A number of years ago, a couple in North Tryon, PEI, began a high-bush blueberry U-pick. The berries are so easy to pick and the bushes are just laden with these huge plump blueberries. They are super yummy in Blueberry Muffins! Continue reading Blueberry Muffins
When I travel, I am often asked “when is the best time to visit Prince Edward Island?” Being an Islander who loves her home province, I admit to being somewhat biased (okay, ALOT biased) because anytime, in my opinion is a good time to be in PEI. However, if you are a foodie, then September on PEI is the special month for you! That’s when the bountiful diverse harvest from our land and sea come together for the month-long annual Fall Flavours Festival with dozens of food-related events, big and small, across this beautiful Island. This year’s Festival runs from September 5th -28th and it is chock-a-block full of food events and activities.
The Fall Flavours Festival began in 2008 as a 10-day project of the former Tourism Charlottetown group. According to Tracey Singleton, who was the Director of Marketing for Tourism Charlottetown at the time, the project had two objectives: 1) Capitalize on the growing trend of culinary tourism, and 2) extend the fall tourism season on PEI. Originators of the Festival had a clear vision for Fall Flavours: To create a fall culinary product that would highlight PEI’s key exports and drive tourism while establishing PEI as a culinary destination.
PEI has long been known for its fine foods, chief amongst them seafood and potatoes, as well as the Island hospitality…and oh, yes, the fabulous beaches that surround our Island. So, it’s a logical fit to combine our Island foods, culture, spectacular scenery, and hospitality into a month-long celebration. Some events, like the Lobster Party on the Beach held at Cedar Dunes Park in West Point, even include dining in a tent right on the beautiful sandy beach.
There is no doubt that Fall Flavours is a success story that has grown from a 10-day Festival to the month-long extravaganza it is today.
Singleton says, “PEI is becoming a Mecca for culinary tourism.”
When deciding what events will be part of Fall Flavours and what local foods will be profiled, organizers focus on the five key food exports of PEI – lobster, oysters, mussels, beef, and potatoes.
One of the biggest challenges for Fall Flavours organizers is how to keep the Festival fresh and not continually repeat the same events in the exact same way year after year with the same celebrity chefs. Some events remain so popular, however, that they do repeat yearly – for example, the Lobster Party on the Beach, Chef on Board, A Taste of the North Shore, and Toes, Taps, and Taters. To keep those events fresh, organizers change the menu, entertainment, and celebrity chef host so the event has a new look and feel each year. Chef Anna Olson, returning for her third year at the Fall Flavours Festival, enjoys the opportunity to return to PEI for the Festival each year to host different events. She says it keeps her creative, gives her the chance to connect with guests in different ways and to make connections with so many people on the Island, hear their stories and the inevitable recipe-sharing that happens, too.
New events are added annually, some are retired, and others are put on hiatus for a year or two. Some of the new events this year (2014) include Oysters on the Pier in Northport, Lamb Luau on the Beach at Crowbush, and Feast of the Fathers in Charlottetown to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference where the now famous Fathers of Confederation met to lay the groundwork for what would later become Canada. Savour Victoria is back after a year off in 2013. Look for other returning favorites such as The Great Grilled Cheese Challenge and Beef and Blues.
Organizers tell me that patrons to Fall Flavours events are about 50/50 Islanders and tourists. Tourists come for Fall Flavours events to taste great Island food, meet acclaimed celebrity chefs, and experience the Island culture and way of life. Many are repeat visitors year after year. According to Singleton whose company, Versatile Management Group Inc., is now the event organizer for the Festival, over 12,000 tickets were sold for Fall Flavours events in 2013, an increase of 16% in ticket sales from the previous year.
There are several different categories of events that form part of the Fall Flavours Festival – there are Signature Events, Culinary Events, Culinary Adventures, and Restaurant Dining. Each year, there are a certain number of events that are classed as “Signature Events” – in fact, this year, there are 11 of them. An event classed as “Signature” means it will feature a celebrity chef host from Food Network Canada. Many of the events are interactive with opportunities to meet and greet the celebrity chefs.
Most will also have a cooking demonstration by the celebrity chef host. If the chefs are also cookbook authors, their books will be available for sale onsite and there will be opportunities to have the books signed by the chefs. Making appearances at this year’s Fall Flavours Festival Signature Events are Food Network Canada Celebrity Chefs Lynn Crawford, Anna Olson, Corbin Torraszeski, Chuck Hughes, Michael Smith, Mark MacEwan, and Massimo Capra. It’s a star-studded line-up!
In addition to the Signature Events, there are a number of culinary events and culinary adventures happening across the Island in September. There is a wide range of activities to suit all tastes.
As Chef Olson says, “I think PEI has achieved the impossible: offering “something for everyone”! The range of events and locations makes this Festival a truly delicious testament to the spirit of PEI.”
Ticket sales are brisk for 2014 events, says Singleton. In fact, she says sales are up 100% over the same period last year and the Festival is still one month away. So, if you are interested in taking in any of the Fall Flavours events, best not delay getting your tickets. Many of the events sell out.
Prices for the signature events range from $19.00 + HST for The Great Island Grilled Cheese Challenge to $139. + HST for the gala Feast and Frolic dinner that is part of the Shellfish Festival. Prices for the culinary events and adventures vary in price. For a complete list of Fall Flavours activities and prices, visit their website at www.fallflavours.ca
Event organizers for Fall Flavours continue to amaze me each year with their creativity and attention to detail in carrying out the events. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for patrons this year. Whatever it is, I know it will exhibit the “WOW!” factor!
Click on the links below to read stories I have written in the past about individual Fall Flavours events:
PEI Shellfish Festival (2012):
Farm Day in the City (2012):
Savour Victoria (2012):
Toes, Taps, and Taters (2013)
Lobster Party on the Beach (2013)
Applelicious (2013)
The Great Island Grilled Cheese Challenge (2013)
Thank you for visiting “the Bistro” today. There are lots of ways to connect with “the Bistro” through social media:
Join My Island Bistro Kitchen on Facebook
Follow the Bistro’s tweets on twitter @PEIBistro
Find the Bistro on Pinterest at “Island Bistro Kitchen”
Follow along on Instagram at “peibistro”
It’s Food Day Canada today (August 2, 2014). This is a day to celebrate and enjoy all the great food that is grown, fished, or otherwise produced in Canada. Coming from Prince Edward Island, we are truly blessed with the abundance and variety of fresh food at our disposal. Continue reading A Prince Edward Island-Inspired Menu for Food Day Canada 2014
Hot, lazy days of summer always send me off looking for thirst-quenching cold drinks.
One of my favorites is old-fashioned homemade lemonade. It’s cool and refreshing. Continue reading Lemonade
It’s not often that I discover a new food on Prince Edward Island. Until recently, I had never heard of haskap berries and did not know that they were grown on PEI. Earlier this month, I travelled to Rollo Bay in the Eastern end of the Island to view a five-acre field of haskap bushes and to have a chat with the growers. This posting will also contain a recipe for Hascap Sauce.
Continue reading Caps off to Haskaps – A Trendy New Berry on PEI
Are you like me, favoring more casual dining in the summer – particularly on weekends? I’m a great fan of picnics. They lend themselves well to casual menus.
Today, on the picnic menu, I have focaccia rolls filled with slices of rotisserie chicken, Havarti cheese, tomato, and lettuce (recipe follows at end of post).
I added some sour cream and onion kettle chips, a blood orange lemonade, homemade chocolate chip cookies and oatcakes, and some fresh fruit and the menu was complete. This menu follows my standard template for a picnic: A main (the sandwich); snacks (kettle chips); a drink (the sparkling blood orange lemonade); dessert (cookies); and fruit (peaches, pears, and watermelon).
Whether I am dining inside or out, I still like to set a pretty table. My color theme for today’s picnic is primarily orange with lime green as the secondary color. I often use the fresh fruit as part of the centerpiece as I have done here.
I picked the bouquet of wildflowers along the PEI roadside on my way to my picnic destination – daisies, orange day lilies, mauve matrimony, and the last of the season’s purple lupins – pulling the colors from the plaid tablecloth.
Because I was just a short way from my picnic site, I didn’t need a cooler so I simply gathered everything together and put it in a large wicker basket. However, if you are traveling a distance or if it is going to be awhile before you eat, be sure to use a well-insulated cooler with ice packs to keep the perishable food and drinks cold.
I like to do as much prep work at home as possible so the food is ready to eat when I get to my picnic site. This also means I have less tools and equipment to take with me to do food prep work onsite.
Today’s picnic was comprised of all finger food so no utensils were required. I used my white plastic picnic plates and kept the setting simple and casual.
I wrapped each sandwich in brown parchment paper and tied it with string and a sprig of fresh thyme from our herb garden.
The brown parchment gives the country look and also functions as a convenient holder for the sandwich to keep the ingredients in place while eating.
The blood orange lemonade adds a nice rich color to the table as well as being a tasty beverage.
When choosing a color scheme, I recommend thinking of the colors in the food being served so that the whole setting is pleasing to the eye – like the green lettuce and napkins, the orange drink and tomato in the sandwiches and the colors of the tablecloth.
Dessert for a picnic does not need to be elaborate. Cookies are a traditional item on many picnics and are very easy to pack. Here I have packaged them in glassine bags.
Watermelon is always a hit at picnics (and it matched my color scheme, as a bonus)!
Tasty fare!
This was a very easy picnic to pull together on a warm summer’s day.
2 Focaccia rolls
1 Rotisserie Chicken Breast (white meat), thinly sliced
1 tomato, sliced
2 slices Havarti cheese
Lettuce
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp basil pesto
½ tsp. balsamic vinaigrette
Butter
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Slice Focaccia rolls in half, horizontally. Butter both sides of each roll.
In bowl, mix mayonnaise with pesto. Spread on both sides of each roll.
Lay a bed of lettuce on bottom half of each roll. Add a layer of sliced chicken. Season with salt and pepper.
Add one slice Havarti to each roll, then 1-2 slices of tomato. Drizzle a small amount (⅛ – ¼ tsp) balsamic vinaigrette over tomato slices.
Top with another layer of lettuce and place tops of each roll on the sandwiches. Leave sandwiches whole or slice diagonally, as desired.
Yield: 2 servings
Thank you for visiting “the Bistro” today. There are lots of ways to connect with “the Bistro” through social media:
Join My Island Bistro Kitchen on Facebook
Follow the Bistro’s tweets on twitter @PEIBistro
Find the Bistro on Pinterest at “Island Bistro Kitchen”
Follow along on Instagram at “peibistro”
We all know that over-fishing, not using environmentally-responsible fishing methods, and not taking good care of our waterways will one day lead to a depletion of seafood. In partnership with Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise program and SeaChoice, along with a number of other companies, the Chefs for Oceans campaign has been established to support sustainable seafood so we will have seafood for generations to come.
A celebrity chef from Vancouver, BC, is on a 10-week cycling adventure across Canada this summer to promote this campaign by raising awareness of the importance and necessity of healthy oceans, lakes, and rivers and by garnering support for sustainable seafood from coast to coast.
Chef Ned Bell, Executive Chef at Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver, began his cycling journey in St. John’s, NL, on July 1st and he will complete his tour in Vancouver, on September 11th. To promote the sustainable seafood movement, he stops and cooks enroute, holding signature events, like the one I attended at the Inn at Bay Fortune, PEI, on July 15th.
Partnering with five local chefs, including well-known celebrity chef, Michael Smith, a beautiful five-course dinner was prepared featuring seafood.
The evening began with a wine bar featuring wine from the Okanagan region. This was paired with PEI Colville Bay Oysters from nearby Souris West. Served with Bloody Mary Ice, these were an immediate hit!
Chef Michael was kept busy shucking oysters.
But the option was there for anyone who wanted to try their hand at shucking their own oyster.
Perhaps a touch of Northern Divine Cavair might go well with a Colville Bay Oyster!
After a few brief remarks from the celebrity chefs, dinner was served in a charming country inn that overlooks Bay Fortune in the beautiful countryside of Eastern Kings County, PEI.
The menu:
The first course was prepared by Chef Ned and featured smoked BC Sturgeon with pickled baby vegetables and a vanilla bean emulsion.
This was followed by a delectable Lobster Mussel Chowder prepared by the Inn’s current chef, Dana Wood.
A dollop of caviar served table side by Chef Ned set this chowder off!
The third course, prepared by Chef Dom Serio, was Arctic Char enhanced by cured pickled blueberries, blueberry beer, citrus cream, and bagel.
Chef Michael Smith prepared the fourth course of Farm-raised Halibut. He paired the Halibut with red lentil fritters, mustard greens, littleneck clam broth, linguica sausage, lovage, black garlic and dulse.
And, for the grande finalé, Chef Shane Bauer prepared Strawberry Shortcake with almond meringues, madeleines, fresh PEI strawberries, and garden mint.
This was a menu guaranteed to make any seafood lover’s mouth water!
So, Canadians, when you see the combination of this van……
and this guy on a bike, you know Chef Ned Bell is on his cross-Canada cycling mission to support sustainable seafood.
For a complete list of the stops Chef Ned Bell is making and the events he is holding on his cross-country cycling tour, visit the Chefs for Oceans website.
———————
Thank you for visiting “the Bistro” today. There are lots of ways to connect with “the Bistro” through social media:
Join My Island Bistro Kitchen on Facebook
Follow the Bistro’s tweets on twitter @PEIBistro
Find the Bistro on Pinterest at “Island Bistro Kitchen”
Follow along on Instagram at “peibistro”
There is nothing more plain yet more tasty, in my opinion, than a good old-fashioned brownie. One of the best things about brownies is that they don’t take any ingredients that most bakers are unlikely to have in their cupboards. That means they can be whipped up fairly quickly without a lot of advance planning and a trip to the supermarket. They can also be eaten plain or dolled up with a dob of icing and a piece of maraschino cherry or they can be iced all over. Continue reading Old-fashioned Brownies – A Perennial Favorite
Happy Birthday, Canada!
On PEI, Canada Day heralds the true beginning of the summer season. Once Canada Day celebrations are underway, Islanders are in summer mode.
Once again, this year, we are celebrating Canada Day with a picnic. I have chosen a beach location on the Island’s south shore. Beaches on the south side of the PEI commonly have more red sand than those on the north side which tend to have sand in a more pale pink color.
Picnics are a great way to engage in casual dining. However, that doesn’t mean a pleasing setting can’t happen.
In honor of the colors of the Canadian flag, I have chosen a red and white theme for today’s picnic. Yes, my choice of foods is even red!
On today’s picnic menu:
I love my antique picnic basket with its red and white gingham liner. A red and white checked cloth sets the stage for the picnic lunch.
One of the things I like to do in preparation for a picnic is to wrap the utensils and drinking straws inside the napkins and place them in the glasses. They are quick and easy to pull out of the picnic basket and I’m sure not to forget utensils and napkins when I do this prep work before leaving the house.
Non-breakable dinnerware has come a long way. The white plates have the china look but are really just lightweight, unbreakable dinnerware from a dollar store. Regardless the venue, food always looks appetizing on white plates.
While I normally like my lobster rolls with little else but the lobster and mayonnaise and maybe some celery, I did jazz these up a bit. I added pineapple and avocado and used a citrus aioli to hold the ingredients together.
The rolls came from Mary’s Bake Shoppe in Kensington, PEI. For these rolls, I wanted ones that would hold together and had a nice texture and flavour. These certainly met the challenge on that front. I sprinkled each roll with a few sprigs of microgreens we’ve been growing along with some fresh chives from our herb garden. A tasty coleslaw and some potato chips rounded out the main course.
For dessert, I was looking for something that was easily portable and tasty.
Hand pies are a common picnic food because they hold together and pack well and you don’t need plates or utensils for them. These tasty treats combine two complimentary flavors – rhubarb and strawberry – encased in a flaky pastry. Add some fresh fruit, such as apples, and your favorite beverage, and the picnic fare is complete.
And this was the view from our dining spot on the beach.
Better eat our lobster rolls before these guys decide to fly on over and join us for our picnic!
I hope you have enjoyed a glimpse into our Canada Day picnic in PEI.
There is nothing like homemade relish, all natural and no preservatives. Today, I am sharing my recipe for Rhubarb Relish which makes good use of the fresh rhubarb when it is in season. Continue reading Rhubarb Relish
Because of the ongoing issue I have been having for some time with the volume of spam subscribers to my food blog, I have decided to remove the “Subscribe to this Blog” feature. This means that, for those of you who have subscribed to my blog, you will no longer receive an email notification each time I publish a posting (i.e., a story or recipe) to my food blog. As a result, upon posting this notice, I will be deleting the entire subscription list and will not be keeping any list of subscribers names and/or their email addresses.
This does not affect my continued publishing to my blog. What it does mean for regular followers and others interested in the content of my blog is that I will encourage them to use any or all of the following means to stay connected to My Island Bistro Kitchen food blog.
1) Bookmark “My Island Bistro Kitchen” in your Internet browser and check the site regularly for new stories.
2) Click “Like” on the Facebook page for My Island Bistro Kitchen at www.facebook.com/MyIslandBistroKitchen. Each time that I publish a new posting to my blog, you will find the notification and link to the story posted on my Facebook page.
3) Follow me on twitter @PEIBistro – www.twitter.com/PEIBistro. I also put links to new stories published to my blog on this twitter account.
You can also find me on Pinterest at “Island Bistro Kitchen” – http://pinterest.com/peibistro
And, you can follow me on Instagram: www.instragram.com/peibistro
While I regret having to make the decision to remove the “Subscription” option, it has become more vexing and time-consuming to deal with spam subscriptions. In fact, it takes time away from my producing content for my food blog which is my primary interest.
If, at some point in time, I find a permanent fix for eliminating spam subscribers, I may re-open the subscription option. If that happens, I will put a notification on my blog and interested persons would need to subscribe, or re-subscribe, and provide consent to receiving email notifications from My Island Bistro Kitchen.
Summertime means lots of fresh salads. I like to make my own vinaigrettes, like this Rhubarb Vinaigrette, because they are not full of preservatives and they are easy to make. Continue reading Rhubarb Vinaigrette
We are blessed with well-producing rhubarb in our backyard garden. The photo below is of two crowns of German Wine Rhubarb I started several years ago so it is quite a mature patch now. It has very deep ruby-red stalks. The patch graces us with a steady supply of rhubarb for fresh usage and for freezing. It also allows me to create all kinds of recipes featuring rhubarb like today’s for Rhubarb and Orange Muffins. Continue reading Rhubarb and Orange Muffins
Rhubarb Custard Torte is one of my all-time favorite desserts and it is simply sublime! It makes a lovely springtime treat when the fresh rhubarb is available but can also be made with frozen rhubarb and enjoyed year-round.
Continue reading Rhubarb Custard Torte
Do you have certain foods you like to have in the different seasons? One of the springtime treats in my house is asparagus.
Asparagus is a very versatile vegetable and one of the first available in spring in our Maritime climate. Asparagus is lovely served with a Hollandaise sauce, in a quiche, wrapped with goat cheese in proscuitto and roasted, or in a myriad of other ways. One of my favorite ways to serve asparagus is as a Roasted Cream of Asparagus Soup. I like to roast the asparagus first as I find the roasting brings out the nutty, earthy flavors in the asparagus. Continue reading Cream of Roasted Asparagus Soup
Today, I am sharing a new recipe for pork chops. In addition to PEI pork, I am also featuring two other PEI products, both from J.J. Stewart Foods and Soda Company, in Stratford. The first is a new preserve flavor — Cranberry Champagne with Crystallized Ginger — and the second is from their maple mustard line.
This is a very easy recipe to make and does not take a lot of time to prepare. It is essentially pan-fried pork chops with a pan reduction sauce made with chicken stock, orange juice, mustard, and the preserves. This recipe is easily doubled.
Ingredients:
2 pork chops, fat removed
2 tsp olive oil
½ cup chicken broth
2 tbsp orange juice
1½ tsp balsamic vinegar (I used Liquid Gold’s Grapefruit Balsamic Vinegar)
3 tbsp J. J. Stewart’s Cranberry Champagne with Crystallized Ginger Preserve
1 tbsp J.J. Stewart’s Dill and Chardonnay Maple Mustard
¼ tsp onion
⅛ tsp garlic powder
Method:
Assemble ingredients.
Over medium heat, add 2 tsp olive oil to small frypan. Add pork chops and cook, turning once until cooked to desired doneness. Remove chops from pan and transfer to oven-proof covered dish. Place pork chops in oven set at very low temperature, just enough to keep them warm while preparing sauce.
Add the chicken broth, orange juice, and balsamic vinegar to frypan. Over medium heat, cook liquid (uncovered) until it reduces to about half.
Whisk in the mustard along with the garlic and onion powders until mixture is smooth.
Whisk in the preserves. Cook until mixture becomes the consistency of syrup.
Return the pork chops to the frypan and heat for about 1 minute, turning the chops at half-time to glaze both sides.
Serve hot with the cranberry-ginger sauce mixture drizzled over top of each pork chop. Serve with potato or rice and your favorite vegetable(s).
Serves: 2
Note: Other brands of preserves, mustard, and balsamic vinegar may be used in this recipe; however, flavor will differ.
You may also like this pork chop recipe from My Island Bistro Kitchen:
Pork Chops with Bread Stuffing and Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Thank you for visiting “the Bistro” today.
There are lots of ways to connect with “the Bistro” through social media:
Join My Island Bistro Kitchen on Facebook
Follow the Bistro’s tweets on twitter @PEIBistro
Find the Bistro on Pinterest at “Island Bistro Kitchen”
Follow along on Instagram at “peibistro”
While Mother’s Day is over, I thought I would share some photos from my Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea. We celebrated pretty much the whole weekend. On Saturday, I made and decorated this ruffle cake. Doesn’t it remind you of the old-fashioned ribbon candy that used to be so popular around Christmas time.
I don’t tend to use this method of decorating often because it takes a powerful amount of icing…surely enough to set anyone on a sugar high for days! However, it is a real feminine cake style so it is perfect for Mother’s Day. The photos are showing the color of the icing quite a bit deeper than it was in reality.
My tea this afternoon is really simple. Just the cake and a good cup of “brew”. I don’t worry too much about having everything perfectly matched. Part of the eclectic charm of afternoon tea is having a mixture of china cups and saucers, plates, and teapot. This teapot is a new acquisition to my collection. So long as the colors blend together, they work.
This is a Sadler teapot. I like its “perky” shape and simplistic floral design.
A cut slice of cake reveals just how much icing is on that cake!
A nice sweet treat in the middle of a Saturday afternoon!
Good thing there is a huge pot of tea to go with all that icing!
Thank you for visiting “the Bistro” today.
There are lots of ways to connect with “the Bistro” through social media:
Join My Island Bistro Kitchen on Facebook
Follow the Bistro’s tweets on twitter @PEIBistro
Find the Bistro on Pinterest at “Island Bistro Kitchen”
Follow along on Instagram at “peibistro”
A very happy Mother’s Day to all Moms out there! I hope you are having a wonderful day and are getting thoroughly spoiled.
Today, I am sharing my recipe for Lobster Eggs Benedict with a delicious Béarnise sauce. This makes a wonderful brunch entrée and is also perfect for a Mother’s Day breakfast in bed tray although it does take some time and organization to prepare.
Here, on Canada’s East Coast, we are extremely blessed to have ready access to fresh lobster this time of the year. In fact, in many Island families today, they will be celebrating with lobster (many having their first “feed” of the season), whether it be lobster at home or at one of the Island’s famous lobster suppers that open early just for the occasion today. They will then close and re-open for the season in a few weeks time.
I have gone with a yellow theme for the breakfast in bed tray using, as my inspiration, a single yellow tulip and my favorite spring-time china cup and saucer featuring daffodils.
I chose a dainty crystal glass for the freshly-squeezed orange juice.
A refreshing fruit cup with orange sections and raspberries adds both color and flavor.
And, of course, the star of the tray – the Lobster Eggs Benedict served on Ciabatta.
Can you taste that succulent lobster? The Béarnise Sauce is rich so you don’t need a lot of it on each serving and using less is more in this case because you don’t want to “drown” or mask the wonderful color of the red lobster claws!
The Bistro’s Lobster Eggs Benedict
Ingredients:
1 tbsp water
½ tbsp balsamic vinegar (I used Liquid Gold’s pomegranate-quince)
½ tbsp white wine
½ tbsp minced onion
⅛ tsp puréed garlic
1 extra-large egg yolk
½ tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp prepared mustard (I used J.J. Stewart’s Maple Mustard with Dill and Chardonnay)
2 tbsp butter, melted
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sprinkle of chopped chives, parsley, and tarragon
1-2 lobster claws and meat from the lobster’s knuckles for each serving
English muffins or artisan bread, such as Ciabatta, sliced for each serving
Method:
Assemble ingredients.
In bottom of double boiler, heat about 2” water to boiling point. Reduce heat to keep the water at a very gentle simmer.
In top of double boiler and over direct heat (not on top of the boiling water), combine first five ingredients. Simmer over medium heat until mixture is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
Place top of double boiler over saucepan of gently simmering hot water.
Quickly whisk in the egg yolk and whisk vigorously and continuously till smooth. Whisk in lemon juice and mustard. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Whisk until mixture is just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (you want it of pouring consistency). Remove from heat and add a sprinkle of chopped chives, parsley, and tarragon.
Note: If mixture thickens too much, whisk in small amount of boiling water, 1 tbsp at a time, to get to pouring sauce consistency.
In small saucepan or frypan, heat ½ – 1 tbsp butter and heat lobster over low heat.
Using your favourite method, poach 1 egg to desired doneness for each serving.
To assemble:
Slice English muffin, or if using an artisan bread like Ciabatta, cut loaf into desired lengths (e.g., 3”- 4” per serving) and slice in half horizontally, using one-half for each serving. Butter each piece. Lay a layer of lettuce on each piece of bread or muffin. Add the warmed sautéed lobster.
Top with the poached egg.
Drizzle Bérnaise Sauce over each serving. Serve with a side of green salad or fresh fruit.
Serves: 2
Thank you for visiting “the Bistro” today.
There are lots of ways to connect with “the Bistro” through social media:
Join My Island Bistro Kitchen on Facebook
Follow the Bistro’s tweets on twitter @PEIBistro
Find the Bistro on Pinterest at “Island Bistro Kitchen”
Follow along on Instagram at “peibistro”
Tonight, I have some mouth-watering photos for you featuring one of PEI’s most famous foods (and certainly one of my favorites) — lobster!
It’s always exciting when a new eatery opens in town. I was fortunate enough to have been invited to this evening’s pre-opening event for Charlottetown’s newest restaurant featuring lobster rolls and tacos.
I thought you might be interested in seeing the photos of lobster rolls and tacos from Dave’s Lobster in Charlottetown, PEI (now stop drooling on the keyboard and read on!).
Let’s take a look at the menu boards. Main features are lobster rolls (both hot and cold) and lobster tacos.
However, if you are not a lobster lover, they offer grilled cheese sandwiches using local COWS Creamery cheeses.
One thing I always look for in a lobster roll is lots of big chunks of identifiable lobster (I loathe “mashed” or shredded lobster). As you can see from the “Fancy Lobster Roll” below, there is no problem with identifying the lobster. The roll was amply filled, too. The other thing I look for is how much non-lobster filler has been added to the lobster roll. This one was filled with 100% pure, fresh lobster and nothing else. The chopped fresh chives really add a contrast color and make the orange color of the lobster pop. I had the warm lobster in a roll that was lightly grilled and quite enjoyed it. This is a bit of a switch for me since I always choose to eat my lobster cold.
Staff were kept busy making the lobster rolls and tacos, all under the watchful eye of Chef Ilona Daniel who owner, Dave Hyndman, engaged as a culinary consultant on his new restaurant.
If lobster rolls aren’t your thing, perhaps a lobster taco would fit the bill!
So, if your tastebuds lead you to craving lobster, why not head on down to Dave’s Lobster located in Founder’s Hall, 6 Prince Street, just off of Water Street, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. This is in the same building that houses the PEI Visitor’s Centre and is just steps away from Peake’s Quay and the cruise ship port.
While there is a small eat-in section at Dave’s, eating a lobster roll outside under the bright red umbrellas on a warm summer day would be ideal.
Do you have a new restaurant opening or a culinary event happening in Prince Edward Island? If so, and provided it fits with the philosophy and theme of my blog, I invite you to get in touch with me as I may be able to feature it here on my Island food blog.
Thank you for visiting “the Bistro” today.
There are lots of ways to connect with “the Bistro” through social media:
Join My Island Bistro Kitchen on Facebook
Follow the Bistro’s tweets on twitter @PEIBistro
Find the Bistro on Pinterest at “Island Bistro Kitchen”
Follow along on Instagram at “peibistro”
You may know these as Matrimonial Squares. I have always known them as Date Squares. Regardless what they are called, they are tasty. Growing up, Date Squares were pretty much a staple in our household. They are a good, wholesome square made with a tasty date mixture sandwiched between two layers of a rolled oats, flour, and butter mixture. While these squares can be made with margarine, they are ever so much better when made with butter! I add a touch of orange rind to my recipe as it gives them a nice tangy taste.
Ingredients:
12 oz dates, chopped
1 cup boiling water
3 tbsp boiling orange juice
3 tbsp brown sugar
1½ tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp almond flavouring
1⅔ cups rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup + 2 tbsp flour
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
Scant 1 tbsp grated orange rind
1 cup cold butter
Method:
Assemble ingredients.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line 9” square pan with parchment paper.
In saucepan, combine dates, boiling water and orange juice, and brown sugar. Let stand 15 minutes.
Over medium-low heat, bring date mixture to a boil and boil gently, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens, about 3-5 minutes. If mixture thickens too fast, add a couple of tablespoons of water, one tablespoon at a time.
Remove from heat and add vanilla and almond flavouring. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, soda, salt, and grated orange rind.
Cut, or grate, in the cold butter until mixture becomes coarse crumbs.
Press between a scant ⅔ of the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the slightly cooled date mixture over crumb base. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over date filling.
Bake until crumbs are golden, about 25 – 30 minutes.
Let cool completely in pan on wire rack. Remove from pan and cut into squares.
Joining the Facebook page for My Island Bistro Kitchen: https://www.facebook.com/MyIslandBistroKitchen/
Following “the Bistro” on “X” (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/PEIBistro/
Seeing the drool-worthy gallery of mouth-watering food photos from My Island Bistro Kitchen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peibistro/
Following “the Bistro” on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.ca/peibistro/
Yield: One 9x9 pan of squares
[Copyright My Island Bistro Kitchen]
