Climb aboard Le Boat as Chef Schulz prepares incredible 3-course meal on the Rideau Canal!

Chef Stephan Schulz serves up epic three-course menu on ‘Le Boat’ with stunning Charcuterie, PEI Mussels, Lamb Shank and Tiramisu

Chef’s note: It’s not too often that I need to get out of town and take a small break, but not from cooking. I wanted to do something different. It just so happens that I have a good friend that operates a boat rental company called “Le Boat” in the small town of Smiths Falls, Ontario, just a few hours east of Toronto. She happened to have a cruising boat available for me. A private yacht with 3 bedrooms, all for me. But there was a catch! She would let me have the boat for a few days to explore the area by the lake and the canal lock system, if I would help her with an event she was planning. I agreed and quickly had to create a unique meal to thank the Lock Masters along the Rideau Canal for the hard work they do.

I spoke with her and came up with a menu for a three-course sit-down meal along the Rideau Canal in Smiths Falls, it was a very beautiful setting. We both worked at getting various items of the menu together. She picked-up local cheeses, local wine (Scheuermann Vineyards-www.scheuermannwinery.com) and other condiments while I put together an epic charcuterie display with all the items we gathered. The board alone was over 5 feet in length.

The Key to preparing the best charcuterie board

The key to creating a memorable and attractive charcuterie board is to make it a marvel for the eyes, artistically pile a variety of deli meats (hot and sweet salami, capocollo, prosciutto, mortadella, etc), sliced bread, dips, cheeses, olives, veggies, cherry tomatoes, mini bocconcini skewers and other finger foods until no space remains visible.

I always go to my Go-To brands for this and that’s the “Mastro and San Daniele” deli meats (https://sharemastro.com). They are readily available at most supermarkets and a must for any charcuterie board.

Needless-to-say, the deli meats and cheeses disappeared very fast as the charcuterie board was brought out and placed in from of the guests.

The main courses

I had called in a few favours for the main courses, one from a colleague who operates Prince Edward Island Aqua Farms. They shipped me over 50 lbs of fresh harvested PEI mussels. I feverishly cooked them on the boat’s indoor kitchen, combining onions, garlic, chopped tomatoes in the pot with the mussels and cooking everything with a local white wine. A simple recipe, but the guests could not get enough, they were a hit.

Now for the main course, my colleague in Montreal who works with a company called “Chef Brigade” (www.chefbrigade.ca) supplied me with cooked Lamb Shank Confit, prepped Sous-Vide (pronounced Sue-Veed). Sous-Vide is French means “Under-Vacuum.” It is a precise method of cooking where the item, the Lamb Shank, is pre-cooked, seasoned to perfection and vacuum sealed in a plastic bag. When ready to prepare, all one needs to do is put the Sous-Vide bags in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes and they are ready to eat.

One of their slogans is “The Secret Ingredient of Seasoned Chefs” and that would be me! Once limited to the pro chefs, sous vide delivers restaurant-quality results in your home kitchen. As soon as the lamb was ready to be plated. I coated each shank with Italian pesto sauce, added a helping of grilled Asparagus which was topped with thinly shaved roasted almonds, baked carrots drizzled with maple syrup sauce and two helpings of Gratins potatoes on each plate (www.avikofoodservice.com).

Lamb Shank

The Lamb was a hit, and each shank was cooked to perfection. Lucky, I had extra because many asked for seconds. If you have not tried Sous-Vide, what are you waiting for, you can’t mess it up? If you are tight on time, Sous-Vide foods are a great help.

Tiramisu to die for

A dinner would not be complete without the dessert. I decided to make a special traditional tiramisu cake, with the Ladyfingers/Savoiardi being dipped in a generous bath of Espresso coffee and Amaretto liquor. Now, I am not a baker, but let me tell you, the cake was a hit, served in a stylish glass jar and topped off with a round milk chocolate ball….mmmmmm!

This was an adventure I know I will do again, and it was not a bad trade-off! Experiencing serenity for a few evenings on the waterways around Smiths Falls. Next time I need to remember the bug spray.

Chef Stephan Schulz works across Canada with corporations and with food brokers developing recipes for major restaurants and restaurant chains across Canada. Follow Chef Schulz on instagram for his daily recipe and plated photo posts: https://www.instagram.com/chef_schulz 

by Chef Stephan Schulz

Photos by Tariq Khan and Frank Greco

Other articles from totimes.ca – otttimes.ca – mtltimes.ca