oceanfish

can the caramel buttercream be left at room temperature overnight? i know the answer to this (i think) but i am just hoping there is enough sugar in the recipe somehow to allow me to use it on a cake that won't be refrigerated.

hello, I am looking for the same thing...i am trying to come up with a recipe for small wedding cakes that will be the guest's take-home favour. I will also be a bridesmaid and don't have alot of fridge space, so ideally the cakes could be finished the day before and sit a room temp in their boxes. I have been considering ganache, would you mind sharing your sour cream recipe? My friend doesn't want a fruitcake, and it's been hard coming up with a cake to be unfilled, good enough to be on its own. I found a recipe for a milk-chocolate almond cake with very little flour (almonds are ground) which has fresh dates inside. Would this classify as a filling? Otherwise I've been thinking about using a soaking syrup instead of a filling. Sorry to answer your question with more questions...

Carswell, regarding one of your latest sightings, rue; what can it be used for? I confess to having planting some a few years back because I liked the leaf and use it pressed for artwork, but the taste I find odd. I like bitter things, bitter beer, black coffee, etc. but rue? My research has told me that it is an herb used to scare away cats. What are its culinary uses?

La Mer (Papineau/Rene Levesque) is currently selling fresh snow crab, both in the shell and as packaged meat, although the picked over version is much more costly.

mark and angela work together, (or used to?) i know angela made the pannetone at bronte. she gave me one. maybe mark made his pudding with her pannetone?

there is an italian pastry chef who works at Bronte. She makes excellent pannetone. last year she served individual ones for a chrismas brunch. maybe you could ask her to share her secrets?

riboflavinjoe, i do not work at cocagne.

across from l'express is cocagne, where you could quite comfortably sit at the bar, or, have a windowseat to yourself...they often serve solo diners. it tends to be more bustling thurs-sat.

For me, there are two types of camping: hiking, where everything fits into a backpack and that means dried mixes, mostly non perishables. The other kind, "car" camping, means I bring a cooler and various equipment. The best stew I have ever made (and I am a professional cook) was on a camping trip, and I didn't even bring stock! I made it in a cast iron pot over the fire which was very rustic, wedged between two rocks. I brought cubed lamb and some already chopped vegetables and herbs, added water after a good searing of the meat and let it simmer away while we drank wine. The taste of the stew I think was so fabulous because of the pot (which was worth lugging) and the fire. Another meal which even works in the rain, if your fire is protected somewhat, is a fish smoked on a soaked cedar plank. I brought a marinated salmon and put it on the wet plank over coals. By the time the plank burns, your fish is wonderfully smoked. Vegetables wrapped in foil can be wedged against rocks at the same time and be ready when your fish is. One small downer: your clothes will be fishily smoked as well! I have dried many items to pack on hiking trips...fruit and even cured meats. A stick of duck jerky can be a practical and satisfying snack, even lunch. Spaghetti sauce can even be prepared this way, only needing water, and if you dry garden tomatoes and herbs it can be better than any jar, and lighter in the canoe!

Well, I don't feel the need to sign my name. Most of what I read and respond to on this site is written by folks with pseudonyms, and that is just fine with me. It is also fine with me if you are unable to "take seriously" what I contribute because I follow the norm and remain anonymous. I will, however attempt to clarify things from my last posting, if it matters... What I meant when I said that it was unfair to accuse Loiseau of calling his place a bistro with the intent of distinguishing himself from his former boss is, even though that may hold some truth to it, is that that may not be his REASON for doing so. He DOES have his own focus and style which is unique and therefore may be difficult to compare and assimilate with other "bistros" in montreal. If he were to be doing the same thing in new york, for example, would there be such a dilemma over the genre? I did say that I think cocagne is just as much a bistro as lemeac is, and perhaps went a little too far in adding "or more so" in trying to make a point. the menu at lemeac is widely varied, ingredient wise at least. Is caviar considered affordable bistro fare? maybe so. why are there three variations on plates of foie gras (which by the way in its raw form is not of the same quality as the foie gras alex buys, and yet the menu price is equivalent). perhaps lemeac seems more bistro like in ambiance...it does have a relaxed and bustling dining room which cocagne lacks at the moment because it is still new. people do come in alone and eat at the bar at cocagne, they come in for a cheese plate or a dessert after a meal elsewhere, and they are welcomed in casual dress. cocagne does not offer a "menu degustation" which lemeac does, typically not a "bistro" formula. I mainly wanted to say that I think cocagne is strong in originality AND simplicity and therefore may not immediately be seen as what we are familiar with associating with other bistros in town, yet it deserves to be "judged" if that is what is happening here, based on its own merits and standards. Its name, "bistro orgueilleux", leaves room for interpretation, which could perhaps be better understood after having experienced what it has to offer. as for my comment about Au pied du cochon being viewed as more than a "brasserie"...a 30$plus "hot dog", albeit being composed of lobster and foie gras is served in a purchased hot dog bun, and the recommendation of the waiter to accompany this late night snack being a 17$ glass of wine, with no prices written or spoken, seems like more than one would expect to pay for such a place and meal...perhaps one needs to be more careful in ASKING prices before ordering. I don't think I left anything out. I will make an effort to refrain from making "unqualified" statements, since I do not believe the qualifier need be my identity.

you could ask at Kaizen, on Ste. Catherine just east of Atwater. I know they buy their Kobe beef from a farmer in Ontario.

okay, i think from the beginning the term "bistro" has given cocagne a certain definifion to live up to. it is not l'express. but it is just as much a "bistro" or more so than lemeac is. the prices have come down slightly since the beginning and the menu has undergone changes, not because the chef is struggling to find his style...that hasn't changed, but there is a conciousness of adapting to clientele, a clientele bent on the definition of what a bistro is. does au pied du cochon classify as a "bar", which is technically what it's chef wanted? in montreal it is rated amongst gastronomic restaurants, which is not what it set out to be nor what it purports itself to be. and yet it is thriving and people go to enjoy it whether it is a "bar" or a restaurant. it is unfair to say that the chef of cocagne has chosen the bistro appelation in order to distinguish himself from the chef of toque. cocagne doesn't pretend to offer the same fare as toque and its classification as a "bistro orgeilleux" is original and genuine, as are its food offerings.the menu will not remain unchanged year-round, year in and year out, because the chef takes into account our seasonal changes and makes an effort to optomize his offerings with personal findings such as wild leeks and garlic, giving his food even more oomph than one would normally expect from a typical "bistro". the variety and the cuts of meats offered as mains are not always typical, yet they permit bistro prices and the chef is able to offer the highest quality because he has the skill and cares enough to do something different. i think cocagne deserves more credit than fellow egullet contributors are giving it. it will be appreciated, with time, under the classification which it has assumed, and rightly so.

Jean Philippe Tastet's reviews are usually quite ambiguous, meaning they don't offer a detailed, structured account of the food. I'm wondering what it is about the food he did describe that you didn't feel "tempted by"...the focus on organ meats? He conveyed quite obviously, if one is to have any faith in his writing, that the food was better than just good. what is so deterring about this?

cocagne has been open for 3 days...it hasn't been busy yet. I think it is a refreshing alternative to l'express, maybe it doesn't have that comfy feel of familiarity (yet?) but the prices are extremely reasonable, the portions just, and the originality and freshness of the food commendable. particulatly good were the entrees of the day, marinated sardines with pine nuts, watercress and roasted red peppers, and the smoked/marinated herring salad with potatoes, watercress and a delicious tarragon mayonnaise with shallots and bits of egg. It may seem surprising to see a chicken breast on the menu but really, it was amazing. simplicity supplied with skill. and where else can you eat escargots with pleurottes, sundried tomatoes and gnocci in a creamy parsley broth? i think you stand little chance of being disappointed, food wise, unless you are really picky and expecting toque. the wine list isn't fabulous but there are plenty of affordable bottles...simplicity.

well, i am not sure if he sells his confit de canard sous-vide, as he does many of his classic french preparations, but Alain Loivel of Le P'tit Plateau makes confit better than any i have ever tasted. You could eat at his resto, order it, and if it lives up to your expectations ask if it could be a take-out item.