marc

It's that time of the year where those of us here in New Brunswick begin one of the most divisive debates that continues to separate us all. Baxter's or Northumberland Eggnog. The answer is obviously Northumberland. Fucking Baxterites.

It's that time of year again, Hot Eggnog with Spiced Rum!

I fucking love peanut butter and jam sandwiches so much. My favourite #PeanutButter is packaged here in #NewBrunswick, #Barbour's "Nuts About Peanut Butter". If you haven't tried it yet, I feel bad for you.

youtu.beMy brother brought me home a taste of the Duoro region of Portugal!YouTube video by Marc Boudreau

My brother went to Portugal and brought me back a taste of the Douro Region with some olive oil from a small batch producer and some green olive tapanade from the same farmer. Here is my wife and I doing a tasting of both. youtu.be/nQCHGj_OfrE?...

Turns out I can buy Communion wafers in bulk, so I can totally eat a whole Jesus in my lifetime, if I spend enough money and eat like 150 Jesus wafers a day. I could eat all of Jesus in less than 5 years.

How many Communion Wafers would I need before I ate a whole Jesus? Based on a communion wafer being .25 grams and Jesus weighing between 50 - 55 kg, it would take between 200,000 - 250,000 communions. It would take 4800+ years/weekly communion, 710 years+/daily communion, just to eat a whole Jesus.

#TrueCanadianFact In Canada we call this a Zedbra.

At The Legion In St. Stephen Things come in their season, Including winning meat, while playing darts, For some reason. I was winning steaks of plenty. Then the Lake Utopia Monster, He threw a triple twenty. Just another Monday, At the Legion in St. Stephen.

It's Bingo Night, I'm back for some bingo daubing fun. This game is for the entire card, And I only need B1. That's when I hear, "Bingo!", yelled out, by the Headless Nun. Just another Saturday, At the Legion in St. Stephen.

Heading to the poker night, My intent, to set things back to right. Tonight it should be a cinch, But across from me sits Tim Lynch. No doubt this is my game to lose, can't make eye contact or a poker face with the Mad King of the Moose. Just another Sunday, At the Legion in St. Stephen.

I entered a hot dog eating competition, and paid the fee. It came down to just Ug-Wug, Well, just him and me. I got through at least two dozen, And three. Last I checked Ug’s still eating, ‘Cause the hot dogs are free. Just another Thursday, At the Legion in St. Stephen.

Out to see a local band for the weekly dance, I purchased a ticket in the 50/50 chance. The Phantom Ship of Chaleur, Sailed in, Both silent and demure. They won the cash, sailed out again, Their schedule, undisturbed. Just another Friday, At the Legion in St. Stephen.

So I entered the crib tourney. The prize, a check up n' lube over at Downey. I lost, though I was pegging to plan, ‘Cause The Devil, He played nineteen, The impossible hand. Just another Tuesday, At the Legion in St. Stephen.

I was playing Chase the Ace at a fundraising supper, It was just down to me and the Dungarven Whooper. To him the cash and accolades, I drew the Ace of Hearts and he, The Ace of Spades. Just another Wednesday, At the Legion in St. Stephen.

Started the day with some homemade sourdough waffles. A 50/50 mix of store bought flour and flour ground ourselves. Some of my Peppered Rhubarb, Green Apple, Chocolate, Balsamic Vinegar Jam and then topped with apples we grew, sauteed in maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg. #BougieBoudreauBreakfast

I am more than a little obsessed with rhubarb. What I made tonight is a recipe I wrote myself. It's the first time I made it and I can't believe what I have created. Dark fruit flavours and a jammy mouthfeel. Tartness, from the apples and rhubarb and then a finish that is the warmth of pepper

I'm back in the kitchen doing weird things to rhubarb. I'm macerating chopped rhubarb, Granny Smith apples, cored, grated skins and all. Pickling salt, equal parts freshly roasted/ground white and black pepper, macerate for at least an hour. Stay tuned to see where this weirdness goes next!

Currently this is how it looks.

Then we mix the sugar and cocoa powder together. Doing it this way means they cocoa powder won't clump and the sugar will help carry the chocolate into the fruit.

I rarely ever do anything that would put me on a stage in front of people. Friday, October 30, starting at 7pm, I'll be part of a Storytellers group, at York County Cider, Fredericton, NB. We will be sharing spooky Halloween stories. The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe, is my story.

Rhubarb Agrodulce! Well, technically it's a rhubarb recipe inspired by Sicilian agrodulces! Recipe is here.🍜🍽️

docs.google.comAt the Legion in St. StephenThings come in their season, Including winning meat, while playing darts, For some reason. I was winning steaks of plenty. Then the Lake Utopia Monster, He threw a triple twenty. Just another Monday...

I wrote another poem. Most of the things I write are meant to be read aloud, there is a rhythm to them. If you check this it out, read it out loud. For this one I imagined what would happen if actual "monsters" from #NewBrunswick folklore actually showed up at the local Legion.

We are coming up on our 2nd Anniversary for the Fredericton Chess Club. We meet at York County Cider every Tuesday from 5 - 8 pm. It's a social chess club, no clocks, lots of chatting, and pints. The Club has 190 members now from the 2 we started it with. I'm proud of what I helped create here

My Fermented Rhubarb Hot Sauce is done! It's hot without being punishingly hot, and the heat lingers. Has a nice sweet and sour flavour up front and then the flavour of the Crimson Red Hot Peppers comes through. I'm quite happy with it!

When I grew up, in Milltown, NB we used a kerosene heater through the winter months as we lived in an old house. Today we bought a more modern version, that throws way more heat, to use as a supplement heat source and a backup if/when the power goes out. #OldSchool #NowItsNewSchool

Had a good day today, I found matching shirts for one of my closest friends and we met at York to try them on and model them, lmao!

I have all my rhubarb hot sauce into jars to ferment. I'm guessing it will be about 3 days before the ferment begins and then at least another 7 - 10 before I'm happy with it. At that point it goes into the back of the fridge to end the ferment and meld and mellow for 2 more weeks.

Realized today that my window for using up the last 2kgs of Crimson Red Hot Peppers was fast closing, which explains why I now have 5.5 liters of a Fermented Rhubarb Hot Sauce beginning in my bathroom.

I am making the largest batch of hot sauce I have ever made. We bought 3kgs of Crimson Red Hot Peppers, and now I need to use up the last 2kgs before they go bad. Fermented Rhubarb Hot Sauce to the rescue!

Today's score at Value Village was this unmarked cast iron griddle. It's 25 cm (10 inches) in diameter and weighs 4.4 kg (10 lbs)! Likely an unmarked Lodge from between 1930 - 1960. Very shallow. Will be great for searing meat or making flatbreads.

youtube.comTaste testing Simms Sours with the "infamous" Black Death, and Spicy Black Death candies!YouTube video by Marc Boudreau

Taste testing Simms Sours Black Death Ultra Sour Candy. This is considered to be the sourest candy available anywhere in the world.

@altonbrown.bsky.social, I'm attempting to write a cookbook focused on my love/obsession with rhubarb. Would it be OK, if I used this as an epigraph? "When you love something, in a kind of secret way, you find things that other people don't know." - Alton Brown

I started my rhubarb cookbook with 13 "master recipes", which quickly became just 12. I then deleted 5 of them and came up with better recipes. I didn't want it to just be me adding rhubarb to existing recipes. It had to be about the rhubarb and how much weirdness it brings.

Part 3: Light It On Fire Chapter 7: Rhubarb Paste Chapter 8: Roasted Rhubarb Barbecue Sauce Chapter 9: Rhubarb Glaze Part 4: What The Heck? Chapter 10: Rhubarb Salsa Chapter 11: Rhubarb Miso Mostarda Chapter 12: Peppered Rhubarb, Strawberry, Dark Chocolate, and Balsamic Vinegar Jam

Appendix Part 5: Rhubarb Graveyard Chapter 13: Relish, Mustard. Tartar Sauce, etc. All the recipes that were good but just not good enough.

12 Master Recipes, 3 different recipes using each Master Recipe. I can see two more Master Recipes that either need replacing or rewriting. Current working Table of Contents for my #MonsterInABox is this....

Part 1 : Let It Rot Chapter 1: Lacto-fermented Rhubarb Chapter 2: Fermented Rhubarb Vinegar Chapter 3: Rhubarb Achaar Part 2: Make It Sour Chapter 4: Rhubarb Agrodulce Chapter 5: Sweet and Spicy Pickled Rhubarb Chapter 6: Rhubarb Hot Sauce

About a year ago I realized I could probably write a cookbook about #rhubarb. I have an obsession with it, focused on its sourness and acidity. Not how it tastes when you add a tonne of white sugar. I think I'm about a year out before I publish this but for those that may be interested....(1 of 2)

When Rhubarb Gets Weird Savory Rhubarb, Lacto-Fermentation & Other Questionable Decisions By Marc Boudreau (2 of 2)

20 Sept

Last night I played with rhubarb by imagining what it could be if it was tamarind paste. Turns out, it's pretty amazing. Tonight, I'm playing with rhubarb again and imagining what it would be like as a hot sauce. Turns out, it's also pretty amazing. 🍽️🍜

youtu.beTaste Testing New Brunswick Stouts from Maybee Brewing, Grimross Brewing, and Flying Boat Brewing.YouTube video by Marc Boudreau

19 Sept

Doing a little beer tasting of New Brunswick made Stouts with Shana. We have Maybee Brewing Company's Elevensies Espresso Stout, Grimross Brewing Co.'s Diggin' Oat Stout, and Flying Boats Brewing's L'Etoile Noire!

17 Sept

Saw a post from someone saying, "I have never regretted going for a swim." I'm thinking you have obviously never launched a canoe under questionable circumstances. I for one have had a few regrettable swims. Roll a fully loaded canoe, with all your shit, tell me you don't regret that swim.

15 Sept

It looks so pretty but unfortunately it did not set. I'm guessing I didn't boil it long enough to fully hit 105oC, so it went back on the stove for a second boil. If it still doesn't set then, I'll add extra pectin and try again! Crab apple jelly will happen!

14 Sept

My crab apple jelly is in jars and cooling! It looks beautiful and is sweet and appley already!

14 Sept

As food keeps getting more expensive I keep reminding myself I need to forage, hunt, and fish more. Use more of my sweat equity and less money to keep my belly and freezer full.

14 Sept

I am making crab apple jelly. Well, my wife and I are making it. We foraged the crab apples together. She did the work to remove the stems and the blossom end and did the initial boiling. I'm boiling the juice and the sugar for the jelly! I'm hoping she'll help with the bottling and canning. #TeamB

Productive day of food processing here at Chez B! By the time we removed the stems and the bad grapes we ended up with 8.5 litres of crushed grapes with their juices. Added some water and sugar to bring up the volume and up the starting gravity.

They're not in a mesh fruit bag hanging over a bucket. We will let it drip out overnight. Tomorrow I'll add 3/4 cup of sugar for ever 1 cup of juice we collected and set that to a boil. Let it simmer until it hits jelly temperature, and voila, Crab Apples Jelly.

We also found a whole box of Crimson Hot Chili Peppers at Superstore for $11. Took the ends off them, removed the seeds from most and then copped them all up with the food processor. Lots of hot sauces coming up between fermented and vinegar based, lol!