Category Food Businesses, Products, & Recipes

Put on some perky Edith Piaf tunes, quick up your heels, and throw open the windows while you clear out the cobwebs and welcome spring, even if it doesn’t quite feel like spring yet.

Celebrate spring with an easy and healthy purée of sweet green peas, tangy lime, and fresh mint. A quick swipe on grilled baguette makes a fast lunch when you are busy with spring chores. A dollop on crisp cucumber makes a pretty spring hors d’oeuvre. Oh, Spring how we’ve longed for you. Happy, happy spring everyone!

Lime Mint Pea Purée

Makes about 1½ cups

Make this delicious purée in advance and serve it chilled. The flavours will be brightest the day you make it but it will keep nicely in the refrigerator longer. Don’t defrost the peas before you sauté them; take them straight from the freezer to the sauté pan.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil (divided into 1 and 2)
2 shallots, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 package 340g / 12 oz. (3 scant cups) frozen green peas
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
10 fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 lime (finely grated zest and juice)

Accompaniment:

1 English cucumber, thickly sliced
or
1 baguette, sliced and toasted

Garnish:

8 fresh mint leaves, julienned

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; sauté until tender, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Add garlic; sauté for 15 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the frozen peas; sauté until peas are very tender, stirring frequently, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Transfer mixture to a food processor. Add salt, pepper, chopped mint leaves, lime juice, lime zest, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil; purée until smooth.
3. Transfer to a covered, airtight container. Chill until ready to serve. Serve chilled, spread on toasted baguette or cucumber slices. Garnish with julienned mint leaves.

Okay, so I am not exactly Irish though I like to believe that everybody’s got a little Irish in them. When St. Patrick’s Day rolls around, here is how I love to celebrate it: Cuchulainn Crisps shared with good friends at Cuchulainn’s Irish Pub, in Streetsville. As the Irish saying goes, ‘it’s easy to halve the potato where there is love’.

These homemade Irish potato chips are a tasty tribute to the humble potato. Fresh potatoes are sliced just thick enough to have a little potato substance to them, fried up crisp, and then smothered with melted cheese and green onion. Add crumbled bacon and chopped fresh tomato, if you wish. Served with sour cream for dipping.

Now my friends have me hooked on Cuchulainn’s Hill o’Chips, a traditional Newfoundland dish known as CDG (chips, dressing, and gravy): French fries are topped with a Newfoundland-style bread dressing (stuffing) made with savoury (instead of sage) and smothered in beefy gravy. They say it is Newfoundland’s answer to poutine; I say it’s SDG (so darn good). Add chicken curry, if you like.

Cuchulainn’s is an authentic, family-owned and managed Irish pub, serving Irish whiskeys, scotches, a wide selection of draught beer, and Irish and British food. My nephew likes the Guinness Stew: beef braised in Guinness beer with potatoes, carrots, and onions and served with Irish soda bread. My son loves the Dublin Dip: a thinly sliced roast beef sandwich topped with onions, mushrooms, and mozzarella and served with beef jus for dipping.

Enjoy Irish dancers and live music on Monday March 17th 2014, from 3:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. A five dollar donation to The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC) will be accepted at the door. Check Cuchulainn’s events page for St. Patrick’s week celebrations.

It may not be spring yet but as the song goes “When Irish eyes are smiling…’tis like the morn in spring. In the lilt of Irish laughter, you can hear the angels sing.”¹ To all of my Irish friends, and the rest of us who want to be Irish for a day, Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

My BFF washed away my winter blues recently when she treated me to an afternoon at Hockley Valley Resort, a hidden gem tucked in the scenic Hills of Headwaters near Orangeville, Ontario. The kids skied to their hearts’ delight while she taught me how to knit. The best part of the afternoon was the unexpected pleasures we enjoyed while lunching in Babbo – the wine and cheese tasting lounge in this elegant resort’s lobby.

Babbo’s décor is chic modern: an under-lit white stone bar draws your eye to the floor-to-ceiling glass doors of the impressive wine cellar, pretty lighting accents like jewelry, and an atrium of windows facing the hill brings in natural light. Come off the hill into a relaxed atmosphere, thanks to the friendly staff.

The wine list features wines from around the world, focussing on Niagara and Prince Edward County. It won the 2010 VQA Restaurant Award of Excellence. Babbo’s wine list is about to become even more local: Executive Chef John Paul Adamo (president and owner of Hockley Valley Resort) has planted a vineyard on top of the hill and expects to add first wines to the list soon.

The resort boasts a two-acre fruit and vegetable garden, which supplies ninety percent of the seasonal produce served at Hockley. Preserves and quality ingredients from the best local farmers and suppliers contribute to a farm-to-table experience.

Chef Renato Ciani treated us to tastings from the resort’s open concept restaurant, cabin, which serves a full farm-to-table lunch and dinner menu (changing weekly) and is named after the first building built on the property in 1865. House-made focaccia is flavourful and chewy, strewn with caramelized onions, and served with a luxurious mascarpone butter seasoned with sea salt and chives.

The handmade tortellini is stuffed with ricotta, parmesan and a mascarpone, cauliflower purée that oozes out into the butter sauce; salty house-cured speck and peppery arugula contrast beautifully in this memorable, #lickyourplate dish.

Babbo offers a small lunch menu, including cheese and house-made charcuterie. A medley of Cerignola, Barese, Kalamata, and Colossal Green olives are marinated overnight with bay leaves, chili, and garlic and rewarmed with rosemary and citrus zest. White bean hummus is dusted with smoked paprika. Crostini is handcrafted by local 100-Acre Bakery.

The dough for the house-made Catalan flatbread – coca, Spanish-style pizza – is faintly sweetened with honey and milk, rolled out thin and crisp, and topped with a peperonata of roasted peppers and onions, house-made chorizo sausage, fresh arugula, sweet Saba balsamic reduction, and grated Manchego Reserva cheese. A lovely balance of flavours and textures.

The cabin burger is pure beef flavour of 100% pure house-ground Ontario artisan chuck, salt, and pepper (no fillers, antibiotics, or hormones). It’s topped with smoked and braised short ribs, cured tomato marmellata, oven-roasted tomato, coleslaw, house-made pickles, on a 100-Acre brioche bun. Served with Chef Renato’s house-made ketchup (containing at least nineteen ingredients) and house-cut fries. If you’ve been staving off a burger craving, give into this one.

Even the ski cafeteria is inspired by Executive Chef John Paul Adamo’s vision. The Dirty Turco is two house-made artisan burgers topped with house-smoked pulled pork, vintage cheddar, caramelized onion, Walnut Hill bacon, guacamole, and house-made barbeque sauce. Poutine offerings include house-cut Yukon Gold fries with vintage cheddar, Walnut Hill bacon, and house-made gravy or with house-smoked pulled pork, scallions, sour cream, and house-made barbeque sauce. That’s a long way from the ski cafeterias of my youth.

Hockley Valley Resort is a year-round full-service hotel, ski, golf, and special event destination. It’s close enough to the GTA West to scoot up for a special meal but once there you’ll want to stay longer and enjoy all that the resort and the region have to offer, in any season. I haven’t stayed overnight but am dreaming of a romantic get-away with my husband. Honey, are you listening? Honey?

UPDATE: Crawford’s Village Bakery is closing November 30, 2014.

When I’ve had my fill of winter I start to crave a little taste of the tropics, especially if I can’t actually make it there. Crawford’s Luscious Lime Pie is just the ticket. It’s Crawford’s version of Key Lime Pie but without eggs. Cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk are the rich and creamy foil  for a burst of tangy lime juice and lime oil; the filling is set on a lovely graham cracker crumb crust and piped with whipped cream.

Crawford’s Luscious Lime Pie is a sumptuous smack of sunshine. Can’t you just feel your taste buds tingling with a luscious lick of lime?

Like all of Crawford’s pies, it is made from scratch using quality ingredients. While Crawford’s regularly available pies are baked fresh seven days a week, their specialty pies – like Luscious Lime Pie – are baked fresh on specific weekends throughout the year.

Hurry, Luscious Lime Pie is only available for three more weekends until mid March. Katie makes them as fast as she can but it is hard to keep up with the demand so be sure to call ahead to order.

Stay tuned to my Facebook page or Crawford’s Facebook page for updates on when Crawford’s will launch their Easter Egg Pie and other specialty and seasonal pies throughout the year.

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What is it about the scent of an orange that buckles me under with happy gratitude? Inspired by my favourite fragrance, Aqua Allegoria Mandarine Basilic by Guerlain, my Honeyed Oranges with Basil recipe is sparkling and fragrant. The spicy licorice note of fresh basil flirts with the sweet and juicy citrus; a luxurious drizzle of golden honey brings it over the top. What a cheery way to end a winter’s meal when winter’s end seems elusive. Don’t get caught licking your plate!

Honeyed Oranges with Basil

Serves 1 (easily multiplied)

Cara Cara oranges are an exceptional navel orange – so sweet and flavourful, they barely need any honey. President’s Choice has a new Orange Blossom Honey that works wonderfully here; mellow with a light citrusy flavour, it’s worth seeking out.

Ingredients:

1 Cara Cara navel orange (seedless)
1 large basil leaf
President’s Choice Orange Blossom Honey or your favourite mild honey

Directions:

1. Cut top and bottom off of orange, slicing just deep enough to expose fruit. Slice off peel, cutting from top to bottom, removing white pith but leaving as much fruit behind as possible; work your way around the orange until all peel and pith have been removed (reserve peel). Run a sharp paring knife along each side of the membrane between each orange segment; remove segments and reserve.
2. Arrange segments on a pretty serving plate or glass cup. Squeeze peels over segments to extract juice from any fruit attached to peel.
3. Just before serving, roll basil leaf from edge to edge to form a tight roll; slice thinly, across the roll, into a fine chiffonade. Sprinkle basil over orange. Drizzle segments with a touch of your favourite honey. Serve immediately as a refreshing finish to a meal; or add a few walnuts and serve as a snack.