Soufi's Profile
How much did you pay for strawberries?
Thank you all for your responses. Did any of you ever buy at the Marché Central? Do they offer better deals?
How much did you pay for strawberries?
My dad and I made a big batch of strawberry jam yesterday and we went to the Jean-Talon market to buy the fruit. We bought them without thinking about it but then, while preparing the jam, figured we had been seriously ripped off: we payed 10$ for what we think was half a crate (merchant counted it as one crate) or six small red plastic containers of day old strawberries (fresh ones were 2 $ more). I had seen 1,50$ for one small container at Valmont the day before... Were did the deal go?
not so sweet/non fruity dark rum cocktails?
For a quick apéro or if I run out of mint, I simply drink my rum with some tonic water and maybe a splash of lime. I find that the aroma of the rhum comes through very nicely. I also find that mojitos are better with dark rhum.
Best pakaged Mouhamarra
On the Plateau, you can find them at Valmont's. They are packaged in small translucent square shaped plastic containers. They are in the open fridges near dips, feta cheese, etc. I like their falafel and hummus.
Quick: restaurant suggestion needed near the Olympic Stadium!!
Orange Julep closes at something like 3 o'clock in the afternoon...
Pho in Montreal: 2009
I'm not an expert but I since I've tasted the Pho at Pho Bac no 1 in Verdun, I don't eat it anywhere else. It's on Wellington on the north side, between 2nd and 3rd aves. The broth is delicious and it's served with basil leaves, lime, hot pepper ans bean sprouts on the side.
Tourtiere, a Quebec specialty - Meat Pie (recipe)
Your description makes me think of "ragout de boulettes", a stew of meatballs made in a thick pork gravy, but the word "putsin" with the word "dumpling" makes me think of "poutine râpée", an Acadian recipe made of ground meat stuffed potato dumplings. Does any of those two ring a bell?
Smoothies--the (nearly) universal solution to leftovers
It's not exactly a leftover that I have to suggest, but I want to share that I have been using a lot of different spices in my smoothis lately, and it's delicious! A great combination is frozen mango chunks with fresh ginger and some soy milk. Another is a mix of varied fruits with orange juice, flavoured with powdered cinnamon and cardamom. Mmmmmm!!!
Stringy Kale
My french canadian grocer called it borecole, but judging by the recipetips.com glossary, it was green kale. It suggests not to use the stems when more than 1/8 inch thick, I think I will follow that advice... Thanks!
Stringy Kale
Hi there,
I wonder if anyone has an idea about this... A couple of weeks ago, I made Cook's Illustrated (the "Soup & Stews" special edition) Caldo Verde recipe, and it worked out great even if I changed it a bit. It used only the leaf part of the kale, and since it was the first time I cooked with the green, I thought it was a shame to spoil all the stems, so I chopped rather finely the stems (maybe 1/4 inch) and put it in the stew at least half an hour before the leaves. I loved it, the stems had the crunchy texture of cooked celery.
I did the recipe again yesterday, but this time I wasn't as lucky. Any idea why? I have noticed that the bunch of kale I used yesterday consisted of branches of leaves attached together rather than separated leaves like the last time. Could that have to do with it?
Thanks!
Unusual yet delicious omelette fillings/combos?
Another unusual mix comes to mind, wich ends up more like messy scrambled eggs, but tastes great. I take a couple of fresh tomatoes from the garden, cut them in segments, and sautee them with an onion or scallions. When mushy but dry, I add about one or two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and let reduce. I may add a few pieces of goat cheese, but I never forget a small handful of chopped fresh basil. Then I top all this with the beaten eggs (with a couple of teaspoons of water, for a lighter texture) and let it cook. It's always hard not to make a mess with fresh tomatoes in an omelette, but I figure that if I had the patience of putting aside the filling before cooking the eggs, it would surely rendure a more attractive plate. Anyhow, it always tastes great.
Unusual yet delicious omelette fillings/combos?
One of my favourites is an avocado omelette: fry a diced small onion in some oil, when translucent sprinkle with some curry powder. Let cool while you dice your avocado, then mix the two in a small bowl. Cook your omelette then top with mixture. Cover with your favourite cheese. I like to put the pan under the grill for the cheese to be crispy, but not too long for the omelette to be overcooked. Top with chopped cilantro, maybe some diced fresh tomatoes and/or a dash of hot sauce.
Another new cupcake shop to open up
Tried Petits Gateaux last weekend, munched on a chocolate one with pleasure, tasted great. But what's with the aesthetics? I hesitated to take the chocolate one because... it looks gross! I do not dare to write what it looks like! But the agressive coloration of the others did not appeal to me. I imagine the bright yellow, pink or blue adds a vintage touch to the stuff, but there must be a way to be more creative than that with natural stuff, no?
Casse-croutes, my guilty pleasure
Ma'am Bolduc has gone a little upscale, true, but you can eat a real good poutine or great breakfast on the weekends. There's Les Belles-Soeurs a couple of blocks east on Marianne: great burgers. Also L'Anecdote, on Rachel corner st-Hubert, or La Paryse, Ontario a few steps west of st-Denis: great burgers and fries, but with a young urban atmosphere. For something more authentic, you might want to try Mont-Royal Hot-dog on Mont-Royal corner of Boyer, or Le Fameux, at Mt-Rl and Saint-Denis. Montréal Pool Room, on St-Laurent, was an institution for many years, known for its hot-dogs, but I find it has changed not for the better in the recent years. My dad used to Chez Bertrand for hot-dog ans spruce beer, on Notre-Dame not far from Guy, I'm not sure, but I don't know if it's still there.
