Persimmons "Fruit of the gods"

Now is California persimmon season! Eat them raw while still crunchy and apple like or wait till there like water balloons of juicy goodness. Poached, pureed, stewed, brewed, puddings, chutneys, dried, powdered, are just a few of the ways we like persimmons!

Persimmon chutney

2 kilograms ripe persimmon, peeled, stones removed and roughly chopped

2 large onions finely diced (about 500g)

1 cup current raisins

2 cloves crushed garlic

1 tablespoon salt

2 cups white sugar

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or pepper of your choice (optional)

2 cups white wine vinegar

1 cup lemon juice + zest

4 teaspoon mixed spice (get creative here)

1 tbsp coriander

1 tbsp cumin

1/4 cup brown mustard seeds

Place all the ingredients except lemon zest together in a saucepan. Bring to the boil.
Cook, stirring occasionally till the liquid is almost all gone. Take off heat and add lemon zest.
Allow to cool then bottle.

Some recent adventures

Harvesting chicken of the woods:

Pickle production

500 pounds of tomatoes!

Kitchen action station set-up:

When is an endangered pig not an endagered pig?

Well, I guess we all make assumptions about the things we know. Imagine our surprise when we learnt that some people were horrified that we are cooking an endangered species of pig called the 'large black'. Roasts, bacon, pancetta, sausages, terrines - you name it, we make it. But we do it in order to SAVE this endangered species, not to wipe it out.

The large black is a heritage breed that used to be raised by farmers and homesteaders back in the day when more people had pigs running around out back.

It's endagered today because it doesn't take well to being rasied in a pen. It also grows a lot slower than a 'pink' - your basic supermarket variety- so most farmers don't raise them anymore. (Due to H1N1 pig farmers can't make any money even with the commercially viable 'pink'model these days) The farmers that do raise 'large blacks' are trying to preserve the breed by creating a market for it. We are doing our part by buying from those farmers and serving it to our customers.

Do your part and eat some 'large black' today!

Upper Canada Heritage Meats Is "Hanging" Out For A While

Recently we purchased a "large Black" from Barbara Schaefer of Upper Canada Heritage Meats. http://www.uppercanadaheritagemeat.ca/index.html

"The Large Black Pig is recognized as a critically endangered species, not only here but worldwide. When pork production became industrialized in the 1950s, this slow-growing foraging breed was not suitable for the close confinement of factory farms. In spite of its docile temperament and exquisite taste, its numbers have dropped to about 200 registered hogs in Canada today." <---- From Barbara's website

Q: Okay okay but how does it taste?

A:The large black has a real boar smell and flavour. Very full bodied and really packs a porky punch!

Q: But what will you do with all that pork?

A: We have started 2 more prosciutto's, liver and sage pate, jowl and dried fruit terrine, lots of fresh Italian sausage, smoked bacon with tons of coriander and black pepper, korean red chili laced pancetta, and dry garlic sausage. Definitely a few more items to add to our in house collection of charcuterie products. Not to mention two huge 6kg loin roasts for an up coming event that are going to be AMAZING! We have had a lot of fun preparing this hog and look forward to our next!

Also check out this great Canadian book!

"A Good Catch: Sustainable Seafood Recipes from Canada's Top Chefs"

Unfortunately no Ottawa chefs made the book but it is still worth checking out! Packed with tons of great fish recipes and info about buying safe sustainable fish and seafood. A lot of people don't realize the current danger our fish populations face from mass over fishing and "dredge style" practices. For more info on how you can make the right choices when buying your fish and seafood go to. http://www.seachoice.org/

Spezza wedding

Didn't get a picture of the finished product, but this little piggy went to the Spezza wedding as part of their late night snack. It was stuffed and roasted (as porchetta) then carved and served with on buns with a bunch of condiments.

We've done a couple of porchetta's before- its always a big wow when it comes out.

Thanks to Chef Joseph Trocino for coming in to Tulips and Maple one day and giving us a demo on the finer points of porchetta cookery.



Here are a couple of nice photos from the wedding:

Seafood platters:












Seafood sauces:












Antipasto plate:

Exquisite Local Flavours for Manotick's 150th

The Tulips & Maple team helped Manotick celebrate its 150th anniversary recently by adding exquisite flavours to an evening of local music and local food.

With special thanks to Jeffery's efforts picking ramps and morels in the woods, wild Quebec boar with local rhubarb preserve, asparagus and ramp pizettes with morel relish were served. Slices of Brebiouais cheese, from Papineauville’s Ferme Floralpe, dressed Chef Andrew's homemade fig crackers accompanied with fig and ginger jam. Try one of the inspired recipes below.

Chef Andrew and sous-chef Jeffery's creations relied on Ottawa's rich supply of exceptional foods from local producers. You can buy Ferme Floralpe’s Brebiouais (a sheep’s milk cheese) at Jacobson’s, 141 Beechwood Ave., or you can visit the cheesemaker in Papineauville, Que., about 60 kilometres east of Ottawa.

Fig Anise Crackers

1 pound (500 g) mission figs (hard stems removed)
1 cup (250 mL) water
1/4 cup (50 mL) molasses
2 tablespoons (25 mL) brown sugar
3 cups (750 mL) buttermilk
4 cups (1 L) flour
1 tablespoon (15 mL) baking soda
1/4 cup (50 mL) salt
2 tablespoons (25 mL) anise seeds
2 cups (500 mL) pumpkin seeds
1 cup (250 mL) flax seeds
1 cup (250 mL) sesame seeds

1. Combine the figs and water and bring to a simmer in a covered pot. Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour.
2. Drain the liquid and reserve. Slice 1ž2 the cooked figs in half and reserve. Purée remaining whole figs with reserved cooking water and the molasses, brown sugar and buttermilk.
3. Sift flour, baking soda and salt together into a large bowl. Add the anise, pumpkin, flax and sesame seeds. Make a well in the dry ingredients.
4. Pour the puréed figs and the reserved sliced figs into the dry ingredients and stir gently. (It makes a very wet dough.) On a well-floured surface, roll the dough into logs about 11ž2 inches (4 cm) in diameter.
5. On a baking sheet, bake logs at 325 F (160 C) for 15 minutes.
6. Cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate until the next day.
7. Slice log thin and bake rounds again at 350 F (180 C) for 6 to 8 minutes, or until crisp.
Serve with Fig and Ginger Jam, recipe below.

Fig and Ginger Jam

1 pound (500 g) mission figs (hard stems removed)
1 cup (250 mL) orange juice
3 teaspoons (15 mL) dried ginger, divided
1 tablespoon (15 mL) and 2 teaspoons (10 mL) grated fresh ginger
1/3 cup (75 mL) balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup (150 mL) sugar

1. Cook the figs, orange juice, 2 teaspoons (10 mL) dried ginger and 1 tablespoon (15 mL) grated fresh ginger over low heat, covered, for 15 minutes. Allow to sit, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove half the figs; dice and reserve. Purée the remaining figs with the marinade.
2. Cook the balsamic vinegar, sugar, and remaining dried and grated ginger over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture starts to thicken, about 30 to 45 minutes. Stir in the chopped figs and the puréed fig mixture.
Note: This jam will keep for 3 to 4 weeks in the fridge, or it can be processed like any jam for longer preservation.