Back to the BBQ

June 23, 2011

Summer is here, and it’s time to drag out the BBQ and ‘Get Grillin’.  As you know, I am a fan of the Big Green Egg and other Kamado Style cookers.  For more details on this style of cooking visit the site of my good friend Mike, the Grateful Griller. The last time Mike was at my home, I tried to impress him with my ‘grillin skills’.

The beauty of this type of cooking is that you can use the ‘Egg’ to cook your entire meal from beginning to end.  I started the evening by getting my coals good and hot, and then bringing the temperature of the egg down to about 400 degrees – a simple thing to do because of the design of this equipment.

Then I brushed some bread and a round of Quebec Camembert with olive oil and placed them on the grill, just long enough to toast the bread, and warm the cheese.  The perfect appetizer!

Then I raised the temperature a bit and charred an assortment of vegetables, including thickly sliced tomatoes, sliced zucchini and whole red peppers.

I removed the charred vegetables from the grill, and when they had cooled, I diced them and tossed them with olive oil, balsamic and fresh basil and made a rustic salsa, which I also served with more toasted bread.

Earlier in the day I had rubbed 4 duck breast with a mixture of spices, salt and sugar – a technique commonly used form ‘smoking’. I reduced the temperature of the grill as low as possible, about 225 degrees and threw some water soaked applewood chips on the grill.  When the temperature was low enough, I put the duck breasts, skin side down, on the grill.

I let these babies ‘smoke’ for about 1/2 and hour until they were cooked  to rare, and beautifully smoked.  Because I was smoking them, I didn’t need to serve them hot, and was able to let them rest while I finished the rest of the meal.

Then, back up to 400 degrees for the grand finale.  I cooked seasoned fingerling potatoes (rosemary, sea salt, olive oil), and cauliflower (cumin, olive oil and sea salt) on the grill for about 20-30 minutes.  Surprisingly, cauliflower takes a while to cook on the grill and that charred exterior and tender interior is an intoxicating combination.

The result was a spectacular meal that impressed my Griller Friend, and satisfied our appetites.  Needless to say, Michael was impressed.

Happy Summer!

Dinner…Peruvian Style

My oldest son has returned from a 6 month journey that will included 3 months in Peru.  To celebrate this adventure, I created a Peruvian inspired dinner which we enjoyed with close friends and family at the ‘Riverhouse’.

Peruvian cuisine is a combination of local staples including corn, potatoes and beans – inspired by Spanish and later influences from China, Italy, West Africa and Japan.

I was surprised to discover that soy sauce was a common ingredient in many dishes, so it became part of the marinade that I used for the chicken, along with oregano, lemon juice and aromatics.

Another common Peruvian dish – ceviche – is essentially a combination of fresh seafood (shrimp & scallops) and lime juice. The acid in the limes “cooks” the fish.  I also added cilantro, tomato juice, hot peppers, onions, and a bit of pineapple.

I made corn bread, potato salad, and ‘Rellenos de Papa’ which is an empanada style filling of beef, onions & spices, wrapped in a potato casing, and then deep fried.The company was spectacular, the meal was delicious, and the Mojitos, well that’s a whole other story!

Fall….my favourite time of year!

The Riverhouse was built to be comfortable in all seasons.  The passive solar design and dark concrete floors means that summer are cool.

The in-floor radiant heating, and the masonry fireplace means that the winters are warm.

But the colours make autumn the most spectacular time of year. Cool nights, sunny days, no bugs and a beautiful landscape come together to create a special time.

Foodies can enjoy the harvest, while cooking on the ‘Green Egg’ and baking in the wood burning oven.  Golfers can still enjoy the course while water enthusiasts continue to canoe and kayak.  The the evenings are perfect for cuddling around the fireplace.

And the rental rates are lower!  After September 6th, the rates drop by 10-20%.

Smokin’

Now that I have had my ‘Egg’ for a couple of years, I thought it was time that I overcome my apprehensions and learn a new trick.  I knew that the Egg could be used as a smoker, but I’m embarrassed to admit I had never actually smoked anything on it.  Of course, I had thrown in the special wood chips to impart some extra smokey flavour to my grilled meats and vegetables and I had certainly slow roasted my share of pork shoulders and whole lambs.  But smoking is a whole other thing.

The key to smoking is temperature.  You have to get the temperature of the egg down low enough that it doesn’t cook the food too quickly, but instead infuses it with a deep, smokey flavour.  I also knew that there was the additional step of brining or rubbing your meat or fish first.  The recipe I found called for a mixture of ginger, kosher salt, garlic, sugar and herbs.

So, armed with the required components, I embarked on my smoking journey.  I was spending the weekend at my Riverhouse, and  visited the Wakefield Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning to stock up on ingredients.  I had already procured some lake trout, but also picked up some local, organic pork chops from one of the local farmers.

I rubbed both the trout and the chops with my mixture of salt, sugar & aromatics.  As the trout was small and thin, I let them cure for a couple of hours.  The chops can cure for much longer (up to 24 hours according to the recipe).  I stoked my Egg with charcoal and ‘fired er up’.  Once the coals were burning nicely I closed down the dampers and waited for the temperature to come down to under 200 degrees.  This took quite a while as the egg is so efficient at retaining heat.

Once the temperature was achieved, I threw on my hickory chips as well as the fish.  30 minutes later and voila!  It was spectacular.  The flavour was smokey & sweet, the texture was light, not overcooked.  And the colour was spectacular.

So, armed with my newfound confidence, I was ready to tackle the chops.  The process was pretty much the same.  Because they were big, meaty chops I smoked them for a little over an hour.  Then when the chops were firm, I removed them from the Egg, and cranked up the heat so I could sear them on both sides to get some added colour and flavour.

Now, of course, I want to smoke everything!  Eggplant, duck breasts, mushrooms, shrimp, bacon, ham…..the possibilities are endless.

Weekend Cooking

You would think that when you cook for a living, you would want to take your weekends off.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  I look forward to the weekends largely because it gives me an opportunity to cook in a totally different way.  At the Red Apron, we cook each day for over a hundred families.  At home, I cook for my own family and friends.  At the Red Apron we purchase from local farmers and producers who we have established relationships with.  On the weekend, I scour the Farmer’s markets looking for new producers, and unique items to experiment with.

This year my family has purchased a sheep milk share from Canreg Station farm, which we pick up every Saturday at the Main Street Farmer’s market. This week I plan to make sheep milk ricotta, if I can stop my family from drinking it all! We have also enjoyed a number of lovely dinners featuring their tender rack of lamb.

Much of my weekend cooking is done at our Riverhouse. The gourmet kitchen is much better equipped than my home kitchen.  When the Riverhouse is not rented out to fellow foodies, this is where we spend much of our spare time.  The meals we have prepared in this kitchen have been spectacular.  We have roasted a whole lamb & a suckling pig; we have hosted cocktail parties for up to 50 people; we have made cinnamon buns & homemade bread in the wood fired oven; and we have toasted our fair share of marshmallows.

In truth, most of the cooking is done on our ‘Big Green Egg’.  My good friend Mike (aka the Grateful Griller) sells these komodo style cookers.  Quite honestly, once you have tried it, it’s impossible to think of going back to the old gas BBQ.

My Big Green Egg!

The ‘Egg’ works more like an oven or smoker and the temperature is very easy to regulate.  The result is that you can slow cook at 250 degrees for hours, or you can sear a steak at 450 degrees for minutes.  The ability to use ‘flavour agents’ like hickory smoke, add to the experience.  This past weekend I was experimenting with a new batch of orange wood – fantastic!

This past weekend’s feast included a gluten free focaccia (baked on the ‘Egg’), accompanied by a medley of grilled vegetables, and a strip-loin steak, purchased from the ‘local meat’ section of the Wakefield General Store.

Who knows what treasures will be in store for next weekend!