This spruced up, addictive version of the iconic “good old raisins and peanuts” has an abundance of healthy fats and antioxidants. Almonds, hazelnuts, and pistachios would be another winning nut mix.
1 large free-range egg white
2 Tbsp (30 mL) cocoa powder
2 Tbsp (30 mL) turbinado or palm sugar, or sucanat
1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla extract
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon
1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground cloves
1/4 tsp (1 mL) sea or kosher salt
3/4 cup (180 mL) unsalted raw shelled peanuts
3/4 cup (180 mL) unsalted raw cashews
3/4 cup (180 mL) pecan halves
1/2 cup (125 mL) dried cherries
1/2 cup (125 mL) dried currants or raisins
At home
Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C). Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In large bowl, whisk egg white until light and foamy, about 30 seconds. Whisk in cocoa, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, and salt until smooth. Stir in nuts until evenly coated.
Spoon mixture onto cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for 7 minutes, then stir nuts.
Bake for another 5 minutes, being careful not to burn the nuts. Let nuts cool and place them in reusable container along with cherries and currants.
Serves 10.
Each serving contains: 257 calories; 6 g protein; 16 g total fat (2 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 26 g carbohydrates; 3 g fibre; 67 mg sodium
Source: "Get Fired Up", alive #346, August 2011
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.