Candied Kumquats & the Perfect Cheeseboard

I believe the first time I had candied kumquats was at Bier Mrkt of all places. My parents were visiting Toronto and we had stopped in there for a beer and a snack. On their meat and cheese board was this delicious sweet, tangy, and somewhat bitter jam. After this first taste, it has become my go-to condiment to elevate a cheeseboard.

When making a cheese and meat board I try to make sure I have the following flavours and textures covered:

• Sweet - usually in the form of a jelly or jam, like these candied kumquats or fig jam

• Salty - prosciutto, speck, or another salty cured meat

• Spicy - genoa salami, chorizo, or another spicy cured meat

  • Or: hot pepper jelly (both sweet and spicy!)

• Briny - pickles, olives

• Smooth/creamy - goat cheese, Boursin

• Hard - aged cheddar, manchego (my favourite cheese!)

• Soft  - fresh sliced french bread or baguette

• Crunchy - crisp crackers, nuts

Kumquats usually come into grocery stores in Canada in March/April and can be found in the citrus area of your grocery store.

The kumquats pre-candy!

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Candied Kumquats

15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup of kumquats, washed (up to 1.5 cups)

½ cup white sugar

¼ cup water

Method:

1. Quarter your kumquats and remove any seeds

2. Add to a small saucepan with sugar and water

3. Bring to medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves

4. Turn down to low heat and continue to simmer until the kumquats become translucent and the syrup has thickened (it will thicken more when it cools)

5. Chill until ready to serve!

Cilantro-Lime Yogurt Dressing

Summer means it’s time to start switching out soups for salads and bring the freshness back to my desk lunches. For me, the perfect lunch salad has the following components:

• Minimum 1 roasted vegetable

• Minimum 1 raw vegetable

• A green vegetable base

• A nutty grain

• A protein

• A zingy dressing

This dressing is my go-to lunch dressing - extra zingy and a limited amount of oil. If you are cilantro adverse you could swap in parsley or basil, and switch the lime for lemon.

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Cilantro-Line Yogurt Dressing

5 mins

Ingredients:

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, including stems

1/3 cup 0% plain Greek yogurt (or 2%)

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 limes juiced (roughly 1/4 cup lime juice)

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Method:

1. Put all ingredients into a food processor* and whiz until emulsified and smooth.

2. Chill until ready to serve!

*If you do not have a food processor, you could use a blender. Depending on the size of your blender you may need to double the recipe for the blades to pick up the ingredients.

For the salad above, here is what I prepared:

• Roasted brussels sprouts (20 mins at 400F, tossed with some olive oil, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes)

• Halfed cherry tomatoes

• Spinach

• Wheat berries (from Flourist - 4 cups water, 1 cup wheat berries, boiled for 45 mins)

• 6 minute egg (bring water to a boil, turn down to a simmer, place in eggs and cook for 6 mins. Place into a ice water bath).

• Cilantro-Lime Yogurt Dressing

Roasted Brussels Sprout and Ricotta Crostini

When I travel for work one thing I can’t wait for is cable in the hotel room, and most specifically The Food Network. I love food competition shows and celebrity chef programming. A few years ago Giada de Laurentiis had a holiday special for hosting parties and she made these Charred Brussels Sprout Crostinis. I made them a few times that Christmas and they were always a hit. Over the past few years I’ve continued to make them, simplifying the recipe where I could find some shortcuts or simply didn’t have the ingredients on hand. Here is my take on Giada’s appetizer.

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Roasted Brussels Sprout and Ricotta Crostini

Original recipe: Charred Brussels Sprout Crostini by Giada de Laurentiis

30 mins

Tip: step 1-6 can be done ahead of time. You can store the ricotta and brussel sprout mixture in the fridge until ready to serve.

Ingredients:

3 cups of brussels sprouts, shaved or thinly sliced*

1 ½ tbsp olive oil

¼ tsp kosher salt

¼ -½ tsp red pepper flakes, depending on your heat preference

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp maple syrup

¼ cup dried cranberries

1 container of extra smooth ricotta

½ tsp kosher salt

1 baguette, or your choice of bread, cut into ¾ inch slices

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400F

2. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the thinly sliced brussels sprouts with the olive oil, kosher salt, and red pepper flakes on the sheet and pop into the oven for 12-15 minutes. You want the edges to be crispy and almost burnt - that’s flavour!

3. Meanwhile, combine the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and dried cranberries in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer for 5 - 7 minutes until has thickened. Set aside.

4. Once the brussels sprouts are out of the oven toss in a bowl with the reduced vinegar mixture.

5. Place the sliced baguette onto the same baking sheet and place into the 400F oven for 5-7 minutes until the bread has crisped  on the outside

6. Meanwhile stir the ½ tsp of kosher salt into the ricotta to add some extra seasoning. Cracked black pepper is also nice added here.

7. When you are ready to assemble, schmear ricotta onto the bread crisps, and then top with a spoonful of the brussels sprout mixture.

*to shave the brussels sprouts I start by cutting the end off the brussels sprout. I place this flat end onto my cutting board and slice as thinly as I can until I reach half way. At this point, I flip the half flat side onto the cutting board and start thinly slicing until I reach a quarter. At this time I flip again the quarter flat side onto the cutting board and thinly slice until complete. This method leads to some half slices, some quarter slices - that’s ok! It adds different textures.

Paprika Chicken Marinade

This is my go-to marinade for chicken - whether its thighs, breasts, or the whole chicken! The earlier you get this on the chicken the more flavourful it will be, so you can marinade up to 24 hours ahead of time. It also works applied just before cooking.

Tastes great with my Pantry Quinoa Pilaf!

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Paprika Chicken Marinade

Ingredients:

2 tbsp smoked paprika

½ tsp red chili flakes

1 tsp dried oregano

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp kosher salt

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp olive oil

Method:

1. Mix the ingredients in a bowl until a smooth paste.

2. Slather all over your chicken of choice, and marinade for as long as time allows. Keep in the fridge if marinating for more than 20 minutes.

3. Bake in the oven (or grill!), time and temperature dependent on the cut of meat.

   1. For boneless chicken breasts, typically 20-25 mins at 375F will bring you to an internal temperature of 165F.

   2. For boneless chicken thighs, typically 30 minutes at 400F will bring you to an internal temperature of 165F.

*you can also use regular paprika here but I prefer smoked, much more flavour. You can buy this at the Bulk Barn

Pantry Quinoa Pilaf

Quinoa is one of my favourite grains but let’s be frank here - sometimes it tastes like dirt. Most of the time that is because people miss the critical step of rinsing their quinoa before cooking (don’t skip this!) but also because it can have a pretty bitter flavour to it if not spiced up a bit. Below is my favourite combination of ingredients to add to quinoa, with lots of swap options dependent on what you find in your pantry. The perfect side with any protein, it’s time to add some pizzazz to your quinoa!

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Pantry Quinoa Pilaf

20 mins

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

¼ cup lemon juice

(swap: 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar + 1 tsp maple syrup)

1 tbsp olive oil

¼ red onion, diced

(swap: shallot, green onion)

¼ cup sundried tomatoes in oil, diced

¼ cup dry roasted almonds (unsalted), roughly chopped

(swap: walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds)

1 cup parsley, chopped

(swap: cilantro, basil, mint)

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Cook your quinoa according to package instructions, don’t forget to rinse the quinoa first!

2. Meanwhile, combine the lemon juice, olive oil in a large bowl, and whisk together with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Once quinoa is cooked and cooled slightly, add into the bowl and toss to coat in lemon vinaigrette.

4. Add in your onion, sun dried tomatoes, chopped almonds, red pepper flakes and parsley. Toss to combine (I prefer to use a fork to keep it fluffy).

5. Serve warm or at room temperature. Or store in the fridge until ready to serve!