drinkingchef
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Posts posted by drinkingchef
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D90
Ask the pastry chef to make a platter and let him decide. That way you will get a few tastes of the best offerings. But if something on the menu catches your eye, go ahead and order it. Everything is good.
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Good news for northerners! I was talking to my mom in Prince George this evening and she mentioned that Moreno Miotto (formerly of Bis Moreneo in Vancouver, and even more formerly of Da Moreno in PG) has returned to PG and is opening a new restaurant. She had read an article about it in the local news paper. If my recolection is correct it is called White Goose, but I could be wrong. Thats great news for a city which has a dismal dining scene. Having been a chef in that city (seems like a lifetime ago) I understand the chellenges regarding a fairly shallow talent pool and limitted supplies of the fresh ingredients that I have become accustomed to in Vancouver. However, having had some amazing meals at Da Moreno in the past, I'm confident that he can deal with all that and more. I wish him all the best! I can't wait to try it out during next years obligatory Christmas visit!
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I know Sugar Arts in Steveston does sell glucose, but I have only ever purchased it in huge pails. I am not sure if they sell smaller quntities.
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Not to deter you... but I would be scared that sprinkling salt would be too strong, or obvious I guess. I was thinking of more subtle ways of working a bit of salt in like sandwiching or icing the cookies with a salty caramel or peanutbutter. Or maybe I'm overthinking it, I do have that tendency
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Thanks everyone for the recipes and recommendations. I will be trying them out next week, and I'll post my results and all the recipes that have worked out for me. In the meantime, keep the suggestions coming and I'll do plenty of experimenting. This will be so fun, I love experimenting
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I am in the process of setting up a complete gluten free line. I will ask my R&D person for a shortbread recipe for you. Her stuff has been exceptional so far., I will also be seting up an e-commerce site to do mail order.
Thanks, I would REALLY appreciate that. In exchange, I will get my Aunt's gingersnap recipe for you. She has made it for a few years and I only recently realized that it was gluten free. They are great cookies.
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Does anybody have a good recipe for gluten free shortbread. My aunt has asked me to make some for christmas, she and her son both have gluten allergies.
She has made a few attempts with a mix of flours she uses, but it never produces that melt in your mouth quality that she is craving.
One problem was with rice flour being in the mix, it was very grainy. So that option is definately out. Trials with an alternative grain mix was very heavy, and the texture of the grains just wasn't right
I am planning to experiment with different perportions of corn starch, arrowroot, tapioca, and I've even thought about chickpea flour.
If anybody has a recipe that they know works, please pass it on, it would save alot of trial and error on my part.
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I would look for a recipe that uses a sabayon as the base instead of just whipped egg whites. This will be richer and creamier but less 'fluffy'. Also, that would help stabelize the mousse so it would require less gelatine. I have used recipes like this and they work well, but unfortunately all my recipes are in storage right now as I am in the process of moving so I can't share, but I am sure they are out there somewhere
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I'm not too familiar with Icelandic food. Can you pick out a few items in particular that you are looking for?
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Props to Mo:Le, its my new breakfast fave also.
What have you tried there. I had the chantrelle and back bacon srambled eggs the first time we went there. WOW. Chantrelles + eggs = little slice of heaven
Last week I tried the spot prawn and jerusalem artichoke benny, also very yummy, but I'm still dreaming of those chantrelles
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i'm no donair specialist but the one on robson (at granville) was pretty tasty the other dayevidently i'm stupid.
i had a chickenshawarma the other day. sorry.
I love that place. They have the BEST shawarmas. Its called Pita Wrap Cafe. As for Donairs, I'd rather have a shawarma
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The Cordoniu Rose has been on the market for at least a year. I love it. Bubbly rose for $20. How can you beet that. It has actually gone up in price since I first tried it. I think it used to be 17.99. Great value in my opinion. I have seen it the liquor store on Alberni @ Thurlow
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Not sure about charcoal, but I know CinCin uses a wood grill. Thats better than charcoal in my opinion.
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I've recently discover Ali Babas Pizza in Victoria. There are a handfull of the restaurants here but as far as I know there aren't any off the Island (except the Tawassen Ferry Trerminal, and thats only by the slice-haven't tried it). They have some great flavor combinations. A 'brocolli, spinach and feta' combination blew my mind the other night. It's not rocket science and I'm pretty sure they just used frozen brocolli, but it was delicious. I mean, I don't expect much from delivery and this was something I would have left the house for. Also, the '911' Its a blend of capicolla, chorizo, and banana peppers. I think they mix chilis with the pizza sauce as well. Just right spicy. And the icing on the cake, you can substitute soy cheese at no extra charge. Gastronomically... well this might be blasphemy. But the boy has a bad dairy allergy and this is better than requesting no cheese at all. It has really opened up a whole new world of junk food to him. Taste wise, I don't notice a huge difference. But the texture certainly lacks that stringy chew quality, and I find the pizza overall to be soggier. But these are all thing I can live with. The sauce and crust are both good. The sauce just has a depth of flavor compared to most, and the crust is chewy and satisifying, yet not yoo heavy. Not to dis the Island, but it is the only thing I have found here that I like better than the Vancouver version/alternatives. I guess I just miss home
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I've taken both the WSET and ISG and they are similar at that level. Mark is a great teacher and alot of fun. As far as I know Ian Phillips is teaching the WSET at Dubrelle. He is also a great teacher. You would learn enough and have a great time in either program so decide which one fits your schedule and budget best. I think they are both around $4-500. They are geared towards professionals, but at that level you are really just covering the basics and there would be nothing that you would feel left out on.
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Anybody know if they have a website. I would love to check out the menu online. Eventhough I'm sure the majority of the menu has been covered in this thread, I'm interrested in taking a peak at the winelist an unfortunately am too far away to do it in person
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never tried Dagoba cocoa, but have tried their chocolate. Aparently its organic from Oregon? They have a bar thats 87%, very nice, almost not sweet at all. I recommended it to my diebetic chocoholic grandma. She hated the aspertame chocolate. They also have a bar with chilis and cocoa nibs. mmmm Crunchy hot goodness. Speaking of nibs.... Ling instead of just sprinkling them on your brownies, fold them into a chewy caramel and spread that on top. Its silly good!
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I've seen Cacao Berry cocoa extra brut at Ganache, but I'm not sure if it was just display or actually for sale
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I wouldn't trust a taste test. I find different cocoas lend themselves to different uses. So depending on what the taste test included it could be misleading. I find when only a small amount of cocoa is called for, a lesser quality cocoa like callebaut adds a stronger flavor. But in a situation where a high ratio of cocoa is called for and is the main flavoring component, something more delicate adds a nicer flavor. For that I prefer Valrhona, but Cacao Berry is much less expensive.
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I've seen them at MingWo on 4th (just off Arbutus) They also have a good selection of decorating tools like tips and such
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I love reading the Chefs Talk article. Check out Garrett Sharpe, The Temple's response (p.30,Sept/Oct issue) It gave me a chuckle
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Didn't eat out the last time I was there. So I can't reccommend any dining options. But since your with kids, I thought I should point out that Parksville has a wicked mini-golf. Better than any other I've been to, 100 times better than that big silly place in Abbotsford. I definately reccomend an afternoon there.
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OK, so it is not entirely local, but as close as it comes in the land of organic chocolate. Dagoba choclate (Oregon based) makes an amazing bar called eclipse. 87% dark chocolate. A little chunk cures my craving (but I never stop at one). They also make a great one with chiles and crunchy cocoa nibs called Xocoatl. Super yummy dark chocolate with a spicy kick at the end. They have a few other interesting flavors like lavender with dried blueberry and rosemary mint, but I haven't encountered them yet in Van. Check out their website www.dagobachocolate.com
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If your still in the deciding stage, I would recommend doing a trial in one of the local restaurants first. Cheffing is not all its cracked up to be. Most restaurants will take you in as a volunteer and show you the ropes. It is also great on a resume and you have a better perspective of what you learn in school. This is a good way to get into an exclusive kitchen in the long run. Summer is the best time to do this. You will get a real picture of what a kitchen is like in the busiest time of year, and your presence will be appreciated.
As for choice of schools. I have not been very impressed with students from Dubrulle. They seem to have 5star attitude but basic skills. If you already know everything (or at least think you do) it is hard to learn more. And cheffing is a life long learning process. Lesson 1, leave your ego at the door. I have only worked with a couple of students from PICA. They were both eager to learn and had good skills. I have worked with many chefs trained at VCC. They are hit and miss. It seems to depend more on their motivation, but those who were into it were very well trained and had excellent work ethic. No matter where you end up, you only get out of it what you put into it. I have heard good things also about this new school NWCAV.
In my opinion, it is more important to choose carefully about who you work with after school, because you will only learn the basics in any school. Expensive schools tend to get you into better restaurants for your practicum, but if you have taken my advice, you will already have a foot in the door at a good restaurant.
Century Restaurant and Bar
in Western Canada: Dining
Posted
I was thinking of trying out Century on Monday night. Anyone know if they are open (is Monday a holiday?)