Beef Tenderloin

Kris and Andrea were away for the weekend and it was up to the Guest Editor to keep the home fires burning. Over the weekend Reid touched down briefly on his way home from school and on his way to his summer job. We were inspired to host a “coming home and away again” party in his honour.

  We started with beef tenderloin trimmed by one of our favourite butchers, Rob Brady, from Brady’s Meat and Deli. Tim did a riff on Ted’s “20/20/20” method. First he seasoned it with a zesty salt mixture called “four seasons blend” from Adam Perry Lang’s book, “Charred and Scruffed”. Then, on to the grill on the large side of the BBQ (we have a Broil King XL that is a big BBQ split into two independent parts: a small side and a larger size) for 20 minutes to sear the outside. Off the grill and (this is the riff part) onto the small side to sit for 20 minutes on a grill that is NOT turned on. Back to the big side for the final 20 minutes. Then rest for a final 20 minutes.

We served the beef with my world famous (and super simple, super tasty) Charmoula sauce. Fat and sweet spears of asparagus came to us from Washington via Vincenzos. Seeing asparagus that is “practically local” is a sure sign that, despite the cold and wet, spring is making a steady march northward and will soon cross the border into Canada. We can hardly wait.

The spicy Moroccan orange salad is a recipe from our favourite collection of books from the owners and chefs at Ottolenghi. Like many of their recipes, this one from their book, “Plenty” is easy to prepare and can be made ahead.  It has oodles of flavor and is quite spicy. We did not serve the carrots with yogurt and likely that dollop of yogurt on top would cool the spice perfectly. Don’t leave out the preserved lemons because they add a delightful freshness to the dish. I found them at Vincenzos but the internet is filled with recipes for preserved lemons and even a quick preserving method.

Mashed potatoes need no explanation and are always easy and delicious. What made these mashed potatoes especially thrilling (yes thrilling) was the addition of butter-flavoured olive oil. One of our group has a dairy allergy and mashed potatoes with milk and butter have never been on the menu. Recently, at an olive oil tasting bar, Andrea found a bottle of butter-flavoured oil and we have been “buttering” vegetables and popcorn ever since. Adding it to mashed potatoes (with coconut milk instead of cows milk) was sublime.

We topped off the meal with Nora and Lindsay’s (quickly becoming signature) dessert of gluten free dairy free carrot muffins with cream cheese icing. Lindsay has perfected the tiny fondant carrots on the top for a cheerful bit of spring to round out our welcome home and away again dinner.

Recipes:

Charmoula Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

juice of one lime

tablespoon chipotle peppers with adobo sauce

1 tsp cumin

2 cloves of garlic

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

mix everything together. Make it ahead so the flavours combine before serving.

Four Seasons Blend

1 cup kosher salt

2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp garlic salt

1 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine everything in a spice grinder, and blend together. Keeps in an airtight container for up to one month. 

Tip:  To clean the spice grinder afterward, throw in a handful of rice and blend until fine, then wipe with a paper towel.  This will remove the aroma of the spices.

Spicy Moroccan Carrot Salad

Serves 4

2 lbs carrots

1/3 cup olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tsp sugar

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 medium green chiles, finely chopped

1 green onion, finely chopped

1/8 tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp cinnamon

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp chopped preserved lemon

salt

2 ½ cups chopped cilantro leaves

½ cup Greek yogurt

peel the carrots and cut them into ½ inch thick rounds (I cut them on the diagonal). Place in a large saucepan and cover with salted water. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes (the carrots should be tender but still crunchy). Drain in a colander and leave to dry out.

Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the onion for 12 minutes on medium heat until soft and slightly brown. Add the cooked carrots to the onion, followed by all the remaining ingredients, apart from the cilantro and yogurt. Remove from the heat. Season liberally with salt, stir well and leave to cool.

I warmed these very slightly on the stove just before serving. Then add the cilantro and serve with a dollop of yogurt.

Gluten Free Carrot Muffins

This recipe is from “The allergen-free bakers handbook” a book that my friend, Maryann, found on the discount table somewhere.  Despite its less than grand provenance, it is my go-to cookbook for delicious gluten-free dairy-free baking.

 

1 ½ cups GF flour

¼ tsp + 1/8 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

2 eggs

3 tbsp vegan yogurt

½ tsp vanilla extract (we had to borrow JLo’s homemade vanilla from Andrea’s cupboard. Delicious. Thank you JLo!)

1 cup white sugar

¾ cup canola oil

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 ¼ cups finely shredded carrots

1 recipe orange buttercream icing

preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with paper liners

whisk together flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside

combine egg, yogurt, vanilla, sugar, oil and fresh ginger stirring well, about 1 minute. Add the carrots and mix until combined

Add the flour to the carrot mixture.

Fill the muffin liners about ¾ full of batter

Bake in the center of the oven for 24 minutes rotating the pan halfway through.

Orange butter cream icing

1 cup dairy free, soya free shortening

½ cup dairy free cream cheese

3 cups confectioners sugar

¼ cup orange juice

2 tsps orange zest

pinch of salt

in a stand mixer, cream the shortening and cream cheese on medium  about 2 minutes

add the sugar in three batches, mixing after each addition

add the orange juice, zest and salt

beat until light and fluffy. About 5 minutes.