Canada

The dish

A classic Canadian breakfast is familiar to Americans but has its own distinctive touches. Breakfast can include home fries, toast, and bacon or sausage. Unique to Canada is peameal bacon, a lean, cured pork loin rolled in cornmeal and served in thick slices. I made my own since importing peameal bacon in the US is ridiculously expensive, although you can get a similar breakfast by buying a good ham steak.

We served it with thick sour cream buttermilk pancakes, maple syrup, and home fries.

What we thought

My pancake recipe is already dynamite, as are my home fries. The peameal bacon added a nice, slightly salty side. The family said this was one of their favorites.

The only reason it didn’t get a 5 is that the flavors were what we expected and nothing stood out as a surprise. We knew what we were getting, and the food delivered as promised. Rating: 4.8/5.

Ingredients and directions

Peameal Bacon

Ingredients

• 1 gallon water
• 1 cup kosher salt (Diamond Crystal; use ⅔ cup if using Morton)
• ¾ cup maple syrup or brown sugar
• 2 tsp pink curing salt #1 (Prague Powder #1)
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp mustard seed
• 1 tsp juniper berries (optional)
• 3–4 lb boneless center-cut pork loin
• Coarse yellow cornmeal, for coating
• Oil, for frying

Directions

1. Simmer about a quarter of the water with the salt, maple syrup, curing salt, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, mustard seed, and juniper berries until the salt and sugar dissolve. Add the rest of the water cold, then chill the brine completely.
2. Trim the silverskin off the pork loin. Submerge the loin in the brine and weigh it down with a plate. Refrigerate for 4–5 days, turning it daily. For even curing, inject about 1 cup of the brine into the center of the loin at several points before submerging it.
3. Remove the loin, pat it dry, and refrigerate it uncovered overnight so the cornmeal sticks.
4. Roll the loin in coarse yellow cornmeal until fully coated. Wrap and refrigerate. It keeps about a week, or you can freeze it in portions.
5. Slice the loin ¼ inch thick. Pan-fry the slices in a little oil over medium heat for 3–4 minutes per side, until golden and 145°F inside. Peameal bacon is cured but not cooked, so it always needs cooking.

Sour Cream Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp fine salt
• 1¾ cups buttermilk
• ¾ cup full-fat sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Butter and real maple syrup, to serve

Directions

1. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
2. In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, sour cream, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla until mostly smooth. A few small flecks of sour cream are fine.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold with a spatula just until no large pockets of dry flour remain. The batter will be thick and lumpy. Let it rest for 5–10 minutes.
4. Heat a nonstick griddle or skillet over medium-low to medium heat and lightly butter it. Pour about ¼ cup of batter per pancake.
5. Cook for 2–3 minutes, until bubbles appear and the edges look set. Flip once and cook another 1½–2 minutes, until golden and cooked through.
6. Keep the finished pancakes in a single layer in a 200°F oven while you cook the rest. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Home Fries

Ingredients

• 2 lb golden potatoes (Yukon Gold or similar)
• 2 tbsp butter, divided
• 1 tbsp canola or avocado oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• ½ red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus salt for boiling water
• ¾ tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• Hot sauce, to taste (optional)

Directions

1. Scrub the potatoes and cut them into ½-inch cubes. Leave the skins on.
2. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 4–6 minutes, until a knife goes into the outside easily but the cubes stay firm. Drain gently and let them steam-dry for 5–10 minutes.
3. Melt 1 tbsp of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion and peppers with a pinch of salt for 6–8 minutes, until soft and starting to brown. Move them to a plate and keep the skillet.
4. Heat the oil and the remaining butter in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes in a single layer and leave them alone for 4–5 minutes to build a crust. If the pan is crowded, cook in two batches.
5. Turn the potatoes and keep cooking for 12–16 minutes, turning every few minutes, until golden and crisp on several sides.
6. Mix the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and thyme. Sprinkle the mix over the potatoes during the last 2–3 minutes and toss gently. Add salt to taste.
7. Return the vegetables to the skillet and toss for 1–2 minutes. Finish with the parsley and a few dashes of hot sauce.