Island Estuary Bed and Breakfast

What can I say?!!  Delicious, Healthy and Local!!  I made a spelt crust (this was the leftovers from the breakfast quiche crust I made) and then rolled it out and slathered the crust with a sundried tomato pesto, roasted peppers, eggplant, garlic, tomatoes and spot prawns and of course some cheese!!  Wow!  It was amazing.  Of course, it was even more amazing as we enjoyed it overlooking the waterfront from our deck at the Island Estuary Bed and Breakfast/Culinary Retreat.  We are so spoiled!!

Spelt Pizza at the Island Estuary

Summer is here so we make the most of the outside deck and the BBQ  (or as us they call it in South Africa – a Braai).  Mary from Ireland was staying with us at the Island Estuary on her first visit to Ladysmith, so we enticed her to join us in our feast.

A Taste of Vancouver Island

Ingredients: Fresh Lime, Fresh Orange, Red and Yellow Peppers, Zucchini, Apricots, Rice, Spot Prawns and Halibut with a touch of spice from the Metropolitan Chef (spices and rubs).

The spot prawns were on lime and coconut infused skewers with apricots, zucchini and red peppers.

The halibut was layered in foil starting  with a layer of sliced orange, zucchini, halibut, yellow peppers and lime and spices.

The rice was cooked with some Dukka (nuts, seeds and spices and a touch of olive oil and sprinkled with a generous handful of freshly grated apple.

Everything was served buffet style and paired with a Pinot Gris from Averill Creek Vineyards.

This was prepared by Julia who takes a simple concept and makes a fantastic meal out of it.

Lightly grilled zucchini, roasted red pepper hummus, creole dijon, asparagus and artichokes, sprinkled with a touch of parmesan cheese.

This easy pie crust is made with spelt flour, has very little fat content and is simply amazing.  Use it as a base for a quiche, any type of savoury or sweet pie filling, or roll out into a flatbread topped with roasted veggies and cheese.

In medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup warm water, 1 egg lightly beaten, 3 Tbsp. olive oil.  Stir in 1 3/4 cup spelt flour, 1/2 tsp. salt and 2 tsp yeast (or equivalent of 1 pkg).    Mix all together and then knead for approximately 4 minutes.  Let rise 1 hour or more.  I often let it sit for hours while I play tennis, water the garden and walk the dog!!  In this picture, I rolled it out into a flatbread type pizza and topped it will roasted egg plant, peppers, tomatoes and grilled mushrooms, onions and topped it with a variety of cheeses.  Oh yeah, I forgot, but I spread a little sun-dried tomato pesto over the crust before layering on the toppings.  Why not?!!  Enjoy.

Yes folks, the Spot Prawns have arrived!!  The season is a mere 6 weeks, so I ordered in 20 lbs. complete with heads so that I could make some stock as well as have these tasty morsels throughout the summer and possibly into the fall.  If you look closely at the prawn you will notice a distinctive “spot” on the 1st and 5th abdominal segments.  Spot Prawns are a great choice as the methods used to catch them ensure long term sustainability with very little by-catch and their sweet delicate flavour and firm texture will wow your taste buds!!

After 4 hours of lovingly separating the heads from the bodies, I made a large pot of stock which has now been frozen to enjoy in soups, bisques and sauces at a later date.  However, I couldn’t resist the temptation to make a fresh spot prawn bisque late last night and must say it was worth the fussing.  Ted and I sampled a bowl of bisque at midnight which felt so decadent.  It had just a hint of brandy, cream and glorious prawns.  Ah…. what a day.