes, basting it with juices
from the dish.
Remove the tenderloin to a carving board and cover with foil and a kitchen towel
to insulate. Let stand 10-20 minutes to reabsorb the juices, before carving.
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| Did we mention that there was a lot of snow? |
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| Terry tried to make the best of it! |
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| 3 feet overnight !! |
Nachos on the Grill
These are a great snack, winter or summer. The smoky flavour created by grilling pairs perfectly with corn tortilla chips, cheese, salsa and peppers.
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| Room service comes to Tims snow cave |
300 gram bag of tortilla chips
1 cup mozzerella cheese, grated
1 cup monteray jack cheese, grated
1 cup fresh tomato salsa
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh coriander, chopped
Preheat grill on MEDIUM. Meanwhile, line sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread out a layer of tortilla chips and top with grated cheeses, salsa and vegetables. Repeat. Sprinkle top with freshly chopped coriander. Place on grill, close lid and heat until cheese is melted and beginning to brown slightly., about 4-5 minutes. Remove and serve with accompaniments of your choice. We love it with dishes of salsa, guacamole and sour cream.
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| Pam loves the uphill |
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| Rupert can't wait to ski down! |
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| Once you climb up, take off the skins |
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| That is how Ted does it on a split-board |
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| Take us home boys! |
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| HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARK! |
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| What a great party! |
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| PAM IS FINISHED FOR THE DAY |
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| TIMS SNOW CAVE/BAR |
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Steph is up for another run. |
This trip looks amazing! Great article on the Purcells this weekend
ReplyDeletein the Globe travel section. Plus Tim cannot stop constructing even
when on holiday- an amazing structure. I would love to see a picture
of the entire cave from the outside if that exists.
Another great blog post.! Well done.
deb
Thanks Deb, we will try to add one. You really had to see it yourself though. He started with a large 2 room cave, and then expanded it to a full size open-concept cave, with a pillar.
ReplyDelete