Valentine's Beef Oxtails on the Smoker

 

This Valentine’s Day Mark and Ted were distracted by hockey games and business trips, so the celebrations had to be postponed.  Fortunately, Pluto remembered and sent long-stemmed roses to some of his favourite girls.  He is a bit of a hopeless romantic.

However, the next day we lovingly created and produced a special menu using the Broil King Keg.  Little did we know that the grand conclusion of the evening was going to be watching UFC......!

Valentines Boxing Day Menu

Smoked Oxtails and Mushrooms with Demi-Glace

Risotto Hearts stuffed with Blue Cheese

French Green Beans with Oven Dried Cherry Tomatoes

Heart-shaped Braised Carrots

Chocolate Soufflés with Raspberry Sauce

Smoked Beef Oxtails

Note:  apply rub one night before cooking

4 beef oxtails, about 3” thick

For the rub:

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon sugar

4 thick slices onion

Handful fresh thyme sprigs

8 ounces cremini mushrooms

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup veal or beef demi-glace

The night before serving, mix all the rub ingredients and coat the oxtails generously.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

The next day, around noon, light the Broil King Keg following the instructions in the techniques section.  Sprinkle glowing coals with soaked maple wood chips. Fill the diffuser with warm water.

Place the oxtails on the grids and smoke for 3-4 hours, maintaining a temperature of 200° F. 

Prepare 4 sheets of heavy aluminum foil large enough to surround the oxtails.  Place one slice of onion and a few sprigs of thyme in the centre of the foil.  Top with oxtail, wrap tightly, and place on the outside edge of the smoker.  Toss the mushrooms with oil, vinegar, herbs and spices, and place on the grids in the centre of the smoker.  Continue to cook for 2-3 hours at 200 F.

Serve with heated veal or beef demi-glace

Risotto Hearts stuffed with Blue Cheese

1 ½ cups leftover beet risotto (see future posts for beet risotto, but any leftover risotto can be substituted)

 2 ounces Blue d’Auverne cheese

1 cup panko bread crumbs

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

Using a sheet of parchment paper, shape risotto into 4 heart shaped-mounds.  Hollow slightly, and sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese.  Cover with another layer of risotto.  Sprinkle with panko bread crumbs.  Using a flat spatula, turn carefully and sprinkle with more panko.  Place on a flat platter and refrigerate until ready to cook.

In a large non-stick skillet, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.  Place the prepared risotto hearts in the skillet and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. 

 

Braised Heart-Shaped Carrots

3 large carrots, sliced into desired shape

(If you wish to make them heart-shaped, use a vegetable peeler to create the pointed edge along the whole carrot and a knife to cut the impression at the top.  Use the peeler again to round the shape, then cut into thick slices)

½ cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon maple syrup

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cayenne

Preheat oven to 375°.  Spread the prepared carrots in a single layer in an 8” x 10” pan.  In a small bowl whisk together the rest of the ingredients.  Pour over carrots, and cover with foil.  Place in oven for 45 minutes, then remove cover and cook for another 15 minutes, until golden brown and tender.

Chocolate Soufflés

4 individual soufflés

2 teaspoons butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar, divided

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

4 large eggwhites, at room temperature

3 large yolks

1/4 cup Grand Marnier

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Using the butter, grease 4 large individual ramekins and sprinkle them with about 1 teaspoon sugar per ramekin.

In a large metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring it with a whisk from time to time. Remove the bowl of melted chocolate from the heat and let cool slightly.

In another bowl beat the egg whites with 1/4 cup of the sugar until stiff and glossy.

Whisk the egg yolks into the chocolate one at a time, add the orange liqueur, and whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Fold in the egg whites and whisk until thoroughly blended.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the prepared ramekins, place on a baking sheet, and bake until they're puffed and somewhat firm, for about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Raspberry Sauce:

1 pint raspberries

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Place a food mill over a small bowl.  Pour in raspberries, and churn until all the juice is extracted.  Discard the seeds, and add sugar to the raspberry pulp.  Spoon over chocolate soufflés and garnish with fresh raspberries.

      

We all show our love to different people in different ways, but one of the very sweetest expressions is taking the time to bake with little ones.  Hayley and Brooklyn discovered their inner-bakers this week and produced some spectacular and delicious Valentine’s sugar cookies for Brooklyn’s school party.  

Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Fondant, kneaded with your choice of paste colour

Piping gel, to “glue” the fondant to the cookies

 In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.   Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Dust countertop with icing sugar or corn starch and roll the fondant fairly thinly, about 1/8”.   Using the same shape cutter as you used for your cookies, cut fondant shapes.

Lightly brush cookies with piping gel.  Apply the corresponding fondant shapes onto the cookies.

Herb-Stuffed Boneless Leg of Lamb for Mark's Birthday

Mark slicing smoked Wolfe Island duck breast.

Herb-Stuffed Boneless Leg of Lamb with Grainy Mustard Crust

We cooked this lamb roast on our smoker, The Broil King Keg, because we wanted to highlight the rich flavour of the lamb. It could just as easily be done on a gas barbecue, as long as the temperature control can be set to cook constantly at a fairly low temperature. We cooked this at 250⁰F for 2 hours and finished the roast at 300⁰F for another 30 minutes.

1 4-pound boneless leg of lamb

Fresh Herb Stuffing:

4 cloves garlic, chopped

¼ cup parsley, chopped

6 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped

6 sprigs fresh oregano, chopped

1 tbsp Mexican seasoning

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp dry mustard

1 tbsp black pepper, freshly ground

1 tsp chili pepper flakes

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Grainy Mustard Paste:

¼ cup grainy mustard

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup canola oil

1 tbsp granular garlic powder

2 tbsp chili powder

2 tbsp Mexican seasoning

Honey-Balsamic Glaze:

½ cup honey

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1) Combine all of the ingredients for the fresh herb stuffing in a large glass bowl.  Spread open the leg of lamb and pat the herb mixture on the inside of the roast. Roll lamb and tie with kitchen twine, folding in the small open end.  Combine all ingredients for the Grainy Mustard Paste and pat over the surface of the rest. Set aside for 2 hours to allow flavours to develop.

2) Meanwhile, setup the Broil King Keg to cook at a constant temperature of 250⁰F. 

3) When ready to cook, throw 2 handfuls of soaked hardwood chips or chunks (for lamb, we like oak, hickory or pecan) on the coals. Place a drip pan, lined with foil and filled with water, over the coals. Place the lamb roast on the grids and close the lid. Check that the temperature of the grill is constant at 250⁰F and allow the lamb to cook slowly for approximately 2 ½ hours,  until the internal temperature of the roast is 130⁰F for medium/rare. One half hour before removing the roast from the smoker, brush the glaze carefully over the surface of the lamb.
4) When internal temperature has reached 130⁰F, remove from smoker and cover with foil and allow the lamb to rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Bev made Mark’s delicious Birthday cake this year, using a recipe from Lucy Waverman and James Chatto’s wonderful book:  A Matter of Taste.

Chocolate Passion with Mango Lime Sauce

 Chocolate Passion

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup water

4 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ancho chilli powder

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 cup butter, melted

 Mango Lime Sauce

 ¼ cup sugar syrup (see below)

2 tablespoons chopped candied ginger

1 ripe mango, peeled and coarsely chopped

½ teaspoon grated lime zest

1 tablespoon lime juice

¼ cup whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Butter a non-stick loaf pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.

Melt chocolate and water in a heavy pot over low heat.  Cool slightly.

Whisk eggs, sugar and chilli powder until light.  Beat in flour.  Slowly whisk in chocolate and melted butter.  Pour into prepared loaf pan.

Place loaf pan in a larger baking pan.  Pour boiling water into larger pan until water reaches halfway up the sides of the loaf pan.  Bake for 1 hour, or until the loaf is firm on top and a cake tester comes out clean.  Remove from oven, cool and refrigerate in pan until set. 

Turn out loaf onto a large sheet of parchment paper.  Fold paper over dessert, wrap in foil and freeze. 

Prepare sauce by pureeing sugar syrup, ginger, mango, lime zest, lime juice and cream in a food processor. 

Remove cake from freezer about 15 minutes before slicing.  Slice and serve with sauce. 

To make Sugar Syrup:

1 cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Combine water and sugar in a pot over high heat.  Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes, or until a light syrup forms.  Add lemon juice and remove from heat. 

Happiness is.......relaxing at the end of a busy day.

Superbowl Steak

For those of us whose primary interest in the Superbowl began and ended with the halftime show, we have an anti-football menu that would be appropriate for any night of the week. (Requires a knife and fork!).

It was a treat to have Reid home from Montreal!  He grilled for us on his Gran's terrace.

Grilled Flank Steak

Serves 4

 

We bucked the chicken wing trend for Superbowl Sunday, and instead elected to grill some lean beef.  Flank steak is a healthy choice for your grill, and is particularly tasty when marinated for 24 hours, infusing delicious flavour and resulting in juicy tenderness. 

1 2-pound flank steak

For the Marinade:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot

2 cloves garlic, minced

Juice of ½ lemon

1 teaspoon sambal olek (asian chili sauce)

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine marinade ingredients and pour over the steak.  Allow to marinate 6-24 hours in the refrigerator.  Bring to room temperature before grilling.

Preheat barbecue on HIGH, then reduce heat to MEDIUM.  Meanwhile, remove the flank steak from the marinade, pat dry with paper towels, and brush lightly with vegetable oil. 


Place on the barbecue, and grill for 2 minutes.  Flip to the other side for 2 minutes.  Following directions for Perfect Grill Marks, continue cooking 2 minutes per side for a total of 8 minutes for medium rare.  At the same time, pour the reserved marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil until slightly thickened.

To get the most out of your flank steak, using a sharp knife, cut a cross-hatch pattern into the surface of the meat.  This allows the marinade to penetrate deeper.  

Resealable "Ziplock" bags are ideal for marinating flank steak and other meats. 

Coconut Jasmine Rice

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot

1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed and drained

1 can coconut milk, plus enough water to measure 2 cups

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon sesame oil

In a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat canola oil over low heat.   Add gingerroot and sauté about 1 minute.  Add rice, and stir to coat with oil.  Add the coconut milk,  honey and sesame oil, and increase heat to bring to a gentle boil.  Reduce heat to LOW, cover with a tight-fitting lid for 20 minutes, then turn off heat and let stand 5 minutes.  Fluff rice with a fork. Serve with grilled peppers and a steamed green vegetable.

For dessert, we went to Sabletine, the most marvellous French bakery in Waterloo, for Ventoux cakes, and chocolate pecan tarts. 

There is also the traditional way to celebrate the Superbowl.  In Kingston, our friend Geoff and his buddies fired up the Broil King Keg and smoked a sirloin roast.  This was accompanied by nachos loaded with cheese, and a very creative football pizza.  Thanks to the boys of Aberdeen for sharing these photos of their creations.

Maple Glazed Smoked Pork Belly

 

Andrea and I love good food and also have a great interest in creating a healthy lifestyle for ourselves and our families – which probably contributed to my pursuit of food and nutrition studies in university. It is the perfect background to have when developing recipes for food cooked on the smoker.  At the top of our minds are always 2 goals - creating food that is both healthy and delicious. SO here goes with this recipe for smoked pork belly using the Broil King Keg. We combed over a lot of recipes for braised pork belly in the process,   including some that  called for the addition of large quantities of oil  to the pork belly while marinating, cooking and finishing*! DO you really need to add more fat when cooking pork belly??  We decided to try to moderate on this ingredient, and make sure that each ingredient that we used was essential for delicate, flavor packed, mouth-watering pork belly.

* Lang, Adam Perry, 2009. Serious Barbecue, Smoke, Char, Baste, & Brush Your Way to Great Outdoor Cooking, Hyperion.

Maple Glazed Smoked Pork Belly
 

 Important to know:  1) You will need to marinate the pork belly at least  12 hours  ahead of cooking and   2) Cooking Time is 7-8 hours

One 3-4 pound pork belly piece

Marinade:

¼  cup olive oil

¼ cup lemon juice

¼  cup apple cider vinegar

8 cloves garlic

2 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves

2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

¾   tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp crushed red chili peppers

1 cup water

Maple Glaze:

1/4  cup Jack Daniels

½  cup maple syrup

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

¼ cup Italian parsley, chopped

2 tbsp apple cider

½  tsp dried chili pepper flakes

Final seasoning:

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 tbsp chopped green onions

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt

Marinate pork belly:

12-24 hours ahead of time, combine marinade ingredients in food processor and blend until garlic is finely chopped. Place pork belly in a large resealable plastic bag and pour over marinade. Refrigerate overnight.

Cooking the pork belly:

Set up the Broil King Keg with enough lump hardwood charcoal for 8 hours of cooking at 250⁰F.  Soak 1-2 cups of fruit wood chips for smoking.  This is also be cooked using the gas barbecue set on low (275⁰F). Be very vigilant of watching for flare-ups during the final stage of grilling, when applying the glaze.  Place the pork belly into a similar sized rectangular disposable aluminum tray and pour marinade and 1 cup water over top. Cover with heavy-duty aluminum foil and seal edges tightly so that steam does not escape.  Place in the smoker and cook at 250⁰F for 5 ½  hours.

Remove pan from smoker, and with foil still sealed tightly, allow pork belly to rest in the liquid in the pan for 2 hours.

Smoking and glazing:

Add soaked woodchips to smoker and open vents to bring oven temperature to 375⁰F.  Remove pork belly from pan and reserve cooking liquid. The pork belly will be quite delicate at this point and will require gentle handling during the final grilling process.  In order to facilitate this, organize to have a wire grilling basket on hand. The basket will help maintain the rectangular shape of the pork belly and prevent the skin from sliding around.  If not available, use a wire rack and a  very large spatula for carefully turning the pork belly on the grids.  Place pork belly skin side down on a wire grilling basket . Place on smoker and allow skin to crisp for 15 minutes. Monitor for flare ups. Meanwhile, prepare glaze by combining Jack Daniels, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, chopped parsley, cider vinegar and red pepper flakes in a glass dish.  Carefully remove pork belly from smoker and brush all over with glaze.  Return to smoker and cook for 5 minutes, carefully turn, apply remaining glaze and cook for another 5 minutes. The pork belly will be finished when the glaze caramelizes on the meat and is a beautiful glossy dark brown.

Finishing:

Scatter chopped parsley , green onions, salt and pepper on the cutting board and sprinkle with apple cider vinegar. Carefully remove the pork belly from the basket or wire rack and place on top of this mixture. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Turn and rub mixture on the other side. Gently cut into one and a half-inch square cubes, continuing to dredge in the finishing mixture.

Sauce:

The reserved cooking liquid can be used as a flavourful sauce, once the fat has been poured off.  Pour reserved liquid into a large glass measuring cup. Pour off the fat that has floated to the top. Skim or spoon off the final inch or so, using a tablespoon.   Add any remaining glaze to this mixture. Pour into a small saucepan and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat and cook for another 10 minutes. This sauce is delicious poured onto the prepared pork belly and simply boiled new potatoes and wilted kale cooked with garlic and lemon juice. 

We enjoyed it again on Sunday for lunch, in a delicious Canadian sandwich featuring pork belly, Old Canadian cheddar cheese and thinly sliced apples. It was the perfect meal to get us ready for an energetic ski around the golf course!

Nora, Bev, Briar and Pepper

And now we're back to cooking in the snow!!!

 

Home Sweet Home: Smoked Prime Rib of Beef

The past two weeks were spent on a very special mother-daughter adventure, setting sail from Florida, cruising through the Panama Canal and reaching our final destination in Lima Peru.  We were treated to many wonderful meals at sea and on land, and we hope to bring to you some of the exciting South American flavours in future posts.  

 

Arriving home the first order of business was restocking a very empty pantry,   and preparing a family dinner on the Broil King Keg.  Nothing says “home” like a roast beef dinner, and this evening’s smoked prime rib was one of the best we’ve ever tasted.  The low and slow temperature results in an evenly cooked, tender and delicious roast.

Smoked Prime Rib of Beef

1  5-pound Prime Rib Roast

¼ cup Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon grainy mustard

1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 ½ teaspoons dried rosemary

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chipotle chilli powder

Pat the meat dry with paper towels. 

Mix the mustards, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic in a small bowl, and brush generously all over the meat.  Combine all the dried herbs and spices in a small bowl and sprinkle generously over the mustard.  Allow to sit at room temperature while you light the coals in the Broil King Keg.

Set the temperature to 350°F, with the top control dialled to 3 and the bottom to 2.  Place the prime rib on the smoker without a drip pan and let smoke for 4 hours.  During this time, the temperature of the smoker should gradually fall to about 250°F.  Test the internal temperature of the meat with a meat thermometer:  it should reach 135°F.

Slice thickly.

Acorn Squash on the Smoker

1 acorn squash, halved and seeds removed

2 tablespoons butter

½  cup maple syrup

½ teaspoon nutmeg

Pinch salt

Combine the butter and maple syrup in a small bowl and microwave 45 seconds.  Stir until butter melted, microwaving again if necessary.  Add the nutmeg and salt, and divide between the two halves of squash.  Brush the mixture around the edges as well. 

Place  on the prepared smoker for 3-4 hours. 

And finally, a big happy birthday wish to Abby. She is lots of fun, and an extremely accomplished baker.  We will be sure to feature some of her pie recipes in future blogs.

Jordan, Charu and Abby enjoy some grilled salmon with asparagus and lentil salad

Crostini with Grilled Vegetable Tapenade

 We have so much to be proud of with all of our children, and look forward to celebrating their successes and accomplishments.  One of those moments brought us back to New York city this week, where Ben had 2 shows opening. First we joined him at the James Fuentes Gallery in the Lower East Side. It was a wonderful evening - so beautiful and such great energy about his work.
On  Thursday night, his second show opened at the Martos Gallery in Chelsea. There was a lot of buzz around that show too, with a recommendation :  9 things to do in New Yorks Ar/?t World before Jan. 16  and an interview

As always, we ate a lot of good food on our visit. We are so often inspired by food that we eat while traveling.  The secret to duplicating a complex, sophisticated restaurant meal is to start with a simple base, like a grilled steak or scallops and serve it with a great sauce. We have a bit of product development to do over the next few weeks because these sauces pictured here were delicious!!

 When you are in Chelsea, visit the Red Cat, we had a great lunch there.  In the Lower East Side, we loved 'inoteca.  Also had some delicious wine and cheese at  88 Orchard  before the opening.




 
Coming home is always a let down.  You open the refrigerator and yikes!??!!?!  Faced with all of the leftovers and dregs (of Christmas!!) I decided to take the best of the vegetables that I had, added a lot of fresh herbs for a marinade and made a grilled vegetable tapenade to serve with goat cheese on crostini.
   We took it for friends for dinner on Saturday night and had it in wraps for a light dinner on Sunday night.



Grilled Vegetable Tapenade with Goat Cheese on Crostini


This marinade/vinaigrette is a version of pesto that is so versatile. Make a big jar of it and use it often, as we do for this dish.
Marinade:
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh herbs, chopped (try a combination-parsley, basil, fennel, sage, tarragon work well)
1 shallot, peeled
1 large garlic clove, peeled
1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

2 tbsp chopped walnuts
salt & pepper, to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and puree.

Grilled vegetables:
1 large eggplant, halved lengthwise

3 portobello mushrooms, sliced

1 each yellow, orange and red pepper, cored

1 tomato
1 red onion, quartered

Marinate vegetables for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat barbecue on HIGH for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to MEDIUM and grill vegetables 6-7 minutes per side. Reserve marinade.  Leave peppers on barbecue for 5-8 more minutes until blackened.  Place peppers in a paper bag for 10 minutes to loosen skins - this will make peeling them easier. Peel the skins off of the tomatoes and remove the seeds. Dice all of the vegetables into 1/4 inch pieces and place in a large glass bowl. Combine with 1/3 cup of reserved marinade. Add more chopped fresh basil and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Crostini:

1 baguette
6 ounces goat cheese

 Slice baguette on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices. Take the remaining marinade, should be 1-2 tablespoons left and combine it with 1/2 cup of olive oil. Brush baguette lightly on both sides with this olive oil mixture and place on grids. Grill for 3 minutes per side. Remove from grills. At this point, you can set everything aside to assemble later, or assemble and eat them right away! Spread with goat cheese, top with 1 tablespoon of grilled vegetable tapenade and place back on barbecue for 5 minutes on MEDIUM.