No self-respecting Parisian has ever said that bread is just bread, that all loaves are the same. Considering Montreal is thought of as North America’s most European city, it is no surprise that we also have a deep appreciation for the art of bread. And we certainly flaunt it as our bakers pump our world famous bagels, pumpernickel, and baguettes. Among those bakers stands the extraordinary family founded St-Méthode. We were recently lucky enough to get a sneak peek at their newest bread: the Quinoa bread.
On a very cold winter night, it was a warming feeling to be welcomed into Rosalie’s top floor. The event was an ode to health and all things bread.
In a virgin industrial space, the people of St-Méthode set up a “Show Us Your Sandwich” station. Each person, armed with freshly toasted Quinoa bread, was encouraged to use their imagination in making whatever came to mind. The station sported almost anything that can be smushed, spread, cut, or squeezed between two slices of bread. Among the participants, breakfast sandwiches with almond butter and banana, melty brie and balsamic vinegar coated with walnuts, and classic BLT’s were shared through Instagram and happily devoured. Which brings us to the bread-of-honour.
Quinoa bread is now fully available in stores and densely packed with all nutrition. It sports 10 grams of protein which is great for making a modest sandwich last until the next meal. And at only 80 calories per slice, it is also quite calorie conscious.
We were able to taste it raw and as part of several canapés. Raw, it tastes full. It is dense but thin and has a certain sweetness that is difficult to place. The cooks did an excellent job of highlighting each of these characteristics with the finger foods.
The dense and robust nature of the bread went perfectly with a small mushroom sauté on top. On the other hand the sweetness was perfectly highlighted when it was used to bread freshly fried shrimp. Finally, that good old fashioned bread quality truly came through in a fried ham and cheese roll. The event truly highlighted the new bread’s strengths so that by the end, you forget that it is supposed to be ‘healthy’.
As an aside, the sweet girls from Muthins were also present, showing off their healthy muffin creations. We were especially impressed with their idea to sprinkle their tasty muffin on top of rich Greek yogurt with a salted dulce de lece below.
All in all, the night was a delicious cheat night celebrating all things healthy. With the excellent venue in Rosalie’s top floor and the quinoa bread from St-Méthode, the night was a great success.
Photos courtesy of Georges Alexandar (@thecuriousgeorges) and Jonathan Brouillette (@darksteelangel).