Bruschetta with Zucchini, Asparagus, Ricotta & Lemon
Dining alfresco couldn’t be fresher with this outside dining menu! Try these easy-to-make appetizers by simply slicing a baguette and topping with zucchini, asparagus, and ricotta cheese! Toast the baguette slices or serve fresh as desired. Enjoy on the patio this summer!Ingredients
Serves 6 to 8
16 slices baguette, sliced about ½-in (1.25 cm) thick on a sharp diagonal
½ cup (125 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (250 ml) ricotta cheese
2 to 3 small zucchini (about ½ lb/225 g), sliced lengthwise into thin strips
½ lb (225 g) trimmed asparagus, sliced into 1-in (2.5 cm) pieces
1 clove garlic
3 tbsp (45 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
2 tsp (10 ml) finely grated lemon zest
3 tbsp (45 ml) finely grated Parmesan
¼ cup (60 ml) walnut pieces, toasted
coarse sea salt, for finishing
fresh mint and basil leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).
- Place baguette slices onto a baking sheet large enough to hold them in 1 layer. Brush both sides with half of the olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place in oven and toast for 5 minutes, then turn them over and bake for another 5 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Transfer toasts to a serving platter.
- Meanwhile, spoon ricotta into a colander lined with paper towels and allow to drain for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven broiler to high. In a bowl, toss zucchini and asparagus in remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer vegetables to a baking sheet and spread evenly in 1 layer. Place under broiler for 6 to 8 minutes, turning vegetables every few minutes. They should be just cooked through with a little bit of char on the edges. Do not overcook. Remove from oven, finely grate garlic over vegetables, squeeze 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice over all and toss to coat well.
- Transfer drained ricotta to a small bowl, add lemon zest and remaining 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice, and fold together to combine. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Spread a dollop of ricotta mixture onto each toasted baguette slice and top with a few strips of zucchini and a few asparagus pieces. Sprinkle with Parmesan and walnuts, drizzle with a little olive oil and finish with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- To serve, garnish each bruschetta with fresh mint and basil leaves; serve immediately.
Drink Pairings
Whiskey & Nut Baked Camembert
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with an Irish-inspired brunch!Ingredients
Serves 8
oil, for greasing
1 x 16 oz (500 g) Camembert wheel
3 tbsp (45 ml) Irish whiskey
1 cup (250 ml) mixed nuts (such as pecans, almonds, cashews)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed from stem
3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed from stem
3 tbsp (45 ml) maple syrup
flaky sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Irish soda bread, for serving*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). With a neutral oil, lightly grease a small baking dish or pie plate, preferably one that can also be used for serving.
- Score top of Camembert cheese, cutting about ½-in (1 cm) deep. Place in prepared baking dish, scored-side up. Drizzle whiskey over top of cheese and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, roughly chop nuts and add to a small bowl along with rosemary leaves and thyme leaves. Toss to combine.
- Top cheese with nut and herb mixture. Drizzle maple syrup over top and bake in oven until cheese is warm and softened and nuts are fragrant, about 10 to 12 minutes. Check on cheese often while it bakes. If nuts start to brown too fast, cover loosely with foil. Season warm baked cheese with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and black pepper. Serve immediately alongside slices of Irish soda bread.
- *Purchase store-bought or you can find this recipe with the Irish Coffee Soda Bread Pudding recipe.
Drink Pairings
Chicken Pan Bagnat
This menu is perfect for backyard entertaining or packing up to take on the go!Ingredients
Serves 6 to 8
4 demi baguettes, halved lengthwise
½ cup (125 ml) basil pesto
16 large basil leaves (4 per sandwich)
2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 ml) balsamic vinegar
⅓ cup + 1 tbsp (90 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
¾ cup (180 ml) jarred coarsely chopped, pitted niçoise or other oil-cured olives
1 whole roasted red pepper, cut into thin strips
¼ small red onion, thinly sliced, rinsed, patted dry
⅓ cup (75 ml) finely chopped Italian parsley, divided
¼ cup (60 ml) capers, rinsed, patted dry, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lb (454 g) boneless skinless chicken breast, poached*, cooled, thinly sliced
1 x ½ lb (250 g) Fior di Latte** ball, sliced into 16 pieces
Instructions
- Hollow out a trough in bottom half of each baguette to create a bed for filling. Brush each with pesto and line with 4 basil leaves.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Add olives, roasted red pepper, onion, half the parsley and capers. Toss well to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon filling onto bread, heaping it and packing it into trough.
- Layer chicken over mixture, then finish with Fior di Latte slices. Season again, sprinkle with parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. Top with remaining bread halves and wrap sandwiches well in foil. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours before packing into picnic basket.
- To serve, cut sandwiches into halves or thirds.
- * To poach chicken: Place chicken breasts in a medium saucepan and cover with 4 cups (1 L) cold water. Add 1 tbsp (15 ml) fine sea salt and place pan over medium-high heat. Bring water just to a boil. Flip chicken over and immediately remove from heat. Cover pan with a tight fitting lid and allow chicken to poach for 8 to 10 minutes. To test for doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer into chicken; it should read 160 F (70 C). Remove chicken from poaching liquid and let it cool completely before slicing.
- ** Italian soft cheese
Drink Pairings
Pea & Herb Frittata
Enjoy this spring staple in four easy recipes, sure to please. Easy-peasy.Ingredients
Serves 4
8 large eggs
2 tbsp (30 ml) whipping cream
2 tsp (10 ml) kosher salt
1 tsp (5 ml) freshly ground pepper
2 cups (500 ml) frozen peas, blanched
½ bunch cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1 bunch dill, chopped
½ bunch parsley leaves, roughly chopped
¼ cup (60 ml) finely chopped chives or green onion
4 oz (125 g) feta, crumbled, divided
2 tbsp (30 ml) butter
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil, divided
1 bunch cherry tomatoes on the vine
pea greens, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Beat eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Add peas, cilantro, dill, parsley, chives and 3 oz (90 g) feta. Mix well.
- In an 8-in (20 cm) non-stick oven-safe frying pan, heat butter and 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil over medium heat until butter has melted and is foamy. Swirl it around the pan to coat entire bottom and up sides.
- Pour in egg mixture and cook for 2 minutes until bottom has started to set. Transfer pan to oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until centre of frittata has just set but is still slightly wobbly.
- Place cherry tomatoes on baking tray and drizzle with remaining olive oil. Roast for 10 minutes.
- Transfer frittata to a serving platter. Garnish with roasted tomatoes, pea greens and remaining feta.
Drink Pairings
Sweet & Spicy Goat’s Cheese Board
A bevy of boards, both sweet and savoury, perfect for sharing.Ingredients
Serves 8
2 tsp (10 ml) fennel seeds
2 tbsp (30 ml) ghee
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
½ cup (125 ml) cilantro leaves and tender stems
10½ oz (300 g) fresh goat’s cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup (60 ml) sweet mango chutney
1 small, fresh Ataulfo mango, peeled, pitted and diced
1 tsp (5 ml) flaky sea salt
1 Thai red (bird’s eye) chili, sliced into thin rounds or ½ tsp (2 ml) red chili flakes
warm naan bread, for serving
Instructions
- Add fennel seeds to a dry frying pan and place over medium heat. Toast, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and pestle, roughly grind warm fennel seeds and set aside. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, place seeds on a cutting board and crush them using a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
- Place frying pan back over medium heat and add ghee until melted and hot. Add garlic and fry, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add cilantro, taking care as it will sputter and spit when it hits the hot oil, and fry with garlic until darker in colour and garlic has turned light golden brown, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer garlic and cilantro to a small bowl and set aside. Save remaining infused ghee for another use or discard.
- Thickly spread goat’s cheese on cutting board and use a knife or back of a spoon to add swirls, peaks and valleys in cheese.
- When ready to serve, dot sweet mango chutney over goat’s cheese, then sprinkle with diced mango, toasted fennel seeds, fried garlic and cilantro, flaky sea salt and chili flakes. Serve alongside warm naan bread for dipping.
Drink Pairings
White Bean & Fresh Pea Pesto Board
A bevy of boards, both sweet and savoury, perfect for sharing.Ingredients
Serves 8
3 thin slices prosciutto
2 x 14 oz (398 ml) canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
6 tbsp (90 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
½ tsp (2.5 ml) kosher salt
1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
1 cup (250 ml) packed basil leaves and tender stems
½ cup (125 ml) packed baby arugula, plus extra for garnish
½ cup (125 ml) packed flat leaf parsley leaves and tender stems
1 cup (250 ml) fresh green peas, or if frozen, thaw before using
2 garlic cloves
½ cup (125 ml) toasted cashews, plus extra for garnish
¼ cup (60 ml) finely grated Parmesan
1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 ml) chopped jarred Calabrian chili peppers, or to taste
¼ cup (60 ml) pea shoots
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
warm focaccia bread, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
- Lay prosciutto flat in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking tray. Bake until fat turns golden and prosciutto is crisp, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer prosciutto to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In bowl of a food processor fitted with the “S” blade, add drained beans, 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil, salt and lemon juice. Process until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer white bean spread to a bowl and set aside.
- Reassemble food processor (there is no need to wash it out) and add basil, arugula, parsley, green peas, garlic, cashews, Parmesan and remaining 4 tbsp (60 ml) olive oil. Blend until fully combined and creamy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. If mixture is difficult to blend, add a little more olive oil or water. Set pea pesto aside.
- To serve, dot heaping spoonfuls of white bean spread onto cutting board. Using half the pea pesto, dot smaller spoonfuls of pesto on and around white bean spread. Drag a spoon or knife through spreads to marble as desired, creating swirls, peaks and valleys in the process. Use extra pesto as desired or keep for another use. Garnish marbled spread with arugula, chopped toasted cashews, Calabrian chilies, pea shoots and crumbled prosciutto. Sprinkle with black pepper to taste and serve alongside warm focaccia bread for dipping.
Drink Pairings
Homemade Labneh Board
A bevy of boards, both sweet and savoury, perfect for sharing.Ingredients
Serves 8
4 cups (1 L) whole milk yogurt
½ tsp (2.5 ml) kosher salt
2 red radishes, very thinly sliced on a mandoline
1 Persian cucumber, finely diced
6 yellow cherry tomatoes, sliced into rounds
⅓ cup (75 ml) pomegranate seeds
2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh mint leaves, large leaves roughly torn
2 tbsp (30 ml) za’atar spice
2 tbsp (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
warm pita bread, for serving
Instructions
- Place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl and line with 2 layers of cheesecloth. In a medium bowl, stir together yogurt and salt before transferring to cheesecloth-lined sieve. Fold corners of cheesecloth over yogurt and place in refrigerator to allow whey to drain away from yogurt for at least 24 hours and up to 36 hours, resulting in homemade labneh.
- Thickly spread labneh on cutting board. Using a knife or back of a spoon, add swirls, peaks and valleys in labneh.
- When ready to serve, sprinkle labneh with radish rounds, diced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, pomegranate seeds, mint and za’atar. Drizzle with olive oil and serve alongside warm pita bread for dipping.
Drink Pairings
Springtime Honey & Flower Butter Board
A bevy of boards, both sweet and savoury, perfect for sharing.Ingredients
Serves 8
1 cup (250 ml) unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp (10 ml) flaky sea salt
1 tsp (5 ml) lemon zest
2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh chives, chopped
2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh mint leaves, torn or cut into chiffonade
2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh tarragon leaves, left whole or torn
2 tbsp (30 ml) edible flowers, dried or fresh
1 tbsp (15 ml) wildflower honey
warm baguette, for serving
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mash butter with a spoon until it is the consistency of peanut butter but not melted. Transfer softened butter into a couple of piping bags fitted with different shaped and sized star piping tips. Pipe rosettes of butter onto cutting board. Alternatively, thickly spread butter onto cutting board and use a knife or back of a spoon to add swirls, peaks and valleys in butter.
- Liberally sprinkle flaky sea salt and lemon zest over butter.
- In a small bowl, gently toss together chives, mint, tarragon and edible flowers until well combined. Sprinkle over butter before drizzling wildflower honey over top of everything.
- Serve alongside warm slices of baguette for dipping.
Drink Pairings
Shredded Lamb Birria Tacos
Globally inspired lamb recipesIngredients
Serves 4 to 6
4 lbs (2 kg) bone-in lamb shoulder
¼ cup (60 ml) apple cider vinegar
2 to 3 large guajillo chilis, stems removed
1 large yellow onion, peeled and halved
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp (15 ml) ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1 tsp (5 ml) dried oregano
1 x 6.5 oz (186 ml) can chipotles in adobo sauce
1 tsp (5 ml) chicken bouillon paste
1 tsp (5 ml) kosher salt
2 tsp (10 ml) ground pepper
12 to 16 corn tortillas
6 oz (170 g) queso fresco (Mexican cheese)*, crumbled
1 medium white onion, diced into medium cubes
1 small bunch cilantro, leaves only
3 limes, quartered
Instructions
- Place lamb in large saucepan. Add apple cider vinegar, guajillo chilis, yellow onion, garlic, cumin, bay leaves, oregano, chipotles, chicken bouillon, salt and pepper. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer until meat is tender and pulls apart easily, about 2 to 3 hours. Alternatively, you can cook lamb in oven at 300 F (150 C) for about 3 hours or in a slow cooker for about 4 to 6 hours, or until it is tender and pulls apart easily.
- Remove lamb from broth. Strain broth and set aside. Pick out chilis and purée until smooth, adding broth if necessary. Add puréed chilis back to broth over medium heat and reduce liquid to 4 cups (1 L). Taste and adjust seasoning. Keep broth warm over low heat. Skim off ½ cup (125 ml) of fat and set aside.
- Remove and discard bones and roughly chop meat. Transfer meat to a medium-sized mixing bowl and add ½ cup (125 ml) of broth to moisten.
- To assemble tacos, dip 1 corn tortilla in warm broth to soften, top half of it with lamb meat and fold over. In a medium-sized frying pan, over medium heat, melt 1 tbsp (15 ml) of lamb fat. Repeat to fill up pan. Fry tacos for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crisp, adding more lamb fat if necessary. Repeat with remaining tortillas and meat.
- Place tacos on a platter and garnish with queso fresco, chopped white onion and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and a bowl of warm lamb broth for dipping tacos.
- * May substitute feta, but recipe will be saltier
Drink Pairings
OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL WITH APPLE HORSERADISH DILL SLAW
Be the toast of the town this New Year’s by throwing a gathering full of inspired bites that are not only delicious, but also easy to whip together as well. All that will be left is to pop a bottle of Champagne and toast to the New Year.Ingredients
Serves Serves 6
1 large Granny Smith apple
1 stalk celery
1 tsp (5 ml) prepared horseradish
½ tsp (2 ml) apple cider vinegar
2 tsp (10 ml) crème fraîche or sour cream
1 tbsp (15 ml) chopped fresh dill, plus extra for garnish
12 oysters of your choosing
Instructions
- Peel, quarter and core apple. Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice apple quarters paper thin. Stack slices, a few at a time, and cut them into thin julienne. Cut celery into 1-in (2.5 cm) long pieces and then into thin julienne.
- In a large bowl, add julienne apple and celery along with horseradish, apple cider vinegar, crème fraîche and dill. Toss gently until well combined. Refrigerate while preparing oysters.
- Scrub shells of oysters with a stiff-bristled brush and rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Discard any oysters that are not closed.
- To shuck oysters, working with 1 oyster at a time, grip it, flat-side up, with a folded tea towel to protect your hand. Positioning an oyster knife to one side of hinge, push tip between shells and twist and pry upward to open. Keeping blade of oyster knife firmly against top flat shell, run it around the perimeter of the oyster to sever muscle holding shell halves together. Discard top shells. Run knife underneath oyster to free it from bottom shell, being careful not to spill juice, then set oyster in its shell on a plate. Repeat with remaining oysters.
- To serve, pour a layer of crushed ice onto a platter. Arrange oysters on top of ice, taking care not to spill their juices. Divide apple horseradish slaw overtop each oyster and garnish with a sprig of dill. Serve immediately.