A Canadian's French Kitchen

or "A French Canadian Kitchen?"

On our annual return to France every spring, certain "rituals" must be observed. Among the most enjoyable rituals are those concerning the re-stocking of the pantry. Soon after arrival, homage must be paid to the weekly farmers market, where currently, local strawberries and asparagus are placed highest on the podium. But other local fare deserves to be respected as well.

Farm fresh butter and lavender honey are among the most celebrated embellishments for a warm from the oven (local Patisserie, not mine) baguette. I have been told that the confitures (jams) also work!


Even with the cool, wet weather that has been hanging on in the region, the "gariguettes" (first strawberries of the season) are sweet and flavourful. They make for a lovely dessert after a lunch of cheeses and olives.

Once the "gods of the market" have been appeased, respects must be paid to the makers of the olive oil. A few kilometers outside of St.Remy de Provence, is the perfectly charming provencal village of Maussane-les-Alpilles. Set in a region that is surrounded by olive groves, Maussane produces much of the olive oil in France. "Moulin Jean Cornille" is a local olive oil mill that produces a very fragrant, fresh olive oil that is worth every minute of the drive 2 hour drive to acquire.

The entry to the olive mill, where at the right time of year, you can see the presses working their magic and coaxing the luscious elixir from the olives.

The shrine of olive oils and various "condimenty" things that are currently in this French Canadian (Canadian French?) kitchen.

Confiture d'oignons (a relish made with red onions and vinegar) is the perfect accompaniment to a variety of meats.

It's a staple in the refrigerator, like green relish is at home.

Paying respects to the "food gods" can leave one tired and hungry, so a lovely lunch out is very likely the best cure. (It usually works for me).

Pan seared "daurade" (sea bream) is served on a bed of crispy potato gratin alongside a rosemary infused vegetable ratatouille.

And then, just about when the initial French food rituals and cravings have been sufficiently recognized and satisfied, a little bit of North American comfort food seems to be the right thing. Hmmm.... !

Counter clockwise from the top: "Our Favourite Chocolate Chip Cookies" ( recipe from the Smitten Kitchen website; www.smittenkitchen.com ), along with my version of caramel chip cookies (adapted from the original recipe), as well as some cheesy puffy pastry snacky thingies, that go great with a glass of rose.

Boutis: Traditional French Needlework

" Piqûre de Marseilles" or "Boutis" is a traditional French hand stitched and corded needlework technique, which uses embroidery stitches to create intricate channels that will later be stuffed with yarn, thereby creating a raised design with three layers. It's origins, and it's name, can be traced to the port of Marseilles in southern France to the 15th century. Traditional boutis was a technique invented to embellish otherwise plain white cotton with intricately patterned channels that would later be stuffed with a plump white yarn to give it relief. The resulting corded whitework created an elegant, embossed textile that was much sought after. Not only was it aesthetically appealing, but it also provided warmth and absorbency, so could be used for bed coverings, toilette linens (like towels), clothing items, home decor, etc. The first two photos below are from the collection of Mme. Monique Alphand, a well known French expert and collector of antique t

Amish Hand Quilting in France with Esther Miller

Esther Miller, was born into an Amish family in the U.S., and now lives in Germany where she has for many years taught the techniques and methods of Amish hand quilting to anyone interested in learning these skills. As a child, she would closely watch as the women of her community worked together on a quilt, and eventually she was rewarded with a needle of her own and encouraged to join the group. Through the years, she has mastered these skills and techniques and now generously shares them with anyone who has a genuine desire to learn. Esther Miller in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines in Alsace France. An example of her own work, Esther brings this intricately and perfectly hand stitched wall quilt to class as inspiration for her students. Last week, at the "European Meeting of Patchwork" in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines, in Alsace France, www.patchwork-europe.com , I had the privilege of taking a 2 day workshop with Esther. The Amish quilting method requires a free-standing simple

Blocking and Squaring Boutis

The door of her cage has been opened. She is free to fly off and find her destiny. After many months of hand stitching and then many more months of cording, my little "colibri" is ready to set off on her own. As this was my first attempt at designing so large a boutis piece, it was a learning curve. All of the tight swirls, curls and circles are a great deal more difficult and time consuming to cord then are the longer more gentle channels. Maintaining an even tension is absolutely necessary throughout the process, so patience comes in very handy when doing the cording. The process of stitching and cording a work of boutis subjects the fabric to a lot of handling and manipulation that can distort the design. For this reason, once all of the stitching and cording is complete, the boutis must be washed, blocked and squared. The first step of washing is to remove all traces of the marking pencil as well as any soil that may have collected over the many months of working w

MonicaApril 14, 2013 at 6:41 AM
Gosh, it's an hour after breakfast and I'm hungry again! It all looks fantastic.

It seems like it's been a late spring everywhere!
AveryclaireApril 16, 2013 at 4:08 AM
Oh my goodness. It is only 6 AM here and already my mouth is watering. How delicious! And what fun to explore the markets. That olive oil sounds divine and well as all the rest of it. Enjoy!
needle and nestApril 19, 2013 at 5:05 PM
Goodness, every single one of those items looks positively delicious. How fortunate you are to have easy access to such amazing foods!
UnknownApril 22, 2013 at 1:18 AM
Doubtlessly, Destiny Olives is one of the most viable companies to get in touch with for natural olive oil.
Fresh olive oil
Chantal ThibodeauJune 18, 2013 at 12:42 PM
Bonjour.... "French canadians"... canadiens français... tout ça est devenu folklorique

J'adore vos dessins.

Seams French

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