There is no better way to get kids to eat than by getting them involved in making their own food. This kid-friendly hors d’oeuvre will even have adults getting in on the fun and building their own masterpiece. The vegetables and proteins you serve are totally up to you, although it’s nice to have a range of colours and textures. Different-coloured peppers, carrot coins, thawed frozen peas or corn, diced cucumber, cubes of tofu, chicken, or shrimp are all great options.
These fun noodle baskets can easily become a gluten-free nosh by simply substituting in gluten-free pasta.
Per serving:
Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Lightly grease cups of 2 muffin trays with grapeseed oil. Recipe makes enough to fill 18 muffin cups.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool for a couple of minutes.
In large bowl, whisk together egg, sesame oil, 1 Tbsp (15 mL) soy sauce, and green onion, if using, until well combined. Add noodles and toss until noodles are fully coated in egg mixture. Divide mixture equally among 18 cups in prepared muffin pans. Push noodles down at the bottom of each cup to make a slight well. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tray for a couple of minutes before transferring to wire rack.
While noodle baskets are cooling, in blender, combine together almond butter, water, ginger, lime juice, maple syrup, and remaining 1/2 Tbsp (7 ml) soy sauce.
To serve, place noodle baskets on platter alongside various bite-sized vegetables and protein options for guests to choose from to place in the centre of their noodle basket along with almond butter sauce.
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.