| FAVORITE DESSERT
GRANDPÈRES - GRANDFATHERS
This is a very old Canadian recipe that was handed down from one
generation to the next. It is still as good today as it was then. This was
Grandma Gauthier's favorite dessert. I still can remember how happy she
was when she ate this dessert.
2 cups cake flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsps. butter
3/4 cup milk
2 cups maple syrup
2 cups water
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter with pastry
blender. Add milk and mix well. Combine maple syrup with water in a
saucepan and bring to a boil. Drop the dough in the hot maple syrup by the
tablespoonful. Cover and cook 25 minutes. Serve very hot, pouring over
them the syrup in which they were cooked.
Therese Roy
North Providence, RI |
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POUTINE
There are few foods which will clunk more satisfyingly to the bottom of
your gut or stick more to your ribs: poutine, the quintessential pig-out
dish from Québec. Pronounced poo-TEEN, the classical version is a heap of
crispy golden fries piled
in a disposable bowl, mixed with cheese curds, then smothered in piping
hot beef gravy. The stuff has in the past been hard to come by outside of
Canada, but it is catching on as desperate French-Canadians export it to
places like Florida, California, New York, France, and other
poutine-bereft areas where they find themselves stranded.
Although scores of different versions now exist, this artery-clogging junk
food was invented in the early 195Os, when a customer walked into a
restaurant in Warwick, Québec, called "The Laughing Goblin" [Le
Lutin Qui Rit], and special-ordered a pile of "frites" with
brown gravy and cheese. The chef remarked, "That's a real mess",
using the Québecois slang word for mess, which is "poutine",
and dished it up. It was incorporated into his menu, and the rest is
history.
There seems to be general agreement as to the original and optimum method
of preparation:
Homemade fries, not frozen but ones actually cut off of potatoes in fat
sticks, are fried golden, and placed in a bowl containing a handful of a
particular type of cheese curd called "fromage en grain". It is
not surprisingly a cheese named Kingsley, native to the Warwick area,
mild, stringy and white, but not mozzarella or cheddar, similar perhaps to
Monterey Jack, but shaped in many small lumps. More of this cheese is
dumped on top of the fries, and then the entire melting mass is covered
with preferably homemade and extremely hot brown beef gravy. The pile as
it cools quickly coagulates into something resembling
cement, and must be scarfed in haste, but not so soon that you burn the
roof of your mouth.
There are some famous and not-so-famous variations on this theme, although
the fries and cheese are considered the Traditional Constant.
o "Poutine du Lac Long" has chopped beef and fried onions added.
o "Poutine Italienne" has, as one might suspect, spaghetti sauce
instead.
o "Galvaude" is a poutine with chunks of chicken and green peas
mixed in.
The concoction, whatever its ingredients, is admittedly hard on the
stomach, an experience not helped by the fact that the traditional liquid
accompaniment is lots and lots of beer. These potatoes are for couch
potatoes, and exercise of any sort alter consumption is not recommended. |
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LEG OF LAMB ROAST
2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic
1-6 lb. leg of lamb
1 1/2 cups tomato juice
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Make slits in the lamb and fill with sliver of garlic clove. Place in a
large roasting pan. Beat sugar and olive oil together until sugar melts.
Rub mixture all over the lamb.
Mix tomato juice, oregano, salt and pepper together and pour half of it
over the meat. Roast in 425 degrees F oven for 15 minutes. Turn oven heat
down to 350 degrees F and cook for another 1 1/2 hours. About halfway
through roasting, pour remainder of tomato mixture over. Baste often.
ANYONE WHO HAS TASTED BABY LAMB ROASTED THE FRENCH WAY -UNTIL JUICY PINK
AND NOT AN INSTANT LONGER - IS CONVERTED.
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Tourtiere Recipes
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The following 3 recipes indicate a few of the variations
according to the regions within the Province of Quebec.
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TOURTIÈRE -1
1-1/4 lbs. lean ground pork ¼ tsp. Ground cinnamon
¾ lbs. lean ground beef ¼ tsp. Ground cloves
1 onion, finely chopped ½ cup water
1 tsp. Salt pastry for two crust pie (9")
1/8 tsp. Pepper
Put all ingredients except pastry into a saucepan and cook covered slowly
about 1 hour, until meat is tender and liquid cooked down.
Stir occasionally. Let meat mixture cool before putting in pie plate.
Put bottom crust in pie plate, spread mixture evenly and put on top crust.
Trim and crimp edges. Slash to let out steam.
Place in 400 degree oven until light brown , 25 to 30 minutes,
depending on oven. |
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TOURTIERE - 2
1-1/2 lbs. ground pork ¼ tsp. Allspice
½ cup finely chopped onion 1/8 tsp. Pepper
2 large potatoes (1 lb.) 1 egg yolk
½ tsp. Salt
In a medium saucepan, combine pork, onion and ½ cup water; mix well. Cook
covered over low heat 2 hours. Meanwhile peel potatoes; quarter. Cook in a
small amount of salted boiling water until tender. Drain. Add potato to
meat mixture along with salt, allspice and pepper; mash with a potato
masher.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll half of pastry to make an 11"
circle; fit into bottom of a 9" pie plate. Turn mixture into pie
plate. Roll other half of dough to make 11" circle. Adjust pastry
over top; crimp edges, make several slashes in top for steam vents. Mix
egg yolk with 2 tbsp. water; use to brush over pastry. Bake 20 minutes or
until pastry is golden brown. |
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TOURTIERE - 3
This is a more modern version; with less fat; but just as tasty.
1 lb. Lean ground beef ¼ tsp. Cinnamon
½ lb. Lean ground pork ¼ tsp. Ground cloves
½ lb. Ground veal ½ tsp. Onion powder
1 bay leaf salt & pepper to taste
Instant potato flakes, as needed 2 Packages Pillsbury pie crust
Put ground meats and seasoning in a heavy pan. Brown on medium heat,
stirring as needed. When meat mixture is no longer pink, add just enough
water to cover the mixture.
Simmer covered, stirring as needed, for about 1-1/2 hours to let
flavors develop and to be
sure pork is fully cooked. Remove from heat. Sprinkle instant potato
flakes in pan to absorb the meat juices and stir well. If more juices rise
to surface, sprinkle a little more potato flakes until all liquid is
absorbed and stir. Remove bay leaf.
Let meat mixture cool before turning into pie crusts. I find it easier
to prepare the meat mixture one day and assemble the pies in another day
or two. This mixture also freezes well and could be made well in
advance.
Line two 8" or 9" pie pans with crust. Turn in meat mixture. Add
top crust. Trim crust and slash to allow steam to vent. These pies can be
frozen unbaked until you need them.
To bake put thawed pies in 375 degree oven for about 45 to 50 minutes.
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| Pea Soup
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| From AFGS News May June edition 2005
We were pleased to hear from people who tried the fudge recipe. It really is good isn’t it? This month we are including a recipe for pea soup. Traditional Canadian is made with whole yellow peas but our cookbook offers several variations. We are using a recipe submitted by Mrs. Florence Shallow Vint from Littleton Co. It was her grandmother’s recipe and had been in her family for many generations. It is simple to make and is oh so good. Enjoy!
2 c. dried whole yellow peas 2 qt. water
1 onion, minced 1/2 # salt pork or
1 tsp. chopped parsley ham hocks
or 1 tsp. sage pepper to taste
1 minced carrot (for flavor)
For less salty soup, boil ham hocks or salt pork for 5 minutes. Discard water and set aside. Soak peas in cold water overnight. Don’t drain. Add onion, carrot (if desired), salt pork or ham and seasoning. Simmer at least 3 to 4 hours or until peas are soft. You could also use ham or a ham bone left over from dinner. Corn bread is very good served with pea soup.
This and other traditional recipes may be found in the AFGS cookbook - Je Me Souviens La Cuisine De La Grandmere.
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| Grandperes
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| From AFGS News Jan Feb edition 2005
Here is a traditional recipe enjoyed for breakfast on chilly winter
mornings or for dessert.
Grandperes
2 cups maple syrup 1 tsp. salt
2 cups water 2 tbls. butter or
2 cups sifted cake flour shortening
4 tsp. baking powder 3/4 cup milk
Mix syrup and water together with a whisk in a wide saucepan. Bring to a
boil. Sift the flour, again with the baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening. Add milk all at once. Mix rapidly and drop by the
tablespoonful into the boiling syrup mixture. Cover the pan and cook for
20 minutes without removing lid. Serve at once. Serves 6. This and other
traditional recipes may be found in the AFGS cookbook - Je Me Souviens
La Cuisine De La Grandmere.
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BOULETTES - MEATBALLS IN WHITE SAUCE
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| From AFGS News July August edition 2005
This is an old recipe, a variation of which was made in most Canadian homes. Every housewife had her own particular way of preparing this recipe. It was a dish that pleased the family and one that is recalled with fondness. The recipe was sent to us by Therese Roy of North Providence, RI. This and other traditional recipes can be found in our cookbook Je Me Souviens la Cuisine de la Grandmere.
1 lb lean ground beef Hint of ground cloves
Salt & Pepper to taste 1 whole onion
Pinch of poultry seasoning Flour
Mix meat and seasonings. Shape into 1 inch meatballs. Put enough water in saucepan to cover meatballs. Bring to a boil. Add whole onion. Add 1 meatball at a time so water does not stop boiling. Cook until meat is white - about 30 minutes. Remove onion. Thicken water with flour and add more salt and pepper as needed. Serve over rice or noodles or by itself. Enjoy.
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