David Ross

Unfortunately, the Rack of Lamb class won't happen. Got cancelled today due to only 5 students having signed-up. We need at least 12-16 to make it worth it for the store in terms of my time, the ingredients and post-class sales. That's one of the cold, hard, realities of those of us in the kitchen who teach--there has to be a break-even point and if you don't meet it, (regardless of how important it is to the students), you can't make a cooking class work.

A little bit different take on Steak with Green Peppercorn Sauce. Filet, Red Miso Butter Sauce, Sweet and Sour Pickled Green Peppercorns-

Valentino will probably have a booth at the Grand Tasting--but they really should be involved in one of the Masters Series Dinners on Thursday night. Unfortunately, Thursday night is the realm of Caesar's so only their restaurants are involved. The Venetian, (home to Valentino), and the Palazzo haven't been overly involved with Uncork'd in the past other than the Grand Tasting, which is a shame. I've had suckling pig and all manner of pastas prepared by the Valentino crew and served at public events--and they consistently are ranked as one of the best at these types of large gatherings. I think of Valentino as the age-old craftsmen, steady as she goes and their work is always precise. While they are conscientious of the trends in tastes, they don't do things to be "trendy" like so many of the celebrity Chefdoms in Las Vegas.

It certainly can get warm in May, but overall I think it's pretty nice. The Grand Tasting around the pools at Caesar's has always been blessed with nice weather. I do however avoid Las Vegas in July and August. I stopped going down during those months about 5 years ago after one trip where I slugged through 114 temps.

You'll enjoy Payard. The dining room only holds about 25 guests and so the personal attention and interaction with Chef Payard is much more intimate than at some of the other Thursday dinners. And don't just think of Payard as a sweetshop--the savory dishes are amazing. It's best to get to the Grand Tasting early. Be prepared to see upwards of 1,500 or more people, and expect to see some bottlenecks getting to some of the booths. The flow of people goes in waves--starting with a flood of people to the booths of the celebrity Chefs, it then slows down a bit, then rises up again in terms of the traffic. You'll see people dressed to the nines, (as is typical in Las Vegas), or very casual. I typically do a pass through the area and check out the booths and what they are serving, then I go back again and hit my favorites. Don't worry that any booth will run out of food, I've never seen that happen. Imagine, Guy Savoy serves his signature Artichoke Soup with Black Truffle and Brioche--for about 4 hours and never runs out. That's a lot of truffles!

Savoy has some American products and new dishes on the menu. If you've never experienced the "bread cart," "cheese cart," "champagne cart," or the "dessert cart," well, just wait for a memorable experience. While I may not dance, which is an offense in Clark County, (you know, the law against David Ross dancing), I never miss Chef Keller spinning some discs. I've had many a memorable meals and dishes at Valentino--Baby Abalone from Australia, American Bison, the Parmesan Crisps and the most delicious, moist, Stuffed Quail you can imagine. But the most memorable dishes at Valentino are the Pastas with White Truffles from Alba, (in the Fall). Oh, and the Grappa!

I'll be arriving on Tuesday, May 8. (I like to get in town early so I have the chance to do some dining before the events get started on Thursday). You won't regret dining at Valentino. I'll check with you before your trip and give you some ideas on the best dishes to taste. Chef Pellegrini is not only a James Beard Award-Winning Chef but an incredible host. This is my schedule so far for the Uncork'd events: Thursday, May 10 -Spago 20th Anniversary Lunch, Spago--The Forum Shops at Caesar's, Chef Wolfgang Puck -Master's Series Dinner, Central--Caesar's Palace, Chef Michel Richard I'm going for something new on Thursday night this year with the dinner with Chef Richard. I was tiring of the Thursday dinners at Guy Savoy, but I've just spoken to a friend and Savoy has debuted a new Spring menu of dishes never before seen. They've brought things forward in terms of contemporary tastes and my guess is you'll experience some of these new dishes at your dinner at Savoy. Friday, May 11 -My Favorite Things Lunch, Michael Mina--Bellagio, Chef Michael Mina I'm really looking forward to this not only because I savor Chef Mina's cuisine, but because he hails from Eastern Washington where I live. -Grand Tasting, Caesar's Palace Saturday, May 12 -Chronicles of a Couple that Cook Together, Prime--Bellagio, Chef Jean Georges Vongerichten and his wife Marja, host of the PBS series "The Kimchi Chronicles." -Surfside Beach Clambake, Mandalay Bay, Chefs Rick Moonen, Charlie Palmer, Susan Feniger, Mary Sue Milliken Sunday, May 13 -Steak and Eggs with Charlie Palmer, Aureole--Mandalay Bay, Chef Charlie Palmer Now let's see, that leaves many holes in the schedule for more eating! I'm departing for home, gorged on a week in Las Vegas, on Monday, May 14.

One of Batali's great recipes, Olive Oil Poached Fish. The original recipe calls for Halibut, but any firm flesh fish will work. In this case, I used Alaskan Cod. Layer a deep casserole dish with lemon slices. Place the fish on top of the lemon slices, season with salt and pepper. Add some capers and parsley on top of the fish. I added some garlic cloves and bay leaves to the pot, (which isn't called for in the recipe). Slowly pour in enough olive oil to fully cover the fish. Cover the pot and roast the fish in a low, 250 oven for about 1 1/2 hours. Delicious when served with creamy mashed potatoes and steamed green beans.

And here is said implement:

I've got a traditional bacon press, but I've never used it when cooking bacon. I used to fry bacon in a pan, but recently I changed my method to cooking bacon in the oven. It stays flat when you cook it in the oven so there's no need for that press. However, I do use it for grilled sandwiches. No need for a George Foreman grill if you use a bacon press. It delivers perfectly grilled cheese sandwiches every time, sans the grill marks from a panini press. And a bacon press is far cheaper than a fancy electric sandwich press. I used to avoid using the bacon press for hamburgers, because I worried that the weight of the press would squeeze out a lot of the juices in the meat, making my burger dry. On the other hand, without using the bacon press on the burger, it would seize up into a baseball. Last night I made a delicious burger and used the bacon press to keep in a perfect round patty shape. Yes, some liquid seeped out, but I suspect it was the added water in supermarket ground beef. Cooked to a medium-rare the burger kept it's shape and fit within the round bun, all due to the weight of the bacon press. Do you own and use a bacon press? Have you found ways to use it other than for bacon, burgers and sandwiches?

Vegas Uncork'd 2012 has added another new event--"Spago's 20th Anniversary Lunch," on Thursday, May 10. Wolfgang Puck was the first well-known Chef to stake a claim in Las Vegas, and any restaurant in any city in America that celebrates its 20th Anniversary is doing something right. Restaurants in Las Vegas typically only last as long as they can keep the interest of the tourists, which isn't long. Considering that Uncork'd is a celebration of food and dining in Las Vegas, it's only fitting that Spago's 20th anniversary be recognized. You can view the updated schedule here.

"My rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite--smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after and if need be, during all meals and in the intervals between them." Sir Winston Churchill

Now that's a winner--Spam Hash! Looks delicious.

I'm not so sure I'd like the red color of the blade. Might mask things when I cut myself. Honestly, I prefer the silver sheen of a traditional knife as I can see better as the blade cuts against food of a different color...

"I would like to put the whole of natural history on the spit, in stews, in fricassees, in court-bouillon, in grills,..... " Jean Camille Fulbert-Dumonteil, 1831-1912

You might want to also check out the online menus for Moxie and Luna. The Chef at Moxie used to be the Executive Chef at the Davenport Hotel. The menu is a blend of Asian and Pacific Northwest. The restaurant is located in the center of downtown. Luna is up on what we call the South Hill neighborhood, about a 10 minute drive from downtown. The menu is a blend of classic American with Northwest touches. It's a nice, quiet setting.

Those are beautiful. Yes, I am waiting with anticipation for our morel season here in the Northwest. Not sure when they will be available as we had a late winter with snow as recently as Thursday. The morels were early last year, but I'm thinking a bit late this year and I probably won't see anything for a couple more weeks.

"Give her sunshine, and plenty of butter and cream." Wuthering Heights, 1939

Living in the Pacific Northwest, you would probably assume I would say Salmon. While I love our wild Salmon, my favorite fish is Alaskan Black Cod. Canadians often refer to it as Sablefish. It has a buttery flavor and soft, yet meaty texture--think of halibut but much richer. Black Cod is very versatile in terms of preparation, but I like it lightly smoked, then baked in the oven and served in an Asian style broth with mushrooms.

"I'm not a heavy eater. I'm just heavy, and I eat." Alfred Hitchcock

Grilled Prawns with Shrimp Toast, Sweet and Sour Vinaigrette-

Start with some meaty, thick duck breasts. I prefer the Magret breast from a Moullard duck. They make more nice, wide slices when you make the pastrami. In this case, I found some frozen duck breasts that I thought would work well, but when I thawed them they were puny. The flavor was still great, but for presentation I prefer wider slices from a bigger breast. Brine- 1/4 cup crushed juniper berries 1 tbsp. crushed Szechuan peppercorns 1 tbsp. crushed black peppercorns 3 cups water 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup Kosher salt 2 bay leaves Dash curing salt 2 large duck breasts Place all the ingredients for the brine in a saucepan and heat to the boil. Let cool to room temperature. Pour the cooled brine into a Tupperware container and add the duck breasts. Cover and refrigerate. I like to let the duck sit in the brine for 2-3 days. Remove the duck breasts from the brine. Make a spice rub from the same spices you used for the brine-juniper berries, Szechuan and black peppercorns, and bay leaves, ground together. Rub this spice mixture on the brined duck breasts. Place the duck breasts on a rack over a cookie sheet and bake at a low oven, 225, for 45 minutes. (Sometimes I smoke/cook the duck breast in a smoker at the same temp/time). Cool the duck breast, wrap and refrigerate for another couple of days before using. Slice as thin as possible before serving.

I live for Dungeness Crab. How beautiful, and I'm sure delicious.

I'm big into brining, curing and preserving these days. One of my favorite cured meats is Duck Pastrami. It's technically not pastrami since it isn't smoked, it's more of a "corned" duck, but "Duck Pastrami" sounds better. Duck "Pastrami," Melon, Mint, Olive Oil, Blood Orange Balsamic-

And I have to believe that in some small way, Paul's focus on what was important--his food, rather than the snarkiness of others--is what in part led him to the title of Top Chef.