Whether to entertain guests this holiday season, or to get you through the depressing depths of January once it’s all over, comfort food is always a good idea during a Canadian winter.
Here are three warming winter recipes from Toronto’s The Forth, CC Lounge, and Ki that are as comforting as a hug from your grandma.
Butternut Squash Soup with Smoked Maple & Apple – by The Forth‘s Chef Zach Albertsen:
Ingredients
6 Butternut squash
1 yellow or white onion
1 leek
1/2 cup butter
2 litres heavy cream
1 litre chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup Canadian maple syrup
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper
Method
1. Cut squash in half vertically. Using a spoon, core the squash, removing all seeds. Place squash face down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and put in the oven at 350 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour until slightly coloured and tender.
2. While the butternut squash is roasting, slice 1 onion and 1 leek (be careful to slice them to the same thickness so they cook evenly!). Melt 1/2 cup butter in a pan, add the sliced onion and leek, and sweat them until they are completely translucent.
3. Once the squash is tender, remove from oven and using a spoon, scoop the squash in to a pot and discard the skin. Mix in with the onion and leek mixture. Add in the heavy cream and chicken stock (if you’re in a pinch, you can substitute water for the chicken stock). Place on medium-low heat and simmer for an hour, stirring every 5-10 minutes. Then, using a blender or food processor, blend the soup until consistency is smooth.
Optional: strain the soup to make it especially smooth.
Also optional: If you have access to a smoker, place the maple syrup in the smoker for 45 minutes prior to mixing it in to the soup. It will add an extra boost of flavour and complexity to the soup!
4. Season the soup with the ground nutmeg, Canadian maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
Suggested garnishes: diced or sliced gala apples, toasted walnuts, brown butter or sage.
CC Lounge Mac ’n’ Cheese – by Chef Brent Richardson
Ingredients
For the béchamel (Cheese Sauce)
4 cups whole milk
8 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
8 oz. Swiss Emmentaller cheese
8 oz. Swiss Gruyere
8 oz. Swiss Appenzeller (sur choix/medium strength)
8 oz. Ontario goat cheese
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. mustard powder?salt and pepper to taste
1 lbs elbow macaroni
2/3 cups panko
1 cups cherry tomatoes
Instructions for the béchamel:
1. Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until it just comes to a simmer, then turn off the heat and set aside.
2. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and spices and whisk constantly until the mixture turns light brown in colour, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. While whisking constantly, slowly add the hot milk to the flour mixture until evenly combined and smooth (it will get very thick when you first add the milk, then thin out.)
4. Return the saucepan to medium-high heat and add grated cheese while whisking constantly, cook until the sauce is smooth, and thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper as desired. Remove from the heat and set aside.
To Assemble:
1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until it’s almost al dente (just on the edge of being underdone), then drain and rinse with cold water; set aside. Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle for the baking of the mac ‘n’ cheese with panko.
2. Add the pasta to the béchamel, and fold in cherry tomatoes. Transfer to a 5-quart baking dish, sprinkle with the panko, and bake until bubbling and brown on top, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Yuzu-Marinated Rack of Lamb – from Ki
Lamb Marinade Ingredients:
Garlic, 50 grams
Rosemary, 20 grams
Yuzu Zest, 20 grams
Soy Sauce, 100 ml
Canola Oil, 250 ml
Mustard, 5 grams (to act as an emulsifier and to add flavour)
Method:
Pick rosemary. Remove dried end of the garlic. Combine these two ingredients and roughly chop. Combine with yuzu zest and soy sauce in the blender, combine for 30 seconds, and then begin adding the oil in a slow and steady stream to emulsify. Coat lamb in this mixture till ready to cook. (Because of the soy content, this marinade should not be kept on for more than 24 hours.
Lamb Ingredients:
Half a rack of lamb, marinated
1 oz Balsamic Teriyaki
Method:
1. Place marinated lamb on grill and cook until lamb has nice coat and marks on it.
2. Remove from grill and place on pie pan and bake in oven for 6 – 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
3. Remove from oven when med rare and let rest for 1 minute.
4. Divide lamb into sections at the bone.
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