joiei

I enjoy my job. Life is good.

Christopher also had a brief mention in the newest issue of cocaroma

joiei. you're bad!! is your vaughn quote going to be true this saturday night? u.e. ← yep, cause I will be working that night to see that about 50 fine friends of my employers have a great time (i am a private chef). I expect that we will be finished somewhere around 1am getting the house back in order. Then I get to go out amongst all the amature drinkers who should be riding in taxi's back home. I do get to sleep in on the 1st. to jgm, i enjoy visiting in KC. And I highly recommend Bluestem. On my next trip up in March, I will have to check out this place that moonsqrl talks so much about. you know what is really scary, I can get around in certain parts of KC now without a map. As for DooDah, is that anywhere around Ft Scott?

significant other possibly?

I have a Braun and use it all the time.

Best meal goes to Lanny's Alta Cocina Mexicana in Ft Worth, with a close second going to Aurora in Dallas. Worst meal goes to Lola's, but everyone in the party said it was very unusual. I still have to get back to give it a second run. Best meal affordable, goes to Asian Mint in Dallas. I really recommend the snapper in green curry sauce. delicious. And dont' pass up desert, the green tea cake is excellent. Worst meal affordable, lets not go there.

Elie, thanks for the recipe, I by chance picked up some just last week at Kabani's Market here in Tulsa. Can I serve this as a dish on my holiday buffet for New Years? When I bought them, I had no idea what I was going to do with them, it was something new. Now I know. My supply of Mezza peppers didn't last long at all this year by the way.

Chef John Folse has a recipe for Dried Shrimp Gumbo in his book The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine . I ran across it today.

try the JB Prince catalogue if there is not a restaurant supply in your town that will get them for you.

I just made a batch of the Swedish Ginger Cookies from the New York times Magazine of Dec 5th Holiday issue. All I can say is WOW. I was very skeptical considering the recipe called for 3/4 cup bacon drippings. I would post a link but it is one of the NYT paid pages. So if you want the recipe for the bacon drippings gingersnap recipe, just pm me. They were spicy without being too spicy. THE recipe had too much salt, I cut it back to 1/2 tsp. And next time, I will sub some good brown sugar for part of the granulated sugar, maybe half and half, to try to help deepen the molasses flavor. A nice Christmasy smell when they are baking and the flavors are great for this time of year.

Worth the trip. Ever been to KC, you don't HAVE to eat bbq. I don't. And I do eat well when I am there.

I had a 3 course dessert tasting menu at Bluestem in Kansas City and it was excellent. One course fruit driven, one course cheese driven and one course chocolate driven. All had multiple components, hot, cold, crispy, sweet, salty, in all a very pleasant experience.

Okay, Longbranch will be at the top of my must list when I head that way in January.

This web site on the history of King Cakes has some interesting information, but I don't think it answers your question about when fillings and the sprinkles started. edited to add that I just referenced Chef John Folse' book The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine and he talks about king cakes in the introduction to desserts and his first recipe is a king cake it looks like without filling. And it is more than just a danish. But he does have the colored sprinkles.

I have had my Wusthoff santuko knife for over 10 years and use it often. Mostly for chopping, some slicing, whatever. And I have big hands, for what that is worth. I feel use of this knife is a personal choice thing. For the price, I can't afford the expensive Japanese versions, so I carry on with my trusty Wusthoff.

I also recommend tempering and straining your base mix. I do the same with any custard based product, cream brulee mix, flan mix, etc. I know it is an extra step, but that is just me.

It is a storefront, sort of deceptive though, he is sharing a space with a company called "High Cotton" which is more visible from a moving car. Moonsqrl helped me with that. The chocolates are beautiful. The pictures only give a hint of the beauty of the different pieces. The chocolates are wonderful. out of the 16 piece box, here is what I have eaten - Venezuelan Dark - intense, deep flavor bittersweet Rosemary Caramel - Nice sharp caramel flavor, not too bitter with overtones of rosemary that compliment the sweetness. sort of a "oh, is that rosemary I am tasting there" Grand Marnier - dark chocolate with the orange liquor, not too sharp on the citrus, but a nice marriage, sort of like a chocolate grand marnier souffle without the puff. All the rest will have to wait. I am torn between the exotic fruits with coconut and the Vietnamese Cinnamon for my next taste. Although there is the Spanish Saffron to consider. I pigged out on Fran's Fleur de Sel's after I hit Dean and Delucas in Lenexa on my first night. Now Moonsqrl also gave me some chocolates from another KC chocoliater called Annadore's. The chocolate mint pave was pretty damn good. It will make you wish that all those Ande's mints could be that good.

Miami has seen a lot of famous chefs from other parts of the United States restaurants not make it, but I agree with Robyn, I don't think Ripert was even working for them when it closed, or am I mistaken. The restaurant business in the South of Florida can be brutal.

after having a multiple course dessert last night at Bluestem, they are putting some nice stuff on the table. They are attractively presented and they taste good. Sometimes I have seen presentations that were knockouts but had flat tastes, not so here. THe lady apple and pumpkin mousse presentation was excellent and the chocolate cake, chocolate sorbet and passion fruit souffle was also a nice balance in flavors, temperatures and textures. Plus, I liked their cheese course, interesting cheeses including one that I had never tasted before. Love me some stinky cheese.

WIth traffic it can run 30-40 minutes. experience talking here.

I don't have a matched set, but the Wusthoff carving knive and their fork that I already own work just fine for me. Don't need the fancy box either. And at almost a $1000 for that set with the highest recommendation, that is my trip to New Orleans in January where I will enjoy spending it a lot more. I have friends to visit and food to eat.

Tanks, in my experience, are a Texas thing. Texans are special. Just ask them. ← I learned to swim in a tank out in Todd Field in west Texas. Of course we are special, we're Texans. And for annecros, I still store the bacon drippings in a coffee can. Isn't that the only way to do it? My Mamma taught me that. Bless her heart.

Suggestions for what to do with some of those Satsuma's that you have hanging around the house, Satsuma Cane Syrup Pecan Pie, I may have to whip one of these puppies up tonight. I have some fresh pecans to use. Yummm.

I've lived in the Midwest most of my life, and I think that we suffer from some sort of culinary insanity up here. I'm surrounded by millions of acres of corn and soybeans, and if I want grits, I have to go buy polenta imported from Oregon. Last summer, I was at a local art fair, where there was actually one food vendor selling roasted soybeans (soynuts). The next booth over was being run by the South Dakota Soybean Growers Association. They were selling doughnuts! They didn't think it was funny when I asked why they weren't promoting their own product. Confession: I eat my grits with milk, honey and dried fruit for breakfast most mornings. I'm sure I'll be vilified by both Southerners and Italians. April ← Actually April, that sounds like it could be breakfast. That is pretty much what I put in my oatmeal, why not grits?

You got that right.