email: thefoodfluffer@gmail.com




Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Mise à Jour....

I thought that I would follow up on a thought or two and some uses of products mentioned in previous blog postings.


Poached Pears with Dried Roses
First, the beautiful tiny dried roses.  Bosc pears were on sale recently, loaded up on them and I decided to poach some of them.  I typically make a simple sugar of 1l of water and 1.5 cups of sugar, throw in a split vanilla bean, some lemon peel strips and we are good to go.  This time, I added the petals of about ten tiny dried roses - which infused a lovely floral scent and taste the to pears.  They were delicious just like that, simple and understated. 

Tiffins - and where to buy them...
A friend spotted something that looks like tiffins at a large (ie. sanitized) organic downtown grocery store and sent me a photo. They appear to be only one level (what is that?) and cost about $30+ adding insult to injury.  Go ethnic! Go to an east Indian neighbourhood, or grocery store - they are sure to have them. Ideally, buy a stainless steel one and not aluminium.  My personal preference, and they don't "ding" as much.  Contrary to what many people think, stainless steel CAN GO IN THE MICROWAVE - only stainless though and in fact the lining of many microwave ovens and is stainless steel.  Go ahead and take a peak in your oven now - the interior might be stainless.  Chef Michael Olson taught me that trick when I was assisting him, and his Chef wife Anna Olson, at a cooking school.

Chick Peas
My sons have found a new use for chick peas: ammo.  They received Vermont whittled slingshots from their sister for Christmas last year. Since then they have been helping themselves to my dry chick pea stash in order to take aim at: squirrels, racoons, pigeons and any other urban vermin that dares enter our back yard - that is if our dog doesn't go for them first.  Our neighbours are no doubt finding chick peas in their yards and I have found a few that went through the washing machine from my son's pockets.  I am happy to report that nothing and no-one has been seriously injured, maimed or broken since the slingshots arrived.     
: )

No comments:

Post a Comment