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10/29/09
Recently I was invited to appear on the CBS Early Show in New York City, and asked to create an “audience-friendly” recipe. Not a typical request.
The night before the show, I put on my thinking cap, and the idea of Wonderbread just popped into my head. It’s such an American standard!
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10/27/09
In 90 per cent of restaurants around the world, oyster shuckers are left at the back door to shuck and clean dishes in between orders.
As an oyster shucker in Toronto, I'm a bit biased to bar dining as that is how we work -- up front in full view of the customer. I would rather be in no other place.
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10/23/09
Wild game is the heart and soul of my cooking and I only serve it during these months, because it’s against my belief that it should be presented out of season. Preparing these delicacies takes me back to the dampness of the autumns in France, as I left my mother’s house in the early mornings with my best friends and our loyal barking companions. When people experience these dishes, I hope that beyond the enjoyment, I can also pass on the memories and traditions of those foggy and beautiful Alsace mornings.
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10/22/09
On Oct. 31, Toronto's own Japanese fine dining shrine EDO is combining forces with Nobu from New York City to host a reception as part of the Grand Cru wine festival to raise money for the University Health Network.
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10/20/09
There's nothing quite like a scallop. The buttery sweetness, the firm texture, the caramelized sear on the outside and just warmed tenderness of the inside... and yet there is something missing. When the scallop is shucked in Europe, the shucker is careful to remove the scallop meat AND the roe that is attached to the side of the muscle. The coral-coloured roe is the caviar of the scallop and is tossed overboard here in North America.
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10/13/09
If you have a choice of fish, do you go only for the wild or does it matter overall? I find that the diners in Toronto like to know where their food is coming from these days. It's harder to label the location of origin of wild fish because you have to personally know the fisher, their port of call, and how the fish is transported to the table.
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10/11/09
On a weekend that most are talking turkey we’ll turn our attention to truffles. Yes, it’s that time of year when these tiny, top-priced tubers turn otherwise frugal-minded chefs, like my husband, into literal truffle hogs.
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10/09/09
It’s definitely getting chilly outside. But it’s a delicious season for seafood lovers because this is when the best lobster, crab, mussels and oysters in the country are available. I love to poach mussels in a white-wine-and-lemon bouillon, simmered with shallots, bay leaf and garlic.
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10/07/09
For me one of the main things that makes the advent of fall easier to take -- even after a lousy summer like this one -- is starting to think about fall foods and the end of year harvest. Right now for me it’s about whiter meats like poultry -- and nothing quite so much as rabbit. It’s such a great, underappreciated meat. Tasty, but lean, and when you braise it right, exceptionally tender.
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10/05/09
Ah, the plight of the restaurateur. To reserve a table for someone you don't even know or don't reserve and hope that people will come in through the door -- without the security of having a table ready.
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10/02/09
Marc wanted to share one of our favourite family recipes of the season. When he was a young boy in Alsace, during the hunting season, the children were in charge of picking the apples in the orchards. These apples were used for numerous preserves, sweet sauces, desserts and his grandmother’s favourite stuffing made with apples, boudin noir and chestnuts. Marc still uses her recipe for this special dish. We hope your family enjoys it as much as ours.
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10/01/09
Fall is the best time of year to cook, because the flavours are so intense. When it gets colder outside, you want something to stick to your ribs, so one of my mains is slow-braised beef. It’s so tender you can eat it with a spoon.
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