FORESTS

Elk Saltimbocca

Chef Alexander Svenne

Pineridge Hollow

Saltimbocca is an Italian appetizer traditionally made with veal scallops. Chef Alex has given it a Manitoba twist using elk and wild turkey. Note: You will need 8 wood skewers.

Ingredients
1 lb elk tenderloin
Salt & pepper
4 slices smoked wild turkey breast (any turkey will do)
8 sage leaves
1/4 lb sharp cheddar, cut into
8 matchstick pieces
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup white or red wine
Sage leaves, to garnish
1 Tbsp canola oil
Coarse salt, to garnish

Method
1. Slice tenderloin into 8 slices. Butterfly each slice.
2. Place a piece of plastic wrap over each slice and gently pound with a meat mallet until thin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. On each slice of elk, place half a slice of turkey. Trim turkey so it fits within the elk, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top each slice with a sage leaf and a piece of cheese.
4. Fold sides of elk in, then fold elk over the cheese making a small envelope. Secure fold with a skewer.
5. Boil balsamic vinegar and reduce to half a cup. Add wine and reduce again to half a cup.
6. In a hot frying pan, add oil. Fry sage leaves until crisp, sprinkle with salt. Set aside. In same pan, sear saltimbocca on all sides.
7. Drizzle plates with balsamic reduction and place two saltimbocca in centre of each. Garnish with fried sage leaves, yam mash and Crampton’s Manitoba wild plum jam.
Yield 4 servings

LAKES

Wild rice crêpes with smoked goldeye and caviar

by chefs Grant Mitchell & John Stupar
Nicolino’s

These crêpes are rich in taste and relatively easy to make. Planning ahead is the key, as crème fraîche cannot be rushed. The lime basil adds a strong lime scent.

Ingredients
Maple crème fraîche
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp buttermilk
2 Tbsp maple syrup
Wild rice crêpes
1/2 cup wild rice, rinsed
6 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups milk
4 oz butter, melted
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp lime basil
2 Tbsp olive oil
Goldeye filling
1 whole smoked goldeye
32 oz cream cheese
1 bunch fresh dill
Garnish
4 oz golden caviar

Method
Maple crème fraîche
1. In a small saucepan, combine buttermilk and heavy cream. Heat mixture to 110˚F.
2. Pour cream mixture into a container and cover with lid. Let stand at room temperature for at least 8 hours, but no more than 24.
3. When mixture has thickened, whisk in maple syrup and refrigerate an hour before use.

Wild rice crêpes
1. In a saucepan filled with three cups of water, bring wild rice to a boil. Rice will “crack” when done. Add water if necessary,
one quarter cup at a time. Strain.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and butter.
3. Into a second bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Gradually add dry ingredients to egg mixture, whisking continuously. Add lime basil and whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate one hour.
4. Add cooked wild rice to crêpe batter and mix well.
5. In a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and ladle approximately 1/4 cup of wild rice crêpe batter into pan, tilting and rotating the pan to create the circular shape of the crêpe. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Check often and flip when crêpe is golden colour. Repeat until batter is gone.
5. Let each crêpe cool separately or stack between paper towels.

Goldeye filling
1. Clean goldeye by gently removing skin from the fish; the meat should pull away from the spine with a little coaxing. Cut into ribbons that are 1/4-inch thick and 3 inches long.
2. With wine glass (or anything with a 2-inch diameter) cut four small circles out of each crêpe, discarding scraps.
3. Hold mini-crêpe in the palm of your hand and spread cream cheese down the middle.
Place sliced goldeye and a sprig of fresh dill in the middle and fold gently in half. For presentation purposes have goldeye and dill emerging from the top. Arrange thoughtfully on plate or platter.
4. With maple crème fraîche, make small pools, approximately the size of a nickel around stuffed crêpes.
5. Place a half teaspoon of golden caviar on top of maple crème fraiche.

Yield 10 crêpes or 40 mini-crêpes

LAKES

Golden caviar with wild sockeye salmon tartare

by Chef Terry Gereta
Fusion Grill

While it sounds very highbrow, tartare just means any dish featuring a raw ingredient. Chef Terry uses wild sockeye salmon because of its firm flesh and deep red colour but any raw, fresh salmon can be used.

Ingredients
Crème fraîche
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 Tbsp 3% buttermilk
Lobster oil
Shells from 2 lobsters
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 tsp tomato paste
1 1/2 cups canola oil
Sockeye tartare
3 oz fresh sockeye salmon, diced
1/2 tsp prepared horseradish
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp chopped fresh dill
1/4 tsp mayonnaise
Potato
1 russet potato, sliced thinly lengthwise
1 Tbsp canola oil
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Garnish
2 Tbsp golden caviar
Fresh chives & dill

Method
Crème fraîche
1. Combine whipping cream and buttermilk. Cover with cheesecloth and leave at room temperature for 8-24 hours, until the thickness is that of underwhipped whipped cream. Stir well, cover tightly and refrigerate for up to ten days.
Lobster oil
1. Lightly oil and season lobster shells. Bake in a 350˚F oven for about 20 minutes for raw shells and 5 minutes for cooked shells. Remove shells from oven, cool, crush in a cloth with a hammer.
2. Place crushed shells, tomato paste and canola oil in a small saucepan. Warm on medium heat for 10 minutes. Place entire mixture in fridge and steep for 24 hours.
3. Strain mixture through a cheesecloth. Let stand for 20 minutes. Separate oil from liquid. Reserve oil for service.
Potato
1. Lay the sliced potatoes on a work surface. Oil and season with salt and pepper.
2. Grill potatoes over hot coals or on barbecue until potato is cooked, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from grill. Place on paper towel to soak up excess oil. Cool and reserve for service.
Salmon tartare
1. Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for 4 hours.

To serve
1. Roll each potato slice into a cylinder shape and place on a refrigerated plate in log house style. Place salmon tartare on top of potatoes. Top with crème fraîche and caviar. Garnish with chives and dill. Dot the plate with lobster oil.

Yield 1 serving

PRAIRIES

wild rice polenta & portobello ragoût

by Chef Barry Saunders
Green Gates

Ragoût traditionally refers to a rich French stew of meat or vegetables. This one uses large crimini mushrooms which have a dense, meaty flavour.

Ingredients
Polenta
1 L water
2 tsp salt
1 cup white cornmeal (you can substitute yellow or blue cornmeal)
1/2 cup cooked wild rice
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup grated parmesan
Portobello ragoût
1 Tbsp butter
2 shallots, finely diced
2 portobello mushrooms, diced
1/4 cup Cabernet
8 roasted garlic cloves
1 oz pine nuts
1 tsp fresh marjoram
Chile oil
1 cup peanut oil
1 Tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp chile flakes
2 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp garlic
Black peppercorns, to taste
Balsamic Syrup
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
Garnish
4 oz spinach leaves, sautéed
4 slices roasted red pepper
6 oz chèvre

Method
Polenta
1. In a saucepan, bring water to a boil with salt. Add cornmeal. On low heat stir constantly for 15-20 minutes. Add cooked wild rice, butter and parmesan.
2. Spread warm polenta mixture onto a sheet pan and cool. Cut in four using a 4-inch ring cutter.
3. To re-warm, bake in 350˚F oven for 10 minutes.

Portobello ragoût
1. In a saucepan, melt butter. Add shallots and portobello mushrooms and sauté.
3. Stir in Cabernet and cook until almost all the wine is absorbed into the mushrooms.
4. Add garlic, pine nuts, marjoram.

Chile oil
1. In a heavy saucepan, combine all ingredients and steep for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
2. Strain mixture using a cheese cloth or coffee filter.

Balsamic syrup
1. In a heavy saucepan, combine ingredients and reduce by half.

To serve
1. Place one piece of polenta in centre of each plate. Stack sautéed spinach, roasted red peppers on top. Spoon ragoût over peppers. Top with crumbled chèvre. Drizzle stack with chile oil and balsamic syrup. Garnish with deep-fried julienned leek.

Yield 4 servings

Wetlands

Soup with northern pike and manitoba morel dumplings

by Chef Craig Guenther
Blaze Bistro

The goldeye marinade used here is available at seafood stores and gives the fish a deep red colour. Note: If you don’t have a smoker you can use a tinfoil-lined pan placed on a rack in your barbecue. Heat the bottom of the pan until it smokes. Place the fish on a rack above the pan and close lid.

Ingredients
Northern pike dumplings
1 Tbsp butter
3.5 oz chopped fresh morels (reduce by half if using dried)
1 small red pepper, finely diced
1 small yellow pepper, finely diced
1 small red onion, finely diced
7 oz pike fillets, boneless
1 egg
2 Tbsp soft butter
1 oz whipping cream
2 Tbsp chopped dill
Saffron broth
2 L water
1 lb pike trim (unusable pieces of pike including bones)
2 cloves garlic
1 large shallot
3 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
7 saffron leaves
Salt, to taste

Smoked northern pike
2 Tbsp goldeye marinade powder
1/4 cup water
2 pike fillets, cleaned and deboned
Smoke mixture
1/2 cup alder wood shavings (any type of smoking wood will do, ie. hickory, mesquite)
1/2 cup wild rice
1 cinnamon stick broken into four pieces
3 orange tea bags

Vegetable garnish
4-8 asparagus tips, cleaned and blanched
4 pieces fresh morels, blanched
1 small red pepper, finely diced
1 small yellow pepper, finely diced
1 small bunch fresh chives, finely chopped

Method
Saffron broth
1. In a small soup pot, add cold water, pike trim, garlic, shallot, saffron and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and let simmer for 45 minutes. Strain to remove solids. Season with salt. Set aside and keep warm.
Northern pike dumplings
1. In a saucepan, melt butter and sauté vegetables until tender. Set aside to chill.
2. In a food processor, pulse the pike until it forms a soft mass. Blend in egg, soft butter and cream. Season with salt.
2. Form vegetables and processed pike together into dumplings.
3. In boiling water, poach dumplings (they will float to the top when done). Chill dumplings and set aside.

Smoked northern pike
1. Combine the goldeye marinade and water together. Be careful not to spill because it will stain anything it touches.
2. Dip the fillets into the marinade for one minute.
3. Combine all other ingredients for smoking in a smoker. Smoke for 25 minutes. Remove and chill. Slice pike.

To serve
1. Divide the vegetable garnish among the plates and top each with sliced pike. Top with warm dumplings and pour the hot broth on top.

Yield 4 servings

WETLANDS

Arctic char stuffed with northern pike mousseline

by Chef Ray Miller
Just Off Broadway

Mousseline is a mixture of ground meat or fish which is whipped with cream and egg whites.

Ingredients
Arctic Char
6 oz northern pike, skinned and boned
2 whole eggs
1.5 fl oz 33% cream
Pinch salt
Pinch freshly ground white pepper
2 (6 oz) fillets fresh arctic char, skinned and boned, sliced in half lengthwise
Champagne beurre blanc
2 Tbsp shallots
6 Tbsp chilled butter, divided
2 cups Champagne
2 1/2 cups whipping cream
Salt and white pepper to taste
1 tsp thinly sliced basil
Garnish
Fresh basil
Golden caviar

Method
Arctic Char
1. In a food processor, add northern pike, eggs, cream, salt and pepper and purée until smooth to create mousseline.
2. Line four coffee cups or custard dishes with plastic wrap. Ring inside walls of each cup with one piece of char. Fill cup with the pike mousseline. Wrap the cup tightly with plastic wrap.
3. Place cups in a steamer for about 14 minutes. If you don’t have a steamer you could place cups in a heat proof pan filled with water 3/4 of the way up the sides of the cup. Cover with tin foil and bake in a 350˚F oven for 25 minutes. Leave covered until served.

Champagne beurre blanc
1. In a steel saucepan (do not use aluminum), on medium-high heat, sweat the shallots in one tablespoon of the butter. Do not allow to brown.
2. Add Champagne and reduce until almost dry.
3. Add whipping cream and carefully reduce volume by half.
4. Remove from heat and whisk in the remaining cold butter, one tablespoon at a time until incorporated and thick.
5. Season with salt and pepper. Add fresh basil.

To serve
1. Remove plastic wrap and tilt appetizer out of cup and onto the centre of the plate.
2. Top each with 1/4 cup of the beurre blanc. Garnish with fresh basil and golden caviar.

Yield 4 servings