Poutine with caramelized onions, short rib gravy and chives

Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 25 min Serves: 2

Photo: Thomas Bollmann

Once a Quebec secret, now claimed by all of Canada as our national vice, poutine is a guilty pleasure made more decadent with the addition of luscious caramelized onions. Here, the magic of sous vide gives the short-rib gravy a depth of flavour and richness that would normally take hours and hours to achieve.

Fries

• 2 russet potatoes, washed, skin on
• 1 cup cheese curds
• 5 chives, finely sliced
• Vegetable oil for deep frying
• Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
• 1 cup short rib gravy (recipe to follow )
• Caramelized onions (recipe to follow)

Method

Line a baking sheet with kitchen towel; set aside.

Fill a pot suitable for deep frying one-third the way up with oil. Set over medium heat to begin. Adjust heat and use a thermometer to bring oil to approximately 250 F.

Cut potato into fries of desired thickness.

Once oil is hot, add fries in small batches – don’t overcrowd or the temperature will drop too low and the pot may boil over. Blanch for 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer batches of blanched fries to prepared baking sheet. Set aside and allow excess oil to drain until ready for the final fry, which can be done once the caramelized onions and short-rib gravy are ready.

Heat oil to 350 F. Add the fries to the oil and cook until golden brown, approximately three to five minutes. Then transfer to a medium bowl and toss with salt, pepper and cheese curds.

Caramelized onions

• 2 red onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tsp butter
• ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/3 teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper

Into a skillet over medium-low heat, add all the ingredients for the caramelized onions. Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring from time to time, until richly dark and meltingly soft. Cover and set aside.

Short-rib gravy

• 8oz fully cooked short rib
• ¾ cup demi-glace; homemade or store-bought

Place short rib and demi-glace in a bag and vacuum seal. Cook sous vide at 175 F for 20 minutes. Remove from the water bath and carefully squeeze the bag to break up the meat into small pieces. Set aside.

Assembly

Serve this elegant poutine in a stack. Into two bowls or soup plates, start with a layer of fries and curds, then top with gravy, then with a layer of onions and chives. Repeat, finishing with a garnish of chives, and serve immediately.

Maple syrup and olive oil sous-vide salmon with cauliflower purée, charred corn, ponzu, black rice and crispy onions

Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 35 min Serves: 2

Photo: Thomas Bollmann

Sous-vide salmon

• 10 ounce fillet of salmon, skin removed
• ½ cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 cups cooked black rice
• 1 ear of corn, shucked
• ½ cup ponzu sauce, divided
• ½ cup store-bought crispy onions, divided

Method

Add the salmon, maple syrup and olive oil to a vacuum-seal bag. Seal and place in the Gaggenau 400 Series Combi-Steam Oven. Set at 150 F for 28 minutes.

Roast corn over an open flame or under a broiler – turning often – until nicely charred in spots. Using a sharp chef’s knife, shave off kernels, trying to keep them in clusters.

Remove salmon from the oven and vacuum bag, and using a fork, flake the meat into bite-sized pieces.

Cauliflower purée

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 2 cups cauliflower, stem and florets, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup half and half (10%) cream
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅓ teaspoon white pepper

Put vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for 10 minutes or until translucent. Add cauliflower, cream, honey, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and increase heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, for 20 minutes, or until cauliflower is falling-apart soft.

Use an immersion blender (or wand) to purée. Then, for an even finer texture if desired, press through a fine sieve with the back of a spoon or rubber spatula. Cover and set aside to keep warm until ready to serve.

Assembly

Assemble the dish in this order: black rice drizzled with one to two teaspoons of the ponzu sauce, followed by the salmon, cauliflower purée, corn, and finally, crispy onions. This dish should be served warm. Optional garnishes are cooked edamame and thinly sliced radish.

Nanaimo bar crumble with maple ice cream, orange ganache and crystallized ginger

Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 50 min Serves: 4

Photo: Thomas Bollmann

Nanaimo bars

• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, divided
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, divided
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup flaked, unsweetened coconut
• ½ cup chopped raw pecans
• 2 tablespoons custard powder
• 3 tablespoons whole milk
• 2 cups icing sugar
• Maple ice cream, to serve
• Crystallized ginger
  • 1 4-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¾ cup sugar

Combine 2 ounces of the chocolate and ½ cup of the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat; stir occasionally to melt and combine.

Add vanilla, egg, graham crumbs, coconut and pecans to the melted chocolate and press into the bottom of a greased 9-inch square baking pan and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside on rack to cool completely in the pan – approximately 1 hour.

In a medium bowl, whisk custard powder and milk together. Add ¼ cup melted butter and icing sugar; continue to whisk until fully incorporated. Pour over cooled crust and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until set.

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt remaining 2 ounces chocolate; when smooth, spread evenly over cooled and set custard layer. Refrigerate overnight before cutting.

Orange Ganache

• 8 ounces ready-made dark chocolate ganache
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• ¼ teaspoons kosher salt

In a saucepan over low heat, combine ingredients for orange ganache, allowing flavours to blend. Remove from heat and transfer to a squeeze bottle.

Crystallized ginger

• 1 4-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
• ¼ cup water
• ¾ cup sugar

Add ginger and water to a vacuum bag. Seal and cook sous vide at 147 F for two hours. Remove from the bag, place on a wire rack and sprinkle liberally with sugar. Allow to dry overnight on a wire rack.

Assembly

To serve, cut a 2-inch by 2-inch piece of Nanaimo bar and coarsely chop. Add this to the bottom of a dessert bowl. Add a scoop of the maple ice cream, drizzle with the orange ganache, top with the crystallized ginger and garnish with a few more crumbles of Nanaimo bar, if desired.