Nyleve Baar

About a month or two ago I got a notice from Pepperplate that they were going to start charging a subsscription fee for the app. Heck no, I said. Unfortunately I had about 150 recipes stored on that app, and didn't want to lose them. Looking for a free alternative, I found this: https://thecookbookapp.com/ I was able to export all my Pepperplate recipes to a file on my computer and then, laboriously, re-enter it into Cookbook App. It's fairly intuitive, has an attractive interface. You can also import recipes directly from a website by using their URL import too. It works perfectly about half the time, partly about 1/4 of the time, and not at all about 1/4 of the time. But you can still cut and paste into the app. Easy to search recipes and works across all devices, which was important to me. Because I often need to access a recipe when I am not at home. I think there are better options but nothing I could find that was totally free. So this will do me for now.

I have a Chefs Choice 1520 and I love it. I have absolutely zero interest in learning the fine art of knife sharpening. I am good at keeping my pots and pans in good shape; I know how to season a cast iron skillet; I can wing a recipe for almost anything from scratch. But knife sharpening is something I can't be bothered learning. The 1520 keeps my knives in good enough shape for most of my needs. I have used one of those sharpeners for well over 40 years (this is my second one) and many of my knives were wedding presents (1977). They're still absolutely fine. The machine has not destroyed them so far.

Oh please please don't use those sticky traps for mice or anything else. The poor creatures get stuck and die a long painful death - it's not ok. Use a snap trap. Disgusting but quick. Those little mice were just looking for a warm place to spend the winter. They don't need to be tortured for that.

The individual milk bags are great storage bags if you rinse them out and hang dry. We don't use a lot of milk these days but when my kids were small I bought the 3-bags-in-a-bag and always reused the bags.

Have you checked the bookstore at Fleming College? They used to sell all kinds of things related to their culinary course. I have definitely seen toques, aprons and jackets there. This was years ago but I think the course is still being taught so you might want to have a look.

Let us agree to diagree.

Ex-New Yorker now Canadian. And I even lived a stone's throw from Utopia Bagels in Queens. TOTALLY converted to Montreal bagels after son spent years at McGill. It is a different creature but an excellent one. I'll hear no negativity about Montreal bagels. St. Viateur is as good as Fairmount. But in any case they must be sesame, not poppy.

Canadian Thanksgiving here too. We have been doing the EXACT SAME Thanksgiving dinner for nearly 40 years. I am not allowed to change a single thing. Once I tried to make sweet potatoes instead of squash and boy, the uproar! This unruly group arrives on Saturday morning and doesn't leave until midday on Monday. EVERY SINGLE MEAL must follow the script, right down to breakfasts and snacks. I am fine with this Carved-in-Stone sceanario because it relieves me of any expectation to come up with creative approaches to any part of the weekend meal plan. For the actual Thanksgiving dinner I roast a gigantic turkey (fresh), stuffed with my mother's weird Hungarian stuffing; there's sweet and sour red cabbage with apples; my famous Cloud of Squash; homemade red wine cranberry sauce; gravy, of course; honey pumpkin pies and apple pies. It must be so. The Young Ones create an annual cocktail. Last year's included my homemade crabapple vodka.

Just heading to that part of the world tomorrow for 2 weeks! So please keep posting! I assume your meal was in Sorrento?

I never use the convection function for cookies. Bottom heat only. Don't know if you can turn it off on your commercial oven, but that's what I'd do.

My husband's mother would come to visit us and always brought 2 brains. One to cook - scrambled with eggs - while she was here. The other for ME to cook for her darling son in the future. Guess what never happened.

Oh yeah. We had cuy in Peru too. It was...ok.

We were told they were rice paddy rats. So obviously gluten-free and well fed.

During a trip to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam we tried snake - as sausage and just grilled - and grilled rat (or mouse, I'm not sure). The rat was much better than the snake. The snake sausage was the worst. We were on an evening food tour in a market town. I wouldn't bother seeking out either rat or snake again but at least I've done it once.

Don't chew it.

I have an east coast friend who loves dulse and always brings it home with her when she visits her family. She chews it like, I dunno, gum or something. I tried it. Seems to be a weird substance that the more you chew it the bigger it gets in your mouth. You just can't seem to get rid of it so you end up spitting out a giant wad. I'm not a fan.

Darienne - I have been seeing sides of wild sockeye salmon at Peterborough Costco, alongside the farmed salmon fillets (evil evil evil) in the refrigerated fish case. They're either defrosted or still frozen, vacuum sealed. I bought a couple the other week and had one - it was very good, and a very good price. Will not purchase farmed salmon as my son is a fisheries biologist in Nova Scotia, working to somehow save the wild stocks which are not doing well. When I ask him how things look, he tells me that he will be a witness to the extinction of the Atlantic salmon in that province. Fish farms are part of the problem but, admittedly, not the entire problem.

You can still get root parsley at supermarkets that have some "ethnic" stuff. It is a different thing than regular leaf - even plain leaf - parsley. There's a specific variety that grows a proper root, which is used in soup. My mother always used it in her chicken soup, and so do I if I happen to come across it. I suppose you can pull up a regular parsley and keep it root and all but it's not really meant to be used that way. Yes that photo above is cilantro.

I have no idea about translucent or not. If it's sliced thinly, which you had not yet done in the picture, it may very well have been more translucent looking. It may also have something to do with the specific salmon piece. I really don't think it would make any difference in the final product.think your gravlax looks great and glad you pushed yourself to make it!

Tic Tac - I've been to City FIsh many times but not recently and I've never had their smoked salmon. Next time I'm in that area I will pick some up for sure. It's near enough to Grande Cheese, which is where I sometimes stock up on Italian essentials. Thanks!

No nuisance at all! Yeah if your guy doesn't like smoked salmon, he won't like this. Texture is similar - not cooked, just cured. Some people just can't deal with that. If you don't like the mustard sauce just eat it however you like it! I personally am not crazy about mustard but I do like the sauce - it's like a slightly mustardy mayo, but with no egg. Your photo looks good - when I make it, I slice very very thinly diagonally across the grain to serve. It's excellent on any good bread - baguette or thinly sliced grainy stuff. So glad it worked out for you (more or less). Happy Anniversary!

You can absolutely leave out the dill. Use thyme if you like, or just leave it out altogether. Not a big deal. As for cutting it in half, I guess it would work. In that case I wouldn't bother trying to sandwich it together as in the recipe. Just wrap it all tightly in saran and weigh it down. Should turn out fine.

Ok then! Here goes. Please let us all know how it turns out - and happy anniversary! Gravlax Two 1 lb. centre cut salmon fillets (with skin on one side, if possible) 1 tbsp. coarsely crushed peppercorns 1 tbsp. coarsely crushed coriander seeds 1 tsp. dry mustard 2 tbsp. coarse salt 2 tbsp. granulated sugar 1/4 cup vodka 1 bunch fresh dill, trimmed Place both pieces of salmon, skin-side-down, on a baking sheet or large platter. Combine peppercorns, coriander seeds, dry mustard, salt, and sugar. Press evenly on flesh side of both salmon fillets. Line a glass dish or baking pan with an excess of plastic wrap. It should hang over all the sides because you'll be using it to wrap the salmon in. Place one fillet, spice-side-up, in the plastic-lined pan. Sprinkle with half of the vodka. Lay dill sprigs in a heavy layer over it. Place the second fillet on top of the first, spice-side-down. Sprinkle with the rest of the vodka. Wrap the salmon as snugly as possible in the plastic wrap. Place a tray or plate over the salmon and weight it down with a few heavy cans or potatoes or a bag of oranges...whatever you've got handy. Refrigerate for at least 2 days, turning the salmon over so the juices are evenly distributed once or twice a day. That's pretty much it. You can let it go 3 days if you want but 2 days is enough - too long can dry out the salmon and make it tough. To serve, remove from the marinade, scrape away dill, and most of the seasonings. Slice very thinly and serve with mustard sauce (recipe follows). Leftovers will keep for a week or so, in the marinade. Mustard sauce 1/3 cup Dijon mustard 1 tsp. dry mustard 1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce 2 tbsp. granulated sugar 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar (or cider vinegar) 1/3 cup olive oil 3 tbsp. finely chopped dill (I didn't use it) 2 tbsp. whipping cream In a small bowl, mix together the Dijon mustard, dry mustard, hot pepper sauce, sugar and vinegar. With a whisk, slowly beat in oil until it becomes mayonnaise-ish. (I used a mini food processor and it worked just fine.) Stir in the chopped dill and whipping cream.

I've made gravlax many times - it's ridiculously easy. BUT the problem is getting good salmon is not so easy. I try to avoid farmed salmon if at all possible and that's what is mostly available, especially at this time of year. My son is a fisheries biologist working with salmon on the east coast and he has drilled into me how terrible the salmon farming industry is. I will occasionally by smoked salmon that I know is farmed but we don't talk about it. Haha.

Peterborough Costco used to carry Nanuk brand smoked salmon which I thought was pretty good, but they've stopped selling it. They now only carry some kind of smoked steelhead, which I don't like. And they carry another brand of smoked salmon in the freezer - it comes in individually vacuum packed small packets. It's better than the steelhead and it's nice to be able to take out just enough for a serving or two without thawing the whole side of salmon. I've seen - but not tried - smoked wild sockeye at Superstore. They seem to have several different brands of smoked salmon - you might give one of those a shot. All frozen ones. If you should happen to end up in Toronto, I would recommend the smoked salmon from Central Epicure - they have an outlet near Steeles and Weston Road. They also do great smoked whitefish. It's in the middle of nowhere but not far off the 407 if you're up at that end of the city. I've also heard great things about Kristapsens (sp?) but have never had their smoked salmon so can't vouch personally.