David Ross

Sounds quite appealing. I did not recall you being a sweets person. Must pay more attention. I like the spice combination on the pineapple with the chocolate background. I love sweets, but I'm not much of a pastry cook. I do make a mean ice cream though and I love experimenting with fruits and exotic spices. Pineapple and chocolate is a lovely marriage.

My take on a Brownie Sundae. Malted Chocolate Ice Cream, Pecan Brownie, Caramel, Spiced Pineapple Relish, (the spices are vanilla bean, cardamom and ras el hanout)-

My preferred flour is potato flour. I think it adds a hint of potato flavor that accents the onion. Since Wondra flour is so finely ground, it probably gives a different finished texture on the onion ring than what you'd get with more coarsely ground all-purpose flour. I use a ratio of about 60% flour to 40% cornstarch. The cornstarch is what gives my onion rings the crispness. If I'm using a beer batter, I don't add baking soda as the beer is the activator and so soda isn't needed. I only fry the onion rings for about 2-3 minutes so I don't think a double-fry would work in terms of practicality--and the onion rings are fantastic with only one fry.

Wow, we share an onion-ring eating history! Actually, these onions were pretty encased in the coating so each bit had a nice thick piece of onion, no sliders in the bunch. And eating homemade onion rings reminded me of why I hate those frozen, processed onion rings made with "pieces of onion." Basically they chop the off onions and mush them up then process them into "rings." Yuck.

I got a hankering for some onion rings a few days ago. Couldn't find any local Walla Walla Sweets, so I just used a basic sweet yellow onion. I prefer a beer batter, but didn't want to go to the trouble tonight. I prefer soaking the onions in the thick consistency of buttermilk over regular milk, and the buttermilk does give a bit of tang. Then into a seasoned flour mix with smoked paprika, salt and pepper, then egg, then panko--a 4-step process. Then into canola oil at 350. Pretty darn tasty but I still prefer a Beer-Battered Walla Walla Sweet.

I prefer a poached egg on top of hash. It's a matter of texture. Yes, a fried egg can have a runny yolk, but the white is set and browned on the bottom. I prefer the softness of the white enveloping the yolk of a poached egg.

You can get an idea of what to expect from my review of e' here from last year when I was at Vegas Uncork'd. It's truly a unique experience and I felt it was worth the time and cost. Due to the intimacy of the setting, I chose not to take any photos.

Hmm. Is that what I prophetically said on December 2?

Chris-I remember the sous vide egg we had at brunch at the Heartland Gathering this past Summer. I wasn't really a fan. I thought the white had a gummy texture and the yolk didn't have the same texture as an egg poached in water. Do you have a special technique for sous vide eggs that you feel comes close, or is better, than a traditionally poached egg?

Looks like a nice texture to me. I'll try your technique.

Well, if anyone really thinks they actually sell the salmon they throw, then I have a Top Chef cookbook I'll sell ya.

And I might add a dish worthy of a place at any fine dining restaurant. Gorgeous.

I agree Chris, the frozen Pepperidge Farms puff pastry is really not good. It lacks flavor and never really "puffs" up very well. Trader Joe's has a decent frozen puff pastry and Dufour Kitchens sells their frozen puff pastry at Whole Foods and on the web. I personally don't care to spend the time and effort to make it at home, so I'll buy the frozen stuff--but I imagine the freezing process has an impact on the interaction that takes place between the butter and flour when it's baked.

Did they serve the Langoustine Fritters at L'Atelier with that intensely green parsley sauce? That is probably on my list of the Top Ten Dishes I've ever tasted. So simple, so stark, yet so delicious.

Roasted Marrow Bones with Curly Parsley Salad-

This is one fine blog Chris. I would imagine your peers at work are quite jealous of the lunches you bring in.

I'm sure I missed it somewhere along the way, but did you put any cream or milk in the Bolognese for the Lasagna?

Looks like a delicious bacon hash to me!

David, I for one absolutely require soft rolls for burgers, fast food or homemade. I despise those "artisanal" pieces of crap some places insist on using that completely overwhelm the burger (in addition to making it harder to eat!). I too like a soft roll, but I don't just want it squished on top of the burger. A requirement in my kitchen, which restaurants and fast food joints rarely do, is to butter the bun and toast it first. That way I get a soft bun with a buttery, toasted side next to the burger. I do agree with you on the artisanal breads, too hard in most cases and far too large for the burger.

I'm certainly not a fan of Five Guys. That bun looks like it was squished in the back of the bread truck.

Geesh. You make candy. You make bacon. You have a Whole Foods. You have a pretty good life my friend!

I don't know why people still harp on about this given that this has happened every season since the beginning of the show. The standard format is that they cook in the titular place until it's winnowed to the final X, everyone takes a big break and the finals are cooked in another location, after the season has started airing. And I've constantly harped about it since season 1.

Roast Cod with Applewood-Smoked Bacon and Ratatouille-

Here's the recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, 1976 edition. (Note: the recipe calls for cooking in the oven, but as you know from my photo descriptions, I fried the hash in cakes in a pan on the stovetop). "Best Oven Hash" 1 cup coarsely ground corned beef 1 cup coarsely ground cooked potatoes 1/4 cup coarsely ground onion 1/4 cup snipped parsely 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 6-oz can evaporated milk, (2/3 cup) 1/4 cup bread crumbs 1 tbsp butter, melted Mix first 6 ingredients, 1 tsp. salt and dash pepper. Turn into 1-quart casserole. Mix crumbs and butter, sprinkle atop. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, serves 4.

I'm thinking the reason it didn't cling together is that you used water for the liquid element rather than cream or a thick gravy that would have given your hash more body.