Butter 6 large sheets of foil. Lay each whitefish fillet on a sheet of foil. Cut each tomato into 6 wedges and pile them on top of whitefish. Scatter onions over the tomatoes. Whisk together the oil, lemon juice and sugar and drizzle over top. Finally, add your fresh herbs to each parcel. Close parcel, securing seams well, then cook over medium~high heat for 8- 10 minutes, turning parcels occasionally.
Let sit for approximately 2 minutes and serve sealed.

Put the oil, vinegar and thyme into a large bowl and whisk lightly. Add onion and beets; toss well. With a slotted spoon, lift them out and spread on a hinged wired BBQ rack. Add remaining vegetables to bowl and toss well. Use a slotted spoon and lift them into a second hinged rack. Lightly season both sides of vegetables with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat (on BBQ) turning occasionally. Allow onion mixture 8-10 min. on each side and zucchini mixture 6 min. per side. Pour vegetables onto decorative platter, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Brush pineapple on all sides with the melted butter. Lightly dust with sugar. Put the cream into a bowl and stir in sugar to taste. Add the liqueur and rum. Lightly whip to smooth peaks. Cover and chill until required. Cook pineapple over medium heat on BBQ for approximately 2-1/2 minutes per side, until glazed and slightly scorched.

Serve with flavored cream.

Tip: If you do not have coconut liqueur, simply use coconut milk/cream with a splash of brandy.

That may be the best burger… ever!

By Cara Funk, executive chef, Eddington’s of Exeter

The truth of the matter is, there just isn’t such a thing as a best ever burger. Perhaps that’s what makes this summer dish so satisfying. There is always room for tweaking, and there is always another seasoning, herb and spice combination to explore.
Experience shows that having a basic recipe to start from, as well as having a few kitchen staples on hand, will allow the burger preparations to become a snap so you can get to the best part of your burger festivities: chowing down on your best burger ever. For your kitchen staples always have fresh herbs around; not only do they have a wonderful bouquet and are lovely to look at, but they can make any meal - not just burger - go from drab to fab. Herbs like basil, thyme, and oregano can add dimension to you dish. Have breadcrumbs and eggs around; these act as your binding for your patties.
For spices and seasonings: fresh pepper from a peppermill and sea salt are a must have for any kitchen. Keep paprika, garlic powder, curry, cumin, and steak spice in your cupboard. Have fresh garlic, shallots and red onion available and always keep bottles of olive oil, Worcestershire, Tabasco, red wine vinegar, and Dijon mustard around.

Here are a few grilling pointers that can help improve your next burger adventure.

Make sure the grill is the appropriate temperature
Medium low to medium, and keep the lid closed. A closed lid retains heat, shortening cooking time and keeping the burgers juicy.

Use beef that is no leaner than 80%
The fat is needed to keep the burger moist and flavorful.

Have the gentle touch
Overworking the mixture will produce a tough burger. Simply mix until combined.

Keep the patties 3/4 inch thick
To prevent the patties from swelling in the middle, make a small indent in the center.

Always clean and oil the grill
This keeps the burger from sticking and helps to make those picturesque grill marks we all love to see.

Leave it alone
Turn the burger only once and never, ever press the burger with the back of the spatula. The pressure will release all those flavorful juices.

Start with the basic burger recipe and add whatever creative concoction you can come up with. Remember it’s your best burger ever: Fire up the grill, it’s burger time!

1-1/2 lb ground beef
1 egg
1/4-1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1tsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. ref. ground beef
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
5 drops Tabasco sauce

Blend all ingredients together. Hand-form patties, barbecue and serve!

2 cans of diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp minced garlic

Mix ingredients. Cook in 350’F oven for approx 45 minutes.

3 red peppers
3 drops liquid smoke (or 3 tbsp of smoky barbecue sauce)
1 tsp minced garlic
2 cups mayo

Blacken red peppers on barbecue. Remove from grill, place in bowl and cover with cling wrap (this allows skin to blister making it easy to peel off). Once cool, peel skins and remove core and stem. Puree peppers to a liquid state and add liquid smoke (or barbecue sauce), minced garlic and mayo.

Barbara’s secret: blue cheese

By Barbara Gower, Catering by Barbara

With an excess of 500 cookbooks at my fingertips, I perused my shelves in search of the “ultimate hamburger.” Hmmmm… there is virtually no difference from recipe to recipe. Ground chuck, some sirloin, salt and pepper. Whew! That’s it. Dressing your burger, now that’s a different story. Every restaurant has their way of doing it; it’s the chef’s preference. The standard rule for most restaurants is bun, sliced tomato, sliced onion, and lettuce sided with condiments like ketchup, mustard, and relish or pickle. But let’s face it, the options for toppings are endless.

Barbara’s Favourite Burger
By Barbara Gower, Catering by Barbara.
Serves 4

3 tbsp blue cheese, room temperature
1 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp finely chopped parsley
freshly ground pepper to taste
1 1/2 lbs ground chuck, cold
1 tsp salt (a bit more if using kosher salt)

Mash the blue cheese and butter together to form a smooth but slightly chunky paste. Add parsley and pepper and mix until combined. Place mixture onto a sheet of plastic wrap and using the wrap as a guide, form into a short, stocky cylinder. Place in the freezer until firm. (This compound butter can be made up to a month in advance and kept in the freezer.)
Gently mix the ground chuck with salt and freshly ground pepper with a wooden spoon until the seasoning is thoroughly incorporated. Divide the meat into four even portions and form these into flat rounds using your thumb to help form a perfect edge. Scoop a portion of the meat out of the centre of each burger and place a flat disc of blue butter into the depression. Cover the butter with the scooped out meat and press firmly to ensure that the butter is completely encased.

Prepare the grill

Clean, oil and preheat your grill to medium high. If using a charcoal grill, ashy coals are ready when you can hold your hand over the grill for three to four seconds. As your burgers are cooking, do not press them with your spatula or you are going to press all of the natural juices out of them and they’ll end up dry shrunken hunks of beef; that’s never a good thing.
Grill for four minutes per side for rare or up to ten minutes per side for well done.
What am I serving with mine? Thinly sliced Vidalia onion (sweet onion), low-fat mayo and Keen’s hot mustard, dill pickle on the side. Surf’s up – let’s eat!

Barbara Gower operates Catering by Barbara, a custom catering, banquet facility and special events service at 12 Ontario Street South in Grand Bend. Barbara can be reached at (519) 238-8489.

Apple-Cinnamon Cornmeal Pancakes

Casey makes these for me on Sunday mornings and I LOVE them! - Anjhela Michielsen
Adapted from How it All Vegan cookbook

1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup apple sauce
2 eggs or egg replacer equal to 2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk or rice milk

In a large bowl, stir together the oat flakes, cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and cinnamon until evenly blended. Add the apple sauce, eggs, milk and stir until “just mixed.” For each pancake, pour 1/4 to 1/3 cup of batter onto a hot non-stick pan or a lightly oiled frying pan and cover with a lid. Let sit on medium heat until the centre starts to bubble and become sturdy. Flip pancake and cook other side until golden brown. Repeat process until all the batter is gone. Top with almond butter, apple butter and real maple syrup.

Makes eight pancakes, or enough for two healthy eaters.