canadian classics

Beaver Tails have always been one of my favorite treats to get at fairs! Light and airy dough with a crispy exterior coated in sugar and cinnamon. If you have never had a classic Canadian Beaver Tail you are missing out! The dough is light and airy yet crispy and not overly sweet. The cinnamon sugar coating on the outside provides just the right amount of sweetness. A true Canadian Classic that can be found at every fair or carnival!

Beaver Tails

tsp yeast

tsp sugar

water

milk

tbsp butter

tbsp sugar

salt

vanilla

tbsp vegetable oil (or other neutral cooking oil)

all-purpose flour (plus more as needed)

oil (for frying)

sugar

cinnamon

On a large plate, combine the coating ingredients (sugar and cinnamon), set aside. Grease a large bowl with oil or cooking spray, set aside.

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the a dough hook, stir together the yeast, sugar, and warm water. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in the warm milk, sugar, butter, salt, vanilla, egg, and oil.

Gradually add in the flour 1/2 cup at at time. Mix and scrap down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After all the flour has been added in, mix until a smooth dough ball forms.

Place the dough ball in the greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, approximately 30-45 minutes.

Place the risen dough on a floured flat surface (ex. kitchen counter) gently deflate and flatten  into a rectangle. Cut the dough into 8 even pieces. Shape each piece into a thin oval (beaver tail shape). Use a sharp knife to carefully score the top of the beaver tails to create small square sections (to replicate a beaver tail).

Place the shaped beaver tails on a floured cookie sheet and cover with a lint free towel. Set aside to rise 10 minutes.

In a large skillet or deep pot, heat enough oil to come 2&quot; up the sides on medium-high heat.

Working in batches, fry the beaver tails 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove from the oil, drain on a paper towel and then immediately dip in the cinnamon sugar mix. Set on a cooling rack to cool. Repeat with all beaver tails.

Serve warm and enjoy!

Persians are a cinnamon bun turned doughnut topped with a sweet and fruity raspberry buttercream. These doughnuts were created in Thunder Bay, Ontario and are a local favorite! If you love cinnamon buns you have to try these doughnuts. The dough is light and airy with a beautiful cinnamon swirl. The raspberry buttercream frosting adds the perfect amount of sweetness with a pop of freshness from the pureed raspberries. I love making these doughnuts during berry season! There is nothing better than a fresh berry buttercream.

Persians - Thunder Bay Doughnuts

tsp dry yeast (or 1 packet, approx. 7 g)

egg (at room temperature)

unsalted butter (melted)

all-purpose flour

tbsp oil (for greasing bowl)

butter (softened)

brown sugar

unsalted butter (softened)

raspberries (pureed)

Confectioners / Icing / Powdered Sugar

Milk (if needed)

In a large bowl or stand mixer with a dough hook, mix milk, dry yeast and ¼ tsp of white sugar and let it proof for about 5-10 minutes or until a foam forms on top.

Add the egg and melted butter to the yeast mixture and stir well.

Add the 1/4 cup of sugar and salt to the bowl. Gradually mix in the flour. Mix for about 8-10 minutes or until a smooth dough ball forms, or mix by hand and knead for 10-15 minutes until a smooth dough ball forms.

Grease a large bowl with the oil. Place the dough ball into the bowl. Rise in a warm place for about 1-2 hours or until doubled.

In a small bowl mix the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

Once the dough has doubled, gently punch it down with your hand in the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a flat floured surface (Ex. Kitchen counter). Roll it flat with a rolling pin into a 12 x 18 inch rectangle.

Spread the room temperature butter over the dough and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top. Gently press the cinnamon sugar into the dough.

Roll the dough tightly into a log starting with a long side of the rectangle. Slice the roll into 12 even pieces.

With the cinnamon swirl facing up, use two hands to press it down to flatten the roll against the kitchen counter. By using two hands it will naturally form an oval shape. Carefully pick the roll up off of the counter and stretch out into and oval shape as needed. Pinch the seam that was created when rolling the dough.

Place each roll onto a baking sheet, spacing them out to leave room for them to rise. Cover with plastic wrap or a lint free towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes.

In a large pan or skillet, heat enough oil on medium-high to come 2” up the sides.

Working in batches, fry the doughnuts for 1-2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before icing.

In a large bowl combine the frosting ingredients. Whisk until light and fluffy.

Depending on how ripe the raspberries were you may need to add more icing sugar if the frosting is too runny. Or if the frosting is too thick, add a teaspoon of milk at a time to achieve the consistency you want.

Once the donuts are cooled, frost them and enjoy!

Halifax Donair is a true Canadian food treasure and the official food of Halifax. You don’t have to go to Halifax to enjoy one because now you can make it right at home with this recipe. Bold flavors, easy to follow steps and convenient ingredients, Donair will become a sure win and family favorite!
This is perfect for making ahead, refrigerating or freezing, and pulling it out for a quick and delicious weeknight meal, or to pack in a lunch if you’re going to be somewhere with access to a microwave to heat things up.
Donair sauce is also something that's unique to the dish.  It's flavour is deliciously garlicky, tangy and sweet.

Donair

½ beef

cayenne pepper

oregano

thyme

paprika

tsp smoked paprika

onion powder

garlic powder

bread crumbs

tsp salt

tsp black pepper

300 ml sweetened condensed milk ((one can 10 oz))

white vinegar

garlic

onion (sliced)

tomatoes (sliced)

mozzarella cheese (shredded, optional)

pita bread

Prepare the donair sauce by whisking the sweetened condensed milk, garlic powder and vinegar together until evenly combined. You can use this right away but it tastes best if it sits 1 hour - overnight in the fridge.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, add the ground beef, spice and breadcrumbs.  Mix on medium-low for about 10 minutes. Scrape down the sides as needed. Mix until the texture of the meat has changed from a ground beef consistency to a smooth texture, or mix by hand in a large bowl for 15 - 20 minutes.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place meat mixture onto a clean working surface (counter or cutting board or on a piece of parchment paper on your kitchen counter). Shape the meat into a log.

Pick up the log several times and throw it down on to the counter to help get out any air pockets that may still be in the meat. Shape the meat into a smooth log.

Carefully slide a metal skewer through the center of the meat. Wrap fully in foil and tighten the edges to cover the meat at the ends of the skewer.

Bake for approximately 2 hours on the middle rack of oven.

Remove the foil from the donair log and place the skewers in the donair log on the baking pan. Bake for another 20 minutes or until browned all over and cooked through. Or place the donair in an air fryer or rotisserie oven to brown the outside.

Allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing. Holding the skewer slightly at an angle, carefully shave thin slices off the donair.

Prepare your toppings. Dice onion and tomato into bite sized pieces. Cut as many square pieces of foil you need for the number of wraps you are making, slightly larger than your pita for wrapping.

Pan fry the donair in a small amount of oil until golden brown. Place a pita on top to warm up the pita and soften it. This will make the pita more pliable.

Place the pita on top of a square of aluminum foil, top with donair sauce, meat, onion, tomato and more donair sauce on top.

Wrap the aluminum foil around the donair and place into the oven for about 5 minutes to warm at 350°F.

Repeat these steps for as many donairs as you are making.

Enjoy!

Top 3 canadian classics recipes from across the web

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Beaver Tails

Persians - Thunder Bay Doughnuts

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Top 3 canadian classics recipes from across the web

The most viewed canadian classics recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Beaver Tails

Persians - Thunder Bay Doughnuts

Donair

The most viewed canadian classics recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine