budrichard

Not only is Jacque probably THE most talented chef that ever lived but a truly nice guy! When a local(Chicago) book store had a signing by Jacques of his new autobiograpahy, the store would not allow signing of books not purchased from thier store. An email to Jacques was promptly answered by his assistant and Jacques took care of the matter for me. To have one of his knives is GREAT. His 'Art of Cooking Vol 1&2' started me on the path to becoming an amateur chef. In fact today we are using one of his recipe/techniques on the grill. -Dick

I believe that's false mayo, almost like using hard boiled yolks for a fool proof concoction. Not the same flavour as raw yolks. "I believe" is the incorrect method of determining if something is correct or wrong. Do a blind test and make Mayo with raw eggs and the method I out lined. You will not be able to tell the difference in a blind tasting. That is what I did to determine if the 4 minute boil which results in a runny yoke and partially solid white makes a Mayo that tastes the same as one made with raw eggs. -Dick

Ballantine's IPA was aged for six months in wooden casks which was one of the reasons it was soooooooo goooooooood! Fuller's 1845 bottle conditioned is my favorite after my brother in laws full grain IPA. Goose Island hand pumped is also very good but you have to go to their establishment to drink it and they don't do growlers. -Dick

You are confusing two different techniques, hot and cold smoking. Cold smoking calls for a brine to cure the fish because you are not raising the temperature to kill bacteria. Hot smoking needs no curing, hence the brining can be dispensed with but a little soak in a weak salt solution will help.-Dick

Leg of Lamb ala Robert from Pepin 'The Art of Cooking' vol 1. Bascially a butterflied leg of lamb marinated in soy, honey, garlic, jalapenoes and whatever else. Spread out on the grill until charred, let rest and serve. -Dick

A wing has three parts, seperate into the three parts and use the tips for stock. Just put the wings into a hot oven on an oiled pan spread out. Roast at high heat until done/crisp. This avoids the fat of deep frying since today's chicken is quite a fatty little bird and doesn't need anything else to make it crisp. Roll in a sauce made with McIlhenny's and little butter, make a dip with Maytag Blue and sour cream. Have crisp celery spears on hand, a few beers and your in business. Avoid the coomerical sauces even the Original Anchor as you can make a better sauce at home with McIlhenny's.-Dick

I can't remember the last time I had commercial Mayo. To avoid the potential salmonella problem, I boil the eggs for 4-5 minutes, scrape out the contents into the Kitchenaid food processor, that contains a little lemon juice and white vinegar and hit the Start button. after a minute or so, add your oil then salt and its Mayo, better than anything you can purchase. -Dick

You need to remove the coating on the ferns before consumption for optimum results. A bit tedious but worth the time. First rinse in cold water and a lot will come to the top. Next blanch in hot water and more will be removed. -Dick

With 50+ years experience of cooking Maine lobsters, I will respond. For 5 lobsters, you could fit them in a 20 gal pot if you curled them in just right. DO NOT take the claws and knuckles off and cook them seperately, the liquid contained within will be lost. For those of you that are concerned that your lobster has a brain and then ascribe feelings, or a concerned about tough meat? If you go to a lobster boil in Maine, do not ask them how they kill the lobsters before cooking. They will laugh at you. I certainly don't believe in causing any animal uneeded pain, but the nervous system of a lobster is rudimentary and it is not a felony to kill a lobster by boiling without euthanizing it first! -Dick

' Hotategai' or scallop that is absolutely fresh makes the most wonderful sashimi you can imagine! We obtain our day boat scallops from Browne Trading and they are two days removed from the water. If your scallops are truly fresh, then all that is needed is a little Wondra flour, butter , white pepper and salt. Do not overcook but serve them with the center still raw or rare. They will finish cooking on the plate. Do not worry over liquid loss but add lemon and use for a sauce. -Dick

NEVER have I tasted petrol in a German reisling. It doesn't matter if the wine is new,or mature, spatlese, auslese, BA or TBA that had maderized did not taste of Petrol. -Dick

My dealer tells me that the lack of Fuller's in the Midwest is due to a container freezing in shipping. 1845 is simply not available. -Dick

I'm not trying to give your reviews a hard time but the following review has me baffled. "2002 Pieroth Riesling Auslese Dorscheimer Pittermannchen Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany Pale yellow/clear colour. Aromas of petrol, white flower, flint. Medium-sweet, full-bodied wine. Good acidity with honey, apricot and lychee fruit. Long finish, ~40-45s, with honey replays. 88 points (03/28/2004). " How can you give any points to wine that has aroma of petrol? -Dick

If you are subscriber to Sam's email, you just got the Parker ratings from the April issue of the Wine Advocate. Not sure what is real and what is hype but the ratings look like what could have been put down without tasting a single wine. I know that I couldn't possibly taste all these wines and yield a coherent picture even if I spit them all out! I will probably pick up a futures in few cases to keep the 2000's I purchased company. -Dick

Your allergy sounds like the beginning of a anaphylaxic reaction sensitivity. My wife has an allergy to sulphites but this only results in a headache. See your physician and obtain an EPI-PEN to carry with you in case the reaction becomes life threatening. I carry one because of an increased sensitivity to insect bites and stings.-Dick

MY 2001 Sauterns are about to show up and should be uniformly great, so I will pass the 2003. I will order a few cases of Bordeaux mostly to continue my vintages in a couple of Chateau's. If they turn out very good so much the better. -Dick

Somewhere in a container is a case of mixed BA and ice wine from Domdechant Werner coming to me, so you know where I put my $$'s!. I bought every bottle of his 1997 Auslese I could get my hands. Silver prize medal winner and a fabulous wine. There is a certain segment that cares not about quality but about how 'rare' and how much it costs. A trip to Sam's Wine will quickly point that out. -Dick

Not to be facetious but I would test it for Chronic Wasting Disease. I am great lover of venison but the incidence of the disease in Wisconsin has led to my prohibition against eating any. As a matter of fact due to 'Mad Cow' in the US, we don't eat US beef anymore. -Dick

First, don't be caught in the trap of believing everything you read in print is true. Second the USDA recognizes that smell is a very important determinater in the freshess of fish. If it smells bad, it is bad! Judging from the number of posts about skate not smelling of ammonia, I will opt for a non-ammonia smell as an indicator of freshness. BTW. if you have ever shopped for fish in a Korean grocery store, you will not be surprised about the smell of anything. Korean hygiene standards are very poor. - Dick

For inclusion into a terrine or pate I use a fatty pork. As for lining the terrine, I long ago switched from fatback to Crisco with no problems. Caul fat would be nice but is difficult for me to obtain. -Dick

Ammonia smell in skate and in ALL fishes is a product of decomposition. Fresh skate as well as most fish will have almost no smell at all, certainly not a strong smell. Eons of evolution have imprinted in our brains what 'bad' smells like. If your nose doesn't like the smell than it's bad. Fresh skate will have no smell and will taste sublime and will not be tough. If the membrane is still on, you can poach in a court boullion and then remove. Other wise just coat lightly with Wondra four, salt and cracked white pepper, fry in unsalted butter. Serve with fresh lemon. -Dick

As with most food items it's not so much how one cooks them as what one procures and how one preps them for cooking. In the case of soft shells, they must be moving. Smell them, get your nose in it!Avoid at all costs the limp things sold in most stores that are just about dead. "Can I clean them for you?" stores will ask. NO! Cleaning kills the crab and they will lose moisture until you cook them. Clean them yourself. Correct way to clean. Pull off the apron underneath, also tells you the sex. Peel back the flaps and remove the gills. Use a sharp knife and cut right behind the eyes. DONE. Coat with Wondra flour, season with salt and craked white pepper, fry in unsalted butter. Fresh lemon and eat! -Dick

Fuller's products including London Pride are available at discount Liquors in Milwaukee Wisconsin(where else!). -Dick

First you need to obtain a choice grade brisket in the cryovac pack. If not in the cryovac, the fat will be cut off. Second get two gallon freezer zip lock bags, kosher salt, saltpeter(drugstore), fresh garlic, lots and your spices. Mix salt in your water until an egg floats or you can't dissolve anymore. Put lots of chopped garlic and spices in bag, a 1/4 tea spoon pf salt peter along with brisket and into a larger solid container to contain any leakage. Leave in fridge for 4 weeks or more turning daily. Remove, cook slowly in Guinness. Serve hot or cold. For our last brisket we used a Wagyu cut from Lobel's because they had a two for one sale. I never had better corned beef. The other brisket will be BBQ'd this June. Spices are coriander, cardamom, mustard seed, ceylon cinnamin, star anise, fenugreek, bay, and whatever else I like at the time.-Dick

Jacques Pepin's 'The Art of Cooking Vol 1 & 2' is about the best there is! Not only are there recipes but color photos and step by step techniques and explanations. Along with the 'La Technique' and 'La Methode' or combined as 'The Complete Techniques' they form a very good basis for cooking skills. Be aware that all these volumes have been reprinted in soft cover but were available at one time in hard cover which have become collectable. -Dick