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wattacetti

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    eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Food and the City

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    - Blue Ribbon is fantastic.  It's not often that I find myself there, but when I do, it's usually late at night, and it's always fun.

    Ooh! If you find yourself there in the near future, would you mind trying to get a photo of the steak tartar that Luckylies has been waxing eloquent about?

    That is one tiny kitchen: makes my galley kitchen seem enormous in comparison, but it's skill and not size (sic). Think I'll make your soup the next time I'm called upon to cook.

    Montreal in Gourmet

    in Eastern Canada: Dining

    Posted

    Why doesent any stores have this issue yet?????

    where did u find yours

    Chapters downtown (Stanley/Ste-Catherine) definitely has copies, as it's where I bought mine. Most of the newsstands should have already received theirs, as the distribution for new magazines is usually done on Tuesdays.

    Montreal in Gourmet

    in Eastern Canada: Dining

    Posted

    I liked this issue. Didn't read anything that I didn't already know about from personal experience or other sources (including eG) but it's a nice showcase of the city. It's too bad that there were space considerations to adhere to but I only have three minor quibbles:

    1. Unless my copy missed something, I didn't see a whole lot written up about Quebec's cheeses apart from the listing of three fromageries.

    2. Ontario and BC in particular are home to some great wineries so why in the world is Mission Hill product making up half of the eight wines listed in that cozy menu?

    3. Page 58. :wacko:

    Okay, so that last one is a personal thing.

    Anyway, back to Jamie's original question. The Big Croissant's is an international city with strong European roots and influences; it's a mix of the language, the local history, the architecture and being somehow intertwined in European geopolitics at some point or another since Cartier made it down the St. Lawrence. I don't agree with Vinfidel in needing to do a 1:1 comparison to any other city because overall each city is different so it isn't a meaningful exercise. e.g. I can find better classic French in Tokyo but the city's an entirely different beast than Montreal.

    Here's hoping that Gourmet decides to do a single-city issue on Canada's other international city: YVR.

    Red Grapefruit Earns a Star on Cholesterol Test

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    There has been at least one study looking at plasma levels of one statin with people who were drinking grapefruit juice. There was a significant change in plasma levels for people who had more than 1 L of juice/day (4 cups) during the entire period of the study. I measured this against whole grapefruits and it came to about 5 medium ones per day.

    So, the odd grapefruit on occassion should probably be okay but you should really review this with your physician. If you're on a moderate or high dose of statin, you probably shouldn't chance it.

    Rare

    in Western Canada: Dining

    Posted

    I'm digging the cool "flavour injectors" that seem to be poppiing up (noticed first at Nu and now here at Rare).  Mmmmm flavour injector.

    Will wonders never cease. I was curious about the flavor injector, thinking it was some deviation from that Ronco syringe but they appear to be the same disposable pipets I used to use in the lab. We weren't pipetting flavors though…

    Clarifying stock: techniques

    in Cooking

    Posted

    You mean like consommé?

    I've never done this with stock made in a pressure cooker (anal-retentive enough to sit there and skim/simmer for 12 hours), but:

    2-3 egg whites

    approximately 1/4 pound ground chicken meat (because it's chicken stock)

    1 onion and carrot, minced

    Whisk egg whites slightly and add to the other ingredients. Mix thoroughly and chill (it better be really cold).

    Use a pot with a relatively narrow diameter because the mix has to spread out across the top. Mix the stock with mix and slowly heat in the pot until it comes to a boil. DON'T MIX! It's supposed to form a crust.

    Once the crust is thoroughly cooked, sieve again through cheesecloth.

    Good luck.

    Confit Duck

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Hi Lynnette,

    I used pork fat when I made confit shanks; the lamb makes the fat unusable after cooking so don't waste the duck fat on those. The moulard legs make good confit legs, and I buy whole Pekins to break down into (single-portion) magrets, skin for rendering fat, and carcasses for stock. The Pekin legs get the confit treatment too, but I usually wind up processing everything into rillettes.

    Will you have photos of your production?

    The Terrine Topic

    in Cooking

    Posted

    I was rather horrified with the result (visual, they tasted great!) mainly because I know I can do much better.  But these were experiments anyway...  Thanks for the comments in any case!  :smile:

    Visually I think your two gelatine terrines look great.

    A recent asparagus disaster makes me concur with you on having individual servings rather than whole bricks when it comes to aspic. Looking forward to your next one.

    6 Liter bottle of d'Yquem '97 at Costco

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    I've actually seen a row of Yquem Methuselahs in the cellar at Bistro à Champlain (wine list available as a 157 page PDF); quite impressive until you spot the 100 or so Methuselahs of DRC in the same cellar. :blink:

    According to owner Champlain Charest there are actually people who do buy them when they want to have a little party. I didn't ask whether they were garbed in togas and laurel leaves though.

    FWIW Costco's price seems reasonable: the SAQ (Quebec's monopoly) sells a Methuselah of the 1998 for $CDN 2930 (magnums of 1997 for $CDN 705).

    The Terrine Topic

    in Cooking

    Posted

    My chef? Novelli's a chef who wrote a book with really nice-looking food p0rn laden with generally impractical recipes. He had a little mini-restaurant empire going for a while (apparently collapsed) and I read somewhere on eGullet that he's restarted with one.

    Anyhoo, the lentil terrine is not exactly a terrine in the pan sense of the word. The hocks and lentils are spread onto cabbage leaves and the everything is tightly roll packaged into a sausage with cling film and foil. There is no gelatin used in that one either; rather the cooking fluids from the hocks is further reduced and used as the binding gelatin.

    Personally I vote for the translucent look rather than the white stock. There's just something nicer about being able to see hints of shapes too.

    I don't know about adding the vinegar though; I've never done it but acid doesn't do wonders for protein complexes and I suspect that you may have problems getting it to set.

    The Terrine Topic

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Since I just picked up a sack of those cute little black beluga lentils I thought I might do a terrine with those.  I think using the beluga lentils will give a much better effect than the brown ones, because like the puy they remain in tact very well, and they have a nice sheen and color. 

    First of all, I'm already looking forward to your photos.

    I've only made simple mushroom terrines with aspic but a cookbook I have by Jean-Christophe Novelli outlines two terrines similar to what you thinking about: one with the components found in cassoulet, and the other with ham hocks and lentils.

    1)  Do I weigh this down?   

    The answer appears to be yes, though tapping the terrine pan to remove bubbles seems to be equally important. The cassoulet terrine specifically mentions weights and refrigeration for at least 24 hours.

    2)  When using the gelatine, should I make a more concentrated mixture?  My instinct is to make the gelatine a bit more concentrated than usual. Any tips? 

    Cassoulet recipe says 1 cup stock with 4 gelatin leaves. I believe that your instinct is correct though.

    4)  Ideas for a salad and presentation?  Mini individual or sliced terrine?  What else can I do to maximize the effect?

    My vote goes to sliced - terrine cross-sections are always nicer to look at than a loaf. Perhaps something vibrantly colored in the terrine itself?

    The Canadian Prairies (MB,SK)

    in Western Canada: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    There is one new thing going on here in Saskatoon.  My wife and I will be opening a new restaurant on Broadway in (hopefully) 3 weeks.

    This definitely sounds exciting!

    I had a choice between Carver's or McD's the last time I was in the city (limited; we needed either speed or a quiet spot to eat and take the conference call). As a flight back to SK appears to be in the works for later this year, I'm looking forward to hearing about your endeavors.

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