TicTac

Can't say I have tried Stateside interpretations - but I would be curious as to how they compare. I still have fond memories of traveling to France with my (then) 75 year old grandmother and taking a large empty tupperware container with us, only to return with it filled to the brim with vac packed cheesy goodness! Reblochon, Tomme, Epoisses, Brie de Meaux....oh how I love thee, let me count the ways!

Can't have more than one favourite! 😛 If I was forced to choose, it would be one of the petite unpasteurized aged french goat cheeses (typically only found in France, sadly!)

Prickly pear juice....mmmm. I have fond memories of my grandparents taking me to The Phoenician (a hotel in Scottsdale AZ, on CamelBack Mountain) for meals and often one of them would have a prickly pear margarita. I often got to sneak a little sip and can still remember the taste. Great stuff, very jealous - would never see anything like that north of the border!

As well, a home made Tahini sauce would also work really well in this dish!

Onions cooked down slowly in chicken fat are a thing of beauty. The ultimate confit medium! I still remember slathering on schmaltz with my grandmother, getting excited to hit a 'load' of skin and onions in the dish, then topping with some salt. It's amazing how food and tastes create such strong memories. I can still tell you all of the dishes I had with my grandmother in Italy 20+ years ago - what we did in between meals, not so much, but the food itself....I can still picture it!

You have clearly never had good schmaltz then! My grandmother used to make it with onions and salt, and then we would slather the stuff on crusty bread - Heart attack on a plate! But oh so good.

Looks fantastic. FWIW - It's Schmaltz - However; I am more than willing to call it Schmalz (or anything you want, for that matter!) if you send some my way!

Try roasting them even past that point - you will be amazed at how much more flavour develops. I often roast big shiitakes and Elm Oysters (which I forage). I keep them whole and put a dollop of ramp butter and salt in the cap (face up). Toasted till they are brown. Many uses thereafter.

Smoked meats of any kind do really well to mask (and elevate) the flavour of chard. I too am not fond of it on its own, but a slow braise with a hunk of smoked turkey or pork and some stock makes it excellent (come to think of it, that prep would make shoe leather taste good! )

Sounds like you are plagued with similar allergies to me! No down/feathers for this guy! Reminds me of a story many moons ago when my grandmother took me to Italy for my first EU trip, we were staying in this beautiful villa and I woke up middle of the night sneezing non stop and having the worst allergy attack - quickly did we realize that I am allergic to the pillows! Unfortunately they were not as diversely stocked as your AirBnB (this was 20+ years ago!) and rolled up bath towels had to suffice!!

....just drop the beast on the floor if you do not want to tackle it whole, from there, very manageable smaller pieces can be handled with a chef's knife.

Funny enough, at the farmers market this past weekend - a gentleman approached the main farmer and asked if he could have a piece of a large European squash varietal. Mike (the farmer) being a great guy, said sure - and proceeded to drop the beast on the floor, cracking it naturally down the center. A bit of prying, and done.

Inspired by some of @shain's cooking - I have made this dish twice now and am happy enough to report on it! Roasted Korean Sweet Potatoes - consider that the base/canvas! A variety of toppings placed, in no particular order: - Tahini sauce - Roasted pumpkin seeds - Caramelized balsamic onions - Tamarind sauce Talk about a tasty treat, and a healthy meal to boot!

@Kerry Beal - if you want a fantastic source for that bread, check out Khorak Supermarket on Yonge just south of Steeles. Go towards the back where they pump these out (and a few other types) all day long. When I still ate bread, it was a favourite of mine (next to Blackbird, my lost love....*sob*)

I have, though my guess is that it was mayo based and whatever tang was from an acid source (though I could easily be wrong!). It's more of a mental blockade than anything else. I am more than happy to substitute a bit of water and lemon juice to accomplish a very similar end result. It's one of the reasons why I feed my kids everything and do not let any of my foibles impact them (too much... 😛)

For that I would have to lay down on a large comfortable day bed and share with you my mothers successful brainwashing of our taste buds! But in a nutshell.... She hates all things yogurt/sour cream/cottage cheese and buttermilk has that sour/tartness that one associates with yogurt - so naturally; I cannot even fathom consuming the stuff!

I would suggest if you cannot locate ramps, pickled or not - to add a tiny bit of garlic to your dressing. Being that a ramp is a wild cross between the garlic and onion family and certainly has garlic notes to it. Still have a whack of ramps from Spring - perhaps I might give the dressing a go...though I do recall seeing buttermilk in it, which totally put me off! But I suppose easily substituted.

Perhaps I should start selling my pickled ramps!

Potatoes as a pizza topping have long been a favourite in our house. Hash brown pizza is a big hit (crispy fried potatoes, with onions and garlic - usually accompanied by smoked pepperoni and mozz) As is smashed young potatoes (freshly pulled potatoes, boiled and laden with ramp oil - mashed and used as a pizza base (no sauce besides the taters).

From the prices I can see, $2/lb for apples is certainly fair (especially so if they are organic!)

In all fairness, I do believe my mother brainwashed me to hold the vile stuff in such disregard. Growing up she hated yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, so naturally - so did we! I have gotten past my issues with sour cream (long as it is not plain) but the other 2....Oy Vey.

IMO - Cottage Cheese has got to be one of the most repulsive food items man has ever made. The consistency, appearance, texture....oh boy....gives me the heeby jeebies!

@rotuts - The terrine did sound nice, especially with the pinot sauce, could be a really nice match.

Sounds good. Just too much carrot overwhelming that poor little hunk of lamb!

Salmon does look to be cooked to near perfection (though tough to tell without seeing a med-rare middle!) Plate looks great, minus those little G3's (Green Gas Grenados!)