Here’s my second bonus recipe! I decide to make pouding chômeur à l’érable or poor man’s pudding. It was incredibly simple to make and used few ingredients. It is referred to as poor man’s pudding because most people had the ingredients on hand and they were common staple items. History has it that Canadian women during the great depression came up with this dessert along with sugar cream pie because it’s low expense to make. Originally stale bread was used and placed on top of the hot brown sugar mixture. Over time it began being made with a basic batter and instead of brown sugar a combination of heavy cream and maple syrup was used.
I went by this recipe and made the classic brown sugar syrup. I appreciated the simplicity of the dessert and decided to top it with sliced up strawberries, yum! It reminded us of a strawberry shortcake. I highly recommend the dessert and can see myself making it in the future!
Next week we are traveling through Europe and Africa sampling soups, meat balls, and pastries to complete our first month! I hope you are enjoying this as much as we are 😄
Shockingly I have never had poutine before, but I sure am ready! Poutine is slang in Québec for mess. It dates back to the 1950s when it was first served in rural locations as a snack. Cheese curds were widely available due to the number of fromageries (cheese shop aka heaven) in there area. The creation was first thought to be made in Warwick from one customer’s request. At the time the request was thought to be odd and make for a messy snack, but it soon became popular. Gravy was not introduced until customers complained the cheesy/fry mix got cold too quickly. Hot gravy served as a way to prolong the warmth of the dish. Over time this savory dish has become a Québécois staple and can be found in fine dining to McDonald’s.
Unfortunately I could not get my hands on cheese curds which broke my heart as I can put down half a package in one sitting- no judgement. I read that mozzarella broken into chunks can be used as a substitution so that’s what I did. I went be this recipe except I used package gravy, oh well. I can certainly say now I will definitely have poutine again, but with crispier fries and actual cheese curds. The gravy naturally pairs well with the fries since mashed potatoes and gravy are a match in the US! We rated the dish an average of 6/10. I would rate it higher with the above changes.
Oh boy baked beans! Ian and I are lovers of baked beans and often eat them the most while camping. The are delicious, warm, and filling which are the perfect combination when fall camping in Maine. I have fond memories growing up of my Poppy making homemade baked beans for the family when we got together. Although I will not be using his recipe, I will be honoring the Canadian side of my family by giving this recipe a go.
Fèves au lard, or maple baked beans is a Québec classic. They originate from the Native American culture from harvesting wild beans that are indigenous to the region and using maple syrup to sweeten them. As settlers arrived they added their own twist on baked beans by substituting syrup with brown sugar or molasses. Today’s recipe incorporates all of the above ingredients. I paired the beans with hot dogs as we typically do on our camping trips or for an easy meal- it was so dang good! I additionally added bacon because why not?
I loved the flavor, but despite all my efforts I could not get the beans to the texture I desired. These babies have been in the crock pot over 8 hours with a few instances of it being on high. I also made extra sauce which still was not as thick as I had wanted. Since this recipe made so much we were able to drop some off at our friends with some extra hots dogs thrown in. We rated this recipe 6.5/10 mostly due to the texture, the beans were slightly more crunchy then what I would prefer. I hope you have better luck then me!
Soupe aux pois cassés or split pea soup is popular throughout Canada partially due to its ease to make and low cost. The origins of this soup are thought to have traveled overseas on Samuel de Champlain’s ship from France. Also aboard his ship was an ancestor of mine- Louis de Plourde de Plourdegais who was his surgeon-general. He accompanied Champlain as he established Saint Croix, Port Royal, and Québec before returning back to Nantes, France. (I am fortunate to have learned this from my Dad’s uncle who actually traveled to France to gather information on our ancestry!) Some of the ingredients for the soup were easily kept aboard the ship for long journeys.
As the first settlers were growing vegetables and raising pigs they discovered the beautiful pair of ham hock and peas. This hearty soup helped the settlers through freezing winters and was very nutritious. Over time this dish was especially loved by farmers as peas kept well and the other ingredients were very inexpensive.
The smell of cooking ham and vegetables filled the apartment as we sunk into the couch after a long day of work. Once the peas reached the desired texture, we dished it up with slices of baguette to dip into the nourishing concoction. Although it did not stand out like some of the other dishes, we still appreciated its’ taste and uncomplicated recipe (found here). If I was to make it again I would puree the soup. We rated this dish 5.5/10. Later on this week I will be serving up the third Canadian dish- Fèves au Lard (any guesses on what that might be?)
Bonjour and welcome to Canada! We will be spending one week in Canada making dishes that are not only popular in Canada, but more specifically Québec, Canada. Québec is one of thirteen providences/territories that make up Canada and the first to be founded by French settlers. The forests found here make up 20% of the country. Additionally 75% of the world’s maple syrup is made in this providence. Although my ancestry results were not too surprising, I was surprised I was not more French! My dad’s side of the family hails from Québec (going back a several generations) so in order to start off the week right I will be making my very own grandmother’s tourtière pie.
Château Frontenac, a famous landmark in Québec City. Source: TouristSecrets
With the help of my dad I was able to get her recipe which has been passed down in her family. I have had this savory pie several times before and I was very excited to make her recipe (minus the crust, sorry guys). I plan on saving my dad a piece so he can let me know if I did her recipe justice.
Tourtière, a meat pie that is often made around the holidays, can date back to the early 1600s. Québécois settlers first made this pie on special occasions such as holidays and would fill the pie with game meat such as moose, pheasant, or rabbit. The name tourtière is thought to have either come from the name of a pie pan which a meat pie is baked in or the French word tourte which is similar to a pigeon. The exact origin and how it got its’ name is often debated, but what we know for sure is it is well loved by it’s Québécois people -including myself!
I made a little cow and pig from the leftover dough 🙂
The aroma of spices filled the kitchen while the meat and onions simmered. It does take about 2 hours to complete, but it does not need your attention most of the time. It is good to check in and stir the meat to avoid sticking and break up clumps. I feel tourtière is one of those foods that tastes how it smells. You know it will have a mild warmth from the spices and savory rich flavor from the meat and potatoes! This was Ian’s first time having the pie and it is safe to say he is a fan! He rated it 7.5/10 while I rated it a little higher at 8.5/10- I’m partial! The recipe can be found at the bottom of the post, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Coming up next is a traditional soup that helped many farmers and settlers through the harsh Canadian winters. Stay tuned 🐷
