Long term service awards 2010 .

Last night I cooked for the Long term service awards. It was a great night for the staff they had a lot of fun and they really seemed to enjoy the food .Here is the menu

Beet and goat cheese salad

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Melon and prosciutto

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Beef tenderloin , white truffle scented potato terrine , asparagus and spinach and pea puree

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Mini creme brule, Warm chocolate cake and brown bread ice cream

Date and orange Chicken

Yield : 6
Ingredients:
1 orange, juiced
1\4 cup brown sugar
1\4 cup malt vinegar
1\4 cup water
1 lb dried pitted dates
1 sliced orange
12 chicken thighs
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
Method:
Preheat your oven to 350 F. In a small bowl whisk orange juice, brown sugar, vinegar and water and set aside . Place dates and orange slices in the bottom of a small roasting pan. Place in your chicken on top of the dates and orange slices and pour or liquid over . then season with salt and pepper and top with the fresh parsley .
Roast for about 50 minutes or until your chicken reaches at least 160 F. Please ensure that you baste your chicken frequently .
This is a great dish to serve with rice for lunch, dinner or on a brunch.

James Beard dinner.

last night at the sheraton Hotel Newfoundland we held a dinner for FORTIS properties for their support in going to the James Beard House in New York City.
presnet were Tanya Finlay, Gail Tucker, Anne and Kevin Woodbury, Vera Strange , Sid Fry and Kealy Martin .

It was a great night and a lot of fun.
The Chef's were myself, Thomas Canning , Angie Ryan and Andrew Hodge.

To be able to go to these types of events you do need support and I must say hats off to the Fortis properties group.

What to do with those little shrimp?

Baby shrimp tacos

Yield : 8
Ingredients:
2 lbs of baby shrimp
¼ cup olive oil
1 clove of chopped garlic
1\2 diced onion
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
Juice from one lime
1 lb diced tomato
½ head shredded ice berg
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces of Monterey jack cheese, shredded
8 ounces salsa
16 hard taco shells
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Defrost shrimp and press out any excess liquid. Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat and sauté onions, cumin and garlic till the onions are translucent. Add shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes . Then add the lime juice and season to taste . Then fill you Taco shells and top with your favorite condiments.

This is a charity dinner that we did in support of the Childrens Wish Foundation , it was a fantastic event, thanks to Morris, Angie and Ken.

BC continued!!

These are more photo's from the chef's congress in BC. Again it was a great time .

Canadain chef's Congress

This past Weekend I represented Newfoundland at The Canadian Chef's Congress . I was cooking for the best of Country Lunch . Andrew Hodge came along as my sous chef for this event . here is a picture of our camp site , we were staying out in the woods. one night I got wet and I mean I was drenched.

But ovcerall what a fantastic exerience , for the lunch I prepared a Newfoundland split pea salad with a roasted vegetable ragout, , yes a vegan dish and it was terrific.

The next congress is In Newfoundland and you should mark the date in your calander. It is going to be a great time.

Nice alternative to a regular vegetable salad.

Organic Farm grilled vegetable salad

Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
2 sliced zucchini
1 onion sliced in rounds
1 red, yellow and green pepper
6 extra large mushrooms
1 sliced eggplant
12 stems of asparagus
3 cloves chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1\4 cup flax seeds
1 \2 cup olive oil
1\4 cup sherry vinegar
6 ounces shredded Parmesan
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Cut all vegetables into pieces large enough so they will not fall through a grill. Toss them in one third of the olive oil and then place them on the barbeque and cook on a medium heat for 6 minutes. You will need to keep moving them so they do not burn. Once they are cooked place them into a large bowl and toss with the rest of the ingredients. Top with the Parmesan cheese. This can be served warm or cold. This is a great addition to any sandwich as well.

Menu Tasting

Here is a menu tasting thatI did today

Seared ahi tuna on nori with lime and sweet chili glaze

Lobster and tomato cappellini

Star anise cured halibut with corn sauce

Braised pork belly and beans

Angies dessert trio .

Homemade pasta

This is a very important step when you make homemade pasta , you need to hang it to dry, also ensure that you dust it with flour so that it does not stick together. HereI have made a saffron and herb and a smoked paprika .

Serving it up.

Great job serving the menu tasting Louise , it went Geat!!!

Morris who?

Gary Burton tries to get Mr. Preshyons secert sauce recipie . I think Greg is trying to hide something.

Turkey tea?

Stoney Ridge Farms Turkey Tea
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 quarts of chicken stock ( can be fresh or canned )
6 ounces of diced canned tomatoes with juice
2 medium onions, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 bag of crushed corn tortilla chips
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup of frozen corn
2 to 3 cups coarsely chopped cooked turkey meat (without skin)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
Franks hot sauce to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice from two limes
Method:
Place oil in a heated pot and add all of the vegetables except the peas in the pot, once they are translucent add in the chicken stock and the diced tomatoes simmer for about 20 minutes. Then add in the crushed corn tortilla chips and cumin and simmer for an additional 20 minutes. Add in lime juice, hot sauce (add slowly you can always add more). Add in frozen peas and cooked turkey meat and season to taste. Top with fresh herbs.
This is a Southwestern twist to a turkey soup.

Check Out the turkey from Stoney Ridge farms in Portugal Cove , they are fantastic.

Doing our bit for the community .

Here are some shots form The Chef's for Haiti breakfast we did last spring with the Red Cross. it was held at Park place in Mount Pearl and we rasied over $4000.00. Great job by all involved .

Junior culinary team Newfoundland

Here is a team from Newfoundland that represented us at The Atlantic Competition . Theye were students from Newfoundland attending school inn PEI .