We have been dedicating our summer season segments on the Calgary Eyeopener to recreating iconic dishes from well-loved eating places across the metropolis, and this week introduced us to Pigeonhole and Bridgette Bar.
Calgarians have given me a prolonged listing of requests for recipes for his or her favorite restaurant dishes, and I used to be glad to see certainly one of my all-time favourites pop up repeatedly: the charred cabbage with mimolette cheese at Pigeonhole.
It is a good strategy to cook dinner cabbage, one which has impressed me to make riffs on it for years. The jalapeño vinegar-spiked mayonnaise was a revelation!
Once I first took their recipe for a spin, I occurred to have some drained chickpeas by the range, which I crisped in a scorching skillet (with a bit oil) after the cabbage got here out, they usually have been so scrumptious on prime. It is a nice spin on the unique if you would like to spice up protein for dinner at house.
The bananas foster pie at Bridgette Bar has nearly as loyal a following. I have never tried it myself, but it surely’s a superb combo: salty pretzels within the crust — they use pretzels and graham cracker crumbs, however I used all gluten-free pretzels so I might share with a celiac good friend — caramelized bananas, a cinnamon-spiced custard and an Italian meringue on prime, although I made a Swiss meringue, which is rather less intimidating for the house cook dinner!
Due to cooks Blair Clemis and Sterling Cummings for sharing these recipes!
Pigeonhole’s Charred Cabbage with Mimolette
Pigeonhole has at all times been about showcasing nice greens, particularly in its early days. This dish isn’t any exception, taking an ingredient usually neglected in cabbage and making use of a cooking technique extra usually used on meats to create a dish that has actually stood the take a look at of time.
It’s a easy presentation that showcases nice cabbage from Sudo Farms right here in southern Alberta and a comparatively unknown cheese: mimolette.
The strategy of charring the cabbage, then roasting it in a beneficiant quantity of butter, ends in an finish product that’s tender and juicy with a deeply caramelized crust and that eats nearer to a steak than what most individuals would anticipate.
A jalapeño crema lends a little bit of gentle warmth and shavings of wealthy mimolette excessive helps to spherical out the gentle bitterness inherent to the cabbage.
Courtesy of Blair Clemis, regional chef for the Concorde Group.
Substances
- 1 head inexperienced cabbage
- Mayo
- Jalapeño vinegar (under)
- Mimolette cheese
Jalapeno Vinegar:
- 4 components seeded jalapeño
- 2 components water
- 2 components vinegar
- 1 half sugar
To make the jalapeño vinegar, mix all of the components in a excessive velocity blender and season to style with salt. Use this to season your mayo of alternative (Hellmann’s, Kewpie, and many others.). Often about 2:1 mayo to jalapeño vinegar is an effective leaping off level.
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Minimize a two-inch thick cabbage steak from a head of inexperienced cabbage. Attempt to hold the stem intact because it helps maintain the cabbage collectively through the cook dinner.
Warmth a heavy backside pan (ideally forged iron) over excessive warmth till simply smoking scorching.
Add 2 to three tbsp of canola oil to the pan and add the cabbage in. There must be sufficient oil to assist with the contact of the cabbage to the pan, however not a lot that it is swimming in it.
Watch out because the pan is more likely to spit a little bit of scorching oil at this level.
Proceed searing till you see a darkish brown crust type throughout the floor on the cabbage. As soon as seared place a lid on the pan — foil will work too — and bake in oven for about quarter-hour.
Take away from oven and place pan again on the warmth. Flip cabbage over so the seared facet is going through up and start searing the opposite facet. Now we will add salt. Season closely. (A lot of the salt will “wash off” in future steps, so be beneficiant.)
As soon as color has started to type on the opposite facet, add 3 to 4 tbsp of butter and permit to foam in pan. Tilt the pan barely towards you so the butter swimming pools close to the deal with, and whereas utilizing a big spoon, scoop the foaming butter and pour it over the cabbage. Proceed basting till cabbage is tender.
A great indicator of doneness is that if the stem of the cabbage is mushy when pressed with a finger. Watch out, will probably be scorching.
As soon as performed, take away the cabbage from the pan to empty and discard the fats.
On a heat plate, add a wholesome dollop of the jalapeño crema and prime with the cabbage. Shave mimolette generously excessive to cowl and serve.
Bananas Foster Cream Pie
Sterling Cummings of the Concorde Group was sort sufficient to share the recipe for his or her bananas foster pie.
After all, within the restaurant world you by no means must make only one pie, so I scaled it again to make a single pie and swapped a Swiss meringue for an Italian meringue, which is made by whisking a scorching sugar syrup into egg whites.
Substances
Pretzel Crust:
- 3 cups frivolously damaged pretzels
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup butter, softened
Custard:
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- Pinch salt
- 2 massive eggs
- 1 massive egg yolk
- 1 packet plain gelatin
- 2 ½ cups milk (or strive coconut milk for a banana cream-coconut cream combo!)
- 3 tbsp butter
Bananas:
- 3 bananas, peeled and sliced lengthwise
- 2-3 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 1-2 tbsp maple syrup, Roger’s Golden syrup or honey
- 2-3 tbsp rum (elective)
Swiss Meringue:
Bash your pretzels into comparatively fantastic crumbs — there can be a spread — in a heavy responsibility Ziploc bag with a rolling pin, or by pulsing in a meals processor. (That is how I love to do it.)
Mix within the sugar and softened butter till the combination is properly mixed, and press it into the underside and up the perimeters of a nine-inch pie plate.
Refrigerate or freeze till agency and preheat your oven to 350 F.
Bake your crust for about quarter-hour till pale golden and set. Put aside to chill utterly.
To make the custard, whisk collectively the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk within the eggs and egg yolk.
Put the gelatin right into a small dish and canopy it with chilly water. Let it sit to melt when you make the custard.
In a saucepan set over medium-high warmth, warmth your milk to a simmer. Whisk a little bit of the nice and cozy milk into your egg combination. (I take advantage of a ladle or measuring cup to scoop it out — add a pair to your egg combination, whisking vigorously.) Then slowly pour the warmed egg combination into the recent milk on the range, whisking as you pour.
Warmth till it thickens and bubbles, cut back the warmth and cook dinner for a few minute, then take away from the warmth and whisk within the softened gelatin and butter.
Set a sieve over a bowl and pour the custard via, whisking or stirring with a spatula to assist push it via the sieve and eliminate any lumps.
Put a chunk of plastic wrap on the floor to forestall a pores and skin forming, and let cool to lukewarm.
To sauté the bananas, set a big skillet over medium-high warmth, add the butter and when it begins to foam, add the bananas.
Cook dinner till they begin to flip golden, then gently flip and add the brown sugar, syrup and rum (if utilizing) and cook dinner for an additional minute till syrupy.
Place the caramelized bananas within the backside of the pie crust (together with any caramel from the underside of the pan) and pour the custard overtop, smoothing the highest. Cowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate till agency.
To make the meringue, whisk to mix the egg whites and sugar in a large glass or stainless-steel bowl you’ll be able to set over a pot of simmering water.
Deliver an inch or two of water to a simmer, place the bowl overtop and stir continuously till the combination may be very heat, turns clear and the sugar dissolves. (You’ll be able to really feel whether or not or not it is nonetheless gritty by rubbing a bit between your fingers.)
Beat with an electrical mixer for a number of minutes till it thickens and kinds stiff peaks, like shaving foam.
Instantly pipe or unfold over your cooled pie, shaping dramatic peaks with a spatula or the again of a spoon. Use a blowtorch to brown it, or run it below the broiler for a minute or two till deep golden.
Makes 1 pie.
Serves: About 8.
