Micheline Mongrain-Dontigny is a teacher, cookbook author, food historian and lecturer. She is also the author of the bilingual web site Les Éditions La Bonne Recette, a French-language blog Cuisiner avec Micheline Mongrain Dontigny and the coordinator of the Canadian Culinary Cookbook Awards.

What’s your weakness? Dessert or mains?
Really fresh fish and seafood, couscous, and traditional dishes of Italy, France, England, Canada and Quebec.

As for desserts I like sugar pie and fruit desserts such as kuchen. But the best memory for dessert is the Britany Kouing Aman — absolutely delicious. I’ve never baked it, but I will surely try.

Who or what got you interested in food?
I’ve always loved all things about food. My first memory? I was 5 years old  and I would watch my grandmother Mongrain prepare a cake with no recipe, unshell peanuts and mix them with salt and oil, and grind her coffee beans every morning.

What inspires you?
Fresh vegetables and herbs from my garden, the mushrooms I picked in the surrounding forest, dishes tasted when I travel, and the family dishes of the different countries of the world.

What was your favourite dinner when you were a kid? Do you like it now?
Roast chicken with meatballs served with rice and plenty of chicken juice — Mom’s recipe which I still prepare today. The flavour of the meatballs cooked in same pan is really special.

What’s the first dish you remember making?
Cream puff pastry filled with lemon pie filling at the age of 11.

Proudest food-related moment?
I was chef and manager in charge of preparing and serving 65 guests for Prime Minister Jean Chretien in our town. We had 2 1/2 days to plan, buy (no limit to the budget), and prepare the food — including cocktails, show pieces, homemade bread and desserts. The guests and Prime Minister had only 1 1/2 hours allotted for the lunch and all left 10 minutes early. Ouf!

All the while 10 bed-and-breakfast guests had their meals served as usual.

Strangest food you’ve ever eaten?
A jellied Japanese dessert. I disliked the taste and granular texture so much I don’t even remember the name of the dish.

Favourite sound in the kitchen?
Food sizzling in the skillet.

Favourite cooking smell?
Bread baking in the oven.

Quintessential Canadian dish?
French Canadian Ragoût de pattes et boulettes, pigs feet, and meatballs ragout.

Molecular gastronomy, best thing ever or the unwearable haute couture of food?
Close to haute couture.

Cilantro — can’t get enough or tastes like soap?
It tastes like soap most of the time.

What local foods can’t you live without?
Local pork, wild blueberries, La Ferme Basque duck products, fresh farm eggs, and Pain d’Exclamation bakery.

What’s your greatest culinary extravagance?
A fresh sockeye salmon my husband brought back on a jet directly to La Tuque (QC) from Campbell River (BC). It was promptly cooked and served with Hollandaise and fresh vegetables.

Most over-rated kitchen gadget?
A tool to hold potatoes while you peel it, bought in Germany.

What’s the most treasured possession in your kitchen? Why?
My cookbook collection and knives. These are the most important tools to discover new dishes and enjoy preparing them.

If you could cook for anyone, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
First, my husband, the best and most accurate tasting partner I will ever have by my side. My children. My late grandmother Anna Mongrain for the pleasure I had watching her preparing food and discover new tastes. She was a very adventuresome cook for her time. And finally Paul McCartney as I have been a fan since the beginning of his career –  just for the thrill.

What would you prepare for him/her?
Home smoked trout on greens.
Partridge à la crème with morels, wild rice and Brussels sprouts.
Maple syrup pie.

What  was the last thing you ate?
Pesto pasta served with sauteed medium pork loin flavored with marjoram.
Homemade chocolate doughnuts.

If you had to work outside the culinary field, what would you do?
I cannot think of another field — except writing.