A French inspired Holiday Menu with Chef Roger Letourneau and Chef Christine Sandford
Roger Letourneau, chef at Bar Clementine and Christine Sandford, the executive chef at Biera, got to know each other during the days of Staff Meal, a collaborative of several young guns in Edmonton’s culinary scene. Then they went off together to Europe, cooking at several restaurants in Belgium where they were immersed in a culture of fermentation, foraging, nose to tail cooking and close connections with the local farmers—all the things happening in North American cooking now—classic approaches known to most European households. Back in Edmonton they have carried this experience into their respective kitchens with delicious results.
We wanted to know ‘what do they cook at home for their friends?’ Enjoy this French inspired holiday menu.
This is a menu we put together for family or friends on New Year’s Eve, or whenever we might like to celebrate. These are recipes we have collected throughout many of our travels and experiences as chefs.
French Onion Crackers
This is a great recipe to serve to your guests as they arrive. It’s rich and flavourful and will be perfect with a glass of Champagne or a light crisp beer. You can make all of the components ahead, so it’s easy to execute at the last minute. –Christine
Onion Cream
| 250 g | onions |
| 90 g | butter |
| 200 g | white wine |
| 250 g | chicken stock (reduced from 500 g) |
| 30 g | Comtè cheese (or Gruyére) |
| 150 ml | cream |
Cook the onions in the butter until just translucent. Deglaze with the white wine. Add 250 g reduced chicken stock and reduce all of it together until quite dry. Mix in the cheese and the cream. Season with salt. Pour into a container and let cool in the refrigerator until the next day.
Crispy Onion Crust
| 1 kg | onion minced finely |
| 50 g | butter |
Cook the onions in the butter until well caramelized. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment and place into your oven on its lowest setting for 3-4 hours or until dry (keep the door open slightly). Alternately, you can place into a food dehydrator for 5 hours at 140ºF.
Crackers
sourdough bread
oil (garlic oil, cold pressed oil or olive oil work nicely)
salt
Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. Thinly slice the bread and brush or spray with oil until saturated. Sprinkle with salt. Place in the oven and bake until crispy. Let cool.
To serve: scoop the cold onion cream into quenelles or balls and cover with the onion crust. Let the crusted onion cream come to room temperature just before putting it onto the cracker. Place onto cracker and add a garnish of thinly chopped chives or onion sprouts if you like.
Makes 12-15 crackers.
Fresh & Grilled/Broiled Oysters
Oysters are fully into their season in December and doing two preparations will showcase their diversity of flavour. Usually I don’t go for oysters, Rockefeller or any oyster au gratin, but when Christine and I were visiting Hog Island near San Francisco we had a grilled oyster that was insanely delicious. Use west coast oysters for grilling, due to their creamy texture and use freshly-shucked east coast oysters due to the clean brininess that pairs well with acidity.
Pair this dish with a dry Alsatian Riesling with high acidity (Grand Cru is best), or a Belgian Witbier with a lemon wedge. –Roger
| 2-3/person | East Coast oysters |
| 2-3/person | West Coast oysters |
| 1-2 T smoked chilies* or 1-2 T | bird’s eye chilies or chili flakes |
| 125 ml | olive oil, Arbequina or Portuguese |
| 125 ml | butter, warmed |
| 1 T | lemon juice |
| 2 t | zest, lemon |
| oyster garnish: lemon wedges, chopped herbs or shallots in white wine vinegar |
Day before: blend olive oil, butter, lemon juice, zest and chilies very well.
Day of: heat the grill to med-high or the broiler to 450ºF. Shuck west coast oysters and place 10 ml of the chili oil on each oyster along with its brine.
If broiling: heat buttered oysters for 3-6 minutes until the butter has separated and the oyster is shrunk slightly.
If grilling: place oysters on the grill and cook for 5-7 minutes until the butter separates and the oyster has shrunk slightly. If you have some wood chips throw them on before you start grilling for a smokier flavour.
Shuck your east coast oysters and place them on crushed ice or salt in the fridge. Prepare the garnish. Reserve. Enjoy the grilled oysters alongside the fresh.
* If you are grilling oysters you can omit the smoked chili as the smoke from the grilling will be enough. Smoked chilies are available at Silk Road.
Chicken en Croute de Sel
This dish is made with a salt crust which gives it a nice even cooking and increases the flavours of the aromatics inside and seasons the chicken as you cook it. The key to this cooking method is the long rest period before opening that salt crust. For the pairing I suggest the Jongieux Blanc Vin de Savoie which goes well with the cheese in the aligot and the chicken. If you’re looking to impress, get a bottle of Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru les Rebichets for an excellent pairing. If you prefer a red go with a Hautes Côtes de Nuit or other dry Pinot Noir. I added chicken livers because I think the flavour is something most people don’t realize they like. The other thing about livers is that they’re high in nutrients. Get a good quality chicken. Using livers from industrial chickens aren’t going to give you the same result. –Roger
| whole | chicken, ½ lbs/person |
| sprig | rosemary, bay leaves, sprig of thyme |
| 3-4 | chicken livers, per bird |
| 4 oz | butter |
| 1 oz | Cognac or Armagnac |
Salt Crust
| 1 kg | flour |
| 500 g | coarse grey salt |
| 500 ml | cold water |
Remove your chicken from the bag and dry off well with some paper towel, then place it in your refrigerator uncovered on a rack. Pre-heat oven to 465ºF. In the meantime, mix flour, salt and cold water. Make a dough that comes together (it won’t feel like bread since the salt is cutting the gluten strands).
Take your chicken livers and dry very well. Heat a pan on maximum and right before you add the livers put a little bit of oil in the pan. Cook for maybe 30 seconds on the first side just to colour. Remove and dry again. Reheat pan and repeat on the other side. Very quickly, just to colour and no more. Dry again. Take your livers and blend well with butter and season with pepper.
Remove chicken from fridge and rub the interior with salt, pepper and chicken liver butter. Pour the spirit and the remaining chicken liver butter over the bird and coat well.
Cut the dough into two pieces and roll one piece to cover the bottom of a baking pan big enough to fit the chicken, with some extra sticking out.
Place the chicken on the bottom piece and roll the second dough ball out and cover completely. The trick is to seal the chicken so you are steaming it properly. Check for holes to be sure. Place chicken in the oven and cook for 50 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for 40 minutes in the salt crust in a warm spot. Cut a hole in the salt crust and remove chicken.
Butter Leaf Salad
Something acidic and fresh to cut the richness of the other dishes.
| 2 T | Dijon mustard |
| 2 T | sherry vinegar |
| 4 T | olive oil |
| 2-3 heads | butter leaf lettuce |
| 1 container | chives (½ cup or so) finely minced |
| salt and pepper |
Mix Dijon and vinegar together and season with salt and pepper well to begin with, as the salt won’t dissolve in oil properly. Whisk in olive oil a little at a time to keep the emulsion. Season again if needed. Mix with butter leaf and chives. Add a squeeze of lemon juice if needed.
Aligot
“When we were camping around Averyon, France, we came across this recipe for Aligot. It’s made with a special cheese called Tomme Fraiche de Vache that is melted in with the potato puree and mixed a certain way, so you get long strands of cheesy potato—puts on quite a show! Naturally, after gathering all the ingredients from different farms we tried to make this at the campsite (over fire) and it turned out pretty good. Since it’s hard to find the right cheese here you can substitute Raclette or Appenzeller cheese, we like to get these at Bonjour Bakery. –Christine
| 800 g | Yukon Gold potato (potatoes that have been in the cellar a while work best). Try using potatoes from your local market. |
| 400 g | Raclette or Appenzeller cheese |
| 200 g | cream (we like Vital Greens Organic heavy cream) |
| 1 clove | garlic |
| 1 | fresh bay leaf |
| salt |
Peel and wash the potatoes and cook them in well-salted water with the garlic and bay leaf until tender. Put the potatoes through a potato mill. Add the cream and place the potatoes and cream in a large bain-marie.
Cut the cheese into strips and add to the potatoes. Get a large wooden spoon and make figure eights until it becomes long and stringy, and you can pull it up about a foot above the pan. Season well with salt.
Makes 6-8 portions.
Winter Apple Gratin De Fruits
One of my first jobs in Belgium was in a kitchen where everyone spoke only French. As I was still learning and could barely get by, there were many awkward moments. I remember trying to read this recipe in French and decipher it. I was so nervous I was going to screw it up, but somehow a miracle happened and it turned out right. I am much better at reading French now than speaking it!
I like to make this for guests and I have put my own spin on this recipe. This is a simple recipe that you can prep ahead and finish just after dinner. It’s simple, but it is important that you choose good quality fruit and dairy. You don’t have to use apples you could use peaches, berries or even fruit left over in the freezer from summer. –Christine
| 4 | apples cored and sliced (pick ones from the market that are seasonal, you are looking for something firm with a bit of tartness and sweetness) |
| 2 T | dark muscovado sugar |
| 1 | tonka bean* |
| ½ c | booze |
| salt | |
| 150 ml | Vital Greens Dairy Cream whipped to soft peaks |
| 90 g | sugar |
| 6 | egg yolks |
| salt |
Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the apple slices in a single layer and sprinkle them with the brown sugar. Cook over moderate heat, stirring a few times, until lightly browned on both sides, about 6-8 minutes. Add the booze and grate in just a touch of the tonka bean. (Think of it like nutmeg, you don’t want to add too much as it’s very strong.) Cook until the juices evaporate and the apples are glazed, about 4-5 minutes. Season with salt. Spread the apples in a single layer in a 10-inch glass pie plate or use individual gratin dishes.
Whip the sugar and egg yolks until pale and fluffy. Gently fold in the whipped cream and a pinch of salt. The best way I find is to add the whipped cream all at once. Put the whipped cream right in the middle; then take your spatula from the middle, scraping from the bottom up towards you, then to the side and repeat around the bowl clockwise. You can jiggle the spatula a little while you are coming up from the bottom of the bowl. The main thing you don’t want to do is mix aggressively and deflate the mixture. Now your gratin cream base is ready and will hold in the refrigerator until needed.
Pre-heat the broiler, pour the gratin cream over top of the apples, just covering them. Place under the broiler until nicely browned and remove. About 4 minutes.
Makes 1 large or 4-5 smaller gratins.
*Find tonka beans at Silk Road.