mm84321

Truffles don't really require much "working with". Just a mandoline or truffle slicer, and you are pretty much set.

Thanks! It's just chicken stock reduced by 2/3, then cream added, seasoned and emulsified. It may have seemed superfluous at first, but I felt it helped link the pigeon with the romaine purée. That was simply a head of romaine cooked in salted boiling water for 4 minutes, drained, sauteed in brown butter, seasoned with salt, black pepper and nutmeg, and blended.

Pigeon with nutmeg, romaine coulis, thighs wrapped in bacon

Cream of lettuce soup, onion custard Pigeon marinated in red wine and juniper, red cabbage and apple, sauce pilée

Black bass with parsley, macaronis stuffed with girolles Roasted poularde, artichokes, girolles, jus aux sangThighs in civet gelée, foie gras poached in coffee, lardo toasts

Scottish Grouse. Soaked in milk for 12 hours, then salted and left for a day. Legs braised and mixed with a bit of foie gras, stuffed in turnipsBreasts roasted in duck fat and butter on their crowns, left to rest, tail side up, for around 10 minutes, then reheated in a 500 oven for 2 minutes. Sauce was made with the carcass, some vegetables and juniper, then broken generously with rendered foie gras fat.

Sweetbreads in three courses... With girolles In celery puree with cinnamon, viola flower tempuraGlazed with soubise and parmesan

Nice photograph.

Had been waiting all summer to make this dish. Now that tomatoes are at their peak, I did. Ratatouille cooked in salted butter, from Alain Passard's book, The Art of Cooking Vegetables. Truly delicious.

This is the last thing I will say on the topic: There is no "shame" in a bad photograph. The only shame is when someone hesitates to post photos of their dinner out of the fear of judgement or insult. Your feral cat remark is an example of this, and that sort of negativity is best left within the confines of your own mind.

I suspect part of the problem is lighting or camera settings. With a little tweak of the colours, the food would look a lot better. As it is, while I appreciate the effort that went into making those dishes, I don't really care to look at the pics because the colours are so off (and the dishes sometimes look like "a plate of poo" or however you put it). It helps no one to criticize photographs, whether poorly lit, colored, or whatever. Nor does it help to contribute snark and snide remarks while contributing nothing of actual worth. I suspect this is born out of both boredom and a bitter disposition. It is the simple act of sharing with others, whether plates of food that are thrown together in a hurry, or ones carefully executed over the course of a day, that matters, and should be encouraged. Everything else is irrelevant. "It helps no one to criticize photographs, whether poorly lit, colored, or whatever." Really? How does it not help? There's a difference between "snark and snide remarks" and consructive criticism. I remarked on the faulty lighting. Improving the colours of the photos would do wonders in making the food appear more palatable. I also remarked on the effort that went into creating the dish. I suppose you missed that part since it was embedded in all the snark and snide remarks I made?? Regardless, if you think this particular thread is simply one to "share" one's food with others, you are mistaken. People share without any expectation of anything in return. I've read this thread for years, and there are few if any who post in this thread who have absolutely no expectations from others. The snark was mostly referring to sigma, though nothing you said seemed overtly constructive... To me, this thread is for photos of food, and to my knowledge, no one here is looking for a lesson in photography. It merely detracts from the enjoyments of reading the thread when people comment on these things, and causes people who would otherwise post their photos not to, out of fear of inadequacy or judgement. That is not a good thing. The more people posting, whether grainy cell phone pictures or professionally lit, the better. And it doesn't matter if the food looks like crap, all that matters is that people have an outlet for sharing what they enjoy doing with others. If you want to help people improve their photography, start a thread, or add to one that already exists, about how to adjust your camera settings, and do it there.

I suspect part of the problem is lighting or camera settings. With a little tweak of the colours, the food would look a lot better. As it is, while I appreciate the effort that went into making those dishes, I don't really care to look at the pics because the colours are so off (and the dishes sometimes look like "a plate of poo" or however you put it). It helps no one to criticize photographs, whether poorly lit, colored, or whatever. Nor does it help to contribute snark and snide remarks while contributing nothing of actual worth. I suspect this is born out of both boredom and a bitter disposition. It is the simple act of sharing with others, whether plates of food that are thrown together in a hurry, or ones carefully executed over the course of a day, that matters, and should be encouraged. Everything else is irrelevant.

There are many ways to keep a lobster tail straight during cooking; here, a spoon is tied to the tails. The lobsters are cooked for 3 minutes in boiling, salted water with a touch of vinegar. After 3 minutes the tails are removed from the bodies and left to rest before shelling. The claws are put back in the water to cook for 3 minutes more. The bodies are colored in olive oil with a little tomato paste and butter, then deglazed with both cognac and white wine. Separately, a garnish of vegetables is sweated in olive oil, then the lobster bodies are added with some fresh tomato and a star anise. This is covered with water and brought to the boil, then simmered for 30 minutes. Basil is added, the pot covered, and let to infuse for an additional 30 minutes. The stock is passed, and the shells are crushed quite forcefully to extract all juices. The stock is reduced. The coral from the lobsters is mixed with an equal part butter. This is used to thicken the final sauce. The tomalley is passed through a sieve, mixed with cream, tarragon mustard, panko, grated parmesan, and espelette pepper. This is then rolled between two sheets of parchment and frozen. It is then cut to match the dimensions of each half of lobster tail, and reserved in the freezer. The other half of the tail is warmed in a fish fumet mounted with butter. Croutons are made by frying diced bread in clarified butter. This, and lemon dice, are added to the pan with the lobster tail. Spinach Cooked in cream Finely chopped and mixed with the diced claw meat, and a brunoise of ginger This mixture is used to fill tortellini These artichokes are grown here in CT. I go to the market every Saturday and the farm sells me all they have. They are delicious. They are cooked sous vide for 45 minutes at 93ºC with a little butter, chilled, then fried in a little olive oil to get crispy. The strips made from tomalley are placed on each tail half and run quickly under the broiler.

I think it's best to crush garlic using the palm of your hands.

Annual grouse dinner at Daniel. Red Grouse, to be specific. Easily the most tender grouse I have ever had in the past three years I've gone. The birds were a bit smaller this year, and the flavor not as gamey as years past, but it was still the best grouse I have ever tasted.

A writer for the LA Times had mentioned it on another forum I visit. I guess it is common practice at a lot of restaurants in California, Chez Panisse, in particular. I finally decided to try it and really fell in love. For chickens, I use a teaspoon of salt per pound. The meat is perfectly seasoned throughout, and the skin browns beautifully. The salt also has a hydrating effect on the proteins, which keeps the chicken extremely moist; I've never once had a chicken come out dry this way. I think next week I will try aging the pigeon for a length of 2-3 days, uncovered, then the night before I cook them, salt and cover. I will also try one without having salted in advance to see the difference, but I really liked the texture of the meat on this previous bird. Will report back.

I have gotten into the habit of salting poultry at least a day in advance. I usually keep chickens and the like salted, but covered, in the fridge a day before I know I will cook them. I suppose it wasn't necessary for this application, and I may try a period of aging without salting.

Well, I made it for lunch. This after having salted the crowns and let them sit, uncovered, for 48 hours on the top shelf of the fridge. A few things I noticed: one, the skin did not brown as much as it usually does on these birds (they are corn fed, and so usually develop a brilliant golden coloration), though that is nothing a jus can't fix. Two, a thin layer of meat beneath the skin was discolored. I cooked the bird by first searing it quickly (seconds) on very high heat in duck fat then finished off in the oven. At first, I had thought It was overcooked, but I have done this with many other pigeons and never got such a exaggerated gradience. Then, I ate the meat, and despite the gray color, it did not taste overcooked. The meat was actually rather juicy, and noticeably firmer. There was an obvious enhancement of flavor, and the meat was seasoned perfectly throughout. I did add additional sea salt and fresh pepper after removing from the oven, as always. I took a few photos: Any ideas on the gray coloration? Could it have been from the salt, or oxidation from being exposed to the air, or was it in fact the direct sear? Maybe next time a slower browning over a lower heat, or just straight into the oven? These pigeons can be tricky to get just right. I will get some more next week to try again.

Thanks. It's a very nice dish, just time intensive.The crab is seasoned with a bit of curry, tarragon, lemon and mayonnaise, then layered over lettuce, on top of the seasoned tomato. Then another tomato, a layer of watercress, apple and avocado, another tomato, and crab again. Luckily, I was only making two.

Joel Robuchon's mille-feuille of crab and tomato

Would you mind explaining how you flattened the celery to be able to cut those rounds? What cuts did you make? Pictures would be especially nice (I do realize that's a lot to ask.) I simply sliced the celery sticks into 2-3" pieces, and then sliced off the ridges to create one flat piece. If I do it again, I will try to photograph, as it's a bit hard to explain in words.

I know that is the norm for game birds. I have hung woodcocks and grouse for periods of 3-4 days. I am simply talking about domesticated pigeons, as in squab (perhaps I should have used that term in my original post). My thinking is that the flavor of these birds can be enhanced by a brief period of aging. I will cook one tomorrow and post my thoughts.

Anyone have any experience? I'm running a few little experiments. Tried 12 hours, but it only seemed to affect a very small outer portion of the meat, which I thought tasted fantastic. Now I will try 48 hours, and cook it for dinner Monday night. I am simply salting the breasts, which I've kept on the bone, and letting them sit on a rack, uncovered, on the top shelf of the fridge I use specifically for meats/fish.

Pigeons (and other birds) from Four Story Hill Farm Tuiles are made by mixing powdered sugar, flour, melted butter, and water. They are spread thinly, sprinkled with roasted cacao, and baked in a 360º oven for 5 minutes. Barbajuan dough. Traditional recipe: flour, white wine...only with the addition of cocoa powder. The filling is a mixture of red pepper, which is peeled, sliced in a fine brunoise, then stewed over very low heat; the liver of the pigeons (left) and chicken liver (right); the thighs of the pigeons, cut into a dice, along with diced foie gras terrine Celery is blanched, refreshed, and all fibrous string removed. Cut into rounds... Cherrys are halved and pitted. The scraps are used to make a simple compote, and the halves are cooked quickly in butter, then deglazed with sherry vinegar, maple syrup, and a touch of lemon. The pigeons were salted overnight, then seared quickly over high heat, then placed on a rack and roasted in a 400º oven for 5-6 minutes. Rest for at least 12 minutes, then reheated for 1.5 minutes in a 500º oven, carved and served.

Ah, an old rural classic. Very nice. Why Black Olives and not the usual Green Olives? This reminds me of another dish at my parents house which I did not have for some time now: Alouettes sans tête. The recipe I followed called for taggiasca, and since they are my favorite olive, which I already had a container of in my fridge, I did not object.