plunk

I live in Canada and also encountered the zip code problem so I emailed their tickets inquiry people and they said to just enter 00000 for the zip code. They've done the same thing on their end when processing non-US credit cards and the charges do get billed through so I think that's as good a guarantee as you're going to get. Good luck!

Awesome, thanks for checking! The cover had me a little bit worried. It seems a little whimsical and home-cook approachable (i.e. not "scary"/challenging enough) versus a slick enough professional level book, heh. Hopefully the book will make its way to North America eventually, at least to specialty cookbook stores if not amazon.

I loved Adriano Zumbo's challenges on Masterchef Australia! gap, does the Zumbo cookbook have recipes that are really difficult, like along the lines of the V8 cake? I have umpteenth general pastry books already so I really want something that's more at the professional level.

It's also available from amazon.ca for $37.44 Canadian. Probably about the same after the exchange rate but might be cheaper on shipping.

You can buy fennel pollen from Mikuni Wild Harvest. They're a restaurant supplier but are open to open to the public, by appointment only, and if you purchase $100 or more. Not at all difficult, it's like being a kid in a candy store. Wicked fun to browse, though the quantities for some things can be a bit large for home use. http://www.mikuniwildharvest.com http://www.vanmag.com/foodanddrink/07jun/Food.shtml The Vancouver Magazine article has a typo in Mikuni's address, it's 8750 Aisne St.

Are the recipes in it scalable to quantities suitable for avid home bakers? Does it call for hard to get specialty professional ingredients or equipment? I'm an avid amateur that has baked from a few professional books (Pierre Herme, Frederic Bau), and most of the difficulty has been trying to guesstimate/scale quantities down to single cakes, etc. Thanks!

Has anyone out there used this book yet? Would it be helpful for avid home bakers or is it only useful to professionals? I haven't been able to find a copy locally to flip through. Thanks!

Do you happen to know the name and address of the storefront? Thanks!

Intriguing ... think he'd sell to civilians?

I had a fantastic dinner at West last Friday. My group sat at one of the chef's tables by the kitchen and I got to try everything on the menu. My favourites were the salmon appetizer (I wish those oyster beignets came by the bowlful!), the truffle ravioli and the apple dessert. The banana ice cream with the chocolate cake was superb, so banana-y and creamy.

Argh, and here I thought I was organized by setting my VCR to tape at 7 all week. Can someone please post a summary for tonight's show?

Try Ponderosa Mushrooms, they supply restaurants but will also sell to the public. 1592 Kebet Way, Port Coquitlam, BC Canada V3C 5M5 Phone: 604-945-9700 Fax: 604-945-9735 http://www.ponderosa-mushrooms.com/

I've poured chocolate on Silpats for making chocolate bark and scored it before the chocolate was fully set. It worked quite well but I didn't cut down all the way through and the Silpat facing side was not shiny.

I love that book, so many great recipes. What cookbook(s) are you using for the mousse cakes? Ravensburgen looks awesome, I can see myself going a little crazy in there. I'd be interested to hear about your trip too. I called Lentia and Qzina last year looking for fruit purees for home use (mousse cakes, sorbets, fruit jellies). They both sell to individuals, but I think Lentia has a minimum order and delivery only. For Qzina, you can go directly to the warehouse and get what you want. (I may have that backwards.) I haven't made it out to either of them yet so I don't know if that's still true. Qzina webpage (seems unreliable) Lentia webpage

First time out with members of this group, & we chose HSG, because of eGullet. Finally got to taste the Gingerbread Pudding, & it lived up to the hype! One particular member of the group (you know who, Neil), literally licked his plate clean! Too bad we were too embarrassed to take a picture...you could have used it in your ads. ← Man, what an experience that evening was. I second the Gingerbread Pudding plaudits, it was amazing! I only wish I had room for the yam fries as well. Thanks to Neil and Luc and the rest of the staff for being so gracious and patient with our table.