Great tastes of Canada

Ok... time to let the cat out of the bag.

I've applied for a cooking web series that is produced by the makers of Top Chef Canada and Amazing Race Canada.

I had to send an email and sell myself as a possible candidate.  They've asked me to go to the second step of preparing and audition video as well as filling out a 50 question form.

Here is my audition video.  I have yet to hear back.  Would be great if you could put some supportive comments under the youtube video.. maybe the producers will see them.

Episode 12 recipes - Chef's choice

Well Bill and I tied everything up in the final episode.  Here are my recipes from this episode.

Chef’s Choice

Grilled Rib-Eye

• 3 large ribeye steaks
• 3 tbsp of paprika
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp dry mustard
• 2 tsp of ground fennel seeds
• 2 tsp of kosher salt
• 1 tsp of ground pepper

Mix all ingredients.  Brush steak with olive oil and crust it with the dry rub.  Cook over direct heat till medium rare.    

Sherry Vinegar Steak Sauce

• 2 red bell peppers, grilled, peeled, seeded
• ½ cup of sherry vinegar
• 3 tbsp of Dijon
• 2 tbsp of horseradish
• 2 tbsp of honey
• 1 tbsp of molasses
• 2 tbps of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp of kosher salt
• 1 tsp of black pepper

Blend all ingredients until smooth and serve with the steak.

Roasted potatoes with tomato aioli

• ½ small red onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• ¾ cup of mayonnaise
• 1 large tomato, fire-roasted, seeded
• Dash of hot sauce
• Splash of sherry vinegar

Blend all ingredients and serve with roasted potatoes

Almost BBQ Season

The sunny weather makes me dream of BBQ season.  Even though the windchill was -20 this afternoon, I went out and cleaned up the grills.

I fired up my Broil King Keg and will be cooking a porketta, hot and fast, for dinner tonight.

I purchased the porketta at Tarini Bros Meats in Sudbury.  Great place to visit.  Check out my page on getting to know your local butcher.

What is your favorite butcher?  Let me know in the comments below.

Episode 11 - Kid's episode

We had a great time cooking for kids.  Even though I'm a school principal, I went in thinking I had a pretty good grasp of what kids like to eat.  Bill has a teenage daughter so he had the advantage on me for this one.

Thanks to my helper Spencer Corbeil for cooking some bacon for me over the wonderful fire pit donated by my friends Eliz and Pascal from Muskoka Fire Pits.

Kids Episode

Quesadilla

• Large flower tortillas
• Cheese curds
• Beef – marinated and grilled
• Peppers (red and yellow) chopped
• Salsa and sour cream

For marinade

• soya sauce
• Brown sugar
• Red pepper flakes
• Olive oil

Grill off the beef in the marinade.  Slice into strips and assemble quesadilla (meat, cheese, peppers).  Grill quesadilla till toasted and slice and serve with salsa and sour cream.  Top with a sprig of cilantro

Bacon Mac and Cheese

• Cooked macaroni
• 12 slices of cooked bacon
• Flour
• Cheddar cheese
• Monterey Jack Cheese
• Milk
• butter

Make a roux by combining butter and flour.  And milk to make a béchamel and then add cheese till melted.  Add Chopped bacon.  Place in oven safe dishes and put on grill for 30 minutes.  Add bread crumbs on top for last 15 minutes. 

Pigs in a blanket

• Hotdogs
• Pillsbury crescent rolls

Wrap hotdog in cresent roll and cook on grill till golden.  

Korean BBQ

It seems like every country has their own version of BBQ.

I'm currently in Toronto and got to enjoy Korean BBQ yesterday.

You have a small propane grill built into the table and you cook your own food.  It comes with a variety of sides (kimchi, sprouts, tofu, potatoes, radish and rice) and a variety of proteins (liver, chicken, pork, beef, bulgogi, shrimp, salmon, squid, fish, etc.

Plenty of options for about 20$ per person.  It's all you can eat so you won't leave hungry.

http://koreangrillhouse.com/

Episode 10 - Beef Tenderloin

Another close one.  This is one of the recipes I was most proud of during filming.  It came out perfectly.  I cooked the meat caveman style (directly on the hot coals).

Beef Tenderloin

Stuffed Beef Tenderloin

• Beef tenderloin, silverskin removed, and butterflied
• Asparagus spears
• Swiss cheese slices
• Roasted red peppers
• Butchers twine
• Montreal steak spice

Butterfly beef tenderloin.  Layer asparagus spears, roasted red peppers, and sliced swiss cheese inside.  Roll everything up and secure with butchers twine.  Cook over direct heat till inside temperature reaches 130 F. 

Smashed potatoes

• 20 min potatoes, pre-cooked
• Olive oil
• Salt, pepper, garlic
• Sour cream
• Chives

Crush the potatoes against a sheet pan.  Season.  Dash with olive oil and roast in grill till somewhat crispy.  Serve with a sour cream and chive mix.