Haida Gwaii Halibut with Crosnes, Sunchokes, and Brussels Sprout Leaves

• Prepare the roasted garlic and mushroom essence if you don’t already have these on hand.
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Have ready a bowl of ice water. Clean the crosnes, and cook them until just tender, about 6 minutes. Submerge in the ice water to cool. Drain, pat dry and set aside.
• Place the sunchokes, garlic, thyme, parsley and salt in a heavy-bottomed pot. Pour in enough cold water to cover by 2 inches (5 cm), and bring to a boil.
• Lower the heat to a gentle simmer, and cook until just tender. Turn off the heat, and allow the sunchokes to cool in the pot. Remove from the pot, discarding the cooking liquid. Cut the sunchokes in half lengthwise, and set aside.
• Place the potatoes in a pot with a good pinch of salt and enough water to cover by 2 inches (5 cm). Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook until tender and easily pierced with the tip of
• a knife. Drain off the water and return the potatoes to a low heat. Cook slowly for about 10 minutes, allowing excess moisture to evaporate and shaking the pot occasionally (do not stir).
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil and remove from the heat.
• Pass the potatoes through a food mill or potato ricer or push them through a coarse sieve into a clean frying pan or sauté pan. Put the pan over low heat, and beat in the 1 cup (250 mL) butter and the crushed roasted garlic. Beat in the cream a little at a time. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm. Clean the pan.
• Preheat the oven to 425°f (220°c).
• Season the fish with salt. Heat a large ovenproof non- stick frying pan, and add 2 Tbsp (30 mL) of the canola oil. Place the fish in the pan, skin side down. Cook until the skin starts to caramelize, then move to the oven for 6 minutes. Flip the fish over and drizzle with a little clarified butter. Return the pan to the oven for a further 3 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let stand uncovered in a warm place for 5 minutes, allowing the fish to cook in the residual heat.
• Meanwhile, remove the outer leaves from the Brussels sprouts and discard. Separate the remaining leaves and set them aside. Heat a frying pan with 1 Tbsp (15 mL) of the canola oil. When the oil smokes, add the leaves, which should crackle and colour. Add a pinch of salt and the 1 tsp (5 mL) of unsalted butter.
• Heat 2 frying pans, and add 2 Tbsp (30 mL) of canola oil to each.
• In 1 pan, lightly sauté the mushrooms, finishing with 1 Tbsp (15 mL) of butter, the chives and a grind of pepper.
• In the other pan, fry the sunchokes until golden brown and crispy, finishing with 1 Tbsp (15 mL) of butter. Season with salt.
• Warm the mushroom essence.
• To serve, spread some of the potato purée over one side of each plate. Spoon some of the crosnes and sunchokes over the other side. Place the fish on top of the vegetables, and sprinkle the mushrooms and Brussels sprouts over the plate. Finally, drizzle with mushroom essence and a small amount of olive oil.

Whole roasted garlic (Garlic Confit)

• Preheat the oven to 250°f (120°c).
• Clean the garlic of any loose skin or dirt. Trim the root hairs, and place the heads in a medium-sized heavy ovenproof sauté pan or saucepan. Cover with the olive oil, and add the rosemary and thyme. Place the pan over gentle heat, and warm until the oil just starts to bubble.
• Cover and place in the oven for at least 2 hours, or until you can easily squash the garlic between 2 fingers. Cool to room temperature.
• You can remove the garlic from the oil to use immediately, or leave the garlic in the oil and store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 month. To serve from the fridge, simply bring to room temperature and remove from the oil.

Mushroom Essence

• Preheat the oven to 425°f (220°c).
• Spread the mushrooms, shallots, garlic and thyme on an 11 × 17-inch (28 × 43 cm) baking sheet, and dress with enough olive oil to barely coat.
• Roast in the oven until deep golden brown, about 18 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, and splash the mushrooms with Madeira to help deglaze the baking sheet.
• Place the mushrooms, scraping off any brown bits, into a wide sieve to drain off any excess oil.
• Place in a large saucepan, and pour over enough stock to cover the mushrooms by 1⁄2 inch (1 cm). Cook for 30 minutes at a very gentle simmer (the liquid should be barely moving) to extract the flavour and colour.
• Strain the stock into a clean saucepan, discarding the vegetables. Bring to a boil, and reduce to 3⁄4 cup (185 mL), about 30 minutes.