CANADA - Food

Canadian beer & cheese soup 

           Typical Canadian culinary tradition, the Canadian cheese soup is a soup made of grated cheddar and ideal to enjoy during a family dinner in the winter as well as delight your palate. In addition to its very particular taste, the originality of the dish is the addition of a good beer at the end of cooking: usually, it is a Canadian beer, but it can be replaced by other beers. Canadian cheese soup is as delicious hearty dish. You can expect the addition of other ingredients: potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, and many other ingredients that vary according to personal taste.

For 10 people
Preparation time : 20 minutes
Cooking time : 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1kg of smoked bacon (bacon ) - cut into small pieces
- 1 cup of chopped red onion
- 1 cup of chopped celery
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- 1 cup of flour
- 3 cups of chicken broth
- 1 liter of heavy cream - 500 grams of grated cheddar cheese ( aged if possible)
- 1 teaspoon of white pepper
- 1 teaspoon of dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon of Tabasco sauce
- 1 tablespoon of Worcester sauce
- 1 bottle of dark beer quality
Preparation:
- Open the bottle of beer and leave it aside
- In a large pot over low heat add the sliced ​​bacon .
- Do not brown the bacon , but just reduce fat.
- When two tablespoons of fat have been released and the bacon begins to be cooked add 4 tablespoons of butter.
- When the butter has melted, turn to low-medium heat and add the chopped onion and celery.
- When the onion begins to be translucent and celery tender , add 1 cup of flour.
- Cook for 2 to 3 minutes
- Add the chicken broth, one cup at a time, stirring until the mixture is thick and homogeneous .
- Add the second and third cup of chicken broth, stirring each time.
- This mixture should resemble to a thick sauce.
- Add 1/2 a liter of heavy cream , stir and then add the remaining heavy cream slowly and mix.
- Add the grated cheese by third into the soup, stirring until cheese is completely melted.
- Add Tabasco sauce, dry mustard, pepper, Worcestershire sauce , and stir until well blended .
- Slowly pour the beer, stirring
. Serve the soup immediately.

Pagan-pakwéjigan (bannock bread) 

           The pagan-pakwéjigan is the Algonquin term to designate the bannock hazelnut bread. Hazelnuts are cooked in the Indian tradition. Many Indian dishes contain nuts. In this recipe, the taste of hazelnuts is fairly discreet and it is a treat to eat the bread with jam or even to accompany other dishes like side bread. The bread is also good fried. Note that bannock bread has the advantage of a long shelf life in a cool, dry place.

For a dozen rolls
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of coarsely chopped hazelnuts
- 2 cups of water
- 1/3 cup of cornmeal
- 1 pinch of sea salt
- Cooking oil (optional) Preparation:
- In a saucepan, boil the nuts in water, stirring occasionally.
- Place a lid on the pan and add water if it evaporates quickly.
- Bake until the nuts are soft enough for beings crushed into an electric robot(about 30 minutes).
- In an electric robot, grind softened hazelnuts, then add the flour and continue to grind.
- The batter should be quite thick, but not too much.
- Make the dough so that it continues to thicken.
- In a hot pan (oiled if you wish), drop spoonfuls of dough to cook.
- Fry each side.
Eat them like hotcakes!

Fondue with maple syrup

At every time, you are sure to delight the gourmet with maple syrup . Serve fondue with seasonal fruits.
For 4 people
Preparation time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 5 minutesIngredients:
- 500 mL (2 cups ) of maple syrup
- 1 can of condensed milk
- 15 Ml (1 tbsp. ) of Cornstarch
- 40 Ml ( 2 1/2 Tbsp. ) of crushed almonds
- Optional : fruit or biscuits ( strawberry, apples .... )Preparation:
- Bring maple syrup to a boil.
- Add the condensed milk , cornstarch previously diluted in cold water and almonds.

- Cook over low heat for five minutes and serve with fruit and biscuits.

History : Maple syrup is the sap, also called " sweet water " from the maple tree.

The sap is taken with a tap that is pressed in the tree ( a tap is a metal tool that extracts the liquid). There are two methods :
- Either there is a bucket under the tap and a person must pick it up to bring it to the sugar shack .

Or pipes are installed between the sugar shack and the tap to automatically collect the sap

Once in the sugar shack, the sap is heated by a boiler. Then, evaporation is used to transform the sugar syrup in water. The water circulates through a coil which will heat the water to its degree of harvest: 218 ° F (103 ° Celcius). 

Warning: 2 degrees warmer and the syrup will be too thick and will tend to crystallize like honey.

Adrien & Amaury