Sourcing Supplies & Ingredients in Montreal

[Campofiorin]

Speaking of figs. I've only tasted the yellow ones. What's the big difference between them and the black ones? We're planning on cooking a dish of saussages and figs, which would be the better fit?

[poutine]

Sorry to say that the soup was so sweet it would have been better as dessert.

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Hey Carwell you sound disappointed; is being too sweet a bad thing? You must've visited the same vendor as I did because this corn was bursting with sugar! Corn on the cob ice cream at Havre aux glaces perhaps? Hmmm.

[carswell]

Hey Carwell you sound disappointed; is being too sweet a bad thing?  You must've visited the same vendor as I did because this corn was bursting with sugar!

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In a word, yes. Hybridizers are doing to corn what they did to tomatoes: removing flavour in favour of shelf-life/transportability. The old adage was that the corn shouldn't be planted more than 30 feet from the stove it was to be cooked on and that the water should be boiling before you headed out to harvest the ears. Nowadays we see corn in January from places like Peru. Somewhere upthread, I think, I mused that what used to be a selling point ("C'est très sucré !") has now become a warning. Obviously, not everyone agrees, as evidenced by a recent discussion on the General Food Topics forum, and I'll concede that the vendor's wonderfully fresh and juicy corn would probably have been better simply boiled or grilled and eaten off the cob. But it made the soup, usually one of the high points of my summer, strange and cloying.

Corn on the cob ice cream at Havre aux glaces perhaps?

One of my guests made the very same comment. Corn ice cream is actually pretty good. But not as a first course...

[carswell]

Speaking of figs. I've only tasted the yellow ones. What's the big difference between them and the black ones? We're planning on cooking a dish of saussages and figs, which would be the better fit?

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Mainly flavour, though that varies greatly from variety to variety even within a given colour. Green figs, especially the ones we get here, tend to be milder and a bit nuttier. I use them in recipes where they end up incorporated in the sauce, since they don't darken it. For broiling/grilling and in tarts and other desserts, where colour isn't an issue, the more robust flavour of the brown/black figs is usually preferable.

[poutine]

Got a new camera so I thought I'd post some pictures from my brief stop at JTM today.

Looking west to east from the south side street, around 12:30 the market was starting to get busy.

Great day to enjoy lunch outside.

Chez Louis is always worth a visit.

Near the Premier Moisson under a tent-like cover lies bushels & bushels of tomatoes. Looks like a good crop this year.

I have no idea what a dain is.

Public displaycase of affection.

And on the menu today at Havre aux glaces ...

Friendly staff dishing it up.

They all look so good.

I just can't decide.

And then the memory was full. More picture updates to come in the near future.

[carswell]

Thanks for the pics, poutine. Yesterday at the market, yet again agog at the bounty, I was wishing sf&m would grace us with another batch of photos; they're so welcome in February.

I have no idea what a dain is.

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A typo maybe? Daine is a doe, which would make sense coming after cerf (stag).

[sf&m]

Well, shoot! I took many JTM pictures in April, intended to feature the new extension but somehow between egullets less then convenient upload facility and being "busy" I never got them posted. Took some picture in June too..

Sorry for being asleep at the wheel... Nice pictures poutine - maybe you'll inspire me to get those pictures posted.

zzzz/gth

[PaulaJK]

We will be in Montreal on Fri 10/7 & Sat 10/8....

and although our buying opportunities would be limited

by travel---we would enjoy strolling around. Is

there market open on these days and if yes,

where is it located? Sorry for such basic questions.

Thanks

[rcianci]

We will be in Montreal on Fri 10/7 & Sat 10/8....

and although our buying opportunities would be limited

by travel---we would enjoy strolling around. Is

there market open on these days and if yes,

where is it located? Sorry for such basic questions.

Thanks

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Here is a basic answer:

The Pulblic Markets of Montreal

[carswell]

We will be in Montreal on Fri 10/7 & Sat 10/8.... and although our buying opportunities would be limited by travel---we would enjoy strolling around. Is there market open on these days and if yes, where is it located? Sorry for such basic questions.

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Here's a scalable map (the linked-to address is that of Le Marché des Saveurs, the Quebec products store located on the southeast corner of the market). The market should still be going full blast in early October, especially if we don't get a major frost between now and then. You probably won't find much in the way of corn, raspberries, blueberries and other summer produce; on the other hand, prepare to have your mind boggled by flawless cauliflowers bigger than your head. When the really cold weather comes, the open air stalls give way to a large winter enclosure, but that probably won't happen until November. All the shops surrounding the farmers' stalls — the butchers, bakers, fish mongers, cheese stores, green grocers, spice purveyors, cafés, etc. — are permanent.

[carswell]

Havre aux Glaces has a delcious new flavour: pomme épicée sherbet. Light, appley, prefectly spiced (more than just cinnamon) and not too sweet — a great way to end a fall dinner.

[sf&m]

That's it!

We need a separate tracking thread for Havre aux Glaces!

Anybody sees a new flavour it gets reported THERE so we have chance to get it.

Lately I enjoyed the Blueberry and Rubarb sorbet.... now it's gone and replaced with Blueberry only. WHich is also great in side by side tasteoff. But its an indicator of the risks we are facing.

Last Christmas season they had a great flavour "The de Noel" which came and went really quick.

There have been others!

So we need an alert system.

Thanks for the Heads Up C.

/gth

[Lesley C]

Those brothers at HdG are so sharp.

[carswell]

Spud alert!

On the weekend, Chez Louis had charlotte potatoes, probably the variety most called for in Robuchon's Le meilleur et le plus simple de la pomme de terre and many other French cookbooks. No indication of provenance.

For the last week or so, ExoFruits on Côte des Neiges between Queen Mary and Jean-Brillant has had gorgeous, sweet, buttery, yellow-skinned fingerling potatoes, the best spuds I've eaten in ages (first batch boiled with fresh dill; second batch steamed and eaten with salted butter; third batch boiled, sliced while hot and dressed with red wine vinegar and olive oil). Have never understood why these are so rare in our fair city. Again, no indication of provenance. Less expensive than the grelots normally on sale and far superior in taste and texture.

Unfortunately, at both places they were sold prepackaged on shrink-wrapped styrofoam trays. Ironically, ExoFruits also packages nearly all its organic produce that way...

[Vinfidel]

is this the varietal of potato that joel uses in his mashed potatoes with butter and truffles?

[carswell]

is this the varietal of potato that joel uses in his mashed potatoes with butter and truffles?

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Have never heard of or seen a recipe for his truffled mashed potatoes. In LM&LPSDLPDT, his purée de pommes de terre recipe calls for ratte or BF 15 potatoes (Quebec-grown rattes are also available at Chez Louis for a price), though the purée à la graisse d'oie recipe specifies charlottes. By the way, over on the France forum there's an ongoing discussion of his famous purée that includes a summary of the recipe: Joel Robuchon's Mashed Potatoes. In his spud book, Robuchon characterizes charlottes as firm-fleshed potatoes good for steaming, sautéing, deep-frying and stewing and says they make "de savoureuses salades."

Edited November 30, 2005 by carswell (log)

[Vinfidel]

aaahh yes you are correct, no truffles. just mashed potatoes or really butter with potatoe sprinkles

what is LM&LPSDLPDT

[carswell]

what is LM&LPSDLPDT

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Le meilleur et le plus simple de la pomme de terre. You just had to make me type it out again, eh?

[Vinfidel]

thansk but i did not know that this was a book, i will look for it thankyou

[carswell]

It's a J'ai lu paperback. Widely available and about the same price as a bottle of Borsao.

[Vinfidel]

It's a J'ai lu paperback. Widely available and about the same price as a bottle of Borsao.

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but is it as good?

[sf&m]

Marché Des Saveurs at JTM now offers a "Menu des fêtes" - a catering menu. Apparently you order by December 12th and they deliver - I would guess on designated date and time.

A range of "Soupes., Mignardises (savoury), Repas and Desserts" are offered + a Québec centric collection of beer and wine.

As an example (many more dishes available):

soupe à l'agneau et haricots blancs

ravioli au confit de canard

Fèves au lard

Tourte du marché (cerf-lapin- faison)

porc farci au canneberge

wellington de cerf

Gâteau au fromage St-Honoreé

and

Plateaux de fromage du Québec et charcuteries

The number to call is 514-271-3811

Never tried their catering so have NO idea about quality.

Could be fun.

Most dishes are $12-30 for 6 to 8 person servings. Snacks per dz. Looks as you could do "Mignardises", Soup, Mains and dessert for about $100 - $150 for 6-8 people! (?) Less wine of course.

[Mr. Fagioli]

Small heads up: Capitol, the Italian butcher/charcuterie/grocery on the south side of the Jean-Talon market, next door to Poisonnerie Shamrock, will be closing for renovations for three weeks starting Monday the 23rd. I don't know just what they'll be liquidating beforehand, but I think it's fair to assume there will be some deals to be had from now until then. Perishables would be a good bet.

And here's a "before" shot of Jean-Talon market proper (complete with unknown joker) -- can't wait to be able to start taking "after" shots!

[gus_tatory]

OK, I have to confess I was inspired by a thread on the Toronto board, so props to them.

There are tons of items I can reliably find in Montreal; others, not so much. For example, I can find dragonfruit and pomelos, but I can't find yuzu.

Likewise, I haven't been able to find curry leaves in Montreal since the Indian produce store on Parc Ave. closed.

So: where can I find yuzu and curry leaves? And is there anything you've been looking for and had difficulty finding?

[wattacetti]

I think Carswell had started a similar thread a while ago talking about what we'd seen in the local markets.

Yuzu I haven't located yet though I did see curry leaves at the Kim Phat in Brossard.