Magictofu

Paul, I don't really understand the technique either... I am actually quite puzzled by it. The bones are not browned. According to Giovanni Apollo, the thermal shocks are what produces the brown stock in the end... without it, you would get a white stock. I don't know if it was a TV trick but the stock did seem to darken considerably with each "thermal shocks". I think the bitter flavour comes from the inevitable burnt bits that are found on roasted bones. I did mess a few of my stock by over-roasting bones.

Thanks for your answers. I think jackal10 might have the answer (I looked at the ingredient list on some of my favourite breads and asked about ingredients to a few local bakers - no potato flour). I have been using organic flour but it might have been old.

Most of my favourite white bread have a yellowish crumb (particularly baguette for some reason) while all of my homemade white breads are pure white. I have used various type of white flour with similar results. Why is the crumb of all my favourite bread has that yellow tinge? Could this explain why my homebaked bread are not as good as those other breads?

I have seen Giovanni Apollo (a chef from Montreal) making brown stock from frozen bones and vegetables without browning them on a French-Canadian TV show. He argued that his technique allows for the development of a better brown stock with less of that bitter taste found in traditional brown stock. The recipe, in French, can be found here. Step 1: put frozen bones in extremely cold water in a pot, slowly bring to a gentle boil, simmer for 20 minutes. Step 2: put frozen vegetables in stock pot to create a "thermal shock", bring back slowly to a simmer and simmer for another 20 minutes. Step 3: Add ice (about 20% of total content of stock pot), to create another thermal shock, bring back slowly to a simmer and simmer for another 20 minutes. Step 4, repeat step 3 (using either ice or, better, frozen stock using similar quantities. Stock should be done at this point and can be reduced. The whole idea was to create a series of thermal shocks to achieve the right color and taste. In the TV show, the chef used liquid nitrogen instead of ice for the 3rd step but said ice works as well to create the necessary thermal shock. I'm not sure I understand the process very well (I don't undestand how creating thermal shocks can produce a brown stock) but the final stock looked decent on TV and the chef is well known locally. Your large supply of bones could be used to test this technique. I would be curious to hear about the results.

I guess it depends on what you mean by "tender". I think that they will remain chewy even after a long simmer. Otherwise, it seems quite sound. Have you thought about experimenting with butter poaching a few of them to see if they get juicier? I don't know if that would work however.

People do fish for whelks in the St. Lawrence Estuary. Here's what I found on a French website: "Grâce à son large orifice et son canal court, il est facile d'extraire le mollusque de sa coquille. Si vous pêchez le buccin, enlevez la glande digestive et ne conservez que le muscle pour plus de sécurité. C'est dans la glande que se logent les toxines, une particularité propre au buccin. " In short, shells are easy to clean but you need to remove the "digestive gland" as it can contain some toxins. It is probably better to solely keep the foot. And yes, these can be tough, but not necessarily in a bad way: think octopus.

Could this be resolved by cleaning the extra muscle meat from the loin first? I'm thinking that a smaller piece of meat would cure faster.

Very impressive! At what temperature did you cook it? Any basting?

I am not aware of anything but it might be more difficult to find a table in some restaurants without a reservation. I'll keep an eye open and will let you know if I see something.

That's about it. Nuke on high, giving them a stir now and then until they smell good. A big bowl of almonds takes 5 to 10 minutes depending on whether you want them lightly toasted for topping things or almost burnt for bark. Of course it will depend on the power of your microwave. The hazelnuts I've been toasting over the past couple of days while I've been experimenting with gianduja - about a 1/2 cup at a time - I've nuked for between 2 and 3 minutes. ← I just tried with pine nuts. It took quite some time for them to develop any color and they were a bit more brittle at the end than usual but the flavor was good. When I finally get the right amount of time for my microwave, I am sure I will benefit greatly for not having to watch them every few seconds. Thanks for the tip.

I got the book as well and do not like it too much... The prose is annoying and the content often too basic to be practical. The TV show on the other hand is great as it better convey this connection between food, life and cooking that I think is key in this franchise.

Resurrecting this thread: Cranberries were selling for less than a dollar per pound today at my grocery store. I love cranberries and got carried away... I bought around ten pounds. I do plan to freeze some to use in muffins, sweets and sauces but I am starting to think that it might be the time to try new things. Any suggestion?

Friends and family who still have a job should be put to contribution. Do not hesitate to accept invitations. You can also host pot luck dinners and enjoy the benefit from all the leftovers... including wines.

That's a butcher who is either very confident about the quality of his produce or a butcher who had too many roasts on his hands. Either way, you win.

How? Do you simply zap them for a few seconds?

For desert, you can make small crême brulée, mousse, etc. Great amuse bouches include: - Pulled pork with a few sprouts or micro-greens - Any type of tartare - Broken savoury jelies (barely set) with a few crunchy bits added - Caviar (or another toping) on your choice of pureed vegetable

Yeah - it just seems like the toppings are universal but the dressing is not. I was curious what the original creation actually was before the recipe big bang. ← Probably a simple vinegar and oil dressing with a bit of mustard. However bacon strikes me as a variation of the usual confit gizzards.

Coffee and cheese? Really?... I might have to try because my brain is really not convinced. By the way, really like the name of your second cheese.

It is a very interesting thread and I believe the information would benefit other readers not following this regional forum.

I would definitely add a vegetarian options, even the more unrepentant carnivore can have vegetarian friends

This looks like a great tourtière! I really like to see the big chunks of meat in it... so many people use ground meat these days.

What makes a great sandwich: bread, sauce, meat, cheese, veggies... Each of these should be good. For bread, you'll need a plain white bread for certain consumers, a healthy version for others and a few others to fit your various toppings. Gooey cheese always sell. Artisan deli meat is all the rage now and might still be in 2-3 years. Great veggies are also important, you could have roasted veggies, various greens and a few spreads on offer (don't forget to have vegetarian options at all time). What goes well with a great sandwiches: soups, salads, fries, pickles,... Good homemade soups and pickles would win me over immediately, great sides like salads and fries would win many of my friends (because of the smell and obvious competition, I would avoid fries). What makes a great sandwich place: location and visibility (especially in a tourist town), great products, fast service but relaxed ambiance, take out possibilities (e.g. muffin and cafes), great smell (e.g. bread baking in the oven), nice view, comfortable tables, a black board with daily specials and seasonal offerings,... I think should always keep in mind that people generally chose a restaurant with their eyes, not with their taste-buds... especially when visiting new places. One thing however, I am always wary of place that seems to mix genres (e.g. thai wraps with gazpacho anyone?). Depending on the nature of tourism in your town, you might want to get something that would be considered a local delicacy. Good luck

There is a great thread about chicken here. If possible, you could have your uncle-in-law to kill and pluck the animals just before cooking them... but it might be a bit impractical.

Looks like you have almost everything figured out already. Will you get organs, tail, feet and head? Otherwise, you could render some lard, get a few roasts/chops from the loin and make a great stock with the bones.

Smell them first... if these are king oysters, they do not look very fresh.