Makes 8 servings or 4 cups (1 L)
The delicious avocado has a lovely creamy texture that adds a perfect smoothness to this cold curry-spiked soup.
3 very ripe Haas avocados
400 ml can coconut milk
1 cup (250 ml) distilled water
1/4 cup (60 ml) diced sweet onion or Spanish onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp (30 ml) Thai green curry paste
3 tsp (15 ml) cane sugar
2 tsp (10 ml) peeled and grated ginger root
1 tsp (5 ml) finely grated lime zest
3 tsp (15 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 tsp (1 ml) sea salt
Freshly ground white pepper
1/4 cup (60 ml) finely diced red capsicum
1/4 cup (60 ml) shredded Thai basil
1 1/2 Tbsp (30 ml) minced fresh chives
Pit and peel avocados. Coarsely chop avocados and place in blender or food processor along with coconut milk, water, onion, garlic, curry paste, sugar, ginger, lime zest, lime juice, salt and generous gratings of white pepper. Whirl until blended and very smooth. Add more water and seasonings to taste if you wish.
Soup will be thick and deliciously creamy. Cut a piece of baking paper to fit evenly on top of soup. Press onto soup to prevent air from discolouring the surface during refrigeration. Refrigerate until very cold.
To serve, sprinkle with a little diced red capsicum, shredded basil and minced chives. For a picnic idea, pour soup into 1 cup (250 ml) Mason jars and refrigerate. Sprinkle with garnishes before serving.
Each serving contains: 942 kilojoules; 3 g protein; 21 g total fat (12 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 12 g carbohydrates (4 g sugars, 6 g fibre); 91 mg sodium
source: "Delicious Raw Foods", alive Australia #17, Spring 2013
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.