David Ross

Thanks. It depends on what I want in terms of the texture of the outer skin of the chicken. Sometimes I use the batter method for a softer skin more like Kentucky Fried Original. But if I want a more crispy skin like Kentucky Fried Extra Crispy, I prefer the the second dredge method that you see in the photo above. I use both techniques, but my personal favorite is the second method: -Dredge the chicken -Chill the chicken pieces -Dredge a second time -Fry in a pressure cooker Seems to consistently work well.

Sodium Nitrate is essential when making corned beef because it acts as both a preservative and coloring agent. But somebody prove me wrong and give us a photo of a nice pinky-red corned beef made without sodium nitrate. Without adding it to your brine you'll probably end up with tasty meat that is a pretty sad greyish-brown. Remember, the first sensation we use at the table is the sense of vision-quite simply, how good our food looks. If the corned beef looks the way our brains think it should look, i.e. the right color, then our sense of smell and taste will kick in and tell us we're in store for a nice meal of corned beef and cabbage. If the corned beef looks bad, well, let your mind determine if it tells your stomach that dinner will taste o.k.

Thanks for the kind comments. In fact, I am loving my corned beef so much I am having a Rueben Sandwich for breakfast, 752am Pacific Time!

Last night was a Rueben Sandwich. (You can see the details and photos of my attempt at homemade Corned Beef in the "Corned Beef at Home" thread in the Cooking Forum). I normally don't eat sandwiches for dinner. But this one time for dinner-a sandwich made the day end on a delicious note.

Sorry, that last photo was a bit too red and fuzzy. But as promised, here are the results of my attempt at making Corned Beef at home. Sliced and ready for the Rueben: And in the classic Rueben-Dark Rye, Homemade Russian Dressing, Sauerkraut, Swiss Cheese, Corned Beef (most of the fat left on). All toasted in a cast iron skillet with a good measure of butter to crisp the bread. Served with a Dill spear:

Wow-you think of corned beef, I think of corned beef, we ALL think of corned beef. Actually, I've been thinking about making corned beef at home for about a month now in preparation for an upcoming cooking segment on my local ABC affiliate to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. My initial thought was that making corned beef from scratch would be incredibly difficult. But I wanted our viewers to see it could be done quite easily, and the taste would be worth the time. And I found it was incredibly easy-using just a few ingredients and easy techniques. That hardest part-waiting for the corned beef to cure in the brine for a week, then waiting for it to slowly braise in a low oven. The wait was a killer. But the results, oh so worth it. While the finished homemade corned beef isn't as good as what you'll find in a deli that's been making corned beef for 100 years, it is light years better than that prepackaged stuff you'll find in the supermarket this time of year. As noted above, I started with the recipe on page 114 of the March 2008 issue of Bon Appetit. I changed the brine a bit from the printed recipe-I added 2 bottles of beer instead of 2 cups. And I used two different beers. Not so much for taste but because that's what I had in the cupboard. I added bay leaves which weren't in the recipe. One item I forgot to put in the photo that is ESSENTIAL to your corned beef is Sodium Nitrate. You'll find it in the sausage making aisle of a sporting goods store. Sometimes it comes under the brand name "Insta Cure #1." It looks like pink salt. It is both a preservative and an aid in making the corned beef red. Very important. I placed the corned beef in a large Tupperware container, added the brine, then put the corned beef in the fridge for a week. After one week I drained off the brine and made a braising liquid per the recipe in Bon Appetit. But I used 2 bottles of beer instead of one, 3 dried red chiles instead of 2, and some pickling spices. I added the brine to a roasting pan, the corned beef, then covered it in foil. I braised the corned beef for 5 hours at 300 degrees. Here's Mr. Corny Beef after he was brought out of the oven. This is the finished corned beef on the cutting board ready for slicing. And finally, slices of the rich corned beef, in all it's gooey, sticky, absolutely delicious fattiness. Later this week I hope to tempt you with a photo of the corned beef in a classic Rueben sandwich. Enjoy.

If anyone is looking for deals on Le Creuset, go to their website and check on the locations of their stores at outlet malls. If there is one near you go check it out. They have a store at the outlet malls in Woodburn, Oregon, South of Portland on I-5. Great prices.

Here's a pizza I made about a month ago. I posted it on the 'Dinner' thread and forgot to post it over here. For the crust, I used the 'Artisan Bread in Five Minutes' dough recipe that is posted over in the baking forum. The dough bakes into this oddball shape with all sorts of pockets and crevices-and a crispy outer coat. The toppings were prosciutto, kalamata olives, chopped tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella. I always wait until the pizza comes out of the oven before Isprinkle on some freshly shredded basil. Enjoy.

Jon-I think having the chefs deliver the dishes to the table is a good move. Based on the concept of the restaurant/kitchen, my guess is that you will attract customers that are pretty well-versed in food and wine. They will no doubt appreciate interacting with you and the other chefs as you serve the dishes. I think you'll get a good measure of satisfaction being able to discuss the preparation of the dishes with your customers. I know that I would. Please send us some photos of the dishes once you have them ready and prior to your opening night. I'm looking forward to continuing to watch and read about your story. Very exciting.

Thanks for the nice comments. A photo of the slice of cake, served with another sweet from years ago, my Grapefruit Ice Cream.

My passion for 'retro' desserts continues. Burnt-Sugar Cake with 7-Minute Frosting, Toasted Coconut, Toffee:

Last night I made Roast Salmon with a Rice/Spinach Cake and a Coconut-Curry Sauce with Baby Corn and Straw Mushrooms. There is a little salad of Cilantro and Fried Shallot on top of the Salmon:

Asian? I have to think it might have something French to it... ← Yes, I stand corrected. I checked my French dictionaries and you are correct. Maybe this speaks to my point that the name of a restaurant can be confusing to the customers if the name doesn't directly reflect the style of cuisine that is served?

Jon-First off, congratulations on a very good website. I thought I'd learn a bit about you and the restaurant, so I went straight to your site. I like the fact that you have bios of your staff. In todays world, many of your customers will go to your site before they make their reservation. They want to read your menu to see if it suits their tastes, but I think they are also interested in learning about the people who create the food. As you change your tasting menu remember to update that information on your website. While I realize most restaurants only post 'sample' menus on their sites, I'd prefer to have the current tasting menu posted rather than see a 'Spring' tasting menu posted in October. Certainly, the more feedback you get from a broad range of different perspectives will help you build a stronger restaurant. Sometimes I find myself in a discussion with other food writers about a particular restaurant. Owing I suppose to our intense nature, our group often gets too wrapped up in whether or not the foie gras was served 5 degrees too cold. We tend to forget that the ultimate judge of the food, the menu, the wines and the service-is the customer. So with that introduction, I look at your menu from a bit of a different perspective-both as a food writer and a customer. Is J'ai named after the intials of the names of the partners in the restaurant? Just a small question. It sounds as though it might be Asian in background but I note that your restaurant will be serving progressive American cuisine. Will you only be offering the tasting menus or will you also offer an ala carte menu? Your price of $155 for the twelve course tasting menu with wines is actually quite a good price. I wouldn't hesitate to pay that. While I'm not that familiar with the prices in your city, I am familiar with the dining scene in Las Vegas. A similar tasting menu with wines at one of the finer restaurants in Las Vegas would be around $200 or higher. In general I think you've got an intriguing and fun menu. But I would caution you about getting overly adventurous with dishes that may not play within an overall cohesive theme. I think it's ok to experiment with different cuisines within a menu, but a tasting menu should be looked at in terms of creating an overall theme with a progression of tastes and textures that begins with the first course and then builds throughout the menu. Each course should compliment the previous course and play a part in the overall menu theme. For example, you go from what sounds to be French in style-Shellfish Consomme, Lobster, Vacherin and Escarole, to what sounds as though it is French/MIddle Eastern/Asian-Turbot, Fennel, Bok Choy, Couscous, Blood Orange, to American-Hickory Braised Short Rib, Pancetta, Brussels Spourts, Yuka and Chanterelle. I'm not saying that different styles of cusine can't work together or that French style ingredients don't work in Middle Eastern dishes. But I'd just be careful to not get to out there with too many styles of cuisine because it tends to pull apart the overall theme of the menu. Taking this issue a step further, be careful that you don't have too many competing tastes within each dish. For example, what does the Vacherin add to the Shellfish Consomme and Lobster dish? How is the Vacherin added to the dish? How is the Escarole prepared in the dish? Does the Escarole give a bitter accent to the dish? On your printed menu, I'd add a description for the customers on how the ingredients in the dish are prepared. For example, is the "Hickory Braised Short Rib a short rib of beef or is the dish made with pork? You list "Beef, Indian Curry, Basmati." As Doc mentioned in his post, what exactly is Indian Curry? Trust me, there are probably plenty of customers who may not know a darn thing about curry, so a bit more explanation on the menu would help. One last example, give your customers an explanation of what the "Black Pearl" is in the Bing Cherry dessert. I'm sure you know that part of the key to carrying out this tasting menu is how it is presented and served to your customers. Make sure your servers are enthusiastic and believe in your food and that they can clearly explain each dish and how it is prepared to the customers. I've now convinced myself to book a flight and come enjoy your menu. Good luck and keep us updated.

Hey when I get sick that's what I want to eat. Looks delicious.

Last night started with a salad of Orange, Jicama and Pickled Red Onion with Blue Cheese and a Orange Juice-Ginger-Herb Vinaigrette. I usually wouldn't mix the flavors of Bleu Cheese with Ginger, and I wouldn't mix Ginger with Herbs like Oregano and Marjoram but in this case the flavors worked pretty well. The Ginger seemed to accent and punch up the other flavors: Followed with my Cioppino. I seem to change up this recipe every time I make it depending on what seafood looks good on the day I buy it. This Cioppino had Clams, Dungeness Crab, Oysters, Salmon and Pink Prawns from Florida:

Ted thanks for the clarification. I should have edited my original comments on the dish to say I used the base of Delia's pudding but added the puff pastry top as a garnish rather than use her suet pastry and steaming method. I've had the steak and kidney at Elephant and Castle pubs in Portland and Vancouver, BC and to be honest, what I thought was a pudding I now realize was a 'pie' due to the puff pastry crust. Well thanks again for your feedback. Of course, now I'm going to have to do it the right way with a suet crust just so I can taste the difference between suet/steamed and puff pastry/baked. I love a tasty experiment.

Steven-superb job! You wrote a humorous piece that created the perfect image in my mind of what dinner at Mr. Richman's house would look like-and taste like, and smell like, and sound like. While I've only met Mr. Richman in passing, (outside the doors of Guy Savoy in Las Vegas), I've always imagined him to be a bit of a curmudgeon in his writing but a quite likeable fellow and gracious host in person. I'm thinking he's the type of guy who would have offered you some type of retro cocktail with Rye whiskey? I wouldn't expect Alan to seek out artisan puff pastry at Whole foods to use as the wrapper for hand-cured sausage cut from heritage breed pigs. No, I would fully expect Richman to do just what you reported he did-purchase Pillsbury dough in a can (found only in your better mass-appeal supermarket deli cases)-to wrap his little hot-doggies. Now I don't know you well Steven, but I suspect that maybe you knew in the back of your mind that in some way your piece would stir the emotions of some eGullet devotees and turn the tables of the story of a pleasant dinner into a discussion as to the merits of the food critic as a chef. While I am tempted to take the bait, I'll hold off for now. A little. "How awful." Some would proclaim that "It's sacrilegious"-a living icon in the world of food journalism who serves "Pigs in a Blanket." For crying out loud people, take a drink of your Gin Gimlet. Let's not be so serious that we feel the need to analyze Alan Richman's lack of training at the Cordon Bleu or his inability to turn out Truffled Chicken Served in a Pigs Bladder. He writes about it. He doesn't cook it. Did Mikhail Baryshnikov have to know how to hand-stitch ballet shoes in order to dance in them? Well Steven I think your story is just great, and delicious, and funny. I'm glad you had a good time and no doubt you'll be back for another fun dinner at Chez Richman, er Home Cook Alan Richman, very soon. Thanks.

Last night was a Buffalo Strip Steak with Bleu Cheese-Potato Gratin and Green Beans. We get a lot of buffalo in our markets in Eastern Washington, usually from ranches not far away in Montana. Buffalo is a bit sweeter than beef with a tiny hint of gaminess. It's really low in fat so we cook it to the rare side of medium-rare. (I must admit that while I like buffalo, I still prefer beef).

C'mon, David Ross, the truth is that your food is wonderful and you are a talented photographer. I know this to be the case, since no matter what "fixing" I do to my pictures, they never look anything like yours! Just gorgeous cake, BTW. You have now inspired me to make yet another dessert . . . . David Ross Cherry Clafouti shall be joined by David Ross Upside Down Cake. (My family wants to know who the heck is David Ross!) ← Thank you for your nice comments. And you remembered the Clafouti! Wonderful. Last night I made ice cream sandwiches-Chocolate Chip Cookies filled with Creamsickle Ice Cream. Sorry, it was late, I had too much wine and taking a photo was the last thing on my mind. I needed a sugar fix. Thanks again for the comments.

Last night I did a British type of theme: Beer Battered Prawns with a salad of Cucumber and Tomato combined with my own Tartar Sauce-which includes mayonnaise, mustard, dill pickle relish and a touch of horseradish. Then a Steak and Kidney Pudding. I used Delia Smith's recipe that is posted on the BBC Food website. I've always loved the Steak and Kidney Pudding served at Elephant and Castle Pubs in the US and Canada, just haven't ever been able to duplicate their recipe. This recipe still isn't as good as the Puddings you get at Elephant and Castle, but it was good. I changed it up by slow cooking the meats and then adding the puff pastry as a garnish. I'm not a big fan of beef kidneys, but the taste was pretty muted due to the slow cooking.

You could easily substitute Orzo for the Rice in Hellzapoppin. In fact, it's a great idea so thanks for suggesting it. I think I'll try it myself!

Hmm, I don't think I would take the chance of cooking such high quality pork in a pressure cooker. I can't base my answer on any personal experience of using a pressure cooker on pork belly-but my natural instinct is to tell you not to do it. Especially since you are probably paying a premium for Kurobata pork. I'm just not sure that quick, intense heat, albeit under the steam pressure of the pressure cooker, would give you both moist meat and crispy skin-and that is what I think our common goal is when cooking with pork belly-melting meat with crispy skin. If you are intent on experimenting with pork belly in a pressure cooker, I might suggest using a basic pork belly-much cheaper than the Kurobata and if it doesn't turn out, you haven't ruined your Kurobata pork belly. On the other hand, if you have a pressure cooker recipe you trust, go for it. The pressure cooker will give you quick results, and then you could run the cooked pork belly under the broiler to crisp the skin. Let me know which way you go with the pork belly and maybe post a photo for us of your results.

Russell-another great Las Vegas trip report with photos, thank you! I was at home in snowy Spokane on the Monday that you all went to Savoy for dinner. Trust me, I would have rather been with the group enjoying that fine food and wine rather than struggling through my snow and ice caked street. Great job.

Doc-I am looking forward to your report. I've always enjoyed your restaurant reviews and photos-especially your thoughts on El Bulli. The Spaniards are quietly plying their trade, yet they seem to be on the cutting edge of leading us into a new world of cuisine. Thanks, your writing and photos will be interesting.