Notes On A Meal » Great Food

Banh Mi Boys Sandwich Shop, Toronto

admin — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:07:05 +0000

Quick service, low prices and delicious food…what more coulod you want for lunch or a super quick dinner? Located just west of Spadina on Queen st, this little sandwich shop pounds out food like it’s going out of style. A very short menu helps the kitchen work fast on the fly and cook almost everything to order while keeping the lines as short as possible.
The menu is divided into three sandwich styles: banh mi (white baguette), taco and a steamed bao (bun) all of which can be filled with one of few meat or veggie options. I can definitely recommend the pulled pork on the steamed bao. Served with cucumber, pickled carrots and cilantro, the pulled pork is not overly sweet or juicy and therefore the sandwich is not messy and can be eaten on the go (pulled pork sandwiches usually result in a laundry day for me). The cilantro and pickled carrots complement the saucy meat very well, keeping the sandwich light and leaving a very fresh flavor in your mouth. All orders come in a varying degree of spiciness so choose carefully (don’t be brave) and keep it milder in order to truly enjoy the flavours.
The shop has a limited amount of seating that’s generally occupied so I do recommend getting your meal to go and enjoying it on the go.

New and exciting at Ma Maison

Lemon Tart — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:41:43 +0000

So it’s been a while since I’ve updated the Ma Maison cake and pastry line-up, so here goes…. Also, drooling over the pictures is a good way to pass time on excruciatingly long Mondays!

History of the macaron

Lemon Tart — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:04:26 +0000

Their name comes from the Italian word “maccherone” which means to beat or crush, used here in reference to the nut (predominantly almond) flour that these desserts are made with.

Although the history of the macaron is a little foggy, most sources agree that they date back to the early 1500′s when Caterine de Medici’s Italian pastry chefs were brought over to France after her marriage to Henry II. The chefs began creating cookies made of almonds, egg whites and sugar. It wasn’t until about 400 years later when chef Pierre Desfontaines, of the famous pastry shop Laduree, had the brilliant idea to create a ganache sandwich using this wonderful almond cookie.

MMM (Ma Maison Macarons), Spring 2012

Lemon Tart — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 08:44:44 +0000

Here’s the new macaron line-up for the 2012 Spring season:
Dark Chocolate – Valrhona’s Nyangbo dark chocolate ganache
Wild Strawberry – White chocolate and wild strawberry ganache
Carrot Cake – Cinnamon cream cheese with a carrot and cinnamon curd
Lemon Basil – Lemon and Basil infused white chocolate ganache
Salted Caramel – Smooth and silky caramel filling with a salty and crunchy feuilletine crisp
Pistachio – Ghana milk chocolate and pistachio ganache

Macaron Day 2012, Toronto

Lemon Tart — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:19:00 +0000

What is macaron day?
It’s very simple: top pastry shops in Toronto team up for a good cause and give out these amazing little pastries to everyone who walks through the door. This year 25% of all the proceeds of macaron day will be donated to the Red Door Family Shelter (http://www.reddoorshelter.ca/).

Read more on Macaron Day 2012, Toronto…

New Loblaws – Queen and Portland, Toronto

Lemon Tart — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:14:55 +0000

I must say that, in my opinion, Loblaws really tops all the other grocery stores in Toronto for the quality of products offered and their variety. Although it may be pricier than others, freshness is always guatanteed and the customer service is definitely admirable.

Lucky Charms Sifter.

admin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:08:09 +0000

Tired of eating the garbage cereal shapes in a box of Lucky Charms? Tired of picking out the little bits of marshmallow goodness from each bowl by hand? Are you ready to change your life?

I’m Making Pancakes.

admin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:44:20 +0000

This is a great video I found while wandering around youtube. It has some sassy language so I wouldn’t blare it at work. Mac Lethal, spits some mad rhymes while flipping flapjacks. Tight lyrics and perfect pancakes; a win both ways. Enjoy.

Ma Maison’s Macarons, Toronto

Lemon Tart — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 01:15:05 +0000

If you’re not familiar with French Macarons, well, you should head out there and definitely try them. Two crispy yet chewy almond cookies sandwiched together with a velvety ganache, or a delightful jam or even better a smooth and subtle buttercream…. what’s not to love?!!? There’s plenty of places around Toronto doing them well but here’s my favourite (I may be a little biased)

Sugar Art Mastery

admin — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:12:35 +0000

I can’t say that pretend to know much about the world of pastry arts. I would even go so far as to say the whole pastry world for me is full of mystery and wonder. So when I saw the sugar work below, I almost fell off my chair. The pastry chef is Bastien Blanc-Tailleur from France. He’s young, driven and makes some of the most incredible show pieces around. He is literally taking the pastry world by storm. Everything in each image below is made out of sugar – everything. All the images below are taken from his blog which I whole heartily encourage your to visit.