Oreganought

I've always thought HC as being at the pinnacle of indulgence,where the visual was the most important aspect of this period,taste secondary. And I don't believe HC can be duplicated in the modern era,for lack of conviction in its application.One upmanship doomed to fail,if you believe that simplicity is the natural evolution that any artform takes.

Suvir was the soup a cream type soup and was it smooth or textured? When I make mine I only use corn water,18% cream and butter. And seasonings,of course. Corn water: take 4 or 5 ears,cut the kernels off and bring to a simmer with just enough water to cover,cook for 15 minutes,puree and strain. For the corn remove kernels,add some corn water,butter and roast in the oven stir every few minutes,when the corn is cooked,add the 18% cream and let steap until it has cooled.This is my base. Process until smooth and strain,and at this time fresh corn can be added for that extra explosion of freshness.Or you can leave a texture to the soup. Like any seasonal ingredient like this or asparagus or tomatoes,when I make a soup I like to keep it very simple. Simple embellishments don't detract too much,I might use italian parsley and lemon zest,but generally just a knob of butter to swirl. Now you got me thinking corn soup,and I already have enough to do.Thanks alot.

I thought the acidity from most tomatoes didn't pose this problem. I help my Italian mother-in-law every year for selfish reasons,(I have access to the cold cellar) and extra acid has never been used,including this year. That didn't answer your question I know,but just giving you my experiences. I bunch of basil appears about right,depends I quess on how much basil per jar you prefer.6 litres for 20 lbs...approx...no?

After making salmon stock the staff was there to pick at the heads for the cheeks and eyes.Not the actual eyes,but the meat just behind the eyes. Don't think I could actuall eat the eyes myself. Or if no one was around during the straining,I would collect them to make a pasta dish for everyone. Very tasty.

The 4 books that had the most impact on me: Gourmet's Basic French Cookbook...Techniques of French Cuisine By Louis Diat The Key to Chinese Cooking...by Irene Kuo The Professional Pastry Chef...by Bo Friberg Larouousse Gastronomique And my other cookbooks by....Susanna Foo,Marco Pierre White,Nico,Bocuse,Robuchon,Trotter,Keller,Soultner, Kennedy,Childs. Chef cookbooks are getting prettier all the time.I just picked up the French Laundry Cookbook...nice glossy pictures...pretty.That reminds me I have to buy a bigger coffee table.

Ron, you forget: Dr. $$$ is a golden nugget. It's possible Hans is stupid like a fox.

I...could...tell you,but then I'd have to kill you.....sorry

Try http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsg/imps/imps400.pdf Hope this helps

The common link between moose and elk is an interesting one that in the past has caused much confusion simply due to their respective regional names. The moose (in North America) and the elk (in Europe) are actually the same species of animal with differences analogous to those of different races within the human population. Therefore there aren't really any moose, as such, in Europe though there are elk in N. America. The indian name for elk in NA is wapati. Moose/Elk/Caribou/Reindeer are all in the deer family.The caribou and reindeer are the same animal but are called differently depending on the geographical location.Canada-caribou,Lapland-reindeer.

One of my favorites is still,linguini with clams in a white wine sauce.

So I was right....According to Tommy

I believe Peking Duck is a specific recipe with many courses utilizing the whole duck, where cantonese duck could be more than one recipe refering to the regional cantonese cooking. I'm quessing though

I cook penne and open a can of tomatoes and add to the drained pasta, add some butter a little sea salt and ground pepper,but it in a large bowl and eat it with a spoon. And a large glass of milk.

Yup,and the waiter said and I quote "This dish is better rare" and I said but this is a braised dish,he just nodded and smiled at me.

I agree with you there mamster.BPC (before pastry chefs) most restaurants ordered from a respectable dessert wholesaler,but generally these desserts were designed primarily for shelve life,and it seemed everyone had the same desserts to offer, it got really boring. And it seems savory chefs,of course not them all,where not very good or didn't have the time or patients to put a half decent desert menu together. One place where I was hired as EC a new mandate from the owner,was to replace this practice with from scratch recipes.This particular restaurant was a 40 seater 4 in the kichen + dishwasher and was only open for dinner. What I did was compress the desert menu to 5 items from about 15 and it worked rather well. And changed this up depending on seasons, special occations or if I felt inspired from something that stuck in my craw.

A caped Chef that's exactly why I asked the question.Specials for me is also to highlight the ingredients that come into season briefly, such as softshelled crab,fiddleheads,asparagus,truffles etc. My staff isn't that big, but it's free and they don't complain too much,but nothing I would ever turn into a menu item. But I know what chefb is talking about,I see it all the time.

I don't eat in or take out chinese food. What is that stuff anyway? Could you elaborate on your comment about specials?

Quick blanching lobster to facilitate the removal of the meat and to be used in a butter recipe,is not very new. It may not go back as far as mankinds first lobster meal,but it would go back to the second meal,after the flame went out prematurely. Seriously though,this technique and the poaching in a butter based sauce was a favorite of our family.My grandmother recipe was the inspiration one New Years Eve 15 years ago,when (with permission from my grandmother) I featured on the menu. And I believe one would have to search high and low to find a recipe that hasn't been done before,or something similar.

Yah,but no more preferential treatment,everyone is just a mouth. Do people know when they are well known as bad tippers,why they just can't get the waiters attention for another glass of water.

If you are prepared to admit that every chef has the right to his/her own method,every cook to their own little secret,then you must imagine cassolets receding to infinity,all different yet all alike through their marriage with the bean. But even with the bean we haven't hit bedrock.Although the cassoulet may not be as old as the globe itself,it is certainly as old as cooking;consequently, it probably didn't contain any beans. Beans are newcomers to the society of stews and casserole dishes.However,that the cassolet is a dish of the Languedoc few would deny. Yet even here a doubt creeps in.Though it may be deeply rooted to the soil of Languedoc,are we sure that the original recipe didn't come from the Moors of spain? In which case it's ancestors would be the mutton stew made with beans that the Sarasens introduced to the inhabitants of the carcasse about 720 And since there were no kidney beans,then it must have been some other bean. One purist Senator Jean Durand,insisted that they must be from Maseres or Lavelant.Without going quite so far.let us say they must have at any rate been white beans. No true cassoulet can be made other than in an earthenware casserole unglazed on the outside. A century ago all the cassoles in Castelnaudary were made of clay from Issel, the neibouring village. The seniority of the Castelnaudary cassolet is thus proved and confirmed by the local Canson D'el cassolet whose refrain,roughly translated,states quite clearly: Every place has it's favorite dishes And boasts of its special delights La Grasse has its plump partridge Villasavarry for its luscious melons Limoux its sparkling blanquette Albi gilds its pastry rings All towns have its crowning glory But Castelnaudary alone has cassoulette. The responsibility a cassoulet imposes is in proportion to the pleasure it bestows. The crust was the old bread that dried under fire and was submurged time after time,and a cassoulet that is years old is not unheard of,as a matter of fact was quite the norm when grande mare was responsible for the birth and death of the cassoulet. So the story goes,but when it comes to food,who can belief the french?

I live in the GTA greater toronto area and I buy the 6 to 8 lb by the box (4lb) individually frozen for $52.00 cdn. 13.00 a lb. If I'm cooking normal sized shrimp,on a med-high flame they will cook literally in 90 to 120 seconds. If they have curled,there overdone.

Just to confuss things the outside is pink the inside is opaque. If the shrimp are of the 6 to 8 per lb variety you could have under cooked shrimp with the outside being pink.But that's ok by me.

Nothing beats a 100% butter puff IMO. I'll either make it when the restaurant is empty. I do like to make puff in the walk-in,plus I get to nibble.

FG your describing a vegetarian order on a busy saturday night.

It's more of a personal thing Tommy,I find the taste of tomato paste very metallic and pasty.And I only mentioned to add tomatoes as a substitute,I normally add my smoked and semi oven dryed tomatos when I'm looking for that extra depth. Please don't take what I said personally,I hate canned products and refuse to use them when it's at all possible.