David Ross

It was probably due to a combination of cocktails and medicine I'm taking for a torn ligament in my knee. Combined with standing in a tiny kitchen, probably not the best environment to craft a Thanksgiving feast.

My dinner wasn't up to my standards, but I'll be reporting on the highs and lows, along with photos. However, today I'm back in the kitchen, crafting gravy in a more traditional manner. I got lucky this morning--the supermarket had scads and scads of fresh turkey necks and wings on sale.

My mashed potatoes tasted like.....nothing. Au Gratin sounds like a better way to go. Everything on your table looks delicious.

If I make a pomegranate jelly with whole cranberries, how should I prep the cranberries? I'm thinking of making a basic fruit jelly with the pomegranate juice then adding in some whole cranberries. Basically whole cranberries suspended in pomegranate jelly. But raw cranberries don't sound too appetizing in a jelly. Should I poach them in a sugar-syrup mixture first to soften them? I know cranberries don't hold up long under heat and they start to burst fairly quickly. So do I put them in the jelly raw or lightly poach them to soften? Maybe less than 5 min.? Thoughts appreciated.

I love that platter. I haven't seen one of those in years, but I sure remember them from the good ol steakhouse days!

Jeff, if you have a moment and Le Cirque is open next door, stop by and say hello to Ivo the Manager. Last time I had dishes from Circo was about 2 years ago and they had just taken on a new young Chef. Don't remember the name or if he is still there, but all the pastas were fabulous.

Sadly, all local Walmarts are now bereft of any Twinkies. (I know, I checked today). And I thought the 60's were a rough time of cultural change.....

Tell us about your deviled eggs. (I'm so addicted I take them about 3 times a month to work for breakfast). I think that's a perfect Holiday bite.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I've changed things up over the past few days, finished the shopping and started the prep. -For nibbling with cocktails, I've just put up a good size crock of pork rillettes. I've got about four different cocktail ideas, but the one that stands out is from Chef Laurent Tourendol and includes Bourbon, Apple Cider and Ginger Ale. -"Clementine Paddleford's Oyster Stew" with Fried Oysters will be the opening course. I'm going to sprinkle in a good dose of cayenne, so I think this spicy stew will pair nicely with a German Riesling. -The salad course with the Smoked Scallops and Fennel is out. It seemed to be more fitting for New Year's Dinner, and the Smoked Scallops will keep just fine until then. I'll eat the fennel and oranges this week. It just didn't fit with the overall theme of the menu which is sort of retro-American. -I forgot about my beautiful new smoker that I purchased in 2012, so that will be the vehicle for putting a light smoke on the turkey before finishing it in a hot oven. And I added slow-cooked greens with ham hock and apple cider vinegar. Stewed the greens this weekend and I think they'll keep fine in the freezer until Thursday. A Rex Hill Vineyards Oregon Pinot Noir for Thanksgiving. -For those of you who follow our Cook-Offs, we just completed a discussion of gels. So rather than an ice, I'm going to insert a pomegranate jelly with cranberries and candied orange. Do you think I should lightly boil the cranberries in simple syrup to soften them before enclosing them in the gel? -No cheese course, we'll save that for a British-style Christmas dinner. -The pecan pie is pretty standard, but with maple syrup and bourbon in the filling along with a garnish of bourbon whipped cream. -Two kinds of 1950's vintage cookies with coffee, including a rolled chocolate and vanilla butter pinwheel. -A bit out of character for this menu, but I've got a nice ice wine to sip after dinner.

They lost me a bit with Episode 5: "Rotten and Episode 6: "Rene." The foodstuffs in the "Rotten" episode weren't so much rotten as they are preseved ingredients or fruits beyond their prime. But if you listened to the descriptions of "putrid, foul and ooh, that is stinky," (while a semi-cartoonish woman made Kimchi), you would have thought the show would end with Chang in a backyard outhouse. Sure, smoked, dried, moldy fish may not be for some, but bleu cheese isn't either. I wished they would have focused more on the reasons "why" the Japanese preserve fish and what flavors it adds to dishes rather than act like some high school sophomores pulling a prank with sweaty gym shorts. I suppose I would have to taste it, but Chang's "Bagna Cauda" could have made sense to me--until he added walnuts to the sauce. I think it was walnuts and fish sauce. Hmmm. I'm sure there will be fans drawn in by the whimsical genius of "Rene" Redzepi, but I came away with a sense that the dishes went to the edge of the cliff--and then fell off. Television doesn't give us the ultimate test of a dish, which is taste, but how many oddball garnishes and tiny little flowers picked off the marsh do you need to add before you stop?

I've said it before so I'll add it for the flavor of Season 10 of Top Chef--it's especially egregious that apparently talented, experienced Chefs don't demonstrate the skills on Top Chef that one would think they have to display every night during service in their restaurant. I mean really, how difficult is it for a team of three Chefs to put together an entree in less than one hour? Sauce-Chef #1. Fish-Chef-#2. Vegetables/Garnishes/Plating-Chef #3. Has anyone ever heard or used a #2 pencil? Wouldn't that be the simplest tool to use to write down your timing? Think of it as reversing the clock. Just take a deep breath and resist the temptation to start romping through the kitchen like a delirious idiot. Hmm. Let's see. We have 45 min. to prepare our dish. So if we serve at 7pm, we get the green light at 615pm. So writing down and all agreeing to the timing, working as a team, with one leader calling out the instructions and overseeing the dish, we should be able to do it, right? Right? If we serve at 7p? When should we call out firing the fish? And should we make accomodation for the few minutes from plating to walk the plates into the dining room? Gosh, that's a good idea. Oh yeah, it's not that hard, we do it every night, don't we? I've seen far better planning, execution and timing at a Heartland Gathering of eGullet Members than I sometimes see on Top Chef. Get it together Cheftestants.

I shall weep no more.

Aside from crafting Ice Wine Gels encasing Foie Gras, I have also savored a few Suzie Q's and Twinkies in my time. Sensing the end was near, this morning I bought what may be one last box of both these cherished snack cakes. And yes, I am being serious here. This isn't a ruse, nor is it a tongue in cheek post. I've loved those cakes for over 50 years and still buy them on occasion. Yes friends, I can eat a white truffle from Alba one day and a Hostess Twinkie the next--and love both.

I agree. I once heard a Chef say the best way to cook fish was in the same environment in which it swam--water.

Salmon is a simple fish gifted with natural beauty---but it's not forgiving when you cook it.

I'm wiggling in my seat watching these Chefs put fresh Northwest seafood in front of Tom Douglas. I was in their shoes about 12 years ago. Chef Douglas judged me on MasterChef USA on PBS. Thankfully, he liked my Salt and Pepper Prawns with Sugared Walnuts. But that was a competition of amateur cooks, not professionals like Top Chef. When I saw one team over-cook their halibut tonight, I felt sick. It was like flushing gold down a toilet.

It's actually a combination of an old recipe from Clementine Paddleford and my own recipe for fried oysters. You basically start with fresh oysters and make a stew with the oysters, oyster liquid, butter, worcestershire, paprika, celery salt, milk and hald and half. It's a fairly soupy stew. Then I garnish it with a fried oyster. My basic mix is to dredge the oysters in a mix of flour, cornstarch and potato starch, then deep-fry in canola oil at 350 for about 3 minutes. Immediately before service you put a fried oyster in the bowl and spoon the stew in and around. You've got to taste and eat before the fried oyster gets soggy, but this is one delicious way to enjoy oyster in different textures.

I just started working on the menu tonight. Now this is very rough, so I'll need some suggestions- -Smoked Sea Scallop with Fennel, Apple and Orange Salad Any ideas on a vinaigrette? I was thinking in the citrus realm, but then again maybe something with pomegranates? Cut through the rich, smoky scallops? -Oyster Stew with Fried Oysters -Roast Turkey, Sausage Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, One more veg. What about creamed green beans and pearl onions with a "fried" onion topping? A new-style take on the green bean casserole? -What about something clean, fresh and frozen at this point? Pumpkin ice doesn't sound quite right. Lemon ice would be boring. Sorbet maybe too creamy. Passion Fruit or Lychee Ice? -Should the cheese course come after the ice? Before dessert? -Something in the vein of a pecan pie this year, but I've got to do something more with it.

Lovely! Thanks, the crust on the fish was fabulous. A few months back I changed my technique for sauteeing fish. No dusting of Wondra flour, (an Eric Ripert trick), no non-stick or cast iron pans, (only a stainless pan), only salt and pepper, (no more Cajun seasoning), and a mix of olive oil and clarified butter. It has to be clarified butter. Then basting the fish with the butter/oil throughout sauteeing and roasting. Incredible.

Some French Bistro cooking for dinner tonight- Stewed Carrots- Salt Cod with Potato- Roast Sea Bass with Red Wine Sauce-

I'm always on a search for a good recipe for chicken in vinegar. Please share!

I concur, and I even thought the master omelet that Chef Puck pounded out looked a little marginal.

Linda you're exactly right. I'm intrigued by the show and by Chef Chang, but I know the gig so to speak. While the PBS viewer of cooking shows is more focused than the audience that watches Guy Fieri on Food Network, even those devoted PBS fans may watch that first episode and say, "why would I make spaghettie carbonara with ramen noodles? Where's the spaghetti?" I'm going to be fascinated by this developing journey, but the general audience may not really get it.

This is going to be one of the more influential food and cooking programs we've seen in many years. I just caught the second episode where Chef Chang speaks to the influence of the Spanish and the Modernist movement. It really puts into clear perspective for the outside world how the movement didn't simply create new dishes or techniques, but discovered new ways to treat ingredients which, in turn, opened our minds to unlimited possibilities.

Finally a meatball recipe I'm proud of. Just a simple mix of beef, pork, fresh bread soaked in milk, salt, pepper, parsley, fennel seeds, egg, dried basil, oregano and marjoram and a good measure of ricotta. They were incredibly soft and juicy. I browned them in olive oil then into the oven napped with marinara sauce using canned San Marzano tomates. I didn't even need any pasta, just a few slices of bread.