One Whole Clove

Olive + Gourmando

The first snow of the year fell silently on the cobblestone streets of Old Montreal, leaving a powdered sugar cookie effect in its rouse.  The light flakes would have effectively muffled out the clamor and furry that routinely ensues the tourist quarter of the metropolis.  It quickly became obvious, however, that pedestrian traffic was scant.  On this day, a hush overtook the outdoor courtyards and entire street of Saint-Paul alike.  Being lunch hour, we seized the occasion to grab two seats at Olive & Gourmando, ordinarily notorious for long lines at noontime.

Olive and Gourmando was featured in March's edition of Gourmet magazine as one restaurant in their special tribute to Affordable Montreal.

Upon entry, the walls of the establishment are taxed with virtual eye candy, homemade products such as cherry jams, spicy nuts and homemade granola.  The promise of Valhrona chocolate takes the cake in brownies, biscotti and brioches.

Being December, festive selections of fruitcake and Christmas, chocolate and fig breads were on the menu.

Recovering from the copiousness of the store's inner sanctum, my lunch partner and I effectively scrutinized the day's specials on a chalkboard near the counter.  A delightful cold sandwich option included smoked trout with capers, sun dried tomatoes and spinach.  But it was the gooey hot paninis which seduced us both as the obvious choice on such a winter's day.  For myself it could only be Le Nouveau Chevre/The Goat Cheese, caramelized onions, goat cheese and a side of homemade ketchup

[Le Chevre, caramelized onions, goat cheese and a side of homemade ketchup]

and Le Cubain for my associate, packed and pressed full of Gruyere cheese, ham, pork, mayo and homemade Chipotle.

We sipped cappuccinos until too-piping-hot to-handle grilled sandwiches were delivered to our table. I became mezmorized between fine wisps of steam emitting  the slightly barnyard smell of soft goat cheese.  The zing of the soft onion cut the creamy richness so as to avoid overwhelming the senses.  The breakdown in texture from fresh, crisp baked bread to melting hot cheese was uncontested.  Le Cubain received comparable reviews.

For dessert,  O&G sells other local goodies.  I chose from a selected few of Les Chocolats de Chloé, two bars, one of cocoa nib the other of ginger & dark chocolate.  I decided they would make excellent stocking stuffers and bought two more.

The appeal of Olive and Gourmand is, no doubt, its ability to be simple while still adding a pinch of the acceptable whimsical edge.  It's all about taste and this is about as good as it gets at mid-day.

Olive and Gourmando, 351 Saint-Paul W., Montreal, Quebec (514) 350-1083

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Ragôut de Pattes de Cochon & Tagliatelle with Pig's Feet

 
What can be achieved in 4 and 1/2 hours?

-One could fly from Montreal to Cuba, successfully pass through customs and arrive at one's Havana accomodations to sip a mojito on the terrace.

-One could watch 1.5 parts of The Lord of the Rings trilogy on DVD

-One could drive from Montreal to Toronto 

On any given Sunday, one could purchase groceries, wash the floors, run after a toddler, clean the refrigerator, scale the bathroom tiles, wash 3 or 4 loads of laundry, complete a pilates routine and still have time to prepare an average hot meal for two and a half. 

Now, what did I do last Sunday for four hours?

I made an authentic Ragôut de Pattes de Cochon (roughly translated, Québécois Meatball and Potato Stew)

My mother's "quick" dish/"fast" food version of Ragoût, avoids certain steps and procedures.  Where she calls for prepared chicken stalk or broth, I used the strained juices from the meat of pork hocks (shanks), fresh herbs, spices and a medley of winter vegetables.  The preparation of the pig's feet stock alone realistically requires 2 1/2 hours from first chop to  last simmer.  Overcoming the first interval, I had to brown the flour, an undertaking of extreme prudence in itself.  Again, my Memère's words of wisdom rung through my head as it was once drilled into that of my mother's, DON"T BURN THE FLOUR!!!  We want the first signs of a caramel colour and must attend to the gentle flame for several excruciating minutes to attain such a hue.  All assignments are forsaken when the flour is carefully browning in the skillet.  In these crucial moments all I could think of was the second period (sorry "hockey" head, Go Habs Go!)  and the fun of rolling the "boules".

The meatballs must be uniform and resilient (obtaining a "just right" consistency from the glue of the egg).  The addition of cinnamon and cloves make for an exceptional bite.

Again, I found myself cutting up more root vegetables into hearty chunks (my second chop-block session of the day)

Packing all the carefully primed  ingredients into one heavy pot was my final step in the stew's operation, another 25-30 minutes, the home stretch.

Anticipation is further roused by the spicy notes of autumn seasoning and the magical concordance of thickened gravy, golden meatballs and plumped up, stock-enthused tubers and carrots.

The recipe yields just enough extra stock and meat to liven up tagliatelle noodles for another evening.  Tagliatelle with pig's feet, frozen baby peas, fresh basil and parmesan cheese are an interesting and sensational approach to switching up leftovers and a menu plan for a whole week!

Find these two recipes in Ricardo Holiday 2006.

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Pouding au Chomeur

[Pudding of the Unemployed]

 

Between 1929 and 1939, the era known as the Great Depression, the average Quebec household income dropped by 44%.  Unemployment left a good deal of the population destitute, forlorn and above all hungry.

 

It became a burden to prepare a decent supper and dessert was but a fleeting reverie.  The extravagant confections of former decades were understandably harder to come by.  Most families were now faced with the challenge of finding inventive ways to pull together a few bits and scraps to satiate an appetite and on occasion the sweet tooth.  Poor man's pudding, the pudding of the unemployed or, in French, pouding au chomeur was one of these desserts.  The simple cake originates back to the settlers of Acadia in Eastern Canada and of New France (Quebec).  The moist sponge becomes tagged as grand-pere (grandfather) when it is paired with the delicious glaze of maple syrup.

 

Pouding au Chomeur

(From Ricardo and Friends)

 

Preparation time: 20 minutes 

Cooking time: 50 minutes 

Yield: 9

 

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups maple syrup

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1/2 cup 35% cream

1 1/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Directions

With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).

In a saucepan, bring the maple and corn syrups to a boil. Simmer until a candy thermometer reads 108°C (226°F), about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the cream and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a 20-cm (8-inch) Pyrex baking dish. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar using an electric mixer. Add the egg and beat until smooth. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk and vanilla. Using an ice cream scoop, drop about 9 balls of dough, about 45 ml (3 tablespoons) each, into the syrup mixture. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a ball comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

Note : A more traditional approach is to place the dough in the baking dish and pour the partially cooled syrup mixture over it before baking. Note that the cake will be more thoroughly soaked if you use this method.

 

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Chausson aux Cerises

For the handful of times I have been in a Macdonald's restaurant, I have found each pained encounter to be noisy, phosphorescent and gastronomically unmemorable.  I do, however, recognize the fried chausson aux cerises (cherry pie) days of my youth with both enthusiasm and trepidation, when pies were deep fried and served hot in their cardboard container.  I do not recollect the greasy rectangle of cooked dough as much as the cautionary caption which read like a red alert across the package or the fear further emphasized by my mother's anxious tone, "The filling may burn you severely so be careful."  To this day she continues to have a way with words.  With nervous activity I slowly lifted the sweet pastry to my mouth and nibbled one corner until the point of no return when I would reach a bit of scorching filling.   In those days there were no air vents so heat was trapped beneath the fatty crust.  The confection was satisfyingly sweet, greasing each finger appropriately.

I could not compare the experience to bakery chausson aux pommes or the home baked goods my mother would produce, for these treats were cooled to room temperature before being devoured.  Macdonald's or Macdo as it is referred to here in Quebec does not offer hot cherry pie any longer however, baked chausson aux pommes continues to be one of a few menu desserts.  Please stay tuned for OWC's recipe of Chausson aux cerises.

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Chocolate Chip Cookies

[Chocolate Chip Cookies]

I only have one chocolate chip cookie recipe.  After you bite into one of these decadent treats you will understand why.

The Only Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe You Will Ever Need

2 cups never bleached flour (all purpose will do)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a cookie sheet(s) with silpat mat
Sift flour, salt and baking soda together; set aside
In a medium bowl, cream together butter and both sugars until well blended.  Beat in vanilla, egg and egg yolk until mixture becomes creamy
Mix the sifted ingredients all at once until just blended.  Stir in chocolate chip cookies with a wooden spoon.
Drop by 4 tablespoons of cookie dough at a time onto prepared cookie sheets.  Cookies should be evenly spaced about 3 inches apart.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until edges turn a light brown.
Cool on baking sheets for 15 minutes.  Transfer to wire racks with rubber spatula to cool completely.

Beignets

[Beigne]

What exactly is the affiliation between the city of New Orleans and the province of Quebec?  Recently in a electronic exchange between myself and a fellow blogger, I depicted the history of French Canada, the Acadians to the first French settlers in Quebec.  In excerpts from "Canada and Our Country" by Aileen Garland, I managed to amass some of the highlights which pertain to these first French settlements and their eventual migration to the south:

Quebec and it's Relation to Louisiana:

"In 1667 the land on which Lachine, Quebec now stands was granted to a young man from Normandy, named René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle [let's call him La Salle].  For two or three years he lived on his seigniory [estate of power], before he became discontented with the uneventful life of a fur trader.

He wanted fame and glory.  He dreamed of discovering the Western passage to China.  People seemed amused at his idea of trying to find a route to China.  In their amusement they named his seigniory "China" [Lachine].  [Sadly] It was the only China he would ever see.

Neither in 1669 nor later did La Salle discover the route to China. But in the remaining years of his short life he did several things almost as important."

Among his many accomplishments, his most notable effort could very well be the fact that he was the first European "to explore the Mississippi to its mouth and lead the way for those who later founded the French colony of Louisiana.   He claimed the land for France and named it Louisiana in honour of Louis XIV.

New France would  no longer be a small colony on the banks of the St . Lawrence.  It would become a great empire stretching from the Gulf of the St. Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico, the ruling power of the new continent."

After La Salle's unfortunate murder by one of his own men,  "a French colony, Louisiana, was established at the mouth of the Mississippi. La Salle had no part in these achievements.  Louisiana was his memorial.

Not long after La Salle died, Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville and his brother, Bienville, established a settlement at Biloxi.  Later, when Bienville was governor, he moved his headquarters and named it New Orleans.  The settlement gave the French control over the lower Mississippi valley and was an important part of the French dream of the great French empire in America."

New Brunswick's Acadians and It's Relation to Louisiana:

The Acadians hail from the east, the province of New Brunswick, Canada mainly.  "When [English] Governor Lawrence demanded that the settlers take an oath of allegiance to Britain, they did not obey his command, hoping the French would return to rule over them. 

The French settlers were summoned to the settlements [at New Brunswick] and told they must leave the country.  Over 6,000 were herded into ships by the British soldiers.  The unhappy Acadians were not taken to  settlements at Quebec or Cape Breton [Nova Scotia] for that would have strengthened those colonies.  Some of them joined the settlements [as mentioned above and founded by La Salle] at the mouth of the Mississippi."

"In 1803, when Thomas Jefferson was president, the United States bought Louisiana from France for fifteen million dollars."

Beignets and their Relation to Louisiana:

Firstly , in consulting the culinary bible, Larousse Gastronomique, "the south still bears the mark of the French colonial occupation of Louisiana, as shown in the range of regional pastry."

Doughnuts are defined as , "a traditional patisserie of Quebec prepared from leavened dough (flour, eggs, milk and butter), often made in the shape of a ring, and deep-fried.  It is eaten hot or at room temperature, plain or sprinkled with caster (superfine) sugar.  The French term Beigne also describes the doughnut topped with icing sugar (frosting), and made commerically, which is a fast food item in North America."

From here the details become a little "sticky", some say it was the French Acadians from Nova Scotia who first introduced the sweet confection to the south.  Other sources give credit to the Ursuline nuns of France.

My Memère (maternal grandmother) was the first to introduce beignets to the sugar hungry days of my youth.   I have never attempted her recipe as of yet.  However, I am in the motions of tracking it down for my own fulfillment.  Stay tuned for the recipe...

Pâté Chinois

From what I can gather amongst my clutter of Gourmet cut-outs and slim volumes of cookbooks, the Chinese, traditionally, are not big on baked pies.  Even upon my frequent visits to Chinatown, I have yet to witness a lemon meringue cooling on a sill.

Strolling along the slim aisles of crowded Asian markets I stop to visit the fruits and vegetables, many still unrecognizable despite my Thai friend, in tow, patiently reciting the names.  In all my awe and fascination,  I have yet to come across a Yukon Gold. 

All this to say, I have never been to Scotland, but from what I can amass, the foundation of a Shepard's pie is that of mutton or lamb and mashed potato.  Clearly the brand defines the product.  Throughout most of the U.K. the pie changes base meats causing understandable alternations to name.  Cottage and fireside have been uttered to discern identity and the like.  So far so good. 

Perplexing as a Chinese puzzle, lost in translation and jettisoned a thousand or so miles far across the many provinces and the vast Pacific, this meat and potatoes casserole found a pseudonym in French Canada.  That of Chinese Pie (Pâte Chinois).  I will leave it at that until such a time I am privy to the origin of such an extraneous credit.

[Hachis Parmentier À L' Ail Rôti et Oignons Verts]

The recipe featured in L'Orée du Bois & Formidérable for Shepard's Pie with Roasted Garlic and Green Onions proves literal in description.  Hachis translates to minced or hashed, a culinary term for forcemeat.  Parmentier means potato.  Quite simple just as this quick and easy meal was meant to be.

Update: Check out this link to find out one of the urban legends explaining the origin of this famous French Canadain dish.

Hachis Parmentier A L'Ail Roti et Oignons Verts/Shepard's Pie with Roasted Garlic and Green Onions

Helpful hint before we begin: 1 fluid ounce = 25 mililiters, 25 grams = 1 ounce

Meat
15 ml olive oil
300 g chopped onion
600 g lean ground pork
30 g chopped garlic
200 ml white wine
5 ml dried thyme
3 ml dried crushed rosemary
1 bay leaf

Mashed Potato Mix
700 g peeled potatoes
75 g peeled garlic cloves
50 ml olive oil
150 ml milk
6 finely sliced green onions
20 g Parmesan cheese

Meat
Lightly brown the onion in a saucepan.  Add the ground pork and cook until meat has no trace of pink.  Add the wine, garlic, thyme and bay leaf and cook thoroughly over medium heat.

Mashed Potato Mix
Heat the olive oil and add the garlic cloves.  Cook gently until the cloves are tender.  Purée the garlic and oil together in a blender.  In another pot boil the potatoes in salted water.  When done mash them together with the garlic purée, milk and green onions.  Set aside.

In a baking dish, spread the cooked meat and then cover wit the mashed potato mixture.  Sprinkle the grated Parmesan over top with a small amount of olive oil.  Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Suggested wines: Red wines from Beaujolais and the Loire Valley

Maple Sugar

[Sucre D'Érable]

 

If I was to endure yet another unfortunate casualty between a sharp kitchen knife, while slicing shallots or plundering through an acorn squash and my own thumb, I am almost positive the shock of discovering maple syrup bleeding out onto the counter top would not startle me in the least. My consumption of maple product is surprising even upon consideration of my location. It is based upon indulgences of this kind that give reason for the medical profession to preach practice of moderation. Sooner or later the apparent takes hold of our vitals and next thing you know blood becomes sap. It is quite easy for me to get carried away when Quebec is the largest maple producer in the world, supplying 80% of the world's maple syrup.

 

So, what is the deal? Maple sap is boiled to make maple syrup and syrup is boiled down to make maple toffee and when the toffee is boiled down again we finally achieve what we call maple sugar. 

Maple sugar, however is not just for kids.  It can be used in recipes as a replacement to common white sugar.  One of my most recently acquired cookbooks, L'Orée du Bois & Formidérable, features such recipes, maple crème brûlée, maple tiramisu cake and maple butter filled dates to name a luscious few.  According to L'Orée du Bois, 

"[Maple Sugar] is another pure product, the only ingredient being maple syrup.  It has a granular texture and a light brown colour.  Top your ice cream, fruit and yogourt with this pure maple product, or use it to cook glazed carrots.  Sprinkle some pure maple sugar on your cappuccino!" 

Mmmmm...just imagine putting a button of this sugary rapture on a scoop of vanilla ice cream or adding a fine dusting to a thin crêpe in the morning. 

When reflecting upon the gifts that trees bear unto us, our contemplation may lead us to consider the marvels of oxygen or robust, ripe summer fruit.  In climates that allow for cold spring nights and mild days, like Vermont, Quebec and Ontario, our thoughts are more focused on the clandestine operations which lay beneath the bark of the great maple.

Split Pea Soup

Soupe Aux Pois has received negative press mainly due to it's colour and texture which are visually unappealing.  It is difficult to entice one into making a recipe based on it's unphotogenic history in pictures, the reason I opted not to produce one myself.

Traditional Quebec soupe aux pois most commonly features yellow peas and and some type of pork (mainly ham bone or salt pork).  If prepared properly, soupe aux pois should be thick, smooth and flavourful. 

So how do I convince one to give pea soup a chance?  Option one would be through acoustic expression in room 1742 at the Queen E in Montreal dressed in nothing more than flannel whites and a hotel duvet.  More effectively I have chosen to throw tradition aside to reach the masses, as my guitar playing is atrocious, and be more Northern European with this version from Bon Appétit.

Split Pea Soup with Sausage and Potato

5 fully cooked spicy smoked sausage links (such as andouille or hot links), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 12-ounce russet potato, peeled, diced
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/4 cups green split peas, rinsed
4 cups low-salt chicken broth

Sauté sausages in heavy large pot over medium-high heat until fat begins to render, about 4 minutes. Add potato, onion, and rosemary. Sauté until onion is soften, about 5 minutes. Mix in split peas, then broth. Bring soup to simmer. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until peas are tender, stirring occasionally, about 50 minutes. If desired, thin soup with water by 1/4 cupfuls. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve. For a less spicy sausage, choose Kielbasa or garlic sausages. 

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Pets De Soeurs

[Pets de Soeurs]

Could there be a more inappropriate name than Old Women's Bellybuttons (bourriques de veilles)?  How about Nun's Farts?  Now, imagine if you will, the idea of naming a yummy baked good after such ghastly images and occurences.  Credit for this divine sacrilege is due to the French Acadians and surprisingly not the Quebecois. 

At a time when the church's influence was dwindling in French Canada, subtle blasphemy was commonplace.  Believe it or not this is not the worst of it, as there exists a molasses dessert with an even more sinister name.    

Birds, veils and virgins have also been tagged to this sweet pastry perhaps in attempt to eschew these unappetizing namesakes.

So what brought me to bake a confection named after holy flatulence on such a winter's day (have I inadvertently quoted a Mama's and Papa's song?)

I have been curious to attempt to bake these little mysteries for quite sometime now.  I had experienced the store bought variety as a child, then packaged as the infamous assiette de pets or the roughly translated plate of farts.  I loved the sugary and sticky goodness but was ashamed to admit what I had just eaten. 

But by now the novelty of it all just seems so much fun.  With this in mind and the fact that I love French Acadie, their rich heritage (some of which in still apparent in New Orleans) and present day rusticness, how could I not enjoy a homemade fart bun on a cold French Canadian day?  New and improved recipe to come...