ValM

I saw this article and thought it sounded like a very cool technique. http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/wylie-dufresne-eggshell-2011-4/ I was curious if anyone had any experience working with Kaolin or where to source it. There is some stuff on Amazon, but nothing seems particularly food grade.

I preordered October 29, 2010 at amazon.ca and my previous estimated ship date was March 7. As Nathan said, they don't really seem to know much at Amazon customer service.

I changed my shipping speed on Amazon.ca and now it says that my estimated shipping date is April 8, 2011. Have anyone else's orders from Amazon.ca shipping date changed to April 8? I'm worried that I got bumped to the back of the line and their customer service is not helping me. !!!

After much testing, I don't believe the Gray Kunz spoon makes the perfect quenelle. It makes more fat egg shaped quenelles, rather than beautiful longer quenelles. Any more suggestions?

Alright, my thoughts: Cooper's in Llano has excellent pork ribs and very good brisket that they cook differently than other BBQ places. They cook it over mesquite for only 5 hours and then keep it warm in their pits and it ends up tender like a roast. They also have a variety of different meats to choose from in the pits. Their sauce is a very thin peppery vinegar style sauce that I prefer. As for a location in Mason, I've never heard of that nor does their website suggest that one exists. IMHO, Lockhart barbecue is overrated. I have tried them all, several times, including Chisolm Trail, and I don't find anything spectacular about them. Yes they are smokey meats, but they're not super tender or well seasoned. The 'No Sauce' thing is a joke. Kreuz has mustard and hot sauce on the tables and everyone seems to be applying one or the other - how can that equal no sauce? Smitty's has sauce, but you have to ask for it and it's not any good. Black's has sauce on the table but it's decent. I usually end up at Black's, for whatever reason. To call Lockhart the Mecca of Texas bbq would be an injustice. It might be a hot spot, but definitely not the capital. I can only say that I went to Luling City Market once and it was terrible. It is a really cool place and it is pretty cheap. But like the saying goes, good and cheap and cheap ain't good. This was some of the worst Q I've had. The sausage was grainy and greasy, the brisket was very dry and the ribs were on-the-bone jerky. In Austin, there are a couple of places worth mentioning. The first and the newest is Franklin Barbecue. It's a small trailer style location that is serving up the best brisket I have ever had and some really good ribs to boot. They have four sauces: Espresso, Sweet, Pork, and Hot (I think that's them). People rave about the espresso, but the time I had it, it was disgusting - completely off-putting and inedible. They are only open in the second half of the week and open at 11 and sell out quickly. This place is giving every other place a run for their money. Mann's smokehouse is also doing some pretty decent stuff and made it on the TM list for that, but is it worth a special journey, no. Lambert's is also gentrifying bbq and as interesting as the concept may be, it wasn't that good the time I had it. Lexington has Snow's, which is supposed to be amazing. The time I made the journey, we got there at 11:30 am and they were already sold of brisket. The sausage was pretty good but the sauce was on the tables in refilled Ozarka sports bottles. That's pretty gross and unacceptable, if you ask me. Also, Elgin has some good sausage. The reason I prefer Cooper's and Franklin is because they seem to still have some fat and moisture in them and are also well rubbed - resulting in the ability to enjoyably eat them without sauce. The other places cook all that moisture out or are using too lean of brisket. In summation, Cooper's makes Llano and Franklin in Austin is making some of the, maybe the, best bbq in Texas.

***UPDATE*** I have emailed Chef Migoya, and he was gracious enough to respond! In his email, he stated that he doesn't, "have a particular brand. It is more the shape that I am looking for." He was kind enough to invite me to the CIA cafe for instruction. While I will not be in NYC anytime soon, Thank you Chef!

I was wondering if there is a certain spoon or certain brand/type of spoon you guys use in your restaurant to make sorbet and ice cream quenelles. Is there a perfect quenelle spoon? At a restaurant I have worked for, there is one spoon that is guarded and used to make the quenelles. It is just a large spoon taken from someone's dining room set, but it is sturdy and a little thicker than a plain spoon and it makes very nice quenelles. If this spoon were lost however, it would mean back to the crummy cheap spoons. I have asked Francisco Migoya, via his blog, what kind of spoon he uses, but he didn't respond.( The Quenelle.com ) I even wondered if a nonstick spoon would work better: Expensive Non Stick Spoon I also thought about a spoon with dimples in it, like a golf ball or a sushi rice paddle, but those spoon do not exist. There has to be a spoon that is best for quenelles. Million dollar idea...THE Quenelle Spoon. Let me know if you guys have any input; thanks.