Peter the eater

Thanks, Peter -- and everyone. Sometimes I feel like a passionate high school history teacher -- I want to tell the story, and make the kids laugh. I'm no expert on geography in the TO, but I seem to remember that Guthrie Ave. was referred to as "Up the Humber," if that makes sense to Torontonians. This tiny house fascinated us as kids because it had no washbasin in the bathroom, just a pretty shelf over the bathtub that held a ewer set. ← I know that street, it's in the west end past the Kingsway, and yes just past or "up the Humber" River. I'd guess 5 or 10 km west of where I was remembering. I think you made the kids laugh.

That's a perplexing list of likes and don't likes. It's like the things that should be together are falling on opposite sides of your fence. I'll bet Dr. Gregory House from the TV show could make sense of it.

I have some! I love the "red rooster sauce" as we call it around here.

Beer and whiskey together is a beautiful thing. I love a boilermaker (my wife did go to Purdue, that's another story) which consists of a creamy pint of the darkest and meatiest stout available, with a shot of real peaty malt blend. If the beer or the hooch is too rare or pricey alone, there's no sense in pouring them into the same glass to become one. Sipping in sequence is allowed. So having said that, when in Atlantic Canada, I recommend Propeller London Porter from Halifax and a shot of Glen Breton Rare.

I've seen bacon as just a stepping stone to buffalo wings.

That was fascinating, and pretty damn amusing. I kinda read Heart of Darkness in Grade 9 right after seeing F.F. Coppola's opus in the movie theatre but I think a lot of the book's intent was was lost on Peter the pubescent. Where was the napalm? I loved Peter O'Toole as Lord Jim from the 60's movie but have yet to see the first motion picture based on the book - I think Conrad was still around when it was made in the 20's. My father-in-law-English-Lit-scholar says it's better, but he's also 75 and we don't agree on everything. Do you think Blockbuster will have a copy? I don't think I'll reread Heart of Darkness anytime soon, I should first take a look at Jessie George's cookbook. And by the way, your Nana's dollhouse in Toronto sounds just like my family's place on Seaton Street in Cabbagetown. Am I anywhere close?

Those are some controversial images! It can be exciting to see chefs messing about with well established "classics". It's also important to know the rules before you break them, and to be aware of the message you may be sending your diners. Fusion/confusion cuisine, in my experience, will offend just as often as it will delight the consumers. To use an Anglo expression, the proof is in the pudding - I would not discount any of those creations without tasting them first. That "blueberry cream cheese sushi" has given me an idea . . . lose the nori and replace the sticky rice with sticky Rice Krispies . . . now you've got something.

We have a Ronco Dehydrator which looks like this. It doesn't work very well but still it gets hauled out every September since 2001. Last year we made some decent dried apple slices from Jonah Golds. We always manage to make apple sauce through the food mill for freezing before the end of November. So, to answer your question, I'm thinking more about the snow shoveling I'll have to do tomorrow than the apples in the kitchen.

Soup! Possibilities are endless, and the results can be highly virtuous. Stuff fresh pasta. Everybody loves fresh pasta. I like winter squash in a curry. Lots of spicy heat plus turmeric and fenugreek, no need for a big caloric count. edit: horrified to see spell check missed "count" without the "o"

I agree with the above comments. I would add that the combination of fresh and dried versions of the same herb adds dimension. Same goes for mushrooms.

They loved it. I never had turnip until I moved here( I grew up in Florida and Cali) and I guess its just not a warm weather veg. I didnt make it for Canadian Thanksgiving and my coordinator asked me to make it for Xmas. I dished up the potatoes in the buffet line so I was able to hear everyone's comments. Everyone was glad I served turnip. Another popular casserole was the green bean bake. Seems its just not as well known here as it is in the States. I was able to buy the turnip already peeled and diced. I boiled it and mashed it with butter and brown sugar. I layered it with sliced apples that were tossed with cinnamon and a touch of brown sugar. The topping is flour, melted butter and brown sugar. They like their turnip on the sweet side. ← I think turnips don't get the respect they deserve. They are delicious and nutritious and they are easy to store. I love mash potatoes with 10% turnip, and some yogurt. Or raw, raw is good.

Now I really feel deceived. That must have been Richard III - the Musical. I hear he beat out Christopher Plummer, and stole his Tony . . . poor bastard.

Oooh, good question . . . Wikipedia says: Potatoes contain glycoalkaloids, toxic compounds, of which the most prevalent are solanine and chaconine. Cooking at high temperatures (over 170 °C or 340 °F) partly destroys these. The concentration of glycoalkaloid in wild potatoes suffices to produce toxic effects in humans. Glycoalkaloids occur in the greatest concentrations just underneath the skin of the tuber, and they increase with age and exposure to light. Glycoalkaloids may cause headaches, diarrhea, cramps and in severe cases coma and death; however, poisoning from potatoes occurs very rarely. Light exposure also causes greening, thus giving a visual clue as to areas of the tuber that may have become more toxic; however, this does not provide a definitive guide, as greening and glycoalkaloid accumulation can occur independently of each other. Some varieties of potato contain greater glycoalkaloid concentrations than others; breeders developing new varieties test for this, and sometimes have to discard an otherwise promising cultivar. In my experience, a tiny bit of green neither tastes bad nor poisons people. The spuds that are exposed to sun before or after picking can go green pretty fast. Its probably best to chuck the green ones into the compost, they are not expensive.

Excellent article, thanks moosnsqrl. Now I'm craving my favorite umami source - marmite.

I guess you didn't see this thread. "Chef at Home" is on a Set, Does this Bother You? Khadija May 25 2006, 07:22 PM Post #1 Viewers of Canadian Food Network will be familiar with Michael Smith's "Chef at Home." The theme of the show is, obviously, the chef cooking whatever he cooks at home. Unlike a lot of other shows with this format (Christine Cushing: Cook With Me!), the set does not look like a studio; it looks like a real kitchen in a real house. Other parts of the house, the backyard, and the outside of the house are also caught on camera. Throughout the show, the chef's cooking projects are contextualised a lot, in terms of his family life (e.g., the chef makes stew in between cleaning the garage with family; new neighbours move in and are invited for dinner). I always had the sense while watching the show that this was really this guy's house and life, even if he was hamming it up (a lot) for the camera. Then, my partner let me know that I am wrong. He has talked to the producer of the show, and although it is indeed shot in a house, the house does not belong to Michael Smith. The house belongs to some other people, who rent it to the producers of the show. My partner tells me that it would just be too chaotic to have film crews running around in someone's actual house, while they are living there. I know that the kind of deception I am talking about is not a serious moral issue or anything of that nature, but nonetheless I am kind of bothered that the show is not really about the chef at his real home. I'm wondering if the same thing is happening with shows like Giada's and Ina Garten's? Does it matter to anyone else if a tv cook is presented as being at his or her home, but really isn't ← Oh no! Bad Michael Smith! Well . . . a show called "Chef at Home" that starts and ends and is peppered in between with exterior shots of a nice home, one is lead to believe, actually takes place in said home. I don't actually care that much, but I do feel like someone has tried to deceive me. I actually kept my eyes open for the Smith Home whilst in PEI this past summer. Somebody at the Cooking School in Charlottetown said it was out in the east end of the island where we were cruising around. Now I wonder if he even lives there, or if little Gabe is really his son!

I like Michael Smith, he's been an inspiration for me over the years. The "Chef at Large" series had some interesting venues - like cooking for the NBA's Toronto Raptors, among others. I'm glad he lost the checkered chef pants and questionable ponytail when he started cooking "At Home". There are too many stand-and-stir shows shot in a studio kitchen, something I don't have. I liked seeing that he really was in his own home on PEI with his own wife and son. Cooking without a recipe is pretty much my modus operandi. And I like his bright jar-riddled pantry.

That's a food crime. Limes travel pretty far to get to me and it would be irresponsible to be so wasteful. The only thing I can think of to explain such reckless behavior is . . . I can't think of one. I would juice an old harder lime but for zest go to a newer fruit that's deep green and just washed. Maybe surface wax was an issue? PS Get well soon.

Who wears a shirt when cooking?

I'm quite sure I have read about roasted shanks in the Larousse Gastronomique. The copy here is really old and I don't actually know where it is, otherwise I'd look it up. Why not do the sous vide thing? SV lamb shanks . . . tasty and fashionable.

That was a special treat - thank you wizard, yoda and superman/batman!

That sounds like a good idea plus it smacks of danger . . . almost sounds like a worthy teleplay for the Sopranos?

Many good suggestions. Before scrolling down, my first thought was to make a saltwater tank in your tub. Then I started thinking . . . why not celebrate the Chinese New Year instead? You could do that too, but it doesn't really help with the original question. Lobsters can live out of the ocean for a week or more, they can breathe air. I would order the lobsters plus a few extras from your trusted source and let them chill in your fridge for 48 hours. Hey, I have lobsters . . . send some WI cheese from that shop on State Street to me - we can barter!

I would buy a quarter bunch of fresh herbs, especially if it is also a quarter of the price. In my freezer one would find the frozen cubes of basil and the little baggies of various herbs stashed away. Generally, though, winter cooking is fundamentally different from summer cooking in my neck of the woods (growing season = 100+ days) and I say viva la difference! From late fall to late spring its mostly dried or frozen herbs and I like it that way. The fresh stuff is enjoyed more after it's scarce for a few months.

I'll go, and please feel free to ignore or add blanks. In 2008, I will eat more, but better I will make duck breast prosciutto in my fridge I will find wild ramps on my own I will learn to spatchcock an emu in five minutes I will teach my kids to make bread I will read Turning the Tables!

The eGullet Society has a solid tradition of sharing culinary resolutions for the upcoming year. I ask you to fill in the following blanks (which I have swiped from a year ago with permission from Pontormo) . . . In 2008, I will eat_________________ I will make_______________ I will find________________ I will learn_______________ I will teach_______________ I will read________________