Inspired by chef Anna Olson

In the early part of February this year, my wife Mary Ann and I had the Canadian couple, chefs Michael and Anna Olson, as guests in Balé Dutung. The cooking duo was to film an episode for chef Anna’s new show Inspired with Anna Olson. From Balé Dutung, they also visited chefs Margarita Forés and Rob Pengson. The new show is co-produced by Toronto-based Peace Point Entertainment and the Singapore-based Asian Food Channel (AFC.)

Inspired with Anna Olson’s format differs from Anna’s previous shows, where the chef meets up with some 10 chefs across Southeast Asia, learning two or three of their respective favorite recipes and the personal stories behind these recipes. As she tastes these local signature dishes, she tries to understand the techniques, ingredients and flavors that each dish has to offer, and then returns home (to Welland City, Ontario, Canada) and recreates the dishes with her own signature twist, using locally available ingredients.

Fast forward to last week. The Olsons came back to launch this new show at the Sage restaurant of Shangri-La Makati Hotel. The Canadian Embassy in Manila attended the event in full force, not just giving moral support to their culinary ambassadors but also providing most of the Canadian ingredients and wines used in the cooking demo and dinner, which was co-sponsored by Cignal.

The following day, fans of chef Anna met her at the Atrium of Eastwood Mall, where she conducted a live cooking demo in collaboration with SkyCable and Canadian Beef International.

AFC reveals that chef Anna’s emphasis is always on respecting the techniques, ingredients, and people she learned from, while finding new ways to use them. Anna is recognized internationally for many culinary television programs such as Bake with Anna Olson, Sugar and Fresh with Anna Olson, all previously aired on AFC.

“I have been so grateful to my AFC viewers for the support and interest they’ve had in my baking and cooking over the years,” Anna said. “The making of Inspired with Anna Olson has been a phenomenal experience for me. It has deepened my respect for Asia’s diverse and deeply rooted cultures. This is my opportunity to connect by sharing my sense of appreciation and wonder at the new cuisines and dishes I’ve been able to explore across so many countries. The flavors from the region are so varied and intense, yet at the same time so humble and heartwarming. I hope that viewers enjoy the show as much as I have had making it.”

Similar media launches were also held in Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City and Kuala Lumpur.

Chef Anna’s lime crème caramel is a spin on chef Rob’s tocino de cielo.

Here is the complete episode guide and synopses of the three Philippine episodes. Visit www.asianfoodchannel.com/inspiredwithannaolson for a complete summary.

1 – July 29, Philippines with Rob Pengson; 2 – Aug. 5, Singapore with Violet Oon; 3 – Aug. 12, Thailand with Ian Kittichai; 4 – Aug. 19, Philippines with Margarita Fores; 5 – Aug. 26, Vietnam with Jack Lee; 6 – Sept. 2, Hong Kong with May Chow; 7 – Sept. 9, Singapore with Sarah Benjamin; 8 – Sept. 16, Philippines with Chef Claude; 9 – Sept. 23, Malaysia with Ili Sulaiman; 10 – Sept. 30, Malaysia with Chef Wan

Recipe File: Rosemary Roasted Venison Rack With Balsamic Blueberry Sauce

(Recipe courtesy of Anna Olson)

Author’s note: During the launch last July 15, a pan-grilled Canadian prime-rib steak was used instead of venison. The balsamic-blueberry sauce will work as well with pork or lamb chops.

Yield: 2 servings

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

For Balsamic Blueberry Sauce:

125ml balsamic vinegar

100g granulated sugar

125g fresh or frozen blueberries

1 shallot, minced

For Venison:

60ml Dijon mustard

15ml chopped fresh rosemary

7g coarse salt

3g ground black pepper

1  4-rib venison rack roast, trimmed (400-450 g)

35g panko breadcrumbs

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 190 C (375 F).

For the sauce, place the vinegar, sugar, blueberries and shallot in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until the sauce has thickened to a glaze consistency, about 15 minutes.  Set aside (the sauce can also be made ahead of time and re-warmed to serve).

Stir together the mustard, rosemary, salt and pepper in a small dish and rub this over the meat (not the bones) of the venison rack.  Sprinkle the panko crumbs onto the mustard to fully coat and place this on a small rack in a roasting pan.  Roast the venison for about 35 minutes, until it registers 57 C to 60 C (135 F to 140 F) for medium.  Let the roast rest for 5 minutes before carving to serve with the warm sauce.