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Philippe de Vienne's shop La Dépense in Jean Talon Market has lime presses. The real deal, imported from Asia, not plastic junk made for "Ye Olde Gourmet Kitchen Shoppe". Paul

Yes, most Canadian retailers are insane in their prices and (bad) service, but I can also tell you from experience that some is due to the protectionist policies of the inbred Canadian distributors. Lots of small terrible, lazy and sleazy distributors for kitchen/baking/pastry supplies etc. in Canada, and as a Canadian retailer you're forced to go through them, and so pay prices way above what should just be the price from a US distributor plus exchange, and many of said distributors don't even ALLOW online or internet sales, and cave in to pressure from the old-guard retailers (too lazy to service new accounts) and so limit the number of retailers and limit or dissalow online or discount prices. Very anti-competitive, and it's the Canadian buyer who suffers. It's a real battle to try to do American-style business, prices and service here.

Yeah, strange that there were no chocolate companies. But a couple of the shops had some nice items going. And a few were a disgrace. And the showpieces were sad. There were more samples than at first glance, you just had to ask (I figured this out when I saw others doing it...). At least Morel was there. It was pretty busy, that's for sure! Paul

Mostly Martha: A German movie well worth renting/owning. I really liked it. Story revolves around a female chef and lots of pretty neat food scenes/stories. Paul

Got it, Paul. And, you're right that it's great. But, technically speaking, it's not a regional cookbook. Okay, but at least he does a great job of identifying regions and influences. Yes, but not carefully. I had originally dismissed it as just another "Indian restaurant food" style book. I'll give it a more careful look. Yes, many areas seem to have some amazing combinations from the entire spectrum of what we consider "regional". I guess the natives aren't as concerned with regional boundaries as we are. Paul

Yes, ethnic cookbook selection is bad here, but I did buy one of those Penguin books at Chapters downtown over a month ago, and they still had at least one copy in stock today: Curry, Curry, Curry; by Ranjit Rai. Only $18, and it's brilliant. Mine is already jammed full of post-it notes. Definitely pick it up!! Paul

I worked in bookstores all through high school and university and have mulled over opening a cookbook store in Montreal, but decided against it for now. I am curious though about the cookbook store in Toronto -- anyone ever been? Is it good? Does it do well? Paul

Hey Carswell, Yeah, the wide versions are awesome. Pretty serious. Nobody imagines liking them (the rage now is still all towards light Japanese-style blades, but I do sense this cooling off now a bit as people try to keep them sharp), but then they hold one and the inner Thag the Caveman emerges . Definitely a Guy Thing The 8" Wide is the coolest in a way because it's more noticeably wide (very distinct profile and noticeably thick). The 10" is so big already that it's not as obvious. Paul

Somehow I doubt it since it looks like they actually failed to renew their domain in December and so lost it to a domain broker out west. Good luck in getting it back without spending an arm and a leg... probably have to come up with a new domain name which is a shame since the old one is linked and quoted in print. Paul

I agree -- the folks doing the web sites for most Montreal restaurants should be ashamed of themselves. They're almost all full of annoying looped music and flash animations. Uh, give me your address and other contact info, a map and public transport details, your hours, some background info, and then maybe an up-to-date menu if you can manage to keep it up to date. Once those are under control, then maybe splurge on a few photos... Paul

Hi ademello, Thanks for the plug :-) Yep, Messermeister is cool, but Wushof is still the most popular. Their new Le Cordon Bleu knives are actually quite impressive, even though I initially wasn't going to carry them because I thought it was just a pay-for-the-brand marketing thing, but the blades really are thinner, sharper and lighter. Their excellent santoku was a big seller this year. Nice knife for the price... Anyway, don't want to get in trouble for sounding commercial here -- my reason for responding was to plug a different business: I recently broke the dough hook on my kitchenaid mixer (darn brioche!), and no store had a replacement in stock, but I found out that the Whirlpool (they own KitchenAid now I think) service center in Laval had some, so I broke down and drove out there to buy one. Glad I made the trip, because I also found out that they have lots of KitchenAid, Whirlpool and Inglis "refurbished" appliances. Most are perfect or near perfect (store returns, etc.), one year warranty, and significant discounts. They had quite a few mixers, blenders, food processors, coffee makers, stoves, fridges, washers, etc. Next time I need an appliance I'll definitely check there first before going retail: Whirlpool Canada, 2750 Francis Hughes, Laval (in the middle of nowhere, but actually very easy and fast to get to by car). Paul

Cool. I figured it was for some bubble-tea inspired concoction. So where are you serving as Overlord? I like fruit soup (and the idea of fruit soup in general) but rarely see it... apparently it doesn't traditionally do very well on menus here in North America because people here are unable to think of soup as a dessert item. Paul

Most Indian markets should carry them. I got mine recently at Punjab foods in Lasalle. Punjab Foods 9000 Bd Newman, Lasalle (514) 366-0560 Out of curiosity, what are you doing with them? Paul

Sorry, I haven't found any patties I'm crazy about here in Montreal, but it does remind me of the Lobster patties I practially lived on when I lived on Grand Cayman Island. Yum. Those and conch stew. And Jamaican blackened grouper. Man, I can practically smell it all now! Anyone ever see lobster patties here? I remember the patties (all types) being spicier (not just hotter, but that too) than the ones I usually find here, which seem more like they're stuffed with a pretty bland standard hamburger-based filling. I guess part of it is that most places don't make them very fresh, and so they're pretty limp and blah by the time you get to them. Paul

Oops -- that's sad to hear. I wonder what's going on? Change of ownership or something? They always seemed a paragon of consistently decent food and reliable service. Oh well... Paul

My kids [5 and 10] love Spaghettata (399 Laurier W, Phone: 514-273-9509). We've been going there for years (since before they were born). Food's generally good (and consistent, which is also kid-friendly in a way), but it's pretty cool because it's a "real" restaurant (not a chain or fast food), and yet VERY kid-friendly. The servers are usually great with the kids, and right away the kids get a shirley temple, and crayons and paper. And the kids usually get served their food quickly. Oh, and they usually get a helium balloon on the way out, which is of course the highlight of the meal for the young one Paul

Oh, I should mention that I also tried the "unglazed quarry tiles" that everyone always seems to recommend. The quarry tiles were a pain and they were constantly cracking and moving around when I loaded the bread, and spring wasn't great (they were too thin). Switching to the kiln shelf gave immediate and noticeable results, confirming that thermal mass/transfer really is an important aspect of a deck or brick oven. Side and top radiation (for a nice top crust) will still be lacking, but raising up the shelf can help. Books often say to put the rack low (probably because bread recipes commonly call for sugar and honey leading to premature browning), and my top crust never came out right until I raised the rack as high as I could (I did this after using commercial deck ovens and measuring the deck-to-roof height which is usually quite low!) Like with steam, experiment with height depending on your oven and dough compositions and loaf sizes... Paul

I get near-commercial quality deck-oven spring (and bottom crust formation) by using a kiln shelf as a baking stone. Most "baking" or "pizza" stones sold for home use are much too light and don't hold enough heat. A 1/2-inch thick kiln shelf (used for firing pottery) holds a massive amount of heat for incredible spring. Note: it can be pretty heavy -- so be careful and make sure your oven rack is strong enough. I believe this material (silicon carbide) is actually used in commercial deck ovens sometimes. But don't go thicker than 1/2-inch -- I tried one, and it was too heavy (almost breaking the racks in my oven) and it held too much heat (!), burning the bottom of the bread before it was done. I got one from my dad (a ceramic artist), but you should be able to buy one from a pottery supply house such as SIAL here in Montreal. For steam, use a cast iron pan, preheated with the stone, then pour in enough boiling water when you load your bread so that it evaporates in about 10-15 minutes and is then dry (experiment based on your oven, since home ovens vent at greatly varying rates). To increase steam, you can fill the cast iron pan with scrap metal which increases heat retention and surface area (I've heard that large ball-bearings work too). But nothing beats a kiln shelf for thermal mass! Oh, I also got scraps of granite from a quarry in the Eastern Townships (they have massive scrap piles they'll be happy to give you and some can be very beautiful!) and it works really well too and looks really cool, but same thing, you need to experiment with the right thickness and finding the right size for your oven can be a pain, but if you're really nice and tell them you're a crazy bread baker, the quarry guys will sometimes cut the scrap piece for you. Paul

Thanks so much for the thoughtful reply -- definitely appreciated and informative. Yes, it was always a bit of a shock for people when I said you didn't make baguettes, but it was what first intrigued me about your breads; I had a feeling they must be good before I even tried one because I figured you had to be making something really good to rise above the Tyranny of the Baguette... I think most people have forgotten that bread is a grain food, and that you can do wonderful things with grain and it can taste great! Paul

Hi Mr. MacGuire, I had a long drive yesterday and here are some somewhat less specifically technical questions I was pondering (and I hope you have a long drive to work on the answers!): I'd like to know what guided the selection of breads (and to a lesser extent the other items such as pastries) you baked at Passe Partout. What influences were involved? Your previous experience? Personal preference? Competition? Complements to the restaurant food? Client requests/purchasing behaviour? Did these influences guide or change your baking over the years, and in what ways? If you had to do it all over again, would you start a bakery, restaurant, or both again? Or maybe a charcuterie? Or Jazz club?!? And I probably shouldn't ask, but any regrets? Are there any specific things you'd like to see more bakeries doing these days? Ingredients? Products? Techniques? Philosophies? For example, I'm a big fan of serious European rye breads (no cocoa or caramel colouring please!!) and I definitely enjoyed yours (and have been working on my own from your formula, thanks), but find proper rye bread very difficult to find here... Basically, rather than any specific technical question, would you have any Advice to Young Bakers? Okay, that should keep you busy for a while, but not too long a while I hope... Thanks again, Paul

Thanks very much for the posts! This reminded me of a site where the Detmold system is discussed, along with an interactive calculator and lots more links and info: http://samartha.net/SD/procedures/DM3/index.html Very interesting that you do such large refreshes! I'll have to try it, as I triple 2 or 3 times per day over at least 2 days to build 5 grams of starter into about 6 kilos final dough... I read something similar very recently (can't remember where) only it focused more on using temperature to control fermentation (descending) and favouring of yeast vs. bacteria over the entire process (high temp at first for yeast, lowering for bacteria/acid...). Paul

Hi Mr. MacGuire, It's great to see you here and to read your replies, so thanks for taking the time! You mention that you found a flour here that you like? Would you care to share the name or mill or...? I've tried lots of the locally available standard and organic flours, with varying levels of success. Always a challenge and an adventure of sorts! Thanks again, Paul Schwartz (here in Montreal)

Anyone have any opinions on the new little Non Solo Con Pane Italian bakery in Dorval (across from Rallye Tires)? I stopped in last Saturday and picked up few goodies. They seem to really specialize in Italian pastries (not breads or other such items), and they all looked really nice and fresh and scratch-made (and tasted good to me and my family too, but we're not at all familiar with Italian pastries). The young men and women running it sure were friendly too. Said they'd been there about a year. Paul

Hi Steve, Thanks. Yes, I agree about the meat... not great fat distribution in that cut unfortunately. It'll be a while for the movie. I've run out of disk space (DV video editing takes massive amounts of disk space) so I'll have to do something about that before being able to complete it. Paul

Okay, here they are -- over 50 photos from our Smoke Meat Marathon: http://www.paulsfinest.com/pss/smokemeat.php Enjoy (?!?) Paul