…What better summer fare than a bowl of wonderful chaudrée…
It's easy to navigate the islands by car, as there's only one major road, Route 199, linking the islands together, except for the sole Entry Island accessible only by boat. Driving south from the region's only airport, we reach the Domaine du Vieux Couvent, the 100-year-old stone edifice originally built as a teaching convent for the nuns of Notre Dame. When the education system changed hands from church to state in 1967, this stately building was turned into a charming 10-bedroom inn and restaurant. The newly renovated rooms with their high ceilings and breathtaking views have had their original wooden floorboards refurbished, along with heated bathroom floors, glass showers and comfortable goose-down bedding.
Down a slope from the Vieux Couvent the island's harbour lies in full view, filled with brightly painted fishing vessels anchored in line and sheltered from the rough waves of the gulf beyond. It's here we find the intimate dockside Bistro du Capitaine, one of many restaurants serving the finest and freshest from the briny local waters. What better summer fare than a bowl of wonderful chaudrée (chowder), golden battered fish and house-made fries?
Driving east into rolling meadowlands, we are stopped on the narrow roadway by a herd of brown cows. These are Canadienne cattle, the only dairy cattle breed developed in Canada. Descended from foundation stock brought to the New World by French settlers in the 16th century, the Canadienne is only found in certain areas of Quebec and is prized for the high butterfat content of its milk. To protect the breed, in 1999 the Quebec government gave the Canadienne official heritage status. It's this stock that bring us to the Fromagerie du Piedde-Vent. Since 1998, the Arsenault family has been using these prized cows for cheese production. In the winter, the herd is fed hay, while in the summer they graze in the fields where most of the growth is wild. Add to that a pinch of salt carried by the wind and their unique raw milk cream unfolds into Piedde-Vent, a splendid, luscious cheese with a lightly washed rind.
As in so many of the Maritime provinces, fishing here was once a vibrant and economic industry. The rich waters surrounding the islands were abundant with herring, and because of European
demand, smokehouses dotted the islands. The method of smoking herring was introduced in the late 19th century and production peaked in the 1960s when some 1200 workers were employed in 40 operations in the islands. By 1978 overfishing and poor stock management led to the near extinction of herring in the island waters and by the end of the decade practically all the smokehouses were closed. Twenty years later, herring started to reappear in local waters and family-owned Le Fumoir d'Antan was founded in 1996 to revive this once staple industry. Their living museum and working smokehouse is the only remaining traditional smokehouse still in use in the Îles de la Madeleine.
The Vieux Couvent's new restaurant, La Moulière, offers spectacular views of the sea and the fresh, local cuisine of chef Denis Landry. It's here I sample the regional specialty of loup marin (seal), in a pork tartiflette. The tender, slowly braised pulled pork is tossed with morsels of seal fin and enrobed in a cream sauce with a gratinée cheese crust. Surprisingly, the flavour of the seal is more gamey than fishy. A sublime lobster risotto follows, enriched with Fromagerie du Pied-de-Vent's earthy Tomme des Demoiselles. Another seafood showstopper is Fruit de Mer en Croute, a sinfully rich, cream-based “pot pie” filled with lobster, shrimp, scallop and baby potatoes, topped with a golden-hued puff pastry crust.
For culinary enthusiasts there's chef Johanne Vigneau's new cooking school and cookware shop Gourmande de Nature. We arrive to see a full and busy class in session learning how to prepare an important local catch, lobster. Johanne's shop in the midst of a somewhat isolated area is surprisingly well stocked with kitchen gadgets, food gifts and a pantry of homemade products, from sorbets, jellies and jams, to infused vinegars and sel d'herbes, the island's rich salt infused with dried local herbs. This culinary oasis, we discover, is just Vigneau's side interest — her warm and quaint island restaurant, La Tables des Roy, is her tribute to the island's passionate farmers and producers, showcasing local ingredients with a combination of traditional and innovative techniques.
For history buffs, the Musée de la Mer overlooks the fishing town of La Grave, Havre-Aubert. Although modest in size, the museum is fascinating and well designed, with various mini dioramas showing the many hardships and obstacles the settlers had to overcome in their island home, isolated from the mainland and surrounded by swift and difficult currents.
The picturesque fishing village of La Grave, with its colourful and historic waterside architecture, was the birthplace of the Magdalen settlement over 300 years ago. En route to La Grave, look for the unique Artisans du Sable, a family-run art gallery and studio where the fine sand from the islands is transformed into unique sculptures and objets d'art.
Overlooking the charming town of Havre-Aubert is the historic Auberge Chez Denis à Francois. Set in a turn-of-thecentury home, the inn features 14 comfortable, traditionally furnished rooms plus an intimate dining room that showcases local specialties from the surrounding waters. A crab cocktail is partnered with a fresh avocado salsa. Local Pied de Vent cheese features in a crisp phyllo casing paired with seasonal asparagus. For the adventurous, there's loup marin (which certainly sounds more elegant than seal), slowly braised and served with caramelized shallots and a beet tuile. Or the regional pot en pot, a sublime seafood pie with plump and succulent morsels of scallop, shrimp and lobster bathed in a rich cream sauce under a golden, flakey crust.
Except for the miniscule Anglophone population descended from the original Scottish settlement on the northern tip of Îles
de la Grande Entreé, the islands are truly Québécois. Driving along Route 199, across the bridges and narrow peninsulas that connect the islands, it is interesting to note how the Magdalen Québécois accents change in a matter of minutes once over the short water crossings.
Spectacular scenery prevails throughout the islands but nothing is as stunning as Parc de Gros-Cap. Protected from the prevailing winds, the western coastline around this region is dotted with scarlet-hued cliffs and caves that contrast with vibrant fields of wildflowers and herbs, and nutrient-rich algae. Foraged local ingredients such as these are important for the wonderful beers of À l'Abri de la Tempête, a microbrewery located in the village of L'Étang-du-Nord on the island of Cap-aux-Meules. Surrounded by fertile grasslands, this artisan brewery is committed to using as many local ingredients as possible in order to protect the fragile ecology of the islands. Incorporating a smoked malt from locally grown barley, fresh herbs and foraged greens, their beers are both unique and flavourful.
Driving westwards, with isolated coastline on one side and remote pastureland on the other, we arrive at the quaint Auberge Havre-Sur-Mer, a cozy 12-room inn located on a sandy stretch of beach. Innkeeper Suzie Baillargeon has a deft, artistic touch, showcased in rooms with contemporary wood furniture and natural light flooding through French doors that overlook the expansive beachlands beyond. The inn also has a tranquil outdoor gazebo spa housing a massage room, sauna and jacuzzi tub.
Although the Îles de la Madeleine lie in a remote and sublime sanctuary, local Magdalens are hospitable and embrace their beautiful islands and long sea-faring heritage. The islands have become a popular tourist spot for Quebec mainlanders and those seeking beautiful windswept scenery and quiet villages from times gone by. It's a treat for someone living on the opposite side of this vast continent to discover another hidden treasure in our culturally rich country.