This cloudlike dessert comes together in under an hour and gives ice cream a run for its money. A tangy, light yogurt mousse is topped with a floral lavender- and thyme-infused strawberry jam, and garnished with (surprise!) black pepper. If you’d like a bit of crunch, top with chopped pistachios or almonds.
TIP: Use any soft summer fruit to make this quick jam. Consider using plums, apricots, raspberries, or blueberries.
Per serving:
In bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment or in large bowl by hand with whisk, beat cream or coconut milk until soft peaks form. Add yogurt, lemon zest, honey, and vanilla. Beat again until medium peaks form (donu2019t overwhip or cream will curdle). Spoon mousse into 4 glass jars or bowls, cover, and chill for at least 30 minutes, up to 1 day.
In small saucepan over high heat, combine berries, thyme, and lavender (if using). When berries begin to sizzle and release some juice, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until berries are very soft. Stir in lemon juice and transfer to food processor or blender; pureu0301e until smooth. Chill until ready to serve.
Dollop jam on top of chilled mousse, sprinkle with fresh pepper, additional lemon zest, and additional lavender buds, if using. Serve.
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.