Editor’s Note: Asiago and the Accomplice (Whine & Cheese Cozy Mystery Series) by Judy Volhart is now available. Click here to order your copy.

The weekend of May 8th was the long awaited Poutine Fest in Ottawa, Canada. Long awaited by me, as I’m a big fan of poutine, and what better way to spend Mother’s day? Anything that delicious is definitely bad for you though, so I try not to eat it often, especially since I’m one pound away from a thirty-pound weight loss; this definitely wouldn’t be the weekend to achieve my goal, but it was worth it.

Poutine is a French-Canadian dish that originated in the 1950s in the province of Quebec. Made with French fries and cheese curds, it is then smothered in gravy, making the curds melty and squeaky and oh so succulent.

Cheese curds are the solid parts of soured milk. It starts off with fresh milk, which is then pasteurized and then rennet is added to clot the milk. The result is a mixture of a whey which is then cooked and then pressed to release the whey from the curd.

It might not sound appetizing, but really, does the process of making any kind of cheese sound appetizing? The end result is a mild white or orange cheese. If left at room temperature or added to a poutine, it actually squeaks slightly when you chew it, almost rubbery but in a mouth-watering way. Yes, I realize none of this makes sense if you’ve never tasted it. You’ll have to trust me on this one.

Other countries, such as the USA, have cheesy fries, usually involving some type of shredded cheese overtop fries. I’m not sure if they add gravy or not, however, to be a poutine, the cheese curds are key.

In this day and age, everyone is trying to come up with a “new poutine”, with Thai, Italian or Indian flavors or by adding meat or other things that were never part of the original poutine. This was the case at Poutine Fest.

There must have been at least twenty-five to thirty vendors, all vying for the attention of our taste buds, on the lawn in front of Ottawa’s City Hall. I didn’t count or dawdle too long, as it was simply too cold. The previous two days had been so nice and warm, but temperatures plummeted overnight, as is often the case during spring in Ottawa.

I’ve had meaty poutine’s before and was always let down. Smoked meat, butter chicken, nacho-style…. I’ve been around. Maybe it’s because I’m from Quebec that I simply crave a traditional poutine. I was, however, looking for a traditional with a slight twist: a triple cheese poutine would have been heavenly, with curds, perhaps shredded mozzarella and feta, but I could find no such thing. I finally settled on a traditional with little bits of crispy, battered and fried chicken nuggets in it…

while my boyfriend went for the deluxe meat one: Italian sausage, bacon, the crispy chicken and bacon.

Both were tasty, cheesy, filling, and a definite artery-clogging calorie overload. A drink would have been nice, but there weren’t any alcoholic beverages available at this event. I’m not even sure what type of wine may have been a good match to offset the saltiness of the curds and gravy. I think what I’ll have do is make myself the triple cheese poutine that I’m still craving and taste-test with various kinds. That sounds divine…

Cheers, my friends
Judy

I returned to my coffee, sans Baileys, but with extra cream and sugar. I had only made enough for one cup but quickly made a full pot, some flaked ham roll-ups and a platter of cheese. I added some double cream Brie, a few round slices of Provolone, the decadent fresh Asiago and some cheese curds. By now it was near noon and I was starving, the adrenaline rush wearing off and the shock settling in a bit.

—Excerpt from Asiago and The Accomplice (Whine & Cheese Cozy Mystery Series)