Melanger

I thought that J.J. the former Pastry Chef from Aqua was the p chef for Stack...

The new steak place at the Mirage is called "Stack". It is run by the same management company as Fix, The Light group. I believe that the executive chef is the same as well. I've heard good things about it thus far, great food, fun atmosphere, and much better prices than Fix

Here in Las Vegas many of the movie theatres are in casinos so all of the usual casino accoutrements are available plus some bonus extras in the more local joints. The Green Valley Ranch has a Fatburger in the foodcourt area (conveniently located next the the escalator to the movies) which makes a visit to watch the new flick of the week much more enjoyable. Stash two cans of beer and life is beautiful. The Orleans has a liquor store inside the casino which is the perfect place to pick up a pocket size bottle of rum. You can saunter up to the theatre, take a run through the concession line, grab a coke, plop down and get soused for the price of two cocktails at the bar. All of which makes really bad movies oh so much better. And the nickels slots after oh so much more fun.

Seems like the article was subsidised by the Jug Wine Producers of America

Come to think about it, it seems like it happens with the smaller batches where the whole quantity of cream is allowed to infuse with the vanilla rather than in the larger batches where I don't have pots that are large enough to fit the whole lot of the cream. For the larger batches we wind up making the infusion with half of the cream and then burr mixing the rest of the thing together in big lexans. This is probably the coagulation issue that Patrick was talking about above. Even with fresh yolks if it gets too hot it is nasty, like trying to bake anglaise. As for the lack of water bath, I've been making them that way for years and it works like a champ. Plus, not having to individually wipe off the slime line from a couple of hundred brulees is quite a labor saver. Overall, I think the "protective powers" or water baths is greatly overrated, I rarely use them at all, too much fuss...

I'm so glad to hear that I am not losing my mind. I tried to make Gianduja brulee with them and it was horrible. Pistachio is hit and miss. It seems that any of the recipes where there is added fat (as if there isn't enough already!) bake especially strange. They tend to souffle a bit and look somewhat broken. I'm in banquets so I don't really have a choice when it comes to vanilla, we make quite a bit and I don't really have enough staff to go separating a case of eggs everytime we need more brulee. I bake them in a Blodgett at 200 degrees, no water bath. As crazy at it sounds baking them only in the bottom ovens yields a better result than baking them in the top ovens. It shouldn 't make a difference being that there is a thermostat and all but it really helps them from getting really strange while baking. The other theory is that the majority of cooks are too lazy to bend down and use the bottom so they are in a better state of calibration than the top ones.

A really large nougat cutter works well. Just heat the surface or the chocoalte block as mentioned above and drag the edge of the cutter across the chocolate. It produces nice somewhat egg shaped curls.

I use Jack Daniels for most additions (pecan pie, anglaise) and Johnny Walker Black for truffle ganache. Ohhh, scotch truffles!

Why don't you look into booking an event at one of the hotels through the catering department? You can customize your menu, get bar packages, get a staff that is used to serving that type of party. The rooms at Wynn are really great. They all either look out onto the pool or onto the golf course. All have patios. Close to the convention center too.

I freeze batters all of the time. Financier, cobblers and madelines freeze especially well. I usually defrost overmight in the fridge but in a pinch microwaving has worked really well. Just zap it for 20 seconds, take it out, knead it a bit, back into the microwave in 20 second increments until it is defrosted.

I purchased the 8 inch chefs knife as a special treat for myself a few months back. Within two weeks of using it at work (gentle things like slicing melons) the blade corroded and had major chunks knocked out of the cutting surface. It was the strangest thing I have ever seen knife wise. I returned it to the store (sur le table) and they graciously exchanged it for a new one which has been pressed into service at home (too nice for work). It has been great and hubby is developing some nice knife skills courtesy of the sharpest edge in our kitchen. I was wondering if anyone else has had a problem with deterioration of the blade or did I somehow wind up with a defective one...

I have always been a big birkenstock fan (london and oklahoma types) until recently when I purchased a pair of lace up type oxfords (can't recall the model name). The funny thing is they turn my big toe and pointer toe black. I think the dye is leaching out all over my sweaty paws. Has any one else had this problem? Or better yet know of a solvent for the dye (nail polish remover does not work, pumice stone does).

A very nice "caramel can be obtained by using DOMINO light brown sugar. I can't tell you why but only this brand works, probably something to do with anti-caking agents or something. Dry the sugar in the oven on a low temp and then run through a tamis. Sprinkle the sugar on the brulees in an even layer. It should work in the broiler because you are really melting, not caramelizing the sugar. It does not work with a torch, the heat is too intense and it burns.

The triangle shape makes it much more efficient to produce the offending scones. They can roll out large sheets of the dough to a rectangle shape and then cut it into triangles with very little scrap. If they were to cut circles out of the rectangle of dough they would have a lot of scrap which would have to be squished back together and recut (in order to minimize loss). In a large scale setting all of that reshaping can take quite a bit of time and furthermore, will diminish the consistency of the product. First roll-out=tender scones, Second roll-out=less tender scones, Third roll-out (heaven forbid)=kitty litter substitute. Neil, I had the pleasure of stopping by JPM last week, boy am I a sucker for the cherry danish. Does the danish team make all of the fillings or are they made elsewhere? It was the nicest cherry filling I have ever had. The raspberry was great too, ok, so was the blueberry...yum! The individual pastries looked even better in person! Keep up the good work.

When you work in a professional kitchen for 10-12 hours a day and then come home and cook dinner in order to relax. When your Dad comes to visit you in Las Vegas the highlight of the trip is a visit to the really odd International Market, and then you realize that your problem might be genetic, because it was the highlight of his trip as well.

Sadly enough if I had knives that are as lovely as some of the photos posted here they would be gone in a week, cooks are notorious thieves. That being said, after my third knife was stolen while at work I decided that all of the cool tools were coming home and I would replace them with less expensive versions. I've found that the Mundial brand is a reasonable alternative to the German style knives. They weigh less and need some more love when it comes to maintaining a sharp edge but the trade off is when some punk kid, er, I mean co-worker decides to jack your tools, the replacement cost is 25 to 35 percent the cost of a Wusthof or the equivalent. As for paring knives, I buy a couple of the Victronox or Nogent knives at a cost of 4 to 6 dollars and toss them when they become too dull to steel back into shape. A lot of cooks that I've worked with have adopted this less is more technique. Many have one knife which is their go-to knife that they use for fine work and then a bunch of cheapies that they use for whatever else needs to be done.

I've been making my pastry cream with half and half, also, I've been using Eisan starch instead of flour or cornstarch. It tends to get lumpy unless you beat the crap out of it when cooking (correction, it WILL get lumpy). So, you cook the cream out all the way, as in thick thick thick. Dump it into the mixer with the paddle, turn it on 1st speed and put the butter in bit by bit. Let it mix for about 30 minutes, and presto, creamy, smooth, and deliciously fatty pastry cream.

The 100% is really useful when you want a big chocolate punch, like in ice cream bases, chocolate sauce, chocolate breads, cakes, etc. It is a hell of a lot easier to use than cocoa powder and emulsifies much better, no more nasty cocoa streaks.

I use them to make nougatine tuiles. Also use them as a garnish on top of dipped coffee chocolates, they add a nice little crunch.