Poutine

(about 3 servings)

These days poutine is more readily available across Canada. When I was younger, it was difficult to find outside of Québec. I first encountered it in my early 20's on a trip to Montréal. It was love at first bite. I recall the stares followed by laughter whenever I ordered it because I would ask for,  "Une ´poo-teen`, s'il vous plaît".

Essentially poutine is a serving of (deep fried) french fries sprinkled with fresh cheese curds and then covered with gravy. The gravy often appears to be thick and enhanced with Bisto (my mum returned with two boxes of the stuff the last time we visited Vancouver Island). It all depends on where, and who is making it. Nevertheless, poutine always seems to taste better in Québec.

Recently I visited the Tillamook Cheese Factory in northern Oregon. I brought back a bag of cheese curds which were delicious, although they didn't "squeak" like the ones in Canada do.

gravy (about 1 cup)
1 tbsp butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups water
2 tsp Organic Better Than Bouillon Low Sodium Beef Base
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
a few grinds of black pepper
1 pinch dried thyme
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 tbsp (add a tsp or two more if you prefer a thicker gravy) all purpose unbleached flour

Place a skillet over medium heat and add the butter. When the butter begins to froth, stir in the onions, then lower the heat a touch. Cook,stirring from time to time for about 30 minutes or until the onions are an even medium brown.

Stir in the water, beef base, vinegar, black pepper, and thyme. Simmer gently for about 10-15 minutes.

Strain the gravy though a sieve and press as much of the soft onion through as possible. Set aside. (You'll add the wine and flour later).

oven fries
1 1/4 lb potatoes, cut into 1/3 inch thick matchsticks (russets will be somewhat crispier; I used Yukon golds)
salt
1 tbsp olive oil
a few grinds of pepper

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and allow to sit for about 8-10 minutes. Dry the potatoes with a towel as best you can.

Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. Toss until they are evenly coated.

Place the potatoes in a single layer on a cookie sheet (lined with parchment paper for easier cleanup).

Bake for about 10-15  minutes or until they have browned nicely.

assembly
2/3 cup cheese curds

Before you remove the potatoes from the oven, whisk together the red wine and flour. Add this to the gravy and set over medium heat.

Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Remove the "fries" from the oven when done and place into a pasta type dish. Sprinkle the cheese curds evenly over the fries and then pour the gravy over both. Serve immediately.

Butter Tarts

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  (12 large tarts)

There's no way around the sugar for these, but somehow they're worth it. This is the "other" great Canadian dessert which comes to mind whenever I think about Nanaimo Bars.

I'll make puff pastry from scratch, but for some reason I really dislike making pie crust, so I usually look for a ready made one in the refrigerator section at the grocery store.

This recipe makes 12 rather large tarts as I line muffin tins with the dough and generously fill each one. The traditional recipe uses corn syrup, but often I use maple syrup because I usually have some on hand. I'll also use raisins if I can't find dried currants which are harder to find in Dallas. Personally, I prefer the dried currants which are smaller.

1 pkg ready made pie crust (2x 9")

1/2 cup butter, (1 stick)
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup corn syrup, or maple syrup
1-2 tsp white vinegar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup dried currants, or raisins

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Cut out 6 circles from each pie crust, (12 total) and  line a 12 cup muffin tin with them. Set aside.
 
Place the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup or maple syrup, vinegar and vanilla extract into the bowl of a food processor and process until well combined. Add the eggs and continue to process until well mixed and smooth.

Divide the currants or raisins evenly among the "tarts" and spoon the filling over them. Most recipes tell you to fill them 2/3 full.. I would say these end up being closer to almost full.

Bake for about 12 minutes or until bubbly and browned. The longer you bake these, the firmer they will be.

Cool them in the tins long enough to be able to run a knife around the edges to remove them for further cooling (about 10 minutes). If you can't get them out for fear of breaking them, then make sure they aren't sticking to the pan and remove them when they have cooled completely.

Mint Nanaimo Bars

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 (makes about 16 pieces)

This recipe is a variation of the classic (vanilla) one. I use less butter and no sugar in the bottom layer, and they are still sweet and rich without.

People seem to love them. A few years back I "borrowed" a friend's husband to escort me to a work related function in exchange for a batch of these.

Bottom Layer
½ stick (2 oz) unsalted butter
5 tbsp cocoa powder
1 egg, beaten
1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
½ cup chopped almonds or walnuts, lightly toasted
1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

Combine the butter and cocoa powder in a pot and melt over very low heat. Slowly mix the hot mixture into the beaten egg, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in the graham cracker crumbs, nuts, and coconut. Press the mixture firmly into an ungreased 8"x 8"  baking pan.

Middle Layer
5 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
4-8 drops of peppermint extract, according to taste
1 or 2 drops of green food colour, if desired
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1-2 tbsp of milk

Cream the butter and add the peppermint extract and food colour. Add the icing sugar and then the milk in small amounts until the consistency is that of icing. Spread over bottom layer and chill while preparing the top layer.

Top Layer
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate
3 tbsp unsalted butter

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler over low heat. Let it cool a bit and pour over middle layer. Chill in refrigerator until set; about an hour.
Cut into squares using a knife dipped in hot water.

Many consider these a type of bar cookie, but they are so sweet and rich, I tend to think of them as candy. You'll find different variations of them scattered throughout Canada in coffee shops, restaurants and bakeries.