Month: March 2013

Cooking with Winsome Episode – #6

Posted on by Winsome

episode-6Gluten Free Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Today I am with Chef Edrian Lejano of Bistro Narra join us as we prepare a honey-herb glazed chicken breast, apple quinoa salad with green bean and tomato sauté.

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Fresh Herb and Honey Glaze
  • 1/4tsp chopped rosemary
  • 1/4tsp chopped flat parsley
  • 1/4tsp chopped thyme
  • 100g honey
  • 200ml chicken stock/water
  • To taste salt and pepper
  • 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Boil together then simmer to reach syrup consistency.

 

Quinoa Salad
  • 1pc golden deliscious apple
  • 1pc onions, caramelized
  • 1cup quinoa
  1. dice apple and put it into cold water with lemon juice
  2. sliced oinion And cook in olive oil unti caramelized then set aside
  3. Boil quinoa in 21/2cup of boiling water with a pinch of salt
  4. Mix everything together to make salad and set aside

 

Finishing
  • Blanch green beans
  • Diced tomatoes discard the seeds

Heat up olive oil and toss beans and tomato in it.  season it once heated up

Boneless chicken breast

Pan seared the chicken, and put it in the oven  at 300F for 12mins or until desired donness

Heat up all the sides and plate it

 

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Edrian Lejano

Head Chef at Bistro Narra

Started working at Apricot Tree in 1996. Became Chef in 2000.

Became Head Chef at Bistro Narra in 2011.

 

Bistro Narra
3030 Thomas Street
Unit A 404
Mississauga
L5M0R4

www.bistronarra.com

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Cooking with Winsome Episode – #5

Posted on by Winsome

episode-5Gluten Free Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Today I am with Franz Hochholdinger Owner and Operator of Apricot Tree Café and Bistro Narra preparing a delicious Gluten Free Chocolate Raspberry Cake

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Sponge
  • 175g Semi Sweet Chocolate
  • 125 g Butter
  • 6 Eggs
  • 100 g Sugar
  1. Melt chocolate together with butter over double boiler
  2. Separate 4 eggs
  3. Whip egg yolks together with 2 whole eggs and 80 g Sugar until very creamy
  4. Whip egg whites together with the remaining sugar until firm
  5. Add 1/3 of yolk mixture to the chocolate mix and combine.
  6. Once incorporated add remaining yolk mixture and combine
  7. Fold in whipped egg whites
  8. Pour into spring mold and bake at 300F for about 35 minutes and let cool

 

Chocolate Ganache
  • 300 ml whipping Cream
  • 300 g Semi sweet or bitter sweet chocolate
  • 2 ½ baskets of fresh raspberries
  1. Bring whipping cream to boil and pour over chocolate
  2. Stir occasionally and let cool

 

Finishing
  • Remove sponge from the spring mold and place sponge onto a tray
  • Put mold back over the sponge
  • Cover sponge with raspberries and pour ganache over it and let chill
  • Once chilled remove from mold and cover with chocolate shavings and garnish with fresh raspberries

 

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Franz Hochholdinger

Franz HochholdingerOwner and Operator of Apricot Tree Café and Bistro Narra

Born in Austria, finished apprentice ship as Confectioner and baker, worked in several Hotels in Austria and Switzerland before coming to Toronto to work at Movenpick for 4 years.

Opened Apricot Tree Café in 1993 and Bistro Narra in 2010

Appricot Tree Café is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

We will be offering specials throughout the year starting in March already.

It could include 2 for 1 dinner on some nights, special priced cakes on other days and so on. Special offers will be posted on our website well in advance.

Crepe Fest will start at Apricot Tree Café on March

Apricot Tree Café

1900 Dundas Street West

Mississauga,ON

L5K1P9

905-855-1470

www.apricottreecafe.com

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Cooking with Winsome Episode – #4

Posted on by Winsome

Cooking with Winsome - Episode 4

Seared Ahi Tuna

Today I join Chef Michael Nezny of Chop Steakhouse & Bar, we will be preparing Seared Ahi Tuna.
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Tuna Salad Recipe
  • 2oz Butter Leaf Lettuce, sliced 1″ x 2″, clean & cored
  • ½oz Pea Shoots
  • 3oz Tuna Tataki Slices, Season tuna with salt and pepper, sear in a hot pan with canola oil; chill and slice thinly
  • ¼” Slices, Roma Tomato
  • ¼” English Cucumber Slices – halved
  • 2fl oz Wasabi Lime Dressing
  • 2 fl oz Minted Mushroom Salad
  • ¼ox Pickled Ginger
  • ½ tsp Wasabi Paste

 

Minted Mushroom Salad
  • 4oz Mature Mushrooms
  • 4oz Portobello Mushrooms, sliced ⅛”
  • 1 tsp Minced Shallots
  • 1 fl oz Canola Oil
  • 1 fl oz White Wine
  • 2 fl oz Wasabi Lime Dressing
  • ½oz Mint Leaf Chiffonade
  1. Heat up saute pan really hot, add the oil and when it starts smoking add the shallots and toss to sweat (about 30 seconds).
  2. Add both mushrooms and continue to just sweat the mushrooms for 1 minute or so. After about 1 minute, deglaze pan with white wine and reduce by half.
  3. Add the Wasabi dressing and toss to coat.
  4. Chill in refridgerator before adding to salad

 

Wasabi Lime Dressing
  • 3 fl oz Rice Vinegar
  • ½ tsp Wasabi Paste
  • ½oz Peeled Fresh Ginger Minced
  • 4 fl oz Honey
  • 1 tbsp Fresh Chopped Parsley (by hand)
  • 1 tsp Lime Juice
  • 1 fl oz Soya Sauce
  • 1 tsp Table Salt
  • 3 fl oz Sesame Oil
  • 5 fl oz Canola Oil
  1. Add the vinegar and Wasabi in blender or food processer and blend until all Wasabi is incorporated.
  2. Add everything else except canola & sesame oil. Blend ingredients until combined.
  3. Slowly add the canola and sesame oil with a stream the thickness of a pen while blending constantly until all is used. This will result in an emulsified dressing.

 

Assembly

To plate dish, dress butter leaf lettuce with wasabi lime dressing right before serving, add minted Mushroom salad to plate and garnish salad with sliced tomatoes, cucumber, pea shoots, pickled ginger and a few dots of wasabi paste.

Thinly slice seared tuna and place on top of salad.

Garnish with toasted sesame seeds (optional)

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Chef Michael Nezny

Chef Nezny attained his Red Seal certification at the young age of 22 years. In 2006, he accepted a position with the prestigious Fairmount Chateau Lake Louise as Outlet Chef becoming not only the youngest Outlet Chef in the storied brand’s history but also being responsible for one of the busiest food and beverage divisions for Fairmont in the world.

Driven by a passion for high volume, superior food quality operations, the growing Chop Steakhouse & Bar brand was an obvious fit. Chef Nezny became a Senior Chef for Chop in 2010, where he travelled the country and managed the national culinary program.

Today, he has found his home in Toronto as Chef and Operating Partner of the first Chop location in Eastern Canada.

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