What are we eating ? | Crazy about asparagus and berries

Just before the weekend, all readers who cook ask themselves this eternal question: what are we going to eat? In order to inspire you, The Press suggests some suggestions for seasonal recipes that will make your mouth water.

Snack: asparagus salad from Île d’Orléans, Turlo bacon and poached egg

For 4 people

Ingredients

• 24 large asparagus from Île d’Orléans
• A drop of olive oil
• 4 large free-range eggs
• 4 slices, 90 g each, Turlo Farm bacon
• 1 French shallot, finely chopped
• 30ml white wine
• 15 ml white vinegar for cooking the eggs
• Salt and pepper from the mill

Preparation of asparagus

• 1. Wash and cut the tail of the asparagus. Toss them lightly in oil and season them before grilling or pan-frying them. There is no need to peel them, because local asparagus is tender to the tip. Do not overcook them either, we want them crunchy.

Preparing the bacon

• 2. Gently pan-roast the 4 slices of bacon until golden brown, then set aside. Drain the excess fat and sweat the shallots without coloring them. Deglaze with white wine and reduce until almost dry. This concoction will serve as a dressing.

Preparation of eggs

• 3. Bring 3 liters of water to a boil and add the vinegar. Crack the eggs and poach them for 3 minutes.
• 4. Place a nice thick slice of bacon at the bottom of a plate, add the asparagus and a runny egg. Drizzle shallots with white wine. You could add bread croutons for a more gourmet version and even replace the bacon with a delicate slice of char or smoked sturgeon.

Published on lapresse.ca on June 20, 2020.

Quickly done well done: asparagus and tomato salad

Grilled vegetables on the barbecue, it’s good. Grilled vegetables transformed into a salad, with nuts, cheese, fresh herbs, vinaigrette, it’s even better! The combinations are endless — peppers, corn, eggplant, yum!

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of asparagus
• Olive oil
• 1 small pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 French shallot, chopped
• A dozen mint (or basil) leaves, chiffonade
• 1 C. balsamic vinegar
• Cheese to taste (halloumi on the grill, crumbled feta cheese, shavings of manchego…)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

• 1. Prepare the asparagus by bending the stem. This will break automatically at the meeting of the soft and hard parts. Reserve the hard base for another use (soup). Brush the asparagus with olive oil.
• 2. In a medium bowl, place the tomatoes, shallot and fresh herb of your choice.
• 3. Grill the asparagus on the barbecue. Monitor at all times. It goes quickly !
• 4. Transfer the asparagus to a medium serving platter. Salt a little.
• 5. Add the balsamic vinegar and 2 tbsp. tablespoons olive oil to the tomato mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the asparagus.
• 6. Sprinkle with cheese. To serve.

Published on lapresse.ca on May 23, 2018.

Call me boss! : lemon and maple salmon with asparagus and baby potatoes

The lemon comes to refresh this dish and is even good to eat (with the peel!) if it is sliced ​​thinly enough. Tasty enough for special occasions, yet simple enough for weeknights. To try !

4 servings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• Juice of half a lemon + 1 sliced ​​lemon
• 4 salmon steaks
• Olive oil
• 1 bunch of asparagus (about 1 lb)
• 8 baby potatoes, halved
• 1 onion in rings
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation

• 1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F).
• 2. Mix the mustard, maple syrup and the juice of half a lemon. Spread the mixture over the salmon, and marinate in the refrigerator while you prepare the other ingredients.
• 3. Oil, salt and pepper the asparagus and potatoes. Place them on an 18″ x 13″ baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 15 minutes.
• 4. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Turn asparagus and potatoes. Pack them on one half of the baking sheet.
• 5. Oil the other half of the plate. Place each salmon steak on a few slices of lemon and onions. Cover them with the rest of the marinade.
• 6. Bake in the center of the oven for 12 minutes to 15 minutes.

Published on lapresse.ca on November 29, 2018.

Guilty Pleasure: Louise Gagnon’s Strawberry and Haskap Popsicles

We know strawberries and raspberries, less saskatoon, sea buckthorn or haskap. In the book Under the spell of berriesculinary journalist Louise Gagnon presents 14 varieties of these sweets from Quebec, in addition to offering 80 recipes.

“These are chic popsicles,” says Louise Gagnon, food journalist. Sometimes, we receive people, and after the barbecue, we are not necessarily very hungry. We want a light and fresh dessert, like these popsicles. Be careful not to replace the rich yogurt with a light version, which would spoil the texture (and taste!) of these popsicles.

Preparation: 15 minutes

Freezing: 4 hours

Yield: 10 popsicles

Ingredients

• 190 g (1 1/4 cup) fresh or semi-thawed strawberries
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 to 4 tbsp. sugar
• 190 g (1 1/4 cup) fresh or semi-thawed haskaps
• 345 g (1 1/3 cups) 9% M. F. vanilla yogurt

Preparation

• 1. In a food processor, puree the strawberries. Add half the lemon juice and sugar (adjust the amount to taste). Reserve in a small bowl.
• 2. In a food processor, purée the haskaps. Add half the lemon juice and sugar (adjust the amount to taste).
• 3. Using a spoon, divide the yogurt and the two fruit purées into 10 80 ml (1/3 cup) popsicle molds, alternating layers.
• 4. Leave a space of about 5 mm (1/4 inch) above the preparation, because it will expand when freezing. Create a marbled effect by sliding the blade of a knife from top to bottom in the preparation. Insert wooden sticks. Freeze for 4 hours or until completely hardened.
• 5. To unmold the popsicles, run the molds briefly under hot water.

Variants

Replace strawberries with other small red fruits (eg raspberries, sour cherries).

Replace haskap with other small blue fruits (eg blueberries, blackberries).

Since some berries are sweeter than others, adjust the amount of sugar to taste.

For a smooth, seedless texture, pass berries such as raspberries and blackberries through a fine sieve.

Source: recipe taken from Under the spell of berriesby Louise Gagnon, Modus Vivendi editions.

Published in La Presse + on June 14, 2018.

Health ! : “Good Vibes”

The Italian brand Martini has been marketing an alcohol-free aperitif liqueur for two years. Made with dealcoholized wine, this drink is sweet. Cocktail designer Manuel Ruiz loves its bergamot aromas, but also its bitterness. For aperitifs in a hurry, he recommends mixing this drink with sparkling water to prepare a spritz without alcohol. To wow the gallery, he suggests this shaker recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Vibrant Martini
• 2 oz hibiscus tea
• 0.5 oz simple syrup
• 0.25 oz lime juice
• Wintergreen Harrington Sparkling Water

Preparation

• 1. Put the ingredients in the shaker, except the sparkling water.
• 2. Shake for a few seconds and strain into a tall highball type glass filled with ice.
• 3. Top up with Harrington Wintergreen Sparkling Water.
• 4. Garnish with an orange zest.

Published on lapresse.ca on January 31, 2022.