Cottage Kitchen Guide
Avocados
No more store-bought guac! Make it fresh, as we at Turtle Jack’s do. The key to the best guacamole? Well-picked and ripened avocados.
Avocado
Available on our Pickup/Delivery menu, our classic Nachos are available in three ways — vegetarian, beef or chicken. Add fresh guacamole to any order of nachos for extra fresh flavour.
Ripe avocados are almost entirely black or dark green and firm yet yield to gentle pressure.
Chose a variety of ripeness if you want an avocado per day.
Don’t refrigerate whole, unripe avocados.
To ripen avocados faster put them in a paper bag or wrap them in newspaper with a banana, apple, or kiwi. The more fruit, the quicker it ripens.
Squeeze citrus juice on a cut avocado and refrigerate to preserve it from going brown in an airtight container or tight plastic wrap.
Myth: do not remove the stem to check the ripeness.
Peel the skin off the avocado (don’t scoop) by cutting the avocado in quarters. The nutrients are most concentrated in the flesh just below the skin.
Salsa
There’s no limit to what salsa can enhance, but the classic combo is salsa and chips. Forget the jarred stuff, and make it yourself.
Salsa
Find our fresh salsa as a delicious dip for our Chicken Fajita Wrap.
Leave ingredients raw for a bright, refreshing taste. Cook the salsa for a sweeter more robust salsa.
Layer in flavour, colour and texture. Experiment and have fun with what you have on hand. Bell peppers, corn, avocado, black beans, etc.
Swap tomatoes for fruit like mangoes or peaches for a fresh summer twist.
The key flavour profiles are salt, acid, heat, sugar. Adjust the ratio to your preference.
The best tomatoes to use are plum, Roma, beefsteak, or vine-ripened.
Removing the seeds from the tomatoes prevents the salsa from becoming too watery. Cut in quarters, lay skin side down, use a paring knife to separate the pulp from the flesh.
Allow the salsa to sit for at least an hour before serving. The salt will help remove the moisture from the tomato.
BBQing
If it’s BBQ season, then you’ve probably ready to go all-in on the grill. After all, it’s another excuse to be outside!
BBQ
Too hot for tongs tonight? We’ve got all the flavours of the grill on our pickup/takeout menu — burgers, steak, chicken and fish.
The perfect dry rub adds flavour, colour and a caramelized crust (bark) to the protein.
Prefer your protein saucy? Don’t skip the rub, just lightly brush with sauce during the last few minutes of cooking.
Staple ingredients: brown & white sugar (brown for flavour, white for the bark), pepper & salt.
Rub is to be used for BBQing (low & slow).
Season the meat with salt up to 12 hours in advance to tenderize the meat.
For application, dry the meat before applying to ensure it adheres well. Don’t forget to massage it in, it is a rub after all! Using chicken? Apply the rub under the skin for extra flavour.
Choose your pepper for desired heat (cayenne, white, black, chile).
Transition your spices (unite the salt, sugar, pepper).
Ribs
What else would you rather be doing this weekend than making ribs?
Ribs
To test doneness by using the “bend test”. Lift the ribs at one end, bone side up. The rack should bend easily and the meat in the middle begins to fall apart.
Sauce your ribs in the last 20-30 minutes of cooking.
Buy ribs that are evenly distributed across the whole rack.
Avoid ribs with exposed bones as it will likely fall out during the cooking process.
Buy ribs that are a light pink colour with even marbling.
Dry the ribs before cooking and remove of any excess fat.
Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs using a butter knife and paper towel.
Apply the dry rub to both sides of the rack.
Steak
It’s a classic for good reason.
Steak
Our steaks are certified Angus Beef® and available in two sizes-8 oz. Top Sirloin and 10 oz. California Cut Striploin. The best part? You can order up one, or two (or more) for pickup or delivery.
Spend more time searing your steak to develop flavours and aromas on the surface.
For thick steak, sear over direct high heat then finish cooking to desired doneness over indirect heat.
Burgers
Refine your burger grilling technique—the result? Better burgers.
Burgers
We’ve pretty much perfected the burger cooking technique. And we’ve got six burgers on our pickup/takeout menu. Let us do the flipping!
Do not press down on the burger with a spatula as this will release the juice.
Flip only once.
Use your thumb or the back of a spoon to create a slit indent in the raw burger patty to prevent it from puffing up in a dome making it harder for adding toppings.
Medium ground beef is best for homemade burgers due to its meatier texture and ability to hold in more moisture (more juice = flavour).