A TASTE OF CANADA - A Culinary Journey by Rose Murray
This cookbook has a copyright of 2008. I got this cookbook off of Amazon.com. I have never cooked from this book before.
I searched high and low through the Amazon cookbook section to find a cookbook that had "Canadian" recipes. Though there were a few (basically nothing compared to say the Italian section) this is the one that struck me as needing to be in my cookbook collection. It was more recent than some, and the author, Rose Murray, had several well reviewed cookbooks already out.
Not really knowing much about Canadian food, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I have to admit, most of the recipes didn't scream "Canada" to me...Chinese Style Roast Duck; Pad Thai; Fresh Peach, Gorgonzola and Prosciutto Salad. Lots of use of fresh and or local ingredients (most of which can be found here where I live). The important thing was that most of the recipes sounded good!
A Taste of Canada starts out with an introduction on how Canadian cuisine comes from various ethnic cultures, which explains why some recipes sound Chinese, Japanese, Thai. Standard chapters such as Breads and Brunches and Mains (which is broken up to Poultry, Lamb, etc). Recipes have both metric and "American" measurements. Not all the recipes have photos, but those that do are full page.
Here and there you will find menus for special occasions like a picnic in Stanley Park or a Canadian Birthday party. Interspersed are pages that talk of ingredients (jerusalem artichokes, fiddleheads, rhubarb) types of foods (Tourtiere which is a Quebec meat pie) or areas of Canada.
There were some recipes in the book for foods that I had heard about when trying to look up Canadian foods. Butter Tarts. The meat pies called Tourtiere. Nanaimo Bars. They didn't seem to be "straight up" versions of these items, more an updated take. The Tourtiere here is made with frozen puff pastry, the Butter Tarts with phyllo dough. There were many recipes along with those mentioned that sounded good. Wild Mushroom and Back Bacon Risotto. Spicy Dark and Delicious Beef Chili. Two Cheese Veal Loaf. Pear and Blackberry Hazelnut Crunch. I might not be able to make all the dishes during the Olympics, but I'll definitely try out a few.
There is a lot of overlap between American and Canadian cuisine, and there are regionalisms as well. For example, Quebec has great maple syrup and cheese, similar to New England. Quebec also has the French influence. British Columbia food reminds me a lot of California cuisine. It has the same ethnic diversity we are used to, lots of seafood and fresh vegetables, plus you see a lot of the fusion styles.
But there are the Canadian things like poutine, beaver tails, etc. I forgot about Nanaimo Bars. Very rich, but delicious. Just a few bits will do.
Posted by: @makfan | February 18, 2010 at 09:40 PM
Yippee! A new cookbook! Look forward to hearing about those lovely dishes.
Posted by: Louise | February 19, 2010 at 01:01 PM
Makfan - I've seen recipes for maple cookies that look great and I have a recipe for Nanaiamo bars (not from this cookbook) that I might give a try next weekend.
Louise - Yep, a new cookbook to me is like chocolate to some.
Posted by: Mrs. L | February 21, 2010 at 12:27 PM
As a Canadian, I have to comment that my fav cookbook is 'Chef on the Run - Simply the Best' by Diane Clement (a fellow Vancouverite). I have all her cookbooks; her Nanaimo Bar recipe is my go-to favourite. Find this paperback gem at ecookbooks.com and enjoy!
Posted by: gailanne | February 25, 2010 at 12:25 PM