Fruit and Vegetable Trends according to Stéphanie Audet, chef of LOV

Advocate of a healthy and vibrant diet, Stéphanie Audet, chef of vegan restaurant LOV, gives fruits and vegetables back the prestige they deserve by making them the star of her dishes. She carefully chooses fresh, natural, and local ingredients that nourish our bodies with a kick of health. Holding everyone’s health at heart, she focuses on raw gastronomy inspired by her creativity and the taste of her products. A true Epicurean, she presents below the latest trends in the category of fruits and vegetables that she uses in her botanic cuisine.

SURPRISING BERRIES

Camerise:  The same color as a blueberry, but in a more elongated form, camerise is exquisite in a smoothie or a jam at breakfast. At LOV, we slide it into the grilled cheese with zucchini and balsamic vinaigrette. *Frozen product only.

The gooseberry and the currant: Very tarte, small red berries, gooseberries and currants are magnificent for decoration, as well as for adding a punch of flavour to various foods. They are particularly suitable for cocktails and lemonades. *Seasonal product offered during a short time period.

The cranberry: This berry can simply be added in a salad, a smoothie, a jam, or a lemonade. *Sold fresh in the fall and beginning of winter; frozen the rest of the year.

Ground cherries:  Don’t hesitate to include these in all dishes, whether raw or even dehydrated. A classic element for salads, ground cherries also makes for a great snack. *Local product offered for half of the summer + a product of Columbia year round.

STAND ALONE VEGETABLES

Cattail hearts:Their mild and fresh taste resembles that of hearts of palm. They accentuate the freshness of a salad and are a treat to eat once marinated. *Marinated product offered from August to December.

Garlic blossoms: Their delicate flavour makes them easier to digest than regular garlic. Keep them in spirals to be cooked over charcoal. You can also cut and sauté them. They are great in sauces made in the blender. *Use the process of lacto-fermentation in order to have some year round.

Jerusalem artichoke: Excellent in a soup or grilled with oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. *Local product from October to the beginning of July; Product from California or France the remainder of the year.

Cucurbits, especially squash: These essentials can be savoured in a soup, with curry, oven roasted, in a purée, or as fries. The chef loves pattypan squash in the summer and kabocha in the fall.

Parsnip: Cooked medium, boiled, roasted or “sous vide”, parsnips are “divine” according to the chef, who suggests accompanying it with honey or chamomile.

Black radish: Cut into thin slices and season. For Stéphanie Audet, lacto-fermentation brings black radish to its peak flavour. *Sold 10 months out of the year, from October to the end of June

Kohlrabi cabbage: Like a radish and mild to taste, it can be cut into thin slices and eaten raw in a salad or steamed.

Celery root: As tasty in a rémoulade as it is boiled or roasted in the oven, celery root becomes a royal treat with hazelnuts.

Rainbow carrots: Raw, roasted, or marinated, anything is possible with these. Be sure to seperate the colours while cooking, or else they may bleed onto each other.

Artichoke: Can be steamed, grilled, cooked in the oven, or served traditionally with a dipping sauce.

Brussel sprouts: Best to buy them on the vine. Grilled, cooked in the oven, or fried, brussel sprouts have a sublime taste when you’ve mastered their cooking.

Wild asparagus: Green or white, they are all delicious. They can be cooked for a few minutes over charcoal or in a pan.

TROPICAL INFLUENCES

Jackfruit: With a fibrous and stringy texture, jackfruit is pretty consistent. A simple sauce is enough to make it a real delight. Can most often be found canned (Green fruit for cooking).

Young coconut: The soft flesh lends geniusly to ceviche style salads.