Canoe - Taste Québec

@ChefHorne's first tasting menu as we travel across Canada over the next year. #GoodEats

Aside from poutine and maple syrup, it's hard to define what Canadian cuisine is. Being the second largest country in the world, spanning coast-to-coast, and with almost every type of biome, Canada is able to produce and showcase so many different ingredients throughout the year. This is what excites me about this series of tasting menus, rather than focusing on one particular ingredient (berries, corn etc), Chef Horne has decided to focus on Canada and showcase it's regions at it's best. Starting with Quebec, to British Columbia, to the East Coast, to Ontario, the Prairies, and North of 70.

Bonsoir/Amuse Bouche: Dungeness Crab with Cauliflower Foam, Taro Chips, and Chili.

Paired with a Sweet Apple "Caribou" Cocktail with Lillet Blanc and Fortified Wine.

Course 1: Split Pea Soup with Smoked Sturgeon, Housemade Crème Fraîche from Canton-de-l'Est Ricotta , & Montréal Bagel Crumbs.

Course 2: Wild Rabbit & Foie Gras Terrine with Wild Blum, Chokecherry Jelly & Pain d'Épices (spiced bread)

Intermezzo/Rafraîchir: Hot House Rhubarb - inspired by Chef Horne's childhood "as kids we didn't have money to buy candy, so we would take rhubard from our neighbors, sprinkle sugar on it, and that was our candy"

Course 3: Chantecler Chicken Poutine with Cider Braised Navet (Turnips), Cheese Curd Stuffed Leg, Pommes Maxim & Smoked Mustard.

Not your typical poutine with gravy, fries and cheese curds. This was made by layering gravy, mashed potatoes, pommes maxim (thinly sliced and fried potato), with cheese curds on top, the idea was to have one bite poutine!

Course 4: Gaspésie Monkfish with Montréal Smoked Meat, Sauerkraut, Bacon, and Spicy Carrot Ginger Purée

Course 5 (bonus course): Saint Honoré Cheese with "Poor Man's Honey" and Biscuits

Poor Man's Honey is creamed honey made with last seasons honey mixed with honey comb. The biscuits were just to die for, the recipe is passed down from Chef Horne's grandmother. The Saint Honoré cheese is the only triple cream cheese made in Canada, so f*cking good! I tried to buy some the next day over at Cheese Boutique, but Chef Horne has all of it reserved for Canoe :(

Course 6: Sugar Pie Filling with Crispy Rye Berries, Coffee Foam, & Chestnut Purée

Petie Fours/Salue: Tire sur la Neige

It's hard to believe that being born and riased in Canda I've had this before! Like every school kid, I've visited sugar bushes during maple season, eaten maple candy, made maple sugar and desserts, but never had this. So this was a new exerpience for me, so much fun, love it (altho my friend Carmen got most of the maple taffy haha).

If this is any indication of what Chef Horne has in-store for the rest of the year, I'm looking forward to see what he does!