As The\u00a0Gazette\u2019s\u00a0former fine-dining critic<\/a>, how could she resist?\u00a0Also featuring a short section at the front of the book on\u00a0Montreal\u2019s\u00a0two\u00a0main markets, Atwater and Jean-Talon,\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0Montreal-themed\u00a0recipes themselves,\u00a0the book\u00a0serves as a primer for anyone\u00a0seeking an introduction to eating in, and out, in our fair city.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n But have you ever met a Montrealer who didn\u2019t love hearing about what makes our city so great? Rest assured, this is a go-to resource for any Montrealer who likes spending time in the kitchen. <\/p>\n \u201cI really wanted it to be a book that people use,\u201d Chesterman said. <\/p>\n A Montreal Cook is an enhanced translation (with extra recipes and other add-ons) of her second French cookbook, Un\u00a0Week-end\u00a0chez Lesley<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n So,\u00a0what makes a Montreal cook?\u00a0First off, we care.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no way you can grow up in Montreal and not care about food,\u201d Chesterman\u00a0writes in the introduction. Then there\u2019s Montreal\u2019s je ne\u00a0sais\u00a0quoi flair, a result of the city\u2019s North American and European influences.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a combination of your cultural background and the effect the city has on you,\u201d she noted. \u201cI was eating croissants, baguette and p\u00e2t\u00e9 de foie de volaille as a kid and I didn\u2019t think anything of it; but my cousins in Winnipeg were not.\u201d <\/p>\n With sections devoted to breakfast, big brunches, everyday dinners,\u00a0ap\u00e9ros\u00a0and apr\u00e8s-ski\u00a0as well as fancier fare, desserts and \u201cTea \u00e0 la\u00a0Montr\u00e9alaise,\u201d A Montreal Cook captures the spirit of what it means to prepare and partake in\u00a0good food\u00a0and the good life here.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI picked things I\u00a0make\u00a0at home,\u201d Chesterman said. She got a little help from her friends and contacts\u00a0as a former pastry chef and food writer. There is a jam recipe she learned from renowned French p\u00e2tissi\u00e8re Christine\u00a0Ferber;\u00a0a\u00a0salmon tartare sauce from\u00a0chef\u00a0Antonio Park;\u00a0a clafoutis recipe from when she worked at\u00a0the now defunct P\u00e2tisserie de Gascogne;\u00a0a chicken liver mousse recipe from James MacGuire, who picked it up from\u00a0famed\u00a0French chef Charles Barrier;\u00a0a\u00a0rag\u00f9\u00a0recipe\u00a0she developed with chef Michele Forgione of Impasto, Gema and Vesta;\u00a0a tourti\u00e8re recipe adapted from Jehane Beno\u00eet\u2019s Encyclop\u00e9die de la cuisine canadienne; her mom\u2019s\u00a0chicken curry recipe,\u00a0adapted\u00a0from a Time Life book from 1964;\u00a0and a\u00a0chicken\u00a0recipe from her\u00a0Parisian\u00a0brother-in-law.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s called poulet grand-m\u00e8re, but I called it poulet beau-fr\u00e8re,\u201d Chesterman explained. <\/p>\n Given the\u00a0book\u2019s\u00a0Montreal angle, one of the recipes she added was for a humble\u00a0yet beloved\u00a0hometown staple: poutine.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe thing about poutine is everybody thinks it\u2019s about the cheese curds,\u00a0but the reality is\u00a0it\u2019s about the sauce,\u201d Chesterman said. \u201cYou need that snack bar\u00a0white-trashiness.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Food](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0402-city-col-dunlevy-2.jpg\")
A Montreal Cook is an enhanced translation of Lesley Chesterman\u2019s second French cookbook, Un Week-end chez Lesley. Allen McInnis \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n