Food From Afar – Quebec

After an almost 7 hour drive straight north on I-91, we arrived in Quebec. The primarily French speaking Canadian city felt European with cobblestone streets, narrow and winding. It was Saturday night and snow was softly falling, a perfect way to begin our weekend of the Winter Carnival and Ice Hotel.

                We wandered Sean Jean St, heavily populated in the early evening. The European influence showing itself as restaurants seems in full swing around 8pm. We followed our noses to a bakery/sandwich shop, Paillard. Croissant and baguette were highlighted behind a glass case in the front window. The smell of freshly baked bread wafted as we opened the door, calling to our travel weary stomachs. White-clad bakers took our order in French accents as we sat down to warm sandwiches. My pork- layered creation came with a carrot balsamic slaw and pickle relish, its acidity and mild spiciness reminiscent of a giardiniera. The bread crunched as I bit in, succulent pork and toasty bread melting into a mélange of flavors.

                The next day was filled with the Winter Carnival. Ice sculptures, snow carving, and winter sports were all on display in the central city park. Bon-Homme, the festival’s effigy, was seen in every shop window, his tilted smile and wink greeting all. After a day of wandering the snowy streets, we settled in to a prix fix dinner at Aux Anciens Canadiens, a traditional Canadian restaurant. The interior was softly lit with the feel of an old log cabin. I ordered a wapiti (elk) sausage that came atop a bowl of maple-infused baked beans. The grilled meat was softly sweet and smooth in texture, its casing pliant rather than popping. London ordered the meat pie, the buttery and flaky crust encasing a mixture of ground meats. Again, they were soft in texture, no gristle or extraneous bits. Dessert was a pair of maple confections, a mud pie and bread pudding. Both rich and dense, the dark sweetness of the maple was tempered by the fat of the crème anglaise poured over pudding and the whipped crème on the mud pie.