Tiger Black

I know this is a late reply but that strikes me as unbearably and shockingly rude.

Confiseur, thank you for your post. I can't handle that sort of grandstanding and I don't think it helps people improve, either. Having worked in restaurants and having friends also in the business, I can attest that the hours are not universal, either. These things change from place to place and chef to chef. Frankly if you're working for a chef that can't keep it in his pants, I'd advise you to move on.

Hrm not a bad idea on the Stilton. I agree, there won't be much beyond that. I thought just the barest touch of vanilla or rosewater, but lemon is a great idea too.

So here is what I want to do. A crust, possibly with rosemary in it. A thin layer of custard. Some stilton. Topped with peaches. Now my question is, how do you think I ought to flavor the custard, and how long would one bake this for? Would one assemble the whole thing and bake it, or perhaps leave the peaches off until it came out of the oven? Thank you in advance.

I love oxtails. And organs. Basically, nasty bits. Not only are they delicious, they are also cheap, which is why I have a ton of oxtails in my fridge right now. I would really like to make a stroganoff sauce with them, and I would like to use my slow cooker to do it. I was thinking of rolling the oxtails in seasoned flour, searing all sides, then simply adding everything together in the slow cooker and letting it do its thing. Will this work? Will it make the sour cream do ooooh, bad things? What do you guys think?

Tonight was lentil soup with crusty wheat bread. I used green lentils and the soup itself was tomato based. I added some diced bacon, onions, and chopped red chard. It was finished with saffron yogurt. Not bad! Though it's true that food can tell when you're in a bad mood; it was touch and go for a few minutes there and it's an absurdly simple soup.

I'm a member of the Society of Creative Anachronism. My friend's birthday happened to coincide with an event, so I ended up cooking her birthday dinner on a two burner propane camp stove. I made lamb tagine. This involved two pots and one mixing bowl, not too hard to haul around. In one pot, I took lamb chunks tossed with olive oil, tumeric, pepper, and ginger, and simmered them with a ton of sliced onions, with just enough water to cover the mixture. I would have rather used stock but needs must as the devil drives. The second pot was cubed yams, dried apricots, rose water, honey, lemon juice and cinnamon sticks. When the potatoes cooked through and the onions softened, they got combined and simmered for about twenty minutes more, if I remember rightly. In the meantime I cleaned the mixing bowl and made cous cous in it. I will rustle up the recipe if people would like it.

I really find a lot of the gendered talk in that article silly. I do think that there might be some differences in style, but I think any woman who has the ability and dedication to rise to the top in a restaurant kitchen is just as, if not more, bold than her male counterparts. The kitchen world is only now becoming more inclusive, but female chefs have already made great showings, and not just with "mama food." The idea that women want only to nurture is an old chestnut I could do without.

HA I swear I entered my response before I saw your comment.

brioche

Sadly I am not the cook for Easter Dinner, so I don't have a menu. But I just have to ask...Did you call your mother on saying that, and if so what did she say in response? Sounds like my friend's Mom. If everything were absolutely perfect she'd worry it was TOO perfect.

Erk, I'm afraid I didn't have any questions. Everything that they would require of me was spelled out and I am a regular customer at this place, so I honestly couldn't think of anything to ask. I hope that doesn't work against me. I do think you're right in that experience was most likely the problem for the people they interviewed before. It's bread, for the person who asked. I do bake a lot at home and have worked in kitchens, though cooking doesn't really apply that well to baking. Even if I don't get it I am pretty pleased I even got the interview.

There is a local bakery in my town, and they are looking for a night baker. I applied and was upfront about not having any baking experience. They've gone through a couple more experienced applicants and they haven't worked out, so now they are down to me. They want me to come in tonight and work for a few hours "on the bench." What does that mean??!! I am freaking out a little. I have food experience, but no baking. Any advice? Anything I should know going in?

I am blind so pretty damn often on both counts. Well, allright, I have some vision and I generally get by. I've been in a professional kitchen and I cook at home all the time, but I get tagged by the oven almost every day. I don't cut myself much because I am very, very careful; my life is all about expending a huge amount of energy checking and re-checking things, and being incredibly cognizant of where I am in relation to other things/people in a space. That stuff most sighted people take for granted. A funny related story. My father bought me my shun boning knife for my birthday. As we all probably know, those motherfuckers are sharp. I mean, that word seems inadequate to describe them. So my dad being my dad reminds me not to cut myself with it all day. Finally I get annoyed, snap yes I know, and put the knife back in its sheath a touch too forcefully. It promptly came right through the fabric and stabbed me in the hand. (luckily it was dark out so I got away without him figuring it out!)

I live in America. Can I get a kimchi urn here, or do I have to get one from Korea? Does anyone LIVE in Korea who can send me one? *wild eyes*