Our next Come DIne With Me instalment comes from Collin and Danielle, brand new parents and recent residents of Langley, BC. They were fortunate enough to welcome their first child, Georgia, three weeks ago.
Collin loves to cook, and to cook for others brings him great joy. Since moving away from his family in Ontario, he hasn’t had a lot of opportunity to share this joy with them, so when his parents were coming to visit their first grandchild, he seized the opportunity.
“My folks had never been to BC,” he explains. “While they were here, I was looking for unique and creative ways to welcome them to the province with some local ingredients. I made a delicious salmon dinner one night. Then I heard about this challenge and thought it would be fun to include Ambrosia apples. Even though they eat them all the time at home, Ambrosia apples are originally from BC, after all.”
Collin’s Menu
- Ambrosia Apple Bites (recipe below)
- Roast Pork with Ambrosia Apple slaw (recipe below) and roasted mini potatoes
- Fresh BC Strawberry Shortcake
They started the meal with some Ambrosia apple bites that Collin created. “I got the onion jam at Independent in a jar,” he tells us. “You can make it at home by sweating sweet onions, butter, brown sugar, and beer over many hours until very reduced. Either way, it’s delicious. The combination of the sweet onions and the Ambrosia apples was really good!”
Next up was a roast pork with Ambrosia Apple Slaw and roasted mini potatoes. “The slaw was pretty good,” Collin tells us, but admits, “the dressing could be improved, but the apples were very good in it.”
“With the local fresh strawberries in season, we just had to go with a Strawberry Shortcake for dessert,” says Collin. “I also added a chopped Ambrosia apple and some fresh cream.” The result was a hit. “Everyone really enjoyed it; the apples gave a nice little crunch!”
The final word: “It was fun to be creative and make up some recipes with a restriction of adding apples,” says Collin. “For sure I would cook with Ambrosia apples again. Their mild sweetness and crispness make them easy to add tomany recipes new and old. I’ve added my recipes below, in case anyone would like to try them.”
Thanks Collin, and all the best with little Georgia!
Collin’s Ambrosia Apple Bites
- 1 ambrosia apple sliced into 1/4 inch “slabs” with core removed
- 6 slices of brie cheese
- 3 tsp caramelised onion jam
- 3 slices of cooked bacon cut in half
Spread 1/2 tsp of onion jam over the apple slab. Top with 1/2 bacon slice and brie cheese.
Collin’s Ambrosia Apple Slaw
- 3 cups chopped cabbage
- 2 Ambrosia apples grated
- 1 carrot grated
- 2 green onions finely chopped
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 handful dried cranberries (garnish)
Combine cabbage, apples, carrot, and green onions in one large bowl and mix. Combine mayo, brown sugar and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl and stir. Pour dressing over salad. Mix well. Garnish with cranberries.