The beautiful Provençal blue picnic table stretches out its arms, or rather the benches. Temperature: 25 degrees in the shade. Molson Park chirps, free of branches knocked down by the ice.
Scattered on the boards, dishes with colorful and tempting contents, pots, homemade preparations, plates, a portable barbecue and a bottle of wine. Behind their sunglasses, you can guess the sparkle in the eyes of Michèle Des Rosiers (ex-owner of Chien Rose and Lucie) and Maxime Gagné (at the helm of Mitch Deli). Their mission: to make out-of-the-ordinary hot dogs for our picnics. In two shots of a teaspoon (of mayo), the deal was ketchup.
Let’s turn to Michèle who, on the strength of her reorientation as a poet and scriptwriter, has composed two recipes not borrowed from verses. She also drew on her experience as an imaginative restorer. “My sous-chef refused to make the same recipes twice, so in 7-8 years, we exceeded 100 recipes, with a different theme each month,” she recalls. Thus, his first proposal will be a “Karayib hot-dog” with Creole accents, where we find the base of the traditional hot-dog, embellished with roasted pineapple, cabbage salad and a sauce based on mustard and pickles.
Of course, it all starts with the arrangement of the buns on the barbecue. “I grill them slathered with mayo,” says Michele, who called for unpretentious Gadoua breads, as well as common grocery store sausages. “I took the ones on special. I like to take the cheap stuff and make it fun,” she slips in with an amused smile. Indeed, as Jesus changed water into wine, the young woman manages to turn an ordinary hot dog into a poem of flavors. Once the bread is ready, she immediately garnishes it with her mayonnaise with three mustards, honey and pickles (prepared the day before), arranges the sausage then adds her coleslaw with roasted pineapple (also made in advance). She then rushes to the pot of pikliz, a Haitian condiment that she has fallen in love with. “Where’s my pikliz?” Ah, there he is ! » Final touch, mint leaves bring freshness. The result ? Ekselan, as we would say in Port-au-Prince.
Then it’s the turn of his second creation, swaying between the hot dog and the roll. “This one is made with shrimp and asparagus from Quebec, with a kind of bloody remoulade mixing remoulade and bloody caesar,” Michèle explains. This time, we begin to garnish the bread with said remoulade made with celery, green onions, horseradish and tabasco, among other things, before adding the grilled sausage, completed with a small salad of northern prawns and asparagus. To decorate the whole, we have the asparagus heads and a part of the celery leaves. “There will surely be some mayonnaise left over, it’s on purpose, it’s to make the best sandwiches for lunches of the week,” she advises. In the meantime, we enjoy this dapper and refreshing surf’n turf.
Asparagus, we also find them in one of the proposals of Maxime Gagné, who previously rolled his bump from the Local
Also on the heat, the asparagus coated with oil and kebab spices are then placed in the bread alongside slices of radish, marinated red onion, lettuce and a Mediterranean sauce (tahini, olive, garlic oil and kebab spices). The final ornament is made with panko-type breadcrumbs, prepared in garlic oil. The tantalizing result is also an opportunity to remember that all variations and variations are allowed with these dressed-up hot dogs. “This one would have been good with fish or seafood,” says Mitch Deli owner.
The final fireworks will be done in Burgundy colors, with a certain sophistication – you will have to prepare well the day before P day (for picnic), even if Maxime devised his recipe the time of a slam of the door of fridge. On the grill, the same brioche buns, as well as a cassolette with crackling “beans braised in red wine with veal stock”, explains the chef. There is also a duo of oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms, as well as candied shallots. Hearing these details, Michèle pretends to be indignant: “Hey, me, I try to do business that people would be able to do! “, she stings. “You don’t have to diminish people, you have to educate them,” counters Maxime, who has been teaching cooking for a decade. “You’re right,” concedes his sidekick.
But let’s get back to our Burgundian and its somewhat special elongated sausages, made from beef, made by the Quatre-Temps farm in Montérégie. “You can find them at the Jean-Talon market,” says the cook. Once the contents of his saucepan are ready and his sausages have sweated, he arranges them in the buns, dips into a mixture of herbs, giving priority to the parsley, and tops it all with needle-like potato chips, homemade.
Seeing this last piece placed alongside the other three achievements, no more doubt: yes, the improved hot dog can make people dream and salivate. And even if it is far, very far, the New York hot dog with its baseball sauce, Michèle and Maxime show that with a pinch of imagination, you can achieve all kinds of culinary home runs.
A little gold mine for those who want to go even further in the variations on hot dogs, this recipe book by Estérelle Payany brings together filled buns of all kinds. Examples ? In addition to American classics, like the one from Chicago, there are Asian, Greek, Italian, Mexican, Moroccan, vegetarian versions… Available in paper and digital versions.
Pour 12 hot-dogs
1 pineapple (or two cans of sliced pineapple, without the juice)1 tbsp. Dijon mustard 1 tbsp. old-fashioned mustard 1 tbsp. yellow mustard 1 tbsp. honey1 tbsp. rice vinegar 1 tbsp. salt1 egg750 ml vegetable oil 2 large dill pickles2 large sweet pickles½ Savoy cabbage½ red onion4-5 sprigs of fresh mintPikliz from Bonne Bouffe Créole12 hot dog buns12 hot dog sausages
Turn oven on to 375°F. Trim a pineapple and cut into 1 cm thick slices; place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush with vegetable oil. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, flipping halfway through. Once cooled, dice. To book.
In a food processor, put: 1 tbsp. at s. Dijon mustard1 tbsp. old-fashioned mustard 1 tbsp. yellow mustard 1 tbsp. honey1 tbsp. 1 tablespoon rice vinegar Salt and pepper 1 egg
Start the food processor and beat the mayonnaise with 750ml of vegetable oil in a thin stream while the processor runs at maximum speed. Once the mayonnaise has risen, add 2 dill pickles and 2 large diced sweet pickles. To book.
In a large bowl, mix and set aside: ½ shredded Savoy cabbage ½ shredded red onion ½ cup mayonnaise pickles, honey and 3 mustards Chopped mint leaves Salt and pepper Diced roasted pineapple
Grill the sausages and buns, then garnish in this order: pickle mayonnaise, honey and 3 mustards; grilled sausage; coleslaw and roasted pineapple; pikliz; mint leaves.
Pour 12 hot-dogs
½ bunch of asparagus from Quebec2 stalks of celery with leaves 4 green onions8 sprigs of tarragon1 clove of garlic1 tbsp. horseradish 1 tsp. Dijon mustard 1 tbsp. lemon juice 1 tbsp. tabasco 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp. paprika 1 tbsp. sugar 1 tbsp. 1 tbsp tomato paste 1 egg Salt and pepper 750 ml vegetable oil 1 ½ lb Nordic shrimp A pinch of celery salt 12 hot dog buns 12 hot dog sausages
Roast, blanch or marinate the asparagus, before cutting them into small rings. It is possible to put them raw for more crunch. Michèle Des Rosiers marinated them with water, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt and a little soy sauce to add a touch of umami. Save the tops of the asparagus to decorate the hot dogs.
In a food processor, put: 2 stalks of celery with a third of the leaves 2 green onionsThe leaves of 8 sprigs of tarragon1 clove of garlic1 tbsp. horseradish 1 tsp. Dijon mustard 1 tbsp. lemon juice 1 tbsp. tabasco 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp. paprika 1 tbsp. sugar 1 tbsp. tomato pasteSalt and pepper1 egg
Start the food processor and beat the mayonnaise with 750ml of vegetable oil in a thin stream, while the processor runs at maximum speed. To book.
In a large bowl, combine the northern shrimp, asparagus, two chopped green onions, ½ cup remoulade, a pinch of celery salt, the second third of the chopped celery leaves, salt and pepper. To book.
Grill the sausages and buns, then garnish in this order: remoulade; grilled sausage; northern shrimp and asparagus salad; asparagus heads and the last third of celery leaves.
Yield: 4 servings
12 Quebec asparagus, blanched
8 fresh radishes, cut into small pieces
4 Maison Chabot hot dog buns (Brioche à tête)
Lettuce, your choice
Herbs, your choice
150 ml citron juice
200 ml of tahini
1 clove garlic, minced
100ml unsweetened vegetable drink of your choice (almond, oat)
2 or 3 red onions, minced
1 cup (250 ml) white vinegar
2 cups (500ml) water
2/3 cup (150ml) white sugar
18 g (1 tbsp) salt
1/2 cup (125ml) panko
1 1/2 tsp. 2 tbsp (25 ml) garlic flavored oil
1 pinch of salt
For the tahini sauce
Mix all the ingredients together and keep cool.
For the pickled onions
Boil all the ingredients, except the onions, and pour the hot liquid over the finely chopped onions. Leave to cool and put in an airtight jar in the fridge.
For the garlic panko
Roast the panko in a skillet over low heat with the oil and a pinch of salt. Reserve in a dry place.
Just before serving, grill the asparagus, cut into 3 cm pieces, then grill the buns.
Toss the asparagus with the tahini sauce.
Place the lettuce on the bottom, add the asparagus, then decorate with the onions, the panko and some fresh herbs.
Yield: 4 servings
4 8-inch hot dogs from Ferme des Quatre-Temps
4 Maison Chabot hot dog buns (Brioche à tête)
Homemade or store-bought chips
Chopped fresh parsley, to taste
For the Burgundy filling
120 g of bacon in lardons
50g butter
400g oyster mushrooms (or whatever you have on hand)
60g French shallots, finely chopped
300ml red wine
700 ml veal stock
1 cup (250 mL) cooked white beans
For the candied shallots
4 French shallots, halved lengthwise
200ml veal stock
For the Burgundy filling
Cook the bacon in the pan, remove the meat and set aside. In the same skillet, add the butter, then sauté the mushrooms in the fat. Add the chopped shallots.
In a saucepan, reduce the red wine by two thirds, then add the veal stock. Reduce by half, add the beans and mushrooms, and set aside in a container.
For the candied shallots
In a small sauté pan, brown the shallots, then add the veal stock. Leave to simmer over low heat. Once the shallots are cooked, let cool and set aside.
Grill the sausages and buns. Place the sausage in the bread, then add the hot mixture of beans and mushrooms. Garnish with candied shallots, then finish with bacon bits, crisps and parsley.
