To cream the beak in local version, is it possible? Sure ! The attraction for local products is no longer restricted to savory dishes, small pots and plated desserts. Artisan ice cream makers are exploiting more and more flavors from our region… for our greatest delight!
Until a few years ago, artisan ice cream makers who incorporated fruit, maple, honey or other Quebec ingredients into their creations were rare. But many of them now want to distinguish themselves from dairies that offer industrial and imported products.
Betting on Quebec
Valérie Campeau, owner of L’Armoire à glaces at Plaza St-Hubert, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, made this local shift in 2018. “By following my training at the University of Gelato in Italy, she says, I understood that an artisanal approach and the choice of ingredients had a direct impact on the quality and freshness of the products. She therefore began to produce in small quantities – seven liters at a time, compared to the 100 liters at a time produced by the big brands – and to favor homemade preparations based on local products.
“Obviously, it’s impossible for me to find producers here to supply me with citrus fruits,” she admits. But for small red fruits, apples, pears, honey and maple, I bet on the local. I also find that fruit that travels less tastes better, and therefore gives better results. It’s also a way for me to be more ecological and to encourage an ecosystem of which L’Armoire à glaces is a full part as a local business. »
The entrepreneur therefore offers on her menu, alongside the classic flavors of chocolate, vanilla, hazelnut and pistachio, gelatos and sorbets based on strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, apricots, blueberries, pears, apples and maple butter from Quebec. It combines Lac-Saint-Jean honey with orange blossom. She ventures with the seasons into frozen delights with corn, ground cherries, pumpkin, carrots or beets. “We are still creating! she confirms, happy to see that her original products are loved by a good range of gourmets, including children.
Back to basics
Valérie Campeau’s approach can be found with other artisan ice cream makers who proudly display Quebec on their menus. But this local reflection is even more tangible in a small boutique in Métis-sur-Mer, in the heart of Bas-Saint-Laurent.
Grandson of chefs and farmers, Pierre-Olivier Ferry literally grew up in a garden. He therefore naturally incorporated the flavors of his childhood into his cuisine, with brilliance, it must be said, at the Jardins de Métis for more than 15 years. “Working locally, for me, goes without saying,” he says. The local is my neighbors and producer and artisan friends. These are the plants and trees that cross my path when I go to work. These are the smells that come to me from the seashore when I walk around. It would be unfortunate to be surrounded by so many delicacies and to buy ingredients that come from the other side of the planet. »
Since 2019, the chef has decided to fly on his own by creating his culinary workshop, where Quebec is honored in every way, whether on pizzas and gelatos in the summer season, as in ready meals. to eat in winter. “In fact, he confides with a smile, gelatos are my diabolical plan to make our regional products more widely known. Because everyone loves ice cream, my six month old son as my oldest customer of 104 years! »
However, Mr. Ferry does not consider that he is reinventing the wheel by integrating berries, honey and maple into his creations, but also seaweed, wild roses, cedar, sweet clover (Quebec vanilla), the fern with notes of resin, thyme, honey and eucalyptus), fragrant chamomile (a plant resembling chamomile), or honey-colored armillaria (a mushroom with a earthy and nutty finish). As he explains, “I use ingredients that our ancestors used on a daily basis, just like the ‘doorstep’ salads they prepared. The only difference lies in the support and means that they did not have at the time”.
Therefore, even if some passing tourists may be disconcerted when they see the particular flavors of gelatos offered by the Atelier Culinaire Ferry, it is out of the question for the chef to change his philosophy. “I offer something other than [ce que proposent les] creameries that can be found on every street corner, he says. And if I rely on the success of these ice creams with the people of Métis-sur-Mer, who have become accustomed to them, I think that Quebecers are ready to rediscover this taste heritage. »