What's your favourite family Christmas recipe? The Burnaby NOW asked some of the city's top chefs and foodies to share their most-loved holiday recipes and what makes them so special. From mouth-watering duck confit stuffing and French mulled wine, to tzatziki and eggplant parmigiana, you will find something for every palate and skill level. Most of all, take time to slow down and enjoy your food with the people that matter most to you this Christmas.
Merry Christmas from the Burnaby NOW!
Dutch Pancakes from Valley Bakery's Jack Kuyer
Jack Kuyer at Valley Bakery likes to make Dutch pancakes at Christmas. They are thicker than a crepe, but thinner than traditional pancakes.
Photo by Larry Wright
This is a recipe for the famous Dutch pancakes everyone enjoys. They are thicker than the French crepe but just as versatile. You can roll them with fresh fruit or fruit fillings. You can serve them with creams and custards. You can accent them with your favorite liqueur. A perfect breakfast, but in Holland they are eaten as a dinner as well. In a few minutes you could be enjoying these. They are so easy.
Dutch Pancakes
Recipe makes eight, eight-inch pancakes.
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tbsp fine granulated sugar
1/4 tsp of salt
2 whole large eggs
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups of milk
Vanilla extract to taste
Mix all dry ingredients together and then add half of the wet ingredients. Mix until lumps are gone, then add remaining liquids. The final batter should be thin and runny. You can store the batter overnight in a fridge using a container with a lid to prevent crusting.
To fry the pancakes, I like to use a cast iron skillet with a medium high stove temperature. Coat the bottom of the pan with oil and swill about. Put a ladle of batter into the pan. Use minimal quantity so that the batter will flow to just cover the entire bottom of the pan. Tip and roll the pan so it spreads freely. When the top is dry you flip the pancake and the bottom should be a golden brown color where the batter is in contact with the pan. If the color is too dark then cook for less time or reduce the stove temperature. If the color takes too long and the pancakes feel stiff when you lift them out of the pan, then the cooking is too slow and the temperature should be increased. It's easy it's fun, enjoy. If you don't eat them all, they will store by sprinkling the top with sugar and lemon juice for the next day as another perfect cold breakfast. The lemon juice is optional.
Note: If you use a no-stick pan, it works well, but some flavor is lost. Use little if any oil on the pan as the oil will cause the batter to slide rather than spread.
Mulled wine and almond cookies from Chez Mémé
Isabelle and Ross Spence of Chez-Meme share cookies and vin chaud with family at Christmas.
Photo by Larry Wright
This is one of my favorite Christmas cookies that my mom makes every year. I started to cook helping my mom with the Christmas baking. - Isabelle Spence, co-owner of Chez Mémé Baguette Bistro in Burnaby Heights.
Walnut Crescent Cookies
1 cup soft butter
1 cup icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
Bake at 350 degrees on cookie sheet
Cream butter and 1/4 cup sugar until fluffy
Add vanilla, flour and nuts then mix for one minute.
Shape dough into crescent moons 1/4 inch thick by 2 inches long.
Bake for 15 mins or until lightly golden brown.
Cool for 5 mins then roll in remaining icing sugar
Vin Chaud
This is a drink that always reminds us of winter in the French Alps. - Isabelle Spence
1.5 litres of red wine
100 grams sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cloves
Pinch of nutmeg
2 star anise
Put everything in a pot and slowly bring to boil. Strain and serve.
From the Hart House, Mike Genest's duck confit stuffing
For Mike Genest, executive chef at the Hart House, fantastic stuffing is a family tradition.
Photo by Jennifer Gauthier
Stuffing was always the dish I looked forward to the most at Christmas dinners. My grandfather was a chef, and my mother was a great cook, and they both made amazing stuffing. So when I became a chef and started doing the family dinners, I had to come up with a recipe that was as good if not better than theirs. This recipe has been a hit and is now my go-to stuffing recipe. Enjoy! - Mike Genest, executive chef at the Hart House Restaurant on Deer Lake.
Mike Genest uses duck fat and hedgehog mushrooms in his stuffing recipe, which has become a hit with his family.
Photo by Jennifer Gauthier
Confit turkey and mushroom stuffing toasted hazelnuts, dried cranberries and fresh herbs
Stuffing
1 loaf of brioche, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 turkey leg and thigh
1 litre duck fat
5 pc celery, diced 1/2 inch
2 carrots diced 1/2 inch
1 onion diced 1/inch
250 grams of hedgehog mushrooms
5 cloves minced garlic
50 g picked thyme
50 g chopped sage
50 g chopped chives
150 g chopped toasted hazelnuts
150 g dried cranberries
1 L chicken or turkey stock
Method
Start with the turkey confit. Melt down the duck fat. Season the turkey with salt and pepper and pan sear the turkey until golden brown. Put the turkey in the pot and cover with melted duck fat. Cook for two to three hours at 300 F until the meat is falling off the bone. Pick the meat and set aside. Place the diced brioche on a sheet tray and lightly toast in a 350 F oven until golden brown.
In a large pot, add some of the reserved duck fat and sauté the onions celery and carrots until soft. Add the garlic, mushrooms and dried cranberries. Add the turkey stock and reduce by three-quarters. Add in the toasted hazelnuts, brioche and leg meat and stir until all the liquid is absorbed. Add the fresh herbs and season with salt and pepper.
Hot artichoke dip from Glenburn Soda's Robert La Quaglia
Roberta La Quaglia, owner, Glenburn Soda Fountain and Confectionery on Hastings Street, likes to have a collection of appies for Christmas dinner with her family.
Photo by Jennifer Gauthier
On Christmas Eve, our family likes to have a dinner of appetizers - dips, pickles, meats and cheeses. My kids love the opportunity to make little plates for themselves. We usually watch Christmas specials and enjoy the quiet before the storm of Christmas Day. This recipe uses some shortcuts - like pre-made Alfredo sauce and frozen, chopped spinach - not everything needs to be labour-intensive to be good! The dip ends of tasting like the ones we love having when we go out to eat, so it's a real treat to make it at home. This recipe makes a big dish of dip, so there will be plenty to go around. You can divide the dip into smaller portions and refrigerated until ready to heat in the oven. - Roberta La Quaglia, Glenburn Soda Fountain and Confectionery, Burnaby Heights.
Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip
4 cloves garlic
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (10 ounce) container Alfredo-style pasta sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Place garlic in a small baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 20 to 30 minutes, until soft.
Remove from heat. When cool enough to touch, squeeze softened garlic from skins.
In an eight-by-eight-inch baking dish, cream the roasted garlic with the cream cheese, add drained spinach, artichoke hearts, Alfredo-style pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until cheeses are melted and bubbly. Serve warm with chips or veggies.
Maple glazed yams from Angie Cordoni at the Posh Pantry
Angie Cordoni, of the Posh Pantry on Hastings Street, always makes maple-glazed yams for Christmas.
Photo by Jennifer Gauthier
This dish is a staple in our house at the holidays. - Angie Cordoni, Posh Pantry.
Maple Glazed Yams
4 Lbs of yams cut into 1/2 inch circles
1/2 cup of pure, maple syrup
8 tbsp of butter (1 stick cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
1/3 cup of flour
1/3 cup of packed brown sugar
1/2 cup of coarsely chopped pecans
Boil the yams for about four minutes, drain and rinse in cold water. Arrange yams in pan. Pour maple syrup over with 3 tbsp of butter. Cover and bake until almost tender (15 mins). Mix flour and brown sugar in medium bowl. Add remaining 5 tbsp of butter and run in with fingers. Mix in pecans and sprinkle over yams. Bake for another 20 minutes, cool and let stand at room temperature. Can be made two hours ahead.
Christmas Spice rub from John Garrett, Horizons Restaurant's executive chef
Every Christmas, John Garrett, executive chef at Horizons Restaurant, shares his special spice mix with family and friends.
Photo by Larry Wright
One Christmas several years ago, I made a big batch of this tasty spice rub and gave it out to my friends and family as gifts. It was a huge hit. They loved it so much they requested it again the next year. It's now become a family tradition, and I have been giving it out every Christmas since! I originally developed this versatile spice rub for the restaurant. It is in my cookbook and still used today in many Horizons recipes. It's a very flavorful curry style spice rub with a fair amount of heat. It's super easy to prepare and stores for a long time. Use it as a rub for meats, poultry or fish, seasoning for soups and pasta sauces, or pretty much anything you can think of. - John Garrett, executive chef, Horizons Restaurant on Burnaby Mountain.
Chef John's Christmas Spice Rub
Makes 1 1/2 cups (360 ml)
1/2 cup cumin seeds (120 ml)
1/2 cup coriander seeds (120 ml)
1 tbsp black peppercorns (15 ml)
2 tbsp dried red chili flakes (30 ml)
2 tbsp fennel seeds (30 ml)
1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds (15 ml)
2 tbsp fenugreek (30 ml)
2 tbsp ground turmeric (30 ml)
1 tsp pasilla chili powder (5 ml)
Combine all ingredients except turmeric and chili powder and toast lightly over medium heat in a dry fry pan, for a few minutes, just until fragrant. Allow to cool and grind using an electric coffee bean or spice grinder. Mix in the turmeric and pasilla chili powder. Store as you would any dry spice, covered tightly in a cool dark place.
Shortbread from The Pear Tree's Scott Jaeger
I am going to go with Stephanie's great grandmothers short bread recipe. To me I just love it; it's Christmas. Whenever we go over to my wife's parents' house, it's the shortbread that's just a very family-style recipe. For me, working through Christmas, it's always about the restaurant, it's very polished, what we do. I enjoy family-cooked style at Christmas. - Scott Jaeger, chef at the Pear Tree in Burnaby Heights.
1 lb butter
1 cup berry sugar
Hi Jennifer
I am going to go with Stephanie's great grandmothers shortbread recipe
1 lb butter
1 cup berry sugar
4 cups of flour
Kneed all ingredients until dough forms crack, press into cookie sheet. Cut into squares, bake at 350 F until light brown.
Tzatziki from Sfinaki Greek Taverna
The Karass family at Sfinaki Greek Taverna uses this tzatziki recipe passed down from their Greek grandmother. Tzatziki goes with anything - pita bread, meat and roasted potatoes.
Photo by Larry Wright
At Sfinaki, it's all about our homemade recipes. We feel so fortunate to be both merchants and residents of the Heights - it's like our customers are eating right from our own kitchen and not just our business. Being Greek, Christmas is like every day - all about the food. Just as important as the food is what you dip it into. "Vouta" means "to dip." Vouta, to us, is the beginning, the middle and the end of each meal, and one of our most popular dips is tzatziki. Our grandmother Niki passed this recipe onto to our mom Panayota, and now we've inherited it! It's a never fail, which leaves you hoping that the bread supply will never end so you can "vouta." Traditionally, it's the pita bread you dunk into tzatziki, but at Christmas there are no rules - potatoes, chicken, kalamari - it's all fair game, and a refreshing condiment to almost anything! Happy "vouta" and Merry Christmas from all of us at Sfinaki Greek Taverna! - from Bia and Eva Karass, secretary and president of Sfinaki Greek Taverna in Burnaby Heights.
Tzatziki Recipe:
16 oz plain Greek yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely grated
pinch of salt
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
5 to 6 mint leaves, finely minced
fresh dill and parsley
Mamma Cioffi's Eggplant Parmigiana
Cioffis Cioffi brothers Sergio and Reno with their mom's eggplant parmigiana, an Italian classic.
Photo by Jennifer Gauthier
Slice two large eggplants lengthwise
Brush the eggplant with olive oil and grill at 400 degrees for approximately 10 minutes until slightly softened. Slice thin, large strips of mozzarella (large enough to cover each slice of eggplant).
Next make a batter by beating approximately 4 eggs with about 4 tbsp of flour or more making sure that the batter is still very watery. Take two pieces of eggplant strips and place a piece of mozzarella in the middle. Hold the eggplant on both sides so you don't lose the mozzarella and dip it in the batter so it's completely covered. Fry on both sides at a high heat in vegetable oil for one minute each side. Put them in a baking dish with tomato sauce on the bottom.
Completely cover with more tomato sauce, parmesan cheese and basil. Cover with tin foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Once the sauce begins to bubble they are ready.
Buon appetito!
