{"id":81236,"date":"2023-01-03T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-03T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mykitchenmystudio.com\/?p=81236"},"modified":"2023-01-04T14:53:42","modified_gmt":"2023-01-04T19:53:42","slug":"almost-authentic-french-canadian-kosher-poutine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mykitchenmystudio.com\/almost-authentic-french-canadian-kosher-poutine\/","title":{"rendered":"(Almost!) Authentic French Canadian Kosher Poutine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
This (almost) authentic poutine – the classic Quebecan combination of crispy French fries, melted cheese, and savory gravy – is utter perfection!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you know what poutine is, chances are you\u2019ve either been to Montreal or you know someone who is from or who has been to Montreal. Poutine is a specialty of Quebec (the Canadian province that Montreal is part of), and is typically made of beef gravy, fresh cheese curds and French fries. Obviously, we can\u2019t use beef gravy and kosher cheese curds are not easy to come by, so in the kosher versions, it is made with shredded cheese and some sort of pareve imitation beef gravy or onion gravy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We Montrealers are ridiculously proud of our authentic poutine! We get excited and oooh and ahh simply over the mention of the word! Interestingly, the first time I tried it, I was extremely grossed out. I was a little girl and my brother convinced me to buy it when we were at the pizza shop together. I didn\u2019t like the gooey cheese mixed with the gravy. To me, fries were meant to be fries\u2014don\u2019t mess with a good thing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the years, my taste changed and evolved, and now I think poutine is the best thing ever! Poutine is an incredibly delicious comfort food and the combination of gravy, cheese and hot fries is perfection! I dream of going home to visit my parents so I can order the cheesy, saucy dish. It\u2019s so good, I almost feel like I wasted all those years growing up in Montreal and not eating it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once I was old enough to appreciate it, I would eat poutine on cold Montreal winter Motza\u2019ei Shabbosos when I went out with friends. And the night of my engagement party, I told my husband not to eat anything fleishig <\/em>because as soon as the vort <\/em>was over, I dragged him to the pizza shop to savor his first poutine! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Living in the States, I\u2019ve come across a few places that make a decent poutine, though nothing comes close to authentic poutine from Montreal. And I often make my own poutine. I\u2019ll admit the poutine I buy in Montreal is still better, but my version comes in at a pretty close second. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When I make it, I usually use frozen French fries baked in the oven according to the package directions, but you can totally make your own homemade<\/a> fries<\/a> and use those.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Any type of cheese works well with poutine. I usually have a big bag of shredded cheese on hand and I sprinkle on that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When making the gravy, if you use a whisk<\/a>, the gravy comes out a lot smoother. I\u2019ve tried using a fork, but it just doesn’t come out as good. Occasionally, the roux used to make the gravy get clumpy when the liquid is added. If this happens to you, a quick whir with an immersion blender<\/a> should do the trick. The recipe calls for flour in the roux to thicken the sauce, but this can easily be replaced with a gluten-free flour blend for those who can\u2019t have gluten. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If I am preparing poutine and plan on serving it within the next couple of hours, I make the entire thing and then just melt the cheese in the oven right before serving. If you are making this dish more in advance, definitely keep the sauce separate or the fries will become soggy. The sauce can last a few days in the fridge and can even be frozen.<\/p>\n\n\n