BryanZ
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Posts posted by BryanZ
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Meal with friends at MSB tonight. Quoted an hour to hour and one-half wait but were seated in about 40 minutes because one party didn't show. I've been having good luck with wait times there of late.
Ordered buns, chicken ballotine, brussels, mussel and clam stew, hangar ssam, and pork belly ssam. Weaker spots were the ballotine and stew, though they weren't unenjoyable by any means. I found the ballotine perhaps a bit bland and the stew a bit unbalanced. I tasted a distinct fermented note that could've come from either the kimchee or something like Chinese rice wine. Both dishes were tasty, just not as great as the others. Everything else was pretty awesome, and the pork belly ssam completely out of control delicious. Seriously, a nearly perfect dish bite when everything is all wrapped up.
ETA: Also tried toe hazelnut torte with honey and grapefruit. Better than it should be. Somehow the powerfully acidic granita works well with the rich cake.
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Fiamma is a funny restaurant. Looking in from Spring St. into the red-hued dining room it's a picture of downtown NYC elegance. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal here but were at times more amused than outright floored with the deliciousness of the food.
Never saw the upstairs, but the downstairs dining room is sufficiently chic. With only one captain working this entire space, however, service got off to a bit of a slow start. Later in the evening, they brought in a dedicated wine steward, giving our captain a bit more time to see to her numerous tables, but by this time we had built a rapport with our back waiter instead. While not quite fawned over, this was fine for us, though we saw and experienced numerous "flybys" with trays of food. Runners would bring out dishes, stop a few feet away, waiting awkwardly for the captain or backwaiter, then returning to the kitchen, then standing in kitchen corridor (sometimes with different dishes), conferring amongst themselves. It was funny, but they're not quite seamless.
On this evening, the five-course tasting menu was $110 dollars, with dishes clearly listed. The seven-course menu stood at $125 (down $10 from what I was told the day before on the phone), but with no dishes listed. When we asked our captain what dishes the seven-course menu included, she informed us it would be the five-course meal with a cheese course and extra dessert. For $15, why not, so I ordered this while my two companions ordered the five-course option.
When we asked whether we all had to order the same number of courses (before deciding on one option) we got an "Oh no, you can do whatever you like!" When I asked about substituting in the oft lauded carpaccio for what I thought was going to be the burrata listed on the five-course meal, we were told this wouldn't be a problem. One of my party preferred a non-chocolate dessert; "Sure I'll bring out dessert menus at the end!" was the response we received.
Fiamma clearly has no problem accommodating all sorts of requests. The way our captain handled it all was so nonchalant--she didn't even check with the kitchen--I wondered what the cooks and chef in the back would think.
Anyway, it turned out my seven-course meal would in no way resemble the five-course meal. Not a single course. Instead, I received an extra antipasto and a somewhat perfunctory slice of robiola with quince and jelly. The difference between the five- and seven-course meals was a source of great amusement as we would ask our backwaiter what I would be receiving between courses. He played along and it was all a big surprise. For some people, this gross misinformation by our captain could've been a problem. We, however, were more than happy to try different items. We probably could've asked for another on-the-fly meal and our captain probably would've conceded with a cheery, "Sure!" If I sound somewhat snide as I write this, please don't take it that way. The whole service experience was just a bit peculiar, not in a bad way.
Random aside about bread service before getting into the food, but tables were not receiving the Manni oil that stood on the service station in our corner of the room. We asked, innocently enough, and they gladly conceded. My obsession with Manni has been documented on numerous occasions, so we were amused to find that the stopper on each bottle required much shaking by the staff to extract even a small squirt of oil. Is this BR Guest trying to control costs while still offering luxury? I'm not sure, but we asked for a refill that was quickly granted.
The food itself struck me as often times very tasty, but somewhat contrived. I hate to echo Bruni, but this was almost like Italian flavors with a French approach. This wasn't so much a problem, but I felt a certain disconnect between the flavors in the my mouth and the preparations and textures I saw on my plate. Sometimes we'd see Italian preparations--ravioli--with a French flavor profile--foie gras, chesnut--and vice versa. I'm not the hugest fan of the rusticity of Italian cuisine and almost feel like the kitchen was trying to be Italian or inject some kind of Italian-ness in every dish. Something just didn't quite click all the time.
This is definitely a three-star restaurant, but comparisons to Insieme and Anthos kept coming to mind. I think the food at Insieme may actually be tastier, even if it's not as refined and its trappings are significantly less attractive. The Anthos comparison also seems apt to me, as I perhaps feel that Chef Psilakis is offering a more soulful backing to a rustic cuisine turned haute. Fiamma is probably a better restaurant overall than each of these, but I'm not sure which meals were more enjoyable for me.
I'd definitely go back; the meal was very good and certain courses were excellent, it just didn't awaken or help me discover a passion for Italian cuisine as I hoped it might.
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Had a quick pre-dinner at Tailor before real dinner at Fiamma, just up the street. Didn't see the solids on the cocktail menu, but we were in a major rush, so I could've missed it.
Over the course of about 30 minutes we got to try a cocktail and a few plates. Got there shortly after 7 so the place was predictably pretty empty. Only two other tables occupied. As we left at about 7:45 the dining room was starting to fill (I saw that Japanese woman who judges Iron Chef America again, weird).
First, the kind of annoying. We ordered two cocktails, a Crumble and a Mi Amor (I believe); the waiter even confirmed this after taking our order. We were brought two Crumbles, however, and because we were in a rush and they were accommodating us on our short time frame we didn't send it back. The Crumble is a great drink (though not as unctuous this time around, which could be a good or bad thing depending on who you ask), but I wish I would've gotten to try the other. Oh well. My other minor quibble is that many of the favorite dishes--the belly-miso, the passion fruit-char--are now as large plates. I'm not sure if they would've made the dishes in small plate form if I had asked but, in these circumstances, a small plate portion would've sufficed.
Anyway, we quickly worked our way through the new sweetbread dish with Allagash beer foam and salsify, the passion fruit char with lime spaetzle and coconut (now in $25 large plate form), and the rum banana with mustard ice cream. All three dishes were great. I forgot how fundamentally tasty the char and banana were and the sweetbread dish was no exception. The char is now better savored thanks its larger size but one has to like the texture of sous vide fish. If so, this is a home run. Loved the sweet and acid; very JG-esque but with a more daring bent. The mustard ice cream is totally delicious, we all loved it.
Dining with my mother and sister we were perhaps somewhat out of place but the staff was gracious in getting us in and out the door.
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In the wake of the NYT review, Fiamma has in fact increased its prices by about 12.5% based on the tasting menu ($120 to $135). This is now the most expensive Italian restaurant in the city, correct? Am going tomorrow. Will report back.
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That Fri/Sat 40-50% ordering beers/vodka-sodas is shocking, but I suppose it really shouldn't be. My most recent visit to PDT was the first time I've been in at one might consider primetime (Thursday, 10:30, holiday week), and even then I saw more than a few trays leave filled with vodka-sodas, beers, and glasses of wine. I was surprised. I could imagine it's even worse on Fridays and Saturdays.
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And just to chime in. I enjoy the food at MSB more than that of many of the four stars. Is the food and experience objectively better at Daniel or Per Se? Most certainly, yes. Divorcing the food from their respective settings, however, I'd probably rather eat at MSB, even when one doesn't take price into account.
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Back at Jean Georges today for lunch. Lots of tourists and out-of-towners in the room today. One gentleman even tried to dump some of the salt that an oyster rested upon into the oyster itself. Seeing the runner attempt to politely correct him was amusing. Made for interesting people watching.
Anyway, onto the food. Great as always. Had the classics of foie brulee and skate chateau chalon. They seem to vary the portion size based on where you order the item in your meal, something I'd never noticed before. Since my companion ordered the fish as her main, we received an obscenely large piece of fish. I started to pay more attention to other tables and this seemed to be the case with other dishes toward the bottom of the menu.
Also had a couple newer dishes including a bay scallop sashimi with cranberry and fresh wasabi, trout sashimi draped in trout eggs, peekytoe crab fritters, and a new preparation of the short rib with a cheese grits spring roll. The tastiest of the bunch was probably the fritters. Think, like, the best crab cake ever, foiled by apples, cabbage and, I believe, radish. The trout was a beautiful, striking dish. A sour cirtus foam, crispy fried little fish, a bitter green puree, and salty roe all were linked through the fatty fish. Very complex and even challenging. Loved it. The short rib dish may perhaps be better suited to the Nougatine menu--its rather simple and I missed the more assertive spice and acid of previous versions--but this was JG being playful. Also had the Winter dessert. Best part was the pumpkin mousse.
Our captain was a bit distant this time around but not to make service suffer or anything. I may end up going back on Monday and will be looking forward to it.
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I would imagine it's very hard to gauge turns in a cocktail establishment. You can assume one round takes, what, 30 minutes of seat time, and each person will order 2 rounds. It's so hard to get a feel for what people will actually do though. In all my experiences at PDT, my reservations have been honored on time or I go at off-hours.
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PDT was packed last night at around 10:20 last night when I stopped by. Getting in was a bit of a logistical challenge with all the people trying to wait just outside the phone booth as others were trying to file out, having either finished their drinks or having been turned away by the hostess because they did not have reservations. It caused a bit of a bottleneck, but after making it clear that we would rather give up our table in favor of seats at the bar, the hostess kindly accommodated.
Tried three drinks last night: the apple martini, the desert rose, and previewed the professor from the soon-to-debut winter menu. Tried to get the bacon old fashioned but Jim said he wasn't able to make that drink yet. As usual, all three drinks were killer. As I learn more about mixology myself, the layered components of these drinks really set them apart. Apple martini was full of juicy, red delicious apples on the nose but tightened up to be more granny smith-like in the mouth. The desert rose is such a killer drink that really plays with the vegetal side of cocktails. It's like taking a bite out of a meadow, with flowers, grass, and a bit of black pepper. A nice break from other vegetal drinks with cucumber, jalapeno, green/red pepper, etc. Finally, the professor was the most complex of the bunch, the rum and port giving the drink leather and caramel notes beneath the fragrant orange nose.
Again, the place was busy, but we received our drinks in a timely fashion. Also had a nice chat with a gentleman sitting next to us at our, thankfully, relatively secluded end of the bar.
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Just thought I'd quickly chime in regarding SG. SG was the first stop of an evening that would also include El Quinto Pino and B Flat and PDT and Yakitori Taisho so needless to say there was lots of food and drink consumed. With this said, I knew I would love this place from the first bite.
After waiting a few minutes past our obscenely early 6:15 reservation--they sat us about about 6:25--we perused the menu. The place was very busy on this early Thursday evening, but it seemed like the crowds were already beginning to thin when we left at 7:30, or at least the first rush had passed. Service throughout was generally efficient if a bit utilitarian. Our food arrived quickly which was nice given our full schedule.
Between two of us we had conch with roasted chili vinaigrette, ox tongue and tripe, and Szechuan pork dumplings as appetizers. All three were pretty killer. The conch was the most unadulterated. Pleasantly chewy texture with a gloss of chili oil that was at once salty, spicy, and rich with umami. So evocative of the balance in Szechuan cooking. The tongue/trip dish was also incredibly pleasing, faintly offally and balanced with the herbs and peanuts. The dumpling dish tended toward the sweet, but again I loved the balance exhibited by combining the oil and sweet soy. Perhaps my favorite part of Szechuan dining, and one I got to experience here, is when one takes a sip of water or tea to tone down the spice and is left with that quintessential numbness on the tongue and lips. Love it, it's like a drug.
For mains we had the braised fish fillets with napa and chili, the crispy lamb with cumin, and double-cooked pork belly with leeks. I thought these were perhaps marginally less successful than the appetizers but each was sufficiently different to present a truly diverse meal. The fish is spicy but, honestly, not that spicy given the hype here and the fact that our waiter warned us about at least three times during the ordering process. I have a pretty high tolerance for spice and love the capsicum buzz, but even my dining companion was able to get it down and enjoy it. The lamb and pork belly dishes were also more dominated by other other flavors than chili alone, a good thing by me. The lamb dish is really about spiced, toasted, almost burnt flavors. The gamey lamb works well here and was particularly tender. The pork belly dish is the opposite, relying more on sweetness and rich fermented bean-like flavors. My companion enjoyed this the most. I think I preferred the fish. The lamb was very interesting--in a good way--but I don't feel the need to order it again. I would happily eat it if presented to me, however.
Really, really liked this place. Not somewhere I'd ever think to stop by and definitely unpretentious. A great meal.
ETA: The conch was chosen on recommendation of our waiter after it was discovered that the razor clams were unavailable. I think I may have enjoyed the clams even more. Bastards. Oh well.
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In my attempt to give Danny Meyer as much of my money as possible before the Christmas holiday I partook in the Gourmand menu at EMP last night, one night after a tasting menu at Gramercy Tavern. Needless to say, I've been eating well.
The current Gourmand menu looks like this.
This was unveiled only this week, so it's pretty new. I'd had some of these dishes before, having been recast using the same ingredients but different preparations or vice-versa.
Unfortunately, EMP is not the amazing value it once was. At $145 it is now unquestionably an expensive restaurant. All in, with two value-oriented (read: cheap, $55-$65) bottles of wine split between four diners and a cocktail each, it came to $245/person. My bank account felt this one. That minor concern aside, this was a most excellent meal.
I dined with three banker types who have been trying to distance themselves from the Taos and Bobby Vans and One If By Lands (seriously, I kid you not) of the world that their peers so enjoy. This was their first extended tasting menu, so it was a big deal for them. I think the amount of food and range of flavors that EMP serves on Gourmand was perhaps slightly overwhelming for my friends, but they thoroughly enjoyed their experience. While there were many, this-is-interestings, there were as many if not more this-is-AMAZINGs.
The meal went off pretty much without a hitch. Service was generally spot on, and the room felt more sedate than usual in spite of the holiday rush. Perhaps the restaurant is booking fewer turns per night, but a faint hum replaced the definite buzz of previous visits. Our captain was quite attentive and professional, and the sommelier very willing to work within my constraints with no attempts at upselling.
This marked the third time I've had the Fantasy of Eggs, so there's little to add there. It was not served hot, however (more barely warmed) and I'm not sure if this was on purpose or not. The first time I had this dish it was perfect, the second time the yolk was too firm, now I just wished for bit more warmth in this opening course. The heirloom beet dish involves two alginate s'fers of chevre and beet. Cool for those unfamiliar with the technique but this was one instance where I definitely preferred the old, more traditional version. Perhaps the weakest part of the meal was the cheese course. The cart is stocked with 11 selectionss and between the four of us we tried them all. While the cheeses were enjoyable and well-kept, they lacked breadth or many truly interesting, esoteric selections. I most enjoyed a cheese steeped in herbed olive oil.
Highlights of the meal included an incredibly light foie gras terrine with amazing brioche. The bread almost stole the show. Also, the turbot with crunchy celery and truffles was completely heady. Truffles made a another appearance in the signature poularde dish that two diners requested in place of the frog's legs. Gone however, is the sheet of impossibly thin skin found in a previous iteration of the dish. Instead, the truffles are tucked under the CSV breast rather than inserted into the meat. Still, this dish is a classic. Our main course of squab was perhaps the the surprise hit of the evening. This was certainly the best squab/pigeon I've ever had. It was unbelievably tender yet the skin was rendered thin and crisp. A beautiful plate, too.
The evening winded down with a great pre-dessert that included a range of citruses and a very light tarragon-vanilla parfait. The chocolate dessert was, perhaps expectedly, less successful. I very much enjoyed the lollipop mignardises served at the end of the meal. They were a little more memorable that the standard petits fours one usually receives.
I maintain that Chef Humm is serving up some of the most exciting and soulful food in the city. I actually wish he'd stay away from the overtly modern techniques, as they almost seem disingenuous and take away from his obviously masterful command of flavor and balance. With the improved service of this visit I'd hazard that this meal was on the four star level, though now with the prices to match.
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In search of a festive, pre-Christmas meal with the family last night, Gramercy Tavern immediately came to mind. I had not yet sampled Chef Anthony's cooking here and this night seemed an opportune time make a visit. In the end I came away very impressed with the potential for Chef Anthony's cooking--some dishes were most excellent--but still felt that this is a restaurant with some minor weak spots. With that said, if asked to choose between this meal and, say, a tasting menu at Daniel that I enjoyed several weeks back, I would choose this one. While I recognize that the food at Daniel and other top old guard restaurants may be better and more polished overall, I would rather have a meal like this that hits new and unexpected highs.
Getting into Gramercy Tavern on the Friday before Christmas was easier said than done since I called less than a week ahead of time. Naturally I was relegated to the waiting list but through persistence in calling back to check for cancellations everyday, I eventually scored a great 8:30 reservation. Nestled into a booth in the otherwise bustling restaurant all was well.
Naturally we chose the tasting menu and appreciated the flexibility afforded to us. Our captain was great, very engaging as the restaurant's vibe dictates, and the backwait generally competent and well-meaning. Cocktails were nice--worth ordering, which can't be said of many other restaurants--and I loved the "taste" option for wines by the glass.
By far the weakest parts of the meal were its beginning and end. The amuse was a perfunctory and difficult to eat pork terrine served on a too-hard crouton. This was fine, porky, but I'd expect something of this nature to be served with bread along with the butter. It wasn't really a proper amuse and was much too rich to stimulate the palate. Similarly, desserts were competent but otherwise completely unremarkable. A chocolate encased semifreddo was much too hard in texture and was pretty much ice cream with praline chunks. Fine, but not something I'd ever seek out. A fruit tart was better but not out of the realm of the accomplished home cook. I chose a selection of three cheeses to finish my meal and enjoyed my selections. My only complaint here is that they keep one of the boards--the one I was presumably served from--right near the oven pass. I felt the cheeses were too warm because of this. The highlight of the post-savory portion of the meal was the storied passion fruit-coconut tapioca-cilantro syrup pre-dessert. One of my party considered simply asking for another portion in lieu of a larger dessert.
The savory portion of the meal, especially the first four courses, was really excellent. A rather unassuming calamari and carrot salad was a study in balanced, nearly Jean Georges-esque--sour, sweet--flavors. The Nantucket Bay scallop dish was unequivocally the best of the evening. I loved this dish--the scallops were perfect and the lightly pickled salsify added just enough acid and texture for brightness. One diner asked to try the smoked lobster dish in lieu of the scallops, but we all agreed that the scallop dish absolutely smoked (no pun intended) the lobster one. The latter was quite tasty but not more than the sum of its parts. The smoked trout, too, was a killer dish. I loved the use of pickled onions to balance the creaminess and faint smoke of the fish. The texture was unreal too.
The quail was perhaps not as good as the two dishes that preceded it, but was still an excellent first meat course. The meat itself was perfectly cooked and tender, but it was the cinderella squash puree topped with a poached quail egg that stole the dish. The yolk added such an appealingly subtle unctuousness to the puree that I'm going to start adding egg yolk to my winter purees. The rack of veal and pork loin with pork belly were to be our main courses. One diner subbed out of the veal for the pork, and here I enjoyed the pork more. Both of these dishes, however, were fundamentally great pieces of roasted meat with smart but not uncommon accompaniments. Chanterelles, Asian pear, blue potatoes were all welcome supporting players but failed to lift the dishes.
All in all, a very nice meal that actually exceeded my expectations. It's difficult to come up with a comprehensive rating for a restaurant like this because while I believe the food can be 3+ star quality, there were some lower points. This isn't to say, however, that GTav won't be a restaurant I will recommend heartily and return to.
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Skins. Damn. Well it's tasty all the same. When I served some to my father, he's like, hmm, this tastes like potato, so the flavor is definitely on. He also agreed with the whole Christmas morning vibe with the egg nog and syrup. Unfortunately all my MC is at school. I may still play with the scrambled egg nog idea because I like it.
Nathan, the maple cashew sounds really cool. I'll work on that now. It's the holiday season so we have cashews from gift baskets and such like whoa.
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Great points Sethro. While I may not like those attributes all the time, I know exactly what you're talking about. I'll try to pick up some.
So today we finished up the grilled potato and worked on some olive oil ice cream.
Grilled potato ice cream
Potatoes grilling over an open fire
Jack Frost was nipping at my nose, as this was done at about 2:30 am in the freezing cold. I had to literally pry the ice encrusted grill cover off the ol' Weber.
Pacotized
This was after the first time. As you can see it was completely powdery. Texture was really cool, though. Is this what happens when you refer to excess over-run? Is my freezer too cold? I held down the blue button for the most of the time. I pacotized a second time and all was good.
Served
Served with egg nog and a bit of maple syrup. The egg nog tip was thanks to twodogs. I didn't have time to make my own, so when I tried to "scramble" (per the suggestion) the stuff I picked up from Trader Joe's it obviously didn't happen. Probably not enough egg protein and already pasteurized. Still, I really liked this combination. Very much like breakfast on Christmas morning. I'm going to incorporate some bacon into it somehow.
Olive oil ice cream
Served
Topped with crushed cashews and a bit of sea salt. The texture of this was super whipped-like. Is this an example of excess over-run? Again, I kept the blue button depressed for most of the time. The flavor was pretty cool, but the texture was almost like eating super whipped butter. Nice in small quantities because it was deceptively light, but I don't think I could eat a full scoop of it.
I've got some unadulterated orange and carrot juices also freezing right now to see how easy this can really be. Is it really as simple as pouring in some juice, then letting it run? Stay tuned.
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I was very happy with the lamb and not so happy with the duck..
I only cooked duck twice but, nothing has come close to pan searing a duck breast and finishing in the oven yet..
I SV skinless duck breast similar to what NathanM and BryanZ have described: moulard breasts with salt, pepper, little bit of solidified duck fat at 130ºF for about 3 hours. When they come out I color them in a pan with some butter and a blowtorch. Maillard goodness, evenly-colored tender duck.
Still playing with the best way to do crispy skin as accompaniment. Haven't quite worked out the crispy transparent skin chip technique but have tried and like Blumenthal's skin crochet.
I got 4 hours on thicker breasts, about 3 on thinner ones. As I've stated many times, as long as it's in moderation you'll be fine. Anywhere from 2.5-5 should be totally fine. I know some people like doing really short cooks, but I'm not sure I'm sold on any tangible benefit. I go at 55C. I've been cooking with S/P and foie gras butter in the bag.
I quickly sear in the pan. Don't bother with the blow torch.
For the crispy skin, obviously you take off the skin, season with salt and pepper (I use grains of paradise here), and press between two sheet pans with some foil or silpats. Cook at 325 until very crisp. It makes for a nice duck chip. It's not super thin, but it gives the CSV duck a bit more of that salty, duck fat/skin taste the everyone loves.
In general, CSV duck is quite different than a pan roast. The latter to me tastes heartier; the former more delicate. I like both very much.
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Stopped by at the Bound Brook Amazing Hot Dog location on opening day, Monday. The dogs here are very, very, very meaty. In both size and spicing, this is a serious dog. Personally, I'm more of a fan of thinner, milder, snappier dogs, but this was an experience.
It also didn't really help things that I convinced myself I needed to order three hot dogs and fries (which were bumped up to a large size). This was a ton of food (and not cheap at, like, $17+ dollars, but technically all you really need is one to make a meal.
I thought the quality of the overall package very good, if not exactly what I was expecting. Even in the face of copious toppings, the flavor and texture of the dog really comes through. I had the Asian dog, the Jersey Breakfast, and Caped Crusader. Although I expected to like the Jersey Breakfast the most, it was actually my least favorite. The Asian featured a nice balance of savory and sweet. The Caped Crusader is a classic but I found the chili a bit too sweet in this case. The Jersey Breakfast was almost too rich and salty.
Good spot if you want a seriously meaty dog.
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Went to Viet Ai today for lunch. Had the spring rolls, the #1 pho, and the lemongrass chicken. All in all, not too bad, but not exactly revelatory either. Spring rolls were fine, not much more to say. Pho was nice but I thought the broth was a little flat. Would've liked more beefy, anise, and five spice notes. Quality of the meat wasn't too bad. Tendon was really tasty but strangely not at all crunchy. Chicken was subtle rather than spicy. I was envisioning a dish with a lot more spice and lemongrass, but this was quite balanced. I thought the onions could've been cooked more, but a decent plate.
Total was, like, $25 after tax and tip. Pretty cheap.
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And in terms of sorbet bases it's even easier. You literally chop up some fruit, pour in some water or juice, then sweeten a bit with simple syrup. Of course, if I was getting more serious with this, I would be playing with the sugars to improve texture and service longevity (my home freezer is a bit too cold for service, so I need to let the frozen-overnight sorbets hang out on the counter for 15 min or so). I haven't yet tried to re-spin sorbet that's already been made.
Currently the grilled potato isn't freezing very hard. I kind of had to wing it because I didn't have yogurt, so I think there may be too much fat, preventing it from getting good and hard. I just finished up making a little of base for an olive oil ice cream that may have the same issue. We'll see.
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Sethro, what's the benefit of holding down the blue button again. I read it somewhere, but I forget now.
Potatoes are cooking.
It keeps the air release open, so that you can avoid excess over-run. Its only necessary for mixtures with high starch, pectin or stabilizer content, all which will increase over-run significantly. You might find that's the case with your potato flavor.
What is excess over-run?
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serve the grilled potato ice cream with some scrambled eggnog, tis the season
and what sort of business is being started?
Will do. Thanks for the idea (in food). I'm sorry, I couldn't resist.
It's an artisanal ice cream/gelato operation, or something. I'd plug if I knew more.
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Sethro, what's the benefit of holding down the blue button again. I read it somewhere, but I forget now.
Potatoes are cooking.
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Can you, like, assume a new identity, head for the hinterlands, and keep it?
Based on tonight's results I'm sincerely considering it. I'm too easy to track down though.
Bryan,Which company donated the pacojet for your services?
The individual in question may choose to make himself known here. He's an eG poster, starting a business.
If your sorbet is turning out icy did you try pacotizing it twice (in a row)? Adding stabilizer won't affect any ice crystals that occur in the product directly after spinning. Those crystals aren't caused by temperature fluctuation, they're just the result of the recipe. Like if you freeze granite in a beaker and spin its going to have larger crystals than a good sorbet recipe naturally. If you're happy with the flavor then try adding some glucose and subtracting a bit of sugar.
Also, if your putting chunks of fruit in the beaker, you've got to process the entire thing at least once. Depending on the buoyancy of the fruit there's going to be higher concentrations in certain depths.
I totally forgot about pacotizing twice in the excitement of it all. The apple was by no means bad, it just lacked the innate creaminess of the other sorbets. In many ways, it was the most sorbet-like.
Do you know where I can get dextrose and glucose quickly? I'd prefer not to have stuff shipped in, but I'm willing to drive if you can give me the type of store that would carry said products. Right now I'm just sweetening with 1:1 simple syrup.
Grilled potato ice cream is in production and will be frozen tonight. Accompaniments? I don't have access to any Blis caviar unfortunately.
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I'm chronicling my experience with the Pacojet, here. I have it on loan for a few weeks and plan to have some fun. Would love to hear ideas, advice, suggestions, recipes, whatever.
This device is sweet.
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So usually I don't swing that way. You know, to the pastry side of things. But when I was offered a Pacojet on lend for a few weeks over the holidays I simply couldn't refuse. To be honest, it seemed too good to be true. I pay for shipping from the factory to my home, then to the purchaser, and I would have a Pacojet to play with a few weeks. Was this some kind of strange pyramid scheme, an attempt at identity theft playing right into my penchant for expensive culinary technology? I will admit these thoughts crossed my head. When I arrived home for the semester break on Sunday evening, however, I was pleased to find the device literally waiting on my doorstep.
For those unfamiliar with what a Pacojet is, it's pretty much the most baller ice cream maker ever--specifically it's a high-power food processor that "shaves" the frozen contents of its beakers into incredibly light and smooth sorbets, mousses, ice creams, etc. But it's also so much more, and that's why I'm choosing to put this thread in the cooking forum. With a basic understanding of how the device functions, its applications extend far beyond the sweet, pastry world.
For instance, the device can be used to make savory mousses, farces, and soup concentrates. To blur the lines between the sweet and savory world, an asparagus ice cream recipe is listed in the accompanying recipe book, and the folks over at Ideas in Food have achieved a bit of acclaim for their grilled potato ice cream (I will be attempting this).
For those with experience with the device, I appreciate your insights, advice, and feedback. For those just learning about it through this thread, I encourage you to learn with me and contribute ideas.
We began this triste by recruiting a third player. Since our home refrigerator is terrible and manages to freeze everything inside when the freezer is set too low, I went out and bought a cheap freezer from P.C. Richards. $160 lighter with a freezer crammed into the back seat of my mother's sedan, we were ready to begin.
I made four bases on Monday evening and set them to freeze for the requisite 24 hours. Tonight, I "spun" them. The results were pretty spectacular.
Meet PJ
Chocolate, cayenne, and olive oil ice cream
Frozen
Letting off the pressure
Pacotized and served
So light yet full of flavor. Free of any distracting iciness or gumminess.
Mango sorbet
Pacotized
Not quite as creamy as the ice cream but seeing as this is simply fruit, simple syrup, and water, the texture is unreal.
Served
Remaining beaker contents
You can see here how the contents are simply fruit suspended in frozen liquid. PJ shaves off how ever many portions you need. I'm still trying to get a feel for how the calibration works.
Pineapple
Served
Probably my favorite of the bunch. This was so subtle and fresh.
Apple
Pacotized
Again, you can see how the remaining contents are simply fruit and frozen liquid. It's mosaic-like.
Served
The iciest of the bunch. Not in that there were crystals or anything, but this had the least body. If one of these could've used some stabilizer or gum this was it.
All in all, the results were a complete success. This is a great machine that affords one textures not possible with any type of batch freezer I've used.
From here, savory and sweet-savory applications. Chime in, ask questions, what have you.
Death and Company
in New York: Dining
Posted · Edited by BryanZ (log)
Quick round at D&Co tonight where I ran into an eG trifecta of johnder, donbert, and weinoo. Was sat quickly at a booth with only about a ten minute wait at just past 8 pm. Good luck for me on both counts.
Tried the Cinder, Illywacker, a very cinnamon-y drink (Pipera, or something), and a girly drink with Pimms and gin that I've sampled (from a lady friend) before. The thing that strikes about the majority of D&Co. cocktails is how much more assertive they are than the ones at PDT. I don't know enough at cocktails to judge if this is objectively a good or bad thing, but I prefer the subtleties of the drinks at the latter drinking establishment. Drinks at D&Co. are balanced but just seem so much more powerful to me. My favorite was the Cinder (my choice, naturally), but I ended up drinking most of the Illywacker that my friend had ordered as he wanted to trade.
Our server got us out of there in just over 30 minutes, so props to her. All in all, a nice start to the evening.