Lunch feature 02.10.10

Bacon Wrapped Ling Cod
Spot Prawn Risotto
Bell Pepper & Pear Slaw

There are two things in a North American kitchen that will guarantee food sales. What are they you ask? 1) Bacon 2) Prawns. I am quite convinced that with these two simple ingredients you can sell just about anything to anyone, that is of course not including those with religious dogma hovering over their eating habits. Here, lets try a little experiment. You be the guest and I`ll be the server.

``Today`s feature is a warm bacon wrapped parking lot poop with a lovely prawn infused baby dolphin vomit``

``Well, I really don`t usually like to eat poop and I don`t usually find dolphin vomit that appealing either, baby or otherwise. However, I really do like bacon, and prawns are one of my all time favorites. Oh what the heck, we`ll each have it, why not, it is our anniversary after all.``

See, I told you those two ingredients would sell anything.

Now, this is not to say that ling cod needs bacon and prawns to make it appealing. It does however, make selling it a whole lot easier.

Simple feature today. I just wrapped the ling cod in house made bacon and then pan seared it. For the risotto, I used a spot prawn and vanilla bisque to cook the rice in. For the slaw I just did matchstick cuts of local bell peppers and pears, then I tossed it with lemon olive oil and some micro greens.

That`s it folks.

Sean Peltier

Congress in Session

Canadian Chefs' Congress 2010: Oceans for Tomorow.

Canadian Chefs' Congress 2010: Oceans for Tomorow.

Canadian Chefs' Congress 2010: Oceans for Tomorow.

Canadian Chefs' Congress 2010: Oceans for Tomorow.

Canadian Chefs' Congress 2010: Oceans for Tomorow.

To the Chefs attending from the Okanagan, knowing that you have a long sustainable bike ride ahead of you, here's some fun things to think about as you pedal your way along on HWY 3.

And you should take your bicycle, partially because it is a glorious drive and also, really now, if it wasn't the year of the oil spill, it was the year of spraying the even more disgusting oil dispersant (presently enjoying a good cherning thanks to Hurricane Earl.)

In that fun spirit, lets start here



Now you've probably all seen that by now, but why not watch it again?

And while you're there, why not watch the "critique" (and then ask yourself with whom would you rather dine?)



So first the premise (and some soft, sensible acoustic guitar strumming with a catchy beat)
The Canadian Chefs’ Congress 2010 on Vancouver Island will focus on chefs and their relationship to the ocean and its current fragile state. We will look at sustainable practices as well as the impact of our actions of today on the oceans of tomorrow.

Of course the first question that arises is "exactly what are you trying to sustain?" But before we get into that, let's watch this--a fun little movie based on Alan Weisman's remarkable book The World Without Us.



Based on this delightful little video, what say "we" all call for a 500 year moratorium on all oceanic commerce? No more oil rigs, no more nuclear submarines spraying sonar shattering the minds of aquatic mammals, no more gigantic fishing ships crusing the oceans. Hands up...anyone? Because if "we're" trying to sustain the health of our oceans, we simply need to stop going in the oceans to do the anti-life death kulture shenanigans that Humans (who live on land) like to perp in places that aren't their own. Simply leave the oceans alone.

A nice long "time out." We can tighten up our local beef/pork/lamb/goat meat and dairy reality in the meantime.

If , on the other hand, "we" are trying to maintain old paradigms in the face of even older challenges growing more and more unmanagable with each passing convulsion of late capitalism then I imagine that is another dicussion that's all together different than one surrounding the far simpler question "how do we do right by the ocean?"

Sometimes I think the fish thing has gotten a little out of hand. Who would benefit from a moratorium on all large scale ocean commerce? Probably the people living 100 miles away from the Ocean.

100...miles...away...from...the...ocean. A diet based on that which is within one hundred miles of your home? Hold on...I think we have something here!

Now don't get me wrong. When I'm within 100 miles of the Ocean I love me some sea food. I become one of those squids that moves through the fish eating for pleasure.

When I'm in the Okanagan, I'm not so much caring about the sea food. In fact, I feel sadness and disconnect when I see Halibut on any menu in the southern interior of BC. (Don't worry, I feel sadder and disconnecteder when I see it on a menu in Minneapolis MN.)

I thought it was neat that there was an abundance of Salmon this year. I do love me some salmon, and now that I've had some local salmon, I'm going to want some year after year...our lakes and waterways are amenable to large salmon runs, right? Certainly we want to keep those clean and functional and free from incinerator debris or nuclear waste or things like that. I'm not saying there should be no fish...I'm just saying it needs to be local, and needs to be harvested responsibly, and all the rest.

The Okanagan has as vibrant and diverse a food shed as any place in Canada without Oceanic fish. The Okanagan needs to exploit that more efficiently (in the form of a functional livestock slaughter reality in the south of the valley...maybe a dairy too). Why not build a regional cuisine upon that which is actually local, and in so doing, actually support the local producers and actually invest in the surrounding land? Save the fish for trips to Van.

Questions? Comments?

Lunch feature 3.09.10

Grilled BC Albacore Tuna
Poached Festers Farms Egg
Fondant Potato
Beans and Tomatoes
Roasted Eggplant Puree

I started the month of September with a special very loosely based on the Nicoise salad. For the most part everything was from the valley, minus the tuna and the potato.

The Albacore tuna is deemed to be Ocean Wise by the Vancouver aquarium. I, personally am a little bit skeptical about just how "renewable" this tuna really is but I am certain that it has not, like its cousin the blue fin or ahi tuna, reached the Peltier rating of Sea Panda just yet. That being said, I think the program it self is great. Anyhow, I grilled it.

The egg was simply poached soft so that it would act as a sauce on the plate. Beautiful eggs with great colored yolks from a local farmer.

The potatoes were confited in roasted garlic and tomato oils and then pan fried all super crisy like to order.

The beans were pre-blanched and then tossed with tomatoes, some herbs & lemon olive oil.

The roasted eggplant puree was simply roasted eggplants pureed with some lemon juice and olive oil.

Very simple flavors that are bound to work well together. I always feel a little bit bad every time I use tuna, but I love it so much, plus if their numbers drop all of a sudden I can always pass the blame over to the Ocean Wise people.

Welcome to September everyone,

Sean Peltier

Lunch feature 26.08.10

Pan Seared Okanagan Sockeye
Kabocha Squash & House Cured Bacon Perogie
Saskatchewan Chanterelles
Creamed Local Corn
Red Wine Sockeye Jus

This Sockeye salmon which runs up the Columbia river to spawn in lake Osoyoos was caught by the local Indian Band and brought to the restaurant so fresh that it still had rigor mortis. What a total joy!

Every piece of trim was used in the jus which I made by roasting all the trim with carrots, onion, celery, tomatoes and tomato paste. I deglazed the roasting pan with red wine then added vegetable stock and let it simmer for a few hours. I then strained the stock and reduced it to a sauce consistency. I added a little bit of corn starch at the end to get the right viscosity. No part of this beautiful fish went to waste.

The perogies were a simple accompaniment that went perfectly. The dough is really simple, equal parts by weight of yogurt and flour. The filling was roasted squash, shallots, garlic, bacon & herbs. Blanched then pan fried.

The Chanterelles spoke for themselves. Just sauteed with some shallots, finished with veg stock and a bit of butter.

The creamed corn was made by making a stock with onions, corn cobs,parmesan rind, veg stock and cream. I simmered that for a hour and then blended it all together. I then strained the liquid through a fine sieve. The kernels were blanched and then pureed into the stock. I reduced this until I reached an consistency that coated the back of a spoon. To this I added more kernels.

This was one hell of a tasty plate. Should have been a dinner feature but who says lunch can't be decadent.

Sean Peltier

Lunch feature 21.08.10

Pan Seared Pacific Rockfish
Herb Falafel, Cucumber & Mint Salad
BC Spot Prawn Bisque & Oil

In order to keep my overtime in check I asked Jeff to make me some falafel for this feature and he did a really nice job of it. They were, for lack of a better descriptor, delicious. I don't get the pleasure of eating prawn but I figure that falafel and bisque would go well together if the spices used to make both were similar. That is what was done and I think it went well, the guests loved it anyway.

Not much else to say about this one, other than a big thanks to Jeff for his help. Hopefully in the near future I can use something other than rockfish of ling cod for a feature. That would be nice.

Sean Peltier

Dinner feature 20/08/10

The last feature I did was Pan seared Snapper, Eggplant flan, tomato xvoo emulsion, pickled watermelon rind and watermelon tarragon salad.

I like to make flans, however, I find that when I make a flan I can't always get the texture right. So I asked for some help from a co-worker (Jeff) and they turned out lovely. The color wasn't awesome but I fixed that by making a bright lovely cold sauce out of tomatoes, salt, shallots, garlic and extra virgin olive oil.
The pickled watermelon was made by Jeff, it was very tasty and had hints of anise and cinnamon, because of this I kept most of the other components very subtle in flavor (not to say there was a lack of it) I just didn't want to over complicate the dish or the flavors involved. The tarragon was picked an hour before service (we have a herb garden) and the tomatoes eggplant and watermelon are local and organic. All and all I'd say it went pretty well.
Next time I think I would try and add an extra egg to the flan and a little more eggplant puree and lemon juice to give it a little extra something.

Lunch feature 20.08.10

Pan Seared Pacific Ling Cod
Smoked Salmon & Carmelis Chevre Croquette
Grilled Onion Salad, Romesco Sauce
Shaved Hazelnut

Yesterdays risotto croquette was such a hit that I decided to do it again, this time with potato and salmon with a hint of refinement. I made a simple mousse with salmon. I did the quick candy and smoke that I have done so many times with salmon bellies. To that I added some cooked shallots, chevre, creme fraiche, seasonings and herbs. For the potato I boiled them until tender, peeled them, then riced them. I did this so that I developed as little starch as possible. Just mashing them by hand will leave you with chunks and extra starch. With the potato I placed it on a piece of plastic wrap, then placed another piece on top and rolled the potato paper thin between the wrap with a rolling pin. Then I removed the top piece of plastic wrap, trimmed the potato with a spatula into a nice long rectangle and piped the mousse into a long line down the middle. Then I rolled the potato around the salmon, wrapping it tightly in plastic. From this point I froze the croquettes to make the breading easier. Once frozen, I breaded them and set them aside for frying.

The Romesco sauce is one of my favorites, it's so simple and it works great with so many things. In Spain they dip charred green onions into romesco, there is a name for it that I don't know. What I do know it that romesco and grilled onions is one of my favorite combos. Anyhow, for the sauce all that you do is toss the following in oil and roast until nicely caramalized: tomato, onion, bell peppers, celery, zucchini, garlic and hazel nuts. You can really use any vegetables you want. Traditionally it has bread and almonds in it as well, minus the hazelnuts. Once its all roasted, put it in a blender with some vinegar of your choice(I used apple cider vinegar) and puree, adding in xvoo as it blends. Season to taste then pass through a fine sieve. So good, I like it to be quite acidic and I also added some hazelnut oil in with the blending.

For the Onions I just grilled any onion I could get my hands on(spanish, red, green, leek & shallot), seasoned them and tossed them in xvoo and truffled vinegar.

Perfectly pan seared fish, finnished in the pan with brown butter, lemon and herbs. I then shaved a hazelnut over the fish and it's all done. I really liked this one, great blending of flavors.

Sean Peltier

Lunch feature 19.08.10

Pan seared Pacific Rockfish
Carmelis chevre & risotto croquettes
Salsa verde & preserved lemon mayo

This feature all came from the fact that we had a 25lb case of local, organic green peppers in the fridge that no one wanted to use. As a result of this I made a giant batch of salsa verde and a giant batch of gazpacho. The salsa verde is what got this feature to come together.

For the salsa I did a fine dice of green peppers, cucumbers, celery, shallots, garlic & capers. To that I added a large amount of lemon juice and zest, some chili flakes, seasoning and olive oil.

The croquettes where made with cooked risotto, Carmelis chevre, seasoning and herbs, then breaded and deep fried.

The fish was simply pan seared and finished with a little bit of brown butter, lemon and herbs.

This special was very well recieved. The service staff was also very happy that I made extra croquettes, so they could all snack on them after service like the bloody vultures that they are.

Sean Peltier

Lunch feature 15.08.10

Pan seared Ling Cod
Grilled Pheasant Sausage
Summer Squash and Celery Leaf Risotto
Tomato and Clam Broth

This whole feature came together thanks to Shannon's first ever attempt at making a sausage. These Pheasant sausages that she made were spot on. Done in the style of a Boudin Blanc, she got the fat content and seasonings absolutely perfect. From there it was easy. I didn't think that just a plate of sausages would sell on a day pushing 40 degrees celcius. I did a little surf and turf instead and they flew out the door. Simply pan fried ling cod, grilled sausage, a risotto with beautiful baby patty pan squash and a celery leaf pistou mixed in. I finished the plate of with some home made clamato. I like the thin broth with risotto, it seems to keep the rice at a good consistency throughout the meal instead of getting to thick.

It was a good special to end and extremely busy week in which I cooked hot lunches for approximately 800-900 people in blistering heat, all the while standing in front of a white hot grill, two ovens at 400 degrees and 14 burners. Those of you in the same position as me, a tip of the cap. I am going to soak myself in the river for two days and try to stop my brain from overheating.

Sean

Lunch Feature 05.08.10

Pacific Ling Cod Calzone,
Local Caponata & Cabbage,
Carmelis Chevre,
Local Vegetable Gazpacho

Back too my roots with this one. Back to the roots of old Italian food as well.

My first "real" cooking job was at Boston Pizza. That job was most likely why I'm still cooking today. I had no Idea what to do with my life at the age of 20. I had given up on University pretty much straight away, I knew then that it wasn't going to get me a job in anything that I loved, mostly because I hadn't found it yet.

Throughout my time at Boston Pizza I learned a lot about managing chits, working very quickly and efficiently and unfortunately very little about cooking and food. The biggest thing I gained, was the love for the kitchen and a love for cooks.

I also made a ton of pizzas, literally, in the 10's of thousands. One of the things I did a lot of as well was calzones, or as they called them, "strombollies". Basically a pizza folded over itself and baked.

Everyone loves a good calzone. I find the key is to make a dough with a very crispy crust and a thin, soft inside. For my dough I use the following:
3 cups bread flour
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white wine
1 tsp of instant rise yeast
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp salt
3 tbsp XVOO

Mix together in a bowl the flour, yeast, honey, wine and water. mix until a dough begins to come together.
Then add your salt and olive oil.
Knead the dough for about 8-10 minutes until a very smooth dough is acquired.
Let the dough double in size
Once the dough has doubled it is ready to use or it can be punched down and refrigerated over night. I find letting the dough sit overnight makes for a dough that gets very crispy with those lovely blisters on it.

For the filling of this particular Calzone I used sauteed local cabbage. A caponata with a tone of local eggplant, summer squash, tomatoes, onions, basil and a few other things that we don't have here such as, capers and olives. With the ling cod I seared the pieces on one side only so that it would cook properly with the crust and also for the flavor that searing gives the cod. Once it was baked at 400 degrees for about 10-12 min I took it out of the oven and brushed it with XVOO right before plating.

The Gazpacho is as easy as it gets. Pureed tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, onions, garlic, spinach, vinegar, olive oil and seasonings with a touch of vegetable stock to adjust the consistency. Serve chilled on a hot ass day.

Hope you like it, I know that I did.

Sean

Lunch Feature 29.07.10

So, it's ling cod again. I'm starting to think that maybe I will be solely responsible for the end of the ling cods existence thanks to lunch features this year. However, it was fresh and I had to use it.

Once again a long weekend is upon us, and as a result there is a hell of a lot of mise en place to get ready for the impending doom. This feature is a product of time restraints. Tasty, of course, but simple and fast is the name of this game.

The quinoa is pretty straight forward. Cooked the grain in vegetable stock(1 part grain/1.5 part liquid.) I added a small dice of local cucumbers, some lemon juice, coriander and creme fraiche.

The peach soup was the stand out part of this dish. Puree of fresh peaches with a touch of vinegar, some yogurt, seasoning and xvoo blended in to emulsify everything. So fresh, so peachy, so delicious.

Sean Peltier

Lunch Feature 24.07.10(peas & carrots redux)

Thanks to a slow start to the summer it seems as though we are behind on a lot of produce that we would usually be having by now. As a result I had to go back and use some peas & carrots, something that I did a few features ago. This time it will be ling cod as the protein.

Pretty simple, this one was. I was really working on tomorrows feature, which will be a fun one.
So, i did a pearl barley risotto. I like to use barley for a starch as it has texture for miles and miles. It's really hard to over cook barley, in fact you would most likely have to try to do so. I pulled some pea nage from the freezer that I made a while back and used that as the sauce. Then for veg, I did a salad of shaved carrots and pea shoots.

Easy does it on this one. Nothing over the top, just nice, clean, simple flavors. Nothing wrong with that.

Sean Peltier

Lunch Feature 23.07.10

Today's lunch feature was a very simple dish that I'm sure all came together well(I can't eat any of the shellfishes).
I did a fennel crusted spring salmon, which I pan seared along with a thick slice of lemon. I know that the lemon isn't exactly Okanagan per se, however, I do know a few people who have successful lemon trees in the valley. Anyhow, I do this because the lemon takes on a very different flavor that really compliments fish with out overpowering some of the more delicate flavors. I also had acidity in some of the other components so I didn't want to overdo it.

With the belly trim from the salmon I did a very quick brown sugar and course salt cure. About 70%/30% in favor of the sugar. Make sure to use course salt as the finer stuff will overwhelm the curing process and make it to salty. I let this sit in the cure for about 2hrs. At this point a lot of the moisture of the fish will have leached out leaving the salmon belly swimming in it's own juices. I then removed the fish from the liquid but did not rinse it. Here I cold smoked it for about an hour and a half until it was fully cured. If smoking is not an option you can always just cook it at a low oven temperature for a few minutes until cooked.
The smoked belly was then added into a hummus along with a small dice of cucumber, dill, lemon juice(more acid), XVOO, seasonings and of course, the chick peas.

The sauce is a spot prawn bisque. Perhaps one day I will do up that whole process on here, but that is for another day. This sauce was not made by myself unfortunately, however, it did look and smell very nice(I hear it tasted good as well). The secondary sauce is a creme fraiche(more acid)which is made by mixing a little bit of buttermilk into some whipping cream and then letting it sit out overnight to thicken.

For vegetable garnishes I did a quick pan braise of some great baby summer squash and a pea shoot salad tossed in a little bit of lemon olive oil(yes, a little more acid...are you all starting to get the importance of acidity in food? Use a little acidity in your food and you will find you use less salt and usually less fat as well)

It sold well, anything prawn always does, it's a bit of a cheat but hey, I sold 27 of them today. In this case I guess that cheating is okay.

Sean Peltier

How to sell a feature 101: Wrap it in bacon!

Today's feature sold like hotcakes. Then again, when is the last time you've seen hot cakes sell like hotcakes. I think perhaps that saying needs to change. What is selling a lot these days. Well, Canada's mortality rate is dwindling, perhaps condoms are selling really well these days. I say that the phrase, 'sold like hotcakes' be changed to 'sold like rubbers'...I digress. The feature sold well. In fact 25 portions in no time at all. Lesson, wrap everything in bacon!

I took some Ling Cod with a sage leaf on top and wrapped it in Jon's home made bacon(I hope that one day he will actually start writing about all his magic on here). That was pan seared until nice and golden, then basted in a little bit of butter which I browned in the pan and a little bit of herbs.

For the risotto I finished it with a some ricotta cheese and cracked black peppercorns.
Also, I had some great berry gastrique which really complimented the risotto, adding some acidity to the fat of the ricotta and balancing the spice from the peppercorns.

For the marmalade I used some apricots that our friend Janice picked in her backyard yesterday. A lot of acidity again with a load of natural sweetness. I knew that this would really pair nicely with the fat and smoke of the bacon and also lift the subtle flavors of the ling cod.

All in all, a total success.


A little side note: The other day a friend was commenting on my last special(pea's and carrots), and said that she was not a big fan of stacking food. That she prefers to have her food separate so that she can taste each component on its own. I can understand this. I also agree with it, when the cook is merely stacking the food for the sake of stacking or god forbid, height.

My only response to her was that 'I stack my food because I make all the components of a dish to be eaten together'. After this I said that I know it sound egotistical or arrogant or something like that, but its true. I have been told several time before that certain components on my plates by themselves are almost inedible alone, but when eaten as a whole dish it works out beautifully.
This is what I strive for in all my food. A perfect balance between sweet, sour, salt, fat, bitter or what ever textures may be involved as well. I use a hell of a lot of acidity in some components because I know that the fat of the dish needs to be mellowed on the pallet. A lot of gastriques will allow me to add a sweetness and a sourness that will counteract with fat and salt and all the other things that make the French style of food so heavy. So when you see some of these dishes that I do I hope that you can realize that I am always putting flavor before presentation and that I really do think about what I'm composing. It's easy to make a great starch or a great protein or a great vegetable component. What is really a challenge is to make them all live in harmony both on the pallet and in someones memory.
Sorry for sounding conceded, I don't mean to be. Merely passionate and thoughtful.

Love Sean.

Halibut Feature

For my dinner feature on Wednesday July 7th:
I ran Pan seared Haida Gwaii Halibut
Morel mushroom, local pea and truffle risotto
Pea and mint Nage
It came out quite nice once I got help with the plating and such (from Sean).
At first I put preserved lemon in the risotto but I gave a taste test to a colleague and he mentioned that the preserved lemon and the truffle oil canceled each other out, being that they are two very strong, very distinct flavors. So I omitted the preserved lemon and the pea came out a lot better, as well as the truffle oil. Also, I found with using truffle oil not to use too much as it is quite powerful, not to mention costly.
All and all I was quite happy with it, and since we did not sell out me thinks I will run it again tonight.

Masala Crusted Lake Trout

Well, today was a really simple one. The flavors were really popping out on this though.

Seeing as so many of the local farmers are Indian immigrants I'm starting to think that maybe local cuisine should start representing not only the food that is grown here, but the people who grow it as well. As an added bonus, the stone fruits that are so prevalent in the South Okanagan lend themselves very well to the spices and spice blends indigenous to India.

With that being said I had some beautiful lake trout to sell today. As afore mentioned, I wanted to bring in some of the Indian spices, so I made a masala of sorts and crusted the trout with that. I paired the fish with some Lambert cherry chutney to give some sweet and sour to the plate as well.

I did a crispy potato cake, or latke if you will. However, I only used raw grated potatoes, herbs and seasoning in the potato. I prefer to do it this way as opposed to using flour and egg as well. I find that the potato will always speak for itself. Just make sure to squeeze all the liquid out of the shredded potato to keep the cake from becoming gummy.

To bring something refreshing to the plate I made an Orin apple and basil puree. Pretty straight forward with that one. Just made apple sauce and then mix in a very loose and rustic basil pesto. Also some beautiful baby spinach dressed with lemon olive oil brought even more refreshment to the plate. I also put on a couple of fresh cherries as a little treat.


Sean Peltier

Fishes + Knishes = So Delicious!

This feature goes out to Mr. Okanagandailyspecial himself.

Knish: This lovely little Jewish delight seamed like a great vessel with which to display some first of the season Lambert cherries. I at once thought about stuffing them full of a pork product of some kind but then started to think whether or not Canada has a non-extradition treaty with New Jersey. Since I didn`t even know where to begin looking for such info and knowing what can happen to a bearded man who gets on the wrong side of a knish, I opted for sticking just to the cherries. A wonderfully simple dough consisting of potatoes, oil and flour, plus the addition of some salt and herbs wrapped around mashed potatoes that I mixed with cherry chutney. Egg washed and then baked. So simple, so delicious.

Along with that I made a west coast seafood cake. Thanks to one chef RJB, I now know the only way to make a fish cake. Forget the breading and the frying. My version consisted of nice diced pieces of Ling cod, Tofino shrimp meat, and a light halibut mousse to bind it all together. Add to that a fine dice of onion, leek, celery and fennel.

Atop the knish I put some more of the cherry chutney. Atop the fish cake I put an apple relish. Below the whole ordeal I put a basil pistou.

That`s all folks...Sean Peltier