Tonyy13

Beef back ribs are similar to pork baby back ribs in that they should have a decent amount of fat, but also a good amount of connective tissue. They are similar to short ribs, which are the ribs that are coming from just above the eye of the meat (or the rib-eye). What I teach my students about cuts of meat like this is that becuase of the fat, they will be succulent, but you NEED to dissolve that connective tissue (made of collagen) into gelatin by either 1) slow roasting at about 200-225 for a while (I usually put stuff like that in the oven overnight while I am sleeping at my oven's lowest temp), or 2) by braising in a liquid. The gelatin will better dissolve if there is liquid, and if you slow roast, the meat's natural water content will suffice, but if you ask me, braising is the way to go. Go crazy, make a Japanese style braising liquid (stock, soy, citrus, kind of a ghetto ponzu), and when the meat is "fork tender", pull it out, and reduce the liquid till it's pretty syrupy. Or go Mexican with Mole. Or French w/ Red wine and veal stock. Pretty much up to you. If you do braise though, just make sure you get a good sear on those bad boys before they go in the liquid. Throw them in a 450-500 oven till they get sexy, or sear them up. Either way, flavor development is what you are going for, the darker, the better, just don't burn em (I'm a master at stating the obvious, I know). Happy eating! TA

I have had the opportunity to work with quite a few chefs in the industry for events, stages, etc. over my career, and here is what I have found: Daniel Boloud- nice guy, but very demanding. At Daniel almost every night, he observes the start of service from the skybox, and then comes down and does a little bit of expo, and station checks, busting mistakes through the kitchen in a stern manner as he goes Bobby Flay- worked with him for a day, seemed nice enough, but was a little bit messy from what I remember! Jacques Torres- Seemed too busy to talk to a student at a time, flew his prep in, came late to the event, left early. This WAS right before he opened his chocolate shop in Brooklyn though.... Tom Douglas- seemed very nice to work with, but very clear with his directions and what he wanted Charlie Trotter- came through the kitchen only once during my weeklong stage. Stopped to look at some of the poulet confit that I was picking. Held a quick pre-meal and talked like he writes, like he wanted quality only. From what his staff said, he isn't around as much as Daniel is, but probably present more than Puck at Spago Melissa Kelly- Super cool, welcomed me into her kitchen for a week stage with open arms, giving me a walk through on whatever she wanted, and really taking the time to see what I was about, and about chefs I had worked for Raymond Blanc (Le Manoir, Oxford UK)- very nice, but not super present in the kitchen. I got tapped on the shoulder to work with him on two separate projects during my four months there, each about a week long, and really enjoyed my time with him, although he seemed so busy, his vision was constantly changing Michael Schlow- Seemed nice enough, but seemed very busy at the time with things going on at the restaurant, seemed distant to the chef's and people at the event Jasper White- Couldn't have asked for him to be nicer. We were at Sakonnet Vinyards in Rhode Island for an event, and he asked if I would throw a football around with him. I wonder what his day to day is like though.... Hope this helps!

Chris, When I used to live and work in Providence, when on rice flour runs for Empire, I always used to drool at the fish found at Mekong Market on Broad Street. There was a constant flow of customers picking over their live crabs and great looking fish, although I never did buy anything cause my girlfriend would have freaked (she went with me one day, and didn't appreciate that asian market smell). Check it out, and let us know what you find!

Believe it or not, I was about to post a new topic on this, and I came across this one, so I will contribute here. A few weeks ago, a student of mine came and gave me a shiitake log as a thank you for helping him find a job. I got it home and couldn't wait. The maintenence on it doesnt' seem that bad actuallly, soak it overnight in a planter (came with) to keep up humidity. Every 2 months, you can "fruit" the log by soaking it in ice water (the rapid temperature drop tricks the mushroom spoors into thinking it is either fall or spring, and they then produce the mushrooms). The lit that came w/ the log said that you can fruit it more often, but the production will be less cause the spores will have less time to convert the dead wood cells. It encouraged your first soaking to be a "fruiting" cycle, stating that the production will be minimal. I soaked overnight in ice water, even replacing the ice half way through the night (I had to pee, so I figured I was up, and the lit said the longer you can keep it cold, the better the output). After removing the log, I let it sit outside (Florida right now is between 65-75 everyday, at least in Orlando) for four days, and it produced about 2 dozen nice size shiitakes that were very mushroomy in flavor and a good 1-2" in diameter. I am looking forward to my second fruiting, and expect the production amount ot double. I am a mushroom freak, so this is actually probably the best gift I have ever been given, and actually was thinking about getting one myself. It seems easy enough, and that is coming from someone who has a hard time keeping fish alive!

What about a just-under-ripe avocado? It will add some color pop to the plate, and if you brush it with some oil or lemon juice, it shouldn't oxidize. I love serving my cheese with roasted grapes, either warm or cooled, walnuts that have been sauteed in butter with fennel seed, kosher salt, and chili flake, sherry vinegar/onion jam, and thin crostini or melba toasts. Good luck!

I recently purchased a book I had never seen before on the store shelves or on Amazon, Michel Richard's Happy in the Kitchen. It is awesome! On par with Keller's FL Cookbook, Bouchon Cookbook, any of the Trotter books, all of them. Really nice stuff, playfull, and while some challenging things are mentioned, most of it could be duplicated by an advanced home cook or a professional. Love the photography!

John was actually a student of mine, who asked me for advice, and I introduced him to EG. It is an honor to be a part of a community that is willing to help out a young culinarian, I know we have all been there, but to see the responses to his posts truly makes me feel like what we are doing here is great. Thanks guys! And John, you rock. Don't ever forget it. Still stage, go and see what is out there. YOu can do it, whether you believe you have it in you or not. I know you do.

I have eaten at Bluezoo a few times, and each and every time it has been a dissapointment. English is never around, which is quite evident from the normal and freequent slips in general cooking methods. The have had a hard time keeping an exec chef from what I have heard, but after third time of having a poor experience, I have given up on the place. Good martini's, and the ladies are usually dressed to the nines! The atmosphere is nice, but the prices are an absolute killer. I would head to Bluezoo for drinks, and then head over to The Ritz for Normans, JW Marriot for Primo, or our downtown highlights which include Restaurant K, or Adairs.

I have a set of the Porche's by Chroma, and to be honest, I only ever use them when I am in front of an audience that I want to impress (read: hot girl). They look sexy, but they are bulky, the handle is awkward, and when you set them down, they flip blade side up, which is made possible by the flan ended handle. Their blades aren't anything much more than a henkle or wustoff to be honest. Since I don't use them often enough to warrant sharpening, I would think it safe to assume the same level of work as one of the German brands. I just recently orderd an economical Japanese knife from Korin, if you click the link to the knife discussion upthread, it gives the link there. The Tojiro DP is what I think it is called, and for $55 including shipping, you can't beat it with a sock full of quarters.

I remember not too long ago reading something on MSN.com about the most important things to buy organic. It went into ecological and health impacts on both the animal and the consumer. Atop the list were milk and eggs, where according to consumer panels, the largest apparently positive difference came in those two products. I am sure there was a "NUMBERS" type algorythm that was used to factor all the elements in. I do not buy organic milk, but I always look at it. I have read that Horizon has had a hard time keeping their standards straight since starting to sell to Wal Mart (I mean, who can afford to have their product NOT at Wal Mart, which owns at least 10% of the consumer shelving space in America), and at the same price for a half gallon of organic being the same price as a gallon of regular, I just can't bring myself to buy it (I go through about 1.5 gals. of milk by myself every week). When all is said and done, i bet if you looked in most people's basket, the majority of vegetables they buy are either processed or canned, in some type of oven-ready crispy triangle tempura shape, or have been muddled so much that they don't even come close to tasting like they should. We hear so much about organic milk and organic eggs, that the everyday food shopper might not be aware of where to buy organic produce or grains. I know living in Orlando, I know that I can buy organic eggs (which I do purchase if I am eating just eggs) and milk at my local Target, Wal Mart, or Publix, but I am not sure of anywhere to buy organic vegetables or grains except the Whole Foods which is 40 minutes away! Sure, there is a place called Fresh Market, but they are just setup w/ a Whole Foods look, but their products are mostly conventional. The point has been made here several times that if the option to buy conventional local was cheaper than organic, that most poeple would choose that. And I agree. The other consideration to make is cost. People equate portion size with quality in America, you only need to go to your closes buffet or steakhouse to see evidence of this. So, until organic prices for other ingredients become closer to the prices of sugar filled and processed, I don't think we will see much more of a migration to organic than has already happened.

Cantu drops them in liquid nitrogen AFTER spherification to get the desired effect and makes them perfectly round. What kind of a license do you need to get Liquid Nitrogen btw, anyone know? I have calcium lactate, but it is going to be about another week before i get to play. I am workign doubles this week, triples next week for a few days too, so I am going to need some recovery time! Three 5 hour classes back to back to back. Next, they are going to tell me I have to work real restaurant hours!

Um, no, he wasn't that good. Another example of a person who thinks they are awesome, and the fact that they cooked for Jay-Z once makes them the best ever. Um, no. I was just curious, that's all. That is why I wanted to ask, as you seem much more skilled than anything he could have done, but I wanted to check. I actually don't cook at Disney anymore, I did a quick internship a while back (2000), but I just got too lazy to change my email address for the billionth time. While I was there, I worked at The Coral Reef at Epcot, and also did a stretch for the Food and Wine Festival. Now, I am teaching at a culinary school here in Orlando. I am interested to hear about this liquid center birthday cake, more info?

djsexyb, Sorry, now I feel like an idiot, not a feeling I am unfamiliar with however. I actually picked up my scale at a flea market for $35 and it weighs in tenths of a gram. I am pretty sure that their target customer isn't measuring tenth grams of alginate! ChefT, I am particularly interested in the parmigiano spaghetti strand, but would also love to hear more about the other method. I believe that there was mention of it upthread.

DJSexyb, Did you use beet puree or beet juice? If juice, did you reduce it at all? Did you juice raw or roasted beets? And, quickly, are you Brian from Top Chef? I know he had a private chef/catering business in Chicago? I contacted Texturas about getting some product, so that should be on it's way in the next few weeks. Their website has the US distributer's email address wrong, so it took a few boomerang emails till I finally got it to them, but we should be in business now. I think I will compare their product to the R4D and the Chef Rubber product, and tell you guys which it looks/acts like more. I am also stoked about doing the spaghetti Parmigiano! Oh, this is going to get exciting now! Basic, but still exciting! BTW, ChefT, is it safe to assume that I can substitute any apple juice (like apple/peach)? And how serious do I need to be about getting a pH meter if I am planning on doing this process on a regular basis? Also, I saw a picture of you at the Texturas booth at the fancy food show. Is there another source for the syringes that are used? I got some from a medical supplier, but they are too smooth of an extraction, and they shoot out the liquid too quickly in streams, not drops. Any help is of course much appreciated. Thanks! Thanks,

Christopher, The best way that I have found to remove the caviar from teh bath is to pour the bath through a small fine mesh strainer, and then dip the strainer right into a water bath of fresh water in order to rinse. As far as the ravioli are concerned, I use a fish spatula that has close lines together. I also want to get a slotted tablespoon from Williams Sonoma (once I get my tax return and inheritance and can afford to get a loan to even walk into that store! I mean, $8 for a spoon?). I have used everything from squeeze bottles to the oral syringes to make the caviar. I like using the squeeze bottles best, but you can only do one at a time. My father and I made an el bulli style multiple syringe system (see pic upthread), but the syringes don't drop the liquid, they come out in streams, so I need to find some time to work on this more. I think the idea of using an ear dropper would work well, but I think you would want to trim the end of the bottle to increase the diameter of the hole. I have found that if the drop is formed and is no longer attatched via viscosity (sorry, can't think of a less confusing way to say that), if it is not dropped from too high a distance, they will sphere-a-size wonderfully. If you drop them from too far of a height, they will turn into flat disks. At least that is what I have found! Hope this helps. TA

JeffWIce, welcome to the discussion. If you look upthread, we have talked sevearl times regarding this issue, and we have had some pretty conslusive advice that the alcohol interferes with teh spherificiation. Bryan, yah, it replaces the CaCl2 in reverse spherification process. I am assuming puree w/ the food, drop into the alginate bath. Quick thinking, will this make the insides not such a gummy consistency? I don't think that the calcium salt is a thickener, is it? Ta

I love to sear it in medalions that I have trussed like a filet mignon. Seared with some pistou butter or dressed with really toasted pistachios and pistachio oil... oh man!

foodite, can you give us an update? Had a chance to check it out yet?

The easiest way to get your peach fix is to make friends with the neighbors!! Don't even be shy aboout it either. Make some comment about how lovely their peaches are, and if you could have some!! Gardening Tony style. I love it!

Yah, seems to me that the additives are only water soluable. On a seperate note: anyone try using the calcium lactate that willpowder.net is selling? Will said that it all but eliminates the detectability when doing reverse spherification. It's cheap, $6 for 3 oz (84g., right?)

Are the long grub-like things solid all the way through, or are they just encapsulated liquid? The idea of making a noodle that contains the sauce kind of effect is sort of appealing. Toss some real pasta with some en-noodled sauce and present... Any idea if that could be accomplished? ← No, they were encapsilating liquid, just like the ravioli, but they ended up looking more like sperm to be honest, rather than noodles. I also think that they would be too delicate to "toss" with anything! On another note, anyone see how they do the parmesan noodle at el bulli? I think it has algniate and CaCl in it or is somehow involved in teh process...

Yah, been there, done that. What I have experienced is grub-like long strands, because the boyouncy of the water bath and the viscosity of the caviar mix is not open to this method.

I agree, the stuff I got from Chef Rubber seems to be twice as effective however. If we are doing it by weight, it shouldn't matter though, right?

Hey guys, quick question for you... Has anyone recieved alginate from two different sources? I recieved a package of alginate from Chef Rubber the other day (cheaper than R4D btw), and it was a much finer powder than the stuff I recieved from R4D. I used the same amount when doing some experiments, and the finer stuff seemed to be MUCH more strong as far as thickening etc. The skin was also a more rubbery texture (which I prefer), rather than a set gelatinous skin (which is really hard to explain here). The problem was that the mixture just thickened too much on it's own. Some of the confusion of this process might be coming from us all using different products. I noticed that the CaCl that I recieved was also seemingly more potent as well. Any ideas/comments? In other news, my syringe setup didn't work as well as planned. Had a hard time getting the syringes to drip rather that push out all the liquid in streams. Some of it had to do with viscosity (which was hightened, see above), but I think that some of it had to do with teh syringe itself. More time to play next week.

I read either upthread or somwhere else in EG that alcohol denatures the process. Also, check this out, my dad had a "plexiglass connection" that turned out to be a lexan connection!! Anyway, we made this, haven't tried it out yet, but I will let you all know!!!