Biscuits

1 C Whole Milk, fridge cold

2 Tbsp Lemon juice

2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

2 C unbleached All Purpose Flour, plus more for dusting

¼ Tsp Baking Soda

1 Tbsp Baking Powder

1 Tsp Kosher Salt

6 Tbsp cubed Unsalted Butter, fridge cold

Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a clean dry bowl add milk and lemon juice and let sit for a few minutes, until the milk starts to curdle.

Combine all ingredients in a clean dry bowl and mix well.  Using your fingertips, break up the fridge cold butter into pea size pieces and mix through the dry ingredients.

Add vanilla extract to curdled milk and lemon juice then add this wet mix to the dry mix with butter.  Using the handle end of a wooden spoon, mix till it is a wettish clumpy dough.  Transfer to fridge for a few minutes to make sure all ingredients are fridge cold again.

Turn the dough out into a well floured clean surface and form a rectangle using the palm of your hands, roughly 9” x 6”.  Fold the right third of the dough over the middle and then fold the left third over the rest so there are three layers stacked on top of one another.  Flip the dough and flatten with your palm once agin to 9” x 6” rectangle.  Repeat this process 4 times minimum, ensuring that the working surface is dusted enough so that the dough does not stick throughout.  Transfer the dough to a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 5- 10 minutes again.

Cut chilled dough into 6 evenly sized biscuits and space them out on the tray so that they are not touching.  Place in oven and bake for 9 minutes, turn tray and cook for another 4 minutes.  They biscuits should be puffy, flaky and golden brown.

Serve with Honey Butter (below recipe)

Honey Butter

1/2 lb room temperature Unsalted Butter

1/4 C Honey

1 1/2 Tbsp Icing Sugar

Add all ingredients to a clean dry bowl and mix with a rubber spatula until evenly combined.

Store any unused Honey Butter in the fridge in a sealed container.

• 2 Tbsp Yellow Mustard Seed
• 4 C frozen Cranberries (about 1 lb)
• 1/2 C White Granulated Sugar
• 1/2 C Brown Sugar
• 1/2 C Water
• 2 Tbsp finely minced fresh Ginger
• 1/2 Tsp Fennel Seed
• 1/4 Tsp freshly ground Black Peppercorn
• 1/4 Tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 6 wide strips fresh orange peel (from about 1/2 medium orange)
• 1/3 C fresh Orange Juice (juice from 1 medium orange)
• 1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

Place mustard seeds in a small heat safe bowl and pour enough boiling water over to cover.  Set aside.  Let mustard seeds “bloom” for a few minutes while the rest of the sauce comes to a boil.

In a medium pot, combine remaining ingredients.  Stirring occasionally, bring to a simmer, about 5 minutes.  Strain soaked mustard seeds (discarding water) and add the seeds to the pot.  Let sauce simmer until cranberries pop and mixture reduces slightly, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Let sauce cool to room temperature.  Remove orange peel strips and cinnamon stick before serving.

• 2 C All Purpose Flour
• 2 C Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
• 3/4 Tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• 1 Tbsp room temperature Unsalted Butter
• 1 1/2 C room temperature water, plus additional if needed

Combine all dry ingredients in a clean bowl.  Add butter and rub into the flour mixture between your palms until evenly distributed.  Add water and knead for 4 minutes, form a ball and cover with a tea towel for 15 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Place rested dough in a 12” cast iron skillet and press down gently until it fills the skillet end to end; it should be a disk shape.  With a sharp knife, slice 3 slits across the top of the dough.  Bake in the middle of the oven for 35-40 minutes or until dough is fully cooked.  

Allow Bake to cool for 5 minutes in pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature before eating. 

• 4 ears Corn, husked
• 2 Limes, halved
• 1 Tbsp Five-spice Powder
• Kosher Salt

Preheat a grill to medium-high, and lightly oil the grate.  Arrange the corn on the grates, and let them cook through and char, turning frequently, approximately 15 minutes.  Rub the grilled corn with the limes and season with five-spice powder, then salt to taste.

• 1 large head Cauliflower
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tsp ground Cumin
• Kosher Salt and freshly ground Black Peppercorns to taste
• 1/3 C (3% fat) Yogurt
• 1 Tsp Honey
• 1/3 C fresh Pomegranate Seeds
• 2 Tsp fresh Orange Zest

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

To slice cauliflower into even “steaks”, use a long serrated bread knife to first trim the bottom so it stands firm and flat on a cutting board. To start, slice cauliflower from top to bottom stem in half, then cut from original center slice outward about 1 to 1 1/2 inches to create a thick flat “steak”. Trim the outer rounded part on the second cut – you’ll end up with two larger pieces, and two smaller pieces. Keep any extra crumbly bits; they’ll cook alongside the larger slices.

Gently brush or rub olive oil evenly over the cauliflower and season on all sides with cumin, and a generous amount of salt and pepper, place on prepared tray. Roast on first side for 15 minutes, then carefully remove tray from oven. Using tongs, flip steaks over to other side and roast additional 10 minutes. Cauliflower will be nicely golden on the edges, and just cooked through (but not overly soft). Remove from oven, and transfer to final serving platter and let cool slightly.

In a small bowl, mix together yogurt and honey. Drizzle over cauliflower steaks, and finish off with fresh orange zest and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds. Serve as a side dish to accompany the Herb Chicken with Coconut Green Peppercorn Sauce.

Brine for Pork Chops

• 1/2 C Kosher Salt
• 1/4 C Brown Sugar
• 15 whole Allspice Berries, toasted
• 10 whole Black Peppercorns, toasted
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh Thyme
• 4 C Water

In a medium saucepan, add all dry ingredients and 2 cups of water. Bring mixture up to a low simmer, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Remove from heat and add remaining 2 cups of water. Set aside and let cool down to room temperature.

Allspice Brined Pork Chops

• 2 (10 oz each) bone-in, center cut Pork Chops
• 2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
• freshly ground Black Peppercorns to taste

In a large non reactive bowl, add pork chops to room temperature brine. Make sure chops are completely covered – weigh down with a small plate if needed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours – overnight is ideal.

When ready to cook, remove chops from brine and blot very dry with paper towel. Let chops come slightly up to room temperature (at the very least, remove from fridge 5 minutes before cooking to take the chill off, for more even cooking.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and have a small baking sheet (with a wire cooling rack if you have one) standing by.

Heat a cast iron (or other oven ready) pan to medium high and add vegetable oil. Season pork chops with pepper and sear over high heat, pressing down very slightly, until lovely dark golden brown, about 5 minutes on one side. Flip the pork chop and place the entire pan with pork chops directly into the oven, for 10-12 minutes or until chops are cooked to desired doneness. Check with an instant read thermometer inserted sideways into the the thickest part of the chop – it should read 150 F – remembering that the chop will continue to cook as it rests.

Remove chops from oven and let rest at least 10 minutes, tended with foil to keep warm, before slicing. To serve, slice in 1/2 inch thick pieces towards bone, leaving a nice piece remaining on the bone (that’s the cook’s treat!) Serve warm with Easy Sambal Vermicelli.

Easy Sambal Vermicelli

• 200 g (about 1/2 package) dried Chinese Rice Vermicelli noodles
• 2 Tsp Vegetable Oil
• 1/4 C Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 2 Tsp Sugar
• 3 Tsp Sambal Oelek (use more if you like it spicy)
• 1 Tsp Sesame Oil
• 1 Tbsp toasted Sesame Seeds
• 1/3 C finely sliced Green Onions

In a large bowl, place dried vermicelli and pour over enough boiling water just to cover. (Push noodles down slightly with tongs as needed.) Let stand 1-2 minutes, then drain well and rinse with plenty of cold water. Drain again and spread now cooked noodles on a clean tray. Toss lightly with vegetable oil to prevent sticking.

Meanwhile in a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients, stirring well to dissolve sugar. Add back cooled, cooked noodles and toss to evenly coat noodles with the delicious dressing. Serve with Allspice Pork Chops.

• 1 large Egg
• 3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 1/3 C diced White Onion
• 1/4 C diced Carrot
• 2 Tsp minced Garlic
• 1 Tsp sliced Green Onion (white part only)
• 1/2 C diced Red Pepper
• 3/4 C cubed leftover Pork Chop
• 2 1/2 C cooked, cold day old, Long Grain White Rice
• 1/4 C Peas (frozen is fine, thawed)
• 1 Tbsp Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1/4 Tsp freshly ground White Peppercorn

For garnish, 2 Tsp slice Green Onion (green part only)

Preheat a large non-stick pan over medium high heat.

In a small bowl, whisk egg and 1 tsp vegetable oil until well combined and slightly frothy. To hot pan, add 2 tsp vegetable oil and swirl to coat pan evenly. Add egg to pan in one swift movement, and let it spread evenly and thinly across the hot surface to form a thin crepe. This will only take a few seconds, so don’t walk away! As soon as the egg has begun to set, slide or flip the crepe directly onto a cutting board, using a heat resistant spatula to assist as needed. Let egg crepe cool down slightly while the fried rice is assembled.

Return the non-stick pan back to stovetop, and raise heat to high. Add 2 tbsp vegetable oil to hot pan and add onion and carrot first. Fry, stirring occasionally until onions have taken on a little colour and carrots have softened slightly, about 2 minutes. Next, add minced garlic and the green onion whites and fry another minute, followed by the diced red pepper. After another minute, add the cubed pork chop and stir through, letting the meat brown and slightly crisp up. Add rice and let sit, untouched, for a minute to crisp up the bottom, before stirring. Try to use a folding motion as you stir to avoid breaking up the rice grains too much. Add in peas and soy sauce and fold in to combine everything thoroughly. Season with white pepper, toss till evenly distributed and transfer immediately to serving platter.

To finish, roll the egg crepe into a little cigar, and thinly slice across to form ribbons. Garnish the hot fried rice with the egg ribbons, and sliced green onion tops. Serve right away.

• 12 Jumbo Shrimp (16/20 size), peeled, tail-on (about 12 oz)
• 1 Tsp finely chopped Garlic
• 1 Tsp finely chopped Shallot
• 1 Tsp fresh Lemon Zest
• 1/2 Tsp Ground Coriander
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 cored Pineapple, sliced into 6 spears
• 2 Tbsp store bought Chili Oil
• 1/4 Tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/4 C Coconut Milk
• 1 Tsp Honey
• Fresh Mint Leaves, for garnish
• Fresh Basil Leaves, for garnish

Preheat BBQ to medium high heat.

Pat shrimp dry and place in a medium bowl. Add garlic, shallot, lemon zest, ground coriander, pinch of kosher salt and olive oil, and very gently toss to combine. Let stand for at least 15 minutes, refrigerated, to marinate. Using a pair of metal skewers, thread shrimp on both tail and “head” side, leaving about half inch of space in between each shrimp. You will end up with a total of two sets of skewered shrimp (6 per pair of skewers).

Place pineapple spears on a large plate and drizzle over chili oil. Gently flip the spears around to thinly and evenly coat the pineapple all over with the oil.

Place the seasoned pineapple spears directly on the grill, cooking about 3-4 minutes per side (without moving the spears too much) to get nicely caramelized grill marks. Transfer to a large serving platter and finish seasoning with a touch of salt.

Place skewered shrimp onto grill and cook over direct heat until they appear pink and just firm at the thickest part, about 2-3 minutes per side (they will continue to cook slightly as they cool, so try not to leave them on the grill too long!). Remove from heat and carefully remove shrimp from hot skewers. Arrange shrimp over the grilled pineapple.

In a small bowl, mix the coconut milk and honey until the honey is fully dissolved into coconut milk. Drizzle the mixture over and around the shrimp and pineapple. Garnish with fresh mint and basil leaves and serve right away.