Tag: Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Recipe: Chef Paul Shufelt’s Charred Corn & Chorizo Chili

Posted on by Sharman

Workshop Eatery‘s Chef Paul Shufelt claimed the chili smack down people’s choice award at this past weekend’s Devour the Rockies at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. The food and film festival at the Fairmont JPL, which is a satellite event of the larger Devour in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, involves a heated chili cook off between five chefs.  This year, chef Shufelt took home the fan favourite award with his charred corn & chorizo chili.

According to chef Shufelt, the thing about cooking chili, like many things in life, is that taste is subjective. What you may find spicy, he may find mild. Keep that in mind when cooking this and start by adding less of the peppers and spices until you are sure you are comfortable with the spice. This recipe isn’t meant to melt your face off, but it will provide a good heat and depth of flavour. Start slowly, let it cook down, and then adjust as you go. It’s far easier to add a little more heat than to try to take out a lot of heat. This pot of chili should be enough to feed 10-12 people.

What you’ll need…

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-4 hours
Special Tools: large braising pot

1.5 kg. fresh ground brisket
1 kg. fresh chorizo
4 tbsp. canola oil
1 ea. large onion, peeled, small diced
4 ea. cloves garlic, peeled, minced
1 tbsp. ground cumin
3 tbsp. smoked paprika
2 cups tomato paste
1 ea. large can, diced tomatoes (2.84lt can)
3 cups beef stock
150gr. chipotles in adobo sauce
3-4 ea. ancho peppers
1 cup packed brown sugar
1kg. cooked kidney beans, drained, rinsed
3 cups corn kernels
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

  1. Heat a large braising pan to high heat. Without overcrowding the pan, begin to saute the meat, browning it evenly on all sides. Remove from the heat and drain off any excess fat.
  2. Repeat until the beef and the chorizo is all sautéed.
  3. Using the same large pan, add the oil, followed by the onions and garlic. Cook until translucent and tender, but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add the cumin and paprika and lightly toast. Add the tomato and stir to combine, let brown just slightly.
  4. Deglaze with the beef stock and stir to combine. Add the diced tomatoes, juice and all. Now, add the beef and chorizo back to the pot and bring to a light simmer. Add some of the chipotle and ancho peppers, being careful not to overdo it too soon.
  5. Rinse the beans and add them to the pot. Turn the heat down to low and let simmer for 3 to 4 hours, stirring regularly, tasting occasionally, adjusting the seasoning and spice slowly.
  6. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 475F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the corn out on the baking sheet. Place the corn in the centre of the oven and let roast until lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Once the corn is browned, add it to the chili and let cook until the flavours are homogenous and balanced, and the meat is melt in your mouth tender, adjust the seasoning to your liking

* Chef Paul Shufelt served his Devour the Rockies award-winning chili with grated Applewood smoked cheddar, lime & chive sour cream, and crumbled cornbread, but feel free to top it with your favourite fixings.

Recipe: Oka Crusted Pork Tenderloin

Posted on by Sharman

Alberta Pork is a proud sponsor of Christmas in November at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. For this year’s holiday dinner, Fairmont JPL executive chef Christopher Chafe and his culinary team featured Alberta Pork and Alberta Milk & Dairy Farmers of Canada by serving up an Oka crusted pork tenderloin.

What you’ll need…

1 small pork tenderloin
1 tbsp salted butter
4 slices of Oka cheese (approximately 20 grams each)
a few sprigs of fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme and/or sage
canola oil, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400F. Slice tenderloin into four medallions; pat dry with a paper towel and season with oil, salt and pepper. Set aside for 20 minutes.
  2. Preheat a cast iron skillet on medium high heat. Sear pork medallions on one side until dark golden crust is formed. Flip and sear on the other side. Add butter and fresh herbs and baste the pork with the melted butter in the pan as the medallion is cooking.
  3. Once pork is seared on both sides transfer to a baking sheet and top with sliced cheese. Place pork medallion s in the oven and cook until an internal temperature of 155F is reached and the cheese is melted, approximately 10 – 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for a few minutes until ready to serve.

Bündok’s Bacon Fat Popcorn with Apple Salt

Posted on by Sharman

We weren’t surprised when chef Ryan Hotchkiss’ downtown Edmonton eatery Bündok was recently named one of Canada’s top ten new restaurants by enRoute; we are still smacking our lips at the memory of the incredible five-course Swine & Dine chef Hotchkiss and his culinary team shared back in April.

We were delighted to see chef Hotchkiss at this year’s Christmas in November at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge where he shared tips and tricks from Bündok’s kitchen, including ways his culinary team do their best to reduce food waste – including dehydrating shaved apple peel and saving rendered bacon fat. We can assure you, thanks to chef Hotchkiss’ Bacon Fat Popcorn with Apple Salt, recycling never tasted so good. This recipe yields four cups of popped corn:

What you’ll need…

3 apples worth of apple peel
3 Tbsp sugar
1⁄2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp bacon fat
1 cup popcorn seeds

Directions:

FOR APPLE SALT: Place all apple peels on a sheet pan lined with parchment and dehydrate at 175F until dry, approx. 4-6 hours. Combine with salt and sugar. FOR POPCORN: Warm bacon fat in pot until just about smoking. Add popcorn and continue to shake the pan while keeping the lid on. Cook until all popcorn has been popped. Top with Apple Salt.

Recipe: Fairmont JPL’s Bacon, Lentil and Tomato Bisque

Posted on by Sharman

The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge‘s Executive Chef Christopher Chafe and his culinary team served an incredible number of meals to three waves of guests at this year’s Christmas in November. As part of the 30th anniversary menu, chef Chafe shared a Bacon, Lentil and Tomato Bisque that warmed my soul, and my belly.

The tasty twist in this BLT soup is the popped lentils, which give the smoky bacon soup a wonderful crunch. * You’ll need to pop the lentils overnight before making this savoury soup, but it’s worth it!

What you’ll need…

Popped lentils
¼ cup green lentils
¾ cup vegetable stock or water
¼ cup canola oil

Bacon lardons
20 strips thick cut bacon

Tomato Bisque
1 thyme spring
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp fennel seeds
½ tsp peppercorns
2 onion; chopped
1 fresh red peppers; chopped
1 celery stalk; chopped
4 cloves garlic; minced
4-500mL can of tomatoes
2 L (8 Cups) vegetable stock or water
½ bunch basil; thinly sliced
200 mL whipping cream
to taste kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper and sour cream

Directions:

Popped lentils
One day prior to making the soup, Cook over low heat for 40 to 45 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain.

Set on an oiled baking sheet one layer thick, in a preheated oven at the lowest temperature setting (160 F) overnight.

The next day, heat a frying pan with ¼ cup of canola oil until oil is about to smoke.

Fry the dehydrated lentils in the shallow frying pan in the hot canola oil until crispy. Drain and reserve.

Bacon lardons
Lay out bacon on a sheet tray one slice at a time and ensure that they do not touch each other.

Bake in preheated oven, 14 minutes or until done, in a preheated oven at 325 degrees F. Drain fat and reserve aside to cool.

Chop bacon into coarse bacon bits.

Tomato Bisque
Strain the canned tomatoes, reserving the juice.

Lightly coat the tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Roast the tomatoes at 450˚F for 30 minutes and set aside.

Make a spice bag (sachet). Use a piece of cheesecloth and place the thyme sprig, bay leaves, fennel seeds and peppercorns. You can tie the sachet with a piece of string to keep it together.

In a large pot, sauté the onion, garlic and celery in 2tbsp olive oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent.

Add the roasted tomatoes and juice. Add your sachet, a pinch of salt and reduce for 10 min bringing remaining moisture from the tomatoes. Add the stock and simmer for another half hour.

Remove the sachet; add in half the basil and purée the soup in your blender until the smooth.

Using a fine sieve strain the soup back into your pot. Add the whipping cream and bring to a simmer. Set aside and keep warm.

To assemble, add half a teaspoon of crispy lentils and half a teaspoon of bacon bits to the bottom of the bowl, ladle in a serving of the soup, and spoon in a dollop of sour cream you may add some fresh ground pepper and basil as additional garnish. Enjoy!