Book of Days Tales

The Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye was signed on this date in 1632, returning New France (Quebec, Acadia and Cape Breton Island) to French control after the English had seized it in 1629, after the Anglo-French War (1627–1629) had ended. The latter history of the territory is complicated, with most of it remaining primarily Francophone but becoming part of the British empire (with some Acadians relocating in southern Louisiana where their name morphed into “Cajun”).

What is thought of as Quebec cooking these days is a complex mixture of styles.  Poutine (which is Quebecois slang for “mess”) is the first dish that springs to mind.  It consists of deep fried potatoes smothered in gravy an melted curds.  Not my sort of thing, but easy enough to make at home.  I am going to go with tarte au surce here which resembles the French version, but is made with maple syrup in Quebec.

Ingredients

For the pie dough:

1 ½  cups all-purpose flour
½  teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
½  cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
2 to 4 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:

½ cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup maple syrup
2 eggs
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup 35%-fat cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¼  teaspoon salt

Instructions

In a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the butter and pulse until it resembles coarse crumbs and there are a few pea-sized pieces remaining.

Slowly add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing, until the dough comes together. Press the dough into a disc, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough into a 10-inch (25-centimeter) round. Place into an 8-inch (20-centimeter) pie plate. Trim and crimp edges. Refrigerate another 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375° F.

In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, maple syrup, eggs, flour, cream, melted butter, and salt. Pour mixture into pie shell. Bake in bottom third of oven until filling has just set, top is dark amber, and the pie dough is golden brown, about 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing and serving.