Jinmyo

chefchelle, welcome. Perhaps you would post about some of your aspirations and then your experiences. If not here, then in the member's bio section. Larousse is great reading: brief entries that unpack an array of possibilities.

Wow. That's hardly slow food.

I vote for photographs. Exterior shot of the school. Shot of knife set. Shot of yourself in whites. A few interior shots. Just to set the context.

Nick, another way of doing it is to at least let it hang in the open for a few hours with a fan running on it. Same for chicken. "Old" Chinese technique. I prefer unwrapped in the refrigerator also, though. Or wrapped lightly in cheesecloth. And in a tray.

Rochelle, thank you so much for undertaking this in addition to the actual workload of study. Since you intend to become a food writer, this diary will no doubt become useful in that endeavour. Will you be issued a knife set or do you have to buy your own? Footwear: Clogs. Really. For comfort and safety (being able to kick them off when they fill with hot oil or are just plain on fire). Will we have some lovely, um, photos?

Steve ate Pie.

It's thin, like borscht. Oops. Forgot to mention the vodka.

I do a gazborschtso which combines cold borscht with diced seeded roma tomatoes, English or Lebanese cucumbers (seeded diced), minced shallots, garlic, diced celery and celery greens, fresh tarragon. Garnish with crumbled French feta (now called "pheta" I guess due to EU regs) or creme fraiche.

Congratulations, Steve. It's a media blitz.

Campbell, yes, spaghetti con tonno is a classic with infinite variations.

In terms of prepared mayo, have you ever tried Kewpie? It's a Japanese brand. Very tangy. Bizarre bottle.

Miracle Whip? Hm. Generally I don't like to eat things I would need a factory to make. Miracle Whip to mayo is like margarine to butter. If you grew up with it, it seems natural.

Toby, you quick draw you. Heh. Steve Klc, I think I posted about being hesitant to call The French Laundry Cookbook a classic earlier. But as I read your post I recognized that this is also how I feel about it. There is a profundity in some of Keller's techniques but certainly in his approach that I feel is important. I think it is indeed a book that casts a long shadow where it stands. I really enjoy Trotter's books, having access to a complete set sent by Trotter as a very kind and generous gift to our kitchen.

Welcome Jordan. Steve: A Cook's Tour of Mexico, Nancy Zaslavsky. Quite agree. Great presentation of the regional cuisines. There is a sense of depth in her presentation that I don't get from Rick Bayliss. The introduction to each recipe is wonderful.

probably a punch in the mouth! Perhaps, perhaps.

i just want to take this opporutunity to remind everyone that my name is not "alan." Makes you wonder what Alan got for HIS birthday. Probably a plate that said HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMMY!! Perhaps. But perhaps the chef, having been alerted beforehand that this particular birthday dinner was in honor of Tommy, an internationally-known food writer (which he certainly is, writing daily about food to a worldwide eGullet audience), decided instead to prepare a croquembouche, "choux" (or creampuffs) filled with crème patissière and strategically "glued" together with cooked sugar to form a mountain, and then, before adding the final spun sugar strands, to frost it with meringue at the top and a pale brown chocolate ganache at the bottom to resemble Mt. Vesuvius, and decorate it with small “trees” of candied rosemary, oregano and thyme, fronted by deep-aqua-coloured marzipan in an exact replica of the Bay of Naples, complete with small chocolate fishing boats, then to drizzle it with the traditional spun sugar strands and finally, to top it off with a jigger of warmed brandy shoved down into its lofty peak, which the chef, in a grand flourish and, being careful to avoid his toque, he then lighted, and proudly presented to a stunned Alan. Surely, surely.

Adam, I like chicken neck too! But this sounds a bit much. Glad it tasted good.

From what I know of them, Charlie Trotter and Thomas Keller are both perfectionists who yet maintain sane kitchens. While Steve P might not agree about Trotter, I think the general consensus is at the very least that these are two chefs who deserve to be taken seriously. Tinpot "chefs" could learn more than presentation from these two.

I'd say the food is very memorable of food had elsewhere. As with any of the better restaurants in Ottawa. At best, the food is good because it's fresh, prepared well. Excellence is another matter. There are many bistro and cafe styled places. You can eat something for $20 or so. If that's what you want.

What's all this then? "Poached" pasta? Y'mean pasta what 'as been POACHED? Step over there, ma'am, if you'd be so kind. Quickly now. [sounds interesting.]

Wilfrid the Restrainer.

Oh, hey. That's an interesting idea. Much more control with a stick. Food processors tend to mash stuff too much and heat it up, changing the chemistry. I'll try that. Easier than mortar and pestle.

Which leads me to ask if you use a food processor or a mortar and pestle? Shark is wonderful. I've never had Porbeagle though.

Dangzagat!

Basildog, sounds very nice. What kind of Thai paste? Red or green curry? Did you make it? Any lemongrass in there?