Local chefs share some of their holiday favourites
Easter eats aren’t cancelled. Just the oversized family feasts are.
While we regrettably won’t be gathering together with all our loved ones amid physical distancing protocols due to COVID-19, that doesn’t mean we can’t whip up a little something delicious to mark the holiday in our own homes.
We asked a few Vancouver chefs and restaurant teams to share their favourite meaty mains to inspire your own Easter eats. Dining for one? Consider halving the recipe ... or make it in full and enjoy the leftovers during the week to come.
SLOW-ROASTED B.C. LAMB WITH PUMPKIN SEED CRUST, FORAGED MUSHROOM AND GREEN MOLE
Created by: Hawksworth Restaurant
■ 1 piece boneless lamb shoulder (ask your local butcher for a 3-ft piece of twine)
■ Preferred spice mix
1. Open the lamb shoulder onto a tray, pat dry with a paper towel and rub both sides with the spice mix, add a generous amount of kosher salt.
2. Roll the lamb back on to a log and tie with butchers twine to keep it secure. Let sit overnight. Take the lamb out of the fridge an hour in advance and preheat the oven to 325 F.
3. Rub the lamb all around with olive oil and place over a wired rack on a baking sheet or dish. Slow roast until the meat is tender enough that you can rip a piece with a fork.
4. Reserve dripping juices for the crushed potato (below), cover the lamb with foil and let sit until serving time.
Potatoes
■ 4 large Kennebec potatoes
■ Fresh rosemary, salt
Method
1. Pierce with a knife all around and bake at 375F for 90 min, then peel off the skin.
2. Add in lamb drippings and mash with a potato masher
3. Add salt and rosemary to taste
Mushrooms
■ 1 lb of morel mushrooms, clean and cut the stem off.
1. Roast with olive oil, thyme and crushed garlic.
Green mole
■ 1-2 cloves (4 g) garlic
■ 70 g (2 ½ oz) roasted poblano peppers (peeled and cored)
■ 15 g (½ oz) roasted jalapeno (peeled and cored)
■ 22 g (1 oz) scallion
■ 320 g (11 oz) tomatillo ( husk off)
■ 60 g (2 oz) cilantro
■ 150 g (5 oz) toasted pumpkin seed
■ 15 g (½ oz) salt
■ 3 g (1 tsp) cumin seed
■ 14 oz (410 ml) cold water
Method
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend at high speed until smooth.
Pumpkin seed crust
■ 2 cups (500 ml) pumpkin seeds
■ 1 lemon
■ Fresh chives
Method
1. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil at low heat until fragrant and lightly coloured. Season the seeds with salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Cool down on a tray and reserve. Add chives and salt to taste.
Garnish
1. Toss a bunch of scallions in oil and salt. Lightly grill and finish with lemon juice
To serve
1. Drizzle the lamb with some of its cooking liquid and cover with pumpkin seeds. Serve with crushed potato, roasted morel mushrooms and grilled scallions. Temper the green mole before serving and use as sauce.
Serves: 4 to 6
BEEF WELLINGTON
Created by: Chef Johann Caner of Feast, The Neighbourhood Table
■ 1.5 kg (3 lb) beef tenderloin (cleaned of all silver skin/fat)
■ 1 sheet thawed puff pastry
■ 1 egg yolk for egg wash Mushroom duxelle:
■ 1 lb (454 g) cremini mushrooms, diced small
■ 2 shallots, diced small
■ 4 garlic cloves, minced
■ Handful of thyme
■ Salt/pepper
■ 1 tbsp (15 ml) canola
Method
1. Preheat your oven to 450 F.
2. Sear beef tenderloin in a pan, you want all the sides to have a nice dark brown sear. Let sit and cool down. Once cooled, tightly wrap in plastic wrap. You want to make a cylinder. Roll from the bottom upwards and tie the ends to make a perfect circle. Place in freezer for 10 minutes. The key to this recipe is having everything be very cold.
3. To prepare the duxelle, sauté all the ingredients in a pan. Sauté until there is no more juices left from the mushrooms. This should take between 10-15 minutes. Once the juices are evaporated, place the duxelle on a sheet tray in the fridge until cold.
4. Lay the puff pastry out flat. Take the cooled mushroom duxelle and spread evenly all over the pastry. Remove tenderloin from the plastic wrap and place at the bottom edge closest to you. While keeping a tight pressure, roll upwards. We want to ensure there is no air pockets. Use egg wash to seal the edges.
5. Wrap the wrapped tenderloin in plastic wrap again. Make sure to wrap it tightly, freeze for another 15 minutes. Once ready to cook, remove from plastic wrap. Ensure the seam is on the bottom of the wellington. Score the pastry to make a design and brush with egg wash. Place in preheated oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes rotate, and decrease the oven temperature to 425F for 20-25 minutes, or until desired doneness. Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
Serves: 4