Next stop, Asia! This shrimp burger combines classic Asian flavours with unique toppings for rich umami flavour with the saltiness of the ocean. Whether served on a bun or over rice in a more traditional Asian-style meal, try some unique miso yogurt or wasabi mayo dressing for a fabulous flavour bomb.
Place raw patties on a plate or tray, and cover and freeze or refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes to keep them together and to lock in moisture.
Per serving:
Into food processor, place 1/4 of prepped shrimp and blend to a fine, ground paste. Add remaining shrimp, and pulse a few times to dice and combine, scraping down sides of bowl, if necessary. Place shrimp into medium-sized mixing bowl and add garlic, gingerroot, green onion, egg white, panko crumbs, and black sesame seeds (if using). Mix to combine.
Divide ground shrimp into 4 portions and, with your hands, form into patties. Refrigerate or freeze for approximately 15 to 30 minutes.
While patties are in fridge, use mandoline to thinly slice radishes. Place sliced radishes in small glass bowl, and top with lime juice. Let sit for 20 minutes, and drain before using.
In another small bowl, combine bean sprouts, chopped pea shoots, and cilantro. Toss with rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and coconut sugar.
Over medium heat, pan-fry patties for 4 minutes on each side, or until pink all the way through. Serve on bun (or rice) and top with pickled radishes, bean sprout slaw, sliced mango, and your choice of condiments or creamy dressing (such as miso yogurt for great umami flavour).
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.