best ceramic garlic grater

what a great find! i discovered this cute little dish in a montreal shop that specializes in french provincial household goods. as mothers always know best, mine told me it was her favourite garlic grater and i would not regret my purchase ~ i will not discuss the price of this little dish, but i agree, it was worth every penny.

in fact, i liked it so much that when i found a ceramic shop selling them in st-rémy-de-provence, in the south of france, i bought at least half dozen to offer as gifts. they were of course much cheaper: i got four of them for the price of mine! and everyone loved them! i even included some garlic, which made a lovely little gift package.

so here is how it works: see those little indentations? well you guessed it, they are a perfect surface to make a perfect paste of either garlic, ginger, or even grate parmesan (although i will admit i haven’t yet tried the latter). most ceramic garlic graters have a slightly different texture than mine, but all are actually very easy to clean with a little brush. honestly it makes a perfect garlic paste, and may i add, a perfect gift too!

i can’t recommend many places to find them as they are definitely a european commodity, but a quick search on google should get you plenty of resources, maybe even some in your area. i also know that walrus in vancouver carries a german imported version which is very elegant.

how to get rid of garlic and onion smell on your fingers :

this is an awesome and simple trick i learned a while back, and it works wonders! with this type of garlic grater you will need to know it. first wet your hands, then grab a pinch of salt (don’t go using your fancy fleur de sel for this!) and scrub. then rinse and use your regular soap. if the smell persists, repeat with a little more salt, though it usually works the first time!

greatest canadian cheddar

i realize that for all cheese lovers out there, cheddar may not be at the top of your list. it may not even be on your list. but if you are a little open-minded, i am positive that these cheddar cheeses will rock your world.

smoked salmon cheddar

the first one is the smoked salmon cheddar from the village cheese company, in armstrong, british columbia. it is so delicious, that the very day i was introduced to it, i immediately fell in love; and so did those whom i know have tasted it. i will admit it is not easy to find (my friend had actually bought it in armstrong), and after many stops i finally suggested to one of my favourite cheese shop that they order it, as i believed many of their customers would also enjoy it. and they did. so thanks to them, one can now get it from the mount pleasant cheese shop on cambie street, in vancouver. it is a lovely little shop that specializes in canadian cheeses, and if you haven’t strolled the cambie village post-construction, it is really worth it!

i also eventually found it at dussa’s ham & cheese shop in the granville island market, if you don’t mind the shoulder-to-shoulder shopping (a huge deterrent for some). i am certain other places do carry it (but unfortunately not les amis du fromage, so save yourself a trip — a fantastic cheese shop btw).

truffle cheddar

the other cheddar i recommend exploring is for the finer palates, as truffles are not for everyone. but this truffle cheddar is likely to make any truffle lovers fall head over heels. this is particularly yummy with a glass of red wine... but i’ll leave it to you to pair it with your favourite beverage. this find is from the mount pleasant cheese shop, and unfortunately i do not have any more information at this time for it, but if you do, please send me a note! and yes, those little black nuggets are actual pieces of truffles!

now i apologize for all those living outside british columbia, as these might not be available in your neck of the wood. however, an enrollment conversation with your favourite cheese shop can go a long way! ;)

mariebelle : for the chocolate lover

last night i had a craving for something sweet, and of course my house is always empty of anything dessert-like (not that i don’t like them — i like them maybe a little too much). so looking in my cupboard to see if i had what i needed to make a hot coco, what do i find: a small tin of mariebelle! a gourmet hot chocolate just waiting for a special occasion! well last night suddenly felt special enough for me! (a small 10oz tin as seen below costs $20us, so i suppose that warrants special occasions)

this is the cream of the crop of hot chocolate! it is the way the french make it, as i’m sure do other europeans. it is nothing like the north american version of a hot coco which is more like a hot milk flavoured with chocolate. if you’ve seen the movie chocolat, it is exactly like the one juliette binoche makes in her little shop: a rich think syrup of melted chocolate, appropriately sweet with a soft touch of bitterness which creates a perfect balance on the palette (it is made with 60% to 70% cacao — so it also has good antioxidant properties: woohoo!).

it is sweet and rich enough that you only make a tiny bit at a time — i use my espresso cups for it which are perfect. it is also simple to make (just add water, about 50/50), yet to make it without clumps is a bit tricky. even boiling water doesn’t seem hot enough given the proportions. so if you have a microwave, use it. otherwise, if you make a quantity big enough, you can use a bain-marie (double boiler). lastly, if you want to make it more ‘north american’ you may add a drop of cream, a bit of liqueur, whipped cream or mini marshmallows (not that i recommend it).

with certainty this hot coco is for the true chocolate lover ~ and it is the best you’ll ever have!

mariebelle is located in new york city.

you can buy their chocolate online.

truffle salt

to the connoisseur, this will be old news. but i believe many people have yet to discover the wonderful flavour of truffles, or truffle salt – not to mention truffle oil. first and foremost, you have to love truffles to even appreciate its extended family. no, we’re not talking chocolate truffles here, but the little ugly mushrooms-like truffles that grow on the roots of certain trees.

if you are unfamiliar with truffles, this is what i’d first ask you: do you like mushrooms? if your answer is yes, then i’d say: it’s a very potent, earthy flavoured mushroom. now remember, i’m no fancy gourmet person with vocabulary that most don’t understand. i like to explain things the way i like them explained to me. simple. if the answer is no, then there are two possible routes: if you don’t like the taste of mushrooms, forget it. i can almost guaranty you will hate truffles. however, if the texture is what you dislike, then we have an in! unless you bite into a whole truffle (positively unlikely) you most probably will enjoy truffles.

if you want to venture into this new territory, the best and easiest way to acquaint yourself inexpensively is to buy a little bottle of truffle oil and drip it onto potatoes, french fries, steak or chicken, or on simple pasta (without tomato sauce). if you are enjoying that, then you’re likely to be hooked! the next step is salt and the actual truffles themselves. (one must know that most truffles lose a lot of their flavour in the process of being packaged. therefore, the oil and salt are a great way to infuse the flavour without expensive disappointments)*

 

this is a very fine salt, and the little black nuggets you see are actual dried truffle bits. it is the first one i ever tasted and i was instantly addicted. i didn’t even wince when i paid $25 for this tiny jar of 100g. i guaranty it, if you like truffles you will love this salt!

this second one is a fleur de sel with larger bits of dried truffles. i got it in paris and was complitely delighted with the quality and flavour. as you can see, the salt is much more coarse so you must account for that (ie. you’d want to give it time to 'melt' on your food a little).

truffle & salt

from selection favuzzi, casina rossa

about $25 ($23 at the gourmet warehouse)

100g

fleur de sel à la truffe

from terre exotique

about 9.50€  |  price unknown in canada

60g

having said all this, please enjoy it! if you haven’t yet tried it on your fries, it’s heaven! and on yam fries, double-heaven! there are so many things it can enhance! please don’t forget to share your favourite experience!

*a note on fresh truffles: unfortunately they are almost impossible to find in north america. possibly the grand chefs have an in on them, but for the rest of us we must resort to processed and packaged ones. as a food manager once admitted, those are mostly decorative; meaning that they have little flavour left, if any. so the infused oils and special salts are the way to go to re-infuse the truffles with their rich flavour. some salsas and purees are also very good for that same reason. however if you have the chance to be in france or italy at the time of their picking, try and get your hands on a fresh one. they are fairly expensive so if you don’t intend to buy, at least ask for a sniff... it’ll make your head spin!

black organic sea salt

not so long ago i found myself at a small epicurean store on granville island, standing in front of this whole collection of salts. i am a huge fan of salts. it’s something i recently discovered, and i am wild about the difference a salt can make to even the simplest of dishes. i will share more on that subject in another blog post.

as i was examining this package of black salt, a type i had never seen before, a conversation struck up between the woman standing next to me and the store manager. the woman was sharing that this was apparently the best salt for us health-wise, and that following a heart surgery her father had been instructed to use only this type of salt, and nothing else. that caught my attention. i bought a couple of packs, one for me and one as a gift.

so what exactly is black organic sea salt?

first of all, it is black because it is covered with activated charcoal powder. now at first hand that didn’t sound too healthy to me, so i then did some research to find out what exactly is activated charcoal. here’s the best description i found, and i quote: “simply burnt wood that has had all its oxygen removed. it is a non-toxic universal antidote that can be taken internally or applied topically. in powdered form, activated charcoal is one of nature’s most efficient adsorbents, a powerful aid in eliminating toxins, gas and many poisons from the human system. and it also provides relief for gas, diarrhea, swollen skin and more.”-- so now we know!

what does it taste like?

its taste is not much different than a regular sea salt. at least, not the one i have. there is no fragrance added to it either, such as a smoked or truffled salt for example. it is simply rich in minerals and good for you; that’s about it. and that’s plenty for me!

because of its colour, it can be used as a decorative salt to rim margarita glasses for example, or to rim the edge of scallops, halibut or chicken breast. anything the creative mind can think of.

where can you find black sea salt?

i did a quick search on the web and it seems many epicurean online stores offer some. there might be variations to what is available out there, such as different types or different forms (still being green on the subject). here in vancouver, you can find it on granville island in a little store called edible british columbia (who also sells online), or directly from the maison côté website.

information source