Bonjour Quebec City

For some reason, I've never associated Quebec City with good food. Montreal, no doubt about it but never its neighbour up north. This trip changed everything.

Our first day there, we heard about this bistro/wine bar called Le Moine Echanson in Rue Saint-Jean so off we went.

The menu/wine list is on a blackboard covering one wall but when you sit down, they bring a mini-menu board to you! How cute! We ordered the house terrine, which came with huge crusty pieces of bread (yum!), mustard and pickles. Decadent, luxurious, delicious.

Coming from Toronto, I was dying for some good seafood so when I saw the Beignets de morue (aka cod fritters), I had to have them. Sitting on creamy onion mayonnaise, these were surprisingly light and tangy but, unfortunately, I've had better in Portugal. Good try though. Oh one thing I should definitely mention is that these guys are known for their wine. Ours were recommended. Mine tasted like horse and Al's was uninspiring. That is all.

Moving on to mains, we ordered the pork cheek cassoulet and the lamb meatballs. I'm such a meatball fan and this did not disappoint; soaked in tomato sauce, it was hearty and light at the same time - is that possible? Guess, it is now. Also, we got plenty of bread so we mopped all that sauce up. The pork cheek cassoulet was alright - a bit bland for my taste. But look at those awesome mini cast iron pans!

I will say that as this place got packed through the night, it was VERY hard to get the wait staff's attention so perhaps go early or don't make plans to go anywhere after!

One thing I noticed in Quebec City is that their patisseries are not very inviting, which is weird. Either they are dingy takeways, don't have much seating and are just boring looking. Except, for Paillard in the old city. It's a bright, cheerful little place with absolutely tempting pastries and sandwiches/soups. If I were 2 feet shorter, I would definitely be the one pressing my face against the glass display. We cozied up with a chocolate croissant and a brioche with a hint of vanilla. The chocolate croissant was perfectly flaky with with the right amount of dark chocolate. The brioche was so soft and delicate that it just melted in my mouth.

Another foodie go-to was the Marche du Vieux-Port (farmers market). Think St. Lawrence market, only on a smaller scale with Quebecois cuisine - tourtieres, salmon quiches and lamb and duck confit rolls (see photo below). They also have a few wineries selling their wares, chocolates and frozen goods.

I would be remiss not to mention J.A. Moisan: the oldest grocery store in North America - founded in 1871. Stepping into the store is like stepping back in time - chockablock with wine, pre-made goods, oils, breads and the kitchen sink. Seriously, this store has everything. 

If you plan on going to the Chateau Frontenac, the high tea is a must. You not only get to a) EAT, you also have b) a great view in c) a gorgeous space. We've had high tea at the Fairmont in Toronto and I must say that this was so much better. The scones were unbelievable, served alongside Devonshire cream, blueberry jam and an orange marmalade. Sadly only two scones were served...again TWO. I mean c'mon, throw us at least one more to fight over. The sandwiches were open faced and were a sight for sore eyes; the desserts were primarily maple focused and were a good mix of heavy and lighter offerings. The Battenburg cake was nothing short of delightful.

Next up, the best burger I've had to date and the most unassumingly awesome restaurant in Quebec City.

Open House

I've always liked the idea of a housewarming open house - people dropping by throughout the day to check out your new digs while enjoying some food and drink; sounds great, right? It's also a fantastic opportunity to catch up with people you haven't seen in a while and, since people usually drop by for a short time, you don't need to tell that one annoying friend to scram....I'm kidding, I would never do that...okay I would politely do that. But open houses avoid that awkwardness altogether! Hurray! For some reason I've never thrown an open house until now - my 3rd condo move. First off, it's A LOT of prep work and, since people drop in throughout the day, you are constantly entertaining. But, it's also fun and you have leftovers! Here are some of the dishes we put out: first up, guacamole. We threw in some feta and peppers for texture and an extra bite, and it's also a great vegetarian option.

Another one for the veggie lovers are gougeres. These little cheese puffs are great for kids as well and are surprisingly easy to make (see recipe below). Sticking with the vegetarian theme, we also made some pimiento tarts. The hardest part was broiling the red peppers! Since these were mini tarts, we only used 2 red peppers although the recipe called for 4.

Gougeres recipe:

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
4 oz butter
Salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs
1 cup of shredded Gruyere cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 tsp ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a saucepan, combine water, milk, butter and salt and bring to a boil. Add flour and stir until a dough forms. Keep stirring till the dough pulls away from the saucepan.

Let the dough cool for 2 minutes and beat eggs in (one at a time). Let 1 egg incorporate fully before adding the next one. Add the cheese and pepper.

Transfer the dough into a pastry bag with a round tip. Pipe tablespoon-size mounds, sprinkle with cheese and bake for 22 min until golden brown.

Now, on to some meat! We found this awesome cut of lamb at the grocery store so we made some open-faced lamb sandwiches with grainy mustard and arugula topped with a sour cream aioli.

For beef lovers, we made a veal/beef kebab with a spicy chilli dipping sauce and a sour cream dip.

To balance the savoury, we also put out an apple pie made with Ontario Paula Red apples and a lemon curd cheesecake. I wouldn't use Paula Red's in my pie again since they got a bit mushy and applesaucy but the flavour was certainly there. The lemon curd cheesecake was fresh and refreshing, especially after all the meat dishes. One note here is that you have to keep pulling the cheesecakes in and out the fridge but it's not a big deal if your fridge and dining room are in the same area, as ours are.

Finally, make sure you have an assortment of drinks. We had some orange juice for the early arrivers, wine (red and white), beer and water. You can also keep pulling out different items at different times of the day - we didn't pull out our lasagna till the afternoon. Finally, here's a morning shot of our table. Hope this gives you some inspiration for your open houses. Happy Housewarming!