Serves 4
Here’s a meal worthy of a fine dining establishment. Grainy mustard is a whole seed laced version of the condiment and is also often labelled “Dijon”. It comes in a range of heat levels from mild to nose-clearing. It adds texture and verve to mashed and puréed vegetables. Removing as much moisture as possible from scallops is the key to achieving a good sear.
1 head cauliflower
1/2 cup (125 ml) milk
2 Tbsp (40 ml) white wine
1 Tbsp (20 ml) grainy mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 tsp (10 ml) fresh thyme
1 tsp (5 ml) fennel seeds
1 tsp (5 ml) lemon zest
1/4 tsp (2 ml) sea salt
1 cup (250 ml) shelled frozen edamame
1 lb (450 g) sea scallops
3 tsp (15 ml) grapeseed or extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp (30 ml) chopped chives
Place florets of cauliflower in steamer basket and steam until tender, about 8 minutes.
Transfer cauliflower to food processor container along with milk, wine, mustard, garlic, shallot, thyme, fennel seeds, lemon zest and salt. Blend until smooth and set aside.
Prepare edamame according to package directions.
Rinse scallops with cold water and pat dry with paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Place scallops in pan and allow them to cook undisturbed until browned and crisp on one side, about 2 minutes. Gently flip scallops and sear for another 2 minutes.
Spread equal amounts of cauliflower purée on serving plates and top with scallops, edamame and chives.
Each serving contains: 1222 kilojoules; 32 g protein; 9 g total fat (2 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 19 g total carbohydrates (6 g sugars, 7 g fibre); 520 mg sodium
source: "Cooking With Mustard", alive Australia #16, Winter 2013
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.