gus_tatory

i too am glad that tea seems to be getting more attention. i quit coffee a few years ago, and now drink green tea. there's something so contemplative and relaxing in having a tea--coffee does not compare, IMHO.

本当にありがとうござまいす。 （ほんとうにありがとうござます） hontou ni arigatou gozaimasu. Thank you very much for the Daily Nihongo.

cerfeuille is indeed chervil--not so easy to find in north america. gorgeous blog, bleudauvergne. i too have never been to France and am "epoustouflee" (blown over) by the beauty of your photos. thanks.

i know this isn't the question you were asking, but i have a Brazilian friend who macerates guava and passionfruit (pulp, seeds) in vodka, and it's great. as another aside, the Goya juices are all excellent, if you're unable to find peach vodka. good luck!

torakris: i've heard you mention this yuzukoshou a few times now, so i know you're a big fan. is it like a paste or more like a salsa? if i pulsed jalapenos and lemon juice in the cuisinart would i be even close? i don't think they sell yuzu here. and are the chiles like those little Thai super-hot bird chiles, or milder? thanks in advance, gus

hey, maybe it's *my* hangover-riddled mind. my breakfast joy is modified eggs benny: toasted crispy baguette, bacon, poached eggs, and hollandaise that i doctor with lime juice instead of lemon, and a generous pinch of Hungarian smoked paprika. it's bliss... in winter, it's waffles with some buckwheat flour, thick yogurt, and smoked salmon. this is also bliss...

cinghiale--bon voyage and be sure to let us know how the end results, i.e., your trip here, goes. i am frankly very glad that circumstances moved your trip from mid-winter to now. today is 23 celsius and sunny--glorious! PS: i *think* you're going to be here during the boulevard St-Laurent Street Festival (17-20 june) and/or Fringe Theatre Festival. you and Mom are going to have an excellent time! details at St-Laurent street fest and Montreal fringe theatre festival. PS: carswell: thanks for the correction on the "cromesquis" thing--so what is that puree of potatoes and curd cheese called? you are an amazing resource; thanks. gus

i haven't been to Toque and i'm not Lesley , but i remember from her review she said the food hadn't changed so much, but it was the feel of the space that had completely changed. the new space is very stone/wood/metal, sparse, and austere from what i understand. ...and go to au pied du cochon--i'm not sure if they still have the venison tartare. if so, order it. they have a few veggie options for your Mom, like something called "cromesquis", which from the looks of it is mashed potatoes with a *ton* of fresh cheese curds whipped in. mmm... and do as Riboflavin Joe suggested: book 2 seats at the bar overlooking the open kitchen--it's the greatest dinner theatre. sorry if this sounds bossy--enjoy your trip!

hi Cusina: my favourite miso soup might contain shiitakes, nori strips, sesame seed/oil, green onions, dulse (an Atlantic seaweed), shredded chicken, cubes of fried tofu, whatever's lying around. and as long as the miso in not in contact with air, it pretty well keeps forever. try a ziploc bag with the air squeezed out, or putting it in a jar covered with a very fine layer of flavourless (canola?) oil. have fun!

i'm not wading into the brouhaha... but i wonder about phytoestrogens in plant foods (and it's not just soy, they're in sweet potatoes, etc.)--are they really metabolized into sex hormones in the body? and "MSG = brain poison"? surely if used in trace quantities (like 1/4-1/2 tsp. for an entire dish serving 4-6) it's safe, right? i guess this just opens up more questions...

thanks for a truly awesome class, Kristin~! my preferred way to eat tofu is cut into mini-slabs, dusted with flour, and fried, served with dipping sauce of tsuyu (flavoured soy sauce: see footnote), lemon juice, green onions, and sesame oil. (drool...) but i will be trying out the yuba prep from soymilk (i actually enjoy the "labour" of cooking, so the time spent skimming yuba will be restful and contemplative ), and *ALSO* thanks for including a green tea mousse recipe! all the eGullet classes are of a really high quality and this one is no exception! thanks again, gus note: if you can't find tsuyu, i make a tasty approximation by adding one sachet of instant dashi (soup stock powder) to one litre of good, dark, abalone-flavoured soy sauce.

add lemon juice, scissored fresh rosemary, and minced black olives and make patties... mmm...

Yep... Oxalic acid. It complexes with the calcium and iron in the spinach to form an oxalate that is not absorbable. It will also tie up calcium and iron that you are getting from the other foods in your meal. Don't go eating too much raw spinach. ... Sorry for the long post but the sociological aspects of food choice is one of my favorite subjects. The whole grain versus refined flour issue over the millenia is something I find fascinating. wow! i can't believe the stuff i learn on eG! fifi--the spinach and whole grain things were both fascinating... thanks~! and here i was thinking i was all virtuous for eating spinach salads...

there's an interesting chart of the US here (click)... that breaks down the country, by county, according to whether people call it "pop" or "soda". modern anthropology at work...

if you get a rice cooker (which i wholeheartedly reccommend), get one that's *not* a steamer, i.e., the bottom doesn't let liquid drain through. then you can use your rice cooker to make soups, stews, and things that need simmering. (i use my rice cooker to make chicken stock, lentil soup, etc.) and pork tonkatsu is a Japanese-style breaded (panko crumbs) and fried pork chop. mmm...

what about a nice dahl (lentil soup from India/Pakistan) with cumin? the garam masala spices will make it pretty to photograph...

is the Japanese harumaki (spring roll) usually served uncooked, like the Vietnamese ones, or cooked? what would harumaki typically contain? thanks in advance.

i am lucky enough to live in Montreal, so life is an ongoing French lesson. but the person who started with the "je voudrais..." suggestion is right that a little politeness goes a long way. in addition to what's been mentioned: "bonne fin de semaine" = have a nice weekend (said on friday, of course... ) "a vous de meme" = the same to you "je vous remerci infiniment" = thanks so very much "de rien" = it was nothing

hi Richie-- the only way i can think of speeding up the greens-drying is a centrifuge (aka salad spinner). IMHO, and since you asked , the greens you mentioned, as well as a lot of Asian veg, benefit from flash-frying in iron woks for brief times. regards, gus

i have two questions if anyone is able to help out, re: container gardening (balcony). --some of my Italian/Portguese neighbours have gorgeous grape-vines and/or climbing hops plants. is it possible to get new stock from stem cuttings on these two? are they suitable for container gardening? thanks in advance, gus

hi Dave the Cook-- you could also check this artichoke thread from March... click. lucky you.

thanks all (esp. Jason for the pics and torakris for the link!). i'll try to post some pictures friday when i pick up my yuba and try out some of your ideas.

i already asked (i think on a tofu thread) about yuba a few months ago. now finally, i am lucky enough to have a tofu factory that opened down the street from me, and the guy is saving me the fresh yuba for me to pick up on fridays. an eGullet search yielded these results... click. i have heard of kumi-age yuba (served plain with soy "in freshness"?). i have also read of people frying it and making yuba-maki. i'd like to try it in strips, dusted with sesame seeds and rice flour, fried as a snack. any ideas, as i'm going to have a semi-regular supply? thanks in advance, gus

a canadian beer company (don't know which one, as i only did a consumer survey on it) is soon to be marketing a beer with cachaca and lime in it. it could be good super-cold on a summer day, and if it's not too sweet.

not food-related: i just finished "The Republic of Love", by Carol Shields, and it is life-affirming and wonderful. i also just finished "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-tme", by Mark Haddon. great book--it's a 'murder mystery' told by an autistic boy, but it's soo much more. food-related: not a week goes by that i don't pick up my Larousse Gastronomique and spend an hour or two in it. ps: if you buy one, get it through the eGullet Amazon link at the top right of the page. edit to add: yeah, it's the top right...