This is a sponsored post in partnership with Bonne Maman Preserves.
Last weekend I was invited by my friend Solmaz to a yummy brunch at Colette Grande Café in Toronto to experience what should be a breakfast staple: Bonne Maman preserves. I unfortunately wasn’t able to make it so I passed the gift of brunch on to my friend Sohnee who attended on my behalf!
It’s safe to say I was absolutely DROOLING over all the dishes that celebrity chef Christine Tizzard shared with the group of ladies.
I can see why Colette was chosen as the venue for this ultimate girl’s brunch. If you’ve never been then you MUST add it to your list. It’s SO Instagram worthy 😉 It made the perfect backdrop for this event.
The morning was spent indulging in dishes prepared with Bonne Maman’s special preserves all made in France with only the BEST ingredients. All natural, no preservatives and no colouring or additives – there are a variety of dishes you can make with Bonne Maman spreads as the secret ingredient.
To prove this point, have a look at the menu which was curated by the Colette Grand Café Chef, Amira Becarevic:
Brioche French Toast with Red Current jelly, seared foie gras, quail egg & frisée salad
Buckwheat Pancakes with Chestnut Preserve, pear compote & maple glazed bacon
Custard Danish with Cherry Preserve
Pressed Yogurt Parfait with House Compound Butters
Stuffed Croissant with Dulche De Leche
You’re salivating with me, aren’t you?
I caught up with Chef Christine Tizzard after the event and asked her what food brings back great childhood memories for her and how she she likes to use the food in her dishes today:
Strawberries and currants. We had them in my backyard growing up and I remember as a little girl checking them everyday, seeing if they had ripened and eating them right off the bush. So opening a great bottle of jam brings me back to that state of mind.
I love to incorporate strawberry jam in my vinaigrettes then toss fresh strawberries into the salad.And currant jelly, I love it in a sauce.
I also had a chance to ask Chef Michael Steh’s the same questions. He was on site preparing all the fabulous dishes the ladies experienced.
Growing up in the countryside outside of Toronto my mother and I would travel down farm roads picking wild berries; as well we had a garden and orchard of every fruit you could imagine. Every year during the summer we would make countless jars of preserves and jams, I have a great passion for preserves and jams; the detail in holding on to that perfectly ripe fruit flavour and being able to enjoy it all year long.
(For the brunch menu):
We took inspirations from traditional French combinations with some of the dishes we already prepare. We wanted to showcase how diverse the jams could be and use them in different techniques and in ways that were unexpected. French cooking and preserves go hand in hand. The craft of preservation was, and is fundamental to French cooking for as long as people had the necessity to store foods for the fall and winter months.
Although I wasn’t able to attend, the friends that went (including Sohnee!) shared their experience via social media so I was able to follow along! If you feel like making yourself hungry, check out the #BonneMamanCA hashtag for yourself…but don’t say I didn’t warn you!
This is a sponsored post in partnership with Bonne Maman Preserves.
That has to be the ultimate brunch line up ever!! So far, far away 🙁
Ursula
http://www.blueridgebeautyblogger.com
Ooo, this looks like so much fun! The food all sounds amazing!!!
Molly and Stacie
Wow!! What a day that would be!! The decor the food!! I would be in heaven 🙂
This place looks amazing!
The food looks amazing!