559303 Mon Sep 22 06:44:58 -0700 2008 22 22 Quebec (including Montreal) 0 4052334 I tried doing a search for both clotted cream and Devonshire cream on this board but only found mentions of places in Montreal to have high tea/afternoon tea. I'm looking for a store that sells clotted cream, preferably imported from the UK (not sure where else it would come from, of course!). I remember having some during a company event at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel and I wonder if they sell it there. Mon Sep 22 06:44:58 -0700 2008 15354 Veruka 1 4052351 You can find Devon cream in most gourmet stores. I've even seen it at Loblaws and IGA. Mon Sep 22 06:51:38 -0700 2008 4052334 18488 SnackHappy 1 4052551 The cheese store at Atwater Market carries Devon Double Cream, the one in the blue jar. Sinfully delicious! Mon Sep 22 08:38:57 -0700 2008 4052334 66614 kpzoo 2 4053181 Hamel at Jean-Talon has two brands of clotted cream, very decadent. Mon Sep 22 15:04:14 -0700 2008 4052551 89969 moh 3 4059289 Is there anything about decadent things that moh does NOT know ? I take my hat off to you, moh! Wed Sep 24 16:55:15 -0700 2008 4053181 13143 souschef 4 4063796 Oh Dear! And this is me supposed to be on a diet... Haven't forgotten about your request for info on the Mille feuille from Fous Dessert - should have a report for you soon, as there is one sitting on our counter, awaiting eating... Fri Sep 26 10:27:29 -0700 2008 4059289 89969 moh 5 4066817 I don't envy you your diet, moh. I am on a "reverse diet" - I got very sick this year, and am trying very hard to regain weight I lost to bring me back to my optimal weight. So, foie gras, ice cream, cakes, etc....bring them on !!! So, how was the mille feuilles ? Sat Sep 27 19:44:08 -0700 2008 4063796 13143 souschef 6 4067229 I think the mille feuilles would be a perfect addition to your diet! I do hope your health has stabilized and that your reverse diet is part of your road to permanent recovery. I had stopped buying milles feuilles because although I loved the concept, I found the execution to be lacking in many places. I often found the mille feuilles too heavy and clunky, and the glaze on top to be sickeningly sweet. I am happy to report that the Fous Dessert mille feuilles has restored my faith in this lovely little pastry. The pastry is light and flaky, the custard layers are rich yet light, and the glaze is subtle, not too sweet, and acts as a delicate foil to the rest of the pastry. Unfortunately for my diet, I could eat several slices of this pastry in one sitting.... I usually stop after several bites of most mille feuilles. Of note, the past visit is the first time I've had a slightly substandard croissant at Fous Dessert in many visits (too many visits, you'd think I was on a reverse diet!) It was not as crispy as it usually is. Weather related? An apprentice in the kitchen? I don't know. It was still very good, but they have raised the bar for my croissant expectations. Well, let us hope it is a small blip in the sea of croissant excellence. I'll of course keep sampling ;) Sun Sep 28 06:14:17 -0700 2008 4066817 89969 moh 7 4068831 moh, thanks for the report on the milles feuilles. A visit is in order, I think, as I have not had an acceptable version in years, and have not tried to make it. BTW since you seem to like puff pastry so much, have you ever had pithiviers? I have made it many times, but have never ever seen it in a pastry shop. Sun Sep 28 21:11:52 -0700 2008 4067229 13143 souschef 8 4069711 this is digressing from clotted cream, but hey... unfortunately, pithiviers can mostly be found around the first week of January, as it is used to celebrate the "fête des rois". whoever finds the bean (or plastic figurine) gets to be king/queen for the day! my favorite to date has been the ones sold at Patisserie Rolland, on the south shore. quite far to ramble all the way to Longueuil (St-Charles street), but quite worth it if you are, like me, a fan of the deliciously puffy, light and almondy-sweet dessert! While not currently available in-store, I believe one can special-order it. Mon Sep 29 09:17:24 -0700 2008 4068831 194657 alixium 9 4071437 What you are thinking about is Galette des Rois. It is similar to Pithiviers; the difference is in the decoration. BTW it can be relatively easy to make as you can buy puff pastry ready made (Loblaws carries the one made with butter), instead of making it yourself, which can be quite difficult (I have sweated bullets trying to get it right). Mon Sep 29 22:37:39 -0700 2008 4069711 13143 souschef 10 4072561 hmmm... you instill doubt in me now... because they are sold as "pithivier". As per decoration, they are not decorated at all. Just puff pastry... hmm. perhaps i have missed out on true pithiviers all along! (yet i am doubtful) Tue Sep 30 12:17:11 -0700 2008 4071437 194657 alixium 11 4075042 The clotted cream thread has run its course, so I have no problem with hijacking it; besides, a new thread I tried to create on Pithiviers did not work. Every recipe book I have on the subject (and I have many) show the identical thing. A picture is worth a thousand words, and I don't believe in "borrowing" pictures, so I created my own, i.e. I made a Pithiviers and took pictures. Before you even look at them please accept my apologies for the look as I am by no means a pastry chef (I am better at cakes). I am not a chef or even a souschef (I am an engineer), and the work is a bit on the crude side. In any case, here are the pictures of before baking, after baking, and cut open. BTW it was delicious ! Wed Oct 01 13:41:51 -0700 2008 4072561 13143 souschef 11 4078083 wow, good job souschef! it does look delicious, and exactly like the one i was writing about. You got me to crave some now! so i guess the conclusion is that Pithivier and galette des rois are one and the same. Unless Galette des Rois is not Pithivier, but Pithivier can be Galette des Rois... hahaha! Thu Oct 02 16:51:42 -0700 2008 4075068 194657 alixium 12 4078479 Very curious. I looked at a book I have by Gaston Lenotre, the famous French pastry chef. The recipes for the two are almost identical (and he states that they are very similar), except that the decoration is different; for the galette the decoration consists of diamond shapes, but there are no pictures in the book. I have never used Lenotre's recipe, which I notice now is quite different from the one I use, which comes from the La Varenne cooking school in Burgundy. Lenotre uses almond pastry cream; I use eggs, sugar, almonds, flour, and rum beaten together - much faster than making pastry cream. Oh well, if the French can't agree on a recipe, I'll just use the easiest one. I enjoyed that one so much (made it after a very long time) that I am going to make another tomorrow, and take a bit more care. Haha, sorry I got you craving one; this makes it worse? BUT, as I said before, it is easy to make as you can buy puff pastry, so I can post the recipe here if you are interested. Thu Oct 02 21:09:16 -0700 2008 4078083 13143 souschef 13 4079358 i am interested! because it does make it worse, thank-you-very-much! :) I have never seen diamond shapes, only the swirly design such as on the picture you posted. in any case, both must be delicious, so, the recipe please! Fri Oct 03 09:13:33 -0700 2008 4078479 194657 alixium 14 4080677 Okay, enough needling you; here comes the recipe. But, before I begin, one caveat: you need a cookie sheet that does not buckle/warp in the oven, especially going from fridge to oven. Forget about blue steel or black steel cookie sheets as they all buckle. I use a half sheet pan from Williams-Sonoma in Toronto. A sheet that buckles throws out the filling half onto the sheet itself. I am going to keep this simple, assumong you are a baking neophyte. If instead you are an expert, a thousand pardons sir/madam (as the case may be). Hang on for the ride. Ingredients: 1 box butter puff pastry from Loblaws/YIG, thawed overnight in the fridge. 1 egg, beaten Filling: 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened (leave it on the counter for a couple of hours) 4 oz sugar 1 egg 1 egg yolk 1 package ground almonds (100gm/3-1/2 oz) 1/2 oz flour 2 tbsp rum (stick with the program; don't go hog wild and increase the rum). For the filling: cream the butter in a bowl with a whisk, add the sugar, and beat thoroughly. Beat in the egg and the yolk, then stir in the almond, flour and rum. Set aside. The box of puff pastry contains two sheets, each individually rolled and sealed. Take out one roll, leaving the other in the fridge (puff pastry likes the cold). Unroll the pastry directly onto the cookie sheet. Cut out about a 10-inch circle from the pastry. Discarrd the trimmings or save them to make palmiers (love palmiers!). Mound the filling in the centre of the pastry, leaving a 1-inch border all around, and brush the border with egg glaze (the beaten egg). Take out the other roll of pastry and unroll it onto the counter, still on the paper. Cut a circle the same size as before. carefully transfer the pastry to cover the pastry/filling on the cookie sheet and press firmly so that they are sealed together. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for about 3 hours. Take the cookie sheet out of the oven and cut a scallopped border all around; the pastry should be quite firm and easy to work with. Then very carefully brush egg glaze all over, making sure that none of the egg falls over the pastry and onto the cookie sheet; if it does the pastry will get glued to the sheet and will not rise. Now score the top in swirls, making sure you do not cut the pastry through to the filling. Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 400 and bake another 20 minutes or so, until the pastry is puffed and brown. Take out of the oven, allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then serve hot. i am going to attempt to attach 2 more pictures of one I just made. Good luck ! Fri Oct 03 19:58:26 -0700 2008 4079358 13143 souschef 15 4080769 Had to resize the picture> Chowhound team, please delete this post and the one before if there are no pictures. Fri Oct 03 21:36:05 -0700 2008 4080682 13143 souschef 16 4081378 wow, thank you so much souschef! while not a neophyte, i am certainly not an expert, especially regarding pastry... i shall definitely give it a try this week. The only thing I am concerned about is the pan. I believe mine does buckle, so that is a problem. Oh well, another excuse to purchase more kitchen implements!! I will repost with results, of course. Sat Oct 04 09:12:11 -0700 2008 4080769 194657 alixium 17 4103719 "i shall definitely give it a try this week" So, how did it turn out? Tue Oct 14 11:42:40 -0700 2008 4081378 13143 souschef 18 4107383 hello souschef! well, not so bad actually! It tasted really good (i love the almond paste). But I think it could have be much better if only I had not been so hasty... I did not wait the full three hours in the fridge, and I was not as attentive as I should have been during the baking... I was studying... I did not see the time pass by, and left it on 450 for 20 minutes, so I compensated by leaving in only 15 minutes on 400. It turned out delicious, though! I wish I had a camera to show pics. I was not patient during the cooling process... I kept poking it to verify if it was cool enough to handle!! hmmm. I will try it out during the holidays, when there as no exams and plenty of time to bake! yum Wed Oct 15 19:13:27 -0700 2008 4103719 194657 alixium 19 4107443 Glad to hear it worked out well. Those timings are not critical. I like to wait 3 hours so the pastry really firms up, but an expert would be able to handle it after 1 hour. The baking times are also not critical. Wed Oct 15 19:46:44 -0700 2008 4107383 13143 souschef 20 4108680 so thank you for the recipe... it is now going to be written down in my personal cookbook! One thing I forgot to mention: I did not have any rum on hand, so I put pure vanilla extract instead. Next time, I will break my bank and buy rum, as I believe it must add depth to the almond paste. thanks again, souschef. Thu Oct 16 10:49:46 -0700 2008 4107443 194657 alixium