Montreal: Hot Chocolate and Bakery Windows Pt. 2

Bringing my food tour of Montreal to a close, I will continue discussing the many delicious foods and attempt to move beyond Old Montreal. But first, let me share a quick pic I snapped while walking through the cobblestone streets.

Not much can compare to fresh french bread. The yeasty smell that fills the air when the oven is opened, the crunch when you bite down, the sweetness of the bread...

Perhaps chocolate. Perhaps.

Moving on... Let's talk hot chocolate-

The difference between American hot chocolate and Montreal is night and day.

While hot chocolate is traditionally made with cocoa powder in the USA, in Montreal they use melted chocolate. Stirring is often required to get to the near-solid layer of warm chocolate that rests on the bottom of the glass.

The drink pictured here was from a chain near the hotel, Java U. Looking at it makes me think of a chocolate milkshake, the way they served it in a tall glass and handed you a long handled spoon. It was the largest amount of hot chocolate I was served at one time and ironically the least chocolatey.




The other hot chocolates were in small coffee cups, including ones that looked better fit to hold an expresso shot. And they were more intense then the milkshake chocolate.

Let that sink in.

The molten chocolate to milk ratio can be overwhelming the first time you experience it.

Mmmm.....

Tiny cups of chocolatey goodness-

What could be better?

The best hot chocolate was from Cafe Myriade. We had to walk two miles from our hotel to get there, but it was worth it. And more importantly, we needed to work up an appetite. Cafe Myriade had a machine that mixed the molten chocolate as you watched. Intense. My companions had their cappuccino and pastries.

Check out the intricateness of the leaf design on the cappuccino. Gorgeous.

I drank my melted chocolate with milk and ate a chocolate croissant.

Sometimes mornings are stressful.

Sometimes not.

Later that day, while wandering the streets, we came across a beautiful cupcake window display.

Cupcakes in martini glasses, what could go wrong?

I think my favorite meal had to be fondue at Founduementale. Gorgeous bubbly cheese mixed with basil and garlic. Endless pieces of bread to dip. My only regret was that it was so large, I couldn't finish it. And sadly, they have not yet invented a way to sensibly take fondue leftovers with you. The meal was rounded off with a chocolate fondue served with bananas, apples, marshmallows and of course, strawberries, which we dipped to our hearts content.

And those are some of my favorite places to visit in Montreal.

If you feel cheated by the lack of chocolate and/or fondue based photographs from this post, or simply want to learn about more Montreal restaurants, check out how to get chocolate poisoning (or how not) in Montreal at The Personal Autopsy, a hysterical blog written by Brittany, the self proclaimed goddess of cats, squirrels and chocolate. Check her out!

Olive et Gourmando: Chocolate and a Salad in Montreal

For my next few posts, I will be doing a brief series on Montreal, as I just returned there from a week-long vacation.

To begin, I want to talk chocolate.

This is not an idle conversation. Chocolate is an important part of my life. I consider it to be a minor obsession.

I'm well aware of the health benefits of chocolate- that the flavonoids are good for your heart and that there's even some evidence that eating a little chocolate everyday can help depression.

But none of those things matter. Not really. I'd eat it anyway. 

So it should come to no surprise, that last week while vacationing in Montreal, I had my fair share of the sweet stuff. Largely, I enjoyed hot chocolates and chocolate pastries, often at the same time.

I roamed the streets of Old Montreal, taking in the cobblestones and old buildings. I had my fair share of food at various restaurants and cafes. My favorite meal however, was at Olive et Gourmando.

I could have eaten there every day and been satisfied. How satisfied? To get back to the hotel on day five, all I would have needed would have been a really good push.

Their most outrageous chocolatey pastry is their Valhrona Chocolate Brioche. It's the type of pastry that's probably meant to be split, but you won't want too share. The outside is flaky, but the inside is as moist as a muffin. Rich veins of chocolate run throughout. It is well worth sinking your teeth into.

To really go overboard, pair with their hot chocolate. Be sure to mix well, the bottom of the cup is where most of the chocolate is hiding.

Olive et Gourmando is a stylish and trendy sort of place. It's always bustling with people, whether they are standing in line for one of the two counters or enjoying their meal. At one point, I ate a late lunch at two in the afternoon and it was still as busy as ever. When you walk into the cafe, you can immediately see the first line of people waiting for their coffee and pastry. The second counter is in the back and has a large chalkboard, listing the many sandwiches available. Not-so-visible is the inside of the counter, where more food options are often hidden by people waiting to order them. 

The one thing to be aware of before you visit is the menu. Simply put, they don't have one. At least not in the normal sense. Instead, the staff will direct you to the many chalkboards that are scattered about the restaurant. The pastries are all labeled by tiny white markers and lunch options are showcased similarly in the back counter. Tea, coffee, and hot chocolate options are tightly squeezed on a long chalkboard located in a tiny corner, right next to the pastry line.

As busy as this place is and as diverse are their options, I highly recommend that you check out their website at http://oliveetgourmando.com/ for the extensive list of pastries, sandwiches, salads and more, before visiting. It's easy to miss food options that are hidden behind customers otherwise.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the chocolate? Quick! Stare at this kale.

Better?

Olive et Gourmando also has the best vegetarian/vegan fare for breakfast and lunch. I ate The Herbivore as my next meal after my chocolate overdose. It's a monstrous dish made for a veggie lover with an appetite.

The Herbivore is a delicious and healthy salad, full of shredded and chopped vegetables, such as kale, carrots and radishes, mixed with different kinds of seeds and nuts. The whole thing rests on a pile of Soba noodles. The plate is topped off with sprouts and your choice of dressing. I went with a spicy peanut sauce. Fabulous.

Olive et Gourmando was one of the most pleasant places I ate at while in Montreal and I highly recommend you check it out if you are ever in town, whether it be for a meal or a pastry to go.

Spinach Pesto Pasta

Quinoa. The love of my vegetarian life. 

It has everything a woman could ever want. Protein and high fiber, the grain is more than just a pretty face. And since it comes in three color choices, tan, red and black, it can go with just about any meal.

I'd like to say that this dish is the culmination of everything I've been working toward. A masterful work of culinary art born of genius. Each ingredient the natural partner of the previous flavor inserted.

I'd like to say that, but really I got bored. And this consisted mostly of leftovers I had laying about the kitchen. 

The macaroni noodles from the box of Annie's Mac and Cheese that never saw the cheese sauce-

The fresh pesto that had been made the day before from the basil plants outside-

Extra spinach that didn't make it into the lasagna-

Sometimes things happen for a reason. Just go with it.

The ricotta cheese adds a richness to the whole meal. Basil and garlic prevails over the taste buds. The spinach gives an italian flair. And the peas? Well, you can never have too many peas.

Any type of quinoa will do. There isn't a large difference in the flavors of each kind. But the red gives the plate a lovely color.

Mix in that quinoa. It's crunchy and delicious and adds great texture.

And while I'm in the confessing mood, I'd also like to say that before this lovely creation come into existence, I utterly failed to make pumpkin soup. Oops.

Spinach Pesto Pasta

Ingredients
olive oil(for pan)
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup pre-cooked macaroni
dollap of fat free ricotta cheese
basil pesto
1/4 cup cooked quinoa

Saute spinach and peas in olive oil in a medium sized pan on medium low heat. Continue until peas are thawed and spinach has wilted. Turn heat down to low. Add cheese, mixing well until vegetables are coated. Add the cooked pasta to the pan. Mix and let sit for 30 seconds.

Take pan off of the heat. Add pesto to mixture. Serve. Sprinkle heavily with quinoa to add extra crunch.

Red, White and Blue- Ice Cream Sponge Cake Roll w/Blueberry Sauce

This July 4th, I was in a pie eating contest. A mini-pie eating contest where you had to finish a single pie. I lost. Little children beat me. Adults beat me. I ended up throwing the pie away, not finishing it even afterwards. But it was good fun and I got to try to eat out of a tin with my hands behind my back. I even managed to gleam a little pie-eating wisdom from the guy sitting next to me. The secret is to tip the pie out of the pan onto the picnic table. Then you can actually get to the entirety of the pie. I had only managed to eat the upper crust. Couldn't get into the filling, the dish was too shallow.

Beware mini-pie eating contestants. Next 4th of July, I'm coming for you.

To celebrate family and friends gathered together for a 4th BBQ. My mother set up the dining room with special paper plates and napkins. She is the queen of themes, so her table went as Red, White and Blue as possible-

Flag patterned napkins, red plates, and blue tablecloths. A white candle in a hurricane lamp as the centerpiece filled with blue marbles, sitting on a red base.

Being my responsibility to make dessert this year, I had to follow along.

The end result- a yellow sponge cake, filled with vanilla ice cream and chopped strawberries with a blueberry sauce drizzle on top. Yum.

Ice Cream Sponge Cake
(from the Joy of Cooking)
Sponge Cake

Filling:
vanilla ice cream
1 cup (chopped) strawberries

Blueberry Sauce
(Cooking Light)

Make sponge cake to directions. Place the cake on a sheet of aluminum foil. Spread softened ice cream across cake, just enough to cover. Top with strawberries. Roll cake slowly and tightly. Cracking will lessen the more the roll progresses. Remove any excess filling. Move cake to the center of the foil. Wrap the aluminum around the roll to help the cake keep shape. Freeze.

To Serve:
Let soften 2-3 minutes. Cut individual slices and top with blueberry sauce.

Berry Yummy, Angel Food Cake

It's berry picking season. Time to look up local farms and see if they offer pick your own. There's nothing quite like being out in the sun, plucking ripe berries right from the vine with a basket swung over your shoulder, as you shovel strawberries directly into your mouth. Not that I'm speaking from personal experience or anything. Because that would be wrong...

Eating fresh berries that you've just picked is like nothing else. You can almost taste the warmth of the sun in every berry. Fresh, fresh, fresh.

Before you know it you have an entire basket full of berries to bring home. That you have to eat up in a week. Hmmm...

Berries are excellent on cake. Angel food cake with fresh fruit and maybe a dash of vanilla ice cream would be a perfect solution, no?

If you don't have berries, you could spread high quality jam on each slice and cover in whipped cream.

Angel food cake is a soft sponge. It's light and airy texture makes it a delightful summer treat when heavier desserts just aren't as appealing.

Angel Food Cake
Recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook
(serves 12)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cups large egg whites (roughly 12 eggs worth)
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Place the oven rack in the lowest position and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together the powdered sugar and flour. In another bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar. The eggs should become foamy. Add the granulated sugar a few tablespoons at a time, beating the mixture constantly on high speed. With the last few tablespoons of sugar, add the almond and vanilla extracts with the salt.

Continue beating the mixture until stiff peaks form. The mixture will be glossy. It is very important to not underbeat. Stiff peaks can be tested by gently dipping the head of the mixer into the egg whites. Pull the beaters out. Check the shape of the mixture clinging to the beaters, which should be similar to the shape of a mountain peak. If the whites hold their shape firmly even if you gently rotate the beaters back and forth manually, then you have stiff peaks and can move on to the next step.

Bring back the powdered sugar mixture and sprinkle small amounts over the egg mixture, about 1/4 of a cup at a time. Fold into the egg whites with a spatula until combined. It is important to be gentle and to only mix until the mixture is absorbed, as to not deflate the egg whites.

Scrape the batter into a 10 x 4 inch tube pan. Cut once through the batter with a knife or metal spatula to break any possible air pockets.

Bake 30-35 minutes. The cracks on top of the cake should feel dry and should spring back when touched gently.

Cooling the cake is important to do correctly. Angel food cake cools upside-down. If your foam cake pan has feet to allow the top, simply flip the cake over and let cool on your countertop. Otherwise use a heat proof bottle or funnel. Insert the bottle through the hole in the cake. It seems like a small thing, but it is important to test that the bottle will fit and balance the pan correctly before baking. Otherwise you may find yourself trying and failing to hold onto an extremely hot pan, while you search through your cabinet for bottles that are strong enough to hold up a cake. Ouch.

Let the cake cool for 2 hours or so until completely cooled. Flip the pan upright. Using a plastic knife loosen the edges of the cake from the pan. Remove cake. Serve.

Toffee Bars

Start with a buttery cookie base- followed with a layer of melted milk chocolate with chopped walnuts sprinkled on top. And what do you get? Toffee bars.

The sweetest kindest bar cookie on the block.

This is the cookie to make for friends, neighbors, new roommates or just people you want to impress the heck out of for minimum effort.

Why is it an impressive cookie?

1. It's easy to make, because it's not a drop cookie that is baked individually, but a bar cookie. You plop all the dough in on pan and bake it like a cake.

2. It has "layers", but isn't as complex as say-- a 7-layer bar recipe. Again, Easy-Bake Oven easy.

3. A toffee bar is not a chocolate chip cookie. Nor does it contain chocolate chips in any form. This automatically makes it an interesting alternative to the norm. And if you bring it to a block party, you avoid that awkward moment that comes from realizing you brought the same dessert as someone else. Oooh, burn.

4. Each cookie comes with a list of references, witty conversation starters and is bilingual.

5. It is composed of simple flavors that everyone enjoys, so it's bound to be a hit among all ages.

6. If you make an angel food cake or meringues with it, you can use up an excess egg yolk. Yeah. It is that awesome.

7. It's something to do during the summer with excess chocolate, (if there is indeed such a thing), besides making s'mores. Mmm...s'mores.

Toffee Bars
(makes 32 cookies)
From the Betty Crocker Cookbook
Ingredients:
1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg yolk
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup milk chocolate chips/bar
1/2 chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the butter, brown sugar, vanilla and egg yolk in a large bowl or mixer. Add flour and salt slowly to the mixture, stirring until combined.

Scrape into an 13x9x2 inch pan. Press down on dough gently to create an even surface. Take care that the edges are level as well.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The bars should be a light brown and will still be soft.

Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkled the chocolate pieces evenly over the crust. As the heat begins to melt the chocolate spread evenly over the cookies. Add nuts to the warm chocolate.

Let bars cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 32 pieces.

Tip: If you over bake the crust, pop the cookies into an airtight container with a lid. Add a slice of bread and seal the container. Leave overnight. The toffee bars will soften.
The bread will be hard as a rock. You won't be able to save it. Sorry.
Nab a free slice of bread from your dining hall if you can. Just make sure it isn't already stale.

Matzah Brei

The school year is winding down, homework is grinding to a halt and suddenly you have more projects and finals than you know what to do with. Another thing winding down? Your meal plan. Suddenly your social life increases as you cling like a sea lichen to various people you sat next to that one time in college writing, because they happen to have some extra points on their meal card. This makes for some awkward conversations as you attempt to bum your way through the next few weeks.

But, fortunately you are one of the lucky ones! You have access to a kitchen. And this kitchen has working appliances, like a stove and an oven. Yay!

Unfortunately, you're just about broke. So, retract that last yay.

What to do?

Hey, remember those Jewish friends you have? The ones who celebrate Passover? I bet they have a ton of leftover food you could have. Probably several boxes of matzah under the sink. And trust me, they won't be touching that stuff for another year anyway. It's a Jew thing.

Don't know anybody who has extra matzah? Time to check out that discounted aisle at the supermarket.

So now you and your several boxes of life-giving matzah are in the kitchen. You've had matzah toast with jam, matzah crackers in your chicken noodle soup and matzah sandwiches that have crumbled onto your lap, and you're feeling a little iffy about my advice.

Sorry about that. You have tons of eggs, right? Here, have a recipe. It's like making french toast and a large omelette at the same time. It's fantastic.

Matzah Brei
(Recipe from The Jewish Holiday Kitchen by Joan Nathan)
serves 3-4 people

Ingredients:
Boiling Water
3 sheets of Matzah
2 eggs
salt and pepper (to taste)
butter (for frying)

Boil and pour the hot water into a large heat resistant bowl. Take the matzah and break into pieces, dropping them into the bowl.  Allow the matzah to soak for 15 minutes. Drain. Gently squeeze the excess moisture from the matzot.

Place the matzah back into the bowl.
Crack the two eggs into a small dish. Gently beat the eggs with a folk, just enough to separate the yolk. Add salt and pepper. Pour mixture over the matzah.

Butter your skillet or just a flat frying pan.You shouldn't need more than a tablespoon of butter at a time if you're making in two batches, but feel free to use less if you are making smaller portions. If you have a large pan, you can pour the entire mixture into the pan at once. Allow it to cook for 3-4 minutes or until it is brown on one side.

Flip and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.

Serve warm.

Drizzle maple syrup or honey on top. Add cinnamon if desired.