gfron1

Just back from a research trip into the Ozarks. We drove into the Fayetteville area to go to the University's library. On the way I placed my order with Osage Clayworks for custom crocks and jugs. The next day we got to the library where I had arranged a private handling of their rare book collection. They have a special Ozark Heritage collection which includes all sorts of old cookbooks. This one is actually crap but still kinda fun in a mans-plaining sort of way. This one is much cooler. The old one I viewed was 1904, and in all about 20 books. More details later. \ (I'm sure there's a way to flip this image but I can't figure it out.)

I know I keep my room colder than most here, but I fill, scrape, 3 seconds of rapping and dump. Perfectly thin and consistent shell every time. In my old kitchen I was working in a much too warm space and yes I had to let it sit for up to a minute.

One thing I always strive for is to not replace an item, but to find a recipe or technique that achieves the same goal without a substitute. For example, Americans are so gluten-free focused right now that many are doing substitutes for their cake flours. I prefer to make daquoise which doesn't include flour (some do, I know). So my only feedback is to explore this idea a bit and you might find some interesting ideas from around the globe. An example is I started making the traditional Indian chickpea breakfast bread for one of my lunch items and people loved it...and it happened to be gluten free.

No insurance issues. If I recall the conversation correctly she attended without concern last year, and so would be fine this year. For anyone whose young person has not attended before I'm going to say high school and up. Just remember (anyone who hasn't brought a young person before), this is a commercial workspace with dangerous equipment, and it gets very hectic, so if the younger person is mature enough to stay focused on the task at hand, and they are high school aged, i welcome them.

Right, I think making sure we're using the term espresso correctly is important. In the coffee shop world there are distinct formulas (google them), and I can tell you from experience that the key factors are: grind, volume of ground, tamping strength, water flow/pressure and water volume. If you aren't controlling those you aren't really making espresso. Here's my explanatory story. I hate coffee, but last year I opened a daytime cafe with espresso. We had a fancy espresso machine. Because I was now doing 5 am shifts I started drinking copious amounts of espresso. Always bitter, always nasty, always supporting my hating of coffee. I switched our beans to Ethiopian and backed the roast way off (technically it was the development phase), two things that should have helped with bitterness. But still I kept drinking nasty coffee (customers really loved the changes). I can't remember why but I brought my roasting mentor in for a coffee checkup, and he watched as I pushed the "chef shot" button which pulled a quad shot, and he noted that I used about 40% too many grounds. So I dialed back on the grounds and used the 2 oz button (1 oz is standard but I don't know any coffee shop that doesn't do a 2 oz draw). And guess what...I like my coffee now! Second thought, at home i do Aeropress (I promise I really do hate coffee despite how much I drink), and most believe that Aeropress makes coffee less acidic and less bitter. My advice regardless of what you are technically making is to try less grounds, less water and steep a bit less. Think Americano for your final drink - top off your espresso with hot water to get the desired volume. Give that a try and see what happens.

that's what I'm aiming to do.

A case of fruitcake craving...but only one loaf. Crazy expensive.

Looks like this was a small intimate workshop. What, maybe a dozen attendees?

I bought three this year. The Bien Fait Bourbon fruitcake, and Robert Lambert's 2 year dark and 1 year white. The Bien Fait is darker, moister and had the figs and lots of prunes. I liked it, and at $18 was really good. Robert Lambert's were both better than the average fruit cake, and the texture was much more like a poundcake that had been soaked for a year (or two). Not wet, but not dry. The crumb was dense but not crumbly, and packed with fruit. I actually preferred the 1 year to the 2 year, and these are the ones that had fresh bay leaf which was a great addition. He also has a much more extensive set of fruit inside including buddah's hand. At Robert Lambert prices I won't be buying another, but it was one of the better I've had. A few months back I visited and bought a College of the Ozarks fruitcake which was a very traditional version like we would all know. Better than the grocery store versions only because they're made fresh and not aged.

Eating all this purchased fruit cake is sure helping me figure out what I like and don't like (and what my bowels like and don't like). One of them had fresh bay leaves pressed on to the outside of the gauze and I really liked what it did to the flavor. I think it could be equally interesting to try keffir lime or other citrus leaves. For that matter I could play my foraging card and use various foraged leaves although to a different effect. The other thing I've learned is that I don't like figs in my fruit cake. Just too seedy.

Event Dates: May 18-19, 2019 St. Louis, MO Forest Park Community College Hospitality Building Master Class: May 17 ***** I know this is wayyyyy early, but for those of you who need to have things 100% locked in, here are the registration links. You'll notice I only have the core workshop listed. I'll add master classes and dinner once they are finalized. Paypal.me link or Venmo link To ensure your space in the workshop I will need your payment no later than April 12, 2019. Beyond that date - if you haven't paid - you will be considered to be on the wait list and and will have to see if someone drops out and wants to sell you their space. As in previous years - there are no refunds - you can sell your space to someone who is interested in coming but missed the deadline. In that case payment will have to be arranged between yourselves.

Here's the pic from his cookbook that made him my crush

Better yet, get him to come do our Master class in St Louis next year. He can stay with me!

yeah, but he plays for my team

Paul Young is my chocolatier crush!

I cheated and bought a few. I often will buy whoever is said to be the best. Here's the Bien Fait and Robert Lambert.

Yes, St. Louis Lambert. There are two smaller regionals but you won't get as many flights into them. The airport is in the far northwest of the metro, about 20 minutes to the downtown hotel. There is a metro/train but not something you want to bother with coming from the airport to the hotel.

Event Dates: May 18-19, 2019 St. Louis, MO Forest Park Community College Hospitality Building Master Class: May 17 We have our hotel room blocked off: Marriott Courtyard St Louis Downtown West, located at 2340 Market Street, St. Louis, MO 63103, (314) 241-9111 or (800) 321-2211 $129 + 16.429%; free parking Rates and rooms are secure until Thursday, April 25, 2019 When making reservations, identify yourself as part of the Egullet Chocolate and Confection Workshop group staying at the Courtyard St Louis Downtown West, located at 2340 Market Street at Jefferson, St. Louis, MO 63103. A few thoughts: 1. This hotel is about 7 minutes to the venue, and its right downtown with a short walk to the amazingly renovated Arch and all the downtown sightseeing spots. It is also right around the corner from the City Museum which is the coolest adult (and child) playground anywhere...really! Parking is free at the workshop site, but because its so close I'd encourage folks to share a Lyft or Uber. I would be surprised if its more than $5 each way. My restaurant is right in the middle of the two locations FWIW. The workshop site is across the highway from Forest Park which has our Art Museum, Zoo, History Museum, Science Museum...all of which are free because that's how we roll in St. Louis. 2. There are closer hotels including one that is next to the college, but none would let me block rooms because this is the same weekend as graduation for both Washington University and St. Louis University. My guess is you can book rooms on your own, and they may even be a bit cheaper. Try these out if you wish. We haven't locked any special events in yet, but the only one that might sway your housing decision is the Friday night show-n-tell social which traditionally has been held at the host hotel, but I'm leaning toward closing my restaurant and having it there as a private event. Stay tuned for that. Hampton Inn & Suites St. Louis at Forest Park; 5650 Oakland Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110•(314) 655-3993 (CLOSEST OPTION) Holiday Inn St. Louis - Forest Park; 5915 Wilson Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110•(314) 645-0700 (CLOSE AND A BIT CHEAPER) Red Roof PLUS+ St Louis - Forest Park/Hampton Avenue; 5823 Wilson Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110•(314) 645-0101 (REALLY CHEAP AND YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR, BUT CLOSE) 3. The hotel has rooms blocked off for a few days before and after the event for anyone wanting a vacation. I will be posting about registration over the weekend. There's plenty of spaces so don't worry about getting your hotel before registering. Even on the Master Class you will have plenty of time to register. Questions?

Stay tuned. I'll be posting hotel group rate info and registration info by the end of the week.

More information about Andrey's class where he teaches that technique are HERE

At very short glance it looks interesting but more Appalachian Southern than Ozark. The pinto beans in the blurb are what is making me think that. I'll keep my eyes open for pinto beans in other writings.

One of the reasons we honed in on Ozark cuisine is to help define exactly what that is. If you do a google search, here is what you get: I want to be able to write a new search result. There is plenty of documented history out there and its a matter of how hard you want to work. People always say Ozark cuisine is squirrel and possum, but that's a lazy perspective. The food of the immigrants to the area is one aspect. The indigenous people who lived there and migrated through is another. The historic people are yet another. And the enslaved people are yet one more. Each brought and maintained a diet, and adapted that diet to the local resources. I've now got a stack four feet tall of historic church cookbooks going back to the 40s, and recently met a woman in her 80s who wanted to talk about what her grandma used to cook in the hills of Northern Arkansas. She talked mostly about techniques and attitudes that were regionally emphasized. My hope is that each year when I do a new search we will have even more search results that will truly answer the question, "What is Ozark cuisine?"

I did pick a set that someone above suggested (I'll tell you more when its a final decision), and when I talked to a sales rep who has numerous brands and styles she said, "just do a Google Image search and see if any of ours come up as similar." Now, I'm not a tech wizard, but I betcha Google Image search is not so refined as to tell the difference between stylistic nuances of flatware. I will try when I have a few minutes to waste.

Online restaurant suppliers like webrestaurants and katom have all the local places struggling to keep up so most sell to the public at a retail price. Their sale will be above wholesale I assume.

Ha! Didn't know that made it outside of St Louis. Yep, that's me.