Recipe #8 Rouladen

Preparing the ingredients

1 Tbsp Dry Mustard - add a few drops of water until you have a smooth paste (You can add 1 tsp of prepared mustard to this mixture)
Let stand 15 minutes
Dill Pickles cut lengthwise into 6 sections
Green Onions cut in half
4 – 6 slices bacon
Cut bacon slices in half (allow ½ slice per rollup) Blanch bacon by adding boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and place bacon slices on paper towels.
1 cup each of chopped carrots,onion & celery
3 tbsp of sour cream
900 ml of beef broth

Preheat Oven 425 degrees F

4 – 6 slices of Top Round Steak cut 1/8 in – ¼ in thick.
Cut each slice of steak into 2 equal parts, butter each slice with the mustard mixture.
To the steak, add 1 piece of dill pickle, green onion and bacon.
Roll up steak and tie each end using butcher string.
After rollup have been made, brown a few at time in hot olive oil (use a cast iron or heavy skillet. When the rollups are browned, place them in a roasting pan.
In the same heavy skillet melt 1 Tbsp butter and sauté onions, carrots and celery. Then add mixture to roast pan with rollups.
Sprinkle 2 – 3 Tbsp flour on top of the rollups and place uncovered in roasting pan in 425 degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes to brown flour
Stir once halfway through browning. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Add beef broth just high enough to cover rollups and cook for 1 to 1 ½ hrs covered.
If possible, use a large piece of pork rind to add body and to keep the rollups from drying out.

Prepare a Beurre Manie – In a bowl, mix 1 Tbsp of Butter with 2 Tbsp of flour and make a smooth paste.
Take roast pan out of the oven and remove the rollups to a side plate. Then remove 1 cup of liquid and place in a large measuring cup or bowl. Slowly add 3 tbsp of sour cream to the liquid until well blended. Stir this mixture back into roast pan.
Place roasting pan on top of the stove on high heat. Beat in Beurre Manie a little at a time until liquid is thickened. Add rollups to gravy and return to oven for another ½ hour. Let cool after cooking and refrigerate overnight.

From the garden to the table

The process of making dill pickles can be fun and exciting. Baby cucumbers, garlic, and dill weed are essential ingredients in making a great dill pickle. When our girls were little, we filled our bathtub with ice and let the cucumbers soak before making the dill pickles. It was a cool experience for a 6 year old to watch as we filled the bathtub with floating cucumbers instead of floating ducks. It was a labour of love because it took most of the weekend to complete the process. A jar of homemade garlic dill pickles made cherished gifts for friends and family.

Dill pickles are a key ingredient to the recipe this week - Rouladen. This recipe is how Kern prepares and serves this delicious and nutritious meal to family and friends.

Recipe #7 Chili Kabobs with Plums

Prep 15 minutes, Broil: 8 minutes
Makes 4 main dish servings

2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
½ tsp salt
1 pork tenderloin (12 ounces) cut into 1 ½ inch rounds
8 small blue plums, pitted and cut in half - quarters if you use larger plums

4 -10 in all metal skewers
3 tablespoons apple jelly, melted in the Microwave about 1 minute

The taste of these Kabobs comes from adding the spice to the pork at the last possible moment and then cooking them over high heat - this seals in the juices and creates a contrast between the spicy outside and sweet taste inside. Basting the pork and plums with apple jelly at the end of the cooking only adds to the contrasting flavors.

Preheat BBQ or broiler. In a plastic bag add the first 5 ingredients. Pat pork dry with paper towels and toss them with the spice mixture to coat evenly
Thread pork and plums alternately on skewers. Place skewers on rack in broiling pan or on the top rack of the BBQ
Broil Kabobs approximately 7 minutes, turning once. Wait for about 5 minutes and then brush kabobs with half of the apple jelly, turn kabobs and brush with remaining apple jelly. Broil kabobs 20 seconds longer on each side, or until pork is browned and cooked through. Be careful not to over cook them.

Serve over a bed of steamed white rice and enjoy!

For those who collect cook books, this recipe is taken from page 244 of "The Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step Cookbook".

Surprises are the Spice of Life!

Last November, we were all anxiously awaiting the arrival of Evan. But much to our delight and shock, Julia Faith blessed us with her arrival. She was an unexpected surpise and what a bundle of joy. Our granddaughter is full of sugar and spice and all things nice.

Spices can turn an ordinary dinner into a culinary experience. Cumin, chilli and cayenne pepper can transform plums and sweet pork tenderloin into succulent morsels. To heighten the flavours, add some apple jelly for that extra little punch. Blue, black or red plums are available almost year round.

Recipe #6 Kern's BBQ Chicken Wings

We usually buy 2 packages of wings from Zehr's or one large package from Costco. We like the the large package for obvious reasons. Split or disjoin the wings into 3 pieces - We usually freeze the tips and use them to make a broth. Put the wings in a stainless bowl and spice them with the following:

• 2 tablespoons each of Club House Seasoning Salt and Cajun Spice
• add some Chili Flakes if you like them hot.
• mix the wings until you have a good even coating and let the wings marinate over night
• Note: You can adjust the spice for your own taste

Preparing the wings for the BBQ

• about 1 hour before cooking - whip 3 egg whites in a bowl along with the juice of a 1/2 lemon
• whip in 1/3 cup cornstarch - the mixture should look like whip cream
• fold the whipped egg whites and cornstarch into the wings and mix until the wings are evenly coated
• put the wings in a colander and let them drip off the excess - about 1/2 hr
  

Cooking

• fire-up the BBQ - I usually heat it up and clean the grills then I sometimes put a light coat of olive oil on the grates
• reduce the heat to the lowest setting on your BBQ
• put the wings on - they stick to the grill like gum to hair - your kids can relate to this
• cover the BBQ and check back in about 15 minutes - time them
• the wings will start to cook and when they are right they will release from the grill,
  don't rush them because you will have a big mess
• If they are cooking too fast open up the lid or raise the grates
• When both sides of the wings get a crust on the coating they are fine to turn as often as you want
• the total cooking time is around 1 hour
• have a few tasters - cooks privilege - but try not to eat them all..
  

Serving the hungry crowd

• place the wings on a large platter and watch out for the stampede
• your wings are going to be the hit at any party

Bon Appetit and Have Fun!

Wake up boys - Dinners Ready!

Our son-in-laws Michael & Andrew really enjoy the sumptuous menu of dinners offered at our house. The challenge has been for Kern to cook up exciting, tasty recipes for his boys. In the past, Kern was always out numbered in our house 3 to 1, but since the our girls got married, the votes have evened out 3 to 3. As a result, the girls often get vetoed on "what to have for dinner". The boys choices include chicken wings, ribs, flank steak - to name a few. Kern lives up to the challenge savouring every moment!

Recipe #5 Best Pumpkin Cheese Cake!

Pumpkin Cheese Cake with Almond Toffee Topping

Crust:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup ground almonds
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter

In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, almonds and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press mixture onto bottom and one inch up side of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes. Cool slightly.

Filling:
2 (250 g) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 (14 oz) can puree PUMPKIN
2 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 whole eggs and 1 egg white, reserve yolk

In a large mixer bow, beat cream cheese. Beat in sugar. Gradually blend in pumpkin, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla. Beat in whole eggs and egg white, one at a time until mixture is smooth. Pour into crust. Bake at 350 F for 60to 65 minutes or until centre feels slightly firm to the touch. Turn oven off and let cheesecake stand in warm oven for 30 minutes.

Almond Toffee Topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg yolk, reserved from filling
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup toasted, sliced almonds

In a heavy saucepan, combine brown sugar and egg yolk. Gradually stir in evaporated milk and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly and thickened about 7 minutes. Stir in almonds. Pour over top of cheesecake and chill.


We would like to thank our sister in law, Renee Pageau of Port Elgin for introducing us to this fabulous dessert. We absolutely love it when she brings it to our family celebrations.

Ode to the Pumpkin!

Happy Thanksgiving to all! As pictured above, you are never too young or too old to enjoy a seasonal celebration. Our granddaughter Keira was just 8 weeks old when she made her first visit to the pumpkin patch.

The pumpkin is an icon symbolizing our love of the Fall Harvest in Canada. This colourful vegetable is the main ingredient in desserts enjoyed during the Thanksgiving weekend. Our recipe is taken from a small cookbook purchased at the annual "Pumpkinfest" celebration. If you love fall and pumpkins, then visit http://www.pumpkinfest.org/ for information on the best celebration of the pumpkin in Ontario.

Recipe #4 - French Onion Soup

Over the past week the weather has turned cold reminding us that Fall has arrived. This picture is a reminder that somewhere in the world it is warm and sunny. It was taken on our culinary experience in the Caribbean when the girls enjoyed "French Onion Soup".

This full bodied soup is rich in goodness that will warm your heart and soul. The recipe is based on Julia Child's "Onion Soup", page 43 in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Kern has altered the recipe to suit our tastes. As a bonus, the soup freezes well - unthaw in the fridge and enjoy later on a cold winter's night. Just add the cheese and Paris toasts. Bon Appetit!

French Onion Soup

2 ½ lbs of diced yellow onions

6 shallots

3 Tb butter or buttery taste becel

1 Tb olive oil

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp sugar (helps the onions brown)

8 cups boiling broth (3 x 900 ml containers of Knorr Swiss Simply Beef Broth)

½ tsp Worchester sauce (optional)

½ cup Dry white French Wine

3 Tb Cognac or Brandy

3 Tb flour
Paris toasts

¼ cup Gruyere cheese per bowl

Cook the diced onions over medium heat with the butter and oil in a covered heavy bottomed 4 quart saucepan for about 15 minutes. Remove cover, raise heat to moderate, and stir in the salt and sugar. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes stirring frequently, until the onions have turned an even, deep golden brown. You need to be careful that you don’t burn the onions during the last 10 minutes. When the onions have browned, sprinkle the flour and stir for 3 minutes.

Add boiling broth to the onion mixture, making sure you stir and scrape the bottom of the saucepan. The flour will help thicken the soup. Simmer partially covered for 30 to 40 minutes, skimming occasionally. Correct seasoning. The onions should be in suspension.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Add cognac or brandy to the soup and pour into French onion soup bowls, add Paris toasts and grated Gruyere cheese. Bake for 20 minutes in the oven. Then set for a minute or two under a preheated broiler to brown top lightly. Serve immediately.

Our first Caribbean Cruise - a cultural and culinary experience!

In 1997, we decided to cruise the Caribbean over the Christmas break - both girls were still in school at the time. It was a fantastic vacation and we could not get over the extravaganza of wonderful food served on the ship. We sampled everything from succulent prime rib to tantalizing flaming desserts. We especially loved the presentation and formality of it all. One night, the girls noticed "French onion soup" on the menu and they had only ever tasted the one their Dad made. So, it was an opportunity to see if these chefs could compare. They rated the chef's with an "8"; still not as good as Dad's but pretty close. We still chuckle about that moment to this day!