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Oreganought

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Posts posted by Oreganought

  1. I use heads all the time, unless I'm doing a salmon stock (I rarely do - but if I do, I only use salmon bones, no skin at all). I split the head lengthwise. As with my white chicken stock, I soak in ice water for 2 hours to float and congeal fat, blood, other impurities, then make sure as much blood/guts is removed from the head as possible before proceeding. I find that clarity is usually not an issue, if it is, I just slow the simmer way down and put the pan to one side, as with any stock. Or, build a raft/clarifier per Boris_A's suggestion.

    Too much good stuff in dat dere head to let it go to waste, IMHO.

    Paul

    Make sure you remove the gills,they can impart a bitter taste.

    I periodically get a quantity of salmon heads just so I can get at the cheeks and

    the connective tissue behind the eyes.....I do a pasta dish just for this purpose.

  2. Hi Scott,

    Don't know about your recipe,but I'll give you mine and the dough generally

    comes out on the drier side but a little more elbow grease might be neaded. :wink:

    1&1/4 lbs of AP flour

    4 whole large eggs

    6 yolks

    2 tbsp of olive oil

    pinch of salt or 2

    Combine in a processor and let it form a ball,remove and work the dough

    for 10 to 15 minutes by hand.

    It's important that you only use a piece the size a large egg each time you

    put it through the machine.Using the 1st setting run the dough through and fold

    upon itself and repeat at least 10 times this will also allow the dough to

    reach the maximum width with of your roller.Now just increase the number each time after that.For my homemade ravioli I go to 7.

    Why your dough is not reaching the maximum width is a total mistery,it has nowhere else to go.

    This recipe will give you a dry sheet,easy to work with and the extra yolks will give the pasta exceptional mouth feel,more like a dry pasta,not doughy or

    chewy.

    You can freeze any dough you're not using.

  3. I like to use a good Portugese bread,the kind with a nice thick crust and a chewy

    interior,grill both sides lightly.

    Marinate a slightly flattened,(just make the fillet the same thickness throughout)

    in VO,lemon,roasted garlic, rosemary,dried chili and cracked black pepper

    for about 1/2 hour and grill until just done over high heat and slice on the bias

    at an exadurated angle,lots of succulent surface area.

    Spread on piece of bread with a tapanade and the other with a goat cheese

    a few slices of roasted red pepper,the chicken.season to taste.

  4. Yes I understand most tomato sauces are made from a canned product,but

    to say you shouldn't use fresh tomatoes is I believe too finite a statement. IMO

    For years now during tomato season we not only canned tomatoes,but also canned

    our basic cooked tomato sauce from fresh,and it still is considered

    special when we open a few for a good winter feast.And of course made enough

    fresh sauce to pass out to our friends during that time as well.We all agree the

    taste is superior to a canned tomato sauce.

  5. Well... first of all, I'd lose the fresh tomatoes. Do what they do in Italy and find yourself a big can of peeled whole San Marzano tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes should only be used in quickly cooked sauces that are designed to emphasize the freshness of the primary ingredient.

    Don't tell my Italian MIL that,she whould chase you all over the kitchen during tomato canning time.And I would have to agree with her.Of course the season is so short that I will admit to using canned tomatoes,when my stash runs out.

  6. Home cooking is always about "new" recipes,ideas and presentation,of course

    that doesn't mean every time.My friends will make requests for favorites.

    In my restaurant I like to have all elements of the dish worked out beforehand,

    this leaves little room for error or experimentation on the part of the staff.

    The regulars over the years will want that special treatment and want something

    made "just for them" by me that isn't on the menu,and I always oblige.

    A few times a year like Valentines Day and New Years Eve I always turnout

    a completely new menu just for that occation,a one day gig.This does create

    a certain amount of stress for me and my staff because I worry that I might be

    overworking one station or other logistics in the kitchen that can pop up,

    and that can be exceedingly difficult to fix on the fly,so to speak.

    Following and serving a familar recipe is a safe bet for sure,but the alternative

    is much more fun......... :biggrin: IMO

  7. One of the reason's I posed this question, is because I'm considering adding a rotiserie for my kettle grille. Coming in at around $100 usd, I'm not so sure it's worth the money.

    I'm guessing that one key item for cooking the chickens is the size.

    I can already cook a pretty good bird, without spending the extra dollars. Anybody have one of these outdoor type units?

    woodburner

    I have had one for years and I like it.Generally speaking I put larger pieces

    of meat like rib roasts pork roasts tied leg of lamb and they do self baste

    pretty well and the heat is even.I also like the fact that it leaves more

    grill space for other items.

  8. I generally cut it up and use it for different occations.For Easter I normally bone

    out a leg of lamb,butterfly and marinate in olive oil,rosemary,thyme,onion,red

    chilli,garlic and black pepper for 2 or 3 days,then onto the outdoor weber.

    EDIT: How could I've missed the garlic.

  9. the french,italians,greek,asians,americans started there own distinctive styles of cuisine. during the early 1900 united states got the majority of immigrants from europe bringing their cuisine with them.restaurants started opening featuring their cuisine.they all did well because of bigger population.and i will tell you that if it wasnt for the italians , greeks ,and other european nationals coming here to immigrate,montreal wouldn t have the restaurant scene it has.new york.chicago started it all.great food towns.majority of top chefs are in the united states these are the masterminds of culinary trends.

    How could you possibly think that Canada's food history is based on the USA.

    I couldn't give you the exact percentage of immigration from the USA but

    I'll bet it's inconsequential compared to other countries.

    I'm sure you are aquanted with Samuel de Champlain.Champlain’s genius to suggest that good food and friendly camaraderie would go a long way towards curing the medical problems of his small and struggling colony. So he instituted the Order of Good Cheer. Under the rules of the Order, special meals became the personal responsibility of individual colonists. They inevitably endeavoured to upstage one-another by providing the finest fish, and fowl and game for their communal table. And it worked. Entertaining tended to raise everyone’s spirits. Good food brought better health.

    One of his recipes was to cook mussels on a pine board with dried pine needles

    as the heat source,I did see a similar recipe a few years ago.

    Quebec, long considered to be a province where eating and drinking are a part of good living, offers many delicacies, Brome Lake duck, apples from Rougemont, Matane shrimps, cider vinegar, genuine maple syrup, honey, salmon and cheeses are just a few of the gamut of specialties of Quebec. And has an enviable cheese industry consisting of small family operations. Oka is well noted for the cheese by the same name, but there are many others that produce excellent cream type cheeses such as Brie, Camembert, Triple cream just to name a few. Cheddar (nine year old), Cheddar ( eight year old), Cabriole, Mamirolle, Le Metis, Bluebry, Ermite, Le Pied de vent, Le Bleu de la Montonniere. Lactantia, a creamery located near Montreal, is well noted for its high quality butter. Belgium endive, is now being cultivated near Montreal by a Frenchman who found conditions very suitable for growing this delectable and versatile salad green. Needless to say Quebec’s foie gras d’oie and shallots are staple ingredients of high-end restaurant kitchens not only in Canada but the U S A as well.

  10. We're actually planning to go to Les Chevres in April,and I look forward to the experience,

    I've heard good things.

    I generally will not offer an opinion unless I have first hand knowledge and my comments were

    only for Rosalie,and by your definition "bisto" I do agree the food was of a high level. A few mistakes.....the risotto was overcooked and I found the sauce for the rabbit to be too gelatinous,

    but I'm being very picky.I would definately not hesitate to dine at Rosalie's in the future,but it

    would not be for the service.

    Yes Leslie I've dined many times in all three,and they are very good restaurants,but world calibre?

    Actually I liked Susur's first restaurant Lotus better than the current one.That is the restaurant

    that made him what he is today,and I consider myself lucky enough to have dined there,it

    was the best Canada had to offer in the late 80's before his style was called "Fusion".

    Unfortunately I would have to say NYC is the food mecca of NA.We need to exploit what is

    unique about our individual communities and build on those virtues and considering our

    culinary lanscape is very young,we can still shape the general direction.Not too

    many countries left that can say that.I've talked enough..bye for now.

  11. I live in Toronto Leslie.The first time I dined was a Tuesday evening around 9:00

    and the restaurant was empty.My first impression was a large rectangle space

    fully occupied with tables that I would consider far too close together,and

    lighting while attractive on it’s own, to be overwhelming to the extreme.The room

    seemed commercial and uniform and while I love the minimalist concept I think

    they could have done a better job with the space available.

    My intension was to dine in the bar area , and was the right choice considering I was dining alone.The waiteperson behind the bar was quite young and very friendly,but

    after asking a few questions reqarding the menu and wine I knew I was on my own.

    This is not a knock on the overall experience , it seems to be quite the norm. I would

    be hard pressed to consider Rosalie a world class restaurant,but this is only my opinion.

    And just for the record…There aren’t any in Toronto that I think are world class either.

  12. It is one of the best food cities I know in North America. as for star power, it will even have its own Ducasse. Nevertheless, with restaurants like Toque, les Chevre, Rosalie et al. Ducasse is not even necessary for it to be a fixturen on the North American food map.

    I don't live in Montreal,but go a few times a year even though I haven't

    eaten at Toque or les Chevre I have eaten at Rosalie's twice last November.

    While the food was good,the room reminded me of a cafeteria,and the staff,

    well let me just say,I've have better informed service at the Keg,seriously.

    While it's nice to presume the city we live in has world calibre restaurants

    like Decasse or FL,Canada is hard pressed to attract that level of customer

    base,I only say this because it still doesn't exist.IMO

  13. Exactly danny,no such thing as perfect. Consistancy on the other hand is a little

    easier to achieve with good work habits and repetition.Of course this doesn't

    guarantee it will be good tasting for everyone,but if that particular cook feels

    they hit the mark on that occation,then that's all that matters,isn't it?

    Constant change is my nemesis.My mood does effect the outcome of the food I prepare,as does the ingredients that are never the same 2 days in a row,not

    to mention climatic change in humidity if you bake.Gawd it's hard enough

    just searing off two pieces of fish and have exactly the same results.So I wouldn't

    worry too much if some dishes don't meet your expectaions of that one

    time that you got it right.

    Personally when I've achieved nirvana in a dish I think of it as a gift.

    EDIT: spelling

  14. 10 years ago I converted from pan to oven broiler.

    A softer butter is preferable ,not only is it easier to apply but the

    browning process is consistantly more even.The result is a crisper

    bite and more of a butter flavour.Hard to describe,but have converted

    just about everybody that tried it.I first tried this one day when I didn't have

    stove top space and if you give this a try,do not preheat the tray,it

    will melt the butter on the bottom slice prematurely.

  15. Yes, I'm thinking of going smaller-scale and doing a Porchetta on my Weber w/ a suckling pig. How big are sucklings, anyway? My Weber is 22" - would a boned suckling pig fit in there?

    Ian

    I like them in the 12 to 14 lb range.I knew I souldn't have started to read this tread. :laugh:

  16. Salt, one of the very basic ingredients, yet so very tricky to control.

    What's your secret to handling salt?

    I find my cooking half the time too salty, the other half the time not salty enough.

    I agree.A balancing act that takes a deft hand and an experienced palate to master

    properly. I don't seem to be able to come up with any sure fire rules though.

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