Voici une corbeille à fruits particulièrement design. Bien loin de la corbeille en porcelaine de maman, Blow up habillera élégamment votre table de salle à manger ou de salon.

Rappelant le célèbre jeu de Mikado, Blow up est constitué de bouts de fils d’acier soudés entre eux aléatoirement. Sobre et chic. Rien à ajouter.

Une essoreuse à salade, ce n’est pas a priori un objet de décoration. Pourtant, cette essoreuse possède un charme assez plaisant. Conçue en caoutchouc souple, elle rend un look plutôt fun de seau de jardin.
D’une contenance de trois litres, l’essoreuse est dotée d’une grille en acier inoxydable amovible et d’une anse en nylon.
Détail pratique: l’essoreuse à salade peut passer au lave-vaiselle…

What’s your signature dish? That recipe you pull out when you’re having company or need something to bring to a dinner party?

A pumpkin pie with the perfect crust? Steak frites to rival the best in Paris? Or maybe the best curry outside of India? It may be as simple as perfectly grilled salmon or as complex as Oaxacan black mole, but whatever it is, you know it’s going to shine.

For me, it’s a tarte Tatin. (Molly of Orangette has a fantastic, virtually fool-proof recipe. In fact, I’m making it for Thanksgiving!)

For Grandma H., that signature dish is lefse. She may have another opinion, but she can’t argue about her reputation as a master lefse baker!

Lefse is a Norwegian flatbread that resembles a tortilla, but is made with potatoes. It’s often served with butter and sugar, and is sometimes used as a wrap for pølse, a type of sausage similar to a hot dog.

Grandma had been wanting to teach me how to make lefse for quite a while, and although she had given me a lesson in rolling the dough before, this month we did the whole process together for the first time, from making the dough to finishing the lefse. (Though one could probably make it in one day, it’s really helpful to split it into two.)

By the end of the second day, we had about three dozen of these delicious treats, and had consumed a number of them in the process. (Did I tell you how wonderful they are hot off the griddle with butter and sugar?)

Most of them are tucked away in the freezer now, waiting for the perfect opportunities to serve them. I’m thinking of pulling some out for Thanksgiving, and I’ve already promised my book club that I’ll save some for our meeting in a few weeks.

In any case, the thing that makes baking lefse the most special to me is the time spent with loved ones. Grandma, Mom, and I had a great time making lefse together earlier this month, and I hope to we can do it together again soon.

Turkey is to Thanksgiving what sufganiyot is to Hanukkah or what nothing is to Ramadan. I get that. But I am a vegetarian and the son of a vegetarian. So traditions be darned, I’m not doing the dead bird ritual (Tofurky and stuffing, on the other hand…).

If you’re nodding your head, this post is for you. If you are of the omnivore kind, I’ve got something for you too. Read on.

So I announce that I want to do ethnic Thanksgiving this year, Mexican maybe. My spouse glares. “But I want to do traditional Thanksgiving food,” comes the reply.  I give it up. When it comes to culinary superpowers, I lose. That can’t stop me from fantasizing. My thoughts float to a little Ma & Pa Mexican joint off the 91. Papi’s (appropriately named).

Papi’s is Riverside’s best kept secret. A Mexican couple owns and operates the place, and they serve a full (I mean FULL) menu of d-lishous dishes sin carne. Good veggie food can be tough to sniff out–good veggie Mexican food even more so. Papi’s for the win!

Tacos, flautas, burritos, huaraches, fajitas, tostadas…Or if you’d rather, lasagna, fettuccine alfredo with veggie chicken, veggie hotdogs and hamburgers.  All made to order. All made fresh.

Papi’s is clean, uncrowded (which means fast service), reasonably priced and diverse. If you prefer meat items, Papi’s provides all the traditional dishes you might want in a Mextaurant.

Papi’s Tacos al Carbon
11860 Magnolia Ave.
(Entrances on Pierce & Magnolia)
Riverside California 92503
951-688-5900

It begins in many ways: thanksgiving, finding veggie options while eating out with co-workers, and the final dash to finishing this monstrous task of writing 18,000 more words. IN FIVE DAYS.

So USA’s Thanksgiving. Or Canadian Thanksgiving for that matter, even though we celebrated weeks ago. Why is it such a big deal? I understand the sentiment behind it, and that it is a time for family and friends to gather and celebrate. But why is it always “I have to cook for four people, or I have to cook for ten people, or I’m having people at my house.” These statements just make me want to laugh, scoff at said person and give them a look of wonder. Honestly, I come from a family and background where having thirty people over for dinner once every two to three months is normal. We all pitch in and make seven to eight dishes. Do you see anyone here breaking a sweat? I just cannot understand why Americans or those who consider themselves purely American or Canadian have such  hard time grasping this. Ok, maybe they are not used to entertaining on a regular basis, but come on. Suck it up! I have no sympathies for you, sorry!

And now we come to food. Namely the kind of food I eat, it’s easier to say what I don’t eat. No meat, fish, eggs. That includes any type of fish, any type of broth that isn’t vegetable based and has beef or chicken broth, and any kind of salad that has bacon bits or caesar dressing in it. I went out for lunch today with co-workers to a Vietnamese restaurant. They wanted to try something different than the usual sushi or big box restaurant. I was game and they had checked in advance to see that there were a few veggie dishes. Upon reaching the restaurant, we find out everything we thought was veggie (or fit my criteria) had things in it that made it uneatable for me. So we politely asked the waiter, is there anything on your menu or anything you can make that has no meat, fish or eggs. He first gave a blank stare and then shook his head no. He said no about five times. I swear he had no decency or care or consideration for the fact that I was a customer (along with four other people who clearly had tons of choice) and I was about to have to sit this meal out. Luckily my co-worker stepped up and went to talk with another lady. She spoke in English and broken Korean and we finally got vermicelli with vegetables on it. The so called vegetables consisted of lettuce and some shredded carrots. Applause, NOT. There was absolutely zero taste in the dish, the only condiment I could find to add was hot sauce. And so I put it in and had a very un-enjoyable meal. I had also risk-takingly ordered an avocado shake to try it out. I thought the waitress forgot my order until I receive it about 25 minutes after ordering it. I don’t know if its me, but it just seems I’m cursed when it comes to eating out at new places or places where I don’t already know what I’m ordering.

This monstrous task of Nanowrimo. Ah, what can I say? We all knew going into it that it was going to be hard. The finish line is quickly approaching and I am becoming a case of nerves. I know how my story is mapped out, in my mind I just want to skip ahead, but I need the words. With about 18,000 words left and only 5 days, I have to write an average of 3,600 words per day in order to finish on time. And I must. It’s honestly been amazing having such great support of family, friends and people from the nano boards on Facebook. I need this accomplishment to propel me into 2010 with great vigour.

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step - Lao Tzu

Cru m’en Diras Tant !
Le site >>
Un cours de cuisine à domicile?! Et pourquoi pas?

Les horaires d’ateliers de groupe ne conviennent pas à votre emploi du temps… ou encore, vous désirez assister à un atelier établi sur mesure qui répond à vos besoins spécifiques… ou tout simplement vous voulez suivre un des thèmes proposés mais en toute intimité, chez vous…

Vous êtes à la bonne place!

Les ateliers comprennent les ingrédients et la dégustation des mets préparés. Vous n’avez qu’à regarder….
Ou encore, vous participez avec moi à l’élaboration des recettes!

Je vous montre les techniques en détails et suis à même de mieux répondre à vos questions de façons plus détaillées.

Je vous fournis un fascicule avec la théorie qui est relative au thème de l’atelier que vous avez choisi, ainsi que des trucs et astuces pour réussir vos plats, et pour finir, toutes les recettes détaillées et effectuées dans votre cuisine.
Les ateliers à domicile durent en moyenne 3h30 à 4h00.

Plusieurs formules personnalisées sont à votre disposition si vous êtes allergique, souffrez d’une maladie, etc. Il suffit de me joindre afin que nous en discutions.

Tarification : L’atelier à domicile n’exige pas un nombre minimal de participants, mais le coût de base couvre la participation de 4 personnes au tarif de 85 $ chacune s’il se déroule à Montréal ou dans un rayon de 50 km. 10$ supplémentaires seront ajoutés par tranche de 25 km excédentaires.

* Le prix sera ajusté en conséquence des demandes particulières s’il y a lieu.

N’hésitez pas à me contacter pour obtenir plus d’informations!
Soit par courriel: nathalie@crumendirastant.com
ou par téléphone : 514-381-7792

Au plaisir de vous rencontrer!
Nathalie Chausseau

One of my favourite Ramen Shop!

We’ll have tonight’s Behind the Dish post for you a little later. In the meantime, we thought we might satisfy your curiosity about what kind of Thanksgiving we’re planning for our day off tomorrow. Maybe you’re envisioning our family sitting down to an elaborate feast of authentic traditional foods lovingly prepared together. Well…not quite!

The truth of the matter is: When you cook six nights a week for a living, and even more on top of that for a catering business, the last thing you feel like doing on a holiday is COOKING! On the contrary, you can’t wait to sit back and let someone else do the cooking for you!

Normally, that might mean going out and looking for a restaurant where someone else is serving up a traditional Thanksgiving feast. But here’s another secret: In our family, most of us aren’t crazy about turkey. So what do we do? We go to the Siam Cafe on St. Clair Avenue and order up a Peking duck and all the trimmings for a great Chinese dinner.

We hope you have a terrific Thanksgiving tomorrow, however you celebrate it. Remember, if leftover turkey loses its appeal quickly for you, we’ll be back Friday, ready to help out, and with another great James Beard dish in the lineup. And if you just feel like doing something different tomorrow, or your original plans for the day should fall through, you’re welcome to take your cue from the Parker family in A Christmas Story and give something different a try, just like we do. Take it from us: there’s nothing like that “Chinese Turkey”!

Last week, I had the rare pleasure of watching movies at both of Moscow’s vintage cinemas.  Thursday, I attended a showing of the subtly titled Food Inc. at the Kenworthy, followed by a Saturday viewing of Collision at the Nuart.  Both were worthwhile excuses for a night on the town.

Food Inc.

For years, I have found myself following close after the “green” bandwagon.  When jumping on, I have kept near the edge, neither educating myself in depth nor being drawn into its stereotypical fanaticism.  I believe in a moderate approach to stewardship, especially when it is cheap and easy, hence my recent recycling kick.  Mere conscience plays its role, but there is no shortage of examples (“global warming” aside) where irresponsibility in such matters has come full circle with harmful consequences.  Food Inc. aims to identify those consequences as they relate to our industrial food chain.

To accept the premise of this movie, one must be willing to ask where food comes from – a question that would have gotten strange looks only a few generations ago.  Today, the question has become equally absurd: “Food comes from the store, silly!”  Unprecedented variety in what we eat has become commonplace to the point we expect – as if by right – that the markets of the world be at our fingertips upon entering the magical doors of a grocery outlet.

In addition to where our food comes from, one must wonder how it gets to us.  By this, I don’t mean the transportation required (though that is worth considering).  I mean the ethics, the politics, and the economics.  If one assumes the honest and infallible oversight of a higher power (a.k.a. the FDA) when ordering from a drive-thru, then there is no reason to doubt that the chicken nuggets I am being handed arrived by any path other than one that was fair to the chickens, their farmers, and me.  If I suspect this may not be the case, Food Inc. suggests I might be right.

For example, genetic and dietetic alterations of poultry in the last thirty years have allowed farmers to grow their birds to twice the normal size in half the natural time.  That’s great for business, but is it animal cruelty if its legs can’t support its own weight?  A chicken house under contract by one of the few major meat companies in the U.S. contains tens of thousands of chickens that can’t walk.

Before I give you the wrong impression, the movie spends little time on animal treatment and is not out to make the viewer a vegetarian.  Instead, most of the focus is where it rightly should be: on the farmer, the factory worker, and the consumer.  According to producer and director Robert Kenner, big business and big government have created a well-oiled agricultural machine that persecutes honest farmers, exploits immigrant laborers, puts factory workers at unnecessary risk, and takes advantage of consumers.

The movie touches on these topics and others – notably the associated health problems – without going into much detail on any one subject.  Counter-industry experts like Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan are featured to boost the movie’s credentials, while most of the organizations villainized by the documentary refused to provide an interview.  The result is a largely one-sided, yet reasonably believable unveiling of what I am buying into at the checkout counter.  Conclusions are implied, but rather than telling me where to spend my money, the questions raised leave the real research up to me.

Food Inc. alleges that the low price on much of our food is false advertising – that we are being lied to.  As a capitalist, when shown the dark side of an industry, I am hesitant to blame the “system.”  Without excusing the dishonesty and corruption that undoubtedly exist, I believe the bigger problem is ignorant consumers – myself included – who never bother to ask the questions of where our food (or any product) comes from and how.  Like democracy, the beauty of a free market is also its vulnerability: the consumer decides.  A dollar spent is a vote cast, and who we elect to supply our food affects everything from animal treatment to personal well-being.

This topic is particularly relevant with Thanksgiving and Christmas on the way.  Of course, we have much to be thankful for, including the sheer volume of food available to us and the technology that makes it possible.  But it is also important to recognize the choices we unavoidably make when shopping for the holidays and throughout the year, to be grateful for a market that makes those choices possible, and to express that gratitude by exercising our spending power wisely, whether that is through selecting low-priced items to fit within a limited budget or investing a little extra on trustworthy products.

I recommend Food Inc. to anyone curious about what they eat.  The DVD was released on November third.  Watch the trailer and read more about the movie by clicking here.

Collision

Speaking of thanksgiving, pastor Douglas Wilson considers it key when debating the existence of God, as he does with atheist Christopher Hitchens in the much anticipated documentary Collision: Is Christianity Good for the World.  In the companion book, which publishes the initial internet exchange between Hitchens and Wilson, the latter writes:

“The issue of thanksgiving is really central to the whole debate about the existence of God.  On the one hand, if there is no God, there is no need to thank anyone.  We are here as the result of a long chain of impersonal processes, grinding their way down to our brief moment in time.  If there is a God, then every breath, every moment, every sight and sound, is sheer, unadulterated gift.”

Not only does Hitchens disagree with Wilson that the Christian God exists – he maintains that there is no such thing as the supernatural, that all deities are unnecessary and distracting inventions (to say the least), and that mankind would be much better off without them.  Hitchens invokes William F. Buckley in writing:

“I myself believe that the duel between [religion] and atheism is the most important in the world.  I further believe that the struggle between [liberty] and [totalitarianism] is the same struggle reproduced on another level… I should not conceal the fact that I am not so much an atheist as an anti-theist.  I am, in other words, not one of those unbelievers who wishes they had faith, or that they could believe.  I am, rather, someone who is delighted that there is absolutely no persuasive evidence for the existence of any of mankind’s many thousands of past and present deities.”

The debate that follows has less to do with the particulars of Christianity as it does with the basis of our reason and morality.  Wilson argues that the divinely revealed character of a creator provides the absolute, unchanging foundation upon which we are able to make rational and ethical judgments.  He then proceeds to press his opponent for a defense of innate solidarity as a binding moral authority.  Hitchens responds with a humble yet well-crafted appeal to the human ego that turns the table on Christianity by denouncing its pivotal doctrine of vicarious atonement as not only incredible, but immoral; yet he is “content to regard [virtue] as indefinable.”

The book is a quick read and provides a basic outline of the discussion contained in the movie.  The documentary couches the debate within the compelling stories of its central characters, resulting in an experience I can best describe as entertaining.  Being already familiar with Wilson’s style and exceptional speaking ability, and having taken up the hobby of videography, I admit I was not so concerned with the argument itself as I was interested in seeing it conveyed through this new medium.  Executive producers Aaron Rench and N.D. Wilson – both from Moscow – teamed up with Hollywood director Darren Doane to pull of a captivating (and impartial) approach to what would otherwise have been two heads talking from behind their respective podiums.

I recommend Collision as a new take on an old debate.  The DVD was released on October twenty-seventh.  Read more and watch trailers, outtakes, and interviews by clicking here.

250 g de farine
1 sachet de levure
125 g de sucre
50 mL de lait
125 g de miel
1 orange
1 cuillère à café de cannelle
1/2 cuillère à café de girofle
1/2 cuillère à café de gingembre

Faire fondre le miel et y ajouter le sucre.

Puis les épices

Le jus de l’orange et le lait.

Et enfin la farine et la levure.

On peut bien sur vérifier la quantité d’épices

Mettre ensuite dans un moule à cake beurré

Et enfourner pour 40 minutes à 150°C
Puis déguster…

Welcome to Anthony’s Woodfire Grill! This restaurant features specialties from its custom-built rotisserie, applewood-burning oven and an applewood grill. As a part of the Anthony’s family, Anthony’s Woodfire Grill serves signature fresh Northwest seafood selections such as margarita crab, as well as applewood roasted St. Louis style ribs and sirloin beef kabobs. Explore the culinary delights while enjoying a great waterfront view. When the weather allows it, you can also dine outside and relax in the fresh, clean air. Visit Anthony’s Woodfire Grill on Sundays to enjoy a rich brunch! It is located just off the I-5 corridor in the Everett Marina Village next to Anthony’s Home Port Everett. For more information, visit the Snohomish County Destination Guide.

Quelques  photos  de  l’atelier  cuisine.

Un groupe est en train éplucher

Linda est en train de se laver les mains

Didier mélange dans la casserole

Préparation

15 minutes

Attente

20 minutes

Ingrédients

Pour 4 personnes

• 1 chou-fleur
• 2 cuillères à café de margarine a 60%
• 20cl de lait 1/2 écrémé
• 1/2 cuillere à soupe de farine
• 1 pincée de muscade
• 240g de petites crevettes roses
• Sel, poivre blanc

Préparation

Couper la base du chou-fleur et les feuilles. Detacher les bouquet et les rincer. Les mettre dans le panier d’un autocuiseur avec de l’eau, saler et faire cuire 15 minute à partir de la mise en rotation de la soupape

Pendant ce temps, preparer la sauce. Dans une petite casserole, faire fondre la margarine à feu doux, ajouter la farine et melanger sans arrêt 5 ou 6 seconde avec une spatule en bois. Ajouter la moitié du lait peu à peu et sans cesser de remuer jusqu’à ce que la sauce epaississe. Verser le reste du lait, melanger et faire epaissir 3 minutes, toujours sur feu doux et sans cesser de remuer. Saler, poivrer et muscader.

Décortiquer les crevettes, les ajouter dans la sauce. Sortir les bouquets de chou-fleur de l’autocuiseur, des deposer dans un plat creux, recouvrir de sauce aux crevettes. Servir bien chaud.

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Canon EOS Rebel Xti, ISO-1600, f/7.1, 1/40 sec.

Avec ces barres de céréales (selon la recette de Tambouille ICI), qui rappelleront, je l’espère,
de bons souvenirs à l’équipe d’ouvriers de cet été…

Le prétexte était : “je vais en envoyer à Clémence…”.
La réalité, c’est qu’on en a gardé la moitié…

Faciles à faire, faciles à manger (eh voui…)

HOT SPICED CIDER
2 qts Apple Cider
¼ cup sugar (more if desired)
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 whole cloves
8 whole allspice
8 sticks cinnamon (2 inches each)

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain out spices before serving. Serve in mugs with cinnamon stick stirrer. Serves 8.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THANKSGIVING BLESSING

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have never a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!

Tonight’s James Beard special is halibut with a lump crab and artichoke velouté sauce (a stock-based white sauce). To prepare it, we made a shrimp stock from shrimp and lobster shells that were simmered with carrots, celery and onion, then strained and reduced the stock. We then made the basis for a white sauce and added the shrimp stock with a little black truffle paste and Parmesan cheese. We are serving the entree with a basil pesto torte. A truly elegant and delicious fish dish!

Préparation

20 minutes

Cuisson

10 minutes environ

Ingrédients

• 1 petit ananas Victoria bien sucré
• 2 bananes
• 2 pommes
• 2 oranges
• 2 poires
• 1 mangue
• 1 l de lait entier
• 1 gousse de vanille bien charnue
• 1 morceau de bâton de cannelle
• 1 cuil. à café de gingembre en poudre
• 1 gousse de cardamome
• 8 gros jaunes d’œufs
• 100 g de sucre

Préparation

A petit feu, portez le lait à ébullition avec la gousse de vanille coupée en deux dans la longueur, la cannelle, la gousse fendue de cardamome et le gingembre.

Dans un bol de préparation assez large, fouettez à la main les jaunes d’œufs et le sucre jus-qu’à ce que le mélange blanchisse. Sans cesser de battre, versez le lait bouillant sur les jaunes, puis reversez ce mélange dans la casserole et remettez à feu assez vif en fouettant. La crème va épaissir assez vite (continuez de battre, elle ne doit pas bouillir). Lorsqu’elle atteint une consistance assez veloutée pour napper le dos d’une cuillère, retirez du feu et versez-la dans une passoire-tamis fine.

Laissez refroidir, puis couvrez et mettez au frais. Une heure avant de servir, sortez la crème du réfrigérateur. Peu avant de servir, ajoutez les fruits épluchés et coupés en morceaux.

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Préparation

20 minutes

Cuisson

Sans cuisson

Pour 4 personnes

Ingrédients

• 1/2 pomme verte
• 100 g de concombre
• 2 yaourt brassés
• 60 g de bûche de chèvre
• 1 cuillère à soupe de jus de citron
• 6 brins d’aneth
• sel, poivre moulu

Préparation

Epluchez la pomme et concombre. Epépinez-les et coupez les en morceaux. Retirez la croûte du fromage de chèvre.
Rassemblez la pomme, le concombre, le chèvre émietté, les yaourts, le jus de citron, 5 brins d’aneth effeuillés, le sel et le poivre. Mixez à grande vitesse.

Vérifiez l’assaisonnement qui doit être assez relevé. Répartissez la crème de concombre mousseuse dans des verrines et servez frais. Décorez de pluches d’aneth.

Petite astuce

Cet apéro pour tous, sans alcool est à siroter à la paille. L’aneth prévient en douceur les ballonnements :idéal pour les repas copieux.

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1 foie gras cru (d’environ 600g)
2 cuillères à soupe de porto
sel
poivre
farine et eau pour la lute

Laisser le foie se réchauffer à température de la pièce (2H environ) et le dénerver. (j’utilise la méthode d’Eric Lautey, dont voici la vidéo )
Mettre dans une terrine, la moitié du foie, arroser de porto, assaisonner et y ajouter le reste du foie.
Fermer la terrine et laisser au frigo pour la nuit que les arômes s’imprègnent bien.
Le lendemain, mélanger la farine et l’eau pour faire une bande de pâte qui scelle la terrine.
Mettre le four à chauffer à 120°c.
Verser de l’eau bouillante dans un grand plat et poser la terrine dedans.
Mettre au four pendant 30 minutes

A la sortie du four, casser la pâte pour ouvrir la terrine et enlever le surplus de graisse.

Mettre un poids sur le foie gras pour qu’il soit bien tassé. le laisser refroidir à température ambiante puis au réfrigérateur avec son poids.
Le lendemain, faire rechauffer le surplus de graisse pour le reverser dessus la terrine débarassée des poids.

Deux jours plus tard minimum, démouler le foie en le trempant 1 minute dans de l’eau chaude.