Sweet Spotting In Montreal With Chef Victoria Burghi

Blame it on Joe Beef: ever since Chefs Frédéric Morin and David McMillan opened this popular temple of elegant excess in 2005, American magazines and food blogs can't get enough of the indulgent dishes from the capital of poutine. But while Montreal's savory dishes get most of the hype, the city has no lack of impressive outposts for sweets. ICE Chef Instructor Victoria Burghi reports back from her recent trip to the "city of saints."

Photo Credit: A La Folie

As a pastry chef, I've always enjoyed exploring the food scene of a new city—in particular, learning about new styles of sweets. So I was thrilled to visit Montreal this summer and to learn about the city's wide range of traditional, modern, unique and audacious sweets.

A note about local flavor: one word that you quickly learn in Montreal is "érable," which means maple. Canada is the number one producer of maple syrup in the world, most of it coming from the province of Quebec. Thus, it's no surprise that it has become a very popular ingredient, seen in maple candies, fudge, butter, cookies and an infinite amount of other confections.