gus_tatory

ok, for once i know the answer. rinse in 2-3 changes of hot water, drain. start in no-stick pan, medium heat, with half butter, half canola oil, salt, just until golden/bubbly/sizzly. pour onto baking sheet lined with foil, sprinkle with other spices. when they roast (at 350) they should "puff up" until the outer layer of the skin is bubbly and transparent. you can even do this with normal squash seeds--it's awesome. not only are these great nosh, they make elegant, tasty salad garnishes, cream of autumn veg soup garnishes, etc., and people will think you went to soo much trouble. bonus: they protect against prostate cancer. what's not to like?

as long as we're dreaming, i'd love (i mean, love) to see Dave McMillan on her show... i'm sure they'd get along like gangbusters and he'd totally rock the house on that show... but this is all conjecture...

wow--so many questions and comments 'cause it's such a cool food blog~! --i can't answer for Kristin and/or the Japanese, but the "senbazuru" (see my avatar; it means "a thousand origami paper cranes") are folded every August to remember Hiroshimi and Nagasaki, and a girl named Sadako. so this very much involves the "peace" gesture. just a guess... --but also, Kristin, you are raising foodies if one daughter's favourite food is avocadoes and the other's is Caesar salad! --also, someone mentioned 2 pages ago raw chicken sashimi, with re: to my mention of raw eggs and government-recommended "hygiene". this must have to be *really* fresh, right? i would not eat this in North America, just because of the way things are processed. but i'm sure raw chicken sashimi is delicious, right? --oh yeah, and beautiful photos and prose, Kristin! regards, gus

For a long time now, I've been watching "A la di Stasio", the cooking show on channel 17 on sunday nights at 17h. (i'm pretty sure it's also on friday nights at 21h.) The only comments i've ever heard on di Stasio from eGullet was that her pacing was "slow", and i absolutely agree. however, she's had some quite awesome shows: she's hosted Martin Picard (au pied du cochon), Mehti from reservoir, the guy from Cluny ArtBar (can't remember his name), and a whole other bunch of montreal/quebec luminaries. there is an "A la di Stasio" cookbook out now. Has anyone seen it, and would you buy it? do you enjoy this show? to me, it feels like Saturday Night Live, in that there are both astonishingly great and at the same time more monotonous episodes. Last week was Ian Perreault from Area (he was great), but i don't know who's on this week. i have no conflict of interest with channel 17 (i know no one there), but since theoretically, as public tv, this is paid for with your tax dollars, would you keep funding this show? (i would.) who would you like to see on her show? comments, questions? gus edit to add URL for show recipes: they have a great recipe for "pho"/soupe tonkinoise: URL for the A la di Stasio cooking show...

he did an episode of "a la distasio" (cooking show, channel 17, sunday at 17h) with Josee Di Stasio last season, and not only was he creative and full of tasty, fresh ideas, but he seemed like a really nice guy.

you said: "My husband...had 2 large bowls of rice each mixed with a raw egg..." Kristin: is salmonella not a concern there with the raw eggs? or are North Americans just being paranoid, or both? i know raw quail eggs go on top of a lot of things, but are raw chicken eggs used as well? thanks, gus

for whatever reason, it is still legal to sell Zubrowka--with the grass--in Quebec. i know because i discovered an amazing drink through a bartender friend. let's call it an "ochatini". it's 1.5 ounces Zubrowka and 3-4 ounces strong, chilled good green tea. the combination of the two grassy, strawlike tastes is enchanting. try some! for availability of Zubrowka in Quebec, check societe des alcools du quebec...

umm. best. food. blog. ever. (no offence at all to the other talented, committed food blog writers... ) Kristin: I did a lemon-grapefruit juice/yuzukoshou (Japanese citrus and pepper) marinated, then bbq'd chicken--amazing. actually no; the best blog ever would be your osechi ryouri (New Year's food) blog that is linked to on page 1 of this thread.

in Wolfville, there's also the Acton Grill, run by the guy that used to run Fenton's in Toronto...

they have a review for this place at nymetro.com: review--click here... it sounds amazing and tasty--read the details about how they make their ramen broth!

[drool icon] Kristin: can I request you post the recipe to eGra or recipeGullet?

the 'quote' button doesn't seem to work now (it might be user ineptitude), but i've gotten soo much from this thread: --goma+shio=sesame salt --yaki+tori=grilled bird --yudzu+koshou=condiment with bitter/hot/sour taste, yudzu and hot chile... so go torakris~! and i bookmarked this thread with CTRL-D (do it now, arigato gozaimasu) to re-visit it daily~! kind regards, gus

Canadian cuisine is: --Brome Lake duck with maple syrup and partridgeberries --Montreal smoked meat, bagels --Nova Scotia smoked salmon (lox) --wild pleurotte and morille mushroms from the forest the tagline of the Montreal restaurant Les Chevres is "le bonheur est dans le potager", meaning "happiness is in your garden kitchen", and Canada is blessed--for at least 3-4 months out of the year hehe--with some of the world's most awesome ingredients. but no truffles.

wow-- thanks helenjp, torakris, and others for your amazingly detailed, complete resources/recipes. i'm trying this cake this weekend, so will post back. can't wait!

hi shinyboots~! here are a few of my flavourite foodblogs: http://www.mum-mum.info/blog.htm http://foodgoat.blogspot.com/ http://joyofsoup.com/ http://www.nyceats.net/ enjoy, gus

Err, hold on. Was the cake called satsuma, or was the restraunt called satsuma? Either could make sense, as satsumaimo is the name of the Japanese sweet potato... thanks all for the info/recipes. and yes Palladion, it was the cake that was called "satsuma"--sorry for lack of clarity. Katherine--thanks for the koshi an recipe. and torakris: there's a really small amount of red bean paste, just enough to hold the sweet potato genoise/sponge cake roll together. it's nice! if i make this, i'll be sure to take photos.

hi helenjp-- it was a pretty smooth, sweetly mild red bean paste--delicious.

i have been wanting to recreate a 'cake' i tried at a Japanese restaurant called 'satsuma'. it is of the jelly-roll type, and the cake part is a sweet-potato cake. the filling is red adzuki beans, cooked, seasoned, and pureed. it's a great cake--not too sweet. does anyone have any ideas on how to prepare the bean filling? thanks in advance, gus

i'm glad we have a spring/summer roll thread. i thought the Vietnamese was cha gio, but these are the fried ones. the uncooked ones are called goi cuon, as eG'er Andrea mentioned. the Japanese version is called harumaki ("spring roll"), as torakris said... the sauce i make with them is miso-mayonnaise sauce recipe... am making some tomorrow with Thai basil and spearmint from patio garden. Moderator note: Threads merged.

Miso-mayo sauce for nama harumaki/goi cuon (spring rolls) This miso-mayonnaise sauce is served with goi cuon/nama harumaki (spring rolls). 2 tsp rice wine vinegar 2 T red miso paste 2 tsp sesame oil 1/2 tsp chili flakes 1/2 lemon, juiced 1/2 c mayonnaise Whisk in a bowl until all ingredients are blended. Taste and adjust seasoning. Chill and serve with spring rolls. Keywords: Easy, Dip, Japanese ( RG1152 )

Miso-mayo sauce for nama harumaki/goi cuon (spring rolls) This miso-mayonnaise sauce is served with goi cuon/nama harumaki (spring rolls). 2 tsp rice wine vinegar 2 T red miso paste 2 tsp sesame oil 1/2 tsp chili flakes 1/2 lemon, juiced 1/2 c mayonnaise Whisk in a bowl until all ingredients are blended. Taste and adjust seasoning. Chill and serve with spring rolls. Keywords: Easy, Dip, Japanese ( RG1152 )

that is such a lovely post, and photos too, Rachel--thanks~! (noise of stomach rumbling...) i have to confess i always use the plastic wrap, for these reasons: --if making a big batch--and why make a small batch?--it stops them from sticking together. --if your banh trang has a rip or hole in it, or if you make a sloppy summer roll, the plastic wrap acts as a kind of "girdle" to hold it together until it firms up a bit. (cheating, i know. ) if you can find (furikake thread) furikake (rice "sprinkles" from Japan with seaweed, bonito, sesame seed, etc.) they make a nice addition to the rolls, too! gus

cinghiale: your photos are jaw-dropping, as it sounds like most of the meals were. thank you for posting this. and you cannot imagine how happy i am that you became "smitten" with our city. sorry for any minor mis-informations i might have provided. a bientot! gus

oysters absolutely must be opened a la minute, per order, or not ordered, IMHO. it's the same reason i don't order mussels in restaurants unless i see heavy turnover. i can get cultivated mussels for 2$ a lb., or Malpeque oysters for about 5$ a lb, and don't feel like eating some room-temperature, dry specimen that's been sitting on ice waiting for a hapless guest.

this site Japanese food reference online has some great information about: --sushi glossaries --kaiseki ryouri, or temple cuisine --nabemono, or stewed one-pot dishes ...as well as lots of other interesting Japanese food-related stuff. the links and navigation are at the bottom of each page.