Being the Dep’s baker, I’m the go-to person for birthday cakes and other celebratory sweets. Not that I mind, of course. For a recent quadruple birthday party, I decided on a dark chocolate-stout triple-layer cake with dark chocolate ganache and hot chocolate-flavored whipped cream. Super, super rich and super, super good.
I’m thrilled to announce that the Dep’s first guest chef dinner of 2012 will feature the talented Brooklyn-based crew behind Vegan Secret Supper. I have to admit that I don’t know much about vegan cooking, so this is a particularly exciting event for me (I’m especially excited to see what Chef Merida has up her sleeve in the dessert and pastry realm!) Full details for the event can be found here; I only have a few spots left, so email me if you’d like to save your seat, because they are filling up crazy fast!
[All mouthwatering - and vegan! - photos courtesy of Vegan Sunday Supper tumblr]
Posted in announcement, party, people, restaurants, winter
Tagged depanneur le pick up, vegan cooking, vegan secret supper
It’s so rad to go to holiday staff parties that are actually fun. When I was an editor at a newspaper, our holiday staff parties were wretched affairs (staff “bonuses,” if we were lucky enough to get one, were gas cards for $20, and the food usually consisted of something along the lines of deep-fried ravioli and wine from a box). But when staff parties consist of pupusas, old fashioneds, and karaoke? I’m beyond stoked.
The whole wheat peanut butter and jelly squares that I bake for Le Pick Up are impressively decadent and extremely sweet in a vaguely trashy, over-the-top kind of way. Just how we like it at Le Pick Up. People are always asking me for the recipe, so I think it’s finally time to spread the joy: the PB&J bars are the brain baby of other than the magnificent Contessa herself. Yesterday afternoon I indulged in a mini-marathon of her episodes (like the classic steak cook-off she has with her husband, Jeffrey), snuggled under a blanket and with a bag of potato chips. I just love her so much, she’s so serene and composed and she loves butter even more than I do.
(Recipe by Ina Garten via Ezra Pound Cake)
Posted in baking
Tagged barefoot contessa, depanneur le pick up, ina garden, peanut butter and jelly bars
(All photos by me, except last photo, by Bartek)
The Depanneur’s first-ever Novemberfest was successful on almost a disturbing level. The amounts of sausage and sauerkraut consumed, for one; the abundance of genuine lederhosen and dirndls worn by dining patrons, for another. (Those in costume received a generous discount).
I had never considered making pretzels from scratch before, and I was surprised at how easy and fun it was. Our Bavarian chef insisted we make them the authentic Bavarian way — raw dough dipped in a toxic bath of lye. We handled the solution with trepidation (wearing protective eyewear and gloves at one point), soaking the pretzels in the chemical bath and finishing them with a quick eight minute turn in a very hot oven. They emerged from the oven salty, yeasty, and perfectly pliant, with a handsomely mahogany-hued exterior. We served them piping hot, with a thick Bavarian cheese spread spiked with butter, scallions, and paprika.
And dudes. I also made my first-ever apple strudel. This is major. I had (a lot of) help from my friend and pastry chef Camilla Wynne, but I had to make the second strudel without her guidance. My brain insisted that I had no idea what I was doing, and panic and total intimidation gnawed away at my insides. But the pressure-cooker situation of needing to feed people in three hours made me steamroll through my own self-doubt and just get it done. (I think the best compliment I received all night was when someone described my strudel as tasting like ’those tiny deep-fried apple pies you buy at McDonalds.’) This is why people cook for others, I think.
Posted in celebration, memory, party, people, restaurants, work
Tagged bavarian food, depanneur le pick up, german food, montreal party, novemberfest, pretzels
Finally! A belated sharing of photos from Camilla’s latest picking workshop at Depanneur Le Pick Up. Once again, Camilla blessed us with her staggering amount of preserves-related know-how (she is Preservation Society, after all) and we all listened, rapt. When the evening closed, we were the lucky recipients of warm, glowing jars stuffed with pickled green tomatoes and spicy apple chutney. Camilla advised us to wait at least one month before cracking our jars open, but truth be told, I struggled to wait even one day.
Thank you Camilla for such a wonderful night!
Posted in restaurants, vegetables, work
Tagged camilla wynne, canning workshop, depanneur le pick up, preservation society
This Thursday, November 10, I will be hosting a special Novemberfest dinner at Le Pick Up. I’ll be baking a few things (like big, salty pretzels!), but it’s our talented Bavarian chef who will be presenting the bulk of this delicious Bavarian spread. Reservations are coming in rapidly, so email me if you’d like a spot! Also: I’m honoring a $5 discount if you arrive wearing an authentic Bavarian outfit. Myself, well, I’m still searching for a dirndl…
Full details for the event here.
Posted in party, restaurants
Tagged announcement, bavarian food, depanneur le pick up, novemberfest
There are some really beautiful photos over at the Acquired Taste magazine blog right now. I love this photo essay about Montreal (and with some nice depictions of Depanneur Le Pick Up, no less!) I have an article coming out in the next issue about my friend Sasha’s gorgeous, rejuvenating food. I can’t wait to see it!
Posted in photography, portraits, restaurants, romantic, travel, work, writers
Tagged acquired taste magazine, depanneur le pick up, montreal travel, photo essay
Our Pork Club BBQ at Le Pick Up last Friday was a massive success — oodles of thanks to everyone who came out! I knew the day was going to be special when we woke up to super sunny skies and a flirty breeze. Bartek and I rode our bikes to Marche Jean Talon and tried to stuff 50lbs of new potatoes into his bike baskets (an insane prospect), and I spent the afternoon outside, chopping potatoes and prepping beans on our picnic tables out back while drinking about a million glasses of calimocho. It was totally perfect, though I wouldn’t recommend frosting two massive red velvet cakes while slightly buzzed, and then serving people dinner for four hours straight. Afterward, we hung out on the terrace and ate our lion’s share of pork chops. I’ll be really sad when it gets cold here, the warm weather makes everyone so happy.
More photos here.
Posted in celebration, outdoors, party, people
Tagged bbq, culinary propaganda, depanneur le pick up, montreal dining, pork chop, pork club
I was so stoked to organize a canning workshop with Montreal’s preserves queen Camilla Wynne, and I’m happy to report that the night was a mega success! (I’ve been eating her nectarine-sapote jam smeared on thick pieces of toast every morning for breakfast). We can’t wait to get her back into the Dep’s kitchen for Round 2: Pickles. Stay tuned!
Posted in fruits, people, work
Tagged camilla wynne, culinary workshop, depanneur le pick up, jams, nectarines, preservation society, preserves, stone fruits