Timh

Tuna in a can, it stinks Hard boiled eggs, they stink Common store bought Mayo, insipid and sour.

My wife and I eloped to Memphis and got married at the Viva Memphis Wedding Chapel, besides the Elvis, there was a preacher and a priscilla impersonater. They supplied moonpies and cokes afterwards. We then went out and ate BBQ. Later the family got involved at my family's farm in AR. We had blackeyed peas, turnip greens, skillet corn bread, a baked country ham, and a peach cobbler, all prepared by my sister, mom, granmother and an aunt. Add lots of beer and wine, it was the best reception I've ever been to.

I had basashi sashimi in Kagoshima Japan. The best was the heart, great texture.

If you eat organic, or naturally raised beef, this isn't a problem. The beef industry deserves this affliction as far as I'm concerned.

Yes. Especially pickled and in my bloody mary.

We're doing a version of a French Quarter "cochon du lait". A porkbutt larded with chopped fresh garlic, jalapeno, and thyme. We'll put it in a low(180) oven overnight.(Another way is seared and then put in a crockpot, also good). Either way its butter tender, slapped on a roll with choices of:creole mustard, muffeletta olive mix, or a vinegared cole slaw. My wife is making jalapeno poppers too. Who knows what the other couples will bring. Add margharita's(Sauza, cointreau, lime)and copious amounts of local beer, and its gonna be a party.Ialmost forgot, my wife also made key lime pies for dessert.

Excellent post, spot on. My experience in Chicago with an LEY Brasserie, In my management training I was given spanish immersion tapes. A full third of the kitchen staff spoke no english, but were great workers. It was obvious they were preferred for the labor cost aspect, as the only "school boys(girls)" were management. As an interesting side note, during my years in New Orleans, there were practically no immigrant kitchens, just lots of students and locals. Tim

The grand prize is to work for someone else???? You should throw in a used car, and a bar tab. I mean really, a competion for lead cook? Can you name the chefs of English's other resaurants? Who really wins here?

Mozz and tomato in December, less than lovely.

I'm sorry, but this is so not what "buy fresh, buy local" is about. There are myriad reasons not to eat out-of-season produce that traveled thousands of miles to get to your table. Chief among them are environmental reasons (the cost of shipping in terms of wasted resources), which, believe it or not, is a huge factor that deserves consideration. Environmentally, the chances that those berries you're eating from Central and South America are also coated with a lovely dusting of some toxic chemicals that you won't necessarily taste—and are you aware that berries especially retain residues of pesticides, and are therefore recommended to eat when only grown organically? (I'm not such a purist, believe me, but I will no longer eat any berries grown with pesticides, period.)There are the costs you pay out of pocket, but there are the hidden costs you are paying by depleting natural resources and, hey, your local and national economy when you give your money to a megalith supermarket, even though very little of your money will benefit the farmer who grew that food. From the Community Alliance for Family Farmers web site (QUOTED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITH PERMISSION FROM CAFF TO ME): Five reasons to buy local: Primarily, in terms of flavor, there is another component for local/seasonal. Russ Parsons dialogued with Mimi Sheraton in this Q&A, after she complained about the terrible Driscoll strawberries she ate in New York this year: Hello? What?! You ate a strawberry that was designed to travel 3000 miles: why didn't you just salt a pingpong ball instead?Russ Parsons countered: But Mimi missed the whole point, clinging to the idea that Driscolls are the best California can do to bring a decent strawberry to the world. Which makes me think she needs to visit here some spring or summer, and go to a U-Pick or a farmers market and find out what she's missing. Meanwhile, like Melkor (though I haven't recently enjoyed an expensive tropical vacation), I'm enjoying root crops, too, but we still have basil and other local stuff to make me happy. Citrus, oh yeah. Even canned tomatoes—if they're good enough for the Italians, they're good enough for me. Finally, Food Routes: more on why buying local is so important. EDITED to fix formatting. ← A voice of reason. I think this thread is in the same spirit as the organic one.

Exactly, which is why some responses on this site are so puzzling. I would think people here would care about the integrity of the products they cook and eat, aparently its just talk for some.

Wow, so its all about cheap food. Canned is a great buy, so is fast food. Farmers in the U.S. vs farmers in Chile, a fair fight? What do you think they make as a wage down there? Family farms? More like sharecroppers for the big agro companies covering their shipping cost by having indentured farmers in their fold. Seasonal food is so quaint isn't it?

To me, "ORGANIC" is the same as "responsible" and "ethical". Mad cow disease is poetic justice for the beef industry. During the whole bruha, it was never an issue with naturally raised beef. That they forced cannibalism on omnivores to save a buck is repugnant. Responsible sustainable agriculture practices(the catch phrase) in theory should reduce the cost because the farmer maintains the health of the soil by alternating crops to avoid depletion of soil minerals(instead of just beating the earth to death by just growing one crop, thus requiring fertilizers, ph adjusters, etc.,) but because some folks love to eat their tomatoes in December, Asparagus in September....I recommend that those who aren't sure about these issues, get out and visit some farms, see for yourself, talk to a farmer. As far as the cost, there are cooperatives forming everywhere to help defer the high(?) costs, but then what I eat is worth the extra cost for the good it does the environment and small farmersand communities.

Nice score on the scales. I got the El Bulli book from my wife's boss, really! I knew as soon as my wife handed it to me.

Agreat guy, but whats with all the asian stuff? K-Paulsan?

Generally speaking, a fricassee is finished in its sauce, roux thickened or other doesn't really matter i would think. But wait, I forgot, we're talkin' about southern Louisiannan's, so its what ever they say it is.

You know, horseradish creme(whipped or fresh) is an accompaniment to traditional braised or poached beef dishes in Alsace. Make extra.

My fave is thin cut fries w/ grilled onions and zuchini chips, tossed w/ parmesean and S/P at Coco Pazo Cafe in Chicago. Otherwise, Picka-Peppa sauce. Bearnaise is the ultimate too.

Check my recipe posted earlier.

From my aunt in Smackover, AR, I learned a short dough dumpling for her chicken or squirrel dumplings. A real workout to roll out to thinness.

I say it can be done. Besides the financial, which is the biggest obstical for most, planning time for the intensive labor to produce this level is the next hurdle. As a private chef for a family, I don't have to worry about these concernes, and attempt to produce this level of cuisine in their home. But in my own house afterwards, I must deal with life,(a wife, 2 girls 3yr,9mo and obsessive hobbies) Occasionally we manage the time and energy to pull it off, but regularly? nah.

Try these; Sub pecans for walnuts Swiss Walnut Tart 375 1 hr. Buiscuit: Butter125g Sugar75g yolk1g egg1 flour250g salt3+g (more if you like that salt/caramel thing) Filling: Walnuts200g sugar100g honey150g milk100cc cream100cc salt3g butter25g Cook to 107-sugsr,honey,dairy,salt Add-walnuts and butter, remove and cool Roll dough to 3mm thick, lay bottom in greases 7in. or rectangle add filling add top layer of dough, crimp chill, then bake Enjoy.

For lunch, Cassamento's, Port o' Call, Domelisis's Dinner, Lola's, Herbsaint, Brigtsens', Lillet. Theres great Vietnamese at Dong Phuong in Chalmette, Crawfish, shrimp oysters, and crabs at 1921 in Houma.

Are you out of your mind Timh-san? The dialogue is so cheesy it's funny. Thats what I actually meant. The voice overs are hilarious, sometimes better than the contest.

A thermo mix- A blender and a high heat prodution in one. and a vacuum(sous vide) machine.