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!
