One Whole Clove

Happy Birthday Canada

[Parliament Buildings, Centre Block]

[Parliament Buildings, East Block]

[Home of the Poutine]
 

Café Jean-Sébastien Bar et Tapas

[Duo d'olives façon J.S.B.]

Café Jean-Sébastien Bar and Tapas appeared to us through the thick sheets of early evening rain.  Had it not been for the random decision to eat out, our first choice, Le Panaché refusing to unlock the door two minutes before their first seating or the apparent renovations on Oncle Tom's full interior, our second choice, we would have never even considered a visit.

This was not the first time I had heard of J.S.B., however.  It all came back to memory when we accidentally took a wrong turn down rue St-Jacques and received a full on view of the restaurant's funky resto-bar exterior.

I had overheard rumblings in some past newspaper article or previous conversation of the selection J.S.B. offers between their tapas and à la carte menus.

Now I have watched Restaurant Makeover and other such fluffy, filler Food Network shows in which restaurateurs are scolded over their inordinately ambitious menu.  To this extent, I agree with such sage advice.  Many restaurants think they can wow their patrons with long winded menus full of fantastical choices.  It is the simple menu, conspired by a clever chef, of no more than 5 dishes that ultimately receives the positive reviews on taste.  In this way, a chef has more time to dote on each meal, cooing & coaxing it from infancy, eventually delivering a star. Chances are you will find local, seasonal and possibly organic ingredients at these tables.

So, what does this say of a restaurant with not one but two menus?  We were hungry, curious and and at this point drenched in strong summer showers, my hair resembling that of Robert Plant circa 1975.  There could only be one way to find out.

It was nice to find shelter within the cozy confines of the tastefully decorated restaurant.  Classically dressed tables, soft candles and muted collages of J.S. Bach, the composer, contributed to a relaxing ambiance.  The wall directly behind me housed a bookshelf full of colourful hardcovers. 

The menus were presented and when I say menus I am referring to two a piece plus one for wine.  As mentioned the first menu being the conventional preludes and à la carte entrées, the second for tapas.  The idea of tapas hails from Spain, most notably Andalusia.  It is a sampling of many dishes at one time (like an over-hyped appetizer's menu).  Small bowls of olives, mussels or sausage are paired with unique sauces, spices or other condiments.  It is a delightful way to experiment with dishes you would normally not try.  For example, les deux boudins (noir et blanc) caught my eye. Never would I imagine ordering  black and white blood sausage as a main course, however with amuse bouche sized portions, this was taken into consideration. 

I decided to go all tapas.  I started with the restaurant's special marinated olives.  Both the green and black varieties were served scorching, from a roast in the oven, with a thin stream of seasoned oil.  They were remarkably good but much too hot too handle for such an eager diner. 

I was certain my dinner partner would select the trilogie de saucissons, three sausages one Merguez of tasty spiced lamb, one Toulouse and Chorizo.  He mildly surprised me with his selection, the escargots sur fond d'artichauts, persillés, grillés à l'ail, garlic snails on a bed of artichoke.  From the main menu he went with the shrimp and scallop with cream white shell intact in Pernod sauce.  His love for the escargot would not go unnoticed and indeed he raved about his tapas selection.  I was interested in observing his reaction to the licorice-y bite of Pernod laced sea cockles. He had previously been introduced to Mussels in a Fennel, Pernod and Cream Sauce and had found the combined flavours of both fennel and Pernod, an anise based liqueur, to be somewhat dramatic (while I found it to be just right).  In this instance, the Pernod was evenly balanced for the anise- weary with the savoury oil soaked peppers and rice.

[Pétoncles et crevettes]

[Légumes grillés à l'huile pili pili]

I followed with a lovely grilled vegetable dish of zucchini, eggplant, sweet onion and red pepper generously tossed in a pili pili flavoured olive oil.  I waited for the hit of African pepper but alas none was forthcoming.  The pili pili infused oil still made for a nice coat.

[Saumon trois façon, gravalex, tartare et fumé]

I finished with salmon three ways, tartare (raw), smoked and gravalex, cured in the zingy delights of salt, dill, pepper and sugar.  I wasn't crazy about stale cracker rounds pre-selected as the base to my fish.  The fresh, warm bread offering towards the commencement of the meal would have been a far better albeit visually unappealing choice (or a dense pumpernickel).  However, it was the pink fleshed salmon and not the bread that was meant to take centre stage.  Each fish preparation was superbly mastered.

One complaint.  A misunderstanding between waiter and cook (in my opinion, an overall neglect to place our order) lead to a 45 minute wait in between appetizer and main course, a naughty tease to the senses. 

With tax, tip and three Tuborg, our bill came just under $100.00.

La fête nationale

The origins of the June 24th French celebration may not have started as the religious recognition of Saint-Jean the Baptiste but more of a pagan festivity embracing the summer solstice.  On the birth day of Jean Baptiste, Un grand feu de joie was ignited. Therefore, it eventually became ritual in Catholic France to continue honouring the day of the man who baptized Christ with a brilliant light, that of fire.

Naturally, the Jesuits brought the customs from their motherland to Quebec in continuing to recognize June 24th as a sacred day.  It became known as Saint-Jean Baptiste Day.

Somewhere between 17th century French Canada and today, the religious anniversary began to be seen through beer goggles.  My suspicions lead me to believe that as the voice of the Quiet Revolution in Quebec grew louder, the sanctioned five shots from the cannon were replaced by five days of drunken stupor.

I am not necessarily admonishing the style in which one chooses to celebrate Quebec, I simply have grown tired of inebriated fire dances.  I prefer to celebrate something revered moreover dear to my heart.  For me it is yet another day to be proud of Quebec's culinary amelioration over the past few centuries.

Les Terroirs Du Quebec

Le guide agrotouristique, Les Terroirs Du Quebec by Jacques Dorion, exemplifies what it is about this province that makes it so delicious.

Terroir could be the term used to loosely describe the produce harvested from local soil.  But more importantly, it is the variation one may detect with taste, smell and touch as being unique when comparing one plot of land to another.  We can see this, most commonly, through the eyes of a wine connoisseur, a subject about which I know very little.  Yet, it is intriguing to observe a savant of this type understanding why a bottle from one year is far superior to that of another based on the climate, season and vineyard from which the grape grew.

Les Terroirs du Quebec is cleverly divided by region which makes for wonderful reference guide if ever I succumb to the desire to travel extensively across the largest province in Canada. 

This book has undoubtly influenced my must see list to:

-Uncover pleurotes (type of mushroom) in the Lauentides with my truffle mutt.

-Dream heavy after savouring the delights of Carrot Marmalade from La Maison Ronde, Saint-Germain, followed by a nightcap of Prune eau-de-vie from La Maison de la Prune located in Saint-André-de-Kamouraska of the Bas-Saint-Laurent region.

-Buy fiddleheads ready-marinated from Fougères et Cie in the Bois Francs region

-Ward off the evils of vampires in the Cantons-de-l'est region with garlic flowers chopped in oil from Le Petit Mas 

-Let a slice of smoked salmon melt on my tongue from le fumoir Rocher Percé in the Gaspésie-Iles-de-la-Madeleine region

-Numb the sweet tooth with an abundance of pastries inspired by the Lafortune vineyards from La Ferme du Bon Pain in Sainte-Geneviève-de-Berthier, Lanaudière region.

-Meet the animals who contributed to Les Fromages de l'Isle-Aux-Grues.

-Put the mysteries of jellied balsam fir behind me at Gourmet Sauvage in Laval-Montréal

-Drizzle pumpkin syrup on my pancakes at Les Jardins du Centre 

-Fasten my tongue to the roof of my mouth with lac Saint-Jean made blueberry paste

-Go organic with chocolates and caramels at L'Érablière Sucre d'Art

-Bring along fresh baguette to sample the products of Jamboree in Wakefield

-And when it's all over, pick up my husband at the Microbrasserie Barberie of artisanal beers in Quebec proper

Cookies On Demand

From construction paper tie shaped cards to the regrettable kayaking lessons of yesteryear, my Pa has endured many an ill-fated Father's Day present from his only daughter and child.  What other excuse could I offer than the desire to showcase my flair for creativity. 

All in bad taste, at least there is a reliable sweet tooth in the family to compensate. My father's love for cookies, cakes, pies, tarts and ice cream has been well established.  This helps me when required to take definitive action in coming up with a unique concept for Father's Day 2006.

A few reputable resources exalted my childish antics for Cookies On Demand.  The basic approach for this project was quite simple and did not involve the glitter glue or elbow macaroni of my early years. 

I amassed a total of 5 cookie recipes of which my father has apotheosized over the years.  These are the kind of treats which brought a man of unpoetic deportment to compose sonnets.  I took these 5 recipe titles plus 1 wild card recipe title I have yet to unleash on his tastebuds and wrote them on printed cardboard images of fun cookie shapes (okay, so the craft glue and scissors were used in the end).  The object of Cookies On Demand was for my father to present me with one of the six cardboard cookies at a time.  I would have 3 days to prepare and deliver a batch of the chosen cookies for his enjoyment.  In essence, he can use my cookie making skills to get 6 free packages of goodies throughout the year.

My secondary muse for this juvenile project was drawn from a booklet I hand crafted in the third grade full of promises of free car washes.  I admit, I am an eight year old with twenty years experience. 

My first influences, as already briefly mentioned, were from my own recipe collections and the food blogging world.

I present you with the master cookie list for Cookies on Demand:

Chocolate Chip Cookies from One Whole Clove and other sources

Pear, Cranberry Fig, Hazelnut and Pecan Cookies from One Whole Clove

Maple Sugar Cookies from One Whole Clove and Gourmet du Village

Salty Oatmeal Cookies from Culinary In The Desert

Cheesecake Cookies from Baking Sheet

Wild Card: Triple Chocolate Espresso Bean Cookies from 101 Cookbooks

Rhubarb Cheesecake

Against popular opinion, the primary disadvantage of home ownership has to be the yard work.  As much as suburbia has found solace in tending to the petunias, with greater reason, I have yet to feel something more than apathy for the visual effects of a velvet lawn.  My creative interest have always been culinary driven and anything more than my 10 hour jaunts away from my kitchen each weekday could only be a hindrance. 

It was only until I recently purchased an older home in Quebec, I began to discover the comestible pleasures a plot of land could provide.  Cleverly camouflaged, a natural phenomenon awaited, eager to be denuded behind dense foliage. 

Be it strawberries in time for La Fête National, apples for a fall pie or a thick patch of rhubarb I have a renewed interest in my property.  It is a market place of fresh produce that gives a whole new meaning to the word local.

Before I can continue in this way, however, I must acquire a field guide to the edibles in and around the province.  Improperly recognizing poisonous garden weeds for stinging nettle the other day, could have proved lethal.  I had to stop myself into thinking my lawn was a just a big, green salad. 

One unmistakable green would be the copious rhubarb plant.  Anyone with decent soil can easily grow this perennial vegetable without even trying.  Thick patches will grow every year despite garden illiteracy, abuse and bitter weather conditions. 

Unlike most continents, Quebec rhubarb season is delayed.  Due to our harsher climate, young shoots develop in early May and continue to flourish throughout the summer months.  Like the feline, rhubarb lives several lives, each one more unruly than the last.

Satisfied with the production of Alsatian Rhubarb Tart, I decided to take a cakewalk with the lavish lifestyle of cream cheese this time around with:

Rhubarb Cheesecake

Ingredients:

1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup water
3 cups sliced fresh rhubarb (1/2-inch pieces)
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell (I made my own easy as "pie" graham cracker crust: 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup butter melted and 1/3 cup brown sugar)

Cream Cheese Layer:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar

If you are making a graham cracker crust, mix together graham crumbs, butter and sugar.  Press mixture into a 9-inch spring form cake pan with removable bottom.  Cover the exterior bottom of the pan with foil. 

Combine cornstarch, sugar, salt and water in a saucepan.  Stir until well combined.  Turn burner heat to medium, add rhubarb, and cook until mixture boils and thickens.

Stir often.

Pour into pie shell.  Bake in a preheated 425 dgeree F oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and set the cake pan in a roasting pan.  Fill the roasting pan with water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the pan.

While rhubarb is baking, beat cream cheese, eggs, and sugar until smooth.  Pour over rhubarb layer.  Reduce oven to 325 degrees F.  Bake pie an additional 35 minutes until centre is almost set.  Remove from oven and let cool 30 minutes away from drafts (I usually let the cake sit in the oven, turning the oven off 5-10 minutes before it is fully cooked.  Chill before serving.

Brunch at One Whole Clove, A Recap

[Le Grand Délice]

Like all storybook endings involving magic beans and capricious princesses, brunch at One Whole Clove's summation could almost be defined as "happily ever after"...or more befittingly..."happily ever afternoon."

While this event was not meant to be an adventure in gastronomy as I would have liked, it did manage to achieve its ultimate goal in catering uncomplicated fare to a motley gathering of twelve.

[Le Grand Délice, Gouda and Cream Cheese]

I gingerly selected a rather conservative trio of cheeses with the intent to assuage the masses while unconsciously foreshadowing the looming political state.   

Le Grand Délice is from the Montéregie region of Quebec, an intensely mild, soft cheese with a bloomy rind.

The Gouda, from the Fromagerie Bergeron of the Chaudière-Appalaches region of Quebec, is a firm cheese with medium intensity and slightly acidic, hazelnut taste.

Lastly, Lactancia cream cheese, the Canadian equivalent to Philly is a necessity when savouring a bite of Quebec smoked salmon atop a Montreal bagel crisp.  Lactanica made its humble beginnings in central Quebec.  The company was later acquired by Ault Foods and more recently by the Parmalat Company.

My cautious and unadventurous cheese selections lead me to choose unconventional fruit like mango, papaya and pineapple to "wet" the palate.

[Mango, Papaya and Pineapple]

Foreseeing these "daring", international flavours to only cause slight disorientation, veering from the comfort zones as it were, I followed up with my oh-so-Quebec baked bean recipe.  No explanation necessary but recipe a necessity.

[Saucy Baked Beans]

A vegetable strata helped things along with the appealing flavours of P'tit Quebec and artichoke.

[Vegetable Strata]

What Kayln refers to as funeral fare, potato casserole, has been adopted the unofficial food of any mass gathering, whether under "happy morning" or simply "mourning" pretenses.

[Potato Casserole]

Sweet and savory bacon opened the door for more sweet treats:

[Sugar and Spice Bacon]

[Maple Syrup Tea Loaf]

[Homemade Maple Granola]

Maple Granola Loot Bags

[Sac à Surprise]

I remember loot bags with great fondness.  Presented at the anticlimax of the evening, it seems their sole reason for existence was to act as a distraction, avoiding the tears of a few dozen children about to be torn away from sugar, games and friends.  These parting gifts were the cherry on the top an already exhilarating birthday celebration.

Relevant to the theme of the party, my loot bags were always well orchestrated.  Seeing as we celebrated my birthday, the day before Valentine's Day, it was quite simple to come up with a the proper representation.  My mother and I would carefully pack identical white paper sacks full of cinnamon, chocolate and/or jelly hearts, friendly valentine notes, gum and toys.  We would seal the deal with a solitary heart shaped sticker.  For days there after wards, the contents were the topic of school yard chatter.  I felt impossibly lucky to have contributed to the mini hysteria.

Such is the same nearly twenty years later.  My philosophy does little for hostess gifts.  I spend my energy on my guests.  Initially, I ensure they are well fed but continue the hospitality with a little take-away token. In the case of brunch at One Whole Clove, the souvenirs were mini bags of maple granola, perfect to top yogurt, ice cream or eat simply right out of the cellophane wrap!

Homemade Granola

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
3 cups of a mixture pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds-the green ones!), sliced almonds, cashews and sunflower seeds
1/4 cup dried blueberries
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried apple, cut into small pieces
1 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

In a large bowl, thoroughly blend oats, nuts maple syrup and spices.  Place on a baking sheet and toast in a preheated 350 degree F oven for twenty minutes, stirring mixture 2 or 3 times during process.  Let cool and add dried fruit, mixing them through the mixture thoroughly.  Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.