While poutine's origins hail from Quebec, Canada in the late 1950s, it found its way to New Hampshire via French-Canadian natives and has been a staple in the Granite State ever since. Originally, poutine was considered a bottomfeeder dish and looked down upon in Canada. These days many Canadian's jokingly claim it as 'Canada's national dish,' which is ironic because New Hampshire has taken the dish for itself as a culinary custom they're proud to represent.
The combination of crunchy french fries, thick brown gravy, and salty cheese curds that make up the basic elements of poutine create an explosion of flavors too good to pass up. As of late, some local culinary experts have been experimenting with different ingredients to create their own unique poutine, but nothing beats the original. Matter of fact, the residents of New Hampshire are so in love with the dish, the state holds an annual festival every fall that brings in thousands of patrons from far and wide to rejoice in the sultry flavors of poutine.
Chefs made their way into celebrity land a while ago. But how many celebrities that weren’t trained as professional cooks are actually whizzes in the kitchen? Here are several that come to mind.
Actress Julia Roberts is confident about her cooking skills. “I’m quite a good cook,” she told E! News. “I’m like a closet home ec teacher…I can really cook anything.” Roberts has said she often cooks fish for herself and her kids. And speaking of her three children, “They think that I’m a good cook,” Roberts told People. “They actually told me that I should open a restaurant.” She also relishes cooking for the holidays, particularly shredded Brussel sprouts. Roberts hasn’t published a cookbook, but we did find recipes attributed to her for peach crisp and banana hemp muffins. Or you can make the same summer salad the actress supposedly eats.
Chrissy Teigen started off as a supermodel. Then her love of cooking filtered into her professional life too. At this point, she’s created recipes for a limited Blue Apron release and also just launched her own home and cooking line at Target named “Cravings,” after the two cookbooks she’s released. Teigen describes cooking as “a time of peace” for herself. So maybe peace out to her tuna melt sandwich or the fried chicken wings that are a favorite of her husband, John Legend.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from a cooking Italian family. Her father started his own restaurant in New York and also published a cookbook. And apparently, Lady Gaga has inherited the family’s cooking genes. Her Instagram account occasionally features photos of her culinary activities. Sure, sometimes it’s topless cooking. But other times it’s more poignant like in the post she shared about her bringing food to the family of her dear friend who passed away. Want to try a Gaga/Germanotta family favorite? Check out her recipe for whole wheat pasta with a sweet fennel sauce.