pss999

Hey, look what I just found! "Candymaking in Canada", by David Carr http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/1550...oncertinan07-20 I browsed through it at Chapters today... looks really neat, with lots of old photos of the classic Canadian chocolate bars being made, etc. Just didn't feel like dropping $30 on it today. Paul

Just checking to see if there were any survivors.... We were remarkably disciplined and so didn't need the portable defibrillator after all. We hit 5 places in the end... wimped out (and timed out) making it out to Smoked Meat Pete. Have lots of photos and video which I'm working on, and VivreManger took plenty of notes... more to follow! Paul

Well, I'm not a video "crew" -- I just have a DV Camcorder!! But yes, the idea is certainly to make a little movie to post online for others to gawk at in horror, uh, I mean "to enjoy". And at least this means that I'll be less likely to keel over from a heart attack because I'll have my hands busy holding the camera (at least some of the time) as opposed to all that smoked meat. Paul

Yep, just "better butter" (less water) than standard North American butter. I found their page: http://www.kellerscreamery.com/products/plugra/index.php Paul

Yep, they're a restaurant (with a sweets counter) and they do a brisk take out for just about everything... when I was there on a Saturday morning, the guy said they'll sell over 2000 samosas that day. Their big thing there I think is vegeterian thali plates... Paul

Nan (like most flatbreads) isn't terribly complicated. As long as a place has a wood-fired tandoor, the Nan will probably be okay. Most Indian places I've seen in Montreal all have wood-fired tandoors. Gas fired are okay too, but you miss out on some of the ash and smokey flavour. If they don't have a tandoor, then the nan will be second-rate (to be kind), and the food almost surely will be too. If you ask, most waiters/owners will gladly and proudly tell you about their tandoor if you express an interest :-) The nan at Bombay Mahal was great, and it's fine at the other places I mentioned too. It also depends somewhat on who's baking it, and the state of the dough (it could be too fresh, or too old) and ingredients used for that batch (flour changes!), and the state of the tandoor (it has to be REALLY hot!). Paul

My current favourite is Bombay Mahal (1001 Jean Talon St W, 273-3331). Ugly little place in "Little India", but truly excellent food. Their Chana Samosa is a meal unto itself (not just a samosa, but a samosa in a soup-like sauce served in a bowl) and VERY flavourful. This is not "Indian lite" like in downtown restaurants though, so be prepared for some bold and hot flavours! Also, I haven't eaten there yet (it's supposed to be excellent too though, so I will soon!), but I sometimes stop by Pushap's for a selection of their excellent (but unusual by our standards) Indian sweets and great selection of breads and other baked/fried Indian goodies. They're at 5195 Rue Pare (514-737-4527). If you do want to stay in the downtown area, I often eat lunch at Allo Inde on Stanley. The owner is a nice guy and their food is generally pretty good, but like most downtown Indian, overpriced (but their lunch specials are pretty cheap) and under-spiced. Actually, my favourite downtown Indian is probably Chicken Tikka on the top floor of the Faubourg food court. Also nice guys there (but I haven't been by in a while, I'm assuming it's the same guys...), and their Tikka and Seekh Kebabs are nice, as are their "mixed salads" and sauces. Above average nan and samosas too. The Indian place in the basement food court of Montreal Trust is okay (decent Seekh kebabs, other stuff a bit bland and limp) and good if you're hungry as they have big portions but definitely not on a par with Tikka at Faubourg. Man, I'm getting hungry for curry at 7:30 AM in the morning just thinking about these places!! Yes, Indian is probably my perennially favourite cuisine :-) Paul

Was watching the very non-atkins-friendly "Unwrapped" the other night and they were showing a baker using "a special ingredient called Plugra, which is like butter, but has more fat." I live in Montreal and speak French, so some of these French names crack me up a bit... "plugra" is clearly a take on "plus gras", which means simply "more fat"! So of course it's going to be good!! :-) And "sour batard" gave me a chuckle too... how about "my sour batard needs plugra", which would translate as "my sour bastard needs more fat". Heh heh... Oh, and here are some of my own odes to carbs (down with Atkins! Oh wait, he already is...): http://www.AdventuresInBaking.com/pss Cheers, Paul

Hey Lemonpoppy. It was just my way of saying that it certainly did NOT look fancy from the outside (driving by). The sign said something like "African food" or something like that! I love taking chances on places like that, because I find they're rarely mediocre: usually really bad, or really good. Not that I like *dirty* or anything like that, but I get a kick out of places that are just about good food properly prepared and at fair prices and with acceptable service. I don't care too much how good looking or fawning the staff is, or how fancy the cutlery or plastic baubles on the wall are... I guess it's a result of my parents' incredibly cheap travel style, where I ate a lot of really great (and really bad) street and "ethnic" food when I was young! Paul

Thanks DK. Yes, I make almost all my breads using my sourdough starter now (no commercial yeast). Those afghan nans were actually made using starter only. I started it from a basic flour-based concoction a couple of years ago and have kept refreshing it ever since. The Bread Builders by Daniel Wing and Alan Scott offers a really good technical description of the sourdough process and microbiology (Wing is an MD), and it's an especially cool book because there are NO recipes -- it basically gives you enough info to be able to make naturally leavened bread without having to use a formula (or to make your own, as I do now, based on the variables involved and what I want to accomplish), which is where the real fun begins with bread baking. The only times I use commercial yeast now are for pizza (usually because the kids yell "PIZZA" and so I don't have time to do a sourdough version!), enriched breads (need help to overcome all that fat and sugar!), and some ryes which use both a natural rye sour and then commercial yeast in the final dough. Paul ----------- http://www.PaulsFinest.com

I've noticed an African restaurant while driving through Ville St. Pierre. It's on the left going up towards Montreal West. Looks just grungy enough to be authentic Anyone know anything about it... I keep meaning to stop by. Oh, and the bread mentioned above is Injera - a traditional Ethiopian sour (naturally yeasted) flatbread, made from teff flour. It gets that spongy effect from being yeasted, being very wet (a batter actually, poured like crepes), only cooked on one side, and traditionally in a large wok-like pan, covered so it steams a bit. I actually just tried making it a few weeks ago, but since I couldn't find teff, I cheated and used partially sifted whole wheat. Here are some photos: http://www.AdventuresInBaking.com/pss/ Paul --------------------- http://www.PaulsFinest.com

I like Punjab in Lasalle. Small family-run Indian market and butcher. Very friendly and helpful, especially if you're curious about the huge variety of lentils, etc. -- just ask them and they'll help you choose and explain differences. I buy all my dried lentils and many grains, spices and specialty items there. Good prices too. Punjab Foods 9000 Bd Newman, Lasalle (514) 366-0560 Paul -------- http://www.PaulsFinest.com

I've taken the evening/weekend courses (for the general public) at the ITHQ for Pastry, Chocolate, and and Bread (Boulangerie/Viennoiseries). The Pastry and Chocolate courses taught by Mr. Clément were good, with generally useful and correct information and good practicals and results. The Boulangerie course was less than worthless, with terrible bread, and a lot of factually incorrect material, so skip that one.

How about the US schools? I know they're deadly expensive, but anyone know how the ITHQ compares to, say, the CIA in NY or the NECI (New England Culinary Institute)? Or even J&W (Johnson & Wales)? Anyone here been to a school in the US? I'm more into bread baking personally... took some baking and pastry courses at the ITHQ (the evening/weekend courses for the public), but have recently been going to the King Arthur Flour school in Vermont for all my courses instead. Thanks -- great thread!