Freeze Up

My new home! :)

         Still getting my feet wet in my new digs. Having fun with the fact that I have no power or water. Makes everything slightly more challenging, but nothing worth stressing out over. Not to mention the fact that were are in the freeze up time right now, where people are waiting on this side of the Yukon river till it freezes solid enough to walk on to get back into town! This could be between 3 to 5 weeks depending on the weather.   
               Back in the cabin, I'm still getting used to my new gas range. It really wails out the heat when you need it, so adjusting recipe bake temps may take a little while. Cooking a lot on my wood stove top as well. It seems to be hovering around -15c during the day and dips into the -20's overnight so stoking the fire twice a day to cook has not been a issue.  Juggling with my food coolers is fun and has taking a bit of a "break in" period to get in the swing of things.

          Smoked some pork that I got from Joan at Grizzly Valley farms yesterday. Dam near lit my shed on fire while doing it too!! haha, note to self............ remember to remove ugly drum from porch before firing it up, it tends to warm up under the fire box. hahaha rookie move. After averting a possible scenario, the pork came out epic! The pig was a cross between a English large black and a Tamworth. Soooo delicious words don't do justice. Will be smoking the ham in the next week or so. 

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one hell of a slab o bacon! :)

So Busy!

I’ve been sooo busy the last month that I’ve had no time to write or do much cooking really. Ive bought a cabin that does not have power or water, so I’ve been working on setting it up. I will have Internet at my cabin via satellite after the weekend. Time has gone by so fast, I’m trying to keep up. My head is not stuck in the mud, don’t give up on me yet, I plan to get back at it in November!  Hope you all had a great thanks giving. There is however a large black pig butchered and hang in various spots around town and at my cabin!! hehe

Fall Is Here!

Leaves are changing, frost is biting down at night and the nights are getting darker. Ive actually started to panic, because winter will be here and I'm not ready yet! I have not put up any vegetables yet, as Ive been so busy with work. I have a healthy amount of mushrooms to eat, so should be good in that department. Just put a order in with our farmer for some winter veg to store. Planning on doing some beet pickles and going to try ole Aunt Mildred's cauliflower pickle relish. Check out this summer series short films by the great people at www.klondikesun.com  The first one is me talking and cooking about shrooms, the second one is a friend of mine, talking about the community gardens in town. Very cool! :) I think we can expect more great stories and films because of the big boom happening in the north. Cranberries are looking plump and just need a bit more frost to pick up and wood is starting to be piled outside the many cabins of the north in anticipation for winter!  Heres a link to a related article by Alyssa Frieson from Whats Up Yukon related to the mushrooms up here. http://www.whatsupyukon.com/index.php/component/content/article/270-august-11-2011/3394-mush-rush-101.html

Shammy Season!!

Porcini, Yukon Style

Pan o shrooms, ready for stew on Saturday

Beautiful Comb Tooth

Been really busy working and shrooming. We have such a short season that I can't spare any time to do anything but pick! Trying to stock pile up to get me through winter! We have had a ton of rain and hardly any sun, so certain species of mushrooms are abundant and others are not making a appearance at all! Would not write this season off all together, my bags are still being filled twice a week at least! We are celebrating food day here at Kate's this Saturday, thought I would share my menu with you all. If anyone is up in the Klondike this Saturday, you will want to stop by for a bite to eat, or to say hi! lol


Warm and Cozy
 House candied Yukon Char, micro greens, fireweed peddles, sourdough croutons,                            honey berries, pecans, aged cheddar, warm maple syrup and shallot dressing
Farms and foragers- Icy waters, Suzanne Guimound, Fatkid, Emu Creek Farm, Luc Bergeron,
 
Umami Soup
morel mushroom, candied fennel, cashews, birch syrup crème fraiche, extra virgin olive oil
Farms and foragers- mushroom camp, Dowdell’s farm, Bonanza Market, Ole Uncle Berywn

Étouffée
 Cajun style stew with grass fed beef short ribs, house smoked pork sausage,
Fatkid’s shrooms (pigs ear, porcini, leccinum, puffball, comb tooth and woodland agaricus mushrooms) holy trinity served dirty rice and house made sourdough
Farms and foragers- Circle D Ranch, Fatkid, Dowdell’s Farm, Kate’s green house, Bonanza Market
 
Ye Ole Stout Cake
 Expresso stout and chocolate cake with birch syrup, 1,2,3 toffee, cream and crumbled caramel     
 Farms and foragers- Yukon Brewery, Ole Uncle Berwyn

Summer stuff

Summer has arrived in the Yukon! Well actually, it feels more like south east Asia than Dawson lately! We've had rain almost everyday in June. Which means only one thing to me..... Shammy's!! aka Mushrooms!   Nettles are flowering now, mushrooms are just starting to pop, in large numbers. Looking forward to this Wednesday to get out and get some goods! I have got a big shipment of grass fed Yukon beef coming in tomorrow from Circle D Ranch in Whitehorse. Can't wait to work some of this stuff onto the menu. Short ribs and blade roasts, two of my favorite cow parts! hehe

Happy grass grazers, in Whitehorse

Smoked chicken for our St.John Babtist day poutine

Fresh nettles!! My favorite!!

June Fun!

Things have been moving along pretty good up here lately. The weather is tempting to be summer like. Leafs have sprouted on the trees and we have harvested all the spruce tips we could get out hands on. The Weber, bullet brothers have been quite busy so far in June, with 120lbs a week going in and out, along with pastrami, bacon, turkeys, Cornish hens, lamb shoulders (rubbed with spruce tip harrisa), and all sorts of vegetables. Were hooked on the pit roasted flavour the bbq produces, and have no desire to slow down. The birch syrup has arrived, a good season, late and long. I try not to drink the stuff right out the bottle! Looking forward to the upcoming porcini/morel season, and the local produce starting to hit the market.

Eastland Johnny-Cakes

Sourdough

The Weber brothers

16 hours beef brisket = epic bbq flavour!

Little chickens, the lastest craze, little chickens, you'll be so amazed! lol my little chicken song!

Spruce tips!

Moving Along

Things have moved into place as of lately. Spring is finally here after a crazy long winter of cold and fun. Ive recently taken up the position as co-chef at Klondike Kate's restaurant in Dawson City, Yukon. Menus have been developed and somewhat refined, and lots of ideas are being processed. I'm really excited with what the future will hold. If your in town, come by and say hi!

The ground is still frozen, and things are just starting to see life here now. Birch sap is flowing, and we eagerly await the first wild pickings. Spruce tips are just around the corner as well as fireweed shoots, dandelion wine and the ice breaking on the river. Yes, the river is still frozen, No, its probably not a good time to go visit your pal on the other side...hehe  I bought a large black/Tamworth cross pig for the fall, for my meat locker and am looking at getting some of the "Farmers 3" Angus beef in my hands for the season. Were still a month from seeing morels and almost 2 months from our Porcini crop. Chomping at the bit....ya for sure.

Just one little pit rocking the pork now, but have one on order and a much large pit in B.C. coming up soon!