Month: February 2011

Mad for macarons

Posted on by Pat and David
Montrealers have come to rival Parisians in their passion for macarons. Slowly but surely, pastry chefs all over the city have learned the techniques of making fabulous macarons – those delicate meringue sandwiches that bear only the slightest relation to the much cruder coconut-based American macaroon. The leading macaron boutique for our money is Point G (1266 avenue Mont-Royal est; 514-750-7515; www.boutiquepointg.com). The name refers to ''Glaces et Gourmandises,'' or ice cream and small pastries. In practice that means some fabulous artisanal ices (including a foie gras ice cream to take home and dollop on steamed asparagus), and close to two dozen inventive flavors of macarons, including lavender-blueberry, roasted pistachio, orange blossom, crème brûlée, lime-basil, and chocolate-hazelnut. The shop even has clear-plastic containers fitted to...Read More

Pouding chômeur – dessert on a shoestring

Posted on by Pat and David
One Quebecois comfort food that doesn't seem to have crossed over into fine dining is the very old-fashioned cake and syrup dessert known as pouding chômeur. It translates literally as ''the jobless person's pudding,'' although most English versions of the recipe call it ''Poor Man's Pudding.'' (Anglophone Montrealers call it pouding chômeur.) Either way, the original version is real Depression food, with a cake that's like a butter-deprived biscuit dough and a brown sugar syrup. But as pouding chômeur makes its comeback on luncheonette menus, the cake is often more buttery and the syrup is maple. This recipe brings together some of the best we've tasted. The vinegar in the syrup curdles the cream, giving the syrup an instantly thicker texture. POUDING CHÔMEUR Serves 6...Read More