Growing up in Liidli Kue, NWT, Chef Denia Baltzer was surrounded by family that to this day hunts and harvests. Gatherings were centred around food which she says formed an emotional connection with what she cooks. “The food I make stems from the knowledge that what we eat feeds more than just our bodies. The energy and intention it is cooked with carries over to those we are feeding.”
As owner and chef of Creative Cuisine Catering, Chef Denia has fun creating new dishes based on foods she grew up eating and still craves to this day. While it’s difficult to choose a favourite ingredient from where she currently lives and works in Rocky Mountain House on Treaty 6 Territory, lake trout stands out for a few reasons. “To me, lake trout signifies the cleanliness of the water in the north, and their flesh has a clean, fresh taste and holds up to all sorts of cooking methods.”
She adds that while it’s versatile, its best served as simple as possible. “Less is more,” she says, and her recipe for Pan Fried Trout with Birch Syrup Glaze is exactly that. Any kind of trout is suitable to use, and the birch syrup can be substituted with maple syrup.
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