Recipes

Beer Braised Bratwurst Sausages, Cranberry Gravy, Sweet Potato Purée with Fresh Herbs<

By Chef Deniz Tarakcioglu

December 10th, 2020

Ingredients:

• 4 x Bratwurst or favourite fresh sausages
• 2 medium sized yams
• 30mL maple syrup
• 100mL cranberries
• 50mL demi glacé
• 200mL butter
• 200mL dark beer
• 50mL chopped fresh herbs, parsley, green onion etc.
• 30mL grainy mustard
• 1 fennel thinly shaved
• 1 lemon, juiced

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 400F. Roast the yams until caramelized and soft in their own skins. While it is still hot, scoop the meat into a food processor, add 100ml butter, maple syrup, season with salt, fold in mustard and keep warm.
• In a medium sized pan, place the sausages, 100ml butter and most of the beer but 50ml. Turn the heat on to medium and let it come to a boil. Cook uncovered until the beer in evaporated, fat is split and sausages are caramelized on the outside. The internal temperature ideally should be around 140F. Transfer the sausages on a wire rack, keep warm. In the same pan add cranberries, rest of the beer and demi glacé. Cook until the cranberries are soft and burst and the sauce in thick and syrupy.
• Salt the fennel in a bowl and rest 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice.
• On a plate put the yam purée as a base, sit the sausages on top, drizzle 9th sauce and sprinkle herbs. Garnish its fennel salad.

Caramelized Beet Salad with Pomegranate and Goat Cheese Truffles, and Sunflower and Honey Lemon Vinaigrette

By Chef Deniz Tarakcioglu

December 10th, 2020

Ingredients:

• 2 large red beets
• 1/2 pomegranate, seeded
• 200mL fresh goat’s cheese
• 10mL fennel seeds
• 10mL cracked coriander seeds
• 10mL smoked paprika
• 10mL sumac
• 10mL poppy seeds
• 50mL pomegranate molasses
• 3 green onion, sliced
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 20mL honey
• 20mL Well Seasoned olive oil

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 400F. Wrap the beets in aluminium foil and roast until tender when pierced with a knife. Peel, cut into desired size and keep warm.
• Roll the goat’s cheese into 1/2inch balls in radius. Toss them in different spices mentioned above.In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice and zest, honey, olive oil with a pinch of salt.
• In a medium sized pan sauté the beets until nicely caramelized, deglaze its pomegranate molasses and reduce until thick and shiny. Toss the beets in the dressing and transfer on a plate.
• Garnish with truffles, green onions and pomegranate seeds.

Preserved Summer Berry Trifle with Rum and Lady Fingers

By Chef Deniz Tarakcioglu

December 3rd, 2020

Ingredients:

• 300mL mascarpone, room temperature
• 300mL whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks
• 20 lady fingers
• 400mL strong coffee
• 50mL dark rum
• 5mL vanilla extract
• 50mL sugar
• 80mL icing sugar
• 500mL of preserved berries
• 250mL fresh berries
• 1 orange, juice and zest

Instructions:

• In a medium sized pan caramelize the sugar to a golden stage, 300F.
• Deglaze with rum, watch out for the fire and alcohol. Add the berries and bring to a simmer and cook until cohesive but quite chunky.
• Whip the cream with half the icing sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Whip the mascarpone also until it doubles in volume with rest of the icing sugar and orange zest and juice.
• Fold the whipped cream into mascarpone.
• Grab some bowls or glasses. Start with a layer of berry stew, layer of cream, lady fingers, fresh berries. Repeat the layers until you reach the end of the bowl or glass depending on the height.
• Garnish with fresh berries, chill for 3 hours and serve.

Roasted Venison Backstrap with Juniper, Preserved Berry Jus and Wild Mushrooms

By Chef Deniz Tarakcioglu

December 3rd, 2020

Ingredients:

• 2 x 10oz venison backstrap steaks (tenderloin)
• 20mL juniper
• 5mL cloves
• 5mL black pepper
• 5mL allspice
• 10mL herbs de provence
• 200mL frozen or canned blackberries
• 20mL dark bitter chocolate
• 50mL demi glacé
• 50mL red wine
• 50mL parsley chopped
• 5 sprigs of thyme
• 1lbs wild mushrooms
• 100mL butter
• 20mL sherry vinegar
• 10mL maple syrup
• 2 shallots chopped fine

Instructions:

• Season the steaks generously with salt and rest for 10 minutes. Toast the spices in a pan on low heat, and blitz to a coarse powder. Season the steaks generously with the rub.
• Heat up a medium size skillet, sear the tenderloins on medium heat and cook approximately 3 minutes per side, or the internal temperature is 125F, or more if desired.
• Rest the steaks for 10 minutes on a wire rack.
• In the same pan, sauté the shallots until translucent with half the butter and thyme, add the cleaned mushrooms and cook further 2 minutes until they are lightly brown.
• Deglaze the pan with sherry vinegar and maple syrup, reduce until evaporated. Transfer the mushrooms on a plate and keep warm. Return to same pan, add redone, reduce by half, add berries, cook for 2 minutes until wilted, add demi glacé, rest of the butter and finely grated dark chocolate. Simmer until shiny, correct seasoning. Add the parsley, return the steaks to the pan. Coat in sauce, serve with extra jus and mushrooms.

This recipe was originally part of a series feature on Slow Cooking in the winter months. Check out the link below to Angie's feature on CBC Vancouver where you can hear her talk about today's feature recipe, and get a few bonus recipes besides. This throw-back memory was also the start of our Asian Lettuce Wraps, which we now sell as a low-carb filling options in our Gourmet to Go freezer!

Slow Cooker Cauliflower Soup with Thai Red Curry

By Angie Quaale

Originally Shared: November 05, 2015 on the CBC Vancouver feature: The season for Slow Cooking.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ¼ cup mild Thai red curry paste (adjust quantity if you are using a hot curry paste)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large head of cauliflower, chopped
• 1 can best quality coconut cream
• 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ¼ cup freshly chopped cilantro
• ½ long red chili, thinly sliced (optional)
• fresh lime wedges

Instructions:

• In a small frying pan, sauté the onion and garlic. Add the curry paste. Cook until the onions are translucent, add brown sugar & fish sauce. Stir to combine.
• Transfer to a slow cooker and add the stock, coconut milk – stir to combine. Add the cauliflower and simmer for 4-6 hours over medium heat.
• Purée with a hand blender. Ladle into serving dishes and garnish with a squeeze of fresh lime, cilantro and a few red chilies if you like it spicy!

Johnston's Pork Chop Parmesan with Charred Rapini, Chilies, and Anchovies

By Chef Deniz Tarakcioglu

November 26th, 2020

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

• 2 x 12-16oz Johnston's pork chops, lightly pounded to 3/4 inch thick.
• 300ml tomato sauce (see other recipe)
• 200gr buffalo mozzarella
• 10 basil leaves
• 100ml grated parmesan reggiano
• 1 bunch rapini
• 2 serrano chili, sliced
• 1 small can anchovies, chopped fine
• 3 garlic cloves, puréed
• 1 lemon

Instructions:

• Heat your oven up to 450F.
• Season both pork chops liberally with kosher salt and rest for 10 minutes.
• Heat up a large heavy pan, or a grill grate. Sear the pork on both sides, 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a rack.
• Toss the cleaned rapini in a bowl with light drizzle of olive oil. Char on the grill grate or a dry hot pan until cooked around 3-4 minutes.
• In a small sauce pan fry the anchovies with garlic and chillies. Toss the rapini with anchovy mix and squeeze of 1 lemon.
• Ladle the tomato sauce over the pork chops, put pieces of torn mozzarella, and dust with parmesan.
• Turn your broiler on high and broil until cheese is melted and everything is bubbly and golden brown. Serve with rapini.