The Sweetest Heaven

I may now be known for sweet puddings, but in the end, I truly am a chocolate guy. And yes, guys can have a weakness for chocolate too. But like a true chocolate connoisseur, it's never something that I eat a lot of. But when I do, I want it to be the most indulgent experience that I can possibly get onto a plate.
Chocolate is fun to learn about. I've read a few books on the history and process involved in chocolate over time, in numerous cultures, and its relation to the history of food. And like coffee and wine, it becomes even more amazing when you start exploring the richness of real chocolate... trust me, you'll never go back to processed junk again.
One of the great things about a real rich dark chocolate is that you just need a few milligrams of it and your sweet craving is satisfied. Much better than indulging in the bucket of ice cream or the bag of cookies.
But when I'm really craving decadence, this is my favourite go-to, and chances are, you might have all the ingredients on-hand.

BRAD'S BREATHTAKING CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE
(for 4) 8 ounces of 72% dark fair trade organic chocolate; 1 cup unsalted butter; 1/2 cup premium cocoa powder; 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup brown sugar; 2 whole eggs; 2 egg yolks; 1 tsp baking powder; pinch salt; whipping cream (optional); vanilla (optional) sugar (optional)
Bring a saucepan of water to a simmer and create a double-broiler by laying a large metal or tempered glass bowl over the pot. Put chopped chocolate and butter into the bowl and stir constantly to melt, until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375F.
With an electric hand or stand mixer, beat eggs and egg yolks on medium-high speed with brown sugar until thickened and pale (about 12-15 minutes). Pour in just a little of the chocolate mixture, whisking briskly but gently, gradually until combined. Then add the rest and combine fully. Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt and fold the batter together with a wooden spatula until just combined.
Butter 4 ramekins and dust with cocoa. Pour batter evenly among them. Bake for 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, if you like to cut the intensity a little with some whipped cream, pour 1 cup heavy cream into a bowl, and beat on high speed, gradually adding about 1/4 cup of sugar and a splash of vanilla until soft peaks form.
While milk is often the standard beverage with many desserts, for this, I highly recommend a really good quality rich dark red wine. Specifically a Chilean Merlot would be a match made in heaven.

Oh, the things you can do with bacon fat

I always refer to animal fat as liquid gold. And I avoid throwing it away. The sad part is there is a misconception that animal fat is worse than other fats health-wise. In fact, the opposite is true. Gram for gram, all fats are the same in calories. There are some differences in trans and saturated fats. But the food science consensus is starting to move away from processed fats and oils (especially hydrogenated vegetable oils) and more toward butter and other animal fat, because essentially, they're more naturally recognised and metabolised by the body and are loaded with vitamins and amino acids.
So for those reasons, the fat I pour off the pan when cooking wild boar bacon goes directly into a mason jar for the fridge; not the compost.

BRAD'S FRIED SKILLET CHICKEN AND POTATOES
(for 2) 6 free-range chicken legs; 4 tbsp bacon fat; 1 chorizo sausage diced; 3-4 medium white potatoes cubed; 4 cloves of garlic, peeled; 1/4 cup sour cream; 1/4 cup milk; micro greens or clovers; fresh parsley; Kosher salt; fresh pepper
In a steam pot, cook potatoes and garlic until soft
Brown the chicken on medium-high heat in 2 tbsp of bacon fat, then add sausage, transfer to a pre-heated oven at 425F for about 10-12 minutes or until juices run clear.
Remove the chicken and plate under foil to rest 5 minutes, keeping the empty pan hot.
Toss another 2 tbsp of bacon fat to the pan and toss the potatoes and garlic and quickly mash with a potato masher. Add sour cream and milk and season, stirring quickly with a wooden spoon. Plate up and top with micro-greens and parsley.

What's Better Than Fresh Summer Tomatoes?

Why, fresh summer tomatoes preserved and opened months later of course!
This was my first summer attempting to preserve vegetables. I quickly realised I was limited owning a ceramic top stove, so can only preserve acidic produce... and thankfully that includes tomatoes, or I wouldn't have tasted the best pasta sauce of my life! If you have access to locally grown vegetables, I highly recommend preserving, as not only does it reduce your costs and ecological strain, but they taste amazing!

BRAD'S SAUSAGE-TOMATO PASTA
(for 4) 400g premium quality spicy sausage sliced (I recommend Balkan or Chorizo); two jars of preserved tomatoes; two medium white onions diced; 5-7 cloves of fresh autumn local garlic sliced; 2/3 cup red wine (your favourite); fresh roughly chopped parsley; fresh torn basil; Kosher salt; fresh pepper; extra-virgin olive oil; package of dried spaghetti or spaghettini; Parmesan

In a heavy skillet, heat oil to a light smoke on medium, sauté onions until translucent. Add sausage (adding a little more oil if necessary) and cook browning on all sides.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta (reduce to medium, stir occasionally).
Add garlic to the sausage mix, keep browning. Deglaze with red wine, raise heat to high, bring to a light boil, then reduce to a simmer until reduced (about 3 minutes), then add tomatoes. Stir well on medium- high heat, then add herbs.
Drain pasta and add it to the tomato mix. Plate up and garnish with Parmesan.

Interview about Recipe to Riches

Tracey Padmore from 102.3FM in Montreal on Tracey's cuisine with guest Brad Gash, Sweet Pies and Puddings contestant from Recipe to Riches. Enjoy! http://www.divshare.com/download/16076775-f4e

Maple Pudding Chômeur - Brad's Original Recipe

(pic to come)

Brad’s Detailed Recipe for the Best Maple Pudding Chômeur

2 1/2 cups heavy (35%) cream
2 1/2 cups maple syrup (preferably medium to amber)
3 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter AT ROOM TEMPERATURE (leave out for at least 2 hours)
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
4 eggs AT ROOM TEMPERATURE (leave out for at least 2 hours)
1 ½ cups milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp salt


STEP 1: BATTER

In one bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside.
In another bowl, combine butter and sugar, mixing together with an electric mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment until smooth.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time (be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula frequently).
Add flour mixture and milk, alternating between the two, beating on very low speed just for a few seconds at each addition (ideally, add about ¼ of the mixture at each addition). In the last addition, add the vanilla. [This process will yield a smoother and moister batter.]
Scrape the sides of the bowl and set the batter aside.

PRE-HEAT OVEN TO 375F

STEP 2: SAUCE

In a sauce pan, place the maple syrup over high heat and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer rapidly for about 10 minutes [This step is crucial in getting the perfect thick sauce. If you like it even thicker, add a tbsp of corn syrup.]
Remove from the heat and slowly pour in the cream, whisking briskly. Return to the heat and bring just to a boil, and pour into a large ceramic or iron casserole or baking dish.
Using a large serving spoon, or an ice cream scoop with a soup spoon, scoop large mounds of the batter into the sauce. [Don’t worry if it looks messy or if the mounds stick together, that’s how it’s supposed to look.]
Bake for 45-50 minutes uncovered. Let stand 2-3 minutes covered.

STEP 3: TO SERVE

Scoop up a piece of the cake and smother it in an extra large spoonful of sauce. Best served hot next to a scoop of real vanilla ice cream.

The best uses for Beets!

With beet season in full-swing, I'm getting so many from Bryson Farms that the creativity with this under-rated vegetable is booming in my kitchen as of late. Growing up I only ever tasted pickled beets, which I still love, but they have limited usefulness and most often wind up as a side to a savoury dish to add a bit of acidity. But I've been reading all kinds of crazy dishes (even desserts!) that you can use beets in (just google it).

One of my all-time favourites is the maple-beet glazed pork tenderloin (a recipe from Ricardo Larivée). This is truly the best-tasting pork dish you will ever taste in your life!! Even if you're a not a fan of pork, you will make this regularly if you try it once, so I invite you to check out his website: www.ricardocuisine.com.

A bit of important info about pork: Any of my European readers will know that North American factory pork does not taste like pork... it doesn't taste like anything really. But if you can track down the right supplier who raises free-range hogs, you've hit the jackpot. The second problem with pork, and probably people's number 1 reason for not liking it, is that so many people tend to overcook it. Contrary to popular belief, pork (especially tenderloin) is supposed to be enjoyed medium-rare to medium. Beyond this it turns to leather - and anyone who grew up with "pork chop night" in the 90s knows what I'm talking about. But a word of caution, I wouldn't trust standard factory pork producers enough to cook their product to medium rare, so if springing the extra cash for free-range pork is not in the budget (it costs about 4 X that of factory), then it doesn't get on the menu.

But I digress, I'm here to talk about beets. One thing to be ready for is the mess if you're working with a standard red beet. I highly recommend having vinyl gloves on-hand (ah, a pun!). But if you're lucky enough to find heirloom beets you needn't worry, they don't stain your hands.

Of course you can grate raw beets for slaws and salads or put it in Borscht, but I recommend a beet salad like that pictured above, which is made by trimming and washing heirloom (or any) beets and boiling them for about 45 minutes. Let them cool and then the peel will slide off. Slice them and you have salad-ready beets. I like to serve them with autumn greens and a maple-balsamic vinaigrette. This is made by mixing 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar with Kosher salt and pepper, and 1/4 cup amber (late season) maple syrup. Then slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of grapeseed oil. This will keep for about a week in the fridge.

The Best of Beef

Normally I post pics of finished meals, but I just had to show my readers the amazing quality meat I'm working with. This is supplied by Elevage Cataraqui farm, just 15 minutes north of my house, which supplies seasonal orders of free-range lamb, beef and goat. Raised with such care, you can truly taste this in the meat, and you know as soon as you open it up and smell the raw meat that it's unlike anything you'll ever find in a grocery store. Hormone-free, and organic-fed, these animals are bred for a normal period and you can truly see, taste and smell the difference.

The stewing beef is one of my favourite cuts. And wherever you get your beef, a little side note: when paying for more expensive cuts of beef, you're not paying for greater quality - you're paying for ease of cooking (and thus higher popularity). In truth, the cuts of meat that cost the least very often have the most flavour, as long as they're given proper love and care. With stewing beef, which is often the product of the shoulder, a little care the night before, and slow cooking are truly the secret ingredients to the best beef stew ever.

BRAD'S RED WINE BEEF STEW

(For 4)

500g stewing beef; 3-4 carrots (preferably heirloom if you can find them) sliced 1/2 inch; 2-3 medium white or red potatoes cubed 1 inch; handful of thyme sprigs; 3 tbsp butter; one medium white onion peeled, trimmed and cut into 6-8 wedges; 1/2 cup rich red wine (ideally a Cabernet Sauvignon or Carmenere - I recommend Bontera Cabernet Sauvignon from California or Arbolleda Carmenere from Chile, but whatever you like); water; Kosher salt; fresh pepper; 2 bay leaves; 2 tbsp flour

DAY BEFORE: Pat dry the meat and season generously with Kosher salt. Be sure to massage meat gently with the salt. Lay out on a dish evenly and spread thyme sprigs over the meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (Don't discard thyme sprigs,.)

With a heavy roasting skillet or slow cooker pot set over stove-top at medium-high, melt 1/2 the butter to a light smoke and add 1/2 the meat. Stir frequently, really browning the meat on all sides. Remove from the pan, add the rest of the butter and repeat with the rest of the meat. Toss the onions in flour and add to the pan, stirring constantly (add more butter or oil if it looks too dry) until nicely browned. Then deglaze with the wine. Simmer for a minute and remove from the heat. Add the rest of the ingredients including the meat and thyme sprigs and pour water into the pan until it almost covers everything, and place in the slow cooker on low or if you're using a roasting skillet, cover and place in the oven pre-heated at 275. Cook for 6 hours, stirring every other hour. Season to taste. Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.