Potato Risotto

From Chuck's Home Cooking

Serves 4 to 6

I’m not one to make grandiose statements, but potatoes are the best food in the world. Okay, maybe second best after eggs. But when life gives you potatoes, the options are limitless. Here’s one of them.

This is my ode to the versatility of the potato, one of my favourite foods to eat and cook with. This recipe is a fun twist on risotto, and my kids love to make and eat it. Slowly cook the potatoes until they’re fully cooked but still firm with some bite and super creamy like a perfect risotto. Simple and fast, this makes a great last-minute side dish.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
• 8 cups diced peeled Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1½ tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 5 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 cup grated Grana Padano cheese, plus more for garnish

METHOD

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a simmer.
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and cook for about a minute, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the potatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper and stir well to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
3. Add 1 cup of the simmering vegetable stock to the potatoes and simmer gently, stirring, until most of the stock is absorbed, 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat, adding 1 cup of stock at a time and stirring until the potatoes are soft and creamy but not falling apart, 15 to 20 minutes total. You may not need all the stock. Add the butter and cheese and stir until both are fully incorporated. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning.
4. Serve the potato risotto with a little more cheese over top.

Braised Beef Brisket

From Chuck's Home Cooking

Serves 8 to 10

Most beef brisket in Montréal is cured and brined with a mix of “secret” spices to make Montréal’s iconic smoked meat sandwiches. It’s a lengthy process, and when I need a fix of smoked meat I know where to go. This brisket is slow-cooked tender and not bright pink. It’s perfect for a lazy weekend get-together and makes great leftovers. And yes, it’s Schwartz’s

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (5-pound/2.25 kg) untrimmed flat-cut brisket
• Kosher salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, smashed 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary 3 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste 4 cups beef stock
• 2 batches Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes (page 102), for serving

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. Season the brisket generously all over with salt and pepper and set aside on the counter for 30 minutes.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, lay the brisket in the pot and sear until golden brown on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove the brisket from the pot.
4. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions, celery, and carrots to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to brown. Add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 more minutes.
5. Pour in the beef stock, return the brisket to the pot, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover with a lid and transfer to the oven. Braise the brisket for about 3½ hours, until the meat is fork-tender.
6. Cool the brisket in the liquid, covered, in the fridge overnight. Letting the brisket cool completely in the liquid allows it to soak up all the flavour, as well as cool it enough to handle and slice.
7. Once cooled, remove the brisket from the liquid. Place the pot with the liquid over high heat and gently mash the cooked vegetables in the liquid. Bring to a boil and reduce the sauce by half. Strain it through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Return the sauce to the pot. Discard or compost the solids.
8. Slice the brisket crosswise against the grain into ¼-inch-thick slices and carefully return to the sauce. Heat the brisket over low heat until warmed through. Divide between plates and serve with brown butter mashed potatoes

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Chocolate Banana Buns

From Chuck's Home Cooking

Makes 12 buns

When my partners and I were opening our first restaurant, Garde Manger in Old Montréal, we had no idea what we were doing. The only thing we knew we could do was cook, make drinks, and play some good tunes. Looking back, the fact that we were inexperienced probably helped a lot. Every decision was made on the fly, we had no real plans or money, but we were young and living out our dream of opening a restaurant. Through a month of nonstop construction, we had a lot of snacks to keep us going! Even standing up and holding a two-by-four, we always had coffee and snacks. We would start most mornings with chocolate banana buns from Olive + Gourmando, one of the most iconic café/ bakeries in Old Montréal that for over twenty years has set the standard for service, quality, and taste in our neighbourhood. This is my version of those unforgettable buns—they’re decadent, chewy, sweet, and a little salty. Enjoy—but not every morning!

INGREDIENTS

FILLING

• ½ cup salted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup finely chopped semisweet dark chocolate
• 6 ripe bananas, sliced into rounds

BUNS

• 1½ cups whole milk, warm
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 4½ teaspoons instant yeast 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
• ½ cup salted butter, melted 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

CREAM CHEESE ICING (optional)

• 8 ounces (225 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ cups icing sugar

METHOD

1. Make the filling: In a medium bowl using a hand-held electric mixer, or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar. Add the cocoa powder and chocolate. Mix well until combined and smooth.
2. Make the buns: In a large bowl, stir together the warm milk, granulated sugar, and yeast. Add the whole eggs, egg yolks, and melted butter and mix well. Sprinkle in the flour and salt and stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough starts to form.Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Using your hands, knead the dough for about 10 minutes, until smooth.
3. Place the dough in a well-oiled large bowl, turning it to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest on the counter until doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours.
4. Butter a 13 × 9-inch baking dish. Once the dough has doubled in size, transfer it to a floured work surface and roll it out into a 21 × 14-inch rectangle. Orient the dough with a long side facing you. Spread the filling over the dough, leaving a ¼-inch exposed border at the top edge. Arrange the sliced bananas evenly over the filling, then tightly roll the dough up into a log, pinching the exposed border at the top to seal the log. With the log seam side down, use a sharp knife to cut it into 12 equal pieces.
5. Place the buns cut side up in the prepared baking dish. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let sit on the counter until almost doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
7. Remove the towel and bake the buns until golden brown around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Let the buns cool in the baking dish for 10 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, make the cream cheese icing, if using: In a large bowl using a hand-held electric mixer, or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add half the icing sugar and mix on low speed until combined. Add the remaining icing sugar and beat until smooth.
9. Spread the cream cheese icing (if using) over the chocolate banana buns and serve. Store the buns in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 days..