moh's Profile
Foods you can't keep in the house because you can't stop yourself eating them
I am of course a member of the knorr's spinach vegetable dip club with water chestnuts! My guiltiest pleasure ever! (well, maybe not guiltiest. I recently downed an entire can of Chef-boy-ar-dee beef ravioli in the memory of Sam, I loved every bite of it).
Goodness, I may have to make a bowl of dip soon.... people or no people to share....
And someone mentioned pickles I love pickles of all ilk. But I must be able to resist them enough, our fridge is half pickle...
Montreal Mile End Bakery Tour
Hala, thanks for your map! It is really great of you to put it together!
There are a few places I might add on, if people wanted to expand the tour, or were in need of more carbs...
The great bagel debate (St. Viateur vs. Fairmount) can be easily indulged by adding in stops at both of these institutions of higher bagel eating.
Esprithe on Laurier has a lovely selection of teas and those lovely little french macaron in some unique flavour combinations, often involving tea. These macarons are much better than the frozen ones at Patisserie Gascogne, just ignore those suckers.
Boulaangerie Clarke (corner of St. Viateur and Clarke) sells lovely pizza sticks (long thin flat pizza loaf with tomato sauce and crispy melted cheese) on saturday only. These are delicious snacks. And during the time of Easter (the festival San Giovanni) they make to die for zeppole. Alas, that season is currently over. But if you are around then, these zeppole are amazing. The cannoil are not as tasty, the shell isn't optimal.
Vava on Parc has lovely Russian tortes and cakes, and a host of Russian food products. Cute little place, and the Russian tortes are delicious.
Yum yum yum, very filling, but very fun...
Alphonso mangoes
The alphonsos are selling out really quickly these days. Perhaps it is still early on in the season, and so they re getting limited boxes. I think you basically need to be there right at 10:00 am to get in line or call right at 10:00 to reserve a box. I hope there will be more later on, I think they are just starting to get into season.
The kesars were still around until noon, but when we went at 12:30 we got the last box of unreserved kesars they had. So the Kesars are also going fast. The kesars are less powerfully aromatic than the alphonsos, but I love their creaminess, and they are still very powerfully mango flavoured. The kesars are $17 for a box of 12. You can start eating them when they start turning orange, as long as the flesh yields to gentle pressure and you get a strong whiff of mango from them. Don't worry about getting a box of green mangos, they ripen quickly if left out.
I wouldn't bother with mangos from other countries while the indian mangos are in season. The atulpho mangos are delicious, but they will be around for a long time before and after the indian mango season has passed. Similarly, the really beautiful fat cats from brazil and Israell will be out later. The fat cats are delicious too, but they aren't quite as creamy as the indian mangos. More risk of fiber.
Maison du Nord
Thanks for the great update lipoff! I am also a fan of the noodles here. The lamb stew you describe seems to be the same on I tried, but I am not sure. The lamb stew was very unique! enjoyed it, but I don't think i could polish off an entire bowl myself,
Fresh Lychee fruit in Montreal?
I am not sure where these lychee come from, but the best time to get cheap luscious inexpensive lychee is from Chinatown or from the big asian grocery stores in June and July. Then you can get a big bag of juicy lychee for about $8-10 and go to town on them all afternoon. The bag has many many lychee in them, and they are large and juicy and delicious.
The rest of the year, you have to pay a fortune, and hand choose them in the store. The tastiest ones I have had have been these juicy light pink lychees from Israel, but they are so expensive! Almost $10 for a small handpicked bag that has maybe 15 lychee in them. But they are really wonderful tasting, and very very juicy.
The rest of the year, it is hard to find really yummy lychee, they are often small and not completely ready to eat. And they are not worth the price.
The lychee season in the summer is fast, it only lasts about 4-6 week,s and by the end of July, they are often past their peak. There are years when I have missed the boat. Thanks for the reminder!
A Guide to Bibimbap (Korean mixed rice)
Oops. that should never happen. The runny yolk cooking into the rice is really key!
QING HUA DUMPLING
Here is a picture of a crab and pork soup dumpling, I believe from a place in Vancouver. Notice the delicate thin skin, and you can see the glistening of the broth inside.
QING HUA DUMPLING
Just to clarify Har Gow Freak, that the soup dumplings at Qing Hua are not the traditional soup dumplings that I love and crave. I really love their dumplings, but there are several qualities that I look for when judging soup dumplings:
1. The quality of the wrapper. I love soup dumplings that have very very thin skin, with an elasticity that allows you to see the broth in the dumpling and yet is strong enough to keep from breaking. The Qing Hua dumpling skin is way thicker that the classic soup dumpling.
2. There has to be a lot of broth, preferably fatty and rich, so much so that when you break into it, it can splatter and burn your mouth. That is why I always eat them with a spoon, to capture all the rich fatty broth. The Qing Hua dumpling broth is not as copious or rich as the traditional soup dumpling.
I have only had these kinds of soup dumplings in Toronto, Vancouver and New York City (Plus environs). I have not found an equivalent in Montreal. Sorry! You'll have to travel to get the elusive soup dumpling.
A Guide to Bibimbap (Korean mixed rice)
Hannaone! Good to hear your voice. And thanks for the great dolsot bibimpbap picture. I thought of you often when we were preparing some regular bibimbap the other day.
Such a great dish. I love it because you can eat leftovers for for days on end, but you don't notice the difference because you can change the toppings at will. And there is something about the egg on top that is so satisfying.
Heading to Trois Rivieres...recs?
Darn, that is too bad, the poutine place is great, here's a link for those who might be near Gentilly and want a good poutine:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/530313?tag=post-content-4021452;post_4021452_content
But I am pretty sure you can do better than Maman Fournier, as much as I liked her lasagne.
Alphonso mangoes
Alphonsos are now available at Marche Victoria Oriental, at 6324 Victoria. Picked up some yesterday, and they are yummy! Kesars are not yet available. I paid $20 for a box of Alphonsos. If you don't see them in the store, they may have some in the back, so you should ask. Deliveries are on Thursday.
Am I the only one who lives in a magic house? A lighthearted look at ourselves & food safety
Passadumkeg, magic houses often come with a magic life. This thread is one of my favorite. So like Sam to share his magic life with us. Cheers, eat that saltena with gusto, whatever a saltena is....
Really awesome donuts in the Eastern Townships (Eastman)! Must stop...
Anachemia, you are very kind... thanks very much...
I do hope you get a chance to try these lovely little things...
Thoughts about future of Cookbook of the Month
I'm sad to say that I have been absent for a little while due to personal issues, I haven't been able to contribute as much as I would like. I was very sad to have missed the Kennedy month, as I had been one of the people who really had been pushing that book.
I really love COTM, but I do find that life tends to intrude. I may have the best intentions, but sometimes it is just impossible to come through. I find it very hard to try to fit everything into one month, and would be in favour of a longer period (2-3 months) and I like the suggestion to have two choices of books during the longer period. For example, I really liked the Goin/Zuni books together, I thought they were nice complements.
I don't think we should be so worried about swings in participation. It is clear to me that there are a lot of people who are still very interested, and many who lurk. I think there is a lot COTM has to offer, so as long as there are people participating, I don't think we should worry too much about what the best format is.
I'm happy to go along with whatever is decided, as long as it continues! I continue to lurk even if I am not so active... and some of my favorite meals have come from COTM, so I am very grateful.
old school distinctly Manitoban or Winnipegian foods
Another yes to Winnipeg smoked gold eye. It is a very special fish! You can often get it at that Italian market on Taylor, darn I can't remember the name, but it has the Italian wine boutique, and they sell Daniel chocolates from Vancouver ( I love those dark chocolate expresso chocolates), they have a bakery and sell that great cheese bread with green onions (fergassa I think), nice selection of Italian food. But the fish guy there says he often has smoked gold eye. Very good quality when we bought it.
I also love Icelandic vinertarte, that prune torte they do. It is very hard to find outside Manitoba. Sometimes they will have it in one of the bakeries at the Forks. If you can find some, it is worth trying. We've been ordering some from a mail order source, and it is pretty tasty stuff.
I guess Jeannie's cake is classic Winnipeg, but I have found the quality has gone down a bit, and it isn't as wonderful as I remember.
I ma also fond of Gunn's pizza bagels. Nice and oniony, and I haven't found anything quite like it.
If you are there in the summer, BDI ice cream! GO and get one of their crazy big shakes or sundae specials (like the one in the half cantelope) Sitting by the river, batting away mosquitos, eating BDI ice cream - ahh yes, that is Winnipeg in the summer. Of course, another classic scenario: still spring, but BDI is open so you go and eat anyway, even if it isn't warm enough. But at least the ice cream melts more slowly.
The Peg... I do miss it. I get to go back now and then, I still like going back.
Really awesome donuts in the Eastern Townships (Eastman)! Must stop...
yay! Another donut lover! Aren't they special? You just don't find these special donuts anywhere anymore. They aren't for everyone, TH has infected a lot of people. But we have to fight to keep gems like this around. We can't let them disappear.
Fried foods are special. They need to be made in small batches, with lots of love and lots of patience and time. We eat mediocre fried food all the time, because fried food just tastes good. But we have forgotten the joy of the perfectly fried food that is made with patience and love. You can't rush fried food, you can't make it in huge batches, you got to pay attention to each piece of food. When someone makes fried food especially for you, it is the ultimate act of food love.
We need to get back to lovingly made fried food. These donuts bring me back to a different time, when fried food was truly special. That's why I love them! Fight the corporate crap! Eat real food! Make your own french fries, donuts, pakora, egg rolls, fried chicken - especially fried chicken, in a shallow pan, turning each piece over just at the right time, small batches, high heat, lots of love! We need to make fried food a special event, not just a default we get with our burgers.
Goodness, all this excitement over donuts. But there is no point eating food that isn't wonderful. Life is way too short to eat garbage I've decided. Here's to joy in eating!
Guidance needed for a group of chefs/sommeliers
Pretty good list jeanpoutine, few comments:
Lemeac over L'Express for sure. The nice thing is that they offer an after 10:00 pm special for $22, you get to choose from a slightly smaller selection of the regular menu, but it is great still. Appetizer and main. The smoked salmon is made in house, the calf liver is to die for as is the short rib. WIne list at Lemeac has a lot of really fun importation privee wines (wines that are not sold normally in the SAQ), and you can find some really great stuff for not too expensive. But you can also pay more if you want.
Definitely Schwartzes over Lesters. No question.
Milos also offers late night deal, and lunch deal as well. Both are astounding deals for perfectly prepared fish, and their selection of Greek wines is solid. This might help you fit in another meal.
Another possible off the beaten track choice: Alep. Syrian food, with a very serious sommelier who loves his wines, has chosen some real gems, and the list is fun if you have a bunch of wine geeks who want something different. Their degustation menu is excellent, the best kibbe nayeh I have ever had, and a wonderful dish with terbialy sauce that is so unique and flavourful. MIght be a nice change from all the french-based cuisine you have on your list. This place is very unique, and very very good. If your group is a bit adventurous, then this place is a must-do. Let them know you are bringing sommeliers, and make sure the sommelier is there, he is a really lovely person with some very interesting choices to match the food. The food is out of this world, this is one of the best Middle Eastern restos I have eaten at.
I hope La Montee is open in some fashion when you are here. The food is outstanding, and the wine list has some real gems on it. If you see any of the Gerard Scheuller Alsatian wines, especially the Rieslings, and the Pinot Blanc is also lovely, make sure you get some. Also, any of the Leon Barral Faugeres are astounding, I am a particular fan of the Le Jadis. These are hard to find producers who make really amazing wines, and they will rock the sommeliers in your group.
To comment about the WIne Spectator list: I am a regular reader of Wine Spectator, and for the most part, I enjoy this magazine. I have in the past done a lot of traveling and dining around North America, and for the most part, I have found the food in these restaurants to be lacking, boring and not particularly special, with a few exceptions. The wine lists are extensive, and yes they hit the big names, but I often find it hard to find really interesting wines for reasonable prices. I am a bit of a wine geek, and so the big names are nice and all, but I'm not as excited by them, I'd rather see more obscure interesting wines that match well with the food. Re: the list of WS awards in Montreal, I like Moishes for a good steak, so if you want a good steak and a classic wine match (tannic strong wines), then sure, I'd go there for this experience. If you are buying a really special wine, then it is great to pair it with something simple like a steak, so you can enjoy the special qualities of the wine. Similarly, I think Toque is one of the better restos with a WS award, the food is impeccably prepared, ingredients are often local and beautifully sourced, the kitchen makes excellent effort to match food to wine. Some people think Toque is riding off its previous laurels, and that there are better restos out there for the price. I still think it is an excellent destination, a classic of its type of resto, so would have no hesitation bringing your group there.
Rib and Reef is a good steak house too, although I give a little edge to Moishes. Similar comments as to Moishes. But it is just a steak house, and I assure you it does not match the steak houses you can find in Chicago. So for me, the steak house thing would be better left off your list, it isn't specially Montreal, and there are to many other special Montreal experiences to try.
Beaver Club serves classic french-based cuisine. The menu is to my tastes very conservative, a bit of a hold-over from the grand old days. The wine list is big, loaded with names. If your group likes retro experiences, and is conservative, then yes, sure take then here. I won't say no to a dinner at Beaver Club, the food is very nicely done, wine service excellent, but if I were paying, I'd save my buck for something a little more interesting.
Piment Rouge is Chinese food for really rich white people who don't actually like Chinese food that much. It is very good, the food is nicely prepared, but it doesn't cut it if you like regular Chinese food. Very conservative. But the wine service is elegant, and the dumbed-down Chinese cuisine you get here is much more wine friendly than regular chinese. Again, if someone is paying for me, I'll go, but won't pay to go there myself.
So I guess you should decide what is the focus of the group you are bringing. Wine geeks, food geeks, people looking for a special experience? Or more conservative, looking for big treasure, bagging that rare old wine like hunters? I think this might help you to choose appropriately.
Would love to hear back with your impressions of your trip!
Truffle purveyors in Montreal.
I have seen truffles sold in the fancy jars with salt/rice. But I've also heard and seen pictures of truffle vendors in France and Italy where you approach the truflle vendor, they open a sac full of fresh truffles, stored in open air. You pay for the truffle, and rush it home, scramble some fresh eggs and start eating... But the key is fresh - I wouldn't pay a lot of money for a fresh truffle, then not use it right away.
Soldog, could you confirm the name of the place you bought the truffle recently at Marche Atwater? For $5, I'd definitely give it a go! Truffle shaved on risotto...yum.
I would agree that the Mussini White truffle oil is excellent, well worth the money.
Best Place In Montreal for a wedding and Reception for 200
I attended a wedding at the Hotel Intercontinental in the past, but it has been a while, I'll admit. Still, the setting was marvelous, very elegant and clasique, and the food was very very good for a hotel wedding. It was a very memorable wedding. Might be worth checking out.
Hakka Restaurants in Montreal?
I am looking forward to any suggestions you might have, the taipan. I fear we don't have much by way of Hakka in Montreal, but I would love to be wrong on this one.
What are your favorite Hakka dishes?
( and to respond to JadeMyst:; My understanding was that Nonya is more indonesian or Malaysian? Different than Hakka.)
Jamie Oliver's "Food revolution" on ABC. Watch it if you are concerned about the obesity epidemic.
Very nice link jfood. I hope the walk for hunger on April 18 goes well!
Jamie Oliver's "Food revolution" on ABC. Watch it if you are concerned about the obesity epidemic.
I've been watching the show, and I can see why people question JO's motives and methods. There will always be critics and nay sayers, even about supposed untouchables like Mother Theresa and Nelson Mandela. Had Martin Luther King not been assassinated and survived in to the future, I am sure someone would have written some kind of expose about his darker side.
I watched the section where JO is talking to the minister about his congregation. I was in tears. I am a physician, and I see the end stage results of these diseases. It isn't pretty. It was terrible watching the minister go through the list of church members, listing who had died and how young. How many of them left young children? One funeral a week in the winter. I can't imagine how he continues to minister there.
Change has to occur on many levels, and you can't change everything at once. It takes all kinds of pressures to make real systemic change. One method may work for one aspect of the problem, but you need leaders at all levels of the system to dedicate themselves to change in order for it to happen. It takes all types, and you can't expect everyone to agree one one solution. Life doesn't work that way. There will always be compromise.
The key point for me is that something has to change. People are dying early, and worse, they are living a life where discrimination and poor self-worth dominate their days. Obese people are not popular. Too many people think the obesity is a fault of the person who is obese. Whether that is true or not, I really don't care. Being obese means a lifetime of judgment. It is not fun being the fat kid, the fat adult. I think the loneliness of some obese people might actually be worse than the early death. I am not obese, but I have always been slightly overweight. I remember every humiliating fat joke made at my expense. I even make fun of it myself in a bizarre self-defense mechanism, maybe if I make the joke first, they won't. It is much worse if you are actually obese.
So I really don't care if he makes a lot of money from this, I don't care what his commitment level is. (well, maybe actually I do, but that is another story).
I'm just happy that there is yet another person shouting from the roof tops. The more people who start shouting, the better. Yell it out so everyone can hear. And if you happen to be a celebrity, and people pay attention just because you have a tv show and are famous, I don't care. Just get the message to as many people as you can. If he is doing it half-ass-backwards, and you don't like his method but agree with the message, then get off your butt and do it the right way. Fix his mistake. More yellers, more good.
YELL IT OUT. PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING AND DYING NEEDLESSLY. WE NEED TO MAKE A CHANGE.
Maybe it is just entertainment and business to him, who knows. But this is way better than watching a bunch of narcissists battling for immunity on a dessert island somewhere. At least there is a point.
Are we referring to "macarons" as "macaroons" now?
Sorry SnackHappy, I have to disagree. Macaroon denotes the coconut cookie. Macaron is the sandwich cookie. They are quite different, and I have no issues using two separate names for the two to make sure I really understand what I am getting. If I want a macaroon and I get a macaron, I am going to unhappy.
I also have no problems using the french name for the cookie. There are plenty of examples of food items referred to by their original french name, without whiff of snobbery. I don't believe you have to have a translation for everything. For example, fois gras, petit fours, croissant, baguette, creme fraiche, mousse (as in chocolate), cornichons. All these words specify a certain product, and there is no real english word that is as specific. I expect something very specific of you give me a baguette. I have no idea what I'll get if I ask for a french bread roll, or whatever they use in North America as a translation.
Now I will grant you, I have gotten some very odd things that have been labelled "croissant" in North America. But that is the fault of the producer of the product. They need to be more precise about their language. In fact, I get quite irate when I get promised a croissant and get given some abomination that is vaguely croissant shaped.
I'n trying to imagine an english translation for kimchi. Smelly spicy asian sauerkraut? Chili picked vegetable? Just a pickle? It's easier to just say kimchi and explain only as needed. Or open the jar for them to sniff...
Buffet Maharaja: Can Indian food be bland?
I have no significant issues with buffet. I have had some really fabulous Indian buffets in other places. If the food is good, I'm ok with buffet. There are many Indian dishes that do just fine in a buffet format, they get better as the flavours meld and combine with time. In some ways, curries are the perfect buffet food.
But bad buffets - shudder. All I see is complete waste of food.
I agree with Chris Khan, Maharaja disgraces the marvel of Indian cuisine. So much variety, so much tradition, so delicious. I might be ok if they tried to dumb it down a bit to appeal to a more conservative audience, but how do you make it bland???? It boggles my mind, how they have managed to accomplish this?
Sapote as spice
Sorry for late reply. Pavlova is right, this is where I got the sapote.
Adapting to local taste versus "dumbing down."
Steve, I do understand your point, and i agree with it. Indeed, it took me a while to warm to all the herbs in Vietnamese cooking, but now I am hooked. It did take perseverance. But I think the difference is that when I tried Vietnamese cuisine for the first time, I didn't hate it right off, there were dishes and flavours I liked, I just found some of the herbs overpowering. I wasn't used to the strength of these exotic herbs, they were unlike anything I had ever eaten. When I had a chance to try it again, I was prepared, and ready to try to enjoy the new flavour palate. I stuck with it because I saw hope that in fact, I might really enjoy this cuisine, and it worked out. I'm actually quite lucky, I have a very broad palate, and I love lots of different textures and flavours, and I love tasting new things, so there are very few foods or cuisines that I truly can't enjoy or eat. It is easy for me to find something to like about most food, from bad junk food to haute cuisine to obscure ethnic cuisines. I can also continue to eat something that I don't absolutely love, so I have ample opportunity to try to get to like something. I'm a very easy-going eating partner, as long as it is tasty, I'll eat it with you :)
But there are things that even I can't get past. I've tried to eat green onions for four decades now, and still hate them. If you give me a beautiful plate of authentically prepared green onion prepared in the style, I will politely take a bite, try not to bite into the green onion, swallow the green onion whole, and look for the next plate. No amount of perseverance is going to make me like it. So why would I eat it? There are so many other delicious things to eat, why waste my time?
Another example, balut. Loved by an entire culture, tons of people say it is amazing, very popular and profitable food item. Someone can give me the best balut possible, but if I don't enjoy it, there is no way I am going to persevere. I'll try it, I'll even try to finish it out of politeness, but I'm not going to force myself to learn to like it. Eating is supposed to be enjoyable, not a test.
I have actually tried durian several times, and have grown to appreciate it, even if I don't really love it. But again, the key thing is that I saw a glimmer of hope the first time I tried it. I thought, "hmm, nice creamy texture, the base fruit flavour is quite interesting" just before the garlic sewer stench hit my taste buds. If I see hope, I'll eat it again, and will make the effort to find authentic versions of the dish or food item.
Deliciousness always trumps authenticity. If I can find authentic, and have a chance to experience it, I get very excited. I enjoy new experiences, and I love the thrill of the chase, looking for authentic in various cuisines. But it has to be enjoyable, and it has to taste good in some way. I would never refuse to eat something or refuse to go to a certain restaurant because it wasn't authentic. I will, however, refuse to eat something that doesn't taste good.
Adapting to local taste versus "dumbing down."
I think I'm with Harters in this one. If something tastes good to me, I immediately turn off the "but is it authentic" button and enjoy my meal. It tastes good. Why would I ruin that by obsessing about whether what I am eating is exactly what the Sherpas are enjoying with their butter tea? Why look for reasons to be unhappy? Eat, be happy.
But to address Steve's question about expanding tastes, just because I enjoy a meal that has been dumbed down, it doesn't mean I can't continue to try to search for authentic. These two goals need not be mutually exclusive. If I feel like dumbed-down Chinese one night because I've found a really delicious American-Chinese place, then so be it. That doesn't stop you from enjoying the hard-core Sichuan resto next door the next night.
As well, when I am introduced to a cuisine for the first time, and I am told it is very authentic, I will never write it off, even if it is challenging the first time. I'll always be willing to try it again, because you never know. I might not like this version of authentic whatever it is, but it might be that I like the item when it is done authentically in the style of the province next door. Still authentic, just different. And you can certainly learn to love a new cuisine with time. For me it took a while to get used to the herbs in Vietnamese cuisine, and cilantro in Mexican cuisine and Thai cuisine, and now of course I love them.
And sometimes, I just don't like the authentic version of whatever it is. I see no shame in this. For example, I was brought up eating Korean food in North America. I am very familiar with Korean food. Yet, when I went back to Korea, and had some authentic versions of Korean dishes I had grown up with, I was shocked that I didn't really like them at all, and I couldn't see me getting a taste for it. It wasn't that they weren't familiar to me, I just preferred the dumbed-down version. For example, Ssam bap involves wrapping bits of meat into various leaves/greens/lettuces. I love this dish. In North America, I only ever had this with North American lettuces, which tend to be mild in flavour. In Korea, the authentic versions also offer a wide selection of wild mountain herbs, which are prized for their medicinal qualities. But some of these herbs are super hard-core, extremely bitter and medicinal in taste. I couldn't eat a bunch of them, and even though I am someone who enjoys bitter, I can't see me getting past these extremely strong flavours. I had a similar experience with Hwe jang ( i think that's the name), which is raw crab pieces in a chili (kochujang) sauce. I love it when I've had it here in North America. But in Korea, the authentic way to eat this stuff is to let it get nice and rotten before you serve it, and aficionados say, the more rotten, the better. Oh dear. This was very hard to eat. I'm sticking with the dumbed-down version, thank you.
Authenticity for me does not trump deliciousness. I'm not going to pretend I like something just because it happens to be authentic. If it doesn't taste good, then why would I eat it?
I think the stigma of "dumbed-down food" really comes from the fact that there is a lot of really bad dumbed-down food. I have no issues with you tampering with the food, but if it tastes bad, well there's the crime.
If I know and love a food item in its original authentic form, and all I can find is dumbed-down versions of it, then the dumbed-down version can't hope to replace the original item. . For example, if I love Japanese ramen, and know it well, and I feel like eating real Japanese ramen, then no dumbed-down version is going to replicate the experience for me, no matter how tasty. Then I'll join in on the whining about the food not being authentic and look for reasons to book the next flight to Japan. I get it, sometimes you want the real thing (or whatever you think is the real thing).
Gingerbread cookie dough - maximum fridge storage time?
I often keep gingerbread dough for a week, a week and a half and have never had problems. But it depends on your level of comfort. Some people are very strict about raw eggs, others less so, and it is unlikely the twain shall meet. Food safety is one of those oddly polarizing topics.
My feeling is, if it looks good, and smells good, it's probably fine. I hate food wastage. But if it seems off in any significant way, I will toss it. But I suspect I am fairly lax on the relative scale of things.
Some of our greatest food items are the result of "accidental spoilage" like cheese, yogurt wine, alcohol, kimchi, miso, huitlachoche, just to name a few items. Good beef is better when aged a bit (ie. allowed to rot). There are so many wonderful things we would not have had we been always strict about food freshness. No doubt starvation periods have aided this cause.
I suspect there are people who would be very uncomfortable eating at my house. But, my friends and family seem to think we eat well, and so far knock on wood, no known health issues. My few food illnesses have been related to eating out, not in.
I would add one caveat, which is that I am not sure about the effects of freezing it later on. When you freeze it, you only suspend bacterial growth, and when you defrost it, its starts up right away again. But again, I am of the inclination that if it looked perfectly good when you froze it, it is probably fine. But you have to find your own comfort zone.
*March 2010 Cookbook of the Month: The Essential Cuisines of Mexico, Kennedy*
That is indeed the correct term! it has been a while. Glad to see they are still around. Really good memories of lunches in English pubs with friends....
