alexthecook

Found 'em! They were at the bakery that's integrated with the big buffet place in Chinatown, on de la Gauchetière between St-Urbain and St-Laurent. I believe there are three kinds: one that's more square, one that's sort of lacy and a round one which may or may not be stuffed. I had the square ones and they're perfect... just steam 5 minutes and they're ready! Chow's bakery didn't have them. Trying out the momofuku recipe today... I'll let you know how it turns out!

maxanon: Momofuku is the name of David Chang's "chain" of restos in NY (Momofuku Ssam, Momofuku Ramen, etc.). It does mean lucky peach. I think when fedelst is talking about "making momofuku", he means making steamed buns such as the ones served at momofuku... although it does also sounds like it could refer to crazy bedroom antics..

Thanks fedelst and Snackhappy I’ll check out Marché Hawaii and Chow’s. Snackhappy: the buns are split open and filled like a sandwich. See http://www.flickr.com/photos/yusheng/6328028/in/set-162027/ Although I do think that the buns at Momofuku are specifically made with a crease so the buns can open easily.

Yet again, I appeal to the formidable pool of knowledge contained within these ranks... where can I find plain steamed chinese buns in Montreal? I want to do make David Chang's Momofuku steamed buns with braised pork belly and don't want to go through the trouble of making the buns myself... surely we can find this here? (Tried both Kim Phats on the south shore.. no dice) Thanks!

Just to make things clear, there's no "hype" from any insiders or enthusiasts that I know... it's just there seems to be a relatively big marketing push over here.. I would normally pay no attention, except starfrit has been known to make some pretty useful gadgets in the past, although it has had many misses, especially recently.

I've been seeing ads up here in Quebec for these newfangled Starfrit Emotion pans, apparently made from a complex honeycombed ceramic that's also non-stick: click it ANybody heard of this type of material? Any good? How's the brownin'?

Thanks Lesley! Would you have a sampling of what you learn at the basic training classes?

I've always loved eating and in my adult years, this has converted into a love of cooking. I breathe cooking books and shows and love having friends and family over for meals. But I find myself wanting more. I want a class that I could go to once a week to build up true technique, to see a master chef debone a chicken, then practice until I get it right. Have someone tell me, then show me how to properly use crepine, roast meat, make jus, etc. I'm not quitting my day job, so the ITHQ seems out of the question. And I don't want one of those one shot classes where they show you how to make pasta, or cook a recipe out of a book. Does such a place exist in Montreal? I've stumbled across l'Académie culinaire, but I don't know anything about it. They do have a several weeks long "techniques de base" course, but they don't say what these techniques would be (I don't want to be stuck learning how to chop onions for 2 hours...)... Please, any suggestions are welcome!

Hey hey, for the record, I didn't say I thought CC&P invented the seared scallop! I was just replying (coyly, I have to admit) to what adrian3891 seemed to be claiming...! For sure seared scallops have been here for a while. As to their introduction in Quebec, I would venture that they were in all those Bocuse and Pol Martin french cooking books from the late eighties and that every family with a gourmand behind the stove tried that exotic lookig recipe and it just stuck in our collective imaginaires...

I don't think we're thinking very differently. As I said, nothing against signature dishes that stay on the menu. My peeve is just cliché dishes, that's all. In CC&P's case, if they are the pionneers of seared scallops, then kudos to them!

It's not just about having a signature dish. It's about having a cliché. As we were mentioning upthread, EVERY restaurant has seared scallops and molten chocolate cake. What I am saying is that it's unoriginal and shows a lack of creativity, playfulness, innovation... probably just because the dish sells and looks sophisticated. If Martin Picard and Fred want to keep foie gras poutine and lobster spaghetti on their menus for ages, as long as they're done well, I have no problem with that. But I do find that Picard's molten chocolate cake is a huge cop-out. Maybe a lot of people will find those seared scallops delicious, me included. It's just that there's something to be said against a restaurant that cherry picks (some would say copy or heavily borrow from) cliché dishes that are easy to pull off and look fancy, versus one that constantly reinvents itself and strives to make unusual ingredients delicious, uses whimsy and honors and transforms forgotten or little-known classics. It's a question of favoring those that truly have a craft, rather than a business. As they say about clichés: the first person who compared a woman to a rose was genius. The second was an idiot.

I agree with you there Lesley. As soon as I see seared scallops or molten chocolate cake on the menu, I run for the hills. It's just an (almost) sure sign that that restaurant considers itself a mere business, and is not some true chef's "vision"...

Thanks for all the tips guys! I ended up getting him Food & Wine since, guess what, he also loves wine. Bonus: I ended up with a free six month subscription for myself! What shame...

Hey there, I'm looking to subscribe my fellow foodie friend to a food magazine for his birthday. Which one do you consider "the best"? I'm thinking along the lines of Gourmet, Bon Appétit, Cook's Illustrated, Food & Wine, Saveur... Which of these would you recommend most? Any other one out there worth a subscription? Thanks!

I'm the first one to complain when portions are too small, but when I go to Joe Beef I'm usually so full I want to cry. Liverpool's portions are smaller, but still substantial. I was satisfied.

I tried Liverpool House last Tuesday and whole-heartedly recommend it, although I will right off the bat warn you that the prices are very Joe Beef-y and I find that there is usually less “value” in italian cuisine than in cuisines such as Joe Beef, Chasse et Pêche or Pied de Cochon for example. 24$ for a plate of spaghetti, even though it has taleggio cheese and some truffles, is still pretty expensive for something that is 90% pasta. Nevertheless, I would definitely consider Liverpool House my go-to place for good Italian. The décor is very cool. Rustic, lively, white themed, although the lighting is pleasantly dim, wood, leather, candles. No sign on the door, which gives it that “best-kept secret” feel. It’s literally two doors down from Joe Beef. There was a written menu, as well as some additional dishes written down on the blackboard. Everything is à la carte. Here’s what we tried: - Parmesan “pudding” with beet salad: Absolutely delicious, flavours complemented each other beautifully; there was some sort of jam with the beets which made them sweeter and a little tangy: just perfect with the richness and saltiness of the parmesan pudding. - Grilled red pepper with anchovies, garlic and pecorino cheese: Probably the best mix of flavours. The garlic just made the dish zing. - Clams with cinzano: Very simple, but the clams were cooked perfectly and we couldn’t stop scooping some broth with our bread. - Pappardelle with ragu: Delicious in a comfort food kind of way – the ragu actually closely resembled the one I make at home. However I would have wanted that touch of genius that reminds you why it’s SO worth it to eat out sometimes. - Pizzoccheri with rabbit ragu: This one had that special flavour that you’re looking for. Very good and you could taste the rabbit. - Red snapper with fennel and orange: Probably the best entrée we had. Fennel was subdued so as not to overpower the fish. You could tell the skin was probably crispy when they plated the dish, but the sauce softened it. Would have loved it if they had been able to prevent that. - Filet of baccala in tomato sauce: NOT good. The baccala was tasteless and the tomato sauce was very ordinary. - Sides: roman cabbage and roasted squash. Cabbage was good but roasted squash was horrible. It was hard-ish, waxy and the flavours just weren’t interesting. - Desserts: Zuppa inglese presented like a sundae of chocolate mousse and “creme anglaise”. Good but not out of this world, especially compared to the “Almond cake” with candied almonds, ice cream and mascarpone: sweet but not cloying, contrast of textures, nice yeasty cake.. very good end to a meal. Also, the service was perfect. All right guys, now it’s your turn to try it out and post your impressions!

Great, now I hate my Cuisinart because of you guys!

So? Has anyone tried this place yet?

I'll be travelling in Western Turkey in late november and would like to explore everything that Turkey has to offer, gastronomically speaking of course. I’m looking for authentic road side, city, or country restaurants, farmer’s markets, local producers of regional specialties (fish, cheeses, meat products, etc, etc.). Our itinerary will likely be along the Mediterranean coast, exploring archeological sites. But please mention any worthwhile detours! Thanks!

I have a Cuisinart Stand Mixer. I've only used it to make rillettes, so I didn't put it through a lot, but I love it. The tilting head is very convenient and it feels very solid to me. Here is a pretty detailed review of the Cuisinart Stand Mixer: http://forums.cooking.com/showthread.php?t=1632 The bottom line, is this: "The Cuisinart stand mixer is a very fine machine. It does everything a Kitchenaid does and more. It is compact enough to fit under your upper cupboards. It has an attractive assortment of extra attachments and can handle just about everything you want it to do. It is perfect for the person who wants to mix up a batch of cookies, make cakes, knead a loaf of bread. For those of you who are serious bread makers or if you make multiple batches of food at a time, I would suggest purchasing the Cuisinart 7 quart mixer. I think it would suit your needs better. The 5 quart machine is plenty big and strong enough for the average cook."

By the way, upon smoking my bacon with some apple wood in my Bradley, any off taste (however slight) I initially detected is completely gone and the bacon is now just a pure, overwhelming piece of deliciousness. I crisped it up as lardons, together with some gésiers confits in a sald with a walnut oil and rasperry vinegar dressing, over oven roasted cubed potatoes cooked in duck fat. Do I have to describe how delicious it was?

Dante?

So I cut off a few pieces off of my bacon to try it out (it still has to cure until Satruday to make it 7 days, and then I will smoke it). It's good, but I detected a very faint "chlorine"-like taste. Have any of you experienced this? Does it mean something?

What would the harm be in having some nitrates in there?

Thanks for the heads up. When I tasted it, I did not taste any sugar really, so I'mg guessing the amount added is minimal. It did taste very salty and, without being able to describe it correctly, what I would have imagined pink salt to taste like (salty with a chemical cure feel to it, sort of like what raw bacon can smell like). I'm preparing bacon with it, so I'm guessing the danger will be minimal and I will be able to see whether it has that distinct "cured'" taste.