Ling

^I'm glad Sushikan is still there. My friend, DaFonz, has eaten there a number of times, most recently on Thursday. He said the head chef is still there, but some of the old waitstaff is gone. He also felt that the quality had slipped a bit from his three earlier visits. ETA: I hear it is the support staff that went back to Japan.

Sorry your tart didn't work out, but this recipe looks tasty! tarteausucre: Those hearts are absolutely adorable! Today I just ate a few slices of leftover pound cake for breakfast and lunch...for snacks I had a few chunks of E. Guittard L'Harmonie. Then I made hot chocolate with it. It is good, but not my favourite bittersweet.

Maybe freezing keeps the foie gras from melting in the pan too quickly. I haven't tried freezing, but I keep the foie in the fridge before cooking.

^I believe you can get their chocolates (perhaps the less challenging ones) at Urban Fare. They also have a dessert book titled Wild Sweets that I've looked at a number of times, but the recipes are too complicated for me to try at home.

too much pound cake (but oh so good!)

No. A stand mixer will make some jobs much easier (like breads or marshmallows), but most things you can do with a very inexpensive hand mixer, or even by hand. ← That's true...I bake quite often and I'm still using a hand mixer!

^I haven't seen the real recipe, but 4.5 oz is equivalent to 1 cup of sifted flour.

Thanks for the laugh, BondGirl! I just got back from having coffee with this guy where we basically just talked about food, cooking, and how both are so important in our lives. He didn't mention anything about "toys", but now I'm hoping he won't when I see him next Friday.

I used Flo Braker's vanilla pound cake in Baking with Julia tonight. No picture...I am clean out of batteries. The cake is very similar to Becca's cake, except it uses 2 cups of sugar for 3 cups of flour...I guess it must be that extra cup of sugar in Becca's cake that gives it that amazing crunchy crust. The crust on Flo's cake is not as crisp, but it's still very tasty. The cake itself is a bit lighter than Becca's cake--3 eggs vs. 5 eggs 2 yolks. I used heavy cream in Flo's cake, though it specifies milk...since Becca's cake uses heavy cream too. Overall, I still like Becca's cake more.

Of course I don't mind, and the ingredients were: 1C butter/1C sugar/2 eggs/0.5C buttermilk/1.5C flour (mix of AP and cake). I can't recall how much leavening was in the cake, but it wasn't much -- around .25-.50t baking powder. ← I have Flo Braker's pound cake in the oven now...proportions are very similar to Becca's cake, but with 3 whole eggs and 1/3 less sugar. Also, it has twice as much leavening (2tsp of baking powder.) Instead of using the milk that Flo specifies, I used heavy cream (so it contains the same amount of fat as Becca's cake.)

HQAntithesis: that cake looks amazing! WOW! kaneel: I'm so glad you enjoy the shortbread! I love shortbread--it's so easy to put together and tastes so good. My friend's brother asked me to help him teach a kid's cooking class. Today he taught them how to make frittatas (with vegetables, potatoes, and cheese) and I taught them how to make chocolate chip cookies (with these super cute, rainbow mini candy-coated chocolate chips!) The cookies were such a hit...there was a crowd of kids outside the door (not in the class) asking for cookies. They were pretty good--nice and chewy. I used Abra's recipe. Right now I have a vanilla pound cake in the oven...the recipe is from Flo Braker in Baking with Julia.

Awww...so sweet of you! I'm sure your wife appreciates that very much!

Chocoatl, House of Chocolate. 1127 Mainland. Opening real soon. Serving a very creative menu of hot chocolate ← thank-you!

I just called and checked and they seem to still be open. Where did you hear that? Cheers! ← I just called their marketing guy and Sushikan is still live. But there was a stabbing in Aberdeen Centre this week . . . maybe a sushi knife gone bad? ← Thanks for that! I heard the rumour from a sushi chef in Vancouver, who heard it from his "reliable source".

Apparently, there is a new chocolate/pastry shop opening in Yaletown right by Bistro Sakana, across from Circolo. They are selling molded chocolates and truffles, and also whole bars/fevres. They're not open yet...but when they do, imma pounce.

My friend's birthday is coming up on the 18th. He's looking for a place that has a good atmosphere, is moderately-priced (~$30 a person before drinks), and won't be too difficult to find parking. Suggestions? I'm thinking Curious in Gastown after reading Mia's review, and VancityGirl also praised the food in another thread...but would love to hear some other suggestions.

I'm pretty sure they're not coconut macaroons. Perhaps this is what you're looking for? The recipe is just a butter cookie sweetened with additional coconut.

^No problem! No picture today as I'm in a rush to get out of the house! I made vanilla cardamom pots de creme. (Yes, I'm on a cardamom kick). Did my basic recipe of 2 cups heavy cream, 1/2 cup sugar, 6 yolks, some vanilla, pinch of cardamom. Into the waterbath at 325F for about half an hour. Mmmmm silky smooth.

Malawry: My collection of bakeware is pretty much the same as yours (I also have an 11" springform) but I find the 9" with the 2" height really useful. I use those cake pans the most.

I would just make the full recipe, then fill your pans 3/4 of the way. Reduce baking time. Use the leftover batter for muffins.

I used the brand with the old man on the can...it's an Asian brand (I think it's Vietnamese?) I've only done dulce de leche with this brand. I find it a little bit sweeter than the Carnation brand...so I figure it would become browner somehow b/c of the greater amount of sugar. Just a theory.

It is fairly new. It's the old Monkey's...remember that? Apparently De Lounge looks quite nice inside (and is a far cry from the old Monkey's...) but I haven't been in yet. ETA: menu looks pretty predictable though...

^Awesome picture...bet it tasted incredible too! I love the texture of an airy mousse against a dense chocolate cake.

Dulce de Leche thread Here you go! You just submerge a can of condensed milk and boil it for a few hours. I then put the can in the fridge overnight so the dulce de leche would firm up some more so I could get that tadpole shape (which started to soften and collapse into a teardrop a few minutes after I took the picture...but that's OK b/c it made for easier dipping.) ETA: I just looked at my picture again and I guess I took it at a bad angle--the fat part of the tadpole looked more rounded in real life. Ah well.

How about just taking a walk to Hastings Racecourse? ← hirame engawa = flounder fin, not horse