Water

Evian came out with the 2010 model designed by Issey Miyake
Here is a run-through of bottles since 2004.

2010 - Issey Miyake - pret-a-porter

2009 - Paul Smith - pret-a-porter

2009 - Jean-Paul Gauthier - couture

2008 - Jean-Paul Gauthier - pret-a-porter

2007-Christian Lacroix- couture and pret-a-porter

2005 - Landor

Whats in my chocolate milk?

Milking meaning from the ingredients label

Restaurant Trailer

2 Chefs in Chicago are treating the dining experience almost like a show, you buy tickets not items off a menu. I believe they currently have a cocktail bar and now are opening a restaurant, check out the trailer



"What is Next Restaurant?
Next Restaurant will explore world cuisine. It is being developed by chef Grant Achatz, Nick Kokonas, and the creative team that built Alinea, including Crucial Detail designer Martin Kastner, Architect Steve Rugo, and Interior Designer Tom Stringer.
Next Restaurant will serve four menus per year from great moments in culinary history – or the future. Our team of chefs will investigate, test, refine, and present authentic menu interpretations from cultures, places and times. Depending on the cuisine, meals will be 5 to 6 courses and will include food, beverage pairings, and service.
Our goal each season is to present the best possible menu from each culinary inspiration. We want to take diners on a journey to the foods we find exciting, delicious, and important."

They also work on food pairings at the bar. Here is bubble tea gin and tonic which you might like Jet Set.

Modernist Cuisine

 "Modernist Cuisine is a six-volume, 2,400-page set that is destined to reinvent cooking. The lavishly illustrated books use thousands of original images to make the science and technology clear and engaging."

Oh ... its also 500$

via kottke

Dinner at L.A.B.

Just had dinner at L.A.B. with my friend Joe.

L.A.B. stands for "Living and Breathing"... It presents a fun twist on molecular cuisine. Great service and fun food with a sense of humour. Located on College Street, near Grace Street in Toronto.

Here is what we had tonight:
Entrée: Tilapia Crudo with Grapefruit (Shared)
Main (Myself): Asparagus Risotto
Main (Joe): Lamb Ribs served with isralian couscous and ochra
Desert (shared) = Soft Chocolate Bar that consisted of Semi-Soft Chocolate/ Cap’n Crunch/ Chartreuse Gel/ Mint Powder

All of it was delicious and beautiful presentation!

Spots

Some interesting spots to check out:

"Red Tea Box

696 Queen W, at Euclid, 416-203-8882. Tucked away behind one of the best bake shops in town, this intimate tree-shaded terrace and coach house feels more like the south of France than west of Bathurst. Spectacular pan-Asian bento boxes and fizzy lemongrass lemonade only prove the point. Warning: no reservations. Unlicensed.

Negroni

492 College, at Palmerston, 416-413-0005, negronipanini.com. If the sexy pressed panini – fresh buffalo mozzarella with tomato and pesto on ciabatta – and two patios don’t draw you in, the $20 bottles of Italian red sure will. And don’t forget to save room for house-made peanut butter ice cream

Art Square

334 Dundas W, at McCaul, 416-595-5222. Over the road from the Frank Gehry reno of the AGO, this Euro café-cum-art-gallery is an official Illy outlet featuring a short card of crepes and house-made truffles. Bonus: one of the prettiest secret courtyard patios in the city. Open daily 10 am to 10 pm. Licensed. Access: four steps at door, washrooms in basement."

Tons more coffee spots here

Pop treats

Everything is about the bar these days.

Popcicle bar in NYC
"Hot town, summer in the city, and the perfect antidote for sweltering temperatures has just moved in to New York's West Village. The eye-catching and delicious popsicles of Carmine Street's latest arrival Popbar, are the new old shape of sweet treat refreshment. Served on a stick, Popbar's all-natural gelato, sorbetto and frozen yoghurt add an artisan twist to the classic popsicle - or for some, ice lolly"

For home hunting in Toronto, you need fuel...

...and mine was lattes... tons and tons of lattes.
So basically each place I was going to visit, I would walk around and try to find a cute neighbourhood café I could hang out at...

A few of my choices:

Manic Coffee, in my old neighbourhood of Kensington Market/Chinatown....
426 College

Belljar café
2072 Dundas Street West (Roncesvalles area)
Web article

Lit Espresso Bar
810 College (near Ossington)
Beautiful Interiors

Crumbs

cupcakes....

More gingertecture!

(via Epicute)

Did someone say cupcake?

more at Martha

Snickerdoodle inspired delights!

Snickerdooddle inspired cupcakes. mini of course, i'm obsessed at the moment.
which are Vegan and ergo egg-less!

sans-frosting

avec frosting

Recipe via Grouprecipes

Ingredients

1 cup soymilk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup + 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
2. Mix together soymilk and vinegar and set aside for 1-5 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and white sugar.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon, brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of the vegetable oil.
5. Add remaining oil and the orange and vanilla extracts to the soured soymilk. Stir together and add to the dry ingredients. Mix together to form a smooth batter. Pour into the lined cupcake pan, filling each cup no more than 2/3 full.
6. Spoon a heaping 1/2 teaspoon full of the cinnamon mixture into each cupcake. Make a zigzag or spiral in the cupcake batter with a bamboo stick or toothpick.
7. Bake for 19-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Allow to cool and frost with vanilla frosting and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
9. Frosting Notes: I rarely measure when I make vanilla frosting. I just take 1/2 cup of softened Earth Balance and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and beat it with enough sifted powdered sugar to get the right consistency and taste. If it gets too thick I thin it with a little soy milk.

NOTE: I added maybe ... 1/8th cup flour to the batter, it was too liquidy before putting in greased cupcake tins.

What kind of cheese am I?

apparently blue....
i'm quite surprised

"You are a soft, crumbly white blue-streaked cheese. You are very cool and mellow. You are very knowledgeable and wise and people come to you for advice and help.

Blue cheese is a white cheese with blue veins and a sometimes crumbly interior. This cheese usually has tangy, piquant, spicy and peppery flavor. Use in salad dressings with cream cheese for spreads. [Texture: hard, semi-soft ] "


Cheese Test: What type of cheese are you?

 

Cookie of the Week - Snickerdoodle

I suddenly feel the need to bake!

"A snickerdoodle is a type of sugar cookie made with cream of tartar and rolled in cinnamon sugar. It is characterized by a cracked surface and can be crisp or soft depending on preference. In modern recipes, the leavening agent is usually baking powder.^{[citation needed]}
Some people mistakenly refer to snickerdoodles as "sugar cookies". The difference between the two comes from the use of cinnamon, which is balanced with cream of tartar to give the cookies their sweet, spicy flavor

will report on progress later!

House of the rising tomato

via epicute

Its friday ... that means its time for ... baking!!!!

MINI CUPCAKES!!!!
aren't these cute?
didn't I make mini angel cake poofs for you guys once?
maybe i'll try my orange chocolate cupcakes with vanilla cream cheese icing to dampen the stuck in the city blues.

(via Smiley's Sweets and Creations)

Cookies - Java Cutouts

Java Cutouts - Recipes - Food - Canadian Living

NOTE: I made them without the chocolate topping and they were delish!!! Great cookie with tea or coffee or even maybe hot cocoa. A bit heavy which is kind of good because you feel satisfied after 2. I also didn't make shapes. I just rolled the dough into a log, then chilled it, then sliced the cookies, nice and thin. mmmmm

Ingredients
2 tsp (10 mL) instant coffee granules
1 tbsp (15 mL) vanilla
1/4 tsp (1 mL) cinnamon
Pinch salt
1 cup (250 mL) butter
3/4 cup (175 mL) packed brown sugar
2-1/2 cups (625 mL) all-purpose flour
2 oz (60 g) white chocolate, melted
45 chocolateespressobeans

Preparation:

In small bowl, dissolve coffee in vanilla. Stir in cinnamon and salt.

In large bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy. Beat in coffee mixture. Stir flour into batter in 2 additions, blending with hands if necessary. Divide in half; press into discs and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 4 hours or until firm. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.) Let come to room temperature.

Line rimless baking sheets with parchment paper or grease; set aside.

Between sheets of plastic wrap or waxed paper, roll out discs, 1 at a time, to scant
1/4-inch (5 mm) thickness. Using 2-inch (5 cm) cutter, cut out shapes; place on prepared pans, about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.

Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven for about 12 minutes or until lightly browned on bottom. Let cool on pans on racks for 2 minutes. Transfer to racks; let cool
completely.

With small spoon, dab each with melted chocolate; press espresso bean on top. Let stand until chocolate is firm. (Make-ahead: Layer between waxed paper in airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month.)

Ya think?

Jet Set Girl, I don't know if you went to Thirteen in London?

We tried it, and everything was delish, but incredibly, out of this world, bottom of the ocean salty.

This doesn't surprise me at all.

The boy and I have long-running inside jokes about 'pulling a Jamie', when we accidentally spill the entire content of the salt shaker.