Cabane À Sucre: A Pictorial (and Gastronomic) Essay

After being on the waiting list for FOUR YEARS, some friends finally won Au Pied de Cochon's reservation lottery and got us into the Cabane à Sucre in St-Benoît de Mirabel, Quebec. And BOY, was it worth the wait! In fact, they are now doing an apple season menu in the fall, and I am on the waiting list to try to get us in for that. In the meantime, please enjoy our gluttonous experience vicariously through the following mouthwatering and nearly-edible photographs...

The GINORMOUS smoker out front in which they were cooking hams, among other good things.

 The Cabane à Sucre.

 Around back of the cabane.

 The front porch.

A packed house! (They sell out almost immediately after opening the reservations system in December.) And we could catch glimpses of famed Chef Martin Picard through the kitchen window in the back! 

 The cash register and other maple products for sale.

If you peek through these windows, you'll see the sugaring equipment. (It's a real sugar shack!)

Our dining crew (clockwise from left): Domenica, Cyd, Jaime, and Matthew (props to Jaime for scoring the reservation!)

Bread bowl filled with foie gras and oreilles de crisse (housemade pork rinds), served with maple baked beans and scrambled eggs cooked in maple syrup.

 
Sushi terrine with flaky pastry on the bottom, sushi rice, avocado, gelatin, and salmon tartare decorated with edible gold leaf.

 
Sturgeon quenelles in a sauce with mussels.

 
MAPLE DAIQUIRI! (Like sugar on snow for grown-ups!)

Omelette souffle on top of beef tripe and housemade chorizo in a spicy tomato sauce with these heavenly garlic croutons on top.

 
Wild creatures crawling around the ceiling beams!

The hams are cooked in the big smokers out front on a bed of hay...like the bedding the pigs would sleep on...for authenticity? (LOL!) 

Carving the ham tableside so that it stays moist.

BEST ham I've ever had! And it was extra-delicious with their housemade spicy maple mustard!

Baked sweet potatoes with spiced, fluffy marshmallow topping.

Squid ink pasta with cheese and crispy hunks of blood sausage drizzled with a spicy chili sauce.

We thought this was the best dish of all: Duck stuffed with its own entrails or some such delicious horror and flambéed at the table, served with a spicy red pepper sauce.

Light and crispy little cornmeal pancakes drenched in maple syrup...they tasted like upscale French toast sticks (tee hee).

They tossed the squid ink pasta inside a huge block of cheese tableside, scraping up bits of cheese as they went. YUM!

Coffee-infused mocha mousse cake, not unlike opera cake.

Left: Maple frozen yogurt doused in rum and sprinkled with maple candy bits
Right: Sugar on snow (naturally!)

Banana cream tarte with meringue (on the flakiest pastry in the world).

 Cyd enjoys a Lilliputian jar of espresso after our amazing meal.

Hibernating for the rest of the Memorial Weekend....

2012-2013 was a very difficult academic year with much inner political upheaval, shall we say, at our institution. As usual, I taught full-time at the community college and part-time at the state university, so seven classes a semester plus a few extra-curriculars made Gina a very busy gal, and a very tired one by the end of the spring term and the academic year. Moreover, they are repairing the heating system in the main building over the summer, so I had exactly one day after the semester ended to finish all of my final grades, make syllabi for the summer sessions, and purge thirteen years' worth of crap in my office and get everything packed up before leaving for the annual SUNY technology conference in Utica for a few days.

If that weren't enough, I have been rocking a particularly vicious sinus infection for about three weeks that I am just now getting over. And as I blogged about yesterday, right on the heels of my conference, we had a day in Montreal planned to reconnect with some good friends who were passing through on their way to Quebec City, and we didn't get home until late last night.

Given all of these conditions, plus unseasonably cold, rainy, and windy weather, Cyd and I plan to relax by the fire, clearing out the dvr and watching dvd's, and napping alongside three snoring dogs until Tuesday when we are contractually compelled to return to work. So today, we stay home and recuperate, but tonight, we pay homage to our cosmopolitan neighbor to the north, Montreal, with a supper of Croque Madame and Croque Monsieur (the Madame has the egg on top, naturellement). And though I cannot source tamarind in my provincial little town to be able to replicate the Itacate house margarita, I have fashioned a tangy and refreshing ruby red grapefruit margarita that hits the same sweet and sour notes. C'est si bon!

Croque Monsieur and Madame
(Source: adapted from Gourmet, March 2007)

First you have to make a béchamel:
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter until it foams, then whisk in five tablespoons of flour and cook for a minute or two, whisking the whole time. Slowly pour in two cups of milk and cook until thick, whisking constantly.

Remove from heat and grate in some fresh nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon, or to taste), 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and about 1/4 cup finely shredded gruyere or emmenthal cheese (or your favorite aged, Alpine-type cheese).

 

Take one piece of bread and spread a goodly amount of the sauce on top (about 3 T?). Then sprinkle on another tablespoon of shredded cheese, a couple of pieces of ham, and another tablespoon of shredded cheese. Spread the top slice with a very thin layer of Dijon mustard, then top the sandwich. Brown the sandwich on both sides in a buttered skillet until golden. Top each sandwich with another few spoonfuls of the bechamel and broil for a couple of minutes in the oven until the sauce gets brown and bubbly. For Croque Madame, top with a fried egg.

Garnish with fresh chives if you've got 'em! YUM!

 

Ruby Red Grapefruit Margarita

 

1 cup ruby red grapefruit juice (I used "light")
1/4 cup frozen orange (or better yet, orange-pineapple) juice concentrate
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 cup tequila of choice (I use Sauza silver)
2 tablespoons triple sec (or Cointreau or Grand Marnier if you're fancy)

ice to just BELOW the fill line of the Margaritaville blender (about 4 cups?)

lime wedge garnish for each glass (=three 16 oz. glasses)
rim each glass lightly with salt if you prefer

The Bakerina Lives!

One of my main inspirations for starting this blog was a fine writer and wonderfully talented foodie, Jen McAllister, who had a blog called Prepare to Meet Your Bakerina. I stumbled upon her site when I was searching for a particular bakery to visit in NYC, and she had posted the unfortunate news of the establishment's demise. But she hooked me in with her witty prose and excellent recipes.

However, at some point, the rent became too high in NYC, and the Bakerina became disenchanted with her job, and decided to enter law school in California. As might imagine, law school leaves little time for blogging, so she has been sadly absent from her web site for some years now. But imagine my joy when I reconnected with her on Facebook! And as always, she inspires me to make delicious baked goods.

Most recently, the Bakerina discussed a ham, cheese and olive quick bread that she made from the legendary boulanger Lionel Poilane's book, Faire Son Pain, that other than being a little too salty, she said was among the best things she's ever made. I did an internet search, but I couldn't find that exact recipe (even in French).

However, I did find one by Dorie Greenspan that Jen confirmed was very close, except that Dorie substitutes milk for the wine in the Poilane recipe. As I am always drowning in milk due to my cow share, that was fine by me. And the loaf turned out marvelously well--a perfect luncheon item with a simple salad on the side. How elegant, sophisticated and perfectly Parisian! OOH LA LA!

Ham, Cheese, and Olive Loaf

(Source: adapted from Brown Eyed Baker and Serious Eats)

 

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 scant tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

4 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup whole milk

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 lb. ham, small dice (about 1/2 cup)

1 packed cup coarsely grated cheese, plus 1/2 cup diced cheese (cheddar, Emmenthal, and/or Gruyere are all appropriate choices for this)

1/3 cup each (=2/3 cup total) pitted green and black olives, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rings (or chopped is fine, too)

Preheat the oven to 400F and grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan (or use flour-added cooking spray). Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. In another bowl lightly beat the eggs then whisk in the milk, olive oil and ham. Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine. Use a spatula to fold in the cheese and olives.

Pour into the pan and bake on the center rack for ten minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F and continue to bake for 45-50 minutes more, until puffed, golden and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let rest on a rack for five minutes before turning it out. Let cool for at least ten minutes before cutting.

 

 

Coq au Riesling (You do, and you'll clean it up!)

Ok, I have a terrific recipe for you today that is cozy and comforting, but elegant enough to prepare for company. It's from a show on the Cooking Channel called French Food at Home, and it's a twist on Coq au Vin, which is traditionally made with red wine. But this is Coq au Riesling, made with the sweet white wine and creme fraiche which creates this luscious, tangy sauce with which to smother browned chicken and mushrooms. I served it on top of some of the carrot-squash penne that I had left over from making macaroni and cheese the other night, but I think it would be super-delicious with a wild rice pilaf or some such. It's so rich and flavorful, and this is such an EASY recipe, even for a weeknight! What's not to love?

Creamy Coq au Riesling
(Source: Laura Calder, The Cooking Channel)

6 chicken legs, split at the joint or a 3-pound whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (I used 8 thighs)
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon each butter and olive oil (or 2 tablespoons goose fat), plus more butter for frying
4 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Cognac
1 cup dry Riesling
1/2 cup chicken stock
8 ounces mushrooms, quartered (I used a whole pound)
1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
chopped fresh parsley or tarragon, for garnish (definitely use tarragon, stirred right into the sauce)

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the fat in a saute pan and brown the chicken on all sides, working in batches. When all the chicken is browned, remove it to a plate and add the shallots and garlic to the pan for 1 minute. Pour in the Cognac to deglaze. Put the chicken back in the pan. Pour in the wine and stock, cover and cook until the chicken is tender, about 20 minutes, turning once.*

Meanwhile, melt a little butter in a frying pan and cook the mushrooms until golden. When the chicken is cooked, remove it to a serving platter and keep warm. Boil the cooking liquid down to sauce consistency. Stir in the creme fraiche, mushrooms, and tarragon. When hot, taste and correct the seasonings. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

*Tip: When the chicken is very close to done, remove it from the pot, place it on a lined baking sheet, and pop it in the oven while you brown the mushrooms and make the sauce. This gives a chance for the chicken skin to crisp back up, because flabby chicken skin is not good eats!