Man, Fire, Food Season 3 Episode 11 Fireplace Feasts

In season 3 episode 11 of Man, Fire, Food, titled "Fireplace Feasts," host Roger Mooking explores the art of cooking delicious meals over a roaring fire in a fireplace. The episode takes place in Ontario, Canada, where the cold temperatures make the warmth and comfort of a fireplace all the more appealing.

Roger first visits a restaurant called Biera, where Chef Christine Sandford serves up inventive dishes cooked over an open flame in the fireplace. Roger helps prepare a dish of roasted cauliflowers with dried tomato pesto, as well as a beef tenderloin with smoked cream sauce. The chefs at Biera also use the fireplace to smoke honey and ferment cabbage for their dishes.

Next, Roger heads to the countryside to visit a family who has been cooking meals in their fireplace for generations. He meets the family matriarch, who teaches him how to prepare pemmican, a traditional First Nations dish made of dried meat and fat. Roger also helps prepare a hearty stew made with venison, potatoes, and carrots, which simmers over the fire for hours to develop rich, complex flavors.

Finally, Roger meets up with Chef Michael Hunter, who runs an ancestral-inspired restaurant in Toronto called Antler. Michael is an expert at cooking game meat over an open fire, and he demonstrates his skills with a dish of venison loin roasted on a spit over the fireplace. Roger helps prepare a side dish of acorn squash roasted over the flames, as well as a dessert of maple syrup-drenched donuts cooked in a cast-iron pan over the coals.

Throughout the episode, Roger showcases the versatility and creativity of cooking in a fireplace, from smoking and roasting to grilling and baking. He also highlights the importance of using sustainable and local ingredients, as well as carrying on culinary traditions that have been passed down through generations. "Fireplace Feasts" is a celebration of the warmth, comfort, and deliciousness that can be achieved with just a roaring fire and a few simple ingredients.