Asian Pork Burgers

Sunrise at Cobble Beach

Rob’s 60^th birthday was cause for great celebration, and what a party it was at the beautiful Cobble Beach Golf Club, where they recently hosted the Concours d’Elégance. At dinner we were treated to fresh Georgian Bay Pickerel and for dessert they served a spectacular lighthouse birthday cake, complete with a flashing light in the tower!  Thanks to Rosemary for pulling together this very special surprise (sorry we blew that with our entrance) in honour of a dear friend. 

Our friend, Mike Francis, recently sent us this delicious burger recipe from the UK.  It seemed like a great way to take advantage of both our garlic harvest and the amazing fall weather we’ve been having.  Topped with Peameal Bacon and Tomato Chili Jam, this becomes a really special treat. 

Asian Pork Burgers

Serves 8

2 tablespoons clear honey

3 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)

2 pounds lean ground pork

4 green onions, finely chopped

2 tablespoons crushed garlic

4 teaspoons finely chopped lemongrass - tender inner part of stalks only

2 tablespoons finely chopped mint

4 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons gluten free flour, (corn or rice flour)

Sesame oil for shaping

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

4 thick slices of peameal bacon.

In a small saucepan, mix together the honey and fish sauce, and heat to melt the honey.  Let cool.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and preheat the barbecue on MEDIUM HIGH.

Mix the pork, green onions, garlic, lemongrass, mint, cilantro, flour, and cooled sauce in a large bowl, using your fingertips to combine.  Pour a small amount of sesame oil on your clean hands, and rub them together to coat (this will help prevent the mixture from sticking).  Form generous sized patties, and set them on the prepared baking sheet, and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Reduce the heat to MEDIUM, and set the patties directly on the grill.   Cook for a total of 10 minutes, turning every 2 ½ minutes for Perfect Grill Marks.   At the same time, grill the peameal bacon until heated through.  Cut each slice in half and top the burgers with the bacon and Tomato Chili Jam. 

Tomato Chili Jam

1 jalapeño or serrano chili, seeded and finely chopped
1 tsp (5 mL) chopped garlic
2 tbsp (30 mL) ginger, chopped
2 tbsp (30 mL) fish sauce
1/3 cup (80 mL) brown sugar
1/3 cup (80 mL) red-wine vinegar
1 can diced fire roasted tomatoes
Asian chili sauce, to taste

Place jalapeño, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, brown sugar and vinegar in a saucepan.

Bring to boil slowly, stirring constantly. When it reaches a boil, lower heat to a simmer and add diced tomatoes.

Simmer gently for 40 to 50 minutes or until dark red and jam-like. If jam is too sweet add Asian chili sauce to taste.

Raclette

It's no secret that traveling presents some pretty wonderful opportunities to experience new foods, customs and cuisines!   A recent "sister-in-laws" trip to Switzerland was chock full of some really magical moments. As we sat in a lovely garden terrace in Geneva on Saturday night, sipping delicious Swiss wine, eating grilled perch from Lake Leman and enjoying the full moon and the fireworks, we reviewed some of the food highlights of the trip. Other than the fresh sun-kissed vegetables, the highlight of the trip had to be the rich, flavourful dairy products and the Simmental beef. After all, we were surrounded by cows all week.  We woke to the sound of the cow bells every morning, encountered them on our daily hikes in the mountains and joined in the celebration of their gifts at a few of the village Alpenfahrts (cow festivals - when the cows are brought down from their summer homes high in the mountains to the lower meadows for the winter).

Whether  eaten  as veal in a rich mushroom sauce, as cheese in raclette, frothy milk in cafe machiatto, or rare steak, it was always fantastic! Did we mention the ice-cream, butter and yoghurt?

Cafe Macchiato and hot chocolate on the terrace of the Victoria-Jungrau Grand Hotel in Interlaken

Simmental beef steak

 One day, high in the mountains, we came across a family run restaurant, where everything that was served was grown on their farm and prepared in their kitchen: cheese for fondue and raclette, ham and sausage, whipping cream, ice cream, eggs, vegetables, honey, bread. The menu was simple and perfect!

We had a lot of hiking to do before lunch.

When we saw these cows, we knew that we were close to the Hüsliberg

We decided to try to recreate the raclette at home:

 Traditional Raclette
No need for a raclette grill for this simple recipe. All you need is your barbecue and 2

small cast iron or heavy enameled flat pans.

• 12 fingerling potatoes   
  
• 500 gr Raclette Cheese
• 1 jar pickled gherkin cucumbers (cornichons)
• freshly ground pepper
• paprika

Wash potatoes and boil in a pot filled with salted water for about 20 min. Leave the skin on! Test with a knife if the potatoes are done. Keep warm until ready to use in an insulated potato bag. Preheat the barbecue on HIGH for 5 minutes, reduce to LOW.  In the meantime remove the rind of the cheese and cut into 1/16" thick slices using a cheese slicer. Place the cheese in the cast iron pans, place the pans directly on the grids and allow the cheese to thoroughly melt. It takes approximately 5 minutes to melt to a creamy consistency. Remove from the grill and place on trivets between guests. In the meantime take a potato and some pickles, place them onto your plate and cut them into a few pieces. Using your wooden spatula, if you have them, or small butter knives, scoop some cheese onto your plate, along with the potato and pickles and enjoy. Season to taste with freshly ground pepper and paprika.

Tobias and his family grow and make everything that they serve in their mountain top restaurant. Even the lavender is used to flavour the rich ice cream and by the bees to make honey.

After that delicious lunch, we were delighted to encounter these scooters to rent to take us down to the train station.

Sunset Peach Ribs

On Friday night it was such a pleasure to arrive at the cottage and to be treated to a beautiful dinner prepared for us by Teddy!  In his signature whirlwind style he had 5 different dishes roasting, grilling, and simmering, all of them full of bright and delicious flavours.  We were so overwhelmed, happy and hungry, we forgot to take any photographs, but trust us, everything was as beautiful as it was scrumptious!

We originally listed a "splash" of each of scotch and hard cider as ingredients for the sauce, but Teddy corrected  us saying there was at least 1/4 cup of each.  Noted.

Sunset Peach Ribs

4 racks back ribs, membranes removed

for the rub:

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

¼ cup kosher salt

1 tablespoon hot smoked paprika

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

1 tablespoon oregano

for the sauce:

3 or 4 peaches, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon bacon fat

1 shallot, minced

1 red hot chili, seeded and minced

1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard

1/4 cup scotch

1/4 cup hard cider

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Light the smoker and set it to 275°F.  To make the rub, toast the fennel, cumin and coriander seeds along with the peppercorns in a small pan until just beginning to smoke.  Whirl them in a blender until finely ground, then combine with the remaining ingredients in a small bowl.  Rub it all over both sides of the ribs, saving any remaining rub in a small mason jar with a tight fitting lid.    Wrap the ribs tightly in pairs in heavy aluminum foil.  Cook in this way for 4 hours, until very tender.

To prepare the sauce, heat the bacon fat (or olive oil) in a small saucepan, and add the minced shallot and hot chili.   Sauté gently until the shallots are very soft.  Add the prepared peaches, mustard, scotch, and cider, and simmer until the peaches are very tender and juicy, about 25 minutes.  Add the rice vinegar and cook for another 5 minutes.  Puree in a blender and return to the saucepan to keep warm, tasting to adjust seasonings.

Unwrap the ribs, and lay them on the smoker.  Baste them generously with the peach sauce, reapplying twice more, every 5 minutes.  Serve hot.

Curry Roasted Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons curry powder, or more, to taste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven or barbecue to 400°F.  In a large bowl, toss the prepared cauliflower with olive oil and spices.  Lay it in a single layer on baking sheets and place in the oven or barbecue for 20-25 minutes, turning after 10 minutes. 

Peanutty Sweet Potatoes

This vegan dish is surprisingly tasty and satisfying.

3-4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1”cubes

3 tablespoons chunky peanut butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon chili flakes

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  Preheat oven or barbecue to 400°F. 

In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, olive oil, oregano, chili flakes and salt and pepper.  Add the prepared sweet potatoes, and toss well to coat.  Spread the mixture evenly in a single layer on the baking sheet.  Roast for 30 minutes, turning every ten minutes, until evenly browned and tender.  

Wedding Cake Sugar Cookies

The highlight of our weekend was Norah and Andrew’s beautiful Camp Muskoka  wedding.  It was so nice to be asked to bring cookies for the dessert table, and we had a lot of fun baking and decorating these for the occasion.

14 oz. butter, softened

1 ½ tsp. finely chopped lemon zest

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoons salt

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

 4  2/3 cups all-purpose flour

for the decoration:

white rolled fondant (store bought)

1 recipe royal icing (store bought mix)

1 small container piping jelly

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the softened butter, zest, sugar, salt, and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat it in well. In three additions, stir in the flour until blended. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill until firm.

When ready to roll, heat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment. Allow the dough to soften slightly. Generously flour your work surface. Roll the dough 1/4 inch thick. Dust off excess flour with a clean, dry pastry brush. Cut out the shapes you want, rerolling the scraps to make more cookies. Arrange the cookies 1 inch apart on the lined baking sheets. Bake until the edges turn golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet on a rack before transferring or decorating.

Roll out the fondant with a rolling pin, a section of pvc tubing, or with a pasta maker (I used the latter).  Using the same shape that you used to make the cookies, cut the fondant.  Brush a small amount of piping jelly over the cookie to act as the “glue”, and drape the fondant overtop.  Using a piping bag and # 2 pastry tip, decorate the cookies as desired. 

Smoked Crown Roast of Pork

With two special Virgos in our lives there has been good reason to celebrate this week.  Ted was toasted a little early while still at the cottage, and we cobbled together a respectable dinner with everything that was left in the fridge, freezer and  garden!  We started with Warm Grilled Shrimp Cocktail, then served Smoked PrimeRib of Beef and Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Chipotle Sauce, and Smoked Ratatouille.  It takes a crowd to wind up the contents of a summer kitchen and we were glad for an occasion to do it!

Moving back to the city it was time for Bev to be in the spotlight for her Birthday Week.  Between Nora and us we put together a fall menu inspired by the early apples we found at Herrles and by a bottle of Calvados that we’d been squirreling away.  Nora had beautiful cocktails prepared and they set the tone for a great evening.

Peach Lillet Cocktails

For each Cocktail:

1 ounce gin

½ ounce Lillet Blanc

½ ounce lime juice

½ ounce simple syrup

2 ounces peach juice

Perrier

For the garnish:

3 basil leaves

5 thin peach slices

In a martini shaker filled with ice, combine the gin, Lillet, lime juice, simple syrup and peach juice.  Shake well and pour into a tall glass with ice.   Top with Perrier and garnish with basil leaves and peach slices.

Grilled Corn Soup with Thai Flavours

12 cobs corn, top silks removed

2 litres chicken stock

4 stalks lemongrass

2 knobs galangal or ginger, halved

10 lime leaves

4 red thai chilis

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion, peeled and chopped

1 potato, peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons thai red curry

1 can coconut milk

3 tablespoons fish sauce

juice of 2 limes

for the pesto

a handful each of thai basil, cilantro and mint

1 clove garlic

¼ cup vegetable oil

splash of white balsamic or seasoned rice vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat the barbecue or smoker on HIGH.  Place corn cobs, husks intact, on the grill, and cook turning occasionally for 20 minutes.  Let cool slightly before husking. 

Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the kernels off the cobs, reserving the cobs.

In a large stockpot, heat the chicken broth and add the lemongrass, ginger (or galangal), lime leaves and chilis.  Bring to a boil and add the reserved corncobs.  Simmer for 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, in a smaller stockpot, heat the oil and add the onions.  Cook until translucent and very fragrant.  Add the potatoes and curry paste, and stir to coat well. 

Remove the corncobs, and strain the liquid into the small stockpot.  Add the corn kernels (reserving a few for garnish) and continue to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender.

Puree the soup in a blender, then strain through a fine meshed sieve.  Add the coconut milk, and add the fish sauce, and lime juice to taste. 

To make the pesto, whir the herbs and garlic in a blender or food processor and add the oil in a stream until the mixture comes together and is a good consistency.  You may need slightly more or less oil, depending on the amount of herbs.  Add a splash of vinegar and salt, to taste.

Spoon the soup into heated bowls, and garnish with the pest, a few kernels of corn, a red chili, and a wedge of lime. 

Smoked Crown Roast of Pork

1 crown roast of pork, Frenched and trimmed

2 cloves garlic, peeled and slivered

handful of fresh thyme

salt and pepper

for the mop:

2 ounces calvados

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup hard apple cider

for the drip pan:

remainder of the cider can

warm water

for the smoke flavor:

1 ½ cups apple wood chips

for the apple and onion compote:

2 tablespoons olive oil or butter

3 onions, quartered and thickly sliced

6 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 12 slices

1/3 cup Calvados

1/3 cup maple syrup

for the garnish:

sage leaves

canola oil

kosher salt

Light the coals of the smoker and adjust top and bottom vents to maintain a temperature of 275°F.  Meanwhile, soak apple wood chips in warm water.

Pour the mop ingredients into a spray bottle.  Scatter the soaked chips over the coals, and prepare the water tray with water and the remaining apple cider.  Place the water tray above the coals.

Fill the cavity of the pork roast with garlic and thyme.  Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Place the meat on the smoker, and cook for about 5 hours,  spraying with the mop every ½ hour.  When the roast registers 155°-160°F, remove it from the smoker, wrap it tightly with foil, and let it stand for 30 minutes.  You will want to replace the thyme before serving.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, slowly caramelize the onions in the olive oil or butter.  At the same time, reduce the Calvados and maple syrup until it is thick and syrupy.  Place the prepared apple slices on a parchment covered baking sheet, and baste generously with the syrup.  Place in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes.  Turn each slice, baste again, and bake for a further 10 minutes.  Turn off the oven and let the apple slices stand in the oven for another 10 minutes.  Pour any extra syrup into the caramelized onions. 

To prepare the sage leaf garnish, heat a shallow layer of canola oil in a small skillet.  Add sage leaves, well spaced, and fry on both sides until just crispy.  Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

To serve, mound a small serving of the onions and apples on each plate.  Carve the roast into thick chops and prop them along the apples and onions.  Garnish with the fried sage leaves.  

Fresh Vegetables Galore!

A day set aside to enjoy a production at the Stratford Festival became much more than that on Saturday!  Dear Mary, Dear Elizabeth, which was being presented at the Studio Theatre,  was a fascinating reading of letters between Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart, introduced and contextualized by Dr. Ted McGee.  It was fantastic.  Since it was a late morning production, our afternoon was wide open to make our way slowly home, and of course, every stop along the way involved food!  The rest of the afternoon included:

• a delicious lunch at a terrific little spot in Stratford, Canadian Grub . It's all fresh and all Canadian. The Lobster BLT was amazing! 

•  From there, we ventured down the street  a little further to one of our favorite shops in Stratford, The Butcher, The Baker, where we loaded up on steaks, bacon, smoked pork chops, sausages, house-made schnitzel,  pepperettes, gravlax....you get the idea!  We were slowly developing a plan.

•  Next stop, Herrles Farm Market. Here we picked up as much fresh produce as our carts could handle: tomatoes, corn, peppers, celery, leeks, carrots, zucchini, eggplant, cucumbers, beets, onions, herbs, garlic, lettuce, blueberries, apples, peaches...

The rest of the trip home was devoted to trying to decide what we would prepare for dinner that night, since we had a few golfers at home who would be hoping for a meal.

How to decide what to prepare? We started building the menu around some lamb loins that Bev and Tim had in the refrigerator- Mediterranean flavours seemed a good starting point!  As we often do in this case, we turned to the cookbooks- PLENTY and JERUSALEM, Ottolenghi and Tamimi, 2012, as inspiration.  The final eclectic menu included:

Gravlax on thin cucumber slices with herbed, lemony cream cheese

Roasted beet and leek salad with walnut vinaigrette

Grilled eggplant with onions and feta

Grilled zucchini with parsley sauce

Quinoa salad with tomatoes and cucumber

Grilled loin loins marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and oregano

 

Here are a few of the recipes.  Follow the link for a few the Grilled Eggplant recipe, that we published in a past blog post.

Roasted beet and leek salad with Walnut vinaigrette

We used an assortment of beets, golden, red and candy cane.

6 beets,  scrubbed

4 leeks, washed and trimmed

4 tbsp olive oil,

1 tsp sea salt

1 head leaf lettuce

Large handful of fresh coriander, chopped coarsely

To prepare beets and leeks, preheat grill on HIGH for 5 minutes, then reduce to MEDIUM. Place scrubbed beets in tin foil, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap and place on upper rack for one hour. The beets are finished when they can easily be pierced with a small knife. Do not over cook them, as it is nice when they still have some bite to them. While the beets are roasting, clean the leeks thoroughly and toss with olive oil. Place whole leeks on the bottom rack of the grill 45 minutes into the roasting of the beets. Turn every 5 minutes for a total grilling time of 15 minutes. Remove beets and leeks and let cool. Peel the beets when they are cool enough to handle.

 

To assemble the salad, arrange the lettuce on 6 salad plates. Top with beet quarters and leek segments. Spoon vinaigrette over top and garnish with chopped coriander.

Vinaigrette:

1 cup walnuts

4 cloves garlic

1 smoked chili pepper

¼ cup cider vinegar

2 tbsp tamarind water(soak ¼ cup dried tamarind in ¾ cup boiling water for 30 minutes)

3 tbsp walnut oil

1 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a blender and process for 15 seconds. The dressing should still be coarse.

Grilled Zucchini with Parsley Lemon Sauce

2 yellow zucchini, sliced cross-wise, ½ “ thick

2 green zucchini, sliced cross-wise, ½ “ thick

1 cup chopped parsley

2 cloves garlic

1/2   cup extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat grill on HIGH for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to MEDIUM. Brush with oil, then place on grids, turning every 2 minutes for a total of 8 minutes. Arrange on a platter and top with Parsley Lemon Sauce.

To prepare sauce, combine parsley, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper in the blender and process for 10-15 seconds. This sauce should be bright and fresh looking, so do not over process.

Eggplant waiting to be grilled

 

Lamb: remove from marinade and grill on MEDIUM, 4 minutes per side- rare and tender!

Can not wait to eat!

A beautiful evening to celebrate the end of August