DRINK COCKTAILS

When the weather gets chilly, many people turn to heavy ales and hot drinks to warm up. But we don’t think there’s any reason to give up on your cocktail bar. Renée Lees, one of the bartenders at Jane Bond (5 Princess St. W, Waterloo, janebond.ca), showed us how to make drinks that will spice up any holiday party.


White Christmas Cosmo

• Ice
• 1 oz vodka
• ½ oz elder flower liquer
• ¾ oz white cranberry juice
• 1 oz pommegranite juice
• agave syrup
• Crushed candy canes for the rim

Shake over ice and strain

Apple Sidecar

• 1 oz bourbon
• ½ oz apricot liquer
• 2 oz fresh pressed apple syrup
• ½ oz thyme syrup
• ½ oz lemon juice

Serve on ice

Mulled Hot Wine

• 4 oz red wine
• ½ oz brandy
• ½ oz apricot brandy
• Pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger
• ½ oz honey

Simmer in a large pot and serve warm with a fresh orange slice and cinnamon stick

The Snowflake

• Ice
• 1 ½ Malibu rum
• ¾ oz white cranberry juice
• ½ oz simple syrup
• ½ oz lemon juice

Shake over ice and strain —serve with coconut shavings

EATREMIXED TURKEY DINNER

There is no denying how great turkey is – we eat as much as we can get our paws on when December rolls around. But just because we love it doesn’t mean we can’t try it in a new way. Chef and co-owner of Public Kitchen (295 Lancaster St. W, Kitchener, mpcpublic.com), Ryan Murphy (below), showed us how to make turkey leg and duck terrine, a dish that can be plated beautifully (left), or munched on crackers.




Turkey leg and duck terrine

I know what you’re thinking – 13 bloody steps! But really, if you take your time and have fun with this you will end up with a really nice holiday treat that is rare to find. This recipe is great because you can make it well in advance and serve it when you want.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 turkey leg (about 2-3 lbs)
• 2-3 duck legs (equal the weight of the turkey leg)
• 4 L pork stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp whole peppercorns
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 5 shallots peeled and diced
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh garlic
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp grainy mustard
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1. Place the turkey and duck legs in a good heavy bottom stock pot with the thyme, bay, and peppercorns. Cover with the pork stock and bring to a simmer.

2. Cook slowly for about three to four hours until meat is falling off the bone

3. Remove the legs and let cool enough to safely handle them.

4. Strain the remaining broth into a new sauce pan and discard the solids.

5. Reduce the broth to about one third its original volume. The resulting broth should look really glossy and rich. Keep this broth slightly warm on your stove top.

6. Shred the meat off the bones of the duck and turkey legs. Take care to remove any skin, small bones, cartilage, and fatty bits. Shred half the meat fine but keep some nice chunks for texture and a beautiful rustic look.

7. Add to a separate pan the shallots, sage, thyme, parsley, wine, garlic, white wine vinegar, and diced carrots. Reduce this mixture over medium/high heat until its liquid is almost all gone. Add this mixture to the shredded meat.

8. Add the grainy mustard and season the mixture with salt and pepper.

9. Prepare your terrine mould by lining it with plastic wrap. Leaving enough wrap to hang from all sides of the terrine mould.

10. Pack the meat mix into a mould of just about any style. This is going to be kind of like making a Jello mould so whatever you have will work just fine. At this stage you want to pack it firmly but don’t try to hurt it – think a gentle loving massage kind of pressure.

11. Pour the warm broth over the meat allowing it to seep in to the meat. Make sure the meat is totally covered by about 1 cm of broth.

12. Place the terrine in your fridge and allow to set overnight.

13. The next day remove the terrine from the fridge, invert on to a cutting board and gently remove the mould. Peel off the plastic wrap and serve with crackers or crusty bread, mustard, some good sea salt and a really sharp knife for guests to cut their own (you’ve done enough work already). And remember, even if it doesn’t slice perfectly it’s still going to be delicious.

Foie gras and chicken mousse

This is a bit more straight forward but it does include the use of foie gras, an expensive item. I suggest you ask your butcher for “B” grade foie since you’re just going to blend it up anyway. B grade is much more economical and you just need to pull out some rough bits to make it work. The result is worth the cost. Its silky, rich and elegant. Its also another dish you can make ahead and serve when company drops in.

INGREDIENTS

• 300 grams chicken livers
• 2 cups milk
• 300 grams foie gras
• 2 egg
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp salt
• A few grinds of fresh pepper
• ¼ cup beer of a spicy, flavourful variety
• 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1 clove chopped fresh garlic

1. Soak the chicken livers in the milk overnight. This process removes the blood and impurities from the livers.

2. The next day remove the livers and discard the milk (it has done its job and you will see this as it will turn pink in color).

3. Take your duck liver and break it open from the middle. Use your fingers and break it up into pieces. You will notice veins and some sinew, remove as much of this as you can.

4. In a blender process the chicken livers with the eggs, cream, seasonings, thyme, garlic and beer until it looks like a milkshake. I know, gross. The outcome is worth it.

5. At this point add pieces of the foie gras until it is all blended and emulsified.

6. Strain this mixture through a course strainer and pour into ramekins.

7. Place these in a pan with hot water that comes half way up the sides of the ramekins.

8. Bake in a 300 degree celsius oven for about 25 minutes.

9. Check the internal temperature with a probe. It should read 165 degrees.

10. Remove the ramekins from the water bath and allow them to cool down in the fridge for a few hours. At this point you can wrap them up and keep them for up to 5 days in the fridge.

11. Serve with mustard, country bread, and preserves

CRAFT YARNTREES

We collaborated with local artist and maker Agnes Niewiadomski to create yarns trees, a festive decoration that can be made quickly and cheaply. They look great on the mantlepiece, or as part of a festive centerpiece at dinner.

1. Make a cone out of strong paper, like cardstock or several news sheets. Wrap the cone in a plastic bag and tuck the ends into bottom.

2. Mix the glue, cornstarch and water in a bowl. You want the mixture to be just a little watery.

3. Cut off a few feet of yarn and add it to the mixture. You want to evenly coat the yarn with your glue mixture.

4. Start wrapping the yarn around the cone. When you reach the base, you want to make sure to wrap it evenly so that when you take it off the plastic bag, the tree will stand steady. Continue wrapping the yarn until you are happy with how your tree looks.

5. Leave to dry for 24 hours. Once dried, unwrap the end of the plastic bag from the end of the cone and remove the cone. Using a pen or toothpick, poke the yarn free from the plastic bag.

6. Learn more holiday crafts from Niewiadomski this December at workshops she’s hosting at Kwartzlab. For more information, visit facebook.com/agnesmakes