Oh, Canada! Maple syrup and apple give this pizza definite homegrown appeal. But it’s the caramelized onions that really put it over the top. Creamy and slightly pungent camembert cheese is often overlooked for pizzas, but you could also use brie, goat, or shredded aged cheddar on this pie.
2 Tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter, divided
1 medium yellow onion
2 tsp (10 mL) raw-style sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) balsamic vinegar
1 large apple, cored and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp (30 mL) maple syrup
14 oz (400 g) homemade or store-bought pizza dough
4 oz (113 g) camembert cheese, thinly sliced
6 sage leaves, coarsely chopped
1 cup (250 mL) arugula
1 Tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup (60 mL) chopped walnuts
Melt 1 Tbsp (15 mL) butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in sugar and balsamic vinegar. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pan, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove onion from pan, wipe clean and return skillet to stovetop. Melt remaining butter over medium heat, add apple slices and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in maple syrup and heat just until liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat.
Spread caramelized onions over prepared dough, leaving 1 in (2.5 cm) border uncovered. Top with cheese, sage, and apples. Bake for 10 minutes or until crust is golden and crisp.
Toss arugula with lemon juice and salt and pepper. Serve pizza slices garnished with walnuts and lemony arugula.
Makes 8 slices.
Each slice (not including crust) contains: 124 calories; 3 g protein; 8 g total fat (4 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 10 g total carbohydrates (8 g sugars, 1 g fibre); 143 mg sodium
source: "A World of Pizza", alive #376, February 2014
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.