Tri2Cook

Finally watched the episode today. This is the first episode I've watched where I was glad more information was available (the judges blogs) because, based on what was shown in the episode and assuming it's true that judging is based on that challenge only, I would have insisted Jennifer was robbed. The edit did not point in her direction at all. "The goat cheese was a little salty" was the only criticism aired in the episode. So I'm happy Chef Colicchio went more in depth with the story in his blog. Now I'd kinda like to see Michael do well just because I'm tired of seeing people stick there nose in the air and call perfectly valid cooking techniques "tricks" and "gimmicks" but my gut feeling is that Bryan will have the right blend of Michael's creativity and Kevin's restraint and focus on flavor to pull off the win.

Replace the liquid you use to hydrate the gelatin with fruit puree. You don't want to "boil it down", that just gives it an obvious cooked taste. There's a link to a strawberry marshmallow (wth variations) recipe somewhere towards the beginning of this thread that works great. It calls for half puree and half water to hydrate the gelatin, I use the recipe with straight fruit (I just replace the water with an equal amount of puree or juice) to hydrate the gelatin with no problems. The only adjustment I make for most fruits is the puree itself but some fruits benefit from a little lemon juice or citric acid to brighten them up a bit after the huge sugar hit. When I do apple, I work in a little citric and malic acid but it's not a necessity.

I don't know. I mean absolutely no offense to anyone when I say this but, with eGullet being the hub for the culinary adventurous to gather and discuss things that it is, there are a lot of surprisingly conservative views towards food and food wording. "Charred culets of lamb" is too descriptive and off-putting but a simple "cutlets of lamb" would be deemed not descriptive enough. We want to know how it's prepared! "We're serving scallops with the beef." Well they must have an overstock of scallops they want to get rid of, nobody else would do that. "Buffalo yoghurt" is silly but "buffalo mozzarella" is fine. I'm honestly not trying to start an argument here. I think it's just an impossible task for a chef to word a menu so that it will make everybody happy. I personally love the Alinea style which would render that dish as Lamb - Yoghurt - Tomato - Artichoke or something similar but that would undoubtedly bring on a whole list of complaints as well since it tells nothing about the preparation. And, for the record, I agree that the first dish sounds a bit insane. I don't know if it would scare me or tempt me... just out of curiosity.

I don't doubt that it's happened. The word I'm focusing on is "sometimes". I'm betting it's the exception, not the rule. I may be entirely incorrect and I'm ok with that. I'm also not opposed to them making the DVD's but, in answer to the original question, I would not buy them or even watch them if they were free. I just don't have the need to know every little detail of the decision making process. I have no problem with others wanting that information though. Yep, I know. I was just stating my preference, I wasn't speaking for anybody else or expecting it to happen.

The name doesn't matter to me at all. I use the ingredients list to get an idea of what the dish is about.

No thanks. There is no way I could sit through 5 or 6 hours per episode of listening to them argue over the dishes. Despite what Gail claims, I'd be very surprised if they actually sit there and debate it for that long anyway. Although the quote was "up to 6 hours" so, if it happened to go that long once, it's an accurate statement. But my money would be on it not being anywhere close to that long most of the time. I think Colicchio would already have chopped one or two of them into little pieces if he had to sit there and listen to it for that long. If anything, cut back on the fluff and just include more of the food and judging in the hour we already see.

Nothing at all wrong with that... but it would make portion size, which was the complaint, irrelevant.

It's nice for making dessert cakes with a corn flavor because it doesn't have the texture of cornmeal that makes people instantly think of corn bread. Some corn juice (aka "milk") worked into the recipe along with the flour is even better. Add some blueberry or blackberry components to go with it and watch everybody smile.

But that's what those books are all about and I'm guessing the majority know that going in. Why use them to cook the family dinner if that's not what's needed/wanted? Use them for ideas/components or when you're doing that fancy dinner party or to make some nibbles for a gathering/party or something. Or upsize the portions if you really want to try them on the family... the book won't mind.

That was In Search of Perfection. That show and the books that go with it were hugely inspirational to me. It wasn't really about making the perfect whatever, it was about making his perfect whatever. The idea was to take a dish, understand the dish and how it came to be, understand how people connect with it and then elevate it without losing the things that make it what it is. He did go to extremes to make his point but the basic idea is to make food as good as it can be for you. Never accept that there is only one best way to do something. Heston's Feasts in an entirely different critter. It's largely about seeing how far he can push people into shrugging off their preconceptions and ideas about what they're eating. He is intentionally going over the top in an effort to challenge his diners. There have been a couple of examples where he pushed them too far. They couldn't go where he was trying to take them. He didn't make excuses or blame the diners, he simply admitted he went too far and continued on. I'm enjoying it because it's obvious he's having fun and so are the diners in most cases. There won't be too many people trying to actually cook from this one. I have the Mock Turtle Soup recipe from the Victorian Feast and there is absolutely no way to do it as written in the home environment unless you have a very well equipped kitchen (centrifuge, centrifugal evaporator, thermomix and sous vide equipment).

As a person working in the industry that did not go to culinary school, I'd say the answer is a definite maybe. The things you learn there may or may not greatly benefit you but having that certificate can definitely open doors. Not having a formal education can be an automatic "no thanks" with some employers. Depending on what doors it opens (or when it opens them), it could be a valuable piece of paper.

So does that mean I varied it too far by just playing on the name of the dish rather than the specific ingredients? I was actually riffing on your original post but the other one sneaked in between while I was typing it out... not sure how to avoid that possibility though.

I'll play with the title... BLT Sandwich: Blueberries Lemon Mayo Toasted Almond Pain de Genes Pain de Genes: 400g almond paste 250g whole eggs 35g trimoline 2.5g fine sea salt 60g all purpose flour 110g unsalted butter, melted Slowly incorporate the whole eggs into the almond paste. Add the trimoline and salt. Add the flour, mixing just until incorporated, then the melted butter. Spread on a parchment lined 1/4 sheet pan. Bake at 180C (350F) for about 15 minutes, or until thoroughly baked. Lemon Mayo: 185g whole milk 25g lemon zest 35g sugar 1g salt 2.5g agar 17g lemon juice 75g grapeseed oil Heat the milk just to a simmer. Stir in the lemon zest, remove from the heat, cover and let infuse for 30 minutes. Strain, and return to the pan. Add the sugar, salt, and agar and stir well. Bring to a full boil. Remove from the heat and chill until solidified. Break up the gel and puree it in a blender until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the lemon juice followed by the oil. Chill. Blueberries: 1 pint fresh blueberries 60 g. blueberry juice 30 g. butter 10 g. honey Seal the blueberries in a vacuum bag and cook in a water bath at 63C (150F) for 1 hour. Heat the blueberry juice and honey over low heat. Whisk in the butter until melted. Remove the berries from the bag and toss in the syrup. Cut small squares of the cake and toast in a hot pan with a little butter. Shoot some of the blueberry syrup on a plate in whatever manner looks nice to you. Add a square of the cake, slather it with some lemon mayo, spoon on some blueberries and top with another slice of the cake slathered with the mayo. Maybe add a quenelle of lemon ice cream on the side. Disclaimer: this is just a play on the theme from my head. I've done all of these components but I haven't actually done this as a dish so it may completely suck!

Now showing on Food Network Canada. Victorian was last week, tonight was Medieval, Tudor is next and then Roman. I'm enjoying it.

Enough said. Is hot ice cream really worth ingesting something that should not be eaten? I highly support recipe experimentation, but we all know that not every product of modern science to hit the market has had a positive effect. I say science experiments should be left in the labs, not brought to kitchen tables. The quote you presented as evidence actually says "if eaten in a pure, non-hydrated state, then there was a slight risk of stomach blockage". Similar warnings apply to psyllium and other fiber supplements that don't have methylcellulose added. Inadequate water has the slight risk of leading to the opposite effect of the one desired... it can plug you up. You will not find many (any?) recipes that call for methylcellulose in an unhydrated state. I don't think I've seen one. When using a warning as basis for concern, the entire warning in context really should be considered. You shouldn't drive a car without the steering wheel either, it can cause loss of control of the vehicle, but, since everybody drives their car with the steering wheel in place, it's not a major concern.

Actually, you picked a good year for that drive. Still no snow on the ground and unusually warm for the time of year. I did a 50 km bike ride sunday in cycling shorts and short sleeve jersey with a light jacket, I'm about 4 1/2 hours northwest of T'Bay. I can't really recommend anything in particular. I have a favorite breakfast place in T'Bay but there's nothing fancy or "must do" about it... I just like their pancakes. That's the Hoito. It's a Finnish-Canadian place and having to wait for a table is very common, especially at breakfast. I really only go to T'Bay when I want/need to hit the bike shop or kayak shop so I'm not an expert on the area. Edit: I just realized this trip will be in April so you can ignore the part about the weather.

It turns out we pretty much agreed all along. I was viewing your argument from a completely different angle. You are debating dishes and I was debating techniques. I will never agree with anyone that using techniques discovered by others is a bad thing but I do agree that, in a commercial environment, blatantly stealing unique signature dishes isn't cool. The difficulty with the dish debate is that lines have to be drawn somewhere. I mean, somebody at some point created macaroni and cheese and may have considered it their signature dish but nobody is going to argue that everyone doing it in their restaurant is a thief. Anyway, I think we're on the same page now.

Maybe, but not because of her cooking. Her main weakness on this show has been self-doubt. She let a couple of bad results spiral her downward instead of using them as a springboard to bounce back up. If she gets her head straight very quickly, the cooking ability is still there. I've been a Jennifer fan since the start of the season, I'm not giving up on her 'til Padma tells her to pack her knives.

The "good part" is the part I often find myself having to find a use for. The peeled stalks are milder in flavor and aroma so I actually prefer them as an ingredient. I like to eat broccoli on it's own both cooked and raw but I'm generally not a big fan of it as an ingredient unless it's something where broccoli is supposed to be the flavor focus. It just seems to take over most dishes and push everything else into the background. The stalks aren't as pushy as the flower heads. I don't usually put broccoli in my stir fries but, on the rare occasion when I do, I only use the peeled, sliced stalks. They're also good peeled and oven roasted whole. Slices in some soups are nice too.

The genre (and anti-genre) as a whole contains a lot of subsets that will never all subscribe to a defining label. There are those who get excited over new techniques even if someone else thought of it first and want to learn all they can (this is the group that often falls into the trap of trying to cram everything they learn into one meal but it's usually due mainly to enthusiasm, this group generally subscribes to whatever label is currently in use). There are those truly on the leading edge that are constantly evolving what they do and how they do it but are still ok with the idea that not everyone is at that level (this group doesn't seem to particularly care about labels, I also personally don't care about labels but I definitely do not pretend to include myself in this elite group which is a very small percentage of the cooking world). There are those that tend to look down their noses at those they don't consider on their level (this group wants a constantly changing label to place them seperate from (above?) others who they feel are, for whatever reason, not worthy of the label they apply to themselves). There are those who will go to great lengths to avoid any and all association with the styles and techniques of the genre (this group contains those that think cooking can't really progress, it can only be refined and those uncomfortable with exploring the unfamiliar, this group generally uses the currently trendy label so that everybody recognizes what they are speaking out against). There are those who do their thing and don't really seem to care what anyone has to say about it (this is the group with their middle finger in the air to the critics and those who look down their nose at what they do... I personally have a lot of respect for this group regardless of what I think of what they're actually doing). And that doesn't even go into those such as you describe yourself who just want a way to define what they do for the masses with no ulterior motives involved, those that publicly pretend to hate the whole thing just to be "cool", those that want food just to be food and are against the whole idea of fun and excitement being thrown into the mix, those who really are parroting others as a fast track to local fame and/or fortune and undoubtedly many more groups that I can't think of right now. Every group will have a list of reasons for thinking the way they do and I'm not prepared to say I'm right and everybody who doesn't agree with me is wrong so I'm not really sure how to go about debating a one correct label. Just to be fair, since I'm putting people in groups, I'd say I would be a blend of the "excited over new techniques regardless of who thought of them first" group and the "middle finger in the air to those who look down their nose at what I do" group. I am always eager to learn and honestly don't care if anybody (other than those who eat it) likes what I do or how I do it. I think fun, excitement and suprise are valid reasons to do things. I think it's ok to use techniques and ideas that enhance the mental enjoyment of the meal even if the food would have been equally tasty without it. I don't think that those who choose to add a fun factor to what they do are beneath those who only use science and techniques to attempt to perfect what they do. I think they are equally valid expressions of the genre. And I have absolutely no idea what title I would label the genre with.

I think we actually pretty much agree on both points, I'm just not sure how you can hang one label on it that will define it as a cuisine. That's the part where I'm having a hard time jumping on board. The reason being, there is no common thread in the end result other than good food. It's not a matter of "her crawfish etouffee is better than his", there may be absolutely nothing in common between two "molecular gastronomy" places for people to be able to thread it together as a cuisine in and of itself. And those who simply do their version of what others already did are still cooking within the genre, they're just not at the forefront. If I had the ability to perfectly execute an entire Ferran Adria menu with my own flavor profiles and did it well then it would be completely non-innovative and I should probably be ashamed of myself for doing it but it would still be a valid example of that style of cooking. McDonalds didn't invent burgers and they're certainly not a prime example of burgers at their best but they are nonetheless a burger restaurant... so labels won't grant exclusivity to those who do it right. You'll still face the potential problem that McDonalds may decide to do sous vide burgers with McFoam ketchup and mustard spheres.

True but, to me anyway, "molecular gastronomy" or whatever other buzzword is fashionable at the moment is not a cuisine. It's a way of thinking about and preparing food. There could be Asian, African, European, etc. (and even/especially "fusion") cuisines that are prepared via "molecular gastronomy" thinking and techniques. Saying "molecular gastronomy" in response to "What kind of food is it?" wouldn't convey to me what I will be eating. The only thing it would really tell me is that, assuming it's done well, the chef isn't afraid to look beyond tradition and conventional thinking in the pursuit of excellence. But I do understand what you're saying about peoples need for labels... so good luck with finding one that won't be followed a short time later by the inevitable label backlash.

I just call it cooking... people don't seem to have a lot of trouble "getting" that one. I'm not really sure I understand what you want to accomplish. There is no name you can give a cooking style or cuisine that will prevent there being bad examples of it or that will set the good apart from the bad. In the end, the food has to do the talking no matter what label you put on it.

I thought the main purpose of high altitude adjustments had to do with trying to give the item time to build sufficient structure to support itself. Since apple and pumpkin pie and their crusts don't generally involve leavening of any type, I'd think "use your usual recipe and bake 'til done" would cover it... but I don't live at high altitude so take that for what it's worth.

Just bleed off the pressure through the nozzle with the container upright. It won't try to shoot the spheres out.