Now retired from her 12-and-a-half-year stint as executive director of the center, Dube just may have more time to make crepes for her four grown children and 10 grandchildren.

“I make crepes all the time; almost weekly because either family comes to visit or friends of my children come by and reminisce about how when they were young I would make (crepes) when they were here for a sleepover. When my own children and grandchildren come, crepes are a must-have!”

Especially at Christmas time, Franco kitchens are filled with the aromas of traditional foods that include quick and easy crepes and, of course, creton and tourtiere.

These are the foods Dube, along with so many Franco-American families, grew up on. As a child whose father died when she was just 5, she recalled how her hard-working mother supported five children by sewing and handwork. As Dube and her siblings got old enough, they all did their part to contribute to the household. Crepes, creton and tourtiere were among the foods that sustained the traditional French-Canadian family through those tough financial times. In fact, Dube said, crepes were on the menu at breakfast every morning because they were so inexpensive and easy to make.

Dube points out that crepes have enough versatility to be eaten at every meal. Served with maple syrup, butter, jam, confectioners or brown sugar, they make a delightful breakfast. They can also be filled with seafood, chicken a la king or vegetables for a main course, or eaten as a dessert filled with fresh berries and cream, or chocolate sauce.

Dube’s recipe makes 12 to 15 crepes. She advises that it’s best to make the batter ahead and refrigerate it overnight, but they can also be made at the last minute, whenever a craving strikes!

Today, Dube also offered her recipe for creton, a traditional and delicious French-Canadian spread also known as pate de maison or pork pate. It’s delicious on toast for breakfast or on crackers for a snack or appetizer. It also makes great sandwiches. Dube likes hers with mustard.

And no discussion about traditional French-Canadian food would be complete without mentioning tourtiere. Georgie Rouillard has been serving as a volunteer at the Franco-American Heritage Center for the past year or so. “I peel potatoes and carrots, take tickets when there’s an event; whatever needs to be done. I love seeing all the people I grew up with there.”

Rouillard grew up in Lewiston, too, and has similar memories to Dube. “There were eight of us children and we were dirt poor,” she said, “but there was always pea soup, corn chowder, creton and tourtiere. In those days we didn’t have a refrigerator, so in the winter, we kept the pies cold in the shed.”

She shares her recipe for tourtiere, the traditional Franco meat pie she makes every Christmas season in her Turner kitchen. She said she makes it for her three grown children, two of whom live in New York, just the way her mother-in-law, Yvonne Rouillard, taught her.

Traditionally served for Le Reveillon, the celebration after midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, tourtiere is meant to fill your tummy and warm you up after being out in the cold night air. It’s also a dish that can be made ahead of time.

Some Franco families make one or two to enjoy on Christmas Eve, while more ambitious cooks make several to serve to guests throughout the Christmas season or to give as gifts. Rouillard likes to take one to her son James and his family in Farmington. She exclaimed with much feeling, “We just love our food!”

Rita Dube’s crepes

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

4 eggs

1 pinch salt

(For dessert crepes, omit salt and add 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

Mix all ingredients in a blender or with a mixer until batter is smooth. If batter seems too thick, add a little more milk; if it seems too thin, add a little more flour.

Heat a 9-inch skillet and add 1 teaspoon butter. (If using a 12-inch skillet, use 1 tablespoon butter.) When butter is melted, pour 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of batter into the pan and swirl it around to cover bottom of pan. The pan mustn’t be too hot or the crepe will burn. If the first crepe doesn’t come out well, adjust the heat, usually to medium, after the first crepe. Cook until edges are brown and little bubbles form on top. Flip over and cook until lightly browned.

Rita Dube’s creton

1 medium onion, chopped fine

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup milk

1 & 1/4 pound ground pork (not too lean)

1 cup coarse bread crumbs

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

In a large saucepan over low heat, cook pork until no longer pink. Add onion, garlic and spices and cook until onion is tender.

Add milk and bread crumbs and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes while stirring and breaking up the meat.

Cover and cook 1 hour or until meat is tender and most of the liquid is evaporated.

Remove lid and cook another 10 minutes, but don’t let it get too dry. (A few tablespoons of liquid remaining in the mixture is fine.)

If you want a more spreadable consistency, pour into blender or food processor and process until smooth. Put in small containers and refrigerate until firm. Makes 3 cups.

Georgie Rouillard’s tourtiere

2 pounds ground pork

1 & 1/2 cups water

1 large onion, chopped fine

1 tablespoon allspice

1 & 1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large potatoes

1/2 cup milk

Pepper to taste

Prepared pastry for a double-crust 9-inch pie

Cook the pork and onion together in the water in a heavy pan over low heat for 1 hour. Add spices and salt and continue to cook for another 30 minutes, until liquid is dissolved.

Meanwhile, in another pot cook the potatoes until tender, then mash with the milk.

Combine meat and potatoes with electric mixer, set on low.

Pour mixture into pie crust. Cover with top crust, crimping down edges and cutting vents for steam to escape. Brush with a little milk. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, until golden.

Copy the Story Link