Eating food should always bring back a memory or create a new one.
Hubby and I were invited to a
PEI Signature Event with Chef Corbin, which brought the very best of Prince Edward Island food and hospitality to us, right here in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Not only were we privileged enough to sample tons of delicious food and be entertained by some of the best in the PEI music scene (since Haywire, but again, my age is showing), we got to
play with knives! We were all part of an interactive culinary bootcamp, where Chef Corbin demo'd one lobster recipe (Lobster and Yellow Tomato Gazpacho, what he's making in the photo above) and then set us free to create two more... using only the ingredients listing and our wits. Luckily no fingers were lost and I can now truthfully say "I like lobster".
The first canapé we made all on our own were the Lobster and Bearnaise Toasts with Charred Corn Relish.
One of us had the honours of making the Bearnaise sauce for the group and showed us really how simple it is to make. These bites were sooooo good and so pretty to look at (and photograph).
Lobster and Bearnaise Toasts with Charred Corn Relish
Demo by Chef Corbin Tomaszeski
Corn Relish
1 ear corn, char-broiled
1 oz. red onion, grilled and diced
1 green zucchini, grilled and diced
2 tbsp finely cut chives
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 of a fresh lemon, juiced
S&P to taste
1/2 lb cooked lobster, chopped fine
12, 2" rounds of brioche bread
Drizzle of Classic Bearnaise Sauce (recipe to follow)
Micro greens to garnish
Combine all the ingredients for the corn relish and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Top each brioche with chopped lobster, spoon 1 tbsp of Bearnaise over and blow torch lightly (as you can see, we didn't do this step, we just drizzled the Bearnaise on top of the lobster, which was on top of the relish and it was a-okay... this was Chef Corbin's point, a recipe should be made how YOU envision it), top with 1 tbsp corn relish.
Our second recipe was the Lobster BLT Salad, and the pairing of the lobster with both bacon and avocado is what really convinced me that lobster can indeed be the cat's meow.
Lobster BLT Salad
Demo By Chef Corbin Tomaszeski
1/2 Tail + 1 Claw of fresh poached lobster, chopped large
1/2 avocado, sliced
2 strips chopped, cooked bacon
1 plum tomato, diced
2-3 leaves Iceburg lettuce
2-3tbsp Classic French Dressing (recipe will follow)
S&P to taste
Mix together lobster, bacon, tomato and dressing in a bowl. Arrange large leaves of iceburg lettuce on plate (or chop it up like I did, because I like it better that way), top with lobster salad mix, and sliced avocado. Garnish with lobster antennas and fresh herbs.
After sampling our lobster recipes and patting ourselves on the back for a job well done, we went outside and enjoyed the lovely
Meaghan Blanchard along with a glass of wine.
As the night went on, so did the music... next up was Charlottetown's own
Paper Lions. The PEI yummies did not end with our lobster dishes though. Throughout the evening we were treated to so much amazing food including (more) lobster, root-beer braised short ribs (OMG!), mussels (that tasted like pizza, so even I liked them) and ice cream sandwiches made with fresh cookies and filled with Cows Ice Cream, just to name a few. Sadly, not many photos of the evening were taken as I was just having too much fun (and food).
I did manage to get a quick shot of hubby swiping another bite of short ribs though.
When the food ended, the party continued, in true PEI style. I know for a fact though, that whenever I eat lobster in the future (which will be more often, thank you very much), I will think of this night and what a great experience it was. I will also then think of the trips I took to PEI as a child, with my parents and my since-passed Grandparents. I thank you Chef Corbin and PEI for tying those two memories together for me, so that I can relive them more often... and smile.
Needless to say... plan your
PEI vacation now, and don't forget about the upcoming
Fall Flavours Festival.
(I started daydreaming about PEI and forgot to add a couple of recipes before I published... here they are)
Bearnaise Sauce
Yield: 1 cup
2 tbsp tarragon vinegar
2 tbsp dry white wine
1/4 cup shallot, finely chopped
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
3 large egg yolks
1 tbsp water
3/4 cup warm clarified butter
1 tbsp finely cut tarragon
salt to taste
fresh lemon juice to taste
Bring a small pot of water to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Combine vinegar, white wine, shallots, and black pepper in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until reduced to 1 tbsp; strain.
Place egg yolks in a medium size bowl and whisk in vinegar reduction. Place bowl over double boiler and whisk continuously. As the egg yolks cook, the mixture will thicken. Once the mixture leaves a whisk trail across the surface, remove the bowl from the double boiler. Begin slowly adding the warm clarified butter to the egg yolk mixure; whisk continuously creating an emulsion. Keep whisking until all of the butter has been incorporated. Fold in tarragon and season with salt and lemon juice.
French Dressing
Yield: 3 cups
1 fresh lemon, juiced
120ml white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp shallots, chopped
500ml olive oil
1 tbsp tarragon, chopped
1 tbsp basil, chopped
1 tbsp chives, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
Blend first 5 ingredients until smooth. Stir in chopped herbs and adjust seasoning (do not blend herbs).
