Cooking through the seasons

Two great new Atlantic Canadian cookbooks will gladden foodies everywhere

By Jodi DeLong

The East Coast Celebrations Cookbook
by Craig Flinn (Formac)

The Grounds Café: Seasonal Dishes from Murray’s Century Farm
recipes by Nick Van Mele (Boulder)

Most cooks will attest there’s no such thing as too many cookbooks and now there are two more East Coast editions to add to your must-have collection.

Nova Scotian chef and media personality Craig Flinn is well known for his passion for local ingredients. He’s gathered up a collection of favourite recipes in The East Coast Celebrations Cookbook, which, as the title suggests, is divided up by celebratory events.

Flinn kicks off the cornucopia of recipes with New Year’s, and finishes up with the Christmas feast, with each section offering a few appetizers, main courses, and desserts. Along the way, rediscover familiar favourites such as Boeuf Bourguignon and Good Friday Fishcakes with green tomato chow-chow, but with Flinn’s own spin on them. As a bonus, an appendix offers recipes for some homemade condiments including Sauerkraut Coleslaw, Pineapple Vanilla Jam, and Cider Vinegar Syrup.

This is a cookbook for any skill level. There’s nothing overly complicated among the recipes and not a lot of exotic ingredients to find. Many of the components are grown or produced locally. “My dishes are traditional, comforting, and tend to celebrate the small moments we experience in life,” Flinn says in his introduction.

The Murray family of Portugal Cove (near St. John’s, N.L.) has worked the land of their homestead for more than 200 years. They’ve evolved into operating a number of complementary businesses, including Murray’s Garden Centre, Murray Meadows Farm, and the Grounds Café, which they describe as a farm-to-table restaurant near the other businesses. The café’s head chef, Nick van Mele, loves to cook using locally grown or foraged foodstuffs, and he has created a firm fanbase among local foodies. He’s gathered up some of his recipes in The Grounds Café: Seasonal Dishes from Murray’s Century Farm, a colourful hardcover book with some innovative dishes that are as beautiful as they are tasty.

You won’t find fish and brewis, or toutons, or Jiggs’ dinner among the dishes offered here. This is new Newfoundland cuisine, celebrating the best that can be grown, caught, or wild-crafted (harvested from the wild) on that rocky island. Dishes like oyster mushroom and chive tartlet with garlic cream, beef fritter bowl, and shakshuka take pride of place.

The sections are divided seasonally from spring to winter, focusing on what is readily available (or easily substituted) in each season. The shakshuka recipe, for example, calls for large, fresh tomatoes, but notes you can use canned tomatoes. I can’t wait for next year, to collect fireweed (a wildflower that grows everywhere in this region) and make fireweed jelly.

Mum’s Apple Crisp

(Craig Flinn)

Photo: Kay Bosch

Serves 8 to 10

6 large apples

2 tbsp (30 mL) white sugar

1 cup plus 2 tbsp (280 mL) brown sugar

1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon

¼ tsp (1 mL) nutmeg

¼ tsp (1 mL) allspice

1 tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch

1 cup (250 mL) flour

1 cup (250 mL) rolled oats

¾ cup (175 mL) cold butter

1 pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Peel and core the apples and slice into sixteenths. Toss in a bowl with the white sugar, 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cornstarch until the apples are evenly coated.

Prepare a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) baking dish by greasing it with either butter or non-stick food spray. Place all the apples in the dish. In a second large bowl combine the remaining brown sugar, flour, and oats. Mix well. Cut the butter into small cubes and then work it into the dry mixture using a fork or pastry cutter, until the texture resembles breadcrumbs. Spread the topping mixture over the apples evenly, patting down slightly.

Transfer the baking dish onto a baking tray, to catch any sticky spillage as the crisp cooks, and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the topping is brown and crisp and the apples are tender. Rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Chive and Cheese Curd Scones (Nick Van Mele)

2⁄3 cup (158 mL) cold unsalted butter

1 egg

½ cup (125 mL) buttermilk

1¾ cups (400 mL + 1 tbsp) all-purpose flour

1 tbsp (15 mL) salt

½ tbsp (7.5 mL) sugar

2¼ tsp (11 mL) baking powder

½ tsp (2.5 mL) baking soda

1½ cups (375 mL) cheese curds

2 bunches fresh chives, chopped flaked seasalt and pepper

1 egg plus 1 tbsp water or milk for egg wash

Mix flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside. Use a cheese grater to grate cold butter, and rub it into the dry mix. Mix buttermilk and egg in a separate bowl, then add to flour mixture. Add cheese curds and chives. Roughly mix to make a loose dough. Don’t overmix or knead. You want to keep small chunks of butter to create air pockets while the scones bake.

Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and roll out dough on a well-floured surface to about ½ inch (1.2 cm) thick. Cut into wedges or squares. Place on a heavy baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Whisk together egg and water or milk, and brush the scones with this wash. Sprinkle a little flaked sea salt and cracked pepper on each scone. Bake for 12-18 minutes or until golden.