This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
In the kitchens of the gastronomic restaurant La Tanière, in Old Quebec, two enthusiasts have embarked on a somewhat crazy quest: the creation of a Quebec “chocolate”, 100% local. A look at a food that not only does not deceive the eye and the taste buds, but above all highlights the riches of a region that is still little used.
It is well known that Quebecers have a sweet tooth and have a special love for chocolate. Cocoa and its preparations rank third among the province’s food imports, worth $857 million in 2020.
However, this much appreciated food is absent from the Quebec terroir. And, climate change or not, Quebec is still a long way from growing cocoa trees and harvesting its own cocoa beans.
It is to remedy this lack that François-Emmanuel Nicol, chef and co-owner of La Tanière, and Jérémy Billy, local pastry chef, came up with the idea of a “fake chocolate” from Quebec almost three years ago. years.
“In the cooking we do, we really respect the principle of 100% local. Often, restaurants will say: “We are 100% local”, but will have a chocolate cake on their menu. Not us, says François-Emmanuel Nicol. So we were looking for that flavor that we were missing. When cooking recipes, we often came across aromas that reminded us of the taste of chocolate. This is where the idea of launching something around chocolate came about. »
The two men, who have worked together since their meeting at La Légende restaurant, a member of the same group as La Tanière, five years ago, first analyzed in detail the flavors of real chocolate and the methods of its manufacture in order to find local equivalents.
“The click happened when we equipped ourselves to produce black vegetables and fruits according to the same principle as black garlic. [la réaction de Maillard, c’est-à-dire quand la cuisson à basse température d’un aliment change sa couleur et produit de nouvelles odeurs et saveurs]. Cooked like black garlic, beets and apples gave a result very close to chocolate. From there, we started our blending,” explains François-Emmanuel Nicol.
From this fruit and vegetable paste, the creators then fashioned a blend of local spices that combines chocolate flavors and the boreal pantry, adds Jérémy Billy, who worked at Château Montebello and Manoir Richelieu. in the past.
For example, sweet clover, a native wild plant, brings the vanilla side of chocolate. The fruit of the keyboard tree, a small tree, brings citrus bark notes and a certain bitterness, while the maple-scented milk cap, a mushroom, brings a woody side and, obviously, the sweet taste. maple. The roasted chicory root evokes the bitterness and roasting of coffee.
To this base of fruits, vegetables and boreal spices, clarified butter, which is harder than normal butter once cooled, is added as a fat to replace the cocoa butter.
A symbol for the land
It took about three months of effort and experimentation to come up with a version to offer to restaurant customers. According to its creators, the result is similar to the taste of a 70% dark chocolate “very fruity and very tangy”.
“Some customers roll their eyes when they explain that it’s not real chocolate,” says the pastry chef, of French origin. Most are surprised and want to know the recipe, and it’s always a pleasure for us to explain the process behind it. We take into account each comment to continue to develop the product. »
The duo dreams of achieving a consistency reminiscent of chocolate bars, but, for the moment, the result is closer to a ganache, which is integrated into the sweets served to customers at La Tanière.
Those who dream of a Quebec replacement for their Easter sweets will have to be patient, however. In the short term, the duo does not intend to market its creation. The “fake chocolate” will remain the exclusivity of La Tanière and a symbol of its commitment to the development of ultra-local gastronomy.
“We do not always realize all the challenges that this represents [le 100 % local] “, recalls François-Emmanuel Nicol, who participated in the seventh season of the show The Chiefs !in 2017.
“Throughout the world, the cuisines that are rich are those that claim their territory. There are so many ingredients in our forest that we don’t know about because we don’t bother to use them, he laments. By giving us the constraint to work only with local products, we develop our terroir and advance our cuisine. Constraint often stimulates creation. Without her, we would never have developed this new product! »