Timh

I graduated from one of the schools and have worked with and supervised graduates from all of the top schools, as well as students from local programs. I think that for most of the schools they are all the same, teaching the same technique and method. The brand name is only important to the current student and the recently graduated , and for those that culinary was the height of their accomplishments. Once you enter the field, it doesn't matter where you went, and no one really cares, its all about what you can do.I find it quite boring when someone years removed still wears their choice of school as a medal, as opposed to what they have accomplished. So pick someplace that you can afford, in a region thats interesting and offers some opportunities for you. One of the better plans is offered at the Greenbrier, You work and take classes and after 2 years have a degree, all the whille climbing the ladder and making money, as opposed to just paying out and working when your schedual permits. Or just go and do a series of estagiers, go to the source.I also did this after school and it was way more educational than school.

I've had them seasoned with Old Bay and they were GOOD, I use salt and pepper and pimenton, as well as parmesean in mine, so why not?

Currently running a red wine risotto with Italian sausage and peas. I'll take a photo soon, its visual as well.

IMHO I feel a sabayon is too delicate to gratinee as there is no sugar, burning the egg is the only "browning effect" , and the flavor is of just that.

Sure, a Marsala sabayon(w/ veal), and to a base made w/ white wine you can add a salsa verde produced as a reduction, then there's caper/lemon, or even just a red wine. Again the key as mentioned before is the liquid to egg ratio. Good luck. edited to add; adding the whipped cream also stabilizes the sabayon so it will hold for a time. I liken it to a mouseline minus the butter.

In addition to the excellent points just mentioned, savory sabayons are great as lighter sauces. I use them within the Italian cannon of sauces for a different approach.

For no particular reason I was under the assumption that he was considered a "New Orleans" chef, featuring products of the local environs. That he's not cooking locally flavored food is no big deal, hes certainly not the only one(I cooked for Susan Spicer at her Bayona, the menu was global), so it was a misunderstanding. Would you ask the same question about a chef in New York or Chicago? Why not? Well, what about either of those cities is culinarily distinct that would define a chef cooking from there?

Alot of great suggestions already. I would only add to develop a small but utlilitarian repetoire, don't overwhem with too much technique and information. Basics that can be expanded upon with confidence(and a recipe)will stick better. One pot type dish mentality will also cut down on the clean up afterwards, which can turn off many to wanting to cook. Organization is key thru out the process, to aleviate any possible mistakes, and the mess to follow. Good Luck!

Chufi's relpy is a great one. Something no one can resist, potato gratin, the cauliflower will go great with(use gruyere cheese).

I may be pronouncing this wrong, but "shashlik" uses pomegranite juice to marinate ,in my case, lamb. It was a menu item in a kitchen of long ago.

I think it says alot when the petty drama is more significant than the actual cooking. These are forgettables, just average characters in the cooking world.

I 've also heard good thngs about the chef, and the dish sounds intriguing, but I have to ask, what does a hawaiian fish have to do with New Orleans? Could he not have used Sheepdhead for the same effect?

Its the feezing that causes the dryness. The water in the fresh meat expands when frozen, upon thawing it just runs (hence the plate of liquid during thaw). Your only hope is to eother marinate with a fat(oil) or to cook in a fat.

Hey NESteve, I'm in Plymouth, but theguys who do my knives are all over the SE area. I'll get their # for you. They pick up and drop off, so they may leave you with a lesser than your own quality , but still sharp set of knives.

I don't see any problem with that plan, but, why not brine the second bird AFTER the first on, since you're cooking it later?

In our enoteca I feel a few responsibilities in deciding menu and feature plates. One is seasonality, another is authenticity(integrity,or in the spirit of the restaurant), and finally(or not) I imagine the primary player, and then switch focus to the garnish, usually the vegetable(s). I find the garnish to be the mule that really carries the "primary" ingredient. Overall, I try to challenge my guest with authenticity but comfort them with flavor, meaning I often test drive dishes as free tastes to regulars(they love the attention and the feedback is key). I am not of the current trend of avant garde cooking, but a student of the giants on whose shoulders I stand. edited to add: per emotion, I chose to downsize to a 45 seater so that I could obsess over every single dish that goes out, . Actually, the obsessing starts with the deliveries, then the organization, always cleanliness, then the prep, and then the production. I exhausted myself in a high volume high profile Brasserie many yrs ago, flipping out on maybe 2 or 3 dishes out of 1000+ produced in a night, and accepted that I'm a small restaurant kinda cook.

As a former New Orleanian( and Quarterite,and chef) I can agree wit the fact that there are a slew of mediocre(at best) and bad restaurants in N.O., and that Bourbon Street is a abomination( the only locals there are the ones taking your money). But whose fault is that? I say its the ill informed, uninspired, and dimwitted tourist(and stupid college kids on spring break) who want nothing more than this charactericature of what they think New Orleans is about. I feel the street keeps those idiots contained in a secure area for everyone else who actually can appreciate what the city has to offer.

Wow, who then would you consider an authentic pizzeria? I am thinking of the place in Arizona(Phoenix?) I've read about before.

I must say I agree with you, on all points. I guess my point is that there needs to be some sort of standard to measure by. I'm always a little leary of any authenticating organization, but they are at least setting standards. I'm the chef of a little enoteca on the south shore in Ma. We are not a pizzaria, but I offer two, a margarita, and a del giorno. My mgr is from just outside Naples, family owns a bakery, and we use as our standard Da Michele, near the familiys home.(We make our own mozz also, this was the hardest to achieve consistency) Currently we have only a gas convection pizza oven(achieves 600 deg) I hace worked a wood burning oven before and hope to get on soon for here. I hope to open a true neapolitan pizzaria in the near future. One model I admire is Tutta Bella in Seattle. (TuttaBellaPizza.com)

For neopolitan pizza the tomatoes must be San Marzano's D.O.P. (we use them, they are worth the cost),and mozzarella and garlic traditionally should not be combined as the delicacy of the cheese is overpowered. The dough should be made with organic flour, fresh cake yeast, and only fresh mozz and herbs. This is in accordance with the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana.

Also ask them how deep are their pockets? Can they float the place for a year, incl. payroll inventory, and all of the accompaning taxes?

That looks fantastic! And you're right, because it was an amuse available only when we recieved our ducks, it was a semi regular amusee offering. I varied the garnishes, it wa always served warm and some of the accompaniments might have been celery remoulade, or duo of lentil and moutard mouselines, sauce ravigote, etc.

We would recieve our whole canards, I would remove the foie gras, then the sous would breakdown the rest. He then would give me the carcass and necks, I would scrape the carcass with a spoon to remove any bit of meat. I would then make a mixture of meat, pain de mie, lots of garlic and chopped parsley, heavy cream, and chopped fat, stuff them and them give them back to the sous to cook(along with the cleaned bones).

Lucy, after sewing one end, stuff it well, create an even shape. You can prick the 'sausage' with a needle if your concerned with bursting, but the skin is rather flexible in a moist cooking environment. If the rice is precooked, there shouldn't be that much expansion. We used brunoise of pain de mie as the binder(basically the same). You should definitely sew it, or at least skewer the ends with a toothpick or skewer, maintaining a tight roll will insure even cooking and a unifirm shape. You rock!! edited to add: you might get by by tying the ends with butchers twine also.

Put the shallots in cold oil and bring up to a "soft "fry. Stir constanly to avoid any burning on the edges, and to break up the rings. Have a plate w/ paer towels ready, and a strainer(fine mesh) and a pot at the ready. When the shallots are amber, strain them immediately (the oil into the pot) and lay the shallots out on the paper covered plate. Salt and allow to cool and dry. Save the oil for another fry, or even saute. You cannot walk away while they are frying, as they will turn in a second.