Berrylicious Summer Pudding

Summer Pudding is the quintessential English dessert, and one of my personal favourites! A triumphal end to many summer lunches and dinners I've hosted over the years, Summer Pudding has also become an eagerly anticipated summer treat for many of my friends. Summer Pudding is as easy to make as it is outstandingly delicious. Packed full of fresh summer berries that have been simmered with brown sugar and framboise, then poured into a bread lined bowl and chilled overnight, the pectin in the berries react with the sugar in the bread, and as the pudding chills, it firms up into the most fabulous crimson coloured berry-licious pudding. Served with a dollop of creme fraiche, Summer Pudding is heaven on earth.




Summer Pudding
Serves 12


1 lb strawberries
1 lb raspberries
1 lb blueberries
1 lb blackberries
1 package frozen mixed berries
1 cup light brown sugar
1 loaf white bread
1/2 cup framboise


Remove the crusts from the bread. Wash and trim all the fresh berries, and add them to a large saucepan with the frozen berries, framboise, brown sugar and 1/2 cup of water, and cook over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the berries have released their juices, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool slightly, then remove 1 cup of the juice and set aside. 


Lightly grease a medium sized bowl with some vegetable oil, then line the bowl with the slices of bread, covering the bottom and the sides. Using a large spoon, ladle the berry mixture into the bread lined bowl, then top with the remaining slices of bread. Lay a flat plate on top with a heavy weight to squash the fruit down, and chill 12-24 hours. 


When ready to serve, place a large serving plate on top of the bowl and gently invert. Shake gently to release the pudding onto the plate and spoon the reserved juice over the top, garnishing with some sprigs of fresh mint. Serve cut into wedges, with a bowl of thick creme fraiche on the table. Heaven!

A Classic Cobb Salad

The Cobb Salad was invented at The Brown Derby in Los Angeles in 1926, and named for its creator — Robert Howard Cobb. This main dish garden salad is usually made up of mixed salad greens, tomatoes, crisp bacon, roasted chicken breast, hard-boiled eggs, avocados, chives, Roquefort cheese and a red-wine vinaigrette. Stories vary as to whether the salad was invented by Cobb or by his chef, Chuck Wilson, but legend is that Cobb had not eaten near midnight, and so he mixed together leftovers he found in the kitchen, along with some bacon cooked by the line cook, and tossed it with their French dressing. And so, the Cobb Salad was born.

Using local organic green and farm-fresh eggs from Brooklands Farm in Muskoka and smoked ham from Cosmo's Smoked Meat at the Bracebridge Farmer's Market, we enjoyed this lovely heart-smart Cobb Salad over the July 1st long weekend, along with a warm baguette and a bottle or two of chilled Rosé. One of the lovely things about a Cobb Salad is that it is, by it's nature, a spontaneous creation — so do what Chuck Wilson did, and grab whatever tasty leftovers you have in your fridge, and create your own Cobb. 

Muskoka Cobb Salad

Serves 6

1 lb cooked chicken breast, sliced

1 lb cooked smoked ham, sliced

8 oz Cheddar cheese, sliced

8 oz Swiss cheese, sliced

1 ripe avocado, skinned, pitted and sliced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

3 eggs, hardboiled and quartered

1 head of boston lettuce or local greens

3 greens onions, chopped

2 tbsp chives, chopped

vinaigrette:

2/3 cup olive oil

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, garlic, vinegar, Dijon, and salt & pepper to taste. Whisk the dressing until it's emulsified. 

In a large salad bowl, toss together the mixed lettuces, green onions and 1/2 cup of vinaigrette and mix well. Compose the salad. Arrange the chicken, ham, cheeses, and tomato decoratively over the greens and garnish with the sliced egg, avocado and chives. Drizzle the remainder of the dressing over the composed salad and serve.

Smoked Salmon Mousse on Cucumber Rounds

This delicious Smoked Salmon Mousse recipe is easy to make, can be prepared well ahead of time and simply piped onto some trimmed cucumber rounds. Smoked salmon, cream cheese, sour cream and dill are placed in a food processor and whizzed into a smooth paste. The mousse is then spooned into a piping bag with an #8 startip nozzle, and chilled until ready to be used. Once you're ready, all you do is carefully pipe the mousse onto the cucumber rounds and garnish with a small sprig of dill. It looks great and tastes lovely, fresh, creamy and chocked full of smoked salmony goodness.



Smoked Salmon Mousse on Cucumber Rounds
Makes 30-40 hors d'oeuvres

8 oz. smoked salmon
8 oz creamed cheese
4 oz sour cream
2 tbsp fresh chopped dill
2 english cucumbers
salt and white pepper to taste

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a #8 startip, or even a plastic bag with the corner cropped off, and chill until you're ready to proceed.

Using a vegetable peeler, create long stripes along the length of each cucumber, them slice into 1/2" rounds. Then using a melon baller, scoop out a small bowl in each round and place on a decorative plate. Remove the mousse from the fridge and pipe a small mound into the centre of each cucumber. Garnish with a small sprig of dill and serve.

Canada Day

Happy Canada Day!

July 1st marks the anniversary of the formation of the union of the British North America provinces in a federation under the name of Canada. 

Canada Day also means fireworks and enjoying a day off work to be with family and friends.

Wishing you all a happy and safe Canada Day long weekend!

Coconut Panna Cotta with Cointreau & Mixed Berries

Wonderfully rich in flavour and silky smooth in texture, Panna Cotta is a true Italian classic — and takes just minutes to prepare. Cream, coconut milk and sugar are placed in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves, then vanilla and gelatin are added and simply poured into some prepared moulds and chilled for a few hours. This delicious island-inspired Coconut Panna Cotta can be served with some lovely fresh berries and a whisper of Cointreau drizzled overtop for a really simple and elegant summer dessert.


Coconut Panna Cotta with Cointreau and Mixed Berries
Serves 4

1 cup half-and-half cream
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract
1 packet powdered gelatin (about 2 1/4 tsp)

3 tbsp cold water
Cointreau and mixed berries, for garnish

Heat the heavy cream, coconut milk and sugar in a saucepan. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

Lightly oil four small ramekins with a neutral-tasting oil.

Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a medium-sized bowl and let stand 5 to 10 minutes.

Place the gelatin into the very warm Panna Cotta mixture and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.

Divide the Panna Cotta mixture into the prepared cups, then chill them until firm, which will take two to four hours, or let them chill overnight. If you’re pressed for time, pour the Panna Cotta mixture into wine goblets and serve them in the glasses, without unmolding. You can also make them up to two days ahead but keep them well-covered and chilled.

Gently pull the edges away on the each Panna Cotta and unmold each onto a serving plate, and garnish with mixed berries and a drizzle of Cointreau, or as desired.

Chilled Lobster Salad with Lemon Dill Sauce

A delicious treat anytime! Fresh steamed lobster and a flavoured mayonnaise such as a delicate pernod-infused mayo or Lemon Dill Cream, and you have all the ingredients for a luscious lunch. A classic Lobster Salad usually combines the lobster meat with mayonnaise, fresh dill and lemon juice for a creamy combination typically served on a bed of lettuce, or spooned into a bun for a New England Lobster Roll. In this Chilled Lobster Salad, the classic ingredients are deconstructed, with the delicate sweetness of lobster taking centre stage. A dollop of mayonnaise, a sprig of fresh dill and a trio of lemon slices are nestled beside the lobster, for a redux version of the classic original. And instead of a bun — an elegant Martini glass. Served with a glass of chilled Rosé and a simple green salad, and you have an easy, healthy and delicious lobster-fest.

Chilled Lobster Salad

Serves 2

2 1-pound lobsters, cooked and shelled

1 lemon, sliced into wedges

Fresh dill, for garnish

Place the small pieces of lobster meat in the bottom of 2 decorative serving glasses, then artfully position the tail meat so that it folds over the rim. Place the remaining claw meat beside the tails, then spoon a dollop of flavoured mayonnaise or dill cream in the centre (see recipes below). Garnish with some lemon wedges and a sprig of dill and serve.

Lemon Dill Cream

Makes 1 cup 

1 cup sour cream

1 lemon, juiced

2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Pernod Mayonnaise

Makes 1 cup

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp Pernod

Whisk both ingredients together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Mary Ann's Decadent Baklava

Baklava is a classic Greek pastry made with flaky phyllo dough that is layered with a cinnamon-spiced nut filling, and bathed in a sweet syrup of honey, cinnamon and brown sugar. It’s crunchy, sinfully sweet and very decadent. My friend Mary Ann makes the best Baklava I've ever tasted. It's wonderfully nutty, buttery and sticky with the sweet orange-honey sauce that she pours over the pastry as it comes out hot from the oven. Mary Ann's recipe should come with a warning — Beware: Contents are addictive!


Mary Ann's Baklava
Makes a 9"x13" tray

Pastry:
1/2 lb unsalted butter
1 package of Phyllo (or Filo) dough, unthawed
3 cups of walnuts, roughly chopped
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup light brown sugar

Sauce:
1 cup honey
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
1 orange, zest only
1 tsp vanilla


Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt the butter. Mix the chopped walnuts, sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl.


Unroll the package of phyllo dough. Using a brush, butter the bottom of a 9"x13" pan and lay down one sheet of phyllo. Continue adding sheets brushed with butter until there are 12 sheets in the pan. Spread 1 cup of the nut mixture smoothly over the pastry; add another layer of phyllo and another cup of nuts, and the same again. Continue adding layers of buttered dough until the package is finished.


Take a sharp knife and cut down through all of the layers, making diamond shapes. Once finished, put the pan in the oven and bake for one hour, or until the pastry is slightly puffed and golden on top. Don't allow the top to burn. 


While the baklava is baking, start to prepare the sauce by combining all the ingredients into a medium sauce pan. Cook the sauce for about 20 minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken slightly. Stir frequently to prevent the sauce from sticking, burning or boiling over. After 20 minutes, turn the heat off and let it cool down.


When the baklava comes out of the oven, pour the sauce overtop and leave to cool. Use a sharp knife to serve the diamond shapes pieces and enjoy!