Flotch

Hey guys, I have an affinity for baking and pastry and want to seriously start perfecting desserts that are both baked and chilled and learn the basics for cake decorating as well. Could someone please suggest a book that would teach me the basic techniques for the same? Also, what in your opinion would be the top techniques an amateur baker/pastry arts student should perfect? Thanks.

I find adding some salt seems to encourage them to cook and brown a little faster. Just a little bit - a pinch or two - seems to do the trick.

Dilmah single origin Ceylon tea (Ceylon Supreme blend) I use tea bags for convenience and brew it for 5 minutes in the cup, covered. The colour is a rich amber with a smoky first sip and ends with a smooth finish. Light tones of honey are present. Tastes best without the addition of any sweetners.

Hotel locations: Reflets by Pierre Gagnaire InterContinental Dubai Festival City Giorgio Locatelli's new place at Atlantis on the Palm Jumeira Non-hotel location: Bateel Cafe Souk Al Bahar Victorinox equipment is available at kiosks in Deira City Centre and Dubai Festival City. Stokes from Canada is a reasonable place for kicthen supplies in Dubai Festival City but the quality isn't the best. A pricier option is Tavola (Mall of the Emirates and Jumeira Beach Road) that carries Zwilling Henckels and Global knives, Le Creuset cast iron ware and Wilton bakeware. Check out http://www.bbcgoodfoodme.com/bbcGF/Shops/ for more options.

Great Wall on Somerset is pretty good. They offer a good selection of dim sum as well and is the only place I found egg custard tarts that were worth eating.

That sounds awesome! I only hope I'm still around then :-) BTW - Loved your blog. The New Year's yummies looked fantastic. F, That's obscene but it doesn't surprise me. I just talked to my family about their plans for New Years. As you probably know, very few people in the U.A.E. born before 1971 have any record of their birth, so to simplify things they were all given January 1st as a birthday. Since it's my dad's mock birthday we usually do something special, with a magnificent and often inedible cake, fireworks, and Michael Jackson's Thriller on the stereo. Next time I'm in town, I'll invite you over and we'll reenact New Year's Eve properly without the gross opulence and bad food. What do you think? ←

Hey Verjuice, Nice to see that you'll be having a homey New Year's celebration. As usual anything half-decent in Dubai is completely booked up and for ridiculously high prices (read Dhs8,888 per person at the new Raffles China Moon Champagne Bar). Needless to say going out won't be possible unless you're ready to fork out a minimum of Dhs300 per head for a tasteless buffet - no alcohol included - and hope that someone decides to buy bubbly for the entire restaurant :-) Happy New Year!

This is my mum's recipe but I generally reduce th sugar by half cup or it gets too sweet. It produces a lovely moist cake and tastes delicious straight out of the oven. 3/4 (275 g) carrots peeled & grated 5 eggs separated, whites beaten stiff 1 1/2 cups (300g) sugar 1/2 tbsp. (10 g) lemon rind 2 cups (300g) blanched almonds ground 1/2 cup (60g) flour 1 tsp. (5 g) baking powder a pinch of salt Preheat oven to 220 C Beat egg yolks and sugar well. Add lemon rind, ground almonds, carrots and mix. Sift together flour, baking powder, pinch of salt and add to the carrot mixture. Fold in the beaten egg whites and pour the batter into a well greased and floured tin (20 cms round). Bake for 50/60 minutes. When done turn out and leave to cool. Dust with icing sugar and decorate as you like.

Most Indians find it difficult to stomach traditional Chinese cuisine because they are so used to home-bred dishes like Manchurian and hakka noodles which are staples when they dine out or order in. Another favourite is dragon chicken which is deep-fried chicken drumsticks tossed in szeuchan(sp?) sauce. A real treat when paired with cold Kingfisher beer. Stir-fried meat and vegetables also came late as most restaurants preferred to make everything batter fried with thick cornstarch- based sauces accompanied by several slit green chillies. In Mumbai where I'm from Indo-Chinese food is perfect after a night of drinking and can be savoured from several roadside carts that are open late. The only problem is that you may have to eat standing up, not a good idea when you are over the legal drinking limit.

Slice bread crusts and lumpy rice are two things many of my friends can't stand but I absolutely love. When I was younger my sister and I had the weird fascination of eating the eyes of the fish called pomfret. Go figure!

I've been to the great TO just once but loved Jamie Kennedy's Kitchen (I think that's what its called) at No.9 Church street. Amazing food and great afternoon crowd sipping wine and enjoying the various share plates. Can still taste the fish with bacon butter yummmmmmm!

Indians tend to use the generic, small, greener variety of chillies available for most recipes. From time to time the small red Thai chillies are also used. Some recipes call for Kashmiri Chillies which are dried red chillies ranging from an inch to two inches in length. Kashmiri Chilly powder is also readily available in most Indian stores. They are usually soaked and then ground to a paste for use.

The fridge Kitchen Aid Stand up mixer Microplane zester Portable blow torches for creme brulee etc.

This is a link to the story regarding the extension of the Island's hours in the Vancouver Courier. http://www.vancourier.com/issues05/034205/...034205nn13.html

I have used PC puff pastry, it definitely smells like butter when your baking so I am positive it is layered with it. It bakes extremely well and produces a lovely flaky pastry crust.

Hey Guys Thanks for the suggestions. Gerald, thanks for the tip about Solly's. I am making french toast and the challah should substitute nicely for the brioche loaf. Barolo, thanks for the Terra suggestion. Zucchini Mama, my mouth is watering right now, my running shoes are on I am heading downtown so I might just pop into the PCI. Appreciator, thanks for the recipe! Take care

Tidings magazine is a Toronto based food and drink magazine. It is available at Chapters. Their April issue seems to be dominated by drink though! www.tidingsmag.com

Hey All I am cooking brunch for my mother on mother's day and I am interested in knowing where I can find good quality brioche bread in Vancouver.

Parle-G rules!!!!!! My boyfriend and I were ecstatic when we found them at an Indian store in Vancouver. Nothing like good ol' Mum's tea and Parle-G biscuits! I always manage to keep them whole after dipping while my boyfriend is consistently finishing up the last sip of tea with a spoon, to pick up all the congealed biscuits hahahahah!

People of Roman Catholic background in India also cook an entire roast pig for special occasions like weddings and have it stuffed with a stuffing made out of bread, nuts, raisins, cilantro and lime juice. The most sought after part is the crispy skin and is a hit with little kids!! Settling for theme you can try an Indian party complete with tandoori specialities like tandoori chicken and kebabs made on your BBQ and fresh salads like raita ( diced cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and cilantro in yogurt) or a fave salad my mum makes with cabbage, fresh coconut, lemon juice and cilantro which would help balance out the heat of the meal. Happy partying!

Wed - Lemon,garlic and chilli fettuccine with caramalized onion and thyme focaccia. Thurs - Crispy corn muffins with tequila lime chicken and roasted potatoes. The chicken was yummmmmmm!

Damn you guys are lucky being able to try out all the places I can only dream of eating in; Lumiere, Cru, Bis Moreno, Lift! Alas being an international student with no income (Immigration doesn't permit us to work off-campus) and high fees to pay all I can only do is dream and sought out the best deals for under $10!!!

Kams Singaporean Cuisine on Davie Street has a good lunch selection which gets you a small bowl of soup to start, steamed white rice, main dish (pork, chicken or veg) and tossed up lettuce (which they refer to as salad). Good value for around $6.50- $7. Consistent flavours and decent quantity.

Quilon Indian Restaurant on No.3 Road in Richmond serves up an excellent masala dosa and delicious home-style chai!