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Gifted Gourmet

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Posts posted by Gifted Gourmet

    Food Styling for the home chef

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Tricks of the Trade .... shhhh! :laugh:

    Maple syrup soaks into pancakes and goes a nasty dark colour — but not when you’ve sprayed the pancakes with fabric protector. 

    Anyone who’s served up a slice of pie knows how it can disintegrate before you get it to the plate. Make it more stable by baking a pie full of instant mashed potato, then cut a slice, scoop out a little potato and put the filling on the side — 

    If you want a perfect drip of sauce glistening on the side of your dessert, use a small piece of soft wax shaped like a drop and put it in place, then coat the drop with sauce for a perfect mid-drip shot.

    and even though you make it look incredibly delicious, remember not to eat it! :unsure:

    How things look may be, and often is, quite deceiving!

    Food Styling for the home chef

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Whenever I think of trying to get a "look" for food being served, I have to remind myself of that old trick in which scoops of vanilla icecream pristinely sitting in a cone, one atop another, were, in fact, really scoops of white shortening ... and then I realize that no one other than myself will have any idea of just "how" the food "should" look ... if it is nicely presented and garnished, I am supremely satisfied ...

    Whistling Kettle

    in Cooking

    Posted

    The

    Berkshire Whistling Tea Kettle

    Our whistling tea kettles are handcrafted in England of solid copper with pure tin lining. The kettle holds 2 quarts and its flat base design is usable on either gas or electric stoves. The harmonious whistle emits from a small slit in the lid. Wood handles. Choose copper (CP) or chrome (CH) finish. Stands approximately 8.5"H

    is the one I have and love! details here

    Restaurant desserts: your innermost wishes

    in Restaurant Life

    Posted · Edited by Gifted Gourmet (log)

    Why don't more restaurants serve a cheese plate for dessert? High-end places usually have one, but I'd love to see cheeses at more moderately priced restaurants.

    In Europe, cheese is a natural follow-up to meals. The cheese is usually served at with some good bread, and, if there is no dessert is planned after the cheese course, ripe or dried fruits, nuts, or other accompaniments might be offered with the cheese. You've probably noticed that many American restaurants have picked up on this European custom, largely because American chefs are anxious to show off the excellent variety of artisanal cheeses now being made here...

    But this is all really new and I think people expect for the place to offer something sweet .. consider the popularity of Cheesecake Factory with their sumptuous sweets ...

    gallery_10011_1589_65266.jpg .. the Mile-and-a-half Ice Cream Pie from Copeland's ... this was shared by a friend of mine and me .. and we left much of it on the plate ... :huh:

    Restaurant desserts: your innermost wishes

    in Restaurant Life

    Posted · Edited by Gifted Gourmet (log)

    One more definite vote for smaller portions and more variety

    so we can taste more and not get all clogged up trying

    to finish something huge. 

    Which is precisely what I enjoyed so much when I ate at Seasons 52 last week:

    the desserts served in small cups .. tastes ...

    it's definitely those little trays of desserts the wait staff shuttles around the dining room.   Presented on silver trays are eight desserts, nestled into glasses about twice the size of a shot glass. The color scheme resembles an artist's palette: deep red and cream in the red velvet cake; pale shades of yellow and lime in the Key Lime pie; layers of deep browns in the nutty Rocky Road; the bright pink of the strawberry shortcake.
    This was a motivation for my thread here ...

    discussion here on Seasons 52 ...

    Calling the culinary historians! Pickles

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted · Edited by Gifted Gourmet (log)

    Some possible answers may be found here:

    Mt Olive pickle history

    or

    NY Food Museum

    Roman emperors, among them Julius Caesar, fed pickles to their troops in the belief that they lent physical and spiritual strength. ... Ancient Sources not only refer to the nutrional benefits of pickles, but claim that they have long been considered a beauty aid. Cleopatra attributed her good looks to a hearty diet of pickles.
    so, take your pick(le) .. for beauty or for strength .. :laugh:

    My food is touching!

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    You're not alone ... it revolves around the visual co-mingling ...

    He views his plate as a grid, where each item needs to be aligned in perfect 90-degree angles and equidistant from the items that surround it. Most importantly, no item must ever touch another.  He has often expressed to me his admiration for TV dinner trays, which neatly separate the meat entrée from the vegetable, the starch and the dessert portions. On several occasions he has spoken highly about the esteemed person who invented the TV dinner
    What's interesting to me is that this proves that he does not object to the blending of complementary foods in his mouth -- food which most people would agree provide less flavor and culinary satisfaction if tasted individually. Instead, it is the visual co-mingling that would disturb him. It would be interesting to explore the actual boundaries of this fetish.

    USA Network: Monk program :wink:

    Seasons 52 ... a new concept?

    in Restaurant Life

    Posted · Edited by Gifted Gourmet (log)

    But anyway, how was the asparagus? Did it compare at all with freshly picked, local asparagus in early June?

    Come to think of it, I will ask on Monday when I am having lunch there again ... and the asparagus was thick and juicy and lovely .. perhaps you're correct in saying that it's fresh somewhere in the world at this time ... a very good question! :wink:

    Raspberry vinaigrette

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Lordy, GG!  That recipe you linked---you could whirl it a couple of minutes to the pink-cream stage, throw in a handful of poppyseeds, and take that salad to any Church Supper South of the M/D.    :wub:

    dunno about church suppers but I get your drift .. and I will take it somewhere special, where it can get the southern acclaim it deserves, y'all! :laugh:

    Seasons 52 ... a new concept?

    in Restaurant Life

    Posted · Edited by Gifted Gourmet (log)

    The one exception was the grilled caesar with buffallo flank steak. Here the steak was tough and the dressing lacked body and tasted more like a mustard vinagrette than a caesar.

    Hoping that when this sort of thing happens, you will find a way to voice your interest in seeing it prepared well, to someone in management ... in the hopes that they may make the necessary changes ...

    That said, I am pleased that you have offered opinions on other menu items .. now I am ready to try some of those healthy, yet delicious, items! Next visit will be the salads, lum crab cockteil, and the black cod with vegetables in ponzu sauce .. many thanks for your insightful input here! :wink:

    The menu shows a great deal of thought for what they present ... size of portions down to minute details ...

    Seasons 52 ... a new concept?

    in Restaurant Life

    Posted

    I gotta say it's an interesting-looking menu--lots of promising-sounding choices. And Melissa, your report indicates they are fulfilling their mission--at least at the Atlanta location. I'll be interested to see how the concept holds up if/when they continue to franchise further and further afield. (Is each location locally sourcing those fresh ingredients? Couldn't find any info on their site.)

    Those questions are right on the mark, mizducky ... I will be watching with considerable interest as well to see what the reception is to thier "performance" ... it is early but the local reception was extremely enthusiastc and the place was full even as early as 6 p.m.

    I will ask them directly about their sources for local fresh produce .. I plan to lunch there with a friend on Monday .. will ask lots of questions this time!

    Seasons 52 ... a new concept?

    in Restaurant Life

    Posted · Edited by Gifted Gourmet (log)

    The Melting Pot website with details ... ... looks like something which was in fashion some time ago (the website indicates 30 years!!) ... here in Atlanta, there are 3 Melting Pots but I sincerely doubt that I'd revisit that concept ... I can't make much of a meal from melted cheese for dipping one's bread ... I know, they serve other things but ... :rolleyes: ...

    We had a restaurant here called The Magic Pan, if memory serves me correctly ... and they served all types of crepes, different fillings... now it has gone ... another historical moment in dining ... :hmmm:

    Hold the presses! Update: Magic Pan concept being reworked!

    Seasons 52 ... a new concept?

    in Restaurant Life

    Posted

    Two questions; first, what is a beige broth and how rapidly is this company expanding. Interesting concept but seems to be based on a fad that could be rapidly changing.

    In retrospect, the "beige broth" was liquid from the "Caramelized Sea Scallops grilled & served with roasted asparagus & pearl pasta"

    and I have to agree with you that the concept may be time-sensitive ... so I ask myself:

    will it prevail after, say, a few years?

    is this permanent in popularity?

    isn't dining out really cyclical, moving from one concept to another?

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