sanrensho

It says right there in the description that it's a double-beveled knife: http://www.kershawknives.com/productdetail...=328&brand=shun

I have to agree that the 50% off idea (or even "day old" discount pastries) will only lead you down a path of darkness. Firstly, it doesn't sound like your store fits the description of a neighborhood bakery/coffee shop where I typically see 50%/day old baked goods. I just don't expect to get a discount from a high-end bakery or pastry shop. Secondly, as a customer, I would be tempted to time my purchases to get 50% off, thereby cannibalizing your existing sales. OTOH, giving out free samples/tastings would still build customer loyalty, without cannibalizing your existing sales.

Any type of chocolate that would end up in a Halloween trick or treat bag. Chocolate gift boxes for Christmas, even if marked as being made from "Belgian chocolate" (yeah, crappy Belgian chocolate) or "Made in Belgium." Store-bought pies and cakes from any kind of large chain. There's almost always something wrong with these, either two sweet, gloopy or lacking in freshness or textural interest. I'm sure there are exceptions, but the vast majority of the time I would prefer to save my eating for something better.

How about cutting them up and giving out small samples toward the end of the day? Your regular customers will appreciate it, and it might give them something to look forward to when they come in toward the end of store hours (presumably hungry before dinner). You could look at it as building loyalty and introducing them to products they might not have tried.

I have a request in my family to go out for a Christmas brunch buffet this year, preferably at a hotel. Right now, we are looking at the usual suspects--Fleuri at Sutton Hotel, Yew at Four Seasons. Another option is Dockside on Granville Island. (Not considering the Pan Pacific this time.) My own emphasis is on quality over number of items, as I tend to eat like a bird these days. Does anyone have any suggestions for a Christmas brunch buffet, either at a hotel or restaurant? We are not limited to downtown Vancouver, and would also consider a menu + dessert tray/table, if such a thing exists. Thanks! Menus in case this is useful for anyone else: Yew Christmas Brunch Fleuri Christmas Brunch Dockside Christmas Brunch

Did you happen to notice if this is a locally made product, or one made in Europe (Germany)? Thanks.

Thank you people. As a result of this thread, I had a frustrating pie dream last night involving an apparently endless apple pie and a *pie crust that I could never quite taste,* no matter how much I tried. I kept trying to taste the crust, but somehow could never determine the taste (butter or shortening).

I wonder if you've heard of a book called Mamajee's Kitchen. The author was born in South African to parents of Indian ancestry, and now resides in Vancouver, Canada. http://www.mamajeeskitchen.com/ I seem to recall that some of the recipes in her book had an African or South African influence.

My nutty girls (human, not cat) resist the cream, although they love the taste of the milk itself.

I'm pretty sure it is "sucrine."

I hope it works for you, please let us know if you like the results from presalting (and what kind of bird you cooked).

Here's a cookbook that might give you some ideas (savory and sweet): http://www.tastingmenu.com/allaboutapples/

I must confess, I've never eaten spam (to my knowledge). What are the most common ways to eat it in North America? Other than spam musubi, which I saw a lot of in Hawaii. Please school me on the ways of spam.

I wouldn't call Spam a staple in Japan. I've never been served it in a Japanese household, nor do I know anyone who eats it. Although I've certainly seen it for sale.

So what temperature did you finally pull the fruitcake at?

Thanks Paul. I'm going to copy this list down and keep it in the car.

Tonkatsu sauce is usually associated with breaded and deep-fried pork cutlets (tonkatsu), although some people like me add it to Japanese-style potato salad, among other uses. Japanese-style potato salad is very heavy on the Japanese mayonnaise, usually with bits of carrot and cucumber. Something like this: http://www.justhungry.com/2006/05/japanese_potato.html

I've tried the PC salsa verde and though it was fine. (It's very mild.) Certainly easier to source than going to the Mexican grocer. Although it does have an unusual amount of burnt tomatilla skin. I assume (hope) that it's there on purpose.

Then there are potato croquette sandwiches, usually topped with tonkatsu or chuunou sauce. Not bad really, although I'm generally not a fan of cold deep-fried food. The same sandwich with a hot, just-fried croquette would be nice. (But I usually stay away from fried food.) There is at least a nice texture contrast between the crispy panko shell and soft white bun, combined with the tang of the tonkatsu sauce. Here's an image: http://image.space.rakuten.co.jp/lg01/97/0...2c5emkm34c.jpeg Potato salad sandwiches are good, although it must be made with Japanese-style potato salad.

I'd do the same process. Fill mold with cake layer, pour in bavarois, top with cake. Freeze (or refrigerate) to set. Anyway, I'll let others chime in, but I think you'll be fine with the above.

It's usually the other way, pour bavarois into mold, top with cake and set. Repeat as necessary. I still don't think that sogginess is a major issue, unless you have an unusual genoise recipe.

Looking at my notes this year (Canadian Thanksgiving), I pre-salted a 12 lb natural turkey with 7 tsp of fine sea salt plus 1/4 tsp of pepper. Turkey was washed, dried, rubbed with S&P (concentrating on thicker areas of meat), and left uncovered in the fridge overnight. I don't roast a lot of turkeys, but I thought it was the best turkey I've ever had, and my guests were impressed as well. I thought the amount of salt was just right, and the meat was still moist even though I overcooked the bird because of starting too early. I would use this method again in a heartbeat.

Often, yes, but not always necessary depending on the recipe you use. All the instructions I've seen for bavarois are to pour into the mold while fluid, and immediately top with or sink in the genoise layer. Genoise is actually quite durable so I don't see this as an issue, nor have I experienced soggy tops, at least to the extent that it bothered me. I'll let the experts confirm.

Thanks for the review. Fraiche isn't the type of place that I would usually go to, but I still enjoyed your comments. Not to sidetrack your review, but would you mind rattling off a few other restaurants in West Van that you feel serve good food. Particularly in the "affordable/value" and "ethnic" categories. Thanks in advance.

I've actually started taking the internal temperature of some cakes (including quick breads and muffins), chiefly for dense batters. And especially if a particular recipe has given me problems before. I bake more bread than cakes, so this is a natural extension of taking internal temperatures for loaves. I agree that you might have problems judging the temperature if the probe hits a dense area of fruit (or chocolate), but I've never tested this hypotheses. Except to say that I've never had an underdone cake when I've used the probe. I haven't used the probe with a fruitcake yet, but will eventually get around to trying it. For me, using the probe is just one tool for checking doneness in addition to the usual signs: "bubbling" sound to indicate that the batter is still wet/cooking, shrinking, spring, knife/toothpick test, etc. (The probe can also be used in lieu of the knife/toothpick test if you pull it out immediately.) I generally shoot for around 185 degrees internal temperature, I say try it and see if you are happy with that level of doneness and adjust accordingly.