Montreal: Fairmount Bagel

Fairmount Bagel is a classic bagel bakery---you walk in, order, pay, and walk out with a bag of bagels. That is, you stand in line, patiently waiting for your chance to buy these bagels. The line afforded me the chance to watch the bagel-making process. The wood fired oven is carefully tended. Bagels sit on long, thin boards so they can be put in and taken out quickly. The bagel maker stood in front of a huge mound of dough almost as big as he was, cutting it into strips, then into pieces, and rolling them into shape. I watched as he took the long, thin piece of dough and twisted it into a circle with one hand, then effortlessly twisted the ends together. Practice does, indeed, make perfect.

I was very impressed with this bagel. It has just enough of the taste of the wood-fired oven to delight the tongue. The crust is very crusty. The inside is soft and tender while maintaining the essential bagely chewiness. The onion on top was a wonderful savory complement to the bread. This is an outstanding bagel, probably the best I've ever had.

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Pressure Cooker Candied Ginger

I made candied ginger a few years ago. It's not something I would do every day but I had a lot of fun doing it. I recently acquired a pressure cooker and it inspired an interesting idea to me: why not make candied ginger in the pressure cooker? It should be very soft and flavorful. Here is the result. I peeled two large ginger roots, cut them into small cubes, and put them in the pressure cooker with heavily sugared water. The traditional method first boils the ginger in plain water to soften it and then again in sugar water to candy it. The resulting candy was very tender but still with the characteristic ginger texture. It was also sweet without being overpowering. The traditional method leaves a lot of sugar crystallized around the ginger. The pressure cooker gives a much more subtle result. The ginger stays moist even after it cools but you can dry it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. That inspired me to dip it in chocolate. While I was in the b...

Blue Ridge Parkway: Pisgah Inn

I've wanted to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway for a long time. I finally got my chance and started driving from the southern end. Just about dinner time, I ran into the Pisgah Inn near the high point of the Parkway. It's a lodge and restaurant. It promised to be just the dinner experience I had hoped for. Here is the view from my table: The restaurant is nice but casual, as one would expect in a national park. The servers were all extremely friendly and helpful. I tried the pork chop, which I thoroughly enjoyed. In addition to the cole slaw and squash, it came with a cauliflower and beef soup. For dessert, I splurged and had a piece of apple pie. The crust was very buttery and it capped off the pork perfectly. This meal was the perfect capstone to a day full of unexpected pleasures.

Autumn Harvest in the North Georgia Mountains

Fall has its own harvest and rituals. One of mine is to enjoy the apple crop. So I got in the car and drove past Clayton to my favorite farm stand, Osage Farms. Before I looked for produce, I enjoyed a half rack of ribs from Tomlin's BBQ; sorry, no photos, I was too hungry. With my hunger sated, it was time to get down to business. I surveyed the huge selection of apples and was about to select two small bags. Then I saw this box of assorted apples for only $12. Assorted apples are exactly what you want for a variety of baking needs---a mix of varieties gives the best flavor. I also picked up some eggplant, peppers, and okra. My next stop was the drug store in Clayton for a root beer float. Their soda fountain is a reminder of a simpler time. My next stop was Blue Ridge Honey Company. They sell an impressive array of beekeeping equipment as well as maintaining a large honey processing operation. They also stock beeswax; you could make one heck of a candle with some...

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