David Ross

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.

Here is a recipe I did for stuffed veal chops. It was part of a story I wrote about food in the original Godfather movie. The stuffing is also very good tossed with hot pasta. Spinach and Ricotta Filling 1 10oz. package frozen, chopped spinach 1/3 cup pine nuts 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese 1 egg ¼ cup grated Asiago cheese ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley ½ tsp. dried oregano Salt and fresh ground black pepper Place the of frozen spinach in a colander and run under cold water. Let the spinach fully thaw. Wrap the spinach in a piece of cheesecloth and squeeze out all of the moisture. Keep the drained spinach in a small bowl until ready to make the ricotta filling. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pine nuts to the dry skillet and toast just until the pine nuts start to brown, about 2-3 minutes. In a large bowl add the drained spinach, toasted pine nuts, ricotta, egg, and Asiago. Stir the ricotta mixture until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add the parsley and dried oregano and season the filling with salt and black pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate the filling until ready to use. Veal Chops 4 1” thick veal chops 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt and fresh ground black pepper ½ cup white wine 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley 2 tablespoons capers 2 tablespoons butter Italian parsley for garnish Using a small paring knife, cut a slit into the center of the veal chop to create a pocket. The tip of the knife should cut done to the bone. The slit should be about 3” in length. Using a meat tenderizer or small mallet, gently beat on each flap of meat on the veal chop to flatten it. This will create two flaps of meat for encasing the filling. Place about 3 tablespoons of the ricotta filling in the center of the pocket in the veal chop. Then use toothpicks to close the pocket. Preheat the oven to 425F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the veal chops with salt and pepper. Add the veal chops to the hot skillet and sear just until the chops start to caramelize, about 2-3 minutes. Turn the veal chops over and sear the other side another 2-3 minutes. Place the skillet with the veal chops into the oven and roast just until the chops are done and the ricotta filling is warmed through, about 15 minutes. To test for doneness, press the middle of each chop with your finger, it should be firm to the touch. Remove the chops from the oven and place on a cookie rack to cool while you make the sauce. Place the skillet on top of the oven over medium-high heat. Add the white wine and parsley to the hot skillet to deglaze the pan juices. Let the wine reduce by 1/3 and then add the capers and butter. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir the sauce to incorporate the butter. Remove the toothpicks from the veal chops and place the chops on a serving platter. Spoon the white wine sauce over the top of the chops and garnish with sprigs of Italian parsley.

I try to get to Las Vegas 2-3 times a year. I'm probably an oddball Las Vegas traveller-I go for the food-not the gambling. Probably the biggest shock to people on their first trip is the high prices for dining. The days of the cheap eats are long gone. Here are some personal observations from recent trips that may help some of you who are planning a trip to Las Vegas: -I prefer the buffets at Bellagio, Wynn, TI (formerly Treasure Island, TI is the new, supposedly more edgy name), or The Mirage for breakfast. TI and The Mirage are a bit cheaper-and a bit more trendy and modern in terms of decor and menu. At the breakfast buffet at TI they even had a "donut bar" where they made fresh mini-donuts and then had a huge selection of different frostings and garnishes. It was about $20 including tax and tip. -Border Grille at Mandalay Bay is a nice spot for a casual lunch. Not to spendy and I like a table outside to watch the people going through the 'lazy river' part of the pool. It's the Las Vegas outpost of the "Two Hot Tamales" Mary Sue Miliken and Susan Feiniger. Good authentic mexican cuisine and really good drinks. I'd estimate you could pay around $25 for lunch with a couple of drinks and tip. -The cafe at Spago that looks out on the forum shops at Caesar's is another nice casual lunch spot. It's not as formal as the dining room and great for people watching. Very good Blueberry Mojito's. With lunch, a couple of glasses of wine, dessert and a tip, I probably spend around $40-$50 for lunch. I know, $50 sounds very high for lunch but that isn't out of the question in Las Vegas. -If I want a casual dinner without having to go through the whole sit-down at a table experience, I like the buffets at both Wynn or Bellagio. Dinner is up to about $30 per person. But I've had everything from fresh sardine salad and Elk tenderloin at Bellagio's buffet to 6 different flavors of sorbet at the desert bar at the buffet at Wynn. -I love going over to the Chinatown section-for lunch and to get some snacks to keep in my hotel room. You can take the city bus, a cab or drive. It's about 10 minutes from the strip-just to the left over the freeway, going west. Check out Mapquest. There is a 99 Ranch Market that has lots of great Asian and Mexican ingredients. You'll find Chinese barbecue spots, takeout, sitdown restaurants, a few bakeries, a good place for authentic Chinese food. I like to keep a little roast pork or roast duck in the room to snack on. -I like Craftsteak at the MGM. You'll be treated to great food products simply cooked. Don't expect a lot of fancy flourishes on the plate or overly formal service, but fresh, seasonal foods and prime meat. The ordering can be a bit confusing for some people-you'll see columns on the menu with headers that simply say "Grilled" and then list the meats-like NY Strip, Lamb Loin and Kurobata Pork. There may be a listing called "Chilled" under appetizers and then items like Florida Stone Crab Claws. Prices usually are listed as just numbers without a dollar sign-like 5-Olympia Oysters. So the menu looks pretty stark but the food is anything but-It's my favorite steakhouse right now. Expect to pay on average $40 just for the steak. Last time I was there I had the Lobster Bisque to start and it was $18. I am going to be in Las Vegas later in the week of May 13. The highlight, I hope, is going to be a private dinner at Guy Savoy.

I guess I jumped around the globe for this dish-but even with so many different ingredients-the flavors all came together really well. I prefer buying fresh Alaskan Halibut from my local fish store rather than what I find in the supermarket. I buy a large filet and then cut it into serving portions myself. I like to cut it at home so I can control the thickness of the filet-and I like them thick. I wrapped the halibut in prosciutto then seared it in olive oil to crisp the prosciutto. I sear it about 3 minutes on each side, then pop it into a 400 oven for 9 minutes. The side dish is tabouleh salad-with lots of additions. I used whole wheat bulgur and then made it into a sort of tabouleh/Greek salad. I added parsley, mint and cilantro as the herbs, tomatoes, cucumber and green onion as the vegetables, and then feta cheese. I wish I hadn't forgotten to add some kalamata olives-would have been another good element. I tossed it with lots of Greek olive oil and lemon juice. Very tasty and fresh.

Nice to see photos from others who are cooking one of the best parts of the pig-the belly. I buy mine at a local Asian grocery store. It's always available fresh. I've been working on testing a lot of different techniques to get the skin crispy but keep the meat moist. Gone through one suckling pig and literally the bellies of two hogs in the past three weeks. I think I've finally gotten the recipe where I want it. I don't particularly like keeping the rind (er-skin) on the pork belly. I found that the rind got really tough, crisp and hard, hard as leather. I joked it was like peanut brittle, only harder, without the peanuts and I called it 'pig brittle.' So I cut the rind off, running the knife just under the rind like you would if you were cutting the skin off a side of salmon. I left all the fat layer between the rind and layer of meat. I scored the fat in a criss cross pattern. It was about a 3lb. piece of pork belly. I put it in a large roasting pan, skin side up. Roasted it at 475 for about 30 minutes to get it going, then reduced the heat to 300 and slow roasted it for 4 hours. I put water in the roasting pan up to the 'fat line' so the meat would braise while the fat layer was exposed to the dry heat. I turned on the broiler the last 10 minutes of cooking to crisp the skin. The skin gets crispy but stays soft when you bite into it. You feel guilty because you are basically eating pure pork fat but it is sooo good. It reminded me of the flavor of pork roasts from 30 years ago, very tasty-and fatty. Here's a photo of the pork belly just out of the oven resting before carving. Here's the pork belly ready to serve-a nice chunk sitting on top of mashed potatoes. You can only see a hint of the sauce in the photo. The sauce was made of reduced beef stock with some veal demi-glace added, along with some sage out of my garden and some green peppercorns. The side dish was baby green beans. I saute them with oil and butter, then put in some chopped garlic and a few spoons of chickent stock-a recipe from Bouchon. Then I sprinkled the beans with sea salt and lemon zest before serving.

I prefer Bouchon in Las Vegas for breakfast. It is so peaceful so sit out on the terrace overlooking the pool and have a great breakfast. You may be bothered by the crew cleaning the pool, but I find the quiet pace and wonderful breakfast worth it. When I was last there in November I probably had 5 waiters serving just me-one senior waiter was training some new people and I guess breakfast is a slow time to break them in. The service is formal, yet not overbearing. A great experience for breakfast, and much better than paying upwards of $25 at one of the fanicer buffets.

Does anyone have a good online source for buying a small suckling pig? I bought one recently and it didn't turn out so good, not so much the cooking technique but I don't think I started with a great product to begin with. So I'm looking for a different source this time. Have you had good results with a suckling pig?

I'd have to say my pastry/pie crust. It must be mixed by hand to get the right balance of texture-light yet buttery, a bit crispy and flaky but still holds its shape. It has to be a balance of butter and Crisco. Not generic shortening, not lard, Crisco: Pastry Crust-(For one top and bottom pie crust) 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour ½ cup cake flour 1 tbsp. superfine granulated sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 stick unsalted butter, chilled ½ cup Crisco shortening, chilled 1/2 cup ice water In a large bowl, combine the flour, cake flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter, blend in the butter and Crisco by hand. Cut the mixture until the pieces are the size of peas. Using a fork, blend in enough of the ice water so that the dough begins to form a ball. Using your hands, gently form the dough into one ball. Place the dough in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before using or rolling out for pie crust.

Good morning everyone. I put these photos on another post I started last week about discussing French Bistro dishes. Hope you enjoy the photos and the explanations of each dish. Let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy. This is a simple salad of fresh Dungeness Crab. I tossed it with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt, black pepper and the first crop of chives from my garden this Spring. The base is a mousse I made from fresh asparagus. Sorry, the asparagus is from Chile. Not to knock South American asparagus, it was delicious. But it just wasn't from the famous asparagus beds in Walla Walla, Washington, just a few hours from my home. You just blanch the asparagus, then process it with cream, salt, black pepper, and fresh tarragon. Then you add one envelope of gelatin granules softened in 1/2 cup hot water. Pour the asparagus puree into molds and chill for about 3 hours. The dressing was just a roasted tomato vinaigrette-whole tomatoes roasted in a slow oven for 4 hours, then peeled and seeded, and mixed with sherry vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Here is a boneless leg of lamb on the rotisserie. I don't do anything to it other than a rub of olive oil and then a sprinkle of Paul Prudhomme's Meat Magic Cajun seasoning. The fire is made up of both charcoal and hickory wood. I think this was about a 5lb. leg of lamb and I roast it for about 20 minutes per pound over the open fire for a medium-rare doneness. The meat picks up a nice hint of smoke but isn't overpowering. It looks pretty rare, which I prefer for lamb. If lamb gets too well done it gets tough and you don't get that sweet lamb meat flavor if it is tough. I just served it with baby Yukon Gold potatoes tossed in olive oil, butter and thyme. I also served broccolini tossed in olive oil, butter and garlic. This is a Pear Tarte Tatin. I usually make the traditional Tarte Tatin with apples, but we also have wonderful pears in the Northwest so I used Bartlett Pears. Bartlett's are a firm pear with a green to yellow skin. The trick to the Tarte Tatin is to use an oven proof non-stick skillet. That way once you are done baking the Tarte it will release from the skillet very easily. Make the caramel, add the pear halves, then let it bake in the oven at 400 for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. You want the caramel to be really golden. Then the second trick is to let it cool after bringing it out of the oven and finally, let it sit uncovered in the refrigerator for overnight. I know, a long time, but letting it cool overnight allows the butter to solidify and the caramel to set up. On day 2 you then prepare your favorite crust. I don't use puff pastry for this recipe but a pie crust dough I make with regular flour, cake flour, sugar, salt, butter and crisco. Yes, both butter and Crisco. I make the pastry by hand, using a pastry cutter that's probably 60 years old to cut the butter and Crisco into the flour mixture. You have to do it by hand to get the right texture in the finished pastry crust. If you use a food processor it breaks down the butter and Crisco into such fine particles the pastry falls apart. Drape the rolled out pastry over the top of the skillet and bake for about 20 minutes until the pastry starts to brown. Let it cool for about 20 minutes after taking it out of the oven and then invert it, releasing the Tarte from the skillet. That's what you see in the first photo, the finished Pear Tarte Tatin. I served it with homemade Lemon-Vanilla Ice Cream. I felt like screaming it was so good!