Asian-type condiments make it easy to spice up any dish
Feel like take-out without going out? Something ethnic to put a spin in your week? A fresh spicy sauce is key to this! Building up your pantry of ‘Asian-type’ condiments can be easily done from any well-stocked supermarket. And once you have them in your pantry they keep very well and can be mixed, matched and used in a variety of different ways to add zip to any dish.
Try sesame oil and soy sauce together with a little maple syrup to marinate chicken. Or an oyster sauce rubbed on steak before grilling. We’ve tossed the steak slices in cornstarch prior to cooking, as opposed to adding the cornstarch in later to make a thick sauce. This will give the beef a nice crispiness against the smooth sauce.
The beef was enjoyed alongside a big pan of stir-fried veggies: mushrooms, peppers, onions and broccoli. Another option is to roast your broccoli, to get similar results from a quick stir-fry: toss broccoli in a little oil and salt; spread on a baking sheet and roast in a hot (425°F) oven for 5-10 minutes, until edges begin to brown. The whole dish would be great with steamed rice, of course, or even egg noodles.
Stir-Fried Beef with Black Bean Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained; divided
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
- 1-2 red chili, or red chili paste, seeded and chopped
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar or dry sherry
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 lb top sirloin steak, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- About 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
To make sauce: place 4 tbsp of the beans in the bottom of a small food processor, or use a hand blender; Add remaining sauce ingredients and blend until the sauce is smooth;Slice steak into thin strips: a trick to doing this is to freeze the beef for about 30 minutes; Just before frying, toss the beef in the cornstarch. If you do this too far in advance, the meat will become sticky and gummy; Heat a very large frying pan or wok over high heat; add oil and then quickly add all of the beef at once; Using tongs or a wooden spoon, quickly cook beef until desired doneness (medium is nice). Then add all of the sauce and cook for one final minute.
A dish to help us mark the first anniversary of The Culinary Studio
This week we celebrate our first anniversary in business together at The Culinary Studio. If you haven’t had a chance to come see us at our Belmont location in Kitchener, here’s a little bit of what we’re about: we are a recreational cooking school, looking to teach people of all ages and gender how to cook from scratch using good quality and, whenever possible, local ingredients. Whether you are a seasoned cook in the kitchen, or just starting out, there is something for everyone.
Over the past year we have discovered what people want to learn most to improve their everyday lives in the kitchen. Our popular Monday night cooking series teaches everything from proper knife skills to homemade stocks to finishing sauces. For those more adventurous, our international classes ranging from Indian cuisine to sushi night are very popular.
Both of us, Jody and Kirstie, spent many years in both the restaurant industry as well as teaching the culinary arts at both the high school and college level. We wanted an inviting space for like-minded people to come together and share their passion for great cuisine. Our philosophy is simple: great food kept simple, by using the best quality local ingredients and time-honoured cooking techniques.
For this weekend’s column it was really tough to narrow down a recipe to help us celebrate our anniversary. So we took a look back as to what we were cooking a year ago. Here is one of our first recipes taught at The Culinary Studio. It uses proper knife techniques, proper sauté techniques and isn’t afraid to get creative using different veggies and local cheeses. Pre-heat oven to 425°F; place baguette slices on a baking tray and toast until just golden brown;
Warm Vegetable and Herb Crostini with Sheep’s Milk Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 baguette, sliced on the bias
- 1 good clove of garlic, cut in half
- 2 tbsp+2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 carrot, julienned
- 1 celery, julienned
- 1 onion, julienned
- 1 pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 leek, thinly sliced
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp chopped mixed fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, parsley)
- 1-2 tsp sherry wine vinegar
- 1 cup of crumbled or shaved sheep’s milk cheese, such as Toscana
remove and, while still hot, take cut side of garlic and scrape on bread; chop the rest of the garlic clove to sauté with vegetables;
Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add all vegetables and sauté over high heat for about 4 minutes, or until soft. Add chopped garlic and sauté for 1 more minute; season with salt and pepper and add chopped herbs and cook just to warm through; Remove from heat, stir in sherry wine vinegar;
Using tongs, top bread slices with about 2 tbsp of the vegetables; top with cheese, place on a platter and drizzle with remaining extra virgin olive oil. Add some more freshly cracked black pepper here too, if you like.
A few maple syrup treats to try at home in keeping with the spirit of the festival
Having taken in the smells and tastes of the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival – we go every year with friends – perhaps you’re feeling inspired to try your hand at a few delicacies. Of course you can find every type of food imaginable amongst the large crowds that gather to celebrate this fantastic time of year. But for some of us, there is only one reason to go: the maple taffy on snow. We wait for what seems like hours to watch the experts re-create a past-time snack of yesteryear. Getting the temperature of the maple syrup just right in a large cauldron over an open fire of hot coals. Once its ready it is delicately poured on crisp white snow and then swirled around a popsicle stick to harden just right. Then it is ready to be slowly dissolved in your mouth by the lucky folks who have waited with patience.
This ‘dessert’ is actually something that we did at a dinner party for a fun, traditional and different ending to a meal. Fresh (clean!) snow was collected ahead of time and we waited with sticks in hand as the maple syrup came to just the right temperature in order to harden properly. Mmmmm.
Whether you made it out last weekend or not, read below for some tips on how to create your own ‘festival!’The following information comes from The Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association.
When making sugar, candy or maple butter with maple syrup it is all about the size of the sugar crystal and the temperature you boil it to determines this. A candy thermometer is a good investment to get these exact temperatures when working with boiling sugar. For example, to make maple butter we have a 2 degree Celsius window to get it right. 10°C-11°C above boiling, so if you are boiling water at 97°C and you boil your maple syrup to 110°C you will be actually boiling 13°C above boiling which is 3 degrees above your target of 10°C, and your maple butter won’t work.
Soft Maple Sugar
The syrup is boiled to a temperature of 114°-117°C (238°-242°F). It is cooled to 65°C (150°F) and stirred until it is a dull yellow colour. It is immediately poured into molds. The sugar crystallizes and can be readily cut with a knife.
Hard Maple Sugar
The syrup is boiled to a temperature of 121°-124°C (250°-256°F), a few degrees higher than for soft sugar and cooled to 93°C (200°F). It is stirred until it becomes cloudy and begins to thicken. Then it is poured into molds. The resulting hard block of sugar may be broken into chunks, crushed or grated.
Maple Butter
The syrup is boiled to a temperature of 110°C-111°C (230°-232°F) and them rapidly cooled in pans set in cold water, to a temperature of 10°C (50°F) or below, then stirred continuously until creaming is completed.
Maple Taffy on Snow
The syrup is boiled to a temperature of 131°-132°C (268°-270°F) and then carefully poured onto crushed ice or snow. The resulting taffy is a delightful treat.
Triple Chocolate Bread Pudding is just the treat for Easter
For a special treat on Easter this year, splurge on some good-quality chocolate and make the following dessert. Bread Pudding is one of those true, great ‘comfort food’ desserts. Like all comfort food, it combines a little of what you already have on hand (stale bread that needs to be used up) with some fresh new ingredients to turn it into something special. In this case it’s the chocolate, and the warm chocolate sauce too. For bread choices, it’s a good idea to stick to something with a bit of structure to it – so avoid super soft French loaves. A sourdough works well, a sturdy baguette, or even stale hot-cross buns. The bread has a lot of flavour to soak up. For chocolate we tend to use Lindt brand. You can find this in the form of large bars at the grocery store, at the Lindt outlet store in Cambridge and at Vincenzo’s. You could even sacrifice a Lindt chocolate bunny pre-Easter to make this dessert
Triple Chocolate Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- Butter, as needed
- 4 L cubed bread (see options, above)
- 6 whole eggs
- 750 ml 10% cream
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Pinch nutmeg
- 1 cup dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup white chocolate, chopped
Preheat oven to 350°F.; Generously butter an oven-proof 9x 13 sized baking dish and fill with cubed bread. Set aside; Whisk together eggs, cream, sugar cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg; Sprinkle chocolates over bread cubes, and then pour custard mixture over the entire dish, patting the custard into the bread; Cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes, until golden brown. Let stand 10- 15 minutes before cutting into squares. Serve with chocolate sauce.
For chocolate sauce:
1 cup of milk chocolate, chopped 1/2 cup 35% cream, 2 tbsp butter Place chocolate, cream and butter in a stainless steel or glass bowl and place over a double boiler. Water should be barely simmering; Heat until chocolate is fully melted, stirring occasionally.
Note: This sauce keeps well in the refrigerator for any chocolate sauce emergencies; just re-heat in the microwave.
Carve, & crust in making this pork loin roast
When cooking for a dinner, we want to scale it up a bit, and also be organized enough that we aren’t slaving away at the stove while company is there. Here’s a great pork recipe and some tips to get it to the table with little fuss.
We’ve taken a basic principal – a piece of breaded pork loin – and changed it up a bit to give a different look and a different texture. We also like to use things up that we have on hand, and in this case it was a loaf of Jody’s homemade bread. Not wanting this to go to waste, we turned the bread into a wonderfully soft and flavouful crust for a pork loin. The problem we have sometimes with something that may be ‘stuffed’ or ‘crusted’ is that when you carve a whole roast, a lot of that crust tends to fall off. So we’ve solved this problem by roasting the pork loin first, letting it rest, carving it and then adding a crust. It is then put on a baking sheet and popped in the oven for a final roast and reheat.
The pork loin can then be served with simple, creamy mashed potatoes. These can be mashed, covered and set aside for a good two hours before serving – simply reheat on low heat. Green beans, too, can be done ahead of time with just a little finishing at the end. Blanch the beans first, by dropping them into boiling, salted water and then immersing them in ice water after a couple of minutes. They will just need a last minute toss in a hot pan with some butter.
Cut pork loin so that you get 2 or 4 pieces in the shape similar to a pork tenderloin. So if it is one large piece, cut it in half lengthwise, and then cut each half lengthwise so that when you carve it each person gets a nice ‘square’ of pork;
Mustard and Bread Crumb Crusted Pork Loin Roast
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 4-lb boneless pork loin roast
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp whole grain mustard
- 2 cups soft breadcrumbs (use a blender or food processor to pulse stale bread to crumbs)
- A handful of chopped fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme and parsley
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1/4-cup melted butter
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Season pork with salt and pepper, rub with a little oil and roast at 375°F on a rack until it reaches an internal temperature of 140°F. Let rest, covered, at least 20 minutes before carving; Carve 8 medallion-sized pieces. Pork should be a little pink;
Mix together crumbs, herbs, shallot, butter and salt and pepper;
Place pork pieces, cut side up on a baking tray; mix together mustards and slather each piece with a bit of mustard; press crumb mixture on top;
For the final roasting, place in a 375°F oven for about 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Serve immediately.
A great way to enjoy both fish and tomatoes
Here at The Culinary Studio, we often have find that people are willing to try something either for the first time, or, better yet, try something for the second time, particularly a type of food that they may not have enjoyed in the past. It gives us great joy to see people enjoying food that has been properly cooked or seasoned. Cooking and seasoning, coupled with using food that is in season or is great quality can make a huge difference in the success of any dish. There are two foods, however, that we come across often enough that people really don’t care for, and that we try to change their minds on: fish and tomatoes.
Fish: it has to be the freshest you can find; even a couple days in the fridge can make a difference in taste. That’s one reason to buy from a local fishmonger, such as T and J Seafood’s. They know when the fish was caught, and how long it has been stored. Two: Fish should not be overcooked, which leads to a dry and tasteless product. The recipe below gives it a quick 30-minute marinade. At T and J’s you can ask for ‘Sushi-grade’ salmon. This doesn’t mean it has to be eaten raw; it just means it is the best quality you can buy. Tomatoes: they must be in season and local. Believe it or not, the best tomatoes from Floralane Produce – ‘Elmira’s Own’ – are greenhouse grown and ready now. The recipe below is a fun, easy addition to a grilled steak, or even enjoyed on toasted baguette.
Teriyaki Sesame
Ingredients
- 4-6oz salmon filet portions
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup sake
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Teriyaki Sesame: Blend soy sauce, Sake, brown sugar and ginger in a saucepan; heat and simmer a couple minutes until sugar is dissolved; cool;
Dry toast sesame seeds in a pan on the stove until lightly browned;
Marinate salmon in soy mixture for about 30 minutes, at room temperature;
Broil or grill on high until done, but not over cooked, about 4-8 minutes depending on thickness of filet;
Top with sesame seeds as soon as they are cooked.
Fried Tomatoes
Ingredients
- Four 3/4-inch slices of beefsteak tomato
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 8 slices of sharp tasting cheese (old cheddar, parmesan, pecorino)
Fried Tomatoes: Heat a heavy pan over medium heat with a layer of olive oil;
Add tomato slices and sprinkle with salt and oregano;
Reduce heat to low and cook slowly for 10-15 minutes;
Add cheese for the last 5 minutes of cooking and broil lightly if desired.
Guinness adds a St. Patrick’s Day flourish to onion soup
To get into the spirit of things here at The Culinary Studio, we’ve got a week of fun and food revolving around good ol’ St. Patrick. First, here’s a little non-food related history: St. Patrick, although not born Irish, spent more than 20 years as a missionary in Ireland converting many Irish to Catholicism. The day’s spirit is to celebrate the universal baptism of Ireland, but now is rather thought of as an Irish Day and to celebrate all things Irish. St. Patrick died on Mar. 17, which is also a great time to celebrate as it marks the return of spring.
Today’s recipe is a sampling of what we’re making this week: a classic soup with an Irish twist in the form of none other than the world-famous Guinness stout. Always a classic, this soup is based on both the sauté method and the simmering. Don’t underestimate the importance of caramelizing the onions. That, and a good stock, is what this soup is all about. Dubliner cheese is a sharp, cheddar-like cheese from Ireland.
Guinness Onion Soup
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
- 6 cooking onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 can Guinness stout
- 6 cups beef or dark chicken stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 6 slices toasted or stale bread, preferably rubbed with garlic
- 1 cup grated Dubliner cheese
In a soup pot, melt butter;
Add onions and stir to coat with butter;
Let cook slowly, stirring occasionally until very well caramelized (about 1 hour);
You may cover with a lid occasionally to create steam to ensure that onions do not get too dry;
Add garlic; stir and cook 2 minutes;
Add herbs, beer and stock; simmer 30-45 minutes;
Remove herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper;
Ladle into 6 bowls; top each bowl with bread and cheese;
Broil for 3-5 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and browned; serve immediately.
Easy to bring a touch of exotic to your table
Feel like take-out without going out? Something ethnic to put a spin in your week? A fresh spicy sauce is key to this. Building up your pantry of ‘Asian-type’ condiments can be easily done from any well-stocked supermarket. And once you have them in your pantry, they keep very well and can be mixed, matched and used in a variety of different ways to add zip to any dish. Try sesame oil and soy sauce together with a little maple syrup to marinate chicken. Or a oyster sauce rubbed on steak before grilling. We’ve tossed the steak slices in cornstarch prior to cooking, as opposed to adding the cornstarch in later to make a thick sauce. This will give the beef a nice crispiness against the smooth sauce. The beef was enjoyed alongside a big pan of stir-fried veggies: mushrooms, peppers, onions and broccoli. Another option is to roast your broccoli, to get similar results from a quick stir-fry: toss broccoli in a little oil and salt; spread on a baking sheet and roast in a hot (425°F) oven for 5-10 minutes, until edges begin to brown. The whole dish would be great with steamed rice, of course, or even egg noodles.
Stir-Fried Beef with Black Bean Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained; divided
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
- 1-2 red chili, or red chili paste, seeded and chopped
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar or dry sherry
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 lb top sirloin steak, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
To make sauce: place 4 tbsp of the beans in the bottom of a small food processor, or use a hand blender; Add remaining sauce ingredients and blend until the sauce is smooth;
Slice steak into thin strips: a trick to doing this is to freeze the beef for about 30 minutes;
Just before frying, toss the beef in the cornstarch. If you do this too far in advance, the meat will become sticky and gummy;
Heat a very large frying pan or wok over high heat; add oil and then quickly add all of the beef at once; Using tongs or a wooden spoon, quickly cook beef until desired doneness (medium is nice). Then add all of the sauce and cook for one final minute.
Hail caesar with the best eggless dressing
These days, with so much discussion around eating fewer preserved foods and the availability of great ingredients, making salad dressings from scratch is the perfect beginning to more ‘clean’ eating. Caesar salad is a favourite among most people, and can be found on just about every restaurant menu. That doesn’t mean it is made well. The white, gloppy, creamy ‘caesar’ dressing found in most restaurants doesn’t hold true to the original tangy, spicy dressing. Don’t omit the anchovy paste – it adds so much to the flavour.
Originally invented in Mexico as a “spicy salad for men” (ha!) the Caesar salad is so flavourful it need only lightly coat the lettuce.
Our version of the dressing is eggless, therefore it will keep in your fridge for a couple of weeks, at least. This recipe makes enough for a good crowd of 12 people, so use as much as you need and refrigerate any leftovers. Just bring to room temperature before serving, as the olive oil will solidify.
Mince garlic as finely as possible or using the salt and side of your chef’s knife rub garlic on cutting board to form a paste;
Add capers and chop in with the garlic;
In a bowl, whisk together the anchovy paste, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, parmesan cheese and red wine vinegar; stir in garlic-caper mixture;
Very slowly (drop by drop at the beginning), whisk in olive oil; taste with a leaf of lettuce, and season with salt and pepper if needed.
To finish the salad:
Cleaned and torn (not chopped) Romaine Lettuce, extra grated parmesan cheese, toasted garlic croutons and bacon, if desired. We often find this dressing flavourful enough that the bacon is not missed if left out.
Oily Caesar Dressing
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp capers
- 1 tbsp anchovy paste
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup finely grated Parmiggiano Reggiano (parmesan) cheese
- 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 cup good extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Butter Chicken is the essential taste of India
Every cuisine has a dish that they are famous for. Think Italy and it’s spaghetti and meatballs; for Thailand it’s Pad Thai; southern it is fried chicken. When you think of Indian cuisine one of the most popular dishes would have to be Butter Chicken. As with each of the dishes that we have mentioned there are many versions of these recipes, depending on who is making it and what region it is from. Most recipes for butter chicken will involve marinating the chicken in yogurt and spices, ginger and garlic. We stay true to that philosophy, as the yogurt acts as a tenderizer for the chicken. You can marinate it overnight, but have also had great results with a quick 30-minute marinate.
You can find pre-mixed Garam Masala spice mixes in most bulk stores and grocery stores. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, feel free to send us an email and we’d love to send you ours! Garam Masala is a mild, warm blend of spices. If you like your Indian spicier, add some cayenne pepper, for instance.
Traditionally the chicken was cooked in a tandoor oven; we have adapted the recipe to create a quick and easy meal in one pot, so use your favourite heavy-lidded pot.
In a food processor blend the ginger and garlic together to form a paste, separately finely chop the almonds in the food processor;
Combine the garlic mixture, the almonds, yogurt, chili, cloves, cinnamon, garam masala, cardamom pods and salt;
Marinate chicken in yogurt mixture for an hour, or overnight, in fridge;
Meanwhile, melt butter in Dutch oven or brazier, add onion and continue to cook until caramelized. Add tomatoes and cook for 3-5 minutes. (this concentrates the tomato flavours);
Add chicken yogurt mixture. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat for 30-45 minutes until cooked through and flavours come together. Add water during cooking process if necessary;
Turn heat off and stir in cream, if using; sprinkle with cilantro just before serving.
Butter Chicken
(Serves 6)
- 2-1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into large pieces
- 1/2- inch piece of ginger, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup blanched almonds
- 1 cup thick plain yogurt
- 1/2-3/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 tbsp garam masala
- 6 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 1-1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion, julienned
- 1-1/2 cup chopped canned tomatoes
- 1/2 cup water (more if needed)
- 1/2 cup 35% cream (optional)
- 6 tbsp finely chopped cilantro leave
