Overlordofpastry

Jaymes, I have never actually made caramel popcorn before and your recipe looks very good. I just have a question before I try making it. When you are boiling the sugar and butter mixture for 5 minutes, does it need to reach a certain temperature or sugar stage such as softball? Or are you simply cooking it to a caramel stage?

"God, that terrible creme brulee trio was there when last reviewed the place. Urg! BTY fireweed, where did you get that Banana Bread recipe? I don't think that's the original. " It is the original recipe, the sugar and flour have been modified.

I am from Toronto but I worked in Montreal for about 5 years before I came here to Fredericton. I worked in several places, alot of restaurants and I was the opening pastry chef for the W hotel in Montreal. I was at the More than Martinis event, I think I had just started a month earlier. I was the one making cotton candy and the raspberry s'mores. It was alot of work, I think I had made over 1000 mini pastries for that day and they all were gone in a few hours.

Has anyone tried the desserts at the Crowne Plaza Fredericton? I am the pastry chef and I have been there for about 6 months now. Everyone tells me I am the only pastry chef in Fredericton and I have been getting alot of great response to my desserts so far.

From the details you have given, I think it's just a matter of not stirring the mix properly. I am assuming you are making a large recipe, 4-5 L, so if it sits for a short period of time the sugar and eggs can sink to the bottom. So if you pour the mix into the molds, it's possible the top portion of your mix would essentially be cream and just not set. It's happened to me in the past, so now I always whisk the mix every few minutes as I pour it into the molds. That could explain why 1 out of 3 trays you make doesn't set. Either that or you are somehow getting water into the molds when they are in the oven, and once that happens it won't set no matter how long you bake it.

The Crowne Plaza Fredericton (Lord Beaverbrook) does have lobster on the menu, one dish I believe is a lobster risotto. I should know more but I'm just the pastry chef, I'm off in a corner away from everyone else. On Friday nights, the hotel has a really good seafood buffet, and it's very affordable and really popular with the locals. The only place to get cheap lobster regularily that I can think of is the Fredericton Inn, which has a lobster buffet or dinner for $25/$30 but I don't know anyone that has ever gone there. Generally, I find the food here in Fredericton very affordable, I don't think I have ever seen a main course over $25 in any restaurant, and buffets are really popular here as well. Not to be biased, but from what I have tried the food at the Crowne Plaza is the best in Fredericton. I also heard the desserts are amazing! El Burrito Loco has excellent mexican food with amazing margaritas, the Blue Door is pretty good but the food can be quite heavy at times, and there is also Chez Riz, an indian restaurant that has 2 tandoori ovens. I haven't gone yet but I really want to check out Carribean Flavas, I heard they have really good food as well.

I must say that Chill Winston is the most classic name for a restaurant I have heard in a really long time, I never would have thought of taking a line like that from a movie and using it for a restaurant name.

I went to Ottawa a few weeks ago just to eat pizza at Colonnade, everytime I go to Ottawa I have to eat there. The only thing I have found close to Colonnade is Pizza Gigi on Lakeshore in Pointe Claire, the pizzas have an amazing thick crust. It's my favorite pizza place in Montreal.

Thanks alot for all the replies, it helped us out alot. Most likely we will end up going to Andrew Edmonds, and jump in at Leon when we are in the area. We probably will also go to the Belvedere for Sunday brunch. Thanks again for everyone's suggestions. Cheers. mike.

My girlfriend and I are going to spend a week in London next February at the end of the month. We plan on going to lots of pubs and trying fish and chips, curries and sunday brunch of roast beef with yorkshire pudding. But one night we would like to go to a nice restaurant that serves british/modern eurpean food that is not too expensive. Being from Canada, the exchange is terrible so we are looking at 30 to 35 pounds per person, not including wine for the meal. Does anybody have any recommendations? So far the one restaurant that sticks out for us is The Chancery. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks alot. Cheers. mike.

Compared to some of the top restaurants in Montreal, the Beaver Club is not that expensive. A 4 course meal is $70, anything can be chosen on the menu including foie gras. If I want trendy new style fusion cuisine, I will not go to the Beaver Club, I will go to somewhere like Bronte but I will pay much more than $70. The food is very good, the waiters actually know what they are talking about and have knowledge of food and wine as compared to other restaurants who hire waitstaff for how they look. Also keep in mind, the sommelier at Bronte used to work at the Beaver Club. As for the desserts, I worked there over 5 years ago and I know the quality of all the cakes and pastries is extremely high. I am not going to the Beaver Club expecting groundbreaking desserts and unusual flavour combinations, I am just expecting really good cakes and pastries which is what they consistently deliver. So if others disagree with me, why is the Beaver Club second rate? And why are the desserts so terrible?

I have eaten at the Beaver Club a few times, the last time was with a group of 10. Each time I have been there, both the food and service were amazing. With the group, the service was abit slower but expected. The menu changes seasonally but they keep some standards such as seared foie gras (the best I have ever tried), prime rib and caesar salad (incredible as well). The desserts are very good as well, the trio of creme brulees is quite good or anything from the dessert cart. They say jackets are recommended but they are not necessary, as long as you are dressed nice and no jeans. You should go to the Voyageur for drinks before, it's right beside the beaver club and they serve amazing martinis.

The pastry chef, Cedric, is very good. He's a crazy frenchman, he worked for me a little while ago and he told me about his menu before he started there. I haven't tried them yet but I have no doubt they are good.

Thanks alot for all the suggestions, I will most definitely check out Union and Cascadia. And I will take a chance and go to Lark, it sounds way too good to pass up. Just out of curiousity, not too many people mentioned much about Brasa, is there a particular reason? I thought it was one of the top restaurants in the city.

My girlfriend and I are planning a trip to Seattle sometime next spring, probably 4-5 days and I am having some trouble finding restaurants to go to. So far here is a list of ones that seem to stand out: Brasa Elliott's Oyster House Earth and Ocean Dahlia Lounge Sazerac Tulio Marjorie I am also very interested in both Palace Kitchen and Lark but I am worried about going to those two since neither take reservations. Money isn't an issue but I am looking for places which are unique to Seattle that have excellent food and a fun and enjoyable relaxing atmosphere. Does anyone have any recommendations or can anyone suggest any others, possibly new ones that I do not know about. Any help would be greatly suggested. mike

I just tried baking the creme brulees without a waterbath, uncovered and they set no problem at 200 F in just over an hour. They came out perfect! I still don't like the idea of not using the waterbath but if this is the only thing that will work I will take it. Thanks again so much for all your help, I was on the verge of having an aneurysm.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I will try baking the creme brulees without a waterbath. I was always under the impression that baking custards without a waterbath would create a texture similar to a quiche and would be more eggy.

I am having a ton of problems with creme brulee at the new restaurant I am working in, they will not set. The restaurant only has 2 convection ovens and an alto-sham, no gas ovens. I have already done 5 tests using both convection ovens and using different recipes and the creme brulee mix will not set, it just forms a skin on top and is liquid underneath, no matter how long I bake it for. I have had this problem before in other places but never like this. I am baking the mix in standard 5" quiche molds, but to make things more complicated I can bake the creme brulee in a tart shell, same thickness as the mold and have it set in the convection oven with no problem. In all cases the fans on the convection ovens can not be turned off but they have been set to low and they are baked in a water bath. Is it possible that the convection ovens are too strong and can cause the brulee mix to separate and not set? Am I the only one who has ever had this problem? If I can't solve the problem, I will have to use the alto-sham to cook the creme brulee. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Isn't Kerry Simon the loser who appeared on Iron Chef America with Captain Kirk?

Being the pastry chef at Otto, I was extremely pissed about the review. He looked at my menu and made up his opinion without seeing or trying a single dessert, instead opting for ice cream. I got shafted because his interpretations of my menu were not to his liking. It's like buying a novel and saying it sucks because you don't like the cover and never actually reading it.

Thanks alot, I will check it out tomorrow. I want to use the tapioca in a fruit soup in order to add some texture, similar to the bubble tea idea or that orbit drink which I don't think exists anymore.

Does anybody know any suppliers or any stores where I can buy tapicoa pearls in the montreal area. I need them for a dessert but have had trouble finding them, I can only find mint tapioca in grocery stores and Farinex only carries the regular flakes. Thanks alot in advance!

Tonight I went out to a bistro style restaurant with my girlfriend and she ordered a jerk pork tenderloin. When it was brought to the table it was rare and the waiter tried convincing us that he had it like that all the time and it was okay to eat. My girlfriend sent it back and wanted it cooked longer and the chef was upset that he had to do this. As far as I know, pork has to be cooked to medium, at the minimum, to avoid any harmful bacteria. I have never seen any chef ever cook pork less than that. Is rare pork a new phenomenon that I somehow missed? Is pork tartar the in-dish right now??? Could someone please fill me in on this!!Thanks.

I found it was easier to wrap and make a tight seal with the unbaked choux then with the baked choux so I there was less chance of freezer burn. And even if there was freezer burn, it was still going to be baked and it would go unnoticed in taste and appearance. Once it is baked and frozen, it can discolour and get the freezer burn taste which will not go away. Both ways can be done effectively, it is just a matter of storage and space. As far as time saving, instead of making the choux and piping it everyday, I simply bake them off as needed so they are fresh each day.