Food of Québec took center stage recently at Kendall College, Evanston when two stellar chefs from that Canadian city, Richard Desjardins and Marie-Chantal Lepage, cooked up luncheons and dinners at the Culinary school and for a benefit at Chicago’s Drake Hotel.
Some of their recipes are similar to those in the homey cookbook, "A Taste of Québec", by Julian Armstrong (Macmillan of Canada). For example, the chefs prepared the tasty and hearty family meat pie, or Tourtière du Saguenay, a meat and vegetable pie of layers of cubed meat and potato in a pastry crust, the most distinctive dish of the region. The pie is a great way to serve leftover meat, adding fresh vegetables. Canadians often include game.
Lepage also prepared a delicious salad of warm Arctic char and smoked salmon with wild mushrooms,
South of the Québec City is the Beauce, or are of sugar maple trees, home of some 4000 maple syrup operations. From this region come delectable recipes featuring that commodity. Québec maple syrup is one of the Québec food products available at stores like Whole Foods.
Toutrière du Saguenay (Meat and Vegetable Pie)
1 lb. Pork
3 lbs. Other meat such as 1/3 beef, 1/3 veal, and 1/3 chicken, partridge or rabbit
1 large onion, chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
6 lb. Potatoes
Ground cinnamon
Pastry for 2 double-crust, 9 inch pies
The day before, makes a pastry, wrap and refrigerate. Cut meat into small cubes and combine with onion in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Peel and cut potatoes into small cubes (You will need 9-10 cups). Place in another large bowl, add water to cover and refrigerate.
The next day, roll out pastry so bottom layer is slightly more than ¼ inch thick, but the top layer is the usual thickness. Line a deep, heavy 14-inch oval or 12-inch round casserole dish. Drain potatoes.
Arrange alternate layers of meat and potatoes in the pastry-lined casserole, sprinkling each layer lightly with salt, pepper and a little cinnamon. Add just enough cold water to cover the mixture. Cover with top pastry crust. Decorate with an extra border of pastry, if desired, and cut steam vents.
Bake in a preheated 425 oven for 1 hour. When pastry is golden, cover with casserole lid or double layer of aluminum foil. Reduce temperature to 300 degrees F. and cook slowly for 2 to 3 hours more, OR reduce temperature to 250 degrees and cook for 6 to 7 hours more. Makes 10-12 servings
Warm Arctic Char and Smoked Salmon Salad
Greens for 4 small salads
½ bunch watercress
12 wild mushrooms in season or oyster mushrooms
4 oz. Bacon, dried
½ lb. Arctic char, cut into pieces of ½ inch by ½ inch by 2 inches
½ lb. Smoked salmon, cut into same size
Hazelnut to taste
4 T apple cider vinegar
2 oz. Roasted hazelnuts
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Wash the watercress and salad greens and put aside. Grill the mushrooms a high heat and without fat. In a pan, melt bacon after dicing it. Collect melted fat and sear Arctic char quickly in it. Place the fish on dry paper towels and dry.
Collect melted fat and mix it with the apple cider vinegar in a proportion of ½ vinegar and 2/3 melted fat. Complete with hazelnut and serve immediately. Serves 4.
Apple Maple Pudding Cake
3 large or 6 small cooking apples, peeled, cut into chunks
1 C maple syrup
1 egg, beaten
1 T melted butter
2 tsp. Lemon juice
½ C all-purpose flour
1 tsp. Baking powder
Pinch salt
½ C raisins
Whipped cream (optional)
Arrange apples in a greased 8-inch square baking pan. Pour ½ cup of the maple syrup over apples, stirring to coat well, and spread in an even layer.
In a bowl, combine beaten egg, butter and lemon juice with remaining ½ cup of maple syrup. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Fold in raisins.
Pour batter evenly over apple pieces. Bake in a preheated oven 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired. Serves 6 pieces.