It all started more than a month ago, on a hot Sunday afternoon as my friend Joseph from Seattle was picking Toronto as his first sabbatical destination.

We were sitting at a park and chatting over many things including our philanthropic goals. Then we started talking about Steve Jobs’ recent post on “Thoughts on Flash.” Joseph bursted out laughing when I said “the kerfuffle between Apple and Adobe…” He thought I had made up the word. To my protest, he conveniently pulled out his brand new Kindle from his backpack, and we looked it up. So here I was, a Canadian boy, for whom English is not his first language, teaching an American an English word! I asked him if “conundrum” would be a better choice, but he agreed that “kerfuffle” is the perfect word to describe the situation. I was glad that I managed to expand a friend’s vocabulary!

Another week had gone by, and I found myself at an alumni event where my friends and I debated once again which word to choose between “kerfuffle” or “conundrum”. So I posted a question on Twitter:

productionteams: Which one is bigger “kerfuffle” or “conundrum”? …

Then Y N responded:

ynq25335: … When you modify any noun with Apple or Adobe, it becomes MUCH BIGGER! Apple Kerfuffle sounds like a pastry! Yum?

Lucy said:

Lucers: Mmm, apple kerfuffle sounds good! Could it have cream cheese, raisins & cinnamon in it? Maybe lemon zest. On puff pastry?

My Twitter friend Lucy and I have been swapping recipes and exchanging foodie tips for a while now. She has given me her infamous carbonara recipe and I’ve become her “Toronto food concierge”.

Fast forward a month, this Wednesday Lucy and I met for the first time where we each brought our very own versions of Apple Kerfuffles. We met at a downtown Starbucks and I was nervous as I waited. Having never baked any dessert pastries in my life, I had told her not to judge me by my pastries. Like a blind date, we each brought a friend to make sure the meeting didn’t go weird. Lucy brought Stuart, and they are one of the nicest couples I have ever met.

So we unveiled our creations. Lucy’s on the left and mine on the right. With plastic forks and knives in our hands, four of us sampled the kerfuffles à la Iron Chef.

Lucy’s was delicious and filled with cream cheese and different kinds of apples. I loved the pastry itself and colour of the kerfuffle.

Here’s a closer look at my version, made with granny smith apples and a special topping (Kit Kat).

Recipe (Makes 3):

• One peeled, ripe granny smith apple
• 2 tsp of cinnamon brown sugar
• 5 tsp of sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp of butter on each kerfuffle
• 1 tsp of flour
• 1 bar of Kit Kat
• Frozen puff pastry

1. Thaw puff pastry overnight. Set aside eight sheets of puff pastry and lay them on a flat, dry surface.
2. Layer three sheets and cut into 3″x3″ squares as the foundation of the pastry.
3. Layer one sheet and roll them up as a tube. Bent the tube into a 3″x3″ square as the pastry walls.
4. Fold any excess from (2) to cover the walls. Set aside.
5. Cut apples into thin slices. Add both kinds of sugar, flour and salt. Mix well.
6. Gently pour apples into the well. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar. Use a cheese grater and grate Kit Kat on top. Brush butter all over pastries.
7. Put pastries on cooking sheet and cover with foil. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes. Take out when pastry turns golden.

Thanks to Twitter, I’ve met a new friend! Lucy and I became so inspired that we decided to start our own food revolution. Next month we will be making Blueberry Brutality, followed by Cherry Conundrum – this is our way of expressing our feelings towards what happened with the recent G20 summit in Toronto. We need a name for our food exchange!

Until then…

Updates: I did find some good eats in Toronto:

Meanwhile, I have come up with a few cool recipes:

Homemade Korean BBQ

1/4 bottle of Korean Shorts Ribs sauce (can get at TNT). Rinse ribs, massage sauce, roast @ 400F – 1 hour (flip at 30 mins)

Spinach and Smoked Salmon Pastry Balls

Various ways of pastry balls:

– Smoked Salmon, Feta Cheese, and Frozen Spinach

– Prosciutto, Feta Cheese, and mushroom

– Just tried this combo last night at Jamie Kennedy’s resto: Cauliflowers and Prosciutto.

Merry asked me for the recipe:

• Pastry: Frozen phyllo pastry / phyllo dough from your favourite grocer.
• Fillings: A box of frozen spinach (thawed and dried), a few pieces of smoked salmon (I usually get it from the St. Lawrence Market (or Granville Island for those in Vancouver) and get the end bits), and feta cheese.
• Thaw phyllo pastry. Layer 3 phyllo sheets and glue the sheets with egg whites. Cut into 3″ x 3″ squares. Brush melted butter to the base, then add a mush of spinach, smoked salmon, and a few clumps of feta, then take each side and glue them together with egg whites and twist top to make the package secured. Repeat.
• (Can be substituted with phyllo dough, then grab a handful of dough and flatten the dough to fit it on your palm, then add the mush, and glue the package together with egg whites.)
• Then baked them at 400F for 15 minutes.
• Keep them at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Let me know how did yours go?

]]> http://elliotng.com/2009/09/23/nuit-mange-food-food-and-more-food/feed/ 0 http://elliotng.com/2008/04/24/flickr-2-people-count-this-photo-as-a-favorite/ http://elliotng.com/2008/04/24/flickr-2-people-count-this-photo-as-a-favorite/#comments Fri, 25 Apr 2008 02:48:22 +0000 productionteams http://elliotng.com/flickr-2-people-count-this-photo-as-a-favorite/2008/04/24/ Wo-oh! This is my living room looking out to the dining room. Thanks to my roomie’s choice of the blue. We picked it because it feels like french country, like in the south of france. Paired with our lovely furniture selection. I’m very surprised this picture got 2 favorites on Flickr. Yes, that’s me taking the picture in a lazy summer afternoon.

]]> http://elliotng.com/2008/04/24/flickr-2-people-count-this-photo-as-a-favorite/feed/ 0 http://elliotng.com/2007/04/13/found-in-to-a-tres-chic-french-pastry-on-queen-west/ http://elliotng.com/2007/04/13/found-in-to-a-tres-chic-french-pastry-on-queen-west/#comments Fri, 13 Apr 2007 22:54:06 +0000 productionteams http://elliotng.com/found-in-to-a-tres-chic-french-pastry-on-queen-west/2007/04/13/ Clafouti



Amazing French Pastry shop on the Queen West in Toronto.

Remember my previous post calling for my pastry substitute in TO?

• Best Pastry Place (so far) – Clafouti on 915 Queen St West
  416-603-1935
  Closed on Mondays. Cash Only.

I think I have found it! They have my favorite french pastry, the Clafouti! I had the Pomegranate & Raspberry Clafouti and it was as good as the fruit Clafoutis I had in Cannes.

]]> http://elliotng.com/2007/04/13/found-in-to-a-tres-chic-french-pastry-on-queen-west/feed/ 0 http://elliotng.com/2007/04/11/toronto-organic-supermarket-big-carrot/ http://elliotng.com/2007/04/11/toronto-organic-supermarket-big-carrot/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2007 21:32:20 +0000 productionteams http://elliotng.com/wanted-my-favorite-spots-for-coffee-shop-pastry-organic-food-supermarket/2007/03/10/ Today I was doing my excursion on DanForth Street in Toronto. Suprise suprise. Without the help of internet or any referrals, I found a supermarket called “The Big Carrot“. It reminds me of the award winning development of Capers on West 4th. I immediately recognize the close resemblance to the architecture in Vancouver and I know it’s going to be an organic food supermarket!



I had a huge craving for my Miso paste for my seasoning and I found that in Big Carrot! So does my Chai Latte Milk Mix!

• Best Organic Food Supermarket (so far) – Big Carrot on Danforth
  348 Danforth Avenue
  416-466-2129

March 10: WANTED in T.O.: My favorite spots for Coffee Shop, Pastry, Organic Food Supermarket.

After settling into the great vast city of Toronto, I am on the search to fill up the following favorite spots:

• Best Coffee Shop in Vancouver – JJ Beans on Main and 16th
• Best Pastry Place – Ganache on Homer St
• Organic Food Supermarket – Capers on West 4th.

Now calling for the cool hang out places in T.O. Hope to explore the city and have these spots filled up.

]]> http://elliotng.com/2007/04/11/toronto-organic-supermarket-big-carrot/feed/ 0 http://elliotng.com/2006/12/30/post-trip-discussions/ http://elliotng.com/2006/12/30/post-trip-discussions/#comments Sat, 30 Dec 2006 10:03:46 +0000 productionteams http://elliotng.com/post-trip-discussions/2006/12/30/

Excerpt from a MSN conversation with my “twin” brother:

My brother asked:

• “and what did you learn about yourself [on this trip to France]?”

I said:

• you can’t plan too much in life…
• life is full of unknowns and unknown might not be too mysterious. It can be meaningful, and can quickly be turned into a more manageable known fact.
• Most importantly: I can make friends just about any where in the world, even with language barrier!
• Photos speak for a 1000 words:
• Jose and Monica at Pont du Gard from the region Galicia in Spain, bordering Portugal.



• Mato at Barcelona from Milan



• Yellowknife’s Karin from my class in Montpellier (right next to me)



• German Hubert + my Host Family Mother: Marie Francin at Montpellier



]]> http://elliotng.com/2006/12/30/post-trip-discussions/feed/ 0 http://elliotng.com/2006/12/05/food-food-more-food/ http://elliotng.com/2006/12/05/food-food-more-food/#comments Tue, 05 Dec 2006 16:33:16 +0000 productionteams http://elliotng.com/food-food-more-food/2006/12/05/ It has been 3 weeks since I left Vancouver. Thanks god I missed all the rain and snow. (Sorry folks in Vancouver). There hasn’t been a day in France where I had a bad meal.

The food in France is exceptional. Just about anywhere in the town you can find good food, shall I thank the authors at Lonely Planet (France) as well?

The Adventure

This is “Andouillette with Fries” I tasted in Monte Carlo. It’s a speciality dish in France.
It’s pork intestine. Guess, the French could be like the Cantonese in terms of the exotic food. The bad taste of the intestine is suprisngly not there thanks to the strong pepper seasonings and the sauce.



I also ordered the Rock Fish Stock Soup to start. It’s the best 16 Euros I spent on soup!



A Suprise

Dim Sum Plate in Nice! Can you believe it? The round dumpling located at the “4-o’clock” of the steamer is a dumpling I like a lot, but even I couldn’t find that in Hong-couver!



The sweets

Of course the day cannot end without desssert! It’s fruit Clafoutis. It’s a different rendition of the one I had at Provence Marinaside in Vancouver. It’s made out of eggs (like quiche but sweet taste) with lots of exotic fruits and a light tart base. On the topm it’s like creme brulee, it’s burnt a bit. It’s exceptional. Thanks to the recommendation from Lonely Planet.


The Snacks:

We brought this Smoked Salmon cone at Monoprix (I think it’s like a supermarket giant that sells just a bit of everything. It’s like a upscale Safeway with London Drugs and Winners all in one!). Inside the cone, it’s a pate of Smoked Salmon topped with some cream and the gello with chieves.



A Regular Lunch in Nice

We went to a nicely decorated place on Boulvard de Jean Medicine in Nice. I guess the French will call this place “sympthatic”. It’s the Combo I picked to satisify my eggs craving. It’s a Sandwich of American Style and with the toxically delicious White Chocolate Raspberry Tarte!



]]> http://elliotng.com/2006/12/05/food-food-more-food/feed/ 0 http://elliotng.com/2006/12/05/mounting-to-the-top-of-millau-to-see-the-viaduc-du-millau/ http://elliotng.com/2006/12/05/mounting-to-the-top-of-millau-to-see-the-viaduc-du-millau/#comments Tue, 05 Dec 2006 16:01:42 +0000 productionteams http://elliotng.com/mounting-to-the-top-of-millau-to-see-the-viaduc-du-millau/2006/12/05/ We were crazy last night. We were at Aix-en-Provence at 6:00 pm and Aix is about 1,5 hour away from Montpellier, which is where I need to return my Peugout 407 (the car I rented from Sixt). And I decided to go and see Viaduc de Millau, connecting between Clermont-Ferrand and Béziers. It’s part of the 340km highway of A75. This viaduc is an architecture gems because it’s the highest BRIDGE ever built on the world (see the link, because of the difference in measurement) with 270 m tall and over the 2.46 km long, the architect Sir Norman Foster ingenously uses ONLY 7 piers!
We drove there and it was on the TOP of the mountain in the Langudoc Region and the 2-lane highway was pitch dark and it was quite scary drive up to the mountain with 800m attitude! After about 1.5 hours, we were finally on the TOP! It was magifnicient! The Viaduc is not too well lit, but you can see how SMALL the lights are in the village below! Very windy and the weather changes quite rapidly as well at the region that high!

It was too dark to go to the visitor’s centre. We just stopped at the rest area and took a picture of the toll booth. Took a video of driving along the Viaduc, and will post on YouTube soon.



]]> http://elliotng.com/2006/12/05/mounting-to-the-top-of-millau-to-see-the-viaduc-du-millau/feed/ 0 http://elliotng.com/2006/11/30/a-bit-of-hassle-in-france-but-its-all-part-of-the-cultural-experience/ http://elliotng.com/2006/11/30/a-bit-of-hassle-in-france-but-its-all-part-of-the-cultural-experience/#comments Thu, 30 Nov 2006 15:27:06 +0000 productionteams http://elliotng.com/a-bit-of-hassle-in-france-but-its-all-part-of-the-cultural-experience/2006/11/30/ [Updated 3rd time on Dec 6] After all the nice food and wine and architecture in France, it came with some of the cultural drama. Believe me, it’s really a drama of life.

I am very grateful to live in Canada and enjoy so much of multiculturalism. Most people in Montpellier I met are quite nice and politem, but from time to time, the mindset of some challenge me of why I am taking this language.

First Attempt: I took a 2-hour train from Montpellier to Toulouse and another 2 hours bus to the surburbs of Toulouse called Blagnac, wanting to see the Airbus Tour of the biggest and supposedly the very fuel efficient plane in the world – A380. My fasination of this A380 started from the Economist article I read 2 years ago.

After all the travel, the bus driver of the 2nd bus was his first day of that route and he didn’t know where the Aeroconstallation bus stop is! He dropped me off at where people view the takeoff runway of A380 (thanks to its size, it needs a longer runway). I was in the middle of no where and I tried to call the office (of which the line was always busy! I tried for more than 5 times before arrival on that Saturday).

In the end, the administration of Airbus Visit is unwilling to authorize me to join the tour, because I hold a passport outside of the EU and it normally takes 2 business days to clear security (and I didn’t contact them successfully in time before my visit, it only gave them 30 hours of notice) ! Maybe I look like a terrorist! Just k/d.

New Development: Added on Dec 5: On the positive note, I am going there again tomorrow and will take the train from Montpellier to Toulouse again and hopefully it will be a better experience.

Latest Development: Added on Dec 6: Just got back from the AirBus Visit in Toulouse again for my second attempt. Guess life has positive karma coming back at you. Or life is always playing with you. In the end, the conceigere at AirBus Visit saw my passport (United Kingdom of Great Britian). And she thought I am from Great Britain and she said she will classify me into the GB catagory for her references! LOL! What the hassle so in the end, I am an “EU” citizen!  AirBus Visit is a MUST SEE for those avion franatics and also for regular people who are curious about science. It’s an art of Science, Arts, Business, and Logistics!

Recommendation: If you want to visit AirBus Visit without a car, here is how you go there:



]]> http://elliotng.com/2006/11/30/a-bit-of-hassle-in-france-but-its-all-part-of-the-cultural-experience/feed/ 0 http://elliotng.com/2006/11/30/preview-restaurant-reviews-in-france/ http://elliotng.com/2006/11/30/preview-restaurant-reviews-in-france/#comments Thu, 30 Nov 2006 09:39:52 +0000 productionteams http://elliotng.com/preview-restaurant-reviews-in-france/2006/11/30/ The biggest suprise I found in Montpellier is the availablity and the quality of Asian food. Of course, it can’t be compared to the Vancouver/Toronto level, but in this town very remote from the rest of Asia, I had a pleasant Wonton Noodle Soup and a Pork Spring Roll in this place called
• Shanghai Fast Food
• 13, Rue du Verdun  04 67 92 07 58

Yesterday, my classmate Carrie and I wandered around the street and found a very “sympathique” (I had to use this french word that means nothing in English!) takeout Thai places. Things are measured in 100g, and I ordered a 100g of Pad Thai and another 100 g of the rice vermicelli. It was divine! Very good quality in that place, aibiet the service was a bit chaotic.Tomorrow would be my first time driving in France on the Autoroute! It would not be as exciting as the Autobahn, but still I am driving in Europe!

• Grasse
• Nice
• Monaco
• Aix-en-Provence
• Marseilles [Bouillabaisse]

Highlights for Bouillabaisse!It’s all started with my first love at Provence Marinaside in Yaletown, Vancouver. Since my first tasting of Bouillabaisse (a tomato stew with fresh seafood and herbs cooked in the Provençal style), my passion for seafood has only grown stronger by the day. Marseilles is the Mecca of Bouillabaisse. This 30€ Bouillabaisse is complimented with a lovely terrace at Le Mérou Bleu on rue St-Saëns. (1)

Restaurant tasting calendar:

• Nov 20 – Dec 8: Montpellier
• Nov 24 – 26: Sete, Carcassonne, Toulouse
• Dec 1 (Friday)
• Montpeller (1:30 pm) —- 4 hr —-> Cannes (530 – 10 pm)
• — .5 hr —-> Grasse (1030+) [Hotel]
• Dec 2 (Saturday)
• Grasse (900-1230am) —- 0.5 hr —-> Nice (1pm+) [Hotel]
• Dec 3 (Sunday)
• —- 0.5 hr —> Monaco (930-4:30) — 0.5 hr —> Nice (430pm) [Hotel]
• Dec 4 (Monday)
• Nice — 2 hr —> Aix-en-Provence (1100-1300) —- 1/2 hr —-> Marseilles [Bouillabaisse] (1) (130-700) — 2 hr —> Montpellier (@ 900)
• Dec 9 – 16: Paris
• Dec 12 – 14: Barcelona
• Dec 21: Depart Paris for Vancouver.

Stay tune for more updates. If you have any suggestions for restaurants in region, feel free to send me a message.

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