That CRAZY French Canadian film

[shelora]

If anyone has watched CRAZY, the award-winning French Canadian film, you may have noticed the food sequences.

I am smitten by the Mom making her son "iron toast". Flattening and toasting pieces of white bread with her iron. She performs this domestic duty on her kitchen counter.

Is this a typical French Canadian thing? It looks rather tasty.

Well, can we try this at home? Any pointers? What setting on the iron?

[francois]

If anyone has watched CRAZY, the award-winning French Canadian film, you may have noticed the food sequences.

I am smitten by the Mom making her son "iron toast". Flattening and toasting pieces of white bread with her iron. She performs this domestic duty on her kitchen counter.

Is this a typical French Canadian thing? It looks rather tasty.

Well, can we try this at home? Any pointers? What setting on the iron?

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You got to be kidding!

[shelora]

If anyone has watched CRAZY, the award-winning French Canadian film, you may have noticed the food sequences.

I am smitten by the Mom making her son "iron toast". Flattening and toasting pieces of white bread with her iron. She performs this domestic duty on her kitchen counter.

Is this a typical French Canadian thing? It looks rather tasty.

Well, can we try this at home? Any pointers? What setting on the iron?

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You got to be kidding!

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I'm dead serious.

[riboflavinjoe]

I think Johnny Depp did that in Benny and Joon. but he was making grilled cheese sandwiches.

[shelora]

I think Johnny Depp did that in Benny and Joon.  but he was making grilled cheese sandwiches.

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Funny you should mention grilled cheese. A friend at dinner last night regaled us with his grilled cheese days at college.

He would make a grilled cheese sandwich by first spreading the required amount of butter on both sides of the bread, wrapping it in tin foil and set the iron on the cotton setting. Proceed.

I shall report back once I have done both toast and grilled cheese.

Cotton setting.

[francois]

I am very surprised to learn that this is not a common practice in other parts of the country. In rural Quebec, we traditionally make our toast with an iron. Hey, I never even owned a toaster!

It also works great with other things, like grilled cheese or reheating pizza.

It is also a traditional cooking method for fish. WhenI was young, we used to cook our very first catch of the year with an iron. In early spring, on a day like today in early April, we would get up early in the morning, as soon as the ice had melted on the St-Laurence and go fishing for a little knowned but delicious little flying fish. I never knew it's real name. We would only call it 'le poisson d'avril'. Back home, our mother would cook it whole with an iron. Great even if a bit difficult to swallow!

[Kerry Beal]

I am very surprised to learn that this is not a common practice in other parts of the country.  In rural Quebec, we traditionally make our toast with an iron.  Hey, I never even owned a toaster!

It also works great with other things, like grilled cheese or reheating pizza.

It is also a traditional cooking method for fish.  WhenI was young, we used to cook our very first catch of the year with an iron.  In early spring, on a day like today in early April, we would get up early in the morning, as soon as the ice had melted on the St-Laurence and go fishing for a little knowned but delicious little flying fish.  I never knew it's real name.  We would only call it 'le poisson d'avril'.  Back home, our mother would cook it whole with an iron.  Great even if a bit difficult to swallow!

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Of course to catch this petite poisson d'avril you had to snowshoe 30 miles there and back, uphill all the way! Eh!

[riboflavinjoe]

it is also a traditional Labradorian treat. my ancestors have been making iron toast for centuries, always on cotton setting. i think i know the fish you're talking about, francois, but i can't remember the name in english. I think some of them flew all the way up to goose bay once.

yeah, snowshoe up hill 30 miles all the way up to sea level to get to the st. lawrence.

Edited April 1, 2006 by riboflavinjoe (log)

[Vanessa L.]

Definitely a Quebecois thing. The catering company I do coordination for hosts a lot of Bar-Mitzvahs. One of "stations" that the kids love is "Ironed Grilled Cheese". We cover the ironing board in silicone paper and set the iron to 'cotton' as well.

It's less messy than a frying pan and always turns out perfect and flat. (Very important.) Don't try using healthier ingredients either. White Weston bread (Wonderbread in the US I think) and Kraft Singles (the orange kind). Margarine on the bread if anything. All things that I will refuse to use for any other purpose, but together somehow they're comfort food.

[Kerry Beal]

Definitely a Quebecois thing.  The catering company I do coordination for hosts a lot of Bar-Mitzvahs.  One of "stations" that the kids love is "Ironed Grilled Cheese".  We cover the ironing board in silicone paper and set the iron to 'cotton' as well.

It's less messy than a frying pan and always turns out perfect and flat. (Very important.)  Don't try using healthier ingredients either.  White Weston bread (Wonderbread in the US I think) and Kraft Singles (the orange kind).  Margarine on the bread if anything.  All things that I will refuse to use for any other purpose, but together somehow they're comfort food.

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Dipped in ketsup of course.

[poutine]

Ah the joys of growing up in the booming town of Asbestos in the 70s. Remember when grandmere used to heat up that 15 pound iron on the coal burning stove ... the bacon never tasted better. But of course you had no temperature control on those big heavy fothermucker irons in those days so when you added the bacon to the bread & cheese, your bacon/fromage grille inevitably burned. And how could I almost forget about that Quebecois tradition of dishing up some good ol poisson d'avril! My understanding is that today is the most popular day for this dish. Although I never tried cooking some up using an iron, if anyone has any tasty recipes to share let's hear 'em.

[Kerry Beal]

Ah the joys of growing up in the booming town of Asbestos in the 70s.  Remember when grandmere used to heat up that 15 pound iron on the coal burning stove ... the bacon never tasted better.  But of course you had no temperature control on those big heavy fothermucker irons in those days so when you added the bacon to the bread & cheese, your bacon/fromage grille inevitably burned.  And how could I almost forget about that Quebecois tradition of dishing up some good ol poisson d'avril!  My understanding is that today is the most popular day for this dish.  Although I never tried cooking some up using an iron, if anyone has any tasty recipes to share let's hear 'em. 

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Five minutes left to answer. You take the poisson d'avril, place on a pine plank. Season well with salt pepper and maple syrup. Place between foil and under iron on linen setting. When the smell is just right, remove from under iron, discard fish, eat pine plank.

Original recipe for sheephead from bay of quinte adapted for poisson d'avril.

[shelora]

Ah the joys of growing up in the booming town of Asbestos in the 70s.  Remember when grandmere used to heat up that 15 pound iron on the coal burning stove ... the bacon never tasted better.  But of course you had no temperature control on those big heavy fothermucker irons in those days so when you added the bacon to the bread & cheese, your bacon/fromage grille inevitably burned.  And how could I almost forget about that Quebecois tradition of dishing up some good ol poisson d'avril!  My understanding is that today is the most popular day for this dish.  Although I never tried cooking some up using an iron, if anyone has any tasty recipes to share let's hear 'em.  

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Five minutes left to answer. You take the poisson d'avril, place on a pine plank. Season well with salt pepper and maple syrup. Place between foil and under iron on linen setting. When the smell is just right, remove from under iron, discard fish, eat pine plank.

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All your postings on this subject have made me so happy.

One technical question on the iron. Does anyone know if a T-FAL coated iron will work just as well as an iron with a pure metal?

[Mr. Fagioli]

All your postings on this subject have made me so happy.

One technical question on the iron. Does anyone know if a T-FAL coated iron will work just as well as an iron with a pure metal?

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For best results, use a genuine Saguenay Fish Iron, at least a 15-pounder, preferably a 20. In a pinch, a 12-pound Gaspé Fish Iron can also be used. Google "poisson d'avril" for more details.

[maggiethecat]

Can't help you with the iron surface, shelora, because I grew up in Trois-Rivieres with a gluten intolerant lactose intolerant Mum.

But she did go all out with the poisson d'avril. She'd poach it and serve it in a broth which was half and half Ex and Curacao.

[grill-it]

Ya just gotta love that yummy poisson d'avril... I miss my childhood...

[shelora]

I thankyou for your iron suggestions but I just forged ahead and plugged in my new clothes iron with the T-fal coating and pressed myself a cheese sandwich.

Sorry, I do not have a photograph because I couldn't wait to try this.

I took two pieces of Baurenbrot rye, chosen for its squishability, but not so squishy as to be Wonderbread ( I just couldn't do it).

Slices of orange cheddar (I can still do that!) and blobs of frozen unsalted butter on top on the bread.

I placed the sandwich in between two pieces of foil, set the iron to cotton and pressed.

Checking at intervals, this technique took no time at all, less than two minutes a side and voila! grilled cheese sandwich, nicely toasted and flattened. Mmmmmm.... good.

I'm off to make a slice of toast.

[Vinfidel]

SHELORA

dont forget if you froze the butter you can use a MICROPLANE to shave it very nicely on the breads to get a good spread

[iharrison]

I am very surprised to learn that this is not a common practice in other parts of the country.  In rural Quebec, we traditionally make our toast with an iron.  Hey, I never even owned a toaster!

It also works great with other things, like grilled cheese or reheating pizza.

It is also a traditional cooking method for fish.  WhenI was young, we used to cook our very first catch of the year with an iron.  In early spring, on a day like today in early April, we would get up early in the morning, as soon as the ice had melted on the St-Laurence and go fishing for a little knowned but delicious little flying fish.  I never knew it's real name.  We would only call it 'le poisson d'avril'.  Back home, our mother would cook it whole with an iron.  Great even if a bit difficult to swallow!

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I love how nobody got your April Fool's joke Francois ... genial.

[Mr. Fagioli]

I am very surprised to learn that this is not a common practice in other parts of the country.  In rural Quebec, we traditionally make our toast with an iron.  Hey, I never even owned a toaster!

It also works great with other things, like grilled cheese or reheating pizza.

It is also a traditional cooking method for fish.  WhenI was young, we used to cook our very first catch of the year with an iron.  In early spring, on a day like today in early April, we would get up early in the morning, as soon as the ice had melted on the St-Laurence and go fishing for a little knowned but delicious little flying fish.  I never knew it's real name.  We would only call it 'le poisson d'avril'.  Back home, our mother would cook it whole with an iron.  Great even if a bit difficult to swallow!

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I love how nobody got your April Fool's joke Francois ... genial.

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Funny, I was loving how everybody got it and ran with it, including Shelora. A T-Fal iron?

Edit: Oh wait, T-Fal irons really do exist. I hope poor shelora isn't scouring the markets for little April fish to steam with it...

Edited April 2, 2006 by Mr. Fagioli (log)

[shelora]

I am very surprised to learn that this is not a common practice in other parts of the country.  In rural Quebec, we traditionally make our toast with an iron.  Hey, I never even owned a toaster!

It also works great with other things, like grilled cheese or reheating pizza.

It is also a traditional cooking method for fish.  WhenI was young, we used to cook our very first catch of the year with an iron.  In early spring, on a day like today in early April, we would get up early in the morning, as soon as the ice had melted on the St-Laurence and go fishing for a little knowned but delicious little flying fish.  I never knew it's real name.  We would only call it 'le poisson d'avril'.  Back home, our mother would cook it whole with an iron.  Great even if a bit difficult to swallow!

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I love how nobody got your April Fool's joke Francois ... genial.

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Funny, I was loving how everybody got it and ran with it, including Shelora. A T-Fal iron?

Edit: Oh wait, T-Fal irons really do exist. I hope poor shelora isn't scouring the markets for little April fish to steam with it...

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Well ha ha. I guess an iron would be hard to swallow. Very good.

Went right over my head.

And the iron I use to give my slacks that crisp look is now the same one that flattening and melts a perfect grilled cheese sandwich everytime. With a t-fal coating.

[shelora]

You take the poisson d'avril, place on a pine plank.  Season well with salt pepper and maple syrup.  Place between foil and under iron on linen setting.  When the smell is just right, remove from under iron, discard fish, eat pine plank.

Even funnier!