Tag Archives: January 24 2024

LETTER: Reflections on a great Christmas issue

LETTER: Reflections on a great Christmas issue

Hello QCT!

I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the Dec. 20 issue. Not only was it es- pecially colourful, it was also entertaining and informative. I enjoyed Peter’s piece on the second coming of Donald Trump, a.k.a. Orange Jesus (heaven help us 😉 ), your coverage of Hamper delivery day and the VEQ/Morrin Centre Holiday Happy Hour, as well as Pauline’s cautionary column on the Grinches seek- ing to steal Christmas. All this along with the honorary Span- ish consul, Tommy Byrne, and his book; the piece from Irish Heritage Quebec and the coverage of the White Christmas musical and the Postcards from Quebec series both at the Morrin Centre. I was glad to see that A.P.P.E.A.L. is still running. I also greatly appreciated putting faces to the names of all the QCT team members, including Zach and Mike with whom I cor- respond by email sometimes. And there was more! What an issue!

All the best for your continued success in 2024.

Diane Kameen

Quebec City

Students from École de la Fourmilière were invited to attend the annual Children Now Christmas show to receive gifts, enjoy a delicious lunch and meet Santa Claus (barely visible between two girls in the middle of the back row). (Photo by Cassandra Kerwin)

Christmas in January at the Children Now Christmas Show

Christmas in January at the Children Now Christmas Show Cassandra Kerwin cassandra@qctonline.com On Jan. 15, the Hilton Hotel was filled with smiling, happy children eager for a belated visit from…

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OBITUARY: Norman Edward BROWN (1930-2024)

OBITUARY: Norman Edward BROWN (1930-2024)

Mr. Norman Edward Brown, husband of the late Rolande Guillot, passed away at the Centre d’hébergement Saint-Antoine on January 12, 2024, at the age of 93. He was the son of the late Maude-Elizabeth McKenna and the late Edward Heney Brown. He lived in Quebec City.

The funeral will be celebrated at a later date.

He leaves to mourn his children Thomas (Danny Yau) and Michael (Agathe Blanchette); his grandchildren Morgan, Matthew, Adam James and James, as well as their respective spouses; his great-grandchildren; his brothers the late Allan (Doris) and the late Robert (Mary Jane); his brothers- and sisters-in-law of the Guillot family, the late Jean (Carmen Girard), Pierre (Yolande Bilodeau), the late Michel (Fernande Tousignant), Hélène (the late Paul Bouchard) and Claude (Danielle Morin); as well as his nephews, nieces, cousins, other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his son Robert.

The family would like to thank the staff of the Centre d’hébergement Saint-Antoine for their kindness, empathy and exceptional care.

You may express your sympathy with a donation to the Fondation des maladies du cœur et de l’AVC, 4715, avenue des Replats, bureau 261, Québec, QC, G2J 1B8, tel. 418-682-6387, coeuretavc.ca.

Aspiring chefs Cassie Burns-Dubé and Adrian Wolff flank their culinary guide Héloïse Leclerc, who shows off their scones (double chocolate/almond in this case) before they are taken home and popped into an oven. (Photo by Danielle Burns)

Kids tie on aprons to discover scones and Scottish history at Morrin Centre

Kids tie on aprons to discover scones and Scottish history at Morrin Centre

Danielle Burns

danielle@qctonline.com

Culinary workshops “were a project we’ve wanted to do for a long time, and we sort of put it on the back burner when COVID came along,” Morrin Centre executive director Barry McCullough told the QCT. He added, “The goal of the project is to bring together English speakers and French speakers in an environment where they can learn about each other’s cultures through food … a great way to start a conversation!”

After a further delay due to a snowstorm, the English-language workshops for kids ages five to eight, funded by Canadian Heritage, were held at the Morrin Centre on Jan. 21.

Presenter Héloïse Leclerc of La Touche Héloïse looked no further than her grandma’s recipe book to teach dishes like chicken fricassée (a potato and chicken stew) and cream salad to a full room on Jan 18. “With so many processed foods available and so little time on our hands to teach cooking,” Leclerc said she was “touched” by teaching children. She added, “Knowing basic ingredients and being able to put them together in a dish is the foundation of self-care; cooking fosters autonomy, the ability to plan ahead and adjust, curiosity, creativity and a sense of connection with the people who cook with us or eat our food. It is truly magic.” However, Leclerc, a francophone Quebecer, acknowledged she had “no idea which recipes to select” for the English-Canadian portion of the workshop.

As part of the process, she met Donald Fyson, a Université Laval history professor and author who sits on the Morrin Centre executive committee as honorary librarian. Leclerc said Fyson explained that there was “no real divide” between French and English Canadian foods, saying household income was traditionally the main factor when selecting ingredients. Fyson also evoked the diverse origins of Canadians and underscored this with a story from his own family’s folklore that Leclerc told the scone makers on Jan 21.

When Fyson’s Ukrainian mother first started dating Fyson’s father, who was of Scottish heritage, she wanted to impress him with her cooking. Knowing he was fond of scones, she got baking. She was really proud of herself when she presented the round scones to her dearest. However, his reaction was less than pleased. “What are these? These are not scones!” he said. His grandmother’s scones were triangular and these round ones (in the English shape) didn’t count!

Contemporary scones now come in many shapes, sizes and flavours, from savoury to sweet. Other than the shape difference, Scottish scones also use oats. Since scones “tend to be on the dry side,” they are often eaten with clotted cream or fruit jam and butter, Leclerc explained. There is a misconception that scones come from England, but the first known literary mention of scones was actually in a Scottish poem written in 1513, Leclerc told attendees.

Aspiring chef Adrian Wolff may only be five years old, but he wore his chef’s hat and apron with gusto. His favourite part of the workshop was cutting the scones into a pizza shape (with his dad’s help) and picking the toppings – blueberry and chocolate chips. Leclerc said the biggest challenge is “working with the lack of equipment” and finding ways to adapt without access to a full kitchen. For example, traditional scones use cold fat layered into the dough and “I couldn’t imagine the kids working with that.” The chef chose a forgiving recipe that allowed for butter (melted in a microwave) to be added to the wet ingredients.

Six-year-old Cassie Burns- Dubé said, “Everyone feels hap- pier after they eat a chocolate scone!”

Due to the postponement, only two children and their parents attended. More participants were registered for the pets de soeur (the name translates to “nun’s farts”) workshop for kids ages eight-13 in the afternoon. The traditional Quebec dessert was invented from pastry scraps rolled up with brown sugar and butter.

See Morrin.org for upcoming English-language and bilingual culinary events for adults – such as “Chop suey through the ages” on Feb. 1 – and check out latoucheheloise.com to learn more about Héloïse Leclerc and her work.

Aspiring chefs Cassie Burns-Dubé and Adrian Wolff flank their culinary guide Héloïse Leclerc, who shows off their scones (double chocolate/almond in this case) before they are taken home and popped into an oven. (Photo by Danielle Burns)
This father-son team, Hoffman and Adrian Wolff, made blueberry-chocolate stones. (Photo by Danielle Burns)
Quebec-based authors Geoffreyjen Edwards, Richard Andrews and Mary Thaler read excerpts of their latest books at Le Mot de Tasse on Jan. 18. (Photo by Myriam Labbé)

Local anglophone authors share timeless sagas

Local anglophone authors share timeless sagas Myriam Labbé myriam@qctonline.com On Jan. 18, three local authors presented their latest work to their fans during a bilingual event at Le Mot de…

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The entire company of the Ukraine National Ballet who presented Nadiya Ukraine at the Grand Théâtre on Jan. 15, appeared onstage at the end of the final scene. (Photo by Shirley Nadeau)

REVIEW: National Ballet of Ukraine dances its way into the hearts of Quebecers

REVIEW: National Ballet of Ukraine dances its way into the hearts of Quebecers Shirley Nadeau shirley@qctonline.com It was a magical evening at the Grand Théâtre on Jan. 15 as members…

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Director Nicolas Ellis applauds pianist David Jalbert and soprano Florie Valiquette as they take their bows before Les Violons du Roy and the enthusiastic audience at the Palais Montcalm on Jan. 18. (Photo by Shirley Nadeau)

REVIEW: Violons du Roy highlight music of French masters, 100 ans après

REVIEW: Violons du Roy highlight music of French masters, 100 ans après Shirley Nadeau shirley@qctonline.com Les Violons du Roy, directed by Nicolas Ellis, commemorated the 100th anniversary of the death…

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