‘Twas weeks before Christmas, and all through the land, all the home cooks were stirring, wooden spoon in hand. Dishes were set, on the buffet with care, for ravenous guests, soon would be there! Holiday menus are more enjoyable with a theme, so this is why four cheese-loving Canadian chefs found inspiration in their favourite Christmas story, The Night Before Christmas. From feta dips to paneer mains and mascarpone desserts, the options were limitless, because cooking with Canada’s own Tre Stelle cheese is so easy!
First up was 14-year-old (and twice-published cookbook author) Inès Gauthier from Montreal. She created an easy and creative dessert inspired by the line, “As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, when they met with an obstacle, mount to the sky.” Her mini mascarpone graham cracker “trees” are a French-Canadian nod to Père Noel, which she finished with a drizzle of sweet and tartly cranberry coulis.
Garrett Martin from Bridgette Bar in Calgary created an appetizer inspired by the infamous description of Santa: “His eyes how they twinkled, his dimples how merry, his cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry.” He created a caramelized crostini with mozzarella, which represented Santa’s beard, and black pepper cherry jam for his nose.
Kendall Collingridge, executive chef of Founder in Toronto, based his creation on one of the most famous lines from the poem: “The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugarplums danced through their heads.” His Sugarplum Ricotta is so good it will also dance through your head!
Finally, from Vancouver’s Homer Street Café & Bar, chef Tristen Katcher took his cue from the stanza, “The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow, gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below” and created a bitter greens beet salad with a snowy layer of crumbled feta. Light and flavourful.
Get the full recipes (and eight more!) at trestelle.ca. —Vita Daily
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