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TWICE-BAKED SOUFFLÉS WITH TAPENADE & GOAT CHEESE

Although these soufflés aren’t quite as airy as those baked at the last minute, neither are they as stressful. Ours can be made well ahead and will puff up satisfactorily after just a few minutes in the oven (crank up the oven temp and bake the soufflés while the pork is resting). We’ve topped them with goat cheese and a zippy tomato-olive mixture, but other combos work well—try shredded cheddar and a fruit chutney, or curls of smoked salmon and crème fraîche—or team them with bacon or sausage for brunch.

SOUFFLÉS

Softened unsalted butter for greasing

¼ cup (60 mL) finely grated Parmesan cheese 3 tbsp (45 mL) unsalted butter

¼ cup (60 mL) all-purpose flour

1 cup (250 mL) whole milk (3.25%)

1 tbsp (15 mL) smooth Dijon mustard

½ tsp (2 mL) dried herbes de Provence

¼ tsp (1 mL) kosher salt

¼ tsp (1 mL) freshly ground black pepper 4 egg yolks

5 egg whites

TAPENADE TOPPING

½ cup (125 mL) seeded, finely chopped tomatoes, preferably a mix of yellow and red

½ cup (125 mL) pitted Kalamata olives, finely chopped

1 tbsp (15 mL) drained and rinsed capers, finely chopped

1 tsp (5 mL) minced fresh oregano leaves

½ tsp (2 mL) finely grated lemon zest

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 oz (85 g) soft goat cheese, crumbled

Oregano sprigs for garnish 1 Butter six 1-cup (250-mL) ramekins. Sprinkle Parmesan evenly among ramekins, then rotate ramekins to coat bases and sides lightly with Parmesan. Place ramekins in a large shallow roasting pan and set aside.

2 In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

3 Remove saucepan from heat and gradually whisk in milk until well combined and mixture is smooth. Return saucepan to medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is bubbly, thickened and smooth, about 2 minutes. Whisk in mustard, herbs, salt and pepper.

4 Remove saucepan from heat, scrape mixture into a large bowl and let cool completely, whisking occasionally. Whisk in egg yolks, 1 at a time.

5 Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Boil a kettle of water.

6 In a large, grease-free bowl, whisk egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Stir about one-quarter of egg whites into egg-yolk mixture to lighten it. Gradually fold in remaining egg whites, one-third at a time, until no white streaks remain.

7 Spoon soufflé mixture into prepared ramekins, dividing evenly (ramekins will be very full). Pull out oven rack and set roasting pan containing ramekins on rack. Pour boiling water from kettle into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins, taking care not to splash water on soufflé mixture. Carefully slide oven rack back into oven. Cook soufflés until they are well risen and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

8 Remove ramekins from roasting pan, set on a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Run a palette knife around 1 soufflé to loosen it. Turn it out onto your clean palm, then invert onto a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet so top of soufflé is uppermost. Repeat with remaining soufflés. Let cool to room temperature. (Soufflés will deflate as they cool, but don’t panic.)

9 To store soufflés, place them in a single layer in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Or loosely cover baking sheet with plastic wrap and freeze until soufflés are solid. Pack frozen soufflés in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw frozen soufflés on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet in refrigerator overnight before proceeding with recipe. 10 For topping, stir together tomatoes, olives, capers, oregano, lemon zest and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Set aside at room temperature.

11 To serve, adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Bake soufflés on parchment-paper-lined baking sheet until hot throughout, about 15 minutes.

12 Place soufflés on individual plates and top each with goat cheese, dividing evenly. Spoon tomato mixture on top of each soufflé. Garnish with oregano and serve at once.

Serves 6

SMOKY ROAST PORK LOIN WITH HONEY GLAZE

Smokiness, heat and a touch of sweetness combine in this juicy pork roast. A double pork loin roast consists of two pieces of loin tied into a neat roast with string. If your nonstick skillet doesn’t have an ovenproof handle, wrap the handle tightly in a double layer of foil.

1 large orange

8 cups (2 L) cold water

½ cup (125 mL) granulated sugar

½ cup (125 mL) kosher salt

2 bushy stalks thyme

2 bay leaves

1 boneless centre-cut double pork loin roast, about 3 lbs (1.36 kg)

2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil, divided

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp (5 mL) smoked paprika

1 tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped thyme leaves 1 tsp (5 mL) minced drained canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce

Kitchen string

¼ cup (60 mL) liquid honey

2 cups (500 mL) low-sodium chicken stock ¼ cup (60 mL) whipping cream

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Thyme sprigs for garnish

1 With a small, sharp knife, pare two 2-inch (5-cm) strips of orange rind from orange, avoiding white pith. Set orange aside.

2 In a large bowl or Dutch oven, whisk together water, sugar, salt, thyme stalks, bay leaves and strips of orange rind, until sugar and salt dissolve.

3 Snip strings tying pork together and separate the 2 halves of roast. Add both pieces of pork to bowl, making sure they are submerged (if not, add more water). Cover and set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.

4 Meanwhile, grate remaining orange zest from orange into a small bowl. Squeeze juice from orange into a separate small bowl and set aside.

5 In a large ovenproof nonstick skillet, heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until shallot is softened but not browned, about 3 minutes.

6 Stir in garlic and smoked paprika. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove skillet from heat and scrape shallot mixture into a small bowl. Wipe out skillet and set aside but do not wash.

7 Stir reserved grated orange zest, chopped thyme and chipotle into shallot mixture. Let cool completely.

8 Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).

9 Drain and rinse pork, discarding liquid and flavourings. Spread half of shallot mixture over flat side of one-half of pork. Place other half of pork on top to reassemble roast and tie tightly in several places with kitchen string. Pat pork roast dry with paper towels.

10 In same skillet, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add pork and brown on all sides, including both ends, 12 to 18 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Remove pork to a plate and let cool slightly. Discard any fat in skillet and wipe out any burned bits.

11 Spread remaining shallot mixture over top and both ends of pork. Return pork to skillet and transfer skillet to oven. Roast, uncovered, for 45 minutes.

12 Meanwhile, whisk together honey and 2 tbsp (30 mL) of reserved orange juice. When pork has roasted 45 minutes, drizzle half of honey mixture over pork. Roast for 10 minutes. 13 Drizzle remaining honey mixture over pork and roast until a meat thermometer inserted in centre of pork registers 135°F (57°C) to 140°F (60°C), 10 to 15 minutes.

14 Wearing oven mitts to lift skillet, remove it from oven and transfer pork to a cutting board. Cover pork with foil and a clean bath towel. Let rest for at least 15 or up to 30 minutes.

15 While pork rests, still wearing oven mitts, place skillet over burner. Add chicken stock and remaining orange juice to skillet and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of skillet. Continue to boil, stirring often, until liquid has reduced and thickened slightly, 3 to 5 minutes.

16 Add cream and simmer until sauce has thickened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. Strain sauce into a pitcher.

17 Cut pork into slices and arrange on a serving platter. Drizzle some of sauce over pork, then garnish with thyme sprigs. Serve remaining sauce alongside pork.

Serves 6

STEAMED RAPINI WITH GREMOLATA BUTTER

The traditional topping for osso bucco adds punchy flavour to this simple side.

2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter, softened 1 tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped parsley

2 tsp (10 mL) finely grated lemon zest

1 tsp (5 mL) finely minced garlic

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 bunches rapini

1 In a small bowl, stir together butter, parsley, lemon zest, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

2 Trim stem ends from rapini and discard any wilted or damaged leaves. Cut remaining leaves and crowns from stems and set aside.

3 With a small paring knife, peel stems, then cut diagonally into ½-inch (1-cm) pieces.

4 Have ready a large bowl lined with a couple of sheets of paper towel. In a large steamer basket set over boiling water, steam rapini, covered, until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes.

5 With tongs, transfer rapini to paper-towellined bowl. Shake bowl gently to dry rapini. 6 Remove paper towel, leaving rapini in bowl. Add gremolata butter to bowl and toss gently to coat rapini. Transfer to a warm serving platter and serve at once.

Serves 6

RUSTIC ROOT MASH WITH SAGE-CHEDDAR TOPPING Don’t mash this combo of roots too smoothly: a little texture is a beautiful thing.

1 medium celery root (a.k.a. celeriac), about 1½ lbs (680 g)

4 medium parsnips, about 1 lb (455 g)

3 medium carrots, about 1 lb (455 g)

Kosher salt to taste

¼ cup (60 mL) unsalted butter, divided

1 cup (250 mL) panko crumbs

½ cup (125 mL) shredded old cheddar cheese 2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped fresh sage leaves Freshly ground black pepper to taste

¼ cup (60 mL) finely chopped chives

1 Peel and trim celery root, parsnips and carrots then cut into small chunks. In a large pot, combine vegetables with enough water to cover them. Add salt to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, until very tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

2 Meanwhile, melt half of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add panko crumbs and cook, stirring often, until crumbs are golden, about 3 minutes. Scrape crumbs into a medium bowl and let cool completely. Stir in cheddar, sage and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

3 When vegetables are ready, drain well and return them to pot over low heat, shaking pot to dry vegetables slightly. Add remaining butter to vegetables and mash roughly (the easiest way to do this is to beat them with a handheld electric mixer).

4 Stir in chives and season generously with salt and pepper. Scrape vegetables into a shallow 8-cup (2-L) ovenproof dish. Sprinkle evenly with crumb mixture. (Mash can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.)

5 When nearly ready to serve, preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 400°F (200°C) and bake until vegetables are bubbly and topping is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Serves 6