Gourmet salts and spices, freshly-squeezed juices and more...
Happy Spring Equinox!
I'm a child of Spring (my birthday's on the 23rd!) and I always feel a bit of excitement at the approach of Spring. Let’s just say it’s been quite the long and harsh winter. We're looking forward to warmer temperatures, the return of the sun, and the opening of terraces. And we're getting particularly excited for the first fiddleheads, asparagus, and other seasonal products to emerge from the winter slumber and fill our weekly baskets.
New treasures on the Marketplace this Spring
We know that you're as excited as we are to start getting more varieties of fruits and vegetables. In the meantime, we have quite an exciting Spring ahead of us. We're partnering with some unbelievable new artisans, each one more unique than the last. In the coming weeks, I'll tell you the stories of the people behind these local wonders: gourmet salts and spices, organic vegan brownies, freshly-squeezed juices, olives, and a range of eco-friendly kitchen and bath products.
Free samples
We are really fortunate to work with all of the farmers, bakers, confectioners, craftsmen and craftswomen whose products you see each week on the Marketplace. To help you discover some of them, oftentimes they'll provide a custom sample for Lufavores. A big thank you to our partners for these samples! And thanks to all of you Lufavores for giving their samples a try and coming back for more if you like what you taste. This week on the Marketplace you'll find a tasty brownie prepared by Kristina of Esprit Bio (we 'll talk about her next week on the blog) and a trio of carefully prepared gourmet salts, specially designed and packaged for Lufavores by Catherine and François of La Pincée. Guess what? We went to visit their workshop!
La Pincée: taking your dishes to another level
La Pincée or a pinch is about 1/16 of a teaspoon. It's also Catherine’s preferred unit of measurement. Catherine leads the project, based in La Prairie in the basement of a beautiful old stone house. Having worked as a chef in restaurants, as a caterer, and in a day-care, Catherine was well-equipped to take on her new challenge of preparing a range of gourmet salts that will make you rethink the final sentence in all recipes: "season to taste" or "add salt and pepper to taste."
All salts are not created equal
The Guérande and Portuguese sea salts used in La Pincée products are recognized as very good salts. Like any salt, they should be used in moderation, but they contain less sodium and a varied mineral composition (magnesium, potassium, calcium). These unrefined salts will add aromas and a touch of elegance to all of your meals.
I have a personal favorite: No°5 (Barbecue). But I'm now taking the time to try them one by one. What I've discovered is that I really just want to have them all in my pantry.
Discovering La Pincée’s No°1 to No°6
- No°1 Classique
The classic (as the name implies) works in all of your dishes. It consists of high-quality salt and freshly-ground herbs (bouquet garni) like thym, parsley, tarragon, etc. The salt acts as a conservation agent and keeps herbal aromas strong.
Catherine loves broths. She started preparing her own salts and herb mixtures to add to her broth and her family and friends started asking her for more. Just like that, the Classique of La Pincée was born. (The recipe of Catherine’s famous broth and all the ones that follow are on their website!)
Ingredients: sea salt, Guérande salt, fresh ground herbs, black pepper.
- No°2 Poivrée
Put it everywhere. Or...almost everywhere. At least, wherever you might put pepper. Catherine explained to me that freshly ground spices, once mixed together, are greater than the sum of their parts. The chemical reaction of aromas, particle size, and texture that coexist create unique smells and tastes.
Ingredients: sea salt, Guérande salt, freshly ground herbs, black pepper.
- No°3 Sucrée
This is the sweet member of La Pincée’s happy family. A tip from La Pincée: sprinkle it on fruits, pancakes, waffles, or yogurt. It's also perfect for finishing pastries and homemade desserts.
Ingredients: raw demarara & turbinado cane sugars, lavender flowers, cayenne pepper, Madagascar vanilla, sea salt.
- No°4 Gravlax scandinave
Check out this recipe on La Pincée's site for tips on how to use this in the classic Scandinavian smoked salmon dish.
Ingredients: sea salt, Guérande salt, raw cane sugar, fresh grilled & ground spices, black pepper.
- No°5 Barbecue
A recipe idea from La Pincée: grilled eggplant, spicy mashed potatoes and mackerel. My favorite use for the Noº5 is to add a pinch or two to couscous with the juice of half a lemon and a teaspoon of butter.
Ingredients: sea salt, raw cane sugar, black pepper, paprika, cumin (caraway seed), dry & fresh ground spices.
- No°6 Citronnée
La Pincée recommends adding this to some butter along with sage and lemon juice. A perfect pairing for seafood.
Ingredients: Guérande salt, sea salt, black pepper, grated sage, freshly ground herbs, lemon essential oil.
In the beautiful packaging of the La Pincée jar (designed by Catherine's partner François - here on the picture below) , you'll find some other useful ideas for using these spices. Have fun, enjoy it, and please share your recipes with us!
La Pincée
info@lapincee.ca
Follow them on Facebook
514 601-0547
Freshly squeezed juices!
Have you ever been to Cocktail Antabli? These are the colorful and fruity juice bars of Reine and Roger, a couple originally from Lebanon and owners of the two establishments: one located a few meters from our Ahuntsic greenhouse and the other acting as pick-up point for Lufavores on Boulevard Côte-Vertu. Starting Monday, they will be making fresh juices on the morning of your delivery!
Over the past 20 years, Reine and Roger have become masters in the art of preparing fresh juices from the best raw ingredients. The juices you'll find on our Marketplace are all made with organic or pesticide-free ingredients.
We’re starting this exciting partnership with Reine and Roger by offering three juice blends in one-liter bottles: sugar cane and organic ginger, organic carrots and apples, and a juice of the week.
Mohamed swears by these juices and can often be seen grabbing one on his way to or from our offices. Reine and Roger’s all-time favorite is the avocado juice. When asked what plans they had for the future Reine replied: "Open in Laval!" while Roger said: "Retirement!" Cheers to that!
Cocktail Antabli
3500 Boul. Côte -Vertu
9524 Boul. L'Acadie
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