ChefJohnny

** shutters ** I made those friggin' things everyday for 6 months. Just looking at them makes my hands hurt. Just wait til you try the pommes maxims. - Chef Johnny BTW, nice pictures in your Flickr set!

This are my everyday knives and such. I don't keep my entire knife roll at work. I usually don't have a need for every knife in it, so I just keep the "essentials." Left to right: 9 1/2" Chefs/Gyutou, Masahiro 9 1/2" Slicer/Sujibiki, Masahiro 6" Boning, F. Dick (My last knife from school in the process of being phased out for the 6" Masahiro Honesuki/Boning) 5" Utility, MAC Tourné 8" Palette Knife, Williams Sonoma (this is the palette knife of choice for TFL and alumni) 4" Offset Palette Knife Smooth Steel Also included: Drag peeler Set of ring molds Sharpies/Pens Bottle Opener/Wine Key (Essential for the after work beer! Paint Brush (Currently in use for my foie dish at the moment) Not pictured: Plating/Saucing Spoons -Chef Johnny

So far, I've been on the total bottom of the ladder as well as the top. Currently, Im Executive Sous Chef at a small French style inn in Northern VA. Chronologically prior, Sous Chef at Sì in Richmond VA, Sous Chef at a Michelin 2 star in Germany, Sous Chef at Sanctuary Tea in NYC, Chef Saucier at Daniel in NYC, Chef de Poisson at El Dorado Kitchen in Sonoma CA, Commis/Chef de Poisson at The French Laundry in Yountville CA, and Executive Chef at the West End Cafe in Providence RI while attending Johnson & Wales University full time for my B.A. in Culinary Arts. Im in the process of moving back to Northern Cali for good. Im working on getting a spot with Richard Reddington at the moment. Cross your fingers for me! -Chef Johnny

Since I don't really do "shopping lists," although sometimes I make a small list on my iPhone if Im bored, I guess I'll post my prep lists from work as well as some pages from my recipe book. If you look close, you might recognize a few from The French Laundry. Enjoy....

Sautee the mushrooms in hot oil with WHOLE thyme and WHOLE smashed garlic (remove them before you plate). Add a little butter at the end with some raw shallots, salt, pepper, and a splash of sherry vinegar. Perfect every time. -Chef Johnny

I don't have the recipe, it was made by my butcher friend. I believe its Toulouse style, pork based with white wine and garlic, and parsley. -Chef Johnny

Tis the season once again for cassoulet. I make it every year when it starts to get cold. This is the first time I've made it for my parents. I am lucky to have a really great friend that owns the best butcher shop around, probably in all of Virginia, so I was able to source all my meat products through her. The duck confit happened to have been made the day before, as well as my pork sausage, called Della Nonna. I also picked up some rare breed pork belly. The beans. Cooked in my own chicken stock with mire poix, fresh thyme, fresh bay leaves, and the pork belly. Heres the Della Nonna And the glorious duck confit in all its fatty goodness! More pics to come! -Chef Johnny Before going into the oven...

El Dorado Kitchen in Sonoma. Just a quick 10 minute drive from Napa. The food is awesome. The entire place is awesome. I used to cook there. But the Chef, along with myself and 4 others, left The French Laundry to open it a couple years ago. Basically is the same food from TFL, but cheaper. www.eldoradosonoma.com -Chef Johnny

Usually with tasting menus, as with omakase, the whole table must get it. I could be wrong, as I have not eaten at Morimoto. But with my experience, tastings are generally done with all participating or not at all. -Chef Johnny

Im not sure what level of cuisine you are looking for, but for the high end stuff check out books by Juan Amador and Deiter Muller. Amador's restaurant is in Frankfurt and is amazing! I spent 4 months in Germany working in various Michelin restaurants and ended my time with Amador. Just incredible. -Chef Johnny

It should be the texture of creme brulee. Firm but creamy. -Chef Johnny

I worked at TFL for a while a couple of years ago while I was living in Napa. I was also in charge of ALL of the chip work, meaning chive chips, pommes maxim, beet chips, apple chips, fennel chips, etc., you get the point. I still have my template for shaping the potato taped to my recipe book. As for the chive chips, you need to use kennabeck potatoes. Their starch/sugar content is pretty much perfect for "chipping." Next major issue is thickness. At TFL, I used a deli slicer to get literally paper thin slices. Unless you have access to one, obviously the next option is the mandolin. The chive points are also a concern. They need to be the smallest/thinnest ones you can find in the bunch. Definitely keep the oven low, we did use ~275. It takes longer, sometimes up to an hour +, but it ensures an even, crisp chip. you also need to add weight. So, from the bottom, sheet pan- buttered silpat- potatoes- buttered silpat- sheet pan- wieght. At TFL, we used steel plates the size of the sheet pan. Just make sure the weight is evenly spaced. Good luck on your TFL dinner. Need help, send me a message. -Chef Johnny EDIT : I also wanted to add a little secret we used with the chive chip. When you pull them out of the oven and let them cool, use a small pair of scissors to trim the chip's corners to make them rounded. You didn't hear this from me....

One time I was doing an amuse and was racking my brain on how to serve it. It was going to be on a fork, so I wanted something to serve it on, but I didn't want a plate. I went to Home Depot and picked up a case of 6"x6" marble tiles. Just an idea... -Chef Johnny

I agree with this one. This is a beautiful progression of courses, just as long as the flavors progress just as nicely.

Im with you. No matter how bad it gets, the food is always correct. No matter what. At TFL, we always used to go by a quote by the great Fernand Point, "It is the guest who must wait for la grande cuisine." -Chef Johnny

Wow. I wish I was making $50k as Exec. Sous. - Chef Johnny

This was an app/VIP canape we used to do alot. Slice the fig in half lengthwise and push the fig into some granulated sugar so the exposed side is covered in sugar. In a very hot pan with a little oil, quickly caramelize the figs for about a minute. Throw in a teaspoon or so of butter and baste. Remove to a paper towel. Serve caramelized side up with shaved Reggiano and slowly reduced balsamic vinegar and a little sel gris. Sweet/Sour/Salty/Crunchy/Warm/Cool all in one bit. Its great. -Chef Johnny

I think the correct term is "bench testing." I've had to do this one or twice before. I find it to be quite fun, especially in terms of the regular boring interview process. And I do quite well when it comes to stuff like that. It usually ranges from product identification to prep work to trailing to actual station work. -Chef Johnny

True, but the botulin toxin is not killed by heat or acidic or anaerobic environments. Its not the "bug" that you really need to worry about, its the toxin. - Chef Johnny

Just a quick fact on that topic... did you know that just 30 grams of botulin toxin can kill everyone in the entire country? I find that to be quite incredible. I just found that out a few days ago. But don't get me wrong, Im still an advocate of sous vide, but I will no longer give the prep guy or someone not trained enough to do anything with sous vide cookery. -Chef Johnny

Next time, turn them as you would normally, down to the heart, for 2 reasons: 1) the leaves are quite bitter, and in an anaerobic cooking environment, the bitterness is bound to shine through and 2) less cooking time. If you I could make a suggestion (and Im not sure you have ever done this) but cooking the hearts barigoule style is the best way. And after cooking, the cuisson (finished cooking liquid) can then be used to cook other things in as well as making a damn good vinaigrette. Thats how we did it at The Laundry. Refer to The French Laundry Cookbook for a recipe. -Chef Johnny

When I was just a little tike, back in the day, I used to walk around eating whole cucumbers. Just gnawing on it until it was gone. The makings of a future chef, I guess. Anyway, I will second the sunomono as well as the refreshingly crisp thai salads with cilantro and mint. Oh yea, and cucumber cocktails are always perfect for the sweltering NYC summer days/nights. -Chef Johnny

There have been many lengthy and heated discussions (myself included) about this subject on eG. It's important to not take what most people say to heart. Research ad touring campuses are your best tool. You will get VERY different perspectives from people who have and have not gone to culinary school. Myself, I graduated in 05 from Johnson & Wales with my B.A. in Culinary Arts. I am a big advocate of culinary schools. But, it's all about what you take away that makes the difference. I went to school with some kids who were only there because they didn't want to go to a "real" college. Some who were there because their parents were paying. Some with no experience and inclination to succeed in the industry. One in particular, who was a senior with me, continued to use a full set of "Chef Tony" knives, and couldn't cook to save his life. How he made it to his senior year is beyond me. And he was a douchebag to boot. But there were many, like myself, that had a little prior experience and wanted to pursue a life in this industry. I made great friends with the Chef Instructors that got me into some very nice places, like The French Laundry. Networking is a HUGE asset of culinary school. There are a lot of things you learn in school that you most likely will not from just working in kitchens. On the other hand, there are lots of things you learn from restaurants that you won't learn in school. To me, culinary school was another stepping stone to where I wanted to go. And that stone was almost always one more than someone without a degree. The stuff in that article only really applies to the smaller schools. The big ones, J&W, CIA, NECI, etc. won't have that kind of reputation. But again, research and going to the campus and talking to people there and ex-students is your best ally in determining where you want to go. -Chef Johnny

The "Thomas Keller/French Laundry" way is the go-to in my kitchens. Start the eggs in cold/room temp water. Bring the eggs up with the water. At boil, set a timer for 9 minutes for "medium rare" yolks or 11 minutes for "well done" yolks. Immediately place eggs in an ice bath for at least 10 minutes. Just a side note, the 9 minute yolks are primarily used for sauces and emulsions, but I thought I would include that in my response, just for FYI. -Chef Johnny

Im sorry, but your generalization that smokers represent the bottom of the economic spectrum is a crock of shit. You can't make those kinds of crap comments without some kind of facts to back it up. Back on topic, I am a smoker and I was one of those who started when i got in a professional kitchen. Every kitchen i have worked in at least 1 person smoked. I recently spent 4 months in Europe where everyone and their dog smokes. In a kitchen of 30 all but 3 smoked. I think its just one of those things that people associate with chefs. Kind of like how sailors are "known" for cursing and drinking like fish or rockstars are drug addicts. -Chef Johnny