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I spent a few days in Montreal recently and managed to pack in lots of eating as well as theatre. The food there is so well rounded, interesting, thoughtful and tasty that every experience was a winner. We did not go to the top-end restaurants - just little bistros with such a sense of excellence that the food shines. Here are some recipes based on dishes I had there.

MUSHROOM SOUP

The best kind of mushroom soup is thick with mushrooms and not much else. In Montreal, I tasted three different kinds of mushroom soup in tiny bowls at the eclectic and excellent Aix Cuisine du Terroir (http://www.aixcuisine.com) in Old Montreal. One was made with chanterelles, one with oyster mushrooms and one with brown cremini. They all tasted different so, rather than sully individual tastes by using a number of mushrooms, this rich soup is made with the brown cremini only. The garnish of tiny Hon Shimeji mushrooms can be substituted with thin slices of cremini.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups chopped leeks, white and light-green parts only

1 pound (500 grams) chopped brown cremini mushrooms (about 6 cups)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried

4 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup whipping cream

Garnish:

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup Hon Shimeji mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped chives

Method

Heat butter in a pot over medium heat. Add leeks and mushrooms and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Add mustard, soy sauce and thyme and stir together. Pour in stock and bring to boil. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes or until leeks and mushrooms are cooked.

Place mixture in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Return mixture to pot, add whipping cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reheat when needed.

For garnish, heat butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté for about 2 minutes or until golden and tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide soup between serving bowls and top with sautéed mushrooms and chopped chives. Serves 4 to 6.

BLACK COD WITH JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE AND WHITE TURNIP PURÉE

This recipe was inspired by a cod dish I had at La Chronique (http://www.lachronique.qc.ca), a fine restaurant in the Plateau Mont-Royal area where the chef exceeds expectations with his scrumptious, exciting food. At the restaurant, the cod was served with a salsify purée. As salsify is hard to obtain, I combined Jerusalem artichokes and white turnips for a similar taste. Add a green vegetable such as spinach for a superb main course.

Ingredients

Four 6-ounce (175-gram) black cod pieces

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons butter

Sauce:

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup whipping cream

Purée:

8 ounces (250 grams) white turnip, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 cups)

12 ounces (375 grams) Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch dice (about 2 1/2 cups)

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tablespoon chopped shallots

1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1/4 teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 450 F. Place cod in a baking dish and dot with butter. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 12 minutes or until white juices just begin to appear.

To make the sauce, add wine to a pot over high heat, bring to boil and reduce by half, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add stock and reduce by half, about 6 minutes. Add cream and reduce until sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Drizzle in any juices that may have accumulated in the baking dish. Using a hand blender, whirl the sauce to make it foamy.

To make the purée, combine turnips, artichokes, milk, shallots, tarragon and thyme in a pot over medium heat. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 12 minutes or until vegetables are very soft. Strain vegetables into a blender or food processor; add butter and just enough milk to purée until smooth. Season with salt to taste.

When ready to serve, place a dollop of the purée on a dish, place cod on top and drizzle with sauce. Serves 4.

BLOOD ORANGE AND ALMOND TART

The seasonally available blood orange slices provide a delicious contrast to the decadent filling in this dessert inspired by my dinner at Aix. Serve with lightly whipped cream if desired.

Ingredients

Filling:

1 cup ground almonds

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon chopped candied orange peel

Pinch salt

2 eggs, beaten

1 prebaked 9-inch tart shell

Topping:

1 blood orange, cut in half and very thinly sliced

1/2 cup Seville orange marmalade

Method

Preheat oven to 375 F. Place ground almonds on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden. Cool.

Combine toasted ground almonds and butter in a food processor or by hand. Sprinkle in sugar and orange peel and pulse until mixture is combined. Add salt and eggs and combine together.

Spread mixture over the base of a prebaked tart shell. Bake 25 minutes, covering the edge of the pastry with foil if it begins to get too browned, or until filling is puffed and golden. Cool.

Fan orange slices decoratively over top of tart so that each slice has a piece. Melt marmalade in a small pot over low heat. Sieve out peel and brush top of tart with glaze. Serves 4 with leftovers.

lwaverman@globeandmail.com