chefzadi

What is the reasoning behind keeping the master sauce for 75 years or even a week? Up to a week I can see. But years? How does it benefit from this? Does it just get better and better? Are restaurants that have older master sauces recognized for it? Do culinarians say things like, "that restaurant's master sauce is thought to be 50 years old, so I know this X dish is probably better than the other place with a fresh master sauce."

Over two decades ago I worked in a deli with many Thai nationals - some who had imigrated so recently they did not speak much english. I remember one of my first meals with them, I was eager to show off my chopsticks skills. When we sat down to eat I saw only a fork and a spoon at the place setting, no chopsitcks. Curious I asked where they were. I was told something along the lines of 'only country bumpkins who can't afford silverware use chopsticks. Civilized people from the cities use a fork and spoon.' Recently lamenting the lack of chopsticks at our local chinese restaurant my husband pondered if this attitude had prevaded other mainland asian cultures in the past twenty years. Who knows. AlisonA ← The attitude hasn't prevaded other mainland Asian cultures nor has it Japan. Thank goodness, because it's one the most ridiculous, snooty things I've ever heard.

Disgusting to "add" something to anybody's food. I never saw it done at any of the places where I've worked. If I did see it, that person would be fired on the spot. As a chef I prefer open kitchens and a clear view of the dining area.

Well then... I'm running out of possible reasons for the brown color and permeating smokiness. Liquid smoke or some other additive. Maybe burnt veal stock. They would be strange things to add though. But I've seen weirder stuff done to food. Anyway, I won't know untill I try it.

Culinary Bear- Since your coming from the U.K. I think that you will find the prices in Paris quite reasonable even at the fine dining level. My wife who was used to LA, Seoul and New York prices couldn't stop giggling at the lower price tags in Paris, Lyon and points in between. She was however stunned when she went to London. On the opposite end of fine dining you should try a kebab sandwich and a merguez sandwich while you're in Paris. I never took the chunnel, but my wife did. She says it's much more convenient than flying in.

I've seen alot of kebab shops in France taking out partial pieces (yesterdays leftovers) in the morning before they open. Alot of the shops have the rotisserie in or near the front window. I can't say it's common practice thoughs, since I've also noticed they try to sell out of it before they close. I've must have eaten hundreds if not thousands of kebab sandwiches over there and I;ve never gotten sick. And couldn't tell whether or not it was a fresh piece for the day or partial from the day before. Maybe the harissa masked the taste of meat gone bad? LOL.

Lemon and salt. Or Lemon, salt and vinegar. ← I always used lemon, and sand. Or use the French method, which is to find the lowest-ranking commis you can find, and tell them to do it. We digress, ladies and gentlemen. Sleepy_Dragon - I'm about the most hardened socialist you'll find in a kitchen, but the system is so utterly riddled with the current prevailing attitude that it's going to be very hard to swing. Whether we like it or not, we have to operate within market forces. Market forces may well dictate that some people will pay more to eat at an establishment where they know the staff are treated scrupulously well, but it's still a market force. Malheureusement, most chefs and organisations are still very much of the 'just hold still so I can climb up your back' mentality. ← Come to think of it, I think I did use sand. But this almost 25 years ago. My memory is not that good. And yes, unfortunately the "climb up your back" attitude exists. I think it exists more at the fine dining level and much more so in the States than in Europe. And it goes both ways up and down the line. In LA I've had prep cooks just out of school eyeing my Exec position. The best way I've found to handle it is to let them try it. I actually walked out of a job (I was the chef) because of the way the owners treated the staff. The owners treated me quite well by the way. The staff pushed for it and they sincerely asked for my support. They wanted me to put my job on the line for them. Ummm...did they follow me out the door? No. Just one waiter. The place went dead the very next day, as soon as the customers found out I was gone they would walk out and the place shut their doors permanently less than 2 months later. And yes, the owners did ask me to come back, but I just didn't want to. So maybe everybody learned a lesson here. The owners did for sure. Shit flows both ways... It flows all around...

It shouldn't be oily. The dark brown color is strange to me. We've already discussed what's "authentic" so I won't go deeper into that. The crust on the bottom is quite a treat. Properly made it should be nutty and very pleasant to eat. The permeating smokiness you are talking about wouldn't come from a properly made bottom crust. It sounds like the paella was burnt and perhaps transfered to a different pan. Did it have sausage or smoked meat in it?

Lemon and salt. Or Lemon, salt and vinegar.

Let's hope it's not anyone who will use grits.

Has anyone else witnessed, let's say the average Korean eating a Western style meal with western style cutlery? Hmmm... (I'll do a quick duck and run now.) LOL! I said in another post in a different thread a culinary expert in one cuisine can be an ape in another. We can only try and teach. But patience and understanding help it happen all the more smoothly. The most important thing is to enjoy eating. Traditionally couscous is eaten with one's fingers. My MIL thinks that's disgusting. We compromise. She can eat the couscous I make (which she absolutley loves) with a spoon or even chopsticks. She let's me pick up my bowl of rice or soup.

I wonder if there is a menu online? Given my background as some of you know I'm dying of curiosity! I must sleuth! Aux Lyonnaisse in Paris...hmmm. Sort of like Keller's Bouchon in Vegas. Once you take cuisine out of Lyon...

I asked my MIL about other Korean duck preparations. Basically grilled or a spicy braise. Similiar to spicy braised chicken. So I guess that's about it for this exciting thread. :-)

There are some kimchi preparations that aren't fermented, they are eaten right away. So I call them kimchi salads.

In France Pot au Feu wasn't exactly one of my favorite dishes. I enjoyed it enough, but it just wasn't one of my favorites. Flash foward to Korea. Kalbi Tang, so simple. Just short ribs and leeks (sometimes with the addition of daikon radish and garlic). My favorite version is the simplest though. Seoul is a totally 24 hour city. I would go for my Kalbi Tang fix in the middle of winter after work even at 3:00 AM. My wife just made some. Too bad our 21 month old smashed our $500.00 digital camera. She cooked short ribs for 10 hours with some leeks, salt and a little pepper. I ate it with Maille mustard. Kalbi Tang is Korean Pot au Feu.

I'm inclined to suggest meat from the leg. But I'm guessing that a more economic combination of leg and shoulder meat is probably more often used. Maybe you can get some fat scraps from your butcher if the meat is too lean. I'm getting seriously hungry. Crispy fat! Yummmmmmmmmmm!

P.S. on owners pocketing tips whether it's legal or not. TACKY!!!!!! So, so tacky. Give it to your staff.

A service charge that the owners pocket? Uh oh. We can play word games here. But the fact is in California it is illegal for owners to pocket tips. It goes into the tip pool and is divided amongst the FOH staff at the end of the shift. I don't know what the laws are though in other parts of the country.

I wouldn't add acid to the marinade. I'd squeeze some lemon juice while it was cooking. When I was in France I asked alot of kebab places for their recipes. Everyone refused except one place. They told me they layer the spice mixture in between the meat slices and let it marinade overnight. They didn't use an acid. You're right, too much acid in a marinade would cause the meat to break down too much if left too long. (How many times did I use the word "too" in that sentence?)

In France the tip is automatically added to the bill. In Korea it is not and tipping is not part of the culture there. When I was Exec Chef and GM at a restaurant in Seoul I had a very generous International customer base. Mostly French, other European, American with some Latin Americans and Africans. I also organized special parties for embassies. I was given a lot of generous tips which I promply gave to the wait staff. I had a base salary as well generous profit sharing so I though it only fair. Anyway, My Korean in laws who are otherwise generous and involved in charities HATE to tip. It just kills them. I've heard American waitstaff complain about how much they hate this cultural difference.

Well you DID ask for suggestions here. I think I mentioned in the couscous thread, spice blends vary from neighbor to neighbor, really brother to brother. Make it as you like. I was thinking lemon juice would be nice too.

My wife can't eat most Asian foods without chopsticks. She says she feels naked and that it's like there is a hole in her heart. She'd rather just got get a burrito.

So no yoghurt in the Middle Eastern versions as well?

Yoghurt in a marinade wouldn't be North African, more Middle Eastern I suppose. Also North Africans would use za'atar (the herb that's like wild thyme not the spice mixture). But the North Africans think of kebab cooked in this manner as a Turkish dish which it is. The individual sized kebabs on little skewers we call brochettes. (just a little trivia) I would use cumin, coriander, fennel, red pepper, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. Maybe a little sumac and saffron too if I have it. Turmeric would be a nice addition as well. But your mixture sounds pretty tasty. The yoghurt would add a nice tang.

Another thing is to not scarf up your favorite dishes that are served communally. The idea is to give everyone else a chance to enjoy it too. What about the last morsel of a communal dish (for instance Korean banchans)? The Koreans think the youngest person at the table is supposed to get that. (I think I'm remembering this correctly).