The Wellington...

So, some of you may have noticed my Facebook status update over the holidays proclaiming that a beef Wellington was in the oven. There are no photos of the said Wellington to share. It did end up tasting pretty good (though a tad over done by my standards), presentation was attrocious however and after a very painful and late meal I decided not to document it. Let's just say that there is a very clear reason that beef Wellington is only served at fancy restaurants and nobody makes it at home. My first attempt at the pastry failed and I had to haul in the big guns (aka Mom) to help me try and salvage it. We ended up throwing the whole mess out and starting again with a tried and true pie crust. The tenderloin itself was challenging to wrap and when I took it out of the oven 40 minutes later it had burst through the pastry on one end. Special thanks to Jon for his help with the portabello paste that was wrapped inside the pastry on top of the meat. That part was really yummy.

Here is Gordon Ramsay showing just how "easy" Wellington can be....

Christmas lobster

Dad went out on a special mission to find fresh Bay of Fundy lobster for our Christmas lobster feast on December 28. He brought 12 of these bad boys home and boy were they delicious!

Rod decided he would up the gourmet ante and serve our lobster with clarified butter. Clarified butter (or drawn butter) is butter with the milk solids removed. Check out wikipedia for more details, it's pretty neat.

Another amazing brunch at the Green's

Menu:
Baked beans with with brown sugar, chopped apple and barbecue sauce
Honey garlic sausages
Potato and egg fritatta
and of course - pain de cannelle!

Mom's famous pain de cannelle (cinnamon buns)

Mom - can you post your recipe as a comment? So good...

Scott making ninjabread men (gingerbread cookies)

Turkey time!

I ordered up a fresh, free-range, organic turkey and Dad delivered. 

This 21 pounder came from the Saint John Market and it was a beauty!

December 24 - Let the seafood extravaganza begin!!

Rod's Christmas Cranberry Pudding

Pudding
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/3 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup cranberries

Sauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup cream
1/2 cup butter
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla

In a small bowl measure molasses, boiling water and baking soda and mix well. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder and cranberries. Add molasses mixture, mix well and pour into a greased mould. Cover with foil, set in a large pot or Dutch oven and add water halfway up mould. Cover pot and simmer on low for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Check water level periodically. Reheat (steam or microwave before serving). For the sauce, cool all ingredients over medium heat until boiling. Set aside to cool. Serve warm pudding with warm sauce drizzled over.

Acadian meat pies (Pâté Acadien)

Rod friendly olive tapenade (aka no anchovies)

1 cup black olives, pitted
2 T fresh parsley
1 t fresh thyme
1 piece of artichoke from Italian artichoke medley
5 green olives from Italian artichoke medley (pitted)
3 pieces of red pepper from Italian artichoke medley
2 T seasoned olive oil from Italian artichoke medley
2 T olive oil
juice from half a lime

Place all ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until well chopped. Serve with crackers.

Three-cheese lasagna

This is my take on a Henderson family recipe from a cookbook that Rod’s mom still has (Anne Lindsay’s Smart Cooking). I've made it my own by upping the fresh herbs and garlic and it’s now a favourite at our house. I’ve tried to change it with ground bison or spinach and every time I just wished I stuck to the recipe. Now I just make it as is for fantastic vegetarian three-cheese lasagna.

Three-cheese lasagna (Natalie style)

Makes one 13x9 inch pan of lasagna

2 big cans crushed tomatoes

2 cans no salt added tomato sauce

2 onions finely chopped (don't be afraid to SlapChop it baby!)

4 tsp puréed garlic

2 T chopped fresh parsley

3 T sugar

2 T chopped fresh basil

2 T chopped fresh thyme

1 T salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 boxes of Catelli Express lasagna noodles

1 ½ cups of powder parmesan cheese

3 cups cottage cheese

2 eggs

2 T freshly chopped oregano

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

In a big pot, combine crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, onions, garlic, parsley, sugar, basil, thyme, ½ T salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes or until mixture has spaghetti sauce consistency.

Reserve ½ cup of the parmesan cheese for topping. In a big bowl, combine remaining parmesan cheese, cottage cheese, egg, oregano, ½ T salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and set aside.

Reserve ½ cup of simmering tomato sauce for topping. In a 13x9 inch baking dish, spoon just enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Top with a layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with sauce (just over ½ cup, remember, express noodles need moisture to cook so they need to be covered in sauce.) Cover the noodles with 1/3 of the cottage cheese mixture, then 1/3 of the shredded mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers starting with sauce, then noodles, then cottage cheese, then mozza…sauce, noodles, cottage cheese, mozza. Finish the top with reserved sauce and reserved parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered in 350 degree F over for 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove from oven and let stand about 10 minutes before serving.

Parsnip and apple soup recipe

 Parsnip and apple soup recipe

1 Tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil
2 leeks, white part only, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 parsnips, peeled and chopped
3 cups (750 mL) chicken or vegetable stock
2 large thyme sprigs
1 tsp (5 mL) ground turmeric
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground ginger
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground cardamom
3 large ripe apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in large saucepan.
Add leeks and garlic and sauté until soft, not golden. Add parsnips and continue to sauté over medium-low heat until almost soft, about 10 minutes. Add stock, thyme, seasonings, and pears. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.

Remove thyme stems. Remove from heat. Cool mixture before puréeing. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add a little more stock if soup is too thick for your liking.

Cream of broccoli soup

I followed the Gordon Ramsay recipe in the YouTube video below with a couple of changes. 

1. I reserved about a cup of small florettes to add to the soup after for texture

2. I added about a tablespoon of butter and one cup of milk to give a bit more creamy feel.

3. Served with whole wheat buns with cheddar, toasted.

YUM.

 

Pumpkin ginger soup

Baked beans please

Rod requested home made baked beans this weekend and since fall has certainly blown into Calgary I took on the challenge. It literally took all weekend to make baked beans! 12 hours of soaking and 18 hours in the slow cooker later, we had baked beans for breakfast on Sunday morning. Here is the recipe, though I had to add 2 cups of water, more molasses, ketchup, some apple sauce and mustard about 10 hours into the slow cooking....

2 bags of white beans
1 cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1 can crushed pinapple
3 T mustard
1 cup hot water

Rinse beans and pick out bad ones. Boil on stove for 5 minutes. Drain water and then soak overnight. Rinse in the morning and dump in slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Set on low and slow cook for 10 hours. Add additional water, ketchup, molasses, water, mustard. Simmer on low for 8 more hours!

Home made mint sauce!

Last week I harvested that last of the fresh mint from our herb garden and decided to make my own home made mint sauce. It turned out great and Rod, Nancy and I enjoyed it on a fresh leg of lamb roast one Sunday afternoon. Delicious!

1/2 cup finely chopped mint

1 cup malt vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

Simmer and add to taste.

Gattuso makes another appearance!

Rod and I had the wonderful opportunity to dine at our friends Emily and Sander's house on Saturday night. Emily made home made pizzas and I brought a little East Coast specialty - Gattuso!!

The pizzas were awesome and the company was even better :)

Julie & Julia - cooking live lobsters

I watched Julie & Julia last night and was inspired to share some live lobster cooking memories. The  secret to any East Coast seafood extravaganza is freshness. Lobster has to be FRESH! Bay of Fundy lobsters are really good because the water is cold and pretty deep so they have hard shells and good salty meat. We cook our lobster in a big pot out in the garage on a propane burner.

Another secret? Don't steam them with the rubber bands on. It leaves the claw meat tasting like rubber. Yuck! Be brave like my Dad and cut off the claw bands before dropping the lobster in the pot.

Christmas 2008 - Bay of Fundy lobster cooked fresh in Dad's garage

 

May 2008 - Baie de Chaleur lobster caught and cooked by my Mom's uncle in Anse Bleu, NB

Garde Manger, Old Montreal

Where to begin to do this restaurant justice...Perhaps starting at the beginning. We had planned a late dinner at Garde Manger in Old Montreal on the night of Monique's bachelorette party. We had full expectations to leave after our dinner and find a good club on Rue Crescent to dance the night away. Long story short, we left Garde Manger at 3 a.m. and had the best night out in Old Montreal!

You'd never know it to see, but Garde Manger is the restaurant of Chuck Hughes, star of Chuck's Day Off on the Food Network. Chuck wasn't there the night we dined and partied until 3 p.m., but some of his excellent staff were there and we had a fantastic time.

Here is the menu for the night. We had the lobster poutine for start (shared it between two but it would have been better between four since it is so rich). I had the scallops with bacon and potatoes gratin for an entrée and it was amazing! The scallops were cooked perfectly (and I'm REALLY picky and my seafood). Our server, Catherine, was fantastic.

 

There was a very tantilizing seafood tray offered as an appy but half of it was raw so we passed. But here is the pitch for order oysters:

At midnight the restaurant turns into a bar and the music was so great we decided to stay and dance. It was like our own private little dance club. The bartender, Jamie, was fab and loved us and the DJ, Brian, never once let us down. I think Monique texted at least five songs to Frank to add to their wedding reception playlist! (below is Megs giving a shout out to Brian the DJ and then our very cute bartender, Jamie)

Here we are in Chuck's kitchen!

Click here for some history on the term garde manger.

My beef tartare experience

While in Montreal for the LGM 10-year reunion weekend, we had lunch at Thursday's on Rue Crescent. Megs mentioned that her husband JD and his dad dined there quite a bit when they visit Montreal and that JD always gets the beef tartare (also called steak tartare). Well, beef tartare would never be high on my list, especially at a resto that I've never been too. But if JD has repeatedly had it there then I couldn't think of a better place to give it a try. It was actually pretty good. Totally gourmet and I only could eat about two tablespoons, but I am happy I tried it and even happier that I can blog about it ;)

 

PS: No, I didn't get sick. And yes JD, I found a completely random pic of you on the internet and linked to it.

Anti-vino recom

We bought this wine at the Metro (grocery store) in Montreal to bring with us to a BYOV (bring your own vin) restaurant. Don't be fooled by it's acclaimed awards (2001 and 2004). It smelled kind of like old dirty gym socks and didn't taste great.

Gourmet meal for two

The gourmet Friday night dinner experience continues. The main course was grilled balsamic glazed pork loin chops served with home made apple sauce, grated potato cakes, buttered Taber corn on the cob and fresh green beans.

The apple sauce was made by washing an slicing three golden delicious apples, adding them to a pot with 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water and simmering for about half an hour. Then I mashed them with a potato masher, added a bit more sugar to taste and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

The potato cakes were a first so I hooked up my KitchenAid mixer slicer/shredder add-on and pushed some new potatoes through. 

Grated potato cake recipe  
4 potatoes
1 medium onion Slap Chopped to purée
1 egg
1 1/2 tbsp. flour
Salt, pepper, garlic salt
1/8 c. oil

Wash and peel potatoes. Grate with KichenAid grater.  Soak in cold water and rinse starch out thoroughly. Squeeze dry with paper towel and place in deep mixing bowl. Wash and peel onion, dice to purée with Slap Chop, add to bowl. Add egg, flour, salt, pepper and garlic salt mix well. Heat oil in skillet (non-stick worked for me). Drop by large spoonfuls into hot oil. Push down into patty with fork. Fry until golden brown. Turn once.

The pork loin chops were marinated in a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sugar, garlic and ground pepper.

We enjoyed the Peachy Canyon Petite Sirah with our meal. We're visiting Paso Robles in October so are trying some new wines from that region.