Help! I live in downtown montreal. Where can I find these ingredients?!

[HawtLeak]

Hi there,

I am trying to make a dessert but I don't know where to find some ingredients. I live in downtown montreal, and I'm wondering where can I find these ingredients around my area:

- rhubarb
- gelatine leaves
- rosewater
- russet apples
- pistachios
- filo pastry sheets
- cloves

by the way, is castor sugar the same as regular sugar?

[eatwell]

Just got back from Jean Talon market, not in your area I know, but got some lovely russet apples there.

[C70]

Mourelatos across from the faubourg should have most of that list.

[souschef]

Frozen phyllo sheets, cloves, and pistachios are available at supermarkets. You may also find rosewater in the ethnic section of a supermarket. Gelatine leaves may be hard to find, but you can substitute powdered gelatine (by weight). Caster sugar is the same as superfine sugar; it is also known as fruit sugar. It is finer than regular sugar.

The supermarkets carry superfine sugar and powdered gelatine.

[HawtLeak]

thank you..

how bout rhubarb? is it nonexistant now? and how much is the substitute of 3 gelative leaves into powder?

[souschef]

Check here for gelatine substitution:

http://www.recipes4us.co.uk/specials%...

[Daiya]

It's a bit early for local rhubarb, but I have seen stalks from warmer climates in one store (on Parc?). It looks like long celery with a red/pink tinge.

[NickMontreal]

Rhubarb season starts around now... I bought some from Jean Talon this weekend.

[Daiya]

Nice!

[carswell]

It's also important to be aware that there's no standard size for gelatin leaves or for gelatin packets. Don't have any on hand so I can't check, but as I recall the oetker sheets sold at ExoFruits (among other places) are significantly larger in size and weight than the French sheets sold at France Décor (among other places). Knox gelatin packets are said to be smaller than British gelatin packets. Etcetera.

Weight is definitely the way to go but a lot of recipes just say sheets without specifying the weight.

[souschef]

Carswell is right of course. The OP mentioned caster sugar, so is no doubt using a British recipe. A book I have by the Roux Brothers (French chefs working in England) states that a sheet of gelatine weighs 1/10 oz (3 gm), and can be replaced by 1-1/8 teaspoons of powdered gelatine. This is not definitive by any means as we don't know what size sheet was intended, but it's a start.

[NickMontreal]

Carswell you're totally right - there seems to be no standard size. Isn't it so annoying when a recipe calls for x sheets of gelatin? Agh!

I find its most reliable to go by the manufacturers guidelines printed on the side of the package (e.g. one sheet sets however many cups of liquid...)

[lagatta]

How do you define "downtown"? If you could indicate a métro station or major street intersection nearby, that would be a held (not looking for your address).

Filo pastry sheets as a snap here with so many Maghrebi and Middle Eastern shops. Best choice of apples is at public markets, though you are still out of season. Rhubarb will be on its way soon, in public markets and supermarkets.Lots of pistachios at Middle Eastern and Greek shops - please give a better indication of where you are. Cloves are simple to find at purveyors of spices. Idem tell us more specifically where you live.

[HawtLeak]

between metro guy concordia and atwater =P

[wattacetti]

Based on location, you should be able to find all of this at the Atwater Market; I think the one challenge however will be rhubarb.