To simplify dinner prep, bake and freeze these rolls in advance—if you can resist eating them fresh out of the oven. The secret to their divine texture is to use just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
Harissa, a paste made from crushed chilies, gives these North African-inspired lamb sausages their signature kick. Find boneless lamb shoulder and sausage casings at your butcher, and make sure the meat is chilled before you work with it. For easy prep, enlist a helper for filling the casings.
My inspiration for this dish was actually my boyfriend. He swore up and down that he absolutely hated pork tenderloin after his first time having it, so I set out to change that. I knew that he loves stuffing and gravy, as well as pork chops with apple sauce. This gave me the idea to incorporate all those flavors together to make something that would change his mind about pork tenderloin. When he came home from work he took one look at the final product and he immediately wanted to try it, and when he did he LOVED it! He gushed all night about how delicious it was and it has become a staple recipe in my house.
My family absolutely loves this dish. It is one of those wonderful dishes that is best prepared the day ahead which leaves you plenty of time for entertaining when your friends are over. It came about as my son was dating a girl who was a vegetarian, I wanted to make a dish for supper that we could all enjoy with her. I looked at a variety of recipes and formulated this one, which we have come to love - I have shared the recipe with garlic loving friends who just can't get enough! All the ingredients can be grown in my backyard, although I usually buy the eggplant at the St. Jacobs Farmers market in Waterloo, about 15 minutes from my home. Serve this with a caesar salad and some crusty bread and voila! A meal your friends won't soon forget!
This recipe was inspired by my love for butter tarts. How wonderful it would be to incorporate this Canadian favourite into an entree. Using some of my favourite comfort foods, I created this unique savoury rich torte. This multi-layered dish is a delicate balance of sweet and salty. Chilled chardonnay, crusty baguette (lathered with real butter of course) and a crisp mixed green salad would be ideal accompaniments to complete this meal.
Menu:
Lake Brome Duck Breast with Cranberry and Kumquat Chutney
Oven Roasted Nova Scotia Organic Fingerling Potatoes
Organic Nova Scotia Carrots in Maple Syrup Glaze
Salad of Organic Nova Scotia Micro Greens and Sprouts with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette and Honey Goat Cheese Puffs
Inspiration: The inspiration for this meal comes from the 100 mile challenge featured on Food Network. I am currently involved with a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm here in Nova Scotia and am quite passionate about eating Slow Food, which is locally grown. I want to reduce my carbon footprint by using as many ingredients as possible that come from the province where I live in rather than from afar. It is nice to know, not only where your food comes from, but who grew it as well. Our children are quite excited each week to see our food box arrive, and always wonder what our farmer has sent us. Part of what I like about this recipe is that although it appears complicated, it really is quite simple and requires nothing out of the ordinary for most kitchens these days, with the exception of the kumquats. I have also included the recipes for the side dishes I like to serve with this meal. Preparation time includes preparing and cooking the side dishes as well. There are substitutions for the vegetables, for example using new baby potatoes or baby carrots, and substituting a peppery arugula for the micro greens. Food doesn't have to be pretentious or difficult to taste good. This recipe calls for one duck breast for each person, which for some appetites may be alot. The recipe could be stretched to serve 8, if the breasts are on the larger side. Wine Pairing: Jost L'Acadie Blanc Chardonnay (The Flight of the Silver Dart Commemorative) or Domaine de Grand Pre L'Acadie Blanc
Presentation: When presenting this dish, place a spoonful of the chutney in the centre of a warmed plate. Slice the duck thinly crossways and fan half over either side of the chutney. I place the carrots at one end of the plate with a bit of the glaze and the potatoes at the other, and drizzle balsamic glaze on each plate.
