chefzadi

Dave, my brother it's good to see you here. If you have the chance to apprentice with a butcher by all means do it. A great chef/cook has a firm grasp of the artistry and bloodiness of food.

Thanks for bringing this up. My sugestion would be to apprentice with a butcher for those who really want to learn the techniques. I grew up butchering whole animals. But as a professional chef it's not a skill that was ever necessary.

Are you trying to cut costs in a commercial kitchen or a home kitchen?

Heavy cream, whole egg, garlic, salt and a tiny bit if white pepper. Also, I make mine with more layers of potatoes. The layers look nice for service. Also, potato gratins taste better the next day.

When I go to France I always want to bring back Halal beef sausages (there made with just beef and salt), cheeses, Algerian dates (the best in the world), foie gras, nutella, chocolates, nougat, bread, just about everything. But the sausages and foie gras are definately a non non with US customs, so I don't even try. It's one of the first things they ask as I'm getting off the plane, "do you have any food? Sausages? Foie gras?" My mother in law is usually asked if she has kimchi. But that's okay.

Barilla is the brand I grew up with as a kid in France. So I'm partial to it also.

Where are you reading these recipes? You brown the meat seperately, drain the fat and then add the aromatics for home cooking anyway. The steps would be different in a Fine dining commercial kitchen depending on the dish.

Thanks for the thread. I thought he had 3 stars at one point? Now he's down to 1?

There's a very informative thread on duck confit that's still active here. The results are superior. Also less shrinkage, more succulent, more concentrated "duck" flavors...

QUOTE Nathanm wrote...Sous vide has been used in Europe for over 20 years without major food safety problems. So, it is hardly a "new technology". It is new to most high end chefs, especially in the US, but it is not new overall. Literally TONS of food is made and eaten this way every day in Europe. _______________________________________________________________________ It's not that new to high end Chefs in France. I didn't learn it in culinary school in France. I first learned the method on the job. I prefer it for duck confit and certain fish preparations.

Oh, I didn't know about the poisioning. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_...109/ai_83139785 ← My Father in law is an Acupuncturist and Herbalist. When my wife was growing up her father would always tell her that 17 was the limit on ginko nut consumption. The Taoists didn't always understand the underlying causes but they sure were observant about the effects.

So there is a place in the States serving it. I can pass on the info. Too bad the duck was dry. They must have used really poor quality duck. It's really hard to get a dry finished product with this method of cooking a thinly sliced, fatty piece of meat. My wife says Seoul is like New York City on speed. It gets my vote for being the most fun food city. Non-stop, 24 hours a day. I could get kalbi tang at 3:00 am after work. As a French chef I especially find the lack of protocal and "high" airs especially appealing. They really know how to enjoy food over there without any pretenses.

Has anyone eaten there recently? Heard anything about the restaurant? Reviews? News? I tried googling but couldn't find much.

Sous vide is my preferred method for cooking duck confit. I did alot of sous vide preparations when I was working in France. I was thinking of volunteering to do the Sous vide tutorial here on egullet. But I don't have the time. It can be rather time consuming to translate the methods and equipment from French to English. But the topic does remind me of vacuum packed "instant" couscous I saw in France. I never used it for obvious reasons. But I'm finding that there is some resistance to steaming couscous 2-3 times from some of my students. They readily admit that it's vastly superior to the packaged directions on the boxes but some of them don't have the time or don't want to spend the time. Has anyone tried the boil in bag type of couscous? If so, how does it compare to the packaged variety prepared according to the directions on the box? Is it available in America?

Exactly. I've just finished reading through both recipes and they seem to be polar opposites. I like Keller's, only because it intrigues me to start with a whole bottle of red wine and reduce - how decadent. On the other hand, Bourdain's seems ridiculously easy! ← I'm sure Keller's version is sublime. But Bourdain's ridiculously easy recipe is more in keeping with the true spirit of the dish. Other wasy to get more intense flavor is to marinate the beef in red wine or using Sous vide.

One of the most memorable meals I've ever had was outside of Seoul. Sorry, I can't remember the name of the restaurant of where it was at all. Duck isn't commonly used in Korean preparations. And as I understand this is place is one of the only, if not the only restaurant in Korea that serves duck in this manner. The restaurant had mostly outdoor seating. Our table overlooked a pond of ducks. We were told to choose one. It was taken to the back for slaughter. In the mean time our waiter began preparing the grill. An assortment of banchan was placed before us along with hand leafed lettuce and sauces. The duck was brought to the table thinly sliced. Korean grilled duck. Brilliant. Simply seasoned with salt and pepper, it was like eating duck cracklings. The fatty charred duck wrapped in lettuce, with a little bap, scallions, raw garlic slivers and a pungent dipping sauce (based on dwenjang) the contrasting flavors and textures exploded in my mouth. But there was more. While we were eating the grilled duck, the chef had been making a rich, creamy stock with the bones for the second course. A boiling hot pot (the Koreans really like a serious boil to their soups) replaced our the grill. A plate of pungent, bitter herbs and fresh noodles were brought to the table as well. The stock had an intensly nutty, but not overpowering flavor. I was told that it had what they call "wild sesame" seeds in it. We were told to place some herbs in the pot, let them cook down and then add the noodles. The herbs were a perfect contrast with the dense stock. And the soft, bland noodles toned down the "bite" of the herbs. There aren't many Korean duck dishes. The entire experience for me epitomizes what I like about Korean food so much. Sitting at a table over a fire, cooking and eating together, taking time, you don't have to worry about your food getting cold, you can season your meat as much or little as you want, there's a variety of textures and flavors... Has anyone else tried this? Any Korean duck or game recipes?

Another old thread. But I don't think the question was answered. The duenjang version is one version, but other versions are based on yangnim ganjang (seasoned soy sauce). Soy sauce, sesame, garlic, plenty of Korean red pepper flakes, sesame oil, sugar, chopped scallions. A touch of three crab brand fish sauce would also add great flavor.

Of course Andie. That's why I mentioned the part about Korean Kimchi cakes and cheese. I still think it's a brilliant idea! And in defense of my case I have to mention that I've seen kimchi pizza in Seoul and Los Angeles. As for your earlier comment that you were doing fusion long before it was called fusion. Couscous as we know it today wouldn't exist without the Berbers, the Arabs, spices from India, tomatoes and peppers from the new world,etc. It's culinary evolution. In my household we eat Algerian, Korean and French food. Who knows what great fusion dishes my kids will come up with they grow up? We already have a few favorites. Boeuf aux carottes cooked with just a little bit of soy sauce and garlic (a cross with Korean braised shor ribs) and it's delicious. We make Scallop spring rolls with spicy aioli. In France Algerians finish a meal of couscous french cheeses and pastries.... Please keep being adventuresome... The most important thing about food is that you enjoy yourself.

Yes I was in Paris when I first noticed the signs. I was in my late teens. I don't recall signs in my village when I was growing up. Word travels fast in small villages. We all know when the harvest ends. I do recall it was just a fun way to celebrate the harvest. I don't think most of the stuff was even bottled. It went straight from the barrel into a pitcher. It was like you drink it NOW! It's supposed to be drunk as a fun wine. Easy, good times with friends and family. Can you market moments like this? Yes, BN would go well with a hard tangy cheese and a crusty baguette. I'm starting to physically ache for French food now. I can feel it in my heart! Although my wife and I have been back to France many times during all the seasons, we have never been there in November. I know that she really wants to be in Lyon this year around that time. If so we will definately particpate in some of local festivities. And my mother in law wants more those hand painted silk scarves that Lyon is famous for.

I know this is an old thread and I usually avoid getting involved in these sorts of discussions. But I think my experiences can contribute something. I grew up in one of those tiny, rural French villages. All the food we purchased was from the weekly farmer's market. I have glorious memories of the best produce from the Beaujolais. It was pretty much as described in one of the earlier posts, cheese from the next village over. .. I also remember that if we ran out of something we had to wait for the next market or travel to another one in a nearby village or go directly to the farm. Not terribly convenient. We also didn't have a refrigerator. Also, if there was a bad crop we went without certain things. It took a lot of work and time being a quaint, country French person eating glorious food only seasonally. Now there is a tiny "supermarket" (it's smaller than a 7-11) in the village square, but the farmer's market still comes. I'm also a classically trained French Chef. I graduated from Culinary School in Paris. And I apprenticed under the "old guard" in Lyon and also in Paris. I have 16 years of experience working in restaurants, beginning as a dishwasher up to Executtive Chef. There was no doubt about it, when I was in culinary school we were all to be French Chefs and the standards and procedures were very clear and rigid. This is still pretty much the case. I've also worked in England, Scotland, South Korea and the U.S. As a French chef I can't say that I've been terribly "inspired" by the actual results of "innovative" American chefs. I am more inspired by their openness to knew ideas, cultures, techniques and ingredients. But this is a huge inspiration for me. Even though I was born in France, my parents are from Algeria. In America I am constantly encouraged to express all sides of my culinary history, whereas in France I was not at all. But attitudes are changing over there as well. When I go back to France having worked outside of France is not considered "dead time". There is an increasing interest in other cuisines over there. But the increase is from a miniscule amount to miniscule x 2. I also know that Chefs in France pay attention to how American chefs market themselves. They are clearly behind in this area. Don't believe everything you read. I'm starting to get interviewed here and there for some publications. In almost all the articles there is a misquote or a factual error or something I said is recontextualized to mean something totally different. If a French Chef tells an American reporter that he was influenced by his work in America it can mean so many things. I told a Korean reporter once that I was inspired by my work in South Korea and I also mentioned a few dishes that I liked. It turned into a full blown article about "French chef embraces Korean cuisine as one of the best in the world!" As for the quality of American food and awareness of good food... I can give examples from my teaching experience. I teach professional cooking classes at Le Cordon Bleu in Los Angeles. But I also teach recreational cooking classes. Some of these classes are targeted towards affluent older people. They have the money to spend $6.00 on 3 organic cherries, they buy the "best" for themselves, they eat at the best restaurants, many of them are well traveled, they are "serious foodies." I also teach inner city kids. Some of them don't even know what a vegetable is! They can't identify a single fresh vegetable! But they can rattle off an endless list of their favorite junk foods. In a few months from now I will be volunteering to teach cooking classes as a part of life skills course to low income families. I have been told that most of them feed themselves almost exclusively from boxes and cans. And that obesity coupled with malnutrition is a huge problem among poor Americans. Just my tuppence from my experiences.

Japan for sure. Aside from that, planning on basing where to go on where the best restaurants are located. ← I don't think an Asian seafood journey is complete without a visit to Hong Kong. I'm sure the China forum will be able to provide specific reccomendations.

This is an excellent opportunity to sit down and think about what really happened as you were growing up in the Beaujolais. Where did you live, can you remember autumn days and what you felt, the images you have in your memories of the end of the month of November as you came into being there? What was your view of the landscape at the time? What did you think the first time you saw the marketing campaign appear in France? Where were you at the time? ← Thank you for the suggestions. It helps to reflect on my personal and professional experiences from a "literary" perspective when I'm lecturing about food and wine. My flippant remark was more of a reaction to the fairly new media hype. I noticed you are in Lyon. I was born there and worked in several Lyon Bouchons when I was working up the line as a young cook. On one my trips back a few years ago I happened upon a beautiuful bakery in the old part of town. The bread was the height of artisanal made, works of art really. As it turns out a girl I went to school with was the co-owner with her baker husband. I wish I could remember the name or the street. If you ever feel like exploring that part of town look for it. The quality is so striking that you will know right away which one I am talking about. The landscape of my childhood in the Beaujolais. I'm sure you've been there. It's so close to Lyon, how could you resist visiting one of the most charming areas of France? I could see the Saone river from my mother's window. The weekly farmer's market in the village square brought some of the best produce in all of France. Everything was fresh, local and natural. My mother didn't even have a refrigerator untill about 10 years ago. The first time I noticed the "marketing campaign" I didn't really know it was a campaign. I was a student in Paris and I just noticed signs here and there announcing the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau. It was actually my American wife who told me about the marketing blitz when were first went back to visit. She was giddy with excitement. And I looked at her like "what are you a tourist?" :laugh

Hiroyuki is correct, my real name. I didn't know that potage means porridge in French. I've always thought it is short for potage soup (thick soup), as opposed to consomme (clear soup). It means that also. You're correct. But when she mentioned potage powder I immediately thought of porridge for some reason.

Thank you for the tip Hiroyuki-san (is this correct?). I will pass it on to my wife. Potage means porridge in French. Potage powder, do you mean potatoe powder as in potatoe flakes? Or is this a Japanese specialty that I am clueless about?

In the culinary universe I would put couscous next to rice in terms of versatility. We all have our own culturally and intellectually defined cut off points for "authenticity". As for myself couscous served with dishes outside of the realm of North African cookery is heresy. But the first time I tried kimchi pancakes I told my mother in law that they would taste better with cheese. My wife's family gasped and looked at me like I was sick.