Eight chefs, eight recipes. We asked the 2023 Kitchen Party contenders for their favourite fall recipes. A hearty soup or salad for a light dinner, vegetable sides suitable for Thanksgiving, a delicious duck breast with autumn fruit and an apple crisp with a twist. Dive in! Kitchen Party happens October 12.
Roasted Broccoli Salad with Concord Grapes and Goat Cheese
Roasted Broccoli Salad with Concord Grapes and Goat Cheese
“This salad has a variety of textures and contrasting flavours—the toastiness of the broccoli, the richness of the cheese and the dressing, along with the hit of pickled apple and fresh grapes. I chose Okanagan concords for their bright flavours—crisp and acidic yet fruity and sweet. You can also add toasted pumpkin seeds for a nutty crunch.” –Robert Wick, exec chef, Northern Chicken
| 1 sm | apple |
| ½ c | white wine vinegar (or white vinegar) |
| ¼ c | white sugar or honey |
| 250 g | (1 medium head) broccoli florets only |
| 100 g | (about 15-20) Concord grapes, halved |
| ½ c | balsamic vinegar |
| ½ c | concord grape juice |
| 100 g | (about ⅓ c) goat cheese |
| salt and black pepper | |
| extra virgin olive oil |
Pre-heat oven to 375ºF.
Cut the apple in half and remove the core. Cut each half into thin slices. Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar and pour over the apple slices. Let sit for 30 minutes. Reserve.
Cut the broccoli into small florets and toss in 2 tablespoons oil. Roast for about 10-15 mins until a nice roasted color is achieved. Reserve.
While the broccoli is roasting, make the dressing. Bring the balsamic vinegar and the concord grape juice to a boil and reduce until it holds a line on the back of a spoon. (Dip a spoon in the dressing and, using your finger, run a line across in the liquid on the back of the spoon. If it holds, it’s done.)
Combine the roasted broccoli and the grapes, season with half of the dressing. Season to taste.
To serve: Smear the goat cheese on the bottom of the plate. Place the broccoli and grape mixture on top of the goat cheese. Lay the pickled apples attractively on top. Drizzle more dressing over the dish, now it’s complete to enjoy.
Serves 2-4.
Squash Soup with Crispy Eggplant and Pan-Seared Halloumi
“A delicious fall soup that happens to be vegan and gluten-free too.” –Doreen Prei, director of culinary services, Glenora Park, Revera
Squash Soup
| 1 onion | white, peeled, cut in slices |
| 5 g | ginger, peeled and chopped |
| 1 sm | red chili, cleaned, cut in small rings |
| pinch | cinnamon |
| 2 T | curry powder |
| pinch | turmeric |
| 1 | squash (such as kombucha, butternut, etc.), peeled, washed, seeds removed, cut in small pieces |
| 2 | tomatoes, washed, cut in quarters |
| vegetable stock as needed (recipe follows) | |
| lemon juice to taste | |
| salt to taste | |
| 100 ml | canola or peanut oil |
| 100 ml | dry white wine |
| 600 ml | coconut milk |
Heat a pot to a medium high heat. When hot, add the onions and season with salt. Cook the onions until nicely caramelized. Add the ginger, red chili and spices and sauté for one minute. Add the squash and sauté until caramelized. Add salt. Add the tomatoes and sauté for another minute and season with salt. Deglaze with the white wine and wait until the wine is fully reduced.
Add the vegetable stock to cover the ingredients. Add the coconut milk and turn the heat to low. Simmer until the squash is falling apart and is very soft. Season with lemon juice and adjust with salt if needed.
Purée the soup in a blender and adjust the thickness with your remaining vegetable stock.
Serve with crispy eggplants and halloumi cheese.
Vegetable Stock
| 1 | carrot, peeled, washed, cut roughly |
| 1 | onion, peeled, cut roughly |
| ½ bulb | fennel, washed, cut roughly |
| 1 | leek, washed, cut roughly |
| fresh herbs such as chives, parsley, optional |
Place all ingredients in a pot and cover with 2 litres of cold water. Bring to a boil and strain through a sieve.
Crispy Eggplant
| 1 | eggplant, cut in thin slices |
| salt | |
| rice flour or sweet potato flour | |
| canola oil for frying |
Place the sliced eggplants on a tray with parchment paper and season gently with salt on both sides. Wait for 15 minutes. Pat the eggplants dry with a paper towel. Toss the eggplants gently in the rice or sweet potato flour.
Heat a frying pan to medium-high heat. Once hot, add enough canola oil to the frying pan to submerge the eggplants. Fry on both sides until crispy. Use a spider or a slotted spoon to remove the eggplants safely from the frying pan and place on a plate with paper towel.
Serve immediately.
Halloumi Cheese
(for garnishing your soup, optional)
| 1 block | halloumi, cut in small pieces |
| olive oil for frying |
Heat a frying pan to medium high heat. Once hot, add the olive oil. Add the halloumi and fry until crispy by constantly moving the cheese with a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon.
Seared Duck Breast with Fall Fruit Sauce
Levi Biddlecomb, exec chef/owner, Backstairs Burger
| duck breasts | |
| 2-3 | plums, diced |
| 8-10 | blackberries |
| 1 med | onion, diced |
| 1 clove | garlic, minced |
| ½ c | red wine |
| ½ c | chicken stock |
| ⅓ c | cold butter, cubed |
Pat the duck breast dry and score the skin in a crosshatch pattern. Season both sides of the duck with salt and place skin side down in a cold pan. Turn the pan to medium heat and leave the duck until the fat is rendered and the skin is crispy. Once the skin is crisp, flip the breast over and continue to cook to an internal temperature of 125ºF.
Remove the duck from the pan and allow to rest. To the duck pan add onion and garlic and sauté until translucent. Add red wine, stock, plum and blackberry and cook down until almost dry. Turn off the heat and swirl in the cold butter. Season gently to taste with salt.
Slice the duck breast into thin slices and fan or shingle over couscous, your favourite carb or salad. Spoon the pan sauce over the duck and enjoy.
Serves 4.
Deep-fried Brussels Sprouts
Deep-fried Brussels Sprouts
“Possibly one of the simplest dishes, but it’s one of my favorites.I can’t count how many times I convinced kids that vegetables are good just from this dish. You could roast them, but deep frying is better. It’s perfect just like this but you could garnish with a few dollops of Japanese mayo and a shower of grated fine Grana Padano.” –JP Dublado, exec chef, Red Deer Resort.
Cut Brussels sprouts in half (score the stem if it’s thick). Deep fry until dark golden. Place in a bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Toss in a generous drizzle of good quality Canadian maple syrup (dark if you have).
Serves 2-4.
Roasted Parsnips with Coconut Cardamom Carrot Puree and Pumpkin Seed Dukkah
Roasted Parsnips with Coconut Cardamom Carrot Puree and Pumpkin Seed Dukkah
Parsnips are my favourite vegetable of all time. I wanted to show how delicious they are by letting them shine in this recipe. –Bri Campbell, exec chef, Restaurant May.
| 1 lb | parsnips |
| 1 t | extra virgin olive oil |
| kosher salt and coarse black pepper | |
| fresh mint for garnish |
Pre-heat oven to 325ºF.
Give parsnips a wash and keep the skin on because they say the skin is good for you. Cut parsnips in half or in quarters lengthwise if they’re really big, place in a medium bowl, toss in the oil, and season to taste. Place parsnips cut side down on a parchment paper-lined baking pan. Roast for 45 minutes or until fork tender.
Coconut Cardamom Carrot Purée
| 3 T | extra virgin olive oil |
| 1 lb | peeled carrots, grated |
| 1 can | coconut milk (400ml) |
| seeds of 6 cardamom pods (crushed) | |
| 1 t | kosher salt |
Heat a thick-bottomed pot on medium heat. Add the oil and grated carrots. Stir carrots until they start to become soft. Add crushed cardamom seeds and stir for another 2 minutes to bring out the oil in the seeds. Add the coconut milk and lower heat to medium low. Let simmer for about 40 minutes. Stir often. The coconut milk will start to reduce and thicken. The carrot mixture is done when the coconut oil starts separating from the pudding, it will be orange just like the carrots. Put the mixture into a blender or food processor with a teaspoon of salt and blend until smooth. It is ready to eat now! Yum!
Pumpkin Seed Dukkah (doo-kah)
| ½ c | shelled pumpkin seeds |
| ¼ c | whole almonds |
| ¼ c | sesame seeds (half black sesame, half white sesame is nice) |
| ¾ t | ground coriander seed |
| ¾ t | ground cumin |
| ¼ t | fennel seed |
| ¼ t | red chili flakes |
| 1 t | kosher salt |
Combine all ingredients. Place a medium-sized frying pan on medium-high heat until you see smoke vapours coming from the pan. Then immediately turn the pan off and toss in your seed and nut mixture. Toss continuously or it will burn. This roasts the nuts, the seeds and the spices and brings out the natural oils. Give the seeds and nuts a good 6-8 tosses, then remove from the pan. Transfer into a food processor. Using the pulse button, pulse the dukkah to your desired size. It should resemble a nice seedy crumble.
Store in an airtight container for later use. Can be used on vegetables, salads, meats or eggs.
To serve: Once the parsnips are roasted place a generous spoonful of the carrot purée on a plate (or a larger serving platter). Arrange the parsnips on top and scatter around your pumpkin seed dukkah. Garnish with fresh mint if using.
Serves 2-4 people.
Heirloom Cauliflower with Pistachio Aioli, Roasted Apples and Tomato Chips
Heirloom Cauliflower with Pistachio Aioli, Roasted Apples and Tomato Chips
“This is an ode to both fall and our great local producers and sellers. I found beautiful heirloom cauliflower at Reclaim.” –Earl Briones, exec chef Birdog.
| 1 head | flame star hybrid (golden) cauliflower |
| 1 head | depurple hybrid (purple) cauliflower |
| 1 head | green cauliflower |
| 3 cloves | garlic |
| 2 Gala | apples |
| 10 g | crushed pistachios |
| 40 ml | olive oil |
| 4 oz | pistachio aioli (recipe follows) |
| 4-5 | tomato chips (recipe follows) |
Pre-heat oven to 425ºF
Cut the cauliflower into nice bite-sized florets. Cut the apples into half inch wedges. Lay the florets, apple wedges and garlic on a baking sheet and cover well with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until sufficient browning has happened and the cauliflower is tender.
Let cool on the sheet pan for 2-5 minutes.
Pistachio Aioli
| 90 g | (⅞ cup) roasted pistachios |
| 80 ml | (⅓ c) water |
| 2 | egg yolks |
| 10 g | (1½ t) condensed milk |
| 9 g | (scant 1½ t) kosher salt |
| 200 ml | (⅞ c) pistachio oil or extra virgin olive oil |
Add the pistachios, water, egg yolk, condensed milk and salt to a blender or a food processor. Blend until smooth. Pour oil in slowly while blending on medium speed. Blend until thick and emulsified.
Tomato Chips
| 2 | Roma Tomatoes |
| 10 g | (¾ T or so) granulated sugar |
| 5 g | (3 t cayenne pepper |
Slice the tomatoes into ¼-thick slices. Remove seeds if desired.
Arrange the tomatoes on dehydrator trays, utilizing a mesh liner to prevent smaller slices of tomatoes from falling through the holes as they shrink. Sprinkle the sugar and cayenne pepper onto the slices. Dehydrate at 135ºF (57ºC) for 6-12 hours until the tomatoes are dry and hard—they should not bend. Let the dried tomatoes cool completely before storing. (Or, you could dehydrate tomatoes in the oven; 250ºF for 1.5-3 hours and keep in the fridge until needed.)
To serve: Lay your cauliflower in alternating colors on a platter. Place the apple wedges around the cauliflower florets. Drizzle with the pistachio aioli and garnish with crushed pistachios. Scatter tomato chips over.
Serve 4-6.
Colcannon
Colcannon
“Colcannon is a holiday staple at every family get together. The recipe is extremely versatile and can be used with almost any vegetable, and it doesn’t need to have bacon either. You name it, we’ve probably thrown it in a colcannon. We usually use whatever herbs and vegetables my mom has—Brussels sprouts, onions, scallions, bell peppers, corn. Here I used kale, garlic and potatoes from my mom’s garden.” –Jesse Woodland, exec chef Central Social Hall.
| 1 lb | starchy potato, washed, skin on. I prefer russets. |
| 4 L | cold water |
| 3 T | kosher salt (fine salt or table salt works too, use 1T if so) |
| ¼ c | butter |
| 3 strips | bacon, minced |
| 1 head | garlic, peeled and minced |
| 1 bunch | kale, destemmed, washed and chopped |
| kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste |
Wash the potatoes under cold running water and scrub gently with a soft bristle brush. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with the cold water. Add the salt. Place on the stove on high heat and bring to a boil.
Once the potatoes have come to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and allow the potatoes to cook thoroughly (45-90 min, depending on the size of the potatoes).
When you think the potatoes are done, insert a sharp knife into the center of the largest. If the knife comes out easily and doesn’t lift the potato, the potatoes are cooked. Strain the potatoes and place in a bowl to mash by hand or use a food processor.
Mix in the butter and season gently with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, begin cooking the minced bacon on low heat to render it and release the fat. Once the bacon is 75 per cent cooked to your preference, add the minced garlic. When the garlic begins to darken and becomes aromatic, add the kale with a spoonful or so of cold water. Once the kale brightens, remove from heat and mix with your mashed potatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serves 4-6.
Goat Butter Bourbon Apple Crisp
“Goat milk gives the dish this incredible tang, absolutely unlike any regular apple crisp. The Italian Centre and Blush Lane sell goat milk butter, or you could make your own using a high fat goat milk.” –Winnie Chen, exec chef, Fu’s Repair Shop
Adapted from a recipe by Ambition Kitchen.
Crisp Topping
| 1.5 c | flour |
| 1.5 c | old fashioned oats |
| 1.5 c | packed dark brown sugar |
| ¾ c | goat milk butter (cut into small pieces, then chilled) |
| 1 pinch | salt |
Combine flour, oats, and brown sugar in a large bowl and stir well. Then with your hands or a pastry cutter, cut or pinch in the pieces of chilled goat butter until the texture of the mixture resembles crumbly wet sand.
Place the topping mix in the refrigerator to chill while you work on the filling.
| ½ c | goat milk butter |
| 1 T | vanilla extract |
| 5 lg | honey crisp apples (peeled and cored, sliced thinly, roughly 2mm) |
| ⅓ c | dark brown sugar |
| 1t | ground cinnamon |
| ¼ t | ground nutmeg |
| ¼ t | salt |
| 1T | bourbon |
Apple Filling
| ½ c | goat milk butter |
| 1 T | vanilla extract |
| 5 lg | honey crisp apples (peeled and cored, sliced thinly, roughly 2mm) |
| ⅓ c | dark brown sugar |
| 1t | ground cinnamon |
| ¼ t | ground nutmeg |
| ¼ t | salt |
| 1T | bourbon |
Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease an 8 x 8-inch baking pan.
Filling
In a saucepan, heat the goat butter at medium heat and let brown. The butter will crackle and foam, you may stir to reincorporate the milk solids. Once the butter becomes dark caramel in colour and emits a pleasant nutty smell, turn off the burner and remove from heat and let cool for a minute. In the same pan, stir in vanilla and apples and stir to thoroughly coat. Then add in the brown sugar, bourbon and spices. Toss again to combine, then add ⅓ of the topping mixture to the filling mixture. Stir thoroughly. Transfer to the prepared baking pan and sprinkle the remaining topping over top.
Bake for 55-60 minutes or until the crisp is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
Eat with ice cream. Makes 1 crisp.