My dad has an annual tradition of inviting all of his golf friends and their partners over to watch the last day of the Masters, the annual golf tournament that ends with someone wearing a green jacket.
It’s the only time of the year my dad orders catering – he usually gets a tray of pastries, and I grew up looking forward to the day because it meant I could choose between chocolate éclairs, strawberry custard tarts and tiered millefeuille pastries, or sneak one of each while he was calculating the winner of the betting…Did I mention that everyone predicts the top five golfers (“One point for a golfer and one point [for having him] in the right spot. Max of 10 points.,” says my dad), pays $1, and then wins the pot and dons a green polo him or herself?
It’s also one of the only time he gambles.
Other than the pastries (this year he bought a gluten free, dairy free vanilla cake from a local Paradise, Newfoundland bakery called Nourish. The carrot cake is also divine), the event is a potluck. My dad usually makes chip beef, pulled pork or chili and everyone brings something like macaroni and cheese, pasta salad, smoked salmon on crackers, potato salad, sometimes a vegetarian curry or bread. And then one year he decided I should cater the event, but people would still bring their own dishes to share.
This was clearly overkill and we ended up with way too much food. Who caters a potluck? It was great for me, though, because it gave me an excuse to cook things I rarely cook for myself: homemade gluten-free pizza (and homemade non-gluten free pizza for everyone who’s not me, my mom or the one other celiac person we know), dips, guacamole, pasta with artichokes, a mile-high gluten-free, dairy-free carrot cake with maple-cashew cream cheese for my mom, for example (which I gave to her un-iced because I forgot she can’t eat cashews, sorry excuse for a daughter that I am).
And I loved doing it. I don’t even like golf, but thanks to Masters Sunday, I know a heck more than your average Newfoundland girl about Vijay Singh, Rory Mcllroy and (in years past) the Canadian favourite Mike Weir. I know which of my parents’ guests think Sergio Garcia has a cute bum and which still support Tiger Woods.
I also know which will go for seconds of my Indian marinated leg of lamb with poppyseeds, almonds and figs.
Which is why I’m incredibly sad to be missing this April’s event for the first time in years. I try to fly home twice a year, and as much as I don’t care about golf – and generally am antisocial and eat on my own in the dining room instead of in front of the TV with my parents’ friends because I find it overwhelming – I always looked forward to the cooking, the planning and the smiles and laughter of everyone else having fun. If someone sunk a long putt, or chipped in from the rough, (or got an incredible hole-in-one like this one) there’d be huge cheers and people would run from the buffet table to the TV to see what happened.
So in honour of the occasion, I decided to write a blog post of the recipes I WOULD have made if I were home this weekend in Newfoundland. I usually go with accessible comfort food or something spring-y (the season, not the cake, though they do overlap). There has to be something meat-heavy for my dad, a green salad to balance the starchy options, a vegetarian main and a gluten-free, dairy-free dessert.
Masters Sunday Menu:
Simple green salad with cucumbers, grated carrots, mushrooms, mixed greens and a honey vinaigrette
Miso-Honey Glazed Turbot
Lamb (and Vegetarian) Tourtière
The ultimate GF and DF butter tarts
The Salad:
Slice some mushrooms and cucumber and shred some carrots (on a grater or with a special peeler that does strands) and toss it all together with some greens and some of this dressing:
Honey Vinaigrette
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp rice vinegar
3/4 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or half a clove of minced garlic. I find fresh garlic too strong, but do as you wish)
1 tbsp minced shallots
1/2 cup olive oil
Whisk everything together except the oil together and then add the oil in a thin stream while whisking to emulsify. It’s best after an hour or five.
Lamb or Vegetarian Tourtière
(makes one vegetarian and one lamb pie – or two of your favourite 🙂
You can also divide the whole recipe in half to make just one pie, but a pre-made pie will freeze well. Just pop it in the oven for a homemade treat the next time you don’t feel like rolling out pastry.
2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 large eggs, slightly beaten (or egg replacer equivalent to 1 egg), optional
2 tbsp cold water or vodka (it actually makes for a flakier crust. Use 2 to 6 tbsp if not using the egg. The tarts will be more crumbly without the egg)
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add the solid coconut oil and cut in with a fork. Add the egg and water one tsp at a time (1 tbsp at a time if not using egg). Divide dough into two balls and cover one in plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out. Roll dough out between two pieces of wax paper. Remove top piece of paper and invert your pie plate over top. Cut out pastry around the plate then gently invert so pastry is on top of the plate. Remove the remaining layer of wax paper. Re-roll out the pastry between two layers of wax paper for the top of the pie. Keep covered until needed. Repeat with second ball of dough.
2 lbs ground lamb or cooked brown lentils
⅓ cup raw onion or shallot, pureed in a blender
½ cup water
1 1/2 tsp salt2 large russet potatoes (or other), peeled and boiled until tender
¼ tsp black pepper
¾ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 tbsp ground sage
2 tbsp coconut oil or vegan margarine
The Best Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Butter Tarts
(This recipe is from Round Plains Plantation, an organic sweet potato producer in Waterford Ontario whose gluten-free, dairy-free butter tarts are the highlight of my trips to Toronto’s St. Lawrence Saturday farmer’s market)
In Food Processor Combine:
4 cups mashed sweet potato
½ cup coconut oil (original butter)
½ cup marshmallow cream
4 cups white sugar
In Bowl: Combine mixture with 2 cups rice milk.
Spoon into tart shells, filling to top of pastry. Bake 30 minutes at 350˚F.
Gluten-Free Tart Shells:
1 cup brown rice flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 large egg, slightly beaten (or egg replacer equivalent to 1 egg), optional
3 tsp cold water or vodka (it actually makes for a flakier crust. Use 1 to 3 tbsp if not using the egg. The tarts will be more crumbly without the egg)
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add the solid coconut oil and cut in with a fork. Add the egg and water one tsp at a time (1 tbsp at a time if not using egg). Roo dough out between two pieces of wax paper. Remove top piece of paper and place aluminium tart mold or small bowl inverted over top. Cut out pastry to slightly larger than mold and place in mold or greased cupcake tins. Bake at 350˚F for 20-25 minutes. Don’t let get too golden or burn.
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