ElsieD

I am. I have the Breville XL and really like it but I use 1/4 sheet plans in it all the time and to me the fact that the CSO is to small for them is a major drawback. My Breville still works well and that is another reason I have a hard time buying the CSO despite it's advantages. However, if a company comes out with a SO that fits a 1/4 sheet pan I'd take a serious look at it.

Our waiter said fresh berries were pickled in apple cider vinegar. You couldn't taste the vinegar but it did pack an acidic punch. Also, the taste of the berries came through loud and clear, as though the flavour was concentrated somehow. I don't know if that helps as it is really hard to explain.

We are now at the airport waiting for our flight home. It has been an interesting trip and I hope you have enjoyed traipsing around Newfoundland with us. I am so looking forward to making toutons! Going through security we were both selected for the full body pat down. They also went through our carry on bags and I had a knife confiscated. I had forgotten it was there. I had packed the thing in case I cooked something as the knives you get in rental places are usually pretty sad. Good thing it wasn't very expensive. It was one of those paring type knives that comes in it's own little sheath. I think it was made by Khun Rikon.

Lunch today at a place called Piatto in St. John's. We both had a roasted red pepper soup with pancetta, John had the pizza and I had the meatballs. Not much to be said about it, other than the soup was excellent, the pizza good and the meatballs were just okay.

I have had both raw fish and raw beef. I simply don't care for uncooked meat, but I do like raw fish. My husband doesn't like uncooked meat either, and refuses to eat raw fish. As the tasting menu has to be for both people, we chose to have no uncooked meat or fish. And you are right, I should have said no raw non-vegetables. However, we managed to convey what we meant to the waiter so all was well. The diver scallop was seared.

Silly me, I didn't think that mentioning which fin was important. It came from the nape, the part of the dorsal surface between the posterior edge of the skull and dorsal fin insertion.

To finish things off, we each ordered a cappuccino. This arrives with "something from the pastry chef". There are ginger mini madelines, chocolate marshmallows, shortbread cookies and a chocolate caramel brittle. I'm almost embarrassed to say we ate it all but then I'd be lying. A feast like this is not cheap but the experience was priceless and something we very, very, rarely do. We enjoyed every mouthful except the broccoli pesto. That was our final night in Newfoundland and I am typing this in a place called Coffee Matters as we have checked out of our hotel. One more meal to go and that is lunch.

We have now arrived at dessert. This is a compote of with 8 different berries, a toasted peach milk cream and a raspberry meringue. Wine: Hinterland, Ancestral, Prince Edward County, Ontario, 2015

After the steak, we are presented with a palate cleanser of pickled strawberry sorbet. This was almost overpowering in it's strawberryness, if that makes any sense. No trouble scooping that one up. Wine: None, and I'm starting to think, just as well.

I'm starting to flag when no. 6 arrives. This is a piece of grass fed rib eye steak with potato gnocchi, peas and 2 sauces on either side of the plate, one being a Chanterelles sauce, the other an onion soubise. I was worried about not being able to eat dessert (quelle horreur!) so John got half of my steak which was too bad in a way as it was very good. Wine: Valentina Passalacqua, Nero Di Troia, Puglia, Italy, 2013

Next up, we had a cod dish. It consisted of a piece of cod from near the fin and a cod cheek. It was served with a broccoli pesto, carrot purée and pork jus. When the waiter was explaining the dish, we kept hearing port jus but we managed to straighten that out and it was in fact pork jus. Who'd a thunk to pair cod with pork jus? The broccoli pesto was our least favourite thing and we both left some on our plates. Wine: Domaine Cailliot, Santenay, Burgundy, France, 2009

This was course no. 4, a pasta course. The dish was Chanterelles, beans, and corn agnolotti. The corn was a very smooth purée and the top had shaved parmigiano reggiano.on top. This was our favourite dish of the night. Wine: Lightfoot & Wolfville , Pinot Rosé Grand Pré, Nova Scotia, 2014. We were told that this is a very small winery and they only produced 50 cases of this wine that year, and Raymonds bought 25 of them.

The third course was a diver scallop served with apple, radish and cucumber and pea foam. Wine: Pearl Morissette, Riesling, Niagara, Ontario 2013

The second course was an heirloom tomato salad served with goat milk ricotta and basil. You can't see them, but there were some tiny little whole tomatoes in there that were just bursting with flavour. The wine: Condes Del Albarei, Albarino, Rias Biaxas, Spain, 2008

And now, on to last night's dinner. I may not get it all done in one sitting so will post a separate entry for each of the seven course tasting menu. This was a meal like no other I have ever had. The service was very professional and friendly without being familiar. Just a top-notch place. The only thing we asked was that they not serve us anything raw. I have also included the wines that were served as I thought some might be interested in knowing what they were. The first course consisted of artichoke with lardo, gazpacho with snow crab and basil oil, radish with cultured butter, a tiny perfect carrot with a velvety smooth carrot purée and a pickled chrysanthemum. Beautifully plated and delicious. There were three substitutions made on our plate, and they replaced razor clam with cucumber and dill, oyster with raspberry and Albacore tuna. The wine was a champagne, La Valle, Franciacorta, Primum, Brut, Italy, NV

After lunch yesterday we stopped in at Cupid's Legacy Centre which is a museum dedicated to the founding of Cupids. I mentioned earlier that Cupids dates back to 1610 and the Centre contains artifacts dating back to that time. I found one display particularly interesting and that was of the Beothuk culture. The othe picture is of some older kitchen items although I recall my mother had what we called an egg beater that looks very similar to the one on display. After that we went to Cupids Cove Plantation, the archeological site of the 1610 settlement. One of the archeologists showed us around and this may be of interest: the first building was not completed until December of 1610. Until then, the settlers slept in a depression in the ground. Also, tax evasion was alive and well. They found a fragment of cloth that had a lead seal indicating that either taxes had been paid or the individual had tax exempt status. They sent this piece of cloth out for testing and discovered that the seal was fake.

We have just arrived back in the land of the Internet so I will post our lunch. This we had at Shark Cove in a place called Cupids Haven Bed and Breakfast Tea Room. I had the special of the day, which consisted of a fish cake, a touton (yes!!!) and baked beans. This was really good and I really enjoyed it. John had the mac and cheese and really liked his as well. This is one of those places that sits at the end of a road and whenever we have been lucky enough to find one of these, the food has always been great. While there, I thought to ask about the actual cooking of the toutons. I knew they were done in a frying pan but I didn't know how much fat to use or what temperature to cook them at. The answer was use as much fat as you wish, or as little as is required to fry an egg. As for heat, medium low was the answer as any higher than that they won't cook all the way through. Tonight we are going to what could be described as a fancy pants restaurant called Raymonds. It is one of the best restaurants in Canada and at least one year that I know of, was voted # 1. We haven't decided if we are sticking with the à la carte menu or the tasting menu but either way, I should have a memorable meal to share with you

Wayne got one part and Beebs got the other. A loaf of breads sits in the top part and that was where they sliced it and the curved bottom was used to roll pastry, cookie dough and the like.

Bingo! The bottom was used as a rolling pin. So what was the top flat part used for?

@PattyO a knife was used with that item, so your thinking is going in the right direction. @ElainaA Nope. Moving it is correct. See Smithy's cradle comment. One more hint - it is a dual purpose item.

@PattyO it has no sharp edges so would not be used for chopping anything.

@IowaDee um, no, sorry, not even close. @Smithy cradle is part of the answer. Sort of, in that it rocks. It is a kitchen item, has nothing to do with children.

Ooooh, thanks for this. I have made it myself but it is so nice to know that I can get it at home.

Tonight's dinner was a disappointment. We were back at Dustabella's where we ate last night. I had ordered the pork chop special which was stuffed with a pesto filling with feta and almonds. The plate came, I had ordered garlic mashed potatoes as a side and it also came with vegetables of the day. The veg were cold and the one fork of mashed I ate was overpowered by raw garlic. Back it went. Since I didn't want the mashed spuds anymore, they replaced it with salad. Out came the revised plate. The chop must have been sitting under a heat lamp or something because it was HOT, completely overcooked and dry. The veg had zero seasoning or anything else on them and were lukewarm. The salad was okay. John was satisfied with his fish and chips but his veg were cold too but he didn't care because he wasn't eating them anyway. I'm glad we have that apple tart to look forward to a bit later.

Any guesses as to what this might have been used for?