Like Food, West 5 Brings People Together

Recently, we have partnered with Chef Kirk Weiss, from RiverBend Golf Community, to develop a Cooking Demo series hosted at the Sifton Centre in West 5. These interactive cooking demonstrations have given West 5 residents and the surrounding community an opportunity to learn from a professional chef in the Sifton Centre’s gourmet kitchen. Each cooking demo encourages participants to get involved in the preparation and presentation of delicious foods. We can certainly say that like food, West 5 is designed to bring people together!

Locally grown, with a long shelf life, root vegetables are the perfect comfort food for the winter. If you didn’t have the opportunity to make it out to the Root Vegetable themed January Cooking Demo, or you did and want to make the recipes at home – we have listed each recipe right here in this blog post! Bon Appetit!

Beet and Goat Cheese Terrine

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 lb fresh beets
• 1 lemon
• 12 oz fresh goat cheese
• 2 Tbsp whipping cream
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped chives
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped mint
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• salt and pepper

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Directions

1. Cook whole beets, untrimmed in boiling water with juice of 1 lemon (put the lemon halves in water after squeezing out juice), until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain, cool and then peel. Slice beets as thinly as possible and set aside.
2. Beat goat cheese with whipping cream until smooth. Add remaining ingredients, season to taste and fill a piping bag with a large, plain tip.
3. To assemble, line 6 muffin tin cups or 4-oz ramekins with plastic wrap. Place a single beet slice in the bottom of each cup. Line sides of each cup with beets, bedding to fit into the edge if needed, so that each cup is entirely lined with beets. Pipe goat cheese filling into each and top with beet slices to cover goat cheese. Chill for at least 2 hours.
4. To serve, gently pull out each terrine, unwrap and turn out onto serving plate.
5. Terrines can be served on a bed of baby greens and a little cucumber with a simple vinaigrette. Alternately, terrines can have an added layer or smoked salmon or cooked shrimp inside or on top (for a lunch entrée)

Sweet Turnip Potato Pie

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 pounds turnips (about 3 medium), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 pound sweet potatoes (about 2 medium), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc

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Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In an 8-inch square baking dish, arrange a single layer of turnips and sweet potatoes, overlapping slightly. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with one-third of the flour. Repeat to make 3 more layers, sprinkling with salt, pepper, and flour between layers. Dot top layer with butter, then slowly pour broth and wine into dish, keeping layers intact. Cover with foil and bake until vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife, 45 minutes.
2. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Remove foil and sprinkle cheese over dish. Bake until cheese is golden and bubbling, 12 to 15 minutes. Let gratin sit 10 minutes before serving.

Creamy Parsnip, Leek and Apple Potage

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 leeks, white parts only, sliced
• 4 turnips or parsnips, peeled, cut into 1/2-in. pieces
• 900-mL carton vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 2 large yellow potatoes, cut into 1/2-in. pieces
• 2 gala apples, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 cup 10% cream

Garnish:

• 1 parsnip or small turnip, peeled and thinly peeled into ribbons
• 1 tsp canola oil

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Directions

1. Melt butter in a heavy pot over medium. Add leeks and sauté until tender, about 5 min. Stir in parsnips and cook, 5 min. Add broth, water, potatoes, apples, parsley and thyme. Boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 30 min.
2. Preheat oven to 400F. Toss parsnip ribbons with oil. Arrange on a large baking sheet. Bake in center of oven until golden and crispy, 8 to 10 min. (If using turnip, add 2 to 4 more min.)
3. Puree soup in batches in a blender. Return soup to pot. Stir in cream. Season with fresh pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsnip chips

Carrot and Ginger Muffins

INGREDIENTS

• Cooking spray
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 large egg
• 3 cups grated carrot (about 6 medium)
• 1/2 cup dried currants
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

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Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Place 18 paper muffin cup liners in muffin cups; coat liners with cooking spray. Set aside.
3. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine sour cream and next 5 ingredients (through egg), stirring well with a whisk; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Add carrot, currants, and pecans; stir just until combined.
4. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in the center. Remove muffins from pans immediately, and place on a wire rack.