I didn't get to l'Express for 4 years because I assumed it couldn't live up to its hype. I figured it'd be just okay. I figured I'd get out of there without breaking the bank, but I'm more into food than wine, and I figured my money wouldn't be well-spent overall since I thought … [Read more...] about L’Express: Montreal’s Bistro
Archives for May 2012
Slow-cooker Eggplant and Potato Curry
This looks completely unappetizing, I know, but bear with me. If you really love eggplant, it's worth making. The spicing is mild (aka "Indian for wimps"), so pump up the heat and the curry powder if you really want some flavour. You're also supposed to serve it with tomato … [Read more...] about Slow-cooker Eggplant and Potato Curry
Mandarin Orange-Balsamic Roasted Turbot with Grilled Lettuce
This is based on a recipe for Arctic char with grilled romaine, grapes and balsamic vinegar from Becky Selengut's "Good Fish." Except I didn't have any grapes. Or a grill. Or romaine. I had oranges and Boston lettuce. You really can't make this with delicate red oak, but a firm … [Read more...] about Mandarin Orange-Balsamic Roasted Turbot with Grilled Lettuce
Another Ridiculous Cake: Fallen Fudge Torte stuffed with peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough, topped with coconut creme anglaise and served with honey-vanilla custard
Is that a ridiculous enough title for you? This is what happens when a cake goes sort of wrong. Not the title. The cake, I mean. I almost wrote "horribly wrong", but it really didn't go horribly wrong, and it still ended up being delicious. Perhaps even more delicious than the … [Read more...] about Another Ridiculous Cake: Fallen Fudge Torte stuffed with peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough, topped with coconut creme anglaise and served with honey-vanilla custard
My Article in the Montreal Gazette: Molecular Cuisine, Sous Vide, and Montreal Restaurants with Delicious Green Spheres
A few months back I interviewed Maxime Bilet and Dr. Hervé This, one chef/inventor and one chemist on molecular gastronomy and modernist cuisine. While the conversation drifted to terminology, we found out way back to talking about the basics of the modernist cooking techniques … [Read more...] about My Article in the Montreal Gazette: Molecular Cuisine, Sous Vide, and Montreal Restaurants with Delicious Green Spheres
Sea Urchin (Uni Sushi) and Sea Snail Salad
Have you ever cut open a sea urchin before? I have - twice. It's a very messy, ugly thing. The green spines are a little prickley, but that's not the worst of it. You take a pair of scissors and cut from the top halfway down the body vertically, then you cut horizontally all the … [Read more...] about Sea Urchin (Uni Sushi) and Sea Snail Salad
Crab Season, the Atwater Market, and Sweet Crab Sushi
Spring is such a short-lived luxury season. There are fiddleheads, there are asparagus, and then there are crab, sea urchin and sea snails. I like them all, but I like them more because they're so short-lived. Just three or four weeks max for my favourite sea urchins, and already … [Read more...] about Crab Season, the Atwater Market, and Sweet Crab Sushi
Fermented Green Sriracha Chili Pepper Sauce
Homemade Sriracha Chili Sauce Know when you go for Vietnamese food and there's a bright red bottle on the table with a green tip? It's called Sriracha sauce, aka "rooster sauce", and it's made from fermented red chili peppers with vinegar, salt, and sugar. The problem is it's … [Read more...] about Fermented Green Sriracha Chili Pepper Sauce
Fake Miso Black Cod with Wild Labrador Turbot
Some people might think I'm crazy for coming back from Newfoundland in April with a suitcase 2/3rds full of fish instead of, say, clothes. Some people might say I'm crazy for going to Newfoundland in April in the first place (land of RDF, after all - rain, drizzle and fog). But I … [Read more...] about Fake Miso Black Cod with Wild Labrador Turbot
Seared Scallops with Carrot Purée and Orange-Butter Sauce: roasted pecans and pan-fried potatoes
It's easy to get into ruts, especially with vegetables. You can spend all day thinking about the best way to cook meat and then toss some carrots in a pot to boil away their beta-carotene as an after-thought. I don't even add salt and pepper, and I don't even cut them precisely. … [Read more...] about Seared Scallops with Carrot Purée and Orange-Butter Sauce: roasted pecans and pan-fried potatoes