Carolyn Tillie

Recently opened and highly acclaimed is a little place called La Poste, on your left just before you enter the square. Little in that it has very few seats and requires reservations ahead of time due to frequent sell-outs. I have not eaten there myself (too poor) but have had friends recommend it to me as they make their own pate which I always appreciate. My budget has relegated me to some other local favorites: La Basque Boulangerie for morning pastries (although I think their coffee is mediocre) and The Red Grape for decent CPK-like pizzas. Of note: I have eaten twice at Della Santini (also on the square) and while I enjoyed it the first time, found it wanting on the second visit. Also recently opened, just off the square, is a well-reviewed tapas resaurant, Andalusia. If you are around on the weekend, stop by and see me pouring at Gundlach Bunschu, my favorite Sonoma winery...

Here's my recipe for Summer Buddha Soup Chicken Stock: 1 Chicken, cut up 1 large hand of garlic, finely julienned 1 or 2 bunches of scallions 1 large bunch of lemongrass, chopped 1 or 2 cups sake Make a stock as you would from our eGCI classes but in this case, you get a broth that is especially oriental flavored. It also defats well if you can wait an extra day. Remove the chicken meat from the bones and reserve for soup. From the local farmer's market, assemble a collection of fresh Oriental veggies: Baby Bok Choy Mushrooms Scallions Snow Peas or Sugar Snap Peas Broccoli Carrots And also some non-vegetables: Shredded Chicken Tofu Udon or Soba noodles (pre-boiled) The basic trick is to get the Oriental chicken stock BOILING hot and pour it over whatever you would like in your soup. The vegetables, being fresh, will lightly cook and still be very crunchy and light. Season with a dash more sake and soy sauce (for salt). A word on the 'harder' vegetables... I have actually served this as a beautifully displayed buffet for smaller dinner parties. I pre-blanch the harder vegetables like the carrots and snow peas so that there isn't really a wait for them too cook. I lay out all the soup-fixins for the guests who put what they want into their bowls and then ladle in the broth. Those that don't want alcohol can leave out the sake and the saltiness is also adjusted a la minute. Also, it works well for several days, but NOT if you try and cook the vegetables as a regular soup, re-heating it each day. It is a great summer soup because the vegetables are very fresh and still crunchy.

Ah... that just warmed the cockles of my despairing heart. Thank YOU!

Perfect -- thanks, FG!

I should have clarified that point better -- "stock" in sauce recipes ARE the reduced stocks. There is no reconstituting. This is what makes for very, very rich sauces.

My god... I guess it is pretty obvious where my subconscious has been, huh? Mea culpa.

When you say that, do you mean that the water (the ~15% of the butter that's not fat) is important in making a roux? One should not wait for the butter to foam and water to evaporate out? I've gotten into the habit of always waiting for the fat to get above 212F as a means of ensuring that it is just fat that I'm dealing with. If one's butter does faom before adding the flour, should one add a splash of water to make up for the evaporation? This is entirely one of those experience-things. There have been occasions where I find that if I try and rush the roux and the butter has foamed, when I add the flour it SEEMS as though there is too much flour and it becomes pasty immediately and never smooths out. As I suggest weighing the proportions of the ingredients (1/2 pound butter with 1/2 flour), yes the weight of the water is important. Also, it is not so much that the butter has foamed INITIALLY, but that it continues to foam and evaporate even after adding the flour. I wouldn't necessarily add water to compensate but have had, on occasions, added a pat more butter to compensate (or a tad less flour in the beginning). Sadly, it is not very scientific but is all by feel.

I have successfully stored roux in the back of my fridge in a good-sealing Tupperware for up to a year. As the roux isn't really flavoring per se, there would be more concern about the roux having added flavor of the fridge but I feel it is miniscule compared to the other flavors in the sauce which should counter-act any 'old tasting' roux. Alternately, if you are really energenic, you could freeze your roux in portions and then defrost when needed. The only reason I've never done this is complete accessibility to what I may need immediately as opposed to having wait for it to thaw out.

Well, I must admit to having only ever tasted fresh black truffles in the winter and the white truffles in the summer. Inasmuch, the dish served was absolutely lovely and could have been in part enhanced by truffle oil although there were several large slices of said truffled atop the risotto. It was last summer and served at Patina's Pinot Blanc in downtown Los Angeles. It was so good, I went back a few days later for a second serving before the truffles were gone. I've searched their website to see if it might be listed on their menu, but it was a special and I don't see it this year. I did find a link that looked familiar: http://www.rolandtanglao.com/photos/2003/07/14/birthday.dinner.at.bis.moreno.on.hornby/Pages/8.html' target='_blank'>

In training for my new job (which, sadly has gone from a full-time thing to a part-time thing but that is another story), I was thrilled to be given a formal Balsamic tasting as part of my training. As a quick side note, I recently acquired which was going to be selling Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Honey, and Preserves -- the company has basically decided they can't afford an outside sales person but needs someone to manage the inside, catalogue sales. Without wanting to shill , here's part of the selling text of the vinegards we tasted: Delizia Estense, is made by the Bertoni family. Outside of Modena, in the hillside village of Montegibbio, is the pristine acetaia (the traditional facility where the Balsamic has been made for centuries) with over 1500 barrels for aging. The Story: In 1970, Sante set out with a passion and mission to revive what he felt was fast becoming a lost art. He dedicated his new business to "the innovative recovery of the cultural traditions and the ancient practices" which were slowly disappearing in Modena and being replaced by modern commercial practices in the making of Balsamic vinegar. The Bertoni family represents both literally and metaphorically what people in the area refer to as the "hilltop artisans". These are the remaining small producers in the Emilia Romagna region of Northern Italy who continue to make the authentic Parmesan, Prosciutto and Balsamic for which the area has long been famous. Delizia Estense AgroDolce di Montegibbio 10-year Aged a minimum of ten years in a successive battery of wood barrels, this highly-concentrated elixir is deep, rich and viscous, with a complex palate of flavors that give it a true traditionale profile. To be used drop by drop to flavor strawberries and raspberries, drizzled on a perfectly grilled steak or a simple sliced duck breast. Makes a perfect condiment for a cheese course. Delizia Estense Aceto Balsamico di Modena 5-year This is a finely crafted blend of older Balsamics with a minimum aging in the barrel of five years before bottling. It should be used in the kitchen as a condiment drizzled slowly over the simplest of dishes to enhance them with the distinctive Balsamic flavor. Try on height of summer tomatoes with basil and mozzarella, or with figs wrapped in prosciutto and mint or mix with fresh berries with vanilla gelato for a supreme dessert. Each bottle comes in an individual hand blown bottle. Delizia Estense AgroDolce For Everyday Use The youngest vinegar in this series with a minimum of two years of barrel aging (25%) will be mixed with substantially older (75%) in this blend. It's fresh and pleasantly concentrated sweet and sour taste is a good foil for vegetable dishes and bitter green salads, or to finish sauces for duck, pork and lamb, or to spoon over summer grilled foods. Okay, so we had these three vinegars in little sipping cups along with a Trader Joe's Gold Quality Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. Here's there bottle text: Trader joe's Gold Quality Balsamic Vinegar is an aromatic vinegar with a mellow flavor. Made from the unfermented juice of fully ripened grapes, this vinegar is aged for many years in fine oak barrels. The front of the bottle says, "Aged 10 Years." What I learned that blew me away was that there are no regulations (International or otherwise) keeping vinegar makers from putting Balsamic on the bottle, even if there is as little as one drop of TRUE balsmic therein. I could buy a bottle of distilled, white vinegar, add a single drop of balsamic and legally call it Balsamic Vinegar! I also discovered that the stuff that TJ's sells is hardly balsmic -- okay, it tastes a bit, but must have some added sugars and colorings. There is book on Balsamico by Pamela Sheldon Johns which shows detailed drawings on how Balsamic STARTS in Oak, but then progressively gets moved into smaller barrels of other woods. The other fallacy has to do with years -- while some true, artisinal balsamic producers try to adhere to controlling and labeling their vinegars in years, it is also a sales ploy that is not necessarily accurate. Like the previous example, a bottle can contain one drop of REAL 10-year old balsamic to be called a 10- Year Old Balsamic! So - the bottom line? See if you can find a real tasting of real balsamic. The real stuff is going to cost you some money. If you find a bottle for $4.99 (TJs for example), you can pretty much believe it is not real but processed. Fun, huh?

Impossible. They were a special "White Summer Truffle Risotto" at Patina...

Technically, you are correct.

This is not true. A summer truffle (Tuber Aestivum)is a type of black truffle but will be far less potent than its winter counterpart and is far cheaper. The best truffles (black or white) are found during the winter with Perigord and Alba being the most famous truffle producing regions for black(Tuber Melanosporum) and white(Tuber Magnatum) respectively. I've had summer truffles that were white...

Nope! It won't reduce as much if you cover it because the condensation will keep getting re-absorbed back into the liquid. Uncovered is the way to go.

Never too late! And it works, but takes a bit longer. I've done 24-hour chicken stock where I bring all the ingredients to a boil and then chuck the thing in the oven for a day at about 250 degrees. The only downside that I can see is economic: Does it cost more to run a full oven all day and night versus a single stove unit? The other downside is the skimming -- it is a bit harder to get in and skim every now and then. Usually, when I make an oven'd stock, I don't bother to skim at all and just strain better later.

The idea with the lid method isn't to use it to strain the entire stockpot. The idea is to use it to get the stock out of the pot after you've already removed as much as possible with a ladle or other scoop-worthy utensil. Thanks again for the photos, Seth (and also gsquared for the photos on the other thread). It's highly gratifying to see that people are actually doing this. Ooops... guess I missed that part, too! mea culpa.

Best of luck -- I gotta admit, the lid technique doesn't work for me either. I think I'm just not strong enough to lift that many pounds of stock and bones and mirepoix and stock-pot. I ladle it out with a 4-cup, handled measuring cup until it is light enough for me to lift to pour the rest. The other added benefit of ladling is that when you see your cheesecloth (if you use one) get too mucked up with sediment, you can change to a clean one.

Ahem... one caveat: This might be obvious, but I never like to assume. Snowangel's suggestion is an excellent one IF you live somewhere extremely cold with snow. This hint does not bode well for those living in areas that never see snow (like where I live!). I did hear of someone doing something like this and didn't understand that it wouldn't work because she lived in Arizona... yeah, stupidity still abounds. I actually knew a woman who, after roasting a Thanksgiving turkey, assumed she could leave it in her cold oven and cut left-overs from the bird directly for up to week. Her husband was hospitalized and almost died because he didn't know that his turkey sandwich he was having for lunch a few days later WASN'T from refrigerated meat! True story, I swear.

I'll step in on this one briefly, until FG returns. In making fish stock, you want to stay away from fishes that are generally very oily in nature (cod, salmon, mackeral etc). A good fish to use would be sole or flounder. The stocks themselves can be reduced just like any other stock, yes. It is recommended that if using fish bones, gut them well to get rid of any traces of blood as that will make your stock cloudy. Think of light vegetables to get a light stock (James Peterson recommends fennel branches which I think is a brilliant idea). CIA recommends a 'white' mirepoix (turnips, parnips, fennel, or onion -- no carrots, celery is iffy). There are some who haunt the fish-monger for heads as that tends to be an economical way to make a stock without buying a lot of fish. That is an okay idea IF the heads are very fresh. I made a fish stock from not-so-fresh heads and ended up throwing away a huge Tupperware bin as the smell would never leave. Regarding shellfish, I would not bother with roasting them at all, but saute or wok them a bit until bright red. "Roasting" in a oven would (I believe) burn them to much. You really just want to bring out a 'little' of their flavor versus having an overly-darkened, burnt flavor. Bear in mind, most recipes calling for fish stock needs a stock that is rather light, not necessarily roasted (not that you can't create something entirely new to experiment with!). By sauteing them, the heat draws out the flavors in the shellfish that would then be extracted in the simmering process. Hope this helps!

According to Michel Roux -- Cooking a stock for longer does not make it better -- quite the reverse. Long cooking can actually be detrimental, since the stock becomes heavy and loses its savour... only veal stock needs several hours cooking (3hrs). A stock is ready when it smells ready. When a stock smells right and you continue to cook it all that you achieve is to send the flavour up the extractor. And please, handle the term 'complexity' with care. CIA's The New Professional Chef says to cook a brown stock for six hours (page 439). Escoffier is quoted, "allow the stock to cook gently for twelve hours." (page 9). We have done this before -- provide a litanny of he said/she said/my book says this, blah-blah-blah. Let us just agree that we will all have different methods that suit us according to whom we read and trust. As an instructor (and I am speaking for me alone and will not presume to interject FG's philosophies), I believe we have all tried to provide a guideline of recipes that have become the general norm in culinary instruction.

Also, again I disagree. Chicken stock essentially has no shelf life. If brought to a boil every three days, a good quantity of chicken stock could successfully last indefinitely with no ill health benefits.

FG's stock is cooked for 12 hours... That's fine but, as I think you pointed out earlier, it will taste of bone. In my experience, and providing the ingredients you use are small (not whole chickens or veal knuckles) then anything more than three hours simmering is uneccessary, not to mention counterproductive. I completely disagree -- a three hour brown stock in no way can compare with the complexity and richness of a 12-hour brown stock. Chicken stock is slightly different -- three to six hours is more than sufficient, but a brown stock certainly benefits from more time.

BBhasin; I'm not sure if Bong will be able to sleep at night, but rest assured that I will! That was incredibly informative and answered a questoin I had been curious about for some time. Thank you!

Here again is where FG and I somewhat disagree. While I do not tend to add aromatics to my chicken broths (leaving them a black slate), I do add aromatics to my brown stock. I find the blank chicken stock more versatile towards adapting to adapting to other tastes but since I most often utilize my brown stock into French-style sauce, the use of basic aromatics is one that seems second-nature to me. In my brown stock, I utilize peppercorns, bay leaf, thyme, and parsley. Regarding consomme, one of my greatest joys was collecting the bones from ducks and rabbits in the freezer for quite some time. Those added to veal bones (all roasted) made a lovely 'game' stock. Later, I made it into a consomme with ground venison. Stunning - absolutely stunning.

FG is travelling today so I am fielding comments today on this... He will probably weigh-in (no pun intended) and possibly have different thoughts than mine but... Yes, we both have commented on the use of tomato paste in brown sauces and, coincidentally, WE BOTH USE IT! Fat Guy had a different method than mine (he puts it in directly, I use the paste to paint the bones during their browning). I am very curious why there would be such opposition to tomato paste and would be curious for further discussion as to why not to use it. I just phoned the chef instructor i remember as having been the most adamant about not using tomato paste when making a brown stock. I wanted to be sure i was clear on what his reason for this stance was. His answer was much the same as the "tabula rasa" reasoning FG gave for not adding salt to a basic stock. He said that when reducing to a glace or demi, sometimes the tomato tends to lend a certain bitterness to a glace. Also, he doesn't like the color it seems to bring to sauces - and a lot of tomato pastes include artificial color. I will say that this guy makes the most beautiful clear brown jewel-toned stocks, glaces and sauces, even without clearmeat clarification, so i tend to side with him. On the other side of the fence, what's the justification for using tomato paste? I assume it's either to heighten the carmelization process of the roasted bones, or that an acidic substance in stock can hasten the extraction of gelatin? Well, I just referenced James Patterson's book. He doesn't use tomato paste. The CIA instruction manual does. Larousse has two versions, one with tomatoes and one without. The Joy of Cooking uses fresh tomatoes. Bernard Clayton uses paste. I could keep going through my books, but I guess the picture is pretty clear on the tomato paste thing... it can go either way. I guess the best thing to do is try it both ways and see if you notice a remarkable difference and if one tastes better to you than another.