Louisa Chu

I was starting to envision all the foods I could self-tube - until your last sentence!

I was too until I had them while skiing. Good snack, no spoon, good stuff. But then again just about any kind of food is after skiing hard.

catherinepantsios, welcome to eGullet. I'm honoured to be the subject of your first post. I feel that I've failed with you as a writer if I haven't expressed my humility. That Chef Terrien found my work exceptional was a shock to me - he's never indicated as such and I never expected to hear that directly from him. Quite frankly I'd been bracing myself to hear him say "Um, no, I really don't think you have a chance working in those kitchens. Let's find a place more suitable to you." And what I meant about Dorie finding my chocolates brilliant was that they were so in shininess - something you want in well tempered chocolate. I stay late because I take as much time as I'm allowed in the kitchens - sometimes more - to practice. That silence was short-lived - and I'm sure followed by derision out of my earshot. There was no perfection of plating - my heart races every time because it's the moment of truth and there's always the fear that what I envisioned will flop. And Chef Bruno is one of my favourite chefs precisely because he seems so completely and quietly and generously confident in his work. And if you stick with me on this journey, I'm sure that the chefs in my stages will do all they can to further enhance my humility. I really thank you for your careful read and frank comments. I truly welcome more of them. Holly, thanks so much. The traits you mentioned are - for better or worse - the traits I share. And yes, it's a fine line to walk between confidence and humility in the kitchen. French chefs especially like to eat the weak but also strike down anyone to high on themselves. Suzanne, thank you, yes, it's been - and is and will continue to be - very hard work. And I can only hope there will be more glimmers of joy to share. Thanks again.

Dry butter is butter with a low water content that's used in baking typically for puff pastry, etc. And my apologies if it's been covered in another thread!

I ate at my first three-star last week - Ledoyen - for our Cordon Bleu Superior class dinner. We were not in the main dining room but in the private dining room. The experience was amazing but more so for me because we went with our chefs who are old friends of their chefs. It was a big rowdy reunion party. While the setting, service and food were all very good - and I'm sure even better in the main dining room - I know I'll find more moving food experiences in France outside of the three-stars than within - the kitchens notwithstanding. Jin, you were one amazing kid. And still are.

this sounds incredible, can you share it with us? Yes, of course! Take a whole bulb of garlic. Slice off the top to just expose most of the cloves. Drizzle it with olive oil. Sprinkle it with thyme leaves and lightly with sea salt if available. Wrap in foil. Bake at about 200C for about an hour until they're just warm golden. Carefull pop each clove out of its skin - take care in handling these cloves as they're very tender and you want them to hold their shape. Toss them in flour, shake off the excess well. Dip them in an egg wash mixture - an egg, a little bit of olive oil and water, salt, pepper, whisked. Then in bread crumbs. Repeat the dipping process. Fry in medium hot oil until golden. Remove to paper towels to drain and salt lightly - with fleur de sel if available immediately. I was also thinking that these would be very good with a tempura batter and panko.

Breaded, Deep-Fried Roasted Garlic. Made them yesterday. Not quite dinner. But with enough they could have been.

I'll eat anything and like just about everything - though to wildly varying degrees. There are few things that once I've gotten my mitts onto them that I can't transform to something I really love. Durian for example. I know I could make something that a durian-phobe would like - and that I would really love even more than the fruit. My southeast Asian friends say that the best durian are from Malaysia. As for Fear Factor, I find most of the eating challenges rather appetizing were it not for the time factor. And I maybe be borderline pica too. I often wonder what various things feel like in the mouth. I always want to put those Italian glass shaped like bon-bon's into my mouth.

Pierre Herme will NOT be closing his patisserie on rue Bonaparte - neither this summer nor at any forseeable date - confirmed a very reliable source today. This despite the renewed false rumours. Calm down everyone. Back to your olive oil and white truffle macarons. There's nothing to see here. I was fretting about this all morning as I hope to be staging there during this coming Christmas/New Year's/Epiphany season. PH did amazing chocolate African masks for Easter this year. They may still be in the window so try to see them if you're in town.

Lesley, brilliant, yes, forgot to mention that. Of course fish is very fragile and you want to keep it chilled but yes, it should sit at room temp for about 10 minutes immediately before searing. Same goes for steaks - bring it to room temp.

Hi Brooke, What do you believe is the best way to kill a lobster? In humane and culinary terms? My mom just chops off their heads with a giant cleaver - which is what I used to do. Until I read that it's most humane to chill them immobile first then quickly plunge the tip of a chef's knife down into the cross mark behind the head/between the body and head, then split the head. And that that's supposed to keep the meat from seizing and getting rubbery. A chef of mine who worked at Le Dome in Paris - reknown for their seafood - claims it's most humane to plunge just their heads into boiling water until they turn red before proceeding with any other preparation. What's your opinion please? Thank you! Louisa

It sounds like you're boiling your tuna. This tends to happen - with meat too - when a pan's not hot enough and/or overcrowded. Heat your pan - griddle if you like - very hot, lightly oil your dry fish, carefully add it to the pan, leave it until it's just opaque, turn, season, remove, season other side.

From the James Beard Foundationsite: "Pierre Hermé has closed his Salon de Thé in the 8th arrondissement, and his pâtisserie on rue Bonaparte is expected to close this summer." Will keep you posted.

Bux, it's a funny thing about fine French chefs. They do seem to scoff at some requests - yet seem obsessively concerned about matters of digestion. Our chefs constantly warn us about the delicate digestive systems of what will primarily be an older clientele - yet dismiss issues such as shellfish allergies.

Where is that party precisely? right here And magic show. Yes, makes complete sense. This is supposed to be fun, right? Thanks again. Now back to the naked guy...

Redundant!

Ducasse is perfect. His staff can do no wrong. But seriously, even though I'm bidding/begging to stage there this summer, I do think you and Bux nailed it. It's sooo common to put mushrooms in stock that it must be scary for people with allergies like your wife. And from the restaurant owner/management perspective, it's great that you called and that they seemed appropriately concerned but if you want something specific might I suggest that you ask for it? In that witty diplomatic way that we know you can do. 500 bucks and 2 ruined meals for your wife - including missing Gagnaire - is worth asking for something. And I really do like the interior.

Hey! That's just like Cordon Bleu! sandra, I'm hurt. You know you could have just emailed me! If this normally has a heavy brown sauce then I can almost guarantee you that they left out chicken broth, dark soy sauce and/or oyster sauce. Add garlic. As for the amounts, just to taste but beware the sesame oil as it can get overwhelming. Try this. Try the velveting next time. Boil water to blanche the broccoli then add salt. Peel the ginger. If you like eating it then julienne. If you don't then slice it for easier removal. Slice chicken. Toss with rice wine then lightly with sesame oil, sugar, pepper and salt. Toss well with most ginger - reserve some - then chill/marinate. Blanche the broccoli florets then refresh, drain and set aside. Warm the broth then make a slurry/liaison with some broth and cornstarch. Heat your pan very hot. Add oil to coat well - pour off excess - and heat hot. Add reserved ginger, peeled whole garlic, lift chicken out of marinade then add to pan. Allow to colour, toss, add broccoli, marinade, toss, add broth, slurry to thicken, season/colour with soy sauce, dark soy sauce and/or oyster sauce. Transfer to warm platter and serve. Let me know how it goes!

Is dry butter available in the States? My favourite eating butter - the lightly salted artisanal beaten butter, La Beurre Bordier.

Hediard? Well, you've just proven my point - I'm not a fan. I'm sure the technology exists to ship bread so that it stays as fresh as it can from the oven to your table on the other side of the world. I'm happy it's not being used on pain Poilane - yet. I like the fleeting imperfect moments.

baruch, are you kidding? Have you flown lately? Have you shipped anything lately? The fact that they're able to get anything remotely edible across the Atlantic is a miracle in and of itself. And this was mentioned in the article but I don't know if it's clear - most of the pain Poilane in the world comes from their factory just outside Paris. And that includes pain Poilane in Paris itself. The bread baked at Cherche Midi is sold only there - and fast. Bux, six hours is a year in dog time!

Where is that party precisely?

Sorry, but there's no comparison. I've had it from the Bristol Farms in West Hollywood - the site of the late, legendary Chasen's - and straight from the baker's hand, directly from his wood-burning oven in the basement on rue du Cherche-Midi, and there's just no comparison. None. I'm guessing that at Fairway it's still better than what passes for bread in the States but have it fresh, warm, crisp, chewy, and you will weep.

Wow. Wow. Wow. Thank you so much for sharing all the glorious details. I'm especially pleased that you had such a revelatory experience at lunch and that you found the chef so personable. Thanks again.

Monica, don't feel bad. You would not believe how many very experienced chefs always let their milk or cream boil over! I use electric burners too and what have to be the worst pots in the world. The aforementioned tips should help. Also consider using a very large pan - a saute pan - for a larger surface area for reducing. Rinse it out with cold water. Add the milk. Whisk in 1/2 the sugar. Bring to a boil over medium/high heat. Then at simmer, move to low/medium heat. Allow to reduce slow. Do not scrape the bottom. If the pan becomes too coated with burned milk, just change pans.