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Markian

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Posts posted by Markian

  1. Chef Andres & those chefs out there who own any of the el Bulli series...

    Do you use many of the recipes/techniques represented? If so which ones?

    &

    How long has it taken you to sift through all the info in these massive tomes?

    I'm still "decoding" #3 which I've had for 3 years...i've had #2 for about a year and I'll probably get to it sometime in 2008 if I'm lucky. ;-)

  2. Well , I finally will get around to buy a bottle !

    For people who used it , is it really all that incredible ?

    I was a little hesitant at first, with the price tag and all....but I've had one bottle (open) for almost 2 years now,...You can sip it like a really fine ice wine! Absolutley amazing! And it really does taste great drizzled over vanilla ice cream and strawberries with cracked black pepper. My favorite so far besides sipping it straight is to reduce it slightly to thicken it and serve it with hot & cold foie gras, which I'm garnishing with cocoa nibs, spiced blueberries and bee balm poached peaches.

  3. I have been on a kind of a small quest for this vinegar called minus8 wich is produced in Ontario . I guess it could be called a ice vinegar. And it could be the canadian "balsamic".

    Anyone knows if it is available in Montréal ?

    Amazing stuff!!! I''ve been using their verjus for a few years which is indispensible right now to me....their wine vinegar is very versatile and I use it as I would balsamic...at the begining of the year I cook a lot of it down for a glaze which lasts half the season...I ordered on-line..only took about a week to get to me...I'm out in rural NB...I think it came from Sudbury or Niagara. Get some and keep Canadian cuisine going strong!

    Cheers!

    Markian

  4. Following is the traditional Greek way for spit roasting either a whole pig or lamb.  Let's put it this way - taste this and you'll know why the gods were Greek!

    Whole Pig on the Spit

    1 whole pig, 14 - 22 kilos, trimmed, gutted and cleaned

    6 lemons

    salt and pepper as required

    8 sprigs each fresh thyme, oregano and rosemary

    2 cups olive oil

    6 cloves garlic, minced

    With a damp cloth wipe the pig inside and out. Rub the cavity

    well with a cut lemon and then rub well with salt and pepper. Into

    the cavity place the all of the rosemary and 6 sprigs each of the

    thyme and oregano. Close the cavity with metal clips or skewers.

    Rub the outer surface with lemon, salt and pepper and then brush

    with olive oil.

    To place the pig on the spit place the carcass on the stomach

    and starting from the back legs, push the spit through the center,

    towards and through the neck. Pull the forelegs forward and tie to

    the spit with wire. Pull the back legs along the spit, cross them

    above it and secure with wire.

    In a large jar combine the juice from 4 lemons with the olive

    oil, garlic and 1 tsp. each of salt and pepper. To this add the

    remaining oregano and thyme. Into this mixture drop a muslin

    cloth and allow it to soak.

    Place the spitted pig in position over a bed of hot charcoals.

    Turn the pig over the fire slowly, wiping occasionally with the

    cloth that has been soaked in the oil mixture. As cooking

    progresses the pig may be moved closer to the fire. Roast until the

    meat is cooked through (about 6 - 7 hours), adding more charcoals

    if necessary. The meat should be carved with a very sharp knife.

    Although it may be eaten with knife and fork, many will find that

    the Greeks are correct in assuming that the meat always tastes

    best when eaten only with the fingers. (Serves 20 - 40).

    Thanks for the details....does this technique result in a crispy skin....what accompaniements would you serve with such a dish?

  5. I definitely think that spit-roasting is the way to go.

    The River Cottage Meat Book has a big section devoted to this very topic. I don't have it in front of me right now, but I believe it was roasted with two fires on either side of the animal (no fire below) on a rotating spit for several hours. I'll report back when I have more info.

    when's the wedding?

    the wedding is august 27th...the pig is arriving 2 days before...could this be done in a large enough BBQ with a rotisserie?

  6. We've got a 30 pound pig that we need to roast for a wedding sweets table....any helpful hints about how we should prepare it, roast it, glaze it, serve it....?

  7. I don't know if she is, but I am! We're moving to Kingston in September (grad school) and you can be sure I'll push to include the Rossmount Inn on the itinerary.

    PS: I see you have BeauSoleil oysters on your menu, everyone knows Mallet

    are the best!  :wink:  :biggrin:

    right on...let me know when.....and bring down a few dozen....we're always looking for new local supplies

  8. Oh, are you kidding?  The Rossmount Inn is one of our favourites - we get there at least three time a year, and the last time we stayed in St. Andrew's for three days, we ate there every single night!  One night I had haddock, another the most fabulous rack of lamb.  Also a yummy lobster and avocado thing.  And dessert - always dessert.  I wouldn't miss the Rossmount for any reason.

    awesome....glad to hear that... we change portions of the menu on a daily basis according to what we can find...I actually sourced out a lamb producer from New Brunswick...no more new Zealand for us.....not that its not a quality product, but this other stuff is far superior...and it only comes from 2 hours away! we're coming up on berry season right now...are you guys heading out here anytime soon?

  9. Sweet is right - Dennis and Monica are pretty delightful.  Lots of us who own restaurants eat there - last time he was bursting to show me tiny turnips the size of a baby fingernail, and one night I took my two young cuisiniers there (part of their bonus).  They were, of course, welcomed cordially into the kitchen.  Come to the Queen of Cups sometime.  You might like us.  Did you have any dessert at Fid?  The ginger creme brulee is exceptional.

    with all the beets and rhubarb he fed me, no room for desert...I'm more of a cheese man than dessert....when I'm in Halifax I'll look you up....I moght be down in the winter...I have a few friends that work @ the "Shoeshop"

    Come check out the Rossmount Inn in Saint Andrews.....we're doing some pretty wild stuff with organic @ local produce these days.

  10. Fid is my favourite, but Onyx is pretty fabulous, too.  Pricey, but fabulous.  John's Lunch in Dartmouth is actually the best for fried clams and scallops etc.  What did you have at Fid?

    We ordered mostly vegetarian stuff....vegetable mayhem, and the Farmer's inspiration.....loaded with greens, fingerling potatoes, lentils, parsnips, radishes....I also had a small piece of foie gras and pork belly with a yuzu-licorice marshmallow, choy sum and sweet potato puree....I noticed that the plating was similar to Michel Bras, so i asked the owner if the chef (her husband) had ever heard of him...she comes back into the dining room and takes the sorbet back to the kitchen along with me, where I ate pretty much one of every vegetable they were cooking that night....As for Michel Bras...they had just visited France a few months ago! Sweeet!

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