Brussels Sprout and Pancetta Salad w/Citrus Ginger Beer Vinaigrette

Dan    Appetizers & Co., Recipes     brussels sprouts, pancetta, recipes, salad, salad dressing, spring, vinaigrette

What you’ll need…

Vinaigrette:

4 cloves roasted garlic (minced)

1 orange (zest and juice)

1/4 cup Steam Whistle Pilsner

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 TBSP soy sauce

1 TBSP freshly grated ginger

2 TSP brown sugar

1 TSP sriracha

ground black pepper

Salad:

1/2 cup pancetta (loosely chopped)

1/2 cup walnuts

1 TBSP white sugar

1TBSP water

3 cups brussels sprouts (trimmed and leaves separated)

2 Belgian endives (trimmed, halved and thinly sliced)

1 orange (segmented and halved)

I seem to be on a weird salad kick lately. Well, nothing like being deliciously healthy I suppose. This salad is perfect for any brussels sprouts haters out there. Long gone are the days of microwaving previously frozen b-sprouts and smothering them in processed cheese. Sometimes it’s alright to allow these little green guys to get a sorta fancy once in awhile.

For the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. If you have any mason jars kicking around, just place the dressing ingredients in there and give ‘er a good shake…with the lid on, of course. Season with a bit of ground black pepper and set aside for now.

Place the chopped pancetta in a small pan and cook on medium-high heat until nice and crispy. Remove the pancetta from the pan and onto some paper towel to a soak up any excess grease. Next, add the walnuts, sugar and water into the same pan, tossing a few times to coat. Let the walnuts cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Blanch the brussels sprout leaves for one minute in a medium-sized pot of liberally salted, boiling water. Remove from pot and bring into an ice bath or rinse with cold tap water. Pat dry with some paper towel, or salad spinner if you have one.

When it’s time to eat, combine all salad ingredients in a large serving bowl, pour in approximately 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette and toss gently with hands or tongs until the salad is dressed.

Serve with a cold beer! You deserve it!

Serves 4

Total prep time…20 min

Top Chef Canada: Taking The Challenge Home, Week Five

Dan    Top Chef Canada: Taking The Challenge Home     beef wellington, calgary, CHARCUT, Food Network Canada, hoven farms, kingsland farmers market, recipes, Top Chef Canada

I’m not going to lie: I was pretty disappointed this week when I saw that none of the nacho chip creations made the cut on my Top Chef Canada poll. I was just dying to crust something, anything really, in Tostitos!

Although, on an interesting side note, I actually went to high school in Saskatoon with the Quickfire Challenge guest judge, Colby Armstrong. Needless to say, he was much better at hockey than I was…

As per usual, I swung by the Kingsland Farmers’ Market to grab my ingredients for the week. With no weird animal organs on my shopping list like last week, I was in and out in a flash. I picked up some produce from the Big Tomato Produce and a nice looking beef tenderloin roast from Hoven Farms for the Wellington.

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Roasted Kale and Radicchio Salad with Blueberry Green Tea Vinaigrette

Dan    Appetizers & Co., Recipes     gluten-free, green tea, kale, recipes, salad, salad dressing, vegetarian

What you’ll need…

Vinaigrette:

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 lemon (juiced, reserve zest for salad)

2 TBSP dried blueberries

2 TSP sugar

2 TSP grainy mustard

1/4 cup steeped green tea (cooled)

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Salad:

1 bunch green kale (stem removed, loosely chopped)

1 head raddichio (chopped)

1 lemon (zested, sliced into thin strips)

1/2 red onion (thinly sliced)

5 radishes (thinly sliced)

1 orange (sliced, then quartered)

1/2 cup green pumpkin seeds

2/3 cup ricotta cheese

Now that it’s finally spring, my love of salads has finally returned. Not that it ever disappeared, it just takes a back seat to comfort food and beer in the colder months of the year. As well, as a result of my increased intake of comfort food and beer during the winter, I will obligated to keep on the lighter side for awhile, diet-wise. Kale is a superhero green with it’s hearty and almost meaty kind of flavour. Makes for a wicked salad. Roasting it will bring out a more vibrant green colour and give it a bit of a crunch as well. This is spring on a plate people! Eat it up!

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Top Chef Canada: Taking The Challenge Home, Week Four

Dan    Recipes, Top Chef Canada: Taking The Challenge Home     calgary, CHARCUT, duck liver, Food Network Canada, ice cream, recipes, Top Chef Canada

After watching last week’s episode of Top Chef Canada, with all the offal applications, I was unsure if I could stomach this challenge. That being said, after the disaster that was last week’s macaron attempt, I was also surprisingly relieved to have to cook with some organs this time around.

Typically, there has been a clear leader in the polls to determine which dish I will be assigned, but this week it was neck and neck (or tongue and liver I guess?) between the Beef Tongue Poutine and the Duck Liver Ice Cream. By a small margin of three percent, the ice cream took it. Well, time to make some duck liver ice cream. Um… yum?

The base for ice cream is quite simple: egg yolks, sugar, and cream. So, I just had to track down some good-quality duck livers and an ice cream machine and I’d be on my way. My friend,Spooning and Forking food radio show host, Naddine, lent me her ice cream machine/maker (what’s the proper name?) for the challenge. All she asked for in return was one scoop of liver ice cream. She’s adventurous like that! Now, some duck livers were all I needed.

I put the word out via twitter, which led me to Home Tasting Room restaurant where their executive chef, Geoff Rogers, let me borrow a handful of duck livers. He also gave me a few tips regarding the organs, most notably to soak them in some milk that helps to remove any residual blood or odd smells. Interesting!

With all the ingredients on my counter, it was time to roll up my sleeves, crank the Kelly Clarkson tunes and get to work.

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River Cafe: A Visa Infinite Brunch (Fit For a King)

Dan    Calgary & Area, Restaurants     brunch, calgary, eating out, local, River Cafe, Visa Infinite Dinner

A few months ago, I was fortunate enough to attend an amazing collaborative dinner at Rouge courtesy of the Visa Infinite Dining Series. This culinary experience takes place all across Canada (you can check out upcoming dinners in Vancouver, Montreal and Cambridge here), so it’s always a treat when a Calgary restaurant is able to host one.

Last month, I was invited to a (seven course) brunch at River Cafe. Known for it’s locally focused menu, this is a place where the subtle details and every ingredient on the plate really counts. The brunch was hosted by local food critic, John Gilchrist and, man, that guy is hilarious! Well, I already knew that, but he was really on this particular morning. The humorous highlight for myself, personally, was when he informed the room that spot prawns are actually hermaphrodites. Seriously, who knew?

Well…enough with sexual ambiguity of shrimp. Let’s get to the food! River Cafe’s executive chef Andrew Winfield created a brunch that was nothing short of amazing.

After the initial canapés, oysters and champagne finished flowing around the room, everyone took their seats. We were welcomed with Lois Lake Steelhead Trout Lox. Served with smoked chèvre, blood orange and caviar this fresh little salad was almost too pretty to eat. Of course, I ate it anyway!

Next up, (the aforementioned hermaphrodite) Spot Prawn served on grilled brioche, leek, brassica mustard and a house made chorizo sausage (sausage kind of hidden in the back there). The sweet brioche and the smoothness of the leeks helped to balance out the spicy chorizo.

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Metro News Lunch Rush Column Monthly Recap: March, 2012

Dan    Calgary & Area, Restaurants     calgary

I’ve been meaning to get around to doing this for awhile now. I have a weekly food column in the Calgary edition of Metro News. My Lunch Rush column features my experience while dining out for lunch at different restaurant each week. Sometimes the food is great, sometimes it’s not, but such is the nature of this kind of column. Here are the places that I visited for lunch is past month…

Halo Restaurant and Lounge

I’ve passed by Halo many times. It has a pronounced location on Macleod Trail (very) South.

It’s one of those places that I’ve always wondered about. Well, this week, I finally bit the bullet and stopped by for lunch with a friend.

This is a perfect example of an establishment being just ‘OK’. It’s relatively nice inside, the service was prompt, although the food took a while to come out…

Click here to read the rest of this review and see my final rating on Metro Calgary’s website.

Kaffir Lime (Kingsland Farmers’ Market)

Inside the Kingsland Farmers’ Market on Macleod Trail lies a little exotic gem that cooks up some amazing Indonesian cuisine.

Kaffir Lime is located by the seating area of the market. There is always ample seating and if you just follow your nose, you’ll find it!

This was my first time experiencing Indonesian food. If my tastebuds could talk, they would probably describe the taste of the Black Pepper Lamb ($10.99) that I ordered for lunch as…

Click here to read the rest of this review and see my final rating on Metro Calgary’s website.

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