Summer outside | Luncheon on the Grass

Imagine the chirping of birds, the coolness of the dew and the sounds of the city quietly waking up. This morning, we break the routine and have a snack outside. What do you bring in your picnic basket? The Press Asked the question to the take-out brunch expert in the metropolis, chef Mathieu Groussard.

Veronique Larocque
The Press

In Quebec, we love brunch. “Six years ago, when I arrived here, what struck me was seeing how much brunch is an institution in Montreal and Quebec. It’s rooted in your genes,” says Mathieu Groussard.

The chef from Bordeaux, France, had an idea: create brunch boxes. Ready-to-eat lunches, delivered to your home or prepared to take away.

“At first, people laughed at me a bit. “A brunch box? It’s weird,” they said. “Lunches and eggs, in delivery, is it possible?” they wondered”, says the one who was inspired from an early age by his father, a cooking teacher.

Hearing him pronounce this last question, we smile. This was precisely one of the mysteries that we wanted to elucidate with the owner of Les Brunchs de Mathieu: how to keep the eggs hot and tasty at picnics? “That, unfortunately, I can’t talk about too much, he apologizes. It’s years of work. […] I did a lot of research and development. »

Good hot or cold

We won’t blame him for his silence, however, as the lunch pro is quick to suggest a few options to put on the menu for a brunch in a park.

The key, according to him, to not complicate life? Choose dishes that can be eaten both hot and cold.

One example is the potato tortilla, or Spanish tortilla. “Basically, it’s like an omelet, except that inside you put slightly mashed potatoes,” explains the chef.

The steps are quite simple: in a skillet, sauté potatoes with onions, salt and pepper. Once the mixture is “a little stewed”, whisked eggs are added, then cooked on both sides. “It will make a kind of very hard, very dense potato pancake. It is eaten very well cold or hot,” he says.

To go beyond classic pastries, Mathieu Groussard suggests transforming croissants into sandwiches, with ham and cheese au gratin, for example.

Vegetables roasted in olive oil with a little spice are also a good option, he says, as are watermelon and bacon skewers (see recipe below).

You prefer not to cook and you live in Montreal? The Brunchs de Mathieu team has created a box to enjoy… in the park. This includes a breakfast sandwich, pancakes, madeleines and orange juice or iced tea.

Collection points are even planned in certain Montreal parks, including La Fontaine Park. Home delivery is also offered within a radius of approximately 8 km from the company’s two kitchens located in the Plateau Mont-Royal and in the Saint-Henri district.

A coffee to discover

If you are one of those who cannot start a day without a good coffee, Mathieu Groussard has a suggestion for you: Dalgona coffee. “It is served with cow’s milk or cold soy milk. On top, it is a whipped cream made from “instant” coffee, sugar and cold water. […] It’s very strong in taste,” explains the chef, who would like to open a third kitchen in Longueuil in the coming years. “People are freaking out over it,” he continues. I sell more than coffee. »

Over time, Dalgona coffee has even risen to the top of the most popular products at Les brunches de Mathieu, alongside the signature dish: eggs benedict. A classic which, like the cuisine proposed by Mathieu Groussard, marries well American and European traditions, points out the chef who is now “more Quebecois than French”.

Recipe: Watermelon Skewers, Maple Bacon and Bocconcini

A sweet and savory mix “simple and quick to prepare”, promises the owner of Les Brunchs de Mathieu, chef Mathieu Groussard.

Yield: 5 skewers

Ingredients

• 1 watermelon
• 200g bocconcini (about 20 balls)
• 15 half-slices of bacon
• A few basil leaves
• Salt and pepper
• Oil
• Olive oil
• Steak spices
• Maple syrup

Preparation

1. Cut cubes of watermelon about 5 cm wide then roll them in the steak spices.
2. Lightly toast the watermelon cubes in a pan with a little oil. It is important not to overcook the fruit so that it remains firm enough to hold on the skewer.
3. Grill the bacon in a pan or in the oven at 300 ^ohF for 8 or 9 minutes. Roll the bacon slices around the cooled watermelon. Put a light drizzle of maple syrup on the pieces.
4. Toss your bocconcini balls in olive oil with a little chopped basil, salt and pepper. Leave to marinate for 10 minutes.
5. On a skewer, alternate between watermelon and bocconcini ball.