My Canada Includes Foie Gras

My Canada Includes Foie Gras is Jacob Richler's personal culinary journey that began at his mother's excellent table, was honed at the favourite restaurants of his father-Mordecai Richler-then spanned a two-decade-long career as a food columnist, restaurant critic, and cookbook writer. It tells the story of Canadian cooking at its most definitively accomplished, whether it be fast food or haute cuisine. In the process, it profiles the chefs who created these dishes that contribute so much to our national identity. And it tells the story of their backgrounds and training, as well as exploring what makes them tick, perceived from the rarefied vantage of a writer who was always welcome in their kitchens. Finally, the book also explores the roots of our cuisine and the direction it is headed. It attempts to assess how we measure up internationally. And it does it all with a hands-on, personal approach that includes recipes that allow the reader to duplicate some rich part of the Canadian experience at home whether it be Marc Thuet's signature seared foie gras, Thomas Haas's legendary chocolate sparkle cookies, or the hitherto secret recipe for a real smoked meat sandwich as served at Schwartz's in its heyday. And perhaps most important, it undertakes all this with a sense of fun.