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
Red Lentil Tadka Dal
I make a lot of dal. Some are good. Some are great. Some are not great. When I run out of freshly-made garam masala and decide to use the contents of an unmarked bag in my spice containers that may or may not at some point have been garam masala, my dal generally tends toward the … [Read more...] about Red Lentil Tadka Dal
Gluten-free Dinner Rolls and Sandwich Rolls
I'm generally scared of all things yeasty. My cold hands make kneading a problem, and when you're dealing with gluten-free flours you need all the help you can get. But these call for instant yeast, which is something else I usually avoid but in this case make this dough a breeze … [Read more...] about Gluten-free Dinner Rolls and Sandwich Rolls
Caribbean Grilled Chicken (or Slow-Cooker)
Ingredients 2 jars Caribbean Hot Pepper Sauce (mine - reduced to the appropriate amount below). DON'T use a regular high capsaicin hot sauce or you'll be swearing at me for a good few hours while your tongue burns 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or bone-in. Preferably … [Read more...] about Caribbean Grilled Chicken (or Slow-Cooker)
Recipe Suggestions for a Sous Vide Review
In the next few weeks I'll be reviewing the SousVide Supreme - an at-home sous vide machine. I need to know what you're most interested in reading about. I know eggs are supposed to be...special...when done sous vide. And I'll do fish and probably a chicken breast and a leg … [Read more...] about Recipe Suggestions for a Sous Vide Review