Beebs
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Hello!
Does anyone know where I can find maraschino liqueur in Vancouver/Burnaby/Richmond? It's not available in the BC liquor stores. I believe Luxardo brand makes this. Thanks!
I've purchased the Luxardo Brand at Qzina in Toronto. There is a Qzina in Vancouver, so I suspect you could purchase it there too.
well.. a wee google search turns up this: http://www.bcliquorstores.com/en/products/397950
but if you truly can't find what you are looking for give me a call.. I have the fancy pants stuff and I’ll never use it all no matter how many black forest cakes I bake (not many)
Thanks for the hints, everyone! From what I understand, maraschino liqueur is not quite the same as kirsch or any of the other cherry liqueurs. It's made from marasca cherrys and the pits, and is supposed to taste faintly of almonds, and is an ingredient in Aviation cocktails. I've dug around on the Spirits & Cocktails forum and another poster mentioned she has never come across this stuff in the Lower Mainland. I will definately give the places mentioned a shot, but methinks might need to wait for the next trip across the border!
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The Island isn't much of a dining mecca north of Nanaimo. There are lots of B&B's on the Island, if you want to consider staying in them.
Check out the wineries though, VI has a number of underrated wineries, and the wines are not usually available in lliquor stores (I am a big fan of Blue Grouse!). www.wineislands.ca
For dining, Eat Magazine (www.eatmagazine.ca) is a good source. Mahle House (mahlehouse.ca) is always a favourite, their sommelier/owner is incredibly knowledgeable on VI wines, very welcoming & warm establishment. Restaurant is located a bit south of Duke Point/Nanaimo.
Zambri's in Victoria is always spot on. Wonderful Italian food, one of my favourite places to eat. But, they don't take reservations and lineups are common. We usually go later in the evening.
Have a great trip!
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Hello!
Does anyone know where I can find maraschino liqueur in Vancouver/Burnaby/Richmond? It's not available in the BC liquor stores. I believe Luxardo brand makes this. Thanks!
If it's booze, it should have to be sold in a government or private liquor store. Try contacting the company, and finding out if they've shipped any to canada. Then find out how to get some.
Thanks!!
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Hello!
Does anyone know where I can find maraschino liqueur in Vancouver/Burnaby/Richmond? It's not available in the BC liquor stores. I believe Luxardo brand makes this. Thanks!
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I'm glad someone posted this topic, I've wondered about the difference myself!
Is there a good recipe for almond paste that anyone can recommend? I haven't been able to find it in the stores here, although marzipan is pretty prevalent.
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Edited to add: A number of chocolatiers are infusing chocolates with tealeaves. So far I've seen chocolates with chai, Earl Grey, jasmine green, matcha, and lapsang, and probably a couple other types but I can't recall which teas.
Hmmmm.... I'm not a tea aficionado but based on my very limited experience I would have picked Earl Grey as a good match. I do recall trying a Christiian Constant chocolate a couple years back that had either an Earl Gray infused filling or an Earl Grey infused ganache. Can't recall which it was but in either case it didn't make much of an impression on me.
I tried an Earl Grey chocolate from Jean-Phillippe Patisserie in Las Vegas a while back, and another one from somewhere else can't remember where. The tea wasn't particularly pronounced in either chocolate, just a suggestion of bergamot and no detectable black tea flavour. Guess chocolate is too overpowering for infusing tealeaves? The lapsang chocolate I had once was excellent though -- the bold smokey tea really complemented the chocolate!
If lapsang souchong is too smokey, a small amount of it added to whatever black tea makes an interesting option. I find that 1 part lapsang to 3 or 4 parts something else tastes pretty good.
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Anyone have recommendations on fun new lounges/late night eats & drinks worth checking out? Spots with interesting cocktail lists, and I'm not too keen on "clubby" atmospheres. Chill Winston is currently on my list of places to go. Thanks!
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Darjeeling + chocolate, and Lapsang Souchong + chocolate are great. Especially the Lapsang...actually, any kind of smoky tea goes wonderfully, IMO -- yummm! You can also try Keemun. I find Earl Grey goes better with milk chocolate rather than bittersweet, but it's got to be a really good looseleaf Earl Grey with a natural bergamot scent.
I've also been told that Sencha & Genmai Cha green teas are good paired with dark chocolate, but I've not gotten around to trying it.
Edited to add: A number of chocolatiers are infusing chocolates with tealeaves. So far I've seen chocolates with chai, Earl Grey, jasmine green, matcha, and lapsang, and probably a couple other types but I can't recall which teas.
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I mentioned this company, T Tea Company, on another thread -- I get my tea exclusively from them. It helps that they're a local Vancouver company, but they've got online ordering too. I like how they do all their tea blending in-house (as opposed to relabelling blends from a large distributer). They do killer Earl Greys (at least 8 kinds!), and a phenomenal Vanilla Rooibos (herbal). I also like how they supply to up-scale hotels to places as far as Dubai, Tokyo, and Hong Kong. Prices are a little higher than some companies (eg, Harney, Upton), but well worth the price; the quality is impeccable!
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Can someone please tell me how to produce perfectly peelable hardboiled eggs? I've tried and tried, every recommended technique you can imagine, boiling water, cold water, ice water, different times ranges, etc. etc. And it's always the same - the eggs won't peel cleanly, it escalates into a full scale me vs. eggs battle, and when the smoke clears, I'm left with yolks broken in half, peices of shell with white attached, and not a speck of it is usable.
My mom has a hard boiled egg cooker that makes perfect eggs every time. Please, someone, give me the secret that will prevent me from breaking down and purchasing one in an attempt to salve my wounded kitchen pride.
My S.O. always salts the water, he says it makes the white pull away from the shell better so it's easier to peel....
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It looks like Chow, the new spot at Granville @ 15th run by Jean-Cristophe Poirier (Lumière, C) is almost ready to open.
The interior looks very sleek. There's supposed to be a patio in the works as well.
I drove by last week and it looked like they were opened. Does anyone have any other details on Chow? Website, menu? Google didn't pull up much. I'm eager to give it a go once things have settled a bit.
So I made it to Chow yesterday with a few others. I had grilled sablefish with crisp pork terrine, lemon tart, and their earl grey marTEAni (we decided to order our own meals as we were all at varying levels of hunger rather than share a bunch of dishes). Meal was good -- sablefish nicely cooked and although I thought that a deepfried pork terrine is an odd pairing with the sablefish, I could have eaten a plateful of those still. Lemon tart was excellent, not too sweet, refreshing & light. Lovely presentations. They did a great job with the space, gorgeous lounge. Service was attentive and friendly.
I didn't find the menu "pretentious", but I thought the entrees a bit presumptious for what it is, especially for being a brand-new restaurant ($19 for the sablefish). Although the food was well-executed, I didn't find it spectacular for an appetizer-sized portion at "regular" entree prices. Let's just say there are plenty of new places to check out over the next several months. But I would go back for drinks at the lounge, and would certainly be willing to return for another meal & try more dishes in a few months time.
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It looks like Chow, the new spot at Granville @ 15th run by Jean-Cristophe Poirier (Lumière, C) is almost ready to open.
The interior looks very sleek. There's supposed to be a patio in the works as well.
I drove by last week and it looked like they were opened. Does anyone have any other details on Chow? Website, menu? Google didn't pull up much. I'm eager to give it a go once things have settled a bit.
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I've never spent much time on Cambie, but I've been meaning to try Figmint ever since they opened. But driving/parking conditions are generally so crummy that it's a bit of a deterrent....
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Oooh! Had the most intense craving for brownies earlier this week. Couldn't find a recipe I liked (not having eggs didn't help either) so had to forego the brownies. The next night, found this thread! Must be fate by brownies.
Yesterday, I used Shaloop's recipe too (inspired by Domestic Goddess's picture). Turned out pretty good, I threw in a handful of walnuts, but next time will take it out of the oven earlier. I just finished having one, and now must go and have another and wipe brownie crumbs off the keyboard before the S.O. sees the mess!
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Mmmm! Big, soft, chewy oatmeal cookies -- with raisins, please!
I use an old recipe from the 1987 edition of Canadian Living Cookbook (published by Telemedia Inc). For a non-serious occasional baker, this recipe has yet to fail me. It's all butter, no shortening, brown sugar plus the usual cookie suspects. I couldn't find this exact recipe on their website (canadianliving.com), but if interested, I'll check the eG posting guidelines to post it.
Oh, and I never use a mixer for these oatmeal cookies -- elbow grease all the way! Comes out chewier and tenderer.
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Here is a link to a recipe for Yu Char Kway.
My questions:
What is alum? Is it sort of a baking powder?
Does anyone have a recipe that is easier to make in the US, meaning no alum or ammonia in it?
Would they still taste "authentic" if I didn't use those things?
I have a Malaysian friend who wants to make them but cannot find alum or ammonia.
Any suggestions?
Thanks a lot!
This might be going off on a bit of a tangent...but...ammonia?!?
What kind of ammonia would this be? Is this safe to consume? What kinds of food would typically contain ammonia? Please excuse my ignorance, but I've only been familiar with ammonia as Windex and cleaning solution!
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Best places to find matcha are tea retail shops; most shops will either carry some version of matcha, and if they don't, they'll likely know where you might find it in your area. Asian & some gourmet markets may also have it available. I get mine from Tealeaves.com (they have a shop in my area, but mailorder is available too), and they grind matcha in-house so it's nice & fresh. Suggest calling them as I don't think matcha is listed on their website (tel 1-888-291-TEAS).
Some types of matcha that you might find at Asian food stores may be improperly labelled as "matcha", but should actually be labelled as "powdered green tea". True matcha is produced from particular grades of Japanese green tea, whereas powdered green tea is, well, any green tea that is powdered, usually Chinese or Taiwanese. This stuff is perfectly fine for cooking, desserts, lattes, etc. and still has all the health benefits as real Japanese matcha -- but will be easier on the wallet.
Powdered green tea & matcha are pretty bleah on they're own (unless it's the really good ceremonial grade stuff!). It's nice as an iced latte with a shot of vanilla syrup -- yum!
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Don't know what restaurants are doing, but when I am in NYC, I happily order tap water (I'll even drink it straight out of the tap!) as it's the best-tasting tap water I've had, barring Vancouver's. At home in Vancouver, I almost never buy or order bottled still water -- and drink it out of the tap, unfiltered.
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Oooh! Bread stuffing sandwich with a drizzle of gravy! Yum, carbs between two slabs of carbs!
When I was little, I used to eat Ovaltine sandwiches -- white bread, butter, a couple tablespoons of Ovaltine mix sprinkled in between.
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I've heard that the Vietnamese fare is pretty good, pho & banh mi....
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Oh wow, these ARE good! I'm having a plate of toaster-warmed chips right now, Kettle Brand Honey Dijon flavour -- oh-so-delicious! I usually warm up plain corn chips for a few mins but never thought to do it for potato chips.
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I'm so envious of all the liquor selections you have down there in the US! I'm looking through our provincial liquor distribution product list and couldn't find most of the brandies various posters mentioned. Boooo! The stuff we have up in British Columbia costs an arm and a leg -- Courvoisier/Hennessy/Remy Martin VS's are $50-55 CAD per 750 mL ($42-48 USD), retail price. Eeep!
Anyways, I've just recently gotten interested in spirits & cocktails. But what are all your thoughts on grappa & metaxa, and using one or the other in brandy-based cocktails, like in a Sidecar? The only experience I've had with grappa was a someone's homemade stuff that practically took off the top of my head!
Thanks!
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Ah HAHAHAHA! This thread is just too funny!
Well, I will never again stand too close to someone pouring liquid fondue fuel directly into a still-lit burner:
"Mom, I don't think it's a good idea to add fuel when the burner still has a flame!"
"Oh, it's ok, it's just a little bit of fuel."
Needless to say, Mom managed to douse my sleeve with liquid fuel and set my arm on fire....
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Dad used to buy for my bday when younger this German chocolate cake from a bakery called "A Piece of Cake" near UBC. But they've since closed down (about 12 yrs ago). Then I found that Miriam's on Denman carried the same cake -- mmmmm! But Miriam's is now gone and Starbucks is in its place.
Anyone know of a place that carries notable German choc cake? The ones from A Piece of Cake and Miriam's were to die for -- not too sweet, rich dense cake (but not the fluffy sponge kind), layered with walnuts.
Vancouver Island
in Western Canada: Dining
Posted
Oh and definately visit Wayne Ngan's pottery/art studio on Hornby while you're there (if you're into art), he is a highly reputed ceramics artist. Gorgeous artwork bowls, cups, plates and the like. I don't recall exactly where it is, but I'm sure Google will pull something up. Can't be far from the clothing optional beach, though!