Recipe #12 Mom's Meat Pie

This recipe was passed down to us from Kern's Mom......

5 lbs Ground Pork (Lean)

1/2 lb Ground Beef

1 yellow onion (chopped)

pinch of salt, pepper & thyme

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp celery salt

1/8 tsp onion salt

Fill large pot with water just to cover the meat (approximately 4 cups) Simmer until liquid is half - should take about 2 to 2 1/2 hours (allow 1/2 hour to start)

Note: "Do not play with the meat while it is simmering, JUST LET IT SIMMER"

Use a pure lard pie crust recipe of your choice. (Tenderflake recipe is great)

Spoon mixture into a deep dish pie shell. In a small bowl combine egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water to make egg wash; brush edge of crust with wash, then carefully add top crust and seal edges. Make several slits in top crust; brush with remaining egg mixture.

Bake in the lower 1/3 of the oven at 400F until golden brown (about 20 minutes to 30 minutes)

A little French Canadian History

The most famous French Canadian dish is 'tourtière',(pronounced: tour-tee-air) a hearty meat pie made with ground veal, pork, onions, and spices. Originally, 'tourtière' was made with pigeon. (The French word for pigeon is tourteau, hence the name of the dish.) As these birds were scarce in Canada, the pie came to be made with veal and pork.
http://www.terriau.org/cuisine/tour1.htm

This tourtiere recipe originated in Quebec and is frequently enjoyed in the winter months, particularly during the holidays. There are no absolute rules for making this meat pie. Recipes for meat pie vary with the use of potato, spices and amounts of pork, veal and beef. It is all about personal choice but the Christmas tradition does not change - that will remain alive for generations!
The pastry itself is even up to individual interpretation; classic pastry dough is the most widely-known version, but some cooks swear by a seasoned mashed potato topping. Any way you make it, this French Canadian meat pie is a delicious way to warm up on a cold evening.

http://frenchfood.about.com/od/maindishes/r/tourtiere.htm

Huguette Davis says that "This meat pie is the most famous French Canadian dish". It is traditionally served after Holy Mass on Christmas Eve. The preferred baking dish is a deep porcelain or terra cotta tart pan. The pork should be fairly fatty. (The potato will absorb the excess fat.) Cooked 'tourtière' freezes well. (To reheat, put the frozen pie in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. This recipe serves 6 to 8.

Recipe# 11 Fresh Seafood Linguine

20-30 Little Neck Clams
1 lb Rock Cod
1 lb Pacific Ocean Shrimp - appoximately 20- 30 per lb

l lb Fresh linguine

1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup fresh cream or half & half
1 cup Vegetable broth (or you can make your own stock)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup finely diced shallots
1/4 cup fine diced celery
2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
1/2 cup choppped fresh parsley

To Make the Stock: In a heavy bottom saute pan, combine shells from the shrimp, shallots, celery and olive oil. Saute until shallots are translucent. Add 1/2cup white wine and 1/2 cup water and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes or until liquid is reduced in half. Remove the shrimp shells with a slotted spoon or strain the broth through a strainer pressing the shells and vegtables with the back of a spoon..

In a separate covered saucepan, use 1/4 cup of the liquid to steam the clams open. Remove the clams from the shell and set aside. Strain the broth through cheesecloth to remove any sand and add the clam juice back to the original stock.

Steaming and simmering the seafood:
You can now add 1/2 cup of heavy cream or half & half to your broth. Boil the broth and cream on high until it is thick enough to coat a spoon. This could take a few minutes so be patient.

Once the sauce is thick enough lower the heat to a simmer and then add the fish and raw shrimp. Simmer for a about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the clams and simmer for about 2 minutes longer.


In a separate pot, cook fresh linguine for a about 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and add to the seafood mixture. Add the freshly grated Parmesan to help thicken and coat the sauce.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately

Additional notes:
Mussels, scallops, squid or other types of fish may be added or substituted for the seafood above. This particular recipe was made using the fresh ingredients from the ocean while spending time at the Pacific Shores resort in Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island.

Seafood Specialities from the West Coast!

In September 2007 we visited Nanoose Bay on Vancouver Island. It was amazing to be down by the sea harvesting clams while the tide was out. Clams look like rocks and if you don't know what to look for, you could miss out completely. In less than 10 minutes, we had our limit of 75 clams each- thanks to our very good friends - Robin & Yvonne from Iron Bridge, Ontario. Their love of the sea and fresh seafood only added to the enjoyment of this day.

Earlier in the day, Robin and Kern were out on the ocean fishing for rock cod and checking their shrimp traps. What a wonderful catch! Now it was time to cook up a special dinner with our fresh clams, rock cod and Pacific shrimp.

Recipe #10 Bavarian Apple Cheesecake

Crust:
½ cup margarine or butter 125 ml
1/3 cup white sugar 75 ml
¼ tsp vanilla 1 ml
1 cup all purpose flour 250 ml

Filling:
2 pkgs (250 gm each) Philadelphia Brand
cream cheese, softened
½ cup white sugar 125 ml
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla 5 ml

Topping:
1/3 cup white sugar 75 ml
½ tsp cinnamon 2 ml
4 cups peeled sliced apples l L (I use Golden Delicious or Macintosh)
¼ cup sliced almonds 50 ml (I use blanched and sliced almonds)

Crust: Combine butter, sugar and vanilla. Blend in flour. Spread dough on bottom and 1 in (1.5 cm) up sides of a 9in (23cm) spring-form pan. (Crust can be made in food processor) I just make it with a fork.

Filling: Beat cream cheese and sugar until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Spread evenly over crust.

Topping: Combine sugar and cinnamon. Toss apples in sugar mixture. Place over cream cheese layer. Sprinkle with almonds.

Bake at 450 F (230 C) for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 300 F (150 C) and continue baking 1 hour longer or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Chill 3 hours before serving.

Makes 10 to 12 servings

The apple of our eye!

Our grandbabies are the apple of our eye! Both these precious girls have melted our hearts and continue to open our eyes to the simple things in life. Apples have been the fruit of choice to "keep the doctor away" and continue to be a healthy snack choice. Our grandbabies love apples and recently enjoyed visiting an apple orchard. What a simple pleasure for a family outing in the fall - have you visited one yet?

Recipe #9 Slow Roasting a Prime Rib of Beef

Ordering and preparing the roast

In order to serve an incredible tasting roast beef, you need to find a butcher who specializes in aging quality beef. From the butcher, you will need to order about a 1/2 pound of beef per person. A 3 - 4 lb prime rib rib roast will feed about 6 adults. Kern usually lets the butcher know at least a week ahead of time before he wants to cook the roast.

The night before you intend to cook the beef, prepare a mixture of chopped fresh thyme, garlic and rosemary (approximately 1/2 cup). Begin by rubbing the roast with olive oil and then with the herb and garlic mixture. Cover in saran wrap and refridgerate overnight.

The next day, let the roast come to room temperature - should take approximately 2 hours. Sprinkle the roast with coarse sea salt (approx 1 tsp). Sear the roast in a heavy bottom pan lightly coated in olive oil. This step will seal in the flavour and prevent shrinkage.

Transfer the roast to a shallow broiler pan, rib side down. The ribs make a good roasting rack. Add some shallots to the bottom of the pan and then place the uncovered roast onto the lower rack of a pre-heated 200 F degree oven for approximately 4 hours (about 1 hour per lb). When we had our cottage up North we sometimes cooked the prime rib in our wood cookstove. If you have access to one, use it - the food in a wood fired cookstove is the absolute best!

Check the internal temperature during the last hour and baste with the drippings from the bottom of the pan.

To check the internal temperature of the beef, use an instant registering thermometer inserted into the middle of the roast (keep the end of the thermometer away from the bone) For medium (pink throughout) Kern will take the roast out of the oven when the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F (60 C). For medium rare you can take the roast out when the temperature reaches 125 to 130 F (51 to 54 C).

This is very important! Once the internal temperature has reached the desired temperature let the roast rest in a warm location (top or beside the stove) for about 30 minutes tented in tin foil. Resting the beef will allow the the juices to redistribute. Your perfect prime rib roast is now ready to slice like butter and the taste is incredible!

Where's the Beef?

The music of Elton John is an all time favourite in our home. If you ever get a chance to see him “live”, don’t miss out – we have enjoyed 3 live concerts! I decided to research Elton’s favourite foods and found the following quote “I'd enjoy having a plate of sandwiches for supper, sometimes!” explained Elton. “I like roast lamb, roast beef, that sort of things”. http://en.allexperts.com/q/John-Elton-493/foods.htm#b

Searching for excellent cuts of beef means searching for the right butcher and I think Kern found him in the Waterloo region – hats off to Rob! at Bradys Meats, on Phillip Street in Waterloo, Ontario.

Having found the perfect butcher, my Canadian Cook is ready to slow cook a prime rib roast of beef that might even please Elton. Kern listens to Elton's Greatest Hits while cooking up a storm for us.