bmdaniel

I don't think you need the water. If you want to be sure on food safety, do a 15 second dunk in boiling water before you put it in.

I have a special place in my heart for dominoes thin crust - wouldn't compare it to real pizzas, but for what it is I like it.

Was Kung pao pastrami on the menu?

I third the above - something not great about SV rib roast

The phenomenon/technique is known as the heating flush and is a well-known issue on heat exchanger machines like the Silvia. Good article here: http://www.home-barista.com/hx-love.html ETA: remembered that the Silvia is not an HX but a single boiler - I think the phenomenon is similar though - here is a Silvia specific article: http://home.surewest.net/frcn/Coffee/Coffee58.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303592404577363941417734780.html I wonder what you would pair with a cobb salad

If you are using an equilibrium brine, you would want to use the weight of the water + protein to get your percentage - that way when it's fully distributed everything would be at target.

mm - What is the chicken coated in? Did you use activa or just rely on chicken to bind naturally after cooking?

Why are they "light drinkers" - is it alcohol avoidance or a taste issue? If the latter, most punches should be a good fit - not a lot of alcohol taste, which is why they can be so dangerous!

You are not supposed to let pressure cooker stock boil - the idea is that you can maintain a higher non-boiling temperature and get better extraction

I'm afraid my budget hasn't got as far as 'Modernist Cuisine' yet and I've a huge learning curve in front of me (hopefully) but can you tell me what 'to equilibrate' means in the context of the cure ? He just means for the salt to stabilize across the fish (i.e., achieve even 3% everywhere). The idea is you can put in just the right amount of salt such that you don't have to worry about over or under curing.

Frozen blue cheese sphere. Very blue cheesey. At El Bulli I had a coconut version which was inedible.

What constructive criticism are you going to offer in this situation? That they should not suck at cooking?

I would cook sous vide then sear one side in a very hot pan and serve as a paillard. Maybe a Harissa based sauce.

Like runwestierun, I prefer a piped meringue like this. I am not a baker (just an eater), but it seems like that may be easier to execute.

Of the restaurants on that list that I have been to, I would rank EMP as a clear winner, then Brooklyn Fare, Le Bernardin, JG/DP tied, then Per Se slightly behind. At the end of the day, a lot of it is obviously just personal preference and luck of the draw (assuming you are not lucky enough to be a regular at any of the places).

Honestly I hadn't planned to write it up (I forgot the menu in New York), but since you asked, here is a quick summary

Wife and I recently ate at Per Se on a blowout "babymoon" trip to New York. Were very excited about this meal, as trips to the French Laundry have been probably our 2nd and 3rd best US dining experiences (after Alinea). On the whole we were disappointed - nothing was bad, but nothing was exceptional either. Out of our 4 major meals on the trip (PS, Brooklyn Fare, Le Bernardin, EMP), we both ranked it last (honestly, we probably had tastier lunches even at The Modern and Del Posto). I would describe it as being almost exactly like eating at FL, but just consistently not as good tasting. I will say however that we loved the room (although would have preferred to be by the window vs. on the upper level), and that the service was faultless (including being extremely accomodating of my pregnant wife's restrictions). Just let down by the food - (Obviously the menu changes immensely even day to day, so this may have just been luck of the draw). Apologies that I don't have more detailed notes - we accidentally left the menus behind in NYC. The only course that really stands out in my mind was a chicken thigh stuffed with a farce, served with a quenelle of what can only be described as ranch dressing. Odd dish (but actually probably one of our favorites, one you get past the strangeness of being served chicken with ranch dip at Per Se).

I made deviled eggs, roasted rack of lamb with garlic-mustard-rosemary crust, roasted asparagus, and sauteed snap peas with bacon. Pretty low hassle (besides peeling the damn eggs) and tasty.

His discussion of Per Se makes no sense to me - yes, the meals are long and expensive, but so are they at Brooklyn fare, Le Bernardin, EMP, etc. I ate #1,2,4,5 and Per Se proper on a trip last month and there just isn't a really qualitative difference between the elements of the experience he is describing at any of them (except that at least at Per Se the seating is comfortable, unlike BF). Now, I found the food itself at Per Se on the whole disappointing, but that is a separate issue.

Once you have strained and defatted, there is no problem with boiling (especially for general home use). Lots of people do a very strong reduction for storage purposes (easier to store an ice cube than a quart).

I made it to both, and enjoyed the Next version substantially more (but I think we had a bit of a "lemon" at El Bulli).

Avila's in Dallas had quite the family saga a couple years back http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2010/02/19/soap-opera-update-avila’s-mexican-restaurant-on-maple-in-dallas/

I think he meant Cooks Illustrated can help you find the $20 dollar coffee maker that works and help you avoid the $10 waffle maker that doesn't.

Bruce - What is your Tom Ka Gai recipe? Thanks in advance!