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.

Superbowl Sunday

I'm cooking up chicken for Superbowl Sunday.

Here is a tip that will teach you how to Spatchcock a chicken.  That allows the air to circulate better around the chicken and promotes more even cooking when it's on the grill.

Episode 9 - Pizza

Pizza

Jerk Chicken Rub

•  2 tbsp of onion flake
• 1 tbsp of garlic powder
• 2 tsp of salt
• 4 tsp of dry thyme
• 2 tsp of salt
• 2 tsp of allspice
• ½ tsp of nutmeg
• ½ tsp of cinnamon
• 1 tbsp of sugar
• 1 tsp of cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients and place in ziplock bag.  Spinkle on chicken and grill over direct heat till cooked and juices run clean.

• Grilled Pears
• Olive oil and garlic
• Naan bread
• Cheddar cheese

Assemble pizza on naan bread using a garlic olive oil as sauce. 

Dessert Pizza

• Premade pretzel croissant
• Jar of Nutella
• Peanut butter
• Bananas
• Crust from Hollinger House (mini)

Spread nutella on pretzel bun.  Add sliced banana.  Warm on grill and drizzle with peanut butter. 

Margherita Pizza

• 4 large tomatoes, fire roasted
• Fresh Oregano (1/4 cup)
• Garlic ( 2 cloves
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Crust (flatbread)
• basil

Blend all ingredients for sauce and cook to reduce by a quarter.  Spread on pizza crust with some fresh mozzarella.  Cook till cheese is melted and spread basil leaves on top.

Episode 8 - Street Food

Rene took the win this episode with these street food recipes.  Enjoy!

Street Food

Pork Souvlaki marinade

• Pork cut into 1 inch cubes
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 small red onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp of red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp of greek oregano
• Salt and pepper

Marinade overnight and then grill over direct heat till cooked.  Serve with Tzaziki

Thai Chicken Skewers

• 6 tbsp of fresh lime juice
• ¼ cup orange juice
• ¼ cup fish sauce
• ¼ cup peanut or canola oil
• ¼ cup raw sugar or brown sugar
• 1 tbsp of chili sauce
• 2 tbsp of minced ginger
• ¼ cup fresh basil
• ¼ cup green onions
• ¼ cup cilantro

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate.  Marinate chicken overnight if possible.  Direct grill over high heat till cooked.  Serve in a lettuce wrap. 

Grilled Corn

• 6 ears of corn, peeled and cleaned
• Olive oil
• Jerk chicken spice
• Mayonnaise
• Fresh parmesan

Brush corn lightly with olive oil.  Grill corn till lightly charred.  Brush with mayonnaise and sprinkle with jerk spice (see pizza episode) 

Episode 7 - Pork chops

Bill won this episode but Rene has big plans for next week's street food episode.

Pork Chops

Cheerio Crusted Pork Chop with grilled peaches

• 4 thick cut pork chops
• Cheerios blended
• Curry spice mix
• Olive oil

Blend cheerios with 2 tbsp of curry spice and coat pork chops.  Grill pork chops over direct heat till internal temperature of 145F is reached.  Serve with peaches that have been brushed with a mixture of melted butter and brown sugar. 

Green Beans with roasted peppers and tomatoes

• 2 cups of green beans, blanched
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes
• 1 roasted yellow pepper,
• 1 tsp minced garlic

Combine all ingredients in a pan on the grill and cook for 5-10 minutes.