A classic Quiche Lorraine recipe with a slight twist — I use tarragon mustard instead of dijon and add red peppers. This recipe makes two pies, one of which I freeze for another day. This is not a low fat recipe but with homemade ingredients I think it’s worth it and way better than any store bought version.

Easy to make Quiche Lorraine.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pie crusts – baked
• 12 slices bacon
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 7-8 eggs (8 large, 7 extra large)
• 1 cup soy  milk or regular milk
• 1/2 cup table cream
• 2 tablespoons tarragon (or dijon) mustard
• 2 tablespoons regular mustard
• 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prick pie crusts all over with fork. Bake pie crusts unfilled in 400F oven for 10 minutes. Check after 8 minutes and prick with fork if crust begins to rise. Alternatively you can line crust with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Let cool on rack.
2. Fry bacon until crispy, drain on paper towels, cool then cut or break into small pieces. Set aside.
3. Drain fat from pan. Fry onion, red pepper, salt and pepper over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
4. Grate Gruyere cheese so that you have about 2 cups loosely packed.
5. In large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and cream. Add onion mixture and bacon pieces.
6. Mix tarragon and regular mustard.  Brush mustard over bottom of pastry shells.
7. Spread half of grated cheese in the bottom of each pie shell. Pour in egg mixture.
8. Bake in 375F oven for 35 minutes until knife inserted in centre comes out clean.  Let cool on rack.
9. If reheating, reheat at 350F for about 20 minutes.  If frozen, thaw first, then reheat.

Yield: 2 pies

I’m always looking for creative ways to use winter vegetables in meals. While we love roasted root vegetables by mid-winter we are looking for a change. Add to that the fact that homemade soup is a weekly staple in our house in winter and you have the makings of Winter Vegetable Barley Soup. We loved the texture, especially the slight bite of the barley in an otherwise creamy soup. And as a side benefit, I was able to get my youngest to eat squash since he didn’t know it was in the recipe.

Carrots, sweet potatoes and squash add flavour and texture to winter barley soup

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 6-7 cups diced winter vegetables roughly as follows
• one sweet potato, peeled & cubed
• 2-3 carrots, diced
• 2-3 cups butternut squash, diced
• 2/3 cup pearl barley
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 5 cups water
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon each salt & pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Dice vegetables so they are about 1/2 inch in size.  In total you need 6-7 cups but the mix can change slightly depending upon the size of your vegetables.
2. Heat olive oil, add onion & garlic & heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  The heat should be enough that the onions and garlic start to brown but be careful not to burn the garlic or it will taste bitter.
3. When onions start to brown add chicken broth & water.  Add vegetables, barley, thyme, salt and pepper.
4. Gently simmer for 1 hour.  Add more water if it is becoming too thick.
5. When the vegetable are tender, if you like, partially smash some of the squash.  This made for a slightly creamier texture to the soup.

Yield: 6-8 servings

We are fortunate to be able to pick kale in the winter that is growing in the garden under small greenhouse covers. In fact, overall kale tastes even better once it is exposed to a slight frost and it is very cold weather tolerant. While easy to grow, the hard part is getting my children to eat this healthy green vegetable but I think I found a way. Just add bacon to kale and even my twelve year old son had a couple of bites! Adjust the onions and bacon to your liking.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 onion, diced
• small bunch kale, tough stems removed
• 2-3 slices bacon, cut into pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• butter
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Parboil kale in large pot of salted water for 3-5 minutes (depending upon size of leaves) until still firm.  Remove and drain.  Chop into smaller pieces.
2. Fry bacon until just before it turns crispy.  Add diced onions and fry for another 3 minutes until onion starts to brown and bacon becomes more crispy.
3. Add garlic, stirring often for another minute.
4. Add kale, a small amount of olive oil and butter, salt and pepper to taste.  Sauté for 2 – 3 minutes, stirring often.

Winter is a time for root vegetables in our household and I am always looking for a new way to prepare them. Today I roasted parboiled carrots, parsnips and potatoes with browned sausage pieces. A twist on a classic country meal, it was easy to prepare, flavourful and hearty. Served with some fried kale & bread and it was a simple but delicious meal.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 Italian pork or turkey sausages
• 4 large carrots, a mix of yellow and orange, diced
• 2 large parsnips, diced
• 3 medium potatoes, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons italian seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 380F.
2. Slice sausages into large meatball sized chunks.  In a small amount of olive oil, brown sausage until outside is crispy but not yet cooked.  Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, parboil carrots, parsnips and potatoes for about 10 minutes.
4. Drain vegetables and set aside.
5. In large bowl, mix 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.  Stir in vegetables until coated.  Add sauteed sausages and mix.
6. Pour vegetable and sausage mixture into oven-proof casserole pan.
7. Roast for 20 – 30 minutes until vegetables are tender and begin to brown.

I was looking to create a menu to entertain some friends for dinner to celebrate the end of the harvest season and the wonderful produce from our vegetable garden. The end result was this Harvest Menu that incorporated not only items from our own garden (carrots, beets, onions, garlic and potatoes) but some local apples and pears as well. Plus with a little poetic license I figured including a little of the grape into our menu wouldn’t hurt either.

Appetizers:

Caramelized onion, mushroom and goat cheese spread on baguette
Tomato Scape Canapes
Garlic Jelly and Cream Cheese on crackers

Served with Ice Wine Martinis

To Start:

Roasted Garlic and Potato Soup
followed by
Arugula with Ice Wine Vinaigrette

Served with 2005 Chateau Haut-Bergeron Sauternes: a Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle blend

Main Course:

Roasted carrots with garlic
Beet and Goat Cheese Salad made with roasted red and yellow beets
Grilled Lamb Loins

Served with 2009 Sebastien & Jean-Charles Villard Tanagra Syrah from Chile

Dessert:

Spiced Apple Crumb Pie or Pumpkin Pie with ice cream (since some in my family do not like apple pie I made both)

Aperitif: 2007 Pelee Island Vidal Icewine, VQA Pelee Island

Spiced Apple Crumb Pie

A crumb topping makes a delicious change for this spicy apple pie. The cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves are quite noticeable in this recipe. If you do not really love cinnamon, I would recommend reducing the spices by up to one half.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup unbleached flour
• 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
• single pie crust for bottom
• 5-7 large, tart, firm apples (I used cortland), peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 6 cups)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To make crumb topping, in small bowl combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add butter and cut in with pastry knife until mixture is crumbly. Chill until ready to use.
2. Place pie crust in bottom of glass pie plate.  Flute edges for a finished look.
3. To make filling, mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt in small bowl.
4. In larger bowl, toss apples with lemon juice.  Add spice mix and toss to coat apples evenly.
5. Pour into lined pie plate.  Top with crumb topping.  Chill in fridge for 30 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 375F.
7. Bake pie until crust is golden, 50-60 minutes.
8. Serve at room temperature or rewarm in 350F oven for 10-15 minutes.

Another part of my Harvest Menu, I used some of the Magnotta Vidal Ice Wine in this Ice Wine Vinaigrette.  It is pleasantly not too sweet, and a perfect match with bitter baby arugula.

Arugula with Ice Wine Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons ice wine
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon grainy dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• granny smith apple
• pear
• arugula salad

DIRECTIONS

1. Blend icewine with the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper until well combined.
2. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the oil, until mixture is emulsified.  The mix of the two oils is to make the oil slightly lighter in flavour.  You can use a light olive oil instead.
3. Just before serving, pour dressing over arugula and toss. Slice granny smith and pear into thin slices. Add to salad and toss.

A classic vodka martini with just a hint of sweetness.  We enjoyed these as part of our Harvest Menu and used Magnotta 2008 Vidal Icewine. It is best served very cold.

1 oz vidal icewine
2 oz vodka
Frozen grapes

Freeze grapes ahead of time for a minimum of 4 hours. Place vodka in freezer during the same period to chill thoroughly. Chill ice wine in fridge.

Mix icewine with vodka. Pour into glass and garnish with a frozen grape.

Garlic Jelly and Cream Cheese Canapes

Made with our home made Garlic Jelly these are a one bite treat.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 parts cream cheese
• 1 part garlic jelly
• crackers

DIRECTIONS

1. In food processor or small blender, mix cream cheese with garlic jelly until well combined.
2. Place in a plastic squeeze bottle with fairly large opening in top (about 1/4 inch).
3. Refrigerate for at least one hour until slightly firmer.
4. Arrange crackers on serving tray.  Squeeze spread onto crackers in a circular pattern.  Place tray back in fridge until ready to serve.
5. Serve slightly chilled.

Tomato Scape Canapes

INGREDIENTS

• cherry tomatoes, ends removed and sliced in half to form circles
• parmesan cheese
• garlic scape pesto base (before adding any cheese)
• crackers

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut tomatoes into small slices about one hour ahead of time and set aside to drain out some of the juices.
2. Slice parmesan very thin (I used a mandolin) and cut into size to fit cracker.
3. Place one piece parmesan on top of each cracker. This can be done early and set aside until just before ready to serve.
4. Just before serving, place tomato piece on top of each canape, top with small amount of scape pesto.
5. Serve at room temperature.
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