At the Science of Cocktails 2018 preview last week, Chef Jesse Hochhausen of Showcase Restaurant presented the most fantastic appetizer that was full of flavour and went well with cocktails.  He prepared Char Sui BBQ flavoured pork rillettes, yuzu juice thickened with agar-agar that appeared like pearls or roe.  It also had miso and sesame emulsion, fried rice cracker, togarashi spice blend and wild sesame leaf (also known as perilla leaf) which is quick frozen and mulled with liquid nitrogen.  Chef Hochhausen shared this recipe which could inspire seasoned chefs or challenge the home cook.

Char Sui Pork Rillette Recipe

Rillette Ingredients:

• 15 kg pork belly
• 15 kg pork shoulder
• 8 litres olive oil
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 6 bay leaves
• 9 cloves
• 9 star anise
• 90 g fennel seed
• 120 g black peppercorn

Method (Rillette):

Divide pork and ingredients evenly into 3 deep stainless steel roasting pans.  Cook in oven at 150 C for 2.5 – 4 Hours.  Pork Belly will finish much faster than Shoulder.  Check every 30 min once 2.5 hours is reached.

Marinade Ingredients:

• 2 litres honey
• 250ml sesame oil
• 1 litre Hoisin sauce
• 1.5 litres sweet soy
• 1 cup ginger
• 1 cup garlic
• 1 tablespoon white pepper
• 2 cups sambal

Method (Marinade):

Blend all marinade ingredients together and bring to a simmer, then cool.

Final Method:

Separate pork and fat/oil from roasting pans.  Pull the pork.  Add the pork into a Large Electrical Mixer and mix pork meat, marinade and some fat until flavor is a little salty.  Then roll pork into long tubes with plastic wrap OR press in metals pans overnight.

Miso Mayo

Ingredients:

• 1500 g mayo
• 300 g miso
• 180 g brown sugar
• 45 g ginger
• 6 cloves of garlic

Method:

Blend all ingredients.

Rice Cracker Seasoned with Nori Powder

Rice Cracker Ingredients:

• Rice paper wrappers 22cm
• Canola oil
• Nori sesame powder

Method (Rice Cracker):

Deep fry rice paper wraps in 375 F oil.  Flip halfway through deer frying.  Sprinkle with Nori Sesame powder and let dry on paper towel.

Nori Sesame Powder Ingredients

• 200g black sesame seeds
• 3 nori Sheets
• 20g Togarashi seasoning
• 20g salt
• 30g white sugar

Method:

Toast sesame seeds.  Toast nori, cut into small strips.  Blend everything until it’s a powder.

Yuzu Pearls

Ingredients:

• 750 ml Yuzu Juice
• 250 ml water
• 80 g sugar
• 20 g agar-agar
• 4 litres canola oil (ICE COLD)

Method:

Bring Yuzu, water, and sugar to a boil.  Whisk in agar-agar.  With a squeeze bottle drip mixture into the ice cold oil.  Strain pearls out of oil and use.

To read more on what happened at the Science of Cocktails preview, visit here.  For more information on Science of Cocktails 2018, visit www.scienceworld.ca/cocktails.

No matter how you choose to celebrate New Year’s Eve this year, make sure your cocktails are festive and fizzy!  Sparkling Ice has a few New Year’s Eve sparkling cocktail recipes that you might want to enjoy while saying cheers.  If you’re not familiar with Sparkling Ice, they are a refreshingly delicious water that delivers bold flavour and just the right amount of fizz, all without the calories.  In fact, there are zero calories per 503 mL serving.  There are six Sparkling Ice flavours available in Canada: Black Raspberry, Cherry Limeade, Coconut Pineapple, Kiwi Strawberry, Lemon Lime and Orange Mango.  Here is a round-up of easy, fizzy and festive New Year’s Eve Sparkling cocktails made with zero-calorie Sparkling Ice.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Prosseco Punch

Image Credit: Sparkling Ice

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

Sparkle & Spice

Image Credit: Sparkling Ice 

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

Sparkling Frosé

Image Credit: Sparkling Ice

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

<

The New Home Chef, a trend identified within the Loblaw 2017 Canadian Food Trends, is balancing the dichotomy of time pressure and a desire to be more ambitious in their cooking. Loblaw Food Council Member, Chef Claire Tansey, has prepared the following recipes to help Canadian home chefs discover new fall favourites, whether they’re looking for a quick and homemade Friday night snack, a savory side to add to ready-made protein or a delectable dessert prepared in less than an hour!

Smoky Sweet Popcorn

Prep: 5 min
Total: 10 min
Serves 4

1 teaspoon (6 g) smoked paprika
2 tablespoons (28 g) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon (2.8 g) salt
½ teaspoon (2.8 g) hot red chili flakes (optional)
3 tablespoons (44 mL) canola oil
1/3 cup (113 g) popcorn kernels
Zest of 1 lemon

Combine a pinch of the smoked paprika with sugar in a small bowl. Combine remaining paprika with salt and chili flakes in another small bowl.

Heat oil and 3 popcorn kernels in a large heavy-bottomed pot with the lid on over medium-high. Once the 3 kernels pop, add remaining popcorn and shake the pot a bit so the kernels get coated with oil. Immediately sprinkle kernels evenly with sugar mixture. Cover and cook, lifting and shaking the pot frequently, until popped, 2 to 3 min. Turn off the heat and immediately pour onto a large baking sheet. Sprinkle popcorn with salt mixture, then zest the lemon right over top. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 228 calories, fat 11.6 g (1.0 g of which is saturated), sodium 295.0 mg, carbohydrate 28.9 g, fiber 4.1 g, sugars 7.4 g, protein 3.3 g

Roasted Carrot Salad with Micro Greens, Avocado-Thyme Vinaigrette

Prep: 15 min
Total: 30 min
Serves 4

12 small carrots, scrubbed
1 tablespoon (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon (1.4 g) kosher salt
3 tablespoons (44 mL) fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon (0.7 g) garlic powder
¼ teaspoon (1.4 g) thyme
¼ teaspoon (1.4 g) kosher salt
1 teaspoon (5 mL) Dijon
1/3 cup (85 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups (540 mL) small brown lentils, drained and rinsed
2 cups (540 mL) micro greens
1 avocado, diced
1 cup (284 mL) crumbled feta

Preheat oven to 425F. Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment. Combine carrots with 1 tablespoon oil and ¼ teaspoon salt on baking sheet and toss well to coat. Roast 17 to 22 min or until tender-crisp.

Combine lemon juice, Dijon, thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt and garlic powder in a small jar. Shake well to combine. Add 1/3 cup oil and shake to emulsify. Combine about half of dressing with lentils and stir well. Divide lentils, greens, avocado, feta and carrots among 4 plates. Drizzle with remaining dressing. Season with fresh pepper as desired.

Per serving: 554.2 calories, fat 40.8 g (11.1 g of which is saturated), sodium 1122.2 mg, carbohydrate 36.8 g, fiber 10.7 g, sugars 11.3 g, protein 15.4 g

Triple Lemon Petit Fours

Makes 25 petit fours

Candied Lemon Curls

Prep: 10 min
Total: 1 hour

2 large lemons
1 ½ cups (510 g) granulated sugar, divided
1 cup (284 mL) water

Take the peel off both lemons using a vegetable peeler. Trim into thin strips. Combine 1 cup of the sugar with water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Add lemon peel, reduce heat to simmer and cook gently for 10 min or until translucent. Place remaining ½ cup sugar in a shallow bowl. Use tongs to lift lemon peel out of the sugar syrup, drain for a few seconds, then transfer into sugar. Toss very well, then transfer peel to a rack to cool and dry completely. Reserve sugar for Lemon Cake and sugar syrup for glaze.

Lemon Cake

Prep: 20 min
Total: 2 ½ hours

½ cup (115 g) butter, at room temperature
1 cup (205 g) sugar
Zest of a large lemon
2 eggs
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
1 1/3 cups flour (200 g)
1 ½ teaspoons (8.5 g) baking powder
¼ teaspoon (1.4 g) salt
2/3 cup (188 mL) milk

Preheat the oven to 325F. Grease an 8-in. square cake pan well with baking spray, or with butter and flour. Beat butter and sugar together, by hand or using an electric mixer on medium, until well- combined. Beat in zest. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until well-combined. Add the flour, baking powder and salt, and stir gently until just combined, then add the milk and stir well. Scrape into the prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 min or until golden and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan set on a rack for 10 min, then flip out onto a rack and cool completely before frosting.

Lemon Frosting

Prep 10 min
Total 20 min

1/3 cup (75g) butter, at room temperature
2 ¼ cups (255g) icing sugar
2 tablespoons (35 mL) fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon (3 mL) vanilla
¼ cup (71 mL) seedless raspberry jam

Beat butter with icing sugar using an electric mixer on medium. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla, then increase speed to high and beat until very smooth and fluffy, about 1 min.

To assemble petit fours, trim cake and cut in half horizontally. Brush with reserved lemon syrup and spread jam in a thin layer right to the edges. Chill cake until firm. Cut into 25 small squares. Pipe a rosette of frosting on each one. Top with candied lemon curl.

Per petit four: 188 calories, fat 7.0 g (4.2 g of which is saturated), sodium 96.1 mg, carbohydrate 30.4 g, fiber 0.3 g, sugars 24.6 g, protein 1.5 g

The breadth of fresh, in-season ingredients available to Canadians is one of the many gifts of our country’s cuisine. To help Canadians celebrate Canada 150, Chef Lynn Crawford – Chef/owner of Ruby Watchco and Loblaw culinary partner – has crafted a delicious selection of recipes that incorporate fresh, seasonal Canadian staples and exciting global flavours to create Canadian-international fusion, a trend identified in Loblaw’s 2017 Canadian Food Trends.  With inspiration from both classic Canadian favourites and exciting international cuisine, Canadians need look no further for their summer menu.

Rice Noodle Salad with Grilled Steak and Harrisa Ginger Dressing

Serving Size: 4 people

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp. (45mL) fresh lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp. (45mL) soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. (30mL) tahini
• 1 tsp. (5mL) sugar
• 1 tsp. (5mL) finely grated peeled ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• ½ cup (125mL) President’s Choice® Liquid Coconut Oil
• 1-2 tsp. (5-10mL) toasted sesame oil
• 8 oz. (250g) President’s Choice® Rice Stick Noodles
• 12 oz. (350g) thinly sliced grilled boneless sirloin steak
• 1 small kohlrabi, peeled, cut into matchsticks
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 cups (500mL) thinly sliced Napa cabbage
• 1 cup (250mL) cilantro leaves with tender stems
• ¼ cup (60mL) crushed salted, roasted cashews
• 2 tsp. (10mL) President’s Choice® Black Label Harissa Spice Blend

Instructions:

• Whisk lemon juice, soy sauce, tahini, sugar, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl to combine. Gradually add vegetable oil followed by sesame oil, whisking constantly until emulsified; set aside.
• Cook noodles in a large saucepan of boiling salted water according to package instructions until al dente. Drain; rinse under cold water, then drain again.
• Toss noodles, steak, kohlrabi, scallions, cabbage, and cilantro in a large bowl with three-quarters of reserved dressing to combine and evenly coat; season with salt. Top with cashews and Harrisa spice and drizzle remaining dressing over.
• Cover and chill

Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich with Spicy Chili Aioli and Kimchi Slaw

Serving Size: Serves 4

Ingredients:

Chicken

• 1/4 cup (60mL) soy sauce
• 1/4 cup (60mL) chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tsp. (10mL) President’s Choice® Black Label Peri Peri Spice Blend
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. (30mL) fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp. (10mL) chopped fresh ginger
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 2 cups (500mL) buttermilk
• 2 cups (500mL) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. (5mL) fresh black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. (2mL) Kosher salt
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 4 cups (1L) corn flakes, crushed
• Peanut or vegetable oil (for frying)
• 4 white sandwich buns, toasted

Kimchi Slaw

• 2 cups (500mL), heaping, finely shredded green cabbage
• 1 cup (250mL) kimchi, sliced
• 1/2 cup (125mL) matchstick carrots
• 1/4 cup (60mL) mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp. (30mL) rice vinegar

Spicy Chili Aioli

• 1/2 cup (125mL) mayonnaise
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 2 Tbsp. (30mL) President’s Choice® Memories of Seoul Gochujang Spicy Chili Sauce

Instructions:

• In a blender, add the soy sauce, cilantro, garlic, sambal, lime juice and ginger; blend until smooth. Place the chicken in a shallow dish and top with the soy sauce mixture. Refrigerate and let marinate at least 1 hour or overnight.
• In a medium shallow bowl, mix together the flour, pepper and salt. Place the buttermilk in another shallow bowl; set aside.
• Pour oil into a large heavy skillet to a depth of 3/4-inch (2cm). Prop deep-fry thermometer in oil so bulb is submerged. Heat over medium heat until thermometer registers 350F (180C).
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl stir together the cabbage, kimchi, carrots, mayonnaise and vinegar until well coated; set aside.
• In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, garlic and Gochujang; set aside.
• Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, remove it from the marinade and let the excess marinade trip off. Discard marinade. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess. Dip in egg allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Dredge cornflake mixture, shaking off excess.
• Fry chicken until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a wire rack set inside a baking sheet.
• Serve the chicken on the buns with Gochujang aioli and kimchi slaw.

Tandoori Spiced Chicken and Sweet Potato Burritos

Serving Size: 4-6 people

Ingredients:

Chicken

• 2 Tbsp. (30mL) President’s Choice® Liquid Coconut oil
• 8 boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1” pieces
• 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into ½” dice
• 1 small eggplant, cut into 1/4” dice
• 1 red pepper, cut into ½” dice
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. (30mL) grated ginger
• 1 small red chili, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp. (30mL) mustard seeds
• 2 Tbsp. (30mL) President’s Choice® Black Label Tandoori Spice Blend
• 1 tsp. (5mL) turmeric
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• ½ a bunch of fresh coriander
• 12 pieces President’s Choice® Tortillas

Minted Cucumber Yogurt (makes 2 cups (500mL))

• 1 cup (250mL) natural yogurt
• ½ a bunch of fresh mint, finely chopped
• Juice of ½ a lemon
• 1 cm piece of ginger, grated
• 1 small cucumber, seeded and grated
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

• In a large sauté pan over medium high heat add some olive oil and the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until just cooked.
• Remove to a bowl.
• Return the pan to the stove and add the sweet potatoes and onion and cook until just soft.
• Add the eggplant and pepper and continue cooking for 2 minutes.
• Add the garlic, ginger, chili, curry powder, turmeric and stir together well.
• Return the chicken to the pan and tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.
• Remove from heat and mix in chopped cilantro.
• Mix all of ingredients for the minted cucumber yogurt together and season well.
• Spoon chicken mixture into tortillas and top with minted cucumber yogurt.

Sparkling Blueberry Lemonade

Serving Size: 6-8 people

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup (150mL) white sugar (superfine is best)
• 2/3 (150mL) cup water
• 1 and 1/2 (350mL) cups fresh blueberries
• 1 (5mL) tsp. lemon zest
• 1 cup (250mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice ~4-5 whole large lemons
• 2 cups (500mL) ice cubes
• 3 cups (750mL) sparkling water or club soda

Instructions:

• Combine the sugar, water, blueberries, and lemon zest in a saucepan.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat and then simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the sugar is melted and blueberries are starting to burst.
• Remove from the heat and pass through a fine sieve. Let this blueberry syrup completely cool.
• Meanwhile, juice the lemons to get 1 cup (250mL) of lemon juice.
• In a large blender, add the blueberry syrup, lemon juice, and ice. Blend until smooth.
• Stir in the sparkling water or club soda.
• Enjoy immediately.

Canada Day long weekend is coming up so how about celebrating with some festive cocktails?  Sparkling Ice has a few Canada Day cocktail recipes that you might want to enjoy while saying cheers.  If you’re not familiar with Sparkling Ice, they are a refreshingly delicious water that delivers bold flavour and just the right amount of fizz, all without the calories.  In fact, there are zero calories per 503 mL serving.  There are six Sparkling Ice flavours available in Canada: Black Raspberry, Cherry Limeade, Coconut Pineapple, Kiwi Strawberry, Lemon Lime and Orange Mango.  Here is a round-up of a fizzy, fruity cocktails made with zero-calorie Sparkling Ice.

Blackberry Lemon Smash

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 oz of white rum
• 1.5 oz of vodka
• Blackberries
• 8 oz Sparkling Ice Lemon Lime

DIRECTIONS

Add blackberries and vodka to shaker. Muddle. Add rum and ice. Shake and strain into a chilled pint glass over ice. Fill with Sparkling Ice Lemon Lime.

Cherry Lime Rickey

INGREDIENTS

• 4 oz.  Sparkling Ice Cherry Limeade
• 1.5 oz.  Gin
• Mint, fresh cherries and lime slices for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Using a tall Collins glass, pour gin then Sparkling Ice Cherry Limeade over ice.  Stir gently to mix. Garnish with mint sprigs, cherries and lime slices.

Cherry Mojito

INGREDIENTS

• 4 oz.  Sparkling Ice Cherry Limeade
• 1.5 oz.  White Rum
• 10 Mint leaves (plus a few more for garnish)
• 6 Cherries (stems and pits removed)
• Lime slices for garnish

DIRECTIONS

In a large, sturdy glass, muddle together the mint and cherries until lightly-smashed. Stir in the rum and then top with Sparkling Ice Cherry Limeade over ice.  Stir gently to mix. Garnish with fresh cherries, mint leaves, and lime slices.

Black Raspberry Brut Cocktail

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ oz. Silver Tequila
• 2 oz. brut Champagne
• 7 large black raspberries
• 2 oz. Sparkling Ice Black Raspberry
• ¼ oz. lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Muddle black raspberries, Sparkling Ice Black Raspberry and lemon juice in a glass. Pour ingredients into a glass filled with ice. Add tequila, stir, and strain into a large rocks glass filled with ice. Top with brut Champagne and garnish with a skewered black raspberries.