la banquise

shaub xmas montreal 08
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (12/143)
there are a number of recommended places for poutine, a quintessential canadian comfort food, in montreal. not only was la banquise mentioned by anthony bourdain, but a preview of the menu online indicated there was, in addition to a vegetarian version for the pescetarian bf and the classic poutine, a variety of options of toppings for your poutine including a variation on the gravy.

we opted for the classic (cheese curds, gravy & fries), the veggie (green peppers, mushrooms & onions plus classic ingredients), the mart (sausage, bacon plus classic) and the jaco (minced beef, onions, pepper sauce instead of generic gravy). although the fries were on the greasy could have been more crunchy side (my main complaint), they were all tasty, and definitely worth the experience. i liked the pepper sauce on the jaco the best. the gravy on the others were a little bland and not memorable. i think if you're going to cover your crunchy pommes frites and render them somewhat mushy, you better have some tasty sauce.

the resto has a casual, youthful cafe feel and being open late, seems like a great place for snacking after (or during) drinks. the regular sized poutines are pretty sizable. even if i could eat more, i don't think i could eat a large quantity of such heavy food. they also serve hamburgers and other pub-type foods.

bollini's pizzeria

bollini's
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (11/143)
so the best pizza i've had to date is still one made by dom at di fara pizzeria in brooklyn, but this pizza is pretty damn good, almost 5 stars good, maybe even better than fancy mozze good, but i'll have to return to try the others.

it's a small, warm shop with a wood-fired oven where they make thin crust neapolitan pizza, my favorite kind of pizza. they were out of a few items, including the stuffed mushrooms which sound fabulous, and the arugula salad we wanted. they instead prepared a mixed green salad the same way as the arugula, with corn, cherry tomatoes, smoked bacon, sauteed mushrooms & goat cheese. it was a substantial and delicious salad.

for the pizza, we tried one of their signature pizzas, the cal twist. made with tomato sauce, basil pesto, shrimp, sun dried tomato, roasted peppers, mozzarella, herbs and parmesan, it was a flavorful combination of fresh ingredients. i liked how the ingredients were concentrated in areas rather than evenly distributed across the pizza so that as you ate from the point you get pesto, sweet peppers, then sweet tomato sauce and finally a firm piece of shrimp.

we are definitely coming back. the service was excellent. waitress was really nice, and one of the guys making pizzas kept coming by to check on us. seating is limited, but so worth the wait.

his & hers @ yogurtland

yogurtland
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

i'm a big pinkberry fan, but was drawn to the diy aspect of yogurtland. their original tart is tasty but not as good as pinkberry's. it was a little icy. however, the yogurt comes in a variety of flavors, including a nutty, sweet taro, fresh mango, and chocolate.

the great thing is that you can get as much or as little or as much as you want as they charge you by weight. this is great. i often feel the small is too small and the large is too large at pinkberry. you can even get several flavors of yogurt in one container and fill it full of all the toppings if that is your thing. because of the many options and permutations, you can visit often and have something different each time.

ao dinner @ moun of tunis

ao dinner @ moun of tunis
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (10/143)
moun of tunis is a great place to go for food with friends. they have several combinations of shared dinners centered around typical moroccan/tunisian or lebanese dishes. i went with several assistant organizers and abby of pleasure palate, and we were able to get our own room in the back with small tables. the casual and relaxed atmosphere is conducive to conversation and general revelry, especially when the belly dancer comes out, usually introduced with the sudden change of music.

we started by snacking on the complimentary hummus, olives and pita bread and decided on the moroccan feast, a set menu which includes brik-- a fried crepe-like dish filled with an egg, potatoes, capers and parsley, four salads with choice of grilled shrimp or lamb, b'stilla--a puff pastry sprinkled with cinnamon & powdered sugar, and filled with egg and chicken, an entree choice of salmon, lamb or lemon chicken, hot black tea and almond cake dessert.

the brik reminded me of a breakfast burrito, except fried crispy on the outside. the capers in mine tended to one side, so i didn't get the benefit of flavor until the end. there were four salads which consisted of a salsa-like mixture of tomatoes and cucumbers, a bbq'd version of the salsa which was more intense in flavor, thick cut, sweet carrots, and finely minced fragrant carrots & orange blossoms.

it was really, dark, so the b'stilla was more of a textural experience between the flaky exterior, chewy egg & meat. it's usually made with pigeon or squab, but theirs is made with chicken. our group was divided into four smaller table, and each table selected a different meat entree that is shared among the table. the entire meal was shared by table actually.

our table had the salmon, which was braised in a tomato broth with vegetables. the broth was nice, but the salmon was a little dried in parts and for some reason hadn't absorbed much of the flavor of the broth. the chicken & lamb had a bit more flavor, but i thought they were both surprisingly mild. both lamb and chicken were tender and juicy.

i found the couscous with braised vegetables and meatballs that came with the entrees to be more flavorful than the entrees. the almond cake was a densely soaked in liquor and sweet dessert. the hot tea helped to wash it all down.

overall, the food was tasty, although some things were a little bland. our service was excellent. we had a group of about 15 people. our waters were regularly filled, and i didn't notice any long wait times for food. the waiter was friendly and helpful in recommendations.

din tai fung

din tai fung
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (10/143)

how do the juicy dumplings at din tai fung compare? i thought they were tasty. they're better than the ones you generally get at the dim sum houses. the crab & pork leaned more towards crab, than pork flavors, which was interesting and different than the fattier, slightly more flavorful ones i had at mei long village. there was soup to be found, though not a lot, and overall, it was a lighter dumpling with a delicate skin.

the restaurant is clean and newish, and the menu is simple, but you have a variety of options as far as dumplings. we also had the vegetarian dumplings which were stuffed with glass noodles, mushrooms and greens. we also had the shrimp fried rice and baby bok choy. both were standard and properly prepared.

winter squash w/ lemongrass & coconut milk

winter squash w/ lemongrass & coconut milk
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

i like a challenge because i believe it makes me grow as a person, discover my limits and push them. at least that is what i was telling myself this past weekend on my 6th trip to the grocery store for yet more squash (ten pounds total) and struggling with peeling said acorn & butternut squash with already thrashed fingers from crocheting electrical wire the past few weeks before.

the challenge was not merely that i was making a soup stock from scratch in addition to the soup itself, but comprised of making 10 quarts of soup i had yet to test out for a swap on sunday during an already busy weekend schedule that included an electronics workshop & homework for the workshop. it's been a while since i've made that large a quantity, and there are difficulties with any project when you go bigger, like the sizes of your normal pots and pans, the size of a small apartment kitchen and maintaining consistency across batches of soup.

then there was the organizational aspect of the whole thing. ten containers with labels and a non-existent until this weekend trip to the grocery store ice chest for transport of soup to marina del rey then down the street and up three flights of stairs. oh, and how to package the garnish of sliced jalapenos & cilantro. i am a kitchen goddess (and poor mike a saint for helping with the peeling).

after all that, the soup turned out tasty, although i don't think it had enough squash to make the soup nice and thick, so next time, i'm compensating for that. still, if you make the stock from scratch, it does make for a more flavorful broth. however, if you'd rather not, i completely understand. you could use some vegetable broth and simmer it with the spices, herbs and vegetable trimmings before adding to the soup.

i learned a valuable lesson or two. i don't think i could cook winter squash more than once a year, and next time i cook with chiles, i'll use gloves.



from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

Quick Stock
2 teaspoons vegetable oil or olive oil
1 onoin, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 celery rib, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
Trimmings from the soup vegetables, rinsed
2 bay leaves and several thyme sprigs or 1/4 teaspoon dried
4 or more garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
8 parsley branches, including the stems or a small handful of stems
Additional herbs and spices appropriate for the soup
Salt

Stock for Curried Dishes
Make the basic stock, but lightly brown the vegetables in 1 to 2 tablespoons clarified butter, with 1 3-inch cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, and 1/4 teaspoon cardamom seeds.

Winter Squash Soup with Lemongrass and Coconut Milk (serves 4 to 6)
6 cups Stock for Curried Dishes
2 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and seeded
1 lemongrass stalk, tender middle section minced
5 pieces galangal or 3 slices ginger
For garnish: 2 teaspoons finely chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon roasted peanut oil
1 large onion, diced
2 jalapeno chiles, seeded and diced
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
Salt
Juice of 2 limes to taste

Include in the stock the squash skins and seeds, lemongrass trimmings, galangal, and any trimmings from the herb garnish.

Coarsely chop the squash. You should have about 4 cups. Heat the oil in a soup pot, then add the squash, onion, half the chiles, the minced lemongrass, and the garlic. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the strained stock and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes. Puree the soup, then return it to the stove and stir in the coconut milk. Taste for salt and add lime juice to sharpen the flavors. Serve garnished with the fresh herbs and the remaining chile.

make a (fruit) tart

fruit tart
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#15 & #20 on my 101 in 1001 list
making a fruit tart is a multi-step process involving multiple recipes, one for the sweet tart dough, another for the pastry cream and the final one combines both. i used the recipes from the tartine cookbook, and it came out beautifully. except for the apricot jam, most ingredients were easily obtained. the closest i found was apricot preserves and strained them, but it was quite a waste. next time, i'm going to use egg yolks instead of whole eggs for a richer pastry cream.

if i had time in a bottle...

sound sculpture
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

hmm...maybe that could be a project...bottling time...

today (and tomorrow for that matter) is going to be insane. i have a gazillion things to do to day. here are a few.

- make pastry cream
- pick up bag from papyrus
- buy strawberries from market
- cut fruit, make glaze & assemble tart
- burn mix cds
- design cd artwork
- print cds & artwork
- assemble gift swap package
- crochet 3 wire sculptures
- assemble documentation of artwork into a slideshow
- solder arduino boards

andrew's cheese shop

andrew's cheese shop
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

having been the maitre de frommage at patina some time ago before starting his cheese shop, andrew knows cheese, but he makes the experience of eating cheese very accessible to cheese lovers whether you are a novice or more experienced. His is a wealth of knowledge pertaining to the histories and cultures of cheese that adds depth to the eating of cheese and its pairing with wine.

though i didn't attend one of his informative 101 cheese classes, i did participate in a spanish cheese & wine tasting in which a variety of spanish cheeses were paired with regional wines. all were tasty and great choices (i thought). i eat cheese regularly, but still consider myself somewhat of a novice, so found the tasting interesting.

we started with a nevat, a light colored, semi-soft young goat cheese from catalonia whose name means snow. paired with cava, a white wine, it was very creamy, and the rind had a subtle flavor.

following the nevat, the tetilla, which translates as "small breast" for its shape, is a milky cow's milk cheese, one of the few from spain. an interesting tidbit about spanish cheese is that most are vegetarian, meaning they are not made with rennet, a substance from the intestinal lining of animals used in the cheese process, because most are not made from cow's milk. spain is arid, cold and rough. the environment is not conducive to cows, but is to sheep and goat.

another creamy and sweet cheese, the tronchon, made from goat and sheep's milk, came next. both of these were good, and we ended up bringing some home with us.

then andrew introduced us to zamorano, a more authentically spanish cheese than manchego, due to the loosening standards for that cheese. made from sheep's milk, it was a hard, salty cheese with a tangy finish and was paired with a rioja. another salty but drier cheese followed, mahon reserva, made from cow's milk.

we moved into the blue cheeses, starting with the monte enebro, made from goat's milk. it is a rich and creamy, slightly bitter cheese.

our tasting was ending soon to my disappointment. the valdeon, a strong but creamy blue cheese made from a mixture of cow & goat's milk, comes wrapped in sycamore leaves. a lovely cheese with beautiful blue green mold traversing the soft cream, it went well with the quince paste and had a slight bitterness that made my mouth tingly and numb. the sweetness of the quince was perfect with the rich blue cheeses. some of us had the chance to taste the cabrales, an older, more intense but related blue cheese that had a richer flavor and novacaine effects.

these were only a handful of the varieties of cheeses you'll find here. there are cards with each cheese that tell you a little about the cheese, including where it comes from and what its made of. if there's one you're interested in but aren't sure about, they are happy to cut you a piece to try. i had to ask about when it was appropriate to eat the rind and how you would differentiate between what mold was ok and what wasn't. andrew's first answer seemed like common sense, and steered clear of any pretensions about cheese. taste the rind, and if you like the taste, eat it. none of it is bad for you, but it can be the most intense part of the cheese, so if you don't like it, don't eat it. as for mold, cut off any white and eat the cheese. blue green mold is ok, but don't eat black or purple mold.

sound sculpture

sound sculpture
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

i haven't been knitting, but i have been crocheting...with wire. the crocheting is cool, but the coated wire is hard on the hands. these will become interactive sound pieces. of course, the one made from expensive fine stainless steel & wool yarn is the loveliest & less taxing on the hands & most expensive. actually, getting the amount of wire i need is expensive. the next project will have to be more cost effective.

community supported agriculture

long beach farmer's market
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

browsing the web, i happened upon some information at the local harvest site about community supported agriculture. basically, you commit to a time period like 6 or 12 months where you prepay on a weekly, monthly or annual basis for a weekly pickup of a box of produce consisting of fruits and/or vegetables to support a local farm. each participating farm has its own arrangement that can run from $15 - 50/week for a box that may be big enough to feed a family of 3 - 4. many offer organic produce, so it's very reasonable considering we spend about $100 a week on groceries. yes. that sounds crazy when there's only two of us.

reading about the industrial farm complex both regular and organic in michael pollan's omnivore's dilemma has made me more reflective on where food comes from and how that impacts not only my own well-being but that of the environment, prompting a desire to do something about it. then there was the nova episode the other night on marine mammals. seriously, watch the cutest baby seal dying or having to be euthanized because of human impacts to ocean ecology, and you can't help but want to do something. i'm not an activist, but i can make personal choices.

the community supported agriculture program is a long-term commitment that is especially difficult to consider due to the current state and future uncertainty of the economy. some require prepayment, and the closest pickup points would be in LA or OC. neither are far, but neither are as convenient as the whole foods or farmer's market. you also don't get to choose what goes in the box. the farm chooses based on what's in season. on the one hand, you may not get to cook what you want when you want to. on the other hand, you would be forced to be more creative in your cooking to accommodate seasonal, local food.

it sounds like a great idea. our local farmer's market only has a small percentage of organically grown produce, and whole foods is entangled with the organic industrial complex, which though not as bad as regular farming has its issues and impacts to soil & environment. the more i learn about food, how it's cooked, cultural traditions, where it comes from, the more small scale, local farming makes sense.

life goes on

i noticed our golden algae eater hammy looking like a cancer victim this week and no longer the hyperactive cookie algae monster that he is. we had him for almost two years. they can live to six years and grow quite large. i wish i had figured out there was a problem sooner. even though i dropped in two big pellets of food, it did little to stave off the inevitable. perhaps he was already too far gone. too little, too late. perhaps the zebra danios were eating all of his food in spite of our good intentions. we finally moved him to a separate tank last night where he died. soon, i will have enough dead fish for a dead fish aquarium. very sad indeed.

holiday shopping

pantone coffee mug
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

m & i did our part to boost the economy this weekend. honestly, spending a large sum of money in a short period of time freaks me out. luckily, it's only once a year. both our families told us not to worry about xmas presents this year due to the economy being so poor, but it's the sort of thing they'll say, and then still get us gifts, which makes me want to give them something.

the cultural framework for gift giving can be so strange. seriously though, i like finding cool things to give to family & friends--things i think they would enjoy or might not feel they could get for themselves or even come upon. it's the shortened timeframe and having to shop for so many people at once among other frenzied shoppers that can make it stressful and surreal. still, when i do happen upon that special something...

take this pantone mug we found at show in los feliz. the lucky recipient is mike's boss.