1 3/4 cup (430 mL) almond flour
1/2 cup (125 mL) natural brown sugar
1/2 tsp (2 mL) almond extract
Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
2 large egg whites
1/3 cup (80 mL) sorghum flour
1/3 cup (80 mL) natural brown sugar
3/4 cup (180 mL) whole almonds
Combine almond flour, 1/2 cup (125 mL)
brown sugar, almond extract, and lemon zest in food processor. Whirl until smooth. Transfer bowl to refrigerator and cover. Refrigerate for an hour for almond flour to chill and absorb flavours.
Line baking sheets with parchment and preheat oven to 325 F (160 C).
Remove bowl from refrigerator; add egg whites and sorghum flour. Whirl to blend. Dough will be very soft and sticky.
Scoop out a dollop of dough using a teaspoon. Roll between damp palms and drop into small bowl containing 1/3 cup (80 mL) brown sugar. Gently roll around in sugar to coat. Place on baking sheet and gently press an almond in the centre. Repeat with remaining dough, placing balls 1 in (2.5 cm) apart.
Bake in centre of oven for 18 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove to rack and cool. Remove cookies from baking sheet and store in tightly covered container at room temperature for up to a week, or freeze them.
Makes 40.
Each serving contains: 55 calories; 2 g protein; 4 g total fat (0 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 4 g carbohydrates; 1 g fibre; 5 mg sodium
TIP: Almond flour is raw blanched whole almonds ground into a fine powder. You can grind your own in a blender or food processor. Make small amounts and stop when it becomes meal—or you could end up with almond butter! You can also purchase almond flour at natural health stores.
Source: "Gluten-Free Holiday Goodies", alive #338, December 2010
Tourtière is, for me, the dish that best represents Québec. It can be traced back to the 1600s, and there’s no master recipe; every family has their own twist. Originally, it was made with game birds or game meat, like rabbit, pheasant, or moose; that’s one of the reasons why I prefer it with venison instead of beef or pork. Variation: If you prefer to make single servings, follow our lead at the restaurant, where we make individual tourtières in the form of a dome (pithivier) and fill them with 5 ounces (160 g) of the ground venison mixture. Variation: You can also use a food processor to make the dough. Place the flour, salt, and butter in the food processor and pulse about ten times, until the butter is incorporated—don’t overmix. It should look like wet sand, and a few little pieces of butter here and there is okay. With the motor running, through the feed tube, slowly add ice water until the dough forms a ball—again don’t overmix. Wrap, chill, and roll out as directed above.
My love of artichokes continues with this classic recipe, one of the best ways to eat this interesting, underrated, and strange vegetable. Frozen artichoke hearts are a time-saving substitute, though the flavour and texture of fresh artichokes are, by far, much superior and definitely preferred.
Cervelle de canut is basically the Boursin of France, an herbed fresh farmer’s cheese spread that’s a speciality of Lyon. The name is kind of weird, as it literally means “silk worker’s brain,” named after nineteenth-century Lyonnaise silk workers, who were called canuts. Sadly, the name reflects the low opinion of the people towards these workers. Happily for us, though, it’s delicious—creamy, fragrant, and fresh at the same time. Cervelle de canut is one of my family’s favourite dishes. It’s a great make-ahead appetizer that you can pop out of the fridge once your guests arrive. Use a full-fat cream cheese for the dish, or it will be too runny and less delicious.