The Holidays are overflowing with magic inoculated in part by all these little pleasures that we offer and that we allow ourselves. We will show you one a week between now and Christmas, to add some pomp to the ordinary. This week: the spikenard of the pine forests.
Racines boréales was born from an observation: “We find exotic products like limes or oranges on every street corner, while we are unable to easily find a large part of the products of Quebec”, emphasizes Marie-Philippe Mercier. Lambert, co-founder of the small Montreal company which has given itself the mission of making people discover northern products and making them accessible.
In his online store, you can find morels and other dehydrated mushrooms. There are also spices and condiments with vaguely familiar names. The grocery store is supplied by a network of pickers from all over Quebec. From the north of the province come ingredients such as balsam fir, dune pepper and boreal nutmeg; from Bas-Saint-Laurent and Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean, wild rose petals and pinewood spikenard: so many ingredients that are still little known in the kitchen and that are gradually being discovered by chefs and cooks here.
The morel, sold dehydrated, made of fabulous broths, terrines and stews, suggests the spokesperson for the entrepreneurial duo which also includes Kevin Lavoie, his sidekick.
But for the holiday season, the pinewood spikenard is to be discovered. Its smell is reminiscent of blueberries, while its taste finds a kinship with the spices generally associated with Christmas.
“It looks like nutmeg and cinnamon. I would even say clove, but less potent. It remains a delicate spice that finds its place in pies, pâtés, desserts, mulled wines and cocktails of all kinds. ”
PHOTO PROVIDED BY BOREAL ROOTS
Cocktail concoté with spikenard pine
To incorporate it into cocktails and hot drinks, it is made into a syrup by simmering the grains of the spikenard in water sweetened with brown sugar or raw sugar. Reduced to powder, spikenard can also be sprinkled as a finishing touch on desserts.
The spikenard of the pine groves appears in the form of small buds of brownish color grafted on a stem. It comes from the catkins of the traveling comptonia, a boreal plant that resembles ferns and grows on burnt and sandy soils, but often, also, in blueberry fields, where its invasive presence has earned it a qualification. of “blueberry weed”, a reductive nickname considering that almost everything about the plant has its place in the kitchen.
“We remove the grains, then dry roast them in order to awaken the aromas. They can then be incorporated whole or reduced to powder to obtain a more present flavor, explains Marie-Philippe Mercier Lambert. If the preparation can be filtered, we also incorporate the previously grilled branches. Otherwise, we reserve them for the broths. ”
PHOTO PROVIDED BY BOREAL ROOTS
Traveler’s account
In the traveling comptonia, the leaves are also used for their aromatic notes, distinct from those of pinewood spikenard: a slightly resinous scent that can resemble thyme or eucalyptus. They go particularly well with ginger and with all dishes that include bay leaf, notes the founder of Racines boréales.
Unlike bay leaf, which is more robust and must therefore be removed at the end of cooking, traveling comptonia can be seeded in the preparation like a fine dried herb.
“We want to bring local products to the table by suggesting ways to prepare them,” explains Marie-Philippe. Of course, these are still occasional products due to their scarcity, but it is hoped that they will eventually be seen as everyday products. ”