Tourtiere with a Twist
Yield: two 9-inch/23-cm pies or 2 tourtière “logs”.
Ingredients:
Pastry
* 3 1/2 cups flour
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 1/4 cups cold butter, grated
* 2 x eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 tbsp ice-cold water, more as needed
Filling
* 1 lb. ground pork
* 1/2 lb. ground veal, hare, or beef
* 1 x large onion, minced
* 2 cloves garlic chopped
* Salt and pepper
* 1 tsp summery savoury, more to taste
* Pinch ground cloves (optional)
* 4 to 6 tablespoons breadcrumbs
Directions:
Pastry
1. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the grated butter. Pinch quickly with the fingers to create a coarse, crumbly mixture. Make a well in the centre. Put in the eggs and the water. Quickly mix into the flour, just until the mixture holds together. Do not over-mix. Divide into 4 balls and flatten into disks. Wrap in plastic and let rest in the refrigerator half an hour before using.
Filling
1. Put 1/2 cup/125 ml water in a sauté pan and quickly bring to a boil. Combine all the remaining ingredients, apart from the breadcrumbs, and stir into the water. Cover, and cook until the meat is done, about 20 minutes. Remove the lid, stir in the breadcrumbs, and continue cooking uncovered until the liquid has evaporated. Check the seasonings, and cool.
2. Heat the oven to 450°F/230°C. Roll a disk of pastry into a rectangle. Spoon a generous stripe of meat mixture down the middle of it. Fold the short ends, up in over the meat making sure to trim any excess pastry, otherwise it will be too thick.Then fold over the long ends so that they overlap to seal, again, trim any excess pastry so it will bake evenly. Turn the log onto a baking sheet, seam-side down. Make a few slits in the top to let steam escape. Brush the top with milk for a golden crust. Bake until the pastry is crisp and nicely coloured, about 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Soupe aux Pois
* 2 cups split peas, soaked in cold water for 1-1/2 hours, and drained
* 2 to 3 onions, chopped
* 1/2 lb. ham hock
* 10 cups water
* 2 x bay leaves
* 6 x medium carrots, scraped and cut into small dice
* Salt and pepper
Directions:
Soupe aux Pois
1. Put all the ingredients in a pot. Bring slowly to a boil, skim any foam that rises to the surface, then simmer until the peas are tender, about 1-1/2 hours. Remove the ham bone, cut off the meat, and dice small. Put the meat back in the soup, adding the carrots at the same time, and continue cooking until they are tender, about 20 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper, and serve.
Blueberry Grumble
* 3/4 cup butter
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1 1/2 cups ground almonds
* 1 cup rolled oats, toasted
* 4 cups blueberries
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 2 tbsp flour
Directions:
Blueberry Grumble
1. Heat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Butter an 8” by 8” baking dish.
2. Make the grumble topping: Cream together the butter and brown sugar. Cut in the ground almonds and the oats. (You could add some cinnamon and ginger if you like, too, although I prefer it plain.) Set aside.
3. Toss the fruit with the sugar and flour and tumble into the baking dish Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the fruit and press to pack it down a bit. Bake until the fruit is soft and the top crisp, about 40 minutes. Let sit about a quarter hour before serving with sweetened, vanilla-flavoured whipped cream.
Maple Mousse....yield 10 servings
* 4 x eggs, separated
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 1 1/4 cups maple syrup
* 1 tbsp powdered gelatine, dissolved in 2 tablespoons warm water
* 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Directions:
Maple Mousse
1. Beat the yolks together with the brown sugar in a glass or metal bowl. Add the maple syrup, set over a water bath, and cook, whisking, until the mixture reaches custard consistency and coats a spoon, about 15 minutes. It should be quite thick. Remove from the heat and stir in gelatine. Set aside to cool completely. This is important: if warm it will deflate the egg whites.
2. When cool, beat the whites to peaks and beat the cream to peaks, separately. Fold them into the custard. Whip the cream to peaks and fold it in. Turn the mixture into a serving bowl. Cover, and chill for at least four hours before serving. Alternatively, pipe into parfait glasses and chill.
Yield: two 9-inch/23-cm pies or 2 tourtière “logs”.
Ingredients:
Pastry
* 3 1/2 cups flour
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 1/4 cups cold butter, grated
* 2 x eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 tbsp ice-cold water, more as needed
Filling
* 1 lb. ground pork
* 1/2 lb. ground veal, hare, or beef
* 1 x large onion, minced
* 2 cloves garlic chopped
* Salt and pepper
* 1 tsp summery savoury, more to taste
* Pinch ground cloves (optional)
* 4 to 6 tablespoons breadcrumbs
Directions:
Pastry
1. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the grated butter. Pinch quickly with the fingers to create a coarse, crumbly mixture. Make a well in the centre. Put in the eggs and the water. Quickly mix into the flour, just until the mixture holds together. Do not over-mix. Divide into 4 balls and flatten into disks. Wrap in plastic and let rest in the refrigerator half an hour before using.
Filling
1. Put 1/2 cup/125 ml water in a sauté pan and quickly bring to a boil. Combine all the remaining ingredients, apart from the breadcrumbs, and stir into the water. Cover, and cook until the meat is done, about 20 minutes. Remove the lid, stir in the breadcrumbs, and continue cooking uncovered until the liquid has evaporated. Check the seasonings, and cool.
2. Heat the oven to 450°F/230°C. Roll a disk of pastry into a rectangle. Spoon a generous stripe of meat mixture down the middle of it. Fold the short ends, up in over the meat making sure to trim any excess pastry, otherwise it will be too thick.Then fold over the long ends so that they overlap to seal, again, trim any excess pastry so it will bake evenly. Turn the log onto a baking sheet, seam-side down. Make a few slits in the top to let steam escape. Brush the top with milk for a golden crust. Bake until the pastry is crisp and nicely coloured, about 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Soupe aux Pois
* 2 cups split peas, soaked in cold water for 1-1/2 hours, and drained
* 2 to 3 onions, chopped
* 1/2 lb. ham hock
* 10 cups water
* 2 x bay leaves
* 6 x medium carrots, scraped and cut into small dice
* Salt and pepper
Directions:
Soupe aux Pois
1. Put all the ingredients in a pot. Bring slowly to a boil, skim any foam that rises to the surface, then simmer until the peas are tender, about 1-1/2 hours. Remove the ham bone, cut off the meat, and dice small. Put the meat back in the soup, adding the carrots at the same time, and continue cooking until they are tender, about 20 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper, and serve.
Blueberry Grumble
* 3/4 cup butter
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1 1/2 cups ground almonds
* 1 cup rolled oats, toasted
* 4 cups blueberries
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 2 tbsp flour
Directions:
Blueberry Grumble
1. Heat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Butter an 8” by 8” baking dish.
2. Make the grumble topping: Cream together the butter and brown sugar. Cut in the ground almonds and the oats. (You could add some cinnamon and ginger if you like, too, although I prefer it plain.) Set aside.
3. Toss the fruit with the sugar and flour and tumble into the baking dish Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the fruit and press to pack it down a bit. Bake until the fruit is soft and the top crisp, about 40 minutes. Let sit about a quarter hour before serving with sweetened, vanilla-flavoured whipped cream.
Maple Mousse....yield 10 servings
* 4 x eggs, separated
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 1 1/4 cups maple syrup
* 1 tbsp powdered gelatine, dissolved in 2 tablespoons warm water
* 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Directions:
Maple Mousse
1. Beat the yolks together with the brown sugar in a glass or metal bowl. Add the maple syrup, set over a water bath, and cook, whisking, until the mixture reaches custard consistency and coats a spoon, about 15 minutes. It should be quite thick. Remove from the heat and stir in gelatine. Set aside to cool completely. This is important: if warm it will deflate the egg whites.
2. When cool, beat the whites to peaks and beat the cream to peaks, separately. Fold them into the custard. Whip the cream to peaks and fold it in. Turn the mixture into a serving bowl. Cover, and chill for at least four hours before serving. Alternatively, pipe into parfait glasses and chill.