Making applesauce is one of the most efficient ways of tackling your bounty of apples. With just three ingredients—apples, water, and lemon juice—it’s a sweet treat you can feel good about.
Store loose apples in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for up to 4 months.
Beyond French toast, use applesauce in baked goods, dressings, smoothies, and (my favourite way) paired with thick Greek yogurt and granola, lending natural sweetness and moisture to all of the above.
Instead of applesauce, use another seasonal produce purée in the batter, such as pear, squash, carrot, pumpkin, or rutabaga.
Per serving:
For applesauce, add apples and lemon juice to large pot over high heat. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until apples are softened. Transfer to food processor or blender and pureu0301e until smooth. To keep it more rustic, mash with fork. Cool and store airtight in glass jars for up to 2 weeks refrigerated, or 2 months frozen.
For French toast, in large ceramic or glass casserole dish, beat eggs until emulsified. Beat in applesauce, milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and ginger. Add bread; soak and baste (slather batter over bread), turning once or twice for 30 minutes.
Preheat large nonstick skillet or nonstick griddle pan to medium. Add thin layer of oil or butter. Add bread in single layer, being sure not to crowd the pan (cook in batches if necessary). Cook on first side for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown, flip, and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown on second side. Serve immediately with maple syrup and your favourite toppings.
Tourtière is, for me, the dish that best represents Québec. It can be traced back to the 1600s, and there’s no master recipe; every family has their own twist. Originally, it was made with game birds or game meat, like rabbit, pheasant, or moose; that’s one of the reasons why I prefer it with venison instead of beef or pork. Variation: If you prefer to make single servings, follow our lead at the restaurant, where we make individual tourtières in the form of a dome (pithivier) and fill them with 5 ounces (160 g) of the ground venison mixture. Variation: You can also use a food processor to make the dough. Place the flour, salt, and butter in the food processor and pulse about ten times, until the butter is incorporated—don’t overmix. It should look like wet sand, and a few little pieces of butter here and there is okay. With the motor running, through the feed tube, slowly add ice water until the dough forms a ball—again don’t overmix. Wrap, chill, and roll out as directed above.
My love of artichokes continues with this classic recipe, one of the best ways to eat this interesting, underrated, and strange vegetable. Frozen artichoke hearts are a time-saving substitute, though the flavour and texture of fresh artichokes are, by far, much superior and definitely preferred.
Cervelle de canut is basically the Boursin of France, an herbed fresh farmer’s cheese spread that’s a speciality of Lyon. The name is kind of weird, as it literally means “silk worker’s brain,” named after nineteenth-century Lyonnaise silk workers, who were called canuts. Sadly, the name reflects the low opinion of the people towards these workers. Happily for us, though, it’s delicious—creamy, fragrant, and fresh at the same time. Cervelle de canut is one of my family’s favourite dishes. It’s a great make-ahead appetizer that you can pop out of the fridge once your guests arrive. Use a full-fat cream cheese for the dish, or it will be too runny and less delicious.