This article first appeared in the 2014 edition of Eating & Drinking, which is on newsstands until spring 2015. Order the 2014 Eating & Drinking Guide, and we’ll mail it you or a friend in time for the holidays.
The Chefx tagline says it all: Recipes. Ingredients. Delivered. Launched in the fall of 2013, the business is a brilliant partnership between local entrepreneur Jeff Heaton and the who’s who of chefs around town. Here’s how it works: you subscribe to the service and Heaton shows up at your door each week with chef-tested recipes (with easy-to-follow directions), a cooler-full of ingredients, and a wine pairing suggestion.
In other words, you pay a bit of a premium and, in doing so, get to forgo running all over town sourcing the ingredients to create those dishes you drool over at the likes of Mariposa Farm, Les Fougères, Whalesbone, and Black Cat Bistro.
Or, if you’re feeling ambitious, you can try these yourself at home. Here, Charles Part of Les Fougeres shares a favourite, and versatile, recipe.
Maple-soya glazed Salmon
With Pink Grapefruit, Parsnip, Greens
& Toasted Hazelnuts
Photo by Christian Lalonde – PhotoluxStudio.com
Chef Charles Part has been at the helm of the iconic Les Fougères restaurant in Chelsea for two decades now, serving up flavourful cuisine inspired by the bounty in the surrounding gardens. He chose this salmon recipe for Chefx knowing that the vibrant flavours would seduce the city’s home chefs. “You can use wild coho salmon, fresh arctic char, even trout. It’s a very versatile recipe,” explains Part. Still, don’t expect to find it on the Les Fougères menu every day. The chef likes to change things seasonally, challenging himself and keeping things fresh (though he does concede that he rotates a few favourites through the menu for the benefit of his gratified regulars).
- 2 fillets sockeye salmon (skinless)
- 1 pink grapefruit
- 2 navel oranges
- 4 parsnips
- 2 baby bok choy
- 6 hazelnuts
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup white wine
- 2 tbsp sherry
- 1 /8 cup cream
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp soya sauce
- 1 / 8 tsp ground nutmeg
- butter ( 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp)
- vegetable oil ( 1 tsp + 1 tsp)
- salt and pepper