Montreal Smoked Meat for a dinner party — went down extremely well

I made Montreal Smoked Meat for eight guests who had varying familiarity with the cuisine. Every single person asked for the recipe. The sweet and savoury from maple profile was the main talking point — no one had quite experienced peameal bacon used that way before.

maple syrup production is a seasonal Quebec ritual celebrated at family sugar shacks. I explained the an east coast seafood shack context as I served it which helped people appreciate it fully. Canadian rye whisky was what I offered alongside and it worked perfectly. Excellent dinner party dish — impressive without being inaccessible.