21 May 2013 Family, Friends and Food in Quebec

Family, Friends and Food in Quebec

May 21, 2013 By
Beet Salad

Beet Salad

Last weekend, I flew up to Quebec to surprise my dad for his birthday. As always, the weekend was filled with an abundance of food and adult libations.

Lobster Dinner

Lobster Dinner

Friday, the weather was nice and we opted to grill pork tenderloin kebabs that my brother-in-law, Etienne, had marinated in his special concoction a good part of the afternoon. Since it was also my mom’s birthday a couple days prior to my arrival, my nieces and me made my Chocolate Éclair Squares, an easy-to-fix, tasty and light dessert (perfect for Memorial Day celebrations).

Wines for Lobster Dinner

Wines for Lobster Dinner

Saturday, my sister Josée, her daughters and me decorated her home for dad’s party and began cooking for the memorable dinner party. On the menu was a springtime salad of roasted beets, heirloom tomatoes, red onions, Mozzarella and basil. My brother-in-law boiled some lobsters and made his now-famous Lemon Butter Cream for dipping – fantastic. Dessert was a plate of vanilla bean cupcakes and my Zesty Key Lime Tart (minus the meringue and topped with whipped cream instead). The wine lineup wasn’t half bad either.

Poutine

Poutine

Sunday morning, mom fixed us a big breakfast of eggs benedict with homefries and after spending the morning at our horse ranch, I headed back to the airport to catch my flight back to New Jersey. As I’ve grown accustomed to doing when I fly out of Quebec, I had a poutine to mark the end of my wonderful weekend.

Hope your weekend adventures were as delicious as mine were.

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: American, Canadian, Chocolate, Cuisine Type, Culinary Travel Tales, Desserts, Entrees, Seafood, Sides, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , ,
9 January 2013 Coquilles Saint Jacques

Coquilles Saint Jacques

January 9, 2013 By
Coquille Saint Jacques

Coquille Saint Jacques

My girlfriend Lisa and I have similar food tastes and when I was menu-planning for New Year’s Eve and mentioned I’d seen a scallop dish I might try…she’d already seen it in Saveur and had earmarked it to show me.

Where I grew up in eastern Quebec, Coquilles Saint Jacques were pretty popular when I was a kid in the late 70s. The dish entailed a base of mashed potatoes topped with a rich béchamel sauce laden with various seafood, including scallops, then Gruyere and Mozzarella cheese were melted over the whole thing. This version is obviously more refined and delicate and features one perfectly-cooked scallop per tasting portion.

Adapted from Coquilles Saint Jacques (Gratineed Scallops), from 150 classic recipes featured in Saveur’s 150th issue

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz. button mushrooms, very finely minced
  • 6 tbsp. butter
  • 3 small shallots, finely minced
  • 2 tbsp. minced parsley
  • 1 tbsp. minced tarragon, plus 6 whole leaves, to garnish
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • ¾ cup dry vermouth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 large sea scallops
  • 2 tbsp. flour
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ⅔ cup grated Gruyère cheese
  • ½ tsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions:

  1. Heat mushrooms, 4 tbsp. butter, and ⅔ of the shallots in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook until the mixture forms a loose paste, about 25 minutes.
  2. Stir parsley and minced tarragon into mushroom mixture and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Divide mixture among 6 cleaned scallop shells or shallow gratin dishes.
  4. Bring remaining shallots, vermouth, bay leaf, salt, and ¾ cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add scallops and cook until barely tender, about 2 minutes. Remove scallops and place each over mushrooms in shells.
  5. Continue boiling cooking liquid until reduced to ½ cup, about 10 minutes then strain. Heat broiler to high.
  6. Heat remaining butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add reduced cooking liquid and cream and cook until thickened, about 8 minutes. Add cheese, juice, salt, and pepper. Divide the sauce over scallops. Broil until browned on top, about 3 minutes then garnish each with a tarragon leaf.

Serves 6.

Filed Under: American, Cheese, Entrees, French, Mushrooms, Seafood, Starters Tagged With: , ,
26 August 2012 Shrimp and Vermont Cheddar Grits

Shrimp and Vermont Cheddar Grits

August 26, 2012 By

I am not certain how I became obsessed with shrimp and grits as I did not grow up with the dish in Quebec, but I am. I do not think there are many dishes as comforting as a bowl of creamy grits with spicy shrimps and a soft poached egg and here is a simple, delicious version that I serve as a starter. My inspiration for the shrimp topping is from a recipe from Peels in New York published in Bon Appetit.

Grits Ingredients:

  • ½ an 8-ounce bag shredded sharp Vermont cheddar cheese, such as Cabot’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar
  • ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • ½ tsp. hot sauce, such as Cholula
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper

Shrimp Ingredients:

  • 1 cup 1/3″ cubes Andouille sausage
  • 3 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 Tbsp. butter
  • 16 large shrimps (about 1 pound), peeled, deveined
  • ½ cup medium-bodied beer
  • ¼ cup chicken broth

Grits Directions:

  1. Bring the broth, milk, salt and 1 1/3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
  2. Gradually whisk in grits, reduce heat to low and gently simmer for about 10 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add cheddar and Parmesan cheeses, the hot sauce and the pepper and stir until cheese has melted. Cover to keep warm until ready to serve.

Shrimp Directions:

  1. Cook the Andouille sausage in a large heavy skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic and butter, stir until butter melts.
  3. Add the shrimps and stir gently until the garlic starts to brown.
  4. Add the beer and the chicken broth and simmer until shrimps are cooked, about 2 minutes.
  5. Serve the shrimp mixture over bowls of cheesy grits.

Makes 4 entrée portions or 6 first course portions.

Filed Under: American, Cheese, Entrees, Pork, Seafood, Sides, Starters Tagged With: , , , , , ,
17 June 2012 The Food and Wine Chickie 2nd Annual Lobsterfest

The Food and Wine Chickie 2nd Annual Lobsterfest

June 17, 2012 By

Last night, I hosted a dinner party for close friends where lobster was king.  This was the 2nd annual “lobsterfest” I’ve held and think it’s a really fun concept that can be executed rather simply.

Friends always offer to bring “something” to my parties, and last night, I decided to take them up on it.  One friend was tasked with bringing potato salad (future post I hope) and another with bringing a few cheeses we could enjoy post-dessert.

I popped a few bottles of bubbly, what could be better with rich lobster?  2 ½ – 3-pound lobsters were boiled using my Boiling Lobster 101 technique, Lemon Butter Cream was quickly prepared and the party was on its way.  Dessert was my Easy Like Sunday Morning Key Lime Pie which is a popular summer dessert that’s easy to prepare using semi-homemade staples.

I urge you to try this type of party that’s both worry-free and very festive.  Your guests will appreciate the luxe meal and you’ll love that it can be put together in a breeze.

Enjoy!

Veronique

 

Filed Under: American, Entrees, Other Neat Things, Potatoes, Seafood Tagged With: , , ,
16 June 2012 Lobster Boiling 101

Lobster Boiling 101

June 16, 2012 By

The trick to making a perfectly-boiled lobster is to carefully time how long it is in the water.  This is the technique my dad’s passed on to me for solid results:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  2. Plunge the lobsters, head first, into the boiling water.
  3. Bring the water back to a boil (should take 3-5 minutes).
  4. Let the lobsters cook for exactly 15 minutes then immediately remove them from the water and serve.
  5. Serve with Lemon Butter Sauce.

This method is for lobsters up to two pounds.  For lobsters over two pounds, cook for 20 minutes.

Enjoy,

Veronique

 

Filed Under: American, Canadian, Entrees, Seafood Tagged With: , , , , ,

7 Fish and Seafood Recipes to get you Through Lent

February 24, 2012 By

Lent is the 40-day period before Easter when practicing Christians abstain from eating meat on Fridays.  During this period of penance which starts on Ash Wednesday and ends of Easter Sunday, it can be difficult to stay creative with non-meat options.  Here are seven fish and seafood recipes to get you through the seven Fridays of Lent.

Cheers,

Veronique

 

Filed Under: American, Asian, Canadian, Entrees, Fish, French, Italian, Pasta, Seafood Tagged With: , , ,
18 February 2012 Shrimp and Andouille Etouffée

Shrimp and Andouille Etouffée

February 18, 2012 By

In honor of Mardi Gras on February 21st, I’m offering this simple and delicious etouffée recipe.  In French, the word “étouffée” means “smothered”.  In Louisiana, food that is “smothered” is usually simmered in a small amount of liquid creating a thickened sauce that is served over rice.

The base for any good etouffée is the ‘holy trinity’, a combination of celery, onion and bell pepper, that’s cooked in a dark roux made of butter, oil and flour.  Etouffée can be made with crawfish, shrimp, chicken, and/or spicy sausage.

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 3 Andouille sausage links (about ½ pound), cut into bite size pieces
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 celery ribs, chopped
  • 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 large garlic cloves, halved
  • 1 12-ounce bottle of medium-bodied beer
  • 1 cup bottled clam juice
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • ½ tsp. each salt and pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. paprika
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 pound medium shrimps, shelled, deveined and cooked
  • 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:

  1. Add oil to a heavy Dutch oven set over medium heat.  Add the sausage and cook for 2-3 minutes until browned.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage from the pot and set aside for later use, keeping the rendered fat in the pot on medium heat.
  2. Add the butter to the hot fat in the pot and when completely melted, add the flour.  Whisk the flour into the fat to incorporate and create a roux.  Cook the roux, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until it is the color of peanut butter, about 10 minutes.
  3. Place the celery, bell pepper, onion and garlic in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse to roughly chop, about 1 minute.
  4. Add the processed vegetables to the roux in the pot and stir with a wooden spoon to fully combine.  Cook the mixture over medium heat for 5 – 7 minutes, stirring frequently.
  5. Add the beer, clam juice and broth to the vegetable mixture and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen up all the brown bits.  Return the sausage to the pot, add the spices, bay leaves and simmer for about 1 hour.
  6. Add the shrimp to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes to warm through.
  7. Serve the etouffée over white rice and garnish with parsley.

Makes 6 servings.

 

 

Filed Under: American, Canadian, Entrees, French, Seafood, Vegetables Tagged With: , ,
9 February 2012 BBQ Pulled Pork over Seared Scallops

BBQ Pulled Pork over Seared Scallops

February 9, 2012 By

For my birthday, my mom gave me a copy of The Art of Living According to Joe Beef.  Joe Beef  is one of Montreal’s culinary gems and its book reads like a gastronomical novel – it’s just beautiful in content and images.

One of the recipes I knew I had to immediately try is the BBQ Pulled Pork over Seared Scallops.  Yes, it’s a bit odd in concept.  No, you haven’t made a better dish than this one at home – guaranteed.

I served this dish as a main course but I’ll have it in my back pocket as an amazing starter for upcoming dinner parties.

Pulled Pork Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp. paprika
  • 1 Tbsp. each salt, pepper, granulated sugar
  • One 4-5 pound pork shoulder (sometimes called Boston Butt)
  • ¼ cup yellow mustard
  • ½ cup water
  • 4-5 jumbo scallops per person
  • Canola oil for frying
  • Sea salt and pepper

Hollandaise Sauce Ingredients:

  • 7 egg yolks, at room temperature
  • 1 cup butter
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lemon juice

World’s Best BBQ Sauce, Ever, heated

Pulled Pork Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the paprika, salt, pepper and sugar.  Slather the pork with the yellow mustard then coat with the spice mixture.  Place pork in a large Dutch oven and add the water.  Put the pork in the oven for five hours.  After the initial five hours, check for doneness every hour, covering the meat with aluminum foil if it becomes dry or overly browned, until it’s cooked for nine hours total.  The meat should be fork tender.
  3. Allow meat to cool for 15 minutes then, using two forks, pull it off into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl (can be made a day ahead of serving if refrigerated then warmed in hot BBQ sauce).

Hollandaise Sauce Directions:

  1. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter.  Allow to cool for 3 minutes.
  2. In a tall container, like a pitcher, add the egg yolks.  Using an immersion blender, add the butter to the yolks in a slow, steady stream until the sauce thickens and is emulsified.
  3. Add the cayenne pepper, the salt and the lemon juice.  Keep sauce at room temperature until ready to use.  Makes about ½ cup.

Plating Directions:

  1. In a large cast iron or non-stick pan over high heat, add the oil and heat until shimmering hot.  Add the scallops and cook for two minutes on each side.  Remove onto a paper towel.
  2. For each scallop you’re using: in a medium bowl, add one tablespoon of pork and two tablespoons of hot BBQ sauce.  Combine meat and sauce well.
  3. Add a tablespoon of Hollandaise sauce per scallop on a plate (1-2 for a starter or 4-5 for an entrée).  Top the sauce with a scallop.  Top each scallop with a tablespoon of BBQ-sauced pulled pork.

Notes:  The pulled pork in its state at the end of step 3 of “Pulled Pork Directions” can be used in a multitude of ways when combined with BBQ sauce: pulled pork sandwich, as a topping for pizza, in tacos, etc…

 

Filed Under: American, Canadian, Eggs, Entrees, Pork, Seafood, Starters Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
17 October 2011 Andouille and Crawfish Etouffée

Andouille and Crawfish Etouffée

October 17, 2011 By

When we lived in Ft Lauderdale, we often lunched at a small Cajun restaurant called Creolina’s.  The food was amazing and one of my favorite dishes was the crawfish etouffée they served over plain white rice.  This version calls for Andouille sausage as I like its porky flavor with the seafood.

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 3 Andouille sausage links (about ½ pound), cut into bite size pieces
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 celery ribs, chopped
  • 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 large garlic cloves, halved
  • 1 12-ounce bottle of medium-bodied beer
  • 1 cup bottled clam juice
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • ½ tsp. each salt and pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. paprika
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 pound crawfish tails, cooked
  • 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:

  1. Add oil to a heavy Dutch oven set over medium heat.  Add the sausage links and cook for 2-3 minutes until browned.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage from the pot and set aside for later use, keeping the rendered fat in the pot on medium heat.
  2. Add the butter to the hot fat in the pot and when completely melted, add the flour.  Whisk the flour into the fat to incorporate and create a roux.  Cook the roux, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until it is the color of peanut butter, about 10 minutes.
  3. Place the celery, bell pepper, onion and garlic in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse to roughly chop, about 1 minute.
  4. Add the processed vegetables to the roux in the pot and stir with a wooden spoon to fully combine.  Cook the mixture over medium heat for 5 – 7 minutes, stirring frequently.
  5. Add the beer, clam juice and broth to the vegetable mixture and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen up all the brown bits.  Return the sausage to the pot, add the spices, bay leaves and simmer for about 1 hour.
  6. Add the crawfish tails to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes to warm through.
  7. Serve the etouffée over white rice and garnish with parsley.

Makes 6 servings.

Notes:  If you have crawfish in the shells, simply remove the tails, then add the shells to a pot with 4 cups of water.  Simmer for 30 – 45 minutes, then strain the crawfish juices.  Use 1 cup of the crawfish juice in place of the clam juice.  Don’t have crawfish?  Simply replace with shrimps!

Filed Under: American, Entrees, French, Pork, Seafood Tagged With: , , , ,
22 August 2011 5-Minute Lobster Rolls

5-Minute Lobster Rolls

August 22, 2011 By

Every summer, I go to Maine for a long weekend.  I’ve done this since the year I was born, and my parents did this with their families growing up.  It’s what we Quebecois do in the summer – drive to the nearest beach, get some sun and eat seafood.

This summer when I drove up to Maine, I had three foodie goals in mind in the spirit of traditions: beach pizza, boardwalk fries and a lobster roll.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to make it to the lobster roll shack and have had this craving ever since.

While at the grocery store Saturday, I saw New England-style hot dog buns with the top split.  In Quebec, where I grew up, all the hot dogs are top split, but after moving to the USA in the late 80s, I quickly discovered that hot dogs are mostly side split with crust on all around.  When I saw the New England-style buns, I just knew I’d be taking advantage of them by filling them with decadent lobster salad.  Here’s how simple and quick it is to make lobster rolls.

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup chopped celery
  • 4 Tbsps. good quality mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1 heavy pinch each, salt and pepper
  • 2 small lobster tails, cooked and roughly chopped
  • 2 New England-style hot dog buns
  • 2 tsps. room-temperature butter

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the celery, mayo, lemon juice and salt and pepper.  Add the lobster meat and gently coat the meat with the mayo mixture using a fork.
  2. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  While the skillet is heating up, butter the crustless sides of each hot dog bun.  Add the buns to the hot skillet and grill each buttered side to a deep golden brown.  Remove from the skillet and open up each bun.
  3. Divide the lobster salad into two portions.  Scoop each portion into a bun and pack in tightly using the back of the fork.

Makes two lobster rolls.

Notes:  Cooked lobster tails can be found in the seafood section of your local grocery store.  If you can’t find cooked lobster tails and don’t feel like cooking some, you could replace with canned lobster meat or even with lump crab meat.

Filed Under: American, Entrees, Sandwiches, Seafood, Starters, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , ,
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