Obama Visits Canada

Above: (Photo) President Barack Obama and Governor General Michaelle Jean share a laugh after Mr. Obama is welcomed by a row of Canadian Forces (er, wouldn't those be Mounties?) REUTERS/Jim Young (CANADA)

Obama arrives in Canada

Feb. 19 - US President Barack Obama arrives in Canada on his first foreign trip as President

When Obama later meets with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the two are expected to discuss trade, the global economic crisis and the war in Afghanistan.

Canadian press coverage of President Obama’s visit tended to vary between giddy and fawning, U.S. coverage of the trip was more like an introductory lesson in a high school current affairs class.

You’d think people in Ottawa would be fairly accustomed to politicians hanging about, but apparently not. Frozen-looking Obama fans interviewed by the CBC, after waiting around all morning in the permafrost for a glimpse of the man, acted like overstimulated teenagers. One woman almost swooned recalling the moment Mr. Obama turned and actually waved at the crowd.

He actually waved!

Another woman missed “The Wave”, but she’d heard about it. (The wave admittedly produced a huge cheer from the frozen throng. Mr. Harper joined Mr. Obama in waving back, though one suspects he recognized the enthusiasm wasn’t directed at him).

CBC dutifully reported on the menu of the “working lunch” ( if you eat at your desk every day, like most of us, is that a working lunch?) and filled in the vast amounts of time when nothing was happening by recalling again and again what a momentous event it was.



U.S. President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper dined in style today, reportedly in the Senate Speaker's dining room, on Parliament Hill.

This was lunch with the Prime Minister in the Senate Speaker's dining room, of course:

Canwest's David Aiken posted the lunch menu: Pacific Coast tuna with a Chilli and Citrus Vinaigrette, Maple and Miso Cured Nunavut Arctic Char, Lightly Pickled Vegetables and an Organic Beet Relish, Applewood Smoked Plains Bison, Winter Root Veg and Local Mushrooms. cauliflower and rosemary puree, juniper and niagara red wine jus,. Dessert: Saugeen Yogurt Pot de Creme with a Lemon and Lavender Syrup, Wild Blueberry and Partridgeberry Compote, Acadian Buckwheat Honey and Sumac Tuile.

Here is menu inspired by the above lunch menu.

Seared Tuna with Mango Salsa (Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa)

Ingredients
nocoupons
2 tablespoons good olive oil, plus extra for searing
1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion (2 onions)
2 teaspoons peeled, minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 ripe mangos, peeled, seeded, and small diced
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 teaspoons minced fresh jalapeno pepper, to taste (1 pepper)
2 teaspoons minced fresh mint leaves
2 tuna steaks
Directions
Saute the olive oil, onions, and ginger in a large saute pan over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the mangos, reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 more minutes. Add the orange juice, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, and jalapeno; cook for 10 more minutes, until orange juice is reduced, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and add the mint. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Heat a saute pan over high heat for 5 minutes until very hot. Season the tuna liberally with salt and pepper. When the pan is very hot, add a drizzle of olive oil and then the tuna steaks. Sear for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until the outside is browned, but the inside is very rare.

Serve the tuna on top of the mango salsa.


Arctic Char with Tangerine-Habanero Glaze and Meyer Lemon Couscous Broth

Ingredients
4 (6-ounce) fillets artic char, skinned
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tangerine-Habanero Glaze, recipe follows
Meyer Lemon Broth, recipe follows
Couscous, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Brush fillets on both sides with oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large, oven-safe nonstick saute pan over high heat, add the fish, and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Brush with some of the glaze, turn over, and continue cooking (on the stovetop or in the oven) for 3 to 4 minutes or until just cooked through. Brush with more of the glaze and remove from the heat.

Ladle some of the broth into large shallow bowls, place fish in the middle, glazed side up, and sprinkle some of the couscous around the fish. Serve immediately.

Tangerine-Habanero Glaze:
4 cups tangerine juice

2 cups red wine vinegar

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 habanero chile, chopped

Salt

Place tangerine juice in a medium saucepan and cook over high heat, until reduced to 3/4 cup, stirring occasionally. While the tangerine juice is reducing, combine vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan and cook until reduced by half. Add the reduced tangerine juice and habanero to the reduced vinegar mixture and stir to combine. Puree in a blender until smooth and season with salt. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature before using.

Meyer Lemon Broth:
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small Spanish onion, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 cups homemade clam broth

1/2 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, optional

Fresh parsley leaves or cilantro leaves, torn

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the clam broth and cook for 15 minutes. Strain the mixture and return to the saucepan, stir in the lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the butter, if using, and the torn parsley or cilantro. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep warm.

Couscous:
2 cups water

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup instant couscous

1 tablespoon Meyer lemon zest

Bring water and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the couscous, cover the pot, remove from the heat, and let sit 5 minutes or until the water is absorbed and couscous is tender. Remove the lid of the pot, fluff the couscous with a fork and stir in the zest. Keep warm.
Source: the Food Network

Spicy Pickled Vegetables
From Cooking Light magazine

Ingredients

6 cups water
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pound baby carrots
2 cups pearl onions, peeled (about 10 ounces)
1/3 cup sliced jalapeño peppers (about 2 large)
8 ounces haricots verts, trimmed
4 cups white vinegar

Directions

Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan.
Add carrots to pan; cook 2 minutes. Add onions; cook 1 minute. Add pepper slices; cook 1 minute. Add beans; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar.
Let stand at room temperature 1 hour
Pour into a large bowl; cover and refrigerate 24 hours. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
Makes 20 servings of 1/3 cup vegetables each.



BEET RELISH

1 medium beet
1 Granny Smith apple
1 medium onion
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon honey

Peel beet, apple, and onion and cut into 1/4-inch dice. In a heavy saucepan heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and saute beet, apple, and onion until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in wine, vinegar, and honey and simmer relish, covered, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Transfer relish to a heatproof bowl and cool. Chill relish, covered, at least 4 hours and up to 1 week.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups


Quick & Easy Grilled Bison Steak

2 – 6 oz. buffalo/bison steaks, 1” thick
½ tsp. Freshly ground pepper
¼ c. Worcestershire sauce
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
Juice from one-half of a freshly squeezed lemon
Salt to taste

Prepare charcoal grill. Mix together garlic, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Sprinkle bison steaks on both sides with pepper, then, gripping dinner forks tines down in each hand, pierce steaks repeatedly and thoroughly on both sides. With fingertips, rub first one side with half of the garlic/lemon/Worcestershire sauce mixture, then turn meat over and rub in the other half of the mixture.

Grill bison steaks about 2–3 inches from hot coals for 4–6 minutes or until meat reaches rare to medium rare. Keep in mind the difference between beef and buffalo when cooking: The higher iron content of bison meat causes it to be a deeper, darker red, so be careful to not overcook to avoid toughness. After removing to platter, sprinkle lightly with salt. Serves two to four persons.


Melange of Roasted Baby Root Vegetables

1 1/2 cups pearl onions
2 cups baby carrots (1/4 inch of greens left on) or mini carrots
12 ounces baby turnips, peeled (1/4 inch of greens left on) and halved, if large, or regular turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
10 sprigs fresh thyme or lemon thyme
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided

1. Preheat oven to 450° F. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add onions and boil for 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Using a sharp paring knife, trim root ends and peel.
2. Combine the onions, carrots, turnips, oil, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, salt, pepper and thyme sprigs in a large bowl; toss to coat well. Spread the vegetable mixture in a single layer on a large baking sheet with sides. Roast, turning the vegetables twice, until tender and lightly browned in spots, about 30 minutes.
3. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl; remove thyme stems. Drizzle with the remaining 1 teaspoon syrup, vinegar and 1 tablespoon parsley; toss to coat. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley and serve.

Vanilla Pots de Crème

This stellar dessert predates the crème brûlée and is far simpler to make — and there’s no messing with propane torches to brown the top.

Vanilla Pots de Crème
Yield 4 servings

Time About an hour

Summary
As with all custards, this is best when removed from the heat when the center is still jiggly. It's a leap of faith, but it's the only way to get a perfectly creamy interior.


Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream, light cream, or half-and-half2 vanilla beans or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract6 egg yolks1/2 cup sugarMethod
1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Pour cream into small saucepan. Split vanilla beans in half lengthwise and scrape seeds into cream. Put pod in cream, too. Heat cream until steam rises. Cover pan, turn off heat and let steep for 10 to 15 minutes. If using vanilla extract, just heat cream and let it cool while you proceed.
2. Beat yolks and sugar together until light. Pour about a quarter of the cream (remove vanilla bean pod) into this mixture, then pour sugar-egg mixture into cream and stir. If you are using vanilla extract, add it now and stir. Pour mixture into 4 6-ounce ramekins and place ramekins in a baking dish; fill dish with water halfway up the side of dishes. Cover with foil.
3. Bake 30 to 45 minutes, or until center is barely set. (Heavy cream sets fastest; half-and-half more slowly.) Chill, then serve.

Source: The New York Times


Strawberries with Lemon and Lavender Syrup

Ingredients
1 lb fresh strawberries
6 tablespoons water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons dried lavender flowers
whipped cream (optional)

Directions

Rinse and drain strawberries. Hull and cut into halves or quarters into a big bowl and set aside.
In a small saucepan over low heat, combine water, lemon juice, sugar and lavender and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and lavender is infused. Remove from heat and strain the syrup, discarding the blossoms.
Pour the strained syrup over the strawberries and toss gently to mix. Serve berries and syrup right away in nice glass bowls or stemmed glasses. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.
You can prepare the syrup in advance and let it cool. Toss with berries just before serving. Enjoy!
Makes 4 servings.

Buckwheat Cookies

BUCKWHEAT COOKIES
Time: 40 minutes

1 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 large egg yolks, beaten.

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Put dry ingredients in bowl of food processor, and pulse once or twice to mix. Add butter, and pulse about 15 times, until pea-size pieces form. Add egg, and pulse 8 times, or until dough just comes together. Alternatively, combine dry ingredients in a bowl, and stir with a whisk to mix; in a mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy, and add eggs; beat in the dry ingredients in 2 batches, scraping down sides of bowl between additions.
2. Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip. Pipe dough in spirals, forming cookies 1 1/4 inches across, onto ungreased baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart. (Dough is stiff, and can be hard to pipe.) Alternatively, form tablespoons of dough into balls, and place 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets; use a fork to press dough into rounds 3/8 inch thick. Bake biscuits 15 to 20 minutes, until golden around edges. Cool on a wire rack.

Yield: About 6 dozen cookies.

Source: The New York Times


Additional Sources : Reuters
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