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Post by lagatta on Dec 29, 2011 20:22:25 GMT
mich, why not make your own duck tourtière? If you are using farm-reared duck, it has enough fat not to add any other meat. If someone in your family hunted it, you might well want to add some ground/minced pork or something else a bit fatty.
My tourtière looked pretty much like yours, but my braiding was a bit different and since I used a quiche/tart pan (where the sides wrap around the bottom and the pie can be pushed out) it is deeper. I also did an egg wash to make it very shiny.
A funny - an English food shop did a Rudolf pâté and VIVA (a vegetarian organisation) campaigned against it. Here, of course, reindeer is caribou (it is the same animal) and an important food item in the Far North. There are definitely caribou tourtières - I can buy them at the Jean-Talon market. Caribou is delicious but it is very low in fat so one needs some kind of added fat for such a dish.
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Post by mich64 on Dec 29, 2011 20:42:07 GMT
:)I cook Lagatta, but I am not a baker. The pie crust my mother and mother-in-law makes is outstanding and when you have tasted something that good, I know that I just do not have the talent for it. Plus, my mom's make it to easy for me, they happily make me extras. I admit to it, I am rather spoiled. I would definitely use caribou if available as well, I am quite a carnivore.  Cheers, Mich |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2011 20:45:30 GMT
This is all quite similar, sort of, to my grandmother's famous pâté en croûte. It was a square tourte of veal and pork marinated in white wine with some onions and other vegetable bits -- served hot straight out of the oven unlike most pâtés en croûte which are served cold. It tasted divine and the aroma was even better.
I have only tried to make it myself a few times but have not succeeded in replicating the recipe yet.
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Post by lagatta on Dec 29, 2011 22:07:05 GMT
Yes, that is very similar indeed. I am more used to the classic pâtés en croûte being served cold or tepid. And here, they are usually in a long terrine dish.
I'm not so great at pie crust either, mich. The crust on my duck tourtière is delicious, but a section of the upright portion stuck to the tart/quiche pan and had to be stuck together. I'm not taking that bit chez les amis as I have a reputation to uphold! Since I almost never eat sugar, and there isn't really much point in my making bread so close to Jean-Talon market and thereabouts where there are all kinds of breads - not just French, but also Polish, Middle-Eastern and Maghrebi, Italian of course - I don't bake enough to keep my skills up to par.
In a famous interview by someone hired by a government ministry to improve nutrition in the Far North, among Inuit, northern Crees, Naskapi, Dene etc an Inuit elder described "healthy food" as "food with blood in it". Which is very true up there, as there is very little decent vegetable, even frozen, and most of the food shipped up from the "south" is utter crap.
I'm really an omnivore. I eat a lot of vegetables, usually fairly modest portions of meat/poultry/fish, but I need the latter, in moderation. I don't digest legumes well enough to make them my main protein source.
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Post by lagatta on Dec 1, 2012 18:48:00 GMT
I'm starting this thread up again (it contains great food pron) instead of a new one, but want to expand the topic to include any special meals over the year's end holidays period, whether Christmas, New Year's, Chanukah, "Festivus" or whatever.
Traditionally, the largest celebratory meals here were at New Year's.
You already known I've made duck tourtières again. Nothing else planned this far in advance, except that I do buy frozen seafood items when they are on sale, as they always are, this time of year.
I am hoping I won't have to eat any roast turkey, as I don't like it very much, but that is a piddling worry after all if it is to see friends, and there is always more than enough other stuff!
Sadly, there are some comments by hwinpp on this thread, so we'll have to remember him here.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2012 18:51:57 GMT
Thanks for resurrecting this thread, Lagatta. It is indeed time to start thinking about special holiday meals and -- I hope -- certain things that are a bit more original than the supposedly imposed traditions.
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Post by bjd on Dec 1, 2012 19:36:20 GMT
I made 5 jars of foie gras last week, but it's not particularly for Christmas. It's just when it's easiest to find the livers.
Lagatta, what is "Festivus"?
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Post by lagatta on Dec 1, 2012 21:31:28 GMT
Festivus is more a joke than anything else, a "generic" Solstice-season holiday. It became widely known through the TV comedy Seinfeld; no, I've never seen the episode, it is just a thing one hears about on the interenet: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FestivusI don't even find that funny (and the food looks horrible) but it can be a humorous reference to a year's end holiday celebration with no religious overtones or gift-giving obligations. In France, of course, that would be utterly superfluous as any Christmas dinners and parties I've attended there have been purely secular, and secular Muslims and Jews have certainly taken part. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2012 22:21:13 GMT
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Post by lagatta on Dec 1, 2012 22:51:32 GMT
Of course, Muslims, observant or not, had nothing whatsoever to do with this innovation. I really don't care one way or the other about what they put up in la Grande Place, but the commenters are rather scary. Why on earth shouldn't there be couscous and tagines at a Christmas Market? I'd like to see Asian foods as well, what the hell, these are part of what people eat in Belgium, France and neighbouring countries.
True Muslim fundamentalists would avoid a street fair where there is beer, mulled wine and porky sausages...
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Post by mich64 on Dec 1, 2012 22:59:33 GMT
Glad to see this thread again! This year we will again visit our cousins home on Christmas Eve but Christmas dinner will be at my parents home.
Next week I am spending a day with my mom to learn how to make her butter tarts. As I have noted, I am not a baker but eager to learn this one dessert as they are my husbands favorite. Not a traditional item that people think of for Christmas, but it is for us. It will certainly be an experience!
Many posts lately have had me thinking of hwinpp...
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Post by lagatta on Dec 1, 2012 23:32:34 GMT
Mich, whatever people eat at Christmas/New Year's and the days around them are the traditional foods. It is good to pass along hands-on baking knowledge. Yes, a lot of these posts make me think of hwinpp, and I have a couple of other sudden deaths on other boards I've been on for even longer. (Lonely Planet members will remember Ben Haines - we chatted a lot online and I was hoping to go meet him some day in London and have a pint or a pot of tea). Not directly related to Christmas dinner, but about enjoying Christmas cheer responsibly, Nez Rouge was a Québec initiative that has spread to other parts of Canada (not only francophone ones such as Acadia and eastern/northern Ontario) and to many other countries. It really brought town drunk driving and other forms of "driving while impaired", while NOT MORALIZING. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opération_Nez_rougeHas already started this year: www.montrealgazette.com/news/Rouge+busy+first+night/7639223/story.html Some office Christmas parties are absurdly early! |
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Post by mich64 on Dec 2, 2012 20:47:41 GMT
We will be utilizing Operation Red Nose when we attend our Christmas Party for the Fire Department in a few weeks. It is the perfect solution Lagatta, a fantastic idea by the creators of this program.
Looking forward to making butter tarts with my mom this week!
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Post by lagatta on Dec 3, 2012 23:40:02 GMT
Yes, and it also raises money for charity - originally for the Laval University swim team, and still for spot, but for many other charities was well.
Mich, the handsome firemen were out in force today! I was riding my bicycle to run some errands, as the weather was mild, and there were firefighters all along rue St-Hubert (a shopping street) - I say firemen as I only saw men this time, but there was a female firefighter last time. They are raising money for Christmas baskets.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Dec 4, 2012 9:16:36 GMT
I'm working over the festive period (AGAIN! *sigh*) so have decided to cook a festive meal on 15th (next Saturday). My sons and DiL will be here so I will probably cook a turkey crown with all the trimmings. I like the dark meat but nobody else in the family does...and I have to make a vegetarian option for my DiL.
On December 25th my OH will collect me at the end of my shift, he will cook us up egg and chips with bread and butter...which is our default xmas dinner when I'm working.
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Post by onlymark on Dec 4, 2012 9:25:11 GMT
When I was single it was the default action that I worked Christmas Day. All the married people had first choice as to having the day off.
CPB, the 15th is my wedding anniversary and we're looking for somewhere different to go out for a meal - so if we all (plus kids) hop on a plane we'll come round to your house, ok?
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Post by htmb on Dec 4, 2012 11:21:25 GMT
The 15th is a celebratory day for us, too. It's my twin sons' birthday. Sounds like a great day to have your feast CPB.
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Post by tod2 on Dec 4, 2012 18:28:05 GMT
STOP the presses!! Mark, we will be joining you in a 42nd wedding anniversary on Dec 15th! Ha! thought you were going it alone did ya?! C'mon , spill the beans....how many years for you two?
I have already ordered my crayfish for this year's barbecue. It is so easy and so awesomely delicious that, to hell with the price, we want crayfish! we want crayfish!
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Post by onlymark on Dec 4, 2012 18:56:26 GMT
Only 12 years tod. Relatively few in comparison.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Dec 4, 2012 19:51:19 GMT
Most welcome I'm sure..... ;D
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Post by mich64 on Dec 5, 2012 17:01:59 GMT
Enjoy Cheery! My husband is off this year but next year he works the 24th, 25th and 26th, *sigh* so I understand having to make other arrangements due to work schedules. You will make it special and all will be happy to be together no matter what the date is.
Congratulations Mark on your upcoming 12th Wedding Anniversary! I hope you find a terrific place for your meal out.
Tod, crayfish on the barbecue sounds delicious. I have seen your posts of pictures and they look scrumptious!
Here to Lagatta, the Firefighters do a lot of fundraising work for Christmas baskets. They also host a Concert series where children from the elementary schools sing carols, the money from the admission tickets goes to the Santa Fund to help pay for the baskets and they also ask people to bring along a food item to put in the Food Bank Bin. The Concerts sell out every night during the series. The kids love performing and it has become a tradition now, I think this year they celebrate 25 years of Concerts.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 5, 2012 18:14:52 GMT
I'm going to Puebla for Christmas ~~ smile, smile, smile!
Who knows what I'll get to eat that day, but I'll be sure to report back.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2012 18:49:38 GMT
And I bought a recipe magazine for the first time in my life with "super easy festive recipes that will amaze your guests!" I have been reading it on the toilet and there is some really cool stuff.
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Post by htmb on Dec 5, 2012 20:19:04 GMT
Well, there's a visual.  |
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Post by lagatta on Dec 5, 2012 21:32:53 GMT
Holy Crap, it's Christmas!
Yep, starting tomorrow Fumoir La fée des grèves smoked salmon "fumé au bois d'érable et d'arbres fruitiers", goes the blurb, is half price. Frozen. Will pick up a couple of 300g packages. Despite being frozen, it is actually very good.
Except for cheeses and wine, that and the tourtières are the main things I'm contributing to holiday victuals. Though I may also make a paella - some friends expect that. And of course some dips and stuff.
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Post by htmb on Dec 5, 2012 21:39:22 GMT
My father would often bring fresh stone crab claws for Christmas and they were delicious. I would love to have some this year, so will need to do some research.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2012 21:57:46 GMT
I see scallops in my future.
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Post by rikita on Dec 7, 2012 11:03:00 GMT
this year i will spend christmas eve at my dad's and christmas day at my mom's. i hope one of them makes duck... usually we have duck, goose, or something similar at least one day in the christmas time, with red cabbage, potatoes and ohter things... my grandma is convinced that potato salad and sausages are the right thing for christmas eve though - big meal is more for christmas day - thing is, i don't like potato salad nor sausages... my dad often makes this beet salad for christmas, another thing i don't like that much but eat some of it. Only christmas meal i took a photo of is a ham my dad had one year for christmas, though:  |
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Post by htmb on Dec 7, 2012 11:33:09 GMT
What a great picture, rikita!
We are always very busy on Christmas eve night, so for years I've cooked chili for dinner. I usually make two different versions. One is mostly meat, beef and ground pork sausage. The other has no meat, but is made with beans, onions and bell peppers. I include things on the side such as rice, brown and white, crackers, and corn bread.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2012 11:49:36 GMT
You look like your dad.
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