THAT was a whole lot of slicing. The recipe didn't say anything about taking the seeds out, but I'm not into chilies for the pain; I'm in it for the flavour, so I stripped those seeds out, piece by piece. It took an age and I think a day later I still had chili pepper on my hands … [Read more...] about Another Chili Sauce (‘Rooster’ Style Sriracha Sauce), But This Time With Mold…Trust Me
The Triumphant Return of the “Free Gazette” Man!
"Have a Gazette! Wipe your windows!" I smiled. He was back... "Make fire!" ...and in fine form, it seemed, which reminds me that it's Hallowe'en, which in turn means that I should be canning every last fruit and vegetable that I can get my hands on before Montreal goes … [Read more...] about The Triumphant Return of the “Free Gazette” Man!
South Indian Sambar: Tamarind, Lentils and Spices
I love making recipes when I don't need to go buy any ingredients. It's only kind of fair because I happen to have a lot of weird ingredients that normal people don't usually stock in their kitchens (chana dal, asafoetida, curry leaves, and even soaked and sieved tamarind in my … [Read more...] about South Indian Sambar: Tamarind, Lentils and Spices
Mysore Masala Dosa
This was the first time I ever "winged it" with an Indian recipe. I mean, it's not as though I threw the recipe out the window, but there was nothing that said "30 seconds later add the" or "2 minutes later combine the", as Madhur Jaffrey is prone to do in my favourite Indian … [Read more...] about Mysore Masala Dosa
South Indian Dosa
The South Indian Crepe. It looks a bit like a doily, I know. After about 4 days of mostly eating dosa I think I got okay at the technique. My first try looked like this: Not bad, but not the beautiful lattice work that I like. I experimented with making it thinner, sometimes … [Read more...] about South Indian Dosa
My First Jam: Figs!
So maybe the title sounds a bit like a kid's story book ("My First Tooth"? I never read those...) but you could have given me a quarter and I couldn't have been any more excited than I already was. Figs are in season now! Not here, I know, but in California and in Greece. So … [Read more...] about My First Jam: Figs!
This Is What I Apparently Can’t Get Myself To Save My Life…
We're going to play a little game... Do you know what these are? Most people reading this have probably never seen them before. I bought them for the first time in Vancouver at a market and as they were rock hard and inedible, I let them ripen for a few days. They started … [Read more...] about This Is What I Apparently Can’t Get Myself To Save My Life…
Another Ridiculous Cake: Almond Angel Food Cake With Amaretto Cinnamon Figs and Honey Amaretto Cream
It was my friend's birthday and she made a joke that someone should make her a cake. I never joke about cake. So I needed to find a recipe for a cake that was large, but traveled well. So layers were out, and icing would be tricky. I've always thought of angel food cake as … [Read more...] about Another Ridiculous Cake: Almond Angel Food Cake With Amaretto Cinnamon Figs and Honey Amaretto Cream
Herbes Salées and Roasted Potatoes
Salted herbs: take some herbs and add salt. Or buy a small container of minced herbs preserved in salt. I found a nice bottle at an organic place I like and decided to give it a test drive. Seems to wasteful, I know, but there had to be something special about it. See, there are … [Read more...] about Herbes Salées and Roasted Potatoes
I Pickled! Daikon Radish Threads and Easy Red Chilies
I feel like I'm one step closer to grandmother-hood. No, there is no man involved, or God forbid, children, but there is canning. I made my first canned things and if they don't get all mouldy in the next few weeks I'll feel an even great sense of accomplishment. So after an … [Read more...] about I Pickled! Daikon Radish Threads and Easy Red Chilies