One Whole Clove

Beignets

[Beigne]

What exactly is the affiliation between the city of New Orleans and the province of Quebec?  Recently in a electronic exchange between myself and a fellow blogger, I depicted the history of French Canada, the Acadians to the first French settlers in Quebec.  In excerpts from "Canada and Our Country" by Aileen Garland, I managed to amass some of the highlights which pertain to these first French settlements and their eventual migration to the south:

Quebec and it's Relation to Louisiana:

"In 1667 the land on which Lachine, Quebec now stands was granted to a young man from Normandy, named René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle [let's call him La Salle].  For two or three years he lived on his seigniory [estate of power], before he became discontented with the uneventful life of a fur trader.

He wanted fame and glory.  He dreamed of discovering the Western passage to China.  People seemed amused at his idea of trying to find a route to China.  In their amusement they named his seigniory "China" [Lachine].  [Sadly] It was the only China he would ever see.

Neither in 1669 nor later did La Salle discover the route to China. But in the remaining years of his short life he did several things almost as important."

Among his many accomplishments, his most notable effort could very well be the fact that he was the first European "to explore the Mississippi to its mouth and lead the way for those who later founded the French colony of Louisiana.   He claimed the land for France and named it Louisiana in honour of Louis XIV.

New France would  no longer be a small colony on the banks of the St . Lawrence.  It would become a great empire stretching from the Gulf of the St. Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico, the ruling power of the new continent."

After La Salle's unfortunate murder by one of his own men,  "a French colony, Louisiana, was established at the mouth of the Mississippi. La Salle had no part in these achievements.  Louisiana was his memorial.

Not long after La Salle died, Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville and his brother, Bienville, established a settlement at Biloxi.  Later, when Bienville was governor, he moved his headquarters and named it New Orleans.  The settlement gave the French control over the lower Mississippi valley and was an important part of the French dream of the great French empire in America."

New Brunswick's Acadians and It's Relation to Louisiana:

The Acadians hail from the east, the province of New Brunswick, Canada mainly.  "When [English] Governor Lawrence demanded that the settlers take an oath of allegiance to Britain, they did not obey his command, hoping the French would return to rule over them. 

The French settlers were summoned to the settlements [at New Brunswick] and told they must leave the country.  Over 6,000 were herded into ships by the British soldiers.  The unhappy Acadians were not taken to  settlements at Quebec or Cape Breton [Nova Scotia] for that would have strengthened those colonies.  Some of them joined the settlements [as mentioned above and founded by La Salle] at the mouth of the Mississippi."

"In 1803, when Thomas Jefferson was president, the United States bought Louisiana from France for fifteen million dollars."

Beignets and their Relation to Louisiana:

Firstly , in consulting the culinary bible, Larousse Gastronomique, "the south still bears the mark of the French colonial occupation of Louisiana, as shown in the range of regional pastry."

Doughnuts are defined as , "a traditional patisserie of Quebec prepared from leavened dough (flour, eggs, milk and butter), often made in the shape of a ring, and deep-fried.  It is eaten hot or at room temperature, plain or sprinkled with caster (superfine) sugar.  The French term Beigne also describes the doughnut topped with icing sugar (frosting), and made commerically, which is a fast food item in North America."

From here the details become a little "sticky", some say it was the French Acadians from Nova Scotia who first introduced the sweet confection to the south.  Other sources give credit to the Ursuline nuns of France.

My Memère (maternal grandmother) was the first to introduce beignets to the sugar hungry days of my youth.   I have never attempted her recipe as of yet.  However, I am in the motions of tracking it down for my own fulfillment.  Stay tuned for the recipe...

Pâté Chinois

From what I can gather amongst my clutter of Gourmet cut-outs and slim volumes of cookbooks, the Chinese, traditionally, are not big on baked pies.  Even upon my frequent visits to Chinatown, I have yet to witness a lemon meringue cooling on a sill.

Strolling along the slim aisles of crowded Asian markets I stop to visit the fruits and vegetables, many still unrecognizable despite my Thai friend, in tow, patiently reciting the names.  In all my awe and fascination,  I have yet to come across a Yukon Gold. 

All this to say, I have never been to Scotland, but from what I can amass, the foundation of a Shepard's pie is that of mutton or lamb and mashed potato.  Clearly the brand defines the product.  Throughout most of the U.K. the pie changes base meats causing understandable alternations to name.  Cottage and fireside have been uttered to discern identity and the like.  So far so good. 

Perplexing as a Chinese puzzle, lost in translation and jettisoned a thousand or so miles far across the many provinces and the vast Pacific, this meat and potatoes casserole found a pseudonym in French Canada.  That of Chinese Pie (Pâte Chinois).  I will leave it at that until such a time I am privy to the origin of such an extraneous credit.

[Hachis Parmentier À L' Ail Rôti et Oignons Verts]

The recipe featured in L'Orée du Bois & Formidérable for Shepard's Pie with Roasted Garlic and Green Onions proves literal in description.  Hachis translates to minced or hashed, a culinary term for forcemeat.  Parmentier means potato.  Quite simple just as this quick and easy meal was meant to be.

Update: Check out this link to find out one of the urban legends explaining the origin of this famous French Canadain dish.

Hachis Parmentier A L'Ail Roti et Oignons Verts/Shepard's Pie with Roasted Garlic and Green Onions

Helpful hint before we begin: 1 fluid ounce = 25 mililiters, 25 grams = 1 ounce

Meat
15 ml olive oil
300 g chopped onion
600 g lean ground pork
30 g chopped garlic
200 ml white wine
5 ml dried thyme
3 ml dried crushed rosemary
1 bay leaf

Mashed Potato Mix
700 g peeled potatoes
75 g peeled garlic cloves
50 ml olive oil
150 ml milk
6 finely sliced green onions
20 g Parmesan cheese

Meat
Lightly brown the onion in a saucepan.  Add the ground pork and cook until meat has no trace of pink.  Add the wine, garlic, thyme and bay leaf and cook thoroughly over medium heat.

Mashed Potato Mix
Heat the olive oil and add the garlic cloves.  Cook gently until the cloves are tender.  Purée the garlic and oil together in a blender.  In another pot boil the potatoes in salted water.  When done mash them together with the garlic purée, milk and green onions.  Set aside.

In a baking dish, spread the cooked meat and then cover wit the mashed potato mixture.  Sprinkle the grated Parmesan over top with a small amount of olive oil.  Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Suggested wines: Red wines from Beaujolais and the Loire Valley