eG Foodblog: Kerry Beal and Anna N (2012) - Mixing it up in Manitoulin

[Kerry Beal]

The ones I have are the Prepara ones that are further down on the link you put to the Tovolo. I've been very impressed with the Tovolo products - I brought up their silicone ice cube trays this trip. Found them at Homesense for a good price after having bought my last ones from Amazon in the states.

[Toliver]

I was on a topic about dishwashing detergents and bemoaning the fact that Dawn Power Dissolver was not available in Canada. Kerry PM’d me and offered to get some next time she made a trip to Buffalo.

I just ordered a case of Power Dissolver online for my mom. She couldn't find it anywhere in the grocery stores in San Diego and swears by the stuff.

The Chop that made a break for it had me laughing out loud! Thanks for blogging your adventures again.

[Anna N]

So the steamed buns are now on their second rise:

Since it would be pointless to make 50 buns, I have discarded more than half of the dough. The book suggests that working with less than the full quantity for the mixing of the dough is not a good idea. I went along with it. In retrospect I think you could cut the recipe in half quite satisfactorily.

I also made up a small batch of miso butter:

We have lots of asparagus in the fridge and asparagus with miso butter and a poached egg is another Momofuku recipe that I have tried and enjoyed, I thought that it would make a nice lunch tomorrow. We shall see.

Now I am off to make the white wine sauce for tonight's non-Momofuku meal - Mussels in White Wine with a baguette (store-bought I am afraid).

[Marlene]

I think a bit of a backstory on how Kerry and I met is entirely appropriate as it involves eG.

I had been a member for some time when Kerry joined in 2005. I was on a topic about dishwashing detergents and bemoaning the fact that Dawn Power Dissolver was not available in Canada. Kerry PM’d me and offered to get some next time she made a trip to Buffalo. At the time, I knew nothing about her and assumed with the name Kerry that she was male. I was astounded that anyone could be so generous to a stranger and suspected some nefarious motive to find out where I lived and carry out unspeakable crimes on my person or property. (I have since learned that many eG members are incredibly generous with time, knowledge and even ingredients and equipment.)

I relented and gave my address. Kerry showed up at my door one day with said detergent. She didn’t look overly dangerous or criminal so I allowed her into my home. We talked for the next 3 hours non-stop and the rest, as they say, is history.

And that is more or less how Jake and I met through egullet (jake also being a girl), and we've been best friends ever since.

And I miss you guys. Wish I was closer to the Island.

Edited May 14, 2012 by Marlene (log)

[Kerry Beal]

I think a bit of a backstory on how Kerry and I met is entirely appropriate as it involves eG.

I had been a member for some time when Kerry joined in 2005. I was on a topic about dishwashing detergents and bemoaning the fact that Dawn Power Dissolver was not available in Canada. Kerry PM’d me and offered to get some next time she made a trip to Buffalo. At the time, I knew nothing about her and assumed with the name Kerry that she was male. I was astounded that anyone could be so generous to a stranger and suspected some nefarious motive to find out where I lived and carry out unspeakable crimes on my person or property. (I have since learned that many eG members are incredibly generous with time, knowledge and even ingredients and equipment.)

I relented and gave my address. Kerry showed up at my door one day with said detergent. She didn’t look overly dangerous or criminal so I allowed her into my home. We talked for the next 3 hours non-stop and the rest, as they say, is history.

And that is more or less how Jake and I met through egullet (jake also being a girl), and we've been best friends ever since.

And I miss you guys. Wish I was closer to the Island.

Wish you were up here too - we'd do lunch. We could get Maggie to come from Ottawa and have a good old party!

[Anna N]

So the buns are now finished. Here they are on their final rise:

Ready to be steamed:

And steamed and ready to be frozen.

Now to source some pork belly for the final assembly. Kerry has talked to a local butcher and pork belly seems to be in our future.

Edited to add:

Note to Rotuts: These were steamed atop the Thermomix in the Varoma as it is called.

Edited May 14, 2012 by Anna N (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Tonight's libation - a Caneflower. Thank you Jeffery Morganthaler. Cachaca, aperol, St Germain. Yummy!

Notice the lovely round ice cubes! (or would that be ice rounds)

Later I shall show you the results of my ice round experiments.

[rotuts]

Wow, thanks for the ThermoMix tips. How large is the steaming area?

The TM is at the very top of my most wanted wish list. The very top!

[Kerry Beal]

Anna made mussels for dinner - we got a big container of high oxygen packed mussels at Costco - nice thing is they have a best by date of several weeks in the future due to the packaging format. We only had to throw out a dozen or so for failure to close or cracked shells and there were probably only half a dozen more that didn't open when they cooked.

After dinner I finally got around to firing up the candy floss machine - I had some lovely vanilla sugar (thank you DianaM for the fat juicy vanilla bean that made that possible) to give it a spin.

I sprinkled on a bit of Asian drink mix - green apple flavour.

Anna Claus seemed happy with it!

[Kerry Beal]

So this was my set up for the ice spheres - a styrofoam box with a couple of sponges that fit in it.

Perfectly clear!

[Darienne]

I am quite curious about this candy floss machine. (Haven't had cotton candy in over 50 years.) What brand is it? Is it a home use machine? What are your plans for it? Can I come to your house and play with it? What else does it do? What does it weigh? Etc. Please.

[Kerry Beal]

It's a Waring Pro - home use - weighs next to nothing. Really easy to use.

[Shelby]

Ok, I'm soooo enjoying this. How cool to be able to just cook what and when ever you want to.

I'm going to ask a reaaaaallllly dumb question, so please, don't hold it against me if the answer is glaringly obvious:

I love the clear, round ice cubes. I really do. But, is the point just to make totally clear, round cubes or is there another reason I'm not seeing?

[Kerry Beal]

Ok, I'm soooo enjoying this. How cool to be able to just cook what and when ever you want to.

I'm going to ask a reaaaaallllly dumb question, so please, don't hold it against me if the answer is glaringly obvious:

I love the clear, round ice cubes. I really do. But, is the point just to make totally clear, round cubes or is there another reason I'm not seeing?

Fair to say the point is to make totally clear ice - it's the holy grail of ice it seems.

Crystal Clear Ice Blocks

The Ice Topic

DIY Ice Ball Maker

[Kerry Beal]

I have a crisis up here - I know I've got a probe thermometer here somewhere and I need it to make some candy to use to make a weird flavour of cotton candy - I've searched all my bins and I can't seem to find one! Going to have to trash the joint in the morning.

And I haven't decided what I'm going to bake for work tomorrow. I'm leaning towards Butterscotch Squares which are quick and dirty and always popular. I think I've gone off the Milk Bar Cookbook a bit as I don't think I can trust the results.

[heidih]

Butterscotch squares sound good to me.

Breathe - you know it is there - my kid used to "trash the joint", exclaim that it had vanished and I would walk in and see it in a few secs. Let Anna be your eyes as well. Good luck.

[Kerry Beal]

Butterscotch squares sound good to me.

Breathe - you know it is there - my kid used to "trash the joint", exclaim that it had vanished and I would walk in and see it in a few secs. Let Anna be your eyes as well. Good luck.

Funny you should say that - figured when Anna's awake I'll ask her if she's seen it - and she'll point me right to it. That's how the rolled oats got found this am!

Butterscotch squares just doing their 20 minutes in the turned off oven.

[Shelby]

Ok, I'm soooo enjoying this. How cool to be able to just cook what and when ever you want to.

I'm going to ask a reaaaaallllly dumb question, so please, don't hold it against me if the answer is glaringly obvious:

I love the clear, round ice cubes. I really do. But, is the point just to make totally clear, round cubes or is there another reason I'm not seeing?

Fair to say the point is to make totally clear ice - it's the holy grail of ice it seems.

Crystal Clear Ice Blocks

The Ice Topic

DIY Ice Ball Maker

Ah, Ok. Cool (pun intended lol)

[janeer]

I think a bit of a backstory on how Kerry and I met is entirely appropriate as it involves eG.

I had been a member for some time when Kerry joined in 2005. I was on a topic about dishwashing detergents and bemoaning the fact that Dawn Power Dissolver was not available in Canada. Kerry PM’d me and offered to get some next time she made a trip to Buffalo. At the time, I knew nothing about her and assumed with the name Kerry that she was male. I was astounded that anyone could be so generous to a stranger and suspected some nefarious motive to find out where I lived and carry out unspeakable crimes on my person or property. (I have since learned that many eG members are incredibly generous with time, knowledge and even ingredients and equipment.)

I relented and gave my address. Kerry showed up at my door one day with said detergent. She didn’t look overly dangerous or criminal so I allowed her into my home. We talked for the next 3 hours non-stop and the rest, as they say, is history.

Thanks for this as I've been wondering since the last time you two did one of these joint cooking adventures. And thanks just for doing it.

[Kerry Beal]

Cheese toast for me this morning - using up the leftover baguette. You should have seen the look of horror on Anna's face when she saw me pull out the ketsup!

[Kerry Beal]

Butterscotch squares for work. I'm on call today which means I never know if I'll be home or away - I've occasionally ended up making a very speedy ride to Sudbury in an ambulance.

Never did find a probe thermometer - but found a glass candy thermometer in the drawer - so took the Idea's in Food recipe for Foie Gras Cotton Candy recipe and tried it with hazelnut oil. I think I had perhaps let the isomalt component cool too much before I added the oil component and didn't get an emulsion. Even a quick spin in the Thermomix only resulted in a Thermomix that won't be clean again until all that candy dissolves in the hot soapy water in the sink! Hope Anna doesn't have any plans for the TMX this am.

[Anna N]

Wow, thanks for the ThermoMix tips. How large is the steaming area?

The TM is at the very top of my most wanted wish list. The very top!

Here is a photo of the steamer (varoma).

Surface is approx 8 inches by 10 inches.

[Anna N]

Breakfast this moring was the last of the rib eye steak, a few slices of hardened goat cheese and a handful of rice crackers:

From the fuzziness of the photo I should probably have had more coffee before operating the camera. Sorry about that.

[rotuts]

thanks continue on the TMX. do you use the steamer simply because its convenient (the machine being on the counter all the time I suppose) or its much easier to control vs. a pan with a steamer insert? or another fantastic reason?

[Anna N]

thanks continue on the TMX. do you use the steamer simply because its convenient (the machine being on the counter all the time I suppose) or its much easier to control vs. a pan with a steamer insert? or another fantastic reason?

Convenience, the shape allows for more food than a round steamer but otherwise it's about the same as any steamer.