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Broken English

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Everything posted by Broken English

  1. The guru Harold McGee says it's all in the pH levels. The older the egg, the higher the pH, and the easier to peel. I remember reading an article in Lucky Peach where he says 3 week old are the best.
  2. I actually didn't notice the forum it was posted in, I just click the "New Content" button, so I forget that there are actually different subsections to eGullet. Alas, I have not been to the UK in a few years, hopefully soon.
  3. There's always this sort of thing in cookbooks. I think it's more the author saying "this is the way I do it", rather than being any actual rationale behind it. It is kind of frustrating, but trying to understand the science behind what's happening is the best way to tinker with them.
  4. It seems to have been covered, but I used to do duck breast at 58 for 50 minutes, and got nice pink results. I found that searing the skin both pre and post SV aided in both rendering and crisping the skin.
  5. The purpose of the steam hit for bread is just to allow the heat to be moist enough at the start of baking so that the dough can kick up and become more airy. So if you're using a towel you can just remove it ten minutes in to prevent smouldering. I've never had an issue with the simple cup of water thrown in the bottom of the oven trick though, and haven't heard of glass doors cracking until now.
  6. I went with my sister a few years ago, and it was flawless, if a little boring. Glad to hear it's finally catching up to the rest of the fine dining world. Ramsay himself however, seems to have jumped the shark long ago.
  7. 1. Au Pied Du Cochon, Montreal - I couldn't think about foie for weeks after dinner here with 6 good friends. The best "down and dirty" over-indulgence of all time. 2. Empellon Cocina, New York - Alex Stupak is a genius. It's Mexican, but like never before. 3. WD-50, New York - After my stage through the month of April, Wylie was kind enough to invite me to have a specially crafted tasting of new and classics (this was just before they changed the menu and format, and I had actually worked on helping develop some of the dishes, so it was great to see the other side of the process). 4. Momofuku Ssam, New York - Probably my favourite restaurant in the world, I went here for lunch and dinner a lot in the month and a bit I lived in NYC, it's the sort of food that cooks love to eat when they head out. 5. Acadia, Toronto - Super refined yet edgy modern food, the restaurant hasn't skipped a beat since Matt Blondin headed to Momofuku TO. 6. The Black Hoof, Toronto - The original Toronto hipster Charcuterie heaven, I went with three friends and ate the menu. Foie with nutella, chicken liver pate with hot caramelised onions and sourdough, horse tartare ... so good. 7. Momofuku Ko, New York - Luckily scored a same day reservation for one back in April. I loved the refined simplicity. And that egg, Jesus Christ. Couldn't get to ten sadly, lack of funds being a major factor, but those meals I remember very fondly, and will continue to think about for some time to come.
  8. I devised a recipe fora smoked foie mousse a while back which is insanely good, and pretty simple. I'm happy to post it if you want.
  9. It depends who its from,,, From fellow chefs and cooks I take it on board pretty well, and re-evaluate whatever it is. From customers I have to take a hard look at what the criticism is before either dismissing it or taking action. I taste everything I serve, so I have a pretty good idea if there is a problem on that front, and whether it's just a matter of differing palates or if there's something that could be improved. They're the reason I have a job so it pays to listen. From front of house I generally will have to look at their experience, aptitude and passion before deciding to take it seriously. I guess I'm a little stubborn, but sometimes idiots who have no idea what they're talking about see fit to criticise and take the mentality of "I could do what you do, and it'd be better", and at those times, I find it hard to play nice.
  10. Broken English

    Bacon Foam

    The recipe didn't suggest cooking the eggs - just adding them to the infused cream - to some degree I don't want thickness as I'm looking to get that airy foam bit one that holds at the same time For it to hold effectively, you're either going to have to make it thicker, or use stabilisers (many of which thicken anyway). These foams are still light and airy, I wouldn't be too concerned about that. You could use lecithin powder and make an 'air', which will be very light and stable, although I've never seen a cream based air.
  11. Broken English

    Bacon Foam

    By the sound of it the egg yolks weren't cooked, if they were they'd have thickened the cream and added stability. Xanthan will also thicken and allow more stability. Serving the foam slightly cooler will also aid thickness and therefore stability. You could also try making a hollandaise with rendered smoked bacon fat, and adding that to the ISI.
  12. Dried fruit, and aniseed flavours. I can rubber neck it with the best of them, but those two are very much unenjoyable.
  13. Buy Lucky Peach issue 5. Follow recipe for Ssam Bar Duck.
  14. I've done it at almost every restaurant I've worked in, so long as the liquid is always covering the can, and the cans are not damaged, there is no problem. I've cooked them for up to 3 hours without issues, just allow enough time for them to properly cool (I'd advise against an ice bath though, for no real reason other than I've never seen anyone do it).
  15. All four episodes are on youtube now as well, for those outside the US that can't see it on the link posted above. Quite an interesting show, a good insight to the mind of Chang (the man I now work for, haha), although it's a little jumpy in the way it's put together.
  16. The Hoisin Momofuku's using for the mythical buns is Lee Kum Kee, so that seems like a good bet.
  17. Sam Mason demonstrates a mustard ice cream and coffee dessert here, that could help.
  18. Noodle Bar does lunch from 11.30 until 3 or 3.30 I'm pretty sure. Daisho, which just opened with Matt Blondin (Colborne Lane, Acadia) in charge only does dinner as far as I know. Thanks, fingers crossed it happens soon.
  19. The bar at WD-50 is doing some pretty interesting things I hear. I haven't tasted it, but my favourite is the cocktail called "The Pho Cup", just for the name haha.
  20. Some good family friends are like this, we never go to their house for dinner because they're not that confident with their cooking and would rather I cooked (which I'm happy to do), instead they just always provide the wine whenever they come around. It's a good arrangement.
  21. Noodle Bar finally opened on Wednesday, with Shoto opening tomorrow, and Daisho and Nikai opening soon after. I managed to get to Noodle Bar last night with a friend I used to work with. We ate almost half the menu between the two of us. I was really impressed, it is definately up to the standards of the NYC original, especially when you consider it's in its opening week. I'll be brief, because it's late and I've just come off a 12 hour shift. Enough has been written about the pork buns, so I'll just say they're just as good. The smoked chicken wings glazed in a fish sauce and chilli spiked caramel were sweet, rich and spicy, with a nice tang from the fish sauce ensuring they never became too rich. Roasted rice cakes with chilli, onion and sesame were amazing, and a great lighter version of the pork sausage and crispy rice cakes on offer at Ssam Bar in NYC. The Momofuku Ramen was on par with Noodle Bar NYC, good without being exceptional. The noodles, pork belly, sous vide egg and pulled pork were all cooked well, but the broth could have been hotter and the flavour of seaweed came on a little strong for me, masking the other flavours of the broth slightly. The Chilled Spicy Noodles with pork sausage and honey roasted cashews and spinach was the dish of the night, the combinaton of the spicy cold noodles with the warm sausage and the sweetness and nuttiness from the cashews was unbelievably good. It'll be the first thing I order next time. We were getting a little full by the time the Kimchi stew with pork shoulder and rice cakes came out, which was entirely our own fault. When we ordered, the waitress did warn us that it was a lot of food. It was also probably a little too hearty for the weather at the moment. Solid delicious though, the crunch of the kimchi and the tender strands of pulled pork proving a great partnership. With a few beers each, the bill came to $115 before tip, which is pretty reasonable, and the pace at which the kitchen is pushing out food is impressive. If the keep up that level of quality, I can see them being packed for a long time to come. Also nice to see David Chang observing service from the second floor balcony. I actually have been talking to one of their executive sous chefs over the last month, he said as soon as the behind-the-scenes mania dies down, he'll get me in for an interview, so fingers crossed I'll be working there in a month or two. Can't wait to see what you fellow eGulleters think when you check it out.
  22. I've used pink salt here in Toronto, it's definately available, though I'm not sure where we got it from. I'm pretty sure there are a lot of recipes in Ruhlman's Charcuterie that don't use it, I can't remember off hand. If I were you, I'd just order some online.
  23. I can't find the video of Heston's Feasts where he makes this dish, but this is the guests reaction to his "Ambergris and Eggs" dish...
  24. I've never used sous vide on goat, but I'd think that 48 hours at 62.5 would be a pretty good bet, that works pretty well for pork belly, plus you can always test and increase the time if you need to.
  25. I think that there is little Xanthan gum because Heston doesn't much care for it, due to the gummy texture it can have used in too large textures, or so he says in the Fat Duck book. This is a great book, though I think the "At Home" title is a bit of a misnomer.
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