Taste of Christmas in November
at The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Anna's Raisin Butter Tarts

Anna Olson's Take On A Classic...

“Butter tarts are that ultimate treat that tell you it’s holiday time. I like to make the tarts so that the pastry comes up higher than the tin they are pressed into, so that you have extra room for the gooey filling.  I sometimes make miniature tarts, to fit into cookie tins, but no matter what size, they disappear in a hurry!”

These butter tarts have that just-right filling – a little gooey but not too drippy.  I like to use golden raisins because they are not as sweet as Thompson raisins.

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar and salt.  Cut butter into small pieces (you can pull the butter from the fridge 30 minutes before adding) and add to flour, mixing until dough is a rough, crumbly texture.  Whisk egg, water and lemon juice and add at once, mixing until dough comes together.  Shape dough into 2 logs, wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 400 F and lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin.  Lightly dust a worksurface with flour and unwrap pastry logs.  Slice each log into six pieces.  Roll each piece to about ¼-inch thickness and line each muffin cup  (you can trim the crust, or leave the “ruffle” of pastry for a pretty effect once it bakes.  Chill lined muffin tin while preparing filling.

Whisk sugar, corn syrup and butter in a bowl by hand until combined.  Whisk in eggs, then vinegar and vanilla.  Sprinkle a few raisins in the bottom of each muffin cup and pour filling over the raisins.  Bake the tarts for 5 minutes, then reduce oven to 375 F and continue baking until butter tart filling starts to dome, about 20 more minutes.  Cool tarts in the tin, and chill the tarts in the tin before removing.

Pork and Beef Stuffed Ravioli With Basil Burrata

Brett Yasukawa's Childhood Favourite

The Food Story

Ravioli has been a large part of my life since I was a little boy. Mother would feed them to me on my high chair. I would feed my face, hair, floor, and sometimes the wall because they were hungry too. She realized that ravioli were the biggest joy in my life so she then moved me into the kitchen, facing the sink to eat my ravioli for an easy clean up. During the fourth grade, my ravioli craze had gone out of control living off of Chef Boyardee ravioli, eating a case at a time until my Dad threatened to take them away forever. My later teenage years continued my obsession for those fluffy pasta pillows. I almost burnt down my house heating up my ravioli during a major blizzard. My walls were black as the smoky air and the ceiling was charred like a hamburger patty, peeling off melted plastic spatulas and a fluorescent light panel off the tile like warm taffy. I stopped eating ravioli after that.

I then realized I could not live without raviolis and started eating them again. Through the many restaurants, picnics, and café leftovers, ravioli has remained throughout my life. I eat them standing up, sitting down, laying on the floor, in the shower, and once being chased down the city streets of San Francisco. Since I am an adult, my Father cannot yell at me anymore and I “doctor up” my Chef Boyardee ravioli by reducing red wine and balsamic vinegar with basil, touch of oregano, melted mozzarella, parmesan and fresh, flat leaf parsley to top. I am the ravioli king and nothing can stop me now…

Brett's Favourite Ravioli

Ravioli Dough
Place flour in a bowl and make a well in the center. Add eggs, oil and salt. Add water a little at a time to make a soft dough. Place onto a floured board and knead until dough is smooth and elastic. About 8 minutes. Cover dough and let rest 20 minutes.

Filling
Mix filling together in a bowl.

To assemble:
Divide dough into 5 pieces and roll into a very thin rectangle. Cut the dough into 3 x 10 inch strips. Place a teaspoon of the filling about every 2 inches on the dough. Cover with another strip and cut out with a ravioli cutter (or cut with a knife and press with a fork). Place ravioli on a floured board and cover until ready to cook. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil. Add ravioli and cook until tender. Drain and rinse.

Ravioli Sauce
In a pot on medium high heat, add Part I and caramelize onions. Add Part II to the pot. Reduce liquid by 50%. Once liquid is reduced then purée ingredients with a hand blender. If you are making spaghetti sauce then add items in parenthesis.
Add Part III and bring down to a simmer for 1 hour

Plating:
Place a spoon full of tomato sauce on the bottom of the plate. Then place ravioli over the plated sauce, top with more sauce. Place a large dollop of burrata cheese over the top, a splash of olive oil, a dash of cracked pepper, and sprinkle a julienne of fresh basil.

Chocolava Cookies

Julie Van Rosendaal's Sweet Obsession

These are rich, intensely chocolate, brownie-like cookies, rolled in icing sugar before they’re baked to create a crackled surface as they rise and spread in the oven. Amazingly, they contain under 3 grams of fat! Don’t overbake them - they should be set around the edges but still soft in the middle - if you want them to stay soft and chewy once cooled.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl or in the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar. Add the butter and pulse or stir with a fork, pastry cutter or whisk until the mixture is well combined and crumbly.

Add eggs and vanilla and stir by hand just until the dough comes together. The dough will be fairly dry – it will seem at first that there isn’t enough moisture, but if you keep stirring, or get in there and use your fingers, eventually it will come together.

Place a few heaping spoonfuls of icing sugar into a shallow dish. Roll dough into 1 1/2” balls and roll the balls in icing sugar to coat. Place them about 2” apart on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for 12–14 minutes, until just set around the edges but still soft in the middle. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 20 cookies.

Per Cookie: 111 calories, 2.6 g fat (1.5 g saturated fat, 0.7 g monounsaturated fat, 0.1 g polyunsaturated fat), 21.3 g carbohydrates, 6.2 mg cholesterol, 1.8 g protein, 1.3 g fiber. 20% calories from fat

Apple Roast Chicken

At Home Flavour From Michael Smith

A perfectly roasted chicken is the essence of home cooking, especially when the chicken and its fixings are raised responsibly on a nearby farm. In the fall my family really enjoys this aromatic dish. As the chicken roasts, the apples “melt” and form a tasty rustic pan stew that is perfect tossed with the roast chicken. This is a very easy way to cook and serve a chicken.

Serving: Serves 4 to 6

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
Toss the apples, onions, garlic and rosemary together in a roasting pan large enough to hold the chicken.
Season chicken well with salt and pepper and rest it on top of the apple mixture. Pour in the cider. Roast chicken until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of one of the thighs reads 180°F (82°C), about 20 minutes per pound.
As soon as the chicken is cool enough to handle, and without removing it from the pan, slice and pull the meat from the carcass and toss with the apple pan stew. Sprinkle with the sliced green onions and serve directly out of the pan.