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December 2013
Happy Holidays!
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Chefs Marc and Chantal of Cuisine & Passion.
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The end of another year is quickly closing in on us and, once again, we want to express our appreciation for all the support we've received over the last 12 months. As we head into the holiday season, all of us here at Cuisine & Passion want to wish you and yours the very best over the holidays. We hope that 2014 (2014!) brings you good health and happiness.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Amitiée gourmande,
Chefs Chantal Gagné and Marc Miron
Follow your passion for food--
 
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 | Enjoy the holidays--and leave the cooking to us
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Christmas menu now available
Want to save time and lower your stress level this holiday season? You can do that by simply allowing us to prepare your holiday meal or any part of it. If you'd like to cook it yourself, you have the option to buy whole or half uncooked turkeys--and we'll supply the stuffing and gravy!
Here's the menu:
Appetizers
Spinach and Feta Strudel, $6.50 ea.
Roasted Tomato, Basil and Gin Soup, $5.50 ea.
Main
Marinated boneless half turkey
(Raw or cooked)
Serves 7 to 9 people
Apricot and Bread Stuffing and turkey gravy
$60.00
or
Marinated boneless whole turkey
(Raw or cooked)
Serves 15 to 18 people
Apricot and Bread Stuffing and turkey gravy
$120.00
Desserts
Dark Chocolate Layer Cake with Caramel Ganache, $6.50 ea.
Baked Alaska Trifle, $7.50 ea.
Download the full menu here and then call us at 613-845-1090 to ensure your order is ready for pick-up on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24.
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| More holiday offerings
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Tourtières, cookies, stocking stuffers and much more!
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Tourtières are among an array of holiday treats on offer
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We will also have several other treats in store to make this holiday season a delicious one this year.
We begin with Tourtière ($15.99), Tourtière Lac St-Jean ($60.00, including a ceramic pot) and Christmas Fruitcake ($35.00).
Speaking of sweets, we are also offering a variety of Christmas cookies including
Chewy molasses cookies
Rosemary and butter cookies
Gingerbread snowflake cookies
Yuletide cookies
Fruit star cookies
As well as using them to tempt your guests, they also make great stocking stuffers since they come wrapped for giving!
Need more ideas? How about a delicious specialty olive oil or imported pasta? Or, perhaps a unique kitchen tool such as an oil brush, a microplane grater or a citrus juicer.
Still not sure? We have lots of other ideas, too. Just come on in and ask! Happy holidays and we hope to see you soon!
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| Gift Central
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Special gifts for special people
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Cuisine & Passion
offers a wide selection
of gift ideas
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Looking for a great holiday gift or a unique way to say thanks for helping out? A gift basket from Cuisine & Passion is just the answer! You can design it yourself or let us put together the perfect combination of tasty treats fresh from our kitchen.
We also have a wide range of kitchen tools and unique serving dishes. Or let your recipient decide; you can always pick up a gift certificate in any amount that can be redeemed for products or cooking classes.
Drop in, call us at 613-845-1090 or email us now for more information.
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Speaking of classes...
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New cooking-class schedule now available
 | | Thai street food will be featured during a cooking class in April |
In January, we start things off with a class on fish and seafood, followed by two classes on Tuscany cooking and an Italian food and wine class. During the first half of 2014 we will be featuring everything from vegetarian food to Thai street food. We will also have a special class on sauces.
For those who are quick to snap up tickets to our very popular food-and-wine classes, here's what we have lined up:
- Friday, January 31 -- Italian Wine
- Friday, February 28 -- Spanish Wine
- Friday, March 28 -- A full, four-course meal with a selection of paired wines.
- Friday, April 25 -- Australian Wine
- Friday, May 30 -- A full, four-course meal with a selection of paired wines.
- Friday, June 27 -- Beer, Wine and BBQ
Download the schedule at here.
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Cooking Tip: Brine your turkey for added moisture, flavour
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It's easier than you think
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Brining can add moisture to your turkey.
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Many people shy away from brining because it sounds sophisticated and labour-intensive. Think of brining as simply marinating your bird in water with salt and sugar rather than sauces and spices.
Start with 8 cups of water in a pot over high heat. Stir in 5 1/2 ounces of kosher salt and 1/4 cup of sugar. Once the salt and sugar have dissolved in the water, remove it from the heat and stir in another 8 cups of water, then put it in the refrigerator.
Double up two turkey-sized oven bags and put the turkey inside. With help, pour the cold solution over the turkey and wrap it tightly enough that most of the bird is covered. Then tie the outer bag and place it, breast down, in a roasting pan. Refrigerate 12-18 hours.
Do not go straight into the oven from the brining solution. The excess moisture will prevent the skin from crisping. Pat it dry or let it dry (in the refrigerator, preferably overnight) to ensure a moist turkey and crisp skin.
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| The world's most important profession?
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If not for prehistoric chefs...
 "Hey, Grog. I'm getting tired of the same old thing day in and day out. You know that fire thing I invented? Well, I was thinking of using it to warm up our food. Wanna try it?" "Sure. I've got a nice bottle of Italian white to go with it. Should be fun." If not for cooking, we would spend all day foraging and consuming food and we would likely be able to consume only enough food to meet our basic needs. This is according to Suzana Herculano-Houzel, a neuroscientist at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. To cook is to use fire to pre-digest food, she says in a recent TED.com talk. The cooking process allows us to soften food in our mouths and consume it more quickly. Because we are able to eat more, it provides us with more nutrients. This means we can do a lot more--like invent the iPhone and develop a space program--with less food. So, why are we (arguably) smarter than every other animal on the planet? Because we can sauté! |
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What our customers are saying
 "Thank you so much for such a wonderful event! Everyone absolutely loved it. We hope to do it again next year. "It was fun and informative (could not think of a better mix)!" Renee Banville Moksha Yoga, Orléans |
| 5th Annual 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--our friends and neighbours!--visit the food bank each month just so they have something to eat?
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 Orléans-Cumberland Community Resource Centre will distribute the food. Last year, your generosity resulted in an additional $250 donation--on top of the Christmas dinners.
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. Money raised in excess of our campaign will be given as a direct donation to the Resource Centre. Won't you help?
Give a little. Help a lot.
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| Featured recipe: Fileted and cured salmon
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by Chef
Marc Miron
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This will impress your friends!
Fileting fish is not as difficult as you might think, but it does take a little practice.
Did you know that all of the salmon used at Cuisine & Passion is cleaned in-house? From smoked salmon to Salmon and Dill Pies, each starts out as a whole fish delivered fresh by a local fishmonger.
Download Curing Salmon, a lighthearted comic-style tutorial in which Chef Marc takes you through the steps of cleaning fish. Then, he shows you how to cure it so you can do it at home in the comfort of your own kitchen.
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