lexy

Hah, I was just thinking the same thing … my parents (jokingly) do the same thing ("Well who tried to pitch a tent in a valley during a rainy Scottish winter?" "Who once tried to make their own beer in the basement and decided to 'kick it up a notch' by doubling all the ingredients except for the water?" &c &c) What was the peach foie gras like taste- and texture-wise? It looks great, but did it taste as cool as it looks? And can we get recipes (or guidelines) for the stilton biscuits and avocado cream? They look fabulous. Votes: IC 1: 8.5 - The first and last courses look really great. Interesting and sophisticated, but tasty-looking. IC 2: 8 - Everything looks good, but I wasn't as excited by it. Also, I love sweets, and a spoonful of sorbet for dessert vs a tart? Sorry, no contest

Cambridge Suites (I think that's the name - I'll try and double check) is nice and is in a good downtown location - just below Citadel Hill. Not a restaurant recommendation per se, but I'm quite partial to Uncommon Grounds for coffee, snacks, or a light lunch.

Just another congratulatory post - thank you for the fantastic photos and commentary. I really enjoy the armchair travel! And I'm amazed (as always) by chinese cuisine - I'm simultaneously shamed by my own attempts to cook it, and super keen to hop a plane to China and try the real stuff for myself.

More pie - mixed berry, with 'snails' made from the leftover dough and cinnamon sugar

This blog is going to be legendary *grabs bowl of popcorn and a ringside seat and prepares for a smackdown* New eGullet feature: foodie matchmaking service?

Great piece … reminds me why I love Québec - I'm not sure I've ever been in another part of Canada that's as much fun just to be in

Too right - I love that book. Haven't tried the butter toffee crunch shortbread, but her regular shortbread recipe is fabulous, especially if it's allowed to age for a few days.

Chocolate-chip cookies from Regan Daley's In The Sweet Kitchen

Sorry, I have no idea, but I'd be interested in finding out. Perhaps you could oversoak, and then let it sit on a drying rack to let the excess drip out a bit?

Vanilla salt might have some interesting savoury applications though … did you just bin it, or did you try to use it anything?

Last slice of leftover apple pie: edited because I'm silly

Hmmm, well good to know. I've also often walked past the counter and considered it, thinking "I bet that's not good sushi … but maybe I should try it anyway." It probably depends where you are though. If I were in downtown Toronto I wouldn't buy it; if I were in Timmins or Thunder Bay it would probably look pretty good (apologies to anyone from Timmins or Thunder Bay - I assume that stellar sushi is not on offer there)

Any idea how to tell when a yellow passionfruit (granadilla) is ripe? It was rather expensive at the local supermarket and I'm leery of just opening it up to see if it's ready.

Poached or hard-boiled egg yolk 'olive' garnish? (I post this idea hesitantly - I can't decide whether it would be really awful or actually sort of good)

And it's always fun just to mess around with ingredients and make stuff up - especially once you've already had a few

I think that's the way forward - reclining in another room, glass in hand, occasionally barking orders to the kitchen and doing random spot checks/taste tests Drinks are tricky. For god's sake please do not serve rum & cokes - maybe it's just me, but it seems they're always the non beer or wine drink option. For during the day, what about having a bowl of sangria and then a sort of mix-your-own bar with a variety of juices and a few different kinds of mix-friendly spirits? Allows for a variety of tastes, and takes some of the pressure off of you.

Are you going to have assistants to help you out? I enjoy cooking for friends too, but if attempted solo this menu looks like it could become a bit of an ordeal.

My guess is that it gets lost or stolen more easily than larger items like plates. This is going to be an epic 21st - I haven't given much thought about what I'm going to do for mine, but I can guarantee it will not be this intense. Good luck!

I missed the mountains somehow - darn, the west coast's lovely but I'd been hoping for an east coast blog (especially since I'll be in Nova Scotia in a fortnight) Unless we have a newfie on the board - a summer blog from Newfoundland would be fantastic

That picture looks like the maritimes to my eye - perhaps Shaya?

I'll say - I like to think I eat rather well for a student, but I'm not anywhere near your level of technical ability and experimentation. What sort of kitchen set-up are you going to be working with at school next year? I'm living out in a house next year, and I was pleasantly surprised when moving some of my things into the house to find a gas oven in the kitchen and a grill in the back yard!

I grew up in Canada, and I've never heard of it. Sounds interesting though - next time I'm back I'll keep an eye out for it. I suspect that if it's still made, it's the kind of thing that never makes it to larger markets, that you can only buy directly from the sugar shack. Vinegar (white or malt) for chips, all kinds for salad dressings. I often add a shot to soups as well.

I think it's called caul fat

I bought my first raspberries of the season at the market today, and enjoyed them with some leftover trimmings from yesterday's pound cake. (Unfortunately you can see the berries got a bit squashed on the bike ride home) I think one of my favourite things about summer fruits is that their short period of availability makes them that much better. I like apples, but I eat one everyday - there's not much special about apples for me. But every summer it's like eating summer fruits for the first time again. I'd forgotten really what raspberries tasted like, and nearly didn't buy any at the market. However, at £1 a punnet I figured why not, and I'm glad I bought them - I'd forgotten how much I love raspberries

Lord Peter Wimsey was a bit if a gourmand as I recall. And (not to disclose too much plot here), food was somewhat key in Strong Poison And of course there's turkish delight in the Narnia books