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Poutine Guy Blog

Seeking the perfect French fry

March 10, 2016

Ever since Santa Claus saw fit to leave Poutine Guy a commercial French fry cutter under the tree, my trips to other establishments has diminished. In fact, it was bolted into the studs of the basement wall before the kids had batteries in their toys.

So enamoured am I by this latest

device, I’m working on creating my

own pièces de résistance at home.

For those who want to know,

surplus French fry cutters from

Santa’s workshop can be found on

the sh-elves at Princess Auto.

Over the last few months I’ve

developed quite the process to

making French fries. While explain-

ing that process to a colleague

during one lunch break she app-

eared fascinated by the journey

from potato to being covered in

gravy. So, today Poutine Guy is sharing how he makes French fries. There are likely other, better ways of doing it, and if my fandom want to send me their secrets, I’d gladly test them.

Clean off a few potatoes. Some people might have a particular favourite kind of potato, but my favourite kind has traditionally been the cheapest one at the grocery store. Give them a little scrub, but not too much – I love seeing the skin at the ends of the French fry. The kids, however, think potato skin is gross.
Cut the potatoes julienne-style. I prefer a thicker cut French fry, but this has more to do with the capabilities of my deep fryer than my tastes. More on this later.
Place cut potatoes in a bowl and soak in cold water. Dump the cold water out and repeat until the water is clear. It usually only takes 2 or 3 repetitions. You want to get as much of the starch out as possible. Fill it up one more time and allow the cut potatoes to soak for an hour or so in the fridge.
When you’re ready, turn on the deep fryer and get the oil as hot as your typical home deep fryer will get. I say typical because I had some deep fryer-envy the other day when I saw this 8.5 gallon beaute online at Bass Pro Shop for a mere $630 (propane tank not included) and a smaller 6 gallon electric version in the store for $480 (stand not included).

I cannot fathom the cook times or temperatures on these or whether or not the oil will even cool down.

Side note to Bass Pro Shop or the makers of these deep fryers, Cajun Fryer: I am not averse to accepting either of these products to review on my widely-read and extremely “influential” website.
Back to my typical deep fryer. Fill basket with cut potatoes and drop. Let cook for 2 minutes only. Then raise the basket. If it is allowed to cook longer it may soak in too much oil as the temperature of the oil drops. What you want to create is a hardened coating on the French fry.
Allow the temperature of the oil to reach maximum again and then proceed to fry for another 5-6 minutes. Remove and shake off excess oil. Dump in a bowl and salt gingerly. This method is often referred to as double-frying and there are various times and temperatures suggested.

When I tried thicker cut fries they soaked up a great deal of oil and ended up limp. So, thin and stiff or thick and limp. Just sayin’. Much like a baker must get to know their oven, the perfect French fry requires an intimate knowledge of the deep fryer that can only be obtained through practice. A lot of practice. Invite family, friends, and the neighbours over. Seek their input. Practice, practice, practice. And, obviously, don’t let it go to waste.

And for God’s sake, don’t use mozzarella! You know who you are.

May your curds stay squeaky (and your French fries stay stiff).

Cajun Fryer by R & V Works 8.5 Gallon Propane Cooker Deep Fryer at Bass Pro Shop.

Cajun Fryer by R & V Works Propane Cooker Deep Fryers - 6 Gallon at Bass Pro Shop

Poutine Guy Replaceable?

January 25, 2015

IBM Cognitive Cooking is undertaking the greatest Canadian culinary challenge ever – creating the best poutine.

Chef Sabrina Sexton of the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York claims the “[IBM] Watson is able to create millions of possible flavour combinations” for poutine, all toward perfecting the dish. If this is all true, Poutine Guy says, “It’s about time.”

However, one of Poutine Guy’s readers jokingly expressed concern about this blog, suggesting Watson may begin writing it for me. Given how easily Watson cut through its competition on Jeopardy, that may be a justifiable concern. But, does Watson’s Cognitive Cooking have the where-with-all to develop Poutine Guy’s five indicators of good poutine? Can it develop Cognitive blogging?

While I doubt they ever heard of Poutine Guy at ICE, I wonder if their ranking based on “pleasantness and ability to surprise” had anything to do with Poutine Guy’s as-of-yet-untrademarked fifth indicator of a good poutine – Expectations. Perhaps Poutine Guy should be concerned.

But, maybe this will allow Poutine Guy to spend more time eating poutines. I should think of it as retirement as opposed to being replaced by a computer. I think I could live with that! And, it appears ICE might provide Poutine Guy a greater selection thanks to Watson. This is certainly a glass-half-full story, not a glass-half-empty one.

Chef Michael Garrett, who is also working on the Watson / ICE project, prepared multi-cultural poutines to reflect Toronto’s environment. With the help of Watson, he developed a Sri-Lankan Jamaican Surf and Turf Poutine, incorporating the heat elements found in both cuisines. The details of other recipes, everything from a Chinese-Greek Chop Suey Poutine to a Japanese-Middle Eastern Onion Ring Poutine, are available on the website as the Watson / ICE team prepare for La Poutine Week in Toronto and Montreal, the first week of February.

Ultimately, “Watson is helping … create poutine combinations none of us have ever seen or tasted before,” says Chef Sexton, and as far as Poutine Guy is concerned, that’s music to my ears. And with millions of possible combinations, I think Poutine Guy’s blog is safe for the time being.

Until next time, may your curds stay squeaky.

Poutine Guy goes international:

From Brooklyn to Boston

October 16, 2014

While one would expect the summer to be a busy time for Poutine Guy, that wasn't the case. Mind you, I never backed away from the opportunity to eat poutine, I just didn't eat many unique ones.

I did get the chance to celebrate Canada Day with one at Brooklyn Deli in downtown Moncton. Brooklyn Deli has often been recommended to me by colleagues. All I can say is, they don't know what they’re talking about. It was far too salty. The deli meat topping did nothing to add to the experience and even detracted from it. Even though the curds were numerous, they were tiny and had no squeak. Expectations were high, given the reviews I'd heard, but just because a place serves poutine doesn't mean it's good. I think many people just don’t get that. I was impressed with the size of the dish, but it was on the pricey side. All in all, it scored below average at 64%. To put it in perspective, New York Fries scores higher.

On a trip to Boston in August, my brother and I treated ourselves to Poutine Guy's first international poutine experience at Saus in Boston. In a restaurant with walls exhibiting portraits of Tintin, and calling their fries pommes frites they seem to have adopted a Québécois flair. This was present in their menu as Poutine Guy helped himself to an awesome poutine with perfect fries, unique gravy, and fine locally produced curds. The Saus poutine scored an above average 82%. Poutine Guy has only graded five other poutines that scored higher.

Expectations were on the low side. I mean, come on, poutine in Boston. Who'd-a-thunk they'd produce good poutine? My brother and I weren't the only ones enamoured by the dish. An American girl seated next to us took a picture of his poutine to show her boyfriend that it was indeed true - Saus served this Canadian "delicacy." Or, she took a picture of a Canadian eating a poutine. I'm still not sure. And, delicacy it was.

But, thinking about it now, how Canadian is ? It was, and to many it still is, a solely Québécois dish. But, much like the maple leaf was once a revered Québécois symbol, the poutine was absorbed as a part of Canadian culture. Meanwhile, the Poutine World Eating Champion hails from California and there were three restaurants to choose from in Boston that served poutine.

In response, I will say I prefer quality over quantity, so I don't pay much heed to who ate how much of what on TSN. While I believe I probably lucked out in selecting Saus, if that was the average poutine in the U.S., then poutine makers in Canada better up their quality game, because what Poutine Guy is finding, is a great deal of mediocrity on this side of the border.

May your curds stay squeaky.

New doesn't always mean better

June 01, 2014

It’s been a long time since Poutine Guy put pen to paper to write a blog, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been busy putting fork to mouth. This blog contains not just one review, not just two reviews, but three somewhat quickly and mediocrely-written reviews. As an update, after these three are entered into the Great Poutine Log Book Excel file, the average poutine score is 75%. First up, is Big Leagues.

Big Leagues (Mountain Road, Moncton)

Big Leagues was Poutine Guy’s 20th review. I really wish, if only to just celebrate my 20th review, it had been better. Before I go on to trash their poutine, Poutine Guy wants to say, Big Leagues does make the best burger and wings I’ve ever had in Metro Moncton. But alas, I’m Poutine Guy, not Burger Guy or Wing Guy … hmmm, I wonder if those two fellas have blogs. Also, I’ve always found Big Leagues staff to be extremely friendly. But producers of fine poutine, they are not.

Without a doubt, the best part of the poutine was the fries. Indeed, the fries were the only indicator to score above average. But, unfortunately, in my opinion they salted them too much to be used for a really good poutine. The curds were also gooey, the gravy was too thick, and the value-for-money just simply wasn’t there - $6.99! Mind you, I didn’t have high expectations going in, so they scored some points on that front, but they still didn’t meet the average on the expectations indicator. Ultimately, the poutine only scored 67%.

Deluxe (St. George Street, Moncton)

Of the three poutines under review in this blog, Deluxe on St. George Street in Moncton was clearly the best, and oddly, is now the second best place to grab a poutine in Metro Moncton (M.I.C. in Dieppe being the first), especially since two of the three best establishments have closed since I reviewed them. This includes Ed’s Sub on University and Mountain, which was the subject of my last review! It now serves Mexican fare (it's Moncton's version of Burrito Jax) and I’ll leave that to Burrito Guy to review.

A positive rating by Poutine Guy may be

the Kiss of Death. C’est dommage.

A poutine admirer informed me of her

less than stellar recent experience at this

Deluxe, which I certainly hope was more

an anomaly than anything. She described

the fries as being undercooked. Ain’t

nothin’ can fix undercooked fries. The

fries in my Deluxe poutine were one of

the highlights of the dish. Don't let the

gooey looking curds in the picture fool

you. They maintained their squeakiness.

I was impressed. While the gravy and

value-for-money both came in below

average, the fries, curds, and expectations

helped propel the Deluxe poutine to an overall score of 79%.

Relish (Somewhere in Moncton)

I say ‘somewhere in Moncton’ because a colleague picked it up for me and since I don’t see ever returning there for a poutine, who cares where it’s

located. As with Big Leagues, the Relish

poutine scored a measly 67%. The only

indicator it scored above average on was

the gravy – it had bacon. Mmmmm,

b-a-c-o-n. Unlike Big Leagues, I had very

high expectations with Relish, given their

reputation for making gourmet

burgers.

At the end of this posting I can say, new

joints like Big Leagues and Relish, while

they can deliver on the burger front, it may

be best to stick with the tried and true when

it comes to a good poutine in Moncton. I

never thought Poutine Guy would say this,

but Deluxe may just be the place to go.

In the meantime, I’ll keep looking. Next on

my list for Moncton is a high

recommendation by some colleagues of

mine: Brooklyn Deli.

Until then, may your curds stay squeaky.

Relish Poutine in Moncton, NB.

The multiple personalities of Ed's

December 19, 2013

This is a tale of two Ed’s Submarines. Ever since Poutine Guy began this journey for great and not-so-great poutine he has met people who have raved about Ed’s.

I went to Ed’s. As my die-hard fans may recall, I went to the new location on Mountain Road near the Mapleton Road intersection. It was … okay. My records show it scored 78%, which was better than average in every aspect that Poutine Guy measures, except I expected more.

This was viewed as unacceptable to many people. Especially many Université de Moncton alumni who had enjoyed poutine at the Ed’s on Mountain and University for years. My colleagues, particularly one recent colleague, has been very vocal about his support of the University Ed’s. Given that, Ed’s has enjoyed a spot on my retry list.

That retry finally came about.

Why poutines differ depending upon which Ed’s restaurant you visit is beyond me. Who knows, maybe they were just having a bad day at the new location, but the gravy wasn’t the same, nor were the fries. I recall the new Ed’s poutine being so much saltier than the University version as well. Ultimately, the greatest difference was in the curds. The University Ed’s used much fresher curds. Despite taking out the poutine, the curds still retained their squeakiness. Overall, very impressive; an 86%!

For some perspective, the only poutine joint in Moncton that’s been better is no longer around. If you want a good poutine, go to Ed’s, but I recommend the establishment on University as opposed to the new location. As usual, I took pictures. Below you'll find a pic of a traditional poutine on the left, while on the right, Ed's Christmas special that a colleague of mine enjoyed.

With the review out of the way, there’s still a lot for Poutine Guy to talk about. A great deal has happened since my last posting. First, I want to mention the (disappointing) Fredericton Poutine Festival at the Delta. Before I get into it too much, I want to congratulate the winner of the festival - Kings Arrow Canteen from the Oromocto Arena. Their unique twist on the poutine is the addition of Newfoudland dressing. Watch the CTV story for more.

The reason I’m not going to go into this too much is because any attempt to promote poutine should be applauded. Clap, clap. That being said, I won’t return until they fix a number of issues. Here are a few I noted.

There were only four vendors at the event, and one of these was the hotel. That’s not a festival. It’s certainly not worth what I paid to attend. With only four vendors, in my opinion, it should have been cancelled.
Most of the vendors had to truck in their fries. The only vendor with access to nearby deep fryers was the hotel, and I was informed that they were not sharing. The venue was a hall, and obviously, not conducive to vendors having deep fryers.
The curds were pretty much left to rot at room temperature. None of the vendors had the good sense put their curds on ice to keep them fresh and squeaky for as long as possible.

The second poutine story occurred the other evening as I watching the sitcom Happy Endings on Netflix. Let’s ignore that Poutine Guy watches Happy Endings for a moment and focus. For those unaware of the sitcom, it’s really a Chicago-based version of Friends. During one of the latest episodes I watched, the dinner plans of the ‘friends’ go awry and one asks, “Who wants poutine?” Of course, they all do. I mean, who wouldn't? Poutine Guy was amazed. I’m left wondering though, how much of the American audience even understood what a poutine was?

And finally, while I haven’t tried one yet, early reviews of the McDonald’s poutine are not outstanding. The Toronto Star review I attached proves that while poutines on McDonald’s commercials look edible, reality may be something else. Recall, that commercials of Big Macs are mouth-watering when compared to reality.

Keep your stories and recommendations coming in – the good and the ugly. I enjoy receiving them and seeing how I can fit them into future postings.

Until next time, may your curds stay squeaky.

A Brief History of Poutine

October 5, 2013

Looking for the history of poutine I discovered a book on Canadian cuisine which suggests the origins of poutine as an evolution of the Acadian dish. In fact, the book claims the dish was merely Acadian poutine râpée with gravy that became poutine with fries and gravy.

No disrespect to admirers of the Acadian poutine râpée, but I can't see how that is even possible. This book is the only occasion where I have seen a link between the Quebec poutine and the Acadian poutine râpée. For those of you who may not be aware of what Acadian poutine râpée is, may I direct you to local poutine râpée admirer Brian Cormier and a blog posting he wrote last year. Also, if you think everything and everyone has a Facebook Group, you may be correct since here is the link to The Official Acadian Poutine Râpée Facebook Group.

For those looking for a more plausible history of the great curdish dish, may I direct you to the website Montreal Poutine.

I also undertook some digging of my own and here is what I discovered thanks to a book on the subject, "Maudite Poutine!" Basically, there are two competing origin stories for this complex dish. Yes, there are two claims of ownership for the idea. Both tales begin in the 1950s and continue on into the 1960s.

The Café Idéal story, from Warwick, Québec, claims to have served the first poutine - fries with curds and vinegar - in 1957 entirely by the whim of a customer, who wanted curds that were sold at the restaurant heaped on his hot fries. At this point, the proprietor is alleged to have said that the resulting melted cheese chaos in the paper bag it was sold in would make for "une maudite poutine."

Soon afterwards, as this story goes, the local kids added ketchup and made a real mess of it and the restaurant. In 1963, the establishment would get a make-over and name change. The owner, not being keen on the messes, began serving the fries and curds in plates. Customers soon found the fries cooled too quickly and they were cool to idea. To solve the problem, hot chicken sauce was made available, which people eventually poured over the dish and the traditional poutine as we know it today was born.

The Le Roy Jucep story from Drummondville states that fries and gravy were regular fare on the menu in 1958-59. The dish was referred to simply as a patate-sauce. After some regulars began adding curds to it in 1964 (once again the curds were available for purchase separately) a new dish came to life, fromage-patate-sauce. The use of poutine as its name came when the wait staff grew tired of saying "fromage-patate-sauce" to call in the order. Given that pudding is a common culinary expression for mixture and the nickname of the chef being Ti-Pout, the staff got together and came up with poutine.

Unfortunately, both owners have since departed this world, but their contribution to Quebec's food history, whether separately or together, cannot be understated. If there aren't already, there should be statues of these culinary heroes.

I hope you enjoyed this little poutine history lesson, and until next time, may your curds stay squeaky.

Charles-Alexandre Théorêt (2007). Maudite Poutine! Les Éditions Héliotrope, Québec.