Québec’s Gourmet Routes
Listen up, Road Trips Foodies: if you haven’t wandered the highways and byways of the Canadian province of Québec, you’ve missed some of the best eating opportunities in North America. Now’s the time to begin planning your summer driving, and a good place to start is The Gourmet Route. This collection of websites from the Conseil de l’agriculture et de l’agroalimentaire pour le dévelopement de la région de Québec (CAADRQ) outlines interesting routes and talks about the food artisans you’ll encounter along the way. While gardeners are poring over their seed catalogues for 2010 planting, you can pore over your travel plans!
There’s also a recipe section on the site, but it must still be “under construction”. Many of the recipes have yet to be posted (they are à venir), and most of those already up are available only en français. Here, however, is one in English!
Le Paillasson with Maple Caramelized Apples
Serves 4
2 cheeses, Le Paillasson
2 medium apples
2 tbsp (30 g) butter
4 c. soupe (60 ml) maple syrup
Mesclun (mixed salad greens)
Baguette bread
1. Prepare the mesclun and put in individual plates.
2. Wash the apples and cut them into quarters, leaving them unpeeled.
3. On medium-low heat, melt the butter in a pan and cook apples and heat soften.
4. When they are tender, pour maple syrup over the apples and heat thoroughly.
5. At the same time, brown the cheeses in a non-stick pan over medium low heat, without adding any fat (about 2 minutes each side, until the heat reaches the center of the cheese).
6. Cut the hot* cheese into quarters and plate with mesclun and maple caramelized apples.
7. Place some baguette slices on the plates and serve.
*Le Paillasson must be serve hot; if it has cooled, it can be reheated in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.
NOTE: Le Paillasson is a traditional québecois cheese, not a carpet or doormat (as it would be in France).