Ling

Yup--they do have this at T&T. Nice brekkie food.

My aunt had her wedding in the gazebo at Hart House a few years ago. Very romantic, and the prime rib was delicious.

^No way man, with powdered gelatin, I get to use my super cool Salter scale with the transparent digital screen.

^Just whipped up a (small) batch of Korova cookies. Didn't wind up with too many cookies as I really REALLY like the dough.

^Yes, that's why the name looks so familiar. I drive by there all the time. Thanks.

I put the recipe in Recipe Gullet until Maple Pecan pie. I should clarify--it's not better than Claire's, it's different. I think you would like the maple pecan pie recipe if you like custardy pecan pies.

I bought a Dagoba chocolate bar--50 something percent cocoa, blueberry, lavendar. Nice, but I still like the 74% with chilli and cocoa nibs more. I also had this thing called a "Honey Cake" from a Chinese bakery--it's a napoleon with thin layers of walnut sponge and cream filling. And a cocktail bun.

I had the cocktail bun from Mega today. I don't know if they've changed, but they're not giant--at least, not compared to (my favourite) Keefer Bakery. The one I had from Mega was about 1 1/2 times the size of a Pine House bun. The bread was not very soft (I bought it and ate it at 3:30pm...maybe they're fresher in the morning?) and I think the filling at Keefer is better (more buttery and saltier). I also bought something called "Honey Cake"--it's a napoleon layered with very thin layers of moist walnut-speckled sponge cake, lightly dusted with icing sugar. Considering the price ($1.50 for a good-sized square), it's great. Oh, and I forgot to mention another place that has good coconut buns--the bakery outside of T&T in Richmond. The cocktail buns come in an aluminum pan so you separate them at home. Pretty good, lots of filling (but still 2nd to Keefer). I haven't been to New Town yet. Is there a Richmond location?

There are no differences between powder and sheet. Like I said above, 4 sheets = 1 sachet of Knox.

Maple pecan pie Serves 8 as Dessert. I like to use Grade B maple syrup in my pecan pies for better flavour. You can increase the amount of pecans to 1 1/2 or even 2 cups if you'd like, but I prefer a custardy pie with fewer pecans. 1 c chopped pecans 4 eggs 6 T unsalted butter 1/2 c granulated sugar 1 c Grade B maple syrup 1/2 tsp salt 1 blind-baked pie crust 1. Melt the butter with the sugar and the salt in a saucepan over medium heat (or in the microwave). 2. Temper the eggs, and then beat. Mix in the maple syrup. 3. Warm the mixture over medium heat until it becomes shiny and hot. 4. Remove from heat, stir in the chopped pecans, and pour the mixture into the pie crust. 5. Bake for 50-60 minutes at 275 degrees. 6. Let the pie cool for at least 2 hours before slicing. Keywords: Dessert, Pie, American ( RG1431 )

4 sheets of gelatin = 1 sachet of Knox Gelatin sheets are not better than Knox...I think some pastry chefs just find them easier to use.

Since there's been some talk about cocoa powders in this thread, has anyone had any experience with Dean and Deluca's "Bensdorp" cocoa (from Holland)? It's kind of pricey up here in Vancouver at $35 a can, but I'll get it if it's good. Also, what do you all think about the Dagoba cocoa? (I like their 74% cocoa with chili and cocoa nibs, but I guess their chocolate is not indicative of their cocoa quality.)

I was at Urban Fare today and I saw Dagoba cocoa and a something from Dean and Deluca called "Bensdorp" (I think....could be slightly off on the name). Bensdorp's label touts it as being the best cocoa from Holland. Anyone use it? Kinda pricey for $35 a can.

I've had a fresh free-range turkey before, and I thought it was much better than my brined turkey. But this year, we got a regular frozen one.

They sell Callebaut at Save-on-Foods, but it's cheaper at Superstore. I don't think I've ever seen Valrhona sold there...unless it's something they've started carrying in the last month or so...

I still like Claire's recipe a lot, but I've modified another pecan pie recipe that I like a little bit more. I'll post it when I get home. It's more custardy and has fewer chopped pecans, which I prefer.

I've flipped through this book several times. Like it was mentioned upthread, there isn't a lot of baking involved in the desserts, and not a lot of chocolate desserts either. Mainly fruit-based items. Didn't appeal to me.

This sounds interesting! Is the fruit anchored in some sort of pastry cream or custard?

Is this an invitation? heh heh.... (I'll bring dessert!)

THANK-YOU! Can't wait!!!

One of my favourites is Vacherin Mont d'Or. I bought it at Les Amis, but they only had a limited quantity available, I think.

Yesterday: last chocolate brownie from the freezer, and baklava at dinner (oh yeah, and a box of Glosette peanuts...haha)

Ok so now we're onto my third date of the week, but before canucklehead comes in here screaming: "INTERVENTION!!!!, I'll just clarify that I didn't so much as hold hands with any of these guys. (Am I getting a reputation for being a bad girl? ) I probably come across as being really weird on dates...*ponders whether the digital camera may have something to do with it* Ah well...as long as they pick up the check (Maybe they just want to tell their friends that they once dated this freak who whipped out a digi cam whenever the food came around... ) At Mad Greek (in Richmond) We drank some sort of Greek wine. No comment. (Ok I'll give you a visual...this was my expression after tasting the wine --> ) Tamara (sp?) sort of a fish roe cream cheese spread. My first time having this, although I heard about it from a fellow Egulleter a few months ago! Date had the chicken and lamb souvlaki (the lamb was the tastier of the two) I had the roast lamb (shoulder is one of my favourite cuts)...very tender. I also had the Baklava, which was drenched in honey syrup. Ehh...not so good. Oh yeah, and then after dinner, we went to his office and he uploaded all these food pictures for me! It still took me like 2 hours to re-size them all at home though.

Birthday Dinner #2 at Aurora Bistro One of my favourite restaurants in the city. My friends and I started off with some beautiful Stella Bay oysters and the Cedar Creek Platinum Reserve Chardonnay. Hazelmere beets with goat cheese (one of my favourite dishes at the Waiterblog dinner) Duck confit with braised red cabbage...I believe. I love how there was a bit of acidity in the cabbage to cut through the crispy fat. My friend just got back from a town in the Lombardy region, about 35 km south of Milan, and he ate a lot of risotto there because that's what the region is famous for. He enjoyed the risotto at Aurora as well, noting that it is less rich and much less salty (a good thing) than the risotto in Italy. My favourite dish of the evening--venison sausage with fennel and sunchokes. Perfect ratio of lean and fat, imo. The sauce had a really deep and satisfying flavour... Pork tenderloin, maple mustard seed glaze, apple crumble, goat cheese Potato-wrapped sablefish and mussels Lentil-crusted Fanny Bay oysters, curried aioli, pear chutney This was my main course (a special): Venison with a corn and chantrelle hash...wonderfully earthy. Look at those beautifully dark pink slices! This was my date's favourite dish of the evening...though he did think the venison was pork. (I think that was our last date...) Ganache-studded chocolate cake the cake is lighter in texture, more like a chocolate chiffon than a butter cake..look at me twisting my ring in the photo. I bet I'm thinking, "Take the damn photo already so I can eat!" Creme fraiche cheesecake with walnut crust and Coronation grapes less tangy than the goat cheese version that seems to be quite popular right now...luscious and a bit tart at the same time. Oh, and I love Coronation grapes so props for using something I don't often see on a menu.

lemon tart from Sen5es beautiful, isn't it? I'm using this picture as my Desktop right now lemon tart from Capers the curd was actually nice and smooth when I bought it, but I dropped the tart (still in its brown bag) on the floor and messed up the tart a bit