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13 October 2009
Posted in
Fall Guide '09 Contributors-LINKS
Organic Butternut Squash Soup With Chorizo
From Chef Craig Flinn, Chives Canadian Bistro
This is an extremely simple soup but the trick to making it wonderful is to use a blender, not a food processor at the end. Using sausages out of their casings as I do here is an interesting way to present the soup for a fancy dinner with friends. If you find chorizo sausages too spicy, choose a maple sausage as that will balance well with the maple used to bake the squash.
- 1 large butternut squash
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 medium onion
- 1 stalk celery
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 bouquet garnis (herb bundle of thyme, sage, and bay leaves)
- 3 TBS olive oil
- one quarter cup butter
- one half cup white wine
- 4 liters chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 lb fresh heritage pork chorizo sausages
- 2 cups heavy cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Preheat your oven to 400 F. Peel, seed, and roughly diced the squash. Toss the squash in the maple syrup and spread out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone cookie sheet. Bake the squash until slightly brown around the edges, around 20 minutes.
Chop the onions, celery, and garlic roughly and sauté them in the oil and butter for 10 minutes over medium high heat until slightly brown in color. Add the squash and white wine. Cover with the stock and place herb bundle on top just under the level of the liquid. Simmer until squash begins to fall apart (about 45 minutes).
Using a paring knife cut a small piece off the end of each sausage. “Pinch” the sausage using your fingertips and pull out the meat from the casings. Roll the loose meat into small meatballs about 1 inch in diameter. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium/high heat and sauté the meatballs until they are golden brown. Remove from the pan and rest on a plate lined with paper towel to soak up any excess grease.
To use the blender while the soup is hot you must remove the vent cap at the top and cover loosely with a towel. Hot soup will erupt out of the top if the seal is too tight. Puree soup well, adjust with seasoning, and place back into the pot. Add the cream and heat once more before serving.
To serve the soup, ladle 8 ounces into a soup plate or pasta bowl and place three or four sausage meatballs in the middle. Garnish with chopped sage or chives and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Apple Tart Tatin with Amaretto Whipped Cream
From Chef Craig Flinn, Chives Canadian Bistro
I began making tart tatin after a trip to the Okanagan in 2004. There I met a chef named Michael Allemeier at Mission Hill Winery who was making one with quince. It was amazing.
The next year my parents purchased the orchard that we now call “Orchard Oaks” and ever since then we have used the fruit from that property in Chives. The apple tart tatin I now make are a classic preparation but I still credit Chef Michael for inspiring this dish. I hope you like it.
- 6 or 7 firm, tart apples such as Gala, Northern Spy, or Honeycrisp
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated white sugar
- 1/2 tsp (3 mL) cinnamon
- 1 package frozen puff pastry dough
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) toasted slivered almonds
- 1 oz. amaretto liqueur
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) icing sugar
- 1 1/2 cups (325 mL) 35% whipping cream
Peel, core, and quarter the apples. Coat the bottom and sides of a 10 inch cast iron pan with the softened butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon as evenly as possible. Place the apple quarters next in the pan beginning at the outside in a concentric circle. Rest the apples on a flat side in a “fan”, packing them as tightly as you can. The apple edges will rise above the top of the cast iron pan but this is fine.
Place the pan on a burner set to medium/high heat and begin cooking. The sugar will begin to caramelize and mix with the juices of the apple. Do not disturb the apples as the sauce boils. Cook for 20 minutes until the caramel is a golden brown.
Preheat your oven to 375 F. Move the pan of apples to the middle rack and cook for 30 minutes or until the apples are soft. As the sugar may boil over during baking, place some foil or a baking sheet on the rack beneath the pan to catch any drippings.
Roll the puff pastry out to a 12 inch diameter round. Remove the pan from the oven and place the pastry on top, using a knife to tuck the edges of the pastry around the apples. Bake for another 30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and crisp.
In a stand-up mixer or by using a hand held blender, beat the amaretto, icing sugar, and whipping cream until it is stiff and fluffy.
Allow the tart to cool to room temperature before tipping it out onto a tray. Slice as you would an apple pie, into triangle portions, and sprinkle with toasted almonds. Garnish with a generous dollop of whipped cream and enjoy.
Serves 8
Apple Cranberry Glazed Pork Chops
With sweet corn succotash
From Chef Craig Flinn, Chives Canadian Bistro
This is a very “fall” inspired dish that I routinely make at the restaurant but also at home. The glaze is something you can do in a large batch and keep in the fridge, so when it comes time to do the chops it takes only a few minutes. This goes very well with a simple mashed potatoes, but if you feel like fancying it up, try adding some grated aged cheddar and sliced chives to the potato just before serving.
Apple Cranberry Glaze:
- 4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 8 unpeeled and diced apples (Cortland or Gravenstein)
- 2 cups valley apple cider
- 1 cup liquid honey
- 1 star anise pod
- 1/2 stick cinnamon
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
Simmer all ingredients in a saucepan until the fruit is tender. Remove the star anise pod and cinnamon stick and puree on high. If the sauce has reduced during simmering add a few tablespoons of water.
Pork Chop:
- 8 X 10 oz pork chops cut at least 1 inch thick
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- *glaze from recipe above
Pat chops dry on paper towel. Preheat your barbecue on high. Grill each chop for 2 minutes on both sides. When the chop is marked with lines from the grill, lower the heat of the barbecue to low and place the chops on the top rack. Brush liberally with glaze, close the lid, and cook for about 15 minutes. Try to keep the heat inside the barbecue under 300 F. Add as much glaze as you would like. Rest chops for 10 minutes before serving.
Sweet Corn Succotash:
- 4 ears corn, kernels removed
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 red onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced into 1/8 inch cubes
- 1 green bell pepper, diced into 1/8 inch cubes
- 1 stalk celery, minced
- 1/2 cup sweet peas
- 1/2 cup fresh fava beans
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes (optional)
Simply sauté all the ingredients in a large non-stick frying pan for about 7 minutes until the corn begins to “pop”. If you are adding the tomatoes do it at the last minute just to heat them through.
Serve the pork chops on top of a heaping pile of fresh succotash.
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