The smokiness of bacon and spiciness of sausage, together with the aromatics of fennel and bay leaf make this one of my favourite chowders. This time, I used spicy moose sausages, but merguez is a great substitute. Serve for lunch with a piece of grilled bread and a glass of white wine.
Enjoy!

Serves 4-6

Clams

• 2 lbs whole clams
• 1 cup white wine

Cook the clams, covered, with the wine for a few minutes until they open.
Reserve the cooking liquid, you should have about 2 cups.

Chowder

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 1 medium potato, diced small
• 3 thickly cut slices of smoked bacon
• 2 sausages, cut in slices
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• a squeeze of lemon
• sea salt

In a large pot melt the butter and cook the onions on medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add the fennel, potato, bacon, sausages, bay leaves and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the reserved cooking liquid and simmer for a few minutes then add the milk, cream, garlic, and lemon. Simmer on low for 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt.

Garnish

• 1 cup edamame, blanched for 2 minutes, cooled in icy cold water
• small handful of parsley, thinly sliced
• few fennel strands

Serve chowder with the reserved clams either in it or in the shell.
Garnish with some warmed edamame, parsley and fennel strands.

The post Clam, Fennel and Sausage Chowder appeared first on The Bite House.

Good news! After months of planning, licensing, and renovations, it’s now official; The Bite House will open as a tiny restaurant on Cape Breton Island. Simple gastronomy inspired by the seasons. Stay tuned for more details, we are looking at a June 4 opening. Thank you for all the support.
Cheers!
-Bryan

The post Restaurant Opening appeared first on The Bite House.

These could also be called whoopie pies or cookie sandwiches. The tartness of the cranberries is perfect to cut through the sugar and rich chocolate and makes for a killer combination. I rehydrated the cranberries in butter for a few minutes, then drained and chopped them. In summer you might swap the icing for any seasonal berry ice cream. Enjoy with coffee or milk.

Spelt Chocolate Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup quality cocoa powder
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 1/3 cup white flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch sea salt

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
In a bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, cocoa, egg, and vanilla.
In another bowl, mix the flours, soda and salt.
Gradually add to the first mixture until combined.
Split the dough in 12 chunks and roll into balls.
Bake on parchment for 8-10 minutes.
Leave to cool on cookie rack.

Cranberry Butter Icing

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream or yogurt
• few cranberries, cooked and chopped

In a bowl mix together the butter and sugar.
Gradually add the cream and mix well.
Stir in the cranberries.
If too soft, put in the fridge for a few minutes.
Scoop a spoonful of the icing between two cookies. Repeat. Enjoy!

The post Spelt Chocolate Cookies with Cranberry Butter Icing appeared first on The Bite House.

This is the first year I have more garlic than I can handle, thanks to a bountiful garden and generous friends. A good way to preserve the cloves before they start sprouting is to roast them until soft and paste-like and then pack them in oil. The process is a bit time consuming (great to do on a rainy day), but in the end you’ll have prepped about 300 cloves of ready to use, very handy in the kitchen, flavorful garlic. Plus, they’ll have a sweet fragrance from the roasting and whatever herbs you might have added. Crack a window open and enjoy!

Garlic Confit

• 24 heads garlic
• 100ml grapeseed oil
• sea salt
• flavoring of your choice – I used a few leaves of sage

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
Cut the top of each garlic head.
Put them in a cast-iron pot and add the oil, a big pinch of salt and flavoring, if using.
Gently toss together, cover, and cook in the oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring once or twice. Leave to cool and peel each garlic clove and put them in a bowl. You can also press them and they’ll come out as a paste. Mash them with a fork, taste, and season with salt. Pack in jars and top with more oil. Will keep in the fridge for a few months. Perfect for making garlic butter.

The post Garlic Confit appeared first on The Bite House.

The partridge is a nonmigratory bird that nests and forages on the ground. Because it spends its life running through the heather and shrubs, it is very lean. In order to keep partridge moist and full of flavor, I baste often and leave them to rest once done. The resting period is particularly important – it allows the meat to finish cooking and also prevents it from drying out when you cut into it. Consider applying this to most of your cooked meats. I’ve served these sweet glazed partridges with red lentils and winter greens. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3 partridges
• 5 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1-2 chili pepper, finely chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 4 tablespoons water
• sea salt

In a bowl, add the partridge, garlic, maple syrup, oil, chili, vinegar, and a pinch of salt.
Let marinate in the fridge for about an hour.
Take the partridges out and keep the marinade aside.
Pre-heat the oven to 350° F.
Heat up a skillet on medium heat with a drizzle of oil. Once hot, sear the partridges on all sides until golden brown all around. Season them with salt. Remove from heat and add the leftover marinade and water. Cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes, basting them with the liquid every 5 minutes to get a nice glaze. If the liquid seems to reduce too much, add a bit more water. The internal temperature should be about 165° F, but remember the temperature will rise a few more degress once out of the oven, so it’s best to take it out a little before that.
Leave to rest a least 10 minutes before serving. Serve with lentils and pan sauce.

Red Lentils

• 1 cup split red lentils
• 2 cups chicken stock or water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 bay leaf, crushed
• sea salt

Melt the butter in a sauce pan and gently cook the onions for 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, bay leaf, and lentils. Cook for another minute then add the stock.
Simmer, half-covered, for about 10 minutes. Set aside and season with salt.

The post Maple-Chili Roasted Partridge appeared first on The Bite House.

Livened up with lemon zest and paprika, these crispy breaded and fried artichoke hearts are wonderfully satisfying – crispy on the outside with a smooth, almost creamy inside. Enjoy them with a glass of white wine. You can also substitute firm cheese for the artichokes and have home-made cheese croquettes. If smoked sausages can’t be found, cured sausage or even bacon will work nicely as well. Enjoy!

Serves 4 as an appetizer

Ingredients

• 20-24 cooked artichoke hearts
• 2 eggs, beaten with 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cup bread crumbs or panko
• 1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
• zest of a lemon
• a few cups of frying oil (peanut, sunflower)
• sea salt

Marinate the artichokes with half the lemon zest and a pinch of paprika for 10 minutes.
Take three large separate bowls. Put the eggs in one, the flour in another, and the bread crumbs with the rest of the zest and paprika in another. Season each with a pinch of salt.
In a medium pan, heat up the oil until it reaches 350°F. You need at least 3 inches of oil.
Put the artichokes in flour and dust them well.
Take a few at a time and dip them into the eggs then coat them with the crumbs and set aside on a plate. Repeat with the rest.
Once your oil is at temperature, turn on the fan and fry the artichokes in three batches, to avoid the oil to cool, for a few minutes until they’re golden brown. Set aside on a wire rack and serve straight away.

Mayo

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2-3 slices smoked dry sausage, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
• 1 clove garlic, chopped

In a pan, cook the sausages with a bit of oil until crispy. Remove from heat.
Mix together the mayo, dijon, garlic, maple syrup and the cooled cooked sausage.
Serve with the fried artichokes.

The post Fried Artichokes with Smoked Sausage Mayo appeared first on The Bite House.