RHUBARB

 
Of all of the foods that present themselves to us in spring, rhubarb is one of the most fantastic! It grows right before your eyes. The colour is so beautiful. The flavour is shockingly sour. What is there not to love about rhubarb?  Last year, we included a recipe for a luscious rhubarb cocktail and made a lot of our readers happy.
This year, when our friend Cathie Jenkins once again called to let us know that she wanted to share some of her and Wilf's rhubarb harvest with us, we had this pie recipe in mind to try. We made it last week to bring to a dinner at Bruce and Stellas on Wolfe Island and it was such a hit, that we decided to make it again this weekend.

Funny story about that- we have a group of friends that we see a couple times a year, and we take turns hosting the dinner. It had been a while and we were looking forward to preparing dinner for our friends at our place on Saturday night. When Sylvia saw my email about picking the rhubarb for the pie, she sent a message back, remarking that she hopes my family enjoys it. Strange?! Long story short, it turns out that dinner was at their place on Saturday night! Needless to say, there was plenty of food to go around this weekend, and a lot of people benefited from my gaff.

We saved the ribs that we had been smoking for Sunday brunch with Mom, and enjoyed a delicous dinner on Saturday featuring Cedar Plank Salmon and fiddle-heads. What a great treat!  You have got to try Don's recipe for Cedar Plank Salmon with Chevre/Sun-dried tomato crust!

Sylvia and Muriel love it when Don cooks!

Al wonders how this crooked photo is going to look

Even Taffy is ever hopeful!

 

Cedar Plank Salmon with Chevre/Sun Dried Tomato Crust

The soft goat cheese and sun dried tomato crust provides a tangy flavour and protects the salmon from drying out while grilling.  As always, the salmon comes from T & J's Seafood

1  3-pound salmon fillet, skin-on

3/4  lb chevre

3 tbsp sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

                                               

1 large untreated cedar plank

To begin with, soak an untreated piece of cedar in a container of water for at least an hour. You may need to place a weight on top to keep the wood immersed. Meanwhile, combine goat cheese, chopped sun dried tomatoes, salt & pepper  in glass bowl. Spread carefully over the top surface of the salmon fillet( skin side down) and place in the refrigerator until ready to grill. Preheat barbecue on HIGH for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to LOW.

Pat the plank dry and oil the upper side. Place plank directly on the grids and heat until plank begins to smoke. Slide the salmon, skin side down onto the middle of the plank and grill with the lid closed until the salmon is just opaque at the thickest part. A 3 lb. fillet may take 20-30 minutes.  If the plank starts to burn, turn off the burners below the plank and continue grilling indirectly.

The fiddle heads were delicious and looked so pretty with the rosy pink salmon

Rhubarb sour cream pie

Pepper is wondering if she finally gets to try pie?!

Pastry:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup vegetable shortening, very cold and cut into chunks

1/4 cold water(place in freezer for 5 minutes)

Filling:

4 cups rhubarb, chopped into small pieces

1 egg

1 ½  cup white sugar

1 cup sour cream

1/3  cup flour

Zest of 1 orange

 Topping:

½ cup flour

½ cup brown sugar

¼  cup melted butter

Preaheat oven to 450° F.

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening and continue blending until the crumbs are the size of peas. Sprinkle in cold water and toss lightly with a fork. Gather the dough into 2 balls. Roll one ball out on a lightly floured surface and place in pie plate. Wrap the other ball in Saran Wrap and place in refrigerator to use the next day, when you get a craving for more rhubarb pie.

Combine rhubarb, egg, white sugar, sour cream, flour and orange zest in a large bowl and mix. Pour into pie shell.  Prepare topping by combining flour and brown sugar with melted butter. Spread this mixture carefully over the surface of the pie. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes at 450 °, then reduce to 350°and continue to bake for 40 minutes

Slow-Smoked Honey Maple Lamb

This must have been Ontario’s most perfect Victoria Day weekend on record!  Every day was sunny and warm....perfect for planting the vegetable garden, hopping in the canoe, and reconnecting with neighbours around the barbecue.  Our friends included us in their annual fireworks celebrations, starting with a dinner of salmon and halibut that John had caught in British Columbia.  After a delicious feast two brave souls ventured out in the dark on a barge and lit off an awesome array of fireworks for an hour-long spectacular show.  We watched from the boathouse roof, grateful that we were both warm and bug-free!

Dinah, Green, Dave and Alex

Mary-Jo and Jessica

John and Ted

There's nothing quite like a brand new puppy!

 

Smoked Brie on a Cedar Plank

2 whole small rounds of brie

¼ cup red pepper jelly (we used red pepper jelly with figs and balsamic)

Assorted biscuits

This is the easiest appetizer ever.  Simply place the cheese on a soaked cedar plank.  Top with jelly, and place on the top rack of the Broil King Keg.  Smoke at 275° F for 20 minutes or until golden and gooey.  It will absorb the subtle flavour of smoke that makes it just a little different. Serve with biscuits. 

Slow-Smoked Honey Maple Lamb Shoulder

1 3-pound boneless lamb shoulder, rolled and tied

¼ cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons honey

Juice of one lemon

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine all the marinade/glaze ingredients in a small saucepan, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.  Let cool. 

Place lamb in a re-sealable plastic bag, and pour the honey maple mustard mixture over top.  Refrigerate overnight. 

The next day, light the Broil King Keg according to our instructions.  Place the lamb over the diffuser pan of water.  Smoke for 6 hours, occasionally basting with the reserved sauce.  Bring any remaining sauce to a boil for 2 minutes and set aside. 

Using 2 forks shred the lamb.  Toss with the cooked glaze.  We used the shredded lamb for little appetizer sliders on mini buns, served with a dollop of mango chutney. 

The lamb can also be served in slices as a main course.

Smoked Vegetable Pasta Salad

1 large eggplant, peeled and sliced lengthwise ¼ “ thick

2 zucchini, sliced lengthwise ¼ “ thick

1 red pepper, cut into chunks
1 yellow pepper, cut into chunks

8 ounces mushrooms, trimmed

1 cup large cherry tomatoes, halved

¼ cup olive oil

1 package bowtie pasta, cooked al dente

For the Vinaigrette:

3 tablespoons white wine or white balsamic vinegar

1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

¼ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

3 ounces Greek feta, crumbled

¼ cup pitted Kalamata or Nicoise olives

Sprinkle salt over the eggplant and zucchini and place them in a colander to drain for 20-30 minutes.  Meanwhile, light the Broil King Keg and toss in some mild wood chips, such as apple wood.  Pat the vegetables dry with paper towels.  Brush or toss all the vegetables with olive oil, then place them on the prepared smoker.  If the tomatoes are small enough to slip through the grids, place them on top of the peppers. Cook until tender and beginning to turn golden.  Remove from the smoker and let cool in a single layer.  Do not cover with plastic wrap. May be prepared one day ahead to this point and refrigerated.

Cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces.   In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar and mustard.  Drizzle in the olive oil in a slow steady stream until incorporated.  Add the salt and pepper and whisk again. 

Place the prepared pasta and vegetables in a large bowl.  Pour the dressing over and sprinkle with the chopped rosemary and basil.   Scatter the cheese and olives over top.  Toss gently and serve at room temperature.  

The meal was capped off with Dinah's amazing birthday cake for Jason

 Dinah's delicious cake recipe came from Smitten Kitchen.  Follow the link for this wonderful recipe.  Instead of the brittle topping, Dinah sprinkled the cake with salted peanuts.  Yum!

Brined and Smoked Chops

Thanks to Dylan, Leslie and Ben for their delicious grilled Mother's Day Feast!

Kris arrived in Toronto Sunday evening to a beautiful Mother's Day dinner of grilled steak, lobster tails, vegetables, potatoes, and corn on the cob.  Her kids pulled out all the stops with Caprese salad, Greek salad, and cheese and fruit. 

Meanwhile, in another part of the province, with sun in the forecast for the weekend, it was the perfect time to head north and open the cottage.  Thursday night we set some chops in brine so they would be ready to cook when we arrived. The first order of business on Friday afternoon was to fire up the Broil King Keg and load it with vegetables and chops.    It’s so easy to set the low, slow fire, knowing that the food is going to be tender, juicy and delicious a few hours later.  There is no need to fuss over the grill, because it needs to be left alone to work its magic. 

We promote smoking more vegetables than you need, because the leftovers are so versatile and tasty. From omelettes, to pizza to soup, there are endless dishes you can make with them. 

Brined and Smoked Chops

3 cups hot water

1/3  cup molasses

1/3  cup apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

4 thick chops; pork or veal

Stir the ingredients for the brine until dissolved.  Let cool.  Place chops in a large re-sealable plastic bag, and place the bag in a glass dish.  Pour the brine over the meat, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or up to 24 hours.

Prepare the smoker and set at 275°F.  Scatter soaked apple-wood chips over the coals. Remove the chops from the brine, pat them dry with paper towelling, and place the chops on the smoker for 2 hours, turning halfway through. 

Because we had just arrived at the cottage with minimal provisions, we served the chops as is and they were delicious.  But a barbecue sauce with a bit of a kick would have been very nice as well.

At the same time, we tossed whole mushrooms, thick slices of sweet onion, chunks of peppers, zuchinni,  peeled eggplant, quartered tomatoes and halved acorn squash with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and arranged them on the smoker .  We topped the smoky vegetables with some fresh buffalo mozzarella, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and fresh basil chiffonade.  

Saturday we celebrated Mary Ann and Arnold's new cottage and Ted and Andrea's Anniversary

Ginger-Orange Halibut Grilled on a bed of Orange Slices

Theo and Kathleen enjoyed being taste testers this week

We picked up a recipe for grilled halibut at T and J’s Seafood  when we went in to look for inspiration for a simple grilled dinner last week. We love these simple recipes with easy to access ingredients – and it was delicious! 

The supermarkets were all offering fresh cobs of corn for sale that looked too good to ignore, so we picked up a few and decided to grill them and add the niblets to a salsa to serve along side the halibut. The corn was so tender and sweet. Even though it is not local, it gave us a taste for things to come. We can't wait for the great Ontario produce that we will be seeing in the months ahead.

We also decided to sample some tapenades that Andrea and Ted  were given by Philippe while visiting him in Aix en Provence.  Staying with our philosophy of keeping it simple, we put together a  crostini appetizer, topping slices of toasted baguette with chevre and the tapenades.

 

 

Crostini with Goat Cheese and Olive Tapenade

1 baguette, sliced ½ thick on the diagonal

An delicious savory appetizer ready in minutes!

Olive oil

1 small log chevre, at room temperature

1 small jar olive tapenade

Preheat barbecue on MEDIUM.  Meanwhile, brush the baguette slices lightly with olive oil on both sides. 

Grill the bread on both sides until golden.  Spread the softened goat cheese in a thick layer and add a dollop of tapenade. 

 

 

Ginger-Orange Halibut Grilled on a bed of Orange Slices

2 navel oranges

1/3 cup green onions, chopped

1/3 cup hoisin sauce

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

4 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp ginger, minced

2 lb piece halibut, skin on

Theo and Andy are happy to be home for a few days!

Grate rind from one orange and place in a medium glass bowl.  Add green onions, hoisin sauce, cider vinegar, soy sauce and ginger. Whisk to combine. Place fish in a large flat casserole dish and pour hoisin marinade over top, turn to coat. Allow to sit in marinade for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile preheat grill and set to medium heat.

 Cut oranges into ¼ inch thick slices, and create a base for the fish, by laying them close together, directly on the grids.

Carefully place halibut on top of orange slices, skin side down. Baste liberally with hoisin marinade, close lid and cook for 5-8 minutes. With a large spatula, carefully turn halibut over and apply remaining marinade. Close lid and continue grilling for another 5 – 8 minutes, until opaque  and fish flakes easily. 

 

Grilled Corn and Mango Salsa

3 cobs of corn, grilled and cut off of the cob (follow this link for grilling instructions)

2 mangos,  cut in small cubes

1 small red pepper, diced

3 tbsp red onion, minced

3 tbsp cilantro, chopped

                                                           

Grilling corn really highlights its sweetness

Dressing:

1 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed

2 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp crushed red chili pepper flakes

1 tsp honey

Salt and pepper, to taste

Grill corn as directed.

In a large glass bowl, combine corn niblets, mango, red pepper, red onion and cilantro. Combine dressing ingredients in  a small glass jar, shake vigorously, pour over salsa and toss to mix. Set aside for 15 minutes to allow flavours to combine.

 

Every second meal in spring has to include asparagus - we wait for it to be in season all year!!