Tom Gengo

HELP. Catered a mid-day, outside wedding Sat. Here in Charleston the temps were in the high 90's and over 90% humidity. The head count was 175, so I brewed 25 gallons of unsweetened tea (18 oz per person) to ensure everyone stayed hydrated. Since most here in the South drink sweetened tea I made a simple syrup to mix w/ the tea for the sweetened variety. Unfortunately, I have 24 quart canning jars of simple syrup left over... that's right 6 GALLONS OF SIMPLE SYRUP. Any suggestions for using it? Shelf stability (this is a 10-15 year supply for my cooking barring a barrage of catering gigs soon?) I can use it for brining, which I do frequently, with some simple calculations. Oh, the guests stayed hydrated on UNsweetened tea, bottled water & lemonade that I also supplied.

One more "memory." In college we had a scavanger hunt pitting one half of our fraternity against the other 1/2. Some of the tasks over the years included walking a live lobster across Grand Central Station (attended Union College in Schenectady, NY), drink a beer in every bar in Faneuil Hall in Boston (over 20 bars), etc. One year some genius on the other team put in the challenge to "do a double shot of Tabasco." We needed to accomplish that task to win, so I agreed to do it... I threw back 4 ounces of Tabasco and all was fine... for about 4 seconds and my body went into rebellion w/ itself. All organs tried to send the toxin to another organ with the net result that the Tabasco went into my sinuses and out my nose... my "colleagues" thought I was having a stroke or had just welcomed a demon into my body b/c of the bodily gyrations, attempts at breathing water, and the deep guttural sounds which came from me and my body. It was an out of body experience that people talk about after dying and returning to life.

THere is actually a low tech pepper system, LOL. One "low tech" method is to eagerly anticipate "arrival" of the ice cream you ate the night before to quell the pain. Once heard a Catholic family member in the bathroom the day after Habanero caramel sauce praying for penance, lmao... but his a## was doing something other than laughing. Ever see someone perspire eating ice cream in January? Another "low tech" that I have learned is to cut jalapeno peppers w/o gloves, drink a beer or 2 while doing said task and have an urgent need to relieve oneself. I, from a never to be forgotten experience, burned in a very sensitive area for more than a day. Instant OCD- compulsively wash my hands before using the bathroom w/ or sans pepper cutting. Probably could use bodily function pathology: slight burn upon "removal" of the offending subject, med burn, heavy burn, multiple uses of the term HOLY SH##, diarhea, OMG- I just had diarhea w/o warning and am no where near a toilet, projectile diarhea and finally the deluded idea that someone is performing an exorcism on you and it has gone gravely awry.

I have just been introduced to Qimiq, the most revolutionary kitchen product of which I have heard since... probably fire (by the way, I was not around when fire was invented, lol.) I have just begun work as the Garde Manger chef at a resort on Isle of Palms, SC (outside Charleston) and the Banquet Chef for whom I have begun working told me about it. It will: keep your breads from staling, reduce fat in recipes by up to 80%,extend shelf life on many products (fresh or frozen) & keep your slaw from leaking amongst many other uses. As Chef explained, it is a solution of 10% cream and 90% gelatin. My understanding of the product is that the gelatin is coated w/ the cream and as moisture leeks from a product (bread staling, slaw leaking, etc.) the gelatin network absorbs it. Has anyone in egullet land heard of it? Uses? Downsides? Pls share your experiences, uses, etc. If you have not heard of it, here is the link for review: http://www.qimiq.com/new/index.php?id=212&L=6#c1564

Here is another use. Use it as the sweetener in a brine. I use brines extensively for poultry and pork. My base recipe is 6 cups of liquid (water, apple cider, orange or pineapple juice, etc.) brought to a boil w/ whole spices of choice (black peppercorns, cloves, star anise, allspice...), bay leaf and garlic bulbs cut parallel to the root. Also sometimes use ginger root or candied ginger. Add 1/2 cup of kosher salt and 1 cup of sweetener (honey, sugar, brown sugar...) and 1/2 cup of molasses. I would cut back 1 cup of liquid, skip the sweetener and replace w/ your flavored sugar. Hmmm, have some ginger syrup (from making candied ginger) and pomegranate syrup in the "vault." After the dry additions have dissolved, let it cool to room temp and then refrigerate. Rinse your meat, submerge in the brine and voila, citrus flavored dinner.

Thx all for your contribution. I have decided to blind bake 8, 9 & 11 inch tart shells (those are the sizes I have) and then bake off the quiches later. From a production standpoint I was just not able to reconcile the time committment for the minis. The 8" will be quiche lorraine w/ homemade apple smoked maple bacon (light on the maple flavor), the 9" will be roasted red pepper quiches w/ a garnish of red pepper cut brunoise and the 11" will be broccoli quiche. Interestingly, I am doing a crudite platter, so I will utilize the stalks of brocc by peeling and dicing small, steaming and then using for the broccoli quiche.

Thanks for the tip on Food Arts mag, just subscribed. Please post any others that you hear about regarding free... free is my favorite word, lol.

On Food & Cooking by Harold McGee. It is excercising my distant memory of Biochem and Organic Chem. Very interesting for the understanding of why certain foods go so well together by looking @ the chemistry.

I would agree w/ Lisa, mice. I have seen the same type of tears in some of my plastics stored in the garage- probably to make a nest. I stored in the garage about 30 bucktails (deer tails) dyed a multitued of colors for my other passion, fly tying and fly fishing. Unfortunately the mouse (mice?) found them, chewed them up and made a nest out of bucktail hairs in a kalaidoscope of colors.

Thanks Hungry C. I left out part of what I needed to say, got distracted. I want the customer to be totally satisfied. Since it is a brunch buffet, she just instinctively asked for coffee. AS you have pointed out, I want the customer completely satisfied which is the reason for the thread. I am very likely going to do coffee as I like a cup w/ my sweets, but just getting a sense for what others think. I was just kidding around about the work, it is not much more for me to brew a pot. Especially thank you for the comment about the sweetener sticks. Haven't observed them since I do not use them. Guess I need to be more aware of my surroundings.

I am catering a wedding 6.26.2010, outside mid-day in Moncks Corner, SC at the Old Santee Canal Park (near Charleston.) The bride's mom discussed coffee, which I quickly discouraged. However, subsequently I have had several people tell me that some of the guests may want coffee with their cake. My thoughts are 1. that it is more work 2. it will be hot as HE double hockey sticks and 3. It is more work (purposely redundant.) Y'all please share your thoughts on this matter. Item #2, if I were to do coffee, what artficial sweeteners would you recommend? Just curious what the concesus is on this matter since I drink mine unadulterated black

I own a Victorinox Cimetar that is about 14" long which is wonderful for slicing meats. Did some work during the Holidays carving for a Christmas party, the banquet captain stated, "If a knife fight breaks out I am getting right behind you." LOL. I frequently use my 10" Victorinox serrated edge, and also favor for specific purposes my tomato knife, 6" fillet knife and 7" boning knives as needed.

I brought them to a New Years Eve party one year. I cooked them first, and layered them lettuce, pot stickers, lettuce, etc in an oven proof pan w/ cover. Popped it into the oven till they were warm. The lettuce provided steam and physical seperation between layers.

I particularly like the section that covers "matching" flavors- it tells what flavors go w/ which, eg. raspberries and chocolate, but covers some interesting combos. Great creating new recipes.

Empty milk/juice containers: I fill them w/ water and store them in the refrigerator or freezer (ha, ha) when they are less than full. The water retains the cold and lowers the electric usage. Also, since Charleston, SC is subject to earthquakes, tornados and especially hurricaines, they are a source of potable water during an emergency. Glass Apple Cider Bottles: I have 6 w/ Vanilla extract brewing. Each one has about 10-20 Vanilla beans. When I need a refresh on the extract, I drain it from the bottle w/ the freshest beans and continue filling from the older bean bottles until I get to the oldest and then top it off w/ dark rum. The benefit is that the most diluted sol'n will continue to extract flavor from the older beans and the concentration continues to increase as the the extract moves from bottle to bottle. It is some very potent V. Extact. Plastic yogurt, etc containers as a grease seperator for gravy, etc. Pour your pan drippings in, let sit for 5 min's and then poke a hole in the bottom w/ a knife- voila. Glass Bottles, as mentioned earlier, for storage of spices, giving of gifts (just hot glue on some fabric to the bottle top), and taking up lots of space. **** One of my favorites- a 1/2 liter decorative bottle w/ a liquor dispenser in the top- mix 1/3 liquid dish detergent and 2/3 water- it is easier to use, is definitely more economical and is attractive on the counter. WARNING: I had Joy (yellow) in the bottle and while I was not looking a guest poured it over his bread b/c he likes bread w/ olive oil, lmao watching him bent over the sink trying to "clean" his mouth of detergent by turning on the water and using the sprayer stuck into his mouth... wish I had a video for youtube. GREAT topic Chris.

Ok, now you see what has happened to me (see pic.) roflmbo. THank you all, Found a couple of solutions 1. As Karen mentioned, I blind baked the shells after tamping them into the mold- improvement, but the docking w/ a fork was tearing the crust. Thought about docking prior to cutting 2. Found in a cookbook to make quiches w/o a pastry crust by buttering the mold, add shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional) and then cook the custard in a bain marie. This has some potential, but starting to think that labor is way to much still. 3. A hybrid of Karen's idea- tamp in a crust just in the bottom after buttering the mold, hmmm. 4. May tell the customers that we HAVE to go w/ full size tarts, cut them in advance and let the guests serve themselves. Really leaning that way since one of the parties can not afford my price and will need to cut to make it work. The economy is hurting everyone. THis has definitely been a learning experience. OH, almost forgot... was not refrigerating after molding and that may help also ,according to several cookbooks, to relax the gluten. Another interesting solution I found was to replace the water used in the dough w/ vodka, of all things, but makes alot of sense. The vodka reduces the amount of water by 50% assuming 100 proof, thereby reducing the amount of gluten formed w/ the flour, ergo, less shrinking and bakes off during the blind baking.

I am catering 2 weddings next year and both have requested mini quiches, which I intend to make from scratch (Lorraine topped w/ a chip of bacon; asparagus topped w/ an asparagus tip; broccoli & roasted red pepper.) The challenge here seems to be w/ the pastry dough. When I roll & cut out the dough and put it into the mini pan it looks like godzilla's step child when it comes out of the oven (blind baking.) Professional Cooking (Le Cordon Bleu) suggests putting another pan onto the pastry shell and baking upside down, but that results in a problem w/ the pastry tearing. Challenges I am having are 1. docking is difficult to do w/o tearing the dough and the edges are "bloated" 2. Forming the pastry inside the mini muffin tin results in a very unevenly edged pastry 3. ONce blind baked (w/o anything inside) the shell swells as one would expect and there is little room for the custard. I will need 150 for one wedding and 300 for another, so I am fretting the labor on this right now. If you have experience w/ baking miniature pastry shells that are ATTRACTIVE, please share your insight. I just can't seem to get a product that is satisfying to the eye- the taste and texture is right on target. Thank you in advance.

I think that dragees are protected under the "Endangered Species Act." Just kidding.

When you are drying the skin is the turkey laid out uncovered in the frig? Gayle Yes, Gayle.

REgarding the salt concentration, it is based on the volume of the subject de'brine and the time for brining. My standard mix (for chickens) is 1 cup of sweetener (honey, sugar, etc.)and 1/2 cup of KOSHER salt to 6 cups liquid (water, apple cider, pineapple juice, sour or sweet orange juice, etc.) for a 6 hour brining (whole chickens) or 2-3 hours for boneless breasts. As such, with a turkey I use the same quanitities of salt/sweetener to 8 cups with a 12-18 hour refrigerated brining period & use a total of 16 cups of liquid. AS mentioned above, I then lay the turkey on a jelly roll pan for 24 hours in the refrigerator to dry the skin so it crisps in the oven. For spices in my brine I will use 1/4 cup of black peppercorns, 2 halved garlic heads, 1 Tbsp each of cloves & allspice with 6 or so bay leaves roughly broken and 1/2 cup of molasses. For an asian flavor, add 2 Tbsps cardamom pods and 1 crushed 2-4" piece of ginger or 1/2 cup of crystallized ginger to orange or pineapple juice. Using juices, etc. a 50/50 dilution with water is usually sufficient strength for the flavor desired.

I concur w/ the wet brining of the bird, I have never had any difficulty w/ saltiness nor "curing." Agree w/ the air drying the skin in fridge for a day for a crips skin after roasting. Regarding the smaller breast of the bird, a solution (no pun intended) is to spatchcock the bird. I use it frequently w/ chickens and it provides for a more evenly cooked bird. Basically to spatchcock (some call it Country style)cut out the back bones, place the turkey on a jelly roll pan and lay the turkey flat. Break the wishbones by pressing heavily on the neck end of the bird then push the thighs up as high as you can over the breast. Placing the thighs over the breast evens the cooking time so there is no divergence in temp's as it roasts. In addition, more of the skin is exposed to the heat of the oven, so it crisps up nice. Works like a charm. Let me know how it turns out for you if you should try this method. Happy Thanksgiving.

Ha, my father is the same way FG. He (from Mass.) thinks that the "lousy" white eggs we have here in the South are "inferior." Along the same lines, my father is not exactly a gourmand, so when asked where I developed my "foodie" interest I immediately credited my father. The entire family gave me this incredulous look of astonishment. I explained that when I was growing up my mom worked 2nd shift, so dinner was Dad's responsibility. He was "Neurotic" about serving me Spam w/ Hormel Chili as a child... every freaking night. AS such, I have developed an interest in cooking, but GAG violently at the sight of a can of spam- avoid that aisle in the grocery store w/ a passion, lol. God forbid I should smell it again... Bought a can of Spam for a joke Holiday gift, but the "gag" was on me as he found it before I could wrap it... could smell it when I came into their house, retreated immediately. Joke was on me

This past spring I was the beneficary of about 100 Pink Grapefruits grown here in Charleston. I candied the zest and it is a great addition to the teas that I have brewed. Also, lemongrass from my yard

I use it religiously in my brine for poultry and pork. Basic brine is 6 C water (or OJ, Pineapple Juice, Apple Cider, etc.) brought to boil. While heating, add 2 heads of garlic sliced in 1/2 parallel to the root, 2 TBSP black peppercorns, 1 TBS Allspice Berries, 1 TBS Whole Cloves, 1-2 whole star anise broken into pieces, 5 or 6 bay leaves. Crushed ginger, lemongrass, etc. is optional. When liq. comes to a boil, add 1/4 to 1/2 molasses to the mixture, 1/2 cup of MORTON KOSHER salt (Red Diamond, use 3/4 cups) and 1 cup of sweetener (sugar, honey, etc.) stir to dissolve. Let cool to room temp, refrigerate and then add the meat when cold, brine (time will depend on the volume of the meat), rinse the meat and cook. just isn't the same w/o molasses.

That is Sooooo cool.