oceanfish

I met a beautiful woman named Marjolaine. It sounds so much better in French. Marjoram is so much more clinical.

Fruitcake has certainly been around that long.

I have sometimes made a "ranch" dressing with buttermilk (low-fat to boot). Martha Stewart is one source for this.

By sources do you mean restaurants or butchers or farms? Cocagne on St-Denis Street buys and serves good quality lamb from a Quebec farmer. Sorry, the name and town I do not recall. I have bought Quebec lamb and even pre-sale lamb from Kamouraska at Slovenia on St. Lawrence Street. I am lucky to buy lamb from a small family farm that does not sell publicly because there is simply not enough to go around.

But what kind of peanut butter? I have restricted myself to all natural, which I still enjoy for the flavour, texture, and protein fix, yet occasionally I long for "junky" peanut butter, smooth from Kraft. The new Kraft label boasts "no trans fats!" and yet lists hydrogenated vegetable oil as an ingredient. How can this be so???

In response to both posts: first, I know in the past Au Pied de Cochon has served the lamb you are looking for. Second, I tend to agree that although this lamb can have a delicate flavour, advertising for it can elevate it to be esteemed a more worthy choice than other lamb. I tend to agree with the last e-gulleter in that good quality lamb can be found locally (elsewhere in the province) for less money and, often, comparable flavour and texture.

I am planning to make some sour cherry jam. Does anyone have experience with this? I've made lots of jam before, but tend to pick fruits high in natural pectin. I have read that cherries are not. Any advice/recipe for a pectinless sour cherry jam?

"The steak frites at L'Express when really late is ok." why ok only when really late? as a last resort, you mean?

Dined at Uyghur on St. Laurent tonight, I was encouraged by the postings here. Sadly, our meal did not live up to my expectations, nor did it wholly reflect the positive words of egulleters. The wonton soup was by far the best thing i tasted--fresh and firm wontons, spicy broth and a generous bowlful. I ordered a small bowl to start but I am certain it must have been the larger size. The noodles themselves were fresh and had a pleasing texture, but the accompanying meaty sauce was gristly and not very saucy--chunks of bell peppers which did not envelope the noodles in the "ghoulash" way that I had hoped. Our orders seemed to have been mixed up, as we had ordered lamb for the house noodle dish and beef for our dumplings, but it came the other way around. the dumplings, similar to pork buns, at least by description and appearance in the photos, were chewy, greasy, and gristly as opposed to soft and savoury. The winter salad was a disappointment as well. It could have been marinating on the street for a couple of days--soggy and composed mainly of inedible pieces of carrot and cabbage, saved only by a fair bit of hot pepper. Not what it was described as being. Two neighbouring tables were indulging in some sort of fondue. As we were leaving I noticed a Hot Pot menu at the cash, and wondered why this had not been presented to us. It may provide more satisfaction.

If you are willing to make your own, there is an excellent recipe complete with beautiful photos in an older December issue of Waitrose Food Illustrated, circa 2000. I haven't tried searching their website for the recipe, but if it is not to be found and you would like it, I will post it. I have made these as gifts and they are always well received.

i might try making a ginger syrup with fresh ginger in simple syrup, and mixing equal parts cherry concentrate/ginger syrup into a gin and tonic? maybe too sweet?

If there is an IKEA location where you live, they usually carry a few Icelandic products. I like the anchovies because they are not too salty and so versatile. The jars of pickled herring are quite good if you enjoy that sort of thing.

I would like to try your christmas cake recipe using some sour cherries which i pitted and preserved in brandy last summer. Since these cherries are already full of moisture, do you think I would need to reduce the amount of applesauce in the recipe?

I meant to ask what else goes into the savoury aperatif cake. It sounds intriguing.

I had some sachets which I purchased in New York awhile back. On the packet it said levure, but yes it was levure chimique. I've always wondered if this contains a secret ingredient other than baking powder. It seems to produce a different result than the "magic" baking powder I normally use. I don't recall the brand name, but I took note of the weight: 16 grams.