Entertaining made easy with President’s Choice Black Label products

As my six month program with President’s Choice comes to end, I can’t help but feel a little sad. It’s been one of my favourite partnerships because of the people I’ve met and worked with and the food I got to eat (and I love good food…and I got to enjoy a lot of it!). I’ve learned so much about food photography, cooking & baking, hosting, taking care of my skin, finding comfortable and fashionable clothing and using high quality but affordable kitchen gadgets. While this particular campaign may be coming to end, I know I will continue to write about President’s Choice because it’s a brand we love and we use the products daily.  In fact, my family and I pretty much live off of PC products (literally, since that’s what I feed them). So this isn’t really a good-bye, but it’s more of a see-you-later…

Okay, now that I got that off my chest, let’s get to the reason why you’re reading this. Well, I’m ending this campaign off with a bang! I recently got a chance to visit the PC Test Kitchen, and it was glorious! I had the opportunity to meet the chefs that come up with the PC products you find in stores and the recipes you use to make your favourite dishes at home. The best part of my visit was the taste testing – or as I like to call it, quality control (which ironically, is what I used to do when I worked for Loblaw in my previous role / life).

So next time you’re hosting, I would highly recommend that you try out these two recipes from the chefs at PC. While I haven’t had a chance to make them myself, I can tell you first hand that they taste amazing!

The first dish is the Ras El Hanout Roasted Whole Cauliflower which is a great side dish for a lemon-roasted chicken or lamb or a perfect main for a guest that is Vegetarian.

Ras El Hanout Roasted Whole Cauliflower

Serves: 8, Ready in: 45 minutes, Difficulty Level: Intermediate (Nutritional information per serving: 170 calories, fat 13 g, sodium 280 mg, carbohydrate 9 g, fibre 3 g, protein 5 g).

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp (15 mL)  PC® black label Ras El Hanout Spice Blend
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL)  kosher salt
• 1/4 cup (50 mL)  PC® New World EVOO Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1  medium head cauliflower, leaves trimmed and bottom cut flat
• 1/4 cup (50 mL)  tahini
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL)  finely grated lemon rind
• 1 tbsp (15 mL)  fresh lemon juice
• 1  clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL)  each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup (75 mL)  PC® 1% M.F. Plain Yogurt
• 2 tbsp (25 mL)  PC® black label Chermoula Bell Pepper Spread & Marinade
• 2 tbsp (25 mL)  chopped toasted pistachios
• 1/4 cup (50 mL)  lightly packed cilantro leaves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
2. Combine spice blend, 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt and oil; set aside.
3. Cook whole cauliflower in large saucepan of boiling water just until tender but firm, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain well; place cut side down in greased baking dish. Insert tip of sharp knife into top of cauliflower in five random places. Brush spice mixture all over and into crevices.
4. Roast in centre of oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until browned and tender. Meanwhile, whisk together tahini, 1/4 cup (50 mL) boiling water, lemon rind, lemon juice, garlic, 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt and pepper; whisk in 2 to 3 tbsp (25 to 45 mL) extra water to thin sauce until thin enough to drizzle if necessary. Set aside.
5. Combine yogurt and chermoula spread. Drizzle spoonful each of chermoula sauce and tahini sauce over top of roasted cauliflower; sprinkle with pistachios and cilantro. Cut into wedges and serve with remaining sauces.

For dessert, these Lemon Curd Squares are sure to please as it’s both sweet and savoury. Perfect with a cup of tea, so save some for the rest of the week!

Lemon Curd Squares

Serves: 16, Ready in: Over 60 minutes, Difficulty Level: Easy (Nutritional information per serving: 200 calories, fat 13 g, sodium 60 mg, carbohydrate 18 g, fibre 0 g, protein 2 g)

Ingredients

• 1-¼ cups (300 mL)  all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL)  baking powder
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL)  salt
• 3/4 cup (175 mL)  PC® black label Normandy Style Unsalted Cultured Butter, frozen
• 1/4 cup (50 mL)  granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL)  PC® black label Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 jar (250 mL)  PC® black label Lemon Curd Fruit Filling And Dessert Topping, whisked
• 2 tsp (10 mL)  icing sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Mist 8-inch (2 L) square metal cake pan with cooking spray. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving 2-inch (5 cm) overhang on two opposite sides; mist paper with cooking spray. Line pan with another piece of parchment paper to overhang remaining sides by 2 inches (5 cm); mist paper with cooking spray.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Set aside.
3. Grate frozen butter on large holes of box grater into separate large bowl. Sprinkle granulated sugar over butter; toss together. Drizzle with vanilla; toss until absorbed. Sprinkle flour mixture over butter mixture; toss to coat. Gently rub flour mixture into butter mixture with fingertips just until mixture comes together when gently squeezed and large flakes form. Transfer to prepared pan; press into even thickness to make crust.
4. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven; quickly spread lemon curd over hot crust in even layer. Return to oven; bake until curd is set and no longer jiggles when pan is shaken, 4 to 5 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on rack.
5. Refrigerate, uncovered, until chilled, about 30 minutes. Lifting with parchment, remove squares from pan; transfer to cutting board. Sprinkle with icing sugar. Cut into 16 squares.

What’s your favourite PC product and what dish do you make with it?

Disclosure: This post was created in partnership with President’s Choice, but all opinions are my own.