Make your holiday meals local!

This year's holiday meals are intimate. But that's no reason not to come up with a menu that's sure to please our taste buds! And why not set ourselves the challenge of ensuring that our end-of-year feasts not only bring us happiness in flavour, but also bring us closer to Quebec's gourmet farmers and artisans? Here are a few ideas!

The punch 🍹

The punch bowl, a classic in many families, is a piece of tradition that's very easy to localize, thanks in particular to the inspiring Quebec spirits that have been multiplying in recent years. When it comes to juices, opt for apple, cranberry or sea buckthorn, for example. Local syrups (blueberry, blackcurrant, saffron...) are added to the “bitters” of Quebec artisans to create punches as varied as they are truly unique and festive to perfection!

Aperitif bites 🍢

A visit to the market is sure to inspire some tasty nibbles. We can, for example, let ourselves be charmed by smoked fish from Quebec. Or Nordic shrimp (which, in many appetizers, replaces the larger shrimp from farther afield). Olives can be replaced (or accompanied) by pickled or lacto-fermented vegetables prepared by Quebec producers: beets, cauliflower, jardinières, you name it! Like to serve a bowl of chips and salsa? You'll find some made with local tomatoes at the kiosks of certain market gardeners. And there's no shortage of choices when it comes to serving local charcuterie (sausages, terrines, pâtés...) and the onion confits and wine jellies that go so well with them.

The cheese platter 🧀

Photo credits: Fromagerie Hamel Available in Atwater and Jean-Talon markets

Let's take a big leap over the traditional holiday main courses (turkey, meatball stew, tourtière...) that are usually prepared with Quebec poultry, pork or game. Let's move straight on to the cheese platter, a great classic of festive meals, easily adaptable to any size table.

• Cheeses: Quebecers are truly privileged to have access to such a wide and beautiful variety of farmhouse cheeses of extraordinary quality. Cow's milk, goat's milk, sheep's milk or buffalo milk, from fresh to hard cheeses, there's no shortage of choice. Our cheesemongers will be happy to guide you in creating beautiful 100% local selections.
• Bread: Visit your favorite artisan baker. Unless you've taken advantage of the spring confinement to become a real baker's apprentice yourself?
• Dried fruits: We regularly see cheese platters accompanied by fresh or dried figs, raisins or walnuts. While there are some exquisite northern walnuts produced in Quebec (e.g. black or butternut), it's rarer to find local figs or grapes in the middle of December. Why not opt for home-grown fruit? Thinly sliced fresh apples are excellent, as are dried apples. Dried cranberries or blackcurrants can also add color and flavor to our local cheese platters.
• Accompaniments: In this department, a visit to the market will quickly demonstrate just how spoilt for choice we are. So many jellies, jams, chutneys and other sweet or savoury spreads go wonderfully well with cheese. In this respect, local gourmet artisans rival each other in creativity, much to our delight.cheese

Drink up! 🥂

Photo credits: SAQ Present at Marché Jean-Talon

What could be more natural than to accompany a local Christmas feast by filling our glasses with a Quebec-produced beverage? From beer and wine to ciders, meads, cocktails and spirits, there are so many beverage producers around today that there really are options for every taste. A variety of local juices, musts, kombuchas and other non-alcoholic beverages accompany even non-alcoholic feasts.

Sweets 🥧

Photo credits: Première MoissonPresent in Maisonneuve, Atwater and Jean-Talon markets

Did you know that you can make your own homemade cream sugar or caramel with maple syrup instead of brown sugar? That you can bake gingerbread men using local forest herbs (e.g. dune pepper, pine spikenard, sweet clover)? And make your own jam cookies inspired by the little jars from gourmet producers and artisans at the market?

Brunch 🍳

I like to imagine holiday brunches that are not only made up of local foods, but that also make the most of surpluses from the feast of the previous day or days. So, your baker's surplus of fresh bread or panettone can become a French toast, topped with maple syrup or that fruity little spread that accompanied our cheese platter. You could also think of baking a breakfast bread pudding, served with caramelized apples and a dash of that blackcurrant syrup we put in our punch. More the savoury type? Bread pudding can be cooked on the savoury side too - the Italians call it a strata. Bread, eggs, and toppings from whatever food you have left: turkey or pulled ham, cheese, smoked fish, roasted vegetables, etc. You could also serve leftover vegetables. You could also serve leftover roasted root vegetables with extra smoked fish and a poached egg.

This is just a hint of inspiration for your menus. My hope is that these ideas will inspire small adjustments that, when put together, make a real difference for local producers and artisans. See you at the market and feel perfectly inspired to localize your feasts!

I wish you a sweet, bright and tasty holiday season!

Julie Aubé is a nutritionist with a passion for Quebec flavours, sustainable agriculture and agrotourism. As the creator of Prenez le champ! events, she plays the role of matchmaker, bringing curious gourmets together with local producers. A trainer and speaker, she is a regular contributor to magazines and websites, as well as to her website JULIEAUBE.com. In 2016, she published the book Prenez le champ! with Éditions de l'Homme, and this summer she has just released her second book, Mangez local! with the same publisher, full of techniques and recipes for localizing your diet month by month. A small guide with big hopes of equipping and inspiring you to follow the rhythm of the seasons on the menu. Follow Julie on Facebook and Instagram.