6 Recipes from Restaurants North of Toronto

Ontario restaurants are a diverse representation of various cultures throughout the world. From traditional and comforting to flavourful and spicy, join us on a trip to six restaurants North of Toronto for a sampling of their favourite foods. Whether it’s baked spoon bread, spicy roast pork, or chocolate souffle, we’ve got you covered with these recipes. Cook or bake up one of these six recipes from Ontario’s top restaurants and share the creations with your family and friends.
 

Mrs. Mitchell’s Restaurant

Mrs. Mitchell’s Restaurant in Violet Hill, North of Orangeville, serves traditional food that focuses on local and seasonal flavours. They offer a casually upscale fine dining experience with colonial décor and upscale service. They are known for their signature spoon bread created from a 17th-century recipe; it is moist on the inside and crisp on the outside. Mrs. Mitchell’s suggests you “try it for breakfast with butter and maple syrup” or serve it with dinner.

Spoon Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups cornmeal
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp butter
• 5 eggs
• 1 tbsp baking powder

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Grease a large shallow baking dish.
• Combine the water and milk and heat until simmering.
• Add the cornmeal, salt, sugar and butter and stir over medium heat until the mixture is thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Remove from the heat.
• Beat the eggs with the baking powder until they are very light and fluffy, then add them to the cornmeal mixture. Mix well.
• Pour into the prepared dish and bake at 350°F for 45 – 50 minutes.
• Serve hot. (Best with butter!)
• Makes 8 Servings

Trio Restaurant

Trio Restaurant, located at the Hotel Novotel Vaughan, uses seasonal ingredients to create sophisticated twists on timeless food classics. They believe that using local Ontario produce is part of a healthy lifestyle as well as being important to their customers. They focus on offering balanced choices on their menu and present them in small trios designed for sharing.

Chicken Saltimbocca Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1/2 lemon
• 2 leaves fresh sage
• 2 slices prosciutto ham, thinly sliced
• flour for dredging
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 tsp butter
• pinch chopped fresh parsley
• 2 oz demi-glaze or brown sauce

Directions:

• Cut chicken breast from tip to back lengthwise to make two fillets. Rub fillets on both sides with lemon juice. Press sage leaves onto fillets and wrap with prosciutto.
• Press both sides of chicken lightly in flour.
• In a sauté pan, heat olive oil on medium-high heat and cook chicken pieces until lightly browned, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Drain oil and pour wine in pan. Add demi-glaze to lift pan drippings. Simmer until mixture reduces to a thick sauce. Add butter and parsley to sauce. Add chicken to sauce to warm and serve with seasonal sides.
• Makes 1-2 servings

Touro’s Churrascaria & Wine Bar

Touro’s Churrascaria & Wine Bar, in Richmond Hill, is a Brazilian steakhouse serving “the finest meat on metal skewers turned slowly over an open flame.” The modern restaurant’s point of pride is maintaining an authentic, quality Brazilian culinary barbeque experience. They serve their meats with a variety of homemade dipping sauces such as the one below.

Photo by: Touro’s Steakhouse

Touro’s Chimichurri Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 oz parsley
• 1 oz cilantro
• 1/2 oz basil
• 1/2 oz mint
• 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 4 1/2 tsp garlic
• 1/4 white onion
• 1/4 cup water

Directions:

• Put parsley, cilantro, basil and mint in a blender.
• Add 2 tbsp water, red pepper flakes, garlic and onion and blend until finely chopped.
• Once it reaches a finely chopped consistency, add white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice and more water if necessary. Blend briefly to mix. Season to taste.
• Sauce can be stored in the fridge for about a week.

Landman Gardens & Bakery

Landman Gardens & Bakery, in Grand Valley, is a family run farm that is determined to produce only the healthiest, freshest food for their customers. They host dinners on the farm in their Blackhouse, a beautiful dry stone building. The dinners run from April – November, and they feature ingredients that are raised/grown on their farm and source other ingredients locally. Their bakery and butcher shop are open year round.

Photo by: Landman Gardens & Bakery

Spicy Roast Pork Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 lb (about 1.4 kg) boneless pork loin
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 cup Landman Gardens Pork Spice Rub (recipe follows)
• 2 apples, quartered
• 2 onions, quartered
• 4 large garlic cloves
• bunch fresh thyme
• 2 cups apple cider (or beer)
• Pork spice rub, also available at Landman Gardens and Bakery.
• 1 tbsp each garlic powder, onion powder, dry mustard powder, salt, pepper, chili powder
• 1 tsp ancho chili pepper powder (optional, for smoky flavour)
• 1 cup brown sugar

Directions:

• Coat pork loin on all sides with Dijon mustard.
• Combine spice rub ingredients and mix well. Spread rub evenly over pork loin.
• Next, place pork in pan on top of apples, onions, apple cider and seasonings.
• Cover and roast in a 425°F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 300°F and continue roasting for an hour or until internal temperature reaches 150°F.
• Remove from roasting pan and let stand for 15 minutes.
• Slice and serve with apple and kale salad and Landman Gardens Hearty Salsa or your own chutney.
• Serves 6

Frankie’s Ristorante

Frankie’s Ristorante, in Uxbridge, offers a mix of Mediterranean, Italian, and Canadian dishes on their menu as well as focusing on “Celiac-friendly food, a peanut- and nut-free environment, as well as vegetarian, vegan and some sugar-free pastries for diabetic patrons.” The comfortable, rustic Bistro believes in creating a slow food experience with delicious meals made from scratch including an extensive dessert list from their bakery Baked at Frankie’s.

Photo by: Frankie’s Ristorante

Chocolate Souffle Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of good chocolate
• 4 tbsp butter
  (melt together in a double boiler over water)
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup of sugar
  (beat eggs and sugar together until pale-yellow and frothy)
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup of sugar
  (beat egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form)

Directions:

• Fold egg yolk mixture into the chocolate/butter mixture until fully blended.
• Next, lightly fold in beaten egg whites until combined.
• Scoop into buttered ramekins and refrigerate until ready to bake. Bake at 350 degrees for eight minutes or until risen. (These can be refrigerated for up to 4 days before baking)

Soulyve

Soulyve, in Orangeville, is a Carib-fusion restaurant that focuses on a garden-fresh take on authentic Caribbean cuisine. Their small, modern restaurant offers a casual dining experience with a menu that is a mix of Caribbean, Jamaican, Vegetarian and fusion offerings.
Soulyve, in Orangeville, is a Carib-fusion restaurant that focuses on a garden-fresh take on authentic Caribbean cuisine. Their small, modern restaurant offers a casual dining experience with a menu that is a mix of Caribbean, Jamaican, Vegetarian and fusion offerings.

Carib-fusion Rum Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 lb dried fruit (dates, prunes, currants, raisins, dried cherries), chopped
• 1 cup Appleton dark rum
• 1 cup Appleton white rum
• 8 eggs
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp each ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice
• 1/4 tsp star anise
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Zest of 1/2 lime
• 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 lb butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup gravy browning sauce
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp almond extract

Instructions:

• Up to two weeks ahead, place chopped fruit in an airtight jar. Cover with rum and let stand for at least 24 hours and no more than two weeks. The longer it soaks the more potent your cake will be.
• Preheat oven to 300°F. Fill a broiler pan with water and place on bottom rack of oven. Line an 8-inch round baking tin with parchment paper or grease well with butter.
• Next, process the fruit and rum in a blender or food processor into a coarse purée.
  Beat the eggs using a stand mixer or hand mixer until very light and frothy, about 10 minutes. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, ground spices, salt, baking powder, lime zest and bread crumbs. Set aside.
• In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until the sugar is dissolved and the texture is light and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add beaten eggs to butter mixture, mixing well.
• Then fold in fruit, browning sauce, cream and almond extract, stirring until combined.
• Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix well. The batter will be thick.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the middle of the oven for two hours or until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely before serving.
• Optional: Pour another ½ cup dark rum over the cake after it has cooled. Allow to soak in. Remove from pan, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container.
• The cake can be stored for up to a month or frozen for six months.

 
Not in the mood to cook up these recipes? Step out to the Orangeville area for anything from Mediterranean and Caribbean casual dining to traditional Canadian and Italian fine dining. Or, try out Vaughan for a variety of bistros, pubs, and restaurants.
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