KennethT

My wife and I stayed at the Vistabella, technically in Roses, but not in town proper - it's on a bluff overlooking the sea... we had a beautiful view from our room.... and it was about 2 minutes from the road that leads to El Bulli - probably as close as you can get. It was a little more challenging to get to Rafa's, though really not a big deal. And the front desk has maps with everything labeled on it - so they're set up and ready.

I agree with you completely - we thought the contents of the envelopes were very subtle... BUT - I think the concept of using them as a delivery device for things is genius...

How did the fat turn out at 60C? Did it render at all, or even soften at that temp? This past weekend, I did pork shoulder for 24 hours at 68.5C and it came out great - really moist, and that fat had softened nicely. Did the meat in the pork belly turn out dry after being in the bath for 72 hours? I sometimes have problems with 72 hour cook times - it turns out nicely gelatinous, but the meat fibers themselves wind up being a bit dry... was that the case with yours too?

hey Victornet, thanks so much for posting these photos - it was the best meal of my life, and certainly the most memorable, but now, with your photos, it's even easier to remember a lot of the details. Do you mind if I post a couple of the photos on another forum, specifically the Cooking Issues forum? We've been having a discussion about the clear 'potato paper' that held the thai salad and pine-nut shabu shabu... Thanks!

Thanks so much for posting these! It really brings back memories - I didn't take any pictures, but now I kind of wish I did... luckily for me, many of our dishes were the same, and your pictures look great!

Thanks so much for posting these pictures! My wife and I were lucky enough to be there a few weeks ago, and your menu seemed very similar to ours - but we had a lot more "cocktails" in the beginning - about 5 or so, I think... but we didn't get some of the savory courses you had - we didn't get the soya dish, or the asparagus dish. On the previous post, the pink one in the middle was called "American" which I think really should of been "Americano" which is the name of a cocktail made with campari - which is why it was pink, and slightly bitter.

Just want to let you know, Mishima is on Lex, not Park...

My wife and I will be spending a few days in both the Medoc (primarily Pauillac, but we'll have a car so we can travel) and St. Emilion and we'd like some recommendations for some casual restaurants that either serve traditional SW France fare (duck, confit, foie, goose, etc.) or seafood. I speak French so language is not a problem. Not really looking for nouvelle interpretations, but would be open to suggestions... We already have some of the ** already booked, so that's not an issue... Also, we'll be there next week - is this too late for the season for d'agneau de lait? I'd love to try that somewhere if I can find it... Thanks in advance for all the responses!

In my opinion, a bag with a couple of slices of foie will float not because of air in the bag, but because foie is mostly fat, and fat is less dense than water.. so it floats... try bagging a couple of pats of butter... same thing... in fact, I've bagged things that would normally sink, but if you had a couple of pats of butter, it wants to float - until the butter melts, and then it sinks again. Thanks Pedro, the glass beads are a good idea - I've seen you post about their virtues before but haven't done anything about it... just haven't had the time to go out and get some somewhere... plus, my makeshift weight works well enough so it's no big deal... I have one rack keeping everything off the bottom of the pot, and I just put another rack on top and it weighs it down just fine. I don't use a bubbler for convection - but I agree that air bubbles will definitely provide quite a bit of lift...

I love foie in the waterbath - I don't use vacuum though... it works fine with ziplocks - you might have to weigh it down with a wire rack or something... I typically use 131F or 135F, depending on what else is going in there... I usually keep it in the bath for 30-40 minutes, if I"m cooking 1/2" slices... they keep their shape fine and don't lose any juice, and very little fat. I've kept them in the bath as long as 2 hours if I was doing cook-chill, and still had no problems - a little more fat loss...

I wouldn't add too much liquid - it won't be absorbed by the meat well, and will result in a weird texture... Also, I'd avoid lime juice or any acidic liquid as that may "ceviche" your meat... Rather than using tamarind juice for tartness, I'd use the thick pulp (seeds removed)... Also, most SE Asian sausages that I've had didn't have tons of flavorings IN them... there's usually a lot of fat - maybe 30%? - and some dry spices and salt, but that's it - I've never seen a sausage that looked like it had curry paste in it... Also, rereading the orig post, I think the fish sauce will give problems like the coconut milk - you'd need to add too much of it to get the salt content you'd want - liquids are typically not added to sausage components... but you can add some rehydrated fermented/dried fish for that type of flavor, and some ground coconut flakes/powder - don't know how that'll affect texture though... Just my 2 cents...

Very interesting... I had thought of pectin, but I've never used it before and don't know much about it... also, I got to this link which is also interesting

I'm looking to bond two pieces of fruit or vegetables together for a cold application - is there anything out there that can do this type of thing? I was thinking there might be something like a veggie equivalent to transglutaminase (not necessarily enzyme based) - something that you could spread on one slice of fruit/veg and then apply another slice and they would bond together... I might be able to make a strong enough gel out of agar or gelatin, but don't know if it would have the strength to hold things stuck together, plus, I don't know if it would taste weird... Thanks for the ideas!

I've done foie gras at 132 and 135 and both came out pretty much the same with very little fat or liquid loss... the length of time depends on how thick your piece is...

I have no idea... I didn't send in multiple requests - only 1 email saying that we'd be in the area for a few days near the beginning of their season, but that if those days weren't available we would make a special trip at any time during the year... other than that, I did not mention any special occasions or anything... I sent in my request on the 2nd of January.

Just got my reservation confirmation today!!!

It's not uncommon to have significant liquid in the bag, especially for long cook times, like a 24 hour flank steak or something... what saves these dishes is that the connective tissue in the tough cuts gets broken down into gelatin, which gives it a nice moistness to compensate for the liquid loss... The liquid is definitely safe - it's really flavorful! Really meaty tasting... What I typically do is pour it into a microwave safe cup, and then cook for 10-20 seconds (or as long as it takes to get it to boil for a second)... this will coagulate any proteins that are in the liquid.. then strain into your sauce for enhanced meatyness...

I was wondering if there was a concensus on the typical wholesale pricing structure of super-high quality, locally grown heirloom tomatoes in the NYC area... thanks...

I don't think the basil will freeze well, and I think the flavor will change if dried... However, the kaffir lime leaves freeze really well... just put them in a ziplock bag and squeeze the air out and stick them in the freezer... when you need some, take out as many leaves as you need and put the rest back in... the leaves you take out defrost on the counter in roughly the same amount of time it takes to slice them....

We just had a Mardi Gras party, and with the welcome cocktails (hurricanes (made with fresh fruit juices - not kool aid), and ramos gin fizz) we served puffed pork rinds with cane syrup. Salty and sweet.... yum... They're really easy to make (although takes advance prep)... full instructions are at the Cooking Issues blog from the FCI (http://cookingissues.wordpress.com/category/puffed-snack/) - but basically you take pork skins and boil in heavily salted water for an hour 15 minutes, cool, once cool, scrap any fat, then dehydrate overnight until they look like a shrinky dink... you can then puff in the microwave, but I like cooking in 375F peanut oil - they puff in about 5 seconds... drain and serve... The website also gives instructions on making puffed pasta snacks

I forgot to add that we went to Kai a few years ago and thought it was interesting - using Southwestern ingredients with french technique... has anyone been there lately? Is it still good?

Thought I'd bump up this thread... I'm heading to Phoenix from NYC for Easter weekend... my wife and I have one dinner that's not scheduled already, and we were looking for something that we can't get in NYC - from what I've read above, New Mexican food is good there, and I'd like to hear if some of the places already mentioned are still as good... or if anyone has any other advice for somewhere we shouldn't miss, it would be welcomed.... We're staying in Scottsdale, but have a car and don't mind driving for something worthwhile... Thnaks!

I don't know where you're located, but if you're in an area where they have classes, one option may be the WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust), based out of London, but is worldwide. They have several programs of study, the first being the "intermediate" then the "advanced" and finally the "diploma" program which is usually about 2 years long and is very intensive - it is typically used as a basis before entering the Master of Wine program. My wife is just about finished with the diploma, and I can tell you it is very rigorous, in theory, and in tastings. It focuses mostly on theory, and was originally designed as education for wine importers, so there is no focus on restaurant wine service (like a sommelier). If you'd like to learn theory and tastings and wine service, there is the American Sommelier Association, which is focused on education to be a sommelier. I know there is another option - a Certified Wine Educator's exam or something, but I don't know if there are classes associated with this, or just a couple of exams to get your certification. Hope this helps...

This is true - in the past, the only place I could find them (for mail order) was the Cajun Grocer - but they're out of stock and won't have any more until May... Thanks for the links - I emailed a few people from the Shrimp Lot... I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

hey everybody - I'm an idiot... I had a practically full 10# bag of 16/20 IQF heads-on gulf shrimp in my freezer... I took the bag out to get something that was hidden underneath, and forgot to put the big bag o' shrimp back in!! How I didn't see it sitting on the floor right next to the freezer is still beyond my comprehension... My wife discovered the bag the next day.... So now I'm hunting for replacements - but, for some reason, everyone seems to be out of the IQF heads-on shrimp - so I can either find fresh heads-on, or IQF heads-off.... I've got people coming over next Saturday for a Mardi Gras party (I know it's after MG, but it was the only time we could get everyone together) which I was planning on making BBQ shrimp, and putting some gulf shrimp in my gumbo (don't need the heads for that, but I use them in my shrimp stock)... I guess if I have to, I can get some fresh ones delivered just in time, or get the IQF that are headless... I'm in NY, so I can't go to any local stores, but I feel like I've checked every place along the gulf that ships... Does anyone know of anyone who might have them??? Thanks... I really appreciate any help I can get!!