Creative flair and familiar flavours combine to create an accessible and delicious alternative to more traditionally festive fowl.
Quail
6 semi-boneless quails
2 lemons, zested
1 Tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp (5 mL) black peppercorns, ground
2 Tbsp (30 mL) butter
2 Tbsp (30 mL) blackberry honey
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt, to taste
Lay quails flat onto cutting board, skin side down. Drizzle with olive oil, then rub in lemon zest and pepper. In a thick-bottom pan at medium to low heat, add a small amount of oil, then place the quails skin side down. Sauté until skin becomes crispy (about 7 minutes).
Once crisped, add butter, honey, and thyme. Flip quails over and baste for 45 seconds. Serve.
Fennel Salad
2 bulbs fennel, shaved finely on mandoline slicer
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, mashed
1 tsp (5 mL) fennel seed, toasted and ground
1 tsp (5 mL) sea salt
2 lemons, juiced
1 Tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp (5 mL) chili flakes
Combine all ingredients in a salad bowl. Toss together until well mixed. Wait 5 minutes before you serve to allow fennel to wilt slightly.
Cranberry and Chestnut Marmalade
1 cup (250 mL) fresh cranberries
2 cups (500 mL) cranberry cocktail
1 orange, zest and juice separated
1 cup (250 mL) white wine vinegar
1 cup (250 mL) sugar
1 cup (250 mL) canned unsweetened chestnuts, roughly chopped
2 cups (500 mL) dried cranberries
In a large-mouth pot add fresh cranberries, cranberry cocktail, orange juice, vinegar, and sugar. Reduce by two-thirds or until thin syrup consistency. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together. Serve warm or cold.
Serves 6.
source: "Make This Holiday Feast a Rare One," alive #290, December 2006
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.