Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Roasted Yam and Black Beans in a Tortilla Cup with Tomatillo, Roasted Onion and Cashew Salsa

Here is the newest addition to our hors d'oeuvre menu:


This is the Roasted Yam and Black Beans in a Tortilla Cup with Tomatillo, Roasted Onion and Cashew Salsa. We have been experimenting a bit more with cashews, in sweets and savouries, and this salsa really complimented the black bean and yam mixture nicely. Besides being a yummy new addition, this hors d'oeuvre is vegan and can easily accommodate a gluten free diet with an easy switch up to a corn tortilla.

We can always accommodate any dietary restrictions and try to have several options on our menus.Besides what is already on our menu we can also substitute corn tortillas for flour tortillas or gluten free bread in certain menu options as well. We make a mean gluten free bread and besides the sandwich option this also opens up the possibility of croutons for salads.  

We have really noticed the rise in gluten free clientèle and have done our best to come up with some tasty alternatives that we also enjoy. Because no one should have to suffer through store bought gluten free bread.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Popular Entrees

Here are a couple of entrees on our menu that get ordered frequently and receive a lot of positive feedback.


This first one is baked chicken with a roast garlic and pesto crust. I like to use fresh skinless boneless 6oz. breasts for this dish and tend to give the fat end of the breast a bit of a beating with my meat mallet to achieve a uniform thickness, this ensures that the breast will cook at relatively the same time. After a mild beating we introduce the chicken to a light pesto with Dijon and coarsely chopped roast garlic with it's roasting oil. The breasts can then be rolled into a little sleeping bag and topped with sun dried tomato powder before baking. These also work well when stuffed with asparagus or spinach and ricotta.
 

This grilled orange and maple glazed salmon is easy to make and makes for some good Summer BBQing. Wild Sockeye is naturally sweet and full of flavor so this is just more of a finishing glaze than anything else. Sometimes I'll let the fish relax in the sauce for half an hour before grilling but that's about it. The sauce is basically butter, fresh orange zest and juice, tamari and maple syrup. Fresh herb or chili paste are optional. Grill on high over charcoal or on a propane grill, watch for flareups on the grill from the butter. Try to cook salmon to a maximum of 70%, there should be a fat half inch ribbon in the center of the fillets to indicate a medium rare doneness.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Watermelon Radish Salad



This salad was served as more of a garnish on our previous toasted barley risotto dish. We felt that it deserved more credit than that so it was transformed into a salad course. I don't have proper quantities for this dish at this stage but this is the gist on how to make it. I used a mandoline with a medium blade to julienne half of one watermelon radish and two small, crisp organic carrots. Try to keep the length similar for uniform stacking. The dressing is a simple combination of vinegars including Umeboshi, black currant and rice, sweetened with some birch syrup and a bit of balsamic reduction, no oil. The golden beet chips were made by first peeling the beets and since the mandoline was already out, thinly slicing them. Watch your fingers! I then dredged the slices in a bowl with tapioca starch, taking care that they didn't stick together. Shake as much starch from slices in a fine sieve over the bowl and shallow fry sunflower or canola oil in small batches for about a minute or until they are crisp but not brown. Drain on paper towel and lightly season with sea salt. Continue to shake and fry until all of your chips are done. To assemble the salad, toss the carrots and radish in the vinegar mix just seconds before serving, drain off excess and arrange on a bed of organic greens. Top with some home grown sprouts and black sesame seeds and arrange the beet chips around the salad.