Ottawa Valley & Beyond Dinner: Sept 28 2024
For our 2024 season closer, we had a table booking and a request for regional cuisine. A bit of Quebecois food? Sure. So we went to work assessing the essence of the food of La Belle Provence, and finding our take on these traditional dishes with our approach. We first zeroed in on Montreal’s Jewish Community and worked outwards from there to dishes rooted on Quebec’s culture. Here’s some insights how our six (6) course menu played out.
Bagels & Lox: One ready association with Montreal is their unique take on that toroid bread, influenced by the Turkish simit, the bagel. St. Viteur and Fairmont are considered the icons the bread that is proofed, boiled in honey water, rolled in sesame seed and baked in a woodfired oven. Belinda made cream cheese (dairy and non-dairy) and we made gravlax from scratch to create a tasty little bite.
Matzo Ball Soup: My friend Rick and Anna run a farm west of Ottawa. I acquired a few turkey carcasses and made turkey consommé (one admittedly, the seasoning could have been better dialed in). This was a platform for, and given the Quebecois theme, stuffed Matzo Ball Meatballs. These meatballs came out well, and stuffed with local vegetables and herbs, and were light compared to the typical heaviness of a regular matzo ball. While not a perfect dish, this is one worth revisiting and refining its showstopper delivery.
Poutine: Of course we had to have the most famous of Canadian dishes. However, as we don’t do deep fried, how were we going to create our own version? We turned to the delightful dish – a pave, known for its crispy multiple layers of thinly sliced potatoes – to serve as a foundation for our interpretation. The potatoes were all local including a few purple ones right from the garden (see the pic of the purple vein below). Belinda made cheese curds from scratch, and we topped it with pulled beef short rib and a Bordelaise Sauce. This was a dish worth serving again.
Tourtiere: As tasty as this traditional dish is, it was our task to make it our own. Using local pork tenderloin, we seasoned it with a Tourtiere rub, reverse seared and then roasted it to 145F. We served that with Fevre au Lard with beans from Belinda’s garden with Guanciale serving as a bacon substitute. A compote of local apples, beets and roasted fennel in a gastrique of Saunders Farm Cider and apple cider vinegar for a bit of acid and freshness to an otherwise heavy dish.
St. Hubert Chicken: Belinda’s joked that we should make St. Hubert Chicken and the idea won out on the final menu. Starting with a confited 48 hr sous vided chicken thigh, we pan fried it until crisp all over, and served it with a homemade “St. Hubert Sauce,” served with a Corn/Pumpkin/Sweet Potato Puree and a Corn/Zucchini/Kohlrabi Succotash on the side. Lots of fun on this plate.
Pie & Coffee: Our dessert closer. Belinda made a Maple Tart (Sugar Pie), and I made low refined sugar and almost dairy free “Pumpkin Spice Latte” pudding cup, that we served with a whipped cream.
This was a fun, cohesive menu that diners had a great time. We even had a few orders for our alcohol free libations which brought another dimension to this regionally inspired menu.
