Out & About #1098 | Canada Day Creations

Happy Canada Day!

​My long weekend was hectic, but being relieved of the madness of the Stray Kids' concert (at a $160 loss!!) at Rogers Stadium meant that energy could be preserved for other endeavours - mainly kitchen experiments.

1) Canada Day Focaccia

​Focaccia wasn't in my original Canada Day plans. But the itch to test my new oven's Proof function was too tremendous to resist.

A no-knead formula was ideal for evaluating the function without involving much active labour. Therefore, I turned to focaccia.

Ingredients:

• 520 g AP flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 500 ml lukewarm water
• 4 tbsp olive oil (3 tbsp for pan + 1 tbsp for brushing on top)
• Flaky salt

• 2 red bell peppers, cut into strips and chunks
• Cherry tomatoes, halved and quartered

​Yield: 1 half-sheet pan, measuring 13 in x 18 in

SK's recipe used a whopping 520 g of AP flour, but little else beyond water, yeast, and salt. The dough was wet and loose, as she had predicted.
After 1.5h at 100 F, the dough had doubled. It persisted somewhat structureless, though revealed distinctive air pockets synonymous with proper fermentation.

As per SK's directions, the dough would be stretched across a half sheet pan with olive oil brushed underneath. I took extra care in ensuring all edges were coated with oil, for I'd neither be lining with parchment nor flouring the edges.

​Rosemary is a common focaccia topping, but, in adhering to my theme, I omitted the herb in favour of using chunks of red bell peppers and halved/quartered cherry tomatoes to mimic the shape of the Canadian flag. After all, it was Canada Day!
A liberal sprinkle of smoked Maldon and the pan would be slid into my new oven.

The slab baked for approximately 30 minutes at 425 F, revealing a uniformly golden surface, shrivelled yet saturated cherry tomatoes, and delightfully tender, sweet red bell peppers.
In order for the surface to transform from pasty to golden, my version had resided in the oven for about ten minutes longer than SK had specified. This requirement for a lengthier bake time was an interesting observation, for my utilization of a half sheet pan would have meant increased surface area and, consequently, a thinner slab.

​The sizable serving was allowed to rest in the aluminum pan until cool enough to touch, then gently lifted it onto a cooling rack, where it would remain, covered, until the next day.

Eagerly retrieving an edge piece after patiently delaying my sampling session by twelve hours, my heart plummeted. The long-awaited festive focaccia was incredibly bland - empty-tasting even. The texture was passable, and consistent with SK's meager handful of recipe photos. Alas, the loaf was somewhat regrettable without an emulsion of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and smoked Maldon to pair alongside.
In reviewing other recipes on the Internet, bread flour was found to be the standard flour of choice, which may have made for improved structure and complexity.

Although my first-time creation wasn't dismal, SK's formula did not yield results worthy of praise. The loaf lacked salt most of all, and would never come close to the plush squares from NOTL.

2) Fusilli Salad

Pasta salad is almost always a must for Canada Day celebrations - or any celebration, really. This year, we steered clear of potato salad, having purchased the gargantuan vat from Costco, in favour of a fusilli salad instead.

Ingredients:

• 500 g fusilli
• Miracle whip
• Wasabi
• Rice wine vinegar
• Himalayan pink sea salt
• 4-5 mini cucumbers, finely diced and cores removed
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, fine diced
• 5 ball park sausages, finely chopped

Directions

1. Chop cucumbers, bell peppers, and sausages into roughly the same size. Set aside. I aimed for 1 cm cubes, though the bite-sized pieces are a personal preference.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook pasta as per packaging directions. Test the fusilli for doneness; if the core remains rigid, continue cooking until fully cooked.
3. Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water.
4. Combine cucumbers, bell peppers, sausage, and cooled pasta in a large bowl. Add in condiments to taste, adjusting the amount of wasabi, rice wine vinegar, and Miracle Whip as desired.
5. Chill 6 hours, or overnight, before serving.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

• Precise amounts of seasoning and condiments are not provided, as I did not measure the quantities whatsoever. Feel free to taste and adjust accordingly.
• Substitutions can be made depending on preference/ingredient availability. For condiments, wasabi can be swapped for Dijon mustard, while rice wine vinegar for apple cider vinegar. For ingredients, sausage can be swapped for ham and cucumber for pickled onion. Corn kernels can also be added for a sweet note.

3) Cucumber Ginger Detox Juice

The cores of the mini cucumbers had been removed to eliminate sources of weeping in the pasta salad. To prevent wastage of ingredients, these slivers were blended with a generous handful (possibly up to 35 g?) of ginger, water (roughly 1/3 cup), a few drops of lemon juice (about 2 tsp), and enough honey to combat the slimy odours of the cucumber (1.5 to 2 tbsp). After straining, I'd obtain aproximately 1.5 cups of the lemon yellow-tinged juice.

When consumed as is, the formula exuded the essence of a detox beverage, akin to the presumed contents of bottles labelled as "organic" and "cold-pressed" at health food stores. When mixed with a carbonated base, one could detect similarities with a mocktail mule.​

As a lover of ginger, I enjoyed the drink considerably both ways.

4) POGO (Attempt)

​A while back, a spin-the-wheel chance offered through the PC Optimum app bestowed upon me a box of PC Buttermilk Pancake & Waffle Mix.

Having been the home cook that strays from heating oil in a pan rather than assembling ingredients, the concept of boxed mixes had always seemed strange. Pancakes and waffles are strictly breakfast (or brunch) items in my books, and rarely do I wake early enough to make breakfast fresh. Undertaking the entire ordeal of prepwork and dishes would simply not be possible before coffee and food. But I was curious to use the mix, and homemade POGO was my "solution".

​Frankly, packaged mixes have seen drastic improvements since my childhood days. The Buttermilk Pancakes would have likely been delicious on their own, but I simply couldn't suppress my unrealized idea. While I had intended to use less than half of the mix, I hadn't realized that the box served as its only container. A separate bag to contain the powder would have been the preferred packaging. With the revelation of none, I intrepidly dumped the entirety of the box into the largest bowl in my pantry. A few tbsp of cornstarch was added to the mix in hopes of creating a crisp exterior. Water was added next, though not consistent with the specified amounts.
The idea was to create a thicker batter to coat the sausages, but I only later realized that insufficient water led to clumping and the batter not cooking evenly.

After cooking a few test batches of miserable-looking pancakes, I dunked my skewered PC Smokies in the batter, aiming to apply as even a coating as possible. Over medium-high heat, a pad of unsalted butter was swirled around until fully melted. My theory of rolling the batter-dipped sausages across all sides worked to set the exterior, however did not allow for sufficient cook time of the innermost layer of batter.  Rolling the sausage tamagoyaki-style fared far worse in comparison, as the batter refused to attach to the sausage, eventually causing a significant amount of batter to be wasted.

The result was a somewhat sweet wrapper with a gummy, undercooked barrier over the sausage. Having not grilled the sausages in advance, their casings became chewy and tough as opposed to crisp. All in all, corn dogs are best deep-fried to prevent compromise of texture and doneness.

​When mixed with a bit of water, the batter easily formed beautiful, dorayaki-ready pancakes. In summary, one should follow the instructions on the box for optimal output.

5) Steak

Everything about this meaty round had been executed perfectly, except for ingredient selection. Even days later, my jaw remains sore from excessive chewing.

​The marinade was sourced from SK, who used brown sugar and paprika in addition to the standard salt-and-pepper base. Seeing brown sugar listed was a novel idea for me, for it implied malty, caramel-like tones, along with heightened risk for burning does to the molasses and sugar content. Given that I was using neither a grill not cast iron pan, results would rely heavily on technique.

Ingredients:

• ​0.396 kg (or 0.87 lbs) beef rounds
• Himalayan pink sea salt
• All-purpose/steak spice (salt, pepper, garlic powder)
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp paprika

2.5 h marinade

• 1-2 tbsp unsalted butter, for pan

 Directions 

1. Rinse the steak and inspect for any discolouration or tough parts. Remove as needed, then pat dry and place in a shallow dish.
2. Coat liberally with salt, steak spice, brown sugar, and paprika. Massage the brown sugar into the rounds for better absorption.
3. Cover loosely and allow to marinate in the fridge for 2.5 hours. (Less time is probably fine too, though I merely prepared all dishes in sequential order.)
4. Heat a large, wide pan over high heat. Add butter and swirl to evenly coat the bottom.
5. Using tongs, carefully place steak rounds into the pan.
6. Sear, flip, and sear again. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the cut, heat retention of the pan, and strength of burners, however one should looks for signs of uniform charring before removing from the pan.
7. Let rest for 7 minutes, but no longer than 12 minutes.
8. Serve and enjoy!

​Splendidly charred and immensely flavourful, the rounds were revealed to be a perfect medium rare. Despite its visual allure, the texture was awful: impossibly tough and requiring strenuous effort to gnaw through. Suffice to say: poor ingredient selection was the pitfall of the recipe. It was a well-prepared steak that had suffered from a mediocre cut.

6) Sautéed Veggies

Sides were the last to be prepared; instead of roasting in the oven, I had opted for a stovetop variation for convenience and speed.​

Ingredients:

• 4 orange and yellow bell peppers, cut into chunks
• 15-20 cherry tomatoes, whole *
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine

Directions

1. Prepare all veggies in advance. Set aside.
2. Add unsalted butter to the same pan that the steak was cooked in. Melt butter over medium-high heat.
3. Add in peppers and whole cherry tomatoes. Sauté on high heat, keeping the vegetables continuously moving in the pan to prevent burning.
4. Once peppers begin to soften, add in halved cherry tomatoes (optional). Continue sautéing until the skins of the peppers reveal signs of shrivelling and the exterior of the cherry tomatoes are blistered.
5. Add in Shaoxing wine to deglaze the pan.
6. Transfer to serving platter and serve alongside steak.

​Notes

• I initially only used halved cherry tomatoes leftover from the focaccia topping, but later dumped in a handful of whole cherry tomatoes. Whole cherry tomatoes are ideal in this application, as they will soften in roughly the same time as the bell peppers. If using halves as well, delay their addition to the pan towards the latter half of the cooking process to prevent excessive shrivelling and disintegration.
• There is no need to clean the steak pan before sautéing, as any steak marinade remnants will be used to season the vegetables.
• The veggies should be prepared in advance as to allow the cooking process to terminate within ten minutes - the ideal range to serve a steak after removal from the pan.

​And with that, we wish the nation a Happy 158th Birthday!