Ok check this link out...
http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/eat/worlds-50-most-delicious-foods-067535?page=0,0
I am sure there a million items left out of the list but I am overall pretty satisfied with it... also Tacos and Fajitas are higher than poutine and maple syrup :)
Anything you feel should have been included in the list?
Friday, 26 August 2011
Monday, 22 August 2011
Coming up...
We are currently working on our "Back to School" special... stay tuned. In the meantime please post your favorite student meals on the comments section below. We might take them and re-invent them into something you can actually serve to a grown up.
Wednesday, 17 August 2011
Bizarro Double Down (Poulet Charlotte)
Last week when we presented one of the recipes on the blog my friend Nick suggested making a Double Down sandwich. For those of you who don’t visit Colonel Sanders too often, this is a KFC sandwich. It consists of two chicken breasts instead of bread, bacon and “colonel sauce”. This thing was a huge scandal due to the amount of sodium, fat and calories in it yet it was also a big success in the US and in Canada where it is only available for short periods of time.
Pierre accepted the challenge but suggested doing a healthy version of it. And we set to make it this past weekend. Now, making a healthy version of such a dirty dish is a difficult task. We also found ourselves very short on time and having to shop in a small neighborhood grocery store instead of a nice big pretentious market or grocery store. Because of this “complications” the results are not extremely healthy but they are delicious and slightly less damaging than the actual double down. Also to make it feel fancy we gave it a silly name “Poulet Charlotte”. Tell me you can’t picture an extremely pretentious French waiter offering “Poulet Charlotte” as the plat du jour.
What you need
5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Sliced in two lengthwise.
1 cup of milk
1 cup of white flour
1 cup of dried bread crumbs
1 cup of wheat bran
2 tablespoons of roasted sesame seeds
1 tea spoon dried parsley
½ a tea spoon of espelette pepper powder
10 slices of good quality bacon
5 slices of provolone cheese
5 basil leaves, minced
5-6 eggs
2 garlic cloves, minced and crushed.
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
How to make it
First of all you will need to set an assembly line on your counter. First put a tray with all your sliced chicken breasts on your first station. Second station is a bowl with the milk. The next station is a plate with the white flour. The 4th station is a bowl with 4 eggs, scrambled with some salt. In the next plate mix the bread crumbs, bran, sesame seeds, dried parsley, espelette pepper and some salt and pepper. Run each of the chicken halves through each of the stations so that they get completely covered in all of the ingredients. Once they are all nicely breaded put them in a baking sheet making sure you know which half matches the other. For optimum crunchiness you want to put them either in a baking rack with a drip pan underneath or some sort of baking sheet with holes in it. We used a fancy sheet that Pierre uses for pizza crust and it worked wonderfully. Brush or spray some oil on the rack / pan and also on top of the chicken breasts and throw them in the oven for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Take them out, flip them, brush this new side with more oil and throw them in the oven for another 10 minutes. While the chicken is cooking fry the bacon a bit to get all the grease out but without it getting too crunchy (unless you are American and you like it that way). Once the bacon is done you should also make an aioli to substitute the colonel sauce. The aioli is very simple to make, put an egg yolk in a non-reactive bowl and beat the hell out of it while a very slim string of oil is being poured into the mix constantly. If you are very dexterous or you have 3 hands you can do it yourself, otherwise you should ask one of your little friends for help. In total you will probably use about a cup of oil. Once the mix has a mayonnaise like texture you are done beating and you can mix the garlic, salt and pepper and the minced basil leaves.
By now your chicken should be almost ready and your kitchen shouldn’t be on fire yet. If it is on fire please call the firefighters and do not mention our blog. So once the chicken is ready it’s the fun time to assemble the double downs. The first layer is one half of the chicken breast, then spread some aioli on it, put 2 slices of bacon, a slice of cheese, and the matching half of the chicken breast on top. If you are not as OCD as Pierre and me you may not use the matching parts of the breasts. Once your 5 “sandwiches” are assembled put them in the oven for 5 minutes on bake and 5 minutes on broil. Take them out of the oven, let them cool down a bit and… eat.
Now, as you can see there isn’t anything healthy about a sandwich with chicken instead of bread, bacon and cheese but our version has fiber, we didn't deep fry it and the bacon we used had no preservatives so Foodgang 3 KFC 0 ! Score is not up for discussion ok?
So even though this recipe is delicious like that there are a few things that can be changed. First of all my initial idea was to use cayenne pepper instead of espelette but I forgot my cayenne pepper at home. In terms of the dried breadcrumbs I would probably do ½ cup of dried bread crumbs and half a cup of panko. I was also not too happy with provolone as the cheese choice, I would have gone with a nice gruyere and Pierre suggested aged cheddar. Also you may want to spread aioli on both “slices of bread” for maximum moisture. As is the case with every recipe we post, by no means should you ever follow the recipe exactly as the best kind of cooking is experimental using the ingredients you like the most and as much as you like. That way if you don’t like the dish you know it’s your fault and not mine.
Having nothing else to say… DIG IN !
Pierre accepted the challenge but suggested doing a healthy version of it. And we set to make it this past weekend. Now, making a healthy version of such a dirty dish is a difficult task. We also found ourselves very short on time and having to shop in a small neighborhood grocery store instead of a nice big pretentious market or grocery store. Because of this “complications” the results are not extremely healthy but they are delicious and slightly less damaging than the actual double down. Also to make it feel fancy we gave it a silly name “Poulet Charlotte”. Tell me you can’t picture an extremely pretentious French waiter offering “Poulet Charlotte” as the plat du jour.
What you need
5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Sliced in two lengthwise.
1 cup of milk
1 cup of white flour
1 cup of dried bread crumbs
1 cup of wheat bran
2 tablespoons of roasted sesame seeds
1 tea spoon dried parsley
½ a tea spoon of espelette pepper powder
10 slices of good quality bacon
5 slices of provolone cheese
5 basil leaves, minced
5-6 eggs
2 garlic cloves, minced and crushed.
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
How to make it
First of all you will need to set an assembly line on your counter. First put a tray with all your sliced chicken breasts on your first station. Second station is a bowl with the milk. The next station is a plate with the white flour. The 4th station is a bowl with 4 eggs, scrambled with some salt. In the next plate mix the bread crumbs, bran, sesame seeds, dried parsley, espelette pepper and some salt and pepper. Run each of the chicken halves through each of the stations so that they get completely covered in all of the ingredients. Once they are all nicely breaded put them in a baking sheet making sure you know which half matches the other. For optimum crunchiness you want to put them either in a baking rack with a drip pan underneath or some sort of baking sheet with holes in it. We used a fancy sheet that Pierre uses for pizza crust and it worked wonderfully. Brush or spray some oil on the rack / pan and also on top of the chicken breasts and throw them in the oven for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Take them out, flip them, brush this new side with more oil and throw them in the oven for another 10 minutes. While the chicken is cooking fry the bacon a bit to get all the grease out but without it getting too crunchy (unless you are American and you like it that way). Once the bacon is done you should also make an aioli to substitute the colonel sauce. The aioli is very simple to make, put an egg yolk in a non-reactive bowl and beat the hell out of it while a very slim string of oil is being poured into the mix constantly. If you are very dexterous or you have 3 hands you can do it yourself, otherwise you should ask one of your little friends for help. In total you will probably use about a cup of oil. Once the mix has a mayonnaise like texture you are done beating and you can mix the garlic, salt and pepper and the minced basil leaves.
By now your chicken should be almost ready and your kitchen shouldn’t be on fire yet. If it is on fire please call the firefighters and do not mention our blog. So once the chicken is ready it’s the fun time to assemble the double downs. The first layer is one half of the chicken breast, then spread some aioli on it, put 2 slices of bacon, a slice of cheese, and the matching half of the chicken breast on top. If you are not as OCD as Pierre and me you may not use the matching parts of the breasts. Once your 5 “sandwiches” are assembled put them in the oven for 5 minutes on bake and 5 minutes on broil. Take them out of the oven, let them cool down a bit and… eat.
Now, as you can see there isn’t anything healthy about a sandwich with chicken instead of bread, bacon and cheese but our version has fiber, we didn't deep fry it and the bacon we used had no preservatives so Foodgang 3 KFC 0 ! Score is not up for discussion ok?
So even though this recipe is delicious like that there are a few things that can be changed. First of all my initial idea was to use cayenne pepper instead of espelette but I forgot my cayenne pepper at home. In terms of the dried breadcrumbs I would probably do ½ cup of dried bread crumbs and half a cup of panko. I was also not too happy with provolone as the cheese choice, I would have gone with a nice gruyere and Pierre suggested aged cheddar. Also you may want to spread aioli on both “slices of bread” for maximum moisture. As is the case with every recipe we post, by no means should you ever follow the recipe exactly as the best kind of cooking is experimental using the ingredients you like the most and as much as you like. That way if you don’t like the dish you know it’s your fault and not mine.
Having nothing else to say… DIG IN !
Tuesday, 16 August 2011
Street food controversy in Montreal - Foodgang's position
The other day, I stumbled upon an article on food trucks and street food, and if you've been watching any of the cable channels related to food, you know that food trucks are more popular than ever and are finding very interesting ways to innovate your eating experience. Here is the article:
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/vivre/cuisine/201108/15/01-4425991-cuisine-de-rue-les-partis-municipaux-divises.php?utm_categorieinterne=trafficdrivers&utm_contenuinterne=cyberpresse_vous_suggere_4425984_article_POS1
In short it says that some municipal parties are very open to the idea, while the one in power believes the restaurant offer is sufficient.
If you live in Montreal, does it feel like you're missing something ? does it feel like someone is raining on your parade and not letting you enjoy what the rest of the world is raving about ? If you're part of the Foodgang, the answer is a big YES.
My first question is why does the municipal government feel they need to control the forces of competition in the restaurant market ? Yes there are a lot of restaurants in Montreal, but there are also a lot of clients ! If anything, street food would create a new market. Let's say I'm walking in the old port at 3pm and need a snack, I will probably not stop at a sit down restaurant, thinking it's too big or expensive for the purpose, but if there is an offer for quick street food, I might go for it instead of waiting for dinner.
My second question supposes that it does have an impact on the traditional restaurant industry. If you are in any business, aren't you supposed to adapt to your clientele's demands ? Why not open a food truck branded in the colors of your eatery ? The truck and restaurant location then become mutual marketing tools feeding each other...
So what are YOUR reactions, how is it like in YOUR city ? I think it would be interesting to exchange on this topic.
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/vivre/cuisine/201108/15/01-4425991-cuisine-de-rue-les-partis-municipaux-divises.php?utm_categorieinterne=trafficdrivers&utm_contenuinterne=cyberpresse_vous_suggere_4425984_article_POS1
In short it says that some municipal parties are very open to the idea, while the one in power believes the restaurant offer is sufficient.
If you live in Montreal, does it feel like you're missing something ? does it feel like someone is raining on your parade and not letting you enjoy what the rest of the world is raving about ? If you're part of the Foodgang, the answer is a big YES.
My first question is why does the municipal government feel they need to control the forces of competition in the restaurant market ? Yes there are a lot of restaurants in Montreal, but there are also a lot of clients ! If anything, street food would create a new market. Let's say I'm walking in the old port at 3pm and need a snack, I will probably not stop at a sit down restaurant, thinking it's too big or expensive for the purpose, but if there is an offer for quick street food, I might go for it instead of waiting for dinner.
My second question supposes that it does have an impact on the traditional restaurant industry. If you are in any business, aren't you supposed to adapt to your clientele's demands ? Why not open a food truck branded in the colors of your eatery ? The truck and restaurant location then become mutual marketing tools feeding each other...
So what are YOUR reactions, how is it like in YOUR city ? I think it would be interesting to exchange on this topic.
Thursday, 11 August 2011
Watermelon Gazpacho
A few months back Pierre and I visited this Spanish restaurant in Toronto called “Embrujo Flamenco”. I had always been intrigued by it so we finally gave it a try. The place was far beyond my expectations, all the food was delicious and the ambiance was fantastic. But the little gem that caught my attention the most was this incredibly delicious Watermelon Gazpacho. I have to admit, when I read it in the menu my first reaction was “EW”. But mainly because the idea of cold tomato soup seemed like an aberration to me and then combined with watermelon even worse. However this restaurant proved me wrong and I loved it. It came in a small glass; it was smooth, bright red, refreshing and with this extremely delicious olive oil splashed on top. After what can only be described as a bull fight in my mouth I decided to give it a try a few weeks ago and prepare my own.
Ingredients
7-10 medium sized tomatoes
2 cups of watermelon, peeled and without seeds
1 small green pepper (or half a big one really)
2 garlic cloves
½ a small onion, peeled
Worcestershire sauce
Extra virgin olive oil (Preferably Spanish)
Salt and pepper
How to make it
You should start by putting 7 tomatoes in the blender along with the green pepper, the onion and the garlic cloves. I suggest cubing the tomatoes and the pepper before putting it in the blender so that the juices provide liquid and everything blends easier. Blend the mixture well and then pass the mixture through a fine strainer and put it back in the blender along with the watermelon, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and some salt and pepper. Blend the mixture again and of course, try it. After this point it’s all up to you and your palate. You may want to add more tomatoes, more watermelon or anything else. I found that my gazpacho was tasting too much like watermelon and did not have enough of a kick so I added another tomato and a bit more Worcestershire sauce and blended it again and that did the trick. Just remember to strain the mix again if you add more tomatoes so that it does not get chunky. Chill the gazpacho for a couple hours in the fridge and serve it in small glasses, martini or wine glasses. Once in the glass decorate with a nice splash of olive oil and enjoy.
Olive oil is a staple on every kitchen, we all know how delicious and nutritious it is. But the differences among the brands of olive oil available are gigantic. For my experiment I used Moli d’Oli which is incredibly good oil from olives cultivated in the Priorat county of Catalonia, Spain. Now, this oil brand will be difficult to find in North America and it is also about $25 CAD for half a litre so you may not want to go that crazy with your oil. The Priorat county is an origin denomination so if you find oil from this region you can almost be sure you struck gold. In general it is important to use good quality oil with a strong almost bitter flavour; otherwise it will be as using regular vegetable oil on your recipes. I tend to like Spanish oil the best, Italian and Greek oils are easier to find but they tend to have a very mild taste that gets lost when combined with other things. There are a couple Spanish brands that are good quality, budget friendly and widely available in Canada and the US. These two brands are Ybarra (now known as Y ) and Carbonell. Please always go with “Extra Virgin” as the difference it makes is gigantic. So go nuts, test oils and... DIG IN !
Precisions on the Basque Verrine
I recieved a request for clarification !!! Thank you for your interest :-)
So the whipped cream I used was in fact sweetened.
The beauty of that dish is the odd encounter between the bitterness of the cheese, the sweetness of the jam, the kick of the Espelette pepper and the smooth texture of the whipped cream.
The problem is that if you use unsweetened cream, it turns everything bland and ruins your effort. If you're making the whipped cream yourself at home, you can make it lightly sweetened. If you're buying it from a store, well you have to go with te amount of sugar they put in. That could be a great opportunity to learn and make your whipped cream yourself.
So the whipped cream I used was in fact sweetened.
The beauty of that dish is the odd encounter between the bitterness of the cheese, the sweetness of the jam, the kick of the Espelette pepper and the smooth texture of the whipped cream.
The problem is that if you use unsweetened cream, it turns everything bland and ruins your effort. If you're making the whipped cream yourself at home, you can make it lightly sweetened. If you're buying it from a store, well you have to go with te amount of sugar they put in. That could be a great opportunity to learn and make your whipped cream yourself.
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
Basque Verrine
Basque Country, I SOOOO love this region of the world that it was only fitting that the first recipe we present here be from there. It is very easy to make, very easy to miss, but when you make it right, it truly does taste like the food they make over there (trust a native !).
In ''Le Pays Basque', they have this very strong fermented yogurt called Mamia. Don't look for it in North America, you will spend weeks to find nothing. It has a very potent and salty taste that is combined with sweet jam or jelly, usually black cherry jelly or Espelette pepper jelly (our choice for this version).
Well after several trials, I found a way to make a mixture that tastes close enough to Mamia and renders a pretty real taste of Pays Basque in your home.
- 150g of ewe cheese. (recommended brands Ossau Iraty or Etorki as an alternate)
- 1/2 liter of 15% cooking cream (or 35% for an even thicker result)
- 1 small pot of Espelette pepper jelly (to be found in your local import grocery)
- 4 t spoons of ground dried Espelette pepper
- Whipped cream (better if you make it yourself but store brand works)
If you want to save, don't buy the recommended brands of cheese and ask your cheese store for alternatives of ewe cheese, but make sure it is as strong as possible to the taste. You can replace Espelette pepper jelly with any red pepper jelly, but you will lose that delicate and spicy aftertaste unique to Espelette peppers. It's not too bad if you're not serving for a true Basque person, but a connoisseur will be able to tell the difference. You can always add thinly ground black or Espelette pepper to the jelly to give it a kick. The dried Espelette pepper can be replaced by a mix of paprika and black pepper, but honestly it's not as good, so just indulge and if you must invest in just one exotic ingredient, that's the one to go with !In ''Le Pays Basque', they have this very strong fermented yogurt called Mamia. Don't look for it in North America, you will spend weeks to find nothing. It has a very potent and salty taste that is combined with sweet jam or jelly, usually black cherry jelly or Espelette pepper jelly (our choice for this version).
Well after several trials, I found a way to make a mixture that tastes close enough to Mamia and renders a pretty real taste of Pays Basque in your home.
For an apetizer for 4 people, here's what you need:
- 150g of ewe cheese. (recommended brands Ossau Iraty or Etorki as an alternate)
- 1/2 liter of 15% cooking cream (or 35% for an even thicker result)
- 1 small pot of Espelette pepper jelly (to be found in your local import grocery)
- 4 t spoons of ground dried Espelette pepper
- Whipped cream (better if you make it yourself but store brand works)
How you do it:
The making of this dish is so easy and the result is both delicious and visually attractive.
1. Take 4 martini glasses and put about 1 and 1/2 t spoon of Espelette pepper jelly. If you chose the cheap ass way, put your red pepper jelly and add either Espelette pepper powder or a mix of Paprika and black pepper.
2. Pour all the cooking cream into a saucepan and add all the cheese (preferably diced as it will melt faster than a whole block) and put the heat on medium.
3. Let the cheese melt completely in the cream while stirring from time to time, until it is completely melted and it forms a uniformed mix.
4. Pour the mix in the martini glasses over the jam. Some will mix and some will stay at the bottom, don't panic it's normal.
5. Reserve in the fridge for a good 3 hours, that's where it will take the desired consistance.
6. Right before serving, do a nice whip cream design on the top and decorate with a bit of Espelette pepper powder
- The first time I did it, I didn't put enough cheese (because I ate a good portion of it before ), it ended up tasting like yogurt and jam. So in my opinion it is better to put more cheese than too little.The making of this dish is so easy and the result is both delicious and visually attractive.
1. Take 4 martini glasses and put about 1 and 1/2 t spoon of Espelette pepper jelly. If you chose the cheap ass way, put your red pepper jelly and add either Espelette pepper powder or a mix of Paprika and black pepper.
2. Pour all the cooking cream into a saucepan and add all the cheese (preferably diced as it will melt faster than a whole block) and put the heat on medium.
3. Let the cheese melt completely in the cream while stirring from time to time, until it is completely melted and it forms a uniformed mix.
4. Pour the mix in the martini glasses over the jam. Some will mix and some will stay at the bottom, don't panic it's normal.
5. Reserve in the fridge for a good 3 hours, that's where it will take the desired consistance.
6. Right before serving, do a nice whip cream design on the top and decorate with a bit of Espelette pepper powder
Bloopers and pitfalls:
- Really I repeat it, there are ways to make this recipe budget friendly, but the only way to make it really Basque is to have at least the Espelette pepper powder.
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
Pablo
Hey all
My name is Pablo and I like food. I have recently become partner in crime of Pierre’s gastronomic adventures and I am enjoying it as I have someone to share responsibility if I light my kitchen on fire. You will notice that I will also be contributing often to this blog.
I am Mexican and everything in my life has revolved around food and kitchens as far back as I can remember. My mom was in the kitchen every single morning (except for Sundays as it was church + restaurant day) and as I grew up I found myself spending more and more time watching or helping her cook rather than playing or watching TV. My own experimentation with food started early on as soon as I learned to make Jell-O from a box. Yes I know boiling water is not rocket science but hey I was 5 and I managed to not burn myself. After that I started experimenting with this very same jell-o and created such horrible concoctions as Lime with raisins or apple with honey. Also one time my best friend and I made special jell-o for another friend. I was surprised to learn that you almost can’t feel the onion and garlic powder on strawberry jell-o. At least we tried. Throughout time I learned to make my own non box jell-o and that’s where hell broke loose. I started trying real experiments that produced successful results, cheese jell-o, eggnog jell-o and so on.
At age 18 I moved to Canada and I found myself lost in student hell. I only knew how to make jell-o and I also had no money. So Kraft Dinner and Tuna were staples in my everyday life. After 6 months I had lost 20 lbs and some of my dignity so I decided to go do my groceries and experiment with real food. To my surprise cooking was easy as pie. Suddenly I had pork chops, beef, chicken, cakes and pretty much everything in my catalogue. If I didn’t know how to prepare something I would just look for inspiration at the grocery store put a few things together and see what comes out of it. I was happy that 90% of the time the results ranged from ok to unbelievably good. The other 10% had to be eaten anyway as I had no money to replace it and let me tell you, no matter how much ketchup you put on undercooked rice, it will still be bad.
Once I had a real job and found myself living in pretentious gourmet store heaven (Toronto) I was able to buy new things, new ingredients and continue the experimentation. I think my graduation to food was when I managed to pull off a full thanksgiving dinner with turkey, stuffing, side dishes and everything on my own (with some help from my friends).
Lately I have a passion for everything related to Spain so in my contributions to this blog you will probably find a lot of bizarre Mexican-Spanish combinations but also my experiments with some classics as gazpacho and paella.
So before I continue rambling I just need to say… DIG IN !
My name is Pablo and I like food. I have recently become partner in crime of Pierre’s gastronomic adventures and I am enjoying it as I have someone to share responsibility if I light my kitchen on fire. You will notice that I will also be contributing often to this blog.
I am Mexican and everything in my life has revolved around food and kitchens as far back as I can remember. My mom was in the kitchen every single morning (except for Sundays as it was church + restaurant day) and as I grew up I found myself spending more and more time watching or helping her cook rather than playing or watching TV. My own experimentation with food started early on as soon as I learned to make Jell-O from a box. Yes I know boiling water is not rocket science but hey I was 5 and I managed to not burn myself. After that I started experimenting with this very same jell-o and created such horrible concoctions as Lime with raisins or apple with honey. Also one time my best friend and I made special jell-o for another friend. I was surprised to learn that you almost can’t feel the onion and garlic powder on strawberry jell-o. At least we tried. Throughout time I learned to make my own non box jell-o and that’s where hell broke loose. I started trying real experiments that produced successful results, cheese jell-o, eggnog jell-o and so on.
At age 18 I moved to Canada and I found myself lost in student hell. I only knew how to make jell-o and I also had no money. So Kraft Dinner and Tuna were staples in my everyday life. After 6 months I had lost 20 lbs and some of my dignity so I decided to go do my groceries and experiment with real food. To my surprise cooking was easy as pie. Suddenly I had pork chops, beef, chicken, cakes and pretty much everything in my catalogue. If I didn’t know how to prepare something I would just look for inspiration at the grocery store put a few things together and see what comes out of it. I was happy that 90% of the time the results ranged from ok to unbelievably good. The other 10% had to be eaten anyway as I had no money to replace it and let me tell you, no matter how much ketchup you put on undercooked rice, it will still be bad.
Once I had a real job and found myself living in pretentious gourmet store heaven (Toronto) I was able to buy new things, new ingredients and continue the experimentation. I think my graduation to food was when I managed to pull off a full thanksgiving dinner with turkey, stuffing, side dishes and everything on my own (with some help from my friends).
Lately I have a passion for everything related to Spain so in my contributions to this blog you will probably find a lot of bizarre Mexican-Spanish combinations but also my experiments with some classics as gazpacho and paella.
So before I continue rambling I just need to say… DIG IN !
Monday, 8 August 2011
Pierre-François
Hello all,
My name is Pierre-Francois and I am not ashamed to admit that I am a foodie. Not because it's the new trend (Food Network anyone !), but because I have always been so. As far back as I can remember, the good moments in my life have always been related to food and drinks.
It surely helps that I was born in France, in the beautiful and quiet region of Bearn, in the town of Jurançon to be precise. If there is a paradise on this earth, then Bearn is probably the closest thing to it. Vast Pyrenees mountains with their high peaks and welcoming valleys, the majestic city of Pau (a gem of a city for the connoisseurs), a bucolic countryside and most of all, a gastronomy so good, diverse and attractive that it can only turn into a passion.
I am also a seasoned traveler, I want to be able to say I saw the whole world before I die... on my travels, I never miss an opportunity to try different food. From spicy and colorful to the finest cuisine, from light to hearty, form high end restaurants to family dinner, I LOVE it all.
I am now a citizen of Canada, where life is good and the people simply the best in the world, no contest ! I have been here since 1998 and been very busy leading a banking career and pursuing all sorts of hobbies, passions and sports. When I came here, North America was a gastronomic disaster, you could barely find olive oil in the grocery stores and to find a good restaurant you had to shed the equivalent of a rent or mortgage payment into one dinner. But I am glad to say that we've come a long way, and in my humble opinion, North America is where it's at now in gastronomy. Because something happened which I couldn't say what and when, but suddenly all the good food from around the world started to become available, people started to seek good wine, rare cheeses, exotic spices and no more the Americanized version of foreign cuisine.
From that point on, many chefs have emerged and now eating is as much a pleasure here as it was back in France.
Being more installed in my career, I have been feeling the urge to start cooking again, which I have undertaken with success and pride !
My name is Pierre-Francois and I am not ashamed to admit that I am a foodie. Not because it's the new trend (Food Network anyone !), but because I have always been so. As far back as I can remember, the good moments in my life have always been related to food and drinks.
It surely helps that I was born in France, in the beautiful and quiet region of Bearn, in the town of Jurançon to be precise. If there is a paradise on this earth, then Bearn is probably the closest thing to it. Vast Pyrenees mountains with their high peaks and welcoming valleys, the majestic city of Pau (a gem of a city for the connoisseurs), a bucolic countryside and most of all, a gastronomy so good, diverse and attractive that it can only turn into a passion.
I am also a seasoned traveler, I want to be able to say I saw the whole world before I die... on my travels, I never miss an opportunity to try different food. From spicy and colorful to the finest cuisine, from light to hearty, form high end restaurants to family dinner, I LOVE it all.
I am now a citizen of Canada, where life is good and the people simply the best in the world, no contest ! I have been here since 1998 and been very busy leading a banking career and pursuing all sorts of hobbies, passions and sports. When I came here, North America was a gastronomic disaster, you could barely find olive oil in the grocery stores and to find a good restaurant you had to shed the equivalent of a rent or mortgage payment into one dinner. But I am glad to say that we've come a long way, and in my humble opinion, North America is where it's at now in gastronomy. Because something happened which I couldn't say what and when, but suddenly all the good food from around the world started to become available, people started to seek good wine, rare cheeses, exotic spices and no more the Americanized version of foreign cuisine.
From that point on, many chefs have emerged and now eating is as much a pleasure here as it was back in France.
Being more installed in my career, I have been feeling the urge to start cooking again, which I have undertaken with success and pride !
Thursday, 4 August 2011
Why we do it and how it will work
We have bought and read many cooking books and most of them are great, but they forget something, they're not talking to super mom or master chef, they're talking to us... the rookies. They surely have gone through a lot of trial and error to perfect their recipe but, we've always wondered why we should too if someone has done it before... so that's why we've decided to share that part with you. Our trials, our errors, those ingredients we could never find and replaced with something else, that ingredient we put too much of or overcooked etc...
So for each recipe, we will give you the original one... a cheaper alternative version, and bloopers. It doesn't mean that you won't have any bloopers of your own trying it, or you won't find a better way to do it, in that case you are more than welcome to share with the group. The more the merrier.
We truly believe the more we all participate, the better this blog will be, and the best we shall eat !
Dig in !
So for each recipe, we will give you the original one... a cheaper alternative version, and bloopers. It doesn't mean that you won't have any bloopers of your own trying it, or you won't find a better way to do it, in that case you are more than welcome to share with the group. The more the merrier.
We truly believe the more we all participate, the better this blog will be, and the best we shall eat !
Dig in !
Monday, 1 August 2011
A TABLE ! : Recipes for real people... It's real
Hello all,
The food gang is just a group of regular people who love food… a lot. We all try new things, experiment making crazy complicated dishes or get lazy and prepare simple comfort food. Every once in a while we find a new ingredient; we put our goggles on and head into the kitchen hoping for a positive outcome. In this blog you will be able to read all about our culinary experiences in and out of the kitchen each of them with the particular style of each of the contributors of the food gang. You might get inspiration, a recipe or two, many tips on what to do and what not to do in the kitchen and above all hopefully you will have a good time reading our postings.
Dig In !
The food gang is just a group of regular people who love food… a lot. We all try new things, experiment making crazy complicated dishes or get lazy and prepare simple comfort food. Every once in a while we find a new ingredient; we put our goggles on and head into the kitchen hoping for a positive outcome. In this blog you will be able to read all about our culinary experiences in and out of the kitchen each of them with the particular style of each of the contributors of the food gang. You might get inspiration, a recipe or two, many tips on what to do and what not to do in the kitchen and above all hopefully you will have a good time reading our postings.
Dig In !
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