The River Cafe cookbooks top my list in this blog post:
My Ten Favorite Cook Books

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A little taste of vacation.

I recently returned form a trip down to southern Florida and decided that after watching many episodes of “Dexter“, that I too, needed to find the perfect Key Lime Pie! After many tastings and many disappointments, I decided to take the task into my own hands and attempt to make my own. Here is the recipe for the Key Lime Pie that worked best for me and that I ended up falling madly in love with.

The Perfect Key Lime Pie

Crust

• 1 1/4 C graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 5 tbsp melted butter

Filling

• 4 egg yolks
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (300ml can)
• 3/4 C Key Lime Juice (about 20 limes)

A trick to getting the most juice out of these little guys is to either roll them for a few seconds until they soften or pop them into the microwave for a few seconds.

In a pre-heated 350 oven, press the crust mixture into a pie pan and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool before adding the filling.

Whisk the eggs and condensed milk together. Add the lime juice and mix until incorporated. Pour into prepared pie shell. I leave you the option to bake or to not bake…difference is that if you choose not to bake it, I find the lime flavour comes out a lot more (you just need to chill for 3-4 hours). Baking it at 350F for 15 minutes cooks off the egg and mellows out the flavour. Your choice!

I chose to bake mine this time around (due to my pregnancy); they came out looking mighty fine.

I like to cool any baked goods on a wire rack; the air circulation helps the items cool down at an even and faster rate. Some people garnish their pie with either meringue or whipped cream and a slice of lime. I, as a purist, prefer plain ‘ol pie.

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Soup Base

• 1 1″ piece of ginger; coarsley chopped
• 1 stalk of lemongrass; coarsley chopped
• stalks from a bunch of coriander
• 6 lime leaves
• 1 lime; juiced
• 1L chicken stock
• 1 tbsp Sambal Olek
• 1/4 cup fish sauce

I sautee the lemongrass and ginger together until fragrant; then I add my coriander stalks and lime leaves. Then I add my lime juice, fish sauce, stock and sambal and let simmer for 10 minutes. Once it has simmered for 10 minutes, I strain the whole lot and put the broth back into the pot.

Making the soup base.

Soup Ingredients

• 1 dozen shrimp (I use 16/20 that are peeled, de-veined and cleaned)
• 1/2 block firm tofu; diced
• 1 tomato; coarsley chopped
• 1/4 pineapple; diced
• 12 button mushrooms; quartered
• 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves

I bring all this to a boil and cook until the shrimp are cooked. I also season with more sambal if needed.

Depending my mood, I also  add rice noodles or rice stick noodles. If I use rice stick, I soak them for 10 minutes in warm water then add to the strained broth and cook with the rest of the ingredients. If I use rice noodles, I just add them and they only take a minute to cook!

Adding the ingredients to the base.

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Most Sundays during the winter, I wake to darkness and cold here in Halifax and all I can think of is what shall we eat today? Not a Sunday goes by in my house where one of my three favorite sauces does not come out to  play.

First, there is the Tamarind chutney; sour and sweet with just a hint of heat. My love affair with tamarind started a few years back when I lived in the British Virgin Islands, and I would shake the tamarind tree in hopes of  delicious pods falling to the ground. The only problem is that I am the type of person who always over does things, and inevitably I would end up eating way too many pods and spending way too much time on the “throne”. Of course this didn’t damper my love affair with tamarind, as the next day I would set out to shake that tree some more and deal with the nasty consequences yet again! These days, my tamarind chutney gets put into a number of Lavallée favorites; curry, stews and  sauces. I also enjoy it as a simple dipping sauce for samosas or bhaji.

Next on my list is the fiery Green Chili Chutney. This little bottle packs a huge punch, so use with caution! This chutney is nothing but pureed green chilies with vinegar, some spices and salt. For all the lovers of heat, this one is for you. I have been known to spoon some into my finished soups when in need of a serious ass whooping, or wanting the baby living in my belly for nine months to finally make it’s way out. I thank the Green Chili Chutney for my fast and speedy delivery with Zoe.

Last, but of course not least, is the mother of the chutney group, Coriander Chutney. The freshness that is found in this bottle is out of this world. Put a dollop on some scrambled eggs or on a bowl of chili, and you will be a happy camper. You can even mix it with the tamarind or green chili to make a nice dipping sauce for poppadoms or just about anything else.

When I am feeling feisty, all three of these sauces make their way into my dinner, and boy does it ever make a difference. Try experimenting with one or all three of these sauces and make up a few recipes to call your own. Here in Halifax, you can find the Shah’s chutneys at “220 Volts” (that is what we call the Indian grocer on Robie Street), but in any large city you can find them at any Indian store.

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1. Saturday Food Round-Up

There are a few things in life that I truly enjoy; one of those things is anything that has to do with pigs, pork and pork products. Every Christmas when the Lavallée clan gathers in Shawville, Quebec, my mother calls upon one of the many farmers in the area to slaughter a pig for us for our numerous pork dishes that we make over the holiday season. Ragout De Pattes De Cochon, Tourtiere, Gigot De Porc and Cretons are just a few of the items that can be found at our table, and this year I tackled the “gigot de porc” for Christmas dinner and it was amazing! Here are the steps that I took to prepare this easy and awesome meal!

This year I had a huge 24lbs leg of pork; just enough to feed us hungry Lavallée’s after a hard day of present opening and wine drinking! I started off by pre-heating the oven to 400F and scoring the skin of the pig with my trusty utility knife (none of the knives in the ‘ville could even come close to cutting through the skin of this beast!). Once the skin was scored, I generously rubbed it with freshly cracked black pepper, dried savoury and lots of coarse sea salt.

Now that the first seasoning was done, it was time to stud this beast. I used one whole head of locally grown garlic; cloves peeled and cut in half lengthwise. I inserted the cloves into small slits that I made throughout its flesh. I also pushed some rosemary sprigs into the slits to add extra flavour.

Before heading into the pre-heated oven I gave our friend another sprinkling of salt and fresh pepper. As you can see in the photo, I use an old Turkish coffee grinder for my pepper. After all of the seasoning was finished it went into the oven for a six hour journey!

Three hours into the pig’s special journey, we checked in on it to see that the skin had started to “crackle” and the meat was running some very flavourful juices. At this point the house smelled amazing and it was becoming increasingly difficult to not stick our hands in the oven to scam a piece of the crispy skin!

Six hours later our “beast” made its official final appearance, and boy oh boy, did he look and smell incredible! I covered the pig with some foil and let it rest for about another half hour, then peeled off some of the crackling skin and carved him up! What a moist, delicious pig we had on our table that evening, and it was only fair to pair him with some red wine braised cabbage, mashed yukon gold potatoes and hot mustard. Hope these instructions inspire you to tackle your own beast!

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Nothing better than a bowl of udon!

About ten years ago, I was invited to my sister-in-laws’ parents house for a traditional Japanese meal. There in the kitchen were several generations of Taira women cooking up a storm! Udon, tempura, gyoza, teriyaki & sushi all being prepared while these women talked and gossiped. It was amazing to see them work together, rhythmically, without any communication about what was going on around them. Peggy had the udon on the go, Toyo was frying up some tempura and Aunt Lil was gossiping about the recent trip to the casino while rolling sushi. I was in culinary heaven! It was then and there that they beckoned me into this kitchen and asked me if I knew what they were doing. My response was vague, telling them that I had eaten and seen most of these things, but had never cooked them myself. Peggy and Toyo simply giggled and Aunt Lil pulled me by the arm and took me over to the stove to explain to me how the udon was made. What an education these three women gave me, and have continued to give me for years after. So, it probably  comes as no big surprise that I keep a secret stash of Japanese ingredients on hand at all times; bonito flakes, kombu, nori, tofu, wakame, edamame - you get the picture.

On a recent Sunday morning, when the thought of bacon and eggs was not even an option, I pulled out my big green Creuset and proceeded to make a big batch of udon for Doug, Zoe and I to enjoy. On this day, I made my dashi broth by cooking the kombu in water with the bonito flakes and some tamari (click here for a simple dashi recipe). While letting it cool, I cooked off my udon noodles and strained the stock. I was lucky enough to have a few fresh scallops leftover in the fridge, as well as some lobster meat – both perfect additions to the soup. I added in some shitake mushrooms, tofu, edamame and spinach and had myself a pretty amazing udon!

The great thing about udon is that you can basically add anything to it and it always tastes great! I suggest that on some blustery day, when you don’t know what to cook, have a go at making your own udon and see what combination works for you!

Click to enlarge.

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Salade Fougères

Back in the good ‘ol days, I used to work at a restaurant in Chelsea, Quebec, called Les Fougères. At Les Fougères, I got the chance to work alongside Charlie & Jennifer Part; the chef-owners of the restaurant. During the few years that I worked there, I learned many, many things, and have consequently thanked them for shaping my cooking style. One of the items that has never left the menu at Les Fougères, is a salad called “Salade Fougères”. This is a simple yet satisfying salad, and the flavours are out of this world! Yes, I know that I’m talking about a salad, but it has everything a girl like me needs; bacon, cheese and some tangy vinaigrette!

Recently, I was dead tired and exhausted when I came home from work (as per usual these days), and was not in any mood to toil over my stove. What would Doug & I have for dinner? He, of course, always suggests salad, and I, of course, always squawk at the very idea! “No! No greens for me!” But on this fateful evening, I had no energy to fight, so I dug deep into our fridge and found some ingredients that would hopefully satisfy my hunger. Okay, no double-smoked bacon for lardons, but I found some pancetta (still a fatty pork product), some curly endive (not mesclun mix, but heartier and more zippy), and a log of goat cheese. Next for the dressing; dijon, red wine vinegar, olive oil and salt & pepper. Ahhh, all necessary ingredients, for my version of this wonderful salad.

I started by crisping the pancetta in the oven (making sure to keep the excess fat to drizzle on top of my finished salad). I then washed and dried the endive and crumbled the goat’s cheese. Finally, I gave the vinaigrette a quick whisk and tossed all of the components together. These simple steps produced a very sexy salad reminiscent of the “Salade Fougères” I so often crave.

If you ever get a chance to make it to beautiful Chelsea, Quebec, I strongly suggest making a stop at Les Fougères for some exquisite cooking, a mind-blowing wine list, and a Salade Fougères!

Click to enlarge.

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My view on sea urchins.

Roll back twenty years to 1989; my first encounter with the prickly sea creature known as sea urchin. I still remember the trepidation I felt as my sister’s boyfriend took it upon himself to order our sushi feed; tuna, salmon, mackerel, eel and uni. Uni? What is this uni? Does this come from the Ottawa Valley? I dare not think so! I still picture the sushi as it came to our table; there it was, an orange hued blob (the only way a fifteen year old could describe it!). The first taste surprised me; salty, slightly sweet and slimy. I also remember thinking that the flavour has a slightly funky aftertaste, one which I cannot describe in this story as I would not want to offend anyone! So, I pretty much gagged on my uni, spit it up and vowed to never, ever try this vile creature again!

Let’s fast track to 2007; I was then somewhat of a grown up (I am sure that some will beg to differ!) and had just been hired as Executive Chef of The Five Fishermen restaurant in Halifax. My new position had me excited and I was pumped about working with local ingredients that I had never worked with before. Enter Nick Budreski, my seafood guru and pal, and his magical box filled with goodies. Oysters, bay scallops and sea urchin? ‘You gotta be kidding me!’ I told him; as sea urchin was still fresh on my palate. He explained to me that these had been harvested only hours earlier, by he and his two brothers, Matt & Mike. ‘Come on’, he said, ‘just crack it open and try it’.  As my staff looked on, I felt the need to be the leader that I was being paid to be. ‘OK.’ I grabbed my knife and a cloth and proceeded to crack open the prickly sucker. Once open, a bright orange roe spilled out of the shell along with many other goodies. The roe is the only edible part of this creature, and I scooped it out with my fingers. Once in my mouth I closed my eyes, swirled it around and got those old familiar tastes; salty, sweet, and yummy? That is right! What had I been missing all these years? This was awesome! I stuck my greedy fingers in for more and encountered more nirvana. As I continued to discover the urchin, I also tasted a familiar taste; rosewater. Rosewater you ask? Yup! I was now totally hooked. ‘Budreski!’ I shouted, ‘I need more of these spiny suckers ASAP!’ Needless to say, these bad boys have made their way onto my menus on many occasions over the years.

This past week I got thirty or so urchins for a tasting menu, which gave my staff a chance to learn about these lil’ guys. When handling these urchins remember to use a cloth as their spikes can get into your hands and cause major pain!  You can crack them open with a sharp knife on the top (the side without the beak). As I mentioned before, the roe is the only edible part, and any other “stuff” is not to be ingested. I would say that 99% of the time, sea urchin is served raw, and to me, that is the best way! I have served the roe on oysters, on top of a chowder & all by itself on a crostini.

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Zoe turns 1!

It is hard for me to believe that I gave birth to “Little Ham” a year ago. So, for Zoe’s first birthday, I had visions of her, a cake and a horrible mess!  My baking skills these days are so-so, and seeing as this was her first birthday ever, I wanted something special; a very girly-girl cake with tons of rich icing. While sitting at my desk, pondering my options, I remembered all those delicious cupcakes from Suzie’s Shortbreads that I had eaten during my pregnancy and decided to give them a call to see if they could muster up a very special cake for me. No problem, it would be ready the next day! Yay for Zoe; I only hoped that she would enjoy it.

Now, where would this messy occasion take place? My dining room? Not likely! Where could I go where everyone knew me, Zoe & Doug and not hate us forever for a mess? Well, the natural choice was my second home, The Five Fishermen of course!  It was a great evening, being surrounded by my second family and enjoying some of my new stimulus menu, while not having to worry about scraping ooey-gooey chocolate icing off the floor. Doug had the Big Eye Tuna on a quinoa & Terra Beata cranberry salad, while I had the grilled Tatamagouche lamb leg with celery root & beets. Full of food, and all of us covered in chocolate, I could not have imagined celebrating the Little Ham’s birthday in any other place or in any other way.

Click for the full set.

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Gooey Maple Goodness

My mother, bless her big ol’ heart, has a thing about sweets. This lady has been known to sit down in one sitting and eat a whole sugar pie; bit by glorious bit, or even spend an evening dipping some Pontiac Home Bakery bread in a vat of maple syrup (my parents buy it by the gallon!).  So, it is of no surprise that my momma makes “Pudding Chomeur”. For those of you who are not familiar with this sickly sweet concoction, it is named “Welfare Pudding” (literal translation) due to the fact that back in the day when money was tight, momma’s and grandma’s used to whip up this dessert as maple syrup was cheaper and more plentiful than sugar. Of course, the recipe has changed over the years, and has been adapted, but it still super duper! I have been known to use my momma’s recipe on quite a few occasions, and have decided to put it on my new Harvest Stimulus Menu at the Five Fishermen. This dessert is always a big hit, and we are serving it with Dafydd’s Buttermilk Ice Cream….yum! Whenever I am feeling down and out, or need a bowl of comfort, I usually whip up a batch, and I hope that you do too.

Pudding Chomeur A La Lavallée

For the liquid:

• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup Maple Syrup
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp flour

Mix all the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Pour into a deep cake pan or pudding pan.

Cake:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup milk
• pinch of salt
• splash of vanilla

Cream the butter and sugar together; add the eggs one at a time. Add flour and baking soda, then milk, vanilla and salt. Pour batter over the liquid and bake in a 375F oven for 30-40 minutes.

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