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earthlydelights

Adventurous omnivore

  • Website
  • Location: Toronto
  • Favorite foods: Too many to name, but among them are artichokes, lobster, foie gras, truffles, and ginger

ice cream, made with a ice cream maker.

Try one or more of the following:
-higher fat content (use a heavier cream)
-custard base, or if you already have a custard base increase the egg yolks
-more sugar
-add a tbsp or two of alcohol

Weekend Cook and Tell: Peachy Keen Perfection

I love peaches, but they go bad so fast - so I'll use them up in an easy peach kuchen, or throw them on the grill and serve with a honey-mascarpone mixture. Simple is good when it comes to these.

Sorghum sea salt ice cream

That sounds really intriguing - do report back if you experiment!

Fresh Watermelon Sangria

I made this for a girls' night last night and it was a huge hit!

How to order my very particular type of eggs?

Over hard. Eggs are a funny thing, everyone has their preference and they're easy for restaurants to "mess up". I will never order an omelet or scrambled at a restaurant; they never do it right.

What's your favourite Canadian food?

@FatBaztard, only peameal bacon is called Canadian bacon.

I would say poutine is my favourite by far. It's perfect comfort food, and a little indulgent at the same time.

Worthless items

There are ingredients I don't eat much of but none are worthless to me... I used to hate those mung bean sprouts until I tried them Korean style, served cold with sesame oil. I don't love celery, but it's invaluable in soups. And I'm not always a fan of radishes, but when cooked with a simple glaze they are delicious. I think the only things I would never miss if I never saw them again are white button mushrooms, but only because I prefer creminis.

chives and flowers

I love chive blossoms; they're beautiful but quite strong tasting. I used them to garnish a simple salad and they made it look so fancy. @coconutstream, if I'm understanding you correctly it sounds like that was the chive blossom past the blooming stage; when in bloom, it's a flowery purple bulb.

Looking for some miso-inspiration

How about some of these suggestions from Mark Bittman? http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/magazine/miso.html There's even one for miso butterscotch that sounds really interesting.

How do you like to cook Pork Belly?

I like to cure and braise, then cube and crisp up in a pan (it might sound labour intensive, but it's really not). Here are a few serving suggestions: http://earthlydelightsblog.com/the-three-little-pigs-braised-pork-belly/

I had a caterer use this recipe for her clients recently and they raved.

Weekend Cook and Tell: Canning Confidential

Are the cook and tells not continuing? I haven't seen a roundup of this or the Mother's Day topic.

Aaargh mussels!

I always soak them - like @blizcheetah, I'd rather be safe than sorry! I scrub the shells lightly underwater and pull out the beard, and rinse till there is no sand in the water.

Where to eat in Paris-Bastille area?

I just got back from Paris two days ago. Didn't eat in the Bastille area, but in Marais which is a lovely neighbourhood with lots of restaurants I would suggest you check out Le Petit Marche (9, rue de Béarn) which is just a block from Cafe des Musees; we tried both as we were staying just steps from there, and I really enjoyed Le Petit Marche. Also close by there is La Cidrerie du Marais which has delicious cider and crepes. Have fun in Paris!

Font Fail

Agreed - the font is the only thing I don't like about the refresh. Otherwise, I think it looks really nice.

Pictures Not Appearing

I'm having the same issue.

Weekend Cook and Tell: Brunchin' with Mom

For Mother's Day this year we celebrated our artistic mother with a "sandwich cake" - smorgastorta topped with beet chip roses.

Last year we served a brunch of some of her favourite things - lobster eggs benny, bacon-wrapped dates, and orange creme caramel.

Peeling eggs

I use the curve of a spoon to help me get in between the membrane and the flesh, pressing slightly against the membrane. Otherwise I am hopeless at egg peeling.

Let Them Eat: Meringue Cupcakes with Nutella and Strawberries

This IS a darling idea. I would prefer them soft on the inside as you have done.

Drinking in Season: Rhubarb and Ginger Cocktail

I love rhubarb, and love ginger. This sounds fantastic.

Seeking More Writers, Photographers in a City Near You

No love for Toronto? :(

Dinner Tonight: Mussels with Israeli Couscous and Tomatoes

I love this idea, we always end up with so much broth but can't eat enough bread to soak it all up. And it's a shame to let it go to waste.

Five Great Toppings You Didn't Know You Needed to Try

Brussels sprouts and pancetta sounds marvelous, and I might add some mushrooms to that as well.

Weekend Cook and Tell: Considering Coconut Milk

Oddly, my last comment never showed up.

I've used coconut milk in baking instead of regular milk, such as this Coconut milk tiger bread, and in drinks like this Avocado coconut shake. It also makes a wonderful ice cream due to its high fat content.

Cakespy: Cadbury Creme Scrambled Eggs

The management mentioned you drop by every week to share a delicious dessert recipe. They neglected to mention this.

Restaurants in Toronto

So you'll be staying right downtown, which is perfect if you're planning on taking transit and is good for it's centrality (you can pretty much go anywhere from there).

There's lots of activity in the west end as far as hip restaurants go. I echo the recommendation of Black Hoof (on Dundas St. W). I've also been to Woodlot and it's good, but if you were to choose one, I'd go for the former. There is also an excellent taco joint called Grand Electric (on Queen W); if you want a casual night out you can hit that up and then go east a few doors to a bar called Stone's Place. Another great casual spot that's busy pretty much every night is 416 Snack Bar (at Queen and Bathurst). On King W, I like Brassaii which is a restaurant that turns into a bar later on and has a young professional, mature crowd. Also gets very busy on the weekend.

Just north of where you'll be staying is the high-end neighbourhood of Yorkville; there's a good brunch spot there called La Societe (on Bloor St.) which is two blocks away from your hotel. For fine dining in that area I would suggest Pangaea. If the weather's hot, a popular way to cool down is to get ice cream at Summer's (on Yorkville Ave), but since your friends went to UofT, they may be partial to Greg's Ice Cream instead.

I could go on and on, but not being too familiar with your preferences I think I'll stop there for now!