maxmillan

My coworker and I were discussing this article. The servers gets paid a higher starting wage than the bakers. The bakers are required to have studied their vocation before being hired. The server just has to have a nice smile and customer service skills. The bakers put in a sweaty, back-breaking 8 hour shift. I like this job but, come on, where's the fairness? I'm planning to quite baking and continue with my second job, customer service, because it pays way more, the hours are more flexible, I have more autonomy, and I'm treated with civility by my bosses and coworkers. The mentality that we have to work like a dog and be treated like an idiot in this field baffles me. And on top of that, we get paid very little. Is that one reason why there is a shortage?

My crust recipe consists of 75% butter, 25% shortening, flour, salt, sugar, lemon juice, water and baking powder. I bake it in a pyrex, forked all over, and covered with bean filled foil. I bake like this for approx 10 minutes and and then take out the foil and beans and bake for another 10 minutes. How can I prevent shrinkage so that it can maintain that nice crimped pre-baked look? I've had the edges rise and droop over and also shrink in. Is it my recipe, my method, or both? Thanks for your advice or any links to this similar problem.

Can anyone point out where I can buy a professional apple peeler that also core and slice the apples? I see one that can be ordered online but prefer to buy in a shop. This is for work so it will go through a lot of of apples and the $20+ models that are sold in stores breaks every couple of weeks. Do any of the wholesalers sell them? Thanks.

Can I purchase the "Art of Eating" at a store or must I order via mail? If I can buy it in town, where in Vancouver can I find this magazine? Thanks.

I've only eaten there a few times and remember the service being just average. The food is good, depending on what time of the day you go. I find that the day cook is better than the evening (pasta was way too salty.) Even if the food is very good, I find that if the service is bad, I wouldn't go back. Marcello, therefore, is not usually my first pick for pasta and pizza.

Slightly off topic. I was at Kingsgate Mall and there is a new discount bookstore which had a book based on Cuban food. What differentiates Cuban food from other ethnic dishes?

Yes it is the same company. They opened their wholesale division (no longer on Victoria) Sept. 5 and they will open to the public on October 14. They'll still keep the original Victoria St. location open for retail. (Did you know that the old location has almost a whole city block of underground storage where they keep all the wheels of Parmesan etc. at cellar temp?) ← I had no idea about their underground storage...wow! Does anyone have the address of the new location? When you say "wholesale division" and opened to the public, does this limit purchases only to retail businesses? Thanks.

I noticed a sign while driving east on the No. 1 Hwy. On a building by the highway it said, "Bosa Opening Soon." Does anyone know about thsi? Is this the same Bosa located on Victoria Drive?

Thanks for all the info. However, I decided a dessert buffet is the way to go instead of restaurants that offer no buffet. I only know of Griffins and the chocolate buffet at what was once the Meridien. Does anyone know of other dessert buffets? I thought there was a thread pertaining to this but I can't find it. As well, when I called around for dessert buffets, I discovered a couple of delicious sounding buffets that offers dessert buffet. The William Tell restaurant has a Swiss Farmers Buffet brunch. Has anyone tried it? Also, I called the Waterfront and they offer a brunch buffet as well? Any word on what their desserts are like? I'll go the route of buffets that includes food as long as there are desserts. Thanks for any leads.

Are these desserts created by Thomas Hass? Thanks.

I've heard a lot about the bread pudding at HSG. However, what is the "Ornamatal" at Parkside? Thanks.

I'd like a suggestion for a birthday dinner. Something not too expensive for the meal and a restaurant that has excellent desserts. I was thinking The Griffin at Vancouver Hotel because they have a dessert buffet but it seems like I go there almost every year. I'd like a variety of desserts, not just chocolate, as I find this too heavy and it's not everyone's favorite. A good mix of white cakes, chocolate, mousse, fruits, pies, etc is ideal but the quality should be good. It doesn't have to be a dessert buffet but it should have a good range of quality desserts. Ornamate plating does not impress us, just good desserts. I find a lot of restaurants minimize the importance of the final course by offering simple chocolate desserts, ice cream and not much else. Thanks for your help.

Hmmm, the peaches and amaretto is going to be my next attempt. I'm not a fan of peaches/apricot and ginger. However, since I have Chambord, I will try a small batch on the peaches, too. I've made raspberry with Chambord and Cassis and it worked out well. I have also tried blueberry with the above just for fun. The Godiva chocolate (white and dark) is also a consideration. On the list is also lychee liqueur. The overall winner for me is still Contreau and blackberry. Thanks for the suggestions!

I've made freezer blackberry jam with Contreau and, WOW, it is good. I've made blueberry freezer jam with ice wine and it was only okay. It was suggested that I make blueberry jam with Limencello. I was considering Cassis. Which Cassis would you recommend? Are there any other liqueur suggestions for blueberry (White Cacoa possibly?) I also have strawberries, cherries, raspberries and peaches in the freezer. I want to make them into preserves with liqueurs as well. Any suggestions? I plan to make them all into freezer jams to give away for Christmas. My other question is, what do I do with the remaining liqueur since I don't drink? I like to make desserts with liqueur. Thanks!

Thanks very much for your replies. A porcelain coated cast iron tea kettle sounds like what I need. The one I saw was not coated, it was rather cheap. There were ones that held 2L and ones that held 0.5L .

If this were used to boil water all the time, would it not eventually rust? I was considering steeping my tea in this because cast iron will retain its heat longer than a regular kettle. I'd appreciate an opinion (although it may sound obvious.) Thanks.

Thanks for all your replies. I've decided to pit the peaches, slice them and freeze the pieces with the skin on. This seems to be the simplest method to keeping the peaches unadulterated as much as possible. Hopefully this will suffice for pies and toppings when I cook them later. This will be good for smoothies, too!

I'd like to can peaches with the skin on. Will this result in something gross? I thought I'd simply cut the peaches in half, remove the pit and store them in a simple syrup solution without having to boil the peaches. I've seen this done with lemons and wonder if it'll work with peaches. Of course I'll use none sprayed peaches. If so, what percentage sugar to water ratio? Thanks for your help and any lead to threads on this site.

Last year I recall someone asking where one can buy tart rings. I can't seem to find the particular thread via search. I checked with a few places in town and they don't seem to have them. Last time I saw them I was in Steveston but prefer not to drive that far just for tart rings. Surely, there must be a place to get them in Vancouver or nearby. I'm looking for an approximate size of 1/2 inch height by 4 inch diameter, preferable stainless steel (but aluminum is fine.) I'm looking at getting a dozen or less so a good price, of course, is appreciable. Thanks for any lead.

I thought I'd start a thread separate from the strawberries' thread so as not to have this lost in the middle of it. I have not seen any place in Richmond to pick blueberries. Sure, there are lots of pre-picked ones but I like harvesting blueberries myself. I have been in Delta to pick raspberries but prefer not to go that far. If worse comes to worse, I will buy them from No. 5 Road or something. My concern is which farms spray heavily. Does anyone know, firstly, if there is a blueberry U-pick farm in Richmond, especially one that does not spray their berries? Secondly, I am willing to venture no further than Delta if there is a farm that has "decent" berries that aren't sprayed. Thirdly, is there any place in Vancouver that sells fresh organic blueberries at an affordable price? I plan to store a lot of blueberries in the freezer and want enough to last till the next season. Thanks for your help.

Oops, forgot to mention, RSVP by July 17 to info@capersmarkets.com

Capers Community Market is opening Thursday July 20. The first 200 people will receive a Capers bag filled to the brim with grocery items. Be forwarned. People will be lined up way before the 8am opening. There is also a preview party on Wednesday July 19 from 6pm to 9pm. You need an invitation card but I'm sure if you call them you can get one. Invites were sent to staff, vendors, dignitaries. Throughout July 20 to July 30 there will be something going on such as tastings, demos, info, freebies, etc.

I bought some of Michelle's garlic at Granville Island on Tuesday. She was selling 6 for $8 or $1.50 each. What a great deal! I'm so glad you have alerted us to this, Salmon. Michelle said she'll be at Trout the odd Saturdays as well as the West End market. What I like to do is a garlic braid. Can this be done with the Russian Reds? How does one go about doing this?

May I ask, where did you pick your raspberries and how much were they charging per pound? BTW, I found rubbing Bounce dryer sheets on yourself help ward off mosquitos. I usually leave a few hanging around my clothing if you don't want it on your skin. Avoid eating bananas for a couple of days before being around mosquitos and Avon sells "Skin So Soft" moisturizers that works more effectively than any chemical repellent. I also eat a lot of garlic and that seems to work, too.

I usually coat the inside of the crust with chocolate so it won't get soggy from the filling. Thanks for the recipe.