lexy

What are the criteria upon which you will be judged? Are they looking for novelty and innovation? Solid classical techniques? Might be strategic to try and gear your entry towards what the judges are looking for.

I assume this is high table ...?

Apple tart from this recipe. Lesson learned from this tart: don't add six times more water to the pastry than the recipe calls for, then add more flour to try and save it, and then over-knead it. Not good.

Carrot salad with parsley, olives, feta, and pine nuts. Apple and two clementines. Not pictured: mug of tea, square of Valrona Guanaja chocolate.

mmm, not really - it's essentially membrillo with almonds I suppose. You cook down quince pulp with sugar, water, and a splash of lemon.

Quince paste sweets from the recipe in Claudia Roden's New Book of Mediterranean Food, with toasted (er, burnt) almonds.

I've had one of those maple liquers before - I heartily unrecommend them, like drinking sickly-sweet sherry. Then again, it was a cheapo bottle someone gave me as a gag gift, so perhaps higher quality maple liquer would be more palatable.

Banana bread, with dark chocolate chunks and cinnamon: Recipe here.

gfron?

mmm, montreal bagels my little brother just started at McGill and I'm pretty sure one of the (unofficial) selling points of McGill for him was ready access to fresh St Viateur bagels and Schwartz's

Just what I was going to ask - I love pickles and I love mushrooms, and I'm anxious to try these Also, I love the Moomin kitchen-ware. That alone is enough to tempt me to make a trip to Estonia (also, some friends went last Christmas and loved it)

Those look like the kind of small plums that seem to be more common in England than they are in North America. Both look great GTO!

Haven't had time to give this thread a proper read, but an advance 'thank-you' for your reports: I'm planning a trip to Rome, Sicily, and Ravenna for September, and this thread looks like it'll be rather useful.

Hmm, I wonder if the Australian Nando's is any relation to the UK restaurant chain Nando's? (also portugeuse chicken)

Let me know when you open - I'll be there