Coping With the Loss of Your Pet 走出失去寵物的憂傷, 1

Life without Soji (our cat) has not been easy these past 4 months. After all, we spent 14 years of our life with her! Before Soji, I had never had a cat. If anything, I was a little afraid of cats. I remember that my husband and I just started dating before we met Soji. He liked to tease me and suggested that maybe I should get a cat. He was out one day and, coincidentally, saw a flier from a neighbor who was looking for someone to watch her cat for about 2 weeks. He showed it to me. At the time, I thought, why not? I'd get to earn a few bucks, the time wasn't long, and it'd be a great chance for me to learn some cat skills. Before deciding, we went to visit the neighbor, and Soji simply looked too cute for us to say no, so we brought her home right away. Unexpectedly, she and I became very close almost instantly. (I guess I'm a natural, after all!) Before it came time to return her, we checked in with our neighbor and were surprised when she told us that if we wanted her, we could keep her (apparently, Soji didn't quite get along very well with our neighbor's other 3-legged cat.) We realized... Oh, that's why!

Beef "Bourguinness" Individual Pot Pie 吉尼斯迷你燉牛肉派

You may be surprised to see that for this post I chose such a hearty dish! I know, it's not very me (as you can see from my other recipes). I don't normally eat much meat, nor do I eat a lot of French food at home, but since Saint Patrick's Day is coming, and with the great quality meat we have here in Quebec, I thought, why not introduce something different to everyone? This recipe is really multi-functional, you can think of it as three separate dishes: the beef stew, the sautéed mushrooms with caramelized pearl onions, and the baked mashed potatoes.

I love cooking up a storm every now and then with some French classics. This recipe takes me back to the old days when I was in The French Culinary Institute. I remember how many times we had to practice certain techniques and how complicated the art of French cooking is, but in the end, the taste makes it all worth it. I'll be showing you how to make everything from scratch: no gravy packages, no frozen mashed potatoes. It's the real thing! So why wait, come check out this recipe (with lots of photos) on Foodies In Quebec City!

 

很多朋友們大概會為我這次寫的食譜感到驚訝，因為我大部分都是煮較簡易又清淡的料理，也不吃太多的牛肉，什麼烤牛肉、牛排等我都很少吃。不過就如同大家一樣，有時候也會例外的想吃口味稍重的菜，特別是聖帕特里克節 (Saint Patrick's Day) 就即將到來，而我們在魁北克又有品質非常好的肉，讓平時在家並不是那麼常吃法國菜的我，想到偶爾也應該介紹些不同口味的料理來給大家嘗試。這個食譜其實可以讓大家分為3個不同的料理來享用：燉牛肉、奶油蘑菇與焦糖小洋蔥、烤馬鈴薯泥，是個多功能又實用的食譜。除此之外，它也讓我想起多年前在紐約的French Culinary Institute受訓時做的一些菜及那時期嚴格的訓練。法國菜的確是很下工夫，但是煮出來那完美無瑕的料理是另人肯定的。我將在這個食譜裡與大家分享一些道地的法式手法，請大家到Foodies In Quebec City來學這道讓家裡充滿美味的派！

The French Garnishes: Sautéed Mushrooms In Butter & Caramelized Pearl Onions 奶油炒蘑菇與焦糖小洋蔥

Very often in French comfort food, like Boeuf Bourguignon (beef stew In red wine), Coq au Vin (chicken in red wine), Poulet Roti (roasted chicken), etc., you will see mushrooms and pearl onions among the ingredients. You might think that all the vegetables were cooked together, but in fact it's not what it appears; they're actually supposed to be cooked separately! Some of the ingredients such as the onions and celery are typically discarded after cooking, since they tend to get mushy. Once the sauce of the dish is ready, this is when you add the garnishes with everything else before serving.

I love how in French cuisine you add garnishes to have the right texture. It's more work, more time, and even a little wasteful, but to me, that is the art and beauty of the classic French cooking - everything is cooked to perfection. Here, I'll show you how to make two of the most classic garnishes: sauteed mushrooms in butter and caramelized pearl onions. You can even make them ahead of time and just add them to your dish before reheating!

Butternut Squash And Turnip Soup With French Lentils 南瓜蕪菁濃湯與法式綠扁豆

This recipe is actually inspired by a soup I had at Le Cercle (one of the hippest and one of my favourite places in Quebec) on New Year's Eve just 2 months ago. We wanted something light and easy for our tummy to start with - since we knew that it would have a lot more to take later on. It was supposed be the soupe du jour, and even though the waiter sort of told us what it was made of--you know, it was New Year's Eve, who was listening??? And forget about it, since everything was in French, too!!! 

 

The Perfect French Green Lentils 如何煮法式綠扁豆

Many years ago, before I knew much about cooking, I was making a recipe that called for French green lentils and used Indian green lentils instead, thinking they were the same thing. It is easy to confuse them, since they're both green. Especially in the US, unless you go to a specialty store or a health food store, you won't find many varieties of lentils. Though the two lentils are similar in color, French lentils are darker, smaller, and hold their shape much better after cooking. They're also called Puy lentils (lentilles du Puy) because they're originally grown in the French region, Puy.

Sautéed Burdock With Carrots And Arame 和風牛蒡炒鹿尾菜

If you're not familiar with burdock root, it could strike you as an odd looking vegetable. I remember back when I was in NY, I once bought some burdock in Chinatown. On the bus ride home, the long, skinny roots popping out of my shopping bag grabbed a lot of attention. The woman behind me probably couldn't resist her curiosity; she finally asked me what exactly those roots were and what I was going to do with them. 

 

Cranberry Heart Swirl Cheesecake 越莓蔓愛心乳酪蛋糕 on Foodies In Quebec City

I would like to announce to you that starting this month, I'll be working on a new food blog with Allison Van Rassel (a journalist, media personality, and blogger whom I grew to admire soon after arriving to Quebec) and several other very talented people. I will contribute one post a month, starting with this Valentine's Day Cranberry Heart Swirl Cheesecake recipe! (Click Foodies In Quebec City to view the complete post and recipe.) 

 

As an anglo foodie, it was (and still is!) quite difficult for me to try to read about restaurants in French and find out where to go in Quebec City. When I searched in English, there weren't that many reliable and thorough reviews, but Foodie in Quebec City was an exception. I was able to count on Allison's reviews when I wanted a good meal or I would often agree with her critiques of places I knew. She knows a lot about food and gives her honest opinions, but what I like the most is that she includes the music in her restaurant reviews as well! As a musician, I've always been very aware of how music changes our mood and sets the tone of the place. I was really glad to see that someone actually thought to write about it!

A few months ago, Allison decided to expand her blog and invite more foodies to collaborate with her! I feel very fortunate and honored to be part of this blog and team! So what's the new blog Foodies In Quebec City about? It's all about the love of culinary culture in Quebec City, recipes that are inspired from local ingredients, why you should eat locally, and much more! Come and like Foodies In Quebec City's Facebook page and discover the heart of French cuisine and new tastes in Quebec City!! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

想在這裡與大家分享一個好消息：最近與一位我自己很欣賞、很欽佩、也是魁北克知名的媒體主持人與部落客 - Allison Van Rassel，以及其他一些也很有才華的部落客們一起合作。從今天開始，我會每個月在Foodies In Quebec City寫一篇文章，這個蔓越莓愛心乳酪蛋糕是我在那裡的第一個食譜，也是為這個情人節特別寫的！(閱讀整篇文章與食譜，請看這裡)

身為英語系的美食家，要在這裡上網以法語閱讀餐館的相關資料並非容易，而要閱讀英文又沒有太多可靠且很詳細的網頁或部落格可以選擇。但某一天在不經意的情況下，找到了Foodie In Quebec City，發現Allison對餐館的評論不但可靠，對於我已經嚐嗜過的餐廳，也通常都很同意她的意見。然而我最喜歡的是她在餐館的評論中，經常會提到音樂及餐廳的重要關係。身為一個音樂人，我非常清楚音樂對我們心情上的影響及給予整個環境的氣氛，我當時很高興看到有人能了解並指出它們的連接關係。

幾個月前，Allison決定擴展她的部落格，並邀請更多的美食者與她一起合作，我感到非常幸運能成為這團體成員的其中之一。那麼這個新改革的Foodies In Quebec到底有什麼特別的呢？它將會為大家介紹魁北克市獨特無一的美食及使用當地食材製成的美味食譜、並呼籲大家多吃當地季節性的食品等等，歡迎大家到我們的臉書(請按這裡)來按讚！ ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

Butternut Squash and Turkey Dumplings 南瓜火雞水餃

 

Having lived in the West for more than half of my life, strangely, Chinese New Year seems less and less significant for me these days, not to mention that I'm already not someone who's very accustomed to celebrating holidays. Also, you don't get days off like they do in Taiwan (somewhere around 6-8 days). Here, I feel lucky if the Chinese New Year's Eve is on the weekend!

As I was growing up, my parents used to take us back to their families' homes in the southern part of Taiwan every Chinese New Year. It's the tradition for family to get together on this major holiday. We would first worship and give offerings to our ancestors to ask for their blessings and protection for the New Year. Then, all the women would be in the kitchen preparing for the feast, while the men talked and the kids played. Frankly, because of all the firecrackers that used to scare me, I never really cared much about the Chinese New Year, except that I was happy to get the days off and to get to eat a lot of delicious food.

Homemade Whole Wheat Dumpling Wrappers 全麥水餃皮

 

Despite that my mom always made her own dumplings when I was growing up, she has actually never tried to make her own dumpling wrappers. Can't say that I blame her, since in Taiwan you can easily buy very good homemade dumpling wrappers from farmer's markets. They're fresh, soft, and chewy. I used to love the feel of it when I helped my mom make dumplings.

Nowadays, you can buy dumpling wrappers almost anywhere, even in a small place like Quebec! But homemade ones like the one my mom buys? Nope, not unless you live in Asia. A traditional dumpling wrapper should be made with just flour, water and salt. Sadly, if you look at the store bought ones, some of them have preservatives or other chemicals added. 

Three-Cup Chicken with King Oyster Mushrooms Taiwanese Style 三杯杏鮑菇雞

Three-Cup Chicken is perhaps one of the signature dishes of Taiwanese cuisine. It was a typical dish on our dinner table, and my all-time favourite from my mom!! I don't know any Taiwanese person who doesn't like this dish. With lots of ginger, rice wine, and dark sesame oil, it is supposed to be very warming for the body, and therefore is a must in the fall and winter. The dish gets it's name from the three key ingredients: 1 cup dark sesame oil, 1 cup soy sauce, and 1 cup rice cooking wine.

Old Port Christmas Market 老港聖誕市集

Last year I had the pleasure of going to Nuit Blanche at the Old Port Market on December 27th (click here to see my post about it from 2 sisters et 1 cat). The market stayed open until about 23h while the rest of the city was mostly asleep. It was certainly a fun experience, but going there during the regular hours at this time of the year is also just as festive. If anything, you can even see more vendors and more products!

The Christmas Market at the Old Port runs from November 21 to December 31 this year. The truth is I've been wanting to do another post about The Old Port Market for a long time! Especially now that we're living even closer to it; we go there just about every week. (We actually only moved a few minutes closer to the market, but it's a great excuse.) The strange thing is, even though I go there all the time, I can spend the whole day there and still discover new things at every visit, and I always come home with my hands (and sometimes my belly) very full!! Since I covered some of the vendors last year, this time I'll feature some of the ones that I didn't get to see and write about, and that I personally like very much. I hope it'll inspire you to come to Le Marché de Noël to taste and see these wonderful Quebec local products!

Coconut Pumpkin Granola 椰香南瓜Granola

 

When I first went to the supermarkets here, I was surprised to find all these American cereal/granola boxes on the shelves (since I thought bread and jam was more of the traditional breakfast in Quebec)! It didn't matter if it was in the regular supermarkets or in health food stores, I was able to find all those familiar brands and packages that I used to see in NY. That tells me how many people rely on box cereals/granola for their breakfast!