David Ross

Then on Saturday night, I made a lobster risotto. I had some of those local, fresh morels and local asparagus left over from the Copper River Salmon dish so I just had to use them up. I used lobster stock for the cooking liquid-it adds another hint of lobster flavor to the finished risotto. For the garnish I used another tiny sprig of that beautiful flowering chervil that I used on the salmon the night before. This risotto was REALLY GOOD.

little ms. foodie-Wonderful Copper River Salmon! It looks so juicy and delicous on the cous cous. Great combination. For those of us who live in the Northwest, (I'm in the Eastern part of Washington), we have the opportunity to be the first people in the lower 48 each Spring to taste this delicious salmon. It comes from the Copper River in Alaska. The season is very short and the price tends to be high because only a small amount of salmon are harvested. The meat is almost red in color due to the high oil content of the salmon. And it's that oil that makes it moist, tender and delicious. People actually put in advance orders at their fish counter to reserve one of these precious salmon. The season must be good this year because in my fish market it was only $14.99 a pound last Friday. That is cheap considering the fact that in recent years Copper River Salmon was as high as $35.00 a pound in my area. The fishermen in Alaska and some of Seattle's best restaurants sponsor a competition each year to see who can be the first to get Copper River Salmon onboard Alaska Airlines and down to Seattle in time to get on the evening's dinner menu. Here are photos of Friday night's dinner. The Copper River Salmon was the entree. The starter was a take on a recipe I got from the Roux Brothers Le Gavroche cookbook-with a few of my own changes. It is a salad of watercress tossed with a black truffle vinaigrette. The dressing is actually the consistency of thick mayonnaise rather than the runny consistency of a traditional vinaigrette. The recipe called for presenting the salad in a 'bowl' made of melted parmesan-like a parmesan wafer. I served the salad on a 'crouton' that I sauteed in lots of butter. I added the fresh radishes on the side with some more of the truffle vinaigrette. I seared the salmon, skin side down, in olive oil and butter for about 4 minutes, then turned it over and roasted it meat side down in a 400 oven for another 7-8 minutes. I basted the salmon a couple of times with some of the pan juices to get the skin really crispy. (I love crispy salmon skin, it's sort of the 'chip' with the fish). I made a beurre blanc sauce and added a bit of fish stock for some extra flavor. I served the salmon on a bed of asparagus, morels and baby yukon gold potatoes. The fresh morels in our area finally came down in price-from $45 a pound three weeks ago to $25 a pound last week. The morels are huge this year, about the size of your thumb, so you only need a couple for each serving. The garnish is a little sprig of chervil that happened to have flowers-a great little flourish for my photo. The dessert was also from the Le Gavroche cookbook. It is a chocolate sponge cake bottom with a thick top layer of chocolate mousse. The sauce is a mint creme anglaise. I would probably fine tune the recipe a bit in the future-I wouldn't add ground almonds to the cake layer because I didn't like the texture of the nuts in the cake. Otherwise it was very good. The chocolate mousse is very thick and dense, not like the airy chocolate mousse you might imagine. The texture was closer to the texture of a chocolate terrine. I used bittersweet chocolate to enhance the chocolate flavor. As they say, a little goes a long way.

Great question. I only found one 'definition' of savory online that I thought came close in terms of food: "Sweet and savory foods often complement each other at a dinner. A salad may have savory cheese and bacon bits, but may also include sweet fruit such as apples or strawberries." I've always viewed "savory" as a European term used to describe salty dishes-as opposed to "sweet" dishes using any form of sweetener like sugar or honey. I'm finding in my travels to restaurants that a lot of chefs today are breaking the traditions of keeping savory and sweet separate and combing the two. Like in the dish I had at Guy Savoy-Sea Bass with Vanilla. The flavor contrasts can sound odd, but if the combinations are right, the flavor sensations are incredible. It seems to work the best when vanilla is combined with other ingredients common to areas where vanilla is grown-like the dish Steve describes-"pan-seared scallops with coconut rice and candied red pepper and cilantro salad."

Thanks for starting a discussion on the use of vanilla in savory dishes-it is definately a popular technique right now. This topic is so appropriate to a dish I had last Thursday in Las Vegas. I was at a private dinner at Guy Savoy at Caesar's Palace and one of the dishes we had was simply described as "Crispy Sea Bass with Delicate Spices." It was anything but simple. The sea bass was sauteed skin side down to make the skin so crispy it was the texture of potato chips. When the waiter presented the dish at the table he described the sauce as a mixture of butter, ginger and vanilla! It was what I would describe as a Vanilla Buerre Blanc. The spices were a mixture of black pepper, Szechuan peppercorns, mustard seeds and coriander seeds. The waiter spooned a delicate fish fume over the Sea Bass. The aromas could best be described as the scent of tropical flowers-the subtle fish, the vanilla and the spices all combined in this wonderfully fragrant South Seas perfume. My skepticism over serving vanilla with fish quickly faded after the first bite. The sweetness of the sea bass was accented by the sweetness of the vanilla. The dish was garnished with tiny shitake mushrooms and a julienne of "White Chard." I've cooked with Swiss Chard but I had never heard of white chard. I'll post the full menu and more photos on the Guy Savoy thread in the Las Vegas forum, but in the meantime here is a photo of the Sea Bass and the vanilla sauce.

I'm counting down the hours to my private dinner tonight at Guy Savoy. The Chef himself is supposed to be hosting our dinner, along with Barbara Fairchild, Editor of Bon Appetit. I'll try to get photos, but the tone of the evening may be such that the little guy with the digital camera isn't appropriate. I'll report back on the dinner. I agree with Little Ms. Foodie-Sensi at Bellagio is o.k., but like so many restaurants down here in Las Vegas what is billed as "Fine Dining" is certainly a great experience, but casual in dress and not in the same league as the big players like Guy Savoy and Alex. Those are the REALLY big fine dining restaurants. I'm looking forward to dinner at Wing Lei tommorrow night-they've graciously reserved the chef's tasting menu for me even though it is normally only served to a minimum of two people and I will be dining alone. Saturday is a private winemaker's lunch at Alex at The Wynn and then dinner at Daniel Boulud Brasserie at The Wynn Saturday night. I had a quick lunch at Noodle Asia in the Venetian casino yesterday after I arrived. Good Traditional Chinese in basically a quick sit down service format-BBQ Pork and Chinese duck. The pork was very tender and the duck had the crispiest skin I've ever had. It was served with a sweet chili dipping sauce. The menu listed it as "BBQ Pork and Roast Duck Rice." So I'm expecting, (I knowm stupid on my part not to ask), maybe a plate of fried rice with chunks of pork and duck. The meats were plopped down on a huge mound of plain white rice. There were some tiny baby bok choy scattered around the rice. Not a bad dish at all but not great other than the meats. I also had a spicy jellyfish salad-marinated jellyfish with hot red pepper slices. It was crunchy yet soft, and a bit chewy-which I like. All in all a good lunch with ice tea that cost $34. I'm not complaining about the price but want to share it with you as an example of the prices in Las Vegas. Dinner last night was at the Buffet at Bellagio. Believe it-the wait at 830pm was 45 minutes and when I left at 945pm, the line was longer than when I went in. Amazine for a Wednesday night. The highlights of the buffet for my tastes were some new items I hadn't had at the Bellagio buffet before-tuna and salmon poke. I missed the poke with three other side dishes-black seaweed, "Namasu" spicy cucumber salad and "Chukawa Kama" salad (another type of seaweed salad). I also liked the North African spied Duck Legs at the meat station-but while the loin of venison had decent taste, the huckleberry jus tasted like weak blackberry juice. Trust me, I live in the mountains where huckleberry's grow wild and the chefs at the buffet need a lesson in huckleberry cookery. Not so good at the buffet was the chilled yellow tomato gazpacho and crab salad. The dungeness crab salad was simple-chives, oil and lemon juice-and delicious. But the yellow tomato gazpacho almost had a metal tang to it, I suppose because the tomatoes weren't ripe. Oddly, the chef placed some napa cabbage in the bowl first, then spooned in the gazpacho and topped it with the crab. The cabbage added a crunchy element, but since it was a bit bitter, it really accented the bitterness of the tomato gazpacho. Probably the crab salad alone would have been fine. Off for a greasy burger this afternoon before a nap and then the luxury indulgence of dinner at Guy Savoy.

I love the idea of the coriander paste on the trout. I'll have to try that. What were all of the ingredients in the paste? I'm keeping it simple this week before I head off to Las Vegas for 5 days of food pleasure. Did a basic rotisserie chicken last night. And I know you will all be laughing at me about the method I use for roasting chicken. I've read Thomas Keller's recipe for the perfect roast chicken, read through Jacque Pepin's recipe, and settled on my own-using a "Showtime" Rotisserie from the one and only Ron Popeil. Yes, the same guy who coined the phrase-"you set it and forget it." You really don't set it and forget it, but once you start the rotisserie it is a simple operation that takes only a few glances every 15 minutes or so to make sure the chicken doesn't get too brown. I buy small chickens under 3lbs. and then truss them and rub all over with olive oil to help the skin crisp. I season the chicken after it is done, which takes about an hour and 20 minutes. Yes, in the case of when I roast a chicken using Mr. Popeils invention, the phrase "As seen on TV" is actually true.

Patrick, love to know any secrets you'd care to reveal about your photo technique-especially how you get such great focus on in the forefront and a softer look in the back. The photos are definately professional cookbook quality.

I think I have most of my plans on the books for pure gluttony in Las Vegas later this week. I'll do a full report when I get back. Wednesday dinner-Buffet at Bellagio (My pick as the best buffet, especially the seafood-sushi and salads, wild game when they have it and the desserts). Thursday dinner-private dinner at Guy Savoy as part of the Bon Appetit Food and Wine Focus. Friday dinner-Wing Lei at Wynn. Saturday lunch-private winemaker's lunch at Alex at the Wynn as part of the Bon Appetit event. Saturday dinner-dinner at Daniel Boulud Brasserie at Wynn. I'm sure I'll be making my normal side trips for pastries at Lenotre in Paris and Jean Luc in Bellagio, pastrami at the deli in the Forum shops, some noodles and dim sum at Noodle Asia in the Venetian............................

I'm travelling to Las Vegas later this week for some food events sponsored by Bon Appetit. I was thinking of trying Wing Lei. I'll be travelling alone to Las Vegas this trip, so was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on a single person dining at Wing Lei? I often go to nice restaurants when I travel, and dining alone can be an unusual experience, but I've found the restaurants in Las Vegas tend to be more than welcome to a single diner. Any thoughts?

Wow. D Ross's popping up all over. There is a radio talk show host in Seattle named David Ross, so I often get the question if I am the same David Ross. Nope, not the radio talk show host from Seattle. But thanks to all for the nice comments on the duck. I plan on making a duck ragu with the left over smoked duck meat and serve that with some pasta. If I pull that off I'll post a photo of it.

I kept things simple this weekend, good ol' Southern comfort food. I'm going to a foodie event in Las Vegas this week-a private dinner at Guy Savoy at Caesar's and a private lunch at Alex at Wynn are a couple of the events I am attending. Also a hunk of meat at Craftsteak at the MGM is in the plans. With so much gluttony in the forecast, thought I'd just do something simple this weekend: Smoked Duck with Greens and Cornbread. No seasoning at all on the duck, just tied it up and put it in the smoker/bbq for about 3 hours then finished it in the oven. Just sprinkled it with black pepper after carving it. Mahogany skin and juicy meat. This isn't intended to be a medium rare duck breast. I just used a commercial cornbread mix, but added honey, green onion, red peppers and jack cheese. Brushed the top with lots, lots, of butter. The greens were mustard, kale and collard. Stewed them with bacon, vinegar, sugar and chicken stock. (God that lobster looks good Thesorus).

Thanks. Actually I am going to a private dinner at Guy Savoy hosted by Barbara Fairchild, Editor of Bon Appetit Magazine as part of their Food and Wine Focus. It is very spendy, $350, and includes a copy of Chef Savoy's last cookbook. I think the price is more than worth it given the opportunity to dine with a small group of people serious about food and wine-not to mention having one of the top French chefs in the world prepare the dinner. The menu and wines were posted ahead of time on the web. Funny you should mention Chef Strata, I'm also going to a private lunch next Saturday at Restaurant Alex at the Wynn. It's a special lunch pairing the wines with the cuisine with both the Chef and the winemakers present. Really looking forward to that event also. I think this will be the most exclusive lunch I've ever had: Wines will be presented by Wattle Creek & Heitz. Spring Vegetable Crudités with Black Truffle Vinaigrette Roasted Santa Barbara Prawns with Sweet Corn Custard and Tomato Confit Roasted Quail with Pancetta, Morels and Asparagus Gratin Strawberries and Mascarpone Cream with Brown Butter cake Petits Fours and Warm Madeleine

Here's a preview of the menu from Guy Savoy for the dinner I'm going to next Thursday: Colors of Caviar Moet, Brut Imperial, Champagne Peas all around and poached egg Lucien Albrecht, Cuvee Romanus, Pinot Gris 2005 Crispy Sea Bass with Delicate Spices Joseph Drouhin, Meursault, 2004 Artichoke and Black Truffle Soup, Toasted Mushroom Brioche and Black Truffle Butter Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet, Monthelie "Les Duresses" 2001 Roasted Veal Chop, Black Truffle Potato Purée, Young Vegetables. Jean-Luc Colombo, Cornas, Mejean, 2001 Raspberries and Litchi "Vacherin" Domaine de Coyeux Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise 2005 Chocolate M. Chapoutier, Banyuls 2001 And here's a preview of the lunch menu for an event I'll be attending at Alex at the Wynn: Experience the French Riviera with Alex Stratta and wines by Wattle Creek & Heitz. Spring Vegetable Crudités with Black Truffle Vinaigrette Roasted Santa Barbara Prawns with Sweet Corn Custard and Tomato Confit Roasted Quail with Pancetta, Morels and Asparagus Gratin Strawberries and Mascarpone Cream with Brown Butter cake Petits Fours and Warm Madeleine

I'll be going to Las Vegas next week for some events related to the Bon Apetit Magazine Food and Wine Focus. I signed up for the private dinner at Guy Savoy on Thursday, May 17, a seminar on Friday afternoon about the Las Vegas dining scene, and a wine luncheon at Alex at Wynn on Saturday, May 19. I've got Wednesday night, May 16 open so I'm debating between L'Atelier at the MGM or a few others. Anyone else who might be in Las Vegas on Wednesday, May 16 and would like to get together let me know. After I get back I'll report on my dinner at Guy Savoy and the lunch at Alex.

That sounds (and looks) delicious. But what do you do with the potato skins? ← Great question, I'll admit though that I put the skins in the garden compost heap. Since you are using the potato meat-you won't have any potato meat left to say stuff back in the skins. The potato skins aren't used in the finished dish.

Thanks for the comments. I use large 'sweet' onions. In American markets the main varieties we see are Mayan, Vidalia from Georgia and Walla Walla Sweets. I live in Northeast Washington about two hours from Walla Walla where the Sweets are grown. They are sweet, yet still have that spicy onion flavor. Deep-frying the onions seems to bring out their sweet flavor. I use a mandoline to slice the onion into thin rings. You can use any type of slicer with a very sharp blade that has a thin setting. I try to avoid using a knife because I'm not good at getting a consistent, thin onion ring when I use a knife. I cut the rings at about 1/8"-1/4" thickness. That's pretty thin, but this is what seems to make them crispy and light when frying. I then soak them in milk in a bowl placed in the fridge. I let them soak about one hour. This helps to take away some of the raw flavor, but also helps the coating stick to the onions. I use a seasoned flour mix that I buy right out of the market. I use a brand called "Pride of the West." You can probably use any seasoned fry mix or just use regular flour. The mix I buy is actually better than if I make my own mix. I dredge the onion rings in the flour and then deep-fry them. I don't season the flour or the onion rings before frying because I think the seasoning tends to burn in the oil. I use canola oil heated to about 365 degrees. Any hotter and I find the coating burns. You only need to dee-fry the onion rings for about two minutes. They are golden, crispy and light. I season them immediately after they come out of the oil using sea salt, black pepper and paprika. The paprika is mainly for color, but also adds some sweetness. I also sometimes used smoked paprika-it has a wonderful sweet-smoky flavor and smoky aroma.

It is an easy potato dish but takes two days to get the potatoes right before sauteeing. On day one start with baking russet potatoes. I only use russets, probably my bias since I live in Washington near the Idaho border where russets rule. I bake them for 1 hour and 20 minutes in a hot 400 oven. Let them cool to room temperature, then put the whole potatoes in the fridge to cool overnight. This allows the sugars to cool inside the potato. When you are ready for dinner, heat a non stick skillet over medium heat. I use clarified butter to give the potatoes the best golden color and crispy outside. You are basically cooking chunks of cold baked potato. I use a melon baller to scoop out the potato flesh. Then place the chunks of potato in the skillet with the butter. I press down the potatoes with a spatula and let them cook about 15 minutes to get that nice brown crust. Then place a plate on top, invert it over and slip the undercooked side of the potato back in the skillet to brown. You are basically cooking both sides of a cake made of baked potato chunks. I garnished it with fresh thyme, sour cream and chives. It is delicious with any roasted meat.

Salad of Spring Greens with Bleu Cheese and Toasted/Caramelized Hazelnuts. (Although those of us who are natives to the Northwest still call them 'filberts.') Onion Rings Pommes de Terre Macaire (although that's what the French call it, out West I suppose one of our trendy places would call it "baked potato upside down cake.") Sorry, had to use the bleu cheese twice in the same menu, this time on top of a pan roasted filet. The best part of this dinner was the Tangerine Pudding Cake with Candied Tangerine and Tangerine Honey.

Here's another photo of the dessert This is a great Spring dessert for one or a party of 20. I just made it for myself. You can make the candied tangerine slices up to a week in advance. You can also make the tangerine honey in advance. And finally, you want to make the pudding cakes a day in advance then let them chill in the refrigerator overnight. The assembly of the dish takes just a few minutes-unmold the cake onto a candied tangerine slice, garnish the cake with whipped cream and another candied tangerine slice, a sprig of mint and then a drizzle of the tangerine honey. I can post the recipe when I get it finished. I've been working on the recipe to include it in a larger piece about citrus desserts to hopefully post on the Daily Gullet page.

This has to go on my list of one of the best desserts I've ever done. You know what it's like, you aren't always sure how something is going to turn out. Then you look at it and just know it's gooing to be delicious-and this is really delicious. It is a tangerine pudding cake. The texture is very light and fluffy, much like a chiffon type of pie. There is just a hint of tangerine flavor. I also made some tangerine honey, and that is what is drizzled on the plate. I just melted some honey, tangerine juice and tangerine peel over medium heat then strained it and let it cool to room temperature. The flavor of tangerine in the honey is more enhanced than the pudding cake. I made some candied tangerine peel and used a whole slice of the candied peel as the base of the pudding cake, with a half slice of candied tangerine for the garnish. You pick up the candied tangerine and eat it like candy for a final, and the most intense, flavor of tangerine in dessert. Hope you enjoy the photo.

I'll try that brown sugar-five spice mix. I think it would also be delicious on a rack of lamb. I guessed I jumped around the globe this weekend in terms of styles of dishes. I did the BBQ tri-tip Friday night, then last night did a spring menu with Chicken. This is a Chicken Fricassee with lots of Spring vegetables-artichoke hearts, fresh morels and fresh fava beans. Be warned if you live in the Northwest, fresh Morels are going for $49 a pound this Spring! Dried morels are just as good and only about $5 for enough morels for this dish. I also added some green olives and a bit of preserved lemon to add some acid/tangy bite to the dish. I used fresh thyme and marjoram as a garnish after cooking. I find that the fragrance of marjoram can get lost if it is cooked. I served it with buttered egg noodles. Because there were so many vegetables in the Fricassee, I didn't need a side but couldn't resist the organic Spring carrots in the market. I prepared them the same way as the beans I posted last week-sauteed in a bit of butter and olive oil, then a little chicken broth added to braise the carrots until tender. Rather than sprinkle the carrots with herbs, I just chopped off some of the green tops and sprinkled that on top as a garnish. I thought it was a pretty good trick, lots of flavor in the carrot tops.

GTO-what do you put in the spiced brown sugar for the lamb? Sounds delicious.

I did a slow-smoked tri-tip on Friday night. The tri-tip isn't the best cut for slow smoking in the BBQ because it is more lean than say a brisket. While brisket is better for long smoking because it has good fat/connective tissue, this tri-tip turned out very good. I marinated it a few days in a combination of Korean BBQ sauce, sliced ginger, chopped garlic and hoisin sauce. I thinned the marinade with water so it wouldn't be too salty. Didn't attempt to take a photo of the rice side dish because it looked pretty bad. Surprisingly, it tasted very good. Hope everyone isn't getting tired of the "up close" shots I've been posting.