eatrustic

No, this is not made from scratch, it's a very good commercial product and blandness is not at all the problem. Intense flavor and density is.

It's called Kondima and is sold in 5 kilo blocks to bakeries.

Although I haven't seen it myself Coco Olive on W. Broadway (near Alma) has apparently closed with a for rent sign in the window. I know they had talked of opening another location but I'm surprised they've closed this one as the owner had done a lot of his own work inside and it was quite popular. Perhaps a case of the landlord blues?

Thanks, this gives me something to work with. The only thing to be careful about will be how soft this makes the almond paste as it still has to hold a round shape and not ooze out when rolled into the fairly stiff Stollen dough. Prechilling the mixture should help that (I think).

I use a really good quality of almond paste but I find the flavor too intense and the texture a bit too dense when I use it for things like Stollen. I use a pure "eye" of almond paste in the center of my stollen's and I find it a bit too strong tasting and would like to make the texture a bit more delicate as well. What should I mix it with? Sugar, egg, flour? Thanks for any input!

BTW make sure to carefully check all pasta while you are cleaning out the pantry after a moth infestation. Moth Larvae can live in a space as thin as spaghetti. Heres a video of spaghetti larvae: http://my.break.com/content/view.aspx?ContentId=348061 ← Holy crap! The cocoon was actually inside the strand of spaghetti! Sometimes I wonder if it's a curse or a blessing that I need my reading glasses to see small details these days. I've always found my army surplus flame thrower has worked wonders with these little buggers

This coming weekend (Nov.4) will be the sad and inevitable end of the season for both the vendors of the heirloom tomatoes and apples. I luckily was at G.I. doing a bit of shopping yesterday and bought a great selection of heirloom apples to make my killer (hopefully) version of the ultimate apple pie: (Bramleys, Ashtons, Brown Jerseys and Gravensteins). They really had a wonderful selection of apples that I have rarely if ever seen. (Also, Quince and an old variety of Crabapple). Their last date is next Sunday. As well, the guys who have the amazing selection of heirloom tomatoes will be calling it a day next Sunday. They have been at G.I. all summer with their heirlooms grown in soil but with the help of polytunnels to extend the season. They were supposed to have produced until Dec. but due to heating issues picked everything they had left. (They have also been supplying Whole Foods all summer long.) He plans to expand from 50,000 to 100,000 square feet of growing space by next year and will be a huge force in Vancouver for heirlooms. (Looks like Milan picked a good time to hang it up!) I've actually been making more tomato sauce with their tomatoes than eating fresh. Just some good extra virgin olive oil, garlic and a pinch of chiles finished with some of the last of my basil plant and I'll freeze whatever I don't consume (yeah, a bit pricey but worth it flavour wise!)

Thanks, I would have thought mild as well but you never know. I'm hoping that the chile pie you tasted and didn't like was the fault of the baker as John T. Edge in his book "Apple Pie" raved about the version from Senor Pie. ← Ok, so I made a version of the green chile apple pie using frozen mild New Mexico green chilis. There are recipes that call for just a bit of chile (1 Tbl.) and some that call for lots more. I added just under a 1/4c. and....to be honest not too sure about this one. The taste is (as you would imagine) pretty different. I had figured that if you come from the apple pie with a slice of aged cheddar crowd that this might work but it really is a taste combination that is not for everyone, including myself. Guess I'll stick to green chile cheeseburgers for now until I can actually taste the real thing in N.M. and decide if this is a gimmick or not.

Thought I would give an update on Montri's as I did express skepticism that the change in ownership would spell a drop in quality. It's been almost a year since my last visit but I've now been twice in the last two weeks and have to say that the food is easily as good as when the maestro was at the podium. The menu appears to not have changed at all, with the same Montri specials dishes still there. I ordered my usuals and they were as good as ever. A neighbouring table had the whole fried fish and it looked awesome. Nice to see that there are exceptions to the rule when it comes to new ownership of classics like Montris.

Over The Moon Chocolates on Broadway closes Friday (retail). Farewell Aiello Joe, I knew you well.....

Thanks, I would have thought mild as well but you never know. I'm hoping that the chile pie you tasted and didn't like was the fault of the baker as John T. Edge in his book "Apple Pie" raved about the version from Senor Pie.

I've been wanting to try a Green Chile Apple Pie ever since I heard about it. I recently picked up some frozen ones while in Phoenix (one hot and one mild). Which one makes the classic pie: hot or mild?

Great! So I have one day to take advantage of this and I'm booked already. I actually had an on the fly pork tasting menu one night when I asked the kitchen if they could throw something together (as we walked in) and it was great - not quite as elaborate as this one though. The Crown Bacon for those who are wondering is just a bunch of the tasty bits scraped from the head and molded into a little package and cooked. Sounds gross but it's super tasty. One of the disappointments with our meal was that although the pork menu was great the fish dishes the ladies had were very underwhelming and bland. (Surprising when you know Robert's pedigree.)

Does this mean that they're usually at the Lonsdale Quay market? If so, I'll have to go. I haven't seen any mutsu apples this year. ← You're probably too late on this lovely day but they usually do the Thursday Granville Island Market and also the Sunday Kits Market if it's still going.

....oh yeah, and bring $$$.

Les Amis du Fromage (they even have fresh Buffalo Mozz from Vancouver Island). Both of the Italian delis on Granville Island La Grotto di Formaggio on Commercial Check the dates on the containers as they are never as fresh as you would find in Italy, (after coming through Toronto).

Just caught up with this week's episode and it was nice to see the basis of this ep was on classic dysfunction between front and back of house vs horror stories of filth or inedible food. Having said that, watching a totally wimpy chef/owner sleepwalk through this show to emerge at the end in a schmaltzy "and the spark of their marriage has been rekindled" cliche makes me gag slightly. The football team showing up for dinner ....and their reservation is lost smells like a big setup as well. I've often wondered if the hordes that "surprisingly" show up for the relaunch of the new menu/makeover in these shows are paying customers or freebees. (The little walk-arounds handing out menus and cards to repromote may be the reason but I somehow doubt it.)

So.... Gordon won the bare knuckle boxing championship of the U.K. by beating the former Gypsy champion in a 22 round contest in a freight yard (and this was recently)? Methinks the fact checking of Mr. McDermitt's lawyer needs a bit of scrutiny. Hilarious to think about though

Thought I'd give it a couple of shows before weighing in but the Fox effect is evident in the heavy handed approach to this. They appear to have borrowed a big piece from the Canadian made show "Restaurant Makeover" and although the British shows tried to give the mild impression that Gordon was actually thinking up a lot of this stuff (style and menu changes), in the U.S. version it's obvious his "creative" team is behind all the changes. Still, the villains are recognizable from the British versions, just a bit more time spent on their ineptitude. Yes, most if not all of the shows must be in the can and I have little hope for any post production tinkering to bring things more into line with the British versions, why be subtle when you can portray things with a sledgehammer on this network? As for Gordon being kinder and gentler in the British version, actually caring about some of the owners? Yes, he was portrayed that way but I always felt that this was an act in most cases. How could a chef with his take no prisoners style of running his business have any sympathy for fools? I just didn't buy it. One thing I miss from the old series is his surprise visit weeks later to see how things were going. He actually caught some of the slacker chefs with newly filthy kitchens and this added a nice finish to the show. Funny how not only do they bleep the language but actually try to save lip readers by blurring the offenders mouth! I'll keep watching for now as it's still far more interesting then Hell's Kitchen.

No, my favorite moment was when he made the camera show all the chewing gum stuck underneath the interview table and asked Larry how he could he could run such a sloppy operation! Seriously, he was well spoken, polite and calm as he discussed everything from his low sperm count from the hot stoves to being an absent father etc. He sure must like basil though, as when someone asked him what his last meal would be, both courses had either a basil puree or fresh basil in them. (More a question of being caught off guard I suspect).

All the better for Kits: this'll be two blocks from my house Is that the old puppy mill building? ← No, it's just across the street in one of the newer spaces.

The laws of Canada have shot down most non-compete clause....stating it it illegal to put into a contract a clause that retards your ability to make an income (be it your primary source) should you need to maintain your lifestyle, etc etc etc... Or maybe Vince is doing something different enough (we all know he is smart enough and a visionary) that it does not conflict with his sale of Artigiano!!! This is probably the case. I have had so much fun pairing food with coffee through Colter (employee/Artigiano) that I hope one day I can host a coffee/food night at Metro. ← Perhaps a change in the laws but I'll bet he has a non compete within at least a block or more from any Artigianos.

49th Parallel coffee roasters owned by Vince Piccolo (former owner of Caffe Artigiano) is opening their first coffee shop on W. 4 th between Arbutus and Yew. Should be pretty interesting to see what he does with this as he sure made an imprint with Artigiano. (Obviously he didn't have the old 5 year non-compete, when he sold Artigiano, as is the norm.)

On the Kit's Point (Cornwall St.) food mini-mile: Flying Wedge Pizza has reopened. Vera's finally coughed up the price of a beer licence and you can now get a draft with your burger. Last but not least, Nando's Chicken is opening in a former veterinary space. Looking forward to this one.

I agree, they will do just fine in Richmond. They are slightly different from the classic cream puff so that they can stay crispy longer but are fun and tasty and should do well with the Asian crowd (as well as us "lo fons" ).