bellywizard's Profile
Formal dinner with elderly parent?
Great suggestions all around!
I didn't know about Scaramouche Pasta Bar - looks like a good option.
Ici Bistro - I've been interested in, never went... This might be the occasion.
I'll think about Didier too.
Globe Earth I also like, but I've been too often lately.
Thanks.
Formal dinner with elderly parent?
I know suggestions of this kind have been solicited before, but I still haven't found the right restaurant for an upcoming special dinner...
Requirements: preferably south of St. Clair, under $100pp. European or North American fare, not seafood-driven.
Must be fairly quiet (mother in her 70s is hard of hearing).
Feel free to convince me I'm wrong about any of these!!:
George and Scaramouche - great, but a bit too expensive
Buca and Ossington strip - a bit loud?
Table 17 - not special enough?
Is Canoe really my best bet (as predictable as it is)?
Maybe Le Select?
Help! And thanks.
HELP! Cooking with very specific diet restrictions??
Another way to tackle this would be to ask the person for a couple of recipes they do enjoy. Then simply tweak the seasoning to bring in some Indian spices.
Their stews can become your kormas.
Their baked dishes can become your tandooris.
Don't forget that Indian food is very diverse (not limited to the northern dishes we usually eat in North America) - so open the scope up to a wide range of dishes/flavours... Southern dishes especially are quite spicy, so using a good amount of chiles might allow you to forego the other more "subtle" notes.
Food Safety Question (left soup out overnight!) [moved from Home Cooking]
Just noticed that the topic's been dealt with:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/797836
Responses are still welcome, esp since the temperature the soup was at is fairly low...
Food Safety Question (left soup out overnight!) [moved from Home Cooking]
The title basically says it all...
I made chicken soup last night, and accidentally left it in a room that was about 8 Celcius / 46 Fahrenheit (for about 12 hours). It's now in the fridge.
Would cooking it eliminate any potential nasty bacteria?
Should I just throw this out?
Any advice, especially based on some good hard knowledge, would be appreciated!
How to reduce sugar in a baking recipe without wrecking the entire dish? Or, a savoury banana bread recipe?
For the recipe you mentioned (the banana bread), you might want to consider that not all Greek yogurts are the same. Some will be more sour, some more neutral. A relatively neutral yogurt will allow you to reduce the sugar more without creating a "sour"-tasting bread.
My experience in baking with bananas is that the fruit often provides a surprising amount of sweetness - especially if they're really ripe. It may taste fine with only the bananas providing sweetness. (I often bake banana muffins successfully without any sugar or substitute.)
If you're concerned about browning (with pitterpatter brings up), try coating just the outsides with some sugar: butter and dust the pan with sugar, and sprinkle some on top. Just a thought.
Winterlicious 2012 menus are out - anything CH worthy?
For the record, I ate at Frank last night (dinner). Disappointed. Food was mediocre & lukewarm and service was slow (but very congenial). I do recommend the jerusalem artichoke salad app - yummy.
Details: A good amount of food for $35. But - although I love spice & I really love cardamom, the kitchen went way overboard with cardamom in the apple turnover and the cider cocktail. The pork tenderloin was a little tough & overcooked, with uninspired root vegetables - could have done as well at home. The fries (with steak frites) were way oversalted. Skirt steak should probably be cut differently (strips maybe, rather than one slab) when cooked, to minimize toughness. Malted chocolate pudding had no malt flavour, and unappealing dry crust.
CHOW Recipe Challenge: Your Best Muffin Recipe!
Hmm... I'm starting to see a battle over what constitutes a muffin, and what's a cupcake!
birthday Paella or steak
I think most folks would agree there's not much in the way of paella in Toronto. It exists at Segovia (Yonge & Wellesley) & elsewhere, but I haven't heard of anything great.
Great steak is doable. For a casual (almost trashy) atmosphere, Tulip (in the Beach) does a great job. Some more contemporary/hip meat joints include Black Hoof, Cowbell, Globe Earth, etc...
Good luck!
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The Black Hoof
928 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CA
ISO Luxardo Gourmet Maraschino Cherries in toronto
Great ideas - I'll have a look in Little Italy, and maybe a couple other Italian shops. Wholefoods too? I'll let you know if I find anything. Otherwise, online shopping it is!
ISO Luxardo Gourmet Maraschino Cherries in toronto
Another way of asking this might be -
Do you know of any high-end "bar supply shops" in TO?
?
ISO Luxardo Gourmet Maraschino Cherries in toronto
I'm looking for "genuine" maraschino cherries - not the bright red kind.
I understand a few brands make them, usually called Luxardo Maraschino Cherries.
Does anybody know where I can get these in Toronto (preferably downtown)?
Thanks!
Which chocolate bars containing > 70% cocoa taste the best?
That's kind of like asking "which Merlot is the best?" - it's all a matter of personal opinion. There are some measures of quality, but beyond that, it's subjective.
There are the mass manufactured ones, some of which are really good:
I really like the Pralus 'Grand Cru' series (lots of different ones to compare - I like the Tanzanie).
Michel Cluizel does some great stuff too.
I've bought some good bars from chocodirect.com.
Then there are the small-batch chocolatier ones, which can vary widely.
slow cooking "prime" cuts (sirloin, chops etc)?
Maybe my terminology is wrong here... But we often hear how tough/muscular cuts of meat (shoulders, legs etc) need slow cooking. The connective tissues break down this way. But does anybody know if non-tough cuts of meat (pork chops, sirloin, etc) do alright slow cooked? Clearly there isn't as much tough connective tissue (or skin), and I wonder if this results in little flavour. What's the texture like when "searable" cuts are slow-cooked? I'd especially love to hear not only whether it's tasty or bad, but why (from a food science perspective).
Thanks a lot!
foods you ate as a kid (or young adult) that you wouldn't eat now?
This is meant to be a fun topic about foods you enjoy(ed) but wouldn't go near now. There are other threads about current guilty pleasures - but this is about food that's just too hard for your "grown-up" gut to handle.
Some of mine:
-International Coffees (the General Foods powder mix - loved it when I was 20!)
-huge servings of red licorice
-meals with no fruit or vegetables
-rock hard, cigarette smoke infused muffins at the doughnut shop (ugh...)
Kerr Farms beef @ Sobeys - what's your experience?
Anybody know if Kerr beef is dry-aged (hung) and for how long?
Also, what herds do they use? Dairy-cross, or meat-only herds like Beretta does?
sourdough starters
I've bought some before from http://www.sourdo.com/
Not local, but it was easy to do, and an guide booklet was included.
Diners, drive-ins and dives
Since others are voicing their opinions of the TV show, I'll assume it isn't off-topic to do so.
I found the whole "mammoth food" DDD thing exciting & enticing at first too. But it makes me really SAD now - the fact that to have a really enjoyable experience, folks need to eat such poor-quality food. (fatty, salty, low-fiber, meat & starch, huge, likely factory farmed). Others above commented that they find it's the *culture* surrounding these DDDs that make them appealing - and I agree. So why does the food have to be so poor quality?
Anyhow - I love the mom & pop joints that many posters have mentioned. Let's keep 'em going.
help: marinating before grilling ??
OP here.
The reason I prefer marinades over dry rubs is that I believe that marinades will help tenderize the meat more than dry rubs would. Any contrary info out there?
Thanks for the ideas about resting the meat etc - sounds like that could help!
help: marinating before grilling ??
Often when I marinate red meat, it's too soggy to grill properly.
Example - I'll set some steak in the fridge with some wine/vinegar/tomato for a few hours. Heat up a cast iron pan. Take out the steak and pat it with paper towel. Throw the steak in the hot pan.
And what happens?
A lot of excess liquid oozes out of the steak and turns the process into a semi-braise, instead of a nice seared grill.
What am I doing wrong here?
How can I keep the marinade, and avoid soggy meat?
mutton in the gta?
sorry, mk - i don't remember where i found that info. if i come across it again, i'll let you know.
mutton in the gta?
Does anybody know where I can buy some mutton? I've asked a number of butchers - including at St Lawrence Mkt - and nobody has it. Any suggestions?
Also, if you know of any restaurants serving good mutton dishes, let me know!
Thanks.
what to do with a pork butt CHOP ??
I cooked them 2 nights ago.
Seared them, then simmered (in beer) for about 25 minutes.
They were very good, but still a little tough.
I'd definitely recommend simmering them for at least that time - preferably longer.
what to do with a pork butt CHOP ??
Will, I like your ideas. I was thinking of a beer braise, but was worried about cooking them for long (as IndHeat said). I'll try your recipe out tonight!
what to do with a pork butt CHOP ??
I have 2 pork butt chops. If they were roast-sized (a couple of pounds), I'd slow roast/braise them. But these are about 3/4" thick. I was thinking of still braising them, but I'm not sure how long such a "thin" cut would take.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Frosting without a mixer?
Perhaps picking up a cheap manual mixer/beater?
http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-2268-Hand-Beater/dp/B00004UE7D/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1267017563&sr=8-1
Look up some historical recipes?
what menu for cassoulet-centered dinner party?
Since a cassoulet is a bit stew-like, I find a bit of bread goes well.
I threw a "cassoulet party" and made fan-tan rolls - which were very visually appealing.
(see http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--1121/shaping-rolls.asp#fantan)
But a more traditionally-French bread might be more "appropriate".
Some wine, and a tarte tatin would go well!
My Place - Canadian Pub in BWV
Here's my take from last night:
Great food & service for a pub. Nice night out. But not a 5-star restaurant.
The service was great. The waiter found me some great beers to try, and even gave me samples of some I didn't order.
Poutine was just okay! Good, but not authentic-Quebecois style (which I'm familiar with - I lived by Quebec for decades). Good curds, good gravy... But the curds were not melty, and fries were a bit underdone for my taste (soft & not crispy). NIce pan drippings, and not swimming in gravy.
The bison ribs were really nice. Spicy, not too sweet. Nice garnish of roasted corn. Baked beans were just al dente & not too sweet. Brought half of it home! Very good.
The mussels were also very good - though my s.o. had them (not me). Well received. Though one was closed & probably shouldn't have been served.
Dessert: apple crumble with melted cheddar. Well done, big portion. But too heavy on the clove for my taste.
Two drinks each, shared app & dessert, 2 mains + tip = $100.
Good dinner! I'd go back. But beyond improvement? No.
Quick question about peanut-butter cookies
Wow - a few really enticing recipes here!
I'll have to try Vetter's flour-free recipe, AND Jencounter's traditional one.
THANKS!
Quick question about peanut-butter cookies
I'd like to make p'but cookies for the first time.
I see recipes without flour (only the nut butter & things), as well as recipes with flour.
Which is better? With or without flour? Can anyone "in the know" generalize?
Thanks!
