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December 2009
Cuisine & Passion scoops Retail Business of the Year award
 From the food we prepare and the service we provide to the quality of the non-food products we offer, at Cuisine & Passion, our standards are uncompromising. That's why we were thrilled to be recognized with the Retail Business of the Year award at the People's Choice Business Awards on November 18. (Isn't the Shenkman Centre beautiful?)
We want to thank our customers and friends who voted for us. We are pleased to know you think we are on the right track.
We'd also like to thank the Orléans Chamber of Commerce and the TD Bank for hosting the event. Finally, congratulations to everyone who was nominated. Together, we are sending the message to our community that everything you need is right here in Orléans!
Chefs Chantal Gagné and Marc Miron
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Christmas dinner has never been easier
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Prepare Christmas dinner in just 30 minutes!
If you want to save time this holiday season but still enjoy a five-star meal, we have some great news for you. Once again, we are
preparing a feast that can be purchased either as complete meals or as individual
items.
Here's the menu:
Starter
Cream of Mushroom Soup with Parsnip Croutons
$6.00
Main
Oven-roasted Turkey Breast, Boneless Roasted Turkey Leg Stuffed
with Apricot Sage and Wild Rice Stuffing, Bacon Brussels Sprouts, and Roasted and Candied Sweet Potatoes
$24.00
Dessert
Chocolate Hazelnut Gateau
$6.50
Or, you can order the complete menu for
just $34.50 per person.
Don't be left out! Call 613-845-1090 or email us
and we'll make sure you get everything you need to ensure a beautiful, successful and stress-free holiday dinner!
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Rockin' the airwaves
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Fresh from the Ottawa Farmers' Market
 On November 12, Chef Marc was invited into the A Channel studios again, this time to talk about and prepare dishes using beautifully fresh products from the Ottawa Farmers' Market.
Lamb Steak with Blue Cheese and Panko, Prosciutto-wrapped Lamb, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and some new salad ideas were presented, as well.
Click here to watch the four-minute clip.
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Tip of the month: Pastry dough prefers a light touch
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Keep your pastry tender by treating it gently
 We've seen this too many times to count: The pastry dough is handled very gently during the mixing. Then, during the rolling, it becomes a wrestling match between the chef and the dough.
Keep your crusts light and flaky by rolling gently and only on one side. The more aggressive you become, the tougher the crust will be.
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Holiday Magic: A passion for giving
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We are all in this together
 Did you know that hundreds of families in Orléans visit the food bank each month just so they have something to eat? These are our friends and neighbours!
Not a day goes by that we don't count our blessings. Once again this year, we have launched our Holiday Magic program, a chance for all of us to give back to those in need.
For just $50, you can feed a family of four this Christmas. Chef Marc will prepare a traditional three-course turkey dinner, valued at more than $140 for each family, and the good folks at the Orleans-Cumberland Community Resource Centre will distribute the food.
For your donation, your name will be placed on a festive tag that will adorn both our large sign in the store and the Christmas ornaments in the windows.
Our goal is to feed 20 families (80 people) this year. Won't you help?
Give a little. Help a lot.
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The perfect gift--at home or at the office
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For the person who has everything
 Once again, we are pleased to make an assortment of gift baskets available for purchase this holiday season.
How about a basket with new measuring cups, a cookbook, some serving utensils
and a couple of our signature products such as Balsamic Glaze and specialty
pastas? It would be perfect for the budding chef on your list.
Maybe they would prefer a selection of beautiful Cuisine & Passion
jams and sauces. We can customize a basket for any occasion.
Still undecided? A gift certificate is always a good idea. Available in any amount, they can be used for anything in the store,
including cooking classes!
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Chef Chantal's class offered holiday sweets and treats
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"When do we get to eat it?"
 What do you get when you combine a kilogram of lard, five cups of flour, an egg, a cup of very cold water, a tablespoon of vinegar and a pinch of salt?
The perfect short-crust pastry. The kind you taste every time you buy a pie or tourtière at Cuisine & Passion. And that was just one of six recipes covered during her class on holiday sweets this past week.
Those in attendance picked up tips on how to make several dishes just in time for the Christmas season including
- No-bake Chocolate Slice
- Rocher aux dates
- Chocolate Meringues and Meringues Kisses
- Cherry and Almond Frangipani Tartlets
- Lemon Crisps
Sorry you missed it? Don't worry, there will be other classes in the new year.
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Featured recipe: Apricot Raisin Loaf
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by Chef
Chantal Gagné
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| This may become a standard recipe at your house!
Those who visit our store regularly may have noticed that, depending on the day, we are offering several different kinds of dessert loaves. This wonderful fruit-filled apricot and raisin loaf is among our favourites. It has lots of body, taste and, well, fruit.
Ingredients
(serves 4)
1/4 cup soft butter
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 cup orange juice
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
1 cup raisins
1/2 chopped pecans or walnuts
1 tbsp orange zest (finely grated orange rind)
Glaze
3 tbsp of apricot jam
1 tbsp water
Method
- Put butter, brown sugar and one of the eggs in a large bowl. Blend, then add the second egg and continue to stir.
- Add orange juice to batter and blend well.
- In a second bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Stir in apricots, raisins, nuts and zest.
- Add dry mixture to batter stirring just enough to moisten.
- Pour batter into a greased 9" x 5" x 3" loaf pan.
- Bake at 350F for one hour or until a skewer stuck into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
- Let stand 10 minutes then remove it from the pan and place on a rack to cool. (If you can, wrap it and wait a day or two for better flavour and to make it easier to cut.)
- In a small saucepan, combine the jam and water. Stir over medium heat until hot. Strain through a sieve.
- Spoon glaze over loaf.
- Devour.
- Make it again.
- Devour.
- Make it again.
- You get the idea.
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Join us for wine and hors d'oeuvres
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Helping children around the world
 Join us at Cuisine & Passion on Saturday, December 5 for a
fundraising event in support of La Fondation des Foyers, Angèle. The organization unites
people who are committed to helping children to orphanages and in-need communities around the world.
Chef Marc will be preparing and serving hors d'oeuvres and
wine--tickets are
just $25 each. To purchase tickets, or for more information, please contact
Nicole Tremblay by email. Tickets can also be purchased
at the store.
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Featured product: Premium Italian pastas
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You can really taste the difference
 At Cuisine & Passion, our ongoing pledge is to offer products that are both unique and superior in quality. Our premium dried-pasta products imported from Italy are good examples.
Unlike many of the regular dried pastas available, ours are made from superior quality Canadian durum wheat.
Although the pastas are made in Italy, the durum used is from right here in Canada. (The best durum wheat you can find is made in only two places in the world: Russia and Canada.)
Why does all this matter? The texture is smooth and consistent--a real joy to eat. We find regular dried pasta to be somewhat rubbery and lifeless.
We have chosen the best products we can find. Why? Because with think you deserve it.
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Tourtière: A perennial favourite
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Get your orders in now
It's not much of an exaggeration to say that our tourtières fly off the shelves at this time of year. We have plans to make upwards of 400 of the beef-pork-and-veal pies over the next few weeks.
If you'd like to have one this holiday season, get your order in soon. At just $15.99, they are the perfect addition to a wonderful Christmas dinner.
Psst...Rumour has it, we will even see a few Tourtière du Lac St-Jean put up as well. Our recipe is quite traditional--it's a fantastic crust-covered pie of potatoes, vegetables, duck, beef, chicken, venison and pork served in its own crock. You may want to ask about them. But do it soon.
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Give the gift of
fine cuisine this holiday season
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Available in any amount, a gift certificate from Cuisine & Passion is a great way to celebrate the holidays. Call us at 613-845-1090 or email us today for more information. |
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Visit us today at 2297 St. Joseph Blvd. in Orléans (beside Jumbo Video) and we will help you make that certain someone feel extra special!
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