APPS411

"And thanks APPS for the explanation of why the roux doesn't thicken the gumbo - that was something which had puzzled me." your welcome wilfrid. Speaking of stocks, for my gumbo's I use a trick that works great. I buy about 5 pounds of boiled seasoned crawfish from one of the many seafood markets down here. I take the meat out of the tails and use that to add to the gumbo when it's almost finished. I take the shells (heads and tails) that have been boiled in the spicy crawfish boil water and simmer them in water to extract the fat from the heads and the spicy flavor. Boy does this make a flavorfull spicy stock for gumbo. It's killer! I don't know were you are all located and if you can get boiled crawfish localy, up north probably not. But if you in or around the baltimore area the boiled or steamed seasoned blue crabs would do pretty darn good too. Just eat the meat and make stock w/ the shells. I wouldn't bother trying to reserve the meat to the gumbo. The crab flavor would never be able to compete w/ the spicy of gumbo and it would break up too easily too. This is a good thread, someone should start one on Jambalaya, but that issue could take years to resolve or possibly start civil wars!

Col, Gumbo is a fabulous dish when made right. I have seen it come out wrong many times and all of them was due to the improper cooking of the roux. Originally from NY, I have been living and working down in Baton Rouge, LA for the past year and a half. I can easily say that this city is the home of the best gumbo's, jambalayas, dirty rice, creoles etc. New Orleans is good but not anywhere near as good as over here in Baton Rouge. New Orleans seems to always try to put a spin on traditional favorites that shouldn't be messed with. Well anyway, since I've been down here I've been learning to cook all of these goodies from some of the locals that have been doing it for generations. Here's how I was taught to make a gumbo. Warning, it does take some practice and is best learned by watching someone do it. First in a cast Iron pan, begin cooking equal amounts of flour (plain white) and oil (peanut or vegetable). Over med-high heat cook and stir for a few minutes to combine. I like to add a bit more flour to the mixture so my proportion is roughly 1 and 1/4 cup of flour to 1 cup of oil. It just makes for a consistency that browns easier. Also, it's harder to make a roux w/ a very small quantity of ingredients so try not to scale it down too much. I use a 10" cast iron pan which equates to about a 1/4" layer of roux in the pan. That works the best. Cast Iron is good to control the low temperature cooking that will be required. Plus it works best to season the pan. Ok, so once it is all combined you want to turn down the heat very low until it bubbles VERY slowly. It will sort of look like the bubbles rising from pancakes before you flip them. Cooking this roux takes about an hour and a half, this will vary on the temperature, pan material and thickness, size so don't hold me to it. The fast method works but your window of time when the roux must stop cooking is shortened drastically and I notice that the flavor never develops as good as the slow method. Continue cooking at this temperature, adjusting if needed. You will need to check give the roux a stir ever 5 to 10 minutes. As it cooks the oil will rise and the flour will fall to the pan, stiring is needed to prevent burning. I like to cook my roux to the color of Dark chocolate, almost black , but not w/ a very slight shade of brown. The classic mistake is to not cook the roux enough. This causes a lack of developed flavor and a very thick gravy like gumbo. Yuck! As the flour particles cook, they loose there thickening ability, and add more in the category of flavor than texture. Alright so when you think your roux is done, the best way to find out if you cooked in enough is to test out it's thickening ability. To do this add a tablespoon of the roux to a small sauce pan. Bring it up to heat and then add about a cup of water and boil to combine. If the roux is not cooked enough you will see a gravy type consistency that will heavily coat the back of a spoon. If this is so, then continue cooking your roux for another 15 to 30 minutes. So finally your roux is done, take about a 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of it and begin heating to med to med high heat in a small stock pot. I like to make smaller batches so I use a 6 quart. Add 1 large diced onion, a few stalks of celery diced and a green pepper diced. (I like a 2, 1, 1, Onion, celery, pepper ratio). Cook in the roux for 10 or 15 minutes, stiring to coat. Then add a few chopped garlic cloves and begin to season the mixture w/ whatever. Salt, pepper, cheyenne, thyme, white pepper (my favorite), etc. Now is a good time to throw in some choped okra also, which release enzymes to add the the body of the gumbo. Once all of the vegetables are slightly cooked and coated, add your stock. Play this by ear and add until the right flavor and consistency is reached. Then add your meat and cook slowly to mend flavor for an hour or so. I add whatever I have, combining meats and fish is not a problem. I like sausage, shrimp, crawfish and chicken mixture. Remember this is not a fast process but the finished product is great. Serve by ladeling over a some rice in a bowl, top w/ gumbo file. Nextime I make one I'll post some pictures of the roux so you can get an idea of the desired color. Also, you can save the leftover roux in a container at room temp. Enjoy

I had a great meal at Delmonico's. I would suggest that. I've eaten at Emerils signature restaurant many times (mostly at visitors requests) and never had a very good all around meal. Delmonico's was much much better in my experience. They are more concentrated on the food quality, when it seemed as his other signiture rest. in the wharehouse district was more appealing for the decore. I've never been to NOLA.

I alter the thickness by the ratio of how much of the mixture I puree. I like to serve this soup w/ some body and texture opposed to just a pure smooth puree. For instance, after I add the cream to the mixture. I pour 1/2 to 2/3rds of the mixture in a blender and puree, then return in back to the pot. Let it cook for a few minutes, then re-asses the consistency. If it's not think enough, then w/ a slotted spoon, pull out some more of the solid leak and potatos and puree some more. Continue process untill the desired consistency of the base is reached. Using this method I do not sacrifice or yeild to any inconsistent flavors because I am not adding more ingredients to reach the desired consistency. This also works well with the inconsistency of starch quantity of potatos. Give it a shot. Unless you don't like the more rustic chowder textured version and prefer the 100% pureed. P.s. I serve drizzled w/ white truffle oil and a floating crouton w/ a light smeer of roasted garlic.

I add a little bit of balsamic (1 tsp. or so) and some dried breadcrumbs (1/2 Tabl.) to the butter (stick) right when it gets to my desired brownness. Great on a steak like this. Preferably a chared aged porterhouse.

The Bellagio Hotel in Vegas has a pretty good buffet.

Smarmotron, My all-time favorite is Vodka Sauce. Here's how I do it. The base for a good vodka sauce is a really good tomato sauce. This is a great recipe. I usually make a basic tomato sauce on sunday afternoon. Which w/ last me a week or more if I freeze some. Add equal amounts of roughly chopped onion, celery, and carrots and a few garlic cloves to a food processor or blender. Lets say 1 large onion, 2 celery stalks, 2 carrots and 7 garlic cloves. Exact quantities are irrelevent since factors like tomato quality and acidity (canned or fresh) make it tough to produce a consistent flavor each and every time. (Note: carrots are added to supply an indirect sweetness, I hate a sweet marinara sauce that you can taste the sugar in. Carrots add a slight bit of sweetness to mellow out the tomato acidity) Puree this mixture up until no more chunks are seen. If your using a blender you may need to add a little bit of water and shake it a bit to get all the mixture all blended. Heat up some olive oil in a pot to medium heat and add the wet pureed mixture. Add some salt, cracked pepper, a few red pepper flakes, and a little oregano. Sautee for about 15 minutes over medium heat. Now for the tomatos. You can use fresh but they are a pain in the ass and the quality from some canned products are so much more flavorful. Go to an Italian deli and buy some cans of plum tomatoes, whole or crushed. I like to use San Marzano whole plum tomatoes. I open up 4 or 5 (28oz. I think) cans and pour them into a large bowl and crush the whole tomatoes in my hands to maintain some of the chunks. Or if you don't like chunks, just use the crushed tomatoes. Pour this into the pot w/ the sauteed mixture. Bring to a slight boil and then lower heat to very low and cover. I let my sauce simmer for about an hour. The longer you cook the less acidic and tomatoeee taste the sauce w/ have. My mother used to cook her sauce for about 3 to 4 hours. That was a bit too much for me but don't tell her that. Halfway through the cooking time add some fresh choped basil leaves, about 10 of them. Now you have a basic tomatoe sauce. And a damn good one at that. To turn it into a vodca sauce is easy. When it cools put a about a cup of the sauce in a blender and puree. Add this to a sautee pan along w/ about a half cup of vodka. Bring to a simmer until you begin to smell the vodka aroma rise out of the pan. Add some heavy cream (about half a cup) to get a pinkish colored sauce. I then like to add some cooked penne pasta, chopped proscuito, and baby pees (bought frozen and thawed). Toss till heated. Other good ingredients are blanched asparagus, ham or anything else you like. Enjoy. You can make this w/ a jar tomato sauce too but it's not that good.

My vote would be for the Boulevard restaurant in SF. One of my most memorable meals. Check out the "Trip to San Francisco" thread for more info on my meal and other peoples reccomendations.

Drrevenue, Quit your bitching and go eat somewhere else. You obviously must be undecided on which party was wrong in this scenario or else you wouldn't have continued to reply to this thread. If you have so much money that you were talking about, then go open your own damn restaurant and hire some chef who has no opinion who will beckon to your every need. Your sound like one of those people that I can't stand. You know, the ones that tell the story of how badly they were treated to every freaking person they meet. I'de love to hear Hans side of the story. Maybe he thought that quail dish was very good. What's to say your taste supersedes his. Who the hell are you? He might have been really proud of that dish and had great feedback from other diner. Then you go and walk out like a know it all, drama queen, smuck and piss him off. I was originally siding w/ you, feeling that you had been mistreated. But after that letter, I wouldn't speak or serve your ass anymore either. Good luck in life w/ an attitude like that.

I third that! Definitely pick up the Dinosaur Bar-B-Q book. It's got some great ideas and some real good info on BBQing. Started out as a small bar owned by bikers in Syracuse. They have won awards in a few southern competitions for their BBQ. Also bottle and sell some of the best BBQ sauce that I have ever tasted. Must try it. Super fresh tasting. I buy it by the case!

I have had the exact same reaction with all of my uni experiences also. And I keep trying it thinking that maybe the uni that I had was not fresh or something. I will eat and enjoy everything for it's own unique characteristics. From brains to belly, no problem. Hey, I'm Italian! But uni's combination of taste and texture just don't do it for me. I do think I could make a good creamy sauce from it though. But just sitting there on top of some rice is unpleasant to my tastebuds. But I have a feeling I will keep trying it until I am totally sure or at least untill I see a chef pull a live urchin out of a tank, crack it open and serve it to me. I guess that's the only way I can be totally sure.

Bowties, w/ some quickly sauteed halved cherry tomatoes from the garden, EVOO, salt, ripped up basil pieces, and caramelized onions.

PBJ on plain old white bread w/ a pickle or some hot peppers on the side. or leftover breaded chicken cutlets cold.

Mike, I have a copy of their lunch menu, but I'm not sure what days they serve. Looking at the menu, it did look slightly complicated, but after eating there I was pleasantly surprised to notice no off beat combinations or preperations. I also ate chez panisse, but had to eat upstairs on last minutes notice. I didn't enjoy it that much at all. But i'de like to try it again sometime. I was just visiting the bay area. I am from NY (upstate) but currently working in Louisiana for past 2 years. Unfortunately in Engineering, not in the food industry. I used to work in a few good restaurants in college, now I just test out dishes and menu's for my friends. I am actually getting ready to drop this engineering stuff and head up to the CIA in NY (coincidentally 5 min from where I grew up). Currently applying for some scholarships and grants. Know of any good ones?

Mike If you get a chance sometime, try the Bouelevard restaurant. My meal there was outstanding. One of the best meals I ever had. My choices: Glazed Sweetbreads ($12.95) -Ruby cresent potato, Fava beans & Roasted Onions, Frisee Salad w/ warm Pancetta Viaigrette. Excellent combination. Sweetbreads were preped and cooked perfectly. It was tossed in a light veal demi, not too overpowering just enough to coat the sweetbreads. Wood Oven Roasted Veal New York Steaks w/ Gorgonzola Butter, Veal Cheek Braised in Red Wine ($28.50) -Assorted spring vegetables, Soft Polenta w/ Marscarpone, Herbs & Roasted Garlic Some of the most tender veal steaks ever. I love to order veal out. There are so many ways to tenderize and prepare it. This was one of the best. Only thing that I regret is fact that I treated my palate to some similar flavors. Both dished consisted of a similar demi glaze. I think I would have liked to try something else. But that was a result of my mis-ordering, and the fact that I am automatically drawn to veal dishes. Valrhona Chocolate Mousse ($9) -Layered w/ Caramel and Whipped Cream, Warm Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brandy Snaps, Coffee Ice Cream It was served as a sampler platter. Everything was great. Come on, who could resist warm, out of the oven, choc. chip cookies. Caymus Connundrum 1997 (?) I know your going to say "with veal???" and I'm going to reply w/ yup. I reccomend wines to people all the time to compliment there dishes. This time I personnaly deviated w/ that and drank what ever I had the erge for and it was great. The 97 has a strong oak edge once it warms up and I like that w/ a strong veal sauce. Best part of the meal was chatting w/ the chefs. I ate at about 6pm on a weekday, when they weren't that busy and sat up at the service bar counter where all the line cooks are doing there thing. Fun to watch and good conversation. Not to mention you can survey all of the outgoing dishes.

mixed baby greens, toasted chopped hazelnuts, dried cherries, balsalmic vinaigrette w/ some rehydrated cherries pureed into it, topped w/ crumbled maytag blue cheese. peppery arugula, lightly sauteed pears, toasted walnuts, paper thin slivered vidalia onions, large homade croutons, tangy red whine vinaigrette. And maybe some bit of grated blue cheese on top (I love that stuff) Greens, sweet lightly pickled shedded carrots and jicama (pickled in cider vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, lemon), slivered onions, chopped roasted peanuts, Thai peanut sauce (peanut butter, tamari, lime juice, sirachi), w/ toasted sessame seeds.

There are at least three general objections to butter and cream, one of which is neurotic, one of which is historically driven, and one of which has to do with experience. I hope you all don't think I'm in the "neurotic" category for originally posting butter and cream comment in the cheats thread. I don't condone the use of them, just think they need to be used in moderation. The cases that I were referring to went entirely overboard on the quantity used. So much that the oil slick formed on my palate covered up every bit of flavor that the dish in question was trying to exhibit. If you're paying good money for what you expect to be a great tasting meal and the majority of what you taste is butter then why not spend that good money on a nice stick of normandy butter and a quart of cream, rent a video, sit on the couch and go to town. The butter should be a carrier of the flavor of the food, not the other way around. Here's an example. There is a famous dish called BBQ shrimp served in New Orleans at Mr. B's Bistro. These extremely flavorful shell and head on extra large Gulf shrimp are sauteed in a sauce made from worchestire sauce, lemon juice, garlic, crushed pepper corns, hot pepper and butter. Actually the recipe (from Mr. B's) calls for 6-8 full ounces of cubed butter per serving. (www.mrbsbistro.com) The sauce is very rich and good. But of course it's going to be rich w/ that much friggin butter in it. You eat the shrimp and sop up the sauce w/ french bread. I've had the dish a few times and heard from many other that had it and loved it. So I decided to have about 20 of these BBQ shrimp lovers over for a dinner party and try the recipe out myself. But instead I left out a majority of the butter and added some substitutions for the creamyness to see if they could tell the difference. Instead of wisking in the full recommended 6-8 ounces of cubed frozen butter into the sauce at the end, I added a bit of buttery belgian beer, only an ounce or so of butter and a bit of slurry to make up for the lack of thickening that the full 6-8 ounces would have provided. When served, everyone said that it was more flavorfull than the original. The flavor of the shrimp was more prevalent in the dish. Point being. Some flavors get masked when too much butter or cream is used. And it makes me wonder what some dishes that I have eaten would have tasted like and what flavor would have been better expressed had there been less of the products in question used.

posted on Aug 1 2002, 01:42 PM Butter and cream -- add one or the other to almost anything. I'de like to address the use of butter and cream in restaurants. They are cheats that are too heavily exploited. Chef's use them and then act like there some kind of geniuses. Big deal! If I add a stick of butter to risotto of course it's going to be silky creamy. Show me how you can make something taste exceptional with some creativity. Yes, butter does enhance the flavor of many dishes, especially certain vegetables, but it can also cover up the nature fresh flavor if not used in moderation. I had dinner at Bayona in New Orleans this past weekend with a few of my friends. Each of our main dishes were served with a few sides. Rice, mashed potatos, cous cous, corn, green beans. My friend tasted his rice and said "I've never tasted rice this good before" I tasted it. It tasted as if the rice was actually cooked in pure butter opposed to water or a flavorful stock. My mashed potato's had so much heavy cream added to them it was like eating runny pudding. There was probably 3 sticks of butter and a cup or two of cream within those 4 meals alone. Susan Spicer lost some points in my book. Don't think I'll go back anytime soon. I guess all I'm trying to say is to BE CREATIVE. The over use of butter and cream is in no way impressive. Most people can see right through it. Sorry, I gut of the subject, just needed to let that out. It really pisses me off.

A nice fresh (slightly warm) seeded loaf of Italian bread w/ some extra virgin olive oil and aged balsamic for dipping. Leftover cold ham chopped off the bone on a warm crusty dinner roll w/ a slice of sharp cheddar and some mayo.

Blood Oranges at peak ripeness.

I grew up in Poughkeepsie, NY. The SHIPS LANTERN INN in Milton, NY (Just across the river from poughkeepsie) is probably the most consistently great restaurant around that area. Superb service, outstanding food.

I used to work in a restaurant in Troy, NY (just over the river from Albany) called RIVER STREET CAFE. Awesome food. great little place, only about 20 tables. superb wine list w/ about 25 served by the glass at reasonable prices. I reccommend it highly.

suvir--- Honestly I just wing it. The best cobblers that I had looked like they fell on the floor before making it to the oven. Just throw globs of the wet biscuit mix onto the berries. High spots, low spots it doesn't matter. Then cook the cobbler according to the biscuit directions and check to ensure that the thickest biscuit section is cooked through. As for biscuit recipes, I don't have a reall tried and true recipe, i'm always trying somthing different. You could actually use a simly box mix or even a thick pancake batter. I've never had two cobblers that came out the same. Unique is exciting. That's why I hate recipes. There just suggestions anyway right?

Jaybee --- I know what your talking about. It was a recipe for blueberry tartlets. Very rustic and great. The cornmeal in the crust made the dessert. I serve them alot. Super easy to make and you can do them ahead of time with any combination of fruits. I noticed thea they were actually better when reheating in the conv. oven. I have the recipe home, I'll find it this weekend and post it. I usually serve them w/ some caramel sauce and fresh whip cream w/ polmagranite syrup. Ice creams great too though.

Suvir---your welcome. I just use a 9x9. or a ceramic oval baking dish. Use whatever works so that you berry layer is only about an inch deep. Don't use the big tapioca beeds. here's two options. add a small amount (1 tsp.) of cornstarch in the berry mixture - or - crush you tapioca beeds into a powder using a mortar and pestle or a heavy pan pressed against a cutting board. I would rather you do the crushed tapioca because it is very hard to judge the amount of corstarch to add when you don't exactly know how much moisture the berries are going to release.