All posts by Dennis Green

Canadian Chef Dennis Green, a 20 year veteran of the Vancouver culinary community and author.
Recipes, Side dish, Vegetable, Vegetarian

Mashed carrots and parsnips

Nothing can be simpler or more tasty than sweet carrots and parsnips mashed together as an accompaniment to a simple meal. If you want to puree them instead of the more casual mash, that’s fine as well.

2 lb carrots, preferably a sweet variety like Nantes
2 lb parsnips
2 tbsp butter
salt

Wash and peel carrots and parsnips.
Cut roughly into 1 inch pieces and place in a saucepan, cover with cold water and add a healthy pinch of salt.
Bring up to a simmer, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes.
Drain, add butter, and mash together or puree, depending on the consistency you prefer.
Season to taste.

Dessert, Recipes

Chocolate Ganache Cake

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I bill this cake as the world’s largest ding dong. Layers of chocolate cake with cocoa whipped cream inside, all enrobed in dark chocolate ganache. Delicious! Assembly does take awhile, as you first need to slice the cake, place cream between the layers, allow it to set, and then begin the process of applying the ganache in a few thin base coats with a palette knife to provide a solid foundation for the final pour of ganache over top. Each thin layer of ganache must be allowed to set to fully allow the final coat to be flawless, but the results are amazing. I usually use about a third of the ganache in the base coats, placing the bowl over hot water in between coats to melt it again, and reserving 2/3 for the final pour over. The final pour should be done on a rack and what drips onto a parchment lined tray underneath can be deftly scooped into a piping bag to garnish the base, disguising any evidence of moving it off the rack.

1234 chocolate cake

1234 cake is one of the absolute staples of any chef’s repertoire. So named for the simple basic recipe, 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, and 4 eggs, it’s easy to remember and modify for any variety of uses.

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 350 F
Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and cocoa powder
Place butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream together until light, fluffy, and sugar is dissolved
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each, and vanilla
Add dry ingredients, alternating with milk in thirds, and mix until well combined.
Grease two 9 inch cake tins and divide batter evenly among them
Bake for 35 minutes, until puffed, firm in the center, and a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the center
Transfer to a rack to cool

Ganache

500 g 70% chocolate
500 ml whipping cream

Put 2 inches of water into a medium pot and bring up to a boil. Turn OFF
Place chopped chocolate in a mixing bowl
Bring cream up to a boil and pour over chocolate
Place bowl over hot water, and allow to sit until the chocolate is melted
Stir gently until smooth, strain, and set aside to cool slightly

Cocoa whipped cream

500 ml whipping cream
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Place whipping cream and vanilla in a mixing bowl and whip until soft
Add icing sugar and cocoa powder, and continue to whip until stiff

Cooking, Dessert, Entree, Food, Meat, Menus, Recipes, Writing

Busy weekend, easy dinner

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This weekend was quite busy, so Sunday dinner became a bit of an afterthought. Saturday I was out all day helping my friend and former sous chef Jeff van Geest cater a wedding for some dear friends of ours, Gary and Naty King from Hazelmere Organic Farms, whose eldest daughter (one of a set of twins, I might add) was getting married, with the reception being held at the family farm. I had gone out the day before for some advance preparation, and most of the food was being prepared and brought in from the restaurant, but an early day was still in order to prepare for the 180 guests. Jeff and I were out early, getting things organized, doing some of the final details, and conversing on the logistics of the afternoon. There was over 50 lb of bison that had been marinated and sent down from Fort St. John, 4 large spring salmon, and 50 chickens, which had been quartered. deboned, and marinated in an apricot five spice barbecue sauce that Jeff had made. 180 pounds of charcoal, 2 large barbecues, plus 2 gas grills were at the ready, so all was looking fine.

Around noon, the mother of the bride came into the kitchen with some troubling news: the pastry chef who had made the wedding cake had run out of time and had not prepared a special cake for the bride, who has wheat and dairy allergies. “Maybe he’s joking?” I asked, but was reassured that it was no jest. “Ok, what do you have? Chocolate, nuts, dried fruit, eggs? Bring me some of everything and we’ll make it happen,” I assured. I figured to make a collapsed chocolate souffle of sorts, making a batter with chocolate, eggs, and sugar, and then adding a large quantity of ground nuts to keep it from rising too much and making a nice dense torte. Dried fruit would make a nice compote for a sauce, and all order would be restored. The ingredients arrived from the barn, 70% organic chocolate, a dozen eggs, a pound of organic hazelnuts, and a cup of dried cherries. A springform pan was rustled up, lightly oiled with some hazelnut oil, and set to rest. The nuts went into the oven for a light roasting to remove their skins, once done they were transferred to the freezer to cool quickly. I put hot water in a large pot,and brought it up to a boil, turned it off, and chopped the chocolate into a bowl to set on top. The eggs were separated, yolks in one bowl with some sugar, whites in another for the Kitchen Aid. Yolks whisked to ribbon stage, I added the melted chocolate, whipped the whites and folded them in. The hazelnuts, now cooled were quickly rubbed and skins removed, processed into a coarse meal in the food processor, and after I grabbed a half cup for an impromptu crust, the rest folded into the batter. Into the oven at 375, check it in 35 minutes, I thought, and then popped together the compote quickly with a simple syrup, some spices, and the cherries.

Balance restored to the Force, we returned our thoughts to dinner, and carried on with the afternoon. The fire was stoked, bison and chicken grilled and cared for lovingly, salmon was baked with a delicious hazelnut basil pesto, a few nice salads and vegetables from the farm, and the rest of the evening went off without a hitch. The bride was happy and none the wiser about the cake mishap, and we settled in to enjoy the festivities once it was all over, which bring us to Sunday.

Still feeling somewhat groggy from the previous night’s festivities, Sunday’s meal preparations became a quick and easy decision: A simple grilled steak and baked potato with some green beans for dinner, and a beef stew to prepare for Monday, so we could eat quickly after our son’s football game. A quick survey of the fridge: lots of carrots and sweet onions from the market still, needed some celery and other vegetables for the stew; steak, potatoes, and mushrooms needed for dinner. A quick trip to the produce store and butcher yielded the necessary provisions, and I set about for a quick and easy afternoon prep session. A couple of pounds of beef stew, seasoned nicely, floured and seared to a nice brown; the onion, celery, carrot, and turnip sauteed until just a touch of colour was present; and then a can of diced tomatoes, a bit of stock and herbs, and left to simmer for the afternoon. No recipes necessary for the steak: a serious rubdown with steak spice, coarse salt, and olive oil, a quick flash in the grill pan and into a hot oven to finish alongside the baked potatoes; a splash of olive oil into a couple of pans to saute a thinly sliced Walla Walla onion and some mushrooms to accompany (cooked separately to appease our resident mushroom hater) and the beans trimmed and plunged in boiling water. A satisfying repast, devoured quietly, and nothing left over. Success in its simplest form. The clan fed, stew turned off for tomorrow, to be joined by some bread or quick biscuits, and Dad was off to see legendary guitar god Steve Vai play at the Commodore.

Around midnight, I returned, both thoroughly inspired and amazed by the 3 hours of unrelenting instrumental heroics of the entire ensemble, I placed the cooled stew in the fridge to be enjoyed tomorrow, and toddled off to bed.

(special thanks to Simon Blackwell for not only his expert help, but with the fine pictures as well)

Entree, Meat, Recipes

Easy Sunday Beef Stew

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When there’s a bit of time to have a stew simmer all afternoon, there are few things less enticing, especially on a cool fall or winter evening. The vegetables are just a guideline, so feel free to add your favourites. I like celery root and parsnip if they are available, as well as changing the flavour profile a bit by using fennel instead of celery. Additional spices will also change the style of the stew, perhaps by using some chili powder, cumin, and coriander.

2 lb stewing beef, cut into 1 inch pieces
salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour

2 cups diced sweet onion
1 cup diced celery
2 cups diced carrots
1 cup diced turnip
1 28 oz tin diced tomatoes

1 tbsp thyme, chopped
1 bay leaf
4 cups chicken or beef stock

Season beef well with salt and pepper, and toss in flour
In a large pot, heat oil until hot over medium high heat and add beef, no more than will cover the bottom of the pot in a single layer, and brown well on all sides.
Remove browned beef and set aside, continuing the process until all of the beef has been seared.
Place onion, celery, carrot, and turnip into pan and sauté over medium heat until lightly browned and the onions and celery are translucent.
Add the diced tomatoes, herbs, the browned beef, and stock to cover well.
Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 2-3 hours, until meat and vegetables are very tender.
Serve with boiled or mashed potatoes, fresh bread or biscuits.

Bread, Breakfast, Recipes, Side dish

Buttermilk Biscuits

3 cups flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup buttermilk

Method

Combine dry ingredients and mix with butter until mealy
Add buttermilk and knead lightly
Roll out 3/4 inch thick and pat into a rectangle measuring 9 by 12 inches
Cut into 12 large pieces, each 3 inches square
Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 F, until golden brown.

Nice additions (to the dry ingredients)

1/2 cup grated cheese
1/4 cup chopped herbs or scallions