lars willum cuisine

Lions and Lambs

larswillumcuisine — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 21:22:13 +0000

March came in as a lamb this year after a long row of week-end snowstorms in February. I guess Two Rivers Wildlife Park’s Groundhog is still hiding under ground, a little ashamed with his prediction of an early Spring this year! So how many more weeks of winter storms can we expect this winter? I’ve never experienced such a roller coaster of extreme winter in my years on the island. It doesn’t really lift my spirit when I call Denmark and my family and friends tell me that the winter aconite and crocuses have mostly come and gone. I tell them, that there’s tulips on my table!

Speaking of lamb, there are many different dishes from around the world to consider for Easter this year. You’ll find the texture, lightness and quality of the meat differs, depending on the country, its pastures and the time of the year. In between all the pork and beef dishes it is nice to savour lamb at this time of the year.

Greeks like their lamb marinated in a mixture of olive oil, black peppercorns, garlic and lemon juice. The French have a wonderful leg of lamb smothered in Dijon mustard, garlic and rosemary, then placed on a bed of sliced potatoes and roasted slowly in the oven.

The most famous and desired dish is the rack of lamb, either served as a crown or as a “six-pack-rack”, often crusted with a blend of Dijon mustard and walnuts. It is also the most expensive cut of the lamb since you get both the sirloin and the tenderloin. However there isn’t a lot of meat on these racks. I often describe it to my friends as “Much Ado About Nothing.” My apologies to Shakespeare.

If you are a lamb connoisseur, Cape Breton produces an exquisite product with deep rich flavours in the meat. When it comes to lamb, foreign isn’t necessarily better! On my travels I have sampled lamb dishes in many countries including Iceland, Portugal, Spain and Denmark. They all taste different, again depending on the quality of the pasture and the time of the year. Because good lamb depends on good soil and grazing, I have always been leery of lamb that is harvested from regions that use pesticides.

I’ll never forget when they shot the film “The Widow of Saint Pierre” at the Fortress of Louisbourg. The French lead actress, Juliette Binoche, stayed at the Cranberry Cove Inn in Louisbourg, and as her private chef during her stay, she asked me to serve only organic and local produce. This was back in 1998 and it was during February and March. I did my best. Her favourite dishes included my free-range country chicken from Margaree, stuffed with fresh herbs (from the windowsill) and of course the Cape Breton leg of lamb. Believe it or not, I even found some early sprouting rhubarb that year, which was mild (they had to import snow for the winter scenes) and protected under a cold frame and prepared a lovely compote.

The dessert I served for Juliette became an instant hit and was served almost every week-end for friends and the film’s director. It was my Danish celebration cake which is served for birthdays in Denmark.

I’m determined that March will go out as a lamb this year and I’ll enjoy the aromas from the oven, regardless of what is happening outside.

Lamb Portuguese Style

Ingredients:

12 lamb chops (3 per serving)

1 lb. green beans

1 cauliflower

4 slices of goat cheese

fresh mint

1 cup couscous

one and a half cup boiling water

1 tsp. cumin seeds

half a tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. curry paste (mild)

1 clove garlic

1 tbs. olive oil

fresh baby spinach

half a cup chanterelle mushrooms, rinsed and cut in halves.

Preparation:

This is a very easy meal to prepare. Lamb chops take about 5 minutes to cook, therefore I suggest you start with the vegetables. In a pot (large enough to hold the beans and the cauliflower) place the rinsed and trimmed beans in the bottom and add just enough water to cover the beans. On top of the beans place your cauliflower, broken into small florets. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Leave beans in the hot water and remove the cauliflower and place in a colander to drip dry. Take another pot and heat up olive oil and curry paste. Now toss and turn the cauliflower until covered with the curry/oil. Turn the burner off and let the cauliflower sit in the covered pot to keep warm.

To prepare the couscous, first rinse it in cold water a couple of times, drain and mix in the cummin seeds, cinnamon and cardamom. Poor the boiling water over and let it sit for 5 minutes under lid. Do not cook!

Brush the lamb chops with a mix of olive oil and crushed garlic. The frying pan should be very hot before you cook your lamb chops. Give them 2 minutes on each side. Remove from frying pan, cover with tinfoil to keep warm. Take the chanterelle mushrooms and quickly saute them in the pan, until juices are absorbed.

When ready to serve use the baby spinach ( rinsed and dried) as a bed on the plate. Place the lamb chops on the sides and decorate with a slice of goat cheese and fresh mint on top. Arrange the beans, cauliflower and chanterelle mushrooms on the plate.Just before serving the couscous give it a stir to loosen it.

Danish Celebration Cake

Ingredients:

1 sponge cake, cut in three layers (you can buy this at your local supermarket)

1 cup fresh/frozen raspberries

half a cup raspberry jam

half a litre whipping cream

2 whole eggs

2 tbs. sugar

1 tbs. corn starch

three quarter cup milk

1 vanilla bean

Preparation:

First you make the custard. Take a pot and add the milk and the seeds from the vanilla bean.

To get the seeds out from the been, flatten it on a cutting board with a sharp peeling knife then cut the bean flat in two halves. Scrape the seeds out from the beans, one side at a time and add them to the milk. Let it simmer. This will separate the seeds and give flavour to the milk.

In a heavy bottomed pot whisk eggs, sugar and corn starch. Add the milk and over medium heat, while constantly whisking to avoid custard sticking to the bottom, let it come to a boil for 2 minutes while thickening. Remove pot and stir now and then while cooling off. You can sprinkle a little sugar on top to avoid the surface getting hard. When complete cold mix in 1 cup of whipped cream and keep the custard in the fridge.

Mix fresh berries with jam.

To cut sponge cake I find it is easier when it is half frozen. Take a nice serving dish and place the bottom piece of the sponge cake in the centre. Spread the custard generously on top. Place the middle piece of the sponge cake and press gently down to make sure the custard is out to the edge of the cake. Spread the berry/jam on the sponge cake and place the top piece on, again press gently to make spread reach the edges. As a top decoration cut a pattern in a piece of paper, place it on top of the cake and sprinkle icing sugar over. Remove your pattern and decorate with leftover berries.

Cake must be stored in the fridge because of the egg custard. I find that this cake tastes better if it is prepared at least 6 hours before serving. If you want you can serve whipped cream on the side.

Filed under: Recipes Tagged: Cape Breton leg of lamb, Easter, Juliette Binoche, lamb, Louisbourg, Portuguese, two rivers wildlife park, winter aconite

Winter Promotion for Sea Food Through My Eyes!

larswillumcuisine — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 15:03:20 +0000

Visit Smashwords

To download Sea Food Through My Eyes

For $0.99

Until March 9th

(Regular retail price after March 9 is $7.99)

To receive your discount enter promotional code PB77D

Click below to make your purchase

Filed under: Special Promotions! Tagged: promotional code, sea food, shopping

Upcoming Culinary Events at The Gaelic College

larswillumcuisine — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 15:39:20 +0000

I was asked by the Gaelic College to write about events we are planning during our 2013 season. My name is Lars Willum, and I had the great opportunity to work with the Gaelic College last season, cooking lots of food together with all the kitchen staff.

This to me was an eye-opener: What a jewel the Gaelic College is. As soon as you set foot on the ground, you start to relax. The atmosphere, the landscape, the buildings, the rooms refurbished and of course the staff – all together made me feel like I was visiting a luxury Chalet in Switzerland. Sitting and enjoying a good dinner and entertainment in front of the roaring fireplace after a day of hiking and sightseeing – what a treat.

And that gave us the idea to offer events all through the year. So this is what we are offering you. Events that will cater to the joy of a culinary adventure spiced up with some story telling and music. As a Chef, Motivational Speaker and Cooking Class Instructor, I hereby invite you into my kitchen and have so much fun.

Welcome to the Gaelic College!

Our first event is celebrating Valentine, FEBRUARY 15 + 16 + 17.

This is all about Aphrodisiac foods and the history of Valentine. You will be participating in this exciting cooking class, preparing a lovely 3 course Valentine’s Dinner, together with me. There will be love stories through the ages presented by Author Douglas Arthur Brown.

Next event is celebrating Spring. March 15 + 16 + 17.

This menu will bring you out of the winter blahs. Like stepping into the sunshine. Also you’ll get some ideas of how to prepare a tasty Easter dinner. If weather permits, we will take a hike and try to find some edible plants around the St. Ann’s Bay.

Guest speaker to be announced.

Third event is Christmas Hors D’Oeuvres. November 22 + 23 + 24.

You will have lots of fun in the kitchen, creating fancy and easy morsels of goodies. The dinner will reflect our Fall – food – tradition: Rich and hearty foods and the best of our roots. Traditionally this is also the time of year to taste game. Don’t worry I will not send you out to hunt.

Guest speaker to be announced.

Finally we are planning a Wine-tasting event. November 2 + 3.

A Sommelier will introduce the wines and I will pair food with the wines.

This is a great way to experience and expand your palate for wines & food.

Here you will not be cooking in the kitchen with me – simply kick back and enjoy your time well spent. And don’t forget, your room is right there. We don’t want you to worry about getting home, after a relaxing evening like this.

Filed under: Latest News Tagged: Chef Lars Willum, Christmas hors d'oeuvres, Culinary Events, food, history of valentine, luxury chalet, The Gaelic College, Wine Tasting, winter blahs

Artichokes

larswillumcuisine — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 15:13:17 +0000

In the 16^th century, the eating of artichokes was reserved for men. Women were denied the pleasure because the artichoke was considered an aphrodisiac and too powerful for the sensibilities of women. In a stroke of irony it is interesting to note that Marilyn Monroe was the first official California Artichoke Queen in 1949! The artichoke is a perennial plant in the thistle group of the sunflower family and is believed to be a native of the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. In full growth, the plant spreads to cover an area about six feet in diameter and reaches a height of three to four feet. The artichoke vegetable that we eat is actually the plant’s flower bud. If allowed to blossom, the flowers can measure up to seven inches in diameter and are a beautiful violet-blue colour. You can compare Cape Breton’s purple thistle that blossoms in September with a miniature flowering artichoke. The yellow finches love the small seeds and a flowering artichoke is quite an impressive centrepiece on your dining room table.

The globe artichoke, also called the “French artichoke” or the “green artichoke,” gets its common name from the northern Italian word “articiocco” which means pine cone. Since artichokes have a passing resemblance to pine cones, it was a good choice for a name.

The artichoke has been cultivated for a long time. Around 800 AD., North African Moors began growing artichokes in the area of Granada, Spain, and another Arab group, the Saracens, became identified with artichokes in Sicily. Artichokes were first cultivated at Naples around the middle of the 15th century and gradually spread to other sections of Europe. French immigrants brought artichokes to the United States in 1806 when they settled in the Louisiana Territory but it disappeared from the dinner table in that region and didn’t become popular again until about the 1940s.

Today most artichokes for the world market are cultivated in France, Italy, and Spain, while California provides nearly all of the crop in the United States.

When you are preparing an entire artichoke for your guests, cut away the outermost leaves and snip the tops of the remaining outer leaves. This removes the more fibrous parts of the leaves which are too chewy to enjoy eating. Cut into the artichoke (as you would a bell pepper to get rid of the seeds) with a sharp knife. Artichokes darken quickly as you cut them during your preparation, so use some lemon juice to seal the cuts and they won’t turn dark. Another important thing to remember is to get rid of all the threads (they look like the strings on an ear of corn that hasn’t been husked) because they are not edible, in fact they can make your guest sick.

If you’re lucky enough to be served an entire artichoke for dinner, eating it can be quite a challenge. It is perfectly acceptable to use your fingers to pluck the outer leaves with your fingers. Pull off a leaf, holding it by the pointed end. Put the other end in your mouth and pull it between your teeth, scraping the length of the leaf for its meat. As you get closer to the centre of the artichoke, almost the entire leaf becomes edible. Just before you get to the centre, the leaves will become almost white with purple tips. Be careful of these leaves because their purple ends are prickly. When the leaves are pulled, you will be left with the base, or the heart, crowned with a fuzzy patch. You’ve now reached the best part of all, the very reason for eating artichokes: the heart. Carefully scoop away the fuzzy stuff with your knife or spoon (though a properly prepared artichoke will already have the choke removed). With knife and fork, cut bites from the heart like pieces of prime fillet.

If you’re provided with a dip such as a vinaigrette or mayonnaise, put a small part of the edible portion of the leaf in the dip and scrape with your teeth as directed above. Don’t overdo it on the dip or you won’t taste the artichoke.

How to cook a whole artichoke

Ingredients:

2 tbs. light mayonnaise
1 tsp. prepared mustard
2 large artichokes
1 tbs. lemon juice
Preparation:
In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and mustard. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Wash artichokes under cold, running water. Pull off lower petals and cut off bottom stems (cut flush with the base). Cut off about ½ inch of the pointed top of the artichoke and scoop out all of the threads! Trim tips of leaves with scissors to remove thorns. Dip in lemon juice to preserve colour. Always use a stainless-steel knife and a stainless-steel or glass pot. Iron or aluminum will turn artichokes an unappetizing blue or black. For the same reason, never let aluminum foil come in contact with artichokes.

In a large pot (big enough to hold the artichokes in a single layer), add approximately 2 cups of water and the remaining lemon juice; bring to a boil. Place the prepared artichokes in the boiling water, cover with lid, reduce heat to simmer, and let cook for approximately 20 to 40 minutes (depending on size). The artichokes are done when the leaves pull away easily. Remove artichokes from the boiling water with tongs and drain them upside down in a colander (after cooking, artichokes can be stored in an airtight container for a maximum of 3 days). Bring to room temperature before serving. Serve warm or cool with mayonnaise/mustard dip.

Makes 2 servings.

Microwave

Wash. Cut off the stem. Cut off top third of the artichoke and remove threads. Peel off the smallest outer leaves. Put a few ounces of seasoning, like garlic, salt, dill, lemon juice and a few drops of olive oil in a microwave container. Place the artichoke upside down in the bowl and cover with Saran wrap or lid. Cook for seven minutes on high. Leave the cover on and let stand for five minutes.

Artichoke with smoked salmon

Ingredients:

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
1 tbs. minced fresh chives
1 tbs. capers
½ tsp. coarse sea salt
Juice of ½ lemon
6 to 8 ounces smoked salmon, cut into small pieces
2 large artichokes cooked, choke removed, and chilled
Lemon wedges
Preparation:
In a medium bowl, stir together mayonnaise, sour cream, parsley, chives, capers, salt, and lemon juice. Stir in smoked salmon. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. To serve, gently spread the leaves of the cooked artichokes. Place smoked salmon salad in the centre of each artichoke. Serve with lemon wedges.

Makes 2 servings

Filed under: Recipes Tagged: aphrodisiac, artichoke vegetable, articiocco, East Coast recipes, flower bud, food, French artichoke, french immigrants, globe artichoke, green artochoke, smoked salmon, vegetarian

January Cooking Classes Sydney and Glace Bay

larswillumcuisine — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 16:33:43 +0000

Photo by Warren Gordon

Thursday – January 10th

2-4 pm

Sobeys Community Room – Glace Bay

6 -8 pm

Sobeys Prince Street, Sydney

Thursday – January 17th

2-4 pm

Sobeys Community Room – Glace Bay

&

6 -8 pm

Sobeys Prince Street, Sydney

Cooking Class with

Dietian Natasha Harrietha and Chef Lars Willum

Thursday – January 31st

2-4 pm

Sobeys Community Room – Glace Bay

6 -8 pm

Sobeys Prince Street, Sydney

lars willum cuisine

Lions and Lambs

Lamb Portuguese Style

Danish Celebration Cake

Winter Promotion for Sea Food Through My Eyes!

Visit Smashwords

To download Sea Food Through My Eyes

For $0.99

Until March 9th

(Regular retail price after March 9 is $7.99)

To receive your discount enter promotional code PB77D

Click below to make your purchase

Upcoming Culinary Events at The Gaelic College

Artichokes

How to cook a whole artichoke

Artichoke with smoked salmon

January Cooking Classes Sydney and Glace Bay

Thursday – January 10th

Menu

Thursday – January 17th

Menu

&

Menu

Thursday – January 31st

Menu