Smoked Duck, Smoked Salmon and more....

 

  

Friday night was a fun evening of recipe development and tasting at Kris and Mark’s ----an excellent excuse for a party!   Kris had everything looking so beautiful and inviting in her newly renovated dining room, with candles lit, a fire crackling, and Ben’s art on the walls. 

Don't be put off by the length of the recipes:   we try to make use of the smoker while it is all set up.   The techniques are all very simple, and we just adorn them with a variety of rubs and sauces.  We love the Broil King Keg because it cooks so consistently.  The temperature controls are very concise and the smoker does not need a lot of tending because it is very well insulated. 

Menu

Smoked Almonds and Pecans

Smoked Salmon

Smoked Duck Legs with Sour Cherry Sauce

Grilled Fennel with Asiago

Toasted Barley/Wheat Berry Risotto with Wild Mushrooms

Caramelized Pear Upside Down Cake

Smoked Duck Legs

10 duck legs( Hill Top Acres Poultry at the St. Jacobs Farmers Market)

½ cup sherry

½ cup yellow mustard

Cherry wood chips, soaked

Rub:

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup chili powder

1/3  cup paprika

¼ cup celery salt

¼ cup garlic powder

¼ cup onion salt

¼ cup black pepper

¼ cup white pepper

1 tbsp dry mustard

1 tbsp 5-spice powder

1 tbsp dry ginger

Mop:

1 cup fruit juice. We love OASIS Berry and Pomegranate Juice

The duck legs should be prepared the night before. Then, plan on smoking the duck legs for 6-7 hours at 200⁰F.

Prepare the duck legs the night before smoking by CAREFULLY piercing the skin in several areas with a fork or sharp paring knife. This will help the fat to slowly drip away while smoking. By the end of the smoking time, the fat will have dripped away into the water pan, leaving moist succulent meat, with a crispy skin.  DO NOT PIERCE THE FLESH, as you do not want the juices to escape during cooking.

Rub the duck legs with sherry and let sit, uncovered, in a flat bottomed glass dish overnight in the refrigerator.

The next day, coat the duck legs in a thin layer of yellow mustard. This will allow the rub to adhere to the duck and will help develop a zingy tasting, crispy skin. Sprinkle the rub over the mustard and let rest for ½ hour. Meanwhile prepare the smoker as outlined in PREPARING THE SMOKER.

Place duck legs skin side up on the lower rack of The Broil King Keg, over a filled water pan. Set temperature to 200⁰F, by opening upper and lower vents to 2. Adjust temperature as required. Add a handful of soaked cherry wood chips every hour for the first 4 hours of smoking. Have the fruit juice mop ready in a spray bottle. Spray duck legs liberally with the juice every hour.  Continue cooking until the internal temperature of the duck legs is  165-170⁰F.  Serve with Sour Cherry Sauce on the side.

Sour Cherry Sauce for Smoked Duck

1 ½ cups red wine

1 cup port

2 tablespoons brown sugar

 ¼” piece peeled gingerroot

3 inch-long strips of orange zest

2 teaspoons corn starch

1 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar

19 ounce jar sour cherries, drained

In a medium saucepan, combine wine, port, sugar, gingerroot and orange zest, and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce temperature to a lively simmer and reduce by half, about 10-15 minutes.  Scoop out the ginger and orange zest.  In a small bowl, stir together the corn starch and vinegar.  Whisk this mixture into the wine reduction and stir until slightly thickened.  Add the drained cherries and heat through.

Since we had some rub leftover, we decided to try smoking some nuts, coated with our rub.

Here is what we did:

Smoked Almonds and Pecans

Place 3 cups of raw nuts in a Ziploc bag. Add 1 tsp olive oil and shake to coat nuts. Add 1 tbsp rub and ½ tsp hot sauce. Shake. Spread on a rimmed cookie sheet and place on top rack of smoker and cook for 2 hours at 200⁰F.

Smoked Salmon

Allow 2-3 hours for drying and 2-4 hours for smoking a piece of salmon this size.

 

2 lb salmon fillet (1” thick)

Dry Brine:

1 cups brown sugar

3 tbsp coarse kosher salt

Coat salmon with a generous amount of the brine mixture and allow to rest,  skin side down in a plastic or glass container(large Ziploc bag works well) for at least 12 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Drying:

Drying is an important step in preparing the salmon for smoking. Remove salmon from brine, run under cool water to rinse off residual brine mixture and pat dry. Place skin side down on wire racks and set out in an open space(out of direct sunlight) to dry.  Circulating air really helps here, as the objective is to allow a thin whitish layer,  “the pellicle” to form.  This will take 2-3 hours.

 

Meanwhile, ensure that the smoker has been prepared as previously described with 3-4 inches of charcoal, a water pan, and have handy 3-4 handfuls of soaked cherry wood chips.

We maintained a constant temperature of 200⁰F in the smoker and smoked the salmon for 2 ½  hours. The result was moist and delicious. We served it on thin pumpernickel rounds topped with cream cheese, a slice of cucumber, chopped red onion, fresh dill and sprinkled with lemon juice. So simple and so good!!!  The salmon can be package in air tight Ziploc bags and popped into the freezer.

Toasted Barley / Wheat Berry Risotto with Wild Mushrooms

This is a Mark McEwan recipe from about 15 years ago that we have adapted to use the wild mushrooms that we gather each fall …

½ cup wheat berries, soak over night in cold water

½ cup pearl barley, toasted in a cast iron frying pan

Vegetables:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup wild mushrooms, chopped

1 small zucchini, chopped

Sprig each of fresh thyme and rosemary

Risotto:

5 cups chicken or vegetable stock, heated in a medium saucepan

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic

½ Arborio

½ cup dry white wine

A few saffron threads

2 sprigs fresh thyme

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

½ cup parmesan cheese, grated

Lemon zest, to garnish

Prepare grains:

Drain wheat berries and place in a large saucepan, with enough cold water to cover by 2 inches.  Bring to a boil , reduce heat and simmer over very low heat, uncovered for 1-1 ½ hours, until tender, but do not allow to split. Rinse and drain.

Meanwhile, carefully toast barley over medium heat for 8-10 minutes.

Prepare vegetables:

Saute garlic and onion in olive oil in a large sauté pan for 2 minutes. Add zucchini, mushrooms, rosemary and thyme and sauté for 4-6 minutes. Add salt and pepper and set aside.

Prepare risotto:

Heat chicken stock in a medium saucepan and simmer on medium-low on back burner.

Heat oil and butter in a large, heavy gauge saucepan. Add garlic and onion and sauté over medium heat for 2-4  minutes. Add Arborio rice and stir until coated with oil. Add toasted barley and wheat berries and stir. Pour in white wine and cook until evaporated. Increase heat to high and add one ladle full of hot chicken stock and stir continually until absorbed. Continue adding stock and stirring, one ladleful at a time, until each grain in risotto is tender, but firm to the bite. After 15 minutes, add vegetables into the risotto. In total, the risotto  should take 20 minutes.  Add parmesan cheese and garnish with lemon zest.

Grilled Fennel with Asiago

3 bulbs fennel

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup grated American Asiago cheese

Trim the fennel, and cut it into quarters.  Cut each quarter into ¼” thin slices.  Toss with olive oil, herbs and spices.

Heat a flat wok topper on the upper rack of the barbecue.  Spread the fennel slices over the hot wok topper.  Cook until browned and softened, turning occasionally, about 12 minutes.  Sprinkle with cheese and heat until just melted.

Gluten-free, Dairy-free Caramelized Pear Upside-Down Cake

butter all-purpose flour baking powder table salt whole milk pure vanilla extract brown sugar eggs

Shortening for greasing the pan

For the topping
2 medium firm-ripe Bosc pears
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. fresh lemon juice

¼ cup cold water

4 tablespoons coconut oilBottom of Form

For the cake
I confess.  Despite my good intentions to make a sponge cake from scratch, I cheated and tried the new Betty Crocker gluten free golden cake, and it was delicious! 

1box Betty Crocker gluten free golden cake

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x2-inch round cake pan Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment and grease the top of the paper.

Make the topping

Peel, core, and cut the pears lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the pear slices on the bottom of the pan in a circle around the edge, overlapping them slightly, with the pointed ends towards the center.

In a heavy-duty 2-quart saucepan, stir the sugar, lemon juice, and water. Brush down the sides of the pan with water to wash away any sugar crystals.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, occasionally brushing down the sides of the pan, until the mixture starts to color around the edges, 5 to 8 minutes.

Gently swirl the pan once to even out the color and prevent the sugar from burning in isolated spots. Continue to cook until the sugar turns medium amber, about 30 seconds more.  Do not let the mixture get too dark as it will quickly become bitter tasting.

Immediately remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the 4 Tbs. of coconut oil in 4 additions, until they are completely melted. Carefully pour the hot caramel evenly over the pears (it should spread over the pears and onto the bottom of the pan).

Make the cake batter

Mix the cake according to the directions, substituting dairy free margarine for the butter.

Bake the cake

Spoon the batter in large dollops over the pears and smooth it into an even layer with an offset spatula. Bake the cake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan. Turn a cake plate upside down on top of the cake pan and, using pot holders, carefully invert the cake pan onto the plate.

Check in next week for our creative uses for these leftovers!

Pork Tenderloin - A quick fix for a craving to grill

Andrea was away this weekend, so I decided that I would take a little break too.  I had a good excuse! As fall is fading away into the first signs of winter, the urgency of completing those household chores that we started in May loomed large this weekend!!  It was also a rare weekend where there was very little cooking to be done anyway!

When I want to procrastinate, my go to activity is taking the dogs for a walk

.
A trip into Toronto on Friday to have lunch with a friend and a visit with some of the kids ended with dinner at Bev & Tims.

Saturday started with the weekly walk with the girls, followed by a long afternoon of tidying up the clutter in the barn that mysteriously grew over the summer. We were accompanied by the constant drone of the television all afternoon, the broadcast of the Wilfrid Laurier/Queens football game. Unfortunately, WLU lost! OUCH! ! Despite the loss, we had a wonderful time that evening  celebrating the 100th anniversary of Wilfrid Laurier University at Ahead by a Century, a really great party filled with loads of delicious food and music.

The next day, we were invited to lunch at Wilf and Cathy Jenkins, where we enjoyed a terrific meal and some great conversation, once again being relieved of the need to cook.  We had no plans to make dinner that night! However, walking home, full and happy, those feelings of cooking withdrawal started to develop .Some may understand this craving, some may not. 

Regardless, with nothing planned, I was lacking inspiration, so called up Bev to see what she had in the works.  She had  invited Jane and the Whitfields for dinner and graciously shared her ideas(and recipes, and pictures!!) with me. Her menu: Pork tenderloin (tim’s creation), Brussels sprouts (steamed then sautéed briefly in oil and garlic), broccolini (just plain old steamed with a squeeze of lemon at the end) and roasted sweet potatoes.

Feeling less ambitious, I decided to do a pork tenderloin too, but  opted for a super simple dinner of souvlaki with tzatziki and greek salad.

 

Thanks Bev!  And Andrea, I look forward to your return and getting back on track!

Tim’s pork tenderloin

For the rub:

·         Fresh herbs (Tim used sage and thyme)

·         Garlic

·         Olive oil

For the glaze:

·         Juice of one orange

·         ½ cup maple syrup

·         Cook glaze on stovetop to reduce to about half. Add a smidge of butter and red chilli flakes.

Rub tenderloin with fresh herbs, chopped garlic and olive oil 30 minutes before grilling. Preheat barbecue on HIGH. Brush the grids with vegetable oil. Place tenderloin on grids and reduce temperature to MEDIUM-LOW and grill, turning every 5 minutes, for a total of 15 minutes cooking time.   Brush the glaze over near the end of cooking.  Let stand, covered with foil for 5 minutes before slicing.

Roasted sweet potatoes with apples and maple-sage butter

1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, halved and cut into ¾ inch wedges

2 tbs olive oil

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

2 tbsp butter

1 medium large apple (granny smith or a red apple) cored, quartered and cut into 16 wedges

1 tbs chopped fresh sage

1 ½ tsp lemon juice

1 ½ tsp maple syrup

Heat oven or barbecue to 475⁰F. Toss sweet potatoes, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl.   Spread them on a rimmed baking sheet (a single layer). Roast for 10 minutes, turn and continue roasting until tender and browned in spots (about 5 min more).

While the potatoes roast, heat the butter in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat until melted and beginning to brown (1 – 2 minutes).  Add the apples in a single layer and brown on both sides (1 -2 min per side). Add the sage and stir until wilted.  Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and maple syrup. With a spatula, scrape the apples and butter into the bowl used for tossing the potatoes.

When the potatoes are done, add them to the apples and gently combine. Season with salt and pepper. 

*Recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine.

Tzatziki  

! cup plain greek or balkan yoghurt

1 clove garlic, diced

1/2 cucumber, finely chopped

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp lemon juice 

1 tsp mint, chopped

salt & pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Serve with grilled pork tenderloin and greek salad wrapped in a pita bread.

Pepper and Mark share a perfect Sunday evening!

Lexington Barbecue Festival

Happy Birthday Marilyn!

Six siblings and their spouses gathered in North Carolina this weekend to celebrate Marilyn’s significant birthday.  Tim did a great job of organizing golf, transportation, and accommodation so our only job was to have a lot of fun.  While we were there, we watched Tim’s loop of barbecue shows, and a particular one about last year’s Lexington Barbecue Festival piqued our interest.  When we found out that this year’s event was to take place the very next day we changed all plans to make a pilgrimage to that barbecue mecca.  To say that it was an interesting cultural experience doesn’t quite capture it.  

“Barbecue” in the southern US is what smoking is to Canadians.  It means there is a BIG piece of meat cooking low and slow, with a mop and a sauce.  Each region has its own style of barbecue sauce which they proclaim to be the very best.  In the case of Lexington Barbecue, the sauce is thin and vinegary, and the pulled pork is served with “Red Coleslaw” where the salad is tossed with the same sauce.  The meat and cabbage were both very finely chopped, and the sauce was very tasty.....just enough spice to compliment the meat without overwhelming it. 

We went with expectations of seeing the pulled pork cooking over the fire, but in fact the 5 participating restaurants agreed on a recipe, prepared the meat in advance, and shipped it out to 3 different locations around the festival where volunteers assembled the sandwiches.  The only cooking we witnessed was deep-frying.  The 100,000 visitors to the town of 20,000 were wandering the streets nibbling on deep fried turkey legs, deep fried pie, deep fried chocolate bars, deepfried-chocolate-covered bacon and even deep fried butter.....REALLY!  

Lexington Barbecue Dipping Sauce

---

• 3/4 cup distilled white or cider vinegar
  
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes; crushed 
• salt and pepper; to taste
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup water

• Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let stand until cool. Spoon sauce over barbecued meats or poultry.
• Let it simmer slowly, it will keep refrigerated for a while but is best when served warm over your favourite meat.

See y'all next year!