Recipes to Gather around: Vancouver chef's new cookbook aims to bring people together
Credit to Author: Aleesha Harris| Date: Fri, 11 Oct 2019 18:00:45 +0000
David Robertson is a chef on a mission.
When he and his wife Sara first opened their business The Dirty Apron in 2009, the aim was to get people into their kitchen to get them cooking. And cooking well, too.
“We realized that Vancouver didn’t really offer and hands-on cooking experience, so we took the bull by the horns and dreamed up a state-of-the-art recreational cooking school — for seasoned home chefs and toast burners alike,” Robertson says. “We believe in empowering people to get into the kitchen and get cooking.”
Shortly after setting up the school, they set their sights on service.
“We wanted to bring life and excitement into our space during the daytime, as the cooking classes are more so an evening concept,” he explains. “So, a year later, the delicatessen was born.”
Offering breakfast, lunch and treats, the eatery proved popular with locals. So, ready to tackle their next enterprise, the Robertsons decided to introduce a catering arm to The Dirty Apron. Still hungry for more, in 2014, Robertson felt it was time to bring the budding food brand’s recipes into peoples’ homes with a cookbook.
“Our first cookbook The Dirty Apron Cookbook came out and became a Canadian bestseller,” Roberson says proudly. 
And now, fresh off their 10-year business anniversary celebrations and with plans to open a location at the Vancouver International Airport, Robertson has released a second cookbook, titled Gather ($38.99; Figure 1 Publishing). This time, as the name suggests, his mission is to bring people together around his favourite thing: food.
“This is a time where people truly don’t gather enough, or at least not for the right reasons,” Robertson says. “I want to encourage people to get back to the dinner table and connect, allowing food to be the medium that brings them together, regardless of differences.
“Food has such a great way of getting people together and around one table, and I wanted Gather to celebrate that aspect of cooking and food.”
The latest cookbook release, Robertson says, has a “timeless” quality to it — think dishes with staying power rather than recipes centred around social media-hyped food fads.
“It’s not about food trends, but the recipes carry value that will be significant and applicable for years to come,” Robertson says. “This book is genuine, tried, tested and true. I hope it makes readers want to invite and gather people around the dinner table — or blanket or picnic table — and then get into the kitchen and try out and enjoy recipe after recipe.”
The recipes contained within the hardcover book, span brunch to “basics” and include options for vegetarians, seafood lovers and meat eaters.
“A lot of them are based on meals had with family, friends, staff and, of course, customer favourites,” Robertson explains of the collection of 80 recipes. “These are recipes I am proud to showcase and cook from on a daily basis — not just at work, but pretty much anywhere and anytime.”
Chef David Robertson, his wife Sara and their two children.
Rather than pick a favourite recipe from the book — an oft-detested question for many cookbook authors, to which Robertson rather diplomatically responded with, “All the recipes are so important to me” — he instead pointed to three dishes that can be found within the pages of Gather that he’s confident most readers and home chefs will appreciate.
“A couple of recipes that really stand out in regards to being tried-and-tested crowd pleasers are: the Thai Chicken Curry, the Seafood Motoyaki, and the Seafood and Chorizo Paella,” Robertson says.
In the forward of the new book, celebrated Vancouver Cherf David Hawksworth writes, “Cooking is one of the most important skills you can learn. Wait a minute — who am I kidding? It’s the most important.” And Robertson, perhaps somewhat predictably, agrees.
“I would have to say that it ranks right up there as one of the most important skills for me, personally,” he says. “It brings me and others joy, it provides for me and my family, and has allowed me to contribute to my community.
“Cooking truly has opened doors for me that I don’t think would have presented themselves otherwise.”
For Robertson, his passion and chosen profession also appeals to his interest in juggling multiple things at once — a personality trait that makes the regular expansion of The Dirty Apron’s offerings much easier to understand.
“I love the energy in cooking. You are multitasking, having different things on the go at the same time,” he says. “But, in midst all the pressure, there’s something so satisfying about seeing the outcome and enjoying the resulting meal. It truly excites me even as I am writing about it.”
As for what he likes the least about the kitchen craft, well, it’s something many people can likely relate to.
“Doing the dishes/clean up at the end,” he says. “I tend to use up every single pot, pan, utensil and kitchen towels available, so the clean up after a meal can be daunting.”
Chefs, they really are just like us.
4 cups chicken stock, plus extra if needed
30 threads saffron
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
10 piquillo peppers, seeded, deveined and chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 1/2 cups bomba rice
15 mussels, scrubbed clean
15 clams, scrubbed clean
12 prawns, peeled and deveined
12 squid, cleaned and halved
6 oz Spanish chorizo, cut into a 1/2-inch dice
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste
To serve
grated Parmesan
microgreens or sprouts
extra virgin olive oil
Method
I fell in love with paella the first time I had it in Spain. Resist the temptation to stir it. Instead, let it sit and take its time to develop the flavours and the socarrat, which is the delicious, crunchy crust that forms along the bottom of the dish. But take care not to overcook the various types of seafood. Never throw everything into the pan at once.
In a saucepan, combine stock and saffron and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Keep warm.
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add onions and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in peppers, tomatoes and smoked paprika. Add rice and mix well, to ensure grains are lightly coated with oil.
Pour in stock, ensuring rice is completely submerged. Bring to a gentle simmer on medium heat and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until rice is 75 per cent cooked. Be careful not to boil or let the pan go dry; add more stock if needed.
Add mussels, clams, prawns, squid and chorizo to the pan and cover. (Chef’s Note: When using fresh peas, add with seafood instead to allow a longer cooking time.) Lower heat to medium-low and cook for another 5 minutes, until rice absorbs remaining stock and is completely cooked, and mussels and clams have opened. (Do not stir in seafood.) Fold in peas and cover. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
To finish, add parsley and season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
Serves 4.
Hazelnut praline:
1 cup toasted hazelnuts
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Maple mascarpone cheesecakes:
1 cup whipping (33%) cream
3 sheets gelatin
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup Marsala
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup mascarpone
1 cup Hazelnut Praline, plus extra for garnish
1 cup assorted berries, for garnish
Method
Chef’s note: These no-bake cheesecakes take Marsala and maple zabaglione and up the richness with mascarpone. Be sure to make lots of extra praline because you can use it later to top off vanilla ice cream or plain Greek yogurt.
Hazelnut praline:
Place hazelnuts in a food processor and process until coarse and mealy. Set aside.
In a small saucepan over high heat, combine sugar and 2 teaspoons water and allow mixture to caramelize until golden brown. (Do not stir.) Remove from heat and carefully fold in hazelnuts, until evenly distributed. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or greased parchment paper.
Spread mixture onto it and set aside to cool completely. Place mixture in a food processor and pulse until the praline is finely ground.
Maple mascarpone cheesecakes:
In a medium bowl, whisk cream until soft peaks form. Set aside in the refrigerator.
In a small bowl, combine gelatin and 1 cup cold water and set aside for 5 minutes to bloom.
Fill a 2-litre saucepan a quarter full with water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a constant low simmer.
In a medium heatproof bowl, combine yolks, sugar, Marsala and maple syrup. Place bowl over the pan of water and whisk until mixture is thick and foamy, and has reached 165°F on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and whisk in the bloomed gelatin sheets, until dissolved and the mixture has cooled. Whisk in mascarpone, then gently fold in whipped cream and hazelnut praline.
Line the inside of four 3-inch ring molds with an acetate collar and wrap foil around the bottom of each mold so the contents cannot leak out. Place the molds on a baking sheet and pour in mixture. (Alternatively, line individual ramekins with plastic wrap, patting it flush against the ramekins. Pour in mixture.) Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours. Carefully remove the cheesecakes from the molds (or ramekins), garnish with praline and berries and serve!