PicnicChef

Keep 'em coming! They are all swell. Thanks much... Christine

Hi! Nice to meet everyone! Enjoyed all the food, although it was a lot to digest! Way too much for me... But...there's always room for jello! Company was wonderful as well. Thanks for making a newbie feel welcome! Christine

For a good soup, how about a good old cream of tomato! Can't go wrong. For sandwiches, I would say 1/4 lb per person.

Sounds like a winner! Thanks for your suggestions. How about a soy mayo on that one?

How did this one do? ← Swell, although, for the masses I called it the English Gentleman...I'm doing a variation on Monday using Red Dragon, to get a bit of mustard in it. Looking forward to seeing Jersians on Sunday for a wonderful New Year's celebration. Thanks for all the ideas!

Yeah, you need to be careful when ordering pork dishes in Korean restaurants. It's most likely going to be pork belly, which is extremely fatty. Sometimes you will see pork loin, or some other cut of pork, but you really need to ask what cut of pork it is. Generally speaking, most Korean restaurants, especially in Northern NJ, do not want to cater to American (or even Non-Korean) customers because they've had bad experiences with us not liking their food and there is almost always communication and language problems when ordering. If you can somehow get over the hump and display some knowledge and confidence in what you are ordering, however, they can tell you are not some ignoramus and will give you better service. I always have problems going to new Korean restaurants because they don't have that comfortability factor with me yet -- we almost always have to tell them that we know what we are ordering. The ones that we go to usually recognize me after a visit or two (I realize I am not difficult to remember) and take good care of us. Some restaurants are better with American customers than others. ← Good to know. Pork belly is indeed that...and is frequently used in Korean dishes. The trick is to cook it low and slow so that most of the fat melts and the remaining fat is just a melt in your mouth HELLO. But, that aside, it is good to know about that kind of service. Just bad...english, korean, Anglican, French...when someone doesn't like something, you take it off the bill, not call the police! Absurd, that!

I've been to the one in Allentown...some of their sandwiches are terrific. Their soups taste a bit like they are commisary, which, my guess is, they are. Lots of interesting choices for entrees. Their fried foods don't love a reheat; veggies are good. Well worth a visit. Their produce department rocks my world. White truffles, black truffles, many interesting produce items that you can't find retail. Cheese department, good, albeit slightly overpriced. Breads, exceptional. Deli, average.

I love Cafe Panache in Ramsey. Kevin does wonderful things. It is tiny, intimate, and you'd need a reservation pronto. Pricey, but well worth it.

I love anything homey! I'll give it a shot. Last time I fried bologna it was on white with ketchup and american cheese and went over quite well! Thanks for the input!

Hiya Sarah! As a fellow CIA-er and a woman chef, I applaud all you gave to Food TV; a channel I now rarely watch! However, I wish you the best of luck and success at PBS, a format much more suited to a "serious" chef! After watching hours of meaningless drivel on FTV, I've been watching WLIW and PBS with Lydia; Jacques and other chefs that to me, have clout, experience and education. You belong there now! But, thanks for all those Secrets! All the Best!

I have to disagree...and I am not a disagreeable person! Finish school! The reality is that a BA degree in today's society is practically meaningless...keep going and get your Masters if you can..while you intern at a reputable paper and keep digesting while you get a great base of clips.

Queen cake. ← Quenenelles of foie gras!

Everyone is giving such great advice! Here is a dab more... When I was in college, I loved food. I interned in the "Lifestyles" department of the local paper? Why? To know the food editor! Of course! Okay, so I reported on weddings, society events and such, I was still sitting near the FOOD desk. A few requests and examples of my writing later...voila! For free I was writing food. Clips. Oh so important. Of course, I gave that up for a while for more lucrative tasks. Then, when I really wanted to know food, I went to the CIA, knowing I could support myself freelancing other stuff while I learned. Well, darned it! While I was there, didn't I become a food critic? I've had to give that wonderful gig up so I can cook (see what the CIA does to you?); however, I still freelance food writing and adore it... So, there is my advice. Get into the local paper and go from there...eat everything, and more importantly DIGEST everything! Best of luck!

I'm in almost complete agreement with you. However, I am a profesional, and I am a firm believer in a la minute sauces. Nothing beats them. I completely depend on fond...I adore fond...I need fond for my sauces, including fish. And, with salmon, I like to sear it with a seriously hot pan, and finish it to medium rare in the oven, and for most customers, the carry-over takes it to medium, which is what they like. Personally, I only eat salmon raw, but that is an aside. Scallops, for me... 1 minute on each side for 10-20s. I need texture that does not stick to the teeth...

I don't want to beat a dead horse here, but sear and saute are different. For example if you were "pan roasting" the salmon, you would indeed sear it in the pan, and then finish the cooking process in the oven. A saute stays on the flame and is not finished in the oven. And, for the record, saute usually uses the fond for the sauce, which even with fish can happen, if for example you saute flounder and then make a beurre blanc in that same saute pan with the minimal fond remaining.

[it's funny you mention this situation because currently we have to pick "group leader", and there was a rumour going around that I was running. I am 1 of 4 males in a group of 16. I have a feeling until extern there will be a lot of knee bashing, refering to the fact that somebody is not going to not like whoever is the "leader" and will do whatever they can to knock them down. Hey! Don't worry about the group leader thing. In the beginning, it is a big deal, buy the fourth or fifth block, you'll all be one group and the natural leaders will lead the group to success, regardless of the person wearing the little gold toque pin!

[OMG< Chef Andreini! He's now a CMC. I worked with him on a few special projects, and he took over about half our Garde Manger class. Yeah, I channel my old chefs, too. I still can't break down a salmon without hearing, "Fabby, DONOTDONOTDONOT STOP YOUR KNIFE!" <-- Chef Clark. I was 37 when I started the CIA. Chef Clark...Gee, at least I can still filet one heck of a flounder, or a tuna..or whatever gets thrown at me. Chef Arnone, a CMC will be coming to my shoppe in New Jersey. We're doing a demo together! The friends you make at CIA are wonderful. I talk to many friends from my block frequently. Just today, as a matter of fact! Enjoy the CIA 1

In the summer, do you guys get great Heirloom tomatoes. Now that would be one heck of a lunch....

The English Bastard: Rare Roast Beef, Melted Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, Spicy Horseradish/English Mustard Mayo, Raw Onion and Chutney on Pumpernickel. A great one, and on the menu tomorrow, with just a couple of changes due to what I've got... Thanks

With Valentine's Day around the corner, I wanted to mention that one of the most romantic things is a little indoor Picnic. I do one every year, and we love it. While going out to eat is always fun, Valentine's day is more fun at home. Here is my suggestion: 1/2 bottle Veuve Cliquot - to get the evening started... Combine with - 1/2 dozen oysters, the best would be little moonstones... I don't think there is much in the world to compare to that combo but venture on... (and I'm sure you know the easy opening trick. Stick them in the freezer for 1/2 an hour right before opening) St. Andre cheese with a little dibble of proscuitto and raspberry jam on a thin slice of baguette a lovely little salad of lobster, avocado, mango and herb with a light champagne viniagrette. Next, open a nice bottle of Red - since it's Valentine's Day, how about a nice Cos D'esternal? nibble on some bolder cheeses, using that baguette, couple it with a small filet mignon that you simpy roast at 350 degrees in butter, pepper, and finish with a little fleur de sel. Slice it thin. Eat it with your fingers. Why bother with dessert Just a thought for a little indoor or outdoor picnic.

For the definitive word on smoked butt, click here. Behold my butt! ← I just read that thread over my morning coffee...I can't wait to smoke my butt. (and, I am smoking a butt as I ponder the butt). Is it possible, do you think, to smoke it inside on my stovetop smoker, then finish in the oven, for professional reasons. I can sneak my butt in, but the board of health wants my butt in the sanitary, inspected kitchen. I smoke onions and tomatoes on the smoker, as well as pork tenderloins. Dare I smoke a butt?

I grew up in Memphis, and there the BBQ pork was just coarsely chopped and not pulled. Chopped is fine. And, yes, with a good rub and some good sauce just after chopping, oven roasting can be plenty good. For the oven roasting, just give it a lot of time at a low temperature and stop when the internal temperature is about 180 F. The oven temperature might be, say, 225 F. Then, might need about 16 hours to reach 180 F. So, yes, start with just fresh pork 'picnic' shoulder, that is, the front leg, from just above the wrist to just below the shoulder joint. The lower part will still have the skin on -- just leave it on. Yes, serve on lightly toasted large white bread bun with cole slaw and some especially hot table sauce customers can add in drops. A good side dish is some BBQ beans that do contain some chunks of BBQ pork. I do NOT have a good recipe for the beans! With the sandwich and beans, cold beer goes great! Traditional dessert is chocolate ice box pie -- basically a pie shell with some variety of chocolate pudding topped with a layer of whipped cream. Then all that is missing is a 1957 Pontiac Bonneville and, in the right front seat, a sweet young thing with a long blond ponytail tied up with a red ribbon, a circle pen, and a poodle skirt, but I digress! ← Thank goodness, I'm a blonde!

It goes back, of course, to the most clear stock you can make, to create a perfect consomme. But, I think is there is a huge difference between fond and scum. Scum includes impurities, Fond, unless you are braising short ribs or making shanks, or roasting typically only includes the meat protein. The fond is a combination of the remains of malliard reaction coupled with blood. Both delightfully tasty. That's my two cents. I'll skim away... As to the roasting chicken, my guess is most of the scum dissapates when the water hits the hot roasting pan, leaving fond, the good stuff.

You got it! I have a new smoker to boot...so I'll do it right! Thanks for the idea!