chromedome

At my work, we bake anywhere from 650-1000 drop cookies every day (depending on catering orders). We use a scoop. My night baker scoops 15 cookies, roughly 150g each, onto a sheet pan. Then she mashes them with a flat plastic thingie to about 1/4" (ie, 1/2 cm) thick, resulting in a pretty uniform cookie. I'm racking my tired brain to remember the number of the scoop, but I can't. It's the one with the blue handle, if that does it for anybody. It gives you a good compromise of reasonable uniformity with speed of execution.

I just tried my first cachaca last week. I'd read all of Jorge Amado's novels in my teens/early twenties, so it was something I was curious about. I'd assumed all along that it was simply a local white rum, no different from anything else. What I bought was a brand called "Samba Brasil Gold," the first cachaca that I've seen here in Edmonton (admittedly I wasn't actively looking for it). It was an interesting pale green-gold colour, inclining toward the green. I was rather startled at the olfactory resemblance to tequila. It wasn't as apparent in the actual flavour, more so in the nose, but it was rather interesting. As with tequila, limes and sunshine seemed like the natural accompaniments. I won't be busting my backside to keep a bottle on hand, but it was interesting and I'd certainly think about getting some more when summer rolls around.

In the case of anyone other than one's mother or SO, the correct answer would be: "If you don't like it scrape it off, and get over yer (sorry, "yo'") big bad self..." Of course, there may be repercussions.

At work we use applesauce in ours. Two #10 cans in a 27kg batch, if that's any help...

For me, a very robust pot of chili. For the head cold a few weeks ago, I made one with moose meat. Very nice, an extra dark earthiness from the game.

I routinely do sides of salmon en papillote at work. Two-three goodly sides would serve 20 people adequately, and be a lot less work. Besides, you would likely find it easier to do the big dramatic gust-of-fragrant-steam tableside thing with one or two larger packages. I usually trim the belly meat or fold it under, so that it makes a more uniform thickness; same with the tail meat (I should clarify...I *trim* at home where I have specific uses for the trim; I tuck under at work where I'm feeding hundreds every lunchtime). A herbed or savoury butter of some kind works well in this sort of scenario. In fact, if you really wanted to do the oranges, you could place each supreme onto a small pat of the butter. This would minimize the "ceviche effect" while your salmon is in the fridge, but would allow the flavours to meld nicely during cooking. You could even pre-portion your fillets and then reassemble them in the parchment; giving you the dual benefit of speeding the meal and reducing your work. I find a decently-sized side of salmon is a perfect fit for standard full-sheet parchment; leaving just enough room around the edges to make a good fold for sealing purposes. I can get three or even four sides onto a standard baking sheet, depending on their size.

I have used home-frozen egg whites many times, and they work great. Over Christmas, though, I brought in some frozen/pasteurized egg whites from one of my wholesalers, and those wouldn't whip worth anything. Perhaps the more experienced could tell us whether that's typical, or just rotten luck on my part...

Mostly their stuff is passable, and the prices are not *too* outrageous. Seems to fall in quality somewhere between the entry-level Wal-Mart/Zellers stuff and the better retailers, though the pricing seems to lean more to the higher end than the product justifies (in my opinion). I have been given several items, including a pizza stone (too small, and now broken), vegetable peeler (don't use it), a rather ordinary lightweight springform pan (at about twice the price of a comparable item at the mall), and so on. Worst item? A utensil stand (spoonholder, sort of a thing) which is too small for anything larger than a tablespoon, and has a non-attached handle which means that it can't be conveniently moved. Fix the handle, make it big enough for a mixing spoon, and then we'll talk. Best item? Yeah, the batter bowl.

My parents did the weekend market "thing" for a while when they had their bakery. Ultimately they gave it up, as the extra work was disproportionate to the extra income. Of course, your mileage may vary.

I've been halfway keeping an eye out for Kurlansky's book. Read the one on salt and it was outstanding.

I'm committed to Edmonton for a couple more years, but I'm thinking probably Michael Allemeier at Mission Hill. Never met the man, but everything I've read is positive. Also, longer term, I'd like to go home to Nova Scotia and open a place near (or at) one of the wineries. At present there are only a couple of wineries worth mentioning. However, I'm thinking that as the Cool Climate Oeniculture thing gathers momentum, it's going to help marginal areas like Quebec and NS even more than BC and Ontario; so opportunities will be better in another decade or so. That'd be my real-world choice. After that, well...Vij's, for sure; and yeah, probably Feenie and Hawksworth. Haven't been in Vancouver since 1991, so my knowledge of the rest of the food scene is limited to what I read here.

My kitchen is small enough and old enough that I have no room for shelving or pantries or almost anything else. I did find a couple of small towel rods, however, that fit into odd spots on the sides of cupboards and between walls and cupboards. These have been handy for hanging utensils on; especially given that my drawers are too shallow for any but the flattest of items. In spaces too small for even the towel bars, I've used cup hooks to hang a miscellany of small gizmos.

Salt cod is something of a culinary touchstone for me, I guess. We used to get "CARE packages" from Newfoundland when I was a kid...on my father's side, we have been fishermen and boatbuilders all the way back to my original ancestor, who sailed his homebuilt 26ft boat from the West Country to Newfoundland back when Victoria was a young mom. My father broke the mold by running off to join the navy, and met my mother here on the mainland (to Newfoundlanders, you must understand, Canada consists of Newfoundland and the mainland. I have been asked in all seriousness, while living in Nova Scotia, whether I knew so-and-so on the mainland...in Fort MacMurray, 3000 miles away). Traditionally, the cod were split up the middle and the backbone removed, then layered with salt and left for a period of a day or two (depending on region and personal preference). They would then be rinsed and placed on a flat platform called a "flake" to dry in the sun. When they'd reached the desired (skateboard) texture, they'd be gathered up into bundles for sale or storage, as the case may be. My mother has a picture of the three-year-old 'Dome helping Grampa do the gathering. The European fleets generally used a different technique, salting down the cod in barrels of brine. Smaller fish were salted down without being split. These were referred to as "rounders," at least in White Bay, and were often preferred for family consumption as a) they tended to be less salty, and b) they didn't sell for much. The sort of curing that's referred to upthread is not uncommon in Newfoundland, these days. My uncle used to sell that out of his pickup as "corned" cod. Brine it or salt it for just a few hours, then pack it up and freeze it for the winter. Gives you a flavour reminiscent of the "old school," but lighter and with more of a fresh fish character. I like both, personally. These days, I get my little "fix" by going to the Saturday market at a nearby mall where a wonderful older Jamaican lady sells little codcakes for the absurdly low price of two bits.

There are programs out there that generate nutritional values from your recipes. They all have limitations, but it's generally not too difficult to add ingredients as necessary. I think the tasting menu is a great idea! I have the same sort of dichotomous clientele; divided between those who are fanatically loyal to our 250g muffins and 150g cookies, and those who just want a little bite and don't want to indulge overly. Hopefully this will work out well for you. My February's been going well, but I have the good fortune to have 1200-1400 people through my location in the run of a day (busy-downtown-pedway Hell-office-lunch-crowd). Even the dieters buy things, they just buy *different* things.

The importer is Georgia Enterprises Ltd (Canada). I don't know what restrictions there may be on shipping into the US, but you could correspond with them at kartvelly@shaw.ca I know that the Khvanchkara (note corrected spelling , I was even looking at the damn' bottle when I posted) is sold in the UK by this company. They specialize in wines from the former East-bloc, apparently, and have several other Georgian wines that I'm not familiar with. I have a predisposition to support producers who, rather than bring out the world's 257,000th mediocre Chardonnay or Merlot, are working to haul their own indigenous varietals into the world of modern wine-making. I think that in the long term, this is the future of the industry; making the best wine you can, out of the grapes that grow best where you are. Who knew what Malbec could be, for example, until the Argentinians started *really* working on it? Given the potentially disastrous situation with climate change, even the French may be hopping onto that bandwagon soon. Here in Canada, of course, wineries have long made use of niche hybrids like Baco Noir, Marechal Foch, and New York Muscat. These are not really indigenous grapes, but they represent the principle of "the grapes that grow best." In my home province of Nova Scotia, some rather drinkable wine is being made from Russian varietals. Go figure.

I hear you. My *one* day person and I mixed, rolled, cut, baked, decorated, and (dammit) WRAPPED over 2500 heart-shaped cookies. It was the cellophane and ribbons that really got me down. We also did several hundred truffles, a couple of chocolate gift boxes, and over 600 creme brulees for the bloody take-out dinners. Oh, and thanks to a timely diktat from head office, I lost almost a third of every day during this time from having to cover the cash registers during everyone else's breaks. We're busy, by normal standards, but it feels soooo restful after V-Day. <sigh> A couple weeks' respite, and then it's Easter.

I've been through the same process recently, Cricklewood. After years in retail sales, I followed my heart into the kitchen. I graduated from NAIT in Edmonton last April, at the age of 40. It's definitely an adjustment, and you're in for a few years of low-paid ass-busting work. I'm loving it, mind you, I just wish I didn't hurt in quite so many places. As for landing a job, the best advice I can give you is to be targetted and intentional. Don't just fire off a CV to any place that strikes you as interesting. Look at the websites and menus of the places you apply to. Research the chefs; there's a surprising amount of info out there on the Internet. One place I applied the exec is a triathlete; another is a fairly serious jazz musician. I made a point of knowing that about them before I ever darkened their doors. I also made a point of reading their menus and anything I could find (local papers, magazines, restaurant reviews, etc) explaining their attitudes and approaches toward food. Because the time will come when one of these godlike individuals (note my expressionless face) will sit you down and ask you a very simple question: "Why do you want to work here?" Your answer, very often, will decide whether you get a real interview or the ten-minute brushoff. Give them good reasons, real reasons (anybody who hires his own staff will smell bullshit in a second); and ideally reasons that convey a benefit to the chef. You can't come in with a song and dance about your cooking skills, because the second he puts you on the line you're going to get hammered. Emphasize skills like performance under pressure, deadlines successfully dealt with against all odds, organizational aptitude, perseverance...you get the picture. The things any employer wants to hear. But only if they're accurate and demonstrable (and ideally, things your references will cheerfully affirm). In my particular instance, I had the disadvantage of finding a stage in a city 3000 km from where I was living at the time (Halifax). I exercised due diligence at the research end, sent off the e-mails, and landed a spot in one of my top three choices (I still work there on weekends). Believe me, I made my case at length and in detail, and my letter was not generic. Aside from the introductory explanation of my circumstances, each of those queries was specific to that particular kitchen. I still needed to prove myself once I got there, but that was a question of attitude rather than skillset. The chef knew (and I knew) that if I had the right attitude she could teach me the rest. I'm still learning, every day, and I'm confident that I made the right decision. YMMV, but it's a great industry.

Oh, yes, and several little ceramic ramekins for making brulees and pots de creme and suchlike. Fifty cents each.

Dollar stores in general are hit-or-miss, you can't just grab items at random. In my kitchen I've got a couple of spray bottles for sanitizer, and some squirt bottles that I use occasionally for sauces when we've got company and I want my plates to look nice. I found a little chrome trivet 8" in diameter, which I use when I want to pour ganache glaze over a 9" or 10" cake; that works pretty well and hey, extra trivets are always handy. I've bought several pastry brushes from dollar stores; they've varied in quality but no more so than the ones from more respectable sources. I've bought various towels, my fingers tell me all I need to know except colourfastness, and I can deal with that afterwards. I've grabbed various bits and pieces from the craft section, too, but I'm tired and my brain is too fuzzy to pull up a f'rinstance. I seldom buy foods there, just the odd time I'll grab some munchies.

Okay, disclaimer...I'm just starting to educate myself about wines (career change/cooking school) so I haven't got the vocab down pat, yet. Bear with me. My wife and I went to the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food fest here in Edmonton back before Christmas. We had a lot of fun and tasted lots of different things, and were pleasantly surprised by three Georgian wines that we encountered. The Georgians proudly lay claim to being the original winemakers (oldest archaeological evidence of oeniculture backs them up); and while some vineyards have planted the usual Western varietals in recent years, the indigenous grapes are still in production. In the couple of months since the show I've made a point of getting a couple of bottles of each of these wines, since it's hard to do justice to anything in the trade-show context. Here are my thoughts: Dry White: Chrebalo The Chrebalo vineyards were established in the 1870's, died under the Bolsheviks, and restored to active winemaking in 2000. This wine is made from indigenous Rachuli Tetra and Tsitska grapes. It is a pale gold in colour, with a crisp and only moderately fruity aroma. This is not a featherweight wine for sunshine and salads! Lots of tannins, lots of strength, not as fruity as most New World whites I've tried. Lean and sinewy. Comes across almost as a red wine in drag. Dry Red: Alexandrouli I had an unusual first reaction to this one. It made me think of the sea! The Alexandrouli grape is another indigenous varietal, with a light ruby colour. My wife picked out lots of light herbal and floral notes, while my outstanding impression was of a pleasant and unusual astringency (the reason I thought of salt ocean breezes, no doubt). The rep told us that this is indicative of the terroir; the prevailing winds are from the Black Sea, and herbs and violets are grown commercially in the surrounding area. Not a big, bold red; but certainly backbone and structure enough to be interesting. Semi-Sweet Red: Kvanchkhara I really like this one. It's a shame that semi-sweet wine is awkward to market; sweeter than an off-dry, but not really sweet enough for a dessert wine. Kvanchkhara is easy to spot, as it comes in a terra-cotta bottle (okay, there's glass too, but I think the terra-cotta is a pretty cool marketing gimmick). The grapes are Mujuretuli and Alexandrouli; given the nature of the dry Alexandrouli I'll assume that the Mujuretuli provides the substance here. This wine is very powerful and complex. There is a lot of fruit; my immediate impression was of black cherries and plums but many other things (currants, maybe even a bit of good cigar tobacco) came and went as I worked my way through the bottle. Although the sweetness is front and centre it doesn't dominate, there is more than enough acidity and tannin to give it structure. Altogether this is a lush, powerful wine with lots to recommend it. Think of it as a mature, voluptuous woman as opposed to the tanned young hardbodies of Australia and California. All three of these wines are produced by Rachuli Wino Ltd, winemaker O. Chelidze.

"Widdershins" means counterclockwise. In the folklore of the British Isles (and perhaps other places, I'm no folklorist); walking around a church/standing stone/whatever "widdershins" could place you inadvertantly in fairyland, where all kinds of bad shit might happen to you before you got home.

At my night job, we had a popover on our menu last year. It was flavoured with horseradish, and we filled the hollow with wild rice. It was the starch that went with our caribou tenderloin. My boss likes to dip into the old warhorses from time to time, giving them a bit of a twist. We have a take on Coquilles St Jacques on our current appetizer menu, and a version of Crepes Suzette on the dessert menu.

If any of you are visiting in Edmonton, you may want to try the dining room at NAIT, now known as Ernest's. Last year when I was studying there, we made "tableside" caesar at the Friday buffet a couple of times. Even when we didn't, it was made backstage, so to speak, in the classic manner (since we could learn the bastardized versions at our leisure, once we graduated).

At my day job we use the heavy-duty muffin pans from American Pan Co. They are 12 per pan, with a secondary depression around the cup to allow for jumbo muffins. We use a #6 scoop, and our muffins average 250g unbaked weight (over half a pound), which is big by any standard. It's their stock # 03027, on this page. I'm sure they'd be pricey to order, but they'll last you a lifetime of hard use. Ours are ten years old, at this point, and are still straight and square in each direction. And boy, do they take a beating!

I am always mystified at the passion avocadoes arouse. To me, they've always been a mouthful of lard with an aftertaste of new-mowed grass. The only two avocadoes I've bought in the last decade have been for my wife to mash into her scalp and hair. However, as noted upthread, about the only avocadoes we get here in the Great White North are Hass and "those <expletive> Florida things," so I may be doing a disservice to the other gazillion varieties out there. In the interest of international amity among foodies, I hereby pledge to try the damned things again if I ever find myself down in Mexico. (....but some of you have to promise to give okra another shot.... )