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Ling

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Everything posted by Ling

  1. European delis do often carry the jarred sour cherries sans alcohol (Euro Deli across from Capers for one). I've seen them at Bosa as well. Never tried them, though I have a jar that I've been meaning to open for about a year now! ← Does anyone know what time Euro Deli closes on the weekend, and during the week?
  2. Yesterday, I made: -PH's cocoa cake -a mocha butter cake -a coffee chiffon cake I ate the levelled top of the cocoa cake, and 2 slices of the mocha cake with Nutella (the cake itself was quite dense so spreading the Nutella was not really a problem.) The cocoa cake was good too--dark and dense. It's in the freezer right now. Can't wait to assemble the Black Forest cake tomorrow! ETA: Oops, forgot about the three peanut butter cookies and the truffles (generic ones from that square box you get at Costco.) Today, with my kiddie cooking class, we are making oatmeal raisin cookies for dessert.
  3. Is there a reason for using nonfat plain yogurt? How does it affect the taste/texture? (Thanks for the comparison, btw!)
  4. It's pretty dense compared to the Double Chocolate cake. What I like about it is that it is very easy to work with -- you can easily cut it into layers without it falling apart. ← Thanks Patrick and Dorie, the cocoa cake is in the oven now.
  5. Stunning photographs. Thank-you!
  6. ^No, I haven't had a chance to go in this week yet, and I didn't take any pictures of the Tarte Grenobloise I was serving last week. But it's the same dessert that I posted in the PH thread.
  7. I love all the manly food mentioned here...I eat my meat pretty much straight off the cow. Medium-rare is too cooked for me. Pig's feet--delicious! I love the gelatinous skin/fat. Stilton is my favourite cheese. Onion rings--oh yeaaaaaaah. Ditto biscuits and gravy. The only things I would pass on are the beer and the smokes.
  8. I was just wondering about everyone's opinion of the Cocoa cake used in the pave and the Black Forest cake. Is it a light cake or a dense one? I really like the Epicurious double chocolate cake recipe (tweaked by several talented Egulleters) and was wondering if I should use that recipe instead (scaled down in size so I get roughly the same cake/filling ratio PH suggests.) (I ran a search and noted that lemoncurd found a discrepancy in the weight listed for the sugar in the cocoa cake already. )
  9. The recent pics have been beautiful! I haven't taken any pictures recently as I've only been baking brownies and peanut butter cookies, and you have all seen those before. I also had the CI chocolate class with the kids in my cooking/baking class and posted pictures in the chocolate cake thread. However, this week I'm making the Pierre Herme Black Forest cake and will be sure to get a picture.
  10. I've always wanted to make strudel dough from scratch! That sounds like so much fun. Was it difficult to stretch it so thin? What happens if the dough tears--is it reparable? What's Dark Banana bread? (i.e. how is it different from regular banana bread?)
  11. Ling

    Cameo

    As in shrimp cocktail sauce? vandan: I've looked at the menu for Rossini's but it doesn't seem very Cajun-inspired. No catfish for me tonight!
  12. I love the Haas chocolates too. One of my favourites is the whiskey and almond truffle, even if it is made with milk chocolate. The pistachio marzipan also stood out for me. I love the tiny bit of kirsch they put in there. What really stands out for me is how fresh all the nuts used in his chocolates are. I had a selection of pastries from there awhile back, and the clear winner was the twice-baked almond croissant! And one of my favourite lunches a few years ago were the croissant sandwiches from Sen5es. I haven't had one in a long time though.
  13. Ling

    Rare

    Food looks amazing! Thanks for the pictures! Could you fill us in on which ingredients were the ones that were brought in by the diners...(I know you told me about the rabbits and the bacon from the Joie cooking school...)
  14. That's gorgeous, Abra! Lucky husband indeed! (...you're not in need of an adopted daughter, btw, are you? )
  15. ^Could it be Bao Chau? I mentioned it recently in another thread.
  16. Good call. Bao Chau is our closest neighborhood pho joint. I especially like the pho ga and, of course, the spring rolls. ← Also, apparently they change the oil for the deep-frying on Sundays, so if you want fresher-tasting spring rolls, Sunday evenings or Mondays would be your best bet.
  17. Ling

    Cameo

    Oh, do you (or anyone else) know where Big Al is cooking now?
  18. Has anyone been? I think I'm going there on Tuesday. Any recommendations?
  19. There's a recipe for chocolate puff pastry in the PH Chocolate Desserts book, and a recipe for chocolate pastry cream too. Chocolate puff: Dough: 3 cups (420 grams) AP flour 3/4 cup (185 g) cold water 2 tsp salt 5 tbsp (2.5 oz, 70 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled Butter packet: 3.75 sticks (15 oz., 425 g) unsalted butter at room temp 1/2 cup (50 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder, preferably Valrhona, sifted (Beat the butter and cocoa together, chill for 2 hrs., then use in the roll and turn)
  20. ^Looks good, but where's the caul fat and the deep-frying?
  21. ^It was the location on Keefer...my sister brought it home. *shudder* GAK. That was the worst Chinese BBQ duck I'd ever eaten.
  22. Friday I had lunch with J at Bao Chao all the way out on Slocan (?) in Burnaby. He had the rare beef (on the side) with flank and tendon, and I had the rare beef (on the side) with tendon and tripe. Split an order of (very good) Vietnamese spring rolls. The broth for the pho is a bit more oily than I'm used to (not that I mind), light in colour, but deep in flavour. Our cooking class made lasagna and the CI sour cream chocolate bundt cake. We bought those ready-cook (no need to pre-boil) lasagna noodles for the kids to layer with the mozzarella, ricotta, fresh basil, ground beef, and sauteed onions, but the top layer of noodle didn't soften at all and had to be peeled off to make the dish more palatable. (Said one kid upon biting into the crispy, dry top noodle layer--"Tastes like chips!" Not what we were going for...) The partially decimated lasagna, with the top layer removed. (I swear, sometimes the stuff we make looks and tastes pretty decent. Unfortunately, yesterday was not one of those days. ) Also, note the spinach. Some people think that kids need vegetables. Cake turned out well--good structure, easy to slice (on the dense side), very moist. It's my second favourite chocolate cake recipe thus far. This was baked in my Nordicware rose-shaped bundt. I taught the kids how to make a "cheat" chocolate buttercream on the side. For my 2nd dinner, I started eating this disgustingly oily Chinese roast duck and Singapore-curry vermecelli from a styrofoam container someone had bought home. The duck was pretty damn bad--not a lot of meat, very greasy, not a lot of the usual spices. It was from Kent's Kitchen. I put that away and finished off a pan of brownies instead. Watched "Hills Have Eyes" with my friend. Went to Tim Hortons afterwards as it was open and on the drive home. Their monthly donut is a lemon one and it reminds me of the KK donut, but eggier (kind of like the crueller.) Saturday Vogue in Richmond. The ma pao dofu is pretty spicy (too spicy for parents) but I liked it a lot. The lion's head meatballs were not that tasty. A lot of filler...weird, gummy texture. Kind of bland.
  23. I tried the CI sour cream chocolate bundt cake today. It was great...moist, and not very sweet (which is surprising b/c I found the batter very sweet). The crumb on my cake looks more coarse compared to Patrick's cake...(mine was baked by the students in my baking class, but I was supervising so nothing should have gone terribly wrong.) I think I still prefer the Double Chocolate cake in terms of flavour, as that cake seems more chocolatey. I didn't have any espresso powder for the CI cake. I would give the CI cake a 4/5 and the Double Chocolate cake a 4.5/5. I really enjoyed both cakes. The leftover CI cake batter made four wonderful cupcakes with a smoother texture, tighter crumb, and perfect slightly domed rise than the bundt cake, for some reason. Here's a slice I saved (the cake was baked in my rose-shaped Nordicware bundt, hence the wavy edges) An enthusiastic baker
  24. Yeah, I love the tongue there. fud: is the green tea slush the same as the green tea ice-cream bbt? If so, I love that. PaoPao: Isn't the croissant donut available at all Safeways? I know they have it in Richmond. I don't really enjoy them, but my parents buy them sometimes. My contribution: the pho at Bao Chau, and their spring rolls. The place doesn't seem to get much mention on this board.
  25. Being good enough is not an issue for you, dear...the issue is keeping yourself from eating all your product! ← Yes...that could be a problem. I often find myself with chocolate stains around my mouth b/c I am "testing" the Michel Cluizel ganache at Rare. But don't worry, I am very clean and never dip my spoon back into the ganache. Today: brownie batter Nutella and finally...brownies with Nutella frosting
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