POTATO AND KALE WAFFLES WITH SMOKED SALMON
Ingredients
Serves 6
1½ cups (375 ml) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (60 ml) cornstarch
1 tbsp (15 ml) baking powder
1 tsp (5 ml) kosher salt
½ tsp (2 ml) freshly ground pepper
1½ cups + 2 tbsp (405 ml) buttermilk, divided
¼ cup (60 ml) grapeseed oil
2 eggs, separated
1 cup (250 ml) peeled and shredded yellow potatoes
2 tbsp (30 ml) finely chopped chives
2 cups (500 ml) finely shredded kale
¾ cup (175 ml) crème fraîche
1 tbsp (15 ml) prepared horseradish
12 oz (340 g) smoked salmon
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup (60 ml) capers, drained and rinsed
fresh dill sprigs, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat a mini waffle maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and pepper. Make a well in flour mixture and add 1½ cups (375 ml) buttermilk, oil and egg yolks. Whisk mixture together until smooth. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in potatoes, chives and kale.
- Place egg whites in a medium bowl and whisk into stiff peaks. Add egg whites into potato batter and gently fold into mixture until well combined.
- Fill preheated waffle maker with batter, close lid and cook until golden brown and firm, about 5 minutes. Transfer waffle to a wire rack and continue making waffles with remaining batter.
- In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 2 tbsp (30 ml) buttermilk, crème fraîche and horseradish.
- Place waffles on a serving platter and top each with a dollop of horseradish sauce, salmon, onions and capers. Garnish with dill sprigs. Serve immediately.
Drink Pairings
WAFFLE BLT STACK WITH BOURBON MAPLE SYRUP
Ingredients
Serves 4
1 cup (250 ml) light buckwheat flour
1½ tsp (7 ml) baking powder
¼ tsp (1 ml) salt, plus extra for seasoning
1 large egg
¾ cup (175 ml) Greek yogurt
½ cup (125 ml) milk
2 tbsp (30 ml) grapeseed oil
2 green onions, trimmed and white and green part finely sliced
3 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
freshly ground pepper, to taste
8 slices, thick-cut, cooked bacon, each strip halved
1 cup (250 ml) baby arugula
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced
BOURBON MAPLE SYRUP:
1 cup (250 ml) pure maple syrup
3 tbsp (45 ml) bourbon
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat waffle maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- In a large bowl, whisk together buckwheat flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, yogurt, milk, oil and green onions until well combined. Pour into flour mixture and stir together with a wooden spoon. The batter will be quite thick.
- Pour ¼ cup (60 ml) batter into each section of preheated waffle iron and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking waffles with remaining batter until it is all used up.
- To assemble, top each warm waffle with a couple of slices of tomato and season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Layer tomatoes with a strip or two of bacon and some arugula. Stack two or three dressed waffles on top of each other on a serving plate and garnish with some sliced avocado and a drizzle of Bourbon Maple Syrup.
- To make BOURBON MAPLE SYRUP: In a small saucepan, over medium heat, gently stir together maple syrup and bourbon. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 1 minute. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in vanilla. Transfer to a serving container and serve while warm. Makes about 1 cup (250 ml).
Drink Pairings
MARBLED RED VELVET CHEESECAKE
Ingredients
Serves 6 to 8
CRUST:
1½ cups (375 ml) chocolate cookie crumbs
3 tbsp (45 ml) sugar
6 tbsp (90 ml) melted butter
FILLING:
1 oz (30 g) bitter or semi-sweet chocolate
2 tbsp (30 ml) butter
3 x 8 oz (250 g) packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup (250 ml) sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 to 3 tsp (5 to 15 ml) red food colouring
whipped cream, to serve
chocolate curls, to serve
Instructions
- To make CRUST: Preheat oven to 300 F (150 C).
- In a bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter until well combined. Press firmly onto bottom of a greased 8-in (20 cm) springform pan. Place on middle rack of oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove to cool. Keep oven on.
- To make FILLING: In a small bowl, add chocolate and butter and microwave, 20 seconds at a time, until melted. Stir until well blended. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth, then add sugar and vanilla and beat until well incorporated, smooth and light, scraping down sides frequently. Add eggs and beat just until eggs are blended, about 10 seconds.
- Transfer about a third of the batter into a small mixing bowl and fold in the melted chocolate mixture and 1 tsp (5 ml) red food colouring. Add more, according to desired colour density.
- Pour white batter into cooled springform pan and spoon red batter in a few dollops over the top. Using a knife or spatula, gently make a few swirled patterns in batter. Do not over-swirl.
- Transfer to middle rack of oven and bake for 1 hour, or until centre no longer looks liquid when pan is gently moved. Do not check too early, as this can cause your cheesecake to crack. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. After about 15 minutes, gently run a knife around side of pan to help release crust. Do not release springform until ready to serve. Allow to cool, then refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate curls.
Drink Pairings
DARK CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT CUPCAKES
Ingredients
Serves about 16 cupcakes
4 oz (125 g) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup (125 g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (250 ml) sugar
4 large egg whites
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
2 tsp (10 ml) peppermint extract
½ tsp (2 ml) salt
1 tbsp (15 ml) baking powder
2 cups (500 ml) all-purpose flour
½ cup (125 ml) full-fat sour cream or whole milk yogurt
PEPPERMINT CANDY CANE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
½ cup (125 ml) butter, softened to room temperature
8 oz (250 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
4 cups (1 L) icing sugar
½ tsp (2 ml) vanilla extract
1 tsp (5 ml) peppermint extract
1 to 3 tbsp (15 to 45 ml) whipping cream
red gel food colouring (optional)
crushed candy canes or red and white mints
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Line a standard cupcake pan with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a heatproof bowl, add chocolate and microwave at 20-second intervals, stirring between until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally.
- In a large bowl with a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg whites one at a time, followed by vanilla and peppermint extracts, scraping sides as needed. Mix in cooled chocolate, salt and baking powder. Add flour in ½ cup (125 ml) portions until well blended, increasing speed after each addition. Add sour cream and mix until just combined.
- Divide batter between prepared paper liners using a regular-sized ice cream scoop, about ⅔ full. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. Serve topped with Peppermint Candy Cane Cream Cheese Frosting.
- To make PEPPERMINT CANDY CANE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING: Place butter in a mixing bowl and whip with electric beaters until smooth. Add cream cheese and blend until well mixed together, about 30 seconds. Add icing sugar, about ½ cup (125 ml) at a time, blending at low speed until combined. Increase to medium speed and beat until fluffy. Add vanilla and peppermint extracts. Slowly add whipping cream, a small amount at a time, until desired consistency. Beat until well combined and fluffy.
- To create candy cane stripe effect (optional), before filling a large piping bag with frosting, add some red gel food colouring to a toothpick, and draw two to four vertical lines with red dye on inside of piping bag. Then carefully fill bag with frosting. Squeeze some frosting into a bowl until red striping starts to appear. Frost with a round twirl of icing on each cupcake. Garnish tops with crushed candy canes just before serving, or they will “melt and bleed” if left too long.
Drink Pairings
CHOCOLATE AND BEET BUNDT CAKE
Ingredients
Serves 6 to 8
½ cup (125 ml) unsweetened cocoa, plus extra for dusting Bundt pan
2 cups (500 ml) all-purpose flour
1 tsp (5 ml) ground cinnamon
2 tsp (10 ml) baking powder
1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda
1 tsp (5 ml) kosher salt
½ cup (125 ml) + ¼ cup (60 ml) butter, softened, divided
1¼ cup (310 ml) packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (250 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp (15 ml) vanilla extract
1 tbsp (15 ml) instant espresso powder or 1½ tbsp (22 ml) ground instant coffee (optional)
2 cups (500 ml) beet purée, about 6 to 8 small beets, roasted, peeled and processed until smooth
½ cup (125 ml) full fat sour cream or whole-milk yogurt
DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE 1 cup (250 g) bitter or semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp (30 ml) unsalted butter
½ cup (125 ml) whipping cream
Instructions
- Grease a Bundt pan and dust with cocoa powder, tapping out excess. Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir until evenly distributed. Set aside.
- With an electric mixer, whip together ½ cup (125 ml) softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat 3 to 4 minutes until doubled in volume.
- While egg/sugar mixture is beating, heat chocolate with remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) butter in microwave, 20 seconds at a time, stirring each time, until melted. Stir until smooth and blended. Set aside.
- Add vanilla to eggs, followed by espresso, melted chocolate mixture, beet purée and sour cream. Mix until well blended and combined.
- Slowly add flour mixture to chocolatebeet mixture and mix just until evenly combined. Transfer to prepared Bundt pan with batter angled so that it is about 1-in (2.5 cm) higher on the sides than in centre (this helps to even out the bottom while baking and when flipped out on the serving plate). Place in centre of oven and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 15 minutes before inverting on a wire cake rack. Cool completely before glazing with Dark Chocolate Ganache.
- To make DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE: Combine chocolate and butter in a mixing bowl. In a saucepan, over medium heat, heat cream until just boiling and pour over chocolate mixture. Stir slowly until melted, smooth and glossy. Drizzle over cooled cake and let set 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
Drink Pairings
APPLE TIME
Ingredients
Serves 1
2 large thyme sprigs, divided
¾ oz (22 ml) Père Magloire Calvados
1 oz (30 ml) Apple Cinnamon Cordial (make ahead, recipe follows)
½ oz (15 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
3 oz (90 ml) Bailly Lapierre Crémant de Bourgogne Reserve Brut
APPLE CINNAMON CORDIAL:
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cups (500 ml) unsweetened apple juice
1 cup (250 ml) sugar
Instructions
- Gently bruise one sprig of thyme and combine in a mixing glass with ice, calvados, cordial and lemon juice. Stir until chilled and fine strain into a Champagne flute and top with sparkling wine. Gently bruise reserved sprig of thyme and lower into glass to garnish.
- To make APPLE CINNAMON CORDIAL: Break cinnamon sticks into a few pieces and combine with apple juice in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce apple juice by half to yield 1 cup (250 ml), approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the larger pieces of cinnamon and strain through a coffee filter to remove all particulates.
- Rinse saucepan and combine the apple-cinnamon mixture with sugar. Simmer to dissolve. Store refrigerated, up to 1 month. Makes 1¼ cup (310 ml).
Featuring
SAGE NORTH
Ingredients
Serves 1
¾ oz (22 ml) Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye
1 oz (30 ml) Sage Honey (make ahead, recipe follows)
½ oz (15 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
2 oz (60 ml) freshly squeezed ruby grapefruit juice, strained
2 oz (60 ml) Chamdeville Brut
1 large sage sprig, for garnish
SAGE HONEY:
2 large sage sprigs
½ cup (125 ml) boiling water
⅔ cup (150 ml) unpasteurized honey
Instructions
- Combine rye, Sage Honey, lemon and grapefruit juice in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled and strain into a Champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine. Gently bruise a sprig of sage and lower into glass to garnish.
- To make SAGE HONEY: In saucepan, add sage to boiling water, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove sage and measure ⅓ cup (75 ml) of Sage Water. Set aside.
- Gently heat honey to thin it out and make it esier to work with. Combine Sage Water with warm honey and stir to dissolve. Store refrigerated, up to 1 month. Makes 1 cup (250 ml).
Featuring
PETIOLE
Ingredients
Serves 1
¾ oz (22 ml) Hendrick’s Gin
1½ oz (45 ml) Rhubarb Cordial (make ahead, recipe follows)
½ oz (15 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
2 oz (60 ml) Segura Viudas Brut Rosado
lime zest, for garnish
RHUBARB CORDIAL:
1¼ cup (310 ml) water
1¼ cup (310 ml) sugar
4 cups (1 L) frozen rhubarb, cubed
2 slices fresh ginger, peeled
1 orange, zest and juice
1 lemon, zest and juice
Instructions
- Combine gin, cordial and lemon juice in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled and strain into a Champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine. Garnish with lime zest.
- To make RHUBARB CORDIAL: In a medium saucepan, combine water, sugar, rhubarb, ginger and both the juice and zest of the orange and lemon. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb is falling apart, 10 to 12 minutes. Strain through a fine strainer and press pulp to extract liquid. Strain a second time through a coffee filter, changing filter as needed. Store refrigerated, up to 1 month. Makes 2 cups (500 ml).
Featuring
POINSETTIA SPICE
Ingredients
Serves 1
¾ oz (22 ml) Marquis de Villard VSOP Brandy
1½ oz (45 ml) Spiced Cranberry Cordial (make ahead, recipe follows)
¾ oz (22 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
2 oz (60 ml) Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut
1 rosemary sprig, for garnish
SPICED CRANBERRY CORDIAL:
1½ cups (375 ml) warm water
4 tea bags of Organic Chai Tea (such as Tazo)
3 cups (750 ml) fresh cranberries, halved
1 cup (250 ml) sugar
Instructions
- Combine brandy, cordial and lemon juice in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled and strain into a Champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine. Gently bruise a sprig of rosemary and lower into glass to garnish.
- To make SPICED CRANBERRY CORDIAL: In a small saucepan over low heat, combine water, tea bags and cut cranberries. Stir frequently and adjust heat to maintain only a simmer until cranberries have completely softened, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. It is important to use low heat throughout the process, to prevent pectin from being activated.
- Strain through a fine strainer and press berries and tea bags to extract liquid. Strain a second time through a coffee filter, changing filter as needed. Filtration will take up to 30 minutes. Rinse the saucepan and combine cranberry/tea mixture with sugar. Simmer to dissolve. Store refrigerated, up to 1 month. Makes about 1¼ cup (310 ml).
Featuring
GINGERBREAD CAKE WITH EGGNOG ICING
Ingredients
Serves 6 to 8
⅓ cup (75 ml) molasses
⅓ cup (75 ml) brown rice syrup or golden corn syrup
¾ cup (175 ml) lightly packed brown sugar
1 cup (250 ml) butter
4 medium eggs
1 cup (250 ml) milk
3½ cups (875 ml) all-purpose flour
2 tsp (10 ml) baking soda
2 tsp (10 ml) ground ginger
2 tsp + ¼ tsp (10 ml + 1 ml) ground cinnamon, divided
¼ tsp + ¼ tsp (1 ml + 1 ml) ground nutmeg, divided
1 pinch + ½ tsp (2 ml) salt, divided
½ orange, zested
½ lemon, zested
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract, or seeds scraped from 1 vanilla pod
1 tbsp (15 ml) eggnog
1 cup (250 ml) butter, at room temperature
4 cups (1 kg) icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
1 cup (250 ml) cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease and line two 8-in (20 cm) round cake pans with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a bowl over simmering water, melt molasses, syrup, sugar and butter. Set aside and cool.
- In an electric mixer, mix eggs and milk. Add molasses mixture and mix until combined.
- Sift together flour, baking soda, ginger, 2 tsp (10 ml) cinnamon, ¼ tsp (1 ml) nutmeg and pinch of salt over wet mixture and fold in until just combined. Divide batter evenly between cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean. Set aside and cool while making eggnog icing.
- In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, whip orange zest, lemon zest, vanilla extract, remaining salt, ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon, eggnog and butter together until fluffy. Add icing sugar and whip until fluffy and combined.
- To assemble, cut cooled cakes in half horizontally to make four cakes. Layer cakes with icing, then thinly spread icing around outside of cake. Decorate with cranberries and dust with icing sugar.