Chefs Dish on the Holidays

Matthew Ravenscroft, head chef at Rosalinda
Chef Matthew Ravenscroft believes holiday cooking exists on two sides of the spectrum: fantastic and pretty “fine.” “

To me, the greatest tragedy is mediocrity when it comes to food, things that are totally forgettable and the edible equivalent of a shoulder shrug,” he says.

Ravenscroft also believes that vegetables shouldn’t masquerade as meat. As head chef at Rosalinda, one of Toronto’s newest Mexican restaurants, which just so happens to be vegan, Ravenscroft is creating plant-forward dishes that aren’t trying to mimic steak au poivre or roast chicken. Before Rosalinda, Ravenscroft spent time in the kitchens at the Drake, Parts & Labour and Crush Wine bar.

He vividly recalls the first cookbook he was ever gifted, which happened to be from his dad. “He wrote a genuine and heart- warming note in it that I think about a lot. It’s something I hold very near and dear to me,” Ravenscroft says. The book, Toronto Cooks, showcases the people who became his mentors and friends, Ravenscroft explains.

The Ryerson bachelor of arts graduate worked his way up through the ranks, first starting as a line cook, before reaching Rosalinda. And although he considers himself more of an omnivore than vegetarian or vegan these days, Ravenscroft has plant-based cookbooks at the top of his list for gifting. “People think that cooking vegetables properly and in a way that is fun and delicious can be a bit intimidating,” he says, and suggests On Vegetables by Jeremy Fox as a fix “to guide you through everything.” “It encourages you to be bold in your efforts and celebrate the beauty of vegetables.” His second favourite book to gift is The First Mess Cookbook, by Niagara-area author, Laura Wright. “I think showcasing the bounty of [southern Ontario] is something to be savoured, it really changes a lot of misconceptions about food in this area.”

When it comes to the holiday table, Ravenscroft likes bright dishes that are “not too heavy, but really shine on a plate.” His sweet potato with salsa verde and almond cream plate elevates the sweet potato.  “Take a chance, make a statement and don’t hesitate to make holiday dishes that really one-up mediocrity.”

Rosalinda
133 Richmond St. W., Toronto, Ont.
rosalindarestaurant.com | 416.907.0650 | @rosalindarestaurant

Roasted sweet potato with salsa verde and almond cream
Recipe by Matthew Ravenscroft

2 large sweet potatoes (about a pound), rinsed (I keep the skins on, but I’ll leave that up to you)
1 pomegranate
1 cup almonds, toasted & crushed
1 cup almond cream
1 cup of salsa verde 
½ cup pickled red onion

Almond cream
1 cup almonds, skins removed
2 tablespoons of lime juice 
Salt to taste

Soak your almonds overnight in a container. Drain the overnight water and place the soaked nuts in a blender with a small amount of water and some lime juice. Blend on the highest speed and add small amounts of water, as needed. Let the blender run longer than you’d expect to get a very creamy texture. Once you have a creamy consistency (like yogurt), adjust the salt to get the flavour you’re looking for. It should be well seasoned with a bit of acidity to brighten the dish.

Pickled red onion
1 medium red onion, julienned
½ cup sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon salt

In a small pot, combine the sugar, vinegar, water and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir once or twice to make sure the sugar is fully dissolved. Once boiled, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Pour over your onions and store in a container until needed.

Salsa verde
1 jalapeño, de-seeded and minced
2 limes
½ cup cilantro, leaves and stems
½ cup mint leaves
½ cup tarragon leaves

Pick and rinse all the herbs. Give them a spin in a salad spinner to dry. Finely chiffonade the herbs and combine them all together in a bowl.

Grate 2 limes’ worth of zest into the bowl, then add the jalapeño. Add some canola or olive oil (too much olive oil will make it taste bitter) and mix it up. Add as much salt and pepper as you like (there is no right answer as to how much — just add some, taste it, then add more if you need it.) Pat yourself on the back, you just made a great garnish. Grab a drink, treat yourself.

Pre-heat oven at 425F. 

It’s best to be sure you’ve finished the other recipes in advance of cooking the sweet potatoes so you can plate right away. 

Cut the potatoes into desired shape or thickness — the bigger the pieces, the longer they will take to cook. In a bowl, toss the potatoes with some oil of your choice, some salt, paprika and a bit of lime or orange zest.

Place potatoes on a lined baking sheet and place in the oven. Check them every 10 minutes or so until they are tender, but also have a bit of caramelization. Once they are done, squeeze some more citrus on top and add a pinch of extra salt. 

To plate, place the sweet potatoes onto a serving plate, spacing them out over the entire plate. Using a spoon, drizzle the almond cream on the potatoes. Add a few healthy dollops of salsa verde (I would recommend bringing an extra bowl of this to the table — it goes with everything) randomly around on the dish. Cover it with pomegranate seeds, some pickled red onion and crushed almonds.

If you have any herb leaves left over, pick them and toss them together in a bowl and put them on top of everything for garnish (if not, don’t panic — you’re doing a great job.) Pour some wine, break bread with friends and have a lovely meal.

Meaghan Foster, chef de cuisine at Estia
Despite her worldly travels, having helped launch a luxury hotel in Toronto and creating striking Ottoman-inspired dishes at her current restaurant, Estia, Meaghan Foster’s favourite holiday food to make might surprise you.

“Traditional shortbread with the terrible-yet-nostalgic coloured sugar to sprinkle, margarine cookies.” After all, the holidays are all about nostalgia and tradition and those classic cookies are just what Foster remembers.

The Fanshawe culinary graduate has travelled from Australia to Western Canada and says those voyages inspire her worldly approach to cooking. In her current role as chef de cuisine at Yorkville’s Estia, Foster uses her foreign experiences to create dishes inspired by Turkish and Greek fare. Though heavy on the seafood — the menu features several varieties of whole fish deboned table-side — Estia is also known for its rich and complex plates, such as Za’atar Cig Wagyu, a beef tartare served with eggplant, pomegranate, almonds and pita, oxtail Manti dumplings complemented with a yogurt sauce and patlican, a smoked eggplant and tahini dish.

When it comes to gifting over the holidays, Foster has a few classics in her back pocket for those just starting to build a cookbook collection and their recipe repertoire, with the classics Joy of Cooking , Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking or Larousse Gastronomique as her top picks. For the more experienced, “Flour Water Salt Yeast [by Ken Forkish] is a great one for the bakers out there and Eating from the Ground Up [by Alana Chernila] is a must-read for people who either love vegetables or want to love vegetables.”

And vegetables are the inspiration for Foster’s holiday dish, a Turkish spoon salad. “I like to bring something new to the table that offsets all the heavy foods and sugary sweets that we eat over the holidays,” she says. “Last Christmas, my Turkish spoon salad was a huge hit with the family. And as a bonus, it even looks festive with the red pepper, tomato and pomegranate seeds mixed with the green cucumber, parsley and mint.”

Estia
90 Avenue Rd., Toronto, Ont.
estiatoronto.com | 416.367.4141 | @estiatoronto

Turkish spoon salad
Serves 6

Spoon salad
1 cup red tomato, diced small (seeds removed)
1 cup yellow tomato, diced small (seeds removed)
2 cups cucumber, diced small
½ cup red pepper, diced small
½ cup red onion, diced very small
¼ cup jalapeño, minced (seeds removed)
½ cup pistachios, roasted and chopped
½ cup walnuts, roasted and chopped
¼ cup parsley, chopped
¼ cup mint, chopped
1 pomegranate, seeded
1 cup Labneh (or extra thick Greek yogurt)

Pomegranate vinaigrette
1/3 cup shallot, minced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 sprig mint
1 tablespoon sumac
½ teaspoon chili flakes
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1¼ cups sherry vinegar
½ cup pomegranate molasses
3 tablespoons honey
1¼ cups olive oil

For the vinaigrette, whisk all ingredients together and season with salt to taste. In a large bowl mix all the diced vegetables, herbs and nuts together. Dress it with the pomegranate vinaigrette and salt to taste (it takes more than you think).

Line a serving bowl (or you can use smaller individual bowls if you like) with a layer of labneh, pushing it up on the sides of the bowl. Mound your salad in the centre and garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds.

This salad is meant to be enjoyed with a spoon so you can scoop up and enjoy every mouthful with a touch of labneh in every bite.

Forrest Liu, executive chef at Terre Rouge
For Chef Forrest Liu, Christmas Day is about anything but cooking. “I’m accustomed to working at full speed throughout the end-of-year holidays, so I try to make the most of having one day off with my family and sharing good food with them,” he says. “I likely won’t be labouring intensively in the kitchen on Christmas Day, instead, [my wife and I] will be relaxing and eating a delicious Chinese feast.”

Chef Liu started his culinary career in Shanghai at Michelin- starred Jade 36 and Jean Georges’ Three on the Bund before immigrating to Canada. After completing the Culinary Management Chef School at George Brown College, Liu worked the back of house at several renowned Toronto restaurants such as One, Canoe, George and Le Select Bistro. In 2017, he took a leap and opened his own restaurant, Terre Rouge, in downtown Markham’s quaint Unionville neighbourhood, about 30 minutes northwest of Toronto. The restaurant is recognized by the Culinary Tourism Alliance as a Feast On “certified taste of Ontario” recipient and focuses on traditional French cuisine with an Asian twist. Dishes include a warm duck salad with enoki mushrooms, seared foie gras with apple mustarda and a 48-hour sous-vide pork shank.

For holiday gifts, Liu is a fan of Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry Cookbook, “even if you don’t cook,” he says. “You’ll love it for the visual style, writing and sheer magnificence.” Sure, Liu admits the dishes are incredibly time-consuming, but he argues that’s Keller’s point: “Such an investment is priceless for the resulting masterpiece.” Liu, who recently returned from a stage at the French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley, says he’s moved by chef Keller and his team who “will stop at nothing to attain the perfect taste and that’s truly inspiring in a world of fast consumption.”

Regardless of your holiday plans, whether you’ll be cooking or not, the period is all about guilty indulgences, Liu says. But his holiday dish, an orange Japanese cheesecake with strawberry compote is “a guilty pleasure with less guilt... after the indulgence.”

Terre Rouge
162 Enterprise Blvd., Markham, Ont
terrerougetoronto.com | 905.597.5668 | @terrerougeto

Orange Japanese cheesecake with strawberry compote
Serves 6

¾ cup fine granulated sugar
6 egg whites
6 egg yolks
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 cup cream cheese
½ cup, plus 1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup cake flour
3 tablespoons corn starch
¼ teaspoon salt
1 whole orange zested

Melt the butter, cream cheese and milk on a double-boiler. Fold in the flour, corn starch, salt, egg yolks, lemon juice, orange zest and mix well. Remove from double-boiler and let cool to room temperature. Reserve.

In a clean, dry mixing bowl, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar until it becomes foamy. Slowly add the sugar and whisk until soft peaks are formed.

Take one-third of the meringue and fold it into the cheese mixture, then fold in another one-third of the meringue. Once incorporated, pour the batter back to the remaining one-thirdmeringue and fold. Do not overmix. Fold very gently.

Pour the mixture into an 8-inch round cake pan (lightly grease and line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper.)

Preheat the oven to 325F.

Bake cheesecake in a water bath for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until set and golden brown on top. Check with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it's ready.

Cool in the oven with the door open as a dramatic change in temperature can the cake to shrink. Remove from the oven once cooled to room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Strawberry compote
1 pint of strawberries
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup water

Wash the strawberries, remove the tops then cut them in half.

In a small pot, add the strawberries and water. Bring to a boil then add the sugar. Stir until all sugar has melted. Cool on an ice bath. Store the compote in the fridge.

To serve, cut the cheesecake into slices and serve with the strawberry compote.