Canada Day Feast

Lucas is ready to celebrate his first Canada Day
(and his three-month birthday!)

Even though we live over 3000km away, we are still proud Canadians and will celebrate Canada Day in the hot hot Arizona sun! Good Canadian beer, ice wine, salmon, mussels, and some yummy treats, are just a few of the ways we will celebrate our great nation from afar this July 1st. Here are some of our favourite "Canadian" recipes. 

Happy Canada Day, everyone! Be safe!

Steamed Mussels 

(from PEI if possible - going for a Canadian theme, after all!)

Southwest-style, from Chef Michael Smith

5-6 lbs mussels
3 Roma tomatoes - finely chopped
1 chili pepper - minced
1 bunch of cilantro - chopped
2 limes - zested and juiced
small splash EVOO
1 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp ground cumin
salt to taste
2-3 tbsp white tequila
cilantro to garnish

1. Clean and de-beard mussels. Discard any that do not close with a bit of pressure. Rinse well under cold water.
2. Toss tomatoes, pepper, cilantro, limes, EVOO, tomato paste, cumin, and salt, in a bowl until well combined (also makes a great salsa on its own).
3. In a large pot with a tight fitting lid, bring salsa and tequila to a simmer over med-high heat. Add mussels and cover with lid. Shake pot occasionally and cook until mussels have opened, about 10 minutes. Discard any mussels that have not opened.
4. Pour mussels in a large serving bowl. Garnish with cilantro.

NOTE: our "everyday" mussel recipe is much more simple - mussels, sauteed shallot and garlic, a few inches of dry white wine - steam mussels until opened (about 10min). Serve with delicious crusty bread.

Maple-Balsamic Cedar Planked Salmon

1 cedar plank - soaked in water for at least 30min
4 skinless salmon filets (about 3oz each - or one big piece of salmon)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp REAL maple syrup
aprrox 1 tbsp EVOO
1 med red onion - sliced

1. Combine vinegar, syrup, and EVOO in a shallow dish. Taste mixture to ensure it is well balanced (not too vinegary, not too sweet - this will vary based on the age of your vinegar and grade of your maple syrup). Coat salmon in mixture and marinate in fridge, 1-2 hours.
2. Preheat grill to medium- high. Remove fish from marinate - discard remaining liquid. Place fish on planks, and top with onion. Place plank or grill - grill any remaining onion directly on grill-grates. Grill until fish is flaky - about 8 minutes.
3. Use plank as your serving plate, and serve with onions next to some steamed white rice.

Butter Tarts

from Anna Olson

1 recipe of your favourite pie dough (or 12 pre-made pastry tart shells)

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

3/4 cup corn syrup 

1/2 cup unsalted butter - melted

2 eggs

1 tsp white vinegar

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1/2 cup golden raisins 

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin. Line each muffin cup with a piece of dough - the shells should come up about 1/2" higher than the edge of the muffin cup. Chill while preparing the filling.

2. By hand, whisk the sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a bowl until combined. Whisk in eggs, followed by vinegar and vanilla.

3. Remove dough from fridge. Add a few raisins to each cup, then cover with sugar mixture.

4. Bake tarts for 5min, then reduce temperature to 375F. Continue to bake until the tart filling begins to dome, about 20 minutes more. Cool tarts to room-temperature in tin, then gently rotate each one to loosen. Chill tarts in tin 20-30 min before removing and serving.

Other Canadian Favourites (linked):

Nanaimo Bars

Tourtiere