David Ross

I agree with you that it has nothing to do with the media--yet Paula was the one who blamed the media in the second version of the video she posted on You Tube yesterday. Quite frankly, I get terribly frustrated by celebrities who themselves are members of the media, yet blame the media for anything bad that comes their way. While the lawsuit is still pending in the courts, Paula clearly admitted in her sworn, taped deposition that she used that language so yes, I would support Food Network not renewing her contract. I suppose it's a matter of semantics and how you parse the words, but I agree that "divisive" is a more clear word than "decisive." I'm merely one voice. The public who buys her products and watches her on television will be the final Judge of whether or not her choice of words and the work environment she fostered for her employees will end her career as a celebrity of the food world. Russ Parsons piece in the LA Times gives a historical perspective on other celebrites of the food world who fell hard and fast. Some, like Robert Irvine, resurrected their careers. Others, like Jeff Smith, didn't survive. http://www.latimes.com/features/food/dailydish/la-dd-paula-deen-past-food-scandals,0,3641631.story

Just blame it on the media--as Paula did in "video #2-edited," yesterday.

Oh Paula, how the mighty rise--and fall. Paula Deen rose to the peak of the mountain, developing a multi-million dollar "brand" with a foundation rooted in multiple shows on the Food Network showcasing her "aw shucks, y'all, butter is better," form of scripted Southern hospitality. A line of cookbooks, cookware, restaurants and crates of Gooey Buttercakes sold in Walmart would follow. The world of the celebrity "Chef," (more appropriately titled "Food Personality"), would at first glance seem to be the last province of media attention. I mean really, how can cooks be as popular as the Kardashians? Certainly, recognizable cooks on PBS, people like Hubert Keller, Lydia Bastianich and their cousin from the BBC, Rick Stein, would never allow personal foibles to overwhelm their public personna--they are, by definition, experienced, talented, creative and passionate teachers. They most likely live with the regret of having once said something they would now take back, yet they seem to understand, (without much effort), that it is the food and the cooking that matters the most in the end. They haven't allowed themselves to get caught up in the trendy celebrity culture of the day--a cuture that builds one into an indestructible icon only to feast upon their sudden and irreparable downfall. Now we have poor Paula Deen, the "Food Personality," the woman who overcame personal phobias and broken relationships to rise up to become the next Rachel Ray. From what we see, Paula surrounded herself with a bumbling gaggle of media representatives, fawning personal assistants and nervous network executives worried more about how the public perception could damage the brand rather than seeing the proof was in making a good butterscotch pudding. All we wanted was Paula's butterscotch pudding. But this charming woman from Savannah, Georgia, the Grandmother with the sassy laugh and pronounced Southern drawl, fell in a flurry of criticism stoked by the modern machinations of the media storm in which she flourished. It started a few years back when she was diagnosed with diabetes, yet her appetite for feeding the "brand," (making cheeseburgers sandwiched between donuts), was more important than being truthful to her congregation. Shilling for a drug company seemed to be Paula's answer for quieting the criticism of a public outraged that she was pushing fat-laden foods on people suffering from diabetes. "Eat what you want, a shot a day will fix that" was what we were told. You could hear the voice of Jimmy Swaggert singing from the choir-"Forgive me Lord, for I have sinned," and platters of fried chicken were passed around as repentance for all. When you get through the tangled web this situation has become--the sudden cancellation of a confessional in front of Matt Lauer on the Today show, the stunning dismissal from Food Network hours later and the attorneys bum-rushing the doors to the courthouse--you are left with a sense of sadness. At the heart and soul of this beloved Southern woman in her 60's seemed to be a deep-seated cultural ignorance of the most devisive issue in American history. By her own admission, she had a fluid use of one of the most abhorrent words ever spoken, yet her ignorance that her behavior was nothing more than a joke was just as striking as the words she uttered in a court deposition. It seemed as if she thought the characters portrayed by Hattie McDaniel 70 years ago were still relevant today and tragically, the promise and joy Paula Deen brought to so many by cooking comfortable food suddenly ended.

I have a couple of thoughts. Blackberries will seep out more juice than blueberries in my experience and they won't hold up as long in the oven while baking. Here in the Pacific Northwest we make cobblers with blackberries, loganberries, marionberries and boysenberries. All very similar berries. As for buckle, I make it with huckleberries in very late summer, but my version of a buckle is more like a coffee cake.

Grilled Skirt Steak, Chimmichurri and a Radish and cucumber Salad-

Great lamb burger and thank you for the compliment. As cooks we all hope to inspire someone to try out our dishes.

Thanks for the kind comments on the burger. I've been perfecting my burgers for about 4 years and I think I'm finally there.

My Caesar Salad with romaine and butter lettuce. The croutons are rough cut off an Italian loaf and then drenched with garlic olive oil and butter and baked til golden. The dressing is old-style with garlic olive oil, dry mustard, Worcestershire, lots of lemon juice, lots of black pepper, a coddled egg, anchovies and a new punch with capers. Oh, and lots of parmesan and asiago.

Lamb Burger seasoned with Ras el Hanout spices, havarti cheese, sliced red onion and a greek yogurt cucumber/dill dressing. A slice of tomato and a lettuce leaf would have added color, but it really wasn't necessary on this whopper. And the important element of a great burger, a properly buttered and toasted brioche bun.

By chance did any of the vendors present some BBQ Mutton?

I have virtually the entire series and they are an indispensible resource for serious cooks. When you read through the Chinese volume you realize how ground-breaking it must have been in the 1960's for American's to read about exotic ingredients like preserved vegetables, black beans and dark soy sauce. These cookbooks are actually more relevant today than they were over 50 years ago.

Today my vote for best tasting fish goes to the 2013 Copper River Salmon. The first fish hit our markets last week and as is always the case, the marketing machines drove the price upwards of $35/lb. for the first catch. I waited until this morning and as luck would have it, my fishmonger gave me the good news that the price dropped $15/lb. overnight. Right now I've got the salmon curing for "Salmon Candy." The recipe can be found here http://forums.egullet.org/topic/142515-cook-off-59-cured-brined-smoked-and-salted-fish/page-2 at our Cured, Brined, Smoked and Salted Fish Cook-Off.

Snake River Farms in Idaho sells incredibly good Wagyu burgers. They're frozen and come in a box of 4 8oz. patties. I've tested them side by side with Choice grade burgers and my own ground burgers from choice cuts. The Waygu burgers beat choice hands down, but I haven compared them to other ground prime beef.

Found some really wonderful Wahoo at the grocery store, served with buttermilk coleslaw, radish, cucumber and avocado cream.

Now this is going to be interesting. I like this concept.

You may want to check the internal temp of the meat to be sure it's thoroughly cooked. I love my Bradley Smoker and use it weekly, but I find that I have to rely on a meat thermometer more than the temp of the smoker/oven. Likewise, a lot of the recipes on the Bradley site call for a specific amount of time for the smoke. I've found those guidelines vary widely and some of their recipes call for way too much smoke and others not enough. So like any slow/smoke cookery it takes experimentation. My first Bradley unit was a floor demo and never worked. The second unit heating element broke after two weeks. But on the very bright side, I found Bradley's customer service fantastic and prompt and they didn't charge me freight on parts. I went direct to them and skirted around the sporting goods store where I bought the unit.

Tonight and tommorrow night it will be fresh Alaskan Halibut. The season has been off to a great start and the fish are white, pure and fresh---and delicious. Tonight simply seared and roasted. Tommorrow night deep-fried and served with chips.

Outstanding Chef.....a tie! David Chang, New York AND Paul Kahan, Chicago.

Is there a lot of PR campaigning that goes on behind the scenes with the Journalism and Media Awards? We all know how influential the press machines are in pushing fims toward Oscar nominations, and no doubt they have a large influence with the voters. To a lesser degree is this an issue that befalls the Beard Awards?

I've never cooked them sous vide so I can't help with that, but I've cooked them in more traditional ways. Veal cheeks are delicious braised low and slow, but don't overdo the cooking and go as far as you would older beef. The cheeks have a looser structure and texture due to the younger age of the animal. As far as sauces go, I try to stay within the general traditions of lighter sauces for veal based on white wine rather than red. But I do think a nice marsala sauce would work and I'd probably go light on the mustard so it doesn't overpower all the other flavors in the dish. Some fresh spring morels would also be nice.

I've probably had mine for over 20 years and the only thing that ever happened is one of the plastic handles came out of the hole it fits in. Superglue fixed that.

I have one of those little plastic pastry molds. Works quite well for all types of savory and sweet filled pastries.

Thank you! Part of the wonder of these cook-offs is that they are timeless and we can regularly revisit each one for discussion and inspiration. Did you brush the dough with egg wash to get that shine?

Wow again, another example of how versatile and delicious this sandwich can be. I especially like your sauce and mayonnaise.

Wow, that's a beautiful Banh Mi. Thank you for the details of the preparation.