The World’ Easiest Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Recently while looking for holiday recipe ideas I came upon a post on a blog by a guy named Todd. It seems that he’s a chef and his clean and well written blog called Foodiedaddie appealed to me.

On his main page was the simplest recipe I’ve ever come across, with only two ingredients. Here’s what he wrote:

So fast. So easy. And so perfect for everyone at the table. Diabetics included.
Take one bag of whole fresh cranberries and one large can of frozen White Grape juice. Combine in a saucepan and simmer with a cover for 20 minutes. Remove cover and reduce liquid by half. Done. Refrigerate.
I’ll bet my friends at Savings.com could dish up deals on fresh cranberries from Ocean Spray and Welch’s White Grape juice concentrate!
Relax. It’s a holiday.

You gotta admit this makes toast seem difficult.

East Coast Garlic Fingers recipe

A favorite bar food of mine are these cheesy garlic fingers that were brought to Calgary from the east coast and can now be found on the appetizer menu of many bars in the city.

Originating in Nova Scotia this tasty treat is simply a base of tender pizza style dough covered in garlic butter and melted cheese then baked until golden brown. Properly served they are sliced into thin rectangular strips and dipped in donair sauce. While I have seen them beside a bowl of pizza/spaghetti sauce I’ve included the traditional dip in this recipe.

I recommend this as a game night snack as it goes well with beer and good friends.

You can make the dip ahead of time as it will last in the fridge for a frighteningly long period of time.

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tbsp quick rise yeast
• 1 tsp  salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 2½ – 3 cups all purpose flour

Olive oil

Topping:

• 2 heads of garlic, cloves finely chopped
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1½ cups mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup grated parmesan  cheese

Dip:(Donair sauce)

• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp of garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 4 tbsp white vinegar

Method:

1. In a large bowl add water and sugar. mixing until dissolved,  sprinkle yeast on top and leave for 10 minutes to proof.
2. Add garlic, pepper and lastly salt. Mix slightly
3. Gradually add 2½ cups of the flour and mix until the dough has a smooth, even texture and is no longer sticky. (Add more flour as needed)
4. Lightly brush top of dough with olive oil, cover and place in a warm location for about 30 minutes to rise. (dough should double in size)
5. Heat oven to 425°F .
6. Press dough evenly into a pizza pan, making sure to cover entire pan.
7. Brush dough with butter and evenly cover with chopped garlic.
8. Evenly cover dough with mozzarella and sprinkle parmesan over top.
9. Place in center of oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until dough is slightly browned at edges.
10. Set oven to broil and leave until cheese is golden brown. (This can happen quickly so watch carefully)

For the Dip:

1. Combine both milks with onion powder and garlic in a medium glass bowl.
2. Add vinegar and stir lightly with a fork just until mixture thickens. Stir it too much and it will become runny.
3. Refrigerate until ready to use. (This sauce will last a very long time)

Maple Pecan Pumpkin Pie Recipe

While the classic pumpkin pie is certainly good and is loved by many, it’s nice to try something different on occasion. This version of the holiday’s favorite desert has a velvety smooth filling, a unique sweet taste with a Canadian twist and is topped with crunchy pecans. It also contains a few different ingredients that your guests are sure to wonder about as they savor the creamy richness that sets this recipe apart. This pumpkin pie may well come to replace the old standby version for some of you as it is so deliciously unique. Don’t be surprised if you are asked to share the recipe by anyone who tries it. You might want to increase the amount of pecan topping especially if you are making two smaller pies with this filling.

Ingredients

Pie shell(s) of your choice. Depending on the size of the shell you may get 2 pies from this recipe.

For the Filling:

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 can pumpkin puree
• 1 can of candied yams, drained and mashed
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp apple juice
• 2 tsp ginger, fresh grated
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp salt

For the Pecan Topping:

• ¼ cup flour
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 tbsp butter
• ½ cup pecans, chopped

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl combine whipping cream, milk, whole eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla. Set aside.
2. In a medium sauce pan over low heat combine yams, pumpkin puree, sugar, maple syrup, ground cinnamon, salt, apple juice, ginger and nutmeg. Mix well.
3. Stir continuously until the mixture forms a single mass and will not flow back to level (around 15 minutes).
4. Remove from heat and cool slightly before adding to the the cream/egg mixture. Stir until well combined.
5. Strain the mixture. (This is what will give this filling it’s smooth texture)
6. Heat oven to 400°F
7. After straining whisk the filling to add some air (about 3 minutes) and pour it into the crust.
8. Place in middle of oven and bake for 10 minutes.
9. Lower the temperature to 300°F and cook for an additional 40 minutes.

For the topping:

1. In medium mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter and mix by hand until it reaches a crumbly pea meal consistency. Stir in pecans.
2. Remove pie from oven; top evenly with crumb mixture and return to oven for a further 10 minutes or until a knife inserted into the pie comes out clean.

Simple Lobster Bisque recipe

Lobster bisque is one of my favorite soups and while a good one can be a truly amazing taste experience, a bad bisque is a real horror for the senses and I’ve had the misfortune of having sampled a number of the latter. The following recipe is the end result of examining several recipes and combining them into a fairly good example of what a lobster bisque should be.

Originating if France bisque began as a means to use shellfish that were damaged or misshapen and thus not good enough for market. Made with lobster, crab, shrimp or crayfish the authentic versions had the shells of the crustaceans ground up into a fine paste and used to thicken the soup. The idea was for the cook to extract every bit of flavor from the fish and thus enhancing the bisque.

This version will follow the classic method of searing the lobster before cooking it in wine and other flavorful ingredients but will not use the shell in the soup itself. Unlike many other recipes I don’t use rice as a thickener either, but rely instead on a roux for this duty.

Ingredients:

• 1- 2 pound live lobster
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 shallots, chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp cooking oil
• ½ cup butter
• 4 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
• ¼ cup brandy
• 1½ cup whipping cream
• 1 cup dry sherry(or white wine)
• 2 liters chicken stock (about 8 ½ cups)
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp thyme
• ½ tsp cayenne
• ½ tsp black pepper

Killing your lobster:

1. Place the lobster in your freezer for about 15 minutes. This dulls the lobster and reduces both movement and the amount of fluid that may come out.
2. Use a large chef’s knife. The knife will also need to be sharp enough to cut through the shell.
3. Position the lobster on a wooden cutting board. If the cutting board moves, place a dampened kitchen towel beneath it.
4. Flatten and hold down the lobster with one hand where the tail and head segments meet. This will be two-thirds down the lobster’s body.
5. With the blade towards the front of the lobster, aim the knife above the head where the horizontal and vertical creases meet. This is about 1 to 1 ½ inches behind the eyes. Swiftly puncture the lobster all the way through. Then with another motion, finish cutting through the lobster toward the eyes and away from the tail.

   

   

   
   
   

Method:

1. Split the lobster down the center.
2. Separate the tail, the head and the claw pieces, discard the green tomalley from the head sections.
3. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over high.
4. Sear the pieces of lobster cut side down, adding the claws whole.
5. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the shells become bright red and the flesh is nearly cooked (about 7-8 minutes).
6. Remove lobster pieces from the pan and set aside.
7. Add 2 tbsp of the butter to the pan and sauté the shallots, carrot, celery and garlic until lightly browned.
8. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
9. Whisk in the sherry, cooking for 3 minutes then adding chicken stock.
10. Add parsley, bay leaf, thyme, pepper, cayenne and lobster pieces to the pan and bring to a boil.
11. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove lobster and set aside.
12. Melt remaining butter in a small saucepan, add flour and whisk to make a roux.
13. Stir the brandy and chopped tarragon into the roux, then in thirds, add the roux to the bisque, whisking to remove any lumps before adding more. Simmer for 15 minutes.
14. Remove claw meat from shell, cut into small cubes and add to the bisque
15. Add cream and blend with a hand mixer until smooth.
16. Remove meat from tail pieces and slice into bite size pieces.
17. Serve topped with pieces of lobster meat and a sprinkle of chives.