Doodad

"Hot" gets attention.

Probably because those are unique to that area. From what I have seen, hot browns are a turkey sandwich. I have never been anywhere that offered them. Can't comment on Derby Pie, but I have seen it on menus around race time.

I started with the cured salmon and then corned beef. I need some equipment before sausage gets made.

I think that's what Dave meant when he talked about teaching "shopping." Unfortunately, I don't think we'll have the time for a field trip, but I wonder if there are ways to teach this kind of thing without one. In the basic class, for instance, we talked about making friends with your grocery store department heads. We'd shopped almost exclusively at one of the big grocery stores for our supplies, because we figured that's probably where they'd do most of their everyday shopping. And we wanted to show the students that it's possible to get very decent products from a mainstream store if you know some tricks. So it's more than explaining what to look for in asparagus, for instance. It's what to do when the only asparagus on display isn't very good. It's what to do if ribeyes are on sale but the only ones you see are cut too thin. I'd say that all of our beginning students were amazed that you can ask a butcher at Publix to cut meat to order, or that you can ask for them to order stuff that's not on display (within limits, of course). I personally think that learning how to shop at your local supermarket can be a better tool for an intermediate cook than how to shop at a farmers' market or high-end specialty store. More of those tips would be fabulous to have on hand. ← Absolutely make friends with every supplier you can. I have no doubt the local Kroger knows me as "that guy", but I get the feeling they enjoy seeing someone that appreciates what they do and buys more than the little tiny cuts they have to create. They always have a whole brisket for me or when I asked for bones you would have thought they had died and gone to heaven. They are really nice and trim the brisket for me without weighing the trim and slip extra bones in.

I am in. Wish it was at the Brookhaven store only because it is closer, but hey, can't have everything.

JAZ and Dave, where are these classes being held? I am in the area and would love to take some of them. I am especially interested in the intermediate class and to that end, here is what I need to learn: 1) Breaking down a chicken including deboning. 2) Cleaning a fish. I can do it camp style on trout, but that is as basic a fish as you can get. A scaly fish and a flat fish would be awesome if I could learn that. 3) The mother sauces. I know most, but am not confident in them. 4) Knife skills for presentation such as tourneying (sp) vege and sharpening/honing. 5) Judging doneness. I know how to do this fairly well, but make mistakes all the time. This would be a great demo as it is readily done at one station such as the grill and the results are easily observable. Good luck and schedule please.

The Skate Grenoblaise from Bourdain's Les Halles cookbook. My first really sucessful fish dish from both a presentation and taste standpoint. We made it again recently with halibut, meyer lemons and homemade croutons. It just works and is simple.

I was glad to see that FTV got the hint and took it out of the Sun night line up. I imagine Iron Chef was being harmed; I know I was falling asleep with a 10 oclock start.

I want to make lo mein as a side dish tonight, but with homemade noodles. Using regular wheat flour is there a difference to make Chinese style? No eggs I assume?

Rijsttafel. Seek it out; it is very interesting. Aruba is very Americanized. If you have time, take the very short plane ride to Curacao. Much more Dutch and local influenced. Iguana soup is one of the local dishes and aside from food, the diving is awesome.

We found meyer lemons well in stock and halibut had just come in so we took advantage of the fact. It was pouring rain so I could not grill the fish, but it came out very well. Halibut with meyer lemon/mango sauce, white asparagus and mushroom salad, herbed roast rutabagas, bread and upside down meyer lemon tart for desert.

I have to wonder if that is really as rare as you think it is. ← She can't be. A lady at work was going on and on about FTV and she likes all the shows. Well, except Guy's, so there is hope for her. She loves the Challenges and cake competitions.

I just recently got into endive since I never saw it as a child. I had a hot grill already with salmon, so I brushed it with roast garlic, oil and a hint of soy and mustard. Dang good and took all of a minute as the fish went into the kitchen to be plated.

there is a perception by people other than in the USA that the greeting is not perhaps as sincere as it initially sounds. i.e it is not a prevailing social protocol elsewhere ← I think even in the USA, there isn't much sincerity in the phrase either. It is simply treated as an end piece to an encounter with someone you may or may not know. It is normally followed by a, "Thank you." or, "You, too." I think it is treated in the same vein as, "How are you today?" when asked by a complete stranger. Clearly this is not an invitation for me to vent all of my daily frustrations. ← That is why I always greeted my patrons with "How's it hangin'?" and left them with "Take 'er easy." Much simpler.

Dale from last year does too. He went straight from last season to production on Chicago (from what I heard). We watched the episode again last night. Lots of melodrama in such a bad episode. Agreed that Andrew could not pass a drug test. He was tweaking so bad it made me grind my teeth for him. I can't see him leaving without getting in Collichio's face with a string of f bombs. And the quickfire food was even worse than I remembered. My gosh some of that looked terrible.

You have to be kidding me?? I will be in Topsail this summer.

That's simply not true. Surgeons and pilots make mistakes everyday. It doesn't mean they're crashing planes and killing people, but neither do we typically have a dining experience that is akin to death. Just as I expect my scar to be a bit long, or my landing to jiggle me in my seat, I also am not disappointed just because I waited an extra minute for my check or my water glass had lipstick on it. I'm glad perspective was found on this meal. ← Short of fugu, right?

What is the history and tradition (if any) of rice in French cooking? My wife and I disagreed over beef bourginon I cooked for dinner. She claims it always comes with rice. I pointed out that rice cultivation is not exactly huge in France and that we had bread. Not sure here, but the few French cookbooks I have do not swoon over rice. Veau de blanquette is the only real recipe I have that includes the grain.

Well, good on both of you. I have no dog in this hunt as I do not live anywhere near, but I read the initial post with interest and almost responded. I chose not too as I wanted to see how locals who know better than I would handle this. Very amicably it seems. Should have been at time of service, but that does not always work and many people have a hard time expressing themselves, shall we say.

That is too bad; I enjoyed them all. The titles alone were well thought out.

Depends on what she looks like. But, (just my luck) it usually seems to be the "flamboyant" guys who do it. And then it is just annoying.

My guess is to offset the bandwidth storm that occurs when Tony guest blogs. I bet the hit count goes up tenfold. And that is $$.

Not to hijack, but my favorite episode of Chef (England Expects) is when they are in the cooking competition in France and have to use ingredients native to their home countries (England for Garreth). They go the french wine shop to find a substitute english wine and are laughed at. "Odd to relate, but the amount of wine imported into France from England is surprisingly small."

Nimma was in the local rag this past week. She is working FOH somewhere now.

I know I would have had one dish that looked like a flattened something. With a tire pattern. Maybe a gingerbread roadkill with chocolate tire tracks. Or roadkill quesadilla with mole tracks.