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chefdg

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Posts posted by chefdg

  1. I like to rip off the tail and then the claws and then scoop out the tamale while the legs are still moving around. O.K. so I don't like it but I do it. One of my instuctors in school told me that lobsters have no souls, and I mumble that under my breath each time I have to kill/prepare them. A quick glipse at perspective; do you think the lobsters are thinking about the shellfish they are chomping on, and if they are feeling pain or not?

  2. Ditto the fact that it was bad, there should'nt be any smell. Secondly, caul fat is used mostly as a barding ingredient, something added to the outside of otherwise dry meat to give it a little more fat/moisture. Chicken thighs are not the best choice for usage, go with something like pork tenderloin, or fillet mignon.

  3. Fantastic photos! Great recipe break-down as well, Bravo!  You are clearly in your element and I bet the students are thrilled.

    Once I tried to poach a few quail eggs to surprise my better half and got stuck at the start just opening the little things.  Have you a secret for opening their tough shells?

    Without stepping on the instructors toes, I use a pairing knife and pierce the side of the narrow end of the egg and make a small turn with the knife to loosen the shell. Then you can pull the top back and expose the egg.

  4. Maybe you are a "super-taster", which means you have a really good pallet. Try adding a little more vinegar, not balsamic as the sweetness will amp up the bitterness of the greens. Try red wine, or straight white.

  5. Blanching is all about the color, unless you are blanching and shocking to cook later. You loss a lot of nutrients with the blanching liquid, and some of the flavor. Sauteeing only is harder to do w/o overcooking, or cooking unevenly, but it yeilds better flavor.

  6. Grelos is a Spanish cooking technique that pairs chard with shallots, garlic, and currants, there may be a few more ingredients but they escape me right now. Most importantly, remove the stalk from the leaves, fine dice the stalk and either tear or cut the leaves up. Cook the stalks a bit longer then the leaves and leave the leaves green but soft, otherwise you get collard greens.

  7. It is a lot of work, that's why almost nobody does it. You have to first cut them, then rinse/soak them to remove some of the starch. Fry once until partially cooked (just limp). Cool, and then fry again until golden and crunchy. My suggestion is break the work up into a few different steps. Cut and soak one day. Fry 1st another day. Finish when you want to eat them. You can freeze the fries that have been fried for the first time, and then fry just like the store bought versions.

  8. If I am reading the same version of 'the food in Florida must change' written by so many people in a number of locations, I have to stop to inquire about how this has happened in the first place. And why it seems to be continuing.

    Do you suppose that because Florida is so tourist-oriented that there is a general attitude among restaurant owners that whatever one offers will be perfectly adequate?

    Opinions on this question? Chefdg?

    "Butts in the seats" as one restaurant owner once put it. Thats the bottom line, and I could speculate the reasons and motives for this attitude but that would take all day. I think so many business people go into the restaurant business and ruin it, all they care about is money, returns, and profits, all important of coarse, but the food is the reason people go to restaurants and the food will bring them back.

  9. I waited for nearly 40 minutes for a pizza at lunch in a restaurant that has been here for 10 years only to find that the crust was previously frozen and the sauce was straight out of the can. The only thing good about it was the cheese. Right next to me was a table of very distinguised retirees that were having a conversation about their worldly travels and personall posessions with some young sales person who wanted their money and it hit me hard. (This is going to sound so corney but I will write it any way) we need to catch up people!! There are hungry people out there that need good, nutritious, creative, and locally inspired food. I wish I had a huge bull horn and a monte carlo that I could cruise around town with and yell at all the restaurants. "Wake up and smell the fucking coffee". I'm stuck in this hell for saken town and it must change.

  10. A nice way to use vegetable stock in everyday cooking is to make a sort of "beurre fondue" with it. Heat the stock, add enough roux to thicken to nape, then whisk in whole butter (about 1 # per quart of stock). Toss with blanched vegetables just before serving.

  11. Definately a bison and bacon cheese burger, probably miniature

    pan seared bison mignonette rossini

    deconstructed bison chili

    bison steak and eggs with welch's grape jelly and toast

    arugala, endive, and apple salad with grilled bison

    I think my time is up I need to start cooking.

    BTW what is tatsuda and pemmican?

  12. A little ways away from Cashiers in Asheville go to a restaurant called The Marketplace Restaurant on Wall street. Out side of that closer to Highlands and Cashiers is a bar called Bearls Place that is famous for it's owner nick-named rooster, and it's rollin bowlin machine. I'll ask a friend who lives there for more advice. :rolleyes:

  13. Thanks for the article GG, but I must say that it is pretty ambiguous in describing the scene. I have lived and worked in this town for nearly 4 years and have not once experienced cutting edge cuisine, or anything that comes close to it. I could go on for days about my frustrations but I will leave that up to other members to post. Consider this a cry for help. I want Naples to have better food, and I know I cannot do it alone. :sad:

  14. Fish burritos w/o beans, maybe they were fish tacos. :hmmm: They were good either way. Oh yeah, they were topped with some really good fresh pico. I really like working with Mexican line cooks. :biggrin:

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