drinkingchef

Marquis Wine Cellars is releasing a limitted amount of Poplar Grove wines in mid may at about $40 each I believe. I think they are releasing some Nota Bene aswell. I am pretty sure they have a website.

Thats a good idea. You should start your own.

The last time I visited Les Amis they had this fromage frais covered in raisins. mmmmmm. I could eat that for breakfast everyday for the rest of my life and be blissfully fat and happy. And around Christmas they carried a cheese called vacherin mont d'or. It has a rind like brie, but it is sooo gooey in the center. At room temperature it is the texture of nacho cheese (but in a good tasting way) and you spoon it on to bread. Hands down the most satisfying chesse that has ever entered my mouth.

If you are looking for real vanilla flavor in extract perportions, why not make your own. Just stick a couple of beans in a bottle of alcohol. what type doesn'y really matter. Vodka is the most neutral obviously, but bourbon is really yummy, if you can stop yourself from drinking it all. It seems to me that you get the most flavor for your dollar this way, but it could just be my perception.

Malcom in the Middle's "leftover parfait" A six layer casserole composed of the weeks leftovers. And at the end it finally happens, last weeks "leftover parfait" is the seventh layer of this weeks "leftover parfait"

Malcom in the Middles "leftover parfait". A six layer casserole of the weeks leftovers. And at the end, it finally happens, last weeks leftover parfait is the bottom layer of this weeks leftover parfait

I think we need to put things into perspective here. The BC wine industry is very young in comparison to the rest of the world. The oldest red wine vineyard in BC (which I beleive is Inniskillin's Darkhorse vineyard) is merely a teenager. So of course we haven't produced many remarkable reds yet. Also, it takes decades of trial and error to find specific microclimates and soils, and which grapes are best suited to those sites. BC is a baby, give it time to grow. I think it is remarkable that we produce anything reasonably drinkable at this stage. And there are a few impressive examples, be they fluke or master wine-making. Poplar Grove and Blue Mountain are a few that come to mind. And Grey Monk makes a few chuggably delicious German varietals priced in the teens, nothing exceptionally complex, just yummy everyday swag.

Its is really easy if you think in terms of layers, especially for volume. You could do some sort of berry parfait in a tall glass or a martini glass. A pannacotta done in a glass, flanked by a blue and red berry gellee. Or a frozen dessert with layers of berry ice creams and sorbets. Just throwing out some ideas.

I have made your gorilla snot shots (which I know as cement mixers) with sour puss instead of lime cordial. Much, much worse. Also, you have missed an intregal step in making the cement mixer. While the alcohols are brewing in your mouth, a dear freind is supposed to shake your head to maximize curdling and dizziness. You pick baileys cheese out of your teeth for the rest of the night.

green peppers- what a shame it is too pick an underripe pepper. give it a few more weeks and it would be a sweet and delicious red pepper. its wrong. its a red pepper abortion italian eggplant- tastes like biteer, feels like snot buttercream icing- the kind that is only butter and icing sugar, yuck! occasionally i can tolerate the fluffy variety that includes a bit of meringue, but wouldn't you rather have ganache or whip cream on your cake. if you gonna eat cake, you may as well go all out.

I have been to Da Moreno in Prince George. Same chef, smaller city. It really stands out. It has always been amazing. I am looking forward to trying Bis Moreno myself, but I haven't had the opportunity as of yet. But I would recommend going there based on my experiences at Da Moreno.

I think this is the peeler I love too. The brand is Swissmar. I have never had to replace one because it was dull, but I do lose them often at work. And they are dirt cheap, I buy them three or four at a time. They are never more than $4.00 (thats canadian) but they are usually on sale for $2.49. And they come in so many pretty colors

mklynch, have you thought of moistening the cake with a bit of simple syrup or liquer. this would take care of the dry cake problem and add another yummy dimension. and the cake would stay moist longer, if your thinking of keeping them in the fridge for a few days

Terra's green olive bread is a consisten fave. I also really like picking up the fruit and pecan bread when I am at Granville Island. Usually I find Terra breads at the local IGA, but the selection is limitted and they only have a couple loaves of each type. I also really like the bread at Le Baguette L'Echalotte (or something like that, I can't remeber the spelling). But I do remeber the potato bread, delicious, with perfectly salty chunks of moist red skinned spuds. Mmmm. I love bread!

I agree. We had alot of fun with that in culinary school. You can sprinkle it in a line across the counter to some other flammable object (like they do in movies with gunpowder). One time we tried to simulate the classic house blowing up thing that they do in movies. We put a big pile of the stuff under an upside down cardboard box and made a line leading to it. It didn't explode quite like we were hoping, but it lit the box on fire and made alot of smoke. Did I mention that I never finished cooking school. Mmmmm.

perogys

I only read the title of thid thread, but it reminded me of a former boss who drank merlot and coke constantly (about 1/2 and 1/2). Has anybody body ever heard of such a thing?

I thought mooncakes were oatmeal cookies with marshmallow filling. Am I confused?

I recently went to Aurora Bistro for brunch. I was good, reasonably priced, different takes on the normal breakfast fare. I think they only serve brunch on the weekends. Its on Main, near Broadway.

I think this is fun as an experiment. But what is the point if it doesn't taste like anything Sure, it looks impressive, but all your tasting is air. Maybe I just don't get it. However, I could see a benifit for dieters, can you do it with chocolate

Maybe try using it in deserts. I have made a creme brulee of sorts with sambuca that was amazing. Fill half a ramakin or dish with dark chocolate mousse. Let that set. Fill the top with an anglaise flavored with the arak. Set the anglaise with a tiny bit of gelatin, so there is no need to bake it. Let it set, then brulee. The combination of flavors is really nice. I wouldn't have guessed that a licorice flavor went with dark chocolate, but its amazing when it is in a creamy base. This doesn't take much alcohol to flavor. But it tastes so great, you will just have to make it often. Hope this helps.

Coop, next time you hit Parkside, save room for dessert. The dulce de leche is legendary in some circles.

I bought these from my wholesaler about 3 years ago when they first came out. Only the caramel/banana flavor was available at the time. I was doubtful, but when I tasted the sample, I was sold. It wasn't fake banana flavor. It came frozen, looked just like a spring roll. I fried them in a small stove top fryer, which I reserved for them only, so as not to transfer any weird flavors. After they came out of the oil, i rolled them in cinnamon sugar and served in a puddle of warm dark chocolate sauce. MMMMMM It wasn't an easy sell, but the staff loved them. They were called xango (pronounced chang-go). Its no shame in buying the occasion premade item from Sysco. Sometimes, only synthetics will do. Its junkfood. ps. Frying temperature is crucial. Too hot, and the dessert will still be frozen in the middle. Not hot enough, the filling will melt before the outside is crisp, so you turn up the fryer, and it explodes. Only happened once. Thank god I was on the other side of the kitchen, but what a mess. 350-365 is prime.

I would suggest taking a basic wine course. Have somebody walk you through it. The International Sommelier Guild offers basic programs, as does the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. I took one about a year ago. I knew nothing about wine at the time. They are usually one night a week. It was fun and something different to look forward to every week. But beware. The basic courses are so much fun that you get hooked. I am. I had my first sommelier diploma class last week. The work load is pretty heavy. Classes are still fun, however. Heres some links www.internationalsommelier.com www.wset.co.uk As for books. I like Exploring Wine. It is the Culinary Institute of America's wine text. Its laid out really simply, for someone who knows nothing. I love books by Jancis Robinson, but I didn't find them helpful as a beginner. Her books were much more valuable once I had a bit of basic knowledge under my belt. I also find her writing to be very opinionated. I prefer to form my own opinions. I would also recommend the Oxford Companion to Wine. Its laid out like an encyclopedia, which makes it easy to reference peculiar terms while reading other books. P.S. Good wine books aren't usually cheap. So maybe try one out at the library before you decide to buy, if money is tight. If money is free flowing in your world, but lots. You can send me the ones you don't want.

most restaurantuers have heard this theory, and therefore they are very particular about the cleanliness of the bathroom. sometimes this transfers into the kitchen, but not always. i say, if the bathrooms dirty, the kitchen probably is too. if the bathrooms clean, its 50/50. I agree fully. But don't chat up the chef too much. He's busy