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Markian

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Posts posted by Markian

  1. Picked up some tonka bean aroma/essence as well as some sumac powder and well...besides infusing panna cotta or creme brulee with the tonka bean, what else can I do with these 2 ingredients? Dessert, appetizer and main course dish ideas would all be welcome!

  2. Drive to Northern New Brunswick - towards Neguac and Shippigan, find Maison Beausoleil and Mallet/St. Simon...they'll hook you up. Maybe just give them a call in advance. I was served Beausoleil oysters at the French Laundry (Oysters & Pearls) in 2006!!! If you're looking to eat a few dozen presented with innovative garnishes, check us out at the Rossmount in St. Andrews NB.

  3. I found tons of this growing on  a rocky beach here in New Brunswick...it tastes quite salty with a light grassy herbaceous quality...kind of like eating a thin aloe vera plant.  You can saute it quickly in brown butter, add a touch of vinegar and serve with fish...its quite good and definitely regional.

    That's a vivid description -- I can't wait to try some. Have you actually tasted aloe vera?

    I'm not too crazy about aloe vera...I've had in juice form and tried eating a piece off of a house plant....but the samphire mimics its texture and the flavour is definitely redolent of the sea.

  4. Has anybody challenged the C.C.C. exams recently? I have all the necessary information but am curious to know what the 2 day process actually involves. I'll be completing mine in 2 months and any insights or helpful tips would be appreciated. Thanks!

  5. [

    I've been asked to participate in another festival, "Indulge NB", this fall in nearby St Andrew's. I've been brainstorming a bit with the organizer, because this ties into one of my longer-term ambitions. As I've mentioned before, I want to pull together as many local chefs/producers/events as I can, to turn this whole region into the gastro-tourism destination that I think it can and should be.

    Hey there,

    I was part of the Indulge 2007 which was in my opinion a great success. We did a 9 course tasting menu entitled "The Best of Fundy West" We will definitely be involved again this year. We showcased local products and are trying really hard to do a "200 km radius" type of cuisine...except for chocolate and vanilla,,,things of tropical nature...although we don't use too many of them. Anyways, if you would like to come and cook with us as a guest chef when the festival is up and running, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me.

    Regards

    Markian Shafransky

    Chef de Cuisine

    Rossmount Inn

  6. Does anyone have a great recipe for thin ginger snap cookies?

    A customer wants me to duplicate Anna's Ginger Thins - which are pretty teriffic!

    Tonight I made Flo Braker's Sweet Miniatures recipe for Bittersweet Gingersnaps (without the chocolate dip), and will bake that batter off tomorrow.

    Any recommendations?

    Check this one out...I developed it for a "foiereo" recipe where I sandwiched a mousse of foie gras between 2 crisps. If you bake them right, they are really crispy with a nice color....if you want a killer sherry-brown sugar cured foie gras mousse recipe, let me know.

    Ginger Snaps For "Foiereo"

    yields 24 3 cm cookies

    Ingredients

    1lb unsalted butter at room temperature

    1.25 cup brown sugar

    1.25 cup white sugar

    1 tsp vanilla

    2/3 cup molasses

    4 eggs

    6 cups APF

    5 tsp baking soda

    1 tsp salt

    5 tsp cinnamon dust*

    5 tsp candied ginger dustified*

    1 tsp black or pink peppercorns ground*

    1 tsp lavender flowers ground*

    1 tsp orange zest minced fine*

    Method

    • Cream butter, both sugars and vanilla together in a “kitchen aide” on high speed with a paddle attachment.

    • Slowly drizzle in molasses while beating on slow speed.

    • Add your eggs one at a time and beat on medium- high speed

    • Whisk together flour, soda and salt and add any or all * “flavorings”

    • On slow speed add flour mixture gradually until a dough is just formed.

    • Remove from the machine and knead gently for one minute to bring it together, but be careful not to overwork it and form too many gluten strands.

    Flatten the dough into a disk 1 cm in height, wrap in plastic and Let rest for about 30 minutes in the fridge.

    • Preheat your oven to 375F

    • Roll the dough from the center out and cut into desired shape.

    • Bake until edges start to turn golden, remove from oven then flip and let relax until cool. Keep in an airtight container for a week...then bake some more!

  7. It seems there's always a tiny bit of cilantro turning into funky smelling brown juice towards the back of my herb drawer even though I use it alot. I swear, there's always one there!

    I've also got about 600 end pieces of old Parmiggiano and other hard cheeses kicking around...besides infusing soups and oils, any ideas?

  8. What is the most you have ever paid (averaged per person) for a meal in a restaurant?

    French Laundry

    447 USD per person with wine

    Susur in Toronto

    275 CAD for a five course tasting menu with foie gras and wine.

    Masa's in San Francisco

    265 USD each for me and my wife for a 9 course tasting menu with wine, foie and cheese trolley.

    Toque! in Montreal

    220 CAD each of us for a tasting menu with foie gras and wine pairing.

  9. I did try to make some white wine vinegar with my red wine mother, but no go. It made some pink and insipid brew, and I didn't pursue it further. I'm not sure if it's a diferent organism for each sort of vinegar or not, but mine wants to be red and only red.

    Could you add a little bit of port or possibly champagne to these mothers to make that type of vinegar?

  10. I did try to make some white wine vinegar with my red wine mother, but no go. It made some pink and insipid brew, and I didn't pursue it further. I'm not sure if it's a diferent organism for each sort of vinegar or not, but mine wants to be red and only red.

    I have an "accidental" mother in an old bottle of Tremeraire Sherry vinegar. Should I add some sherry to it, or can I feed it some red wine?

  11. With all the interest on molecular gastronomy these days, I'm looking to try some of the recipes that've caught my eye from the elBulli cookbooks. Does anybody know a source where I can order a few samples of food grade chemicals to experiment with, that will deliver to a remote area of New Brunswick, Canada?

    I'm specifically looking for: Calcium Chloride, Methyl-Cellulose, Agar-Agar Powder, Vitamin C Powder (in bulk) & Transglutaminase, as well as possibly some liquid nitrogen.

  12. I discovered Chefshop.com some months ago and have enjoyed many fine products from them.  Their selection of olive oils and fig jams are great, as are many other specialty items from France and Italy.  They ship promptly, charge fair prices, give excellent customer service on the phone. Makes me wonder what other great places are out there I don't know about.  If this topic was covered already (which it undoubtedly was), just lead me to the thread.

    Does anybody know of any gourmet food shops online from Canada? Most of the places that will send me stuff from the US will probably get held up at the border for customs. I'm not interested in my Fourme D'Ambert or white truffle sitting out somewhere for a few days.

  13. My favourite to look at is the French Laundry Cookbook, from which I have only dared to attempt the Gazpacho so far, which was very yummy.

    I've attempted the Salmon Tartar with the Sesame Cones.

    The Tuilles didn't work for me and I tried it three times. It kept splitting on me.

    But I have made a bunch of other stuff and it turned out very tasty.

    The Quail Eggs and Smoked Bacon "Bacon and Eggs", the the Blini's with the Eggplant Caviar and Roasted Peppers, and the Gougeres....easy and tasty.

    I agree, that if you have the time, French Laundry recipes work out best with minimal interpretaion out of most cookbook recipes. Nice and simple @ their core is what I enjoy most. Parmesan tuiles from a moist piece of cheese are a thing of beauty...double the recipe!!

  14. Any cookbooks from chefs in Montreal/Quebec/Eastern Canada that you use to cook at home?

    Daniel Vezina - "Ma Route des Saveurs au Quebec"...is some pretty sweet action.

    "Anne Desjardins cooks @ L'eau a la Bouche" ... is very seasonally inspiring too!

    I'm happy to see chefs from smaller and rural areas writing cookbooks.

  15. hi, i'm a professional cook and have recently(about a month ago) helped out at pastries for my restaurant. Only having culinary school pastry experience, which was three classes, and no one at work to really answer all of my baking questions/problems, I need your help.

    my restaurant is a "classic" French bistro that serves a moderate/high amount of people. My question is basic, but I really have no experience with baking. Occasionally, maybe one out of every fifteen to twenty dozen creme brulees I bake do not set. THe last time this happened the brulees were in the oven for over three and a half hours, and still did not set; even with adjusting the temperature. THis only occurs in one of the three still ovens i use, and i have taken the temperature of all the ovens. THe oven in question has the most constant temperature of the other two. Sorry for the long post, but there are a lot of factors and there's really no one to help at work.

    thanks,

    dave

    As always when it comes to classic baking recipes/formulae.... you need to make sure you use: the same recipe ratio, ramekin/vessel and environment whenever attempting.... if possible. Mistakes do happen in a kitchen.

  16. i bought some a few months ago and i am still not exactly sure what to do with it.  basically it was so expensive that i want to be able to taste every drop of it.  to this end, all i have been able to do it eat it with fresh loaves of Italian bread.  what are you using yours for?

    I'm using it pretty much on everything right now....venison tartare with arugula and walnuts, butternut squash risotto with porcini.... I drizzle some on a pumpkin bisque with shiitakes and sherry vinegar...and most simple has been a snack or a nice "and expensive" amuse bouche for guests and friends with my rosemary sourdough. I love both varieties, but the "per me" is definitely more intense.

  17. I just ordered some of this amazing stuff...wow! I'm definitely not keeping this oil around for too long or saving it for a special occasion...life is a special occasion! Anybody else liking this oil as much as I am?

  18. How many traditional techniques we dont have time to really master?
    El Bulli books can take few life times to understand and digest

    I agree...I find chef Adria's "cooking" to be quite amazing. In the same vain, I'm compiling recipes and techniques based on old Ukrainian & Russian books I've found, as well as a lot of stories people have been telling me. I find it quite incredible to see that many of the things I'm now learning are actually really really old methods that I'm simply putting my twist on. Do you do the same thing when creating new recipes?

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