alexthecook

I found what I think is pink salt (although it's not pink) at the "Charcuterie Hongroise" on St-Laurent. I had to ask for it and they got it for me in the backstore. 5$ per pound. For the pork, I just got a belly from Kim Phat in Brossard ( I was passing through there). And I got the Cuisinart at Sur la Table in NY... not available here yet... As soon as I get a bit more comfortable with charcuterie-ing, I'll get some decent pork (probably by following Chris' recommendation).

I was able to get some "salt cure" from my hungarian sausage/charcuterie shop. I had asked for "pink salt", i.e "the special salt you mix in with your cure" as I described it, and the lady there gave me this "salt cure" as she called it, which looks ever so slightly wet, but is not pin (more like very light yellow)k. I asked her about this and she told me it's the same thing, just that they'd added a bit of brown sugar in it already (not sure if this was supposed to explain why the pink would have disappeared, or whether it's just a mention of an additional ingredient). The lady who gave me this seemed to know what she was talking about and she only handed me the salt after going to the backroom, making a phonecall, and going back to the backroom. I paid CAN$2.50 for 1/2 pound. My question is: can pink salt not be pink? If not, what do you think this is?

Just wanted to let everybody know that I've just had the best cappuccino this side of the Atlantic at Caffe in Gamba. The place just opened and is beautiful. I believe the concept is to make it as authentically roman as possible (some really modern stuff mixed in with roccoco). Since I know the owner (full disclosure!), I thought I might encourage you guys to go try it out and post comments and suggestions to help this young entrepreneur with a vision that we should definitely encourage in this town.

Thanks Paul! So am I to understand that their claim that: "Dometic manufactures Wine Cellars especially designed for wine keeping. A genuine Wine Cellar must answer certain basic criteria: Constant temperature at around 12°C Hygrometry sustained between 50 and 70% No vibration Protection against light " (link) is semi-bogus?

According to the Dometic website (re humidity ): "Thanks to its original evaporator design, the Dometic Wine cellar uses a large size fin package, which prevents ice build up. The natural air circulation loads itself with condensation humidity when passing through the fins." Does that make sense?

Ok, I'm really becoming ambitious with this. I've found on craigslist another cellar, this one for 160 bottles: Domestic CS 160 It's normally quite expensive (over 3k), but it's significantly reduced (4 years old). I would like to use it for charcuterie, since it explicitly maintains humidity levels between 50 and 70%, but obviously, would not want to spoil the cellar for when I'll eventually want to use it to store wine. So my question is the following: does the hanging of charcuterie to dry create a lot of strong, lingering odors? Is it likely these would stick inside the cellar forever and thus contaminate the bottles I could put in there? Or conversely, is it so faint that I could store bottles at the same time as I'm drying charcuterie? Thanks yet again!

I'm always moved at how amazing the people on this forum are. Thank you so much! After taking Anna's cue, I looked up wine cellars on craigslist and found this beaut for 225$: GE Profile Wine Cooler And crazily enough, the manual states that it maintains "ideal humidity levels" to store wine. My research indicates that this would be between 60 and 70%... Is this too good to be true? Should I jump on it?

Thanks guys! Since I live in a condo downtown, I don't have extra space to put a tricked out fridge. I was thinking that a small wine cellar would fit nicely in my kitchen.... I was thinking wine cellar because I imagine that dorm-sized fridges do not have a temperature range within the prescribed recommendations (circa 60 degreees)..am I wrong? Re: humidity control, I was thinking of putting a pan of salt water at the bottom and a humdity reader...and opening the door if it's too humid.. is that too amateurish to work?

Ok, I bough the book and am getting excited about this. But before I start investing some relatively serious dough (I'm thinking of getting a small refrigerated wine cellar to hang my product ---btw, will this work?), I'd like to know, seriously, how many of you consider that what you've produced is superior or at least equal to good, store-bought product (and I'm excluding here bacon, sausages and smoked salmon, which I know is probably superior... I'm particularly interested in pepperone, saucisson sec, etc.). Thanks!

Hey everybody! I just bought Michael Ruhlman's Charcuterie and, obviously, I'm chomping at the bit to try on his recipes. Does anyone know where one can find "pink salt" (salt with nitrites) and all cuts of non-commercial pork (belly, blood, hocks, etc.), in the Montreal area? On a side note, has anyone ever seen a Cuisinart Stand Mixer in any shop in Montreal? I can only find KitchenAid. Thanks!

I went to Bazaar yesterday night and have to say that I really like the switch. It's much more casual, you now feel like you can just drop in in shorts and t-shirt. The food, I found, was amazing. My app was a bunch of fresh sesame crusted falafels in a salad with cherry tomatoes and marinated turnip. Main was a big veal chop truffled with old cheddar, perfectly cooked, with a side of awesome fries served with a sort of sour cream mayonnaise and ketchup. My girlfriend had a whole grilled "dorade" (fish) crusted and filled with fresh cilantro and other spices, with a side of grilled vegetables. Again, the grilled bread did not disappoint (I think I could go there just for a drink and some bread).. We were both completely stuffed at the end and could not order dessert. All in all, I whole heartedly recommend Bazaar. I will definitely return many times. I found the place relatively empty (maybe 4 tables) and I think that should definitely change. Go there people! And a big plus, it's open until midnight.

You seem to have flavours in there that would play nice with the zing of really fresh goat cheese perhaps?

Basil Mayo (just blend mayo and fresh basil) Thick slice of mozzarella Confit tomatoes (cut italian tomatoes in three parts, deseed, put on a pan in the oven at 200F for 4 hours with a sprinkle of kosher salt and a quick slug of olive oil)

You wouldn't go there for a meal, it's more like snacks to accompany your drinks. You get olives, some charcuterie or cheese plates and a very good pissaladière (onion tart with olives/anchovies on top). Owner and staff are very friendly (still french though!) Place is nice... it used to be some dive bar and they really turned it around.. I recommend it.

La potée du PDC is outstanding: braised pork, boudin, sausage, pearl onions, on top of their classic mashed potatoes, with jus de viande/sauce....mmmm! It's one of my favorites, plus it's very affordable.

To all of those who've recommended alder, I have to admit the only reason I didn't use it was because I didn't have any handy... and I wanted to try something different. But since it seems quite universal that alder is a perfect match, I'll definitely smoke my next batch with that... paul o' vendange : I've seen a lot of people mentionning that they air dry in the fridge... is this out of practicality or for hygienic reasons? I was concerned at first about letting the salmon out overnight, but felt that the fan's constant blowing would make it sufficiently dry so that nothing bad could develop... am I wrong?

Maybe not the fanciest dish, but Gourmet's recipe for salt and vinegar potato salad is original and absolutely delicious... http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/235029

Hey joesan, thanks for the tip! I will try it for sure! The cost of running a Bradley, surprisingly, is just as advertised, about 1$ per hour of smoking (you need one bisquette every 20 minutes)... however, a wise person would invest in a couple of metal pucks to chase the bisquettes, or else the two last bisquettes won't get pushed to the burner and will just sort of semi burn and get wasted. For its versatility and ease of use, the Bradley is a real winner in my book. Considering I'm cooking from my appartment's balcony, I'm quite glad to use such a small apparatus, with no flames to boot! The only downside is that it's so easy I feel like I'm cheating when using it... plus it can get a bit finnicky if it's very windy and you need it to cook meat.. the temperature just won't go up... so at this point in the season, I would only use it for cold smoking..

Thanks Jackal! So for those who are curious, I ended up using pecan wood for about 3-4 hours... and the result is fantastic.. Less sweet than maple, but still a little sweet, with a nice identifiable pecan nut flavour... I'm in heaven! The pellicule, which I thought had hardened too much, was fine... I think that past some point, it becomes a carapace and the air drying stops affecting it... the result, once cut, was a relatively fine chewier layer, likeI've experienced in many commercially smoked salmons.. Right after smoking the fillets, I slathered on a little Bowmore scotch which gave them an amazing depth (after an immediate taste test session)... I just don't know how well the scotch flavour will stick or if it will just evaporate... I plan on serving it at my Halloween party with fresh sesame seed bagels, red onions and cream cheese... if anyone has other serving suggestions, please go ahead!

Hi, I've just finished curing and air drying two big atlantic salmon fillets and am about to cold-smoke them in my Bradley smoker... I only have maple and pecan pellets and was wondering if any fellow egulleter had tried either variety and what the results were... I am afraid the maple might overpower the delicate taste of salmon, but that the pecan may be too subtle, or just plain non complementary... any thoughts? Also, I've aired the fillet for 16 hours under a relatively far away oscillating fan... a smooth and dry coat has appeared (it actually appeared within the first few hours of airing) but the tail end seems like it will be a bit on the dry side.. is it possible I've over-dried? (Bradley recipe recommended 24 hours of drying, which seems excessive)... Anyways, as always, anyone's thoughts are greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Oh come on! That's not fair! Who's on the list? (no way to get the november issue's content online right now...)

TIme to reactivate this great thread! I was wondering if anyone could share their techniques for using a chinese chef knife (the one that looks like a cleaver)... how would you hold it? Do you chop straight down or do a pendulum movement? What else should we know about using this very cool knife? Thanks!

All these posts made me realize I had indeed forgotten a couple of things. I second that you simply cannot miss the brunch at Réservoir, it's my absolute favorite. It's on Duluth, corner of Saint-Laurent. If you have the time, I also second that you go to Club Chasse et Pêche... it feels almost like a private subterranean country club with dark surroundings, comfy leather chairs and outstanding food. The address is 423, Saint-Claude (a tiny street in Old Montreal)... but be warned, there's no sign for the restaurant, just its crest. I still wouldn't miss APdC though. Lastly, do note that there are omelets at Byblos... I recommend the feta omelet with dill.. so you shouldn't have any problem ditching boring old Eggspectation.

Hi there and welcome to eGullet! Here are my comments on your plan: 1 - Way too much Eggspectation.. I personnally find it ok but nothing more. If you want something special, try Byblos (on Laurier). It's a small iranian restaurant with a great breakfast. You can have a plate of fresh mint, cilantro, walnuts, halva (a sort of pistachio (or is almond?) paste), fresh feta, pita, fresh jams... delicious. Don't miss their "Chocolatière", a big jar of hot coca with a touch of cardamom. I understand it's not exactly right on your way from the hotel but you can just take a quick taxi there, eat and then walk down to Mont-Royal. 2- Got to APDC and be happy. I'm a staunch supporter of that resto. I'm sure the few recent gripes are flukes. I almost always sit at the bar. However if there is only one place where you sit at the bar, I suggest it be Joe Beef. If McMillan (the owner) is there, you're bound to get free pours of wine and desserts.. great fun! 3-As for l'express, if you love french food, you can't miss it. Ironically I would suggest you try their lobster risotto. 4-St-Viateur Bagel: Be advised that there is a rivalry between St-Viateur Bagel and Fairmount Bagel (one street south of St-Viateur). Why don't you try both? 5- I usually tip 15% before tax. I belive that's the standard. Tipping 20% is considered generous bot not overly so. 6- Don't sweat if for Brunoise. You can try it another time. 7- Never heard of Maestro SVP. I hope you have a GREAT time!

I thought I’d share my thoughts after going to Joe Beef recently. Firstly, props to the waitress for her very attentive, quick and cheerful service. She made the experience very pleasurable. I was however somewhat annoyed by the fact that the tables on the banquette side are so close together that you have to actually pull out the table to get into your seat. Not particularly fun when you need a bathroom break. Another point is the chalkboard-only menu. Indeed, from many of the seats it is impossible or near impossible to read the menu, which means you have to listen to it from the waitress and go through the exercise of memorizing every dish to ponder your choice. It is usually one of my great joys to go over the menu and agonize over my choice, weighing every aspect of every dish. Too bad. Regardless, we were able to order some food which was generally excellent. Crisp asparagus with deep fried egg and grated pecorino, and crab, potato and mayo salad (with a brine pickle on top) for starters. The asparagus was sublime: a rather simple combination of ingredients that is greater than the sum of its parts. The crab salad was generous, the crab tasty and fresh. It lacked however the stroke of genius you would expect when dining out at fine establishments. I felt like I could make something similar at home by just throwing together a few ingredients. It was however viscerally satisfying. Next we had lobster spaghetti and spaghetti with ribs. The lobster spag was a delight, creamy, just salty enough, with 1 and a half pound of fresh lobster. You just can’t go wrong (to seal the deal, there’s bacon in the sauce). It seems both spags are tossed with the sauce (instead of plopping the sauce over the pasta). I like this, it makes the sauce a little drier and makes it really stick to the pasta. The spaghetti with ribs as also good, but the ribs again lacked the little oomph I was looking for. I would expect ribs like the ones I had at Bar-b-barn or Baton Rouge, not here. However, the tomato spaghetti that came with it was great. Tomatoey, strangely buttery, it reminded me of my grandmother’s spaghetti (made with Campbell’s), but I just couldn’t get enough of it. It’s just a shame the dish wasn’t hot enough.. All in all, I find Joe Beef’s strength is in combining high quality ingredients, and creating viscerally satisfying tastes. Their take on more traditional fare, however, often lacks the innovation I crave and can find at places like PdC. I’m pretty sure I’ll return, however I’ll be crossing my fingers for tighter execution and will pay closer attention to what I choose.