Ma Maison enters a gingerbread competition

Just in time for the holidays, the Ma Maison team decided to enter a fierce but fun gingerbread competition. The rules were simple, make “something” out of gingerbread was basically all we were told. The construction had to be 2x2x2 feet and everything except the base had to be edible. Ma Maison came up with …

Sugar flowers

Since baking in general is not dangerous enough, I’ve taken on a new challenge…. sugar pulling. For those not familiar with this concept, well, it’s pretty much what it sounds like, hot sugar being shaped and pulled into diverse “artistic” shapes. The sugar is warmed, dyed (any colour of the rainbow) and once it’s the …

Geek Grill Gambit

I know there are more inexpensive and functional ways to keep tabs on temperature in your grill, but there are none cooler.  Enter the iGrill bluetooth thermometer. It is a stand alone meat probe style thermometer that also comes with an app to link directly to your iphone or ipad via bluetooth.  Features include safe …

Final meal at Marben, Toronto

I am very disappointed to have to write this review but I think in light of the situation, I need to stand up for what I believe! Marben has a special place in my heart but all feelings aside, Notes on a Meal readers deserve my honesty. A few months ago, my fellow diner and …

Les Quinze Nits – Barcelona

There’s never been a restaurant more embedded in my memory as Les Quinze Nits in Plaza Real, Barcelona, Spain. More particularly, I remember every nuance of the dessert that I had there, the dessert that started my culinary passion. I even waited in line a second night in a row in order to experience that …

Pedestrian Physics

After trial by fire, and over a week immersed in Italian culture, I have learned a few things about pedestrian physics here in Italy. 1. Italians drive very well. They also drive very fast. Italians are very aware of their surroundings as they do not rely on/need/enjoy using traffic signage to regulate their vehicular movements. …

Our culinary adventures in Rome (Part 2)

With my fellow blogger being so detailed while describing our Roman vacation I’d just like to talk about the pastry side of things. Unfortunately, it seems as though the Romans don’t really appreciate a fine pastry and will just settle for mediocre. The best looking pastries we’ve seen were at a French bakery and that’s …

Professionalism Part: How Devoted Are You?

This post goes out to all the industry people that read this little blog of ours. I don’t really want replies but I’m just pondering an issue I’ve recently come across… How devoted are you to your kitchen?… We all (well most of us) chose to work in our specific kitchens due to a respect …

Human Milk Cheese Update

Yup, just when you thought a strange story was dead and burried along comes some shocking new developments. According to one of our readers, human milk cheese is already available on the market and has been for some time.  Since 1947, the good people at Cosma Cheese in France,  have been making Petit Singly cheese.  Using …

Quote from Leon Kass, Ethicist, from his book The Hungry Soul: Eating and the Perfection of Our Nature

“…nature does everything in the operations of a beast, whereas man contributes to his operations by being a free agent. The former chooses or rejects by instinct and the latter by an act of freedom, so that a beast cannot deviate from the rule that is prescribed to it even when it would be advantageous …

KFC Double Down

It is now official the Double Down from KFC has made it way above the 49th parallel, as of October 17th. KFC has upped the anti with this apocalyptic sandwich. For anyone who doesn’t know what the Double Down is then please allow me to describe what comes with this insane sandwich, it you can …

Amazon.ca

Thanks Rob, ever since he suggested I check out culinary related books on Amazon.ca instead of going to a Chapters or Indigo (same parent company for both stores) and paying more for the same books, I have become addicted to checking out books from this website. I have probably bought close to 25 books since …