The Acadian Kitchen by Alain Bosse (The Kilted Chef)
I lived in a suburb of Montreal when I was a kid. Unsurprisingly, one of the things I remember most vividly about my time there was the food. Poutine, smoked meat sandwiches, and chicken and rib franchises (I’m thinking about you, Swiss Chalet!) are what immediately come to mind for restaurant food, but when I think about eating at friends’ houses what I remember most is Tortiere. Flaky, lardy crust filled with ground pork and allspice which, like the underappreciated Canadian sport Ringette, just hasn’t seemed to catch on here.
Seems as though Alain Bosse, a.k.a The Kilted Chef, is trying to change that with his book The Acadian Kitchen. Featuring Acadian recipes inspired by Cajun and French Canadian history, the first thought I had when I opened it was “Sarah, renew your passport and go eat all the food.” And my second thought was “But wait! Instead I can just use this book and MAKE THE FOOD.” Then my family made the potato pancakes for supper and they were excellent. Next up: Farmer’s Wife Soup, Fried Bread and Sugar Fudge.
There is a brief history or anecdote above each recipe but they are short (and interesting), and a welcome diversion from many of the blog-post inspired cookbooks I’ve picked up lately. These recipes will be familiar and comforting to New Englanders and the book mostly calls for pantry staples making this a stress-free read. Think of it as Acadian Hygge.
Review by Sarah Maciejewski of the Children’s Room.
To request a copy, click here.
