mm84321

Yeah, there are base recipes in the back of the book for numerous things like breadcrumb "cups" which are basically battered and fried spheres of chilled duck fat, which get filled with a foie gras bechamel for a grouse recipe. Stocks, jus, oils, and other garnishes. No gels or overly "molecular" stuff. The iconic part has no recipes, unfortunately, but the pictures are very neat to look at. As far as actually cooking from the book, like I said it does lend you a hand, but you have to provide the money, time and patience to put in said hand, which is what I meant by most people will be unable to execute the written recipes in the restaurant section of the book. There are many more esoteric ingredients than in the EMP book, or any other American cookbook I've read.

In general, he and his food are both very New York. I have eaten at Daniel well over a dozen times. The food can be extremely fussy, but it is almost always absolutely delicious. I do at times gain an impression of insecurity in his cooking, based on the often daunting number of elements on any given plate. I feel too he can be complex simply for the sake of being complex. I also am not the greatest fan of his plating aesthetic, which I find overly architectural and austere in nature. But again, the food itself is some of the best I've tasted, so those points are not terribly relevant.

If "coming close" to the French Laundry means recipes which the average home cook will not have the means to produce, then, yes, the book exceeds in that realm. The iconic dishes section in the back is, in my opinion, the most impressive part of the book. I've only looked through it once since receiving it last night, but the recipes in the Restaurant Daniel section are, from what I can tell, well written and quite forgiving to the amateur chef (as opposed to certain French cookbooks I own, which assume a certain level of existing skill). For instance, a bacon wrapped, lobster stuffed monkfish tail has accompanying photographs of the assembly process, as does a venison and foie gras mosaic and various other dishes. The intervening essays throughout the book shed light on certain aspects of his cooking philosophy, and overall, there is a great wealth of knowledge contained in the book that any serious chef would appreciate.

I followed the one in Thomas Keller's Bouchon book, with a few minor variations. It was also my first time making it. I had looked at a few different recipes, but this one was written particularly well. You start by cutting the veal shoulder into ~2" pieces, then blanching the meat in water, draining and rinsing, then simmering in chicken stock with aromatics for around 2-2.5 hours in a 350F oven, (test the meat with the tip of a paring knife). Then I let the meat cool a little in the braising liquid before removing it and keeping covered to keep its' moisture. The braising liquid (around 4 cups) is reduced a bit, then a cold, previously made roux is whisked in and allowed to reduce some more, before adding a cup of cream, and reducing a bit more, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Season with salt and I used white pepper, then put the veal back into the sauce. When you are ready to serve, finish with a little creme fraiche, nutmeg and lemon juice to taste. The vegetables I simply blanched individually, warmed in water with a little butter, and finished with chopped parsley. I also attempted some tourned mushrooms which are almost certainly never worth the effort they require.

I too prefer making a cut across the "equator" of the chestnut, as opposed to making an "x". I also deep fry them instead of roasting. Just a few minutes at a low temp, (280F), then let them sit under a damp towel until cool enough to handle.

Blanquette de veau

That looks like a lovely meal.

Chicken and lobster in three services The carcasses are colored in olive oil then simmered in chicken stock. This is the base of the gelée for the first service. Some tail meat is mixed with sole, then butter, cream and egg whites to create a mousse. This is chilled, then passed through a fine tamis, and blended with more lobster meat. These are piped, formed and steamed for the second service. The chicken is rubbed generously with olive oil and butter and roasted in the oven. Once finished, the chicken carcass is cut up to make a jus, which is then thickened with lobster coral. The "sucs" are retrieved from the skin of the chicken for the first service. First service is the gelée with aforementioned sucs, the knuckle meat of the lobster, oyster and tail meat of the chicken, which I warmed slightly in some of the roasting fat of the chicken. Second is the breast, served with the "boudins" of lobster, and the coral jusVegetable accompaniment. Fresh peas (which I just picked this morning, incredibly sweet), lima beans, carrots, turnips and baby leeks. Third and final service are the thighs and claws served with Caesar salad. The croutons are brushed with coral.

Prawn, it is farmed, so technically squab, but I never really call them that. Your grouse looks fantastic.

Thanks! Today, no hare, so I had pigeon. Marinated in red wine with juniper. Cabbage is braised in red wine and layered between slices of cooked apple.Potatoes are cut, shaped and fried.The pigeon is seared in goose fat and finished in the oven. The cabbage/apple compressions are glazed in the reduced cooking wine with a little creme de cassis and butter. There is an apple/red onion chutney that sits on top of each. The jus is thickened with a little foie gras terrine and the livers of the pigeons. Served with pommes pailles (matchstick fries)Legs with salad

Hare loin au poivre Hare with mashed potatoes Hare á la royale

Hare, shoulder en civet, loin roasted with green peppercorns

No "after" picture, but this was a particularly beautiful sweetbread that I had for dinner tonight. One of my favorite things to eat.

Looks nice. Though I may have tried resting the steak a bit longer so the juices remain inside the meat, instead of on the cutting board. I'd say at least 10 minutes, in a warm place.

Yes. They have it, grouse, hare, and wild rabbit. Wild duck and pheasant starting next week, I think

Thanks..What I post here is done for fun. Learned through practice. I also have some nice books, which help. This recipe is from Yannick Alleno's Terroir Parisien. His books and magazines are what I cook from most.

Alouette sans tete. Partridge legs are fully deboned and denerved. Flattened with a mallet and seasoned. Enter a baton of foie grasWrap in lardoThen in caulBrown in a pot, deglaze with some cognac and chicken jus, then sliced porcini are added, covered and finished in a hot oven. Served with mashed potatoes. I use La ratte.

Rabbit with chorizo

Ratte potatoes are so delicious.

It's rare that I eat a lunch. Today I had some chicken legs in the fridge, and found a few nice looking squash and tomatoes in my garden, so figured I'd get one last taste of summer. I started by simply coloring the legs and wings in olive oil with a touch of butter over a gentle heat, then finished in the oven. Once done, I removed the legs from the pan, degreased, added some fresh olive oil and sauteed the squash, then added the tomatos, cut in eight pieces, and let stew. Then added a little chicken stock, reduce a bit, then the leg and wing meat (deboned) and some more olive oil. Finished with espelette, fleur de sel, parsley, basil and the petals of a zucchini flower.

Thanks, Baselerd. Something a bit more rustic tonight, but equally satisfying. Chicken with chanterelles, potatoes and a walnut jus

I read recipes a few times before attempting them to gain an understanding of what it is I am trying to accomplish. Then, I do not bother with constantly referring to the recipe, or following exact measurements (unless it involves baking or the addition of a precise amount of an ingredient, as already stated). I instead simply follow my taste and judgement. Though, in the beginning, it was very helpful for me to follow recipes word for word, as it built a foundation of skill and technique where there otherwise was none. It is with that gained knowledge that I am free to work independently and intuitively. Also, trying the same thing in different ways, for example, making a veal stock 3 times, each time using a different recipe, is helpful to create individual preference, and allows one to experiment a bit more. It is important to never be restricted by a recipe. They are tools, and it is how you use them which is most important.

Thanks, Steve. I get all of my game through Solex. They are a great company, and the owner, Markus, is a great person to deal with. Prices are also great. They import the Scottish lobster and langoustines, as well. Here is their website: http://www.solexfinefoods.com When I went to the store to buy the whiskey, I hadn't any particular brand in mind, but when I saw "The Famous Grouse", I though that would be most appropriate.

I would just pierce the center of the carrot at it's top with the tip of my knife until it reached the other side, then pull the knife through the length of the carrot in one motion. Maybe also cut a thin slice off the carrot, creating a flat surface for it to sit on so it doesn't move to much as you are handling it.

Here is another one I've made before. It is the best thing I've ever cooked or eaten. Grouse breasts are fully de-nerved and marinated in whiskey for 30 minutes. The thighs are diced and mixed with diced porcini (first cooked in butter and deglazed with chicken jus), foie gras terrine, and lardo. This all gets bound in a chicken mousse. The breasts are butterflied, then layered in a mold with the farce spread between. This is cooked sous vide for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 54ºC. La Ratte potatoes. Peeled, cooked in salted water, then mounted with a healthy quantity of butter. Chips are made to garnish this purée. I used yukon gold, sliced on the mandoline, rinsed, then fried at 140ºC.For the jus, the carcass of the grouse is marinated in whiskey for 6 hours, drained, then browned with some carrots, onions, garlic, thyme and butter. Deglazed and glazed 3 times with a rather gelatinous chicken stock. Simmer for 1.5-2 hours, then strain and reduce. This is the base of the sauce, which is then thickened with pig's blood and seasoned with a touch of whiskey. The grouse is removed from its mold, cut into rectangles and napped with the sauce.