TicTac

It could very well be an age thing, I am in my mid 30's. blue_dolphin, that is correct - never. I am not a minimalist at all, though I do like things tidy! At age 7 I was being taught how to cook risotto, for me, cooking is in my blood - cooking, unlike baking however; is not an exact science, therefor the need for books is minimal (for me, at least). Who needs cookbooks for inspiration when we have fantastic cooks among us who spur on creative food flowing ideas on a daily basis.

Clearly it was a hyperbole, I am sure there are others - but I wonder how many.

Am I the only one who doesn't own a cookbook that I bought for myself? I mean I have 2-3 sitting far away on a shelf somewhere that I looked at once or twice, but besides baking; I suppose I rarely if ever use an actual recipe.

Looks great - would love to hear the recipe for the dumplings.

Great ideas Nancy. If only I could find chanterelles, morels and the like. I did find some mushrooms now (fall) which appear to be chanterelle 'esque, but was not certain so left them alone. I had in one course planned to do a smokey component. I was thinking some speck perhaps, or good old thick cut bacon...

I have heard rumors of porcini's in southern Ontario...lucky you! I too am giving them away by the pound, we are only nearly caught up on frozen mushrooms (in a variety of forms) from last season.

Having briefly searched I could not find any threads on the topic. Not sure if there are any other foragers on EG, I do gather there are many mushroom fans among us. Typical mushrooms seasons appear in Spring time and in Fall in southern Ontario (Canada). Now is the season, at least in my area, for Elm Oyster's and Puffballs (among others which I am still learning about!). Luckily (aka hours of hiking - I have lovingly dubbed it treasure hunting - in the woods) I have an overabundance of Oysters (think much larger, meatier and more flavourful than what you get at the store!) so we are doing a mushroom dinner, and while I have many ideas, I was wondering if anyone has any special preparations for their favourite shrooms. So far I am doing a mushroom saute with a olive oil poached yolk to mix - mushrooms w/herbs on toast - and mushroom risotto with many forms of fungi! Also considering a grilled variation (as some of these beasts are the size of a dinner plate!). Curious to hear if anyone else picks their own and what you all like to do with them!

Looks tasty - but I think you meant 'Instead of pancetta'!

I cannot imagine eating an entire habanero. The immediate experience itself aside, the day(s) to follow would be hellish!

Are you implying that you would eat a - whole - roasted - habanero!?

Love the wooden barrels. Living on a ravine/forest limits our ability to grow produce which requires a ton of sun (unless I do it in the front, which I have started testing this year and will expand next!). However, the flip side, besides the beautiful setting, is the bounties that mother nature offers. It's mushroom season - and the Elm Oysters are absolutely booming - today's pickage (yay, I get to participate in the pickage verbage!) - lime for scale:

Stupidity knows no bounds.

It was a fun night and it reminded me why I detest going downtown (traffic, traffic, and a bit more traffic)! The Foie dish came in a bowl with a very small concave center. A few pieces among a very rich chicken jus, a sunchoke puree and some seared hedgehogs. The Pork was a slice from the rack (my wife had this one so my details are hazy - or was that thanks to the wine pairing...?) The cabbage was thinly sliced with a bit of a vinegar note, walnuts and mustard I believe were part of the sauce. Hope this helps, if you have any other questions don't hesitate. If you are ever planning on being in Toronto, I highly recommend it, though do note they require reservations nearly 2 months in advance.

Thanks dj - appreciate the time you took. I contacted Richters (per Kerry's suggestion) and already heard back - they have both plants (only purple) and seeds (purple and green) available now. I will probably pick up a pack of each seeds, curious as to whether they would grow indoors in the winter time....

Thanks Kerry - that's great, will give them a shout.

No, Holy Basil. Been cooking a lot of Pud Kra Prao at home and Italian basil while nice, just doesn't cut it! Not to mention I want to try to make tea's with it as well.

I have been searching for a while to find some to grow (Toronto, ON) - not much luck. May have to resort to an online source....

Now if only your cooking would influence the food that hospitals serve to their patients! Love this thread already.

It's too bad the local forums are not used as much - this place is so much better than those 'other' local food boards. Figured I would try to do my part - Now that I have made a few visits (the latest being last night) I thought I would share a few thoughts on Alo, using last nights menu as talking points. Overall it was a very enjoyable evening, the location is interesting (as discussed with Amanda, Toronto will continue to see restaurants rise up in the sky as real estate becomes tougher; or just more expensive, to find), the room is nice, very subtle, and well laid out. Service was very good, all staff friendly and astute of their duties. The sommelier was an interesting fellow. Took a bit of time to warm up to (and get warmed up) but after I guessed the grape and region of one of his pairings, perhaps he took me (I am in my mid 30's, often vinophiles judge this book by it's apparent age!) more seriously. Onto what matters; food. By in large many hits, but a few misses. We had: - Amuse - small pastries filled with cheese, jalapeno, and dusted with caramelized onion powder & Foie Torchon w/ hearts of palm and passion fruit. Quite possibly 2 of the best bites of the evening! - Venetian Caviar, Potato - Nice execution of the potato using the ISI to foam it out. - Celery root, black truffle (substituted for my wife as she cannot eat fish eggs) - Mildly cured white fish with melon balls, beets and some other accompaniments which were less than memorable. This was the biggest miss of the night. Lacking both seasoning and depth, nothing about this dish interested let alone excited me. - Pain au Lait - Here is the pairing mishap, after both a glass of Cremant and Moshchofilero, they paired this with some Madeira. Far too sweet, and quite frankly should have gone with the amuse or dessert, if anything. - Veal Sweetbreads, black truffle, Taleggio cheese - the cheese was slightly overpowering (but delicious) and unfortunately the sweet breads were vastly overcooked. Unfortunate as I adore SB's! - Quebec Foie, sunchoke, hedgehog shrooms & chicken jus - excellent! - Pacific halibut, chestnuts, endive, parsnip. Another example (similar to the other fish dish, perhaps a trend?) of under seasoning and again, lacking much depth/layers to the dish. - Rack of Pork, cabbage, walnuts, mustard. V. good. - Beef Ribeye, onion, matsutake, bernaise. Also V. good. Hard to screw that combo up! - Pear, Caramel, Amaranth - interesting, the first glimpse of the pastry chef showed a very creative mind and dept hand. - Apple dessert (they called it a tart tartin, but it was nothing close) - very seasonal and fresh...basically a decomposed apple pie. - Dark chocolate, mint. - My wife's favourite, again, demonstrating a very skilled pastry chef. The mint ice cream was fantastic. Certainly far more successful executions than not, but room for improvement none the less. We will continue to return, as the menu changes often and I want to see how Chef Kriss continues his evolution of Alo. Now if only it wasn't so far and getting there in rush hour wasn't so painful!

Warmer up there than it was down here this morning! Though it is slowly warming up and will be a gorgeous day today. Can't beat 20 degrees in the middle of October up in the Great White North!

Love the copious grinds of pepper you use, Anna. I too am a big fan. Especially with meat. It is a nippy morning in Thornhill, so I can only imagine how cold you gals are up North! Any white stuff yet!? Safe travels.

If they felt REALLY sorry they would have given you Tetley's

I am not a fan of bottom feeders to begin with, so I am perhaps not the best person to ask. And I used the term 'digestive tracks' in lieu of the more specific term which I am sure (aka hope) many can ascertain on their own.

You may wish to remove the 'digestive track' from the shrimp (that black line along the back) - - Unless of course you like that sort of gritty stuff!

Beneficiaries of not one but TWO Cumbrae steaks!? Someone must like you two ladies a whole lot - Cumbrae's is easily my fav butcher in town. Thanks for the blog - much fun to follow along.