Savour The Flavours Of Durham Region During Local Food Week With These Delicious Dishes
Durham Tourism, in partnership with Chef Alex Page, is sharing a collection of mouth-watering recipes to inspire you to try something different and support local farms during Local Food Week—and beyond.
Durham Region has an abundance of high-quality food grown right here in the region, with products ranging from beef and lamb, to honey and cider, to fresh fruit and vegetables. Chef Alex Page uses locally sourced ingredients in the recipes featured in this blog. We encourage you to learn about local food in Durham Region and start cooking!
Lavender Infused Maple Syrup Glazed Duck Breast
Ingredients (serves two):
Two boneless duck breasts
Two tablespoons Gray Silo Lavender Farm lavender infused maple syrup
One garlic clove, crushed
Half a teaspoon dried lavender
One sprig fresh rosemary
Half a cup dark cherries
Instructions:
Let duck breasts rest 30 minutes at room temperature, then pat dry with paper towel and, with a sharp knife, score skin in a one-inch criss-cross pattern and season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
Place breasts skin side down in a cold cast iron skillet, set over medium-high heat and slowly render out the fat. Once skin side is deep golden-brown and crisp, flip over and brush with maple syrup. Add garlic, lavender and rosemary, and cook until duck feels firm to the touch, about four minutes, searing each side of the breasts for 30 seconds more. Flip over again and cook until glaze caramelizes on skin, then transfer breasts skin side up to a plate and rest for five minutes.
Meanwhile, add cherries to pan sauce in skillet and warm through.
Cut rested duck breast on the diagonal into half-inch thick slices, spoon over cherry pan sauce. Serve immediately.
Hot Nashville Cauliflower Sandwich
Ingredients (serves two):
Three cloves of garlic, crushed
Two tablespoons pickling spice blend
One tablespoon salt
Three cups water
One head Tindall Farm and Market cauliflower, cut into one-inch “steaks” (about two to three)
One egg
One cup all-purpose flour
Three cups panko bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for frying
Three tablespoons Villa Vida Loca pure honey
Half a teaspoon Hurt Berry Farm Gob Smacked hot sauce
Three tablespoons butter, melted
One quarter teaspoon Hurt Berry Farm Viridescent hot sauce
Half cup mayonnaise
Bread and butter pickles, and brioche buns for serving
Instructions:
Add garlic, pickling spice blend, salt and water into a large frying pan and bring mixture to a boil over high heat, then add cauliflower steaks and cook until barely fork tender, about four minutes. With a slotted spoon, carefully transfer cauliflower steaks to a paper towel-lined plate and cool completely. Discard cooking water mixture.
Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl whisk egg with one tablespoon cold water. In another shallow bowl add flour, and in another add bread crumbs.
Pat cooled cauliflower steaks dry with paper towel. Working with one steak at a time, dredge first in flour, shaking off any excess, then coat in egg mixture, then cover completely in bread crumbs. Repeat with remaining cauliflower steak(s).
Fill a frying pan with enough vegetable oil to come two inches up the side of the pan and place over high heat. Once the oil reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit add cauliflower steaks, in batches if necessary, and fry until breading is deep golden-brown and cauliflower is thoroughly cooked, about three minutes per side. Transfer cauliflower steaks to a paper towel-lined plate and season generously with salt. Set aside.
In a medium shallow bowl, whisk together honey, butter and Hurt Berry Farms Gob Smacked hot sauce to combine.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together Hurt Berry Farms Viridescent hot sauce and mayonnaise to combine.
Quickly submerge each cauliflower steak in honey-butter mixture, set on bottom half on brioche bun and garnish with pickles. Spread top half of bun with mayonnaise mixture and set on top. Repeat with remaining cauliflower steaks. Serve immediately.
Beet, Buttermilk and Maple Lavender Panna Cotta
Ingredients (serves four):
One and one half cups 35 per cent cream
Three quarter cup buttermilk
Half of a vanilla bean pod (or, alternatively, one and one half teaspoons vanilla extract)
Half cup Gray Silo Lavender Farm lavender infused maple syrup
Three ounces (90grams or one small) beet, peeled and finely diced
Half teaspoon dried lavender
Two tablespoons cold water
One pouch (7grams) unflavoured gelatin
Robust extra virgin olive oil and orange supreme segments for serving
Instructions:
Pour cream and buttermilk into a small sauce pot. Using the tip of a paring knife, scrape seeds from vanilla pod and add to pot along with scraped pod, maple syrup, beet and dried lavender, and whisk to combine. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook gently for 25 minutes.
Remove and discard vanilla pod. Using an immersion blender, purée cream mixture until smooth, then pass through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl and set aside.
Place water in a small sauce pot, sprinkle gelatin over top, and allow to bloom five minutes, then set pot over medium heat and warm through just until gelatin melts. Pour gelatin into reserved cream mixture and stir to combine.
Divide mixture into four ramekins and cool slightly, then cover with plastic wrap and allow to set in the fridge for a minimum four hours or overnight.
To serve, run an offset spatula or butter knife around the panna cotta, then dip the bottom of the ramekins in hot water for 10 seconds before inverting onto serving plates. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and some orange supreme segments.
Poached Duck Egg with Swiss Chard & Chorizo Hash
Ingredients (serves two):
One tablespoon olive oil
One fresh chorizo sausage, casing removed
One small white potato, finely diced
One bunch Swiss chard, trimmed and chopped into one-inch pieces, leaves and stems divided
Two cloves garlic, thinly sliced
One tablespoon white vinegar
Two Alphaven Farms duck eggs
Crusty bread for serving
Instructions:
Set a large skillet over high heat, add oil and, once smoking, crumble in sausage and use a wooden spoon to break meat apart as it cooks. When chorizo is cooked through and golden, about four minutes, add diced potato and chard stems, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until potatoes are fork-tender, about five minutes. Add chard leaves and cook for three minutes, then add garlic and cook for an additional one minute. Reduce heat to low and keep hash warm.
Meanwhile, crack duck eggs, one at a time, into a fine mesh strainer to remove any excess egg whites before gently setting them in individual ramekins. Set aside.
Fill a medium-sized sauce pot with water and place over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to a gentle simmer and stir in vinegar. Swirl water with a wooden spoon to create a whirlpool, then gently add duck eggs, one at a time, and cook for three minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer poached eggs from water to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
Top warm hash with the poached eggs, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately with crusty bread.
Smoked Turkey & Andouille Gumbo
Ingredients (serves eight):
For the stock:
Two Pingle’s Farm Market smoked turkey drumsticks
One yellow onion, peeled and halved
Two large carrots, cut into two-inch chunks
Three stocks of celery, cut into two-inch chunks
Six sprigs fresh parsley
For the gumbo:
Two tablespoons butter
Four Max Meats Andouille sausages (available at Trading Post Quality Foods), cut into one-inch pieces
Three quarter cup vegetable oil
One cup all-purpose flour
Six cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Two yellow onions, diced
One green bell pepper, diced
One red bell pepper, diced
One tablespoon garlic powder
Two tablespoons dried onion flakes
Three tablespoons creole seasoning
Two teaspoons smoked paprika
Half a teaspoon dried red chili flakes
Three tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Cooked white rice and thinly sliced green onions for serving
Instructions:
Begin by making the smoked turkey stock. Place the turkey drumsticks, onion, carrots, celery and parsley in a large stock pot and cover with 12 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and simmer for four-to-five hours. Remove turkey drum sticks and set aside. Strain stock and reserve. Once turkey drumsticks are cool enough to handle, shred meat from the bones.
In a large stock pot, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the andouille sausage and cook until golden brown, move to a bowl. Add the oil and flour and cook while continuously whisking for 10 minutes, or until roux is deeply browned (slightly darker than peanut butter). Add in garlic, onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, garlic powder, dried onion flakes, creole seasoning, smoked paprika and chili flakes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until vegetables have softened, about eight minutes.
Add reserved smoked turkey stock, andouille and shredded turkey meat. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, add Worcestershire sauce and simmer for about one hour, or until gumbo has slightly thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve over top of white rice and top with thinly sliced green onion.
Lamb Shawarma Poutine
Ingredients (serves two):
Two 4S Maple Lane Farm lamb chops
One tablespoon shawarma spice
Kosher salt and freshly-ground pepper
Three tablespoons olive oil, divided
One pound fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise
Half cup fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
One Roma tomato, seeded and finely diced
One cup crushed pita crackers
One and one half cups cubed Sargent Family Dairy Chive Farmstead cheese
One cup Pingle’s Farm Market demi-glace
Quarter cup diced pickled beets
Quarter cup Lebanese-style garlic sauce
One fresh green chili, thinly sliced into rounds
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pat lamb chops dry with paper towel and season with shawarma spice, salt and pepper. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat until shimmering, add lamb chops and cook for two to three minutes per side, then transfer to a rimmed plate and set aside to rest.
Meanwhile, toss potatoes with one tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste, then place on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast until crispy and fork-tender, about 15 minutes.
To make tabbouleh, toss together parsley, tomato and pita crumbs in a small mixing bowl with remaining one tablespoon olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Warm demi-glace in a small sauce pot until simmering.
Cut rested lamb from the bone into thin strips.
Top roasted potatoes with cheese, hot demi-glace, tabbouleh, beets, lamb and garlic sauce. Serve immediately.
Duck Egg Herb Frittata with Feta & Olive Oil
Ingredients (serves six):
Eight Alphaven Farms duck eggs
Half cup Greek yogurt
Four tablespoons olive oil, divided
One bunch fresh parsley, roughly chopped
One bunch green onion, thinly sliced
One bunch fresh basil, roughly chopped
Three cups fresh baby spinach leaves
One bunch dill, roughly chopped and divided
One cup crumbled feta
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl, add the yogurt, two tablespoons of olive oil and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper, whisk to combine completely. Add in parsley, green onion, basil spinach and half of the fresh dill. Stir to combine.
Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a medium-sized, oven-safe, frying pan over medium-high heat. Add egg mixture to the pan, and cook for about five minutes, or until eggs begin to set along the bottom and sides. Top eggs with feta and place in the oven. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until eggs have set completely, and top is golden brown. Remove and allow to cool for five minutes.
Gently run a spatula around the frittata and place a plate over top of the pan. In a quick motion flip the frittata out on to the plate. Repeat the process onto a serving plate (to invert the frittata top side up). Drizzle remaining olive oil over frittata and top with remaining dill. Serve Immediately.
Discover more delicious local dishes!
Check out our series of Page's Platefuls—a series of recipes by Chef Alex Page focusing on field-to-fork meals using local ingredients from local businesses in Durham Region.