recipes

September 22, 2021 By Katie Phelan in pairing suggestion, recipes, whole food Comments Off

Torta Salata di Frangipane e Pomodoro

A savoury frangipane tart, and an absolute winner for using up end-of-season tomatoes. Make a double batch of frangipane as it freezes very well. Like a quiche, this tart can be enjoyed warm, or fridge cold, making it a great choice for a picnic lunch. As the tart cooks, the tomato juices are absorbed by the frangipane, which expands and creates a light and flavourful mid layer; the pastry remains flaky and the tomato flavour becomes gloriously concentrated. With thanks to Danika Sea and Edible Vancouver Island for the beautiful photo.

INGREDIENTS

150g butter, at room temperature

2 eggs, beaten*

70g (+/-) panko (or crushed Salteens)

80g ground almonds

2 cloves garlic, finely grated

1 tsp fresh picked thyme leaves

100g ricotta, drained

30g parmesan, finely grated

Maldon sea salt and black pepper

2 sheets of shop-bought puff pastry (or, by all means make your own!)

2lbs tomatoes, sliced

6-8 anchovies (optional)

*Plus a little extra beaten egg

METHOD

Heat oven to 400F.

Using an electric handheld beater or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the butter until light and aerated. Gradually add the beaten egg. You can add some panko to bring the mix back together if it splits.

Next add any remaining panko, almonds and garlic. Mix well with a wooden spoon to combine. Using a spatula, fold in the thyme leaves, ricotta and parmesan. Season with black pepper. The raw frangipane should hold its shape–if it’s too wet, add some more panko. Cover with a towel and set aside until you are ready to use.

Place each pastry sheet on some parchment paper, and roll the pastry sheets until they are about 2mm thick. Slice a 2x1cm border from all the way round each sheet. Using a little beaten egg to secure, stack these border pieces on top of one another at the edge of the main sheet to build up the edges.

Spread the almond mixture evenly over the pastry sheets, leaving a little gap close to the built up edges. Arrange the tomato slices, perfectly or messily, on top of the frangipane. However, you should allow a little overlap as the tomato slices will shrink in the oven. Drape a few anchovies here and there, if using. Finally add a good sprinkle of Maldon, and brush with egg any exposed pastry. Grab the edge of the parchment and pull each tart on to a large baking sheet.

Bake the tarts at 400F for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350F and bake for another 10 minutes. When cooked, the base will be a golden brown, the frangipane puffed up, and the tomatoes will have shrunk. You know your oven best–the tarts may take a little longer, or a little less time depending.

Remove from the oven, and leave to cool slightly before slicing. Alternatively, allow to cool completely and refrigerate for a cold snack. Serve with a green salad and balsamic vinaigrette. A light dry red, or rosé is a perfect with this savoury tart.

December 7, 2020 By Katie Phelan in recipes Comments Off

Florencia Bay

Florencia Bay is the final cocktail instalment from our collab with Sheringham Distillery, so we’re making this one extra. Head over to our Instagram for info on a sweet giveaway. Big thanks to Mike Norbury for the recipes, and to Danika Sea for photography and styling. We hope you’ll enjoy recreating these cocktails at home over the holidays. Be sure to tag us in your social posts!

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Florencia Bay

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1 oz Seaside gin

1 oz Beaufort vermouth

3 dashes Ms. Better’s Cypress Bowl bitters

½ oz lemon juice

½ oz lime juice

¾ oz Oolong Honey ( 2 parts local honey, 1 part hot oolong tea)

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Combine all ingredients, shake, double strain. Serve on the rocks in a camping mug or copper cup. Garnish with a toasted marshmallow and chocolate shavings.

November 30, 2020 By Katie Phelan in recipes Comments Off

Nootka Sound

One way to deftly sidestep the gin v. vodka martini debate is to include both. Bond’s vesper is shaken of course, but this recipe deviates from the Casino Royale original and calls for a stir. If ever there was a cocktail to showcase the elegance of Vancouver Island’s craft spirits and vermouth, it’s Mike Norbury’s Nootka Sound. Photography and styling by Danika Sea.

Nootka Sound
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1 ½ oz Sheringham Seaside gin
1 oz Beaufort vermouth
¼ oz Sheringham vodka
2 dashes Ms. Better’s Orange Tree bitters
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Stir all ingredients over ice before straining into a chilled coupe. Express the oil from a 1” piece of lemon peel over top and garnish with a dried rose bud (or a Nootka rose petal if the season allows).

November 23, 2020 By Katie Phelan in recipes Comments Off

Zeballos Inlet

Riffing on a classic Americano, Mike Norbury’s Zeballos Inlet is a delectable and thirst-quenching gin-based highball; bright, citrusy white vermouth and the delicate botanicals of Sheringham Distillery’s Kazuki are buoyed by the addition of lavender soda. Great anytime, as long as there’s a bowl of salty potato chips nearby! Photography and styling by Danika Sea Design. Recipe by Mike Norbury.
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Zeballos Inlet
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1 ½ oz Beaufort vermouth
½ oz Kazuki gin
3 dashes of Ms. Better’s Trans Canada bitters (or orange bitters instead)
4 oz dry lavender soda
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Build in a Collins glass and serve long, on the rocks. Garnish with a lemon wheel and add a reusable straw.

November 16, 2020 By Katie Phelan in recipes Comments Off

Alpine Resort

This one is a favourite. Reminiscent of a fancy cough drop in cocktail form, the Alpine Resort is a perfectly balanced combination of zingy ginger, zippy lemon and sweet honey syrup. Curating a small, high quality bar at home isn’t hard, and certainly doesn’t need to be expensive. Invest in some high quality tools and ingredients and you’ll be able to shake your way into anyone’s affections. Photography and styling by Danika Sea Design. Recipe by Mike Norbury.

Alpine Resort

1 ½ oz Sheringham akvavit

½ oz Beaufort vermouth

¾ oz lemon juice

½ oz honey syrup*

1 coin of ginger

3 dashes of root beer bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker, muddle ginger. Flash chill and double strain. Serve over crushed ice in a large rocks glass and garnish with a spanked mint sprig.

*To make honey syrup at home, combine 2 parts honey with 1 part boiling water and stir well. Allow to cool.

November 9, 2020 By Katie Phelan in recipes Comments Off

Megin Lake

This Mike Norbury original riffs on an old classic; the Tom Collins. It is a pretty fresh take of course, but we’re okay with being iconoclasts. The recipe incorporates Beaufort vermouth and Sheringham Distillery’s vodka, and is named for Megin Lake in the northeast portion of Clayoquot Sound. Give it a go and tell us what you think! Photography and styling by Danika Sea Design.

Megin Lake

1 oz Sheringham vodka

1 oz Beaufort vermouth

¾ oz lime juice

½ oz vanilla syrup

3 strawberries

2 oz soda

Place vodka, vermouth, lime juice, syrup and strawberries into a shaker, muddle the strawberries. Flash chill and double strain. Serve long, on the rocks, in a Collins glass and top up with soda. Garnish with a lime wheel and add a reusable straw.

November 2, 2020 By Katie Phelan in recipes Comments Off

The Comox Cocktail

Although Mike Norbury spends a lot of his time behind the bar at some of Victoria’s most illustrious watering holes and eateries, he nonetheless found time to whip up 6 unique cocktails for us. Each recipe is an Island celebration, incorporating Beaufort vermouth alongside Sheringham Distillery’s world class spirits.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll share all six recipes right here (and on our socials). To kick things off, try this exceptionally good riff on a Bronx at home. Photography and styling by Danika Sea Design.

The Comox Cocktail

1½ oz Kazuki gin

¾ oz Beaufort vermouth

6 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

¾ oz grapefruit juice

¼ oz lemon juice

¼ oz honey syrup*

Combine all ingredients and shake over ice. Double strain and serve in a chilled coupe. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.

*To make honey syrup at home, combine 2 parts honey with 1 part boiling water and stir well. Allow to cool.

October 10, 2019 By Katie Phelan in pairing suggestion, recipes, whole food, plant-based Comments Off

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

A couple of hard frosts in the Comox Valley recently have more or less finished off the most delicate of outdoor salad greens; but there’s still plenty of kale! If you’re on the fence about a raw kale salad, try drizzling the leaves with this balsamic vinaigrette. Add some lentil dal and serve with a glass of Ça Beautage and all will be well!

INGREDIENTS Makes enough to dress a salad for 3-4 people

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

Half a small clove of garlic, finely grated

Salt and pepper

METHOD

Place all of the ingredients in a glass mason jar and secure the lid tightly. Shake well to mix and emulsify. The vinaigrette will keep in the fridge for a week – just bring to room temp and shake well.

August 26, 2019 By Katie Phelan in pairing suggestion, recipes, whole food, plant-based Comments Off

BBQ mushroom sliders x Ça Beautage

This recipe should help you squeeze the last out of summer – smoky BBQ mushroom sandwiches, paired with 100% Beaufort-grown Ça Beautage. We’ve long since figured that Marechal Foch pairs like a charm with mushroom based dishes, so grab a bottle of the recently-released 2017 vintage Ça Beautage and give this recipe a go!

INGREDIENTS Makes 4 sandwiches/sliders

4 large portabello mushrooms

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tblsp molasses

2 tblsp white vinegar

1 tblsp demerara sugar

2 tbslp soy sauce

1 tbslp Dijon mustard

1 tsp sriracha (or your favourite hot sauce)

1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

*You will also need 4 buns or sliders (or you can use a baguette cut into 4 as we did in the photo)

*Other sandwich fixings of your choice; we used coleslaw and lettuce but we think red onion and avocado would be a great addition too!

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice the mushrooms into .5cm slices and arrange on a baking tray in a single layer. Drizzle with a little olive oil, and season with some salt and pepper. Bake for 20-25minutes or until tender, turning once half way through the baking time. Set aside to cool slightly. In the meantime, prepare your BBQ sauce…
Combine the ketchup, molasses, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, mustard, sriracha, and spices with 4 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil over a high heat, stirring constantly.
Reduce the heat and allow the sauce to simmer gently for approximately 10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and is thick and glossy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Toss the mushrooms in the hot BBQ sauce and divide between 4 buns. Add you favourite sandwich fixings and serve immediately.

May 21, 2019 By Katie Phelan in pairing suggestion, recipes, whole food, plant-based Comments Off

Guacamole x Ortega

Life would be so dull without avocados, and tortilla chips! This is a super simple recipe for summertime snacking. Use ripe avocados and a vegetable masher for the best consistency. Make lots and keep leftovers in the fridge in a tall Tupperware container (or a glass jar) with a layer of olive oil on top to prevent oxidation.

Have you tried our 2018 Ortega yet? If not, stop by the tasting room soon! This guacamole is a perfect accompaniment to a chilled bottle of Ortega. Just add a couple pals and a big bowl of Abuelo’s corn tortilla chips. You can find Abuelo’s chips in our tasting room, as well as at the Courtenay Farmer’s Market on Saturdays.

INGREDIENTS Makes about a pint

4-5 large ripe avocados

1 medium tomato

1/4 of a small red onion

juice of 2 limes

1/2 tsp dried granulated garlic

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsps ground coriander

2 large handfuls of cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Peel and pit the avocados and place the flesh in a large bowl. Give them a rough mash.
Finely chop the tomato (leave the skin on!) and the onion.
Add the tomato, onion, lime juice, granulated garlic and spices to the avocados; mash to mix.
Finely chop the cilantro (leaves and stalks), and add that to the guacamole. Give the mix one final mash (it should still be a little lumpy). Season to taste.
Serve heaped up in a big bowl for dipping.