Memories of Crab Cakes - recreating a Taste of Nova Scotia

In my journey through Nova Scotia in June this year, it seemed that Crab Cakes became my signature dish. On my first night in Halifax, I chose Crab Cakes (bottom left) as my starter at Stories at the Halliburton and enjoyed them very much.  The second time I had Crab Cakes was at Pictou Lodge Resort, chef chose the menu for me and it included Crab Cakes with Pineapple Carpaccio and Corn Salsa (top photo), then finally I made Northumberland Snow Crab Cakes with Dill Remoulade (bottom right) on a cooking day on the farm with the Kilted Chef.


I enjoyed all of these different Crab Cakes, although the Snow Crab Cakes were probably the best of all, simple and scrumptious.  Now back in Scotland and summer seems to have gone on it's holidays, it was 13C and pouring with rain the other day.  ​A new survey carried by International Currency Exchange (ICE) found that majority of people choose their holiday purely based on the food available at the destination. I hadn't really thought about that before, but it certainly is a factor when I'm planning my holidays.  In order to keep that holiday feeling going I decided to recreate a version of Nova Scotia Crab Cakes. I didn't have any Snow Crab, in fact I was struggling to find any crab at all in the small town where I shop as there is no fish shop and the supermarket didn't have any fresh crab.  I had the choice of tinned crab or or the not very appetising looking 'Seafood Sticks'.  In the end I decided to go with the Seafood Sticks and I'm pleased to say that they worked very well indeed, making this dish one much less expensive and still delicious.


'Crab' Cakes with Dill Remoulade
makes 24 small crab cakes

500g crab meat or seafood sticks (if you use the seafood sticks, blitz them in a food processor first)
1/2 yellow pepper, finely chopped
1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 a large red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp  fresh dill, chopped
60g mayonnaise
1 egg white
15g breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

2 eggs beaten
2 tbsp flour
300g fresh white breadcrumbs made from day old bread


Dill Remoulade 
2 tsp fresh dill finely chopped
2tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp shallots, finely chopped
180g Mayonnaise

Mix all the ingredients together and divide into 24 small cakes.  Dip each cake in flour, then egg and then in the breadcrumbs, place on a baking tray lined with parchment and place in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up.



Make the Dill Remoulade by mixing all the ingredients together and leave for at least 30 minutes for the flavours to blend.

Saute the crab cakes a few at a time, keeping them warm in the oven, then serve with the Dill Remoulade.

Nova Scotia 'Crab' Cakes with Dill Remoulade

Here are a few memories of my trip to Nova Scotia, I can certainly recommend it as a foodie holiday destination.


This post is my entry to the ICE competition, I received expenses for the ingredients I used but was not paid to write this post and all opinions are my own. 

Labels: breadcrumbs, Crab Cakes, mayonnaise, Nova Scotia, onions, peppers, remoulade

posted by Janice @ 20:00 12 Comments

Knife Skills, Candied Bacon and Lobster 101 - The Kilted Chef Pt 2

Now to the exciting part of my day with The Kilted Chef!  It's time to cook,  there may have been wine involved, but not until we had  learned to use our large, sharp and scary knives. Alain taught us  how to hold the knife, avoid cutting our fingers off and then we moved on to our victims practice pieces which were carrots.  We learned to chop them into different shapes and sizes, a great way to practice using the knives.


Then we were ready for the first recipe: Curried Carrot Soup.  All the carrots we had chopped went into the pot!  I'll be posting the recipes separately when I have made them at home,  I've made some already but for now this is an overview of the fabulous time you can have at a Cooking Class with the Kilted Chef

The Soup is in the big pot that Licia is stirring, later it was blitzed in the Vitamix. Up a the top  Buttery Asiago Bread Sticks (butter soaked bread with a sprinkling of grated cheese then baked in the oven) are being prepared,  these were served with a lobster chowder.   In the pan is Candied Double Smoked Bacon, big chunks of smoked bacon sautéed and coated in maple syrup.

I don't seem to have any photos of the making of the Northumberland Snow Crab Cakes with Dill Remoulade, quite possibly because I had my hands in the crab mixture forming it into cakes and others were up to the elbows in egg or breadcrumbs!


The main course was Slow Roasted Beef Tenderloin  with Maple Ginger Sauce.  The beef is rubbed with mustard and seasoned before searing and then slow roasting.  In the top photograph we are all carefully watching the Maple Ginger Sauce, waiting for the right moment to add the sesame seeds, maple syrup, fish sauce and chilli sauce into the ginger and garlic.
Alain is known for cooking with seafood and so it was time for 'Lobster 101'.  We had already learned how to get the lobsters into the pot, removing the rubber bands from their claws and not getting nipped!  Now it was time for a demonstration of how to get the meat out of the lobster as simply as possible. You can watch a video of Alain doing just that on his website How to Break down a Lobster.

We had a few 'moments', top left is Alain demonstrating how lobsters have sex!  Then once the lobster was deconstructed, I was offered one of the thin 'legs' to suck out the the 'sweet goodness' - you can see I didn't believe it and I have to say it really didn't do it for me, my face said it all and we all ended up laughing, I laughed so much I cried.  We really had a ball.
Dessert was something I had never heard of, let alone tried.  Rhubarb and Wild Blueberry au Poivre,  this pan of gently stewed fruit gets 50 turns of freshly ground pepper into it!  It tastes fantastic and not peppery at all.  I chose to make this as my contribution to our blogger dinner later in the trip, so you will see more of it later.


We were each given responsibility for one course of the meal and served each other at the table. Here is the full menu:



I'd like to thank Alain Bosse, The Kilted Chef,  and his wife Joanne for their outstanding hospitality. I'd also like to thank Licia, Angela, Erin, Heather and Sarah for sharing the day with me and being such good fun. The day was relaxed and fun but at the same time I learned skills that I have brought home with me.  I'll never be able to work with a small knife again and I've managed to keep holding it as instructed which has vastly improved my knife skills.   I am not sure I will ever be prepping lobsters, but many of the other recipes have already graced my table and I'll be sharing them with you soon.

Labels: Beef with mustard, Candied bacon, Crab Cakes, Curried Carrot Soup, lobster, lobster 101, lobster chowder, Nova Scotia, peppered rhubarb and strawberries, The Kilted Chef

posted by Janice @ 18:44 9 Comments

Cooking at the Farm with the Kilted Chef - Part 1

Alain and the 'pepperettes'

Let me take you back to Thursday, 29th May 2014 and the next part of my Nova Scotia adventure.  I was super excited about this part of the trip because, having done some research online, I knew that Alain Bosse, The Kilted Chef, was Canadian celebrity chef , president of Alain Bosse Consulting Ltd, food editor for Saltscapes Magazine, past president of Taste of Nova Scotia and ambassador of all things culinary in Atlantic Canada.

The Kilted Chef offers a culinary journey from the pasture, to the sea to your plate. Cooking on the Farm is a full-day, hands-on culinary experience you will never forget and this is what I was to experience.

I was delighted to be joined on my culinary journey by some of the staff from Nova Scotia Media, who were quite delightful and by the end of the day I felt like I had known them for years!

We started with a short tour of the farm with Alain telling us about how he came to buy it and what plans he has for the future.  The we headed out for our first stop at  The Pork Shop, The Pork Shop prides itself in using only the freshest products available on the market. All spices are 100% pure and contain no MSG, gluten or any other type of filler in them.  


We then headed to Harold Ferguson's Abattoir.  As a farmer with a grandfather who was an old fashioned butcher, the abattoir was not something which phased me, in fact it was a pleasure to visit a place which operated on a small scale with far less stress on the cattle than in a huge modern abattoir.  The abattoir is staffed by retired butchers and also rehabilitates ex offenders and they are all proud of their skill and the excellent meat they provide.  A quick trip into Pictou to Grohmann's Knives the knife supplier favoured by the Kilted Chef and as we all got a set of Grohmann's knives to keep as part of our day cooking on the farm, I can attest that they are extremely good knives.

It was early in the season for fresh produce at Lakenman's Farm, spring had come late to Nova Scotia the asparagus had just finished and there were only a few vegetables coming through in the polytunnel.  We did find plenty of beet tops and Sarah was presented with the 'bouquet' of beets!



Then we were off to check out the lobsters at North Nova Scotia Seafood. North Nova Seafoods Limited is a fish-processing plant locally owned and operated by Paul Logan. The Logan family has been involved in fishing and fish processing since the 1800s. Logan & Roberts were operating a factory and buying station on this same shore by 1903. Russell Logan, Paul’s father, bought and shipped fish until 1962.In 1987, Paul started North Nova Seafoods which buys and processes seafood including Lobster, Herring, Rock Crab, Mackerel and Snow Crab throughout the year.

Labels: bacon, Beef, beets, Grohmanns, Lakenman's Farm, lobster, North Nova Scotia Seafood, Nova Scotia, pepperettes, Pictou, Pork, The Kilted Chef, The Pork Shop

posted by Janice @ 21:40 2 Comments

Crab Cakes by the Ocean at Pictou Lodge Resort

Anuse Bouche - Gravad Lax style salmon with dill flavour and caper bite, on crispy crouton

There are some places that you visit and you know straight away that you have come home.  My drive to Pictou Lodge was uneventful and I started to really enjoy driving the Jeep, a slight scare as I approached a round-about (oh my goodness, I'm going to have to drive round it the 'wrong way') but I survived and arrived excitedly at Pictou Lodge to blue skies and the ocean.



I checked in and headed over to my cabin in Cedar Court or 'Ocean View', I later discovered that this cabin was one that Condalisa Rice had stayed in at a summit held at the Lodge, nothing but the best for me!


These wooden cabins were well appointed with a comfortable bedroom and living room complete with coffee machine, fridge and a view out over the ocean, oh and there is my Jeep again (love my Jeep).  There's an ice machine down at the bottom of the row of cottages too so you can fill your ice bucket for chilled drinks.

If you've read my previous post, you will realise that I had only just stopped eating on my Food Tour of downtown Halifax at about 3pm then drove straight up to Pictou, and dinner was booked for 7.00pm.   After freshening up, I headed to the main Lodge where I was welcomed into the dining room by Jill, my server.   Jill has Scottish ancestory, being a Johnston by birth so we had plenty to talk about. She was also an outstanding server, friendly, knowledgeable and interested,  she looked after me very well indeed.

I was offered the opportunity to choose from the menu or to have the chef prepare me a special tasting menu, well what's a girl to do?  Chef Thomas Carey came to speak to me to ask how hungry I was, of course I was not particularly hungry as I had been eating all afternoon, however he assured me he would 'get me through to dessert'.  Jill then suggested that she match the wines to the different courses, I have never felt so spoiled.  Pictou Lodge is approved by Taste of Nova Scotia  their menu is designed around fresh local ingredients as required by Taste of Nova Scotia association features seafood fresh off the boat from nearby waters, seasonal organic vegetables from a nearby farm, and local strawberries, blueberries, maple syrup and honey.


While the chef started on the dishes for the tasting menu I was served with the smoked salmon Amuse Bouche in the first picture of this post.  Alongside this I received a brown paper lunch sack containing home made biscuits and a small pot of molasses butter.  I've never tasted anything quite like that molasses butter, I had to restrain myself from eating them all as I knew I had more treats in store and had to pace myself.


Let me tell you a little about the dining rooms at Pictou Lodge Resort.  The top picture shows the bar and lounge area where you can also dine, you can see the full range of menus for Pictou Lodge at Oceanside Dining. The bottom left photo is taken from my dining table, every table has a superb view of the ocean, turn around and behind you is the massive fireplace, how superb must that be in the winter?

This is the Warm Mediterranean Salad, isn't it pretty? A really nicely balanced salad of sweet sundried tomatoes, toasted fennel, crisp pancetta and salty parmesan and kalamata olives, the 'arugula' (rocket) salad was dressed in a glorious balsamic dressing.  I was served a fresh white Nova Scotia wine which was easy to drink, I didn't get a note of the wines but I suspect the white was Tidal Bay as I tasted that wine quite often in the days to come (oh dear that sounds bad!)  it was easy drinking with only 11- 12% alcohol.

 While sipping my wine and enjoying my salad, I had a panoramic view of the beach, the ocean and these sea birds.  I recognised the one on the left as a Heron and I think that is a Sea Eagle on the right. Dining alone is not always the most fun experience but I can honestly say there was so much to look at that I didn't feel awkward at all.

And so to the Crab Cake on Carpaccio of Pineapple with Roasted Red Onion and Corn Salsa.  By the end of the trip I was a bit of an expert on the crab cakes of Nova Scotia, this one had a crisp outside with a soft textured inside, it tasted sweet with a hint of chilli heat, cooled by the sour cream dressing. The soft crab cake of offset well by the crunchy corn salsa and the pineapple added another layer of taste and texture.  I would have loved to finish every course, it went against the grain to leave any of these dishes, but I had to leave a little.  I didn't drink all the wine either but did enjoy the local 'champagne' style sparkling wine which had a lovely honeyed taste.


My glass was topped up with  bubbles and I was served with a plank of Chicken and Pork Pate en Croute with homemade pickle, mustard and parmesan croute.  Imagine the very best picnic pie you could  ever taste, well this was it!  The pate was soft with a delicious pastry crust, the vegetables were lightly pickled and added a crunch to the dish, as did the parmesan croutes, so tasty.  The honeyed mustard made a good alternative condiment to the pickles and as you can see the sun had started to set and was casting a honeyed glow to all my photographs, just part of the Oceanside Dining experience.



This pretty little plate held parcels of hand made pasta, firmly al dente,  with a creamy soft spinach and ricotta filling covered in a rich brown butter sauce  with crunchy walnut pieces and tiny cubes of butternut squash, sprinkled with parmesan.  I could feel the butter sauce coating my lips.  It was served with a glass of fruity, red Cabernet Sauvignon wine, which was the perfect foil for the rich buttery and creamy dish.


Just when I thought I could eat no more, out came this dish of Northumberland Lamb Risotto, picked lamb shank and mushroom risotto with mint and peas.  The Northumberland coast is renowned for it's lamb in Nova Scotia.  The lamb is raised close to the shore, eating the shoreline plants and taking on some of the flavours.  The risotto was incredibly rich, probably a little overseasoned for me, but still really delicious pieces of lamb fell apart, the rice was creamy, the fresh mint garnish helped to cut through the richness. I described it in my notes as 'a really grown-up dish'.

With this dish I was served a wine called Baco Noir which I can highly recommend, it had depth of flavour and you could taste and feel the tannin which was needed with such a rich dish.

Remember I said at the beginning that Chef Thomas told me he would get me through to dessert?  Well this is the dessert plate and here I am!  The two desserts are Deep Fried Apple Pie with Salted Caramel Sauce and Blueberry Cheesecake.  The cheesecake was rich , not a light mousse but a proper cheesecake, however there was no base, the chocolate crumb was served at the side, the blueberry topping was fresh and fruity.  I was hugely surprised by the deep fried apple pie, it didn't look or sound appealing to me at all, especially as I was so full, however I would really recommend it, the pie crust was crisp and chewy, the apples inside still had a bit of bite and were nicely sharp, a great contrast to the delicious salted caramel sauce.

I'd like to thank Chef Thomas and Server Jill for their care and attention,  this was an exceptional meal in an outstanding setting and if you go to Nova Scotia, I would urge you to visit Pictou Lodge Resort for dinner and, if you can, you should also stay,  I've added a montage of my wanderings the next morning before I set off on  the next part of my adventure.


This is the fourth in a series of posts about my trip to Nova Scotia.  Read the other posts in my Nova Scotia adventure: 

1. The Bridge, The Bison and the Four Poster Bed 
2. The Citadel, Halifax : Sporrans, Rifles and the School Room 
3. A Local Tasting Tour, South of Morris Street, Halifax

You can follow me on Twitter: @FarmersgirlCook, Facebook: Farmersgirl Kitchen Instagram: FarmersgirlCook and the Pinterest Board  Atlantic Canada Eats which I share with Lavender and Lovage.  You can also follow the hashtags #AtlanticCanadaEats  #VisitNovaScotia and #ExploreCanada to see photos and posts on all of these social media sites.

Disclaimer: I was the guest of the Canadian Tourism Commission and  Nova Scotia Tourism and all my flights, car hire, accommodation and meals were included, as well as all trips, excursions and special cookery sessions with local chefs. I'd like to thank the host organisations and everyone who made this a truly memorable trip.
Photo Montage templates from The Coffee Shop   

Labels: #AtlanticCanadaEats #ExploreCanada Canada, Chef Thomas Carey, Crab Cakes, Log Cabins, Molasses Butter, Northumberland Lamb, Nova Scotia, Pictou Lodge Resort, Taste of Nova Scotia

posted by Janice @ 20:02 14 Comments

A Local Tasting Tour South of Morris Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia is really easy to navigate.  When I met up with my blogging colleagues, Karen, Helen and Aoife, later in the trip, they were amused by how I knew my way around (well most of the time!). It helps that there is a hill behind you leading down to the waterfront and the streets are in a grid pattern, so you can quickly get our bearings, and Halifax is a definitely a place where walking is a good way to get around.

I walked down from Citadel Hill to the waterfront boardwalk and enjoyed seeing the ships, restaurants and the stunning view across to Dartmouth and Fort George.

Fort George

I was heading to the Halifax Seaport Market to meet with up with Emily Forrest proprietor of Local Tasting Tours  and my guide Elena Cremonese,  who was ready to take me on the SOMO (South of Morris Street) Food Tour. "Local Tasting Tours highlights the local side of Halifax cuisine, from the unique culinary style of local chefs, to the diverse dishes offered in locally owned ethnic eateries, to fresh Nova Scotia-grown produce and dishes inspired by our local bounty"  The tour includes visits to six local eateries in the area 'south of Morris Street' to taste dishes prepared especially for you by award winning chefs.


Norbert's Good Food is Halifax’s first and only farm to table eatery sell their own produce grown at their own organic farm, Selwood Green. Norbert's was the first stop on my Food Tour, it's located at the Seaport Farmers’ Market. I had a very tasty salad topped with sprouts and dressed with a simple oil, vinegar and honey dressing.

Labels: Chianti Cafe, chocolate, Elements on hollis, Halifax, Local Tasting Tour, Morris East, Norbert's Good Food, Nova Scotia, Pizza, risotto, salad, scallop, sesame, Stories, Sugah

posted by Janice @ 20:01 10 Comments

Haggis, Sweeties, Jam and magnets

As soon as I knew I was going to Nova Scotia, I wanted to take some Scottish gifts to my hosts.  I was delighted when Wee Sweetie agreed to create a very special Scottish 'sweetie' for me.  You can read all about Wee Sweetie in my post: Wee Sweetie, homemade sweeties and candies. The result of this request was a delicious Scotch Mist Fudge featuring Auchentoshan Whisky, meringue made by local producer 'Dessert Me' and Scottish Strawberries, totally delicious.

I also contacted some producers of iconic Scottish products, Mackays for their fabulous marmalades and jams.  I felt that Mackays Dundee Orange Marmalade was the most representative from the fantastic range of products that Mackays make in traditional ways in their factory just outside Dundee.

I also felt that Haggis just had to be represented and was delighted when Macsween agreed to provide me with some Haggis Bibles to take with me. These little books contain both traditional and modern recipes using haggis.

Finally, I contacted the delightful PRs for OXO Good Grips, not a company with a Scottish heritage but one producing the very best of kitchen gadgets, sure to be appreciated by dedicated foodies.  They supplied me with some really useful kitchen magnets that double up as clips, ideal for securing shopping lists and scraps of paper on which you have written recipes.

I'd like to thank Wee Sweetie, Mackays, Macsween's and OXO Good Grips for their support.  All the feedback I had from my hosts was positive and I was delighted to be able to give them something in return for the fantastic experience I had in Nova Scotia.  

Labels: Auchentoshan, Dessert Me, Mackays, Macsween Haggis, Nova Scotia, OXO Good Grips, Wee Sweetie

posted by Janice @ 21:02 5 Comments

The Citadel, Halifax: Sporrans, Rifles and the School Room

You could be forgiven for thinking that I am posting about Scotland, but rather it is 'New Scotland': Nova Scotia.  I started my second day in Halifax with a visit to The Citadel Historic site, part of Parks Canada.  I arrived just at the Changing of the Guard, which happens every two hours so most visitors are likely to get the chance to see this impressive display.


My tour guide at The Citadel was Craig, who is the 'School Master' for the Citadel, that's him standing in front of the fire in the soldier's quarters.  When the Citadel was reconstructed and developed into a visitor attraction, they had to choose one regiment to be represented, there were many to choose from but they decided to feature the 78th Highlanders, hence the kilts and sporrans. It was fascinating to hear about the lives of the soldiers, how they cooked and ate and entertained themselves.  The lengths that the Army went to try to keep them at the Citadel rather than visiting the town, including  bringing in locally brewed beer which contributed to the fortune of Alexander Keith's Brewery! It seems that no matter what was provided at the fort, it was unable to compete with the attractions of the town!


What impressed me most about the Citadel were the 'soldiers'.  When I first arrived I thought they really were soldiers, but in fact, they are students who are recruited for the summer season. They are drilled and trained in soldierly skills and also in the history of the Citadel, so they can take visitors on tours of the site.  In addition to the 78th Highlanders, there is  an Artillery Regiment, who were learning how to fire the cannon and going over the drill time and again until  they become skilled enough to fire the 12 o'clock gun each day. The presence of these student soldiers, and other costumed characters, really brings the Citadel to life and makes it a living museum.



As a fan of Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe stories (I've read all the books), which are based around the same period of history as the Citadel's hey day, I recognised many aspects of the history of Citadel and the lives of the soldiers and was thrilled to see some rapid load and fire with an original rifle from the late 19th Century.  It was incredibly loud and you will see from the video clip that it made me jump!


One of the benefits of joining the Army was access to education and the School Room at the Citadel was the place where the soldiers  came to learn. Some would have been learning basic reading, writing and arithmetic, but the artillery required a higher level of knowledge including chemistry and geometry to ensure that the canon fire was effective and accurate.    My tour ended with a walk around the moat and the revelation of the remarkable star shape of the Citadel, and other impressive design features which  along with the strength of its position, made it a fort which was never attacked.

I would certainly recommend any visitor to Halifax to head to the Citadel and find out about the military history which is so much a part of the development of the town of Halifax.

This is the second in a series of posts about my trip to Nova Scotia,Read the first part of my Nova Scotia adventure: The Bridge, The Bison and the Four Poster Bed    and the next episode in my adventure involves a Food Tour of Halifax, I'm looking forward to re-living it!

You can follow me on Twitter: @FarmersgirlCook, Facebook: Farmersgirl Kitchen Instagram: FarmersgirlCook and the Pinterest Board  Atlantic Canada Eats which I share with Lavender and Lovage.  You can also follow the hashtags #AtlanticCanadaEats  #VisitNovaScotia and #ExploreCanada to see photos and posts on all of these social media sites.

Disclaimer: I was the guest of the Canadian Tourism Commission and  Nova Scotia Tourism and all my flights, car hire, accommodation and meals were included, as well as all trips, excursions and special cookery sessions with local chefs. I'd like to thank the host organisations and everyone who made this a truly memorable trip.
Photo Montage templates from The Coffee Shop   

Labels: #AtlanticCanadaEats #ExploreCanada Canada, Fort, Halifax, Historic Parks, Nova Scotia, Rifles, School Room, Sporrans, The Citadel

posted by Janice @ 19:46 18 Comments