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Cheese Puffs
½ cup water
3.5 tbsp. butter
½ tbsp. salt
Pinch sugar
2/3 cup all purpose flour
2 pc. large eggs
2/3 cup Rustico cheese from the Cheesiry
Pinch freshly ground white pepper

Filling
1 cups Smokey Valley Goat Cheese chevre
¼ cup cream cheese
2 tbsp. fresh chives
S&P to taste

• Preheat the oven to 450F
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
• In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter, salt and sugar, and bring to a boil
• Add all of the flour, reduce to medium heat, and stir with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes, or until the mixture forms a ball and the excess moisture evaporates
• Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a Kitchenaid fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat on medium heat for a moment to allow the mixture to cool slightly
• Add the eggs, one at a time, and allow to mix until completely combined and the batter has a smooth and silky texture
• Once the desired texture is reached, check to see if the consistency is correct, the batter should for a peak with a tip that falls over, if it is too stiff, beat in the white of another egg to reach the desired consistency
• Now add the Rustico cheese, season with salt and white pepper, and stir to combine
• Place a star tip in a pastry bag, and fill the bag with the batter
• Pap the batter into 1 tbsp. sized mounds on the parchment lined baking sheet, leaving 2 inch spaced in between each one
• Place in the oven and bake for 7-8 minutes, or until the puff and hold their shape
• Reduce the heat to 350F and bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes, when baked they should be a light golden brown colour, when sliced open, they should be hollow, cooked through, but moist
• Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes
• For the filling, in the Kitchenaid, paddle together the remaining ingredients
• Place in a piping bag with a star tip
• Slice the gougeres open horizontally
• Pipe a tbsp. of goat cheese mixture inside, and place top back on
• Serve quickly, while nice and fresh!

Special tools
Kitchenaid or similar mixer
Perforated pan or spaetzle maker
Kitchen spider

Special ingredients
Spelt – Head to the Old Stratchona Farmer’s Market and track down Gold Forest Grains!
Stone Ground Mustard

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

1½ cups spelt
½ cup flour
4 pc. eggs
¾ cup homogenized milk
¾ cup soda water
3 tbsp. stone ground mustard
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. salt

For cooking

3 tbsp. cooking oil, or clarified butter

• Place a deep pot of water on the stove, salt well, bring to a boil
• In the bowl of the Kitchenaid, combine flour, milk, soda water, and remaining dry ingredients
• Begin to mix on low, using the paddle attachment, as flour combines, slowly add the eggs one at a time
• Once the eggs are combined, scrape the side of the bowl down, then increase the speed to high and mix 3-4 minutes
• Place your perforated pan or spaetzle maker over the pot of boiling water
• Pour a cup of the spaetzle onto the pan, and using a dough scraper or firm spatula, work the dough through the holes, pushing it back and forth
• Set the pan aside, then using the spider, stir the spaetzle around until cooked to avoid sticking, 2-3 minutes
• Remove from heat, drain excess water, lay flat on parchment lined baking sheet to cool
• Repeat these steps until all of the spaetzle is blanched (4-5 rounds)
• Once cooled, very lightly oil the spaetzle to prevent from sticking, much like you would pasta
• When ready to serve, place a medium pan on medium high heat

** spaetzle can have a tendency to stick to the pan if you are not shaking constantly, if you are uncomfortable I recommend using a non-stick pan**

• Once pan is hot, place 1 tbsp. of cooking oil or clarified butter in pan, quickly followed by 2 cups of spaetzle
• Saute for 3-4 minutes, moving the pan back and forth constantly, allowing the spaetzle to brown lightly, season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of fresh ground nutmeg

Serve this side dish with veal medallions in a mushroom cream sauce, or game meats with hunter sauce, or any of your classic favourite veloute type dishes. Soooooo good! Brings me back to my days in Switzerland!

Feeds: 6-8
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 45 minutes
Preheat the oven to 350F

Beef layer

1 lb. lean ground beef (try to use sirloin, or chuck if you can!)
4 tbsp. canola oil
2 cups mixed mushrooms (I used buttons, shiitakes, and oysters, but pick your favourites)
½ cup minced onions
¼ cup minced carrots
¼ cup minced celery
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. fresh chopped rosemary
1 tsp. fresh chopped thyme
½ cup red wine
1 cup beef stock
S&P

• In a pan, add 2 tbsp. oil, and ground beef, saute until cooked through, drain off all excess fat, set aside beef
• In the same pan, now add remaining 2 tbsp. oil, saute mushrooms, onions, carrots, celery, and garlic
• Return ground beef to the pan, then deglaze with red wine, followed with beef stock, allow to reduce, adding the herbs and seasoning
• Place in the bottom of the baking pan in a flat layer

Truffled Cream Corn layer
3 cups corn (fresh or frozen, if necessary)
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. minced shallots
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. fresh thyme
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. truffle oil
S&P

• In another pan, melt butter, then saute shallots and garlic until transluscent
• Immediately add the corn and lightly saute, 2-3 minutes
• Add heavy cream and allow to reduce until creamy
• Finish with fresh thyme, truffle oil, and seasoning
• Place in the baking pan, in a flat layer on top of the beef

Parmesan Mashed Potatoes layer
*HINT* start your potatoes prior to sautéing your beef!

1.5 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 oz. raw butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup parmesan
1 tsp. nutmeg
S&P
Paprika, for sprinkling

• In a pot, place the potatoes, cover with cold water, bring to a simmer, seasoning well with salt, and cook through, as you would for mashed potatoes
• Drain the water, and return the potatoes to the pot
• Add the remaining ingredients and mash vigorously until smooth
• You may need to add additional cream or butter depending on your personal liking
• Spread the potatoes carefully over the top of the corn
• Top the potatoes with a light dusting of paprika

Place the Shepherd’s Pie in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, until it is heated through and the top is golden brown. Hope you enjoy this fun take on an everyday comfort food!

Makes: 5-6 sandwiches
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours

For the Pork Belly

¼ pc. skinless Irvings Farm Fresh pork belly (about 2 lbs.)
2 lt. chicken or pork stock

• Preheat the oven to 300F
• In a pot, heat stock until boiling
• Liberally season the belly on both sides with salt and pepper
• Place a large fry pan on medium heat, sear off the meat on both sides until dark brown
• Place belly in a roasting pan, fat side down, and pour hot stock over ¾ of the belly
• Braise for 3 hours, turning once half way
• Allow the belly to cool to room temperature, then place on a baking sheet, and press down on it with a heavy weight, and refrigerate. This will release more fat and allow for easier slicing

Pickled Daikon & Carrot

2 pc. large carrots
1 pc. daikon, small
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
3 tbsp. sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup warm water
1 tsp. crushed chillies

• Using a knife or a mandolin, cut the vegetables into matchsticks
• Place in bowl and sprinkle with 1 tsp. each salt and sugar
• Massage into the vegetables to extract water and soften
• Rinse thoroughly with tap water and drain
• Place in container with white vinegar, warm water, rest of sugar and chillies
• Let sit for at least one hour, but it can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks

Ingredients for Assembly

Thinly sliced pork belly
Pickled Daikon and Carrots
Cilantro
Ciabatta buns

Chili mayo (this is a carefully guarded secret that Drift wouldn’t share, try a little siraccha in your mayo, not exactly it, but it should do the trick!)

Hoisin glaze (again, the guys wouldn’t share, but you should be able to find a hoisin sauce in the Asian section of your grocery store, should substitute okay!)

• Warm ciabatta
• Toss 4-5 slices hoisin glaze, place on bottom bun
• Then top with handful of pickled vegetables
• Then place 4-5 cilantro leaves on top
• Finish it off with a generous spread of chili mayo on the top bun
• Enjoy!

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
1 lb. beef tenderloin (whole piece, chain, silver skin removed)
½ oz. fresh rosemary, chopped
4 tbsp. fresh cracked black peppercorns
1 oz. shaved parmesan
16 pc. baguette, foccacia, rye, or your favourite bread, toasted for crostinis

Forest Mushroom Salad
4 pc. oyster mushrooms, stem removed
4 pc. button mushrooms
4 pc. shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
1 tbsp. minced shallots
1 tsp. minced garlic
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. white truffle oil

• Combine the rosemary and pepper on a plate
• Roll the tenderloin in the rosemary mixture to coat the outside of the beef evenly, season with salt
• Place a medium pan on high heat, once very hot, drizzle 1 tbsp. olive oil in pan, and place tenderloin in, on the long round side, not the flat ends
• Continue to roll the tenderloin around, searing the outside evenly and quickly, the intention is to sear the outside, while keeping the centre very rare, so this is a very quick process
• Remove from pan, place on clean plate, and place in fridge to cool quickly
• Meanwhile, slice the mushrooms carefully, keeping the slices intact
• Heat another pan to medium-high heat, add olive oil, minced garlic, and shallots, followed quickly by mushrooms
• Sauté quickly and gently, keeping the integrity of the mushrooms
• Deglaze quickly with white balsamic and truffle oil
• Remove from heat, season, and cool quickly in the fridge
• Time to put the dish together! Place 4 large squares of saran wrap, slightly larger than the size of the plate you wish to serve the beef on, separately on the counter
• Using a very sharp knife, slice the tenderloin as thinly as you can and lay the slices spread out on the saran wrap pieces, each portion should be about 4 oz.
• Now place another piece of saran wrap on the top of the beef
• Using the flat side of a meat tenderizer, a flat frying pan, the side of a large chef’s knife, if necessary, and gently pound the beef flat
• Remove the top piece of saran wrap, and carefully place the plate you are going to present it on upside down
• Fold the saran wrap over the edges of the plate, pick it up and flip it over, the beef should by spread out throughout your plate, thinly and evenly
• Season the beef further with S&P, drizzle lightly with olive oil, shave fresh parmesan over, place 2-3 generous tablespoons of the mushroom salad on each plate, and garnish with your crostinis, serve immediately

Makes 8 desserts
Prep time: 20 minutes
Time to set: 1-2 hours

Panna cotta is custard that is commonly served in Italian cooking, and relies on gelatine to set it up, rather than egg yolks, corn starch, or even flour, like most common custards, thus making it quite light and delicate. Once this basic recipe is mastered it is great to experiment with imparting different flavours and textures into the custard. All you have to keep in mind is what effect it will have on the gelatine. For example, 16 leaves of gelatine will successfully set 1 litre of liquid, but if you increase the quantity of liquid, it won’t set as firm, so you may need to reduce the milk if you were to add flavoured syrup. If you add anything with citrus fruit you have to keep in mind that it will break down the gelatine without the addition of some pectin. Enjoy experimenting!

16 leaves gelatine (found in the baking aisle at the grocery store, use the sheets, not the powder)
6 cups heavy cream
2 cups milk
2 tbsp. vanilla bean paste
½ cup honey (you can substitute sugar or other sweeteners, but I like the flavour honey brings)

• Place the leaves of gelatine in a bowl of cold water to soften, 3-5 minutes, this is called blooming
• In a medium pot, bring cream, milk, vanilla bean paste, and honey to a simmer, do not boil
• Carefully remove the gelatine leaves from the cold water, squeezing out the water
• Place the gelatine in the cream mixture and stir in with a whisk, ensuring all of the gelatine is dissolved
• Distribute the cream mixture evenly throughout 8 containers of even size, you can use tea cups, ramekins, even disposable cups, or you can place the entire mixture into one container, if you intend on doing that, I recommend lining it carefully with saran wrap to allow for it to be removed easily
• If you wish, add some berries into each cup
• Place in the fridge and allow the gelatine to do its job and set, this will take 1-2 hours, depending on how quickly your custard cools down
• Once ready, take a small knife and slide in around the inside of the cup, then tip it upside down and slide it onto a plate, it should come right out fairly easily, holding it’s form
• Serve with some berry compote, even a dollop of jam is nice, and some wafers or short bread cookies

½ cup white vinegar
2 tbsp. minced shallots
2 pc. egg yolks
½ cup maple syrup (you can track this down at Mick’s Maple Syrup at the Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market)
1 cup canola oil
S+P

• In a mixing bowl or Kitchenaid, combine the white vinegar, minced shallots, egg yolks, and maple syrup
• Whisk together until combined
• Now, you need to create an emulsion, so there are two options here:
• Option #1, using the Kitchen aid with the whisk on high, very slowly add the oil in a very thin stream
• Option #2, with the help of a friend or family member, whisk the ingredients vigorously, while your assistant slowly incorporates the oil in a thin stream
• If you have done this successfully, you will have created a creamy rich dressing, if not, you have created an oily mess, but I have faith in you, you can do it!

To make one of the tastiest spinach salads ever, combine two cups of baby spinach, a handful of croutons, some dried cranberries, and a handful of granola. Drizzle some of the tasty vinaigrette and enjoy!

Who’s hungry?

Specialty Items
1 kg. Pork belly, skin removed
2 tbsp. curing salt #1
I recommend picking these items up at Acme Meat Market, located at 9531-76 ave. (780) 433-1812, but most butcher shops should carry this

From the Pantry
3 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tbsp. sugar

4 tbsp. black mustard seeds
3 tbsp. coriander
3 tbsp. five peppercorn blend

This is a basic recipe for a 1 kg. piece of pork belly. You may have to increase or decrease the recipe based on the size of belly you purchase, don’t worry, this recipe isn’t an exact science

• Combine curing salt, kosher salt, and sugar
• Lightly rub the salt mixture into the pork belly, being sure to coat ALL SIDES evenly, but not too densely
• Place on a baking sheet or plate and place in the fridge, uncovered, this will need to be in the fridge for four days, turning the meat over occasionally, and draining away any excess juices. The idea is to dry out the meat and allow the salts to remove the moisture and cure it, it will discolor slightly, but don’t be too concerned
• Once the four days are up, rinse the pork belly under cold water to remove any excess salt, you want it salted, but not too salty! Pat dry
• At this point, if you have a smoker, this is a great opportunity to impart some more flavour by cold smoking the pork belly. I recommend an applewood chip for the best flavour. If you don’t have a smoker, don’t sweat it, you can still make tasty pastrami!
• Prepare a bath to steam the pork belly in. You need to create a double boiler of some sorts, where the water is below, with an area up top to place the meat. You could even use a vegetable steamer, but don’t tell your wife that you want to use her vegetable steamer to make pastrami, they don’t seem to like that!
• Once the steamer is steaming, combine the remaining spices and work it into the top half of the pork belly
• Place in the steamer, spices facing up, and allow to cook until cooked through, 30-45 minutes, depending on how efficient your steamer set up is.
• Once cooked, hand slice it real thin and serve it with some hot mustard on rye bread, or allow it to cool and slice super thin like cold cuts. Enjoy the fruits of your labour!

Perogie Filling

1 lb. lean ground beef, cooked, and drained of fat
2 cups mashed potatoes, seasoned, buttered and creamed
6 slices bacon, julienned
½ cup minced shallots
1 tbsp. salt
2 cups cheddar

1. Prepare the ground beef and the potatoes, I prefer to cook the potatoes for the filling and the dough together, then separating the quantities when it comes time to mash them. You want to season and cream the potatoes for the filling because you want the flavour, whereas for the dough, you are more interested in the starch, water content and texture of the potatoes when added to the dough.
2. Sauté the sliced bacon in a frying pan, adding the shallots near the end, just to soften them without browning, set aside and preserve the fat
3. Now combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands until evenly distributed

Now that your filling is ready, you can prepare your dough

Perogie Dough

4 cups flour
1 cup homogenized milk
1 cup potatoes, plain, cooked, mashed
1 tsp. salt
1 pc. egg
¼ cup milk

1. In a KitchenAid, combine the four ingredients and mix until evenly combined
2. Place the dough on a flour dusted counter and begin to roll out to 1/8 in. thick
3. Using a round cookie or pastry cutter, cut the dough into round portions
4. Now whisk to combine the egg and milk to prepare an egg wash
5. Place a generous tablespoon of the filling in the centre of the dough rounds
6. Brush the dough edges with the egg wash, and fold the dough over, pinching the two folds together, using your fingers or a fork, if you prefer
7. At this point, you can cook these right away, or can freeze them on a tray, or drop them right in a pot of boiling water when you are ready to enjoy them

I prefer to boil mine for 3-4 minutes, and then I finish mine in a frying pan with some clarified butter until they caramelize, and then finish them with some caramelized onions, and some more bacon and sour cream!

[TO DO: ADD TABLE HERE FROM 20 Allergies.docx]

3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup semolina
5 pc. egg yolks
1 pc. egg
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup water
1 pinch salt

Combine the flour, semolina and salt in a bowl, and mix until evenly blended

Now place the flour mixture on the counter in a pile and make a well in the centre

Place the egg, egg yolks, water and olive oil in the well

Using a fork, slowly stir the egg mixture in the well, incorporating more and more flour as you go, being careful not to break the well and having the liquid spill everywhere
Once the majority of the liquid is soaked up it’s time to get your hands dirty and start kneading the dough together

If you would rather use the KitchenAid the directions are a little simpler, combine the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl, using the dough arm (the one that looks like a hook!) stir the ingredients, then add the wet ingredients and blend until the mixture forms a loose ball.

At this point, to need to knead and work the dough with your hands to develop the gluten in the flour, otherwise your pasta will be flabby and soft when you cook it. There’s no real secret to kneading, just keep bashing it, pushing it, pulling it etc. It will be hard work and you may even break a sweat doing it, but it will be well worth it. Your dough is ready when it starts to feel smooth and silky, rather than rough and floury

Place it in a bowl and seal it with saran wrap, ensuring that it is completely sealed so that it doesn’t dry out. Place it in the fridge for at least 20 minutes

Take the time to prepare this before your better half gets home, clean up the mess, freshen up, decant the wine, light some candles, then finish things off once she arrives. After all, you’re doing all this work, you want to make sure she sees the effort you put into it, right?

It’s time to pull it all together. If you have a pasta machine, you’re laughing, if not, it’s not a big deal. Using the machine, starting on the widest setting (usually #1), slice off a small wedge of the dough, and press it into a fairly flat rectangular shape, then roll it through the machine, fold in half, roll it through again, fold and roll three to four times, to work the dough, then you’re ready to actually roll the pasta. Roll the dough through on the first setting, then click it smaller and roll it through again, until you reach the smallest setting. Lightly dust the pasta with flour every time you roll it through. If you are doing this with the rolling pin, the same rules apply; break off a small piece, rather than trying to use the whole thing at once. Roll it out as thin as you can, flouring as you go.

ow it’s time to finish the job. Use the cutting attachment to cut the pasta to your liking. I recommend cutting it into something simple, like fettuccine or linguini the first time you make it. If you aren’t using the machine, fold the sheets in three or four and slice it to your desired thickness with a sharp knife. Once you get comfortable making pasta dough, the possibilities are almost endless, ravioli, cannelloni, lasagne, and so on. Maybe you can even prepare a fresh roasted beet and goat cheese stuffed ravioli like I did! All it takes is a little practice, and some creativity.

When cooking the fresh pasta, ensure your water is boiling and well salted. Cooking the pasta for 2-3 minutes, strain and lightly toss with butter or olive oil. Toss with your wife’s favourite pasta sauce and serve with some fresh shaved parmesan. You do know what her favourite pasta sauce is right? Geez, do I have to do everything for you? Maybe you deserve to be in the doghouse!