4The best food for dinner
Pâté chinois
Pâté chinois is another poor man’s food. It consists of potatoes, ground beef and onions and creamed corn. You layer the three main ingredients (cooked beef, corn, then mashed potatoes) and bake them until it is warm. This dish is very similar to the English cottage pie or shepherd’s pie. It is not a Chinese dish, but it may refer to the time when the Chinese Canadian railway cooks introduced it to the French Canadian workers. It’s a hearty meal most people make at home but you might be lucky enough to find a variation of this dish at one or two restaurants.
Tourtière
This meat pie dish is yet again another poor man’s dish. It is usually made with minced pork or beef, onions and various spices. You place the meat in a savoury pie and bake it in the oven. Quebecers usually have this during Christmas Time or at New Year’s but you can buy this meat pie anytime at the grocery store. The tourtière is most famous in the region of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and tourtière is often referred to as la tourtière du Lac-Saint-Jean.
Ragoût de boulettes
Ragoût de boulettes is another Christmas Time food and is also known as Ragoût de boulettes et de pattes de cochon. It is a pig’s feet and meatball stew with tons of spices, broth, and fat. It is real comfort food. If you don’t love stews you should try this one. The meat is tender and the sauce is very creamy. With a hint of cloves, you truly smell the Christmas spirit in this food.
5The best food for dessert
Pouding chômeur
Pouding chômeur literally translates to poor man’s pudding. This is another great sugar shack staple since it is made with maple syrup. It is very easy to make and tons of restaurant serve this delicious dessert any time of the year. The recipe is simple: you make a simple, white cake batter and pour the maple syrup and sugar mixture on top before putting it in the oven. You’ll get a scrumptious caramelized cake.
Tarte au sucre
Again, tarte au sucre (sugar pie) is a dessert you have at a sugar shack, during Thanksgiving or Christmas Time. But fear not, you can get this kind of pie pretty much any time of year. It is a must try, and if you buy a few cans of maple syrup and bring them back home, you can easily make this pie at home, wherever you’re from. Just imagine all the stomachs you will please if you cook some foods from Quebec…
Sucre à la crème
Sucre à la crème is similar to Scottish tablets, meaning it is made with sugar, condensed milk and butter but sucre à la crème is gooey. If you’ve never had a Scottish tablet, sucre à la crème can be compared to fudge since they have a similar texture. Quebecers make this during Christmas Time since it can be easily sent as a gift. You can find some in grocery stores or easily make it yourself if you want something fresher.
What are your favorite foods from Quebec? If you’re a foodie at heart, you should follow these French food blogs!
