Cutting Board Columnist Jeffery Mickelson, a professional chef, wild food fanatic and “offal” good guy shares his passion for cooking with What’s Up Yukon
This summer I was in Dawson City at the farmers’ market, scoping out the best produce the Klondike has to offer. It was beet season and Grant Dowdell’s stall was there. His beets are world class, so I knew I wouldn’t leave empty-handed. My friend and fellow chef Brian Phelan and I started talking about …
As we get closer and closer to the epic feasts that are in the near future I can’t help but think of … the Christmas ham. It’s become a bit of a tradition at my family’s Christmas table for me to prepare a ham from scratch using the best pork I can find, followed by …
I’m hungry, I’m kind of grumpy and I’ve slept well past breakfast. It’s 3 pm. I feel waffle. But not for your average “L’eggo My Eggo” type waffle. I want crispy, light waffles, crispy fried chicken, birch syrup, whipped butter and icing sugar. Maybe, if I’m feeling lucky, I may go with a side of …
Have a little spot on your property not being used? Why not plant some berry shrubs? After a recent delivery of Emu Creek Farm-raised honey berries or haskap, I thought to myself, everyone should be growing these berries on their property for a winter stash. The thing that makes these berries so interesting is their …
Late June and through July is pretty much the height of our wild vegetable and herb season. Strawberries are finishing up, raspberries are starting to get ripe, with blueberries and cranberries to follow. In the nettle patch, where most of the plants have gone to seed, we will soon see a new crop growing on …
Iknow, I know, you’re all thinking I’m crazy, but after the rain, the underground “internet” of mycelium is incubating. Mushrooms are being born. Mycelium or mushroom “spawn” is the vegetative portion of fungus that digests food under the right conditions – ideally damp, soggy, but not too cold. The mycelium bundles together in a series …
What’s for breakfast this morning? If you were smart you got it started the night before. Sleeping in a little bit later sounds good to me. With a sourdough pancake recipe, by the time the coffee is ready, your griddle is hot and you’re making breakfast in your sleep! Having sourdough starter on hand is …
Quick cured bacon chops are ready in 24 hours, and are a great way to dab into the fun of making your own.
Preserving and storing your summer harvest is a skill that every good cook, whether home or professional, should have. As much as I love to have my homemade condiments in the pantry at my disposal, I find sometimes you have to find creative ways to use them so you don’t get bored with them. Trading …
Although it may seem out of reach, making your own custom mustards at home is actually quite easy and very rewarding. Once I figured out proper proportions and technique, I’ve never bought grainy mustard from the store again. There many different types of mustards out there, from the ballpark version we smear on boiled franks, …
With spring in full effect, the bears, birds and bees are buzzing and singing joyful songs. But if you listen closely to the songs, they’re mainly about how desperate and frantic their search of food is. I can’t help but join the enthusiasm. I’m hungry, and I want wild foods! When I see pussywillows going …
I’m loving the sun and weather this last couple of weeks. Suddenly I’ve been craving different foods, and my barbecues are now dusted off and ready for the season. Slowly smoked pork shoulder, coleslaw, cornbread – I can imagine just about anything on the grill. When most Canadians think of barbecue, the first thing that …
At this time of year, a flood of heart-shaped boxes, roses and freaky-looking smiley pink bears stare me down in almost every shop I enter. The image of the bears laughing and throwing chocolates and roses at me stays with me when I close my eyes, keeping me awake some nights. Kind of intimidates me …
I don’t keep moose frozen more than 6 months. Dry curing it for a few days, you intensify the moose flavour.
All over the world people are doing crazy things with meat and fire. I mentioned in my April 21 column that barbecue, as most of us know it, is more than what it seems. We Yukoners love bbq, but seem to trade in complexity for simplicity, speed and convenience. There’s nothing wrong with a simple …
Growing up in Valemount BC, surrounded by vast wilderness and unexplored terrain, it was not uncommon to see grouse and other small game during my outings. Sometimes they’re unavoidable, and seem to end up under the wheel of your motorbike, no matter how hard you try to avoid them! Moving to the Yukon, I had similar …
In Canada, as well as the States and all over Europe, this time of year the smells of cinnamon, molasses and ginger are overwhelming at times. I mean, even escaping our homes on a trip to a coffee shop, we can get hit with a gingerbread or pumpkin spice latte across the face. As we …
During freeze up, pacing around the cabin is not uncommon. Oversupplying oneself with more food than even two people could eat is also a common rookie move. I was guilty of both. While digging through what was left of the veg I brought over for freeze up, I was slightly overwhelmed by the amount of …
With the sun out and the temperatures warming up significantly, you may find yourself having the urge to eat or cook outside. Time to dust those barbecues off and get at it. People sometimes struggle with side dishes or vegetables to compliment what tends to be a meat dominated arena. However, I know of very …
I had the house to myself this evening, so I thought I would indulge in a little smoked pork. I don’t normally get that excited about loins, but in this case, the pig was young and insanely tender. The whole loin was only 2.5 pounds! When you cook a whole loin, wrapped in the fat …
Chicken-fried caribou steaks might just be the best thing I’ve eaten in a long time. I’ve played around with a lot of different recipes and styles over the years, and have always been happy with the results. But on one fine winter day, I topped them all. I was subconsciously staring at my ever-so-hungry-jar of …
Sourdough-Dipped Chicken-Fried Caribou Steaks with Cream Gravy Read More »
Few things in cooking are as important as the ingredients. The knowledge of how pantry items are prepared in factories, versus the old-world way of making them at home, is something I am constantly seeking. I make a good amount of cured meat, like bacon, salt pork, ham, corned beef, sausages, etc. every fall from …
A gift of moose is great, but a dinner of moose is even better! I recently acquired a little stockpile of my old friend “Big Horn” and have been cooking up a storm. I’ve done open-face kimchi, mayo, shaved moose and cheddar broiled goodness, to classic jerky, and everything in between. Growing up, I remember …
It’s February and the cold weather seems to have broken for a bit. If you haven’t gone Outside, or have been talking to friends that just got back from Southeast Asia and are raving about all the great food they’ve been eating, do yourself a favor and fire up some curries — rock your taste …
This time of year, I like to make all sorts of different food to transport my mind to faraway places. Stoke the fire up high, strip down and have a cold Thai beef and cucumber salad, or keep it at a normal temp and make a hardy bison meatloaf glazed with cranberry ketchup and warm …
I recently resurrected my sourdough starter from the deep freeze. I throw it in there from time to time when I feel like starving it for an extended period of time, or if I feel like being unusually cruel to it. It never really seems to mind the solitude, and I’m always amazed how fast …
