Fiddlehead and morel mushroom omelettes for Mother's Day

This morning I presented a lovely seasonal omelette for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.  In season now are fiddleheads and morel mushrooms, perfect in a fluffy omelette made with Nature's Farm eggs.  If you don't want to hunt in the woods for them, you can buy them at DeLuca's on Portage Ave. in Winnipeg.

This was served with Brandied Farmer's Sausage.

Fiddleheads and Morels Omelette
1/2 cup fresh fiddleheads (available at DeLuca’s)
1 cup whole or sliced fresh morels (available at DeLuca’s)
1 tbsp. butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 eggs
quick drizzle cold water or cream
3 tbsp. grated Parmesan (padano or reggiano - optional)
pinch grated nutmeg

INSTRUCTIONS

1.Blanch trimmed fiddleheads for 1 minute in boiling water and cool immediately in ice water.  (http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/eating-nutrition/safety-salubrite/fruits-vegetables-legumes-fruits/fiddlehead-fougere-eng.php)
2. Sauté fiddleheads in browned butter and set aside.  Sauté morel mushrooms in brown butter.  Season and add nutmeg.  Can deglaze with wine or vermouth.  Set aside.
3. Whisk eggs, salt, cream and pepper in a bowl. Heat butter in a 12" nonstick skillet over medium heat; cook until milky foam settles at the bottom of the skillet and turns nut brown. Add eggs; cook, without stirring, until large curds form, 3-4 minutes, then gently stir until eggs are almost set. Using a rubber spatula, pat eggs into an even layer. Place fiddleheads and mushrooms and cheese over eggs. Remove from heat and using spatula, roll omelette up and over filling; slide omelette onto a plate and garnish with remaining extra fiddleheads and cheese or chives.

Serve immediately. 
Enjoy!

Omelettes for Mother's Day on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

 This morning I had the pleasure of presenting this recipe that I found on Savoir's page for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.  It is very yummy and so easy to prepare if you are looking for such a thing for Mother's Day tomorrow.  I would also consider substituting the peas for fiddleheads if any are available where you are.

I used Nature's Farm eggs, Pecorino from DeLuca's and Gunn's Bagels.  

Enjoy!

Brown Butter, Peas and Mint Omelette
⅓ cup fresh or frozen peas
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 eggs
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 tbsp. grated pecorino romano
2 tbsp. thinly sliced mint leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bring a 1-qt. saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add peas and cook until tender, 1 minute; drain and transfer in a bowl. Stir in oil, lemon zest, salt, and pepper; set aside.

2. Whisk eggs, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Heat butter in a 12" nonstick skillet over medium heat; cook until milky foam settles at the bottom of the skillet and turns nut brown. Add eggs; cook, without stirring, until large curds form, 3-4 minutes, then gently stir until eggs are almost set. Using a rubber spatula, pat eggs into an even layer. Place peas, half the cheese, and mint leaves over eggs. Remove from heat and using spatula, roll omelette up and over filling; slide omelette onto a plate and garnish with remaining mint and cheese. 

The Big Brunch for the Assiniboine Park Conservancy and the MLCC

 It was such a treat to present the following recipes for the Assiniboine Park Conservancy at the Madison Square MLCC.  Bonnie Tulloch, Assiniboine Park Conservancy Education Coordinator presented on the history of brunch and the plants used while Stephanie Mills, Product Consultant for the MLCC, provided excellent pairings.  Pairings to come soon.  Enjoy!

1. Homemade Granola
Paired with Innis and Gunn Rum Finish (Scotish)   $5.01

I adapted this recipe from my parents' older version of the More with Less Cookbook

Preheat oven to 350ºF

1 large roaster (I use a large aluminum turkey roaster)
2.25 kg oats (you can reduce for your wants)
1/2 cup skim milk powder
up to 2 cups each sliced almonds, broken pecans, or other nuts that you enjoy
1 cup unsweetened medium coconut (optional)
1 cup roasted green pumpkin seeds (optional)

In a saucepan melt together:
1 cup molasses
1 cup honey
1/2 cup olive oil

Watch that the molasses and honey don't boil over but it is ready to pour into the oats mixture when it bubbles and foams up.
Mix well into oats and nuts and bake for 20- 30 minutes or until browning on top. Stir and bake for at least another 20- 30 minutes. While it is baking, soak dried fruit.

Dried Fruit (I always round quite up on these items and don't really measure at all)

1 cup dark raisins
1 cup craisins
1 cup cut dried apricots
1 cup pitted cut dates
All optional or what you may have on hand. At Christmas I use dried cherries. I also often use currants.

After turning and baking the granola, turn off heat and stir in drained fruit. Leave in oven until all dried.

Fill small sealer jars with granola for gifts.

2. Waffles with White Sauce
Paired with Crown Royal Maple Cocktail  

4 eggs, separated (Nature’s Farm eggs are excellent)
1 cup milk (local organic available) *OR Club Soda for crispy waffles (I sometimes use twice as much)
3 cups flour (this amount makes a thinner batter) (Freshly milled flour available at Tall Grass Prairie Bakery)
1/2 cup butter, melted (Notre Dame Dairies is a local source for Manitoba)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar
4 tsp baking powder

Beat whites until peaked and set aside or chill. Beat yolks with milk or club soda. Add melted butter without cooking yolks. Sift dry ingredients and add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Fold in egg whites. Let proof for a while until you see bubbles in the batter. Cook in waffle iron without over filling iron. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

White Sauce
1 cup waffle batter (see above)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
1 cup milk
pinch salt

In a sauce pan, cook all ingredients together until it thickens to a smooth sauce. Use over waffles.

3. Çılbır (pronounced, chill burr)
Paired with Trius Brut Sparkling Wine (Niagara)  $26.99

These luscious eggs are so easy to make with a wonderful and velvety result. Perfect comfort food for a weekend morning brunch/breakfast.

The recipe below is for 1, but you can easily make it for more people by adding more eggs, yogurt, and butter.

2 eggs
2 tbsp vinegar
5 cups of water (or more)
1/2 cup yogurt
1 tsp paprika (I used hot smoked paprika)
1/2 tbsp butter
mint flakes
salt
pepper
1 clove of garlic, minced (optional)

Bring to boil water, vinegar, and salt in a medium size pot. When it starts boiling, turn it down to medium to low heat.

Stir the water and then break eggs one at a time in a small bowl, and glide them, one by one, in to the very hot but not boiling water. (If the water is boiling vigorously when you pour the eggs, you cannot have a homogeneous cooking or keep the egg together) Do not cook more than 2 eggs at a time. If an egg starts going messy in water, try to pull it together with a spoon. (stirring the water will help make the eggs into a perfect round shape).

Cook the eggs for 3-4 minutes for medium soft yolk. For a hard yolk, you need to cook them at least for 5 minutes.

Take the eggs out of the water with slotted spoon on a plate.

Pour yogurt on them. (If you want to have your çılbır "a la turque", mix yogurt with 1 clove of minced garlic, a perfect pairing)

Heat butter. When it sizzles add paprika. Stir for half a minute or less (just don't let it burn) and pour it on top of eggs and yogurt.

Sprinkle mint flakes on top. Serve with toast.

It is extremely easy to make çılbır; there are only a couple of points to be careful about: don't put the eggs in boiling water; bring it to a boil and then let it calm down and do not break the eggs directly into the pot; instead break them in little bowl and let them glide.

4. Smoked Goldeye, bagel and Homemade fresh cheese
Paired with Mission Hill Five Vineyards Rose (Okanagan)   $15.49

Smoked Manitoba Goldeye on toasted bagels with yoghurt cheese.

Yoghurt Cheese

1 cup good yoghurt (no gelatin, corn starch, etc.)

cheese cloth

Strain the yoghurt through the cheese cloth overnight.  Ta Dah!  Cheese!

Store in refrigerator with a bit of olive oil and salt.

Serve as cream cheese or on an antipasto platter.

Enjoy!

Divinely decadent eggs, from the palace of the Ottoman empire

Çılbır (pronounced, chill burr)

These luscious eggs are so easy to make with a wonderful and velvety result. Perfect comfort food for a weekend morning brunch/breakfast.

The recipe below is for 1, but you can easily make it for more people by adding more eggs, yogurt, and butter.

2 eggs
2 tbsp vinegar
5 cups of water (or more)
1/2 cup yogurt
1 tsp paprika (I used hot smoked paprika)
1/2 tbsp butter
mint flakes
salt
pepper
1 clove of garlic, minced (optional)

Bring to boil water, vinegar, and salt in a medium size pot. When it starts boiling, turn it down to medium to low heat.

Stir the water and then break eggs one at a time in a small bowl, and glide them, one by one, in to the very hot but not boiling water. (If the water is boiling vigorously when you pour the eggs, you cannot have a homogeneous cooking or keep the egg together) Do not cook more than 2 eggs at a time. If an egg starts going messy in water, try to pull it together with a spoon. (stirring the water will help make the eggs into a perfect round shape).

Cook the eggs for 3-4 minutes for medium soft yolk. For a hard yolk, you need to cook them at least for 5 minutes.

Take the eggs out of the water with slotted spoon on a plate.

Pour yogurt on them. (If you want to have your çılbır "a la turque", mix yogurt with 1 clove of minced garlic, a perfect pairing)

Heat butter. When it sizzles add paprika. Stir for half a minute or less (just don't let it burn) and pour it on top of eggs and yogurt.

Sprinkle mint flakes on top. Serve with toast.

It is extremely easy to make çılbır; there are only a couple of points to be careful about: don't put the eggs in boiling water; bring it to a boil and then let it calm down and do not break the eggs directly into the pot; instead break them in little bowl and let them glide.

Waffles, Waffles, Waffles - On CBC Radio

Waffles with Kerän Sanders on the CBC Weekend Morning Show

I had the great pleasure this morning of presenting a wonderful breakfast/brunch treat on CBC Radio's Weekend Morning Show with Kerän Sanders. These recipes can be made anywhere but I highlighted how they can be made with excellent local ingredients.

Waffles
4 eggs, separated (Vita eggs are excellent)
1 cup milk (local organic available) *OR Club Soda for crispy waffles (I sometimes use twice as much)
3 cups flour (this amount makes a thinner batter) (Freshly milled flour available at Tall Grass Prairie Bakery)
1/2 cup butter, melted (Notre Dame Dairies is a local source for Manitoba)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar
4 tsp baking powder

Beat whites until peaked and set aside or chill. Beat yolks with milk or club soda. Add melted butter without cooking yolks. Sift dry ingredients and add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Fold in egg whites. Let proof for a while until you see bubbles in the batter. Cook in waffle iron without over filling iron. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

White Sauce
1 cup waffle batter (see above)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
1 cup milk
pinch salt

In a sauce pan, cook all ingredients together until it thickens to a smooth sauce. Use over waffles.

Blackberry Sauce
2 cups frozen blackberries (available at Gimli Fish) or any fresh seasonal berry
1/2 or more cold water
2-3 tbs corn starch
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
pinch salt

Place berries in a sauce pan and begin to heat. In a measuring cup, combine sugar and corn starch. Mix well with some of the cold water and the lemon juice. This prevents lumps in the sauce. Add to cooking berries and simmer at a low boil for at least one minute to cook the starch. Add water if too thick.

It can be prepared in advance and warmed at service.

Enjoy!