Two Good Reads

I'm in the middle of reading two really good books.The first one is, A Day at elBulli, An insight into the ideas, methods and creativity of Ferran Adria.

The second book is Eric Ripert's, On The Line, Inside the world of Le Bernardin.

Both of these books have two things in common. They chronicle a day in the life of the employees at their restaurants, and they both talk about their creative methods in developing new ideas.

A Day at elBulli is a quick read with a lot of pictures, it’s over 500 pages and I've read through 325 pages in one night. Ferran Adria presents several different ideas and methods staring with 8 Stages of developing a dish., and then progressing on to Creative Methods I, Creative Methods II and Creative Methods III.

In Method I, Adria explains four approaches; traditional and local cuisines, influences from other cuisines, technique-concept search, and techniques and concepts applied to food.

In Method II he explains creating by; association, inspiration, adaptation, deconstruction, minimalism, changes to the structure of the menu, and the search for new ingredients.

Method III dives into; the senses as a starting point, the sixth sense, symbiosis of the sweet and savoury worlds, commercial food in high-end cuisine, new ways of serving food, and changing the structure of dishes.

elBulli is closed for six months and the book does a great job explaining how this time is spent developing new dishes for the next year.

On The Line walks you through the different jobs at Le Bernardin, both in the kitchen and FOH. There’s ingredient lists of what's in the pantry and walk-ins, lists of what every cooks needs. Ripert does a great job illustrating the timelines for the arrival, preparation and the final path of the food.

There’s a chapter, The Birth Of A New Dish, that walks through the creative process and who’s involved. It examples two dishes with the actual notes of the give-and-take commentary that goes back and forth to refine the dish.

Also interesting is a FOH piece that list 129 “Cardinal Sins” to be avoided by the service staff.

Both books are a must read if you’d like to get inside the creative minds of these two chefs.

Broadmoor Bistro

This was amazing food regardless of who prepared it but it's even more amazing given the fact that it was done by high school students. Four course dinners for $25.00 really pushes the "unbelievable" envelope.

The Broadmoor Bistro is an amazing facility that I was lucky enough to tour with Chef Bob Brassard. Over the past 7 years, Bob has guided his students in local and national culinary competitions enabling them to earn over 1.6 million dollars in scholarship monies.

Junior and senior students from the district high schools enroll in year-long elective classes at Broadmoor Technical Center in their area of interest. Part of the culmination of the culinary arts instruction is the students’ skills application in the Broadmoor Bistro. Students create menus, cook, serve and run the Broadmoor Bistro.

Broadmoor’s Culinary and Commercial Baking Programs are presently considered to be one of the top educational secondary programs in the country. The program has produced a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 5 national finalists a year, for seven consecutive years.

For chef Bob’s efforts over the past seven years, Bob has been recently recognized by his educational peers being selected “ Culinary Educator of the Year, 2008.” by Foodservice Educators Network International.

“Bacon- Eggs”
Pan Roasted Berkshire Pork Belly, Shaved Winter Truffles, Presented with “Truffled” Egg-Yolk Ravioli, Shaved Pecorino, Goat Butter.


De-Constructed Oyster Rockefellers
Presented on baby spinach with Fennel Pollen, Saffron “Paint”, and Licorice Root.


Potato-Leek Soup
Shallot Crisp, Herb Oil, Micro Celery


Mizzuna Salad
Petite Greens garnished with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds, Candied Apple, Persimmon Oil “Stewed” Cranberries, Almond Streusel.


Muscovy Duck Breast
Presented with Wild Leeks-Fava Bean Confit, Blood Orange Jus.


Hickory Grilled Sirloin
Chanterelle Hash, Roasted Cauliflower Chick Pea Puree, Zinfandel Jelly


Rosemary “Brined” Wood Roasted Organic Chicken
Smoked Gouda-Chive Grits, Grilled Asparagus, Cider Caramel


Chocolate Crunch
Pistachio Fancier, Chocolate Malt Mousse, Cocoa Nibs, Macchiato Syrup


Gingerbread-Eggnog Ice Cream Crumb Cake
Gingerbread Gennoise, Peppermint- Eggnog Semi- Fredo, Bourbon Paint


White Chocolate Cheesecake Gelato
Olive Oil Cake, Candied Ginger, Cherry Bash and Lemon Curd

Extreme Sourdough

I’ve made several posts about our  sourdough experiments using a 13 year old starter we maintain. I also recently made a post about braised shortribs and the all important pure rendered shortrib fat that’s a byproduct of the cooking process. On a whimsy today those two things came together as I prepared to bake sourdough. First I melted the shortrib fat and brushed it on the dough, it is truly savory good stuff. Then topped the dough with thyme and whole rosemary sprigs followed by bleu cheese and then into the oven. Sourdough + beef + bleu cheese & herbs is an ethereal combination. I wish you could be here to receive a loaf of this heavenly bread, if you click on the picture to get a close-up you can almost taste it. This would make the perfect bread for a steakhouse concept.

The second picture is a Parmigiano-Reggiano sourdough with fresh herbs. The remarkable blistering on this bread is produced by a slow 24 hour fermentation that gives the bread its unique character and extraordinary crust.

'Smores Concoction

A cross between a sweet terrine of sorts, a papillote of sorts and a fondue of sorts. Maybe it's just wrong to draw comparisons to what it's "most like" because there isn't anything like it.

Hot chocolate ganache, marshmallow cream, crystallized graham crackers, strawberries.

Seasonal Denial

Although the end of summer officially occurred several weeks ago, according to the calendar, it just ended this week for me as I tore out the garden after the first hard frost set in. Last week I picked 50-60 green tomatoes ahead of the frost. That last trip to the garden also yielded jalapenos, rhubarb and sage. I didn’t pick the sage because it continues to grow in harsh conditions.

Although I thoroughly enjoy the hearty fare and cooking styles of the winter, and I’m sure I’ll become emotionally attached to it also, I will miss the spontaneity of the summer.

As I look back over our summer posts I have a few favorites that make me long for the return of this abundant season. First off, the farmers markets, Soulard farmers market, local markets and the roadside peach orchard. Next we had the first garden pictures of the summer, followed by two cooking from the garden articles, “So little is so much”, and “Home dinner – cooking from the garden”. And last but not least, the ongoing battle with vegetable consuming insects that prey on organic gardens.

The only thing that really turns me off about the winter is the uniform transformation of all the cooking magazines……there’s a big damn turkey on the front cover! Seriously, do we really need this much info about cooking a bird? It’s a perennial rerun. I just got Bon Appetit, Gourmet and Food & Wine…..turkey, turkey, turkey – Apricot glazed, shallot-dijon gravy, black truffle butter, white wine gravy………The only turkey article I care to see is Alton Brown's Turkey Derrik Blue Prints.

Hello Winter, good bye summer, I’ll see you right after the March equinox.