Happy Easter

Montreal 2009

I was lucky enough to return to this beautiful and hospitable - and tasty! city just last week. Montreal in 48 hours, where to go?? What to eat?!

Step 1: Start off with a healthy breakfast. with butter. Preferably full of chocolate (extra point) Ignore fruit.


Step 2: Choose your menu wisely. More points if you double up on the delicious meats and game Quebec has to offer! My eye is wandering south and to the right though to desssert.....
must ...
not give....in.....
yet...


Step 3: Choose a chef who likes to play with his food (literally). Is it me or does this pig appear to be smiling??

I am amazed at the amount of meat in this guy's walk-in! (thanks chef Normand at Toque! for the tour and letting me post these photos of you :-)

PS - step 3.5: Make sure it's a fun place!! It counts in this game.

Bonus points if they bring you lots o'shots of whiskey - even if you don't want it. and then again for a second round. The whole point of this exercise is to stomach the food and the booze together. It keeps you warm in Canada!

Step 4: Um. Eat.

Foie gras at Toque!

Pork rinds fried in um lard (why use oil??) at Au Pied de Cochon

They prefaced this dish with "oh, you will just die". This is puff pastry, bechamel, potato, blood sausage and foie gras tart. Www..wwow.

Canned duck + foie gras, a signature at APiedC

See how they serve it!!

Step 4.5: Suga'!!! Many more points if you can stomach it!

Dessert at Toque! Mmm. An almond puff pastry (super thin) with triple chocolate ice creams, ganache, vanilla ice cream....

Step 5: Triumph! Sleep. Gym. Remember. try to replicate. Realize you can't make diet version. Go back.

A Saturday in April

It all started off so well....a momma to be craving a peanut butter caramel chocolate cake for her shower. I put together something quite delicious and may be a signature for me moving forward....deep dark chocolate cake, vanilla peanut butter salty caramel, 3 kinds of chocolate in the ganache, home-made candied ground peanuts....this was just right. even with my heavy hand pouring the ganache almost off the plate!


Thennn it all kind of spiraled out of control once the sun set for Julie's birthday in Park Slope. There were about 34984 birthdays going on that evening and the people next to us begged them to help finish their Mrs. Fields cookie pie (with frosting, gotta love it - we stole the "ppy" in "Happy Birthday", as you can see) and their ahem pink cherry frosted cake. Went really well with our bar food + PBR - thanks guys!!