With my family in Australia, and my wife Patricia and I living in Canada it is very important for us to spend time with our extended family, our friends on Canada Day. Canada has become my home and it is a fantastic country.

As a chef working in the hospitality industry, food is not only my work but my passion and one of my favourite pass times. My friends were sometimes very reluctant to have my wife and I for dinner but they have come to know that I love all types of food, especially if some one else is cooking. Over the past couple of Canada Day celebration week ends though we have started a tradition that will continue this Canada Day weekend. I call it Canada Day Pot luck Picnic.

What we do is create a theme. Last year it was a Southern states theme. Then we come up with a menu idea and divide the duties for each menu item. It has made the day so much more enjoyable and has also created a whole new part to our day together. We talk about the recipe we used and from what new cook book. How we made the recipe even where we shopped for the ingredients and so on. I love the idea of pot luck entertaining as we are all in very busy lives and to do one recipe can be a fun and rewarding thing to create and bring along but to do the whole thing can turn into a stressful chore. It is even helpful to hear of each member’s trials as it helps the others not make the same mistakes in recreating the dish.

As I had mention last years theme was Southern (with a deviation here and there) so we had fried chicken, with creamy crispy bacon laced potato salad and coleslaw, we did a slightly healthy version of biscuits (baked, not fried). We had creamy oozing cheeses with crackers and fresh fruit and of course there was a cajun shrimp salad/ cocktail which was a huge hit. The dessert though was the show stopper. Our friend asked what he should make and I said well how about a clafouti. Not necessarily Southern (hence the deviation from the theme stated above) but WOW. It was blue berry flavoured and it is a very simple dessert that is a light egg batter based that is almost a soufflé but great for this occasion here is the recipe we used.

Blueberry Vanilla Clafouti
1 cup (250 mL) blueberries, preferably, wild
1 cup (250 mL) milk
2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla extract
1/2 cup 35% cream
2 tbsp sour cream
4 eggs
½ cup (125 mL) sugar
2 tbsp flour
1 pinch salt
Butter, for baking dish

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Butter an 8 by 11-inch baking dish. Spread blueberries on the bottom of the baking dish.
3. Combine the milk and vanilla bean in a small saucepan. Bring almost to a boil. Remove from heat. When milk has cooled slightly but is still warm add the cream and sour cream. Stir well.
4. Make custard by whisking together eggs, egg yolk and sugar until well blended. Whisk in the flour and salt. While whisking gently pour milk/cream mixture over egg mixture. Blend well.
5. Pour custard through a sieve over the blueberries into the baking dish. Bake until custard is set and lightly puffy, about 35 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve warm or allow to cool and serve at your picnic.
6. Sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.

I hope you enjoy and Happy Canada Day.

Yours in food,
James