Expert advice, tastings at gluten-free expo
Knowlton hosts duck festival, inner-city markets gain traction
A food expo devoted to gluten problems in the diet is planned Friday and Saturday at Place Bonaventure. The Canadian Specialty Food Expo will have products and tastings presented by 36 exhibitors, with gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free and diabetic-approved foods as well as products for sufferers of irritable bowl syndrome.
Talks will be given in French by Montreal registered dietitians and doctors, who will be ready to answer English questions. Speakers are scheduled each hour on Friday, beginning at noon, and Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. For information, speakers and topics, visit specialtyfoodexpo.com and click on Montreal expo; email info@ celiacquebec.ca; tel. 514-893-9856.
Admission is by donation of a non-perishable food or funds to either Moisson Montréal, the Quebec chapter of the Canadian Celiac Association, or the Fondation Québécoise de la maladie coeliaque. The event is sponsored by GF Events Ltd. of Vancouver. Hours: Friday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
DUCK ON THE MENU
Duck festival weekend in Knowlton this weekend — Sept. 25-25 — will be marked by duck dishes in village restaurants that will range from refined to lusty. Examples: Le Relais, 286 Knowlton Rd., (450-242-2232) will prepare two dinner options — duck breast in a maple cream sauce and duck ravioli with a sage and pumpkin sauce. Breakfast and brunch guests can order eggs benedict made with smoked duck breast. Café Floral, 100 Lakeside Rd., (450-243-0792) has designed two duck dishes for lunch or dinner — a traditional cassoulet with white beans, sausage and duck confit, and a warm magret of duck salad with orange honey vinaigrette. For festival information, visit canardenfete.ca or email info@canardenfete.ca
Duck is now easier to cook at home, thanks to the introduction of three new frozen products from Brome Lake Ducks, available in most Metro and IGA supermarkets. Packages in the Oh! Canard line offer duck breasts cut in cubes, strips for fondue chinois, or ground meat.
They are made from Peking ducks raised at the Knowlton-based company. Cubes of meat designed for braised or brochette cuisine sell for about $11 to $12.50 per 300 grams. Strips come in a single serving 150-gram package for $9.39 to about $10, while the ground version, inspiring a luxury burger or tourtière, is priced at about $11 to $12 for 350 grams. For duck recipes, visit canardsdulacbrome.com
FARMERS’ MARKETS BLOSSOM AT MÉTRO STATIONS
The Cadillac métro station is now the location of a new fresh-food market under the wing of the Marchés Solidaires de Montréal organization. Operating Wednesdays to Fridays until the end of September, the new market joins others located since last year at the Frontenac and Sauvé métro stations. The Sauvé station market runs Tuesdays to Fridays until Halloween. The Frontenac station market runs Tuesdays to Saturdays until Christmas.
The purpose is to offer fresh Quebec produce at low prices in communities that do not have either stores or markets offering such foods, said Jean-Philippe Vermette, an official with the Marchés Publics de Montréal. Plans are in the works to open two more innercity markets next year.
Food distributors provide foods from local growers on a non-profit basis. Sponsors are Québec en forme, community organizations, and the Quebec agriculture department.
Vermette said Toronto has set an example for the project by running farmers’ markets in three Toronto subway stations.