Chipotle and lime prosciutto-wrapped prawns, from Cooking With Cory: Inspirational Recipes for the Fearless Cook.
Photograph by: ., WHITECAP BOOKS
Our B.C. authors have been busy simmering up new cookbooks this year, and today I offer tasty snapshots of four of them that would make good Christmas gifts for your favourite cook. Because we are into the party season, I've also included a snack/appetizer recipe from each book on page C3.
Go Nuts: Recipes That Really Shell Out
(Touchwood Editions, $19.95)
This 165-page book by cooking instructor and caterer Debbie Harding provides good information on storing nuts, but once you go through the recipes, I'm guessing you won't have to worry about doing that. In chapters such as breakfast, breads and baked goods, soups and sandwiches, main dishes, and decadent desserts and sweet treats, she uses the richness, texture and fine taste of nuts in some yummy creations. Some of those include pumpkin pecan pancakes, honey almond spread, sherried mushroom and chestnut soup, brie and walnut-stuffed figs, and Cajun almond shrimp. At the back of the book is a nut pairing guide, that will help you learn what food and beverages go well with each type of nut. The book also has information on toasting and blanching nuts, and tips on making nut butters. To learn more about Go Nuts, go to Harding's website, gonutscookbook.com.
Cooking With Cory: Inspirational Recipes for the Fearless Cook
(Whitecap Books, $29.95)
This book is by Kitimat-born Cory Parsons, who now calls Nanaimo home. Parsons enjoys eating and preparing fine food and exotic cuisines, but it took a life-challenging accident before he would showcase that in a book. At age 23, a diving accident left him a quadriplegic. After going through emotional and physical agony, he decided to return to his positive way of thinking and became an inspirational speaker to school students and others with disabilities. This fall, he also became a published cookbook author. This book offers fresh, modern recipes that will delight your dinner guests, such as grilled chipotle and lime prosciutto-wrapped prawns, halibut tacos with hot chili salsa and coconut chicken in a basil curry sauce. To learn more about this book, go to Parsons's website, thecoryparsonsproject.com
Fish On: Seafood Dishes That Make a Splash
(Touchwood Editions, $19.95)
The first thing that caught my eye about this book by Port Hardy-born Ingrid Baier was that the recipes use seafood harvested in B.C. These include salmon, halibut, rockfish, cod, prawns, mussels, clams, oysters, crab and scallops. The second thing that caught my eye was the wide range of cooking techniques she uses to prepare them, such as poaching, roasting, grilling and planking. Take that fresh seafood and those sound techniques and you won't be surprised that Baier ended up with a book filled with tasty dishes, such as crab bisque, tequila lime grilled halibut, drunken prawns en flambé, and tandoori salmon with mango chutney. The book is also rich with tips on handling seafood, from how to clean a Dungeness crab, to how to tell if that fish is fresh. To learn more about Fish On, go to touchwoodeditions.com.
In a Pinch: Effortless Cooking for Today's Gourmet
(Whitecap Books, $29.95)
This photo-rich, 204-page book is by Caren McSherry, a Global TV personality and hands-on owner of the Gourmet Warehouse in Vancouver, where she sells fine food products and kitchenware. She knows a ton about both, and in this book demonstrates her knowledge in simply delicious, restaurant-style dishes that won't take an entire kitchen team to prepare. This is the kind of book where you'll find yourself marking numerous pages of recipes you just have to try. I was eager to taste coconut prawns with plum dipping sauce, wasabi and panko-crusted halibut, crisp guacamole rolls and frozen marbled chocolate mousse.
Beyond great recipes, the book is also rich with useful culinary information, such as a section called 10 must-have ingredients, and another called 11 utensils I can't live without. To learn more about In a Pinch, go to gourmetwarehouse.ca.
Mexican Nut Mix
Double this one for the holiday party season. It also makes a delicious hostess gift. This recipe is from Debbie Harding's book Go Nuts.
Makes 6 cups (1.5 L).
3 cups whole blanched almonds
1 1/2 cups raw sunflower seeds
1 1/2 cups raw shelled pumpkin seeds
2 tsp garlic salt
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne
2 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp oregano
1 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/4 cup melted butter
Preheat the oven to 375º F (190º C) and prepare an oiled baking sheet.
In a large bowl, mix the nuts and seeds together. Whisk together the other ingredients; pour over the nut mixture and stir well. Spread nut mixture onto the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cool nuts on the pan on a rack, and then store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Salmon Fritters
Seafood fritters differ from other battered fish recipes only in the ratio of fish to batter. Instead of coating a large piece of raw fish with a thin layer of batter, to make a fritter, small bits of cooked fish are suspended within a seasoned batter, which is dropped by the spoonful into hot oil. You don't need much salmon for this recipe so it's handy if you only have a single leftover fillet to use up. This recipe is from Ingrid Baier's book Fish On.
Makes: 4 servings
1 cup (250 mL) flour
1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
* freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp (15 mL) canola oil
3/4 cup (185 mL) milk
2 eggs, separated into yolks and whites, divided
1 cup (250 mL) chopped, cooked salmon, chilled
1 jalapeno pepper, minced (optional)
1/4 cup (60 mL) minced red bell pepper
1/4 cup (60 mL) minced green onion
n canola oil for frying
In a medium mixing bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder, salt and pepper. In a second bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks, and then whisk in the one tablespoon canola oil and the milk. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (do not over-mix). Cover and refrigerate the batter for at least an hour.
Stir the salmon, peppers and green onion into the chilled batter. Set aside.
In a separate medium bowl, whip the egg whites into stiff peaks. Just before frying, fold them into the batter.
In a large frying pan (or use your deep fryer, paying close attention to the manufacturer's maximum fill line), heat canola oil on high until very hot (but not smoking). Drop tablespoonfuls (15 mL) of batter into the oil, cooking the fritters a few at a time (overloading your pan will reduce the temperature of the oil and the fritters will be oily), until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes (if not using a deep fryer, turn once halfway through cooking). Drain on paper towels and serve piping hot with fresh lemon wedges and coarsely ground sea salt.
Mini Lamb Burgers
Sliders (a.k.a. mini burgers) have become an obsession in most hip bistros and bars. They are cute, taste great and just slide down. Ground beef is a perfectly good alternative to ground lamb. This recipe is from Caren McSherry's book, In a Pinch.
Makes: 24 mini burgers.
Burger patties
1 lb. lean ground lamb
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
2 Tbsp chopped preserved lemon
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp chopped jalapeño
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
For the buns and toppings
24 mini burger buns (see Note)
1 cup onion jam (see Note)
1 heaping cup arugula or watercress
1 (14-oz.) jar fire-roasted red peppers, blotted dry
24 pitted green olives
24 decorative cocktail picks
Combine the ground lamb with the rest of the ingredients for the patties in a large bowl and mix well. Form into 2-inch (5-cm) patties and pan-fry or barbecue on both sides until cooked through.
Toast the hamburger buns until lightly golden brown; spread both sides with a good smear of onion jam, and then top each patty with a handful of the arugula (or watercress) and a strip of fire-roasted red pepper.
Sandwich it together, top with an olive and skewer with a decorative pick. Serve warm.
Note: Onion jam, which is available at most grocery stores, is just caramelized onions. It goes great on pizza, chicken breasts and these little sliders. The mini buns can be tricky to find, but many bakeries do make them to order.
You can also punch out 2-inch (5-cm) circles from regular buns.
Chipotle and Lime Prosciutto-Wrapped Prawns
Often the foods we consume are over-processed and their natural sweetness and flavour become lost. "Less is more" holds true in this recipe; it allows the wonderful flavours to come together, pure and simple. This recipe is from Cory Parsons's book, Cooking With Cory.
Makes: 12 prawns
1 Tbsp lime zest
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
12 large prawns, shelled and deveined
6 strips prosciutto, cut in half
In a small mixing bowl, combine the lime zest, lime juice, olive oil and chipotle powder until thoroughly incorporated. Place the prawns in the mixture and stir gently to make sure each piece is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Working with one at a time, wrap a half piece of prosciutto around each prawn and place on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Brush the remaining lime-chipotle mixture on the outside of the prosciutto-wrapped prawns.
Bake in the centre of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until the prawns are pink and the prosciutto is crisp.
Note: Hot paprika or dried chilies can be used instead of chipotle powder. If you like heat, simply add more powder.
Eric Akis is the author of the recently published Everyone Can Cook Slow Cooker Meals. His columns appear in Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist
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