Condiments for the Cottage

If you take a look at French Lunch's pantry drop-down menu, you'll discover a number of European snacks and condiments — everything from ketchup to black truffle oil and Béarnaise.

Many of these condiments are perfect for a trip to the cottage. They pair excellently with European foods like crêpes julienne and quiche. Or try them with any appetizer available at our store. But you can eat them with other types of foods too, whether as pizza dip or burger sauce. Here are our favourites!

            Aïoli. A Mediterranean garlic, salt and olive oil sauce beloved by many Catalans and Provençals, it tastes great with raw veggies. We include a helping of aioli with all of our lunch starters, and suggest you do the same for your cottage trip! Instead of dipping spoonfuls of salad into a calorie-laden ranch dressing filled with preservatives, grab a bottle of aioli sauce to go! Made with whole ingredients. Product of France.

            Béarnaise. Béarnaise is a French sauce of clarified butter, egg yolks, and white wine vinegar. European herbs like tarragon, shallots, and chervil are added to increase the sauce’s flavor. When the French buy béarnaise, they buy it for steaks most of the time. So if you’re planning on BBQing at the cottage, you absolutely need to try béarnaise sauce on your next steak! Made with whole ingredients. Product of France.

            Bourguignonne. Don’t let the long name scare you away! Bourguignonne is a perfectly affordable gourmet sauce made with red wine, meat stock, onions, herbs, a sprinkling of pepper, and a hint of butter. Bourguignonne goes well with many dishes. Steaks, escargot, tartiflette, hachis Parmentier… we recommend buying some of our Belgian Nut potatoes together with Bourguignonne sauce to pair with any steak. You’ll love it! Made with whole ingredients. Product of France.

            Tapenade. Tapenade is an extremely popular Provençal spread of puréed ingredients: black olives, Kalamata olives, lemons, capers, or other savoury fruits and vegetables soaked in olive oil. It’s traditionally ground into a paste with a mortar and pestle, and dates back to Roman times. We have five types of tapenade for you to try: green olive, black olive, Kalamata and fig, Kalamata, olives & lemon, and green olive & almond. Tapenade works for… basically anything you can dip into a sauce! Use it as sandwich spread together with roti de porc. Dip crêpes into it. Use it as a steak sauce. Use it as salad dressing. Serve it on crackers. Eat it with cod and other fish. The possibilities are endless!

Whichever sauce you choose, know that every sauce listed here is versatile! They add that extra dimension of flavor to any plain dish. They work for you, rather than you having to shape the dish to fit them. And that’s the beauty of Mediterranean, especially French, cuisine — sauces go well with nearly any meal!

Drop by 187 Cross Avenue for amazing French condiments and more. We have an entire pantry section dedicated to European condiments. Show us your Presto card and get 5% off.

We look forward to feeding you,

French Lunch

French Gourmet at the Cottage

Coq au vin in your cottage with a glass of red wine for you and your SO... sounds rather romantic, doesn't it? Your elegant getaway won't be the same without classic French meals to make the entire experience unforgettable.

Food can make or break a vacation. Instead of stockpiling junk food for your trip, here are the French Lunch dishes we recommend for maximum affordability and health, the haute cuisine way.

Lunch

Riz pilaf (chicken or fish) 

Pilaf may be a simple dish that takes very little time to prepare, but it can be difficult to master. Our pilaf is fragrant, fluffy and firm, thanks to basmati rice. We use French herbs and spices for seasoning, blending rich Mediterranean flavours together. When you're at your cottage, you'll want something easy to prepare — surely, you've got many activities planned. Some nights may lead you back to the cottage at midnight. And what better way to quell your rumbling stomach than with a healthy dish ready in less than 10 minutes? Don't let cooking anxieties eat up your vacation time!

Crêpes with julienne (chicken or mushroom)

These crêpes are stuffed with julienne. If you want to enjoy them the authentic French way, dip them into a tapenade or other French sauce. Savoury crêpes taste great with sauces! Another easily-microwaveable dish, you'll spend next to no time preparing it. Crêpes are a go-to classic for most, and make for a healthy breakfast. They'll give you a lot of energy for those long road trips to national parks, houses of family members and friends, and so on.

Cordon bleu with French mashed potatoes

Cordon bleu is a French croquette-come-schnitzel with a fried meat (chicken) exterior and a cheesy interior. A heavenly dish fit to challenge the beloved crêpe, cordon bleu is a great all-season breakfast food. If your cottage is somewhere up north, piping hot cordon bleu will remind you of warmer times. On a sunny, hot morning, cordon bleu and a side of grape tomatoes with aioli dip present a refreshing contrast — a mouthful of hot cordon bleu offset by the cool taste of a tomato dipped into an olive sauce. 

Dinner

Coq au vin

Our signature dish, coq au vin is a chicken stew simmered in red wine and vegetables, along with French herbs and spices. It tastes great with wines. You’d think a wine-based dish would be fine by itself (and you’d be right if you’re not wine fan), but we assure you that coq au vin tastes better when paired with wine than without. Pop it into your cottage’s oven and it’ll be ready within half an hour, giving you enough time to prepare for dinner. A hearty and romantic classic dish, your cottage escapades won’t be the same without it!

Beef Provençale

Like coq au vin, beef provençale is a stew cooked in red wine. Provençale generally refers to any stew containing tomatoes, garlic and olive oil — the rest of the ingredients are up to you. Provençale is similar to ratatouille in its vegetable ingredients, but it’s arguably much heartier due to its thick and tasty gravy. Provençale is perfect for a cold, rainy day’s dinner at the cottage, or a romantic evening with your S.O. The kids will appreciate this stew too. After a long and exhausting trip to the cottage, an oven-ready beef provençale will fill your stomach and help you sleep better, so you can start your vacation stress-free and nutritiously!

Salmon with Sauce au Beurre Blanc, Rice and Broccoli

This Canadian steelhead salmon is marinated in maple syrup for a delightfully sweet and savoury taste. Dip it into golden beurre blanc (white butter, onion, white wine) sauce and prepare to be blown away! A light and well-balanced meal of lean white meat, carbs, and a green vegetable that will energize you for yachting, hikes, and tours to come

These are our top six meal choices for vacations to the cottage. Of course, we have plenty more to show at https://frenchlunch.ca.

Your vacation should be fun, simple, and easy. And most importantly, stress-free (as in, no cooking worries!). That’s why we’re here to provide you with stress-free, affordable, healthy and gourmet meals. Trade the junk food for whole foods. Cooked and packaged by us. Preservative- and sodium-free. Visit 187 Cross Avenue today!

We look forward to feeding you,

French Lunch