Decadent and rich, this picnic-packable bar will satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth. A hearty mixture of oats and nuts is bound together with sweet dates and maple syrup, creating a tasty base that’s topped with a luscious layer of decadent, rich, and dreamy chocolate.
No time to chop
Dark 60% cacao chocolate chips can be substituted for chopped dark chocolate to save on prep time!
Out of sight, out of mind
These ganache bars freeze well, so you can hide these tasty treats away for another day! Simply wrap each bar in a small piece of parchment paper and store all in a resealable bag or container. Freeze for up to one month.
Per serving:
Line 8 x 8 in (20 x 20 cm) baking dish with parchment paper.
Bar base
To food processor, add sprouted rolled oats and pulse 5 to 6 times, until oats are halved in size. Add Medjool dates, 1 cup (250 mL) chopped walnuts, coconut, chia seeds, coconut oil, maple syrup, and sea salt, and pulse, then process until all ingredients are mixed well to form a sticky base mixture. In prepared baking dish, spread mixture and press firmly to create an even and uniform bar base. Refrigerate, uncovered, while making the ganache.
Ganache
In medium-sized bowl, place chopped chocolate. In small saucepan, slowly bring coconut milk to a simmer over low to medium heat. Remove coconut milk from heat, pour over chocolate, and let sit for a minute. Carefully stir coconut milk and melting chocolate together until chocolate is fully melted and smooth, and then mix in vanilla. Pour chocolate ganache over bar base, sprinkle with remaining walnuts, and garnish with sea salt. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before cutting bars and serving.
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.