capers

Thanks so much for this info, rumball. When I was a kid, I was best friends with a girl whose parents were Russian and Ukranian, and they fed me the most amazing food whenever I went there. I vaguely remember being taught the difference between pirozhki and vereniki, but haven't been able to find anyone else since then who has ever heard of anything other than perogies. They also made something called (spelled phonetically) peh-duh-hay-uh. Do you have any idea what that could be? Or am I just misremembering pelmeni? It was a very long time ago. ← "peh-duh-hay-uh" are ukrainian peirogys.

Hmmm, that's strange. I took a cooking class at Vij. In the kitchen were trays filled with balls of fresh dough for Naan. We were shown the technique (it's tougher than it looks) and made our own.

You could also try Polonus Old Country Sausage at 4286 Fraser St. They are a polish deli and while I haven't noticed any pickled sausage, I can't say I've looked either. You could call 604-872-1521. At any rate their sausages are very good. :

I think I've seen them at Gourmet Warehouse. ← Thank you ← Les Amis du fromage also carries them.

I only use fresh yeast and always pick mine up at La Grotta Del Formaggio at 1791 Commercial Drive. Their telephone number is 604 255 3911. You can give them a call first.

Well sheesh, so did I. Not only that but I had their card sitting right beside me. Illuminate is the restaurant I went to and it was good.

I had lunch at Incendio's a couple of weeks ago and our meals were very good. Try the liver, it's delicious. The menu looks good, the place is very nicely done and I really liked the bathrooms (ladies, that is ) We are definitely going to try for dinner one of these days.

You could call them and ask, then come back and let us all know if that's an option.

When I make bread, and have extra loaves, I wrap in plastic wrap once it's cooled, then in a double layer of foil. When I want to eat it, I thaw overnight, set the oven to 400 degrees, remove the plastic wrap and cover with a damp tea towel. Then I wrap the whole thing in foil, place in the oven for 15 min., take it out and remove the foil and towel and stick it back on my baking stone for 10 - 15 min. When I take it out the crust is crispy and the bread tastes freshly baked. The Bread Baker's Apprentice says that different breads have different storage requirements and they record the same moisture losses that you have found in your experiment of plastic/paper and cloth.

Amen on the fun. I have always believed that, in matters where you have a choice, if you don't have fun doing it, stop doing it. That is why I retired early. ← Bravo Gerhard! I think you're doing great and this process encourages many to try their hand at bread baking. I am soooo pulling for you to suceed. Remember, you didn't learn to walk the first time you stood up so keep trying.

You are a great teacher. I'm so enjoying your coaching notes. Thanks. Now, here's my thoughts. I think if I was working toward a good loaf and my first success, (believe me, I've been there, done that) as a precaution, I'd cut a piece of parchment to fit into the couche so the chances of sticking would be minimized. Plus it would make removing them much easier. Or is this not kosher?

Quince 604 731 4645 Mon-Sat 8:30am-6pm at 1780 West 3rd Avenue, Vancouver, corner of 3rd Avenue and Burrard Street

I've tried a few of the meals from Savory City and thought they were very good. You can get them in individual servings. I really enjoyed the French Country Chicken and the Belgian Beef & Beer Stew. I see they've changed their menu for spring. Well worth the cost. Hope you are better soon. 604) 875-8484 (604) 875-8404 3925 Fraser St. Vancouver V5V 4E5 You can check out their menu here: http://www.savourycity.com/index.html

Chris, do you perhaps mean La Belle Auberge in Ladner? Restaurant's annual closure notice. La Belle Auberge Restaurant will be closed from January 1st 2006 until January 27th 2006 for our annual up-keeping and renovation. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

I think that you are refering to the Ukranian church dinners served on 10th and main (church is located accross the UIC building on 10th). They have something similiar in Richmond. Here is a list of Ukranian church dinners accross the lower mainland - perogies! You may want to call ahead just to make sure the dates still all make sense. The dinners are good and have that nice unitarian church basement vibe. Definitely not a mono-culture and the Main st version is downright hip. You expect to see the guys from Arcade Fire sitting at the table next to you. Still - the draw are the perogies and they are pretty tasty. They are sold frozen for you to take home too. ← Thank you so much for the link. How are the cabbage rolls? Even though I could make my own it just so much easier to buy them, especially if they are good.

Hi there, I like to go to famous foods for my baking ingredients. They have a good turnover and I've always found their products very fresh. As far as cream cheese goes, my preference is to use Gina Marie natural cream cheese (Famous Foods has it), it has no stabalizers or gums and I think the flavor is superior. I was reading in The Baker's Dozen cookbook and they note that the texture is sometimes drier with natural cream cheese than philadelphia cream cheese. However, I haven't had a problem with dryness. Be careful to not overbeat your filling and you should be fine. As far as raisins go, I usually buy mine at the health food store, simply because it's closer. Hope this helps. Good luck with your guy!

Well then, you're a lucky devil, no one wanted one of me

Did you happen to make it to Trout Lake this weekend? Chris was collecting email addresses from his customers. Apparently he bakes once a month and will email those on his list so we can purchase some. He is still going to be at Nat Bailey so if you get a chance check in with him about it. It really is wonderful bread and being able to buy it saves me from having to make my own.

I am really looking forward to hearing about your experiences. I took the serious foodie and a number of other courses at Dubrulle and enjoyed them, I learnt a great deal but more importantly, I gained confidence in what I was doing. I would have loved to have taken this and the french cuisine course but the timing wasn't right for me, so I will live vicariously through your blog and pictures. carol

Question: what exactly is this melon? It has an intense melon smell, firm silky white flesh and tastes of apple and honeydew. The woman I bought it from said it was a "tiger melon" but this is the first time I've seen one. This is a Tigger Melon (note the spelling), I bought a couple a few weeks ago, they are incredibly beautiful and I thought it tasted like a cantelope. This is what I found when I was searching for information: They are a heirloom variety. "The most amazing melon, the fruits are vibrant yellow with brilliant fire-red, zigzag stripes, (a few fruit may be solid yellow), simply beautiful! Highly fragrant, with a rich, sweet intoxicating aroma that will fill a room. The white flesh gets sweeter in dry climates. Small in size the fruits weigh up to 1 lb. - perfect for a single serving. The vigorous plants yield heavily, even in dry conditions. This heirloom came from an Armenian market located in a mountain valley."

Here's a link to check out, they have the day of the week listed http://www.bcfarmersmarket.org/directory/index.htm As far as I know Coquitlam, White Rock, Ambleside and Richmond have markets on Sunday and the Nat Bailey Market on Wednesday. At any rate check out the links.

Strange as it may seem I too had this very same problem this week. This suggestion will be too late for you tonight, but I made a Karen Barnaby recipe for Dungeness Crab and Corn Fritters. They were pretty good and used up my leftovers.

I have seen it in some health food stores and I'm pretty sure I've seen it at Famous Foods on Kingsway. Give them a call first to check. Good luck.

I am having trouble with some of these comments. Vikram stated, "I have never said that mine is punjabi home cooking." and as far as I know he has made a point of saying this, regardless of his father's efforts in the beginning to go more mainstream. I applaud you for sticking to your guns. My experiences at Vij have been excellent and I think Vikram is both warm and welcoming and a truly gracious host. The food in my not so humble opinion is delicious. By the way how's the cookbook coming along?