Chefs’ Tips and Tricks

CHEF’S TIPS & TRICKS

Summer’s Sweet Refrain

BY KEANE STRAUB I PHOTOS BY DONG KIM AND KEANE STRAUB

Albertans are experts at drawing out summer as long as possible. We might be clinging to warm weather and the outdoors a little bit harder this year, in denial of the fact that the days are getting shorter. But, as the season winds down, we’re moving right into the beginning of harvest season, and fruit that has ripened on branches and vines is bursting with deep flavour, while golden honey drips like a late summer sunset.

In the spirit of holding on to our summer for a bit longer, we’ve sought out fruit gardens, honey farms, and wineries in Alberta to bring you those last tastes of this sweet season and learn a little more about the raw ingredients that are grown and used at these businesses and how to incorporate them into your kitchens at home.

For more than a decade, Ilse and Hugo Bonjean of Spirit Hills Winery, near Millarville, have been producing food-pairing wines that come from the terroir of the Rocky Mountain Foothills. “What we do is pretty unique in the world,” says co-owner and president Hugo Bonjean. “Just like people know different grapes produce different wines, so do different flowers produce different nectars. That in turn creates different wines.”

Wildflower nectar is collected, dried, and stored as honey by Spirit Hills’ bees. Full of antioxidants, raw honey is a sterile product, which can’t be fermented. “What we do when we make wine is we rehydrate the honey, turning it back into its liquid nectar state and that is what gets fermented,” explains Bonjean. The fermented nectar is then infused with a variety of hand-picked wildflower petals for white and rosé varieties. For red wine, blackcurrants are macerated in the tanks throughout the fermentation period.

“Blackcurrants are one of the berries with the highest amount of antioxidants,” says Bonjean. They also contain anthocyanins – the compound in grape skins that gives red wine its colour and flavour – but at a concentration 30 to 90 times higher, making currants an ideal replacement for grapes when making wine. They also make for delicious desserts, like this blackcurrant ice cream parfait. Blackcurrant Ice Cream Parfait

Serves 2-4

1 cup blackcurrants ¼ cup (60 mL) water ½ cup (120 mL) honey or granulated sugar (adjust for taste) 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs 4 cups (1 L) good quality vanilla ice cream 4 short, wide mouth mason jars

1. Wash and drain blackcurrants and add to a small saucepan with water. Heat to a boil and add honey or sugar. Blackcurrants are quite sour so you will get that beautiful sweet-sour flavour. If it is not sweet enough add more honey or sugar. Let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Cool in fridge for 2 hours. The syrup will thicken as it cools. 2. Divide graham crumbs among the mason jars. Add a layer of vanilla ice cream and top with blackcurrant syrup. Finish it off with a dusting of the graham crumbs and serve immediately.

At DNA Gardens in Elnora, Red Seal Chef Lynsey Armstrong has her pick of fresh ingredients grown right on site, from herbs and edible flowers to a variety of fruit, like saskatoons, raspberries, and sour cherries. DNA Gardens also works with local ranchers and craft breweries to bring a unique experience to their visitors. “Every evening during the summer we have a Bootlegger, Beer and Brisket Dinner, where we have a delicious meal with slow smoked brisket, followed by saskatoon pie and gelato,” explains Armstrong.

DNA Gardens also produces jams, jellies, and syrups that are available for purchase both at the gardens and Gasoline Alley in Red Deer. “Our jams contain only 25 percent of the sugar of [commercially produced] jams,” says Armstrong. “We use a different pectin that allows us to reduce our sugar which results in a flavour bang of fruit.”

For Armstrong’s Tart Cherry Lemonade, fresh cherries are best, and visitors can pick them in season at the gardens. “When you harvest and pit your own cherries, put your cherries in the fridge overnight and pit them when ice cold,” Armstrong recommends. “They will make a lot less mess and you will retain more juice.” Tart Cherry Lemonade

Serves 2-4

2/3 cup (160 mL) cherry syrup 2/3 cup (160 mL) lemon juice 3 cups (750 mL) sparkling water

1. Combine cherry syrup and lemon juice, to make your lemonade concentrate. 2. Place ice in a glass and add a 1/3 cup (80 mL) lemonade concentrate and ¾ cup (180 mL) of sparkling water. 3. Serve with a slice of lemon and candied cherries.

Cherry Syrup

1 kg tart cherries 2 cups (500 mL) white vinegar 1.25 kg granulated sugar

1. Soak cherries and vinegar together in a cool dry place for 1 week. Vinegar should be covering cherries. 2. After a week, strain off vinegar and reserve. Then layer cherries with the sugar and leave for another week, stirring once a day. 3. Once the sugar and cherries have soaked for a week, place in a pot and bring to a simmer. When sugar is completely dissolved strain cherries, reserving syrup. Refrigerate in a sealed container. 4. If preferred, place cherries on a baking sheet and let dry for 2-3 days. Store cherries in freezer. They are a delightful snack or used on charcuterie boards, and salads.

Note:

The vinegar can be used for a salad dressing or reduced with a touch of sugar to a glaze and used as a drizzle over pizza or any dish that could use a dash of tart.

Forty-two percent of Canada’s honey is produced in Alberta, and at Chinook Honey Company in Okotoks, owners and operators Art and Cherie Andrews have had sweet success in the industry since 1995, when they started with just two hives. Since then, they’ve grown and added education and tourism components. “The thing we really appreciate about this business model is being able to work directly with the customer, and get to know their needs,” explains Cherie.

Along with jams, jellies, sauces, and mead, produced and sold on-site, the honey itself is sold in many shapes and forms, says Cherie. “If you’re looking for a good honey product, try and buy from a local producer,” she advises, and turn the container upside down and look for a large air bubble to slowly make its way to the top – this will usually tell you if the honey is pure, or has been watered down.

While it’s often enjoyed drizzled on fresh bread, or even by the spoonful, Art says honey can be used as a substitute for sugar in most dishes, in half the amount that sugar is called for. “A little-known fact about honey is its relatively high acidity,” he adds. With a pH level of about 4, it works well as a substitute for vinegar, and in meat marinades like this recipe for Honey Whisky Sirloin. Honey Whisky Sirloin

Serves 4

1/3 cup (80 mL) honey 1/3 cup (80 mL) honey whisky ¼ cup (60 mL) soy sauce ¼ cup (60 mL) Worcestershire sauce ½ tsp red pepper flakes 1½ tsp minced garlic 1 kg sirloin steak

1. Combine all ingredients, except steak, in a large ziplock bag or sealable container 2. Place steaks in the bag and remove as much air as possible before sealing. Flip the bag over a few times to ensure steaks are well coated with marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 3. Heat barbecue to medium-high heat. Remove steaks from marinade and allow excess to drain off. 4. Place steaks on the hot grill and cook 4 to 5 minutes before turning. Cook steaks to desired level of doneness. When cooked, remove steaks to a serving platter and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain. Red Cabbage with Honey Caraway dressing

Serves 4

1 red cabbage, about 500g, shredded ¼ cup butter 1 medium white onion, sliced ½ cup golden raisins 1/3 cup (80 mL) honey 1 Tbs (15 mL) honey vinegar 1 tsp caraway seeds, toasted

1. In a large saucepan or deep frying pan melt the butter over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes until transparent. 2. Add the raisins and toss through the butter. Stir in honey, mixing well. Add cabbage, vinegar, and caraway seeds, and toss to coat. 3. Turn heat down to low, cover, and steam cabbage for 10-15 minutes until just tender, tossing once or twice during cooking time. Serve immediately.

Keane Straub has travelled from Tofino to Charlottetown, sampling the different flavours Canada offers. The passion people have for their craft and culture inspires Keane to tell their stories.