Degustation

Actually minced meat cakes are quite common. They are just cuts like flank steak or pork shoulder, which have been minced quite finely (with a cleaver, or use the double cleaver method if you are talented) and mixed with seasonings, and other ingredients, such as waterchestnuts, shitake mushrooms, green peppers and minced shrimp, or chinese sausages (the combination depends on the dish you are you making). It is then flattened out on a plate and steamed. As well, stuffed tofu, eggplants, or bitter melon usually use minced meat for the stuffing. For instance with stuffed eggplant, I just purchase fish paste and mix it with waterchestnuts and coriander, and steam the dish. You can them make a sauce after the steaming by pouring off the accumulated juices into a pan, and adding seasonings such as oyster sauce, and thickening with corn starch to pour over the finished dish. Steamed egg custards are nothing more than eggs mixed with water and seasonings, for instance shrimp paste and then steamed. Duck egg custards are similarly prepared and can be enhanced with minced pork and waterchestnuts. I also love steamed crabs. My dad chops up the live crabs and steams them with ginger and seasonings. The dish is then finished with shredded scallions and hot oil. I believe Ken Hom has a recipe in which he steams the crab with the egg custard. Interestingly, my young nieces also love the skin on the steamed or boiled chicken, but I can't stand the taste.

For a whole fish, I think the rule is approximately 10 minutes per each 1 inch thickness at its thickest part. I generally then check it by poking at the thickest part to see if it flakes easily, which indicates that it is done.

I'm with Human Bean, I use what's at hand - usually the chopsticks in the wok if I'm steaming a large dish or I can use the insert with the rice cooker if it's a small item (like one BBQ pork bun). I usually steam items like fish; stuffed tofu, eggplant, or bitter melon; meat cakes (like beef and waterchestnuts, or pork and chinese sausage - I'm going to try a new one my mom suggested - pork with chinese sausage, water chestnuts, shitake mushrooms and dried oysters); savoury egg custard with shrimp paste; duck egg custard with pork and waterchestnuts; or even chicken with taro root and chinese sausage.

I used to buy Lee Kum Kee, but I think the quality of their hoisin has deteriorated. I don't think they started out using sweet potatoes as a base for the condiment but I don't remember. I just know that one day I noticed that the flavour and texture was different and I switched brands. I now use Yuet Heung Yuen and the list of ingredients are: Soya Bean, Sugar, Flour, Vinegar, Salt, Garlic, Sesame Seed, Chili, Spices and FD&C Red #40 (artificial colour). I remember my dad used to purchase hoisin that came in large cans (may have been a commercial brand) and the flavour and texture was very different from what I've tasted in the jars. It was not as sugary and the consistency was coarser.

I understand that Susur has a vegetarian tasting menu that changes daily.

Yep, if it hasn't been booked by corporate groups or celebrity types, the room is available to anyone dining at the restaurant. Hmmm, a possibility for an eGullet gathering? Wilfrid can even do camp.

When you appeared on Christine Cushing's show you indicated that you appreciated living in New York as it allowed you to experiment with many different international ingredients whille still cooking with classic French techniques. In A Return to Cooking, there is this wonderful line - "...cooking for the landscape, letting place determine the menu", which reflects your attraction to using local seasonal ingredients to create inspiring dishes. Are there other regions in the world where you would like to spend some time in order to explore its indigenous fresh food ingredients to further develop artistically and personally as a chef? What would these ingredients be that you could not get from or prefer not to get from your New York suppliers?

Apparently Susur has just added an extension at the back of his restaturant. It's an entirely self-contained salon with a fireplace, carpets, wine cellar, private washroom, and view of the tiny garden. It can be accessed via the kitchen or a private entrance.

I've read that Patrick Lin has left Hemispheres. The reason given was "To spend time with his family and further his education". The article was about dining in a restaurant's kitchen, and it sounded like the author had a fine dinner just before Lin had left. Part of the menu consisted of: lobster tail and shark fin in lobster broth; squab breast glazed with sake, rice vinegar and soy that was paired with foie gras and spiced peaches; and dessert was three souffles: lime, lemon grass, and passion fruit. Henry Wu's corporate chef Neal Noble is now back in the kitchen.

The best tasting "Toronto" bagels are the well-known Gryfe's bagels which was developed by a Jewish baker in the early 1930's (thereabouts, will need to go read their story blurb again). They are boiled and baked in a brick oven. The bagels have a nice chewy, light texture and they are smaller, puffier with a smaller hole and not as sweet as a Montreal bagel. However, it is best to buy the ones at the original Gryfe's Bagel Bakery at 3421 Bathurst, since the well-seasoned oven lends great flavour to the bagels. Quite recently, Gryfe's have been selling their dough to different shops around the city, so people can get fresh-baked Gryfe's bagels at different locations. However, I have found that the shiny new metal ovens don't impart the same flavour. Since Gryfe's is located in an old predominantly Jewish neighborhood, there are also other small bagel shops around there but Gryfe's are the best known. What-a Bagel is a relatively new player but they now have 8 franchise locations in Toronto. They are light, larger than Gryfe's and not unpleasant to munch on when they are fresh, but I prefer Gryfe's. They are also boiled before baking. St. Urbain Bagel has three locations (one in St. Lawrence Market), and they are the closest to the Montreal bagels, with the sweeter taste and the denser texture. I actually found them, when they are warm, to be a bit too mushy as compared to Montreal bagels. (i.e, Fairmount or St. Viateur) However, when they are toasted they are very similar to the Mtl type. Great Canadian Bagel (50 franchises) just offers bad bread with a hole in the middle - bagels indeed! There are others, but Gryfe's and St. Urbain are the two most distinctive and best in flavour. Though I love Montreal bagels, I wouldn't turn down a Gryfe's when it first comes out of the oven (they also need to be consumed within a few hours or they turn hard like Mtl bagels - freeze 'em and toast 'em) A Jewish friend agrees that Toronto bagels pretty much suck, but he thinks comparing Gryfe's and Mtl bagels can be futile because they are both good, just different. However, I'm sure some people will dispute what is a "real' bagel. In terms of Torontonians being anti-Montreal, I haven't found this to be true in years. Perhaps it's because half of Montreal lives here now, and most everyone else is from everywhere else other than Toronto. Pure-bred Torontonians are as rare as Dodo birds. Everyone bashes Toronto, it's a national sport. There used to be a great rivalry between Toronto and Montreal but that has been diluted over the years as both cities have evolved in different ways. Everyone knows that Montreal is the "city where one works to live" and Toronto is the "city where one lives to work".

I would also love to get the recipe for the gingery-shortbread with the ginger topping. I tried a Ginger Lemon recipe last year and was disappointed with the texture - too dry. I had sampled another version at a party which was quite buttery and lemony with a very distinct ginger kick. I was toying around trying to replicate this but since I'm such a novice at baking I didn't know where to begin. Any suggestions from the expert bakers? Can I just use some buttery type cookie recipe and add in the lemon zest and candied ginger, with some ginger spice? My dad and I are the only ones in the family who really love ginger...so too bad if there are more of these kinds this year. Last year, I made rugelach with apricot preserves, lemon butter bars, the ginger lemon cookies, and brutti ma buoni. Looking forward to expanding my horizons this year with these great suggestions.

Thanks for all the responses. It's a party run by a wine tasting club, so the servings will be tasting size portions. As they say in their invite, they will intentionally have a mixture of classics wines, eclectic selections, rarities, the unusual and some lesser known damonds in the rough - just so there is something for everyone. I believe the reds and whites will be out first, to complement the food tables. People will be able to partake in whatever order they like, as they will just head to to tables where that particular wine is located. The dessert-style wines will appear towards the end of the evening along with dessert and coffee. It seems Santa will also be appearing with some sort of "bubbly" at some point...who knows what this may be...just sparkling or actually decent Champagne? I think I will stick to the vintage Madeira. I would like to proceed in some reasonable order but I'm sure some of the popular wine tables will be pretty crowded, and may run out early. I would rather like to savour some good stuff, rather than making it into a marathon gulp and run session. So I will have to have an "A" list and then a "B" list to make sure I don't end up stuck with the dregs.

I've been invited to a winetasting Christmas party where there will be different wines to sample. However, it will be first come, first served. Once the advertisesd vintage is gone, it will be replaced by a "mystery" wine. So I call on the knowledge of the wine experts out there to help me plan my strategy. Which wines should I head for first? Which ones should I not even bother with. They are also offering a regular serving of a 100-year-old vintage Verdelho Madeira from 1902 for a $16 supplement - worth it? I'm not married to any particular type of wine, and I am willing to try anything especially if it's very good. For instance, I always thought red wine was dreadful until I had my first sip of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Advise away please. Red Wines ARGENTINA 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon, Catena Alta - Bodegas Esmeralda AUSTRALIA 1997 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz - Penfolds AUSTRALIA 1997 Shiraz, Brookman Vyrd - Clarendon Hills AUSTRALIA 1997 Shiraz/Grenache/Mourvèdre Old Vine - Penfolds BORDEAUX 1957 Château De Terrefort Quancard BORDEAUX 1962 Château Lafite BORDEAUX 1962 Château Phelan-Segur BURGUNDY 1947 Corton-Bressandes - Sichel BURGUNDY 1972 Clos Vougeot - Jean Grivot BURGUNDY 1972 Nuits-Saint-Georges - Domaine Leroy BURGUNDY 1997 Le Corton - Bouchard P & Fils CHILE 1992 Finis Terrae - Cousiño-Macul CHILE 1997 Merlot, Cuvée Alexandre - Casa Lapostolle GREECE 1994 Naoussa Grande Réserve - Vaeni ITALY 1967 Barolo Riserva - Borgogno ITALY 1997 Porphyr - Lagrein N ZEALAND 2000 Pinot Noir - Palliser Estate PORTUGAL 1997 Quinta Do Cotto RHONE 1982 Châteauneuf-du-Pape - Vieux Telegraphe RHONE 1992 Châteauneuf-du-Pape - Château de Beaucastel S AFRICA 1997 Pinot Noir, Galpin Peak - Bouchard Finlayson SPAIN 1997 Rioja Reserva - Muga SWISS 2000 Pinot Noir - Imesch USA-CALIF 1977 Cabernet Sauvignon, Fay Vyrd - Heitz Cellars USA-CALIF 1977 Petite Sirah, York Creek - Ridge USA-CALIF 1985 Cabernet Sauvignon - Caymus USA-CALIF 1992 Zinfandel, Pagani Ranch - Ridge USA-OREGON 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon - Seven Hills Dessert Wines CALVADOS 1977 Calvados - Coeur De Lion GERMANY 1971 Ockfener Bockstein Herrenberg Auslese - Rheinart GERMANY 1997 Scharzhofberger Riesling Spatlese - von Kesselstatt HUNGARY 1995 Szt. Tamas Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos - Royal Tokaji LOIRE 1997 Coteaux Du layon, St Lambert - Pithon MADEIRA 1942 Malvasia Reserve Velha, Quinta Mãe Dos Homens-Barbeito MADEIRA 1952 Verdelho Reserva Velha - Barbeito PORTUGAL 1937 Colheita Port - Barros PORTUGAL 1977 Vintage Port - Gould Campbell PORTUGAL 1977 Vintage Port - Skeffington PORTUGAL 1987 Vintage Port, Quinta da Vargellas - Taylor SAUTERNES 1975 Château d'Arche White Wines ALSACE 1999 Gewurztraminer - Zind-Humbrecht ARGENTINA 1997 Chardonnay, Luca vyrd, Catena Alta - Bodegas Esmeralda AUSTRALIA 1997 Chardonnay - Petaluma BURGUNDY 1992 Chassagne-Montrachet, Morgeot - Ramonet BURGUNDY 1997 Beaune, Clos des Mouches - Drouhin CANADA 1999 Old Vines Chardonnay, American Oak - Daniel Lenko CANADA 1999 Old Vines Chardonnay, French Oak - Daniel Lenko CHILE 2000 Sauvignon Gris - Casa Silva JURA 1992 Arbois, Dom de Sorbief (Rosé)- H Maire LEBANON 2000 Blanc Eternel - Fakra LOIRE 1997 Sancerre, Clos du Roy - P Jolivet N ZEALAND 2000 Chardonnay - Te Kairanga RHONE 1997 Condrieu - G Vernay SPAIN 1987 Viña Tondonia Reserva USA-CALIF 1997 Chardonnay Overlook - Landmark USA-CALIF 1997 Chardonnay, Private Reserve - Beringer

You can plant it and have a constant supply or have an interesting plant at the very least. Grow your own ginger

On this first snowstorm of the year, I decided to make a large pot of harira to hunker down with. This was my first attempt and I based it upon several different recipes I found on the Internet. Here’s what I did. I first browned a pound of NZ lamb (bone in) in olive oil. I removed the lamb, and in the same pot, sautéed three finely chopped onions, two chopped garlic cloves, and the following spices: turmeric, ground ginger, cumin, pepper (1 tsp each), 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cayenne. Once the onions were softened, I added two 19 oz cans of tomatoes, 4 cups of chicken stock and 4 cups of parsley and coriander stock (essentially ¾ bunch of each that had been simmered in water for about 15 minutes, and then discarded). I left it simmering until the meat was almost falling off the bone. At that point, I added in the lentils and left them cooking until tender. I then took out the lamb chunks and removed the meat from the bones. The meat was chopped up and added it back to the soup along with. a cup of cooked chickpeas. It simmered for another 30 minutes, and then I added some angel hair pasta. Finally, I adjusted the seasonings and I finished it off by gently stirring in 2 beaten eggs mixed with the juice of half a lemon, as well as two handfuls of chopped parsley and coriander. The bowl was garnished with lemon slices, dates and a dash of cinnamon. I have nothing to compare it with but I love the flavours. For the next time, I think I will decrease the meat and increase the lentils and the chickpeas. I would love to see how others prepare harira to get some point of reference for the next try.

Suvir - Looking forward to this with great anticipation. In reading your recipes, I have these wonderful, lucious images in my mind's eye, and I can't wait to see them in print. Woudn't it be fun if you could do a book tour? Then you could meet all sorts of eGullet people in their natural habitats. Continued best wishes with the book.

Thanks Eric, now I must check out Piri-Piri!

I wasn't too impressed with Chiado when I took an out of town guest there a couple of months ago. Albino Silva who owns Chiado was the chef there until he opened Adega. Silva is now the chef at Adega and Manuel Vilela is the chef at Chiado. I think Silva made Chiado and now perhaps it's missing his touch? I haven't tried Adega to compare. Silva was also a co-owner of Circo, which was place that served nouvelle Italian and Portuguese cuisine (whatever that meant). At any rate, I've heard Circo had mixed reviews and it closed a few weeks ago. The place is now an Indian restaurant. Cataplana is a fairly new place just a few doors west of Chiado and it was opened up by Francisco Valeriano who managed Chiado for the last nine years. His partner is Jose Alves, who is the chef. It's a pleasant place but the food is okay, and again mostly a mix of other cuisine with a few Portuguese dishes (Cataplana of clams or seasonal fish, grilled salt codfish -- but also Australian rack of lamb and grilled Canadian Black Angus steak). I think these high-end Portuguese restaurants tend to have a more general menu to try to please as many people as possible but you'll be a bit disappointed if you expected a wide range of authentic Portuguese dishes. Many of the Portuguese restaurants seem to have had some association with Chiado. There's this place that I've heard good things about that is right in between Chiado and Cataplana - Piri-Piri Churrasqueira which is owned by Agnelo DeCosta who was briefly a partner of Chiado when it first opened. It seems to have wider range of Portuguese dishes but I'm not expert enough to know how authentic they are. It's not high-end, more of a casual place. Here's a link to Piri-Piri - Eric what do you think of the menu? Piri-Piri Churrasqueira

Nope, North 44 is closed on Sundays. Civic holidays are usually on a Monday.

Yes, but at least the Fifth is located where there are people walking around. I remember when Mildred Pierce was in the middle of nowhere and you wondered if the neighborhood had been nuked and it was the only thing left standing. Now of course it is in the middle of condo-loft zone.

Then throw on your best Peter Greenaway duds and prepare to make your entrance...

I haven't eaten at Mildred Pierce in years, way back when it was very trendy, and no reservations. Food wasn't quite that memorable, but it was all very theatrical. Chefs have come and gone so I don't know how the food is these days. Segar Kulasegarampillai is the current chef so the menu has a bit of an Eastern twist. In 1997, Mildred Pierce also launched the Cookworks, a series of cooking classes and workshops, with guest chefs like Claudio Aprile of Senses. Cookworks Wilfrid - JOV is closed on Mondays.

Mildred Pierce is a bit campy - depends on what you want. I would shoot for JOV if you can get in. JOV at James Beard JOV Bistro info

Where's your hotel? From Gordon's list, all are within walking distance (except for Terra, very far) from the Yonge and Bloor area but Chiado and Mildred Pierce are at least a 10 minute cab ride. If you don't mind a 15 minute cab ride uptown, then go to JOV bistro - reservations a must. The Host is upscale Indian also on Prince Arthur if that's what you are in the mood for.

I watched the Julia spot on Nightline and I wondered to myself, "Is that Malawry!?"when I saw the footage of the dinner preparation. Girl, you is a star. Thanks for your entertaining reports.