chefzadi

Let the batter rest for at least 30 minutes. I don't really like the put in more, swirl and pour off excess method mostly for aesthetic reasons, you get that piece of cooked smear at the edge. But if it works for you than do it. I've tried various recipes for crepes. The trick to thin crepes is the consistency of the batter. Which I cannot show you with words. Test one if it's too thick add more liquid. Also experiment with finding the perfect sized ladle or measuring cup that will evenly coat the pan.

In Los Angeles on Fairfax Blvd there is an Ethiopian row of restaurants along with other Ethipian businesses. I could never get used to the bread though, injera. I just don't like the texture.

It seems Chef Puck is still in the 90's with that menu.

I will keep all updated on what I have brewing as it unfolds. By the way the Major retailer I mentioned, I am on good terms with them on a regional level. But the person at the headquarters found me through another forum where I discussed the same topic. If there is one thing that's certain about the "power of the web" is the speed at which information travels. Of course I am also eagerly awaiting Egullets course.

I've seen some potato salads with cucumber, ham, corn AND apples in them on a few Korean tables. I'm almost sure there is some sort of Japanese version as well. So it sort makes sense that it would show up at one of Shalamanese's get togethers. Which brings to something a little off topic. Those Korean "European" style bakeries. I've seen the same types of cakes in Chinatown and if I recall correctly in J tonw as well. They all seem to be made from the same commercial batter. The filling all taste the same too. Origins of this???? Anyone?

WOW! Your family really knows how to eat! This is incredible.

Your colleague is wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong. Highly doubtful the ancient Hawaiians had woks. Note the photo of the taking a bite out of a whole raw fish. http://www.hanahou.com/poke.html

The Asians have their share of elaborate rules of etiquette that address social hierarchy at the table itself. Class distinctions or tensions exist in every culture. The use of western utensils as we regognize them for, knife and spoon happened over a long period of time. http://www.cuisinenet.com/digest/custom/et..._timeline.shtml http://csmonitor.com/cgi-bin/durableRedire...p22s1-csm.shtml Maybe someone should start a thread on forks, spoons and knives.

More proof that etiquette is not a universal or even "general" set of rules. http://news.surfwax.com/manners/files/Table_Manners.html In our home we four cultures or "sets" of table manners that often times contradict eachother. Needless to say we have come to a compromise for fear our children will develop personality disorders. ;-)

I've never heard of a server having to reach into his/her pocket to pay the tipshare. I can't even imagine that it's legal to make a server do this.

My wife.

I've been contacted by someone from the headquarters of a MAJOR grocery chain asking me for resources for cooking classes they want to start for disadvanged youth. Ummm... one of the most obvious ones is right here in front of me, in front of all of us...

The Turkish Chef probably purees the onion. This is an Algerian technique as well for marinades. It helps to tenderize the meat, hence no need to add vinegar or lemon juice.

I didn't watch the episode. But I took a quick look at his recipe and his method on the network's website. They are idiosyncratic. But then again AB is a culinary actor targeting the home cook. So maybe his approach works in that playing field. In regards to marinading... it deepens the flavor. It's a step that I never omit.

Ptipois and Bux- Thank for answering Faust's question so eloquently. I first heard the word "fusion" applied to cuisine in America. Yes, ptipois as soon as you have cuisine you have fusion. I've been told by people who are familiar with Moroccan cuisine that after reading my recipes of Algerian cuisine that it sounds like North African-French fusion and what are the origins of this or that? I wrote them from a personal perspective so to me they are not fusion at all. They are simply dishes that I grew up with or that I tried when I visited there. The history of Algeria is full of conquests and trade that what might look like "fusion" to the untrained eye is cuisine that has been brewing for thousands of years. There are ancient roman ruins in the city that my parents are from and where our relatives still maintain the family farm. Fusion is a faddy word, that seems to be on the way out. As strongly as some people react against it. There seem to be more who insist on applying it. A chef will describe the elments on a plate, the techniques used, the play of flavors, the composition. The food writer will ask about "influences"....

Not everything revolves around the US. Fruit dishes have been around a lot longer than the 90s. Try thousands of years!!! ← In Arab cuisine for instance?

If anything the French love to talk as much drink coffee and smoke. I know exactly what they would say. But I can't expose the pettiness of the citizens of my birthplace.

I've heard of eggs being buried in the ashes of a dying fire and being left overnight to cook. But I don't think it is practical for most of us to do. I've also heard of boiling eggs before baking them in the oven for much shorter cooking time than I think is neccessary to achieve the texture that I'm referring to. I've seen those street food carts that were mentioned earlier in this post. I'm sure the ones in China or Hong Kong are pretty much the sames as they have in Korea. Some of them are quite state of the art. Mobile kitchens really. My guess is that the methods I mentioned would simulate the cooking effect and approximate a similar finished product. Pan or wok roasting could work too, but the cooking time would have to be shorten. Once I get a digital camera (within a month) I'll have to try at least one of proposed methods and provide a full report.

Two methods that could work: Bake. Layer of salt in a baking dish, layer of eggs, salt on top. Low oven maybe 200 degrees. A baking dish filled with water on the lower rack of the oven to provide moisture, cook for a long, long time. Steam: Bamboo steamer (less condensation that way). line steamer with cheesecloth, layer of salt, eggs, another layer of salt, steam on low heat for a long, long time. I think the trick to the eggs is slow cooking. I've had hen eggs in Korea that were cooked in a sauna (think low heat and moist environment). Yes a sauna (don't ask). They were left in the sauna for hours and hours and hours. The result was remarkable. If an egg could be foie gras this would be it. I think the baking method would give a superior finished product though. That "roasted" flavor.

Pan- The Reunion restaurant you went to... The Portuguese "discovered" the island in the early 1500's. Apparently it was not inhabited. From the 17th-19th centuries, French immigrants and influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians, gave the island its cultural and culinary mix. It was an important stopover on the East Indies trade route, untill the suez canal (1860's) opened.

The French version of a tahitian raw fish dish (I would imagine in it's original preparation it had very little seasoning like authentic poke) Tartare de thon, if it's made with tuna, is often dressed with a vinaigrette with herbs and shallots added to it. At home when we make poke we don't call it poke we call tartare but it's really the same concept. We add soy sauce, shallots, fresh ginger juice, a touch of hot pepper, sesame oil, sriracha and ummm... mayonaisse. garnish with flying fish roe and sesame seeds.

Ah, but that's how it started in the west--as a classist division. Peasants ate with dirty hands and knives only at one point, didn't they? ← Having worked in restaurants for a large chunk of my life. I would trust my impeccably washed hands to restaurant utensils anyday. Also by the time the food arrives in front of the diner, it's already been touched by many hands. The use of chopsticks in China, Korea and Japan predates scientific knowledge of germs and hygiene by (I'm tempted to guess hundred, if not thousands of years) a very long time. We all know that there are parts of Asia and Africa where people throughout classes eat with there hands. Even in America though, fried chicken, crawfish, crabs, ribs ... don't you eat them with your hands? Hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, sandwiches, burritos, tacos are held with the hands. I just found this (where would I be without google?) A history of chopsticks. http://www.calacademy.org/research/anthrop...sil/chpstck.htm

My wife and I created (not that we "own" it someone else has probably done the same thing elsewhere.) We take make springrolls with with a scallop/shrimp stuffing and serve it with a spicy aioli. We've served this appetizers to our Asian, American and French friends on many occassions. Always a crowd pleaser in any cultural context. When we make it for our French friends we tone down the use of hot sauce considerably. We make the spicy aioli with just a touch of sriracha and a sweet red pepper. When we make it for our Asian or American friends we add Chinese red pepper sauce to the filling. The spicy aioli includes considerably more sriracha and a drop or two of red pepper infused chili oil. I saw lobster spring rolls on a menu in France. The sauce had a range of spices and herbs in it. But it was cream based. No doubt the cream was used to mellow and soften the bite of spices and herbs so that the dish could be enjoyed with wine. I don't see this dish as an Asian cultural influence on French cuisine. It is more of a culinary influence on this particular French chef. Similar fusion dishes in America or Asia would most likely be served with an aciditic sauce or sweet sauce, perhaps soy or vinegar based. Coconut milk might be used as well, but probably with a heavier hand with spices and maybe pungent fish sauce. Even though France was a colonial force and has been in direct, intimate contact with other cultures much longer than Americans the message has always been and still is to the post-colonials in France, when in France you are French keep your culture at home behind closed doors. I don't have first hand experience like this America, but my wife says this was pretty much the attitude in America when her family first immigrated to the states. Now it's not, at least in the urban areas. France is not immune to Global changes in attitudes towards the "other" and acculturalization. Ten years ago I wouldn't have even considered the possibility of opening my "dream" restaurant in France. Which would serve modern bistro dishes with special menus that include Algerian and Algerian-French dishes, with a dash or two from Asia. Even now I can only imagine it working in Paris. Certainly not Lyon. But in the States I can easily think of a dozen or so cities where it would work. Regarding the lack of other ethnic influences in contemporary French cuisine, the French did it to themselves.

Japanese style crepes. After viewing the photos I am stunned. My wife says American mutations of sushi are oftentimes so far from the original they might as well be burritos. She enjoys some of them nonetheless. I don't think such crepes would ever gain much popularity in France, especially Birttany. But so far from home we can only say,"eat, enjoy as you like it." But the natto one is just too weird. I don't have any suggestions for toppings. But the batter in Birttany it is made with buckwheat flour. So that could be a nice variation to try for the savory fillings. Also, savory crepes are often served baked with a Mornay sauce on top. Some ideas for lovers of Japanese crepes to play with. I wonder if there is a Japanese curry crepe?

A little bibimbap background information. It originated in the city of jeonju. So if you see a Korean restaurant referring to "jeonju bibimbap" they are making some attempt at replicating the traditional dish which looks like this: http://www.jeonju.go.kr/eng2004/162.asp Yes over 30 ingredients! Jeonju is in the Jeolla region, this area (incidentally where my MIL is from) is one of the most fertile areas in Korea. It's their equivilant of the Burgundy and Rhone. This http://www.clickkorea.org/Food/foodView.as...age=1&menubar=4 is the more common "standard" version. The ingredients I mean, not the presentatton. And my wife's favorite yukueh bibimbap http://english.tour2korea.com/05food/Local...sm=m5_3&konum=6