huiray
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Posts posted by huiray
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No comments about episode 5?
Well, for myself I can't say i was too sad to see that fella with the mop for a hairdo get sent off. He didn't make it in LCK either.
Big catering events like this one (again!!) never seem to appeal to me that much in the context of this show, "reality game show" or not. R**nolds Wrap up to the ceiling w/ product placement *very* at the forefront... Ehh, but the QF was decently entertaining. Lea Michele's Halloween bash yet again resulted in a set of dishes that the cheftestapants (Max Silvestri's term, :-) ) put out that hewed to her limited specifications a little too much, even if Justin (for one) disregarded her specifically stated direction for "no beets" - but he got away with it. It still seems weird to me that they ended up with *three* arancinis, for example. Lots of cheese. (Not a favorite foodstuff for me, with exceptions) Surely there are more ways to put out vegetarian/vegan dishes.
Hugh Acheson's blog on episode 5: http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-11/blogs/hugh-acheson/quin-whaaa
Gail Simmons' blog on episode 5: http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-11/blogs/gail-simmons/substance-over-style
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I wish the videographer had stopped moving around so much, though, and wish he had pulled back to show views of the whole thing. I found the video very frustrating in that regard and therefore unrewarding. IMO.
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Anna N, Looks good. I like steak for breakfast too. No issues at all with having a honking big piece of meat first thing in the morning. :-) And yes, indeed - that price for the one you had - pretty good!
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Y'all are expecting Texan chili or similar when you think of Cincy chili or Skyline chili, and also based on what "chili" means to you. It is not Texan chili. It does not pack heat by design. It IS a meat sauce of GREEK derivation, meant to be served the way it is. :-) Take it for what it is. It is a regional style of "meat sauce", and y'all are free to dislike it if it does not taste like what you are used to, heh. ;-)
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Couple of late dinners.
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• Soup: Opo squash (浦瓜), pork spare ribs, smashed garlic, snow fungus, water, sea salt.
• Linguine [Ferrara] w/ Hazan tomato sauce. (w/ deseeded, deskinned ripe tomatoes)
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• Pork & Shrimp wontons, w/ blanched Taiwan Bok Choi & skinny wonton noodles. Stock of chicken broth, simmered w/ dried far koo (花菇) and their stems, dried oysters, some dried anchovies (ikan bilis), sliced fresh ginger, smashed clove of garlic (Music), chicken fat, veggie oil.
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Yesterday's lunch:
De-ribbed Tuscan kale blanched in boiling oiled water; couple of natural-case Wieners [Dietz & Watson] cooked in that oiled boiling water; "Vegetarian Noodles" (dried) [White Elephant brand] cooked in salted water then tossed w/ leftover Marcella Hazan tomato sauce.
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Nice, Liuzhou.
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It *is* odd, about that sous-chef at Per Se expounding on toxins being processed in pig skin - and human skin (and presumably not elsewhere). Is that person still there at Per Se, and if so how do they regard his, um, food credentials?
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Sorry to hear of this. Condolences to his family and friends.
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I've never had goose eggs, I think. How do these differ from duck or chicken eggs?
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BTW, Cincy chili is not served on rice. It is served on spaghetti almost always ordered with at least heaps of finely shredded cheddar cheese (3-way). I like Skyline chili, usually 4-way onions. Cincy chili and the best known purveyor of it (Skyline) has got a lot of grief on eG, unjustly in my view, although a few others have spoken up in its defense on eG too.
Well, there you go. Said I don't know much about it, other than that it's sweet, and that doesn't appeal to me.
However, should add that I've never had it and, if I know me, I'd probably like it just fine at "Skyline," with heaps of cheese and onions.
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Heh. Well, take a look at this.
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The recipe sounds OK to me. Cinnamon, cloves, allspice in chili or a ground meat sauce? It's fine to me. Although not a "chili", I make a meat sauce for pasta from time to time where the ingredients that go in aside from the ground meat(s) include the requisite onions, of course (sautéed/browned), tomatoes, KETCHUP (Heinz) frequently, rice vinegar, soy sauce, several sticks of cinnamon, a good handful of cloves, simmer...YUM!
That posted recipe does not use sugar. Question: what do you all mean when you say it is "sweet"? I suppose it is the taste sensation of the cinnamon/cloves/allspice that gives the "impression" of sweetness? To me I would tend more to simply think of or describe the taste sensation from these spices as just cinnamon-y, clove-y, etc.
BTW, Cincy chili is not served on rice. It is served on spaghetti almost always ordered with at least heaps of finely shredded cheddar cheese (3-way). I like Skyline chili, usually 4-way onions. Cincy chili and the best known purveyor of it (Skyline) has got a lot of grief on eG, unjustly in my view, although a few others have spoken up in its defense on eG too.
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The Chinese, for one, have been eating pork belly skin for eons. Many of the signature dishes and pork preparations of East and SE Asian cuisines would be UNIMAGINABLE without the skin on the pork belly.
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Just buy a good (frozen) brand from your local Indian grocery, thaw it and pan-fry it in your US kitchen. ;-)
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Looks yummy, Anna N. You are too kind in your comments about my lunches.
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Citric acid has 3 carboxylate groups. A 1:1 citric acid/baking soda mixture will give you monosodium citrate. Is the commercial or MC "sodium citrate" the monosodium citrate, or the (more probable) trisodium citrate? In any case, cessation of "bubbling of CO2" is not indicative of one reaching the end-point of the titration, it can be misleading because this acid-base reaction is not the "strongest" in the class and CO2 has appreciable solubility in water. Also, the extent of hydration and purity of the two components will have an impact on the actual weight of the two substances you need to add together because the effective molecular weights of the substances will be affected.
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It is hard to relate to never having carved a pumpkin! After cutting around the stem to make a lid, I scoop out the pulp and seeds with a large serving spoon, separate the seeds, dry them, and roast them with salt. I draw the face with a fine-point marker and carve with a small sharp paring knife. I like to have a big grin with teeth. Carve a small indentation inside and use a large candle
I guess you have never NOT carved pumpkins nor had any friends or neighbors who did NOT carve pumpkins? Hmm. Well, I have never carved one myself either (and have no wish to start doing so) and have no interest in carving one.
However, a simple Google search for "how to carve a pumpkin" turns up lots of step-by-step instructions in clear language (and also videos of the whole process) with tips and comments, especially points for the beginner's attention...which I believe is along the lines of what the OP asked for. :-)
(Shel_B, note the first basic point all these tutorials mention - cut the top off at a 45 degree angle, not straight down. :-) )
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There are quite a few examples of whole fish dishes in the Dinner and Lunch threads, and some on the Chinese Eats at Home thread(s).
The Eating My Way Through The Ecuadorian Fishery thread also shows many (all?) whole fish cooked as the intact fish although they are then generally served chunked off the frame.
Take a look at those threads, if one is so inclined.
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Beautiful dishes. Being from the the deep south it's difficult to appreciate the nuances between breakfast, lunch and dinner in eastern cooking . In the south breakfast has a sweet component and the noon meal can be either dinner or lunch depending on the volume and composition of the meal. It you performed manual labor the noon meal was dinner (meat and three) and supper (at least in my family) was leftover cornbread and buttermilk. What's the hierarchy in eastern cooking regarding the daily meal structure.
Hi Steve,
I actually asked Huiray something similar here.
Steve, yes, do look at what I said in response to Plantes - perhaps that might answer your question at least in part?
As I mentioned there I may not be the best person to look to for an illustrative guide to the most typical and formularized breakfast-lunch-dinner sequence of dishes in "Eastern Cooking", as I tend not to draw sharp lines between types of food for any of the meals. I simply eat what pleases me. Note that I do tend to make lunch my main meal of the day (although I do not engage in manual labor) but, again, with many exceptions.
In any case, "Eastern Cooking" covers an awful lot of ground, and what might be thought of as frequently/often eaten for each of the meals will vary enormously between regions, countries, cuisines, sub-continental areas each bearing their own internal regionalities. One thing that can be said is that although buns and breads are often found here and there (and dumplings of some sort hither and yon) (i.e. other than dim-sum, which is well known to all, I imagine) - for breakfast, for example, and which can be sweet in nature - in the majority of cases (not all) the prevailing taste profile for breakfast dishes will tend to be savory, not sweet.
Have you heard of Kaya Toast, often served in Hainanese kopitiams in Malaysia & Singapore with soft-boiled eggs and thick Hainanese coffee (w/ sugar & evaporated/condensed milk = "Kopi-C") for breakfast? :-) For those unfamiliar with this (and the combination thereof) this might be a twist on Eggs & Toast w/ marmalade in the West... :-D
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Breakfast today:
Part 1: Nongshim Kimchi Bowl Noodle (this one), with lots and lots of additional fresh scallions added in.
Part 2: Last of the chicken broth from Sunday (broth only)(see here also), simmered w/ fresh yellow & orange farm-fresh carrots & conventional Western celery heart pieces, plus rounds of the remnant of a leftover pan-fried Merguez sausage (see here).
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Late lunch/early dinner yesterday:
• Pan-fried Merguez sausages [smoking Goose, this one; via Goose the Market]; a chunky cultivar of Maitake mushrooms (see here) sautéed in the pan residues & oil; Austrian Crescent & Purple Peruvian fingerling potatoes simply simmered in salted water & tossed in the pan remnants to coat w/ a little oil.
• Chicken broth w/ fresh leafy celery wilted in it.
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Nice dish, Steve!! :-)
Reminds me a bit too of the last episode of Top Chef in New Orleans, which featured the Vietnamese community in N.O. - in which the winning dish was said to best "represent the spirit of the Vietnamese Community in New Orleans", not that it was the best "Vietnamese Dish".
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Couple of recent dinners.
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• Short-cut pork spare ribs steamed w/ soy bean/broad bean paste (陳年豆瓣醬) [Mingteh Food] (this one), chopped smashed garlic, julienned ginger, sliced fresh Chinese mushrooms (tung koo), vegetable oil, slight drizzle of sesame oil, dash of Shaohsing wine. Garnished w/ chopped scallions & coriander leaves.
• Halved Brussels sprouts & sliced Marconi pepper sautéed w/ garlic & vegetable oil.
• White rice (Basmati).
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• Beef short ribs browned in vegetable oil (seasoned by frying smashed garlic in it then reserving the garlic), tossed w/ mutenka shiro miso paste [Maruman] (see here and here for more info), the garlic added back in, sufficient water added & the mix simmered for a bit; halved/trimmed bamboo shoots [First World brand] added, followed after a while by young daikon, lily buds, Chinese-type shiitake mushrooms (far koo), and the mix braised for about 1½ - 2 hours or so in total.
• White rice (Basmati).
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Couple of past lunches.
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Lunch
• Salad of romaine & red leaf lettuces, red Russian kale, a Marconi pepper, and Napa cabbage heart. Dressed w/ a vinaigrette of smooth Dijon mustard [Grey Poupon], ‘Stoneground Xxspress Mustard’ [Local Folks Foods], sugar, sea salt, ‘Aged Gourmet Rice Vinegar’ [Kong Yen], EV olive oil [Fresh Foods], generous fresh ground black pepper, fresh lime juice, generous rice wine (ryori-shu) [Morita].
• Leftover beef short ribs stewed w/ young daikon, lily buds, bamboo shoots, Chinese-type shiitake mushrooms (far koo), garlic, mutenka shiro miso paste [Maruman] (see here and here for more info). Gussied up w/ more of some ingredients & re-stewing for a bit.
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Lunch
Part I.
• Steamed char siu bao [Prime Food].
• Steamed pork, scallop & shrimp dumplings (shui gow) [Wei Chuan], dressed w/ chopped scallions. (no pic, I was tucking into it before I remembered the camera)
Part II.
• Teochew-style steamed fresh striped bass. Live fish from the tank the day before. Dressed w/ Shaoh Xing wine [Lam Sheng Kee], sliced ripe tomato, sliced scallions & ginger (also stuffed into fish cavity), vegetable oil, sea salt, slight drizzle of light soy sauce, sliced preserved sour mustard (syun choi/harm choy) [Pigeon brand], pickled plums [Hana]; then steamed till just done.
• Cauliflower florets “stir-fried”/sautéed w/ garlic in vegetable oil.
• White rice (Basmati).
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Top Chef: New Orleans
in Food Media & Arts
Posted · Edited by huiray (log)
Some further thoughts...
Gail Simmons' blog on episode 4 (Vietnamese challenge): http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-11/blogs/gail-simmons/lemongrass-gate-and-other-oddities
The comments (from readers) there raise objections to the judges' dissing of the Green Team and point out that tomatoes are indeed used in Vietnamese cuisine. One poster indicated that Travis was trying to make an actual Vietnamese dish, namely http://foodaffairvietnam.blogspot.com/2011/07/tom-sot-ot-ca-chua-tomatoes-and-chilli.html .
(See here also)
The issue of tomatoes and (that) tomato sauce is a grey area, at least for me. Certainly tomatoes are used in Chinese, Thai, Malay, SE/E Asian etc cuisine, even if the fruit is not native to the region - but it has become absorbed into the cuisine. (Yes yes, we've had discussions about "fusion cuisine" versus "gradual incorporation of foreign influences into the cuisine")¶ Even tomato ketchup is used in various dishes in the SE Asian repertoire, too...(and I myself have no difficulty with using it in certain dishes I might whip up) That Bene's sauce in episode 4 was trashed by the judges as an American-Italian sauce and inappropriate to the challenge may have been true - although he said he put in fish sauce - but tomatoes themselves are no longer "foreign" to the cuisine(s). Perhaps it still came down to execution and how the flavor/character of the sauce was developed. What exactly was it, in the end, that made it an "Italian-American" or "American-Italian" red sauce rather than the Vietnamese sauce for the dish in question? Nevertheless, I still tend to agree with the posters' comments on Simmons' ep 4 blog that Tom Colicchio is off on his commentary about cuisines such as this (i.e. "ethnic", in a general sense...) - I've had doubts about him in this regard from previous seasons, (as an example) like when he slammed Ed Cotton's tea-smoked duck, the very one that had been praised by a Chinese diplomat as being very good, very authentic.
¶ ...and Vietnamese cuisine of course has many French influences absorbed over the years that became defining parts of the dishes, including bánh mì and phở, two things which are considered to be signature dishes of the cuisine by many.
ETA: The commentators on Hugh's blog on episode 4 also weighed in about the dish Cap'n Vietnam was thinking of as being a bona fide dish. Execution may have been the issue but "tomato sauce" was not the problem.