Save Time with the Frozen Gourmet Food at Gastronomia

I was invited for a tasting at Gastronomia that are located here in Montreal. Since 1998, they sell to upscale hotels, restaurants, bars and caterers across the United States and Canada.. What’s best is that they now operate a warehouse store open to the public.

Most of their products are imported from France. This is high end stuff that will save you a lot of time in the kitchen. The frozen aisles of the grocery stores are filled with finger food and pastry based appetizers. What I am talking about tastes way way better. If you stock a few packages, you could entertain at last minute without stress any day of the week.

From the Freezer to Oven

One side dish that I adore is the Gratin Dauphinois available in individual portions. They make a fancy potato side dish. Making your own gratin dauphinois is time consuming. Not anymore! Simply reheat the number you need on the oven for 30 minutes and voilà! Gratin Dauphinois goes well with any meat.

Making myself a French breakfast was easy with the freezer to oven butter mini-croissants or chocolatine. Both pastries were tasty and exhibit the right texture. I like the fact that I did not have to step out of the house to get them. Plus the house smells great afterward. All their pastries are made with real butter. For me, butter pastry is a must.

Small Desserts

While I was there, I tasted plenty of dessert. I like some better than others. The mini-verrines are a must buy. They even carry the small plastic spoons that you see on my picture. The pistachio are awesome. I also enjoyed the exotic fruits with its passion fruit mousse, exotic fruit coulis and flambéed meringue.

I have been told that the mirlitons, which are small buttery cakes, pair well with sweeter Champagne and ice cider. The 8 varieties come on a golden tray. Serve those on a dessert table or at a tea party. I enjoyed the most the rhubarb mirliton and the hazelnut and raspberry mirliton. It is just for your knowledge since you cannot select the variety.

Their macarons were delicious. It is a good idea to keep a few boxes of the mini-macarons on your freezer for when you need a hostess gift.

Boiron Fruit Purees And Coulis

Chefs and mixologists used those around the world. All the Boiron’s fruit purees and coulis are 100% natural with no added preservatives. Some flavors have a little amount of sugar to produce the right texture. The squeeze bottle is a charm to work with. Boiron makes sure that you get the right texture and color for each fruit. I will share my tricks as we make cocktail recipes over the upcoming months.

Still More to Taste

Gastronomia also carries trendy appetizers, frozen vegetables, mushrooms and herbs. You take the quantity of herbs that you need and put it back on the freezer. They are more tasteful that the dried herbs. I received more samples of stuffed appetizers that I may review once I tasted them. We will see.

Based on what I tasted so far, I will be going back to their warehouse boutique. It is open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 6 pm. See for yourself if you like it.

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+ Gastronomia – get directions (514) 281-6400
333 Richmond Street, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3J 1T9