Ingredients

• 4, 6 oz (175 g) halibut steaks
• 2 tsp (10 mL) fennel seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 tsp (5 mL) coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) salted butter at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
• 3 tbsp (45 mL) dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C) Combine fennel, coriander, butter, parsley, chipotle pepper and mustard in a small bowl. Mash together using a spatula until smooth and well blended. Season butter mixture with salt and pepper to taste; reserve butter mixture at room temperature. Sprinkle halibut with salt and pepper. Place fish in 8″ x 8″ (20 cm x 20 cm) glass baking dish. Pour wine over fish. Bake until opaque in centre, basting occasionally with wine and juices in dish, for approximately 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily.

Divide fish among 4 plates. Spread all of the fennel butter over fish.

Serves 4

Credit: Brandon Boone

Try these recipes to re-create the flavours of cowboy country at home or to take on your next trail ride or adventure at the cabin.

Ingredients

• Seasoned Stock:

  • 10 cups (2.5 L) water (or enough to cover ribs)
  • 4 cups (1 L) cola
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh thyme sprigs
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) rosemary sprigs
  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) pickling spice
  • Juice of 3 lemons
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) salt
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) hot chile pepper, thinly sliced
  • 2 lb (1 kg) pork side ribs

• Raspberry Chipotle Sauce:

  • 1 pint (500 g) raspberries
  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) Tabasco chipotle sauce, or to taste
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) brown sugar

Directions

Seasoned Stock:
In a large stockpot set over medium-high heat, combine water, cola, thyme, rosemary, pickling spice, lemon juice, salt Worcestershire sauce and chile pepper; bring to a boil. Add ribs, reduce heat to a simmer and cook ribs 1 1/2 hours or until tender; remove and let cool to room temperature.

Raspberry Chipotle Sauce:
In a blender, combine raspberries, chipotle sauce, olive oil, and brown sugar; purée until smooth.

Preheat oven to 300 F (150 C) or prepare a barbecue. Brush ribs with sauce and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or grill, using indirect heat, until sauce browns.

Serves 4

Credit: Craig Guenther from The Market 520

Scallops and bacon are a natural combo, the sweet-smoky-salty highlights of each accentuated in this dish by the bite of arugula and cream’s unctuous mouthfeel.

Ingredients

• Bacon Cream

  • 6 slices bacon, diced 1/2 inch (1 cm)
  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • 1 small sprig thyme
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) heavy cream
  • 1 oz (30 g) unsalted butter
  • Dash truffle oil (optional)
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste

• Salad

  • 3 oz (90 g) pine nuts
  • 8 oz (250 g) baby arugula
  • 6 oz (175 g) cherry tomatoes, whole or halved
  • 6 artichoke hearts, quartered
  • 3 tbsp (45 mL) extra virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste

• Scallops

  • 12 large scallops, external membrane discarded
  • 1 oz (30 mL) canola oil
  • Sea salt to taste

Directions

Bacon Cream:
Sauté the bacon in a frying pan until the fat renders and it is almost crisp. Add the shallot, reduce the heat and cook until the shallot is transparent and tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the thyme, cream, butter and optional truffle oil. Simmer for 10 minutes, then pass through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the solids. Season to taste and keep warm.

Salad:
Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Lay the pine nuts in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Toast until golden brown. Remove from oven and toss with the arugula, tomatoes, artichoke hearts and olive oil. Season
to taste.

Scallops:
Heat a sauté pan on high heat, add the canola oil, then add the scallops in a single layer. Turn them when they are golden brown and cook briefly on the second side. Season with salt.

To Assemble:
Divide the salad among six plates. Add the scallops and top with the cream sauce. Serve immediately.

Serves 6

Credit: Petite restaurant

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of green asparagus
• Handful of cleaned fiddleheads (optional)
• 1 tsp (5 mL) extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) butter
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the wine you’ve chosen
• 1 clove garlic, halved
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) heavy cream, room temperature
• 8 oz (250 g) dry angel hair pasta
• 8 oz (250 g) snow goat cheese (fresh mild chèvre)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

To prepare asparagus, wash and trim stems where they snap off naturally. Cut in thirds, lengthwise. If using fiddleheads, rinse under cold water, removing papery brown husk.

In a large skillet, heat oil and melt the butter in the oil over medium heat. Add garlic. Sauté in butter until golden. Remove garlic and discard. Add the wine, and let the mixture cook a bit. Add asparagus and turn the pieces quickly, just to coat; add cream and bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add angel hair pasta, and cook until barely al dente, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain pasta and immediately add to pan with asparagus mixture. Pinch off pieces of the chèvre and add to pasta, tossing as you do so.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Add parsley; toss and serve immediately in warmed pasta plates.

Serves 4

Credit: Courtesy of Judy Schultz

Ingredients

• 1 whole duck
• 6 Bradley Cherry Wood bisquettes

• Brine:

  • 16 cups (4 L) water
  • 2 cups (500 mL) soy sauce
  • 2 cups (500 mL) orange juice
  • 1 cup (250 mL) kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) peppercorns

• Sauce:

  • 1 shallot minced
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) canola oil
  • 1 cup (250 mL) sour cherries, pitted
  • 2 oz (60 mL) Ruby Port
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup duck, chicken or beef stock
  • 1 pinch dried chilies
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Brine:
Combine all brine ingredients in a large pail or stockpot. Place duck in brine. Place a pie plate or a clean brick on duck to immerse. Let duck sit in brine, refrigerated, for 1 day or up to 3 days. Remove duck from brine and pat dry. If you have time, let it sit in your fridge, uncovered on a draining rack for an additional day.

Duck:
Prepare Bradley Stainless Steel smoker following the manufacturer’s directions. Add cherry wood bisquettes to the smoke generator and smoke for approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove duck from smoker and bake in an oven at 375 F (190 C) until internal temperature reaches 140 F (60 C) or until desired doneness.

Sour Cherry Sauce:
Sauté shallot in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add cherries and continue to sauté; deglaze with Port. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a low boil until reduced to a syrupy consistency.

To Assemble:
Remove duck breasts and cut on an angle into thin slices; fan in centre of each of 2 plates. Dollop sour cherry sauce on top and serve with a julienne of carrot, radish, and vermicelli rice noodles.

Serves 2 – 4

Credit: By chef Alexander Svenne from Pineridge Hollow Restaurant

Baco Noir is a hybrid grape popular with Canadian winemakers as it was developed for cold weather hardiness. It makes a dark, plum-coloured wine with lots of flavour. A good choice to pair with big-game meats such as bison, elk or deer is the Henry of Pelham Baco Noir.

Ingredients

• 4 lb (2 kg) short ribs (If you go to a butcher ask to have them ‘English cut’)

• Marinade:

  • 2 cups (500 mL) Henry of Pelham Baco Noir (This will leave 1 cup (250 mL) in the bottle for you to drink while cooking)
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary or 1 tsp (5 mL) dried
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) canola oil
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) black pepper
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) salt

• Seasoned flour:

  • 2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) paprika
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) salt
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) pepper
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) cayenne pepper

• Braise:

  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) canola oil
  • 1 cup (250 mL) shallots, peeled but not chopped
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
  • 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
  • 6 black plums, pitted and quartered
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 4-6 whole clove
  • 2 cups (500 mL) beef stock (1 can beef consommé)
  • Pinch of chilies
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Combine all marinade ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil, simmer for about 10 minutes. Cool completely.

Put ribs in a casserole dish or a bowl. Pour marinade over ribs and toss to coat completely. Let marinate for 4 hours or overnight. Turn ribs over a couple of times to make sure they are evenly marinated.

Drain marinade off and reserve marinade. Pat ribs with paper towel to dry. Dredge ribs in seasoned flour to coat evenly. Shake off excess flour.

In a heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat. Working in small batches, brown short ribs, turning to brown all sides. You need a nice dark brown colour, to achieve the best flavour. If the oil starts to smoke or the flour burns, turn down the heat. Don’t try to brown too many ribs at once; they won’t brown properly. There should be spaces between each rib in the the pot. When ribs are browned, remove from pot and set aside.

Put the shallots in the pot and sauté until soft. Add reserved marinade and bring to a boil. Add carrots, sweet potatoes, plums, cinnamon stick, cloves, beef stock and chilies. Bring to a low boil.

Return ribs to pot and reduce heat to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and simmer for 2 hours. The meat should be falling-off-the-bone-tender. (For bison or game meats you will only need 1 1/2 hours). Put the pot in a 300 F (150 C) oven for 2 hours. You could also put this in a slow cooker in the morning to enjoy when you get home from work.

Serve with a big pile of creamy mashed potatoes, egg noodles tossed in butter or with a wild rice pilaf. This recipe is great made the day before and reheated.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 large white onion, halved
• 4, 2″ (5 cm) thick centre cut pork chops
• Canola oil

• Sauce

  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) minced smoked onion
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) minced dried apple
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) minced dried papaya
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) minced dried pineapple
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) minced Calimyrna fig
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) minced prune
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) single malt Scotch
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) beef stock
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) orange juice concentrate
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) apple juice concentrate
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) light brown sugar
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) cold water

Directions

Soak about 2 cups (500 mL) apple wood chips in water for 2 hours. Remove grate from one side of a gas grill. Heat the side without a grate over high heat for about 10 minutes (off-set cooking method). Drain wood chips, divide into two even portions and wrap in two separate pieces of aluminum foil, folding edges to seal. Using a fork, poke several holes on one side of foil so smoke can escape. Place one foil package on preheated side of the grill. Turn heat down to low. Once smoke begins to appear, lightly grease grate with oil. Place onion halves and pork chops on grate. Close lid and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes. Add second packet of wood chips to grill and continue to cook for another 30 minutes. Turn on the burner under the pork chops and onions; remove onions. Grill pork for another 15 to
20 minutes or until cooked.

Sauce:
Melt butter in a saucepot set over medium heat; add onion and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add dried fruit and Scotch; carefully flambé. Add the stock and simmer until reduced. Stir in the fruit juices, sugar and salt. Simmer for
10 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine cornstarch and water, mixing well, then add to the sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and keep warm.

To Assemble:
Place one pork chop on each of four plates and top with sauce; serve immediately.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1, 2 1/2 lb (1.25 kg) beef rump roast
• Sea salt

Directions

Prepare a charcoal barbecue. Trim excess fat without removing the ‘fat cap.’ Cut roast into three equal pieces. Rub sea salt over meat. To sear meat, place on grill over very high heat. Turn roast over, and sear other side (approximately 2 to 3 minutes on each side). Allow the juices to flare up on the coals. Lower heat on grill, and continue to cook meat for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove meat from the barbecue. Allow the roast to rest for 10 to
12 minutes.

Carve meat against the grain, carefully catching juices to serve with the meat.

Credit: Chef Diego Restrepo of Bolero

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups (625 mL) uncooked rotini or penne pasta
• 1/2 lb (250 g) asparagus or peas
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
• 1 cup (250 mL) sliced onion
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) flour
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 oz (125 g) sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) beef stock
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) dry white wine
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp (2mL) dried
• 1 cup (250 mL) sour cream
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups (500 mL) strips or pieces of cold cooked-lamb
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 green onion or handful of chives, thinly sliced

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Stir in pasta and cook until al dente. Drain. Snap woody ends off asparagus; diagonally slice remaining stalks. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat until bubbly. Toss onions with flour; then add, along with all flour and garlic, to pan. Sauté, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in mushrooms, then stock, wine and thyme. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then cover and reduce heat so mixture simmers and reduces to a sauce consistency, about 15 minutes. Stir in sliced asparagus; cook, covered for another 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in cream and black pepper. When hot, stir in lamb and drained pasta. Cook a few minutes, stirring frequently, until again hot. Serve right away in warmed pasta bowls sprinkled with cheese and green onions.

Ingredients

• 4, 6 oz (175 g) salmon fillets
• Salt and pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh minced parsley
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) olive oil, divided
• 8 oz (250 g) brown mushrooms
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) sweet chilli sauce
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) single malt Scotch whiskey (such as Glenfiddich)
• 2 tsp (10 mL) orange zest
• 20 mandarin orange wedges

Directions

Season salmon with salt and pepper. Mix garlic, parsley and 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil; rub salmon with mixture. Heat remaining olive oil in a nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Add salmon and sear for 3 to 4 minutes a side (or until fish flakes easily). Remove from pan and keep warm. Add mushrooms to pan and sauté until browned. Add remaining ingredients to pan and continue to cook until slightly reduced.

Spoon sauce over reserved salmon and garnish with 5 mandarin wedges.

Serves 4

Credit: Recipe by Brandon Boone