Gifted Gourmet

article from the LA Times ... please note: this article is no longer available: as of 6/3/2006 Do you use black sesame seeds in your desserts?Tell us all about it, please! I like the recipe in this article for Layered green tea and black sesame cheesecake ...

Posts here need to be kept to food related topics, but you can PM the member, should you wish, on this topic ... Now, should you be inquiring about food places on this stretch of highway .. let go with your questions right here in the Louisiana forum!

I might be defrosting my lamb shanks at any moment, thanks to your comment here! or I may make a port wine reduction to go with my main course: I heat the port in a very heavy saucepan over medium heat until the steam rises from the liquid. Then I let the liquid reduce very slowly for 2 to 3 hours, until it has reduced to a syrupy glaze. There should be about 1/4 cup of port glaze from the original 2 cups ...

article from National Restaurant News I use port but mostly in sweet dishes ... now that I see how it is used by these chefs, in the layering of flavors, I need to learn to use it more creatively ... How do you use port in your cooking? Please share any and all ideas here!

One and the same, ned ...

Beg to differ with you on this statement, peacockfoodie ... I think that has begun to change noticeably ... the recent article in the AJC (which I will locate momentarily) says otherwise ... here it is ... John Kessler, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

I will have to give you my frequent flyer miles since I will have to go to California far fewer times now! Damn! I had totally forgotten about that promise ... As for those cities getting the next TJ's? Those are precisely what I had discussed yesterday with a friend of mine ... and in that order, too! (we missed Winston-Salem though)

#1 Seeger says that Soto will be moving to NYC ... #2 In the interim? I imagine, he'll be packing and working on getting into a location in NYC ... and it is quite doubtful that Seeger will be moving anywhere anytime soon ... NYC has plenty of great dining options already, no, ned?

The best answer of all is this article: Freezing Cheeses which lists the cheeses which respond best to freezing ... and, yes, parmesan is among them! Bet it has to do with the amount of moisture in the cheese ... creamy cheeses don't freeze well ... trust me on this because I have tried without success.

Welcome to eGullet and Atlanta, Tom! And you are absolutely correct in stating this about TJ's ...matter of fact, some people will patronize both for equally valid reasons ... each serves its own unique purpose.

I always keep it well wrapped in my refrigerator and it lasts for months. Then I scrape off the mold — which is normal and doesn't hurt the cheese. You can also freeze Parmesan if you cut it into 1/2 pound chunks, wrapping it well. Thaw in the refrigerator and use promptly. I have read about freezing Parmesan rinds and throwing them into soup as it cooks ...

A sentiment with which I have to thoroughly agree! But I live in Dunwoody so it is quite a drive for me. Not that I don't enjoy myself enormously when I arrive there ... DFM is an original!

Aren't the moister King Cakes made with cream cheese? I have seen recipes for those .. and they sometimes add fruit fillings ... For the uninitiated and unfamiliar, here is a pictorial of how King Cake is made: from the freshloaf.com website

From my past experience and living here some 25+ years, I can tell you that the people in Sandy Springs will flock to TJ's ... and may not be willing to go to the DFM out in Decatur .. gasoline and traffic will encourage them to buy more locally .. Therese happens to live inside the Perimeter, which is one reason she visits the farmers market there more frequently perhaps ...

here you are! the shirt of your dreams!

It happens that we do have a detailed and highly informative thread on this topic which you might find extremely helpful!

He will let us know when the air date is set for, unless I miss my guess! If you are ever in Atlanta, docsconz, please do have dinner at this restaurant. Blais did some of his training at elBulli in Spain where you had the pleasure of dining recently.

Collins, my appetite has been whetted (in keeping with the food theme) to watch the ICA episode featuring Chef Blais as well .. probably will even tape it when it happens. The thread on One Midtown is here and it includes the website as well. I agree with your must, must, must!

article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (free registration required)

Are we talking about Pomeroy or Pommery Mustard? Or are they one in the same?

Lionel Kleinpeter's Bakery in Baton Rouge?

That was some incredible article! Brings me both smiles and tears at the same time ...

article from NOLA.com An excellent article!

Yesterday I read with delight and pleasure that we Atlantans are about to get our very own Trader Joe's! Now this is of particular interest to me because, for many years, I have had to fly to Santa Cruz, California, to stock up on their delightful offerings ... nah, that's only partially true ... my daughter lives there and she introduced me to TJ's many years ago ... I never fail to take an empty suitcase for my voracious appetite has only increased exponentially over the years ... nuts and dried fruits and all kinds of goodies under their label come back in that empty suitcase with me ... But all that is about to change: article from Atlanta Business Chronicle: Trader Joe's leases 2 stores, may open 12 ... and I shall sit in a tent in the empty parking lots whose addresses are here and await the Grand Openings! Seems like only yesterday when I started this thread: What does a city have to do to get some respect?Trader Joe's,Dean & DeLuca: nouveau whine

I have known Chef Richard Blais for many years as he rose to his current fame for creative, highly inventive cuisine here in Atlanta. He has always been most gracious in sharing his expertise with me, as well as his cooking abilities. Although he told me in advance that he would not divulge the winner of his ICA Contest, nor even the "secret ingredient" as per his confidentiality agreement, he did consent to share his insights on the entire experience here with me and, now you, at eGullet ... so, without further ado, I present to you my exclusive interview with Chef Blais: Q: Richard, I recently read two articles on the MSNBC website by eGullet's Jon Bonné: Food gets its closeup on 'Iron Chef America' How 'Iron Chef America' makes its magic which opened up a number of interesting questions on this topic for me. Because you have just been a participant in ICA, I have some questions to ask of you, Chef Blais. Q: What types of dishes were you preparing for this competition? We wanted to make sure we did our food. We had 2 weeks to prepare for the battle, but we didn't want to try to come up with anything we didn't do already. Even though we always have ideas on the chalk board and new techniques in the works, we wanted to represent what we do every day. It will be interesting to see where we are when the show finally airs, to see how far we have come since the taping. But we were fighting the urge to do things that weren't ready yet. I'm glad we didn't. Q: What was the general atmosphere of the ICA event? Was it intense? Did you feel any pressures from the ICA staff and managers? The event itself is very intense. I think when you watch the show, you say things like, it's really not an hour, and they know the ingredient, and all the common misperceptions. It's really 1 hour, and when you arrive at Chelsea Market, there is makeup, and an interview, but then it's showtime, no mise en place, turn on the equipment and go. The staff at ICA were all top notch. You get the feeling that you're about to have this huge moment in your career, possibly totally embarrass yourself, but the staff does this every day, so they are very relaxed, just another Monday sort of vibe. But everyone there was professional and hospitable. Q: What guidelines were you required to follow? Would you have tightened those guidelines or loosened them? The guidelines are pretty simple. No mise en place, you can bring certain equipment, have certain ingredients available, and then you have 1 hour. Very different than a restaurant. Especially for our food. I mean we dehydrate things for hours and cook sous vide for days. That wasn't going to happen on ICA. Q: How much time were you allowed to interact with Alton Brown before, during, and after the competition? Alton came in and poked around some of the ingredients, said hello, but I've had more interaction with him at the restaurant. After the competition we chatted a bit, but, with another episode being shot behind us, he was very busy... One of the coolest things about the competition is Alton annoucing the whole thing. I'm sure they plug certain things in after, but he just calls the whole event non stop. That was thrilling actually, really pumped me up hearing him. Q: ICA is, according to the MSNBC articles, more focused upon the simplicity of the “secret ingredient”. Without divulging the ingredient itself, can you tell us whether it was easy to work with? Did you get some advance notice of 5 possible ingredients beforehand, as the article notes? I would say that the MSNBC article sounds accurate. I signed a confidentiality agreement, so I can't talk about the ingredient. But, it was challenging for us. A simple ingredient in some styles of cooking, but a challenge for us, especially in the time frame. Q: What were your personal reactions to the experience as a whole .. best and worst parts ? I had a blast doing ICA. The best part was when it was over, as far as stress is concerned. As well, our training really brought our team together. Not just the chefs who went with me, but we had a good portion of our team showing up at 6AM to practice, help with timing, etc. it was a bonding experience. The worst part was choosing who to bring. We have a very democratic kitchen and a lot of talent, so making that decision was tough. And the actual start of the competion was rough for me. There were a few seconds where the reality hit me, and I realized there were cameramen and robotic cameras eveywhere. Q: Was this truly a learning experience for you? Or was it simply pretty much what you knew already? A big learning experience. You can do a lot in an hour. And I don't think I can ever be nervous about anything on camera anymore. I mean that's it, you're totally exposed, it was awesome. Thank you for joining us on this occasion and offering your own personal insights on this experience! Readers of eGullet: If you have ever visited Atlanta, or actually live here, have you had the opportunity to experience the food created by Chef Richard Blais?