Recipes

	Crispy Baked Kale with Gruyère Cheese
	(courtesy of Food & Wine Magazine) One 4-ounce piece of sourdough bread, crusts removed, bread torn into 1/2-inch pieces (2 cups) 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium shallot, minced 1 small onion, thinly sliced 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced 1 1/2 pounds kale, large stems discarded, leaves chopped 1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves Salt and freshly ground pepper 1 1/4 cups shredded Gruyère cheese (3 1/2 ounces) 1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the bread on a baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Bake for 8 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Let the croutons cool on the baking sheet. 2. In a large, deep skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the shallot, onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 7 minutes. Add the kale, cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the thyme and season with salt and pepper. 3. Transfer the kale to an 8-by-10-inch glass baking dish. Scatter the cheese over the kale and top with the croutons. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and the croutons are golden. Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve.

	Roquefort-Honey Ice Cream
	Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz Makes 3 cups 8 T premium honey such as Chinook honey 4 oz Roquefort 1 c whole milk 4 large egg yolks 1 c heavy cream Warm the honey in a small saucepan, then set aside. Crumble the cheese into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer over the top. Set aside. Warm the milk in a medium saucepan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the pan. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Pour this custard through the strainer and stir it into the cheese. Stir until most of the cheese is melted - some small bits are fine, and are nice in the finished ice cream. Add the cream and honey, and stir until cool over an ice bath. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Serve plain or drizzled with warm honey and sprinkled with toasted walnuts.

	Buttermilk Oat Crackers
	Not too sweet, not too salty, these crackers go especially well with cheddars, blue cheeses, and alpine style cheeses. Makes about 72, 1 3/4" crackers 1 stick (250 g) unsalted butter 1/3 c buttermilk 1 1/2 quick cooking rolled oats 1 c all purpose flour 1/4 c sugar 1/4 c wheat germ 1 t baking soda 3/4 t salt In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Remove from the heat and stir in the buttermilk; set aside. In a food processor or blender, grind 1 1/4 c oats to make a coarse-textured flour. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the flour, sugar, wheat germ, baking soda, salt, and remaining 1/4 c rolled oats. Whisk the butter mixture to blend, then add it to the oat mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms. Divide the dough into two balls and let them rest in the bowl for 10 minutes while you heat the oven. (This will allow time for the oats to absorb some of the moisture, making the dough easier to handle.) Heat the oven to 325 degrees. On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll out one ball of dough to an 11" square, about 1/8 " thick. Cut six strips horizontally and then vertically to make 36 small crackers, or cut into desired shapes. Transfer the shapes to a baking sheet and bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges of the crackers are golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining ball of dough to cut and bake more crackers. Let the crackers cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

	Classic Swiss Cheese Fondue
	1 clove garlic, halved 2 – 250g tubs of Janice Beaton Fine Cheese fondue mix (the cheeses in our mix are Gruyère, Emmental & Appenzeller) 1 ½ cup white wine, such as an Alsace Riesling or Gewurztraminer 1 T. cornstarch bread cubes, cubes of good quality ham (such as Valbella from Canmore), lightly steamed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, celery, asparagus). Rub the inside of a fondue pot with the garlic clove. Toss the grated cheese with the cornstarch, distributing evenly. In a heavy bottom saucepan, begin heating the wine, to just below boiling point. Start whisking in the cheese in small amounts, adding more as each addition melts. Stir until the mixture is homogenous. Place the fondue pot over the fondue burner, pour in the cheese mixture and regulate the heat accordingly. Dip suggested accompaniments into the fondue cheese mixture and eat. Serves four. (General guideline for quantities is 125g of cheese per person). If the cheese mixture appears to be getting too thick, add another ¼ c. wine and stir until well incorporated. Generally, the fondue burner should provide sufficient heat for this, but if it is not occurring with ease, transfer back to the saucepan briefly.

	FARM Spring Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
	Serves 6 to 8 Salad 4 c greens 1/2 c asparagus, blanched and cut into bite size pieces 1/2 c green beans, blanched and cut into bite size pieces 1 tomato, cubed 1/4 cucumber, sliced Dressing 1/2 c mayonnaise 1/4 c buttermilk 2 T creme fraiche 2 T grainy mustard (Brassica works well) 2 t dill, finely chopped 2 t parsley, finely chopped 2 t chives, finely chopped 1 T shallots, finely chopped 2 t maple syrup 1 1/2 T cider vinegar salt and pepper to taste Toss all ingredients with buttermilk vinaigrette and top with Salt Spring Island Feta.

	Goat Cheese Fritter with Mixed Greens, Apples and Hazelnuts
	Serves 4. 4 slices Paillot de Chevre ( ¼” thick – ask us to slice it for you at the shop) Panko, or other dry bread crumbs 1 egg, lightly beaten ½ c. flour 8 c. salad greens (mesclun, or a mix of spinach and arugula) 1 medium onion, sautéed 1 apple, sliced in thin wedges ¼ c. toasted hazelnuts Salt and pepper Dressing: 2 T. Champagne vinegar 1 T. Brassica mustard 1 T. honey or maple syrup ½ c. olive oil Salt and pepper Season the flour with salt and pepper. Dip the slices of cheese first in flour, then the egg, followed by the panko. Sauté in a medium-hot skillet until the sides are crispy and golden and the cheese is oozing a bit, about five minutes in total. Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the dressing except the oil and stir well. Whisk in the oil and season. Toss the greens with the dressing and lay the warm fritter on top. Options: Use Salt Spring Island Marcella instead of Paillot

	Potato Salad with Bleu Ermite cheese
	Serves 8 to 10 3 lb. Poplar Bluff potatoes, boiled, peeled and cubed 1 c. mushrooms, sliced 1 leek, sliced 1 tsp. cumin ½ c. cider vinegar ½ c. olive oil 150 grams Bleu Ermite cheese Salt and pepper to taste Chives and Highwood Crossing Canola oil to garnish Sauté mushrooms and leeks with cumin. Toss all ingredients together while the potatoes, mushrooms and leeks are still hot. Garnish with chives and Highwood Crossing Canola oil.

	Marinated Vegetable Salad with Smoked Trout
	Serves 6 to 8. Salad: Using a mandoline, slice the following into paper-thin slices: ½ of a butternut squash ½ red onion 1 red pepper 2 stalks celery 2 carrots I fennel bulb 8 oz. Cunningham’s smoked trout, thinly sliced 150 g Zamorano, cut into thin triangles Dressing: ¼ c. cider vinegar 2 T. honey Juice of 2 limes Zest of two oranges ½ c. olive oil 1 tsp. coriander seeds, toasted and then ground 2 tsp. salt Place all the vegetables in a serving bowl. Make the dressing by tossing combining all the ingredients except the oil in a bowl, then lastly whisk in the oil. Toss with the salad ingredients and allow to sit for an hour or two to meld the flavours. Add the smoked trout and incorporate. Serve with cheese triangles on the side. Variation: Substitute another type of sheep’s milk cheese for the Zamorano (Etorki. Montãna, P’tit Basque). The smoked trout could be replaced with a good quality smoked salmon.

	Penne with Arugula and Parmigiano-Reggiano
	Serves 6 to 10 500g penne 8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped ¾ c. olive oil 8 c. arugula, finely chopped 200g Parmigiano-Reggiano, coarsely grated Salt and pepper Cook the penne in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and keep hot in a covered pan or bowl, stirring occasionally so it does not stick together. Heat the garlic and olive oil until bubbling slightly. Place the arugula and cheese on top of the penne. Take the bubbling oil and pour it over the other ingredients. Toss immediately so that the arugula wilts and the cheese melts a little. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Options: Add sautéed onions. Use Piave, or Feta instead of Parmigiano. Serve with grilled chicken, sausage or fish on the side.

Last Updated: Tuesday, January 10, 2012