Recipes From the Chefs at EAT! Vancouver

Slow Cooked Halibut, Brown Butter Hollandaise, Grilled Asparagus by Trevor Bird, Fable Kitchen

Hollandaise sauce

• 8 egg yolks
• 40 g reduction (see below)
• 125 g water
• 500 g Brown Butter or any fat (olive oil etc)
• 4 g salt

• 20 g lemon juice

Method

1. Place yolks, reduction, water in a bowl and cook over an open flame of high, whisking constantly until a thick sabayon is achieved.
2. Emulsify in olive oil, season with salt and lemon juice.

Yield 1L

Reduction

• 1 L white wine vinegar
• 1 shallot
• 5 sprigs tarragon

Slow cooked halibut

• 4 X150g halibut
• Pinch salt
• 50 g olive oil

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 225ºF (very low heat).
• Season halibut with salt and olive oil.
• Cook halibut for 15 minutes until it’s just falling apart when you push on it with your finger.

Grilled asparagus

• 2 bunches asparagus
• 50 ml olive oil
• large pinch salt

METHOD

• Preheat a grill or BBQ. Season asparagus heavily with salt and oil, put on grill on high heat for 5 minutes till charred and bright green. Remove.
• To complete the dish, place asparagus down on plate. Put halibut on top of asparagus and cover in as much hollandaise as you like.

Serves 4-6

SEE THE CHEF

Dinner Series: Join chef Trevor Bird of Vancouver’s Fable Kitchen as he reunites with Carl Heinrich (Richmond Station) of Top Chef Canada fame.

Fable Kitchen Restaurant (1944 W. 4^th Ave.), Wednesday, April 29: 7 p.m. ($135 plus tax)

Talk & Taste Master Classes: Join Chef Trevor Bird as he discusses the inspiration behind his dish.

BC Place, May 2, 3:00 to 3:30 p.m.

Passion Fruit Tart by Jackie Kai Ellis, Beaucoup Bakery

INGREDIENTS

• 3 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp passion fruit purée (we use Boiron brand)
• 1/2 cup half and half cream
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 vanilla beans, scraped of seeds
• 2 tbsp butter, cold
• 6 pre-baked tart shells
• 1/2 cup segmented oranges, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup sugar for the brulée (we use raw sugar)
• Edible flowers for decoration

METHOD

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Be careful not to do this too much in advance or the salt and sugar will “cook” the yolks.
2. In a medium pot, combine the passion fruit purée, cream and vanilla bean husks and heat them gently on medium heat until just under a boil. 
3. While whisking constantly, add the hot milk mixture in a thin, slow stream to the eggs, ensuring to mix well. Once all the milk has been added, pour back into the original pot and cook on medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens and it just comes to a boil. Take off the heat and continue whisking for another minute to finish cooking.
4. Place the cooked pastry cream through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Add the butter and mix until well incorporated.
5. Cool in the refrigerator with plastic wrap placed right on the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming.
6. Once cool, fill the tart shells halfway with the cream, add some orange segments and top with more cream until the tart shell is full and level.
7. Can be refrigerated for a few hours at this point.
8. When ready to serve, sprinkle with sugar and brulée the tops with a torch or a broiler on high.
9. Decorate with edible flowers

Makes six 3.5” tarts

SEE THE CHEF

Baking at Home with Jackie Kai Ellis: Join Jackie Kai Ellis in her home kitchen as she shares her favourite dessert recipes using local and seasonal ingredients for entertaining.

Jackie’s Home Kitchen (Kitsilano), Sunday, April 1, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ($65 plus tax)

Pastry Tasting & Panel Discussion: Join Vancouver’s most notable pastry chefs, Thomas Haas (Thomas Haas Fine Chocolates), Christophe Bonzon (Chez Christophe Chocolaterie Patisserie), Adam Chandler (Beta 5 Chocolates) and Jackie Kai Ellis (Beaucoup Bakery), in a discussion on the art and science of sweets.

Pinnacle Vancouver Harbourfront Hotel (1133 W. Hastings St.), Wednesday, April 29, 2015, 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. ($45 plus tax)

Celebrity Chef Throwdown: Celebrity chefs Jackie Kai Ellis (Beaucoup Bakery), Anna Olson (Host on Food Network) and Jonathan Chovancek (Café Medina) face off in a fun, fast-paced culinary fight to the finish, moderated by two-time reigning champion Rob Feenie (Cactus Club Café).

BC Place: Friday, May 1, 8 p.m. (Free; included in general admission ticket)

Classic Lemon Cranberry Scones with Lemon Glaze by Anna Olson

Scones

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• ½ cup whipping cream
• ¼ cup 2% milk, plus extra for brushing
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

Glaze

• 1 cup icing sugar, sifted
• 1½ Tbsp lemon juice

method

1. Preheat the oven to 375 °F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the lemon zest.  Cut in the butter until the mixture is rough and crumbly but small pieces of butter are still visible.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the cream, milk, egg and vanilla together. Add this to the flour mixture and stir to just bring the dough together, turning out onto a work surface to complete bringing it together with your hands. Flatten the dough out and press the cranberries into the dough, folding it over and flattening it out a few times to incorporate the cranberries.
4. Shape the dough into a disc about 10-inches across. Cut the disc into eight wedges and place them on the prepared baking tray, leaving a few inches between them.  Brush the scones with a little milk and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the scones are lightly browned on top. Cool completely before glazing. For the glaze, whisk the icing sugar and lemon juice together and drizzle over the scones using the whisk or a fork.  Let the glaze set for an hour before serving.

The scones are best enjoyed the day they are baked.
Makes 8 large scones

SEE THE CHEF

Celebrity Chef Stage: Join Chef Anna Olson as she cooks up a storm on the Celebrity Chef Stage.

BC Place: Friday, May 1, 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.; Saturday, May 2, 12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m. (Free; included in general admission ticket)

Celebrity Chef Throwdown: Celebrity chefs Jackie Kai Ellis (Beaucoup Bakery), Anna Olson (Host on Food Network) and Jonathan Chovancek (Café Medina) face off in a fun, fast-paced culinary fight to the finish, moderated by two-time reigning champion Rob Feenie (Cactus Club Café).

BC Place: Friday, May 1, 8 p.m. (Free; included in general admission ticket)

EAT! VIP Experience: A small number of participants will have the chance to interact with their celebrity chef favourites.

BC Place: May 1 to 3

Dinner Series: Vancouver’s Dirty Apron Cooking School welcomes special guests, Food Network star Anna Olson and Vancouver’s own baking queen, Jackie Kai Ellis, for a hands-on baking demonstration followed by a sit-down dinner.

Dirty Apron Cooking School (540 Beatty St.), Saturday, May 2, 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. ($195 plus tax)

Asian Sloppy Joes With Cabbage-Cilantro Slaw by Rob Feenie, Cactus Club

When I think of sloppy joes, those ground beef sandwiches I remember eating as a kid, it reminds me of my mom preparing Hamburger Helper (yes, that’s right, I’ve had it a few times). The key to her version was a soft bun and a drippy grey meat mix – nothing more.

This updated recipe is an Asian version made using both pork and beef. The key is to buy soft buns and warm them – in the oven if it’s already on, or in the microwave for 10 seconds – to soften them up. If you don’t want to make sloppy joes, use this recipe with pasta for an Asian-style spaghetti or serve it with mashed potatoes as a main course. Remember to pour off all the fat from the meat before adding the liquids.

CABBAGE-CILANTRO SLAW

• 2 cups shredded green cabbage
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• Juice of 1 lime (about 1 Tbsp)
• 2 Tbsp grapeseed oil

METHOD

1. Combine cabbage and cilantro in a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together rice vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice and grapeseed oil.
3. Just before serving, pour the vinaigrette over the cabbage mixture and toss lightly.

Slaw will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for two days.

SLOPPY JOES

• 2 Tbp grapeseed oil
• 2 red oinions, in ¼ inch dice (about 2 cups)
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 2 ribs celery, in ¼ inch dice (about ¾ cup)
• 1 Tbsp sambal oelek or any hot sauce of your choice
• 1 lb extra-lean ground beef
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 cup hoisin sauce
• 1 cup chopped fresh or canned Roma tomatoes
• Juice of 1 lime (about 1 Tbsp)
• 2 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 6 Portuguese buns or any other bun of your choice

Method

1. Heat a large, heavy frying pan on medium-high. Add grapeseed oil and swirl the pan to spread the oil.
2. Add onions, garlic, ginger, celery, and sambal oelek and sauté, stirring often, until onions are translucent, about five minutes.
3. Add ground beef and ground pork and use a wooden spoon to break meat into small pieces. Cook, stirring frequently, until meat is no longer pink, six to eight minutes. Pour off and discard any fat from the meat.
4. Add hoisin sauce, tomatoes and lime juice, then season with salt and pepper.
5. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Cut the buns in half, place them on a baking sheet and warm for two minutes, or until very lightly toasted.
7. Arrange the bottom halves of the buns on individual plates. Spoon about 2/3 cup of the sloppy joe mixture on top of each bun, then cover with 2 to 3 Tbsp of cabbage- cilantro slaw.
8. Finish with the top halves of the buns. Serve immediately.

Refrigerate leftover meat and slaw, separately, in airtight containers for up to two days.

Serves 6 to 8

SEE THE CHEF

Celebrity Chef Throwdown: Celebrity chefs Jackie Kai Ellis (Beaucoup Bakery), Anna Olson (Host on Food Network) and Jonathan Chovancek (Café Medina) face off in a fun, fast-paced culinary fight to the finish, moderated by two-time reigning champion Rob Feenie (Cactus Club Café).

BC Place: Friday, May 1, 8 p.m. (Free; included in general admission ticket)

Celebrity Chef Stage: Join Chef Rob Feenie as he cooks up a storm on the Celebrity Chef Stage.

BC Place: Friday, May 1, 6:45 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, May 2, 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. (Free; included in general admission ticket)

Charred Pepper Vinegar by Jonathan Chovancek, Executive Chef of Café Medina & Co-proprietor, Bittered Sling Bitters

This is a great way to reuse the bits of fruit and vegetable skins from the summer. You can substitute the pepper scraps with cherries, corn or grapes to make great tasting vinegars.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup roasted pepper skins and flesh
• 1 Tbsp vinegar mother
• 4 Tbsp unpasteurized honey
• 4 cups H20

1. Place the roasted pepper skins in a 1 L sanitized Mason jar.
2. Add the vinegar mother saved from a previous batch of vinegar or from a bottle of purchased raw vinegar.
3. Combine the honey with the water and fill the jar leaving 1.5 cm of space at the top of the jar.
4. Use a jar ring to fasten a square swatch of cheesecloth over the mouth of the jar.
5. Place in a safe place out of direct sunlight and allow to rest and culture over one to two weeks.
6. Stir periodically, once a day. You may notice a raft forming on top of the vinegar, this is the cellulose and acetic acid bacteria and this is the fantastic mother which is now changing your pepper water into a delicious vinegar.
7. Stir the mother back into the jar and continue the fermentation process.
8. After two weeks, strain the whole ingredients from the jar through cheesecloth into a sanitized jar or bottle.
9. Use a ph kit to determine if the ph is between three and four. If you need to continue to lower the ph with longer fermentation, cover the top of the jar with cheesecloth and ferment for another week.
10. If you have a great tasting, sharp and acid vinegar you can now use it or seal in the bottle and allow to age in a dark cupboard for two to six months to develop the flavour. It will keep indefinitely in a dark, cool place.

SEE THE CHEF

Fermentation Master Class: Jonathan Chovancek, Executive Chef of Café Medina and co-proprietor of Bittered Sling Extracts, will guide participants through a master class on fermentation — an age-old food preservation technique used by cultures around the world, is now making a comeback in modern Western cuisine.

Café Medina (780 Richards St.): Monday, April 27, 7-9 p.m. ($45 plus tax)

Celebrity Chef Throwdown: Celebrity chefs Jackie Kai Ellis (Beaucoup Bakery), Anna Olson (Host on Food Network) and Jonathan Chovancek (Café Medina) face off in a fun, fast-paced culinary fight to the finish, moderated by two-time reigning champion Rob Feenie (Cactus Club Café).

BC Place: Friday, May 1, 8 p.m. (Free; included in general admission ticket)

Talk & Taste Master Classes: Join Chef Jonathan Chovancek as he discusses the inspiration behind his dish.

BC Place: Friday, May 1, 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. ($7 plus tax)

CHARCUT Share Burger with Quebec Cheese Curds by Connie DeSousa of CHARCUT Roast House

Sliders

• 1 lb ground pork shoulder
• 1 garlic bulb, roasted (see method below)
• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 2 tsp white wine
• 2 gr sugar
• 5 gr kosher salt
• 1 gr ground coriander
• 1 gr ground white pepper
• 1 gr garlic powder
• 1 gr cracked pepper
• 0.5 gr ground mace
• 0.5 gr ground all spice
• 2 cups cheese curds
• 4 farm fresh eggs
• 4 Sesame Burger Buns
• Maldon Salt for finishing

Garlic Method

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF
2. Cut the top 1/3 of the garlic bulb off to expose the cloves.
3. Place the bulb on a square sheet of aluminum foil, large enough to wrap around the bulb.
4. Drizzle the olive oil over top the bulb and season with salt & pepper
5. Wrap the bulb in the foil to form a little pouch and bake for 25 min. or until the garlic cloves become soft and tender
6. Remove garlic from the oven and carefully open up the top of the pouch. Allow to cool.

Burger Method

1. Pre-heat grill to medium-high.
2. Chill the bowl and paddle of a stand mixer in the refrigerator for 20 min.
3. Add the pork to the bowl with the spices, sugar and salt.
4. Mix on low until spices are incorporated.
5. Turn mixer to med-high speed and slowly pour in the white wine.
6. Mix on med-high speed for an additional two minutes or until the meat becomes tacky and sticks to the sides of the bowl.
7. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
8. Form the sausage mixture into one large ¼” thick patty. Place the patty on the parchment paper. 
9. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in the refrigerator.
10. Cut the burger buns in half and lightly butter both cut sides of each bun.
11. Place the burger patty on the grill.
12. Allow to cook for about eight minutes and flip the burger.
13. The burger is finished when the internal temperature reaches 155ºF or when the juices run clear. 
14. Remove and top the burger with the cheese curds and move the burger to a cooler part of the grill to allow the cheese to melt. (Closing the lid of the bbq will help with this.)
15. While the cheese is melting, heat two tbs of olive oil in a large non-stick fry pan over med-low heat.
16. Crack the four eggs into the pre-heated fry pan and slowly cook until the egg whites solidify but the yolks still runny (AKA, sunny-side up).
17. Place the burger buns, cut side down, on the grill for about 30 seconds.
18. Remove the burger buns and place them on one side of a large platter.
19. Place the burger patty next to the buns and slide the eggs out of the pan and on top of the burger patty. Sprinkle the egg yolks with Maldon Salt.
20. Serve with a pie spatula to cut the burger.
21. Enjoy!

Makes 4 servings

SEE THE CHEF

Dinner Series: Dine with chefs Connie DeSousa of CHARCUT Roast House and Jessica Pelland of Charbar, and Andrea Carlson of Burdock and Co.

Burdock and Co. (2702 Main St.), Tuesday, April 28: seatings at 5:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. ($135 plus tax)

Hospitality Symposium: Panel 4 ‘Beyond the Chop’

Pinnacle Vancouver Harbourfront Hotel (1133 W Hastings Street), Wednesday, April 29, 2:30 to 3:45 p.m.

Canadian Flavours Gala: Enjoy an evening with chefs from some of Canada’s finest restaurants showcasing delicious bites of Canadian cuisine paired with new spring releases from the Naramata Bench Wineries Association.

Terminal City Club (837 W Hastings Street), Thursday, April 30, 7:00 to 9:30 p.m.

Miang by Angus An, Maenam

Miang sauce Part 1

• 4 slices galangal, roasted on grill
• large pinch of salt
• 3 bird’s eye chilies
• 1 tablespoon gapi
• 1 tablespoon dried prawns
• 1 tablespoons peanuts, roasted

Miang sauce Part 2

• 1 cup palm sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 4 tablespoon fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons tamarind water

METHOD

1. With a mortar and pestle, pound all of the step one ingredients until they form a paste.
2. In a separate pot, simmer the palm sugar with water until it thickens slightly but is not caramelized.
3. Add the fish sauce and tamarind.
4. Stir in the paste from step one that and cook for a few minutes until the galangal is aromatic.
5. Remove from heat and keep sauce in fridge until needed.

Miang garnish

• 1 tablespoon coconut, grated and toasted
• 1 teaspoon limes, diced
• 1 tablespoon ginger, diced
• 2 tablespoon shallots, diced
• coriander leaves
• 1 bird’s eye chili, finely sliced
• 1 tablespoon pomelo pulp
• 5-6 betal leaves
• 2 tablespoons of the dressing

Mix all the dry garnishes together, then spoon over small amounts of the dressing to bind it. Do not over-dress. Spoon a large scoop of the dressed garnish into the center of each betal leaf. Serve as is, or top with a grilled prawn.

SEE THE CHEF

Dinner Series: Dine with chef Nick Li