Pork Pot Pie with Dumpling Topping

1 Tbsp fat (veg oil or lard)

8oz pork loin cut into ¼" pieces
1 lb fresh sausage in 1" pieces or crumbled, to taste (I use Italian sausage)

½ tsp salt

Black pepper to taste

1 Tbsp fat (veg oil or lard)

½ onion (4oz/115g) chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup flour

¼ cup brandy or cognac (whiskey will do in a pinch)

3 cups chicken broth or stock 

¼ cup heavy cream 

2 medium carrots, sliced 

8oz potatoes, cubed smallish

OPTIONAL 1½ cups fine chopped kale or cabbage

1. This is a one-pot meal so be sure to have a pot big enough to contain the filling and allow for the dumplings to rise and spread. 
2. Heat the pot for a few minutes then add the fat. Brown the cubed pork and set aside. 
3. You should have at least 2 Tbsps. of fat from cooking the meat. If not, add some butter or more lard. 
4. In the hot leftover oil, cook the sausage. 
5. When the excess moisture from the meat has mostly evaporated, add the onions and garlic to the sausage, stirring until soft and transparent. 
6. Stir in the flour until completely combined. Take the time to brown the flour in the fat to cook away pasty raw flour taste. Pour in the cognac or brandy or whiskey and combine, stirring constantly until the sharp alcoholic aroma leaves the liquor and is reduced, at least by half. The bottom of your pot will likely be dark brown with cooked-on fond. This is great! 
7. Add the chicken broth and cream, and stir to combine. If it looks a bit lumpy, don't worry, it'll smooth out during the simmering. You can also spend some time loosening some of the fond by scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
8. Add the browned pork (and the kale if using) and bring to a simmer and braise until the pork is fork tender, about ½ hour. 
9. Stir in carrots and potatoes. Return to a simmer and cook another 15 minutes before adding the dumplings.

Dumplings

1¼  cups flour

3½  tsps. baking powder

½  tsp salt

½  cup milk

1 egg

OPTIONAL : ½ tsp dry herb that complements the flavor of your sausage

1. Mix together dry ingredients just before adding to the pot. Letting the batter sit isn't good. 
2. In a separate bowl, mix milk and egg together. 
3. Dump wet over dry and mix briefly, only enough that the dry and wet are well blended. 
4. Divide dough into four portions and gently plop on top of the stew in the pot. 
5. Cover and cook 15 minutes. NOTE: Do not lift lid until done.

Pouding Chômeur (transl. "Tramp's pudding")

This is a traditional French-Canadian recipe that is very common in Quebec. I continue to be amazed at the strange summersault kind of effect of pouring the boiling sauce on top before baking, and it ends up on the bottom after baking. Oh, and what lovely, taffy-like gooeyness ends up on the bottom!

 

CAKE

¼ cup (2oz/58gr) butter

⅔ cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup milk

1½ cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

MAPLE SAUCE

1 cup maple Syrup

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup water

¼ cup (2oz/58gr) butter

1. Cream the butter until it becomes pale, then gradually add the sugar. Continue beating until you get a smooth consistency.
2. Alternately add the liquid ingredients with the dry ingredients and beat until well combined.
3. Grease a square baking dish with a little oil and dust with flour. Pour in the batter and set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F while making the sauce.
5. To make the sauce, mix together all the maple sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Keep an eye on it! You're boiling sugar, so it will want to boil over. Boil for a less then a minute (I've boiled it for exactly a minute once, and the effect of the sauce was more of a taffy than a sauce. A tasty variation).
6. Pour the sauce over the batter. DO NOT mix. As the cake bakes, the batter will swell and float to the top.
7. Bake for 45 minutes.

Cornmeal Spoon Cakes

These are delicious little pancakes we use to scoop up chilli or bean stews (or we just eat them on their own). I usually use polenta-style cornmeal, which is a bit coarser than cornmeal typically used to make cornbread. This means that cooking it in the boiling water becomes very important to avoid crunchy cakes!

¾ cups (120g/4.2oz) cornmeal
½ cup boiling water
1 Tbsp (½ oz/14gr) butter
½ cup (75g) flour
1½ Tbsps sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
¾ cups milk
1 egg, beaten

1. Cook the cornmeal in the boiling water with the butter over low heat for 5-10 minutes.
2. Stir in the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and beat with a wooden spoon until well incorporated. It's important at the stage to be thorough and break down the cornmeal into small particles covered in the flour mixture; this will make adding the milk and eggs to make a smooth batter so much easier.
3. Mix in the milk and beaten egg and beat with a wooden spoon until the big lumps are gone. You can probably use a whisk since the batter should be pretty liquid. To tell the truth, I've made this with lumps in and you can't tell from the finished product.
4. Heat a griddle or pan over medium heat for 5 minutes before putting anything in it.
5. Add a bit of oil or fat and swirl around to cover the bottom of the pan, then drop soup spoons full of batter onto the griddle (you can fit 5 if you're careful) and cook until the edges are dry.
6. Flip and cook again until brown, set aside in a warm oven while repeating the process with the rest of the batter.

Skillet Cheese Biscuits

There's something wonderfully rustic about baking in a cast-iron pan on the stove-top. I suppose you have to enjoy crust, and with these babies, the crust contains crunchy bits of toasted cheese. It's a finicky pastry, because the temperature has to be well matched to the amount of time it takes to bake, or the pastry over-browns or, at worst, burns. Since the timing is so short it depends on the individual stove being used, so err on the side of caution and for your first try, set your stove to a lower temperature than you normally would.

1⅔ cup flour
2 Tbsps baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup (2oz/58gr) cold butter cut into cubes
1 egg
¾ cup milk or buttermilk or yogurt
1 cup (3oz) grated Parmesan

1. Mix together dry ingredients
2. Add the butter pieces and pinch with your fingers to create a crumb texture. The secret is to have small globules of butter throughout the dough; really cold butter helps with this.
3. Make a well in the middle and crack in the egg - lightly whisk the egg in the well, add the milk and finally mix everything with a wooden spoon just until combined; try not to overwork the dough. It will be quite sticky.
4. Liberally butter an 8 to 10" cast-iron pan. Spread the dough over the bottom. Make cuts in the raw dough to form 8 wedges (tricky 'cause the dough is sticky). Turn on the heat to medium (or lower) and cover. After 5 minutes shake the pan to check if the dough is cooked enough to be unstuck and shifts along the bottom. If it does, gently lift to see if it has browned enough underneath and, if not, leave until it turns nicely golden. Flip and cook another 5 minutes. This part can be tricky - to flip, if your pan has rounded sides, you might be able to slide the biscuits onto a plate to flip it over into the pan or; try using two broad spatulas to lift onto a plate and do the same as above.
5. Again, test the biscuits by shaking the pan to see if it moves, and then gently lift to check the browning. If it's to your liking, turn the biscuits out onto a wire rack and allow to cool, at least long enough to handle, then break apart along the cut lines.

Mole-Inspired Meatloaf

Is it possible that I've made a truly tasty turkey meatloaf (the chocolate helps)?!? Don't get me wrong, I love roast turkey and turkey pot pie etc. However, I often find that recipes that try to substitute red meats with turkey (especially ground turkey, but chocolate helps) come out tasting rather bland. My solution has been to increase the flavour in the spicing (the chocolate helps). This is very loosely based on Mexican mole flavours (I did say 'loosely'). And in case you were wondering, the chocolate helps add depth to the flavour of the dish.

1 cup salsa
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
¼ tsp cinnamon
2 tsps chili powder
1 tsp lemon juice
1½ lb ground meat (turkey, beef, pork or a combination)

¾ cup bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten

1. Heat oven to 350°F. 
2. In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine the herbs, spices and lemon juice with the salsa. 
3. In large bowl combine the turkey, the bread crumbs, the egg and ¾ of a cup of the salsa mixture, reserving the rest to use as a topping.
4. Bake in an ungreased 9 x 5" loaf pan, shaping the meat mixture into a loaf. Spoon the remaining salsa mixture evenly over the top.
5. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes (if you have a meat thermometer you can check the internal temperature by sticking it in the middle of the loaf at 1 hour and 10 minutes and every 5 minutes after that, until the meat thermometer reads 165°F).

Toasted Sesame Seed Cookies

Mmmm, chewy, sweet sesame cookies. I love the texture and the little pop of seeds.

Makes about 30 cookies

4 oz toasted sesame seeds

¼ cup (2oz/58gr) butter at room temperature

½ cup (110gr) white sugar
½ cup (90gr) brown sugar
1 large egg
1  tsp vanilla extract

½ cup whole wheat flour

¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ cup all purpose flour

1. Toast the sesame seeds by placing them in a small saucepan (don't use a fry pan - the seeds will pop and jump out of the pot and onto your floor and counters). Turn on the heat to medium-low and keep an ear out - you will hear a crackling, popping noise from the seeds when they start to get hot enough; stir a bit, listen for the cracking noise, stir again and do this for about 30 seconds. This technique is particularly useful if using black sesame seeds, where you can't see the browning.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and the sugar together until it turns quite pale, then beat in the egg and the vanilla. Add sesame seeds and mix well.
3. In sequence, add the whole wheat flour, followed by the baking soda and salt, and ending with the all purpose flour. Mix well to combine.
4. Wrap and put in the refrigerator to rest for 1 hour and up to 72 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 
6. Use a tablespoon (about 20gr) to scoop balls of dough onto the lined baking sheets - press the balls into 2" rounds and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden. Let cool 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chicken Stew with Dumplings

This one if from my momma. The best dumplings I think I've ever made.

2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) salted butter
2 leeks, white parts only, sliced ¼" (12oz/340gr) 
4 carrots, diced (8oz/228g)
24 oz/228g skinless chicken breast, cubed
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp flour
1½ cups chicken broth (12oz/354g)
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 cup fresh green peas (5oz/145g)

Dumplings
1¼  cups flour (6.6oz/188g)
3½  tsps baking powder
½  tsps salt
½  cup Milk (4oz/177g)
1 egg

1. Pick a large saucepan with lots of head room. You'll need enough space for the stew and then for the dumplings to cook on top.
2. Melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and carrots; sauté until the leeks are translucent. 
3. Season the chicken cubes with salt and add to the cooking veg in the pot.
4. Stir over medium-high heat until the chicken is just cooked. Add the Tbsp of flour and mix well to cover and fry a couple more minutes, enough to toast the flour a bit to cook out the raw flour taste. 
5. Add the broth stirring constantly to make sure the flour doesn't clump. Cook over medium heat until the liquid thickens, about 5 to 10 minutes. 
6. Add peas and thyme. 
7. Turn down heat and simmer.

FOR THE DUMPLINGS

1. Mix together the dry ingredients. 
2. In a separate bowl, mix milk and egg together. Dump wet over dry and, to avoid tough dumplings, mix only just until blended. 
3. Divide the dough into four portions and gently plop on to the stew in the pot. Cover and cook 14 minutes NOTE: Do not lift lid until done since the dumplings need the steam to cook properly.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've been looking for a good plain-old chocolate chip cookie recipe, and I think I've found it... well, it's chocolate chip oatmeal, but I like the folkloric texture oatmeal gives. And oatmeal is good for you... as is chocolate. Apparently.

MAKES : 32 x 1oz

⅔ cup (5.33 oz/151gr) butter, room temperature 
1 cup (164g) brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsps vanilla
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1½  cup (150g) rolled oats
1½ cup (260g) chocolate chips

1 cup flour (155g)
(optional) ½ cup (56g) walnut pieces
(optional) pinch of cinnamon

1. In a large mixing bowl beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. 
2. Whip in the egg and vanilla, then the baking powder, baking soda and salt. 
3. Add the rolled oats and chocolate chips and mix until well combined. 
4. If using the Optional walnuts and cinnamon, add them with the chocolate chips.
5. Finally, add the flour, mixing only until combined.
6. Wrap and put in the refrigerator to rest for 1 hour and up to 72 hours.
7. Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
8. Drop a Tablespoon of dough (1oz) per cookie on a parchment-paper lined cookie sheet. Flatten with your hand and bake 10 to 12 minutes.
9. Transfer to racks to cool.

Turkey Burgers (the secret is Cheese)

Ground turkey tends to be sort of bland, and I've searched for a good turkey burger recipe. I think I'm in pretty good form here, and have Frankensteined a number of recipes including ideas from plain old regular burger patty recipes.

1 lb ground turkey
¼ cup bread crumbs or quick cook oatmeal
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 green onions, chopped (45 to 60g)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 to 2 tsps fresh sage, minced (optional)
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground pepper
1 to 2 Tbsps cheese (whatever you have bits of, cheddar, mozzarella, gruyere, parmesan, blue, doesn't matter except to your taste)

1. I like to cook the garlic in a little oil first, and I save the oil to cook the patties in.
2. Mix all ingredients together and form into 4 patties.
3. Cook the patties in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning once, to an internal temperature of 165°F.

Half-hour Cake - Blueberry Buttermilk Cake

There are some ingredients I buy where I only need a little bit and then the rest sits in the refrigerator. Like buttermilk - I don't cook a lot with buttermilk and, usually, when I buy it, it's because I need a tablespoon to start a batch of crème fraîche. So I'm on a quest... ok, another one... but it's a worthy one, and that is to collect recipes to help me use up sparsely used ingredients.

This blueberry cake is everywhere on recipe sites, and with good reason. It's good, it takes about a half hour to make and bake, making it an excellent fall-back recipe for last-minute events and unexpected guests you want to entertain properly. Oh, and although I haven't tried, I'm pretty sure that you can substitute the blueberries of lots of other kinds of soft fruits.

Oh, and it's really good with whipped cream (whipping cream, a bit of sugar and a splash of vanilla).

1 cup flour

1⁄2 tsp baking powder

1⁄2 tsp baking soda

1⁄4 tsp salt

1⁄4 cup butter, softened

2⁄3 cup plus 1½ Tbsps sugar, divided

1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 tsp lemon zest

1⁄2 cup well-shaken buttermilk (buttermilk is a culture so can last a long time in the refrigerator, but it does get thicker over time and tends to do so in lumps, hence the vigorous shaking)

1 cup blueberries

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a 9" cake pan.
2. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together and set aside. In a larger bowl, cream together the butter and 2⁄3 cup sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and lemon zest, then the egg and beat well.
3. In three batches, add the flour, alternating with the buttermilk. Mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the cake pan. Scatter the blueberries on top, then scatter the 1 1⁄2 tbsp sugar on top.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Spaghetti and Meatballs, that's all.

There is nothing quite so comforting as spaghetti-and-meatballs. The spicing in this recipe is a little unusual, but I really like it 'cause it seems kind of rustic. The flavour is mild and, for lack of a better way to describe it, smooth - the tomato flavour is not acidic at all. I also highly recommend making it the day before - it is even more delicious the next day.

Meatballs

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 onions (12oz/340gr) finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 egg

1⁄2 cup ricotta cheese

2 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed

1⁄4 tsp salt

3⁄4 tsp pepper

1⁄4 tsp each ground cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg

1 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs

1⁄4 cup minced fresh parsley

1⁄4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

8 oz lean ground beef

8 oz lean ground pork

1 Tbsp olive oil

Sauce

1 Tbsp olive oil

1⁄4 cup dry red

1⁄4 cup chicken stock

1 can (28 oz/796 mL) diced tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil (or 2 tsp dried)

1⁄4 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 1⁄2 lb spaghetti

1. In large nonstick skillet, heat half of the oil over medium heat; fry onions and garlic, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Scrape into a bowl and set aside.
2. In large bowl, whisk together the egg, ricotta cheese, fennel seeds, 1⁄4 tsp of the salt, pepper, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Stir in the bread crumbs, parsley, Romano cheese and half of the onion mixture. Add the beef and pork and mix well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Wetting hands if necessary to prevent sticking, form into balls using a tablespoon as a guide. Add remaining oil to the pan. Brown meatballs over medium-high heat, in batches; with slotted spoon, transfer to plate. Pour off fat.
4. Add wine and broth to deglaze the pan. Transfer to a Dutch oven. Stir in the onion mixture, diced tomatoes and paste, half of the basil (or all dried, if using), the sugar and the remaining salt. Add the meatballs. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes. (Make-ahead: Let cool for 30 minutes. Transfer to refrigerator and let cool completely. Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1month.)
5. Meanwhile, in large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti until tender but firm, 8 to 10 minutes; drain and return to pot.
6. Garnish with remaining basil.

Locally-grown burgers

I made some bison burgers, and they were good. I've really cottoned to using a thermometre to determine when my meats are cooked. In this case, the burger is at it's best when it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F.

1 lb ground bison (or beef)

1 shallot or 1⁄2 an onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic minced

Optional - 1 Tbsp salsa (preferably with chipotle)

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten

fresh ground pepper to taste

salt to taste (I put in about 3⁄4 tsp), just enough to bring out flavours

1 handful bread crumbs

1⁄4 tsp beef bouillon concentrate

1. In a little oil, fry alliums, add garlic for the last minute of cooking.
2. Thoroughly mix together all the ingredients. Shape into 4 patties. In a little oil, pan-fry the patties, flipping only once if possible, until cooked, about 5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
3. Serve with buns and choice of toppings.

Traditions start somewhere - Tarte à la Citrouille a Papa

I just called home to ask my dad for his special pumpkin pie recipe. I always thought it was a recipe passed on from one generation to the next. My mom answered. Papa was in the bathroom and since she knew where it was written down, she'd get it for me. My sister's family was there with their little dog and so after I'd had the chance to say 'hi' and chat a bit with them, my mom came back and said she was tired so she just read the recipe out to me in English - whoa, wait a minute, why is it in English? We're a French family after all. Apparently it isn't an ancient family recipe, it's something my mom found on the back of a tin label and my dad took over making it. Like many straight men of his generation, there were only certain things a man could do in the kitchen and retain his manliness - barbeque being one of them - and pumpkin pie was ok  because he'd use pumpkins from their garden. The original recipe is apparently called "Magic Pumpkin Pie", but to me, it will always be La tarte à la citrouille de Papa:

1 pie crust recipe (TRY Pate Sablee and Pate Brisee)

2 cups (480g) pumpkin, mashed (to roast a pumpkin, 350F oven, cut in half, scoop out middle, oil cut edges, cut edges down bake for 50 minutes or until a knife easily pierces the skin. Cool, scoop out flesh, mash or puree in a blender)

1 1/3 cups (300g) sweetened condensed milk *(1)

1+1 egg, beaten

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ginger

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425F.
2. Refrigerate the pie crust for at least 10 minutes. 
3. Blend all the ingredients together in a bowl. No need to worry about sequencing, just slop it all together and blend until completely smooth and incorporated.
4. Brush the entire pie shell with a thin layer of egg wash, bottom and edges. The protein from the egg will seal the crust for a better crumb when cooked.
5. Don't let the egg-brushed shell sit, immediately pour the pumpkin mix into the pie shell.
6. Initially, bake for 10-12 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350F and bake another 30-35 minutes.
7. Cool, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

*(1) (I am testing out a recipe to make my own sweetened condensed milk)

Spiced Candied Pecans

These were a serious favourite at the picnic. I had no idea that they possessed such a narcotic effect! Neither dessert nor appetizers, they are great snacks to nibble on throughout the picnic. I think in particular for the Bocce picnic.

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 tsp. cayenne

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. coriander

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. allspice

1 egg white

2 tsp. vegetable oil
2 cups shelled pecans

1. Pre-heat oven to 300F.
2. In a bowl, sugar, cayenne, salt, coriander, cinnamon, and allspice. Whisk in egg white and vegetable oil. Stir in pecan halves.
3. Spread nuts in a single layer in an oiled non-stick 10- by 15-inch baking pan. Bake in a regular or convection oven, stirring occasionally, until nuts are crisp and lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Let cool about 5 minutes, then use a wide spatula to loosen nuts from pan; cool completely. Serve or store airtight at room temperature up to 2 weeks