Jinmyo

Something for Bourdain to put on his next dust jacket.

Elliot, whether we think it a good or a bad thing, I think most are agreed that Chef Rick has sold out. Except for Chef Rick. And he's the one who has to know it because he's the one who will have to go on from here because there may be no going back.

But as well as puritaniasm and morality and whatnot, there's the fact that it's Burger King. Not even McDonald's but a second-stringer.

I think I could see someone like Boulud doing an advert for donuts without it hurting their reputation at all. Or even hot dogs. He loves hot dogs. He wouldn't be saying donuts or hot dogs are the equivalent of anything else. He wouldn't be selling out anything, just cashing in. There is a difference between haute cuisine, even one which stresses fresh ingredients etc, and high-minded cuisine.

I've had sesame leaf kimchi.

Hm. Asking Chef Rick, who forks out hard cash for the cause, to step down or cease and desist because he accepted filthy lucre from BK would be, would be... Hm. Wuzzat? Oh, yes. Kind of a moral quandry, wouldn't it?

As well as demi-glace, stocks of various kinds, herbs of various kinds, nuts of various kinds, meats of various kinds, kombu for second-soaking dashi, parsley stalks etc etc my freezers currently have: About ten kinds of dumplings. Cooked ziti in sausage and tomato sauce to pull out to make pistacchio with. Individual steak and kidney, lamb and mushroom, rabbit and tomato pies. About four servings of daube. Fresh porcini that were blanched. (These thaw really well.) Several kinds of soups (strained of solids).

Michel, I certainly do remember you. Thank you for your very lucid and reasoned letter. Both happily and sadly, it is only because of all of Bayless' good work that this gig with BK is an issue at all.

I think the technical term is "before he starts to gag" As I said. Perhaps he deserves to eat one. In a fire-grilled eternity of humiliation and horror! /cough /cough Sorry, MatthewB.

Well, perhaps Rick deserves to eat one.

I'm pretty sure that I saw him swallow. But again I have only seen it one and a half times. The first time was just the ending and my neck spontaneously whipped my head back and I heard a weird animal sound come from the throat and found the face a grimace. The second time I think my head kind of sank and bobbed, shaking from side to side. So I'm not certain. But he did put it in his mouth.

Basil, please do on a new thread. Perhaps in General.

Heh. I'd be willing to try that. With soy milk, perhaps.

Janedejour, excellent. Thank you. So he doesn't quite say "why bother" but does make them equivalent.

Lard?

It's at the transition from the store (after holding up a poblano and saying, "POH-BLAH-NOH!") to the sandwich that is the crux, the nib, the gist if you will. My memory is that he more or less says, "Eh. Why bother? You can just go buy this instead."

What I would like to see is for more people to report on either the TV advert or the sandwich. Or both.

Steve, you've seen the Ricky ad more recently than I. Did he not basically say, "Eh. Just get one of these instead?"

Update: And again with the margarine.

I'm in. (I believe him.)

Soba, it is difficult to think of a time I haven't been proud of you. I hope the hens are womderful.

That sounds wonderful, Soba. Any protein with that?

Wow, this sounds good. Jinmyo, do you leave them whole when roasting or are they cut up? I'm just trying to imagine the frittata with the whole brussel sprouts bulging forth... Oh, I'm sorry. I split them and then split the core. I also like to let them marinate in EVOO a while before roasting.

Mwahahahaha.

One thing I do that hasn't been mentioned is a frittata. Slow cook the sprouts in the oven for about forty five minutes. Remove, add minced garlic to the pan, jiggle everything around and tirn into a skillet. Then add loosely whisked eggs, pan on medium, then under the salamander. Slide out, slice. With a few shavings of pecorino and some whole fresh oregano leaves (which look like sprout leaves). With crostini, a soup, a salad, and perhaps rabbit or fish.