Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Recipes From Canada

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Here are three Canadian recipes you all might like to try.

I’ve had dairy-free versions of the first two, and they were amazing! Someday I want to try pemmican as well.

 

 

Nanaimo Bars

Ingredients

Bottom Layer

½ cup (125 mL) unsalted butter

5 Tbsp (75 mL) cocoa powder

¼ cup (50 mL) granulated sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 ¾ cups (425 mL) graham wafer crumbs

1 cup (250 mL) shredded coconut

½ cup (125 mL) finely chopped almonds

Middle Layer

½ cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, softened

2 tbsp + 2 tsp (40 mL) whipping or heavy cream

2 Tbsp (30 mL) vanilla custard powder

2 cups (500 mL) icing sugar

Topping

4 oz (115 g) semi-sweet chocolate

2 Tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter

 

Instructions

Bottom Layer

1. Pour 2 cups of water into the bottom of double boiler. Place on stove over medium heat and bring water to simmer.

2. In top of double boiler; combine butter, cocoa and sugar; place over simmering water. Heat while stirring until the butter has melted and mixture is smooth.

3. Add beaten egg and stir until thick.  Remove top of double boiler from heat. Stir in graham wafer crumbs, coconut and almonds.

4. Scrape into parchment paper-lined 8-inch (2 L) square baking dish. Press firmly to create even bottom layer.

5. If you don’t have a double boiler, half-fill a saucepan with water and heat over medium heat until water begins to simmer. Place a metal or glass bowl over the simmering water and proceed as directed.

Middle Layer

1. Cream together butter, cream and custard powder into a bowl. Gradually add icing sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Scrape over bottom layer, smoothing top with spatula.

Topping

1. Melt chocolate and butter together in a clean double boiler. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. When cool, but still liquid, pour over custard layer.

2. Cover and refrigerate until cold.

 

Poutine

Ingredients

1 quart vegetable oil for frying

1 (10.25 ounce) can beef gravy

5 medium potatoes, cut into fries

 

2 cups cheese curds

 

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a deep fryer or deep heavy skillet to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C). While the oil is heating, begin to warm up the gravy in a saucepan on another element of your stove.

2. Place the fries into the hot oil, and cook until light brown. This should take about 5 minutes. Make the fries in batches if necessary to allow them room to move a little in the oil. Drain the fries on a paper towel lined plate for a minute or two.

Pemmican

Pemmican was a type of food traditionally made and eaten by several different Native American/First Nations tribes in North America, from the Cree to the Metis.

The specific ingredients for it do vary depending on who is making it and what ingredients they have on hand. They might look something like this:

• 1 1/2 lbs of lean, grass-fed shoulder roast,
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh or frozen wild blueberries
• Grass-fed bison or beef kidney fat, leaf fat, suet, or tallow

This post will give you the full list of instructions on how to make pemmican, complete with pictures of every step of the process. Since I’ve never made this dish, I wanted to ensure that you were all getting the right instructions for it.

If you’ve made or eaten pemmican, tell us what you think of it!