tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92002552124692662542024-02-20T11:19:10.013-05:0086 the FishServing up smack since 1995.CHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-71906808963760984972010-09-01T15:18:00.005-04:002010-09-01T18:52:38.254-04:00Blackberries Everywhere!!!Over the course of the last four weeks, I have had the pleasure of purchasing some of the best blackberries I’ve ever tasted. Barry Adler, of Rainfresh Harvests in Plain City, Ohio, has delivered over 25 lbs of his wonderful blackberries. They are tart and sweet, bringing wonderful floral notes in the aftertaste, and a dense and rich body in the mouth.<br /><br />The first batch he brought me (a mere 2 lbs), was our first introduction to these wonderful tidbits. I decided to do...... what else? A bruleé, of course. I took the berries and cooked them down to a syrup with some blackberry brandy, turbinado sugar, and some vanilla bean. This mixture was then, pureed, run through a chinois and added to 40% heavy cream, along with the vanilla bean.<br /><br />I then, took butter, brown sugar, AP flour, and a little vanilla extract, and mixed together to form a streüsel crust. I placed this raw crust on the bottom of the bruleé dishes, and baked them blind for about 10 minutes in a 350° oven, allowed them to cool, and topped them with the bruleé custard, and baked them in a warm water bath to set the custard.<br /><br />I called it <strong><em>“Upside-Down Blackberry Cobbler.”</em></strong> Most everyone has agreed, this is the best one yet. The blackberries have so much Pectin in them that the custard was set in 20 minutes, and was smooth as a baby’s bottom. The streüsel crust at the bottom gave just the perfect sweetness and crunch, and the blackberries imparted those deep, floral flavors and an almost yogurt tang. The vanilla in the custard and the crust gave the final product that “ala mode” sensation. Wonderful.<br /><br />Four weeks , and about 25 lbs later, we have done almost 6 batches of the bruleé, a special blackberry martini, a blackberry-balsamic gastrique on some seared grouper, blackberry barbecue sauce on a sparerib special, as well as the frequent, sporadic snacking in the kitchen. Sadly, this Monday, I received the last of the harvest for this year. Three pounds worth of purple gold = a double batch of the best bruleé I’ve ever made. (That barbecue sauce was killer as well)<br /><br />Barry at Rainfresh does an outstanding job on all the products that he grows. All hand picked that morning before delivery: Genovese Basil, Stevia, mizuna, golden grape tomatoes, as well as some of the best baby arugula I’ve ever had. His deliveries are coming to a close for the year as the chilly Ohio fall starts to creep up. Please check out his site and see for yourself what great products and organic systems he uses for this magnificent produce. His standards and values are above and beyond anybody in the state, and he deserves respect for all the work and care that goes into his business.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rainfreshharvests.com/">http://www.rainfreshharvests.com/</a><br /><br /><strong><em>Notes and Randoms:<br /></em></strong><br />-Come out to enjoy the last of the blackberry bruleés this weekend. This will be the last until next year.<br /><br />-Lease is signed and planning is under way. Tentative opening date for the #2 restaurant: April 1st.<br /><br />-Good Press:<br /><br />- Chipotle Shrimp Flatbread review:<br /><a href="http://www.columbusalive.com/live/content/features/stories/2010/08/12/feeling-saucy-matt-the-millers-chipotle-shrimp-flatbread.html?sid=108">http://www.columbusalive.com/live/content/features/stories/2010/08/12/feeling-saucy-matt-the-millers-chipotle-shrimp-flatbread.html?sid=108</a><br />- Restaurant peice:<br /><a href="http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/food/stories/2010/08/11/menu-gabenton.html?sid=104">http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/food/stories/2010/08/11/menu-gabenton.html?sid=104</a><br />-It's Miller Time!<br /><a href="http://614columbus.com/magazine/08-01-2010/its-miller-time">http://614columbus.com/magazine/08-01-2010/its-miller-time</a>CHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-37740131581282422792010-07-31T22:38:00.001-04:002010-07-31T22:41:41.020-04:00Burning BridgesA bridge has been burned. It was a pretty good bridge, too. Sturdy ……. not so old …… not so new. It was a bridge that you knew was going to go on to be a great bridge because of the sturdy foundation. A bridge that could take you places. A bridge that is also very hard to burn.<br /><br />It is not particularly a good idea to burn any bridges in my industry. I don’t care where you’re from, what your rank, or how much money you make. Whether you are in New York, L.A, or culinary-crippled Columbus Ohio, you never burn those bridges. With the small culinary circle that resides in the Columbus area, it doesn’t take long for things to come full circle. And with this economy, it is becoming more and more obvious to more and more people. Who knows? ……. Maybe that General Manager you walked out on a few years ago could be your inside man at the new hip restaurant in town……… Oh, but you walked out on him a few years back……. “I wouldn’t hire that guy” ……… “He doesn’t have any respect for the job.”<br /><br />This is a hard job. You work long hours……. You never get to see family and friends that are not associated with this industry …….. You are always working when all the rest of the world is having fun ….. You’re overworked, overextended, underappreciated, and underpaid. You smell like food and crap so bad some nights, that an army of stray cats will follow you home (true story). But the terrible qualities and particulars of this business is no reason to diminish your integrity as a chef, manager, cook, or just a person in general. Be a man (or a woman, if the instance is warranted), and own up to your responsibility. Respect begets respect. Not only are you burning the bridges and loosing respect from your superiors, but also everyone you worked with. From servers, to line cooks and on down the line. Work out your notice, especially if you are a manger or someone in charge.<br /><br />Now, all of us in some way or another have burned a bridge or two. Whether it was getting someone fired to further your own progress, or just not showing up anymore (Even after you told your boss numerous times that you would be there in the morning), there are times in all our lives where we screwed someone because it was easy….. Because it was a way out……. Because it was warranted. I challenge everybody who reads this, to look within and recognize those bridges that you have burned. Identify those people that you screwed over, and try, somehow, to make amends. A “My Name is Earl” list, if you will, of those persons that you may have not treated with the respect and honesty that they may have deserved. Because Karma is real…… and that shit will come back at you.<br /><br /><strong></strong><strong>Notes and Randoms<br /></strong>- On a lighter note, we have a great spread in the new, August 614 magazine. Check it out here at <a href="http://614columbus.com/magazine/08-01-2010/its-miller-time">MTM Review</a>.<br />-Number two’s lease has been signed. 1400 Grandview Avenue. April 1 is the tentative opening date.<br />- Banter of the week:<br /> “Chef you’re like the ballerina of chefs.”<br /> “Why cause I’m so graceful on my feet?”<br /> “I was thinking it was because you were gay.”CHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-35451253404812456752010-04-25T00:24:00.002-04:002010-04-25T00:28:22.737-04:00Red, Hot, and BaconThis past Tuesday, on my day off, I was enjoying dinner with my wife and two boys, telling them about the latest wacky bruleé flavor, when my oldest son, Xavier, informed me he had an idea for a bruleé flavor:<br /><br />“You could do apples and cinnamon, Dad.”Okay, I said…..”I’ll do apples and cinnamon.”<br /><br />The very next day, that’s exactly what I did. But nothing is ever simple when it comes to me and bruleé. So, I thought about how we could make it exciting, and a little interesting, and came to an inspiration from <a href="http://jenisicecreams.com/">Jenny’s Ice Cream</a> here in Columbus, in a fall flavor they had last year called “Red Hot Apple Cider.” (When we got it at Jenny’s we paired it with her “Salty Caramel and It tasted just like apple pie) So, I made a custard with some granny smith apples, and cinnamon schnapps, and fresh cinnamon, baked it off, and the “Red Hot” flavor wasn’t prominent enough.<br /><br />What to do……….<br /><br />Goldschalger (?....I’m not even attempting to spell that shit right) and the Cinnamon Schnapps, when cooked down to the “hard crack stage” of sugar cookery, makes a delicious crust. I cooked it down, and spooned it over the bruleés, and made that take the place of the sugar crust.<br /><br />Delicious.<br /><br />Rob, my sous, also had a creative bruleé bug up his butt on Tuesday while I was off.<br /><br />His Marvelous creation: “Bacon Brulee.”<br /><br />The phone call I got after dinner was like this:<br /><br />“Dude….I had to call you…….I’m really excited about this one.”<br /><br />“What? What’s going on?”<br /><br />“I made a bacon bruleé today, and it’s delicious.”<br /><br />“Bacon?........really?”<br /><br />I was skeptical. One half of me was excited and intrigued, and the other half was wondering why this guy was wasting my heavy cream, eggs, and most of all my precious bacon. He said he caramelized the bacon in the oven with 1 lb of brown sugar, and used the baconfat/caramel mixture in the custard. He chopped up some of the candied bacon and placed it in the custard before it went into the oven.<br /><br />I brought one home on Thursday to taste, along with the horde of food critics that is my family……….It was ravenous. The bacon was a nutty flavor and texture, with a light, smokiness to it, finished by the sweet and salty flavor of the custard…….Beautiful. I think I got 1 or 2 small tastes, before it was lapped up, and literally licked clean. My wife, the harshest critic of them all, (Seriously, folks…..Anton Ego would shutter in her presence) She said it was “Masterful.” That’s like a third Michelin star in my world. Congratulations, rob…………Job well done.<br /><br /><strong></strong><strong>Notes and Randoms:<br /></strong>Thursday’s bruleé flavor board read:<br />- Bacon bruleé<br />- Orange Dreamscicle<br />- Red Hot Apples and Cinnamon<br />“I think people will freak out if we ever just had Vanilla.” - Robert H.<br /><br />Next Crazy Brulee? Srirachia and bittersweet chocolate? Carrot cake with candied walnuts? Give me some ideas.<br /><br />We may be changing the restaurant’s name to “Matt the Miller’s Ahi Tuna Palace,” because apparently, people go crazy over that shit.<br /><br />YOU DO NOT NEED TWO PEOPLE TO CARRY A 2” HOTEL PAN TO THE BRUNCH LINE. One person will do just fine. (This actually happened………This really happened……………Ah, Sunday brunch…………is there anything you won’t surprise me with?)CHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-17738014533041123872010-04-07T16:57:00.006-04:002010-04-07T20:49:43.220-04:00The Creme Brulee That I Create are from the Stuff that Dreams are Made.We made the decision long ago to keep our crème bruleé listed as “Seasonal Flavor” on the menu. This has given me a great deal of culinary freedom to create some really fantastic bruleés. I sort of pride myself as being the ”Willy Wonka” of bruleés, and can and will try everything from double vanilla bean, to red bull, vodka, and cranberry.<br /><br /><br />(Which was actually kind of delicious: red bull and vanilla Stoli’s soaked cranberries, drained those and used the remaining liquid to make the custard. The cranberries helped to sweeten the mix and soften the flavor of the red bull. The carbonation was a great semi-leavener as well)<br /><br /><br />Anyway, I had to write about this last one. The actual idea came from one of my line cooks, John. (or Yohn, for any of my Hispanic cooks) He texted me at 12:00 at night, because he got an idea for a bruleé, and had to immediately share it with me. White Chocolate-Covered Pretzel……… Okay, great…… but how? The idea left me for a couple months, until my Sous reminded me on my way out to the store.<br /><br /><br />“How about White Chocolate Pretzel,”<br /><br /><br />“Why the hell not? But How?” The question had arisen again.<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457559818437710402" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 233px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq7C6N9Z_nEHi_Wjr6CxjvwoHyI_PG2n0wzXOjMG41GCqT5pwty7yUd-sYf_sDxWPGYhTELMd3xgwJD8RtLXB3HgTyD9wB-dQndUJvITdik4Ebb5qNtNFpVltjFOslEH0MYmi52WBobGDq/s320/pretzel+brulee.JPG" border="0" /><br />I thought about how I could utilize the pretzels in a way that combined with the creamy-ness of the custard. I decided to grind up the pretzels in the robot coupe, and mix them with a little brown sugar and butter, and treat it like a crust for the bottom. I mixed it and pressed it into the dishes, and baked it blind (without anything in it, for the layman) for about 8 minutes. I then made a custard from Godiva white chocolate liquor, and callebaut white chocolate. We served it with a white chocolate dipped pretzel rod, and the obligatory strawberry and mint sprig. Delicious. Maybe even in the Top Three.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfF4JvHFMj8ggVjxeVZuhBCq3BWxo38yA5vDcatj520Bk8paIHydaPHcd_X8TAKKuUGD_QuRzxT2glzGua3ivDGYMc2_TRRHYJT4TLAlLtEk5iis3wBeTqb4iwP00Ie5mCnxc2wexz9VR/s1600/maple+blueberry.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457561261254446370" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfF4JvHFMj8ggVjxeVZuhBCq3BWxo38yA5vDcatj520Bk8paIHydaPHcd_X8TAKKuUGD_QuRzxT2glzGua3ivDGYMc2_TRRHYJT4TLAlLtEk5iis3wBeTqb4iwP00Ie5mCnxc2wexz9VR/s320/maple+blueberry.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />We sold out in a matter of two days, minus, of course, the one I had to take home to <a href="http://honorarychef.blogspot.com/2010/04/matts-toughest-critic.html">my biggest critic</a>. I had to go back to the old stand-by, and probably the #1 <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNn69_cGDtK-gxAxeogm2LFONbxNFfMpbGnZxam0WZZbb7meAJ9QaH6bRmAc_fU1uvOfv2Nh-g5YRbCBZS2dLHlJ-5KzHD3vvGqjQ-nH3oM3G2LekIGf0YAFTwqiiEhbOKXWr8l4Q2PtR/s1600/maple+blueberry.JPG"></a>draft pick……….The “Everlasting Gobstopper,” if you will. The “Geauga Co. Maple and Blueberry.” Our Maple Syrup comes from <a href="http://www.richardsmapleproducts.com/">Richard's Maple Farm</a>, in Chardon, Ohio, and be blend that with Blueberry Stoli’s fresh blueberries, and rich vanilla custard. When we pull these out of the oven and cool them in the walk-in, it smells like fresh blueberry pancakes.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br /><strong><em>Notes and Randoms:</em></strong><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>-</strong> </span>New Menu going to the printers, more on that later<br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>- </strong></span>The title of this blog is in reference to the song, “Chef.” Press the “Play” button on the music player located on the side bar to the right to listen…….It’s not boasting if it’s true.<br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">-</span></strong> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cleaving-Story-Marriage-Meat-Obsession/dp/0316003360">Cleaving, by Julie Powell</a> is a good read. She’s the one that wrote that book, “Julie and Julia.” I have only read excerpts over my wife’s shoulder, but the parts I read were funny as hell. A must read for any woman that is married to a chef or butcher.<br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">- </span></strong><a href="http://sounds.wavcentral.com/movies/gump/gump1.mp3">"Stupid is as stupid does, Sir."</a> – You know who you are.CHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-21983582884948282962010-04-03T22:19:00.009-04:002010-04-03T22:46:46.611-04:00Nachos, Greasetraps, and Monkey Butt<div><div><div>At this very moment, the grease interceptor in the kitchen’s dishwashing area is bubbling up disgusting, foul-smelling water and ooze. It has been doing this on and off for 3-4 straight weeks now. We have had a company come and pump the grease and clean the unit, we have had Ecolab take a look at the dish machine to make sure there’s nothing wrong with that area, and we have had our “DrainMasters” company come and snake (clear) out both lines, and just today, unclog the grease interceptor’s output line to make it flow. Yet it still is creating a huge mess in my kitchen. Poor, poor Dario has been emptying out the dish machine by hand all night. Squeegee in hand. The plumbing in this place is a wreck.<br /><br /><div><div>On the lighter side, we will be rolling out the spring menu soon, and have a couple of additions and subtractions. One item that we are definite will fly out of the kitchen doors are the Spicy Tuna Nachos. I know, I know….. what the f@#$? ……..Tuna nachos? ………I know.</div><div><br />As we were discussing possible new menu items, Craig and Rob, to a lesser extent, were hell-bent on some sort of “Ahi Tuna Nacho.” I wanted to put something together that would stand on it’s own, and not just a shabby replica of the “Ahi Flatbread.” I’m all for capitalizing on a great thing, but, at the same time, I don’t want to loose any integrity of the menu.</div><div><br />I thought about the ingredients that would go with that flavor profile, and we all agreed that the “nachos” in question would be fried wonton skins. But how to put it all together. I wanted something a little classier that a pile on wonton chips, sprinkled with cut up tuna, avocado, cucumber…..yadda, yadda. </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgciqHjseYe7GJ_kX1BNfyIoAH9ohpfV2Wn2mIQFpohXMMwx9S0r4Q_Km5dldmqWM6Q0-aCjAEh9l70iQKxIm2y2qzb3CLcECHqFOYac2Rl4GsV2SFVMEpnGgTLm6IhDPGpkhdIqfO6i0e7/s1600/SD530423.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456105068450100210" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 252px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 210px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgciqHjseYe7GJ_kX1BNfyIoAH9ohpfV2Wn2mIQFpohXMMwx9S0r4Q_Km5dldmqWM6Q0-aCjAEh9l70iQKxIm2y2qzb3CLcECHqFOYac2Rl4GsV2SFVMEpnGgTLm6IhDPGpkhdIqfO6i0e7/s200/SD530423.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div>I concluded with a spicy tuna tar-tar, (tuna, mae ploy, srirachia, honey, scallion, and sesame oil) resting on a bed of some wonderful sesame seaweed salad, and topped with julienned, house-made kimchi, and pickled cucumber relish. We serve it ice cold, in the center, and place the fried wonton chips around, with a little wasabi aioli, and Guinness-soy reduction. So, it’s more of a dip than nachos, but what are you gonna do? I had to go with an egg roll wrapper, because they were a little sturdier, and I like the larger size. </div><br /><br /><div>And, finally……………</div><br /><div>My grill cook, Ben, picked this up the other day at the local supermarket. </div><br /><div align="center">“Anti-Monkey Butt.” <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456106111019072642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gguPvHiUxto_i6QeJWcfcZjHRvocCJ1elZV55pTUpHphHdtnnj7Di_eD2K2ym7Iz2kH4WKe0JNODadpO5Vxbsjbo7KWG-GsrwDlXUoefyMi5Tbc4xN6r6tRJCLnhyphenhyphenkAVciSaKZfwWboP/s320/SD530445.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><br /><div>Marketing Geniuses, I tell ya.’ I bet it was someone from my field of work.</div><br /><br /><div align="center">Read the back label……hilarious.</div><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456106608201762162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0EZF0h7GP2hbjszRzsIZnRNSeN_QfEuInSz9heljMFFZTxbhR_EFZrOd9OrQovtZaLAOb5zTxnoFYuvAhP0-DH0Tyskz5OdqHYKioYE06YHuFqmvAVTGmeZR2TT6MOql8EZTJ3uXMKje/s320/SD530444.JPG" border="0" /><br /></div><div><strong><em>Notes and Randoms</em></strong></div><div><strong><em></em></strong><br /> </div><div>- Easter is tomorrow, and we have a great buffet taking place- pictures will be up on the next post.</div><div> </div><div>- Carving fruit and vegetables is a very calming, therapeutic activity.</div><div></div><br /><div>- Sage Derby = delicious<br /></div><br /><div>- Fresh Cured, house-smoked, Canadian Salmon for brunch tomorrow.<br /></div><br /><div>- Once again, ladies and gentlemen<strong><em>………”Anti Monkey Butt”</em></strong></div></div></div></div></div>CHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-21725560926715931522010-03-25T16:39:00.003-04:002010-03-27T22:52:00.972-04:00Bathroom Buddy<span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">I have decided to end my very long blogging hiatus to share with everyone a story.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"><br />There are not many firsts for me in this business anymore. In this hidden world sheltering all the outcasts and psychopaths, you get to see a lot of strange things. Co-worker fornication inside the kitchen ….….seen it ….. Someone chopping off an appendage……check…….All out brawl on the line in the middle of a Friday night service……..gotcha……..sauté pan flying directly at my head……Yup. All of this, plus a dizzying spectrum of stupidity and idiocy from every kind of customer and every walk of wait staff.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">It was a busy Friday night. All was going very smoothly. All the food looked beautiful and on time. The first turn had a great flow, and everybody was on point and focusing. In the lull before the second turn of the tables, everybody is prepping, stocking, and getting ready to get pounded with the next flow of customers. Sally, one of our very lovely wait staff veterans, is busy getting beverages, running app and salad orders, and taking the first steps toward that heavy second turn.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Sally is one of my favorites. Not only is she usually great on the floor and with our kitchen, but she occasionally brings in Resch’s donuts, with a special bag just for me. (The most direct way to my heart is through a Resch’s Glazed or Apricot Danish) Sally was unfortunate enough, on this busy Friday night, to have a service trainee following her around all night, which she wasn’t at all pleased about. Sometimes this pays off. You can have them work as your gopher all night….getting drinks…..go get this stuff…..go get that stuff……pick that crap off the floor….etc, which this guy was doing quite well. Come to think of it,....…..”Gopher,” while I’m writing this, is a fairly accurate moniker for this fellow.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">One of the first tables to come back to us, was a table of 13 guests, which Sally, was imputing in the POS system, along with “Mr. Gopher” faithfully by her side. As she was doing this, and I had a short time to get away from the expo line, and relieve myself to the bathroom. I pass her in the server alley on en route, and she calls out to me,<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">“Ringing in a thirteen top!”<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">“Cool,” I say, not think a thing about it.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">I need not worry with Sally, I know that she will break that table of thirteen guests into two, properly separated, cook legible tickets. We have a rule……neigh…… A Law, If you are ringing in a party of more than 6 people, it is necessary to break this up into separate tickets so it is easier to read and organize from the kitchen’s standpoint. Failure to do so results in Angry Chef. She has been here long enough. She has seen Angry Chef. No problem.<br /><br />I proceed into the restroom, cozy up to a urinal, and begin the process. The door opens up, and “In walks another, fellow bathroom patron,” I think. Right in mid-stream, with a full bathroom of restaurant guests, I hear Mr. Gopher’s voice saying, “I hate to bug you right now, Chef, but Sally was wondering if 6 and 7 guests per ticket will be alright for this party, or should she break it up into three checks?”<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">I’ll let that sink in for a minute………………<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">This gentleman followed me into the restroom, and proceeded to make inquiries to me, while I exposed and swinging. ………My private time…….I don’t get much “ME time,” and that, my friends, I consider to be “Me time.” In fact, I’m pretty certain that the rest of the rational world share my belief that this is private time. I was kind of at a loss. With a whole restroom full of paying guests, I could not say the first thing that came to mind. In fact, I had to go pretty far down the list of things I could not say, before I finally said,<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">“Yeah…….uh……yeah…that’s fine…….that’s fine.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">I would like to make it entirely clear to anyone out there reading this, </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">IT IS NEVER ACCEPTABLE TO FOLLOW SOMEONE INTO THE BATHROOM. </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">PERIOD.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">There are only two exceptions: You either have to relieve yourself as well, or be a female, and need to do whatever it is that ladies do when they go into the bathroom as groups. </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"><strong>YOU WERE NEITHER, SIR.</strong><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">So, chalk that one up on the board. There’s another first for me. There’s one thing I can say about Mr. Gopher: he definitely follows through with direction……….and without question, I guess as well.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><em>Notes and Randoms </em></strong><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">-<em> Business is great. There really hasn’t been any sort of slow down since the Christmas Holidays<br /><br /></em></span></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em></em></span></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>- Ahi Tuna Flatbread is off the chizzle.<br /></em></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>- As seen in this review: <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/restaurant-review-matt-the-millers-tavern">http://www.columbusunderground.com/restaurant-review-matt-the-millers-tavern</a> </em></span></span><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></em><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>- I think Colin has lost some of the flatbread power after he shaved off the beard. Think “Sampson” from the Bible meets Charlie Daniels.<br /></em></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>- Advice of the month: Never curse out the owner of your restaurant. No matter how mad you get.</em></span></span><em> </em>CHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-51109976258840786752009-11-27T20:19:00.010-05:002009-11-28T12:37:47.048-05:00¡Aye, Los Pinche Flatbreads!One of the menu items that we introduced when designing the menu at MTM, are the flatbreads. We take a yeast dough, roll it into an oblong shape, pile it with all sorts of different ingredients, and bake in a 450° oven until the crust is super crispy. The absolute responses from these have been overwhelming. On “Flatbread Thursday”, as we lovingly call it (we do a ½ price flatbread for ladies night), and the record for one night is 118…..I think. When you take into account the number of seats in the restaurant, and the fact that each flatbread is hand rolled, that’s a lot of trabajo, señor. Our flatbread guy, Colin is a powerhouse, and probably one of the most even keeled sons-a-bitches around. Even on flatbread Thursday, he’s so calm and collected……… he makes me look like Gordon Ramsay. Props, Colin.<br /><br />We do a special flatbread Thursday through Saturday, and can be anything from a “<strong><em>Pepperoni and Sausage</em></strong>,” to a “<strong><em>Fig, Brie, and Prosciutto, with Toasted Almonds and Lemon Arugula</em></strong>.” We have been toying with the idea of doing one every single day, but the pressure of finding enough space on that station is always an issue. One of the problems (I brought this upon myself), is that there is absolutely no <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgX9eFYizove7oi69sWMN6XlYb-rYGbnr_FRfs-ena_rOanybexo8PVYOZL-K0va-2OmjzhQVC2sb6AzHnV4FArJG4jF6dC67jmbrfKuXVUrVXfYSZZLsRlR88RmJPkdWfOa19vLwY1vrM/s1600/Matt+The+Millers+Pics+020.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavq2rWiN6Ua7fqDS9mdwO6IjCnEe61HdnAYU_HobmI2Kt1fCcIk9PCD3fa0rvYu-fh8uGCwI-R7X5_HKLe9-ZdLsDxwZxU00H3ApOIQ9XNIOJ625PGS1rTsADTasTdDGeXa6hyphenhyphenoflo2aj/s1600/Matt+The+Millers+Pics+016.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408978575636604258" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 134px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavq2rWiN6Ua7fqDS9mdwO6IjCnEe61HdnAYU_HobmI2Kt1fCcIk9PCD3fa0rvYu-fh8uGCwI-R7X5_HKLe9-ZdLsDxwZxU00H3ApOIQ9XNIOJ625PGS1rTsADTasTdDGeXa6hyphenhyphenoflo2aj/s200/Matt+The+Millers+Pics+016.jpg" border="0" /></a>cross-utilization of ingredients on any of the flatbreads. When developing the menu, I wanted each one to be unique and a little out of the ordinary. The <strong><em>Chipotle Shrimp</em></strong> for example has a cilantro pesto as the base, chipotle seared shrimp, tasso ham, pepper jack cheese, diced roma tomatoes, and a key lime sour cream. The <em><strong>Pear and Gorgonzola</strong></em> has a gorgonzola mousse, roasted Asian pears, smoked provolone cheese, and baby greens dressed with raspberry vinaigrette. So as you can see, these are not your average “pizzas.”<br /><br />Last week we ran a special one that will be going on the new winter menu. It is absolutely a thing of beauty………a masterpiece if you will. Yes, yes…….you may bask in my genius-ness. The <strong><em>Ahi Tuna Flatbread<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9_KQ59EpUHjcXRwUAEdpedoen5btDRBYMEqBHA9yasv9o2oK22V76J7VZAUJ9W_FVPFfKSI7oD7PsUm0WCkU3bBXn33H-Q7jE-Wi50oapdAmYB6htH6nZBOzo_chAi2TMs8VdAZXx696/s1600/11-16-09+135.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408976823686990498" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 283px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 187px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9_KQ59EpUHjcXRwUAEdpedoen5btDRBYMEqBHA9yasv9o2oK22V76J7VZAUJ9W_FVPFfKSI7oD7PsUm0WCkU3bBXn33H-Q7jE-Wi50oapdAmYB6htH6nZBOzo_chAi2TMs8VdAZXx696/s320/11-16-09+135.jpg" border="0" /></a></em></strong> has a little Asian flair, and combines a creamy miso mousse, topped sliced fresh avocado, a mildly spicy Asian slaw, rare-seared and sliced ahi tuna loin, Guinness and soy reduction, wasabi aioli, and toasted sesame seeds. At $14.95, it comes with a higher price tag than any of our other flats, but when you take into consideration the high quality fresh tuna we use, the imported, Japanese ingredients, and the sole fact that you achieve spiritual enlightenment in the first bite, I think it’s a pretty fair price.<br /><br />Tonight’s special was an <strong><em>All-American Cheeseburger Flat</em></strong>, that blends a American cheese mousse, seasoned ground beef, sliced roma tomatoes, shaved red onions, beer battered pickles, shredded iceberg lettuce, and a “special sauce,” which is basically a variation of McDonald’s “secret sauce” without the relish. Awesome. So, you can see, even with something a little more “low-brow,” we try to make it as out of the ordinary as possible.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Notes and Randoms:</span><br /></span></em></strong>- My Birthday is Monday. I’ll be turning 30……………...... again.<br />- Rob Hoersdig is our general manager and a really cool guy. <em>Shout out for ya', buddy.</em><br />- “Black Friday” was a little red for us (meaning low sales)<br />- Best prep music: Beatles.......or Floyd.......I just can't decide.........yeah......it's Beatles.CHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-29197821358343220222009-11-19T20:15:00.002-05:002009-11-19T20:22:43.673-05:00AlvaroI’m back……….. I have taken a brief sabbatical, from the blogging scene to get back into the swing of restaurant life. It has certainly been a long haul. In April, I received the Executive Chef position at a restaurant in Dublin, Ohio, Matt the Miller’s Tavern. <a href="http://mtmtavern.com/">http://mtmtavern.com/</a>. Henceforth to be known as “MTM,” since I type slow already. Anyway, I have been working 12-15 hour days, for the last 8 months, and have finally reached a place where, I feel, the success of restaurant is definite. The staff I have in the kitchen now, are genuinely good cooks, and probably most important of all, take pride in their craft. I think I’ve got some pretty good loyalty brewing in both the Front of the House and the Back of the house, and have a experienced Sous Chef that I can count on to do whatever is necessary at all times.<br />There was a lot of re-learning that had to be done with the old staff that remained, and there were a few people I had to let go. At one point, during our crusade to hire on some experienced cooks, I received some serious bashing on the employment section of Craig’s list. I don’t know……..something about how I’m a lazy, incompetent douche bag……. that only weighs 65 lbs…….. because I sling too much coke. ….yada, yada, yada. Anyway…….you make some enemies. But there’s also the chance you meet some fantastic cooks along the way. <br />Such a cook goes by the name of Alvaro (last name withheld for reasons that must remain unknown). Alvaro one of my AM cooks, came from one of the owner’s other restaurants down the street, and also has been there from the opening. When I first arrived in the kitchen, there were no recipes…..no specs…….not even an ingredient list on a beverage napkin…..….Nothing. Alvaro was always the one I could go to, to find out what goes in what, and how much. As time went on, I started noticing the intense calm in which he operates behind the line. Never a negative comment (In English anyway), always upbeat and level headed, even under severe pressure. The absolute proficiency that expelled from his body was impressive. I have never seen, in my 17 years of cooking professionally, anyone so efficient and resourceful. Multi-tasking isn’t even the word in this instance.<br />Just 2 weeks ago, I had the very unfortunate news that Alvaro would no longer be able to work with us. It was a legal/commuting issue, no need to say more. The first week he was gone, his absence was felt by all in the kitchen. I always looked forward to Thursday mornings because Alvaro was back from his days off. I knew that no matter how busy we were the night before, the prep list would get done. That Thursday morning, after realizing that he was not there, my heart could do nothing but sink. <br />After two long weeks, Alvaro has come back and in full swing. He said that all was taken care of, and I didn’t have any reason to question any further. As I was talking with my Sous today, he had a great thought. He said, “It just feels like everything is right with the kitchen again.” And indeed, the delicate harmony of the kitchen seemed to be repaired, and balance, once again, has been restored to the force.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Notes and Randoms:<br /></strong>-There was a chef bio in one of the local circulars, “This Week”. I guess I’m going to be in the recipe rotation of local chefs. The link can be found here: <a href="http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/food/bios/mccafferty.html">http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/food/bios/mccafferty.html</a>.<br />Beware of the very large headshot.<br />-I’m working on another song called “Runner”, referring to the reoccurring problem of getting somebody to take hot food from the kitchen, out to the dining room. In the preliminary stages but I got some great/ funny lines so far.<br />-A slew of leftovers + 10 minutes = great fucking soup. Every time.<br />-Mayonnaise is awesome. It is a chemistry miracle, and it is delicious. Rob is a mayo-phobic nut job. Nuff said.<br />-New Menu rollout on December 1st. Watch fo’ it.CHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-74021642767853785272009-04-23T23:18:00.004-04:002009-04-23T23:25:51.873-04:00Week Numero UnoWell, week one is over at the new digs. I can elaborate since the previous chef is gone now. I am at a little place called <a href="http://www.mtmtavern.com/">Matt the Miller’s Tavern</a>, in Dublin, Ohio. It is a new concept for one of the larger restaurateurs in the area, and is going towards the route of upscale tavern cuisine. He has some investors lined up to expand and grow the concept, but the menu and kitchen systems need to be streamlined first before we even think about expanding. We are in the process of looking at the current menu and taking it to a better place, developing recipes, and organizing the way the kitchen operates. Not that it was all bad, but there were certain things that struck me, and made me think of how we’re not running the kitchen as smart as we should be. Unvarying menus need to be engineered, and not just a list of things that sound good. For instance, when I did inventory of the product in house, I counted over 15 different cheeses that had to be stocked at all times. I am a cheese fanatic, but to run that many cheeses, in such a small kitchen was ludicrous. We need a little cross-utilization, people.<br /><br />But the restaurant itself is a welcome change, although I’m not quite used to the hours yet. I only see my kids when they are on their way to school, or when they are going to bed, which is really killing me, but stepping into that kitchen last Thursday, I realized how instantly comfortable I was inside. It’s like seeing that old friend that you haven’t seen in years, but when you meet again, you pick up right where you left off…. Like when you’d been roller skating all night, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roller_skates">(here’s where I’ve lost some of my younger readers)</a>, and you would go to the locker and put your sneakers back on…… They were all nice and cool, and felt so right. That’s how I felt being back in a restaurant kitchen.<br /><br />I had been out of that environment for so long, I forgot how much I love it. I have always been a restaurant chef, and I think I always will be. Being behind the line is where I fell in love with this industry in the frst place. There is just something about getting totally wrecked on Friday and Saturday nights. The adrenaline pumping through your every pore……. the immediate satisfaction you receive from a night handled brilliantly……experiencing such unbroken focus, that even Bruce Lee would be reserved.<br /><br />One of my line cooks called out on my first night, so I was forced to do a trial by fire shift on the broiler. We got crushed. I had dupes (or tickets, to some of the younger crowd) coming out onto the floor. I had a copy of the menu taped to the wall next to me for quick reference. I had food and oil all over my chef coat……I had sweat sticking my under shirt to my back……. I had food all over my shoes…… I was dirty, sweaty, smelled of olive oil, garlic and sea salt……… It was Fantastic.<br /><br />Keep watching for updates to the menu and progress with the restaurant.<br /><br /><strong>Notes and Observations<br /></strong>- Mexico City Spanish dialect is much different than that of the Central American Spanish dialect. And no matter how loud you shout an “all day” call, they will still not understand you.<br />- NO!….NO! Necesito tres mas pinche salmones, wey! Para vender!<br />- There are 1,254,945,645 things that are a better use of my time than a Sysco food show. I counted.<br />- <a href="http://www.guyfieri.com/index.html">Guy Fieri</a> is not as big of a douchebag as I previously thought.<br />- My kids make an awesome, from scratch waffle batter. Chefs in the making, I’m telling you.<br />- The Liquid-Center Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding was outstanding, and will be on the new menu.<br />- Rolling out a sample of said dessert to my service staff is like watching the monsters from “I am Legend” annihilate a human body.CHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-47405006790200463912009-04-07T23:45:00.000-04:002009-04-08T09:29:42.917-04:00I’ve crossed back over to the dark sideSorry for not posting for a while. I fell off the face of the earth for a while, but I managed to climb back up. Man, what a long strange trip it’s been over the last 3 months. Lots of things have happened since my last post. My wife received a job in December, working as a web designer for The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. This is her calling, and what were paying absurd amounts of college tuition payments for, so we decided this was a good move. We packed up the kids and the copious amounts of crap we have accumulated over the years and went for it.<br />I departed my job in Maryland at the Convention Center in January, and worked my ass off trying to secure employment out here in Columbus. Let me tell you, it’s rough out there. I started in January, getting names and addresses of every possible food service operation in the area……country clubs, convention centers, hotels, catering, you name it, I was trying to get in. I was keeping pretty positive in early January. Out of the first 30 letters and resumes I sent out, I received about 10-12 either phone calls or e-mails explaining that the certain location didn’t have anything…..but call this guy……or I heard the chef at so-and-so just walked out last weekend. That type of thing.<br />After tons and tons of follow-ups, emails, letters and cold calls, I still wasn’t getting anywhere. In fact there was a solid two month period that I didn’t so much as get an email, much less a call for an interview. I was starting to think I was black listed. Nobody was talking to me.<br />Meanwhile, back at the homestead, I was driving everybody crazy. If you know me on a personal level, you know how anxious I can get. I always have to be doing something. I start all sorts of wacky “MacGyver” projects around the house, using bits and pieces of whatever is available. And if by chance that I’m not cooking in a professional kitchen, you can’t keep me out of the one at home. I start experimenting, testing, researching, and attempting various formulas and recipes that should not be duplicated in the home kitchen, much to the chagrin of my family. For a little family get together at our house one night, we all decided to have breakfast for dinner. Simple right? Wrong. Everybody loves my scrambled eggs with Boursin cheese and smoked salmon, so rather than paying the $ 8.00 for a 4 oz piece of smoked salmon at the grocery store (come on, that’s 32.00 per pound…….outrageous!), I decide to buy the $ 4.00 per pound fresh side of salmon, then, cure and smoke it myself. We had about 12-15 family members coming over that night, but had food for 40. In my defense though, the salmon was delicious.<br />Anyway, I finally received a job offer from a new restaurant here in Dublin, Ohio. The name and location are being withheld at this point, because the current chef doesn’t know he’s leaving quite yet. I actually got the job from, believe it or not, <a href="http://www.craigslist.com/">Craigslist.com</a>. You’ve done it again craigslist! Not only will you lead people to everything from a used guitar to a random sexual encounter, but you also have a kick-ass classified section. My sister in law e-mailed me a link to a job that was posted on there, and I was astounded at the amount of high quality management jobs that were posted. So, I replied to the post, along with numerous others, sent my resume in, and they actually called me. After three interviews and a solid tasting (for all of you that are not privy to the demanding nuances of the food service world, this is where you go into a kitchen and cook for the prospective employers….maybe more on this later), I got the job.<br />I’m back in the restaurant world, baby. Back to the hours….the intensity of service…the heat and sweat….the undistinguishable foot ailments…..the weekends……the stress. In the past 8 years or so, I’ve enjoyed some jobs with the most cushy schedule and hours that a chef could ever hope for. I’ve had a good run, but I’m also excited to be back in a restaurant kitchen. This environment is what made me fall in love with this profession in the first place. I have, and always will be a restaurant chef. There’s a certain camaraderie amongst the kitchen staff in a restaurant that can not be found anywhere else. It’s an atmosphere that I’ve been missing for too long. It will be a challenge, it will be an adjustment, it will be a struggle. I’m totally ready.<br /><br /><strong><em>Observations and Randoms:<br /></em></strong>- If you do a stovetop smoke, inside your house, because your grill is still in Maryland, it takes approximately three days to get the smell totally out.<br />- Interviewing really sucks<br />- Moving really, really sucks<br />- Moving 500 miles sucks probably the worst of all- I’m not leaving my house ever again.<br />- <a href="http://www.craigslist.com/">Craigslist</a> kicks ass. Monster and Career Builder does not.<br />- I hate selling myself. I sound like such a dick.<br />- Tampa in January is like spring everyday. If you ever go there, check out the Salvador Dali museum. Ask for Chuck.<br />- <a href="http://www.chefbrianmccafferty.shutterfly.com/">http://www.chefbrianmccafferty.shutterfly.com/</a>: This is what got me the job. Check it out.CHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-8400746016579751142008-12-08T10:40:00.007-05:002008-12-08T22:07:31.318-05:00She's done it again<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBVB-NZ0DP9TxZUQw4759c13q-PuFfqT2gOI7qPlBFBCkT6fTGThDHx_cmj9aYoCrpjpz2npXtlMcPZi5gLDvIitVkVD3VwDQMm-QDWHKFscbtE_uSJU7sBuhO6DZYjBCzs1U-Ybd1z83/s1600-h/nutrish.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277446047823960082" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 242px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBVB-NZ0DP9TxZUQw4759c13q-PuFfqT2gOI7qPlBFBCkT6fTGThDHx_cmj9aYoCrpjpz2npXtlMcPZi5gLDvIitVkVD3VwDQMm-QDWHKFscbtE_uSJU7sBuhO6DZYjBCzs1U-Ybd1z83/s320/nutrish.jpg" border="0" /></a>What the F#@%! Is there anything in this world that she has not dipped her little grubby fingers into? I was watching television the other day and saw a commercial for Rachael Ray's newest embarrassment in the retail world.<br />Announcing Rachael Ray’s latest venture, “Nutrish.” It’s even got the appeal of that cute, vomit inducing vernacular that she so loves speaking. It also contains her favorite ingredient... EVOO: "For a shiny coat." She is also spawned dog treats, labeled "Isaboo Booscotti," and “Isaboo Grill Bites.” I bet they are absolutely “Yummo!”<br /><br />Now, I know a percentage of the proceeds will go to helping sheltered dogs or something like that. As a dog owner and lover, I am all for that. But how far are we going to let this woman go? I wanted to find a slew of information critical of this atrocity, but really the only thing I found is that it contains lots of “fillers,” when it is labeled as containing "no fillers." The grill bites contain high fructose corn syrup, by the way, which is not a natural ingredient, much less a "Nutrish" food product to be feeding your dog.<br /><br />It’s probably a fair product, and some of the money will go to help the abandoned dogs, but I’m sticking with my “Beneful.” The dog likes it, it produces less farts than other ones we’ve tried, and cleans up easy in the back yard. And best of all, there's no picture of that woman anywhere onm the bag.<br /><br />Maybe Rachael has finally realized what I have believed for years: That her cooking techniques are more suited for creatures that eat out of a bowl on the floor.<br /><br />There’s a cool blog called <a href="http://galleryoftheabsurd.typepad.com/14/2008/07/rachael-rays-do.html">Gallery of the Absurd</a>, which posted other dog foods that food network celebrities may enjoy funding. It’s worth a look and a laugh.CHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-59093274013287527422008-11-19T12:03:00.002-05:002008-11-19T12:20:45.452-05:00The Art of a Good Sauce<p>In my years of cooking professionally, I have had the chance to work with some really great chefs and cooks, in many different restaurants. I have taken from them a lot of different tips, styles, and techniques. By far the one that had the most impact on me was an instructor from College, Gilles Syglowski. Gilles was a French guy from the Alsace region, and taught the most meticulous class: “Soups, Stocks and Sauces.” He had the knack of just looking or smelling your sauce, and knowing exactly what it needed. His stocks were things of beauty. Thick, rich, and gelatinous. His consommés were as clear as spring water. He taught me so much of the nature of these principles. As a result I have a very high opinion and expectations about my employee’s sauces, and my own. Here are some tips that I have learned and taught my cooks over the years to make their sauces. As always, there are exceptions and addendums to these rules to great to list them all here. Just use better judgment and a little common sense to adjust these rules to your recipe.<br /><br />1. Use a heavy bottomed saucepan. You will be able to control the heat much better, and your sauce will not stick to the bottom during a long period of simmering.<br /></p><p>2. Heat a little bit of fat (bacon fat, olive oil, vegetable oil, etc.) at the bottom of the pan and add your aromatics first. Aromatics include hearty herbs, onions, shallots, leeks, garlic, etc. If garlic is being used, add this to the fat first, allow it to quickly roast to a golden brown. This will take away any acridity of the garlic and sweeten and round out its flavor. If using hearty herbs (thyme rosemary, oregano, sage), add them here very briefly, and allow the oils from the herbs to mix with the fats in the bottom of the pan. This will help to distribute the flavor to the entirety of the sauce. (Never use fragile herbs in this step (basil, cilantro, parsley), as the delicate oils are likely to burn out before having any advantage.<br /></p><p>3. Onions or shallots are next, and again, allow to slightly caramelize before adding other ingredients.<br /></p><p>4. Add wine, beer or liquor at this point, if required in the recipe, and scrape the bottom of the pan. All those little brown bits stuck to the bottom are pure, concentrated flavor. If there is no alcohol listed in the recipe…..get some. Remember: “Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker”<br /></p><p>5. Make your own stocks if called for. The steps and idiosyncrasies of a good stock are too numerous to mention and explain. (Maybe another post in the future) Check out this link at <a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_13810_make-beef-stock.html">http://www.ehow.com</a>. There’s a lot of good information about making a stocks, and even a couple of videos.<br /></p><p>6. Reduce that stuff. Let the liquid simmer for an extended period of time. The length of time varies on how much liquid you’re working with, how concentrated your stock is (if used), and some other variables, but reducing will allow the flavors of your ingredients to blend together and also concentrate the flavor and texture. It is also very important to stir the sauce as it reduces.<br /></p><p>7. Use <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roux">roux</a> and <a href="http://www.practicalpantry.com/staples/page3.html">slurries</a> sparingly. They both ultimately change the texture and, sometimes, the flavor of your sauce. Reducing is the best way to go, as you get a smoother, more refined sauce. If you can reduce until thickened, that is always the best procedure.<br /></p><p>8. Roux for cream based, cornstarch slurry for broth, fruit, or vinegar based. Clarification: Cajun cuisine usually uses a roux (blond, brown, or dark roux) to thicken most of their sauces, gumbos, soups, etc. Go with it. It is essential; to the flavors of Cajun cuisine. Always remember: The darker the roux, the less strengthening power, but fuller the flavor. Dark roux is a necessity for gumbo.<br /></p><p>9. Add additional herbs at the very end. When you are using more fragile herbs, the very end is the time to put them in. After you turn off the heat, and are ready to serve, mix these in at the very last minute. The fragrances in the herbs are from the oils, and any long term amount of cooking will make them dissipate into the air before you can even taste them. Hearty herbs could be added again at this time to, to give it a little extra flavor.<br /></p><p>10. Season to taste. The difference between a good cook and a great cook is the ability to season properly. Salt is not just an ingredient to add salinity, it also enhances the flavors in everything you cook. You are not going to be able the taste the herbs, vegetables, beef, chicken, etc properly if they are not enhanced by the salt. But, this is also a very tricky thing to master. Too little and your not going to get the right flavor. Too much, and there’s not a whole lot you can do to tone it down. This step takes a lot of practice and experimentation. My advice: add a little bit at a time, until it tastes just right.<br /></p><p>11. NEVER ADD STRAIGHT FLOUR INTO A SAUCE TO THICKEN. EVER.<br /></p><p>12. Mounting at the end means to add a little bit of cold, unsalted butter to the sauce. This is not a necessity; however, it adds a great shine, and smoothes out the texture of the sauce.<br /></p><p>13. Ultimately, you have to use high quality, fresh ingredients.<br /><br />Will these tips help you to become the next great saucier? Probably not, but your sauces might be better for it. There are so many variables involved, that it would take a volume of Blumenthal proportion to properly touch on this subject. Plus, it would probably be quite a boring read.<br /></p><p>Other chefs and home cooks feel free to comment and add your own 2 cents on the subject if you wish. Or if you have questions, feel free to post here.</p>CHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-64295568758820564122008-11-10T15:42:00.008-05:002008-11-10T16:58:49.859-05:00Gnocchi, not Gnyucky<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96P1KSKW2MbiAboeiCN5f25zJEsGtVVPVOSPdzGv1rLKSNR8enmbLooI0arsZMVNnJfbH6pQluDOrrqN-_L3r_R_wNnCHYeHAW81jNraNf5xl_t6QVgSpPj0S05FVc5b5EnKGMx3VgJZ9/s1600-h/gnocchi.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267140429062774034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 238px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96P1KSKW2MbiAboeiCN5f25zJEsGtVVPVOSPdzGv1rLKSNR8enmbLooI0arsZMVNnJfbH6pQluDOrrqN-_L3r_R_wNnCHYeHAW81jNraNf5xl_t6QVgSpPj0S05FVc5b5EnKGMx3VgJZ9/s320/gnocchi.jpg" border="0" /></a>Sorry for not posting in a while. It’s been a busy couple of weeks, with lots of new developments. More on those in the weeks to come.<br /><div></div><br /><div>I was prompted by an old post written by my friend Nick at <a href="http://foodieatfifteen.blogspot.com/">“Foodie at Fifteen” </a>(This kid is quite remarkable. If you haven’t checked him out yet….do it), and it dealt with a classic preparation for potato gnocchi, of course, as prepared by Thomas Keller.<br /></div><br /><div>Gnocchi are little pillow (or shell depending on your specific Italian region) shaped dumplings made with mashed potatoes, flour, eggs and salt. The name "gnocchi is litterally translated into " a stupid person," but for the life of me I can't find any reason or explanation why. Gotta love those kooky Italians. Sometimes, there are the additions of extra virgin olive oil, asiago, parmesan, or other various, regional cheeses, herbs, etc, and there's always the heated debate of whether it should have grooves on the outside or not. </div><div></div><br /><div>When I started working for the new and upcoming, <a href="http://www.sottosoprainc.com/">Sotto Sopra</a> back in ’96, the chef, Riccardo, was from a town near Milan called Bergamo. He taught me to make the ricotta gnocchi that, I guess, is the Northern Italian counterpart to the potato variety. In this recipe, you drain ricotta cheese (very important step) and combine it with eggs, flour, salt, parsley, and of course, grated Parmigiano Reggiano. The result is a light and airy pillow, which can be served with just about anything. At that time, we were serving the dish tossed in a lightly browned butter with sage, and lightly drizzling them with a red bell pepper crème (fonduta). As described in one of our first restaurant reviews, </div><br /><div>“The house made gnocchi is the stuff of dreams, feather light and interestingly sauced.” </div><br /><div>- Baltimore Magazine…… Best of 2007</div><br /><div>Damn right, the stuff of dreams.<br /></div><br /><div>Draining the ricotta is the most important step in making the dough the right consistency. Too much moisture will have you putting too much flour in the mix, and as a result, too heavy and dense. On the reverse, too little flour will allow the gnocchi to disintegrate into the pasta water, leaving you with a gloppy, salty goo. Our pasta maker, Carmen, was an expert at knowing just how much flour to put in without turning my pasta water into runny pâté a choux. We usually let it strain in a fine chinois or tamis for at least 12 hours, if not more.<br />After years of trying to perfect this recipe on my own, here it is. I converted the recipe to a small batch, so some of the home cooks could do this at home without buying a large amount of ricotta cheese from their local Costco. For my chef readers that would like to make a larger batch………. you should know how to convert this, what’s wrong with you.<br /><br /><strong>Classic Ricotta Gnocchi<br /></strong><em>Serves 4-6 depending on appetites<br /></em><br />1, 16 oz tub whole milk ricotta cheese (for the love of god, do not get the part skim)</div><div>1 large egg<br />½ c. grated parmesan<br />1 teaspoon kosher salt<br />1 tbsp fresh, chopped, Italian flat leaf parsley<br />2 cups all purpose flour, (for mixing the dough and for flouring and rolling purposes)<br />4 oz unsalted butter (1 stick) Hey, I didn’t pull this one out of “Cooking Light Magazine”<br />1 bunch fresh sage (dry is not okay….do you hear me?...Not okay)<br /><br />1. In a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinoise">chinois</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamis">tamis</a>, or a strainer lined with cheesecloth, allow the ricotta to strain, refrigerated overnight or for a minimum of 8 hours.<br /></div><br /><div>2. In a large bowl, (an electric mixer is preferred) whip the ricotta to break it up, add the egg, and mix until combined. Add the grated parm, and a pinch of kosher salt. (I say Kosher salt because iodized salt adds a unfavorable flavor, and any other finer salt is too hard to control the amount used) Taste and adjust seasonings.<br /></div><br /><div>3. Add the flour, about ¼ cup at a time, until pliable, and unsticky enough to handle. (3/4 cup is the maximum amount you should be working into the dough. Reserve the rest of the flour for rolling and cutting)<br /></div><br /><div>4. Take the completed dough out of the bowl and roll into strands about 3/4 inch in diameter, being liberal with the flour, to keep them from sticking together.<br /></div><br /><div>5. Using a knife or pastry cutter, cut these strands into 1 inch lengths, and dust, liberally again, with a more flour. Transfer to a wax paper-lined cookie sheet or sheet pan, and refrigerate for at least one hour. They can be frozen without much harm being done, despite what the gnocchi critics say. But, as always, fresher is better 95% of the time.<br /></div><br /><div>6. In a large saucepan or stockpot, bring a good sized amount of salted water to a boil. (taste the water, damn you, taste it)<br /></div><br /><div>7. Drop gnocchi into the boiling water, and turn heat down to medium high setting. The gnocchi will float to the top and be slightly firm to the touch in about 3-4 minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon or spider strainer.<br /></div><br /><div>8. While you’re waiting for the gnocchi to cook, melt the butter in a medium to large sized sauté pan and add sage. Continue to cook the butter until the milk solids have lightly browned (browned not burnt), and remove from heat.<br /></div><br /><div>9. Transfer the gnocchi into the hot, browned butter and toss to coat.<br /></div><br /><div>10. Eat as is, with a little grated or shaved parmesan, or serve with your favorite sauce (marinara/ pesto/ beurre blanc/ roasted red pepper crème/ etc.) </div>CHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-59538298187556102982008-10-19T11:30:00.004-04:002008-10-20T21:22:06.289-04:00Chowda'Every year around this time, the school my kids attend has a huge fundraiser called “Marketfest/ Fall Fest.” (The name changed this year to Fall Fest, which I thought was a great idea) And every year, I make a copious amount of clam chowder to sell……. 48 gallons of clam chowder to be exact. It started 3 years ago when the task of making the chowder fell on various parents of the school. Each assigned parent made about a gallon of soup each, combined it all, and heated it up in the very small kitchen at the school. (That year I think we made about 10-12 gallons all together) I volunteered, being a chef, and they liked it so much, they asked me to take it on myself the following year. I usually get some of my vendors to donate product, and use my work kitchen to complete it, as the quantity necessary would take days to cook in my house kitchen. The three weeks prior to the event, one of my vendors, which I won’t name, but it rhymes with Wysco, informed me that they could donate all the items needed for the chowder, and it would be no problem. The week before the event, I called up my rep to confirm, and again, he said it would be no problem, and that I should get an order on Wednesday, so the items could piggy back on that order, and I would be able to start prep. Wednesday comes, and no product. I give my Wysco rep a call, and he says at that point, that they must reluctantly back out of the donation.<br />“Two f@#*ing days before my event? Are you f@#*ing kidding me? We give you half a million dollars every year in business, and you won’t swing a couple hundred of tax deductible dollars worth of product?”<br />I was pretty livid. After I slammed the phone down, I uncertainly tried to persuade a couple of my other vendors. My seafood rep, <a href="http://www.metropoultry.com/">Metropolitan</a>, and my brand new produce company, <a href="http://www.hearnkirkwood.com/">Hearn Kirkwood</a> (we’ve only used them for about 3 weeks now) came to my aid and donated all of the items I needed. And what’s more, they shipped them all to me the very next day. A big thanks goes out to Anton at Metro, and Rick from Hearn Kirkwood for bailing me out, and taking up the slack for the jerk offs at Wysco.<br />I have to say, this year was the best year ever. Although, I worked a ridiculous amount of hours at work this week, and did not complete the chowder until 2:30 in the morning the day of, everything went off without a hitch. We sold all but about 8-10 gallons of chowder, which went to Cookie’s Kitchen, (they donated their time and all of the other food that was prepared and sold), and we made a good deal of money from all of the other events and sales. The kids had a great time. An athletic club down the street donated the use and labor for their rock wall, we had an Australian face painter doing all sorts of cool things, Master Lee of the A+ martial arts school did a fantastic demonstration along with his students. We had the steel drum musical stylings of a local reggae artist, Riley Hoffer came all the way from Arkansas to give a presentation on how kids can go “green.”<br />On a funny, side note, there was a guy who made a flourless chocolate cake for the bake sale, a school bake sale mind you, and demanded that we put a $100 price tag on it. He, supposedly, had a restaurant that closed a few years ago, that was a “Baltimore Institution,” and this was one of the most requested items on the menu. I wanted to tear it apart to see if a diamond was in there, or at least a kilo of cocaine or two. Come on, dude, are you serious? You better take that thing home and sell it on E-bay. I’m still waiting to see if it sold. With about an hour left in the event, we reduced all the bake sale and chowder prices to half price, but even then……… I don’t care if you flew all the way to Colombia to get heirloom mayan cacao beans………. If you immediately obtain total spiritual consciousness, after eating it…………If it’s 10 times better than sex…….No 8” bake sale cake is worth $100. Well, on second thought……. I might pay for that last one.<br />Anyway, an immense thank you goes out to all who volunteered precious time and goods to make this the best Marketfest/ Fall Fest ever. It was a great feeling to walk away feeling good about how everything went, albeit extremely tired and drained.<br />Now……… now comes the time for me to pass out.CHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-57215153937720343022008-10-12T20:03:00.006-04:002008-10-12T20:33:05.819-04:00Pumpkin Masters<div align="left">Here is a picture of the first Jack O' Lantern of the season. Every Year about this time. Kevin and I spend around $200 to $300 of our company's hard earned money on a pallet of extra large pumpkins. In fact, they came in on Friday, and Kevin has already carved about 5 or 6. </div><br /><div align="left">While surfing the internet, looking for some new and different ways to carve my pumpkins, I came across this website: <a href="http://www.pumpkingutter.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=7&g2_navId=xf449550a">The Pumpkin Gutter</a>. This guy is awesome. I know my kids are going to want me to carve the yoda and the storm trooper. </div><br /><div align="left"><a href="http://www.villafanestudios.com/pumpkins.htm">This guy is also nuts</a> </div><br /><div align="left">I actually never thought of carving them 3-D, but it makes sense. As long as you find one that has a good amount of meat along the walls, you can carve just about anything. Being that this was my first attempt, I decided to go for something really advanced. It didn't work out very well, the idea was scrapped, and I decided to go with something a little easier. Instead of throwing out the pumpkin, or cutting it up for soup, I decided to improvise. So this is what I came up with:<br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256424986300619346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcXGy_cCP20mFUH6M09zTp31WrVFYr3C1D8Dl1ihYkp_lm132N1_2fR8_TN3wPqjVAlcPjB7l2zLfLNlv04pMVtventKNeb2akmtpsYiqz7spKJl1VCg9VkXD3axAV8lE-yklTMIYUC_h/s320/carvings+001.jpg" border="0" />I wasn't very happy with the eyes, or the shape of the head, but not bad for the first one. Notice the hands on either side. It's kind of hard to see right away in this picture.<br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzXzIkU-RJqUI3EDbKOOgMhw1d0qeaJ4h-fSsyoV327k0S7_G3VSsZsBxSKkLOTkxab5wSo0H5WZfwmoocsV0Hf4CP-Rf5HsjtCSwLZVxpsNDSrY8powcAiFDoHYW8kfZwMI1pWrywgLq/s1600-h/carvings+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256426056436274162" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzXzIkU-RJqUI3EDbKOOgMhw1d0qeaJ4h-fSsyoV327k0S7_G3VSsZsBxSKkLOTkxab5wSo0H5WZfwmoocsV0Hf4CP-Rf5HsjtCSwLZVxpsNDSrY8powcAiFDoHYW8kfZwMI1pWrywgLq/s320/carvings+002.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256426294274921474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2D17chojfckfRlCq4sv3c9G_NZ3O5AHpsQPyusnU3NkT1Mu_G5k9HZevXOPc5f7JUNkawPCqxC0iNSmA3LhRrvsRQ5dKNVUi9bN_RX4_02MuVXL5LOw77u_mQUx64kKlOtExZMNeTLjy/s320/carvings+004.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center">You got a purdy mouth.</p><p>I'll be trying more as the days progress. I'll be working a double again tomorrow, so I might have a little time between service to knock one out.<br />Here's another cool one that, I'm sure, the kids are going to want me to do.</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256429217825623538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFb7o0AatgP96nQ5IceARjbLumQ8DfZtaazd2lPTQQQhWkIc6CGZMFxhzSXvSNFCUkc2G_lg78Ajm-QybF2WMehAN_yhVusgFZjTa_xj8UxCNomN-MheJU1mEU36s1A1Mzn9Usy5aDWJ4f/s320/death+star.jpg" border="0" />CHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-31463460669929075172008-10-08T23:28:00.001-04:002008-10-09T14:21:25.650-04:00The Perfect Egg<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXu9-l_OxVwgu8zUKZLmJP09kMtBIXlsMc5PmrRhn7BxcJfRuAyJcMsyUA5qEr46F7-JC7s1jmZOnQbGsSrwKOyxEHscejCSrQWPb8lVidMyhYD9WN_LEnynnsXC9C3aGJEUfAcyhnhGb/s1600-h/sunnyside.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254991881454063394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXu9-l_OxVwgu8zUKZLmJP09kMtBIXlsMc5PmrRhn7BxcJfRuAyJcMsyUA5qEr46F7-JC7s1jmZOnQbGsSrwKOyxEHscejCSrQWPb8lVidMyhYD9WN_LEnynnsXC9C3aGJEUfAcyhnhGb/s320/sunnyside.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The other night, we had breakfast for dinner, as I’m sure a lot of families do from time to time. Daddy just needed a little coffee……Mom wanted eggs, and the kids just wanted pancakes……..”Banana Pancakes, Daddy!” So I continue to fulfill my duties as short order cook for the night (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diner_lingo">Gimme’ an Adam and Eve, on a Raft, and a Heart Attack on Rack</a>), and Xavier exclaims that he wanted another egg. “Can I make it, Daddy?”<br />So we go through the whole process of making a “sunny-side-up” egg, his favorite. It always gives me a great feeling when the kids want to cook. Cedrick, last week, made a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolognese_sauce">Bolognese Sauce</a> (meat sauce), that would make Molto Mario look like a chump. <a href="http://www.winesimple.com/Mario2.jpg">(okay with those clogs and that ponytail, that's not saying much, but that’s what I’m going with) </a></div><br /><div>But Xavier did so awesome last night, I had to take a picture and write about it. His first attempt was pretty good, but the yolk broke from the bottom as he was moving it to the cooler side of the griddle. He sat down, devoured that one, and again, asked for another one.<br />His second attempt was a thing of beauty. The white was moist and perfectly cooked. The yolk, creamy yellow, and sitting perfectly round on top. It was a masterpiece. I took a bite ….. perfectly seasoned with salt ….. no pepper because “it’s hot” …. and as moist and delicious as it looked. Great job Xavier!<br />Next time ………. you're making breakfast.</div>CHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-31801881090475121882008-10-06T17:39:00.005-04:002008-10-08T08:53:16.855-04:00<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1E4q9XlAGmCZOSuTYeGZg0hpqcgCJFtTEh-Nbf0PczIhlMzE0osXUu2eoqmEuUKL44PIAbuV9VmK5oTV6VhzRydKSOpnRTjAbg3nRQFWM_-SW3MJb9Z-tbUBI-CQ0CqSIsE01CN6Ji2Wy/s1600-h/2576511038_4f5d7cbfaf_o.jpe"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254159672700835058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1E4q9XlAGmCZOSuTYeGZg0hpqcgCJFtTEh-Nbf0PczIhlMzE0osXUu2eoqmEuUKL44PIAbuV9VmK5oTV6VhzRydKSOpnRTjAbg3nRQFWM_-SW3MJb9Z-tbUBI-CQ0CqSIsE01CN6Ji2Wy/s320/2576511038_4f5d7cbfaf_o.jpe" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center">Worst salumi, ever.</div><div align="center"> </div> The similarities are just too great to let it go.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>CHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-62019437172931665662008-10-02T15:57:00.003-04:002008-10-02T16:10:11.565-04:00Magic mushrooms<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHy_vayow27RMMv_ossBtbaG2qYNKPGZ4MN9hSlzaCaiN4uvZNggAhyphenhyphengVbFd3mNAPsEUxm4Fc1l5wzRx7DiJetGywz5KD9ElpD2szleu10-ehPmJuESo-gGsdwdX4TzRaKvlBsvvcmXBF-/s1600-h/DSCF0062.jpg"><strong><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252651198094685922" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHy_vayow27RMMv_ossBtbaG2qYNKPGZ4MN9hSlzaCaiN4uvZNggAhyphenhyphengVbFd3mNAPsEUxm4Fc1l5wzRx7DiJetGywz5KD9ElpD2szleu10-ehPmJuESo-gGsdwdX4TzRaKvlBsvvcmXBF-/s320/DSCF0062.jpg" border="0" /></strong></a><strong>Last night's ala carte service:<br /></strong><div>I carved these mushroom roses for our ala carte service. I made them for the wild mushroom stuffed chicken dish we were serving. </div><br /><div>I figured, with all the other delicious items we were serving, those people who chose to order the chicken should be rewarded. "How many chickens are we going to sell tonight anyway?" So, I carved about 12 of these babies, and went about the rest of our garnish mis. Half way into service, were at chicken number 16, and I'm carving these things to order. Me and my big fat mouth. I hear some of you asking, "why didn't you just throw some chopped chives on the plate and call it a day?" I'm a perfectionist..... I always teach my staff, "The first plate goes out the same as the last plate." So to save face around my cooks, I carved away at the mushrooms. Just my luck.....the night that we sell more chickens than any other item........and I end up being Picasso with a paring knife.</div><br /><div>It looks a little brown in this picture. I eventually soaked them in lime juice and water to bleach them out a bit before service.</div><br /><div></div>CHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-35936099353770861552008-09-28T19:15:00.008-04:002008-10-08T13:33:01.759-04:00100 things to try before you die<strong>100 things to try before you die, by Dr. Seuss</strong><br /><br />Not Really..... I came across this list of a hundred things, that is supposed, all omnivores should try in their lifetime, and was compiled by Andrew Wheeler at <a href="http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/">Very Good Taste</a>. This comes from a British website, so some of the names could be unfamiliar. I've put a link on some of the terms that even I didn't know, I've bolded the items that I have tried, and I also put a list of things that I think should be included.<br /><br />Please feel free to copy and paste, and try it yourself.<br /><br />1. <strong>Venison</strong>, (I slayed, cleaned and butchered the entire thing. It gives you a great appreciation for where your food is coming from)<br /><br />2. Nettle tea, (nope sorry)<br /><br />3. <strong>Huevos rancheros</strong> (Si, tengo los huevos de un toro)<br /><br />4.<strong> Steak tartare</strong> (with a nice quail egg and ponzu....not the tradition French, but it was awesome)<br /><br />5. <strong>Crocodile</strong> (Alligator….. not croc, but I think that counts)<br /><br />6. Black pudding (The breakfast staple in the UK, has never crossed my lips)<br /><br />7. <strong>Cheese fondue</strong> (are you kidding me? top 100......)<br /><br />8. <strong>Carp</strong> (we have a recetly opened International market down the street. They have the most unbelievable fish department with live carp and eel swimming in tanks)<br /><br />9. <strong>Borscht</strong> (I've had the Russian, rich beet soup, but not a good version)<br /><br />10. <strong>Baba ghanoush</strong> (like little Armenian hush puppies/ Alladin's in Columbus always make a good one)<br /><br />11. <strong>Calamari </strong>(My 9 year old's favorite)<br /><br />12. <strong>Pho</strong> (is there anything that can compare with bowl of hot steamy noodles?)<br /><br />13. <strong>PB&J sandwich</strong> (probably a thousand of them, in every which way you can dream of.)<br /><br />14. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloo_gobi">Aloo Gobi</a> (What? This is one I had to look up. Curried Potato and Vegetable Stew okay...I guess)<br /><br />15. <strong>Hot dog from a street cart</strong> (my chef stomach is immune to 3,465 strains of bacteria......bring it on.)<br /><br />16. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Époisses%20I">Epoisses</a> (I have not had this apparently, very stinky, ripened, French cheese. Brillat-Savarin himself classed it as the "king of all cheeses," but I have ingested some of the most appalling, foul, cheeses to ever grace your nose……and love all of them.)<br /><br />17. Black truffle (I have had white, but never black….It’s not a racial thing)<br /><br />18. <strong>Fruit wine made from something other than grapes</strong> (cherry, dandelion, apple, cranberry)<br /><br />19. Steamed pork buns (I’ve had Potstickers….but never buns)<br /><br />20.<strong> Pistachio ice cream</strong> (Graters Columbus is the best)<br /><br />21. <strong>Heirloom tomatoes</strong><br /><br />22. <strong>Fresh wild berries</strong><br /><br />23. <strong>Foie gras</strong> (bring it on)<br /><br />24. <strong>Rice and beans</strong> (ffffrrrrtt)<br /><br />25. <strong>Brawn, or head cheese</strong><br /><br />26. <strong>Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper</strong> (Oh yeah…on a dare…it kicked my ass…..uh, literally)<br /><br />27. <strong>Dulce de leche</strong> (Si, Si señor)<br /><br />28. <strong>Oysters</strong> (east coast, west coast, whatever…my favorite is still Chincoteague or Bluepoints)<br /><br />29. <strong>Baklava </strong>(and every other Greek phyllo pie you can imagine)<br /><br />30. <strong>Bagna cauda, </strong>(Italian anchovy fondue....what's with this guy and fondue?)<br /><br />31. <strong>Wasabi peas</strong><br /><br />32. <strong>Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl</strong> (my clam chowder is famous)<br /><br />33. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lassi">Salted Lassi</a> (nope)<br /><br />34. <strong>Sauerkraut</strong> (Uuggghh. The only time I will eat this atrocity is on New Years Day. It’s said to bring fortune in the coming year, but after the track record (0-31) I’ve had, I might just give it up all together)<br /><br />35. <strong>Root beer float</strong> (A&W, baby)<br /><br />36. <strong>Cognac with a fat cigar</strong><br /><br />37. Clotted cream tea<br /><br />38. <strong>Vodka jelly/Jell-O</strong> (what man or woman born after 1950 hasn’t downed a couple of jello shooters)<br /><br />39. <strong>Gumbo </strong>(<a href="http://www.justinwilson.com/"><strong>I garontee!</strong></a><strong> </strong>)<br /><br />40. <strong>Oxtail</strong><br /><br />41. <strong>Curried goat</strong> (On my one and only trip outside the US: Mexico circa 1991)<br /><br />42. Whole insects (not on your life, but maybe a cricket or two)<br /><br />43. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaal">Phaal</a> (huh?)<br /><br />44. <strong>Goat’s milk</strong> (When I was younger, our uncle used to give us goats milk soap from his goat in Toledo. That’s zestfully clean!)<br /><br />45. <strong>Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more </strong>(Bloody right I did)<strong> </strong><br /><br />46. Fugu<br /><br />47. <strong>Chicken tikka masala</strong><br /><br />48. <strong>Eel</strong> (just look at that crispy, broiled unagi, how could I not?)<br /><br />49. <strong>Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut</strong> (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dania_h/453455490">Resch's Bakery</a> in Columbus Ohio has them beat a million fold……hugh, Krispy Kreme.)<br /><br />50. <strong>Sea urchin</strong> (one of my favorite Nigri sushi items)<br /><br />51. <strong>Prickly pear (</strong>I make an awesome prickly pear and tamarind BBQ sauce with Perfect Purees from California)<br /><br />52. Umeboshi<br /><br />53. <strong>Abalone</strong><br /><br />54. Paneer (Indian cheese)<br /><br />55. <strong>McDonald’s Big</strong> Mac Meal (this only gets a ½ bold, only because I feel so bad after eating it)<br /><br />56. <strong>Spaetzle</strong><br /><br />57. Dirty gin martini<br /><br />58. <strong>Beer above 8% ABV</strong><br /><br />59. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine">Poutine</a> (I thought this sounded farmiliar. It's french fries topped with fresh cheese curd, brown gravy, and various other artery clogging accôutrément. And I thought the midwest was bad)<br /><br />60. Carob chips (why?)<br /><br />61. <strong>S’mores</strong><br /><br />62. <strong>Sweetbreads</strong><br /><br />63. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaolinite">Kaolinite</a> (this is a food additive and can also be used as a pesticide. So, whether we like it or not, most of us have probably eaten this anyway.)<br /><br />64. Currywurst (this just doesn't even sound good)<br /><br />65. <strong>Durian</strong> (Tastes like a mushy mango, with a little pineapple flavor in the aftertaste)<br /><br />66. <strong>Frogs’ legs</strong> (Straight from the creek on a wood fire, in Ohio Power capming grounds. Remember that Pat?)<br /><br />67. <strong>Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake </strong>(yes, yes, yes, and hell yes. Growing up in the mid west, we served funnel cakes at every meal. Our state fair even had deep fried snicker bars, twinkies, and deep fried chocolate chip cookie dough.)<br /><br />68. Haggis<br /><br />69. <strong>Fried plantain</strong> (Tostones made by and old woman I worked with who had made them almost every day of her life. That’s perfected delicious.)<br /><br />70. <strong>Chitterlings, or andouillette</strong><br /><br />71. <strong>Gazpacho</strong> (Ain't no Gazpacho like my gazpacho)<br /><br />72. <strong>Caviar and blini</strong> (I get bonus points for adding champagne)<br /><br />73. Louche absinthe (Nope, but I’ve had some really good mushrooms)<br /><br />74. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gjetost">Gjetost, or brunost </a>(again, artisan cheese)<br />75. Roadkill (no way, dude)<br /><br />76. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baijiu">Baijiu</a> (ouza, grappa, raickia……all some forms of moonshine made a local people, and made from the ingredients they usually have ample amounts on hand)<br /><br />77. <strong>Hostess Fruit Pie</strong> (Apple is the best, and if any of you say cherry, I’m going to punch in the kidneys. You disillusioned freaks.)<br /><br />78. <strong>Snails </strong>(sorry about the swelling Aunt Jenn.)<br /><br />79. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapsang_souchong">Lapsang souchong</a> (apparently a smoked tea from China)<br /><br />80. <strong>Bellini </strong>(I still have aversions to the smell of peaches from making so much of this mix at a previous job.)<br /><br />81. <strong>Tom yum</strong> (various versions of Taiwanese hot and sour soup)<br /><br />82. <strong>Eggs Benedict</strong> (We had to make so many of these during Sunday brunch, that the name alone send shots of adrenaline through my body.)<br /><br />83. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocky">Pocky</a> (I have seem this so many times in the supermarket, but never picked any up. Here’s my excuse to.)<br /><br />84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. (sadly…..no)<br /><br />85. <strong>Kobe beef</strong><br /><br />86. <strong>Hare</strong><br /><br />87. <strong>Goulash</strong><br /><br />88. <strong>Flowers</strong><br /><br />89. Horse<br /><br />90. Criollo chocolate<br /><br />91. Spam (no. I actually have a can in the pantry at home. My wife seemed sickened by the fact that I’ve never tried spam. And there it still sits. No spam, no scrapple for you eastern folks……no spiced lunch meats……but I’ll eat the hell out of some well prepared head cheese (see number 25)<br /><br />92. <strong>Soft shell crab</strong> (pan fried right on a toasted baguette with a little remoulade, spiked with Old Bay Seasoning)<br /><br />93. <strong>Rose harissa </strong>(Chili paste)<br /><br />94. <strong>Catfish</strong> (Visiting relatives in Florida, and grilling freshly caught ocean catfish from the Gulf, right on the pier with a little salt and <a href="http://www.cajunspice.com/">Tony's Chachere</a>.)<br /><br />95. <strong>Mole poblano </strong><br /><br />96. <strong>Bagel and lox</strong> (How about some sliced lox, straight from the curing container, on a piece of Colleen Vickers toasted foccacia with a little dollop of house made crème fraiche, and a That, my friend’s is a chef’s breakfast)<br /><br />97. Lobster Thermidor (the only cheese that is acceptable with any fish is the American cheese on a Filet O’ Fish Sandwich at McDonald’s. Lobster Newburg is about as close as I will get to this dish)<br /><br />98. <strong>Polenta</strong> (the creamiest, most delicious polenta, with a light whipping of Italian Fontina, straight from the Bergamo region)<br /><br />99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee (I’ve had good coffee, but I’m not sure)<br /><br />100. Snake (Never had the pleasure)<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>Things I think this guy missed</strong><br /><br />1. <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&view=text&hl=en&q=ann" cd="2" ei="PDzgSNfyBKaiM6evla8B&sig2=" ie="'UTF8&latlng=">Ann's Dairy Creme</a> Footlong Chili Double Dog with cheese served with a chocolate milkshake<br /><br />2. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dania_h/453455490">Resch's Bakery</a> Apricot Danish, the ones in my childhood memory<br /><br />3. A really good, I mean, really good, fresh baquette<br /><br />4. <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&view=text&hl=en&q=breakfast+in+manhattan+beach&ie=UTF8&latlng=33886534,-118410521,11793793496656664071&ei=9jzgSOOqGabEMvvLjMEB&sig2=6fjsspqGYXV8dwV7SzamiA&cd=1">Uncle Bill's Pancake House</a> avocado and monterey jack omelet with two of their fluffy pancakes<br /><br />5. Veal Osso Bucco Milanese<br /><br />6. Properly made Chile Relleno<br /><br />7. Hand pulled chinese noodles<br /><br />8. An entire meal cooked outside over an open fire and not <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MRE">MRE's</a><br /><br />9. My Tiramisu formula<br /><br />10. A Donato's Hawaiian pizza, complete with cinnamon and almondsCHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-30297293373326123862008-09-23T14:24:00.004-04:002008-10-08T13:32:36.652-04:00Good Bye to “Starchy”The other night, we said good bye to "Starchy," one of our front of the house employees. We coined the name, “Starchy” for this guy because of his loving affection to corn starch. Not because it’s an easy, fast thickener, or keeps sauces and soups crystal clear when thickening…. Not because it keeps our chicken tempura crispy while it sits in the pass through window….. His affection lies in the moisture absorbing qualities when it is applied to the groin and buttock area. <em>(Another disclaimer: I, too, enjoy the qualities a light dusting of cornstarch will get you through the latter part of the night)</em> But every day, we would see a large, coke line-shaped trail going from the bathroom to the main area of the kitchen. “Who the hell keeps getting cornstarch all over the place?” I would always yell. He would stride his lazily, sluggish gate (his other nickname was <em>“Zippy the Wonder Slug”</em>) out into the dining room, leaving a dust cloud behind, like some grown up “Pig Pen” from the “Peanuts”……his black uniform pants looking like he was fresh from a scene from “Blow.”<br />I hated to let him go, but we gave him enough chances. So....here's to you "Starchy." Good luck to you in all your endeavors. I'm sure if we need to find you, all we need to do is follow for the white, powdery line stretching into the sunset.CHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-41218333759406701262008-09-14T21:57:00.000-04:002008-09-16T14:18:17.401-04:00CHEFCHEF<br />Along with a passion for cooking, I am also a self taught musician. This is actually quite common in the culinary fields, because, just like the good chefs, good musicians are creative, obsessive nut jobs. I taught my self how to play, guitar, piano, harmonica, and some other, various instruments, along with the help of my wife (she’s a musician as well). Over the past 15 or so years, she and I, have amassed a large quantity of instruments and equipment. For Father’s Day, 2 or 3 years ago, the kids bought me a recording interface for the computer, and I began to experiment with writing and recording.<br />I was messing around one day on the synthesizer, and came up with some really cool hip hop sounding tracks. I’ve never been shot…..I‘ve never joined a gang….I’ve never been caught in a drug raid (but came close a couple of times, more on that later)……I thought about what on earth I could boast about in the spirit of true hip hop fashion.<br />It was perfect. I was going to write this song about what it meant to be a chef. All I need was a copy of <a href="http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=culinary+terms&hl=en&show=dd&cid=2424540547992231418#ps-sellers">The Cooks Companion</a>, and that would give way more than enough rhymes to go around. After about 2-3 days of writing and rewriting, “CHEF” was complete. You may listen to the song by pressing play on the music player located on the sidebar to the left<br /><br /><a href="http://www.quantcast.com/p-05---xoNhTXVc" target="_blank"><img style="DISPLAY: none" height="1" alt="Quantcast" src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-05---xoNhTXVc.gif" width="1" border="0" /></a><img style="VISIBILITY: hidden; WIDTH: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px" height="0" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.11NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyMjE*NDk5MzUxNDAmcHQ9MTIyMTQ*OTk*MDEwOSZwPTI3MDgxJmQ9bWljcm8lNUZtdXNpYyU1RnBsYXllciU1RmZpcnN*JTVGZ2VuJm49Jmc9MSZ*PQ==.gif" width="0" border="0" /><br />You may download a free copy here:<br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/emulsionalmusic">www.myspace.com/emulsionalmusic</a><br /><br />There lyrics are as follows:<br />Emeril Lagasse aint got nothing on me,<br />I Crack the can, and then “BAM,” it’s the essence of me<br />I’m a true cook of the real gastronomy<br />On the line, there’s no time for celebrity<br />You’ll be amazed when you gaze upon my crudités<br />A work of grace when my vegetables are all displayed<br />It’s insane the cascade I can make with a blade<br />Monet would faint eating off my stunning buffets<br />Sautéed, flambé, canapés, soufflé,<br />Hollandaise, fish fumet, bouillabaisse, cassoulet<br />Rabbit legs, lightly braised, add some wine and deglaze<br />Veloute, béarnaise, consommé, just to taste<br />The crème bruleé, that I create, are from the stuff that dreams are made<br />The formulas, they fabricate, are from a state, of constant grace<br />The berries that macerate, they make you want to masturbate,<br />They illustrate and demonstrate, and take the shape of something great<br />Whether it’s foie gras, demi glace, special sauce, demi tasse<br />Artois, bear claw, whatever you need<br />Butter beans, green peas, confit, Kobe beef,<br />Candy beets, pigs feet, mince meat, let’s eat<br />Thin sheets, in between, crispy leaves, pumpkin seeds<br />Lean and mean, when I bleed, it’s a stream of heavy cream<br />Green beans, almandine, would you like an aperitif?<br />I’m the only iron chef, “Allay Cuisine”<br /><br />My mis en place, is all collected,<br />My favorite tongs, they’re all selected<br />The flames are hot and burning steady<br />When service starts, you better be ready<br /><br />I’m a modern day Escoffier; I cannot stand that Rachael Ray<br />She makes me hang my head in shame, every time I hear her name<br />It’s humiliating, every time, I see fellow chef of mine,<br />Selling souls to corporate slime, hanging out on billboard signs<br />Advertising everything from crispy crème, to apple bees<br />And selling heaps, of worthless things, of gadgetry and doohickeys<br />Shopping sprees of disbelief, hocking things like luncheon meats<br />Faces on a box of beef, thieving every pound of steam<br />But enough of them, here’s more of me,<br />Time to lean, time to clean side towel on my apron strings<br />Cause you best believe, it’s time to see, the endless need<br />Of guests to feed, from Ala King to chicken wings, and everything that’s in between<br />Like quinoa, brunoise, mirepoix, baklava,<br />Nicoise, beurre noir, even pate de canard,<br />Even the sushi I produce, would have Nobu, getting loose<br />And my lovely chocolate mousse, make you want to reproduce,<br />It’s no use when my en croute, makes you want to follow suit<br />Tag along in my pursuit, in the magnitude of food<br />All the food magazines, want to sample my terrines,<br />All the restaurants in town, they all want my recipes,<br />Like my luscious baked brie, make the fearless want to scream<br />Cause I want to make you see, just how food is supposed to be<br />I use fat back, and stack the flap jacks so that<br />Your lips smack, so fast, your chin strap snaps back,<br />My lamb racks attack the fact that you have<br />The knack to cast back, a mass of snack packs<br />My resume is so extensive, portfolio is so impressive<br />I convey with me a vital message, to the ones in our profession<br />With out a single question, jam sessions of digestion<br />Courses in succession, always using wise discretion<br />God bless all you chefs, day to day in the stress<br />It’s the ones that obsess, to make their food a great success<br />Tireless, in the mess, 80 hours more or less,<br />Bring respect, and perfect, a profession of rejects<br />I would take no less, this is the life that I profess<br />To connect, it’s the best, living life being a chefCHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200255212469266254.post-8141147861958200532008-09-08T13:35:00.000-04:002008-09-08T14:05:40.097-04:0086 the FishWelcome to 86 the Fish. I tried this once before.....with the same blog title I might mention. It fell by the wayside because I get too busy at work and with the kids, and I lost interest. But now I'm going to try this again. This blog is supposed to be about everything related to food, drink, and, in general, the quirks and high jinks of the food service industry.<br />I have had the pleasure of working at many different establishments over the years, and worked with some really great chefs and cooks. None of them are famous, or hold Michelin stars, or have a series on Food Network. Most of them are just your average guys, trying to earn a living doing what they love, and what comes naturally to them.<br />From my first job at a grease pit in Columbus, Ohio, I knew this profession was for me. The intensity, the adrenaline, the searing hot equipment, the sharp objects everywhere… If you know me personally, you know I’m running on full cylinders all day long. This fast paced and constantly changing environment was the perfect fit. Cooking just makes sense to me.<br />So, welcome, and thanks for reading.<br />More laterCHEFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883835262821809870noreply@blogger.com1