RECIPE: Queso Fresco (Cheese) From Scratch for BC Living

Queso Fresco (Cheese)
for BC Living
November 2022

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Did you know that you can make homemade cheese with just 3 ingredients? I am kicking myself for not attempting this sooner, and now I want to try out other cheeses to make at home.

I did this with the intention of sprinkling it on some tacos (refried bean recipe coming in the future!), but you could spread it on toast, put it on eggs, in a salad, you name it.

INGREDIENTS

- 4L of whole milk
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup fresh juice from about 5 lemons, or lime or white vinegar
- Kosher salt

Other Required Items
- cheese cloth


INSTRUCTIONS

In a pot large enough to hold the liquids, pour in the milk and begin to heat over low-medium, stirring throughout. The key here is to not burn the bottom of the pot, and gradually heat the milk before it boils.

When it’s at a pre-boil/gradual simmer stage (approx. 15-20 minutes) pour in the acid of choice (I used lemon juice) and stir. You will see the milk separating and curds starting to form.

When this process has begun, remove from heat, cover and let sit for about 20-30 minutes.

After this, line a colander with the cheese cloth and pour the mixture through both.
You can discard the whey (the liquid) or save it as there are several uses for it, including making other cheese!

Carefully, as the curds will still be warm, squeeze the cheesecloth to help drain more of the liquid out.
You can twist the curds in the cloth and place some weight on top to help this along – the longer you let the cheese drain, the firmer it will be in the end.

Once it’s drained, place the curds in a bowl, sprinkle in the salt, and mix well. Taste to see if you’d like more salt, and if so, add it in.

Find a container with a tight-fitting lid, and pack the cheese in to help mold the desired shape, and then place in the refrigerator to chill.

It should last for a week, if you don’t eat it all with a spoon right away.

EVENT: Dîner en Blanc 2022 - Jack Poole Plaza

Dîner en Blanc
Jack Poole Plaza
August 18, 2022

RECIPE: 3 Easy Salad Dressings From Scratch for BC Living

3 Easy Salad Dressings From Scratch
for BC Living
August 2022

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Homemade Salad Dressing 
Store-bought salad dressing just can’t hold a candle to making it at home. It’s so much fresher, preservative free, and far, far less sugar than most bottled up dressings. 

I’ve put together three different kinds for you, two of which are (or can be made) vegan, and you probably have a majority of the ingredients in your kitchen right now. 
 
 
Balsamic Dressing 
The easiest dressing to make for sure and versatile on a variety of salads from a regular garden salad to a strawberry spinach one. 
 
INGREDIENTS: 
 
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar  
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil  
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard  
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme  
- Salt and pepper 
- Optional: 1-2 tbsp honey or maple syrup if you prefer sweeter 
- minced garlic 
 
INSTRUCTIONS: 
Whisk or shake in a closed mason jar until fully combined. 
 
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Blue Cheese Dressing: 
I don’t have it that often, but when you get a nice, cold, wedge of iceberg lettuce with some blue cheese dressing and bacon bits – it's a slice of stinky cheese heaven. 
 
INGREDIENTS: 
- 100g blue cheese (plus more for crumbling) 
- 1/3 cup buttermilk (or 1/3 cup of milk + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar) 
- 1/3 cup sour cream  
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise   
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder 
- salt and pepper to taste 
 
 
INSTRUCTIONS: 
(If making the homemade buttermilk, at the milk and vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes first before continuing.) 
 
Combine everything but the blue cheese into a bowl – stirring until smooth. Crumble in the blue cheese until you have your desired amount, and then taste for seasoning. 
 
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Buttermilk Dressing: 
This can be made vegan easily (vegan butter milk and mayo), but it’s also great on a with a warm chicken breast mixed in. 
 
INGREDIENTS: 
- ¼ cup buttermilk (or 1/3 cup of milk + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar) 
- ¼ cup of mayo 
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar 
- 1 small shallot, finely minced 
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced 
- 2 tbsp chives, finely chopped 
- salt and pepper 

INSTRUCTIONS: 
(If making the homemade buttermilk, at the milk and vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes first before continuing.) 
 
Place all ingredients into a small bowl and whisk to combine. If the dressing is too thick you can add a small amount more of buttermilk, or water. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or pepper as needed. 

RECIPE: Jerky From Scratch for BC Living

Jerky
for “From Scratch” for BC Living
July 2022

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This might seem like a lot of work, but believe me, if you’re a jerky fan, making it from scratch is so much better than anything you’ll by covered in plastic. 
 
Main tips include getting the right cut of meat (here’s a description of possible cuts – I used eye of round, because I might as well if I’m going to the effort), removing any fat, cutting it evenly (the butcher might do this for you if you ask them), and watching it while it’s dehydrating. If you do this, you’ll have a tasty snack that you can take on hikes, camping, vacuum seal for later, or just have on hand when you’re hungry. 
 
The spices in here are optional, maybe try mixing the base and then marinating a few in the spicy bowl, and seeing which you prefer. There’s some trial and error to it all. 
 

INGREDIENTS 
 
- 3 pounds chosen beef cut 
- 1 cup soy sauce (low sodium, I used Bragg’s)  
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce  
- 1 tsp liquid smoke  
- 1 tbsp of brown sugar or honey (optional) 
- 1 tsp onion powder 
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder 
- 2 tsp ground black pepper (coarse) 
- 1 tsp salt  
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional) 
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional) 
 
INSTRUCTIONS 
 
After removing and fat, using a very sharp knife, cut the beef into even slices – some can be round-ish and flat, and others can be long, but make sure it’s consistent. You can try freezing the beef for a while to make slicing easier. 
 
Mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl – with optional spices – until combined and then add the beef and mix well until coated. Cover and place in refrigerator for 12 hours or overnight. 

If you have a dehydrator, follow the instructions on your machine. 
If using your oven, set to 175F, line baking sheets and place an oven proof wire rack over top of them.  
 
Evenly space your jerky, in a single layer. For the oven bake for 3-4 hours, rotating the pans after 2 hours of cook time. If using your dehydrator, the time will vary based on the machine, but might be up to 8 hrs. 
Check often, you want it to be firm, and dry, but still flexible. 
 
Store in a sealed container and it should be good for a week at room temp, a month in the fridge, or vacuum seal it to extend the life even further. 

RECIPE: Pretzels - From Scratch for BC Living

Pretzels
From Scratch for BC Living
June 2022 

One of my favorite items to get at the concession stands at sporting events is a soft pretzel. Nothing against their crunchy counterparts, which I also enjoy, but a warm, soft, salty pretzel is the best. 

As luck would have it, they’re pretty easy to make at home too. It might take you some practice to get the knots twisted perfectly (but who cares, because they taste the same). 
 
Throw in some homemade beer cheese to dip on the side, or mustard if you prefer, and this is just an awesome snack. 
 
INGREDIENTS: 

- 1.5 cups warm water  
- 2 ¼  tsp (~7g) dry active dry yeast (this is about one packet) 
- 1 tsp salt  
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar  
- 2 tbsp oil 
- 1 tbsp butter, unsalted, melted  
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (addition for working with the dough)  
- kosher salt or coarse sea salt for sprinkling 
 
-1/3 cup baking soda 
 

INSTRUCTIONS: 
 
In a large mixing bowl, add the water, salt and sugar until combined/dissolved - then mix in the yeast. 
Let this stand for 5-10mins until it becomes bubbly/foamy. 
 
Add 1 tbsp of oil, and then the flour a small amount at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon until the flour has been incorporated. 
Move to a clean, floured surface, and knead until a smooth ball forms. 
 
Coat the bowl with the second tablespoon of oil, and drop the dough back into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm area for about an hour until the dough has doubled in size. 
 
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and fill a large pot with water and bring to a low boil, adding 1/3 cup of baking soda. (This improves the texture and the color of the pretzels!) 
 
Cut the dough with a sharp knife into even pieces – I made smaller ones because there were more people to share with, but you can make them whichever size you want, just make sure they’re even. 
 
Roll the cut dough into long ropes, make a circle with ends overlapping, twist and pull across to the opposite end. Pinch the ends down to help keep the shape. (If you can’t figure this out, there are lots of tutorials – just do an internet search. And don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it.) 
 
Place a silicone mat on a baking sheet, or grease some parchment paper and set aside. 
 
With a slotted spoon, lower 1 or 2 pretzels at a time into the baking soda bath for 30 seconds, flipping over halfway, and then remove with the slotted spoon, allowing the pretzels to drain as much as possible. 
 
Sprinkle the pretzels that just came out of the bath with your coarse salt before moving on to the next so it sticks to them better. 
 
Repeat until all pretzels are on the baking sheet and have been salted. 
 
Bake for 10-15 minutes, watching them after 10 to make sure they don’t burn (especially if they’re on the smaller side). Then remove from oven and using a pastry brush, brush them with the melted butter and add any more salt as desired. 
 
Serve warm with your choice of dip! 
ENJOY! 

RECIPE: Green Curry Paste - From Scratch for BC Living

Green Curry Paste 
From Scratch for BC Living
April 2022 

One of the greatest things about making curry is that you can search through your vegetable crisper and throw just about anything into it.  
It’s easily made vegetarian or vegan, you could go the chicken route, or maybe shrimp for your protein. 

BUT, if you’ve made curry paste from scratch, instead of getting one of those little jars, you might not be able to go back. It tastes so much fresher and the fragrance is killer, and thankfully it’s easy to make. 
It might not be as great as your favorite Thai spot, but it’s going to improve your home cooking for sure. 
 
The lime leaves, and lemongrass, as well as the chilies, I found at T&T and at the markets on Granville Island. Some grocery stores have one thing, but not the other, so it might be a hunt, but the reward is worth it. 
 
Makes Approx. 1 Cup of Curry Paste 

INGREDIENTS: 

- 5 cloves garlic 
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger (or galangal if you can find it) 
- large handful of cilantro (roots preferred, but stems will do) 
- 2 small shallots 
- 2 lemongrass stalks 
- 8+ Thai green chilies* 
- 2-4 serrano chilies* 
- 2 tsp cumin seeds 
- 1 tsp white peppercorns 
- lime leaves (5-6) 
 

INSTRUCTIONS: 
 
*If you can’t handle your spice, start with fewer chilies (and de-seed them) on your first go at making this paste. If you don’t find it spicy enough, add more the next time. 

 
Grind the cumin seeds and peppercorns until fine – or use pre-ground if you must! 

Peel your garlic, ginger (or galangal), and shallots and roughly chop. 
 
Remove the tops of the lemongrass and chop the lower parts into a few small pieces. 
 
Place the garlic, ginger, shallots, spices, lemongrass, lime leaves, and chilies (de-seed if desired), as well as a handful of cilantro root/stems into a food processor.  
You can also chop everything finely and then make this in a large mortar and pestle if you have one (and the arm strength) instead but it will take a LONG time. 
 
Blend on high until the paste is as smooth as possible. Scrape down the sides every now and then. 
And you’re ready to go. 
I portioned this out and froze the leftovers for future curry meals. 
 
This is a great base for different types of curry. You can add fish sauce and shrimp paste into it. 
 
If you’re making a Green Thai Curry, y ou can add fish sauce and shrimp paste into it. And be sure to cook the paste down in some full-fat coconut milk for a little bit first so that the flavors really come together.