Pushap (Montréal)

4777 boulevard des Sources
Dollard-des-Ormeaux (West Island), Québec
514.683.0105

Ok, so the title is a bit misleading. Pushap is not actually in Montréal (but on the island of Montréal) but in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, the suburb where my mom lives. In fact, it's about a two minute drive from my mom's. My sister L has been telling me about Pushap for years. Being a vegetarian Indian restaurant, Pushap is her substitute for The Himalya Restaurant in Hamilton.



On this day, we were a total of five people for lunch. A larger group is more conducive to sharing and tasting different dishes. We started out with appetizers: samosas and pakoras. I only had a pakora and really enjoyed the variety of vegetables in the fritter. We all thought the accompanying sauce had a mighty kick!


Samosas and Pakoras to start with.

We somehow agreed that we needed 6 dishes for five people and proceeded to pick what was appealing. The menu was broken down into two sections: the special preparations for $4.75 and the cheese (paneer) special for $5.50. From the first group, we ordered the bhartha - eggplant (L's recommendation), the aloo gobhi - cauliflower and potatoes (my request) and chana masala - chickpeas (M's request). For the paneer dishes, we ordered the palak paneer - spinach and cheese and two servings of the navrattan korma (L stating that this is as close as the vindaloo as it gets!).


Palak paneer, naan bread and chana masala.

Everyone was happy with the dishes though none had any kick at all. The most popular dish was the bharta. The eggplant dish was creamy and perfectly spiced. I was happy with the aloo gobhi; I highly dislike overcooked vegetables but can make an exception for mushy cauliflowers. My sister who doesn't usually like aloo gobhi preferred this saucier version than the usual drier versions. The biggest disappointment was the palak paneer. The overall consensus was that it tasted bland and boring.


Aloo gobhi, bharta and navrattan korma.

For the appetizers and six dishes mentioned above, 5 naan breads, 2 mango lassies and one portion of rice, the total came under $50, costing us $9.80 each! What a great price! Everyone was filled to the brink and barely ate dinner (well I ate a good dinner...). Definitely worth the trip to DDO, or to Pushap's other location at 5195 rue Paré in Montréal (514.737.4527).


My very well filled plate!



For my versions of two of the dishes:
Chana masala
Baigan Bharta

Restaurant Sing Sing (Montréal)

2102 rue Sauvé Est
Montréal, Québec
514.388.9602

During my stay in Montréal, my mom's husband H wanted to take us for Cambodian food. Unfortunately, once we got there, we realized that the restaurant was not Cambodian but rather Chinese with some Thai, and even Vietnamese dishes. So we settled in and ordered our usual Chinese dishes. The menu was in four languages: English, French, Vietnamese and Chinese, seemingly catering to a larger demographic.



One of the main issues with mainstream Asian restaurants is that they have no sense of timing. Dishes come out as they are made. So I've posted the dishes in the order they came out.


Beef Chow Mein.

We love our beef chow mein; the beef and gai lan (Chinese broccoli) was well seasoned and tasted good on a bed of crispy chow mein noodles. Next came the seafood bird's nest which was rather under-seasoned, especially next to the chow mein. However, the nest itself, made of fried taro, was freshly made and crunchy. The seafood wasn't bad but I prefer having scallops like many other restaurants often do.


Seafood Bird's Nest.

H had said that the General Tao chicken was good and it was. It was more tangy than usual and did not feel too greasy. My mom could not resist ordering the deep fried soft shell crab (around $17), which had been sliced into smaller pieces. Everyone really enjoyed this dish, especially the very spicy seasoning with a hint of curry.


General Tao Chicken.


Fried Soft Shell Crab.

My sister L loves whole deep fried fish. The very crispy fish (around $20) came hidden under a pile of raw onion, with cucumber slices and fish sauce to dip the fish in. The fish was well fried and was very tasty, dipped in the sauce with the cool slices of cucumber.


Fried Fish platter.

Finally, our complimentary dessert consisted of Vietnamese jelly, coconut and coffee flavoured pieces laid out to make a star pattern. I prefer this to the hot desserts often served at Chinese restaurants, although I do like the orange slices.


Vietnamese Jelly.

This restaurant was pretty good but kind of out of the way (Montréal North area) for Chinese food. For other posts on Chinese food in Montréal (where we ordered the same dishes, because we're boring that way...!):

• Kam Shing Restaurant
• La Maison VIP
• Zao's Restaurant

Christmas Dinner 2009: Chinese Hot Pot

I unfortunately had to work half a day on Christmas Eve this year, then drive 6 hours to my mother's in Montréal. What kept me going was knowing that I would be enjoying a great meal at the end of my drive. As I walked in to my mom's house, she was deep frying wonton's and chả giò (Vietnamese fried spring rolls) - another recipe that's on my list for 2010.


Deep fried wonton's filled mainly with ground shrimp and a bit of pork.

My mom had been asking my sister and me what we wanted for our Christmas meal. We also discussed having it at my sister's like last year's, or at her place. Finally, my sister asked if we could have hot pot. Strangely, it's a tradition at my sister's fiancé D's family to have Chinese hot pot (fondue chinoise) for Christmas dinner. However, my sister stated that it was different from how our family usually does it.


Variety of mushrooms, watercress and tofu.

I'm not sure how my mom's hot pot is different, but doing a quick recipe search for fondue chinoise seems to indicate that fondue chinoise has been quite "westernized" with ingredients like Worcestershire sauce and red wine for the broth (at least here in Québec). My mom just made a (Vietnamese flavoured) chicken broth. She also added a few pieces of taro for added flavour. She heated up before adding to the hot pot that my sister and D brought over.


Beef, shrimp and cuttlefish.

For the ingredients to be dipped in the hot broth, my mom had a variety of mushrooms (enoki mushrooms, meaty Chinese shiitake mushrooms and king oyster mushrooms), watercress, tofu, slices of beef (specifically for fondue), shrimps and cuttlefish. For the dipping sauce, my mom mixed soy sauce, sesame oil, green onion, minced ginger and a bit of sugar, and watered it down (adjust any of the ingredients to taste). She then microwaved it for 1-2 minutes so the green onions were cooked.

Eating hot pot is quite a social activity and forces people to take their time with their meals. We had fun cooking our foods and dipping each item in the sauce. You also have to know how long different items take to cook. My sister and I were making fun of D for liking his beef slices overcooked while we liked it just pink. I had trouble not overcooking the pieces of cuttlefish. At the end, I spooned out some broth and had it as soup. It was quite hearty with the flavours of everything that had been cooked in it.


Dipping sauce and cooking the ingredients.

Finally, my sister contributed to Christmas dinner by making Martha Stewart's bûche de Noël (yule log) for dessert. She had a bit of difficulty making it pretty (especially rolling the génoise - which I also watch Anna & Kristina struggle with on their Christmas special!) but it was very tasty! I especially enjoyed the chocolate mousse filling. Another great Christmas meal!


Martha Stewart's bûche de Noël.

Truffles Three Way

I first made truffle 8 Christmases ago. It was really my first experience making Christmas treats. I remember using a large amount of butter in the chocolate and on my hands to roll the truffles. It was a messy endeavour. It's still a messy endeavour but I think I have found a recipe I really like that does not involve butter!



Truffles Three Way
From use real butter's mocha truffles.
I followed the mocha truffle recipe and made two other versions. I halved the recipe so I could have less quantity and more variety. I ended up with 60 truffles instead of 120! The truffles were easy to make and could be varied to suit any flavour one prefers.

For the truffles
* ⅓ cup heavy cream (35% fat)
* 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Heat up the cream in a small pot.
Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl and pour the hot cream until melted. (If the chocolate does not melt completely, heat it over a pot of simmering water.)
Add flavouring as you like.
For the mocha truffles: add ½ tbsp instant espresso powder into the cream before pouring onto the chocolate and ½ tbsp coffee liqueur (I had Bailey's on hand).
For the orange truffles: add ½ tbsp of orange liqueur (I used Cointreau) and some orange zest.
For the ice wine truffles: add ½ tbsp of ice wine (I used an ice wine and brandy bottle).
Cool the chocolate mixture until you can work it with your hands (I refrigerated it overnight and let it warm up a bit at room temperature).
Spoon or scoop out the chocolate (I found a mini-scooper helped keep the truffles relatively the same size).
Shape the truffles into rounder shapes by rolling them between your hands (I considered using gloves but was worried it would leave a rubbery taste - maybe medical gloves are not a good idea...).


Melting the chocolate and scooping out the chocolate mixture.

Coating the truffles
I liked coating the differently flavoured truffles in different coatings so they could be easily identified. You can pick which coating you prefer, or come up with new ones, like using chopped nuts or coconuts, or drizzling some white chocolate!

For the mocha truffles: I followed use real butter's original recipe by first dipping the truffles in melted chocolate (again with a bit of cream to get the right consistency) and then rolling them in cocoa.
For the orange truffles: I just dipped them in chocolate, by using two forks, and placed them on a parchment lined sheet so the chocolate solidified.
For the ice wine truffles: By the final batch, I was tired of dipping truffles into additional melted chocolate and just rolled them in powdered sugar. That was sufficient, except the truffles were smaller without the extra layer of melted chocolate.
Tada!


Rolling the chocolate into spheres and rolling them into cocoa powder.


Truffles take a bit of effort but taste great and are oh so pretty!

For more ideas for Christmas baked goods:
* Last year's included chocolate hazelnut biscotti, French chocolate bark & cranberry pecan bars
* Chocolate Crinkles
* Date Squares
* Orange-Almond Buttons
* Mocha Toffee Bars

Mocha Toffee Bars

These mocha toffee bars are actually the first recipe I made for my Christmas package. They represent 1987 in Gourmet's Favorite Cookie Recipes: 1984-2008 collection. There were quasi-successful. However, the advantages of being a food blog reader is that you get to learn from the mistakes of the food blog writer! Other than that, they were good but not remarkable. I'll admit I might be influenced by the slight frustration I experienced. I think they are similar enough to the Just-like-Skor Bars recipe that I would just stick to it (and this is when I realized I have never posted on the Just-like-Skor Bar recipe; it will have to be in 2010 then!).



Mocha Toffee Bars - Makes 40 bars
From Gourmet, December 1987.
My frustration with these toffee bars can easily be remedied. I had daintily sprinkled cashew pieces onto the melted chocolate and let it set. In hindsight, I should have pressed on the cashews to make sure they stuck. I discovered this as the cashew pieces fell off the bars as I was cutting them. I then decided to quickly broil the bars to melt the chocolate and stick the cashews again. That's when I forgot them and burnt a few. So you get to learn from my mistakes if you decide to make this recipe!

* 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
* 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
* 1 large egg yolk
* 1-½ teaspoons vanilla
* 3 tablespoons instant espresso powder dissolved in 2 tablespoons boiling water
* ½ teaspoon salt
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped or use chocolate chips
¾ cup salted roasted cashews, chopped

In a bowl with an electric mixer cream the butter, add the brown sugar, and beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy.
Beat in the yolk, add the vanilla and the espresso mixture, a little at a time, and beat the mixture until it is combined well.
Add the salt and the flour, and beat the mixture until is combined well.
Spread the batter evenly in a jelly-roll pan (or parchment-lined cookie sheet), 15-½" by 10-½" by 1".
Bake it in the middle of a preheated 350° F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it pulls away slightly from the edge of the pan and set aside.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate over simmering water.
Spread the melted chocolate evenly over the baked layer and sprinkle the cashews over it (make sure you press on them firmly!).
Let the mixture cool in the pan on a rack, cut it into bars, and chill until the chocolate is firm.
Tada!



I also thought it was rather difficult to spread the batter onto a cookie sheet.

For more ideas for Christmas baked goods:
* Last year's included chocolate hazelnut biscotti, French chocolate bark & cranberry pecan bars
* Chocolate Crinkles
* Date Squares
* Orange-Almond Buttons
* Truffles Three Way

Orange-Almond Buttons

As I was surfing Design*Sponge, one of the blogs I check out on a daily basis, I was introduced to the food blog Lottie + Doof's 12 Days of Cookies in the "in the kitchen with" series. I was instantly attracted to their Day 10 cookie, orange-almond buttons, for various reasons: 1) they combine orange and almond (my mom would love that), 2) they were pretty and 3) the recipe promised they would taste like Fruit Loops (I likey Fruit Loops!).



These cookies were easy to make and were quite a hit with everyone who tried them! It also fulfilled the promise of tasting like Fruit Loops without any artificial ingredients. As I look back now at the original recipe, I realize my cookies don't look exactly the same. Mine look smoother, which I'm guessing is because I grounded the almonds more finely. I also like the look of skins on the almond slices better but I couldn't find them at the grocery store.

Orange-Almond Buttons - Makes 36 cookies
From Lottie + Doof's 12 Days of Cookies.
The cookies were easy and quick to make. I was worried a bit about not properly whipping the egg whites and the batter being too runny but they came out well. I spooned the cookies rather than piping them.
Note that the almond quantities are broken down into two: for the cookies and for decorating. I read the recipe quickly and only bought ½ cup of almonds, and realized I needed one cup. Finally, I only used a handful of almonds for decorating since the cookies are pretty small.

* 2-½ ounces (heaping ½ cup) blanched or unblanched almonds
* ½ cup granulated sugar
* 3 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
* 1 tbsp finely grated orange zest
* 2 extra-large egg whites
* ½ cup sliced almonds (for decorating)
* confectioner’s sugar (for decorating)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine nuts with 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar and process until it’s the consistency of a fine meal.
Add ¼ cup of the granulated sugar, the flour, and orange zest, and pulse on and off until just combined.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on low, until frothy.
Turn the mixer up to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form, another 2 to 3 minutes.
Turn the mixer to high, gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and beat until stiff peaks form, about 2 to 3 more minutes.
Remove the bowl from the mixer.
In 3 batches, gently fold in the nut mixture to incorporate.
If using a pasty bag, fill it half full.
Working quickly, pipe or spoon (about 1-2 tsp) the batter into circles, about 1 inch in diameter and spaced about 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Scatter about 3 to 5 sliced almonds over each circle, allowing the nuts to topple off the edge slightly while still clinging to the batter.
Sift a fine layer of powdered sugar over the cookies and bake about 20 minutes, until the nuts are lightly browned, and the cookies are slightly firm to the touch.
(I sifted more sugar after they were baked - I thought the sugar's colour melded into the cookie.)
Tada!



The orange zest made the batter very fragrant!


I tried to make my spoonfuls of batter consistently the same size!


These cookies are small enough for one bite!

For more ideas for Christmas baked goods:
* Last year's included chocolate hazelnut biscotti, French chocolate bark & cranberry pecan bars
* Chocolate Crinkles
* Date Squares
* Mocha Toffee Bars
* Truffles Three Way

Date Squares

I'm always on the lookout for dairy-free recipes that my mom will like (hence, the pistachio cranberry icebox cookie failure!). So when I spotted this date square recipe on Gourmet's Favourite Cookie section (an awesome reference for Christmas baking, by the way!), I thought perfect. My mom also really likes dates. The date squares were easy to make and came out pretty well, although a bit too sweet for my taste.



Date Squares
From Gourmet, September 1945.
The recipe was very easy to make. My only little problem with these squares were cutting the dates. I bought whole dates, rather than pieces (because they were cheaper!). I wasn't able to use a knife because the dates were so sticky. I used scissors instead, and in a moment of inattention seriously cut my finger. Be careful!

1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 14 crackers)
½ teaspoon salt
1-½ teaspoons baking powder
1-¾ cups dates, chopped
1 cup walnuts, chopped roughly
3 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
powdered sugar

Mix graham cracker crumbs with salt and baking powder.
Add chopped dates and walnuts.
Beat eggs well and gradually add brown sugar, then beat in the date mixture.
Pour into a well greased 9" x 9" square pan (I lined mine with parchment paper).
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 375°F.
Allow to cool, and cut into small squares.
Cut while warm and sprinkle powdered sugar.
Tada!



The batter was a sweet and sticky one!


A little square is all you need!

For more ideas for Christmas baked goods:

• Last year's included chocolate hazelnut biscotti, French chocolate bark & cranberry pecan bars
• Chocolate Crinkles
• Orange-Almond Buttons
• Mocha Toffee Bars
• Truffles Three Way