Chris Amirault

Well, the basis for most sauces are very very old school I haven't read it myself, though it was recommended by every Chef instructor I had at school. ← Depends on what sauces and who's school, doesn't it? Within the French/Continental tradition -- backbone of most culinary schools of course -- that's true. But there are lots of other sauce traditions off the continent.

John (and others if you agree), what do you make of so much lacking technique and unbalanced drinks at an event that's supposed to demonstrate the art and craft at its current peak?

David beat me to the punch with that reference to Ruhlman & Polcyn. I can testify to the existence of high quality pepperoni: click here.

So has Tales jumped the shark? Or were these outliers?

Such as...?

A slightly cold version (carried around the busy room by servers) of the pies I remember from the good old days. My wife and I took a bite each and said, "That's it."

Can we get the lineage of the Art of Choke that's mentioned above? That was a game-changer for me, and I'm interested to know who got propers for it.

Dave, you were right: they held fine in the coldest part of the fridge until the day of. Brine for about three hours, dumped the liquid, and then dressed lightly with fresh dressing.

I tried a method I've never used before, basically dumping the entire six pounds on a high-heat grill at once and devoting a good 20 minutes to shuffling the pile around. Got a good, crispy sear on each, but since they weren't in touch with the flames every moment, they didn't overcook. 30 guests and I thought that they were excellent.

After forgetting to tie it, which wasn't a big problem, I put it on direct heat to sear and then set it aside for indirect. Pulled it off at 135F, rested 30m, sliced it 1/4" thick (perfect), and served it to raves. Thanks, everyone -- it was a hit. ETA: Yep, I smoked it first: ~2h of apple and a little hickory. Sorry about the omission!

Got some Hayman's from a NY friend (tx Niki) and have been playing around with it. I think it works really well in a Biter Cocktail from the Savoy: 1 1/2 oz gin (Hayman's Old Tom) 3/4 lemon 3/4 green Chartreuse dash absinthe (Kubler) What else are people making with theirs?

It seems as though you're talking about Western stir fries, which are amalgams of vegetables and proteins cooked quickly at high heat. If you're merely seeking tasty dishes, then go with your gut (and tongue). Since you're not following rules, don't worry about them. However, use of sesame oil within regional Chinese cuisines varies widely, including "stir fry" dishes, and that use is governed by real care -- like the use of strong flavors in all carefully codified cuisines. If you're interested, I'd urge you to pick up The Breath of the Wok by Grace Young. In it, you'll see a wide variety of flavorings and aromatics besides sesame oil, which is used quite sparingly in Chinese cooking. The book includes traditional home-cooked recipes as well as some more innovative twists on classics, and is good for someone fiddling with stir fries. Good luck!

Well how's about that: Brian Kingsford, who ran the kitchen at Al Forno for many years, is serving grilled pizza at Bacaro (where I attended a wedding yesterday). The birds, they sing! The violins, they play!

I fry instead of roast if I have a small number to make and the burner space -- which, with two kids who love meatballs, is never.

This reminds me of something that made me feel special indeed during my meal at Alinea, where the servers regularly topped off the amazing wines accompanying each course. A regular sort of "comp" for non-regulars.

Thanks, everyone. It's marinating in mustard, olive oil, garlic, pepper, and thyme. Now, never having cooked a whole tenderloin, I'm wondering about doneness. I think I'd like to have a decent amount in the center of the muscle medium rare, so I'm figuring that I should take it off the grill when that portion is at 135F, knowing it'll warm up a bit. If it's a bit under medium rare, that's fine with me; if it's going to warm up to medium or higher, that's not. Thoughts?

I just made a brine based on Dave's above for grilled wings this weekend. It's got some flavoring in addition to salt, which I dialed down a bit, and I added some sugar to boot. For each quart of water: 50 g salt 30 g sugar 5 g black pepper 2 g crushed red pepper 15 g shallot, chopped roughly 5 g garlic, smashed I'll report back on the results after an air-dry, a hickory & apple smoke, and grilling.

Hrm. The effects of the brine after the brine is removed: that's a worry. I think I should keep 'em cold and unbrined in the bottom of the fridge an extra day and brine morning of service. Thanks.

I'm making shrimp ceviche (lime, serrano, poblano, scallions, cilantro, maybe a dribble of coconut milk, salt) for a party this weekend. The last few times I've made ceviche I've had two liquids: the pickling brine, which I discard, and then a fresh dressing that I add at service. It works really well, as the pickle juice tends to be a bit too salty and somewhat muddy, since the citrus has started to oxidize. Here's my question. How long can you hold the pickled shrimp before dressing and serving it? I'm wondering, for example, if I can pickle it a day ahead, drain off the brine, and hold it in an air-tight package in the fridge awaiting dressing the next day. Thoughts?

People who should call their drinks "Better Than Binaca."

My thought, too. Here in RI there's a foodstuff called "pizza strips," which are very thick (3/4"-1"), doughy slabs with red sauce smeared across them, usually served cold and cheese-free. (If you can't tell, I hate them.) I'd argue that, while they may be derivative of Sicilian-style pan pizza (which you can get mediocre versions of around these parts), they aren't a style of pizza at all. They're slabs of dough with red sauce smeared on them. What makes them not pizza I'm not sure. But they're not pizza.

New favorite SE Asian -- Khmer, to be specific -- place is Narin Market at 759 Potters Ave. When you drive up, you'll think the address is wrong, but it's not: the store runs the length of a triple decker and has the best selection of produce I've seen in town: banana leaves, fresh tamarind, galangal, chiles, kroeung (Khmer "curry" paste).... Great music too. I've been consistently disappointed with Sunny Market on Reservoir lately, I should add, and have pretty much stopped going there. Phu Lam Market has been impressive the few additional times I've stopped by.

Oh, I bet you've had a few "Itsy Bitsy Teeni Weeni Martinis" in your time.

I just saw an ad for -- I'm not joking -- sweet tea vodka, heading for a likker store shelf near you. In the ad, some flak offered a recipe. Instead of saying the obvious ("Perfect for those workaday mornings when your iced tea isn't quite enough"), they invented a Mojito riff called, that's right, the Moteato. Perhaps you never thought you'd see the word "teat" buried in a drink name but have similarly appalling names to share. I admit I'm speechless.

I lived in MKE for four years, but to call frozen custard a summer treat would be to deny the copious amounts I ate during the other three seasons.