Category Archives: Recipes for entertaining
Canada Day Buttermilk Fried Chicken
This 2015 Canada Day we decided to prepare some buttermilk fried chicken with our good friends Heidi and Henri. I got some back legs with bone-in and skin-on and some chicken breasts with bone-in but skinless. I am told by Heidi and Chuck that if you are going to fry chicken, why worry about a bit of skin 🙂
I cut the back legs in 2 to separate the legs from the drumsticks with a kitchen shear (must-have in my kitchen).
I prepared a mixture to coat the chicken.
Since we do not have buttermilk on hand, I poured about half an inch of vinegar in a 2-cups measuring cup. I then filled it to the 2 cup line and let it sit.
In a large bowl, I whipped 2 eggs and added 1 tbsp paprika, some salt, 1tbsp celery salt, 1 tbsp of chilli powder and 1 tsp of Tabasco sauce. You can season it to your taste.
Then I mixed 2 tsp of baking powder and 1 1/2 of baking powder and added to the egg mixture. Then I poured in the buttermilk and mixed everything together.
Then I poured about 1 1/2 cup of flour in a separate dish wide enough to roll the chicken in.
Now roll one piece of chicken in the flour and then submerge it in the buttermilk mixture then back in the flour. Make sure it is covered in flour and set aside in a platter.
Repeat the process for each pieces. Once the are all covered, you are ready to fry.
While I was preparing the chicken mixture, Chuck was warming up about 1 inch of oil in a cast iron pan on the side burner of the BBQ.
Gotta use the BBQ on Canada Day at the cottage in Muskoka!
Once the oil is hot, put 3 pieces at a time making sure they do not touch so they cook thoroughly.
Leave the meat side down in the oil for a good 8-10 minutes. Then flip them and finish cooking for about 7 minutes. Lay them on paper towel to soak off the excess oil.
Chuck cooked some baked potatoes and green beans in foil while the chicken was frying so the whole meal was done on the BBQ with very little dishes to wash for Heidi!
We served on fancy paper plates for even less work and enjoyed our evening by the lake.
Hope you enjoy it too!!
Texas Steak Pot Roast
This is a recipe I found in a magazine over 20 years ago. Being the pack rat I am, I still have the little cutting, but of course I have adapted it over the years and the results is a crowd pleaser. I use this when I am short on time as it takes about 15 minutes to put everything together and throw it in the oven. It is also a very cheap recipe to make so university kids, take notice…and it also freezes well!!
It has become one of my go-to recipe for making meals for Mathew’s film set and everyone loves it, especially the gravy :)) It is a very easy recipe to double or triple for a crowd.
I love to use my big round creuset pot for this as it goes so well from stove top to oven 🙂
Ingredients: This is for 4 people, I usually make 3 times this.
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 1/4 lb of outside round roast or flank steak (you can use a cheaper cut as it cooks it the oven for a long time)
- 1 each of beef broth and bottle salsa (this is the key ingredient, I use medium)2 tbsp of lime juice
- 2 onions sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp of hot pepper flakes ( or more if you like it hot!!)
- Salt and Pepper
Heat the oil in the dutch oven and brown the roast on all side. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remove it from the pot and set aside.
Stir in the stock and scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in the salsa, the lime juice,, onions, garlic, cumin and hot pepper. Bring to boil and return the meat to the mixture.
At this point, you will start having guests in the kitchen asking what this amazing smell is 🙂 Put the cover on and place it in a pre-heated oven at 325F for a good 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the meat is very tender and pulls apart.
To serve it, slice the meat thinly and spoon the gravy on top.  I serve it with mash potatoes and it is a perfect combo but you can also serve it with pasta. You HAVE to have crusty bread on hand to soak up the gravy :))
Moroccan Couscous
I took this recipe from the VERY excellent cookbook we received free of charge when we purchased our great Broil King BBQ. We love both the BBQ and the cookbook :).
I have made this recipe lots of time and always to rave reviews, particularly to the spicy-lover guests (including my husband) we entertain!! Of course I have adapted it a bit to suit our taste better. For example, they add currants and ginger which I omit. As mentioned in a previous blog, this is what I served with the camel stew on New Year’s Eve 2015. I love to make couscous because it is SO quick to make and you can spice it up to your taste easily. It is also very inexpensive to make for the budget conscious crowd out there!!
Ingredients
- 2 tsp Canola Oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 3 cups of chicken stock
- 2 large carrots diced
- 1 tsp each black pepper, coriander, cumin, chili pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 medium size zucchini
- 1 1/2 cups of medium grain couscous
- 1/2 cups fresh parsley (optional)
Heat oil in a medium size pot and saute for a few minutes, the onion first and then add garlic. Add the chicken broth, carrots and all the spices.
Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook for 2-3 minutes longer. Turn the burner off and add the couscous.
Mix well, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff, taste and adjust seasonings. Garnish with the parsley if using.
Enjoy!!
New Year Eve’s Fancy Potluck dinner / Camel Stew recipe
My husband and I started a tradition for New Year’s Eve 4 years ago, once the boys were older and were not celebrating with us anymore, and it has been a lot of fun.
The Tradition
Each year, we invite a few neighbourhood friends to come share a meal with us on New Year’s Eve and they each bring one of the courses paired with a wine/beer/liquor. We use a different plate/bowl for each serving and each couple presents their course as well as describes their wine selection. Sometimes we have a theme such as the country of origin of one’s family and sometimes anything goes. I prepare a menu once everyone has chosen what they will prepare and I print a copy for everyone to have at the table. Everyone really buys into the idea and brings exceptional dishes. It is always a fantastic mix of aroma and taste!!!
This year, we also added a little something fun that I hope will become tradition as well. Our neighbour across the street suggested that our party and theirs come out before midnight to cheer the new year together. It was decided that we should have fireworks and that the guys would set up our fire pit in advance at the end of their driveway (with much conversation and a few beers). We ended up with roughly 20 of us ringing in the New Year together!! It was sooo much fun!!
The Dinner
For our dinner, I usually prepare the main dish and try to make something unusual. This year I chose to make a camel stew, a recipe I adapted from 3 different ones I found online. I served it with a moroccan couscous (recipe in a future post). I was inspired by Mark, the owner of the local Black Angus Beef market store, who stocks all kinds of different meat and cuts including wild games and unusual animals, such as camel meat of course. He and I discussed the best way to cook this and he shared with me his favorite way to cook it. You should check out this store, it is worth your time!!!
Here is the menu for our happening to ring in the year 2015:Â Menu New Years Eve 2015
Camel Stew Recipe
Since I was making this for 10 adults and with the goal of having left over for my boys, I made this recipe with 3 pounds of cubed camel meat. As it turns out, I could have made half the recipe and we would have had enough.
Ingredients
Spice mix to marinate the meat for at least an hour:
- 4 tsp PC Black Label Harissa Spice Blend
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 4 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp each cinnamon, ginger, salt and pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Ingredient for the stew
- 1 head of garlic, half of the cloves minced and the other half of the cloves cut in half only
- 5 very large carrots sliced
- 3 large spanish onions (or red ones)
- 1 whole bottle of red wine (I used a cabernet/merlot Ontario wine)
- 2 large cans of diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp herbes de provence
- 1 shallot studded with 5 cloves to simmer in the pot
- 4 ounces of pancetta / can be substituted with camel fat apparently but I did not have that on hand 🙂
Mix all the marinating spices together and sprinkle on the cubed camel meat. Mix it well and let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour.
Heat a few tsp of olive oil in a dutch oven ( i love my creuset pots for that!!) and brown the meat covered with the marinating spices.
Remove from the pot and drop in the pancetta chopped off to sizzle and render.
Add the onions and let them sweat for a few minutes ( I always like to let the onions caramelize first on their own in most recipes). Then add the garlic and carrots and let them cook for about 10 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes and bring to boil. Add the vinegar next and boil for 1 minute. Now it is time to add the meat back to the pot with the wine, the herbs and the studded with the cloves.
Cover the pot and let it simmer at very low heat for at least 2 hours or until the meat is fork tender and everyone who comes in the house can’t help but ask “what smells so good!!” If the liquid evaporates too much, add a bit of water to cover the meat during the simmering but I did not have that problem.
This pot will have wonderful aromas and a rich sauce. Make sure to have lots of bread on hand to soak up the wonderful gravy. As mentioned before, I served it with a moroccan couscous but it would do well over rice or mash potatoes as well in my opinion.
Left over turkey (or chicken) in Bechamel sauce / La sauce blanche versatile
I love left over cooked bird meat because there are so many recipes you can make with them!!! My mom made this sauce often sometimes with salmon, sometimes with chicken, served over puff pastry. C’est une sauce très versatile et utile pour les restants dans le frigo!
This time I made a Bechamel sauce with turkey and veggies. This could easily be served over puffed pastry, pour in between pie crust or over pasta. The day after US thanksgivings we were not looking for a filling meal, so I served it on its own with homemade garlic bread.
This is one of those recipes were you can make a lot of variations based on the leftover you have in your fridge or freezer 🙂
Ingredients
Bechamel sauce:
- 5 tbsp flour
- 5 tbsp butter
- 2 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of milk (or all milk)
- 1 tsp paprika, garlic salt, celery salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper and salt
Note: you can adjust this for a smaller recipe to 3 tbsp of butter and flour and 2 cups of liquid. You adjust the liquid versus roux based on the thickness you are looking for.
Filling: these ingredients are just suggestions, you can mix and match whatever you have or like. I usually like to freeze left over broccoli that will not be used by cutting it in florets and then it is ready to throw in a sauce like this one.
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 branches of celery diced
- 1 onion diced
- 1/2 cups of sliced mushrooms
- brocoli and/or cauliflower if you have some
- 1/2 cup each of frozen peas and corn (and green beans if you have some)
- 1 cup of cooked turkey/chicken or as much as you like
Note: when I fix up a celery or use florets from a broccoli, I freeze the ends and stems in a plastic bag  for future use in a broth. You can make your own veggie or chicken broth at no cost!
For the Bechamel, melt the butter first in a cast iron pot, add the flour and whisk for a minute or so until it is well combined and a bit brown. This is called making a “roux” and is the basis for thickening a sauce. Add all the spices and mix well. Pour the liquid slowly as you whisk, so it incorporates well only a bit at a time. Bring to a boil over medium heat and keep stirring until it becomes thick and creamy. Do not stop whisking as it will become lumpy.
In a separate pot, melt some butter, add the onions and stir until translucent. Add all the other vegetables and stir every now and again until they are soft. Add the turkey and pour the Bechamel sauce on top. Stir everything together and heat through.
This is a very easy and inexpensive recipe that can be served casually on a weekday or prettied up for entertaining in a bread bowl, in a pie for chicken pot pie or over puff pastry.
US thanksgivings and deep-fried turkey!
My husband is a big football fan and decided to invite a few friends for US thanksgivings to watch the games and have some turkey. Our neighbour brought his deep-fryer and I bough a 20 lbs turkey hoping it would fit!! Turns out we had to cut off the wings 🙂
We were also treated to the special chicken wings recipe cooked in the deep-fryer, which were yummy!
I made several (too many) sides in addition to the many (too many) hors d’oeuvres! Lesson learned for next year!!!
Here is a picture of the bird after frying it.
Sides:
- Mashed potatoes
- Mediterranean cauliflower salad (recipe in a previous post)
- Brussels sprouts and pancetta
- Gravy of course
- Our friend brought some steamed green beans with almonds
- Ceasar salad (recipe for homemade dressing to be posted on a later entry)
We had a GREAT time and were glad to have so many friends and all our boys and girl friend with us. This is definitely going to become an annual event and I will make sure to take more pictures of all the steps next time we deep fry and will post recipes for the brussels sprouts and the Ceasar salad dressing in upcoming entries! It had not occured to me to take pictures but I thought this would be a good reminder for next year!
Tomato Avocado salad with anchovy dressing
Here is an easy and excellent salad that can be prepared with very few ingredients and served at a fancy dinner as well as a casual night with a few friends….or just for you 🙂
Ingredients
- 2 tomatoes ripe
- 1 avocado
dressing
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 4 tsp anchovy paste
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- pinch salt and pepper
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Cut the tomatoes in thick slices starting with the bottom of the tomatoes. Discard the stem. Then cut each slices in 2 and arrange on  a rectangular platter.
Cut the avocado in 2 from top to bottom and remove the pit. Thinly slice the avocado lengthwise without breaking the skin. With your fingers, slide the peel away and pop the wedges out. Arrange on the platter on top of the tomatoes.
In bowl, whisk together all ingredients except the oil, then add the oil slowly as you whisk until thickened and well mixed.
Sprinkle on the tomato-avocado mixture and you are done!
Mediterranean Roasted Cauliflower Salad
This is a favorite at my table as well as a big hit whenever I bring a side at a dinner party. The secret is the anchovy paste.
You will need:
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 5 tbsp of olive oil:
- 2 tbsp of lemon juice
- 2 tsp of anchovy paste
- 1/2 cup of kalamata olive (black ones):
- 2 tbsp of capers (find them with the olives)
- Salt and pepper
This recipe will make 4 portions. Of course, you need to buy bottles of olive oil, lemon juice etc…but once you have them, you can use them often. This recipe will cost roughly $6.00 when calculating proportionally.
Start with a head of cauliflower particularly in season. Cut it in large florets and place in a bowl then sprinkle with some olive oil salt and pepper. You will need roughly 2 tbsp of oil and 1 tsp of cracked pepper and salt.
You can roast it in the oven at 400F for about 15 minutes (depending on the oven) or if you have access to one, the BBQ is the best. Roast them by turning them every 4 minutes. The key is to get the nice brown markings without the burning 🙂
In both case, they should still be al dente (crunchy).
Next, let them cool so you can handle them. Meanwhile mix 3 tbsp of olive oil with 2 tbsp of lemon juice and 2 tsp of anchovy paste. Whip the ingredients with your fork until the paste is well integrated in the mixture.
Cut the florets in bite sizes, place in a pretty bowl and add 2 tbsp of capers, 1/2 cup of kalamata olive pitted (buy them already pitted, much easier) and the olive oil mixture.
Mix it up and Voilà !
Martine's food and places 