New Cookbooks

I finally got around to purchasing some new cookbooks. People who know me know that I rarely shop, but I do splurge on a few things once in a while. One of them being cookbooks.

Earlier in the year when I heard that Aki and Alex over at Ideas in Food were coming out with a book I was really excited. Now that I have purchased it the excitement has increased exponentially. From what I have heard it is an all-text book with recipes focusing on the science of how things work.

Check it out on Amazon

There is a food movement happening now where chefs, authors, and foodies alike are all trying to delve deep into the science of cooking to not only improve upon what has already be discovered but to explore new possibilities.

I urge anyone interested to check out this book and supports blogs like theirs, Town House, Playing with Fire and Water, Very Good Food, and Ashby Inn. There are a ton more but I don't want to overload potential readers with too much content.

Without these blogs, and support of these people and restaurants the evolution of food cannot be shared or grown...

Weird Cravings

I sort of have kitchen A.D.D. when I am cooking at home. I'll start out wanting to bake a loaf of bread and end up with a vinaigrette, 2 desserts and a dinner entree. I'm exaggerating of course but you get the point.

While shopping I came across a section of peppers and my mind mysteriously jumped to a vietnamese dish I had had a few weeks prior. It is a simple salad of cabbage and carrots with 'nuoc mam' or fish sauce dressing and peanuts.

I'm adding marinated / grilled flank steak to the top of the salad for some extra protein to make it a salad entree.

While grabbing some butter I had yet another craving, pudding, specifically chocolate. Pudding isn't exactly the first thing you think of when dessert crosses your mind but sometimes the velvety richness of really well made pudding can't be beat.

I don't really believe in having themed meals when cooking at home. Unless of course we have guests. When it's just you or you and your significant other, my philosophy is: if it tastes good, why not?

Traditional Thai Treats.

One thing that I noticed in Thailand these days was the fact that it was really hard to find good traditional Thai sweets. When I was young, there were so many street vendors around that finding delicious snacks was no problem at all. But the new generations nowadays they tend to eat western snacks and crappy fast food. This was evidence due to the large amount of fast food joints in and around the city. Even a delicious Japanese dish such as Sukiyaki had become a type of fast-food here in Thailand, which is really too bad. Anyway back to the traditional street snacks. I really miss all those wonderful snacks that I can remember from my childhood. They were often brightly colored and has some form of coconut in them. I loved the way they came in their little pouches made from banana leaves and not to mention they were cheap.
Thankfully my cousin took me to this market where their selling point is that they cook and sell only traditional Thai foods. This was like the old western town attractions that you find in the U.S. I was very happy that my cousin was acting as my tour guide because those treats were just as I remembered them.

My April 2010 Thailand Trip

Sorry for the late post on some of my thoughts while I was in Thailand this past April. But any way I think that's it's better late than never so here's something that I wrote while I was in Thailand sitting at a, thankfully air conditioned, cafe and I want to apologize in advance if my writing has too many grammatical errors in it.


After about 10 years of being in the United States, I finally made it back to Thailand and for the first time in my young adult life, I found out what the phrase “a stranger in my own country” really meant.

On March 31st 2010 I made my journey to Bangkok, Thailand, my birthplace and a place where I will stay for the next 17 days. When I arrived at the airport in Bangkok, I was immedieately overcame by the heat and the hustle and bustle of the city. My extended family was the one who greeted me at the airport and once we got all of the hugs and kisses out of the way, I was off to stay at my aunt and uncle’s house for seven days. My aunt and uncle were as gracious as ever and really took care of me as if I was their own child. But that was to be expected since Thai people are friendly and one of the first things that we ask visitors or even strangers is “have you eaten yet?”

My first meal in Thailand of over 10 years was “ Chicken Rice”. This dish was composed of white rice that’s been coated in garlic scented chicken fat topped with ski-on boiled chicken meat, coagulated blood cake and the dish was accompanied by a simple soup, cucumber and spicy-sweet dipping sauce. This dish is a very traditional Thai dish that can be eaten at any time of day, most popular being the morning time. And like many of the traditional Thai dishes, some type of vegetable that has a “cooling” effect such as cucumber was served so that some fiery dipping sauce won’t destroy your palate.

Over the next few days I was fed very well and my aunt and uncle insisted that I didn’t have to pay a cent for any food that I wanted to eat. It is very amazing how foods invoked familiar memories of my younger days in Bangkok. My aunt cooked one of my favorite childhood dishes called “ Pad Stall” which consisted of a meaty part of a the “Stall”, a type of Asian vegetable, stir-fried with ground pork, chilies, and seasoned with lime juice, fish sauce, a little sugar and of course MSG. This dish had the typical tastes and flavors of South East Asian food: sweet, salty, sour, spicy, and bitter. It is not just a saying when I say that food can help you recall even the oldest of memories.

Soup and Salad

Soup: Vermont cider and Garden Hubbard Squash Soup with Autumn Spiced Mascapone.
Salad: Caramelized and Fresh Local Apple with Toasted walnuts, Gingerbread Crumbs, Frisee and Long-pepper Syrup.


There is nothing terribly exciting about the words "soup and salad" but it's up to the chef to repackage/elevate the two to the next level. A lot of great things can happen when you think outside of the box. This is my interpretation of the "soup and salad" course.

The weather

I recently made some pasta and fallowed my usual recipe of eggs, "00" flour and salt but discovered that the winter air has made everything really dry and so I needed to add an extra egg yolk to my dough. It's amazing how things like weather can really effect your ingredients especially the different types of flour that we have.

Feast

The Feast prepared, the table set and the people are ready to eat! Happy Thanksgiving everyone

Communication

Communication is (to me) the most important thing in a kitchen, without it there is no order no structure and nothing would get done (properly at least). You can have endlessly creative chefs and a brilliantly designed kitchen but without proper communication it would never work. Some of the best kitchens border on complete silence during service but this is just a sign of great initial communication. The Chef has communicated well with his staff so they know their responsibilities exactly and can execute them properly.

One of my pet peeves is working in a new kitchen where there is poor communication, I can't stand continually asking for something to do after I finish a task. It's important not to be afraid to ask questions especially when doing something that you are not used to, however it's even more important to jump in and initiate tasks yourself.

Chefs and cooks are obsessive, sometimes sadistic and most of all control freaks, we don't like to ask or be asked the same questions multiple times. I like to border on annoyance when communicating, I'm from the school of "there can never be too much" when it comes to the C word. Whether I'm expediting, on the line, executing a catering event or prepping I make sure to over-communicate so that things run smoothly and nothing falls through the cracks.

Imagine the possibilities.

I will have to read more on Transglutaminase then see how I can use it effectively and not just for the sake of using it.

The Pantry

The Pantry at a restaurant is similar to a household pantry in more ways that I had previously thought. One generally will have dry goods such as cake and muffin mixes along with pickles and canned goods. While at work we’ve actually started getting into preparing items for the “pantry” for the restaurant. We’ve started to do more large batch canning of the fresh produce that we purchased from the farm down the road. The result is a designated shelf in the walk-in cooler that is steadily getting filled with canning jars. The jars contain from kimchee to cashew-ginger butter. The pantry is also a great for saving one’s behind when you need to come up with a quick condiment to go with a canapé or even that little extra something to incorporate into a dish to make it more complete. But whether it’s just a jar of simple pickles or a jar of reconstituted apricot in a curry syrup, it’s never a bad idea give a quick look at your pantry before you start writing your daily menu because you’ll never know what might transpired.

Success

What is success? How do you define it?

Like it or not we're all obsessed with success. Whether we want the be the best at what we do or just feel good within ourselves, success is what drives us, what keeps us moving forward. Success is the great motivator, what we strive for day in and day out. How will you be successful?

Meal Of A Lifetime (My Dishes)

My girlfriend and I ate at Town House a few months ago and we still talk about it like it was a dream, almost like an out-of-body experience. It's located in Chilhowie, VA. I know what you're thinking, where the hell is that? The only answer I can give is that it's about 10 minutes south of Marion, VA. Now I know that isn't much help at all but just google map it....

There menu is one page with three different columns describing their a la carte, 4 course and 10 course tasting menus. After much deliberation we decided to go the less-greedy route with the 4 course which had a choice of two items for each course, I chose all the top courses and my girlfriend all the bottom so that we could try as much as we could. These are my courses and I apologize ahead of time for the pictures, they were taken with my camera phone.

The amuse to start our meal was whipped eggs, trout roe, birch syrup and nutmeg. The whipped eggs were incredibly light, the trout roe was fresh and very salty but was cut by the birch syrup which was sweet and rich in flavor. The nutmeg made the dish complete and added a great amount of fragrance.

'Cranberry Beans & Roasted Ham' with cantaloupe, chilled bouillon, the end of summer foliage. This course was my least favorite of the night but that is not to say it wasn't great. The dish had amazing texture with the surprise oysters lending and nice brininess. The end of summer foliage were incredibly versatile, all the different greens and flowers brought a really nice fresh note to this dish

Second course was 'Peekytoe Crab in Brown Butter & Lime' with various onions, shellfish, banana, curry, lobster mushroom. To me this dish epitomized the restaurants food concept. With each dish the Chefs at Town House are trying to bring together flavors and textures that you have never experienced before. This was my favorite dish (from my menu items) of the night. There was so much going on in this dish that it would take me a few pages to describe it however all the flavors and textures work so well together it was amazing. The yellow curry and brown butter were perfect condiments to bring together the several different preparations of onions and the lobster mushrooms and crab. If I hadn't been wearing a tie I would have licked this plate clean.

How can abalone and foie gras be bad? Answer: It can't. You can tell much from this picture either but the whole dish title and all is 'Monterey Bay Abalone & Chicken Confit' with the seaweed it feeds upon, farro, foie gras, kimchi. This dish was delicious, with the foie gras and abalone together in the bottom of the bowl in almost a terrine. I did not get much kimchi flavor or farro in this dish and think it could have been left out because the abalone, foie gras and seaweed were enough to make this dish really great.

My final course cannot be accurately described as a dessert. 'Powdered Chocolates" with steamed yuzu sponge, bergamot & an aromatic "salad" of hers was the description. My picture and description of this dish cannot do it justice. This was the absolute perfect end to the meal. With the powdered chocolate sprinkled on top of chocolate ice creams, the yuzu causing a taste bud frenzy and refreshing brake from the herbs my mouth senses didn't know what to do with themselves. This final course was so incredibly satisfying and different, I wish that I could have it again and very soon.

With the Town House personal sommelier perfectly accompanying our meal with a versatile wine, and courses being brought out swiftly by extremely friendly staff this meal was one of the best that I have had in my lifetime. Each dish was new, surprising and delicious. John and Karen Shields are pushing boundaries with their flavors, textures, and techniques

Dinner in Thailand

This was my typical family dinner in Thailand, simple ingredients flavored with multiple spices and herbs. At every meal, plain white rice acted as a vehicle for the side dishes of fish, meat and/or organ meats. Oh how my trip ended way too soon.

Korean Style Short Ribs.

It's quite interesting how many different cultures, out of necessity, treat the same type of meat so differently. Take the short ribs for example, most of us have only eaten the usual Western style where the meat comes in large chunks that requires low and slow cooking. The Asian style short ribs on the other hand are cut very thin and as a result require high heat and quick cooking. Since many Asian cultures only use chopsticks, spoon, and a fork to eat, how meats and vegetables are cut is very important.

Black Garlic

I'm extremely excited to try different uses of this rich, fermented bulb. The bulbs smell smoked, the cloves are completely black and the flavor is out of control good. I'll describe it as savory garlic candy. Full of molasses tones, sweet and smoky, let the creativity begin...

Meal Of A Lifetime

My meal at Town House restaurant was nothing short of a revelation,

each course a new suprise,each dish so complex my senses didn't know

what to do with themselves. A meal of a lifetime, thats what is was.

Pictures and descriptions to follow. For now, plan your next trip down

south around eating at this restaurant....Town House

Times Square at Night

Being from north of Boston I do have an aversion to most things New York, mainly sports teams but there really is nothing like Times Square at night.

Lost Camera

A few weeks ago while on a trip to Vermont, I ended up losing my camera. For now I'm stuck with a pitiful Olympus FE-210, now its not a bad camera don't get me wrong but for posting beautiful pictures of food and such it is not the cream of the crop. The Camera I was using before (quite a nice one but I can't remember the specs at the moment) was great but it was too big and bulky. I loved taking pictures with it but I hated that I looked like such a foreign tourist with it weighing down my neck. The key is to find the right balance, to look somewhat cool while carrying it around but also have it take really great pictures

A Few Floating Market Pictures In Thailand

Natural Beauty.

I am one of the many people out there who works in restaurants who thinks that natural lines, colors, patterns and shapes of naturally occurring foods really beautiful to look at. I tried to explain this to my friend, but he said that food is food. Though I some time look at each ingredient is a part of the final “painting”. I have to try my hardest to compliment each ingredient and not ruin what is already naturally beautiful and perfect.

Keepin' it RAW

I got a sample of raw milk from the local farm in Vermont and I must say it has a completely unique flavor. It was almost floral in a way, I've never tasted milk like this before. selling raw milk is thankfully not against the law in VT. My coworker said that the raw milk makes really outstanding ricotta and has the potential for making cultured butter. Raw milk is so much more nutritious than pasteurized milk, if you get it from the right source. I would only drink raw milk from a local organic farm that raises their cows on grass. But there are many people out there who thinks that it will make you sick. whatever your opinion of raw mile may be, I totally support it and will continue to purchase and use raw milk in the future.

Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food | Video on TED.com

Jamie Oliver has a new show coming on ABC called Food Revolution and he is here talking about the changes that need to take place in America including schools, supermarkets etc.

Please watch this video, it is extremely important

Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food | Video on TED.com

Planning

Fine dining banquets service commands a lot of time and patience, especially when it comes to planning a menu. The quality of the food does not change, we just change the way we execute it.

Much planning and forethought goes into a large plated banquet and execution is key. Intricate and elaborate menus can be written all day long but can they be executed correctly...

Tennessee Truffles

That's rights, Tennessee truffles. Not from the forests of France or Italy. They are grown right here in the US by a man named Tom Michaels and he only sells Black Winter truffles. I first heard about him from reading one of my favorite blogs, Ideas In Food.
We ordered these truffles a few days ago for a banquet we have coming up soon. Their texture, smell, and taste is quite unique and makes them stand out from regular perigord truffles from France.

Pictures!!

Banquet Cooking.

cooking lobster for plated banquet style service can be slightly challenging since you have a small window where the lobster is actually cooked perfectly. This is where learning through doing it really comes into play.

Patience is still required in a fast pace kitchen.

For someone as impatient as myself, sometimes I just have to stop and really take my time planning and doing things correctly or else the results could really be what I had hoped for. Making pasta is a good test for me since it requires me to take my time and really do things the right way to get the right consistency and shape. With that said, pasta is another item on my list that helps me relax and reflect on many things that I did in a day.

Ghetto Sous Vide Chicken.

Poaching is something that many people will associate with eggs or fish more so then chicken. But I've been eating poached chicken ever since I was a small child when I was still in Thailand. I think one of the thing that really is off putting for people is that they think that poached chicken is flavorless and the skin is like rubber. Lets face it, the best part of chicken if probably the skin. So a good way to really add flavors to poached chicken is to season it with whatever you want and then seal in in a vacuum bag and then poach it. As for the skin, I just remove it altogether and crisp it in a low over to render it crispy so it can make it's way back into the dish. This way you still get the crunch from the skin and the chicken mean is very flavorful and moist. Also the "torchons", once sliced up, looked great the plates.

Crust

I've recently realized my obsession for crust and all things crusty/crunchy. Whether eating apple pie or a piece of bread there has to be the sweet/salty factor and good soft-crunch ratio. Too much crunch makes it difficult to eat but too soft and there is no depth of texture. The prefect crust has all of these factors perfectly balanced without overpowering the flavors it's trying to carry.

Why not?

It'd be great to wrap this around the meat loaf from the other post.

Dumplings... enough said.

Most of my favorite types of snacks are the ones that I used to have when I was still living in Thailand. I personally think that the Asians have the best street snacks out all of the other nations. I love to munch on a bag of chips as much as anyone else, but I would much rather eat some freshly prepared dumplings from a street vendor while making my way through an open air market. To me, dumplings are the perfect snack because they pack so much flavors into each little one-bitter size meat filled dough pouch. (quite a description there) Plus you can have them hot, cold steamed or deep fried. And the best thing about dumplings is that they are so easy to make at home and they freeze really well.

My 1/12/10 Tasting Menu.

Mushroms: mushroom crepe, sun chokes, redwine redux, micros.


Tomato: organic tomatoes, our own ricotta, baby artichoke, cress, ciabatta crisps, pine nuts and balsamic.


Beef: local strip loin, carrot, baby turnips, red wine soaked parsnip, natural jus and crispy parsley.

Repackaged

Potato Salad.

I think that food these days has become so much less restrictive as far as cooking techniques, methods, and paring goes. Today’s chefs do not have to use the classical techniques in order to achieve something that has the same flavors, textures, appeal as a dish that was done classically. Not to say that old school dishes are bad, I am just happy to have the opportunity to work in a professional kitchen in this modern day and age. One does not have to reinvent the classic, but I think we can definitely present it in a new way.