Seven Very Canadian Recipes for Canada Day

This light, creamy dish is quick to prepare and can be made with ingredients from Canadian farms.

If you said the word quiche when I was a kid, I’d run the other way and dive directly under my bed. “But it’s lovely, Auntie made it. You don’t want to hurt Auntie’s feelings do you?” my mother would say. Auntie’s quiche had a texture not different from the texture of the yellow Styrofoam the couch cushions were made of. My fear of quiche was so severe it steered me away from eating any sort of eggs for a very long time. If it was yellow or oval-shaped, I probably wouldn’t eat it.

When I was a little bit older, a Portuguese friend of my mother who babysat me managed to trick me out of my anti-egg phase. I believe now that she set out to force me to like eggs, somehow. Even if it was going to kill her. She had tried making it fun by feeding me toast soldiers, green eggs and ham, fancy egg cups. After lunch one day, she handed me a plate holding a pretty little tart that appeared charred on top. I devoured it. It was delicious. “Do you know what that is? It’s called pastéis-de-nata, a custard tart. It’s made out of eggs! Want to help me make some?”

Mortified, I tried to wipe my tongue off with the napkin. But later, when I helped her, I couldn’t keep my fingers out of the bowl. I had learned my lesson and I was cured.

When I was young, Canada Day long weekend was always a treat for us. We’d have time to enjoy the weekend together. Mom soon discovered that I loved putting maple syrup all over everything and didn’t mind if it touched my eggs a little. We’d barbecue all afternoon with our mini hibachi, which seemed to take all day to heat up. Later on, Dad would get us sparklers to light on our balcony, and we’d watch the Roman candles and amateur fireworks from our own private box on our apartment’s fifth floor.

These days, we spend Canada Day at a friend’s cottage. Surprisingly enough, the event leading to the afternoon barbecue is almost always larger than the barbecue itself. We eat an enormous breakfast together while comparing our firecrackers; “This one is called Pirate’s Bounty. It shoots 50 rounds and has a grand finale.” We stuff lobster (from the night before) and bacon in our mouths at the same time, washing it down with lots of coffee. We have fishing and swimming to do; anything quick and easy is preferred, like, say, quiche that was prepared the night before.

After exploring the farmer’s market, I’ve made a quiche of my own and found a method to keep the texture light and creamy. It’s a time-saver – especially helpful if you have a lot of guests on Canada Day. I like to use truly Canadian ingredients, from the farmer’s eggs down to the Fifth Town goat cheese from Picton, Ontario, and the glorious bacon from Scotch Mountain Meats.

Quiche Canadienne

Equipment needed:

9-inch spring form pan
Butter or pan spray
Pie weights (beans)
Parchment paper
Food processor/blender/food mill

Pâte Brisée:

2 cups all-purpose flour
8 tablespoons softened butter, previously cut into small squares
2 pieces cooked bacon, chopped fine
1 large egg
2 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon kosher salt

Prepare pie pan by tracing a circle around the pan with a pencil. Cut a circle out of the paper an inch larger than the pencil outline. Set aside paper cutout. Butter or spray the pan generously.

Combine the egg and cream, whisk until smooth. Sift flour onto work surface, make a hollow in the middle, and add egg-and-cream mixture, salt, cold bacon fat, bacon bits, and softened butter.

Knead the mixture together, pushing down hard with the palm of your hand to completely incorporate the flour. Add a little water if necessary.

Place dough in the fridge for at least one hour to allow the dough to relax.

Roll out pie dough, leaving one inch of height in the spring form pan.

Blind-bake for 15 minutes, with the parchment circle on top and pie weighs inside parchment paper.

Filling:

170 grams (two handfuls) garlic scapes, chopped (alternatively, leeks can be used) 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 cup homogenized milk 1/2 cup cream 1 whole egg 2 egg yolks 85 grams soft goat cheese 8 cherry tomatoes, halved Salt and pepper to taste Baby greens such as arugula, watercress, baby spinach

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sauté garlic scapes on medium-low heat in olive oil. Add 1/4 cup of water, reduce heat to low and cover with a lid for 20 to 30 minutes. Cook until soft.

Pour milk into a pot and heat until boiling. Crack and separate eggs into the same bowl. When milk has boiled, add to eggs in a slow stream, simultaneously whisking (tempering). The rate of stream should be about one tablespoon of milk for every five stirs around the bowl.

Puree cooked garlic scapes in food processor with a bit of liquid from the egg-and-milk mixture. Combine scape mixture and remaining scape purée. Add salt and pepper, set aside mixture.

Place custard mixture into the pie shell. Sprinkle with halved cherry tomatoes and shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

To warm up after refrigerated, put into a 300-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.