...CaNdY ShOPpe...

Caffarel chocolate, caramels from Britanny and highland toffee!

Confiserie Louise-Décarie
4424, rue St. Denis
Montréal, QC H2J 2L1

...OLa MojitOs...

Shizaam! The best mojito on the island.

Barraca (Rhumerie & Tapas)
1134 Mont-Royal E. (cross-street Christophe-Colombe)

...BuRgeRs aNd GeNghis KhAn...

The season of BBQing has arrived and Ferguson has introduced us to the "FergurBurger".

Here's the recipe, as dictated by the chef:

900 grams ground beef
one egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp. Jamaican all-spice
1 tbsp. herbes de provence
½ tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
chili powder or flakes, to taste

You just take all of the above ingredients and "câlice them together" (as the chef would say) in a bowl, preferably, with your mits.

The FergurBurger is excellent served on a bed of your leafy-green-of-choice, with thin slices of sweet red onion and tomato...Dijon mustard and ketchup. Or, do as the Kid and dip your burger in to a dollop as you munch along.

Interesting tid-bit: The Mongols used to pack patties of meat underneath their saddles, which tenderized the meat and avoided them the hassle of dismounting in order to eat while on campaigns. And, contrary to popular belief…Genghis Khan was the greatest conqueror of all-time. Not Alexander. That’s right. He conquered more territory, with fewer men, than any other man in history. Genghis Khan didn’t allow anyone to write anything about him while he was alive, either. I like that.

...uN pEtit cHeF daNs sA CuisiNe...

Babysitting lesson of the week: when you're three and someone helps you reach the counter you can prep your own dinner.

These are fine times for sidewalk bouquet making.
With all the rain there are many flowers with broken stems looking for a home.

...CuteStuff...

Now this is what I call a book: 71 pages of cupcake.

...Snacks and Cereal...

I just received a memo from my senior attaché in Philadelphia about the latest grab-bags back home, which got me thinking about the days when Michael Jordan was on the Wheaties box and how I didn't know who was on it this year. So I checked out the Wheaties site. They brought back Dr. J after 25 years and gave Steve Nash his first appearance. Dr. J, ofcourse. As for Steve Nash? Well, personally, I would have given it to AI.

¡¡¡ Hot Dog !!!

Mont-Royal Hot Dog fries all of their fryables in peanut oil.
Now, you ask, "Does this heighten the scrumptiouness of their poutine?"
Well, I'd have to say, "Yes."

Their terrace also adds to the dining experience.
Sous le soleil exactement avec une poutine: as wonderful a remedy for a cobwebbed mind as it is a way to spend the afternoon with your main squeeze.

Mont-Royal Hot Dog
1001, Mont-Royal E.
(Across the street from the 2006 "Au Coton")

...My Around The Way Seamstress...

"Standing up or lying down, a woman has to work." - Maria Moite

Made from scratch and silkscreened by the chilean by-way-of-Montréal seamstress/cinéaste Mlle. Lela Quesney.

Please direct all messenger pigeons regarding commissions of aprons or other, to: dichotomees@yahoo.com

Bises, Lela.

...The Fannie Farmer...

I have a bunch of cookbooks and books (related to food) that I'd like to share with you. We'll start off with the "The Fannie Farmer" because it's one of my favorites.


The Fannie Farmer Cookbook (1990 edition)
revised and updated by Marion Cunningham
**Published originally in 1896 under the title "The Boston Cooking School Cook Book" by Fannie Merrit Farmer**

It's just what the cover says it is: "The All-American Cookbook Classic", and I crack it open whenever I'm in need of consulation. Usually when I'm unsure at what temperature/time to cook a certain cut of meat or want to make some kind of flapjack.

It has basic recipes that will always come in handy (e.g. pancakes, soup stock, béchamel sauce...) and many more original ones from different regions in the United States. It's full of interesting stories and tid-bits about the recipes themselves, and reads something like a history lesson.

When it's not on my kitchen-shelf...it's cause it's in my handgbag and I'm about to read it on the métro. I love it and give it many stars.

** The 1972 edition of "Joy of Cooking" by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker is also an excellent all-purpose compendium. I also give it many stars.

D.A.D.S. Bagels

D.A.D.S.'s sweet cream cheese filled pastry, aka "the cheese bagel", is an NDG classic and something I tried for the first time a few weeks ago (and found to be quite spectacular).

When I found out that Alena Skateboarding mastermind Jeremy Bresnen was a connaisseur and lover of the cheese bagel, I had my Gyr falcon deliver a few written questions over to him. A few hours later Mordecai returned; and, this is how Mr. Bresnen responded:

Q: WHEN DID YOU TRY YOUR FIRST CHEESE BAGEL? YOUR FIRST D.A.D.S. CHEESE BAGEL?

JB: D.A.D.S. itself? Probably 8 or 9 years ago. A cheese bagel itself? Early
childhood. Montreal has a great tradition of bakeries and I've tasted
quite a few different varieties. The D.A.D.S. cheese bagel is the closest
I've found to the ones I used to get growing up at Cantors on Queen
Mary.

Q: TOP FIVE FAVORITE SWEETS?

JB: Hmmm. I'm not a huge sweets fan. I lean more towards salty but....
Picking a top 5 is always tough ,but here it goes:

#1 is definitely Coke. It's great to wash down the salty and it's
refreshing pretty much anytime. Easily the best drink ever thought up
by Man. Unfortunately, I've recently cut back on my Coke intake.
Trying not to drink any.

#2 is probably the cheese bagel.

#3, #4 and #5 are a tie between Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Chocolate
chip cookies, and from time to time, a Crunchie bar.

Q: AT WHAT TIME OF THE DAY DO YOU USUALLY LIKE TO INDULGE IN A CHEESE BAGEL?

JB: They are best in the morning as that's when they are most often fresh
and warm out of the oven, but I've certainly had them at all times of
the day

Q: BEVERAGE OF CHOICE TO ACCOMPANY A CHEESE BAGEL?

JB: It's best with a Coke or a tall glass of cold milk. I'll be sticking
with MILK from now on.

Q: HOW OFTEN DO YOU PICK UP A CHEESE BAGEL?

JB: When the store [Alena] was open and D.A.D.S. was on the way to work I'd have probably 2 or 3 a week...I think. I might be lying to feel better about myself.

Q: DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT "D.A.D.S." STANDS FOR?

JB: No Idea. I think it says it somewhere inside the store. You could ask
them. It used to be wholly owned by a friendly jewish man. I think he
still works there from time to time but now it's run by an indian
family. Cheese bagels and Tikka chicken. Who would have thought?

***D.A.D.S. is located on Sherbrooke West between Harvard and Wilson
***They are a 24 hour establishment

...Eater of butter cookies...

Poilâne's butter cookies (aka "Punitions") are Turf's favorite. Back in the day you could catch him munching on them whether in trouble or double trouble. I went to their shoppe the other day to see what the man behind the gasmask was talking about.

The bakers at Poilâne make no more than 10 items, which include: regal loaves of bread, all marked with a calligraphic "P" (the kind the three musketeers would have eaten); butter cookies; and, apple tarts. So while they don't make many things, they make everything to perfection, using simple, few and well-married ingredients. I'd like to think of them as one of Paris' seven baking wonders.

As for Turf...well, he's one of the few living artists carrying on the tradition of the Flemish masters. I'm even beginning to think he's Van Eyck in disguise. To enter the world of Turfizm...
He and his partner in crime, Lela, also made a documentary about the catacombs of Paris called "Dead Space", which will hopefully be coming to a theatre or video store near you, soon.

And yes, the butter cookies do live up to the legend.

...4 Photos...

...Introducing my sous-chef...

Bird used to enjoy hanging out on my shoulder when I cooked.
Now she prefers listening to albums or eating snacks.
I still consider her my main sous-chef, though, as she's cooked many a dish with me.

Bird is almost three and a half.
I found her in a pet store on a cold November day.
She was hanging upside down from her cage - squawking like mad - while her brothers and sisters just kind of chilled.
I found myself standing on the street hailing a cab with a parakeet, cage and bag of birdseed in my arms, thirty minutes later.

Bird's favorite albums: "The Blueprint" and "Talkie Walkie"
Bird's favorite snacks: arugula, spinach and homemade honey glazed apple peel
Bird's favorite dance: the side shuffle, followed by the hustle or electric slide - depending on where you're from in the good ol' U.S. of A.

...Blue Taters...

We had our hebdomadal dinner party with Maître Ferguson last night - made steaks, mashed blue potatoes and garlic spinach. Hitchcock would have been pleased.

The purée sparked up a fierce political debate, however, when M. Ferguson insinuated that québécois potatoes were inferior to those of Idaho and P.E.I. Apparently it's common knowledge that P.E.I.'s and Idaho's are way better? Come on now...if it's from Québec it's got to be good.


**This is a peeled blue potato. Tastes just like a regular potato.
I read up on the blue patates after dinner. Sources say that unlike white or yellow ones, they are full of anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants keep your body's cells happy.



Our meal was accompanied by this "Séléction Ferguson".
"Cruz de Piedra", Granacha 2003, from the Calatayud vignobles found in the mountains between Madrid and Zaragoza.
At 14 degrees, this (on the sweet side) wine packs a punch. A fine catch.
Thanks Matt.

...Renoncules...

Genus name: rananculus asiaticus
Song I hear when I see them: Duke Elllington's "The Star-Crossed Lovers".

...Unpasteurized Business...

I love it when the cheese department at the grocery store decides to have a sale.
It's like I'm ten and just heard the ice cream truck.

When I saw this "Brillat-Savarin" with a "SPECIAL" sticker on it, I almost climbed over the counter to give the cheese lady a hug.

Butter is churned cream. This cheese tastes a lot like butter.
It's got a super velvety crust and is extremely rich and smooth on the inside.
I suppose it's like butter...minus the churning process.

This cheese has been around since the 1930s.
A man named Henri Adrouet created it.
He named it in honor of the famous 18th century food writer, Brillat-Savarin.
Beautiful story, no?

...Sometimes...My...Groceries...Make...Me...Happy...

Tonight's ingredients: penne, pancetta, onion, tomato, parmesean, olive oil, salt, pepper and maybe a few black olives.

...Cocoa, oh, oh...

It's been a while...
I hope this year of the dog is treating you all very well.

So here's a little something I dug up out of the vaults.

There's a little candy shoppe in Paris that goes by the name of "La Bonbonnière de la Trinité".
They make sweets.
What kinds of sweets?
A family of chocolates (to whom belongs an out of the ordinary truffle, that I'd like to shout out at the end of this post), caramels, mints, fruits confits and a slew of other earthly delights...
They've been making them since? Since 1925.
So 1925 doesn't make them quite as old as Maiffret or Fauchon, but, then again, neither one of them are by any means...seniors of Acamapichtli.

Acamapichtli was the first ruler of the Aztecs (1376-1396).
He would have called chocolate, 'Nahuatl' (bitter-water), because the Aztecs liked to drink their cocoa. They enjoyed solid chocolate, too.
Calling it 'Xocoatl', and making it by grinding together cocoa beans with sugar, they produced a chocolate, that once in your mouth, would become granulated in texture. Nothing like the solid chocolate we are accustomed to today, which owes its smoothness to the incorporation of emulsifiers.

Today the Oaxacan tradition is kept alive in Mexico, by artisans, and on the native island of Don Corleone by chocolate company, Bonajuto.
I had the fortune of trying some Xocoatl Bonajuto during the summer of my twentieth year - back when I was working at that deli.
Having always fancied a sandy consistency (pears, halvah, cream of wheat...) the discovery of xocoatl was like the mardi gras for my young palette. If I had any reason to merit an impresario, and Bonajuto were in the business of sponsoring people, for sure, I'd like to be on their team.

As for "La Bonbonnière de la Trinité" and their truffle...
Imagine encased in a millimeter thin shell, a silky blend of dark chocolate.
When you bite into it you hear a little pop, and then, wait, you don't understand what's going on cause the synapses in your brain are telling you that the rest of the truffle isn't solid. What?!
Remarkable.

Proust's grandmother used to make madeleines.
My grandmother used to make truffles.
Truffles are surprisingly easy to make.
I'll post the recipe up for you soon.
Until then...

La Bonbonnière de la Trinité
4, Place d'Estienne-d'Orves
Métro: Trinité

...My Grandmother's Truffle Recipe...

225 gr. of semi-sweet chocolate (equivalent to 1 box of Baker's semi-sweet chocolate)
2 tsp. cream
75 gr. butter
2 egg yolks
cocoa powder for dusting

1. Over a bain-marie, melt chocolate and butter.
(A bain-marie is when you take a saucepan, fill it with water and place a bowl/pan over it to slow cook the bowl's/pan's
contents).

2. In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks and cream.

3. When the chocolate and butter have melted, remove from stove and incorporate egg yolk/cream mixture.

4. Add extracts and/or spices to the chocolate (e.g. cinnamon, garam masala, vanilla).
At times my grandmother would add a capful of Grand Marnier.

5. Allow the chocolate to chill in the fridge for an hour.

6. Remove from fridge and allow to soften. This should take about 15 mintues.

7. Mold chocolate into balls and dust with cocoa powder.
My grandmother would always put a toasted hazlenut in the center of hers.

8. Distribute to loved ones.

...ChaudChaudLeVinChaud...

Mulled wine. Vin Chaud. Here's what you'll need:

1 bottle of red wine (an inexpensive one will do the trick)
cinnamon (1 or 2 sticks)
cloves (4 or 5)
the peel of half of an orange

The thing is, you can really use any spice you like.
Anise, slices of ginger, black peppercorns,
allspice, etc.

Preparation:
Combine your wine, zest and spices in a saucepan.
Simmer for atleast 15 minutes (over medium heat).
Strain and serve.
Add sugar and any ground spices you fancy.

...One for Hubbard...

Tried my first Mint Julep tonight. All I can say is this: get your hands on one if you can. Cause it has got to be one of the most refreshing, soothing, finest cocktails/nightcaps ever.

Here's where I had my One Mint Julep.
They serve all kinds of night wines and cognacs, and are a strictly jazz playing, hush hush, queen anne chair, cigar smoking kind of place. Very cozy...

Le Café du Passage
12, Rue de Charonne - 11ème
Métro: Bastille

...ChouChouChoucroute...

Love a choucroute.

Choucroute= sauerkraut topped with a hock, saucisse de Strasbourg, slab of bacon and a few potatoes. Everything is cooked in white wine or Alsatian riesling. The sauerkraut is tangy, the meats salty, their juices sweet – a veritable fiesta of flavors and textures.

People have been enjoying it since the 15th century. It's from the region of Alsace.

A recipe for choucroute.

...Pass the Spatula...

E. Dehillerin. They've been around since 1820 and, from what I understand, big chefs, pâtissiers, and homemakers love them.
They've got all kinds of tools to make delicate pastries; copper pots large enough to seat one person, comfortably; a very extensive line of knives...
In fact, two people came in the shop looking for knives this afternoon: a chef, and a student of the Cordon Bleu. The chef bought this super obscure meat slicer (darnit, i don't remember the name) that he'd been unable to find in other shops, and the student, the knife she needed in order to pass one of her exams.
I spent a little over two hours rummaging around the place and hawking this cherry red Le Creuset tarte tatin dish. One could easily spend the day there. I don't think they'd mind, either.
They make these lovely boxwood spatulas, too.

E. Dehillerin: Le Spécialiste du Matériel de Cuisine
18, rue de Coquillère
Metro: Palais Royal/Musée du Louvre

...Breakfast at Cartier's...

...Lamb roast the fireplace way...

Cousins and I made dinner last week. We roasted a leg of lamb in the fireplace and made gnocchi.
We used this clockwork spitjack from the 18th century - quite the ingenious device.
Three hours later...juicyfalloffthebonetastiness.

...Merry Christmas Everyone...

A gift from the sea.