Every family has a few recipes they pull out at the holidays, some predictable, such as sugar cookies or fruitcake, some not so great, like those cornflake chocolate things; but, the holidays wouldn’t be the same without them. We canvassed a few chefs for some of their favourite festive dishes.
Gallette
“Each year my family’s holiday dinner table included my mom’s pickled beets, her pistachio pudding and my Dad’s gallette, a soft bread which he only made for special holiday dinners. Although it’s French, my dad is Métis, so it is possibly an inherited recipe, regardless… it’s great!” –chef Shane Chartrand
| 6 c | flour |
| 6 T | baking powder |
| ¼ t | salt |
| ¾ c | canola oil |
| 2c | milk |
Mix all but the milk in the food processor using the dough hook attachment. Once incorporated, slowly add the milk. If needed, add more milk 1⁄4 cup at a time until it forms a shaggy dough. Turn onto the counter top and knead a few times to bring everything together. Place on a pan lined with parchment paper and form the dough into a log 16 inches long, 6 inches wide, and 4 inches tall. Flatten the top, dock the dough with your fingers deeply and in rows of 4. Bake 300oF for 1 hour.
Keep in linen and wrap when not needed.
Makes 1 loaf.
Turkey Dinner Sausage Rolls with Cranberry Aioli
“These delicious sausage rolls are absolutely beautiful warm, straight out of the oven or just as yummy cold.” –executive chef, Liana Robberecht, Trico Living Well
Cranberry Aioli
| 2 T | cranberry sauce |
| ⅓ c | mayonnaise |
| ½ zest | of orange |
| ¼ zest | of lemon |
| pinch | fresh cracked pepper |
| 1 T | white wine |
Mix all together, adjust seasoning to taste.
Sausage Rolls
| 5 oz | ground turkey |
| 3 oz | ground pork |
| 3 T | olive oil |
| ½ | small red onion, peeled and finely diced |
| 1 sprig | fresh sage, leaves picked |
| pinch | dried thyme |
| 1 t | fresh parsley, chopped |
| pinch | nutmeg |
| 250 g | ready-made puff pastry |
| 1 | free-range egg |
| 4 T | cold stuffing |
| ¼ c | melted butter |
| salt and pepper to taste |
Preheat the oven to 350°F
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the onions. Cook gently until soft and golden brown. Add the sage leaves and thyme. Cook for a couple of minutes more and then spread out on a plate to cool.
In mixing bowl, add ground meat with the cooled sage, thyme and onion mix. Add egg, parsley, nutmeg, then scrunch well with your clean hands to mix together. Divide into 4 equal portions.
On a floured work surface, roll the pastry out into a big rectangle as thick as a pound coin and cut it lengthways into two long, even rectangles. Roll the mixture into sausage shapes with your hands and lay along the center of each rectangle. Add a tablespoon of stuffing on top of the mixture. Fold one side of the pastry over, wrapping the filling inside. Press down with your fingers or the edge of a spoon to seal the joint. Brush top of your pastry with melted butter.
Cut the long rolls into the sizes you want and space them out on a baking tray. Brush with the rest of the egg wash and bake in the preheated oven for approx. 25 minutes or until puffed, golden and cooked through. Serve with Cranberry Aioli.
Serves 4.
Claude’s Onion Tart
“Claude Buzon would make this for Bastille Day. We like it for Christmas Eve,” –Patrick Saurette, The Marc Restaurant.
| ready-made puff pastry | |
| 3-4 | onions, sliced in ½ inch rounds |
| milk | |
| 1 | egg |
| 1 | egg yolk |
| pepper | |
| grated nutmeg | |
| grated Parmigiano |
Place pastry on a greased cookie tin and make a one-inch rim all around. Keep chilled until ready to use.
Sauté the onions in lots of butter until very soft and golden. Reserve. In the same pan make a white sauce with more butter, flour, milk, the egg, pepper and nutmeg. Mix in the cooked onions, check for seasoning, then spread evenly on the prepared crust. Dust with Parmigiano. Bake at 375oF for about 20 minutes until the pastry is puffy and a deep golden brown.
Serve warm or cold.
Baked Corn
“Recipe by Blair Lebsack in collaboration with my mom Irene Lebsack. We call this corn and bacon succotash at the restaurant.” –Blair Lebsack, executive chef/owner, Rge Rd.
| 3 cobs | corn |
| 1 | roasted red pepper |
| ¼ | red onion |
| 2 | green onion |
| 1 | jalapeño pepper |
| ¼ c | chicken stock |
| ½ c | heavy cream |
| 2 strips | thick bacon |
| ¼ | lemon |
| ¼ c | great northern beans (cooked) |
| ½ c | fresh fava beans |
| 1 pinch | salt and pepper |
| 3 | eggs hardboiled* |
| breadcrumbs* |
Soak corn in cold water for 15 minutes with husks on. Place corn directly on med-hot bbq or grill and cook for 10 minutes, turning a few times. Take corn off and remove husks. Slice corn off the cob and put in a bowl. Roast, seed and peel a red pepper. Cut red pepper, red onion into small dice, mince jalapeño, slice green onion and dice bacon. Heat a sauté pan, large enough to hold all ingredients, to medium. Add bacon and cook for 5 minutes, add red onion, jalapeño and cook for 2 minutes, add roasted red pepper, corn, white beans and fava beans. Add chicken stock and cream to pan and allow it to simmer and reduce down. Season with salt, pepper and lemon to taste, add green onion, stir to incorporate.
Cook succotash until it’s as thick as cold heavy cream. Pour into oven-safe dish. Slice hardboiled eggs, lay over the top, sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Place in the oven at 375oF and bake until breadcrumbs are brown and dish is bubbling.
*My mom’s secret ingredients.
Madame Benoit’s Maple Walnut Fudge
“My mother was a huge fan of the early Canadian culinary champion, Madame Benoit. This fudge was part of every Christmas,” –Mary Bailey, editor, The Tomato.
| 1 c | amber maple syrup |
| 3 c | packed brown sugar |
| 1 c | white sugar |
| 2 T | baking powder |
| 2 c | heavy cream |
| pinch | salt |
| 2 T | vanilla |
| 1 T | butter |
| 1 c | (or to taste) fresh walnut pieces |
Blend maple syrup, sugars and cream in a large, high-sided pot on medium heat. When fully mixed, add salt and baking powder. Stir constantly while the baking power dissolves, turns the mixture a pale honey colour and starts to foam. Hook a candy thermometer on the side of the pot or hold in one hand.
Stir constantly to keep the mixture from foaming over. The colour will deepen as the mixture becomes more syrupy. Stir until the mixture reaches 240°F on the candy thermometer, about 15 minutes. Turn off the burner and let the mixture cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and butter, and stir until mixed. Add nuts, if using; stir to mix. Pour the fudge mixture into an 8×8 cake pan, lined with parchment.
Cool, then cut into squares and wrap in cello or waxed paper. The fudge keeps at room temperature for up to two weeks, for best flavour and texture, and can be frozen if necessary.
Doris’s Mocha Pecan Balls
“Our son Matthew would sneak these when he was little and be completely wired.” –Doris Saurette, The Marc Restaurant
| 1 c | butter, softened |
| ½ c | sugar |
| 2 t | vanilla |
| 1 T | instant espresso powder |
| ¼ c | unsweetened cocoa powder |
| ¾ t | salt |
| 1¾ c | flour |
| 2 c | finely chopped pecans |
| icing sugar for dusting the cookies |
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, espresso powder, cocoa powder, and the salt. Beat mixture well, add flour until just combined, then fold in pecans. Cover the dough and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and arrange 1-inch apart on baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, just until firm. Cool for 5 minutes on the sheets, then toss warm cookies in batches in a bowl of icing sugar to coat.
Makes about 60 cookies.