David Ross

I like two brands-Trident Seafood and Ocean Beauty, both based in Seattle. We can buy Trident brand at some markets in the Northwest and at Costco. Ocean Beauty is more widely available in supermarkets. Both companies offer a variety of frozen seafood, but I especially like their "fish sticks" made with Alaskan Halibut.

Of the many things that both my Mother and Father taught me how to cook- -Bacon. Yes, Mother taught me how to fry bacon. And one of my fondest food memories is that little tin can of bacon grease she kept on the counter. Owing in part to the German butcher where Mother bought her bacon, (thick, meaty and smoky), her bacon was always crisp yet never dried out. -Deviled Eggs and Hot Crab Dip. My Father taught me how to make deviled eggs using a recipe handed down from his Mother. He said he used to "dress-up" the eggs by adding some cayenne pepper or tabasco. And he always made a delicious hot crab dip during the Holidays using the first of the season Dungeness Crab we got off the Oregon Coast. He mixed it with cream cheese, mayonnaise, sliced almonds, green onions and lots of Worcestershire sauce. I was good hot, but even better when we ate it cold the next day on saltine crackers.

Top Chef did come out after the original Iron Chef series and history actually records that cooking competitions on television, (i.e. Art Linkletter doing interviews of contestants at the Pillsbury Bake-off in the early days of television), are not a new concept. However, it seems to me that in this case, Top Chef All Stars and Chopped: All Stars are incredibly close together in terms of format and timing.

This morning I came across the new iteration of "Chopped" on Food Network-"Chopped: All-Stars." The Chefs included Robert Irvine, Anne Burrell and Duff Goldman, all Food Network "Stars" with their own shows. (You can read our discussion of Chopped: All-Stars here). After just a few minutes, a thought that has been at the back of my mind came to the forefront-is this another woeful attempt by Food Network to rip-off Bravo's "Top Chef?" I've been thinking about this issue for some time now and it seems as though "Chopped" and "The Next Food Network Star" are incredibly similar to "Top Chef." Is it just a coincidence? Is it a case of "we were first," or "no you weren't, we had the idea first?" Is Food Network tagging on to the success of Top Chef on Bravo along with a few jabs of "in your face?" While I'm not always fawning over "Top Chef" and I supply plenty of criticism for the often inane challenges they present to the cheftestants, (go here for a review of our current discussion of Top Chef All-Stars), at least a see some quality on Top Chef in terms of the Chefs in the competition, the level of the elimination challenges and the level of the judges on the panel. Seems like Food Network is just lagging way, way behind in terms of copying Bravo. What do you think? Is the "reality" of the situation that Food Network ripped off ideas from Bravo?

The other day I set out on a quest for some curing salt to use in a brine for corned beef. I typically buy my curing salt at one of two different large outdoor/sporting goods stores that are part of national chains. The two stores I visited have a focus on fishing and hunting. Typically outdoor stores have a large selection of different curing salts, brine mixes and spices. All I wanted was a small packet of curing salt, but everything on display came in a large box-curing salt, spice mix and in some cases, sausage casings included. Defeated, I stopped at a local grocery store to see if in a last ditch effort they had curing salt available. There, on the bottom shelf in the spice section was a display of bags of Morton "Tender Quick." I read the instructions, seemed simple enough. The ingredients were what I was looking for, sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite. Everything was in a 2lb. bag and it was far cheaper than the curing salt and brine mixes at the outdoor stores. I'm planning on using the Tender Quick to make corned beef, maybe a ham this Spring. Have you had any experience with using Morton Tender Quick?

I once saw a television interview with Julia Child where she admitted to a fondness for Cheetos Cheese Puffs. I'm sure it raised some eyebrows from the food elite who probably felt it sacrilegious that a noted French Cookbook Author would gorge on commercial cheese puffs. Personally, I don't think one's personal indulgences frame who they are as a cook or Chef. Have you heard of other Chefs who have a guilty pleasure for junk food? Would Thomas Keller even eat a Dorito?

Like a lot of us, I keep the odd bottle or bag of commercial bacon bits in the door of the fridge for emergencies, or, like tonight, when I'm lazy. Tonight I'm making some stuffed, baked potatoes but I didn't want to take the time to saute some real bacon and then break it into bits. I'm using Hormel brand "Real" bacon bits with 50% less fat "than USDA Data for Pan-Fried Bacon." They actually taste o.k., albeit a bit heavy on the salt and I don't mind the fake smoke flavor. My main problem is that the bacon is almost ground rather than cut into bits, and the whole lot sort of clumps together. I'm sure it will be passable for tonight's potatoes. Are there any decent commercial brands of bacon bits out there?

I'm starting to think about this year's Easter Ham. For a few years I've been toying with the idea of braising the ham in Coke. (Pepsi not allowed). I've seen a number of recipes that call for either braising the ham in Coke, or glazing the ham with a paste made with Coke and brown Sugar. Have you ever cooked a ham with Coke? Is it best to use a basic smoked, bone-in ham or will a real Kentucky "country ham" work?

Speaking as a consumer, it's not at all hard for me to see Subway surpass McDonald's in terms of the perception of the quality of the food. Subway hit on what would become a trend by turning away from burgers and fries, (i.e. Quizno's, Qdoba), and going with sandwiches which, for the most part, are perceived as "healthier." The advertising campaigns that one could lose weight while still eating "fast food" certainly were a boost to their business. It seems as though McD's was slow to get on the bandwagon with revising their menu and scuffing away the beef fat for the fries. While I will forever crave a Big Mac, I'd choose Subway twice over McD's.

Short Ribs with Crispy Potato Pancakes- This is a very easy recipe that works well for both short ribs and pot roast or any cut from the chuck. It's best to start the day before service so the ribs have time to braise, settle and then come back to heat. Just season the short ribs with salt and pepper, dust with flour then sear in oil in a casserole pot until browned. Remove the short ribs and in the pot add carrot, celery, onion and garlic and saute until tender. Add some bay leaf, peppercorns and maybe some allspice berries. Add a few tablespoons of flour and stir to coat. Add red wine, beef stock and some tomato paste. Rest the short ribs on top of the vegetable mixture, cover and oven-braise at 250 for about 8 hours. Cool, then the day of service bring back to heat in a 300 oven. Skim the sauce and serve. The potato pancakes aren't the traditional version. I used mashed potatoes mixed with chopped onion, form them into little patties, dip in egg then dip in panko and fry until brown. Sorry, forget to give you a photo of how tender the meat was when I tucked into it. I was so hungry after waiting two days for these short ribs I couldn't resist.

Asparagus. It's "pointless" to even buy and even more inane to cook with shriveled, "unfresh" asparagus.

Are we confirmed for August 4-7? I'm ready to look at making some reservations for my flights and hotel. Any suggestions on a primary hotel for those of us coming from out of town?

Spaghetti Carbonara Spaghetti (although any dried pasta you have in the cupboard will work) Bacon Egg Parmesan Butter If you have it and want it: Parsley Cream

I guess we've both been unlucky. The profiteroles at Bouchon in Las Vegas, (which some rave about), fall into the C- category. The pastry is properly baked and is light yet has a delicate crunch. No problems there. Yet everytime I've ordered the profiteroles the ice cream has been hard as a rock, a texture that basically creates a cement ball that rolls out of the pastry. Then they drench the whole lot with hot chocolate sauce and the pastry gets soggy but the ice cream cement is still hard as a rock. I've had the dish more than a few times and always been disappointed.

So true, and the association between modern cuisine and art is also comparable to American "Modernist" painters like Frank Stella, Jasper Johns and Jackson Pollock whose works were initially written-off by formal critics in a manner similar to the criticism that the French Impressionists received a generation earlier.

Today the IACP, (International Association of Culinary Professionals), announced their 2011 Award Nominees. Dorie Greenspan's "Around my French Table," is a finalist in the Food Photography and Styling category. The full list of award finalists can be found here.

I have a number of books by Beard in my personal collection. The most cherished cookbook being a first edition of "The Fireside Cookbook," Simon and Schuster, 1949. It's a special family heirloom if you will because it was my Grandmother's-who shared her strong Oregon heritage with Mr. Beard, also a native Oregonian. This is what Beard wrote about Globe Artichokes in 1949- "The globe-sometimes called the French-artichoke is in reality the bud of a thistle-like flower which is as decorative as the bud is palatable." Imagine such creative writing about an artichoke some 62 years ago.

While the sense of smell may be the primary facet of our overall sensory experiences, one could argue that strong scents like fresh-cut grass could overpower the subtle aroma, (and consequently the taste), of a fresh, local, seasonal tomato. I agree that innovative Chefs like Grant could find a measure of success in experimenting with "enhancing" the flavor of a local, seasonal tomato by first presenting the diner with the scent of the Earth from which the tomato was grown. Yes, that would be an interesting concept to explore and to compare the local tomato to the super-hydro-flavorless tomato. In the end, it seems to me that one shouldn't have to resort to experimentation in either masking or enhancing any sense to replicate what Mother Nature gives us naturally each season.

I've had Sauce Veloute served at Guy Savoy in Las Vegas. It was the sauce for a chicken dish where the whole bird had been studded with truffles just under the skin and then poached in a rich stock.

Recently, the 2011 James Beard Award nominees for Chefs, Restaurants and Restaurant categories were announced. On March 21, the nominees for the 2011 James Beard Journalism Awards will be announced. Yet the legacy Beard left behind is decidedly more than awards and dinners at the Beard House in New York. Beard was truly one-of-a-kind in terms of his impact on American cuisine and he left behind a rich legacy of teaching, writing and images that place him alongside other iconic figures--most noteably his dear friend Julia Child. I have my own personal reasons for celebrating the legacy of James Beard--our connection as native Oregonians and the foods we grew up with here. I've been a student of Beard's musings on food and cooking and his ability to turn the written word into a platform for his lesson plans on how to cook. Did James Beard leave a legacy that has had an impact on the way you cook and think about the foods we eat?

Last year I found two local farmer's who grow incredibly flavorful tomatoes--tasted like the ones my Father grew years ago in his backyard garden. And I have to laugh at the tag "hydroponically grown." In other words, a tomato grown indoors in a greenhouse, not in dirt, and feed a "diet" of infused water. What do they taste like. Weak tomato water.

A few years ago, for the most part, I stopped buying tomatoes "out of season." In other words, I quit buying tomatoes if they weren't grown locally during Mother Nature's natural growth cycle. While I am sure that the Producer's and Marketing Teams will tell us that tomatoes harvested in January are at the "peak of their flavor," is a tomato picked weeks in advance in preparation for a 3,000 mile journey really compare to the flavor of a local tomato in season? Sure, I tried the "tomatoes on the vine," the "salad" tomatoes, the "hydroponic" tomatoes and the "organic" tomatoes and while some of them had passable flavor, they never compared to the local tomatoes I buy in August. (I may buy a Roma tomato or two in December to slice and add to salad, but that's it). Right now we still have the remnants of last week's snow and a new dusting is expected tonight. Fresh, local tomatoes won't show up in our markets for at least 4 months around the end of June and the crop will last through mid-September. I gladly cook with quality canned tomatoes during the dormant months. (Just last week I made a delicious braised veal dish with canned San Marzano tomatoes). It begs the question; have you ever found a tomato "out of season" that compares to a fresh, local tomato "in season?"

Little plastic individual creamers that airlines give you when you ask for "cream" with your coffee. "No refrigeration needed." I've always wondered what chemical gasses shot through that cream.

I was also unfamiliar and assumed it was this product. David? You are spot on Heidi, it's Bob's Red Mill Potato Flour. The company is located in the Portland, OR, metro area and we get a lot of their products in markets throughout the Northwest.

Tonight I tested five combinations of flour(s) for deep-frying some large shrimp. Each test involved two shrimp. The shrimp in each test were dipped in a mixture of two whole eggs beaten with a tablespoon of milk, then dredged in the flour blend. The shrimp were deep-fried for two mintues in vegetable oil heated to 350. All-purpose flour- Light golden color. Light crispy texture. Mild “pasty” flavor from the flour. Rice flour (1 cup) and Cornstarch (1/2 cup) Light golden color. Light crispy texture but more crispy than plain flour, no flavor from the coating to interfere with the flavor of the shrimp, (plain flour had a slight pasty flavor). Fry Mix (Pride of the West brand) Mixture of enriched flour, salt, baking powder, sodium bicarbonate, cornstarch, whey, yellow 5 and 6 dye, spices. Slightly deeper golden color, slightly more crispy than rice flour and cornstarch. Had the slightly pasty flour taste of the plain flour sample. Potato Flour (1 cup) and Cornstarch (1/4 cup) Clearly the winner when it came to a deep, golden color. Light, crispy texture. A hint of fried potato flavor—I was almost wondering where the side of fries were. This would be a delicious blend for deep-frying fish for your Fish and Chips. All-purpose flour (1 cup) and Cornstarch (1/4 cup) My least favorite choice. The color was light golden like the rice flour and cornstarch blend, but it was less crispy and had the most pronounced pasty flavor of all five tests. Thank you Chef Jonny. Your suggestion of a blend of potato flour and cornstarch won my taste test.