Culinary Idea Lab

Brioche - The King of Bread

2011-06-28T12:28:00.010-05:00

I call it the king of bread for several reasons, 1). There are large amounts of butter in the dough so you don’t need to serve butter with it, 2). It’s a complete meal because there’s an extraordinary amount of eggs in it, 3). It wears a crown, and 4). It’s just great bread.

Below are some different shapes & sizes we’re working on. The last picture is not brioche, those are asiago cheese puffs coated with parmesan.

Dining - Naples Florida

2011-04-06T13:39:00.014-05:00

Coconut Shrimp Tempura
Passion Fruit infused Sweet & Sour Sauce


Short Rib Bi Bim Bap
Kim Chee, Mung Beans, Scallions, Fried Egg & Ko Chu Jang


Seared Hawaiian Nairagi
Macadamia Nut Gremolata, Meyer Lemon Sauce and Baby Vegetables


Roy’s Original Hawaiian Blackened Island Ahi
Spicy Soy Mustard Butter Sauce


Baked Goat Cheese
tomato sauce, baguette


chicken livers
apples, onions, bacon


Pommes Frites
Béarnaise, Aioli,
Smoked Tomato Ketchup


Loaded Potato Skins
Bacon, Cheddar


Chorizo Empanada
Red Pepper Aioli


Potato Pancakes
Apple Chutney, Sour Cream


Pork Carnitas
Cabbage Slaw, Warm Tortillas


Warm Apple Fritters
Caramel Ice Cream

St. Patrick's Day - Sean McGillick’s Night Out

2011-03-13T17:00:00.002-05:00

A dear friend and fellow chef, Larry Bowen, wrote a book several years ago and he was kind enough to share this chapter with me before he passed away.

Memoirs from culinary apprentices who lived and worked together at the Buck Hill Inn,
Buck Hill Falls, Pennsylvania—
Their legendary tales and recipes.

Chapter Seven
Sean McGillick’s Night Out,
An Everglades Bar Story

Street Food of Puerto Rico

2011-02-25T10:00:00.001-06:00

On the road between El Yunque where the rain forest is and San Juan there are several street food vendors cooking some really tasty food. Most of the roadside grub is fried with selections like alcapurrias, bacalaitos, rellenos, riononos, tacos and some grilled chicken skewers with sweet-spicy BBQ sauce. Everything is either $1.00 or $2.00......this is the "Dollar Menu" worth eating!

The sign makes it official

Master of the ancient fryolator arts
Serving up the alcapurrias, dough made with plantains and yautia, then stuffed with a meat filling and fried. This fryer setup predates anything you might have by at least 100 years. You thought the turkey fryer was a rudimentary piece of cooking equipment?....think again, this primitive fryer doesn't require propane. The lack of trees on the island has street food vendors burning lumber.

More alcapurrias

Freshly fried bacalaitos
which is salted cod that is shredded into a flour batter and formed into large flat discs and fried. I've made the classic French Brandade de Morue as chronicled in this post. It's interesting to note that the Spanish version is called Brandada de bacalao, both use a salted cod batter but the taste and texture of the bacalaitos is so much better than their European cousins.

Sweet & spicy barbequed chicken skewers

It's a family affair....mother in-laws and all

Puerto Rican Staples

2011-02-24T10:00:00.000-06:00

Pork Mofongo
This is a "National" dish made from green plantains which are mashed together with broth, garlic, olive oil, and pork cracklings or bits of bacon. The mixture is the formed into a fluted cylinder mold. Mofongo relleno is mofongo stuffed with stewed beef, chicken or seafood, with stewed sauce poured over.

Sofrito Marinated Churrasco
This is a grilled skirt steak that's rolled up when it's finished. I saw a lot of restaurants offering the same dish with fillings in the middle like shrimp or cheese.

A Few Small Plates - San Juan, PR

2011-02-22T10:00:00.000-06:00

Proscuitto
Grilled pear and gorgonzola cheese with whole grain mustard

Fried sardines
with aioli

Best pork tacos ever!

Fried Beef Empanadilla's

RM Seafood

2011-02-20T10:00:00.001-06:00

A few notes on Rick Moonen:

As executive chef and owner of New York City's rm, Moonen earned critical acclaim and received three stars from The New York Times. In 2005, he was drawn to the rapidly developing culinary scene in Las Vegas and closed his doors in New York City to bring his unique flavor and specialties of the seafood world to the West Coast.

In February 2005, Chef Moonen opened his multi-level restaurant Rick Moonen's rm seafood at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The lower level of the restaurant offers "State of the Art Sustainable Seafood" and a world-class sushi and raw bar. The upper level offers a more elegant dining experience featuring globally inspired cuisine from Chef Moonen's fun and whimsical tasting and á la carte menus.

Peruvian Lantern Scallops
Pork Confit, Mustard Greens, Anson Mills Polenta

Smoked Sturgeon And Heirloom Potato
Potato Cheese Blintz, Lemon Creme, Chive

Arctic Char
Heirloom Beets, Black Trumpets, Horseradish Pudding

Veal 3x
Veal Cheek, Veal Sweetbreads, Veal Marrow Flan

Chocolate Car Bomb
Guinness Ice Cream, Bailey's Irish Cream, Beer Suds

Nobhill Tavern

2011-02-19T10:00:00.001-06:00

A few notes on Michael Mina:

Mina’s culinary and business vision led to the founding of his company, Mina Group, with partner Andre Agassi, in 2002. Under the auspices of Mina Group, he has opened 18 concept restaurants and a lounge concept: MICHAEL MINA in San Francisco, CLOCK BAR in San Francisco, RN74 in San Francisco, BOURBON STEAK in San Francisco, ARCADIA in San Jose, XIV (14) in Los Angeles, STONEHILL TAVERN in Dana Point, SEABLUE at MGM Grand in Las Vegas and SEABLUE in Atlantic City; BOURBON STEAK and SALTWATER in Detroit, BOURBON STEAK Miami and BOURBON STEAK Scottsdale, BOURBON STEAK Washington D.C., AMERICAN FISH at Aria, City Center in Las Vegas as well as STRIPSTEAK at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Mina also remains Managing Chef of MICHAEL MINA Bellagio (formerly Aqua Bellagio) and NOBHILL TAVERN at MGM Grand, both in Las Vegas.

Housemade Pate

Seared Day Boat Scallops
Butternut squash puree, brussels sprouts, pear, pecans, brown butter

Grilled Beef Shortribs
Stone ground grits, cole slaw

Fleur

2011-02-18T10:00:00.003-06:00

A few notes on Hubert Keller:

Born in Alsace, France, Hubert Keller is one of Americas most acclaimed chefs, known best for his world-renowned restaurants, Fleur de Lys (San Francisco), the Burger Bar (Las Vegas, St. Louis and San Francisco). Having caught the eyes, ears and palates of top food writers, Keller is the recipient of numerous awards including the James Beard Foundation’s lifetime achievement award of “Who’s Who” in the industry. His influence extends beyond his restaurant kitchen to the millions of people he reaches through his cookbooks and TV show, Secrets of a Chef.

Fleur is the home of the $5,000.00 - Burger FleurBurger 5000 wagyu beef, foie gras, truffles, with bottle of 1995 Château Petrus.

Cheese Platter Assortment of Artisan Cheese

Hummus Platter

Foie Gras Mousse
with huckleberry jam

Angus Sliders
Bleu cheese, onion, bacon, pear

Cheesecake Pops

Tiramisu

Jaleo

2011-02-17T10:15:00.026-06:00

A little info on Jose Andres:

José Andrés is a native of Spain and chef/owner of ThinkFoodGroup, the team responsible for Washington’s popular and award-winning dining concepts Jaleo, Zaytinya, Oyamel, Café Atlantico and the critically-acclaimed minibar by josé andrés, as well as Los Angeles’ exciting destination, The Bazaar by José Andrés, part of the SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills. ThinkFoodGroup oversees all of José’s creative endeavors such as cookbooks, television programming, concept consulting and project development.

The "Paella Pit"
This is one of the focal pieces of the restaurant. It's a huge wood burning pit for making paella and doing some fundamental grilling.

Aceitunas rellenas y aceitunas 'Ferran Adria'
Olives stuffed with anchovy and piquillo and 'Ferran Adria' liquid olives.

Quesos
Murcia al vino, Idiazabal, Garrotxa, Nevat and La Serena cheeses.

Lomo de buey
Grilled hanger steak with piquillo peppers

Dátiles con tocino ‘como hace todo el mundo’
Fried dates wrapped in bacon that you will want to eat every day.

Ensalada de coles de bruselas
Warm brussels sprout salad with apples, apricots, grapes and Serrano ham

Salmon crudo con huevas de salmon
Cone of salmon tartare and salmon roe

Bocadillos
Flauta bread brushed with olive oil and fresh tomatoes with Serrano ham and Manchego cheese.

Chocolate Flan
Hazelnut ice cream

Liquid Nitrogen Tableside

2011-02-15T16:26:00.006-06:00

An interesting end to a meal. I took this video because a picure wouldn't tell the story. This is from RM Seafood in Las Vegas.

More To Come

2011-02-13T12:50:00.004-06:00

Eating at some interesting restaurants in Las Vegas this week. Here's a short list of the plan.....but the more I see the more it changes.

RM Seafood - Chef Rick Moonen
NobHill - Chef Michael Mina
Jaleo - Chef Jose Andres
Fleur - Chef Hubert Keller

That's a pretty good list for starters. Fleur is a new small plates restaurant that has a more global approach than traditional Spanish tapas, I have high hopes for the foie gras mousse with huckleberry jam.

Happy Holiday's

2010-12-23T13:37:00.017-06:00

The holiday's for me have always been about the flavors and not so much about the retail madness. I can't remember what gifts I received when I was 8 years old but I do remember the taste and smell of my grandmothers Italian wedding cookies or my mothers decorated butter cookies. My brothers and I would disturb our younger sisters by dramatically biting the heads off the Santa cookies......I know that's twisted, but remember, there was no Internet, xbox 360, cell phones, texting or 400 channels on the TV....just cookies.

My kids have food memories too. One of them is rather recent, it's the Dutch egg bread that I wrote about last year, they asked me if I was going to bake some in the test kitchen this year and I realized they now had a permanent flavor memory that will last a lifetime. They won't remember 10 years from now what gifts they opened but I guarantee they'll remember the buttery bread filled with currants and golden raisins.

So, have a happy holiday season and I hope you will create some memorable flavors that will last you and your family a lifetime also.

The Dough

The Rise

The Bread

The Consumption

Global BBQ

2010-12-13T11:51:00.000-06:00

Patrick McDonnell made a recent trip to the test kitchen. Patrick is a frequent writer for magazines such as Food Arts, a consultant, a photographer and most importantly, he's a chef.

Patrick & I started talking about regional America BBQ a couple of months ago. The discussion evolved into international BBQ and it's enormous impact on the food truck and street food scene. So Patrick and crew came in and did what we try to do a couple of times a year, he cooked and we sat back. It's always great to see someone else's perspective and it's always interesting to be on the tasting side of the process rather than the cooking side.

Here's a small sampling of what we tasted.

Catalan Shrimp Barbacoa
La Rambla Style Grilled Shrimp
Marinated and Grilled Shrimp with, Roasted Peppers and Catalan Sofrito Aioli Drizzle

Yucatan Lamb Pastore
Slow Braised Lamb Barbacoa Tacos
Marinated and Grilled Lamb Leg with Pico de, Fruta, Queso Blanco, on Corn and Flour Tacos with Sour Cream and Guacamole Aioli

Goan Chicken Barbacoa
Chicken Cafreal
Cafreal Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast with Grilled Naan Bread topped with Chopped Tomatoes, Onions, Coriander and Mint Paste with Mango

Korean Rib Eye Bulgogi
Korean Firecracker Beef Bulgogi with White Kim Chi Slaw
Marinated and Grilled Flank Steak, Peanut Lime Vinaigrette topped White Cabbage, Julienne over Mandarin Tacos

Peruvian Chicken Chifa
Peking Lacquered Chicken
Five Spice and Molasses Lacquered Chicken with Jicama and Cilantro on Chinese Pancakes with Ginger Aioli

Chimayo Lamb Chorizo
Lamb Chorizo Slider
Ground Grass Fed Lamb seasoned with Chimayo Chile, Garlic and Sage with Fried Tomatoes and Queso and on Toasted Bolitto

Parmigiano-Reggiano

2010-11-18T16:43:00.009-06:00

Sourdough - Day 1

We had a large amount of Parmigiano-Reggiano so we decided to incorporate about 5 lbs of rather large cubes into the 24 lb batch of dough. It took about 1-1/2 hours extra to get though the first proof. I suspect the salt content of the cheese had something to do with the slow down.

The unanswered questions - will the salt in the cheese slow the 2nd proofing down too much? Will the cheese draw moisture from the dough? What type of interior melting will occur with a cheese this dense?..... Well, I don't know, those very questions is what makes you try it. It is always better to try something new and risk failure than to keep doing the same thing just because you are comfortable with the predictable outcome.

Sourdough - Day 2

Any of our concerns about this experiment were dissolved about 10 minutes into the baking process. At this point you could tell the bread was producing a good initial jump in the oven.

Because of the high ration of cheese in the dough we let it sit out for 1 hour before putting in in the cooler last night, just to give it a chance to develop. This morning the dough was really firm when it came out of the cooler and needed 2 hours of floor time before it was baked.

As you can see the bread had great blistering and the cheese randomly ruptured through the bread wherever it was close to the crust.

Parsnips

2010-11-16T14:40:00.001-06:00

Grilled Beef Tenderloin Filet
Horseradish mashed potatoes, parsnip chips, spiced red wine syrup

It's That Time Of Year

2010-11-12T11:30:00.002-06:00

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Crispy pancetta and whole grain mustard

Justus Drugstore Restaurant

2010-11-10T17:09:00.001-06:00

Berkshire Pork Tail Fritter
House cured bacon, romaine, wild arugula vinaigrette, smoked tomato/basil, citrus sorrel

Farmer’s Platter
Wild persimmon seed spiced rabbit terrine, house made sausage, house cured bacon, pickled and grilled vegetables, olives, gaufrette potato, bone marrow mousse, brioche toast points, mustard

Maytag Blue Cheese
Maple/Port vinaigrette, pear, blue cheese/black pepper ice-cream, arugula, Missouri black walnut tuile

Cherry Limeade Salad
Spinach, candied pecans, orange gelée, Shatto aged cheddar, white beets

Autumn Striper Bass
Pan seared bass filet, tomato onion chard/olive compote, mushroom, exotic spices, saffron rice, frisée

Berry Napoleon
Blackberries, raspberries, vanilla wafer, white chocolate crème, double lemon ice cream, blackberry coulis

Blueberry Crumble
Vanilla honey, cinamin blueberry Chantilly, basil ice cream, lemon confit

Chocolate Mint Decadence
Chocolate ganache, milk chocolate, champagne mousse, chocolate/rose hip ice cream, mint milk, malted Chantilly

Fudge Tarts

2010-10-15T11:55:00.000-05:00

Chocolate cream cheese pastry dough ready to be pressed out in the tartlet molds.

Pans being filled with a chocolate fudge & macadamia nut filling....I know what you're thinking, "Where's the picture after they're baked?", I turned my back and they all got eaten, sorry.

Southern Fried Pie

2010-10-13T13:31:00.000-05:00

Fried Apple Pie
Cinnamon ice cream, rum-raisin sauce

Alicante Spain

2010-10-11T10:00:00.003-05:00

My friend and former co-worker, Chef Michael Pallante, lives in Alicante Spain. Michael is a currently writing a book. He sent me these photo's and information.

Roasted veggies...2 kinds of tomatoes, olives grown just outside, eggplant, bonito (tuna), onions, peppers, celery.

Escarole empanada, quail eggs on sun dried tomato

Paella with rabbit, peppers, garbanzos, garlic and lemon

On our way up the mountain, we came across a sign 'abejas attencion'...this means beware of the bees...here was their hives, you could hear them zooming all around. They take their honey seriously here, but I'm not sure the name of the flower they are using at this spot.

What The Doctor Ordered - Warm Cake

2010-10-09T13:25:00.000-05:00

Warm Chocolate Cake
Hazelnut ice cream

Todd English’s Olive’s Restaurant

2010-09-20T06:53:00.002-05:00

I found these pictures in some of my archives and felt compelled to post them before they went into digital oblivion. These were shot in Las Vegas.

Tuna Tartare
Cucumber julienne, ginger glazed rock shrimp

Flatbread with smoked mozzarella
Oven dried tomato spread and basil

Falling Cake (a.k.a. chocolate lava cake)

Saltwater Prawns

2010-09-18T10:11:00.001-05:00

Tempura Saltwater Prawns
Kimchi, botan rice with candied ginger, sweet soy sriracha sauce.

Classic w/a Twist

2010-09-12T17:32:00.002-05:00

Crème Brulee Trio
Orange, vanilla and Ghirardelli milk chocolate crème brulee’s. Served with shortbread and chocolate brownie cookies.

Shortcake

2010-09-08T10:30:00.003-05:00

Strawberry Shortcake
Roasted strawberry ice cream, sweet drop biscuit, Grand Marnier marinated strawberries, whipped cream, mint syrup.

Alaskan Halibut

2010-09-04T10:34:00.002-05:00

Olive Oil Poached Alaskan Halibut
Pappardelle pasta, fennel, arugula, sun dried tomatoes, Mediterranean olives, asparagus, basil pistou, white wine clam broth.

Smoked Trout

2010-09-03T10:36:00.002-05:00

Fruitwood Smoked Trout
Pickled cucumbers & onions, watercress, dill crème, chives, caraway crackers.

Crispy Ribs - sticky good!

2010-09-02T10:10:00.008-05:00

Crispy Pork Ribs - street food 101
Thai chile sauce, peanut-ginger slaw, sriracha sauce.

Match Made In Heaven

2010-07-02T15:51:00.023-05:00

An interesting selection of ice creams paired with an equally impressive selection of brownie pops.

How can you pass up Chick-O-Stick ice cream or Pancake-Maple-Bacon ice cream? These are only a few of the sub-zero selections....

WAIT, you're not done yet!, you must have some brownie pops to eat with your frozen formulation. The flavors are abundant and still growing, like Whoppers Malted Milk Ball, Junior Mint, Mexican "Hot Chocolate" with Cayenne & Cracker Jacks, and Dulce De Leche with Sea Salt to name a few, we actually have nine different dark chocolate addictions on a stick.

Show a little self control when confronted with the task of building your own mix-n-match dessert selection. If you lack discipline this "Match Made In Heaven" will quickly turn into a sinful affair, and just for the record, I'm on the sinful side of the equation because I just had a 2x3 (2 ice creams and 3 brownie pops)

Summer Grilling

2010-06-04T14:04:00.002-05:00

Grilled Strip Loin
Chickpea fries, watermelon and charred onion relish.

This Should Be Illegal

2010-04-14T17:33:00.007-05:00

I'm speechless........because I'm eating a mouthful of crispy pork belly!! We have a couple of ideas we're working on that use pulled or shredded pork belly. When it's still good and warm you take two forks and pull it apart, the end result is a mixture of textures with crispy skin, meaty interior and of course the ever essential fat.

This is one of those things you just stand and stare at, no words are needed, it doesn't have to be said that the belly is good.

Bucket O' Chicken

2010-04-06T16:45:00.004-05:00

“Eight Piece Bucket”
Hickory smoked chicken wings with maple-bourbon glaze. Smoked corn hush puppies, Maytag blue cheese dressing.

Flavor + Memories = Comfort

2010-04-06T16:40:00.005-05:00

Grilled Cheese with Roasted Tomato Soup
Sourdough with black pepper Tillamook cheese.

Cheesey Goodness

2010-04-06T16:36:00.004-05:00

Beef & Bleu Fondue
Maytag bleu cheese melted with white wine and braised beef shortrib. Cubed bread, apple slices and rosemary steak frites.

Patsy's NY Pizza

2010-04-05T10:20:00.000-05:00

How could you possibly go to New York and not eat in a traditional neighborhood pizza joint? I made a trip Patsy's Pizza

In the early 1900's, working in the Salumeriaís of Little Italy, Patsyís Lancieri perfected the New York Style Pizzaî. In 1933, he opens the city's first Pizzeria Restaurant on 118th Street and First Avenue, establishing himself as New York's foremost pizza baker and inspiring scores of imitators.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

2010-03-29T14:59:00.001-05:00

Ice Cream Sandwiches
Two different sandwiches with caramel and spiced mango dipping sauces. Toasted coconut and chocolate wafer ‘Crumbs’ for rolling in.

Street Food

2010-02-26T13:44:00.006-06:00

Roasted Pork Belly Taco's
Manchego cheese, passila chile creme fraiche, avocado-lime salsa, pineapple-mango & tomatillo salsa, pickled red cabbage with cilantro & scallions.

Egg In The Hole !!!

2010-02-12T12:08:00.007-06:00

I mean really, how can it get any better?......add this to your death row meal!

B.E.L.T.
Crispy pork Belly, Egg, Lettuce, Tomato, basil mayo

Guns In The Test Kitchen

2010-02-01T14:11:00.009-06:00

Although we allow and encourage knives in the test kitchen we don't allow guns, with one exception. The Smoking Gun by Poly Science. It's a new toy that allows us to cold smoke anything from salt to cheese or the freshly made shortrib pastrami below. We've been experimenting with hickory, cherry wood, mesquite and applewood.

Just fill the chamber with finely shaved wood "dust" turn the blower motor on, ignite the wood chips and let the smokin' begin. So, to answer your question "What are they smokin' in the test kitchen?".....well, today we're smokin' fresh pastrami

Fresh Shortrib Pastrami with Hickory Smoke

Cookie Applications

2010-01-28T16:16:00.001-06:00

Exploring the possibilities of cookies.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Cookie Assortment

Panna Cotta Trio with Cookies

Wierd Dream

2010-01-25T11:57:00.005-06:00

I don’t know what dreams mean. Maybe I'm just screwed up, but I had this dream last night that seemed to go on for hours. I hate the look of perfectly rounded scoops of mashed potatoes. Although it's the ultimate portioning device it reminds me of school lunch room food, and then the tunes of Lunch Land Lady by Adam Sandler start playing in my head, "Woke up in the morning. Put on my new plastic glove. Served some re-heated salisbury steak with a little slice of love."

So, back to the dream. I was in a kitchen somewhere and threw away all the scoops and proceeded to teach some cooks how to spoon potatoes onto the plate, but the spoons kept turning out to be perfectly rounded scoops of potatoes. I tried spooning them in sideways, like a side-arm pitch but they were still round. I tried holding the spoon above the plate and letting gravity do its work, but as the potatoes dropped onto the plate they formed into perfect round mounds. I went through 100 pounds of potatoes, this went on for eternity. I was raging mad, throwing dishes through the kitchen, screaming, it got violent.

I know Dr. Phil would probably say the perfectly rounded scoops of potatoes represent conformity and my desire to do otherwise makes me a nonconformist. The analysis for the tunes playing in my head would probably indicate some sort of serious disorder. "Dan, did the potatoes speak to you ?, did they tell you to throw plates ? As a child were you afraid of Mr. Potato Head ?" As a side note, doesn't Mr. Potato head look exactly like Dr. Phil?

Apple Upside Down Cake

2010-01-20T15:01:00.000-06:00

Apples & Ginger
Warm roasted apple ‘Upside-Down’ cake, anise & sour cream ice cream, pistachio brittle, ginger syrup and spiced red wine glaze.

Mousse Moderne

2010-01-12T16:10:00.000-06:00

White & Dark Chocolate Mousse
Mango cayenne sauce, hazelnut rice crispy treats

Pineapple + Chocolate

2009-12-20T12:01:00.000-06:00

Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake
Macadamia-coconut caramel, pineapple-buttermilk sherbet, candied pineapple.

Citrus

2009-12-17T17:35:00.005-06:00

Lemon Tart with Italian Meringue
Lime-mint sorbet, candied kumquats, mint syrup

Not What It Appears To Be

2009-12-17T11:52:00.002-06:00

Some things just don't look like part of the food world. The first photo looks like a sea creature that was discovered deep into the Mariana Trench. The second picture appears to be a hybrid corn, perhaps chocolate corn on the cob?

Candied Pineapple

"Torchon" of Chocolate Coated Cocoa Puffs

Test Kitchen - The Savory Side of Sweet

2009-12-08T15:32:00.004-06:00

Our fascination with injecting traditional savory ingredients into desserts has led to some interesting experiments.

Applewood Smoked Bacon Praline
Watch out ice cream here we come...

Popcorn Cake
This was made with buttered popcorn milled down to a flour consistency.

Test Kitchen - Ice Cream Machine

2009-12-06T11:38:00.006-06:00

Last week our Italian ice cream maker arrived and we immediately put it to use. The initial flavors we made were, macadamia praline, roasted carrot & ginger, pineapple-buttermilk sherbet, blueberry pie, mint-lime sorbet, and of course vanilla.

Dos Brisas

2009-10-20T11:37:00.000-05:00

We don't do very many 2nd party posts but we thought this was notable. A friend of mine, Mike Hizney, ate at Dos Brisas and shot these pictures. Thanks Mike.

Here's a little backround on Dos Brisas:
Jason Robinson, executive chef at The Inn at Dos Brisas, was raised in Southern California, where he was exposed to a style of cooking that fused unique Asian culture and traditional American influences to create a flavorful masterpiece.

From early on, Robinson knew he enjoyed creating food to please his friends and family. Taking advice from his father, Robinson decided to make sure he would like working in a professional kitchen and applied for the job as a prep cook at Fog City Diner, Las Vegas, where his sister was a hostess. Robinson didn't just like it, he loved it and his professional career was born.

After two years in Las Vegas, Robinson moved to Chicago to assist with the opening of Fog City Diner in the Windy City. Four years later, Robinson began a serious culinary study under the tutelage of star chef, Rick Tramanto at Tru in Chicago.

After 5 years of working at Tru, to which he eventually became the chef de cuisine, Robinson's cooking evolved to the point that he became chef at Goodfellows in Minneapolis in the summer of 2004. He stayed at this world-class restaurant until it closed its doors after nearly two decades of service.

Dos Brisas Herbs & Truffle Sunburst Garden Tomato, Mascarpone

Ahi Tuna Sashimi, Garden Cucumber, Ginger Tobiko Housemade Chile Oil, Ponzu Drizzle

Grilled Fresh Sardines, Tiny Tomato & Watercress Salad, Parmesan, Olive Dressing

Seared Cage Free Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Organic Peaches, Berry Gastrique

DOS Brisas Organic White Tomato Soup

Roasted Scallop, Organic Spinach Puree & Fried Ipswich Clam, Lemon Essence

Texas Wagyu Beef Filet, Garden Bush Beans, Caramelized DOS Brisas Onions, Beef Jus

Dos Brisas Housemade Pyramid Aged Goat Cheese, Garden Figs, Vanilla Syrup

Dos Brisas Organic Carrot Cake, Roasted Carrot Ice Cream, Carrot Reduction

Chocolates

Coffee Service

Ghirardelli Chocolate Experiment

2009-08-31T12:41:00.005-05:00

The pictures tell the story. The applications for pliable chocolate are endless.

Grand Central Market

2009-08-10T10:20:00.000-05:00

How great is this? So you work in NYC and you're a commuter leaving from the Grand Central Terminal, but before you go home you do a little shopping at the Grand Central Market located inside the terminal. They have so much nice food available it's like being a kid in a candy store.

Cooking, Learning, Evolving

2009-08-02T19:07:00.010-05:00

This is probably our final experiment in frozen desserts for the summer. There's been great learning combined with great ingredients, what more could you want?

At the beginning of the summer my 16 year old foodie son was a willing prep cook, he even did the dishes, and if you're a parent you know how monumental this is. As the summer progressed Dylan became more technical, he had his own ideas, and began to have a "Food Voice". He's always had a voice, a pretty load one, but not one that spoke food.

This week he took over and went solo. At the same time I was having an extremely busy week at work, we had four food reviews and showed a total of 68 new dishes, it was intense to say the least. But to come home one night and have the kitchen set up like "Test Kitchen #2" was absolutely mind blowing, I walk out of one test kitchen, go home and walk into another.

There was Dylan with his prep done, kitchen cleaned, camera set up and just waiting for me to arrive. He had done a multitude of strawberry preparations; strawberry gelee's, strawberry "leather", strawberry ice cream, plus shortbread biscuits with sea salt and crème fraiche whipped cream. He had evolved in three short months from being a participant to formulating his own concepts and doing it himself.

I was extremely proud of his efforts, but what impressed me most was the fact that he was convinced it could be better the next time he did it. Self critiquing, self evolving.....the hallmark signs of someone deeply engaged in what they do.

Here's the final dish, plus I've posted a collage of this summers frozen dessert experiments.

Shortbread with sea salt, strawberry ice cream, strawberry gelee, strawberry "leather", creme fraiche whipped cream.

Strawberry cylinder with creme fraiche whipped creme, strawberry gelee, shortbread with sea salt, strawberry ice cream.

Collage of frozen desserts from summer 09

Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen

2009-07-24T11:00:00.000-05:00

Cindy Pawlcyn has been involved in the creation of over a dozen new restaurants in the Bay Area including, Fog City Diner, Bix, Roti, Betelnut, Buckeye Roadhouse and Tra Vigne. Her latest creation is Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen in St. Helena.

Roasted Artichoke, lemon & chervil-tarragon aioli

Rabbit Tostada, red chile salsa, black beans & feta

Pablo’s Pollo Loco, chopped avocado salsa & stuffed green chile

Duck enchilada special

Test Kitchen Filming

2009-07-06T11:29:00.000-05:00

Most days in the test kitchen start out like any other kitchen, turning on the hood system, firing up the grill and ovens, going through the coolers and reachins, etc. But not today, today it began with cameras hanging from the ceiling, lighting galore, a spiderweb of wiring and monitors, wireless mikes and of course the mandatory makeup to compensate for the irregular complexion shared by most people who cook for a living.

We shot a series of instruction cooking videos. These videos were more about ideas instead of exacting recipes. They're geared toward the avid home cook.

Derek setting up for the day

Any closer and he'd be on the cutting board

Olive Oil Ice Cream

2009-06-20T13:23:00.015-05:00

As our summer experiments with frozen dessert development continues we find ourselves pushing the envelope. Pastry Chef at Le Bernardin, Michael Laiskonis, is the catalyst for the basic idea of using olives, basil and olive oil as a dessert match. His Workbook site is a creative source that tempers thought provoking ideas with the formulations of a scientist.

Of course, with this idea, like any good idea, we began to expand the parameters and move beyond the base idea and traditional thinking as we approached these desserts.

Fromage Blanc Ice Cream Infused with Basil & Olive Oil
Mediterranean olive “cannoli”, strawberries, mangos, dark cherries, julienne of basil.

Black Olive “Taco” Tuile
Seasonal fruit, basil and olive oil infused fromage blanc ice cream, mango puree.

Fruit Compote with Mango Coulis

Olive oil-basil ice cream, black olive tuile with orange zest.

Passion Fruit Ice

2009-06-20T13:22:00.008-05:00

This simple passion fruit granite is a quick dessert or intermezzo for the summer. Passion fruit >> strain pulp >> add adjusted version of simple syrup >> freeze >> "Rake" often during the freezing process with a fork to produce large pieces of "Ice".

Artisan Chocolates & Port

2009-06-20T13:17:00.007-05:00

A simple ending to a meal. Five Christopher Elbow chocolates with a 20 year port.

Venezuelan Dark, Tanzanie, Strawberry-Balsamic Caramel, Bourbon Pecan and Yuzu.

Strawberry Shortcake Reinvented

2009-06-07T11:44:00.010-05:00

As our experimentation with frozen desserts continues we came up with a unique concept. Last week we made a strawberry foam and decided to freeze some of it in cylinder molds, the result was an ultra light and flavor packed morsel. This week we were experimenting with a classic French Madeleine recipe, somewhat crisp on the exterior and moist on the inside. Then came the idea to marry the two components into a strawberry shortcake spinoff.

Strawberry Shortcake
Frozen strawberry foam cylinder, madeleine's, sweetened whipped cream, fresh strawberries.

Experimentation In Frozen Flavors

2009-06-02T21:34:00.011-05:00

This past weekend we began a series of frozen dessert experiments. It began with ideas provided by Michael Laiskonis, the Pastry Chef at Le Bernardin in NYC.

The concept starts with a simple thought; olive oil is a natural match to balsamic vinegar. With that thought in mind, it then evolved into a series of desserts.

The first experiment was to produce an age balsamic vinegar ice cream, followed by the second act of making a frozen vanilla & extra virgin olive oil parfait with lemon. And finally we made strawberry foam.

With these three components in place the dessert ideas began to flow.

The balsamic ice cream churning in the ice cream maker.

Aged Balsamic Ice Cream, Vanilla Olive Oil Parfait, Strawberry Foam, Reduced Balsamic Glaze, Christopher Elbow Raspberry Gelee.

Balsamic Ice Cream, Fresh Strawberries, Mint, Strawberry Foam, Crushed Biscotti’s.

Cylinder of Vanilla Olive Oil Parfait, Balsamic Ice Cream, Fresh Strawberries, Strawberry Foam, Balsamic reduction.

Vanilla Olive Oil Parfait Embedded With Strawberries, Strawberry Foam.

Vanilla Olive Oil Parfait Embedded With Strawberries, Balsamic Ice Cream, Strawberry Foam.

Spring In Napa

2009-06-01T05:27:00.000-05:00

It's an exciting time in the Napa Valley when the vines begin to show early signs of producing fruit. The weather is still very cool in the evenings and there's intermittent rain during the day. Then suddenly the rain will stop for the rest of the growing season, which is what the grapes prefer.

Trinchero Family Estates

2009-05-23T20:30:00.000-05:00

About a month ago all of the GM's from Houlihan's and our specialty dining division along with vendors and spouses converged in Napa for our annual conference. With almost 400 people there aren't many venues in Napa outside the CIA in Greystone that can handle this many people, so one night we broke up into 6 groups and bussed everyone to different vineyards for dinner. I had the pleasure to tour the new facilities at the Trinchero winery.

They now have a Hospitality Center to house Trinchero's internationally recognized Vine to Dine® wine and culinary education programs, the Hospitality Center features a Tuscan-style culinary center with indoor and outdoor kitchens and dining, vinegar solera, woodburning ovens, reserve tasting room and cellar, and culinary gardens.

The dinner table they setup in one of the barrel rooms.

The barrel room with French oak barrels. These barrels cost about $1,200 and are only used once.

Fermentation tanks.

Tasting room.

The new kitchen in the Hospitality Center. The kitchen opened two days before we arrived.

Myself in the kitchen. I'm really uncomfortable in any kitchen without my whites.

I thought this was cool, right outside the kitchen was a wall with hundreds of burning candles.

A view from outside the kitchen.

Test Kitchen - Summer Has Finally Arrived

2009-05-21T11:15:00.007-05:00

Heirloom Tomato Salad
"Peach" and "Chocolate Cherry" tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, sea salt & cracked pepper, basil infused olive oil, balsamic reduction, micro sprouts.

Test Kitchen - When Cheese Becomes Cake

2009-05-19T22:31:00.002-05:00

Our experiment with savory "cheesecake" allowed us to infuse flavor yet maintain the integrity and creaminess of the cheese. With the right cheese and the correct ratios the flavor combination possibilities are endless.

Bleu "cheesecake" with mission figs.

Goat "cheesecake" with dried cherries.

Cross section of goat "cheesecake" with dried cherries.

Cheese Condiments
Candied kumquats, golden raisin & mustard seed relish, sweet & sour cherries.

"Cheesecakes" with rosemary crackers and quince paste

Test Kitchen - The Versatility of Crepes

2009-05-19T19:05:00.007-05:00

Corn & Jalapeno Crepes
Sauteed oyster mushrooms with spinach and goat cheese. Balsamic reduction, fresh chives and chive flowers.

Smoked Duck Crepes
Fresh corn, manchego cheese, green chiles, radish sprouts

Taylor's Automatic Refresher

2009-05-03T20:23:00.010-05:00

Taylor's Automatic Refresher has been a fixture in the Napa Valley since 1949. This burger joint is the forerunner to the gourmet burger palaces popping up across the country. Taylor's has garnered as much press as the multi-starred fine dining restaurants in the valley. They've been featured in USA Today, Wine Enthusiast, The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Travel & Leisure, Food & Wine, and many many more.

The cheese burger was ethereal. Sitting at a picnic table in St. Helena in the spring with a hot cheesy burger is a thing of beauty. And of course, being in wine country they have a great selection of wine.

At peak times the line can get very long, business is so good they prohibit buses from stopping there.

Farallon - San Francisco

2009-05-03T20:19:00.014-05:00

Chef Mark Franz opened Farallon in June 1997 in partnership with designer and restaurateur Pat Kuleto. Surrounded by an interior reminiscent of the lost City of Atlantis, Franz serves his sophisticated interpretation of "Coastal Cuisine." Nominated by the James Beard Foundation as one of the best restaurants in the nation, Farallon was also chosen as one of the best newcomers in the country by national magazines such as Esquire, Bon Appetit and Food & Wine.

Franz was awarded the "Chef of the Decade" award in 2002 by the California Culinary Academy and Farallon received the prestigious DiRona Award the same year. Farallon continues to be one of the highest rated and most popular seafood restaurants in San Francisco.

HEIRLOOM BEET & CHEVRE TERRINE
petite celery salad, caper berries, crimson beet emulsion

SEARED MASSACHUSETTS SPANISH MACKEREL
endive marmalade, toasted almonds, meyer lemon vinaigrette

SEARED LOCAL PETRALE SOLE
beef short rib ravioli, toasted walnuts, cherry Cognac jus

SEARED SOUTH CAROLINA WRECKFISH
Iacopi Farms English peas, house made gnocchi, wild mushroom fondue

EATWELL FARM'S WHOLE WHEAT CARROT CAKE
kumquat marmalade, cream cheese ice cream,candied pecans

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE
brown butter streusel, sweet Meyer lemon ricotta cream, hibiscus strawberry rhubarb compote

Test Kitchen - Vibrant Tuna

2009-05-03T09:48:00.010-05:00

This is one of the crispest, cleanest tuna preparations we've ever developed. The base is a crisp-spicy cucumber & Thai green curry gelee.

Hawaiian Tuna Crudo
Cucumber-Thai green curry gelee, serrano chiles, candied kumquats, cilantro, sea salt and crystallized ginger.

Test Kitchen - H2O Melon

2009-04-23T19:45:00.012-05:00

It's hard not to think about watermelon as spring and summer are knocking at the door.

Watermelon with Goat Cheese
Mediterranean olives, sea salt, shallot vinaigrette

Hawaiian Tombo
Watermelon, black olive vinaigrette, wakame, fleur de sel

Test Kitchen - Texture

2009-04-22T13:47:00.003-05:00

What's not to like about the ultra crunchy exterior of thinly battered fish?

In 1975 I did a stint in a fish & chips shop and learned a thing or two about the fryolator arts and proper fish & chips.

In the late 70's I lived in London and oddly enough I didn't eat fish & chips on a regular basis because I was living in Hackney Wick (the projects). At the time curry & chips was the meal of choice in Hackney because that's what the diverse population wanted. In and around Kennsington Market and Hyde Park was a different story. On days when the air was damp & thick the smell of frying batter and chips just hung in the air. When I stood in line for fish & chips it gave me a sense of belonging, I wasn't an outsider, I was one of them, commute > work > eat fish & chips > go to pub.

The art, and believe me there is one, in properly battering fish is for the finished product to have a very thin, almost translucent crust. Just give me some frites, caper tartare sauce and malt vinegar and I'll be happy.

Simple Elegance

2009-04-18T11:21:00.000-05:00

In our family if you would have ever exhibited any small indications or early signs that you weren't a passionate food lover we would have shipped you off to be raised by wolves.

My wife Sheila, who of course is an extraordinarily passionate cook based on the criteria above, made these amongst other small bites a couple of nights ago.

The Japanese fig compote was, and will be in future preparations, the perfect accompaniment to serve with cheese. It's made by rough chopping dried figs and slow cooking them in a covered pan with orange juice, segmented and chopped oranges, orange zest, fresh rosemary and cracked black pepper.

Canapes with ichijiku compote, goat cheese and toasted walnuts.

db Bistro Moderne

2009-04-10T13:00:00.000-05:00

The db Bistro is Daniel Boulud's version of casual dining. After eating at Daniel the previous night it was interesting to see how he successfully attracts customers at both ends of the dining spectrum. The three things that both restaurants have in common are the use of superb ingredients, the use of superb ingredients, and the use of superb ingredients.

There's a lot more that goes into being a great restaurant than just using high quality ingredients, such as cooking skill, imagination, service, ambiance, etc.... But if all these factors are equal the one separating point between good and great is the ingredients you use. This applies to all restaurants from fast food to white table cloth.

The most written about burger in the US is the $32.00 db Burger. There's actually a $75.00 version called the db Burger Royale that comes with 10 grams of shaved black truffles.

Entrance

THE ORIGINAL db BURGER
Sirloin Burger Filled with Braised Short Ribs & Foie Gras, Served on a Parmesan Bun, Pommes Frites—or—Pommes Soufflées

db Burger condiments - I can't imagine adding anything else to this burger.

ORGANIC CHICKEN BREAST "GRAND-MERE"
Pomme Cocotte, Bacon, Button Mushrooms, Spinach

BACON VEILED SALMON
Baby Carrots, Turnips, Fingerling Potatoes, Riesling Veloute

BANANA CHOCOLATE BEIGNET
Slow Roasted Banana, Peanut Ice Cream

CHOCOLATE COFFEE MILLE FEUILLE
Mocha Mousse, Armagnac Ice Cream

MEYER LEMON TART
Poppyseed Crust, Pomegranate Sorbet

Test Kitchen - Shortrib Tasting

2009-04-09T16:45:00.004-05:00

Sometimes less is more, especially if less opens the door to more variety.

Crispy Beef Shortrib 'Confit'
Butter poached Alaskan crab leg, bearnaise sauce.

Shatto Farms

2009-04-08T15:24:00.015-05:00

We're busy exploring several new ideas such as; sourcing local products, heirloom vegetables and organics to name a few. These are not simple objectives even for an independent restaurateur, but getting your head wrapped around doing these things on a nation wide basis isn't easy.....but we're no stranger to taking the road less travel, it's what we do and it's always been pretty damn exciting. With those thoughts on our minds, we arranged to tour the Shatto Milk Company today, our guide was Leroy Shatto. Leroy is a "Milk Artisan", the milkmeister is an unwavering fanatic about quality and his passion shows through in every bottle of milk, pound of butter and gallon of ice cream.

Shatto Milk Company is a small, family owned and operated, dairy farm located just north of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The family has been farming there for more than 100 years and began a dairy farm more than 60 years ago. In June 2003 the family began processing their own milk on the farm. They decided to bottle their own milk for the purpose of providing their customers with the freshest and best tasting dairy products possible.

Shatto Milk Company products can be described by one simple statement that they have adopted as their motto, MILK AT ITS FINEST. They go to great lengths to insure that the products they sell are truly the freshest and best tasting.

The milk sold by Shatto Milk Company comes from cows not treated with rbST (recombinant bovine somatotropin) or recombinant bovine growth hormone (rbGH).**
Shatto Milk comes only from the cows located on the family farm.
Shatto Milk can be from the cow to the store in as little as 12 hours.

Leroy Shatto

The bottling line

Milking stalls

Myself feeding the calves

Twins that were born yesterday

Jen getting the milking tutorial

Natalie too

Love this sign over the calves pens

OTTO Enoteca Pizzeria

2009-04-03T15:30:00.000-05:00

Otto is one of fourteen different restaurants Mario Batali owns. Although the word 'Pizzeria' is part of the name it's so much more than that. As a matter-a-fact I didn't even have pizza. I opted for a different experience, which the menu is crafted to deliver. I wanted great salumi, cheeses and pasta. This is not some over-the-top restaurant, it's very casual, catering to your 'eating mood', no real hard & fast rules. The focus in the kitchen is all about using the best ingredients and not standing in the way of those ingredients; straight forward, unadulterated beauty.

Entrance

Salumi Plate

Cheese Plate
Coach Triple Cream, Goat, NY
Gorgonzola Dolce, Cow, LOM
Taleggio, Cow, LOM

Condiments For Cheese
Preserved Apricot, Truffle Honey and Marinated Cherries

RIGATONI CON SAUSAGE & ESCAROLE
Garlic, Escarole, Sweet Italian Sausage

SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA
Pancetta, Scallions, Black Pepper, Egg

PENNE PUTTANESCA
Anchovies, Capers, Olives, Chiles, Roasted Tomato

BLACK & WHITE
Milk Chocolate Chip Gelato, Hazelnut Brittle, Creme Fraiche Gelato, Chocolate Sauce, Caramel Crema

OTTO TIRAMISU
Zabaglione Crema

Test Kitchen - Tuna Crudo

2009-04-03T14:11:00.010-05:00

After eating and cooking much tuna you get tired of every dish following the same familiar path...soy, ginger, wasabi, etc. So, with that thought in mind, Derek began some work to part ways with tradition. The road less travel provides new scenery and fresh perspectives.

TUNA CRUDO
Fennel pollen, Hiwa Kai Hawaiian black lava salt, fennel salad, artichoke chips, preserved lemon oil.

Per Se Kitchen Tour

2009-03-22T10:18:00.022-05:00

There are 25,000 restaurants in New York, there are about 100 I should eat at. One of those restaurants is Thomas Keller's Per Se. I didn't get a chance to eat there this time but the staff was kind enough to give me a kitchen tour. I've eaten at Keller's restaurants, Bouchon in Las Vegas, Bouchon Bakery in New York and Ad Hoc in Yountville California. Memo to self - eat at Per Se and the French Laundry soon

As would be expected, the kitchen was impeccable. Plenty of working space by New York standards with a center cooking island plus an enormous staging area.

Entrance

Kitchen shots

This was interesting. It's a setup of all the chocolates they'll be serving for the night with descriptions next to each one so the staff can memorize them.

A view of NYC from outside the front of the restaurant which is located in the Columbus Circle area. One floor down from Per Se is the Bouchon Bakery.

Le Bernardin

2009-03-19T19:59:00.051-05:00

Le Bernardin is, well, incredible. As with any great restaurant there are many many talented people focusing on details and quality every minute of every day. I'll comment on two of these individuals.

Chef Eric Ripert - Ripert's statement on the menu says it all, "Fish is the star of the plate not the chef", that pretty much sums up the identity of the restaurant, serving pristine seafood in a style that allows the seafood to shine. Ripert's menu layout is unique, there are three categories on the menu with about a dozen selections in each category, "Almost Raw", "Barely Touched" and "Lightly Cooked". It's a great philosophy that acknowledges that all fish are not created equal and don't deserve a universal cooking technique. It also allow for a dining experience that escalates in texture, temperature and flavor.

Executive Pastry Chef Michael Laiskonis - Laiskonis displays an incredible array of ingredients, cooking techniques, flavor combinations and presentation styles. He's a well document chef who has two great blogs, Michael Laiskonis Notes From the Kitchen, and Workbook. I follow both of his blogs on a regular basis, especially Workbook because it contains formulas and some insight into his ideation process. Michael arranged for us to take a kitchen tour before our arrival, which was more then I could ask for, but it didn't end there, when we ordered dessert he sent out almost the entire menu. Thanks Michael, It was sensory bliss. The dessert menu has a unique layout also, the desserts are simply labeled with their main ingredient, such as Carrot, Yuzu, Chestnut, Walnut, Chocolate-Sweet Potato, Etc.

Awards and accolades
The restaurant was voted 20th best in the world in the Restaurant Magazine Top 50 for 2008.

Le Bernardin is one of only four restaurants in New York awarded three Michelin stars.

It is also the restaurant which has held four stars from the New York Times for the longest period of time. Le Bernardin gained the superior ranking less than three months after opening in early 1986.

James Beard Foundation Award: Outstanding Restaurant 1998, Outstanding Chef -Eric Ripert- 2003, Outstanding Pastry Chef -Michael Laiskonis- 2007

Gayot Top 40 Restaurants in the US: 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004. In 2008 it was given a rating of 18/20, one of the highest scores awarded.

Exterior Shot

Amuse-Bouche
Maine Shrimp with Celery Foam

Kampachi Tartare
Cucumber, Pineapple-Citrus Vinaigrette

Organic Scottish and Smoked Salmon
Apple, Celery and Baby Watercress, Jalapeno Emulsion

Layers of Thinly Pounded Yellowfin Tuna
Foie Gras and Toasted Baguette, Shaved Chives and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Escolar
White Tuna Poached in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sea Beans and Potato Crisps, Light Red Wine Bearnaise

Crab
Stuffed Zucchini Flowers with Peekytoe Crab, Black Truffle Sauce

Mackerel
Seared Spanish Mackerel, Parmesan Crisp and Sun-Dried Tomato, Black Olive Oil

Red Snapper
Bread Crusted Red Snapper, Zucchini-Mint and Coriander Compote in a rich Citrus Broth

Surf And Turf
Escolar and Seared Kobe Beef, Sea Bean Salad and Eggplant Fries, Mr. Kaufman's Pesto and Anchovy Sauce

Codfish
Baked Codfish, Green Mango Salad, Red Lentil Stew, Yogurt Sauce

"The Egg"
At Le Bernardin, “The Egg” often appears unexpectedly as a special treat for guests, as there has never been any mention of it on any printed dessert menu.

Michael Laiskonis, executive pastry chef of Le Bernardin prepares "The Egg" — a milk chocolate pot de crème topped with caramel foam, maple syrup and a pinch of maldon sea salt, served in a eggshell.

Chocolate-Sweet Potato
Dark Amedei Chocolate Ganache, Sweet Potato Pearls and Sorbet, Pistachio, Palm Sugar, Vanilla Salt

Sorbet
Pineapple Buttermilk, Coconut, Mandarin

Carrot
Rum Scented Carrot Cake, Golden Raisins, Sicilian Pistachio, Condensed Milk Ice Cream

Chestnut
Frozen Chestnut Parfait, Biscuit & Wafer, Mandarin Coulis, Coconut Sorbet

Panna Cotta
Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta, Pomegranate Pearls and Sorbet, Lemon Cream, Orange Peel, Mint

Hazelnut
Gianduja Cream, Oregon Hazelnuts, Honey, Banana, Brown Butter Ice Cream

Petit Fours

Cooking line at Le Bernardin - If you watch Top Chef, this is the kitchen that was used on one of the recent episodes.

Le Bernardin Pastry Line - Executive Pastry Chef, Michael Laiskonis is in the foreground

Jean Georges - Lunch

2009-03-19T09:06:00.022-05:00

Jean-Georges Vongerichten is "one of the most celebrated chefs on the planet." He was born in the Alsace in 1956 and now resides in the United States of America. Vongerichten commands a global empire of restaurants that includes venues in London, Paris and Shanghai, as well as New York.

In March 1997, Vongerichten opened Jean Georges restaurant in the Trump International Hotel and Tower, earning a four star review from The New York Times less than three months after opening, and the "Chef of the Year Award" from John Mariani at Esquire magazine. Jean Georges Restaurant remains one of 4 restaurants in the city awarded four stars by the New York Times and three stars by the Michelin Guide.

Frank Bruni of The Times said it offers “accessible elegance,” providing “classic French indulgence with a contemporary flair.” The restaurant trades “the richness of traditional French cooking for a different kind of intensity,” he added — it eliminates “thick sauces and embraces oils and broths, preferring them for their lightness and for the way they release their scents, like the perfume of lemon grass that rose from a bath of Asian herbs and seeds around a delicately baked lobster tartine.”

Amuse-Bouche

Japanese Snapper Carpaccio, Crystallized Ginger, White Radish and Olive Oil

Goat Cheese Royale, Roasted Beet Marmalade and Crushed Pistachios

Pan Roasted Sweetbreads, Sweet Potato Raviolis, Black Truffle Vinaigrette

Roasted Veal, Quince-Pineapple Compote and Roquefort

Red Snapper Crusted with Nuts and Seeds, Sweet and Sour Jus

Soy Glazed Beef Short Ribs, Apple-Jalepeno Puree and Rosemary Crumbs

Jean Georges' Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Warm Chocolate Gnocchi, Grapefruit, Gianduja, Basil

Cranberry Parfait, Walnut Nougatine, Soft Vanilla Meringue, Cinnamon Doughnut, Prune-Armagnac jam

Chocolate Pop, Coffee-Caradamon Ice Cream, Caramel Curd, Dehydrated Sponge, Roasted Pineapple Sorbet

Mignardises

Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca

2009-03-17T20:13:00.024-05:00

Mario Batali is another chef who doesn't need any introduction. I talked with Mario briefly, he was busy but said he'd be back to talk with us. We were seated right next to the kitchen entrance, which most people would object to, but of course this is the perfect seat for me. I knew it wouldn't be possible for him to make it back to the table because when I looked up there was Marco Pierre White walking in the front door. White is in NY filming his new show, The Chopping Block. Mario worked for White in London in the 1980's.

Here's a little background on Mario Batali.

During college, Batali started working as a dishwasher at "Stuff Yer Face" restaurant in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He quickly moved up from dishwasher to pizzaman. Batali went on to spend time as an assistant in the kitchens at the "Six Bells public house" in the Kings Road, Chelsea under Marco Pierre White, the Tour d'Argent in Paris, the Moulin de Mougins in Provence, and the Waterside Inn, outside London. In 1985 he worked as a sous chef at the Four Seasons Clift in San Francisco before being promoted to helm the Four Seasons Biltmore Hotel's La Marina restaurant in Santa Barbara. At twenty-seven, he was the highest paid young chef in the company. In 1989, he resigned his post at the Four Seasons and moved to the Northern Italian village of Borgo Capanne to apprentice in the kitchen at La Volta, where he sought to master a traditional style of Italian cooking. He was inspired by the cooking of his grandmother, Leonetta Merlino.

In 1993 he opened "Po" with Steven Crane, but sold his interest in the restaurant in September 2000. In 1998, with his business partner, Joseph Bastianich (son of Lidia Bastianich), he went on to own the recent Michelin star winning "Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca". They have since opened seven additional restaurants, Lupa (1999), Esca (2000), Otto Enoteca Pizzeria (2003), Casa Mono (2004), Bar Jamon (2004), Bistro Du Vent (2004, closed in 2006), Del Posto (2005), Enoteca San Marco (2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada), and B&B Ristorante (2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada) and a shop named Italian Wine Merchants (1999).

Exterior Shot

Marinated Chick Pea Bruschetta

Fennel Salad
With pears and Gorgonzola

Winter Vegetable Salad
with Goat’s Milk Ricotta and Pumpkin Seed Oil

Roasted Beet Tartare
with Chianti Vinegar and Ricotta Salata

Armandino’s Salumi
Hot Sopressata and Lamb Prosciutto

Marinated Fresh Sardines
with Caramelized Fennel and Lobster Oil

Pig Foot “Milanese”
with Rice Beans and Arugula

Duck with Red Cabbage, Speck and Black Ceci

Gnocchi with Braised Oxtail

Wild Striped Bass
with "Passato di Zucca" and Chorizo Vinaigrette

Coffee service condiments

Lemon Crostata
with Lemon Straciatella Gelato

Pistachio and Chocolate Semifreddo

“Zeppoline alla Napolitana”
with Cinnamon Cream, Warm Chocolate and Raspberry Jam

Biscotti and Cookies

Daniel

2009-03-17T12:30:00.020-05:00

Daniel Boulud doesn't need much of an introduction but I'll do a little background anyways.

Not long after opening, restaurant Daniel was rated one of the top ten restaurants in the world by the International Herald Tribune. He was named Chef of the Year by Bon Appétit, and Daniel received Gourmet's Top Table Award, a four-star rating from the New York Times, Wine Spectator's Grand Award, and New York City's top ratings for cuisine, service and decor in the Zagat Survey.

While raised on a farm outside of Lyon and trained by renowned French chefs, Boulud made his reputation in New York, first as a chef and most recently a restaurateur. His management company, The Dinex Group, currently includes six restaurants and Feast & Fêtes Catering. His restaurants include Daniel, Café Boulud, DB Bistro Moderne and Bar Boulud in New York City. He has also created Café Boulud in Palm Beach and the award-winning Daniel Boulud Brasserie in Las Vegas.

In September 2008, the Chef expanded his restaurants beyond French and American borders, opening Maison Boulud, a French fine dining restaurant located in Beijing’s Legation Quarter. Maison Boulud is located in the walled compound of the former US embassy.

Exterior shots.

While our table was being prepared snacks were served in the waiting area.
Choux "Bread Sticks" with black olive paste.

Amuse-Bouche
Shrimp and smoked trout with crab

Foie Gras Terrine With Marcona Almond
Kumquat-Date Napoléon, Mâche, Asian Pear

Pâté Of Squab And Foie Gras
Sicilian Pistachios, Blood Orange Chutney, Lillet

Maine Peekytoe Crab
Apple, Celery Crème Fraîche, Hearts Of Palm

Duo Of Hamachi
"En Tartare" With Romaine Lettuce, Wasabi
Tandoori Spiced With Pickled Onions, Sesame

Paprika Crusted Maine Lobster Tail
Broccolini, Pine Nut Gremolata, Piquillo Coulis

Beaufort Ravioli With Green Peppercorn
Black Trumpet, Brussels Sprouts, Speck Ham

Black Sea Bass With Syrah Sauce
Leek Royale, Pommes Lyonnaise

Crispy Salmon With Tarragon Cream
Daikon Sauerkraut, Salsify, Smoked Bacon

Duo Of Dry Aged Black Angus Beef
Red Wine Braised Short Rib With Sunchokes
Seared Rib Eye With Hazelnut-Potato Croquette

Elysian Fields Farm Lamb Chop
Ras El Hanout, Chickpea Panisses
"Cannelloni" Of Shoulder, Bulgur And Apricot

Tainori Chocolate Dacquoise
With Rice Crispy, Lemon Curd, Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

Cilantro Poached Pineapple
With Coconut Lime-Rum Gelée, Piña Colada Sorbet

"Off Menu" Dessert from the kitchen.

First Mignardises - warm petite madeleines

Second Mignardises - assorted one bite confections.

After dinner the staff was gracious enough to give us a kitchen tour. The chefs office is suspended 20 ft. above the kitchen with a clear view of the line. The main prep kitchen is located in the basement.

Carnegie Deli

2009-03-17T11:00:00.000-05:00

The Carnegie Deli is an institution of dining in NY. It's elbow-to-elbow seating at long tables and the walls are completely covered with pictures of the rich and famous who've eaten there.

The deli opened in 1937 adjacent to Carnegie Hall. Now in the third generation of owners, the Parker family's delicatessen is among the most visited restaurants of its type in the city, according to the New York Convention & Visitors Bureau. USA Today has called the restaurant the "most famous" deli in the United States.

Exterior shot

The mandatory starter of pickles

Chopped liver sandwich

Side of fries - you really don't need a side of anything at the deli, it'll just push you over the edge.

Open Face Reuben Sandwich
with fresh sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and a side of 1000 island dressing.

Cross section of the Reuben sandwich

Kitchen shots

St. Patrick's Day - Sean McGillick’s Night Out

2009-03-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

A dear friend and fellow chef Larry Bowen wrote a book several years ago and he was kind enough to share this chapter with me before he passed away.

Memoirs from culinary apprentices who lived and worked together at the Buck Hill Inn,
Buck Hill Falls, Pennsylvania—
Their legendary tales and recipes.

Chapter Seven
Sean McGillick’s Night Out,
An Everglades Bar Story

I was never one to drink much on the designated drinking holidays such as New Year’s Eve, St. Paddy’s Day or Mardi Gras. As a general rule most hard drinkers, professional drunks and lushes, of whom I was one, are prone to avoid the rabble on such occasions. St. Paddy’s Day is a prime example. Bars are overrun with people who generally don’t drink; and, because most of these people choose to drink in excess of their normal limit at these times, things have a tendency to quickly get out of hand and often become unpredictable. Drunks don’t like unpredictable. Unless, of course, it pertains to their own behavior—then they could care less. But that goes without saying. Another direct result of the sudden surge in drinking customers on such occasions is that regular patrons are no longer coddled and babied as usual but left to fend for themselves amidst the pushing and shoving of the thirsty masses. No self-respecting drunk likes to play second fiddle when it comes to being served their next drink; that is one thing you can always count on.

But even the most hardcore of drunks, because of the nature of their calling, and the power of their thirst, will, in certain cases, make an exception. In order to drink with a minimum of disturbance and a certain degree of success on such occasions, but in particular on St. Patrick’s Day, one or more of the following criteria must be met:

A. Proper positioning, or in other words, establishing strategic seating early on in the game and never giving it up...which can be a real problem where restroom breaks are concerned, hence a partner always comes in handy.

B. Tipping the bartender as though you were Donald Trump and really had no use for the excess 20-dollar bills in your wallet.

C. Being a legitimate Irish celebrity, musician, singer or dancer (e.g., Lord of the Dance). Not just thinking you are one, which most revelers do somewhere in the course of the celebration.

D. Having a damned good gimmick which would cause you to be the center of attention and have everyone in the house want to buy you a drink (as having a friend who was a leprechaun sitting on the barstool next to you).

It was my good fortune on St. Paddy’s Day many years ago to have had a damned good gimmick, and an Irish friend who could sing, which made that particular day a memorable one for me, my friend Neil Doherty, and our third companion on that day, Sean McGillick.

I met Neil Doherty at The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, the season that I worked there as a part-time cook for a couple of months in the Florentine Room in the spring of ’79. My full-time job was at The Everglades Club, located on the end of Worth Avenue, as a rounds cook for the ’78-’79 season. Neil worked at The Breakers as a waiter, and he and I had become drinking buddies almost from the start. Neil was an Irishman who had lived in the States for several years and worked the seasonal jobs just as most did of us in Palm Beach at that time. He was one of the funniest and best drinking partners that I had during my tenure at the club; and we would go out on the town two or three nights a week making the rounds of bars in West Palm and surrounding communities in Palm Beach County.

Neil was in his mid-thirties, had curly brown hair, blue eyes, the face of an aging cherub, and was blessed with a tenor voice the likes I had never heard before or since. He loved to sing in the wee hours of the morning as much as I did. His repertoire of Irish folk songs was seemingly unending; and he rarely if ever sang the same song twice on one night. Neil was a two-fisted drinker and at times even I could not match his drinking bravado. He had a prodigious capacity for pleasure and recuperation, as did I at that time. Neil had a quick wit, and on the job always had the cooks, the other waiters and the busboys in stitches. As he would say oftentimes, “If bullshit was music, I’d be a brass band.” He had more stories to tell than any man I’ve ever met.

One classic Doherty line I remember came about when one of the busboys who came into the kitchen one night carrying a tray full of bussed dishes from the dining room slipped, fell and had all the china, glassware and silver come crashing to the floor with a horrendously loud sound. Everyone in the kitchen stopped for a second or two to see what had happened and Neil, taking advantage of the silence, in his loudest Irish brogue shouted out: “GET UP! I ‘AD A BET ON YA, YA BASTARD!” Then as the poor schlock picked up the broken shards of glass and china from the floor and in humiliation walked back to the dishwashing station Neil again yelled out: “WHEN IT SAYS CHINA ON YOUR PAYCHECK, YOU SLIMY BASTARD...DON’T THINK YOU’VE WON A FREE TRIP!”

Neil was the life of the party wherever we went. He was not always on stage though and was just good company and a lot of fun most of the time at the end of the usually grueling nights in L’Escalier room at The Breakers Hotel.

March was an especially busy time in the club, restaurant and hotel business in Palm Beach. Most of the waiters worked split shifts seven days a week, and cooks like me who worked two jobs usually logged in 70 hours plus a week. When we did go out to the bars most of us would, at least once or twice a week, close them down and stay until last call around 4:45 in the morning.

Neil and I had planned to take St. Paddy’s off and go down to Del Ray Beach to watch the annual parade and join in the festivities at one of the local bars. He was a perfect companion for this holiday, and it was almost guaranteed that he would, after enough Bushmills and beer, loosen up and start singing at the bar. The first time I heard Neil sing we were at a bar in West Palm, and he had the entire crowd in the bar standing around and listening to him for what I am sure must have been close to an hour. He could sing with or without musical accompaniment, it made no difference. His range and expression literally would send chills up and down my spine.

I was awakened early on St. Paddy’s Day morning by banging on my door and the sound of Neil’s voice saying, “Time to rise and shine, my bouy. The day is awastin’!” I opened the door and there stood Neil, wearing Kelly green pants, a pair of loafers that he had spray-painted gold and dusted with glitter, no socks, and one of those t-shirts that have the tuxedo print ironed on the front. I quickly showered, put on my clothes, and down the staircase and out into the beautiful spring morning we went. We decided to take my car that day (a ’66 Chevy Impala), which Neil referred to as the “sewing-machine,” because it ran so quietly compared to the beast of an automobile that he had. First we walked across the street to the club to get some breakfast and coffee and more or less go over our plan for the day.

Sing Irishmen, sing,
some song that your voices will ring,
and let the world know that it is really so,
Sing Irishmen, sing.

We were soon on our way down the coastal highway to Del Ray Beach, about half an hour’s drive from the club. Our destination was somewhere on Atlantic Avenue so that we could catch the St. Paddy’s Day parade. The morning was just picture perfect, like most days in March in that part of Florida. We had brought lawn chairs with us that I always kept on the rooftop of the building in which I lived and a cooler of beer Neil had generously provided. We were determined to pace ourselves in the beginning and relax so that we could make it through the evening and see the holiday out.

We’re on the one road, sharing the one load,
We’re on the road to God knows where
We’re on the one road, it may be the wrong road
But we’re together now who cares
Northmen, Southmen, comrades all.
Dublin, Belfast, Cork and Donegal
We’re on the one road swinging along,
Singing a Celtic song.

The parade began sometime around 10:00 that morning and by the time it snaked its way around to the corner we had commandeered with our lawn chairs and cooler of ice-cold beer, it was probably almost noon. Neil and I both had front-row seats and were in a prime spot to catch all the parade’s splendor, color and sound. The morning couldn’t have been a more beautiful one.

The parade was a typical small town U.S.A. event with no big mechanical floats and balloons like in the big cities, but lots of green crepe paper, green cardboard shamrocks and a zillion hand-painted rainbows and pots of gold. There were the mandatory school bands and baton twirlers; middle-aged men donning fezzes and riding baby scooters; an occasional clown or two; and lots of homemade floats with drunk revelers aboard waving to the endless line of spectators along their route. For all anyone knew, after a few beers, this could have been on the parade route in Manhattan. The inebriated imagination is a wonderful thing sometimes. Excitement was in the air.

About mid-way through the parade procession we noticed what seemed like a brigade of the local Irish farmers union (although I doubt they had one of those in Palm Beach County), with a series of hayrides and green John Deere tractors pulling an assortment of redheaded girls and farm animals. One float immediately caught Neil’s and my attention—it was carpeted with fresh grass, on which were twenty or more green pigs running around inside of a white picket fence, real pigs that had been dyed green and wore miniature green Irish party hats in between their ears. Neil and I were beside ourselves. I jokingly said something to Neil about how cool it would be if we could take one of the pigs with us for the day as we went from bar to bar...that’s all it took. No sooner did I say something than Neil was off and running in his kelly green pants and gold shoes chasing the float down the street. The sight of him running down the parade route is indelibly marked in my memory to this very day.

I stayed put and watched in delight and amusement as he approached the float and began shouting to the revelers aboard. The parade eventually took a turn and both the float and Neil left my line of sight. About 20 minutes later Neil came back with a squealin’ green pig in his arms and delightedly announced, “They let me ’ave him for twenty bucks! Can ya believe it? It’s the luck of the Irish I’ll tell ya.” Neil decided that the pig needed a name. We christened him soon afterward, and quickly set out to visit our first bar with our new friend and drinking companion, Sean McGillick.

When Irish eyes are smiling
Sure ‘tis like a morn’ in spring.
In the lilt of Irish laughter,
You can hear the angels sing.
When Irish hearts are happy,
All the world seems bright and gay.
And when Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, they’ll steal your heart away.

Both Neil and I were by that time a little peckish and we stopped at one of the local Irish pubs (they were all Irish pubs on that day) to satisfy our appetites with Irish lamb stew and soda bread. Neil absolutely refused to eat the corned beef and cabbage and insisted that it was not a traditional Irish dish but one invented by Americans in the nineteenth century when Irish celebrations on the East Coast first became popular. Not being Irish I was not bothered in the least and ate my fill of corned beef and cabbage as well. From that point on the three of us sat at the bar and did what we did most days when we got together...drank, told stories, and when the time was right, broke out in song.

and it no, nay never, never no more
No nay never no more,
Will I play the wild rover,
No never no more

Neil had, after a few hours, made up so many tall tales about how we came upon our friend Sean McGillick, who by the way, had a few beers himself by that time, that it was extremely difficult for me to remember what to tell one person to the next. Neil told most of the women who asked about Sean that Sean was really a leprechaun who had been cast under a spell and that if they wished, they could win his freedom and change him back into his green impish self by kissing Neil and dancing the jig with Sean. He would always say to the ladies, “He’s very handy with his feet now and can dance a jig around anyone.” He got many takers on this one, but this story, as I remember, only went so far as long as we stayed in the same location. The gags and the laughter went on for hours. Many rounds were bought and paid for without our ever having to dip into our pockets but to tip the bartenders.

Who threw the overalls in Mistress Murphy’s chowder?
Nobody spoke so he shouted all the louder,
It’s an Irish trick that’s true, but I can lick the Mick that threw
The overalls in Mistress Murphy’s chowder.

In time Neil, Sean and I moved on down the road, and each time we did he would shout in his loudest Irish brogue, “Get up you swine, time to hit the road!” Of course poor Sean never caught on that Neil was using him for the butt of all his jokes. We traveled from bar to bar, always getting a seat at the bar and always getting a beer when we needed one. Neil broke out in song somewhere along the way, and Sean, after a Guinness Stout or two, was more interested in napping than in any other party activity we could devise for him to participate in. The fact was, we tuckered him out way before we were ready to call it an evening. And everyone, it seemed, wanted to buy Sean a beer.

One trick that Neil pulled in each and every bar was to wait for a lull in activity in the ladies’ powder room, and when everything was more or less quiet, throw poor unsuspecting Sean in and wait for the fireworks. It always produced the same effect. Sometimes it was instantaneous; and other times it was as if Neal had lit a long, long fuse, but in the end the inevitable happened: the high-pitched scream or two from within and the ensuing laughter when either Sean was escorted out by one of the ladies or thrown out skidding into the bar on all fours. I can remember singing with Neil and dancing the jig with Sean McGillick. I remember pulling my groin muscle, which didn’t hurt until the next day. I just had an Irish limp. But dance the jig I did. I’ve always been stubborn in that way. I wish I had a Polaroid snapshot to remember that night and day. We stayed out until the last bar closed in the wee hours of the morning.

Oh, I will take you back, Kathleen,
To where your heart will feel no pain.
And when the fields are fresh and green
I’ll take you to your home again.

The next day I reported to work late in the afternoon. As I recall I was a little late for my shift and told the chef on duty, whose name was John Linn, that both the drawbridges were up for what seemed like an eternity and had prevented me from getting to work on time. Of course no one bought my story, much less John, who was savvy in the ways of wayward cooks and potwashers after the debauchery of St. Pat’s Day. In the end I told some abbreviated tale of a green pig and much libation and John Linn to this day I’m sure remembers it as either the best story he’d ever heard or one of many tales that cooks like me had concocted for the occasion. The upshot was that the chef and John took mercy on me that evening and instead of making me work the broiler station let me french green beans and tournee potatoes for the duration of the evening. A job that even severely-hung-over I could do.

Neil and I saw each other at least twice a week throughout the season after that and we always talked about our night of debauchery with Sean McGillick. Neil told me that he had sold Sean to the highest bidder sometime the next day close to where he lived. The truth is that I have never been out on St. Patrick’s Day since, and probably never will again, but to my dying day I will remember my friend Neil Doherty and our third companion, Sean McGillick.

I’ll go home to my parents, confess what I’ve done,
And I’ll ask them to pardon their prodigal son.
And when they’ve caressed me as oft times before
I never will play the wild rover no more.

NYC Dining

2009-03-10T14:46:00.049-05:00

Time to refocus and re-energize. In the next week I'll be visiting and posting on the following restaurants with photos, menu descriptions and hopefully kitchen tours. I've chosen to focus on the styles of four different chefs and eat at one or more of their restaurants.

I didn't choose these restaurants because they've achieved multiple stars or because the chefs have celebrity status, this is all very insignificant to me. I made these choices because these four chefs are proven innovators, and more importantly, they have changed with the times. They embrace the challenge and manage to stay ahead of the curve, way ahead.

This has always been our goal, to stay out front, to break new ground and keep moving forward. Some people or companies consider it risky to operate ahead of the curve, it scares them to death. There seems to be a disturbingly popular trend in being a follower or just cloning development. We on the other hand have always strived to make the waves, take the risks and reap the rewards.

Currently the evolutionary food cycle is on fast forward, ingredients and cooking techniques evolve much faster then they did only a few years ago, therefore you need to be nimble and not get hooked on the idea that "You Have Arrived" at an ideal place with cooking or menus. The reality is that you will never "Arrive", the world of cooking is infinite, it's one long trip without a true final destination. I mean, how boring would it be to wake up one morning and concluded you indeed had "Arrived"?

Here's my schedule.

Chef Daniel Boulud - Daniel {and} db Bistro Moderne.

Chef Jean Georges Vongerichten - Jean Georges {and} JoJo.

Chef Eric Ripert - Le Bernadin.

Chef Mario Batali - Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca {and} Otto Enoteca

Momofuku Ko Reservations

2009-03-09T13:33:00.009-05:00

I’m going to New York City this week to do some R&D and I’m eating at many great restaurants but I thought I’d try to make reservations at the toughest place to get one. I knew it would be highly improbable but no self respecting chef would go to NYC and at least not make the attempt to get into Momofuko Ko.

In March 2008, Chang opened Momofuku Ko, a 12 seat restaurant that takes reservations seven days in advance, online only, on a first-come-first-served basis, without regard to social status or income. The highly limited seating, along with Chang's popularity in New York, has caused a furor, generating frustration for both influential and ordinary people who have failed to secure a reservation

Ko does not play favorites to VIP’s or the media. It can take weeks or months to secure a reservation. The NY Times and NY magazine have chronicled their adventure with the reservations system. They even used several employees logged on at the same time every morning at 10:00 am but it still took forever. This of course is not an option for those of us traveling from another city.

Here’s some screen shots of my attempt at using the system that requires the speed of a world class video gamer.

There is an opening statement that says, “We want access to our restaurants to be fair and open to all therefore in an effort to thwart reservation scalpers and automated internet robots or spiders we ask you to submit your valid credit card info below. We will not charge your card or keep this Info”

First you need to set up an account with an email address, password and credit card number. Now you’re set to make the attempt.

Next you log on but it won’t let you proceed until exactly 10:00 am, so you just keep hitting the “Press Here” button to reload the “Current System Time”

Finally it lets you through and you quickly enter lunch or dinner and the number of people. You can only choose 1, 2 or 4 people.

Next it sends you to the screen with availability…. And WOW there’s two available slots so I click on 6:50 pm. This is it; somehow I’ve secured the mother of all reservations!!

Think again! I get this screen, “Sorry, someone just grabbed this spot” so I hit the “Try Again” button and it takes me to the next screen.

And of course there’s nothing available. You could go crazy doing this, high hopes followed by the extreme lows of “Sorry, someone just grabbed this spot”

Test Kitchen - Shrimp Tamale

2009-03-07T15:00:00.000-06:00

Spring has intermittently been in the air, I can feel it, as a matter-of-fact, I can taste it.

Tomatillo marinated shrimp, corn tamale cake, avocado, pico, crème fraîche, ancho-honey sauce.

Comfort Texas, 1976

2009-03-05T06:39:00.007-06:00

First Annual Comfort Texas Chili Extravaganza

I’ve worked with a cast of characters throughout my career and the list just keeps growing. There’s no shortage of characters in the kitchen. Everyone has a very unique story and path that led them to cook for a living.

I could write a whole book on the interesting, talented, passionate and sometimes crazy people I’ve had the pleasure of working with, but one person really sticks out, and that would be Chef Larry Bowen.

Larry and I worked together for several years in the 1980’s. He was trained in the disciplines of classic French cuisine and had adapted it into his own style of cooking. It was early in my career and I was a sponge, just soaking up information. He provided me with some of the greatest learning opportunities I’ve ever had.

When you work side by side with someone you really get to know their background. Most people in the kitchen are tremendous storytellers. I mean, when you have 10 hours of prep work to do in a blazing hot kitchen it helps take your mind off the physical part of the job, you find ways to block it out.

I could tell you some crazy stories we shared, such as how he bought a live suckling pig on St. Patrick’s Day and then proceeded to dye it green so he could take it bar hopping with him….Hint - everyone buys you drinks if you have a green pig on St. Pat’s Day.

Of course, there’s the story about the 100 year old stuffed cat that he bought in an antique store for $500.00. It was formerly part of some sort of religious shrine. This cat truly had nine lives….no time to dive into this story, maybe later.

The list goes on, cooks falling out of second story windows, practical techniques on how to make a car fly, how we discovered you could cool yourself down by funneling clam juice through a box fan, etc. These are the times of self discovery.

Creative people have some pretty crazy ideas and some of those ideas actually get executed, like this cooking escapade in Comfort Texas, 1976.

My buddy decides to hold the First Annual Comfort Texas Chili Extravaganza. It starts with making the world’s largest pot of chili, but it didn’t end there, from great minds come great ideas on what to do with that much chili. Larry set up a 150 foot long “Chili Slip-n-Slide” and then arranged for parachutists to attempt to land in wash tubs of chili.

Here’s a Q&A session with Larry about this historic and inaugural event:

Q – “Larry, is that your car in the background of the picture?”

A – “No that was not my car. I had a brand new beat up 1975 orange Dodge pickup truck with no tailgate, and more whiskey dents than I care to remember. I also had a CB radio in order to impersonate rednecks while on the road, for amusement purposes. My handle was the crawdad king. "This here is the crawdad king good buddy, what's your 10-20?"

Q – “How in the world do you cook that much chili and where did the heat come from?”

A – “Wood fire my friend and we stirred it with garden hoes. Chili hoers, if you will. I stayed up all night and made sure we had enough to spread all the way down the 150 ft slip and slide the next day. The pot was a 2,000 gallon trough rented from San Antonio Iron Works; I broke the Guinness record for about 3 months”

Q – “Why would anyone slide through 150 ft. of chili?”

A – “The prize for fastest time going down the slip 'n slide was a case of Pearl beer if I recall. Those were the days Danno. Yes sireee. Good times. They are still having that annual cookoff in Comfort. Mine was #1”.

Q – “Tell me about the picture, and who is the lady standing next to you?”

A – “That is me on my 11 acre ranch cooking the World's Largest Pot of Chili. Ya think I might have had a few beers coming up with this activity... That was my mom helping me stir for the photo op who flew in from California to see me; she broke down in tears after a time as I think the Mariachis, the Parachutists trying to land in a #3 washtub of chili from 7,500 feet, the 150 ft Chili Slip and Slide, the World record Cow chip throwers, Hondo Crouch of Luckenbach fame and about 5,000 drunk revelers took her over the edge. What has become of this child of mine I am sure she thought. And that is the way it was. A legend in my own mind.”

Cod, An Experiment In The Evolution Of Food

2009-02-24T06:23:00.017-06:00

I ate the cod brandade at Bouchon in Las Vegas several years ago and it stuck in the back of my mind because it’s such a quintessential bistro food with some serious history behind its evolution.

I recently read a book by Mark Kurlansky, Cod, a biography of the fish that changed the world. It’s a great read and while I was reading there it was again, the brandade.

Brandade, meaning “something that is pummeled” is believed by some to have originated in Nimes, but is more commonly associated with Provence.

The dish made it to Paris by the French revolution and never left. In 1894, writer Alphonse Daubet started a circle that met at Café Voltaire on Place de l’Odeon for a regular diner de la brandade.

In 1886 salted cod was decreed an official part of the enlisted man’s mess in the French Army. As salted cod became more expensive potatoes were added, the original brandade had none. American Sara Josepha Hale wrote in her 1841 book, The Good Housekeeper, “The salted codfish is cheap food, if potatoes are used freely with it.”

Upon my recommendation, my son Dylan is currently reading Larousse Gastronomique, which has an original version called Acra, also known as Acras De Morue. This would be version one.

Version two would be Thomas Keller’s version which contains potatoes, Beignets de Brandade de Morue.

Box of salted codfish

Version one - Acras De Morue, tomato confit, roasted red pepper garlic oil, baby chives.

Version two - Beignets de Brandade de Morue, tomato confit, roasted red pepper garlic oil, baby chives.

Thomas Keller's Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2009-02-23T12:19:00.005-06:00

Melange A Biscuits Avec Morceaux De Chocolat

I usually don’t do this; I’m not America’s Test Kitchen who methodically ranks food and kitchen equipment, but I have some very strong feelings about this so please stick with me on this post.

I was in Williams Sonoma yesterday doing my usual thing, browsing the cookware. In the back of the store there was a display with Thomas Keller’s cookie and cake mix along with some silicon bake ware and the Bouchon cookbook. I was elated and disturbed at the same time; I was thinking “noooo, not Keller too, endorsing pans and cookie mixes, aren’t there enough celebrity chefs doing this same thing?”

I then thought that if Keller was putting his name on something, and I’ve bought everything with his name on it, that it must be the best. Surely he wouldn’t just sell his name to some soulless dry mix company who cranks out millions of pounds of flavorless crap.

Please don’t let this be true, please don’t let the purist, Thomas Keller, join the throngs of celeb chefs selling their name on food, cookware and the menus of mega-chain restaurants serving food that doesn’t even come close to the acclaimed chefs style.

I must have looked like a nut job, starring at the display, walking away only to return and stare at it some more. “Can I help you sir” was said on multiple occasions…..you bet you can help me I’m thinking, help me understand how this is possible. “Are you looking for anything in particular?”……you bet I am, I’m looking for deep answers to deep questions.

OK, enough with the conflicting thoughts, I bought it because I’ve constantly been looking for the perfect chocolate chip cookie, and at $18.00 for 12 small or 6 large cookies this was either going to be everything I would expect from Keller or it was going to be a huge failure that would lead to me undoubtedly hurling the cookies through the air.

Even as I checked out they said “is this all?”, as if to say, good god man you’ve been in here for a half hour and all you can find is a box of cookie mix? “Is this all?” it’s much more complicated than you might think, this will be a test with huge ramifications, does it have sole?, or is it a box of well marketed crap? I’ve eaten at several of Thomas Keller’s restaurants and I know how high the standard should be.

The mix.

The raw dough rounded up.

These were the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever eaten, I was making moaning noises as I ate them, it was pure pleasure. Add butter & egg to the packets in the box which included Callebaut chocolate chunks, sugar blend, flour packet and molasses. Now the work begins to develop a cookie with the same qualities. There are very few things as rewarding as a great chocolate chip cookie. Like most things that are great, they are simple; it just comes down to the quality of ingredients and the cooking process.

Today I’m a happy man because I realized that not everything that has a celeb chef’s name on it is mediocre. Keller has found a way to put high quality into a box and send it home with you so you can have a little piece of the Bouchon Bakery in your own kitchen.

Joel Robuchon

2009-02-15T11:20:00.010-06:00

Occasionally we have contributors that have exciting ideas, restaurant visit photos or just an opinion. This is one of those posts. A chef friend of mine, Larry Bowen, sent me these pictures via a chef friend of his.

The New York Times bio for Joël Robuchon starts off this way: "Mr. Robuchon, who now has restaurants in Paris, New York, Las Vegas, London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Macao and Monaco, hails from Poitiers in France, south of the Loire Valley. At age 28, in 1974, he was named chef of the Hôtel Concorde La Fayette in Paris, which served 3,000 meals a day. In 1981, he started his own small Paris restaurant, Jamin, which three years later was awarded three Michelin stars, the highest rating. Among his standout dishes in those years were his take on mashed potatoes (his famous purée de pommes de terre) and his tossed green salad (salade aux herbes fraîches)."

Wanting a larger kitchen, he opened a grander restaurant, Joël Robuchon, in the Hôtel du Parc, where he also received three stars. He soon though began to feel stifled, and, at age 51 in 1996, he closed the restaurant, saying he was retiring at the top of his game.

But six years later, after testing the waters by starting a small restaurant in Tokyo, he opened L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Paris. The new Paris restaurant was a radical departure for both Mr. Robuchon and haute cuisine, challenging almost every tradition in fine dining. L’Atelier’s seats were placed around a counter that overlooked the kitchen, eliminating the traditional wall between diner and chef, making the restaurant one flowing space and creating an essentially informal, contemporary environment.

Bread Service

Foie Gras Foam with Parmesan Cream

Sea Urchin with Mousseline of Earl Grey Infused Carrots

Scallop carpaccio with toasted poppy seeds

Turnip veloute with ravioli of thinly sliced turnip filled with crab meat

Seared foie gras with gratinated grapefruit

Sauteed Amadai in yuzu broth with lily bulbs

Caramelized quail stuffed with foie gras, potato puree with truffle and herb salad.

Kobe beef "a la plancha" with shishito peppers and horseradish

Langustine wrapped in bric dough with a basil leaf

Vanilla panna cottta with orange coffee

Jivara Ganache, green apple brunoise and ginger ice cream

Poached pears served with a souffle and bitter almond ice cream

Chocolates and Gelees

Cooking Line

Thinking About Spring

2009-02-12T14:11:00.006-06:00

It can't get here soon enough.

Goat Cheese & Arugula Stuffed Chicken Breast
Sherry beurre blanc, three fresh seasonal berries, chives, grilled asparagus with tomatillo vinaigrette.

Test Kitchen - Butternut Squash Pasta

2009-02-09T15:26:00.000-06:00

So much with so little. Four steps to real genuine happiness.

Step #1 - Roast butternut squash and run it through a food mill.

Step #2 - Make a pasta dough with the butternut squash puree. Add a little chopped fresh sage if you want.....wait a minute, remove the "if you want", you MUST add fresh sage, it's a good thing to do.

Step #3 - Let the dough rest for 30 minutes and then run it through a pasta sheeter & cutter. Cook in boiling salt water for 45-60 seconds.

Step #4 - Enjoy with oyster mushrooms, good olive oil, pine nuts, Parmigiano-Reggiano and fresh herbs. If this fails to make you happy seek help soon.

Inaugural Lunch Menu

2009-01-20T18:35:00.011-06:00

Here's the lunch menu that followed today's inaugural ceremonies. While this tradition dates as far back as 1897, when the Senate Committee on Arrangements first gave a luncheon for President McKinley and several other guests at the U.S. Capitol, it did not begin in its current form until 1953.

Also here's a link with the recipes, which I think is very cool. It's seasonally appropriate, and as I would expect, uses American ingredients and wine. Very nice.

Luncheon Menu

First Course
Seafood Stew
paired with
Duckhorn Vineyards 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley

Second Course
A Brace of American Birds (pheasant and duck)
served with Sour Cherry Chutney and Molasses Sweet Potatoes
paired with
Goldeneye 2005 Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley

Third Course
Apple Cinnamon Sponge Cake and Sweet Cream Glace
paired with

Korbel Natural "Special Inaugural Cuvee"

California Champagne

Pizza Perfection

2009-01-18T10:24:00.039-06:00

I've always had a love for gourmet pizza so a couple of weeks ago I made a recipe from the 1980's that's the best dough recipe I've ever made or eaten.

I'm constantly in search of the Holy Grail of pizza. On my last trip out west I shot some pictures of pizza at Zuni Cafe in San Francisco and another at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, although both pizzas were excellent I kept thinking about and craving the pizza I made at Fedora Cafe in the 80's, it truly was the best. In 1985 we were listed as one of the top 10 restaurants in the country by USA Today and the pizzas were mentioned in the article. It was a new frontier for pizzas at the time, to actually serve them in a white table cloth restaurant was unheard of.

I felt compelled to teach someone how to make the "Real Deal", the student would be my 16 year old son Dylan. Young Dylan is a foodie (which scares me), a photographer, a student, an athlete and a part time employee at Houlihan's working expo. His converging interests in food and photography has been documented on his food blog, Great Food a Millennial Perspective.

Dylan actually got the technique of making the rounds pretty quickly, I can remember teaching cooks how to do this and sometimes the learning curve was extraordinary. The key to rounding is to let gravity do the work to stretch the dough.

The idea to make the BBQ pizza with crispy shortrib actually came from the student, it was a great idea but I also wanted to show him some classics like pizza margherita as well as pizzas with an ethnic twist.

Below are some photo's I pulled from a post on Dylan's site, thanks son.

P.S. - Dylan, I've noticed that my cookbooks and knives are disappearing at an alarming rate, do you have them? If so, we need to talk.

The second proofing of the dough

Blind baking the dough with herbs, extra virgin olive oil, mozzarella and provolone

BBQ Crispy Shortrib Pizza
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce, fontina, provolone, parmesan, red onion

Pizza Margherita
Tomato sauce, fontina, provolone, parmesan, fresh tomatoes, basil, pine nuts

Chorizo Pizza
Tomato sauce, fontina, provolone, parmesan, red onion, pine nuts

Fig & Gorgonzola Pizza
Fig Puree, Prosciutto, fontina, provolone, parmesan, gorgonzola

So, You Wanna Make Gnocchi's Huh?

2009-01-14T16:24:00.002-06:00

Gnocchi's are such a good hearty winter item, and there's versions-a-plenty such as ricotta, pumpkin, potato, or Keller's version which is more of a pate choux. Their preparation can be as simple as sauteed with brown butter and sage, or something more complex like Braised Shortribs with Day Boat Scallops and Gnocchi's, which we recently prepared & devoured and subsequently placed on the menu.

Below is a basic potato gnocchi recipe with fresh chives. Working with as little flour as possible is the key to producing light gnocchi's, too much flour and they're little gut bombs. Avoid the temptation to add more flour if the dough seems a little sticky at first, the potatoes will pull the moisture in and make the dough more manageable. Also, be kind & gentle to the dough, don't overwork it, don't apply too much pressure when rolling it out.

Making Potato Gnocchi's - makes about 225 pcs.

Idaho Baking Potatoes, 60 ct, cooked peeled, warm - 2-3/4 lb
Egg Yolks - 1-1/2 cups
Flour, all purpose - 2-1/2 cups
Kosher Salt - 2 TBL
Fresh Chives, minced - 1/4 cup
Flour, all purpose - as needed

Bake potatoes in a 350° oven for 1 hour or until completely done. Do not season or oil the potatoes prior to baking them.

Let potatoes rest for 15 minutes after they come out of the oven but do not let them cool down to room temp before peeling or it will be hard to put them through the ricer.

Weigh peeled potatoes out, cut potatoes into small enough pieces to fit into the ricer, press all of the potatoes through the ricer into a large mixing bowl, let potatoes cool to room temperature before proceeding to the next step.

Mix egg yolks into potatoes with a rubber spatula, blend thoroughly until all of the eggs are evenly incorporate into the potatoes.

Cut half of the flour into the potato mixture using a rubber spatula, add the remainder of the flour, work the flour in by hand, knead the mixture in the bowl briefly until it forms into a dough.

Add the salt & chives and knead into the dough until evenly incorporated.

Flour a full sized cutting board with just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, turn the dough out of mixing bowl onto the floured surface and roll the dough until it forms a large "Log" the length of the cutting board.

Lightly flour the cutting board with only enough flour to keep the dough from sticking, too much flour will make the Gnocchi's heavy. Cut 6-8 oz pieces of the dough off and roll by hand until they are the length of the cutting board and 3/4" thick.

Using a French knife cut gnocchi dough into 1/2 inch pieces.

Bring water to a boil in a kettle. Place gnocchi's in boiling water. Let gnocchi's boil until they float (about 1 minute) and then continue to boil for 1 more minute.

Using a skimmer remove gnocchi's from water.

Place gnocchi's in an ice bath. Drain and coat with a small amount of olive oil. Chill until ready to use.

Bacon Explosion

2009-01-13T17:07:00.000-06:00

Last week two guys here in Kansas City released a recipe called bacon explosion. Here's a youtube link to the story from the local news.

This is one of those over-the-top recipes, these guys are mad scientist and avid pork lovers. I felt compelled to pull this article together from several different sources for future use.

The New York Times featured the recipe in an article and it became one of their most emailed stories. Picture by Don Ipock for The New York Times.

Here's the recipe and photo's from the BBQ Addicts web site.

Bacon Explosion: The BBQ Sausage Recipe of all Recipes
by Jason on December 23, 2008

2 pounds thick cut bacon
2 pounds Italian sausage
1 jar of your favorite barbeque sauce
1 jar of your favorite barbeque rub

To kick off the construction of this pork medley you’ll need to create a 5×5 bacon weave. If the strips you’re using aren't as wide as the ones pictured, then you may need to use a few extra slices to fill out the pattern. Just make sure your weave is tight and that you end up with a nice square shape to work with.

The next step is to add some barbeque seasoning on top of your bacon weave. Being the barbeque addict that I am, I whipped up a batch of Burnt Finger BBQ’s competition pork rub for this special occasion. Seeing as not everyone has the time, or the expertise, to create a tasty rub of their own, I would recommend trying Bad Byron?s Butt Rub, Rendezvous Famous Seasoning, or Steven Raichlen's All-Purpose Rub.

Now that you’re pork is well seasoned, it’s time to add more pork. Take two pounds of Italian sausage and layer it directly on top of your bacon weave. Be sure to press the sausage to the outer edges of the bacon creating a patty that is the same thickness all the way across. Most grocery stores carry loose sausage, so just pick out one you like. I chose to go with a mild sausage, but spicy would work just the same. If you really want to get crazy, take a stab at making your own homemade sausage.

Next up is bacon layer number two. Take the remaining bacon slices and fry them up the same way you would for breakfast (or lunch, or dinner, or a midnight snack). If you like soft bacon, make it soft. If you like crunchy bacon, make it crunchy. If you like your bacon burnt to hell so the smoke detectors go off, then burn it to hell so the smoke detectors go off. These pieces are going to be a major part of the inner flavor of our sausage fatty, so cook them your favorite way. Personally, I like my bacon right at the point when it starts to get crispy, but hasn’t quite lost all of the softness yet. Regardless of how well done you like yours, you’ll need to crumble or chop the cooked strips into bite size pieces and place on top of the sausage layer. (Note-It’s okay, and encouraged, to snack on these pieces while your chopping/crumbling. But keep in mind that once those bacon morsels touch the raw sausage, you’ll need to resist all temptations to nibble. This can and will be difficult, but hospital trips are no fun, so stay strong.)

Since this is a barbeque recipe, we need to add another layer of barbeque flavor. Take your favorite sauce and drizzle it all over the top of the bacon pieces. Personally, I prefer to use Burnt Finger BBQ’s homemade competition sauce, but if you’re torn on what brand to use I recommend Cowtown, Blues Hog, and Fiorella’s Jack Stack. Once you’ve sauced the bacon, sprinkle on some more of the barbeque seasoning you used on the bacon weave.

Now comes the fun part. Very carefully separate the front edge of the sausage layer from the bacon weave and begin rolling backwards. You want to include all layers EXCEPT the bacon weave in your roll. Try and keep the sausage as tight as possible and be sure to release any air pockets that may have formed. Once the sausage is fully rolled up, pinch together the seams and ends to seal all of the bacon goodness inside.

At this point we can start to see the final shape of our Bacon Explosion, but we’re missing one key item. To complete the construction process, roll the sausage forward completely wrapping it in the bacon weave. Make sure it sits with the seam facing downward to help keep it all sealed up.

Sprinkle some barbeque seasoning on the outside of the bacon weave, and now this bad boy is ready for the smoker. Cook your Bacon Explosion at 225 degrees in a constant cloud of hickory smoke until your Thermapen gives an internal temperature reading of 165 degrees. Normally this will take about 1 hour for each inch of thickness, but that could vary depending on how well you maintain your fire and also how many times you open the smoker to take a peek. Mine took about 2.5 hours, which was right on target with its 2.5 inch diameter.

Now that our Bacon Explosion is fully cooked, we need to add some finishing flavors. Remember that barbecue sauce we used for inner flavor? We’ll be using that same sauce to glaze the cooked bacon weave. Using a basting brush, coat the entire surface with a thin layer of sauce. Sweet sauces are loaded with sugars, so they’ll give your fatty a nice glossy finish. Spicy and vinegar based sauces don’t contain as much, so they won’t set up as well. If you’re dead set on using those sauces, just cut them with a bit of honey and you’ll get the same effect.

Slice the Bacon Explosion into quarter to half inch rounds to serve. If your roll was good and tight, you should now see a nice bacon pinwheel pattern throughout the sausage. Obviously pork is best served by itself, but if you feel the need to make this meat monster into a sandwich, try placing a couple Bacon Explosion slices on a warm Pillsbury’s Grands Biscuit. You’ll reach pork Nirvana is no time flat!

I Want That!

2009-01-12T12:39:00.000-06:00

More good stuff from my fish guy.

"That’s Right…you want strange…I’ve got it!"

1 to 3 pound fish / G&G / Sweet White Flesh / Eats Like Black Bass / FRESH!
Be the first on your block to offer Scorpion Fish today!

68 Years In The Making

2008-12-22T17:23:00.041-06:00

I have a booklet that was printed in 1940 by the Fleischmann Yeast Company. This booklet was geared towards the restaurant industry. The large batch of basic sweet dough is a 210 lb. recipe.

Who used this booklet? Whose hand written notes are those in the pages? Where did they work? Did they like their job? What type of ovens did they use?.....my imagination takes me to a time gone by. In 1940 Hitler and Mussolini formed an alliance against France, Paris & London were being bombed, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president and the world was in turmoil. Yet, somewhere, someone was making bread that perhaps brought some normalcy and comfort to peoples lives; these breads were probably viewed as luxuries and reserved for special occasions like the holidays. I have to believe that no matter how hard conditions were that people could find some solace in honest food that was made by passionate people.

After looking at this book for several years and imagining who might have used it I decided it was my turn, 68 years after the original owner. I resurrected the sweet dough formula and made the Dutch cake, which is not a cake but a sweet bread with brioche characteristics.

The master recipe has an ingredient called "Sugar Yolks" which do not contain sugar. One pound of sugar yolks is 22 to 24 yolks. Two lbs of sugar yolks can be replaced with 3 pounds of whole eggs. Old recipes contain some interesting terminology like "C", this is what brown sugar is called in old baking books. I can only assume this terminology was used to avoid confusing one ingredient for another.

This is the dough from a small 18 lb batch. We added black currants, golden raisins and candied orange peel to the master recipe.

The dough divided into 1 lb. loaves after proofing for 2 1/2 hours.

The bread was egg washed and baked at 350° for 30 minutes. After the loaves cooled icing or powdered sugar was applied.

This is the genuine article. This recipe needs to be made more than once every 68 years.

The Fleischmann's Basic Sweet Dough Formula booklet.

Small batch is 33 lbs, large batch is 210 lbs.

The Dutch cake recipe using the dough formula.

A similar holiday recipe for stollen.

Really Fresh Grouper

2008-12-10T10:27:00.006-06:00

My fish guy sends me some really go info. Here's what he sent today.

Chefs, I wanted to let you know that Captain Larry Richie of the “Marion J.” has just docked due north of the Apalachee Bay in Florida. He is off loading 500 pounds of Red and Black Grouper after just 1.5 days at sea. This fish were “line caught with a #30 deep water plug”!

Chicharrones de Harina

2008-12-05T11:33:00.010-06:00

Derek picked up Chicharrones de Harina at the store this morning. They are made with rendered pork fat and flour. The first picture is the chicharrones in their dried form, very much like dried pasta.

These are the chicharrones after 20-30 seconds in the fryer. Light and airy with the flavor reminiscent of pork rinds. Imagine the possibilities if we can make the same dried dough formula with duck fat or shortrib fat.....Duck chicharrones with hoisin BBQ sauce and toasted coriander.