CREAM PUFFS

Canada is a major producer, exporter and importer of an immense variety of agricultural and food products ranging from processed foods with global value chains to local, farm-based value chains.  In this section, we share 3 of our research insights and assess to what extent our recipe can be made from Canadian agricultural and food products.

Flour is an integral part of our recipe. It is used to make both the puff pastry, as well as the Crème Saint-Honoré. In the pastry it adds gluten to allow the pastry to rise and form a puff, while it acts as a thickener in the cream.  The majority of all flour produced in the world comes from Asia, followed by Europe. This surprising US as Canada likes to boast about the prairies’ wheat fields.

Most of the plant and animal products needed for this recipe are available from Canada. Canada’s first world status also affects our access to ingredients. We have a strong food production and distribution infrastructure, allowing us to grow and consume a wide variety of products and crops.

However, this is not to say that all our ingredients are produced in Canada. Grand Marnier, for example, is made in France (with the fruit grown in Haiti). Since it is a staple French export and we do not make our own, we must import it. Once again, our status as a first-world country helps us to trade for, and be able to afford to buy this import.

In summary, 10 of the 11 ingredients we needed are produced in Canada, while the alcohol can be purchased without much difficulty. None of the ingredients were unavailable, meaning no substitutions were required.