rafjel's Profile
Ottawa - favourite cheap eats, good grocers and worthy splurges?
Thanks! I'll give it a try :)
Ottawa - favourite cheap eats, good grocers and worthy splurges?
I will be moving to Ottawa at some point in August. As I am traveling at the moment, I won't have as much time as I usually would to do research, so I thought I'd put the question out to you all.
I will, of course, be doing some digging of my own, but any favourite spots in Ottawa that are fairly affordable (or definitely worth the expense)? Also, favourite inexpensive (or again, worthy high-end) grocers? I don't know where I will be living yet, but I will be sure to patronize the farmer's market(s) as well - any recommendations there?
Essentially, I am looking for anything and everything you are willing to share! (And if anyone wants to know about tracking down good food in Edmonton, where I will be moving from, I have a wealth of knowledge in this area). Thanks in advance!
Dulce de leche in Edmonton?
The Argentinian dulce de leche at the Italian Centre is quite good, but Bonne Maman also has 'confiture de lait' (milk jam) that is often next to the jams. Haven't tried it, though.
Rose petal jelly
I've recently come into a jar of wild rose petal jelly. I think it would be too much for me just on toast, though I was thinking of saving it to eat with clotted cream when I have time to make scones...any other ideas on how to use it?
top five places to eat near whyte ave (edmonton)
Nhon Hoa on 101st and Whyte. They also have a Chinatown location - they have a variety of Vietnamese subs and other things (spring rolls, salad rolls). I haven't had a bad sandwich yet, and it's so cheap for a large sandwich (ranging from $3 to $5, I believe).
Unused cake batter
If you freeze it in individual portions and bake straight from frozen, it works. At least, this is what we used to do at a grocery store bakery I worked at.
Just "Buy It," Don't Think about the price
As a very recent graduate, my budget is quite small. But even if it weren't, I think my idea of what is ' worth it' would be the same.
There are items that, if they are of good quality, should not be cheap - good cheese - and all dairy-, oil, chocolate, meat (though I don't buy it), nuts, etc. I am willing to pay the price for these things - if I can't justify it at the time, for whatever reason, I go without instead of buying a cheaper version.
This being said, I do try to find a good deal - but if some of the things above are dirt cheap, you'll probably taste it.
I have a lower limit on things like produce, bread/pasta and other things. A friend recently told me she spent $8 on two small zucchini at a specialty market - she was in a pinch and she needed them for a dinner party. I'm the type of person to change what I'm making if my only other option is a $4 mini zucchini.
I suppose I am willing to pay a higher price than most students, but I definitely draw the line at paying what seem to be 'unfair' prices...maybe more out of principle than anything? I do also eat a lot of legumes and other inexpensive things, so I feel a bit better about splurging where it's worth it.
Unpredictable cottage cheese pancakes
Have you tried using dry curd cottage cheese? Then you would be adding the only liquid.
Coquilles Saint-Jacques in Edmonton?
I'm sure many others think of the same thing, actually - I was not aware that it referred to a particular dish. In French, 'coquilles Saint-Jacques' refers to any scallops served in their shell, not a specific preparation. Sorry for the confusion!
Pound cake: cream cheese vs sour cream vs buttermilk vs heavy cream
Alice Medrich's pound cake made with kamut flour is very moist; the only added liquid is 3 tbsp. of milk. It calls for an unconventional mixing technique - add the butter and 1/2 the liquid/eggs to the dry ingredients and beat for one minute, then add the rest in two additions, beating for 20 seconds each. It produces a very nice cake - not too dense, but still moist. I imagine you could replace the Kamut flour with all-purpose and it would still be lovely.
Coquilles Saint-Jacques in Edmonton?
Could you be more specific about what the dish entails? Coquilles Saint-Jacques just means scallops.
Edmonton City Market
So the market is about to start up again in the downtown location...does anyone know of any vendors selling butter?
Cacao Nibs in Edmonton?
Kerstin's Chocolates sells them in 150g bags, from Valrhona. Something like $5.
-----
Kerstin's Chocolates
10139 112 St NW, Edmonton, AB T5K, CA
Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours, by Kim Boyce
David Lebovitz posted about these over a year ago, and I don't think he would have done so if he didn't enjoy them. And I recall many similarly positive reports. Not to say that daveena's opinion isn't valid, but I wouldn't write them off completely.
Cheap, easy, really good dessert to bring to a dinner party -- does it exist?
I'd agree with pavlova - so easy and very impressive, not to mention delicious.
What to do with burnt caramel?
I think there's a difference between burnt sugar and burnt caramel - burnt sugar ice cream would be caramel ice cream; burnt caramel ice cream is...burnt caramel ice cream. But I know that I like to take my caramel just to the edge of being burnt, and some people find it too dark; use your judgment, I guess. But if it really does taste burnt, toss it - at least it wasn't too expensive, right?
Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours, by Kim Boyce
Also - I got 12 muffins out of the recipe instead of 8. I would recommend filling the tins just to the top, but not over, for a nice dome.
Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours, by Kim Boyce
I have made the Chocolate Chip Cookies, the Olive Oil Cake and the Carrot Spelt Muffins.
The cookies are fantastic - I have made them twice now. The first time I used half whole wheat flour and half AP. The second time I used all whole wheat, and liked it better. i will be using whole wheat flour in any chocolate chip cookie recipe from now on - so much more flavour.
The olive oil cake is lovely; the rosemary perfumes it nicely and the olive oil comes through just enough (I used a good-quality extra virgin, because i really wanted to taste it, but I'm sure that any olive oil would be fine). The chocolate is perfect with the oil, rosemary and kosher salt. I think next time I will beat the eggs for a while before adding everything to the dry ingredients, for a slightly lighter texture. The crust on this cake is lovely.
The muffins just came out of the oven and they are a winner, though I definitely played around with the recipe - teff flour instead of oat bran, oats in the streusel topping, coconut oil instead of melted butter in the batter, milk & vinegar instead of buttermilk, ground ginger and clove in place of the allspice. They still turned out great and I would definitely recommend the coconut oil and ginger (though I only did this because I didn't have allspice). I don't usually like muffins, but I'm already looking forward to another one - they're not at all dense or too sweet. I think I would add more carrots next time, maybe 2 cups.
Peanut butter taste tests; PB devotees: what's your favourite?
I suppose this varies from brand to brand, but I find that the natural PBs are just too thin and soupy at room temperature. In the fridge, it hardens up nicely but is still spreadable. And cold PB is kind of nice (for me).
Egg salad help, please...
You might want to try slicing the pancetta thinly (in rounds), pan-frying it and then laying a crisped slice on top of your egg salad before you put the second slice of bread on. Though this only helps if you're making sandwiches...and I always use mayo and mustard, just not very much - enough to hold it all together, but not so much that it's soupy. I like to add dill to mine, but probably not with the pancetta.
Cooking with smoked paprika
I tend to have the same thing for lunch for most of the week and sometimes it can get a bit tiring, eating the same thing day after day - but whenever there is smoked paprika in anything, I eat with gusto. It could liven up the most boring salad (though I try not to have boring salads).
Cooking with smoked paprika
I mainly use it in vinaigrette for grainy or substantial salads - farro, quinoa, lentil, chickpea, squash, etc.
Edmonton - Black Squid Ink Pasta?
Yep, the Italian Centre has it. I can only vouch for fettucine, but I'm sure there are other shapes.
Talk to me about the salad and/or dressing that you are obsessed with now
It really is! I just kind of threw it together once, and I was shocked by how good it was - the watery crunch and slight sweetness of the beets and carrots with the milky tang of the goat's cheese. And the colour is amazing, of course. We've got about 3 feet of snow in the last 2 days, and it's certainly livened me up.
Peanut butter taste tests; PB devotees: what's your favourite?
Where in Canada are you? I've definitely seen Jif around...
Talk to me about the salad and/or dressing that you are obsessed with now
Shredded raw beets and carrots in equal amounts, chopped cilantro, chunks of creamy chèvre and roasted pumpkin seeds. A spoonful of grainy mustard, 2-3 spoonfuls of red wine vinegar and 3-4 spoonfuls of olive oil. Delicious, and so addictive.
Peanut butter taste tests; PB devotees: what's your favourite?
Adam's 100% Natural, chunky, unsalted. Or salted. Both are very good.
White Chocolate? C'mon, what's up with that?
Chocolate does not contain cocoa powder; it contains cocoa mass, which is a paste, and cocoa butter. White chocolate contains only the cocoa butter, still technically part of the bean. Just no cocoa mass. The name is misleading in a way, and it is obvious that to be considered 'chocolate' it should contain cocoa mass, but it still comes from the cacao pod.
Fat-free half and half is literally not half and half, and is a cheap imitation. White chocolate is white (ivory) and is made from the cacao plant - but it's not trying to be chocolate; I don't think anyone is buying it to replace chocolate with cocoa mass in it.
It's perfectly fine not to like it, but I don't see the reason to dispute the name - it is so obviously different from milk and dark chocolate and I don't think that anyone is trying to hide that fact by calling it 'chocolate' - it's just simpler, and it makes sense.
White Chocolate? C'mon, what's up with that?
I don't know if this is something you want to hear, but I recently tried one of the matcha KitKats and it was very nice. My cousin does a lot of international business and he received a case of those KitKats from some Japanese associates. We cracked one open over the Christmas break - really, really good. I am not a fan of most white chocolate (I only like when you can really taste the cocoa butter, like with Amedei, Cluizel and Valrhona), but the matcha is definitely front and centre, in a good way. It was surprisingly delicious and tasted exactly how I had wanted it to (not too sweet!). Each stick was also individually wrapped, which was a nice touch.
