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. 

Mexican Flavours

Charlie had one last spin on the waking board before heading back to the UK

 

Summer is a great time for all kinds of reunions with friends and family.  Samantha organized a fun weekend with 3 pals from her high school days while Charlie and Teddy were also visiting.  We celebrated by asking SummerWater Sports to come for a day to teach wakeboarding and waterskiing to an eager group on our dock.  SWS is renowned in Muskoka for waterski shows at Cleveland’s House and Bala, and they also give clinics throughout the area.  The instructors, Nikki and Craig, were excellent, and we were all impressed when Sam’s friend Lexi got up on her very first try!

Sarah, Lexi, Sam and Sophie

The sunny weather we’ve been having brought Mexican food to mind, and we put together a spicy menu inspired by Chicago’s Rick Bayless.  All the recipes are simple and flavourful, and between the advanced preparation of a few sauces and the hands-off method of rotisserie chicken,  our day was freed up for lots of fun. 

And of course Charlie kicked off cocktail hour by mixing up a batch of his famous Pimm’s. 

 

Smoked Sweet Potatoes

  

For the marinade:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

3 tablespoons mild smoked paprika

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

½ teaspoon dried oregano leaves

pinch sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup water

3 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges

In a small saucepan, heat the oil on a MEDIUM setting.  Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 60 seconds, then add the remaining marinade ingredients.  Whisk to combine, then simmer on MEDIUM-LOW for about 10 minutes to blend the flavours.  Cool.

Meanwhile, light the coals of the smoker.  Soak 1 cup apple wood chips in warm water.  When the coals are glowing, drain the wood chips and scatter them over the coals.  Do not use a drip pan as you want a dry heat to cook these sweet potatoes. 

Brush the sweet potato wedges with the marinade, and lay them on the smoker.  Cook, turning occasionally, for about 45 minutes, or until tender.  Serve with the Avocado Dip to cool the spices.

Avocado Dip

This dip can also be thinned to the consistency of a salad dressing by adding 3 tablespoons of cold water while whirring in the blender.

½ cup vegetable oil

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 garlic clove, peeled and halved

½ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

½ ripe avocado, pitted and flesh scooped from the skin

½ cup roughly chopped cilantro

Salt

Combine the oil, lime juice, garlic, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, avocado, cilantro and ¾ teaspoon salt in a blender jar.  Process until smooth.  Taste and season with more salt if needed. 

Rotisserie Chicken with Mexican Flavours

For the marinade:

1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

1 tablespoon mild smoked paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

pinch ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

¼ cup orange juice

1 5-pound chicken

Place the chicken in a shallow glass dish.  Combine all marinade ingredients and pour it over and inside the chicken. Allow to marinate at least 2 hours or as long as overnight, turning it occasionally. 

Light the rear rotisserie burner on your barbecue, and place a drip pan on the grids.  Meanwhile, truss the chicken by first twisting the wings behind the bird, and then tying it securely with butcher twine to prevent movement while turning.

Thread the chicken onto the spit rod, securing it at both ends with the spit forks.  Adjust the spit balance so that the chicken can turn evenly when the rotisserie motor is turning.  Place the chicken on the barbecue, set the temperature to about 350° and find something fun to do while your dinner is self basting and cooking to perfection.  Aim for about 30 minutes of cooking per pound, but always use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.  Allow to rest 20 minutes before carving.

Serve with Tomatillo Salsa

Tomatillo Salsa

4 medium tomatillos, husked, rinsed and halved

2 poblano peppers, halved and seeded

2 large garlic cloves, peeled

1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and roughly chopped

1/3 cup loosely packed cilantro

¼ cup water

1 shallot, minced

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Set a large nonstick skillet over MEDIUM-HIGH.  Lay the garlic, poblano peppers and tomatillos, cut side down, in the heated skillet.  When browned, turn everything to the other side and cook until tender.  Scrape the tomatillos, poblanos and garlic into a blender and cool for about 3 minutes.  Add the jalapeno pepper, cilantro and water.  Blend, adding more water if necessary for the desired consistency.  Season with salt, to taste.