The Fair Folk of Mullarkey Series - Recipes
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Welcome to Mullarkey Mills! Here you can wander around town or visit sites such as Equinox Farm and Cedar Grove Inn. While you're in town be sure to check out some of the authentic Canadian cuisine. Enjoy your stay!
Poutine
Poutine is less of a recipe and more of an art form. The ingredients are simple:
French fried potatoes
Gravy
Cheese curds
Instructions: Pour the gravy over the fries and top with cheese curds.
Sounds simple, right? But with those three ingredients comes a world of flavor variations. Let’s pull the apart one by one.
French Fries
Technically, you can use any kind of French fry for poutine, but real, hand cut fries done in deep fryer are best. Do you like your fries cut thick or thin? What are the best potatoes? That’s your choice—Russets or Yukon Gold? You decide.
Gravy
Poutine gravy varies from region to region and restaurant to restaurant. A good gravy is what truly makes a poutine and chefs will closely guard their gravy secrets. The closest thing I can suggest would be a rotisserie chicken dipping gravy, but I know that not all parts of the world dip their rotisserie chickens, so that might not be available. You can start with a good quality brown gravy and add some spices to your liking. I like to add paprika and onion salt. But the choices are endless.
Cheese Curds
This is the toughest part of making good poutine. Cheese curds are a mild, unripened cheese that is widely available in Quebec. We call it squeaky cheese because it makes a sound like wiping a wet cloth across glass when you chew it. I haven’t had good luck finding cheese curds outside of Quebec, not even in Ontario. If you can’t find them, you can substitute a good quality shredded mozzarella or other mild cheese that melts.
I hope you try poutine, if you do, send me a pic!
Air Fryer Beaver Tails
Ingredients
250 ml (1 cup) all-purpose flour
250 ml (1 cup) 0% Greek yogurt
30 ml (2 tbsp) ground chia seeds
10 ml (2 tsp) vanilla extract
10 ml (2 tsp) baking powder
A pinch of salt
30 ml (2 tbsp) coconut oil
For the topping
30 ml (2 tbsp) white sugar
5 ml (1 tsp) cinnamon
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Be sure not to over mix.
Transfer the dough onto a floured and form it into a ball, then cut it into 12 equal parts. Gently flatten each part, stretching it into an oval shape, about 5 mm (¼ inch)thick.
In a microwave-safe small bowl, heat the coconut oil in 10-second bursts to melt it. Coat both sides of the Beaver Tails with oil, using a kitchen brush.
To prevent stickingCook 4-6 Beaver Tails at a time in the air fryer (or as many as you can lay flat) for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow plate.
When the Beaver tails are cooked, brush them with the remaining melted oil and sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar. Serve with maple syrup or other toppings if desired.
Notes:
Best when cooked fresh, but the raw dough can be kept for 1 day in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.
You can use plain or vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt. If you have an oil sprayer, it can substitute the coconut oil for another oil. Since air fryers can vary from one device to another, keep an eye on the Beaver Tails during cooking to avoid overcooking.
Thank you to Elsa Rochette at Team Nutrition in Quebec City for this recipe.