shelora
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Posts posted by shelora
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What is the final texture of the sauce ment to be like? Like single cream?
I never thought of it like that, but yeah. Silky, not too thick and not too thin.
Really makes me appreciate how skilled people are when using a cormal to produce the paste.The comal would be used to toast the items, the metate would be used to grind the ingredients to a smooth paste. It's has a bigger surface to grind on than a molcajete with is bowl-shaped.
I don't think adding spice at the last minute is a good idea. But you did add salt though, right?
And I don't think that a chicken stock with carrots and celery would make such a huge difference to the final outcome.
I think it's great you have taken up the challenge of making moles from scratch. I love making mole.
Best of luck in the future.
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At this point you have a basic sauce. The next step is to fry it in lard and finally, you add the chocolate. The frying step is really important as although there isn't a huge difference in the appearance of the Mole, the flavour is very raw at this stage. Frying mellows the flavours (and removes the raw tomato taste) and removes the bitterness. Chocolate adds no distinct flavour really, but changes the colour slightly and adds another element of earthy background flavour.
Hi Adam,
From what I can see from the photo of the pastes, I think you have too much texture. Mole sauce or in the paste form, should be smooth as silk and the ground ingredients should really be passed through a strainer before frying in lard.
My experience has taught me not to add the chocolate right away but once the sauce has been seasoned through frying, adding stock and reducing, mellowing the flavours like you say. It sounds like you added the chicken stock all at once at the end. This could greatly affect the end result.
I've always found that the addition of chocolate does indeed add another flavour note, making it richer and like you say, earthy. Perhaps the use of regular chocolate over Mexican chocolate - most of which has the addition of almonds, sugar and cinnamon - had something to do with your findings of no distinct flavour.
For stock, I use the light broth obtained from poaching the chicken first with nothing more than a piece of white onion. Strained of course.
The chicken pieces are then finished in the mole sauce, when pools of oil form on the surface.
Does any of this help?
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I was just about to walk by them, as I really don't care for store bought salsa finding it's often too sweet and preferring to make my own, but this stuff was fabulous!
Can you describe it?
Thanks.
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Do any of these ghosts eat? ... in Vancouver or Western Canada?
A.
No, it's just goes right through them.
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Being a lady who lunches, I think you need a soup, sandwich and a salad on that lunch menu.
Perhaps a grilled sandwich of some sort with an accompanying salad. And I'm sure you will be offering some sort of soup du jour.
Now that spring has sprung I'm avoiding confits, braises and foie gras. I'm craving the fresh green flavours of spring. Take advantage of what's in season. Yes to asparagus and the first sprouts of damn near everything. Yes to fresh tuna - salade nicoise with a free range egg is one of my favourites.
A wonderful bowl of steamed clams or mussels done lightly with a white wine or make it heartier accompanied by chorizo.
A dish that is popping up around the island is the Ploughman's Platter. Perhaps a better name is needed but the concept is great and wonderful for sharing over lunch with a bottle of wine and a few small plates. Island cheeses, chutney, charcuterie, great bread and wonderful olives does a great platter make.
Good luck with your menu.
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I just got a bag of grits. ( 40 lbs , so I have lots ! )
They are quite large. The bag says Hominy grits. They are about the size of a split kernel of corn. It was not what I was expecting. I was thinking they were going to be more like polenta.
What should I do with them.
I was thinking of some kind of savoury cake, like a risotto cake.
Does anyone have any advice and or recipes that you would suggest.
I have only used the quick cooking grits which are smaller than you have described. Unless you get other advice, I'd experiment with my usual ratio of 1/2 cup grits to 2 cups boiling water and see what happens.
I love grits and I hope it becomes a staple on your menu.
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I'm confused... is the stuff in Israel water buffalo?
I've had kosher buffalo (bison) a few times now - and I'm trying to import it for resale. It's a nice alternative. The prices *seem* like they'll be better than beef and it's leaner.
can you imagine the size of a bison brisket?
Where are you thinking of importing it from?
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As an unrelated aside, the notion that she "chooses" not to be a judge was priceless
Kinda like how Don Genova "opted out" of the awards. I'm pretty sure he wasn't able to participate because he moved to the Cowichan. (Then again, that could all be an elaborate cover up
And both are great examples of my biggest problem with Ms. Gill's reviews; these apparent gaps in fact. Granted, if I were Joe 6-Pack and not connected to all these insiders through this site and others, I'd have no idea these gaps existed. That's when shoddy journalism gets dangersou.A.
That and how she assumes to know how the judge make their choices. Yeah, we all get together at Jamie's house and kibitz around and then vote. Sorry you weren't invited.
It's a ridiculous notion and makes me think she deliberately stir things up because that is her M.O. for her column.
Admitting that I'm riled up because of it is embarrasing so I'm going out for oxygen.
Adios.
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I think her cranky food critic persona is just a character she assumes to write her weekly column.
How unfortunate she did not see Tojo at the pre-awards nosh, because he was there but constantly surrounded by people a whole lot taller than himself. Too bad she also missed what else the general manager for Tojo said when he accepted the award, it was hilarious.
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Best acceptance speech was by chef Rob Belcham of C, who thanked the fish.
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I'd like to know what sells to begin with and why the Parks Board thinks the menu has to change. I suspect the biggest sellers are ice cream, chips and hot dogs, as they are on any hot summer day at any concession stand across B.C.
I'd also like to know why they feel they must change the menu. Short of offering perhaps a veggie burger and some healthier drink choices, the grand triad of fast food - ice cream, hot dogs and chips - can't be beat. Money maker? Totally.
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Hot off the press. New issue of EAT magazine.
Wonderful article on chef Neil Wyles' celebrity pud - photo of chef holdiing said pud, very calender worthy.
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Dear Feedbag,
Little Vienna Bakery on the way to Sooke H.H. and Point No Point. , #6 - 6726 West Coast Rd., 250-642-6833m www.littlevienna.com
Father's Fi and Chi is located just before downtown Sooke in a trailer on the right hand side.
I'd like to recommend a copy of the Eating & Drinking Guide a stellar magazine format guide book, published annually by Vancouver Magazine. Included in the book are the best establishments on Vancouver Island (including Tofino), Vancouver and the burbs, Whistler and the Okanagan. Oh so handy.
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Don't forget to pull into Little Vienna Bakery for your morning baked good. Unforgettable butter croissants and apple struedel and caffeine fuel provided by Victoria's little darlings, Caffe Fantastico.
And if the thought of yet another gourmet meal has you sighing, how about a dose of Vitamin G (grease)with Father's Fish and Chips. Right on the highway.
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Does the threat of mad cow disease ever shimmer across your mind while eating a juicy burger made to your specifications?
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.....as one of us was served a martini that had a fly and dust floaing on the top!)Was the fly a fruit fly, or a house fly? I would assume a fruit fly. The odd fruit fly does get into the sweeter liquor bottles on occassion, and in any dark busy restaurant they can end up in a drink.
Perhaps it was a French Fly.
I couldn't resist.
But to get back on the topic bandwagon, have you considered Bacchus at the Wedgewood Hotel? It's got that old school element - dark, cozy, quiet. Great place for hiding out, sinking into a chair and getting drunk in the lounge, a romantic dinner in the dining room or dinner with DAD. A very respectable joint. Excellent food. Just the ticket, I think.
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I can't help but think that eating foods that we weren't meant to will start to cause us to react to them. What did humans eat when they were just evolving into humans? Not what we eat now, for sure. It makes me wonder how we'll evolve from now on? Maybe allergies are just nature's way of telling us to cut it out.
We also eat too much, especially wheat and dairy. Having struggled for years with these food sensitivities, I know the difficulties involved with finding foods to eat. When you start reading labels, wheat is in practically everything. Looking for a quick snack? Trying finding something besides a salad, that doesn't have a base of wheat in it. The North American diet is also heavy on dairy.
I can only speak from experience, but going through a period of abstaining may be just the thing for clearing up any health issues you may have. It worked for me.
May I also suggest exploring cuisines from other cultures. The world of rice is damn interesting.
For a thought provoking read on the human diet, try the book Eat Right for Your Type. The author(I've forgotten his name at the moment) bases his theory on blood types.
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I am a chef from Toronto looking to possibly move out to the west coast in the next few months. I was wondering if anyone could point me in the direction of a couple of headhunting agencies that work specificaly on the west coast. Any help would be greatly appreciated and thanks in advance.
Jonaton Lome
Honey, I don't think you need a headhunter. See thread titled, labour shortage in the hospitality industry.
The doors are pretty much wide open.
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I hope one day we'll see a day that our cooking programs get the same kind of government support as our hockey programs.
Beautifully said.
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I hear ya McTee, worked there for 2 years.
Some good points James, one difference I do see however up island, is what the customer is willing to pay for a meal. That definetly will reflect on what we as employers can afford to pay our staff, in order to acheive any proffitability at all something has to give, and unfortunetly its wages. I'd be interested in hearing some of your solutions for finding staff as I'm almost at my wits end, short of grabbing people off the street.
Does anyone think the price of gas has an effect on finding staff? The majority of my staff comute from Nanaimo everyday (30km) Guess its one of the drawbacks of being in a rural setting.
Colin
I doubt that this is a possibility, but has the property considered on-site housing for employees? How far away you are from Nanaimo? Having just returned from Tofino and listening to their labour difficulties, the bigger properties have made a bigger commitment to keeping employees by offering very affordable on-site lodging. Tofino has always had a lodging issue, but this year might be their most difficult in finding workers.
Not knowing how big of a team you have out there Colin, would it be too great of an expensive for your employer to consider offering some sort of transportation for employees? Like a shuttle service. Do you have one to ferry your customers in from the Nanaimo airport?
And James, I do recall the Aerie having a shuttle service at one time. What happened to that? Perhaps the remoter properities on the island could start a dialogue about finding and keeping good employees.
A previous poster waxed passionately about learning with little pay as incentive enough to work in the industry. That is all well and fine, but for how long?
Another poster upstream said they were moving to Calgary for work, but wasn't it in Calgary recently that a new restaurant was providing a trip to Mexico as incentive for finding employees?
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I have heard from a couple who work in the industry that they will be moving to Calgary because they can get better pay, and the cost of living is lower. Ofcourse as long as we pay our kitchen staff poorly, we will not be encouraging others to start, or continue in that trade. Some are in to it for the passion, and many are trying to make a buck. Many have to work double shifts to make a decent living.
There is one server in particular who works at the Rosemeade, Temple, and Cafe Brio (I think that's right - Shelora?) in order to get by. I had to do the same during my adolescent angst years, washing dishes and doing prep in the day while bussing tables at night. The seasonality of work is the real killer. The city rocks tourists from May to September, but then it must rely largely on locals in the winter. I think the doldrums are getting better, but then again it's been a few years since I took a paycheck across the Strait, and most of the staff I knew growing up have moved to Vancouver.
I think I know who and what you mean, but those places you've mentioned aren't particularly seasonal, nor are the ones claiming a labour shortage. This adds to the mystery.
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I have to agree with Shelora, I've had an incredibly hard time staffing this year, it seems that for every one cook hired 3 leave, if we weren't a resort I'm sure we would be looking at closing a couple days a week.
I think a lot of the problem comes from the fact that a lot of the young cooks now a days have stars in their eyes and have heard of the $15 - 18 dollar an hour jobs in Vancouver and are heading straight for them. Unfortunetly the same people that are telling them about these high paying cooks job aren't telling them that for every $15 an hour job there are dozen $9 an hour jobs.
I pay my staff a decent wage ($2.00 more than most of the local places), is it what I used to pay them when I worked for Fairmont? hardly, but then again I don't charge $21 for a clubhouse sandwich.
When I first moved to the Island and started looking at the job market I couldn't believe the what the average cooks wage was, every employer I would talk to would go on about how much cheaper it is to live here and how you don't need to make as much, I called BS on more than one occasion. Gas is $1.10 a litre, rents are comparable to the LM, groceries cost as much if not more. Its a perception that needs to change if the industry is going to grow here.
Colin
Thanks for your perspective Colin. Personally, I would like to know what places in Vancouver could possibly be paying those kinds of wages. Andrew? Should we be packing our bags?
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I know plenty of NCO and line cook types always looking for work over there, but they're all stoned lifers (the "baked hairnet brigade" we used to call them) and hardly worthy of recommendation.
you keep interesting company
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May or may not be related to this labour shortage issue:
I have a distant relative that worked as a line cook at places like C and Rugby, and he said that the majority of kitchen staff get paid minimum wage. This was even after going to cooking school and stuff. I got the impression that the reason was that if the cook didn't like it, they could leave and there would be a lineup of 20 people waiting to take his place. Is this accurate? Is it even true? He told me this at least a couple years ago, so maybe the tide has shifted...
Quien sabe! It's minimum wage in the retail sector as well.
What contributes to the strangeness here is that a few of these restaurants are actually putting a message that are closed due to a labour shortage on their answering machines.
Moles and their chilies
in Mexico: Cooking & Baking
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The upper arms on some of the women I've watched grinding chocolate or chilies on a metate is awe-inspiring. Don't ever mess with those women!