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rubyred

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  1. Thanks so much to eveyone who replied for their thoughtful ideas! That's why I love egullet! Unfortunately, I've had a horrible migraine all weekend, so since the show had to go on, I did a lemon bar with a shortbread crust instead, and added a few extra bars to the order with no charge. My clients were still happy, which is good - while I said bridal shower in the OP, what I meant to say was baby shower, and any professional (or human, probably!) knows not to mess with a pregnant lady's favorite! I am still very excited to try to make Italian meringue. I remember it being used in desserts we made at a Pierre Herme workshop I did in Paris, but being one of the only cooks in the group I had never made it, and was not in the group that was assigned to make it. Thanks again!
  2. There's a bakery near my house (Au Pain Dore, in Montreal, in case you're curious!) that does a lemon meringue dessert with a texture I've never seen anywhere else. It's very thick and creamy, almost like marshmallow, really. Does anyone know how I can achieve such a texture? I would guess that they add an ingredient apart from the usual suspects, but I don't have the time to experiment, as I've been asked at the last minute to provide some tartlets for a bridal shower. Part of the reason I'm so keen to use this type of meringue topping is that I'm thinking a thicker topping might be more stable if the temperature and humidity is high on Sunday. Do you think I'm correct in my thinking? Cheers!
  3. If this were your Facebook status, I think I'd 'like' this!
  4. Katie & everyone else: I've been trying at finding clandestine shipments since my last post. There's a liquor store just over the border in NY that is more than happy to special order some stuff (the aforementioned St. Germain, as well as the far-more-coveted-by-yours-truly, absolutely GORGEOUS, Canton liqueur) for me. I'm sure I'll take them up on it at some point, but it'll have to wait until I have a reason/excuse to remain in the States long enough to be able to bring it back to Canada. I've considered booking myself into the Motel 6 (or equivalent) for the weekend just to earn myself the right to schlep The Golden Fleece (um, I mean booze) over the border, but if you all had seen the town, you'd know how I can't possibly bear the thought! Getting back to the liqueur itself, like I said before, I only had 50 mL of the stuff, and we decided to make Champagne cocktails (a huge passion of mine). I thought the flavour was so bright; unlike any Champagne cocktail I've made before. But there was something so very familiar to me. I couldn't put my finger on it, so I never bothered mentioning it in my original post. Granted, it's been several months, so naturally, I suddenly fear my tastebuds are failing me! But maybe I have tasted that flavour profile before! All my life my mother has been a great fan of Asti Spumante, and I recently tasted some at her birthday celebration. My immediate reaction to the first sip of the Asti Spumante was: Is it just me, or is St. Germain (at least when used in a Champagne cocktail) basically 'essence of Asti Spumante'? Like with any culinary Rubik's Cube, I was initially pleased with myself for identifying the flavour profile. Likewise, I'm left with more questions than before: Is this the true flavour profile? That is to say, is it different if combined with different flavours? I'm sure you've all been terribly concerned that I'll never manage to get my hands on some St. Germain. Rest assured that I expect to be travelling to the States this summer. (Dates pending, based on availability of seats at Minibar. Please pray for me!) Slightly O.T.: While I may have missed the 'trendy boat' on procuring a bottle of St. Germain, does anyone have a recommendation for a different trendy/specialty bottle that I may want to consider? Imagine this: You suddenly find yourself in Communist China. Your local state run liquor store carries only a few specialty products. That's what the liquor store is like in Quebec. Sad. All that to say, the bottle I may be looking for may not the the rarest bottle to you... Thanks for any input anyone has!
  5. I've seen a lot of recipes that call for frozen cherries. Does anyone know where to find them in Montreal?
  6. I have found it comes out a little sloppy. It's hard to get the nice even distribution- lots of splotches. Obviously you get what you pay for! ← I had a feeling that might be the case. Thanks, Serj!
  7. I'm looking forward to buying the Flavor Bible. It'll be a while because I only recently got a copy oh Culinary Artistry - I know! I know! It's one of those books that have been on my horizon FOREVER, but somehow every time I went to buy a cookbook something else beat it out! Better late than never, I guess... I'm obviously amazed by the lists! But can anyone tell me what the italicized ingredients symbolize? Really, it doesn't make a difference in the long-run; I'm just a special kind of anal! The book says that bolded ingredients are considered classics, but it says nothing about italics. If anyone knows, it'll surely put my mind at rest!
  8. Manton, sorry it's taken me this long to reply, but you should know that I really appreciate this thread. In a way that makes me insanely jealous of you! I don't know how many weeks are left on your class, but I am eager to see you through the end!
  9. Does anyone know of a "Culinary Bootcamp" program for non-professionals in Montreal? What I am looking for would be similar to this: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=120986 Cheers!
  10. I've only had a chance to read through the first three pages of this topic, which have been absolutely illuminating! I'm going to read through the rest when I have more time, but til then I have a question: Has anyone tried using a hobby paint sprayer (the sort used to paint model cars, etc.) with chocolate? I'm more or less experimenting at this point, so the $15 price tag is very appealing compared to hardware store prices! Specifically, I want to try the Alinea recipe 'LIQUID CHOCOLATE, Chicory, Dandelion, Banana, which calls for coating a frozen chocolate square with chocolate spray. I'm curious to hear what everyone has to say about it. It seems to me that, in the absence of any other trials with this product, $15 almost makes the hobby sprayer disposable, if only to report back on my findings!
  11. ← Does anyone know where I can find agar agar in Montreal? While I'm at it, I'm going to throw a whole bunch of other stuff out there for you guys. I got the Alinea book for Christmas and I'm dying to have a crack at some of the recipes! I'm trying to source some of the harder to find ingredients so I can come up with a game plan. There's a LOT of weird and random stuff coming up - we ARE talking about Alinea, after all! Try to put up with me? lol! I'm sure I'll be able to find most of this stuff online, but it would obviously be better if I could source them locally. I'm in the process of making a spreadsheet of the specialty ingredients, so I'll probably add to this post at some point. If anyone is interested in splitting some of these ingredients, please message me! Young Coconut - I'm thinking Chinatown / Marche Hawaii? Green almonds - When they are in season, of course! I've never see these in Montreal... Lime oil Eucalyptus oil Hazelnut oil Sassafras extract Root beer extract Dry licorice extract Freeze-dried chicory extract Akudjura Freeze-dried blueberries Freeze-dried apricots Freeze-dried pineapple Evaporated cane juice Barry/Callebaut MyCro cocoa powder Cocoa butter Trimoline Glucose powder Agar Agar Tapioca maltodextrin Isomalt powder Citric acid Soy lecithin Tapioca flour Xanthan gum Calcium lactate Sodium alginate Spray-dried cream powder Glycerin Iota carageenan High-acyl gellan gum Liquid nitrogen Dry ice
  12. Katie, I'm sure there were a lot of smiling people in that room! It's funny, because I was tempted to do that very French 75 twist today, but I thought the better of it so I could better enjoy my ever-so-tiny stash. I've read your posts before and am always impressed by your enthusiasm and vast knowledge of spirits. Maybe you can tell me more about the flavour profile of St. Germain. I've only had the chance to taste 50 mL of the stuff (more than half of that in the cocktail) so I'm still a little fuzzy... I'm going to go reread the thread, and relive past glories!
  13. Right then. Here we are nearly 2 years after the first post about this. And here I am, a Quebecer under the control of the state liquor board, which STILL doesn't stock St. Germain! But my luggage carried a small stash home from vacation for me. Tonight I did up a Champagne cocktail and my tastebuds cried. They CRIED, egulleters! SAQ: Release me from your tyranny!!!
  14. rubyred

    Gellan

    I have a few questions about Gellan. Le Sanctuaire sells three different types at VERY different prices! Kelcogel® F Gellan Gum - "Gellan" *EXCLUSIVE* (1 lb.) $65.00 Kelcogel® LT100 Gellan Gum *EXCLUSIVE* (1 lb.) $50.00 Kelcogel® JJ Gellan Gum *EXCLUSIVE * (1 lb.) $35.00 Any input would be appreciated!
  15. Thank you all for banging my head against a very hard surface. Just the thing I needed! I google every little thing that pops into my head. Sometimes all a girl needs is a reality check!
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