Juicy Turkey Burgers and @Stratuswines

I will no longer refer to the change in weather as global warming. Warm it wasn't, but I agree...we are in the midst of climate change.

We got hammered in Alberta this year...crappy summer, long-cold-snowy winter and a very late and cold spring. -There is light at the end of the tunnel. As the days are getting longer and warmer, I respond to the season change by turning on the grill. The other day was no exception.

It all started with the discovery of a pretzel bun at the local grocery. Yup, I built a meal around a bun. I thought that ground turkey thigh would compliment the dense and slightly sweet bun....was I right.

I seasoned the ground turkey with fresh cracked pepper and smoked alder salt.
I added an egg and panko crumbs to hold the patties together.That was it...kept it simple.
I sliced and cored fresh pineapple 1/4 inch thick and grilled the slices with cinnamon and maple flakes.
I used a teriyaki glaze on the turkey. After grilling the patties, I dressed the buns with the grilled pineapple, Harp infused mustard and provolone cheese.
The mosit meal was rounded out with fresh tangy coleslaw and a super chilled glass of 2006 Stratus White.

Best part of the night was listening to the calls of the returning trumpeter swans...

For the love of baby back ribs....

So there is still some snow on the roof and plenty in the yard - we did have a record year - but as things warm up, it's not unusual to catch the heavenly scent of BBQ in the air.

And that's what happened to me yesterday....

In the ever-welcoming sun, with ice and snow to be broken up outside, a subtle tendril of random BBQ assaulted my senses.Momentarily paralyzed, I remembered that I had some lean and meaty pork baby back ribs in the fridge. -Game on!

After rinsing and patting down the ribs, I pre-heated the oven to 400*F and set to seasoning the ribs. My last time out east, I had picked up this wonderful Maple Salt from Quebec. It seems to be a mix of salt, coriander,chilies and maple sugar.I knew that my time was limited, so I rubbed the ribs with a small amount of liquid smoke and then liberally applied the maple salt. I then applied generous amounts of Rib Suckin' Sauce and wrapped the flat ribs tightly in tinfoil. I placed them in the oven and left the kitchen for an hour and a half - this was important, because the delicious smell was overwhelming!


I preheated the BBQ to 300*F, using only one set of burners. I unwrapped the ribs, reapplied more BBQ sauce and placed them on the unlit side of the BBQ for 15 minutes. This gave me enough time to through together some coleslaw and open a bottle of 2008 Quinta Ferreira Syrah.

The result - the juicy-meat-falling-right-off-the-bones was wonderful! Utensils were not required!


So if you find yourself in beautiful British Columbia, make your way to Oliver. There is a wonderful little winery there called Quinta Ferreira - Canadian wine with a Portuguese TWIST. The delightful Ferreira family have been planting grapes in the region since 1999. Stop by the shop and try the Mistura Branca -This German Blend of 65% Muscat and 35% Gewurztraminer has a vibrant perfume and floral roasted petal aroma that is enriched with citrus, apricot, papaya and vanilla flavours. The silky mouth feel generates a smooth refreshing finish. Enjoy with cheeses and seafood or on its own. Awards -
Gold Winner - All Canadian Wine Championships Gold Winner – 2009 Okanagan Fall Wine Festival Silver Winner – 2010 Tasters Guild Wine Competition Silver Winner - 2010 International Eastern Wine Competition Bronze Winner – 2010 Northwest Wine Summit 
www.quintaferreira.com

Beeramisu with @MillStreetBrew Coffee Porter

I can't wait for dinner tonight!

Last night I made 'Beeramisu' for St Paddy's. Sure the recipe suggested Guinness, but I couldn't help modifying it a bit.

I'm a strong supporter of the 'local' movement, but I thing I lean more towards an 'origin' movement. Being Irish, I love a good story and actively seek them out. My story takes me east...

My inspiration for this dish is the Distillery District in Toronto. I love visiting family in Ontario, so that I can sneek away to this historical, artsy and gastronomically-friendly old brick paradise. There you will find Mill Street Brewery housed in wonderful 1870's Victorian industrial architecture. They won the 'Canadian Brewery of the Year' award in 2007 and 2008. Around the corner is a great cafe called Balzac's. Here's where it becomes brilliant...the Brewmaster takes roasted coffee beans from Balzac's and blends it with a dark porter to create the wonderfully rich and flavourful Coffee Porter. I decided to showcase this brew in this wonderfully rich desert. I must mention that just down the way is Soma, a delightful chocolatier...using a dark chocolate with a hint of tangerine is how I finished the dish.

This dish is super easy and best if it sits overnight:
Mill Street Beeramisu
475g Ricotta Cheese
3/4 C Rogers organic sugar
3/4 C whipping cream
-have a bottle of Bailey's at the ready...you'll need some for testing ;)
-also have a bottle or two of Mill Street Coffee Porter
36 lady fingers - the hard ones soak up more 'flavour'
A bar of dark Soma chocolate infused with tangerine - .25 for the dessert, the rest for sharing

Crack a bottle of Mill Street Coffee Porter...and enjoy while you let the ricotta reach room temperature.
Using a 9X9 pan, dip the lady fingers in Mill Street Coffee Porter and layer.
Pour an optional shot glass of Bailey's for yourself and and for the dish, pour a .25 C over the layer of Porter-soaked lady fingers.
Combine the ricotta cheese and the sugar.
Whisk or beat the whipping cream and another .25 C of Bailey's until the mixture forms stiff peaks and fold into the cheese/sugar mixture.
Spread half of this mixture over the lady fingers and repeat the layering processes with the remaining lady fingers, more Coffee Porter and Bailey's.
Finish off with remainder of the mixture and liberally spread grated chocolate over top.
Let chill overnight.
Enjoy.

Glac bog an saol agus glacfaidh an saol bog tu
Take the world nice and easy and the world will take you the same.

www.millstreetbrewpub.ca
www.somachocolate.com
www.balzacscoffee.com

Why wouldn't I use wonderful #BCWine from the Okanagan?

So I was asked this simple question the other day. The person asking the question felt that 'sausage' was a waste of good wine.  I suppose if I wanted to, I could procure a less-costly off-shore alternative, but my Dad always reinforced that you get out what you put in.

There are a couple of things at play, first, I can sip while I create. Strike One for the cheaper alternative. Second, I know where my inputs come from and the care that was taken to produce them...why wouldn't I want that for something that I'm creating?

There are 2 places that I get my pork from. One is fairly close to me and is family owned and operated. Sturgeon Valley Pork has strict bio-security protocols on-farm. They inject their waste manure into the soil, reducing the chance of run-off and odor. The holding facility at the plant is very humane and they participate in the Canadian Quality Assurance program. This newer facility is built and operates at federal standards and they have traceability protocol. www.sturgeonvalleypork.com

The second plant that I purchase  from is located in Trochu, Alberta. Another family owned operation, Sunterra Meats runs a closed herd. They utilize CO2 stunning in the plant...I have never heard a squeal there and they are one of the more successful meat exporters to Japan. Their quality is exceptional. They too have traceability. www.sunterrameats.ca

Depending on the recipe I am making at the time, I try to source local, from suppliers I know. The mushrooms, mustard, peppers, wine or beer that I use in my sausage.....all have a story...giving my sausage a story. Traceability allows me to tell that story. That is why I use Okanagan wine in some of my sausages.

Now if we could only get the archaic Canadian liquor laws changed so that I could have more of a variety, the world would be a better place....one link at a time! www.freemygrapes.ca/take-action.shtml

Trying to craft sausages with Canadian Wine...and losing the battle.

With hockey season winding down, I look forward to dedicating more time to my meat craft. Long time coming and I have so many great ideas percolating.

One of the highlights of my year is traveling across the Rockies in the fall to take in Winefest. (When I was a kid, I loved autumn and the falling leaves....now an adult...fall is ushered in to the sound of popping corks!) This year was wonderful. We spent 5 days touring the exceptional wineries of the Okanagan. The week ended with 2 exceptional Midnight Services @BlastedWines featuring @RF_FamilyBand .What a blast...we met so many new people and heard many great stories. I also got to pick wines that I would later use in my hand-crafted sausage. Soon I will make a Spanish Aragon pork sausage with a perfect @TinhornCreek Chardonnay and a bold beef and pork Mexican Chorizo with an insanely flavourful Cabernet Franc from @hillsidewines. I am so excited.....but wait.....not too excited and here's why:

We brought a few bottles of wine back over the border to Alberta. Little did I know that I was breaking the law. For some reason, it is easier to purchase mass-produced wine from Australia than it is to support Canadian wineries. Why can I not have a choice? Much of the wine for sale at the liquor stores are of international origin and considerably cheaper. I don't want cheaper, I want choice. I understand that Canada is not a low cost provider of agricultural products. We have a shorter growing season with less heat units and our cost of labour is more. I'm ok with this. I have been to other countries where the average worker in a pork plant makes $8/day...here, our workers start around $15/hour of so. I'm ok with this....this means that folks that work in our meat plants can afford provide for their families. I don't mind paying a little more so that our economy can benefit....so why can I not have more of a choice?

In Alberta, we have many liquor stores that carry a good assortment of both BC and Ontario wines, but the selection is small. I would like more choice. I would like to support Canadian wineries, but as I am to understand it, I am prohibited by the provincial liquor boards. How crazy is this? What is this 'law' protecting me from? It seems to be worse in Ontario. If I would like to enjoy @HuffEstatesWine @hillebrandwind or @Stratuswines ....I have to travel to the vineyards. These great offerings are difficult to find in the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, LCBO. (I am also to understand that the LCBO is the largest liquor control board in the world...how crazy is that?)

So here I am...cautiously excited to create new sausage recipes with Canadian wine, but sad that this may be the last time I am able to do so, unless I can convince one of my local outlets to bring in cases of these fine vintages for me.  

I am hoping that things change soon.

Lets broker a trade....succulent Alberta beef and pork for fabulous BC vintage. We all win and our bellies are happy....very very happy!

Sustainability....a systems approach

So, with 6 billion people on the planet and an additional growth of 3 billion anticipated by 2050...how do we look at feeding our planet in the next few decades?

With more people in developing countries developing a taste and the means to acquire meat protein, the current global model of meat production will change.There will only be a handful of countries able to export product. This is a huge global responsibility.

At the World Meat Congress in Argentina this past summer, sustainability and systems approach were on the table. Considering the carbon footprint of meat production through deforestation, methane release through enteric fermentation (burping) and nitrous oxide release from manure....future choices require careful consideration. I am not advocating vegetarianism or one protein over another, I am supporting informed choice.

Emission intensity from the South American ruminant industry is among the highest in the world. The lesson here is: cheap always has a price.There was also alarming evidence of deforestation to support the expansion in the ruminant industry. We must be careful here, the answer is not to boycott product from South America. Too many people derive a living from this model. Consider paying more for the product so that additional sustainable actions may be taken. It's really quite easy.

Also, monogastric animals have less of a carbon footprint. I would not be able to give up the quality that is Alberta beef, but I would be able to eat tasty pig more often....bacon is meat candy!

I have personally reduced my portion sizes and have added more of a variety of meat protein to my diet. We still enjoy AAA Alberta beef....but we also eat local Alberta pork and poultry. Sustainable fish is a favourite and I'm even experimenting with Alberta pulses. I alone cannot change the world, but I can change my little corner of the universe.

I plan to enjoy my next meal and I will always eat for pleasure and not solely for fuel. I honour those that work hard in agriculture so that I may enjoy food.

Pulled pork.....next steps

OK...so the pulled pork turned out well, but I've decided that i need to do more research. I'm going to recreate this meal using the Boston Butt and compare flavour and bite profiles. I usually use the butt when i make sausages, but I'd like to see what kind of pulled pork I could make.

Stay tuned for the results....

The journey to the perfect pulled pork

So although 'spring' is in the air, there's still a heck of a lot of white stuff on the ground. To chase away the cabin fever that has been building over that past few months, I'm preparing to wake up our taste buds and set them free. I can think of no better way than a slow roasted pork picnic lovingly teased into savoury pulled pork. I'm adding a little 'south' to my 'north'.

I started prepping and cooking last night. I washed the bone-dust off the picnic and slow roasted this little piece of heaven at 225*F for 4.5 hours. Before roasting, I liberally applied a maple sugar dry rub. The kitchen smelled fantastic!

The picnic is from the lower part of the front shorter of a tasty pig. This cut is very flavourful, tender and has a high concentration of fat. Remember fat=flavour. When smoked, this particular cut develops a very 'ham' like flavour and consistency. (Ham is from the hind legs of tasty pigs) I have it on good authority that the term picnic was given this cut as it was considered a good cut for casual dining, (like a picnic) whereas the proper ham was more appropriate for formal dining like Easter or Thanksgiving.

So I'm letting the cooked picnic rest for the day and tonight I will transform it into a tasty pulled pork meal inspired by Memphis Blues BBQ House in Kelowna, BC www.memphisbluesbbq.com . The perfect pairing I have in mind is an artisanal cider made in Ontario called Waupoos www.countrycider.com. I can't wait for dinner!