David Ross

That's what one of my friends said. He added I shouldn't be surprised. Pity and PR. The two P's.

So on Saturday I'm watching the weekend derivation of the Today Show and they do a segment about poor little Martha Stewart's wretched illness that was suffered over the Thanksgiving Holiday. They go on to say that Martha was afflicted with an acute case of "salmonella," quoting the lifestyle maven as catching the deadly disease but it was "an undiagnosed" case. They followed with a statement from Martha saying she was the only one who got sick that ate all the same dishes. She attributes her stupor to the ill effects of handling so many raw turkeys on television. Really? My first thought was that Martha was asking for pity. The way the information was presented was in a sort of "woe is me, I mis-handled a raw turkey, but I'm America's television cooking teacher. Pity me." My next thought was amazement at the statement, "I got salmonella, but a Doctor didn't diagnose it." I was chided by one of my scholarly friends on Facebook for not knowing my food handling curriculum. By the way, I carry my card with pride). He said that it's hard to "diagnose" salmonella. That was the exact point I was trying to get across. If Martha wasn't formally diagnosed with salmonella, she had no way of truthfully being able to state it was from mis-handling a turkey or not chilling the cream for the pumpkin pie. I took it as a dangerous statement that left the Today Show, the viewers and no less the poor turkey producers in a huge state of potential liability. The on-air personalities went on to talk about food safety during the Holidays, but it felt shallow. Shouldn't Martha have gone over that during the segment? (Which I don't recall she did). It seemed too little too late. Knowing Martha is so visible in the public conciousness, I thought a more appropriate statement would have been along the lines of "Martha got a potential case of food poisioning over the Holidays and it brings to our attention the serious matter of food handling safety......." Wretching your Thanksgiving Dinner certainly isn't pleasant, but what do you think of this dust-up? When a food personality gets sick from mis-handling food, how do you think it should be dealt with?

I would have coated the pickles with cornmeal and fried them. Then I would have made a sauce of parsley and pickle. Then I would have served the whole lot with crispy fried frogs legs. Then I would have.....

Good for Tom for pulling the $10K off the table for the latest challenge. If you get past the touristy aspects of flying fish, Pike Place Market in Seattle is fabulous. It's literally a seasonal smorgasboard of local ingredients and hand-crafted products. Any one of us would have come up with more creative dishes than what we saw. I can always spot it ten miles away-Cheftestants with attitude and inflated egos, coupled with any sense of manners and treating other people with a whit of respect are the Chefs who often stumble along the way. Cookery skills are supposedly the primary trait that garners a win on Top Chef, but that can only take you so far, especially when you are paired on a team or in a group. CJ was just the most recent example. His "I'm the best Chef" in this competition attitude obviously cast a haze over rational thinking. In his mind, a ground pork burger on a crumpet garnished with a fried pickle would easily reward him with a win and a culinary medal. He's more of a joke than that joke of a burger. And then there was his teamate Tyler. He suffered the indignity of being paired with an egotistical ass who didn't craft a good burger, but Tyler trumped CJ because he left with grace, class and professionalism. Of course, knowing the dramady that Bravo pushes on us, I won't be surprised when they announce CJ won in the Last Chance Kitchen and raises his ugly head back in the competition.

Stouffer's roast turkey dinner isn't bad either, but like a lot of this stuff, it's chuck full of salt. The turkey has decent flavor and the stuffing is pretty good. The mashed potatoes are really creamy. The gravy? Meh. When you sit at a desk in front of a computer and basically don't get up for 9 hours, sometimes a passable frozen dinner really isn't too bad.

Wow, that's quite a selection and probably better than mass-produced stuff that may sit in the freezer case at Walmart for months.

Well, this topic has given me an opportunity. I'm having knee surgery on Tuesday and for the past week I've bought tons of frozen stuff to chew on while I'm unable to cook. I'm probably not going to even put a pan on the stove for at least 10 days. I'll give everyone a sort of running commentary of the different items I try.

I buy Stouffer's lasagna regularly in the cold months. It's really quite good and far better and less time consuming over any lasagna I've ever made. Whenever I vary and go with another brand, I always go back to Stouffer's lasagna.

Like so many of the Top Cheftants that have come and gone, (and are in the game this year), fame seemingly goes to their head. They lose all sense of what got them to the point of even being a strong candidate for Top Chef at the video submission stage-the ability to cook. CJ is a perfect example. Last week during the Canlis "Classics of the 50's" challenge, he put out a tepid dish of Shish Kebab over rice. From the looks of the dish, (and the comments of the judges), the rice was tasteless, as was the lamb. No seasoning, no spice, no heat, na-da. I'm old enough to have dined at a number of "Continental" rooms in the 60's and 70's and Shish Kebab was always an exotic treat. In all honesty, my Father probably let me order it because it was cheaper than the filet mignon. That didn't matter to me, I thought it was a fabulous dish, often paraded into the dining room spiked on swords with a stunning trail of flame. Apparently CJ not only forgot the seasoning but also forgot to review his history books. Had he traipsed into Canlis with flaming Shish Kebab, he probably would've scored a few more style points with the judges.

Black Cod is like gold in my view. I can get it out of Alaska or sometimes off the WA Coast. I think the Canadians call it Sablefish. For those of you who haven't had it, it's silky, oily, soft, rich and kind of like a regal filet of Halibut. How do you make the Uni Potatoes?

That sounds both decadent AND delicious. Call next time you're making it! I'll make sure I let you know what time on Saturday I'm curing the next batch!

I agree, it appears that we're in for a more focused season with more emphasis on real-life cooking challenges. That, for me, is a great relief over years of insane challenges cooking with ingredients out of the local 7-11 or catered affairs for debutante coming of age parties. I'm sensing that since were this far into the show, I don't think we'll go down the ludicrous path of past seasons. While Seattle is best-known for seafood, I'm hoping they venture out a little and taste some of the other wonderful products the region has to offer.

An annual staple that I make every year when it gets cold-Duck Confit. Now this year I made a twist in the preparation and it worked quite well. After the confit has cured in the fat, warm the pot up in the oven to slowly melt the fat. After about 30 minutes, gently pull the confit out of the pot. Then to get a really crisp skin, deep-fry the confit in 375 oil for about 4 minutes. You can also roast the confit and crisp the skin in a hot oven, but the deep-fry is so decadent and results in a very crispy skin. Delicious.

The holiday gift-giving season is underway and while it is no longer chi-chi or politically correct to do so, in my workplace we still exchange food gifts between employees. Last week, one of my employees brought me some delicious goose jerky that he and his hunting partner cured. It had a sweet flavor which was surprising. I think the flavor came partly from the brine and the smoke, but also from the meat of the Canadian goose breast. It was actually not what I was expecting since wild goose is so lean. This morning I'm taking him a hindquarter of my duck confit. It's from a domestic duck so it will probably not be a taste or texture he's experienced before. I'm not sure wild ducks like Mallards or Teals have enough fat on them to make a decent confit, but I'm sure the French found a way to do it hundreds of years ago. Next week we're having a cookie exchange during a local company meeting. I'm thinking I'll take some almond-maraschino-oatmeal cookies that I tried last week. Anybody else in the spirit of giving or receiving food gifts from employees, clients or vendors this year?

Looks delicious and I love sweetbreads. Can you give us some more details about the recipes/techniques?

There is a deli at the MGM Grand named the "Stage" Deli-but I doubt it has any relationship to the New York store. It's been there for years and was once a pretty good place to get a decent corned beef sandwich. Now it's turned into basically a fast-food shop serving unpassable stuff that they pawn off as original.

Don't tell me that a "Top Chef" can't properly roast a squab. If you can't, you don't deserve to stay Carla. I know one highly regarded Italian Chef in Las Vegas who is noted for his delicious treatment of game birds. Carla's inference that an Italian Chef wouldn't know how to cook a squab was laughable.

D Magazine gave him that dubious title in cover story. I suppose he is most noted for taking over at the Mansion On Turtle Creek after Dean Fearing left, totally revamped the place, and won rave reviews. (he left RM Seafood in Las Vegas to take the gig). That didn't last long. But I think most of the hate comes from other chefs, cooks, waiters, etc. and restaurant owners, and probably less from the general public (though I suppose some hated that he changed the Mansion in a major way). He even gets mentioned by Anthony Bourdain in 'Kitchen Confidential'. Anyway... whole story is here. http://www.dmagazine...in_Dallas.aspx? After watching that deplorable effort on Tesar's part to act as the expediter in the pass I'm now not suprised that his contemporaries in Dallas say nasty things about him. He'll probably get far in this competition just based on his cooking talents, but in the end I predict his disregard for others and ignorance of the negative vibe he sends off will catch him and that will trump him up.

Exactly. Whenever I've been around Carla when I'm in Las Vegas I always leave sort of shaking my head. Very talented but also, I sense, incredibly insecure. I think that's why she over-compensates with her intentional "psychosis" and a craving for attention. The insecurity clouds her ability to understand that if she just cooked the great Italian dishes she grew up with, people would laud her for that--not for the fact she's injected her lips with Botox and she wears heels in the kitchen. I think there's a shard of truth here that she realizes. You could see it in her face when they told her to pack her knives and go. I sort of felt bad for her. It was like the pretty girl at the party being told that nobody liked her--and she knew it. She just opened a new meatball restaurant in a mall in Las Vegas, (the venture at the Tropicana suddenly closed this Fall), so hopefully someday she will realize a better balance between her cooking and her "image."

So Jeff, being from Dallas, did the local community really once call Tesar the most-hated Chef in Dallas? And what could the guy have done that was so egregious that it earned him that woeful title?

Great report Jeff. Did you notice if they offered Kobe or Wagyu and how they graded it?

I'm going to make a nice turkey curry salad for sandwiches. Chopped turkey meat in good-size chunks, mayo, curry powder, ras el hanout powder, green onions, red grapes and sliced almonds. Of course, some of the best leftovers are a second Thanksgiving dinner on Friday. You can see my full menu here, http://forums.egulle...it/page__st__60, but I didn't care for some of the dishes so leftovers were just turkey, stuffing and a fresh gravy made with slow-cooked turkey necks and lots of vegetables. One twist I added to the plate was a nice rasher of crisp turkey skin. My Mother didn't let us gorge on the skin when we were kids, but oh is it good. Just cut off a slice of leftover skin and crisp it in a hot oven. The cranberry sauce will be a nice condiment for all sorts of upcoming roasted meats.

Thanks. I'll have to try the Pappy for Christmas.

So tonight I'll attempt to make something delicious with this- And a time-consuming, properly-made, rich turkey gravy-

My first thoughts last night and this morning were that the dinner wasn't all that great, but after reviewing the photos and going through the menu, it was really fairly good. I suppose we always have a few clunkers in the bunch.....all the more reason to get back in the kitchen tonight. Started with the planned cocktail of Maker's Mark bourbon, apple cider and ginger ale. Sometimes I vary from Maker's Mark, but I always go back. I like the smoothness and sweetness and it doesn't seem overly strong. Next was a crock of pork rillettes I put up last week. I followed an old recipe from Chef Andre Soltner which calls for stewing the pork in its own jus and fat. In all honesty, it's too bland for my tastes so next time I'll use my confit recipe and then shred the meat and pack it with the confit fat. Not bad, but not stunning. Served with delicious little nuggets of prunes soaked in calvados, (apple brandy). We should eat more prunes soaked in booze. Now on to dear Clementine Paddleford's Oyster Stew. If you aren't familiar with Ms. Paddleford, she's one of the icons of American culinary journalism ranking up there with MFK Fisher, Marion Cunningham, James Beard and Julia Child. This stew isn't for the faint of heart. It's very "oystery" but purists would love it's sea flavor. The red color comes from paprika and cayenne. It's a runny stew, not thick like chowder or bisque, but you're just tasting oyster liquor in milk and cream. Rather than the planned fried oyster, (which I thought was too fussy), I kept things original and added some oyster crackers and chopped curly parsley. A Total Wine store opened in Spokane two weeks ago and I am in heaven. I never used to by nice German Rieslings like this one. It was a tad too sweet, but the efferevescence and clean, citrus notes of the wine worked well against the strong oyster flavors. Think of it as a nice riesling with Thai seafood dishes. Now onto the main. I was too tired and hobbling around on my bum knee to bother with the plan of smoking the turkey. The turkey was a free-range, organic bird that trotted around a farm in Northwest, Washington. I salted the bird and left it uncovered overnight in the fridge. The theory is this dries out the skin so it crisps during roasting. I'm not sure it's anything more than a gimmick. Then stuffed the turkey with lemon, garlic and onion. I made an herb butter with tarragon, thyme, rosemary and sage and rubbed that under the skin of the turkey. Then into the oven at 450 for 45 min., which gave the color and crisp skin, then down to 350 to finish for about an hour. My problem here was that I got my timing off and after the first, hot roast at 450, I was still 3 hours away from dinner. I took Mr. Turkey out of the oven then back in one hour before service. Probably not recommended for food safety issues, but I was alone for dinner and I know my cast iron stomach. The dressing was made with sausage, dried cranberries, scads of butter, stock, dried and fresh poultry seasoning, celery, onion and garlic. Two eggs bind the mix together. I used Franz bakery bread cubes that I think they've made for about 60 years or so. Very good. The mashed potatoes were so-so. Next time I'll go back to the precise methods of Robuchons potato puree. The gravy bland and watery. The beans and pearl onions were left in a gloppy bechamel that separated and the fried onion topping couldn't save this mess. I didn't pay attention to the consistency of the sauce and the lengthy time I left the dish in the oven. It separated about 45 minutes before service. The slow-cooked greens with smoked ham hock were good, but I could have gone with one less side dish. Maybe keep the greens next time and dump the green beans and creamed onion muck. The star of the sides was an unplanned cranberry relish. I chucked the idea of a jelly with either pomegranates and cranberry. But I remembered an orange-cranberry relish. I couldn't find my recipe so I pushed together; fresh cranberries, sugar, juice of 3 Satsumas, lemon zest, orange zest, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, a good dram of Cointreau (orange liquer), and about a teaspoon of powdered pectin as a thickener. It was tangy, sweet, fragrant and delicious with the rich, buttery, turkey. And this deliciously earthy yet smooth, herbal, Rex Hill 2010 Oregon Pinot Noir. Simply one of the better Oregon Pinot's of recent years and far better with turkey than the Chardonnay I started with. I didn't get to the retro cookies I planned, but I'll tend to them tommorrow. The pecan pie was taken from a recipe from the Tartine Bakery of San Francisco. It calls for a sticky base with bourbon, (another wonderful use of Maker's Mark) and maple syrup. The recipe calls for candied kumquats. I couldn't find kumquats in the market, so I mistakenly put in some Satsuma segments. Sort of like putting in canned mandarin oranges. The concept was correct-put a note of orange citrus in the mix to cut through the rich filling. Juice would have worked, but whole segments didn't. You bit into this withered orange segment that wasn't thoroughly incorporated into the pecan mixture. I didn't get to the ice wine, but I'll have that tonight with a new, redone version of the pecan pie.