Food
Celebrity Chefs Lynn Crawford & Lora Kirk Share Five Fall Recipes
Updated on November 17, 2023
Lynn Crawford was one of the first celebrity chefs in Canada, making the move to TV while cooking at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto and New York. For 10 years, she ran Ruby Watchco restaurant with her partner, Lora Kirk, a celebrated chef who trained with Gordon Ramsay and received a Michelin star as Allen & Delancey’s chef de cuisine in New York.
We asked Lynn Crawford to share their plans for fall feasting, plus five flavor-packed recipes from their new cookbook.
“This fall, we’re really excited about the harvest and finally sharing it with Lora’s family. They all live a country road away from our new place — a 100-acre ranch-style property near Peterborough, Ont. Living here has made us into gardeners, planting everything from carrots and beets to raspberries and radishes with our girls, Addie Pepper, who’s 4, and Gemma Jet Aubergine, who’s 2. Lora is always pickling something from our garden.
I love the idea of cooking fusion dishes for your celebration meals because it’s about creating food that’s packed with flavour. It’s taking the best of the best from different cultures and cuisines. Whether it’s using white miso, gochujang or even just fresh herbs, those ingredients add such a pop of flavour. It’s not complicating food with too many different tastes, it’s honing in on what ingredients pair well together.
The gochujang-brined pork, for example, combines fragrant apple, brown sugar and heat from fiery gochujang paste to create this amazingly vibrant flavour that wows everyone. It goes great with creamy polenta and crunchy Chinese broccoli. If you need a nibble while waiting for the main course, fry up some tempura broccolini (a favourite in our house) and top with tomato mint chutney and curry mayonnaise. And for dessert, try our take on pecan pie — a nutty tart that’s gooey and buttery in all the best ways.
Don’t worry if you’re unfamiliar with some of the spices or flavour boosters in these recipes — using them in these uncomplicated dishes will create a comfort level. And who doesn’t want to think globally when we’ve not been able to travel for so long? With these recipes, we want to give people an opportunity to dream, to feel grateful and to share a fabulous meal together.”
Polenta With Butternut Squash, Swiss Chard & Mascarpone
“With a mix of tender butternut squash, Swiss chard and mascarpone, this heavenly concoction appears elaborate but it’s an absolute breeze to pull together.”
Get the recipe for Polenta with Butternut Squash, Swiss Chard & Mascarpone.
Tempura Broccolini With Curry Leaf Mayonnaise
“Topped with tomato mint chutney and creamy curry mayonnaise, this mellow green immediately catapulted to the top of weekly requests in our house.”
Get the recipe for Tempura Broccolini With Curry Leaf Mayonnaise.
Gai Lan With Chili Jam
“This vibrant, intensely flavoured side dish is buoyed by hoisin sauce and our Chili Jam. You can swap in any Asian green or combination.”
Get the recipe for Gai Lan With Chili Jam.
Gochujang-Brined Rack of Pork with Apple Thyme Chutney
“This bone-in cut is just as easy to cook as chops but makes for an outstanding presentation. The combination of sweet apple with spicy gochujang paste results in wonderfully concentrated, crowd-pleasing flavours. Adjust the heat level by increasing or reducing the amount of gochujang.”
Get the recipe for Gochujang-Brined Rack of Pork with Apple Thyme Chutney.
Nutty Tart
“Try this spin on a classic pecan pie. Our version has a buttery, toffee-like, gooey filling with a variety of toasted nuts in a sweet dough crust. Sometimes we vary the recipe by adding a 1⁄2 cup of chocolate chips — very acceptable, in our opinion!”
Get the recipe for a Nutty Tart.
Find more delicious family style recipes in Lynn Crawford & Lora Kirk’s new cookbook Hearth & Home.
Maya Visnyei
House & Home October 2021
Sasha Seymour