Langdon Hall: A Weekend Getaway during COVID

Considered to be one of the top hotels in Canada, Langdon Hall was originally built as a Federal Revival mansion by the famous New York Astor family at the turn of the 20th-century. The property still exudes the air of an old Ontario estate, and when the mansion was finally sold in 1982 with acres of mature Carolinian Forest, the transformation of Langdon Hall from a private residence into a luxury country house hotel embraced the British tradition, as envisaged by its owners architect William Bennett and Mary Beaton. I have been escaping to Langdon Hall for over 20 years and have spent many memorable weekends there with both friends and family, relaxing in the secluded outdoor pool, exploring the impressive chef's kitchen garden, and of course indulging in Langdon Hall's exceptional cuisine by the superbly talented Jason Bangerter — one of my favourite chefs in Canada.

However Langdon Hall was closed for 3 months this year due to the global pandemic and only opened on Fathers Day 2020, with strict protocols in place to protect guests and staff. Having been self isolating at home since March, we booked 2 nights in early July, thrilled that we might enjoy a few days of normalcy in this glorious oasis of beauty and calm. Arriving for a sunny lunch on our first day, we were seated outdoors - as all our meals would be served - under the spectacular Camperdown Elm on the outdoor garden terrace. All of the tables were socially distanced, all staff wore masks, and guests were asked to wear masks while walking through any dining or common areas. We were very impressed with the measures being taken, and how warm and welcoming the staff were during our entire stay. Enjoying a sensational lunch overlooking the lily pond, we went back to our suite and changed into bathing suits to spend the remainder of the afternoon sitting by the pool and sipping white sangria. Bliss.

Socially distanced tables on the outdoor terrace under the Camperdown Elm and overlooking the lily pond and Carolinian Forest 

Chef Bangerter's Summer menu

A tiny perfect succulent graces our table

Fresh Sourdough bread - delicious and totally addictive

2015 Côtes de Provence

Chilled Pea Velouté served with poached lobster, buttermilk, radish, and garden garnish

The silky smooth Pea Velouté is poured over the fresh garden peas 

and poached lobster for the final presentation 

Beer Battered Cod served with crispy chubby chips, anise herbs, and Ox-eye daisy remoulade

The Dessert Menu - short but sweet

Fresh Ontario berries with elderflower sabayon, fresh mint and blossoms

www.langdonhall.ca

Acorn Squash Soup

Serves 12

Recipe courtesy of chef Jason Bangerter

"On chilly nights, I like to serve this soup with a garnish of braised meats (duck, rabbit or pork confit) with seared nuggets of foie gras, stewed chestnuts and brioche seasoned with winter spice. At home, I simply add a dollop of vanilla yogurt, pomegranate seeds and rustic baked black pepper croutons." In the spring, 40 maple trees on the property are tapped and the sap boiled into syrup fresh each day, and used in recipes like Chef Bangerter's Acorn Squash Soup.

2 acorn squash

3 tbsp maple syrup

1 splash olive oil

Salt and  pepper

1 onion

1 carrot

6 cloves garlic

Half rib celery

2 oz unsalted butter

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 cup dry white  wine

12 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 bay leaves

1/2 stick cinnamon

6 sprigs each thyme and parsley

2 sprigs of rosemary

Split the squash and remove seeds. Drizzle with half the maple syrup, a splash of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut side down in a roasting pan in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes or until lightly caramelized and fork tender. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the cooked flesh and reserve. Slice the onion, carrot, garlic and celery. In a medium stockpot, sweat the vegetables in butter and ginger until soft. Add cooked squash and wine and cook until wine is reduced by two-thirds. Add stock to an inch above the vegetables. Add the cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Tie the fresh herbs in a tight bundle with string, then add to the pot and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the herb bundle and cinnamon. Purée the soup in batches in food processor until smooth and velvety, adding remaining syrup and more stock if necessary. Strain and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Nigella Lawson's Gluten-Free Venetian Carrot Cake

Not all carrot cakes are created equal, especially where Nigella is concerned. This recipe, "originating from Venetian Jews, which sounds refreshingly medieval, made as it is from ground almonds, rather than flour, is enriched with eggs and olive oil and studded with rum-soaked sultanas." As she admits, "it's not much to look at'"– a golden disc about half the height of one layer of an ordinary cake – but it's incredibly moist and deliciously nutty, with a lovely citrus kick too. It's also gluten and lactose-free, for those who are sensitive to such things, but quite delicious in its own right. For a taller moister version, simply use a smaller 6-inch springform pan, cook it a little longer and the results are absolutely scrumptious.



Gluten-Free Venetian Carrot Cake 
Serves 8-10
Recipe courtesy of Nigella Lawson

Carrot cake:
3 tbsp pine nuts
2 medium carrots, about 8 oz
3 oz golden sultanas
2 1/4 fl oz rum
5 oz white granulated sugar
4 1/2 fl oz olive oil, plus extra for greasing
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs
9 oz ground almonds
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, or to taste
1/2 lemon, finely grated zest and juice

Cream Cheese Frosting: 
8 oz cream cheese
3 cups icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the base of a 9-inch round springform cake pan* with baking parchment and grease the sides with olive oil. Toast the pine nuts by browning in a dry frying pan, then set aside. Grate the carrots in a food processor or with a coarse grater, then wrap in a clean kitchen towel and wrap them, to soak up excess liquid, then set aside.

Put the golden sultanas in a small saucepan with the rum, bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 3 minutes. Whisk the sugar and oil until creamily and airily mixed, then add the vanilla extract and eggs and, when well whisked, fold in the ground almonds, nutmeg, grated carrots, golden sultanas with any rum that clings to them, and finally, the lemon zest and juice.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared cake tin and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula. The batter will be very shallow in the tin. Sprinkle the toasted pine nuts over the cake and put it into the oven for 30–40 minutes, or until the top is risen and golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out sticky but more or less clean. Remove from the oven and let the cake sit in its tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then un-spring and leave it on the rack to cool.

To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese in a standing mixer, until smooth, then add the sugar and vanilla, and mix until light and fluffy. To assemble the cake, place the carrot cake on a serving platter and spread with cream cheese frosting, and serve.


* NOTE: I used a 6-inch round springform pan for a taller cake and adjusted the baking time to 70 minutes, then turned off the oven and let the cake rest inside for another 10-15 minutes, so that the centre was cooked through.

Chilled Lobster with Lemon Dill Cream & Sliced Lemon

Fresh steamed lobster and a flavoured mayonnaise such as Lemon Dill Cream, and you have all the ingredients for a luscious and decadent lunch. 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

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 for the lemon dill cream in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 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. Garnish with some lemon wedges and a sprig of dill and serve.

Hugh's Pear & Almond Cake: A Luscious Dessert

There is something very warm and comforting about the sweet buttery aroma of a home made cakey confection as it comes out from the oven. It's a seductive smell that's pretty hard to resist, so why bother? As Oscar Wilde said, "The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it!" And so we did, and made this delicious Pear and Almond Cake inspired by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's recipe from his River Cottage Everyday Cookbook. The pears are gently sautéed in butter and sugar then added to a eggy batter of ground almonds and wholemeal flour, poured into a buttered springform tin, then baked for about 40 minutes. The combination of pears and almonds bring a luscious texture to this moist and sticky, but not too sweet, for an absolutely pear-fect pud! 

Hugh's Pear and Almond Cake
Serves 6-8 

10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 medium eggs
5 tbsp wholemeal flour with 1 tsp baking powder + pinch of salt
5 tbsp ground almonds
1/4 tsp cinnamon
For the caramelized pears: 
3 Bosc pears, reasonably firm, but not rock hard
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a springform cake tin and line the base with baking parchment. Peel, core and quarter the pears. Melt the butter in a frying pan big enough to take all the pear pieces, over a medium high heat. When it’s bubbling, add the sugar and stir gently until it has dissolved into the butter. Add the pears and cook gently, turning once or twice, until they have softened and are starting to get a lovely golden colour, about 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Now for the cakey bit. In a mixing bowl, beat the softened butter with the caster sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in one egg at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour with each to stop the mix curdling. Combine the remaining flour, the ground almonds and the cinnamon, and fold into the mixture. Scrape into the prepared tin. Arrange the pears on top and pour on any buttery juices left in the pan. Set the pan on a baking sheet to catch any drives and bake for about 40-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Stand the cake in its tin on a wire rack to cool for a few minutes, then release the tin. Serve the cake warm with clotted or whipped cream – or cold. "This recipe is cakewalk. Lovely sticky and exciting. Pear-fect."

Lamb Chops with Mint & Roast Potatoes on Arugula

 

Who can resist a lovely fresh, lean and tender New Zealand rack of lamb, simply seasoned and roasted or pan fried with a handful of roast potatoes and a bright green salad? Quick, easy, healthy and delicious. Inspired by a recipe from Nigella's most recent cookbook Nigellissima that I picked up at her book launch when she was last in Toronto, I knew I should give it a try. And I'm glad I did. As she says, "If you put your halved baby potatoes on to steam before you get started on the lamb chops, you can fairly effortlessly rely on a proper meat-and-potato supper in around 20 minutes. Steaming the potatoes is, for me, an important stipulation: a steamed spud is a sweet spud; more than that, cooked this way, rather than by boiling, the potatoes are dry when done, which makes them easy to fry to crisp bronzedness". Bronzedness? I don't know if that's a word, but it's certainly a fabulous recipe, and one that I will definitely be making again, if not for the spuds alone!

Nigella's Italian-inspired cookbook, Nigellissima

Lamb Chops with Mint, Chilli & Roast New Potatoes on Arugula
Serves 2
Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson - Nigellissima

1 lb baby new potatoes, washed and halved but not peeled
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried mint
1/2 tsp celery salt
1 rack of lamb, cut into single chops
3 1/2 oz wild arugula
1 tsp Maldon sea salt flakes & black pepper
Shaved parmigiano, for garnish


Put the halved new potatoes on to steam. Place the lamb chops in a dish that will fit them all in a single layer and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with red pepper flakes, mint and celery salt. Turn until well coated, and leave to marinate for 10 minutes. 

Heat a large heavy non-stick frying pan that will fit the chops in one layer, and cook on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, depending on the size of the rack. While the chops cook, check that the potatoes are tender, which they should be by now, in which case, turn the heat off under the steamer. Turn the chops with tongs and cook a further 2-3 minutes. 

Arrange the arugula on a large platter and when lamb is done, but still juicily pink, arrange on top of the greens. Meanwhile, tip the steamed potatoes into the pan and fry for 3-4 minutes, then turn them over and fry for another 3 minutes, shaking the pan every now and again to make them tumble and turn in the hot, spiced fat. Using a slotted spatula, transfer potatoes to the platter and season with a flurry of Maldon salt and some shaved parmigiano.

Moroccan Beef Kefta with Tahini & Pomegranate

Kefta is traditionally a savoury meat mixture, often of beef or lamb, mixed with fragrant spices of cumin, paprika, and even a bit of cinnamon for some warmth. There are hundreds of varieties of meatballs – kofta in Arabic and ktsitsot in Hebrew – each with its own unique heritage and specific preparation. They can form into round meatballs, flat patties, thin fingers or more commonly into torpedo-shaped kebabs that are perfect for wrapping up inside of a pita or serving with any kind of warm flatbread. In this Moroccan-inspired version, the ground beef is seasoned with a combination of spices, finely chopped onion and fresh herbs. Although some recipes suggest adding breadcrumbs or eggs to bind the mixture, it's not wholly traditional. Chilled for an hour or so before cooking, the kofta can be grilled outdoors for 10-15 minutes over medium heat until just they're cooked through and beautifully golden brown, or sautéed in a frying pan on cooler evenings. Served with flatbread or with quinoa, couscous or crunchy cucumber and tomato salad plus a heaping bowl of tzatziki or cumin-yogurt sauce, Kefta are healthy, delicious and absolutely bursting with flavour.

Moroccan Grilled Beef Kefta with Tahini Sauce & Pomegranate
Serves 4

2 lb ground minced lamb and beef
1 cup loosely packed chopped cilantro
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 tbsp sweet paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tbsp salt
1 cup finely chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp Harissa paste
1/3 cup pine nuts

Tahini Sauce:
2/3 cup light tahini paste
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 medium clove of garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp salt

Garnish:
2 tbsp unsalted butter or ghee - optional
1 cup pomegranate seeds 
1 tbsp each of cilantro and pine nuts

Put all the kefta ingredients in a bowl and using your hands, mix everything together well. Shape into long, torpedo-like fingers, about 3-inches long and about 2 1/4 oz each, making sure to press the mixture together to ensure the kofta are tight and keep their shape. Arrange on a plate, cover with cling film and chill until you're ready to cook them, up to one day ahead.

For the sauce, whisk together the tahini paste, lemon juice, minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 cup of water in a medium sized bowl. The sauce should be a bit runnier than honey, so add one or two tablespoons of extra water if needed, then cover and set aside.

To barbecue outdoors, preheat the grill to medium and cook the kefta for about 12-15 minutes, or until nicely browned all over but still lovely and juicy on the inside. If you like your meat more well done, continue cooking on the grill until your preferred level of doneness. 

To cook indoors, preheat oven to 425°F. Heat 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil in a large non stick frying-pan and sear the kefta in batches over high heat, making sure they're not bunched together. Sear them on all sides until golden brown, about 6-10 minutes for each batch for medium-rare. For medium or well-done, place the kefta on a baking tray and cook in the oven for another 2-4 minutes.

To finish, melt the ghee in a small saucepan and allow to brown a little, taking care that it doesn’t burn. Spoon the butter over the kofta as soon as they come out of the oven, or baste on the grill as the kefta are cooking. 

To serve, arrange the kefta on warm platter and drizzle with some of the Tahini Sauce, a sprinkle of fresh pomegranate seeds and garnish with extra cilantro and pine nuts. Serve while hot with any remaining sauce on the side.

Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas & Vegetables

Light, crunchy and slightly sweet with the addition of honey and dried cranberries in the broth as the quinoa cooks, this colourful Moroccan Quinoa Salad is the perfect side dish for a hot summer lunch or outdoor dinner. Tossed with a medley of diced vegetables, dried fruits, fresh herbs and exotic mixture of fragrant spices, the salad is entirely gluten-free for a low carb contribution to a healthy and delicious summer meal.


Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas and Vegetables
Serves 6

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed in cold water
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup each finely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup grated carrots 
1/2 cup seeded and diced English cucumber 
1/3 cup chopped green onions
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice of one lemon
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Combine the quinoa, chicken broth, raisins, curry, cumin, coriander, honey and salt in a medium pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed all of the liquid. Remove from the heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork and allow to cool completely. After the quinoa has cooled, combine with all of the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate at least an hour before serving.