What are we eating ? | Highlight Strawberry

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.

Indulgence: Strawberry jam with basil

Ingredients

• 2 kg of strawberries
• 500 g of honey
• 500g cane sugar
• 1 small bunch of basil

Preparation

• 1. Melt the honey and sugar in the saucepan.
• 2. When it boils, add the strawberries, cleaned (if necessary) and hulled beforehand.
• 3. Cook over fairly high heat. It is better to cook jams quickly.
• 4. Remove the foam that forms on the surface. René does this while cooking, to prevent it from going back into the fruit, he says.
• 5. When the mixture reaches 105°C (221°F) on the sugar thermometer, it is ready.

Note

Another method to check if the jam is ready is to put some on a very cold plate, which comes out of the freezer, for example. We put the plate in the cold for a few minutes. We take it out, we pass the finger in the middle to separate the jam, and if it remains well separated, it is ready.

Potting

• 6. Fill the jars with the jam, leaving a space of 1 cm under the rim.
• 7. Insert 1 or 2 basil leaves (previously washed and dried) in each jar of jam, using a knife.
• 8. Put the lid on and screw it tight.
• 9. Return the jam jars to the oven for 10 minutes at 110°C (230°F).
• 10. Take out, and let cool.

Posted in The Press+ on August 12, 2017.

Quickly done well: toast two ways with strawberries from Quebec

Pouring olive oil on bread? It is a widespread practice in the Mediterranean peninsula. In Spain, at breakfast, we then add honey or tomatoes to our toast, for example. Claudia Pharand, co-founder of Olive & Olives, was inspired by this tradition by adapting it to Quebec, with strawberries from here.

Ingredients

• Slices of your favorite bread
• A “fruity green” olive oil with a light taste, like Olive & Olives #1
• Strawberry compote, ideally homemade or store bought
• Fresh strawberries from Quebec, sliced
• A chocolate spread, such as the artisanal dark chocolate and olive oil spread from Olive & Olives

Preparation

• 1. Toast the slices of bread in the toaster.
• 2. Drizzle each slice with a drizzle of olive oil.
• 3. On the first toast, add strawberry compote.
• 4. On the second slice of bread, spread the chocolate spread, then add the strawberry slices.
• 5. Enjoy with a good coffee!

Published on lapresse.ca on July 25, 2020.

Call me boss! : Red deer tataki, balsam bayberry and summer salad

For 4 people

Ingredients for the tataki

• 500g red deer sirloin or tenderloin (ask your butcher for a piece of meat that has already been cleaned, without the sinews and fat)
• 2 tbsp. teaspoon sweet bay or boreal spices
• 1 C. freshly ground pepper
• 2 tbsp. maple syrup
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 C. cider vinegar
• 2 pinches of salt

Ingredients for the summer salad

• 150 g microgreens, lamb’s lettuce or fresh arugula
• 1 English cucumber from Quebec
• 1 cup Quebec strawberries and a few more for garnish
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp. cider vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation of the tataki

• 1. In a skillet over high heat, brown all sides of the piece of meat. (Do not overcook the meat. Only a brownish discoloration on the surface.)
• 2. In a bowl, mix the other ingredients for the tataki.
• 3. Carefully brush all sides of the meat with this mixture.
• 4. Leave to marinate for at least 3 hours.
• 5. Remove the meat from the marinade and slice it thinly.
• 6. Arrange the venison on a large serving plate or on 4 plates for individual service.

Preparing the summer salad

• 7. Wash and cut the English cucumber into julienne strips (thin sticks).
• 8. Wash, hull and cut the strawberries in half.
• 9. Wash the microgreens.
• 10. Mix all the other ingredients for the summer salad in a small bowl (dressing) and set aside.
• 11. Just before serving, toss the vegetables with the desired amount of vinaigrette.
• 12. Salt and pepper to taste.
• 13. On each plate, arrange the salad next to the meat (as in the photo). Decorate with a few extra strawberries. Enjoy your lunch !

* If you have any vinaigrette left, it will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.

Published on lapresse.ca on June 20, 2020.

Guilty pleasure: grilled strawberries from Luceville, pannacotta with fresh cream and elderflowers, crumble with brown sugar and honey from the Jardins de Métis

For 4 people

Ingredients

• 500 g strawberries from the Fraisière du Nord Est
• Fresh elderflowers
• Ingredients for the panna cotta
• 250 ml fresh cream from Fromagerie Le Détour
• 250 ml 35% cream
• 50 g light brown sugar
• 1 cup fresh or dried elderflowers
• 3 sheets of gelatin

Ingredients for the crumble

• 100g unsalted butter
• 100 g light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. tablespoon honey from the Reford Gardens
• 200 g of organic flour from Ferme Geonel
• 1 pinch of fine sea salt

Preparation

• 1. Cold infuse the 35% cream and the elderflowers. Book 12 noon.
• 2. Soak the gelatin in a bowl of cold water. Filter the 35% cream and elderflower mixture into a saucepan. Heat with brown sugar until simmering. Squeeze the gelatin well and add to the 35% cream and brown sugar mixture. Mix well to dissolve the gelatin and incorporate the fresh cream.
• 3. Pour into a dish and place in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
• 4. Take the butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature for at least an hour before making the recipe.
• 5. In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, softened butter cut into small cubes and salt.
• 6. Mix everything until you get a kind of coarse sand.
• 7. Spread the honey over the mixture.
• 8. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 400°F.
• 9. Hull the strawberries and place them directly on the BBQ grill. Let the strawberries caramelize.
• 10. Serve a large quenelle of pannacotta with strawberries on top, garnish with crumble and garnish with a few fresh elderflowers.

Published on lapresse.ca on June 20, 2020.

Health ! : ultra strawberry cocktail

After a while, the Soda Stream device (to carbonate your water yourself) risks falling into oblivion if you don’t add a little sparkle to your recipes. Here is some inspiration from Jonathan Garnier, Executive Chef of La Guilde Culinaire.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 250 ml (1 cup) strawberry purée or strawberry juice
• 90 ml (6 tbsp) dark rum
• Juice of half a lemon
• 250 ml (1 cup) freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 pinches of long pepper, ground
• 250 ml (1 cup) sparkling water (or Soda Stream)

Preparation

• 1. In a pitcher, combine the strawberry purée, orange and lemon juice.
• 2. Add rum, ground pepper and a few ice cubes. Mix well.
• 3. Make soda water with Soda Stream by putting the maximum gas.
• 4. Add the water to the juice mixture and serve chilled.

Published in La Presse+ on October 23, 2014.