British Dishes with a Yukon Twist

In the winter of 2015, I took a vacation to London. I loved it so much, I decided to go back in the fall of 2016. It is definitely a Foodies paradise. People always think that the food in London is all fried and pies.... well that is part of it but there is so much more. There is a wide variety of ethnic food restaurants from Persian to Indian and Ethiopian to Thai, and so many more. The markets have a wide variety of things to eat whether they are ready to pop in your mouth or lovely ingredients to gather to take home and whip up something inspired.  I have decided to share the more traditional British dishes but with a twist from the Yukon and a few modifications to make them gluten free. We were very happy and excited to have our Aunt join us for this cooking session to help us test, taste, critique, food style and photograph. Thanks for your contribution to this post.

Pimm's Cup (Yukon Style)

Juice of 6 Lemons (1 cup)
1/4 cup Honey
3 cups Water
1/2 oz Yukon Brewing Concept Gin
1/2 oz Yukon Brewing Concept Haskap Liquer
2 Slices Orange
2 Strawberries, sliced
2 Slices Cucumber
Sparkling Water
Ice

Mix lemon juice, honey and water in a pitcher. Stir well. Chill. Place fruit in a large highball glass. Fill with ice. Add gin & haskap liquer. Fill glass halfway with lemonade and top up with sparkling water. (to make a traditional Pimm's cup, use 1 oz Pimm's No.1 instead of the gin and haskap liquer)

Bison Shepherd's Pie

1/2 lbs Ground Bison
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 medium Onion, diced
1 Tbsp Garlic, minced
1 stick Celery, diced
1 cup carrot, diced & steamed until tender
1 cup frozen Peas, thawed
1/2 cup Red Wine (merlot)
1 cup Beef Stock
1 Tbsp Worchestershire, tamari or coconut aminos
salt & pepper to taste
3 large Russet Potatoes, cooked & mashed (add salt, pepper & 1/8 cup Ghee)

In a large frying pan over medium heat, sauté onion in 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add ground bison and break up into smaller pieces as you fry. Add garlic and red wine. Scrap up browned bits on bottom of pan and reduce by half. Add beef broth and worchestershire. Reduce to low and simmer for 10 mins. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Place 1/4 of bison mixture in each of 4 individual pie tins or ramekins. Mix the peas & carrots together and place 1/4 over the bison mixture in the 4 pie tins, top with 1/4 of the mashed potatoes on each. Score potatoes with the tines of a fork. Place in the oven at 375 F for 20 mins until bubbly. Turn oven to broil and brown tops for 4-5 mins. Let cool slightly before serving.

Makes 4 Servings

Fish n Chips

6 oz Arctic Char, skin removed & cut into 6 pieces
1/4 cup Rice Flour
1/8 cup Arrowroot
1/8 cup Tapioca Flour
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 cup Sparkling Water
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in heavy bottomed, high sided pot or deep fryer to 365 F.

Add 3 flours together in a bowl with salt & pepper. Dredge each piece of fish and tap off excess. Set aside. Add baking power and mix well. Stir in sparkling water and whisk until smooth. Dip each piece of fish in the batter and allow excess to drip off. Hold with tongs over hot oil with the one end in the oil until it solidifies for about 5 seconds and drop lightly into the oil. Repeat with the remaining pieces of fish. Fry until light and crispy approx. 3-4 mins. The batter will not brown much. Remove to paper towel lined plate and season with salt.

1 large Russet Potato, peeled and cut into fat chips (1/2 inch x 1/2 inch)

Preheat oil or deep fryer to 365 F. Lower chips in oil gently. Fry for 7 mins. This is just par cooking the inside but the outside should not brown much. Remove to paper towel lined plate and let drain. Increase oil temp to 375 F. Fry for an additional 2-3 mins until brown and crispy. Remove to paper towel lined plate and season with salt.

Serve with Homemade Mayonnaise with two finely chopped baby dills stirred in for tarter sauce

Makes 3 Appetizer Portions
(Two Fish Nuggets & 2 or 3 Chips)

Banoffee Ice Cream Sammies

Banana Ice Cream

4 large bananas, fully ripe, broken into smaller pieces
1 can Coconut Milk
2 Tbsp Coconut Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla
Salt

Put all ingredients into blender and puree until smooth. Pour into running ice cream machine and process for 20 mins. Transfer to container and place into freezer until ready to use.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups Almond Flour
1/2 cup Coconut Sugar
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
1 Large Egg
1/4 cup Ghee, melted
1/2 cup Dark Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, stir together melted ghee and egg. Add to dry ingredients and stir well, fold in chocolate chips. Scoop with a small cookie dough scoop onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Press down into thickness you desire. Dough won't spread during baking. Bake for 10-12 mins. Remove to wire rack to cool.

Toffee Bits

1/3 cup Almond Butter
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
1/4 cup Coconut Sugar
1/4 cup Water
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Pinch Salt

Measure vanilla and almond butter and have ready to go. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat mat. Add the coconut sugar, coconut nectar and water in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat. Place a candy thermometer in the pot without touching the bottom of the pan. Cook until temp reaches 285. Add vanilla, salt and almond butter. Stir in well. Pour out onto pan and spread out to desired thickness. Cool completely for 2-3 hours. Break into large pieces, add to a Ziploc bag and smash into smaller bits with a mallet. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

To Assemble Sammie:

Place one cookie on a plate. Take a scoop of the ice cream the same size as the cookie. Place a second cookie on top and press down slightly. Roll into the crushed toffee bits.