Chef/Writer Spencer

I write. That's what I do to pass the time and get my mind off of pumping out shrimp cocktail, quesadillas and crab salad stuffed into an avocado. I write about my travails in the biz. I write because I can pour that artistic energy into it. My life was ten years straight of wine dinners, creating menus, and getting recognition for the fruits of my labor. Now, the only way I can think to satisfy that need for acceptance is to write about my life in the restaurant world. I know it's been done before, and probably better than I'm doing now but I think it'll pan out if I keep it up.

I'm having an indentity crisis. I aspire to greatness like my heroes...you should know em by now...Thomas Keller, Boulud, Adria etc.....but I'm dying a slow painful death in a private business club. I'm up to date on the newest techniques, trends, products but the corporate types who pay my bills are telling me to worry more about the appearance of my buffets than the substance of my plates. The obvious response is to tell me to quit and get a job that fits my desires. Well, fuck, I make waaaaayyy too much money, do very little hard labor and the job market is in the toilet. Does anybody have an inspiration for a chef who's about to hang himself with overcooked linguine (my day cooks are truck drivers). Can anyone empathize......

Figure eights? Dude, what up with that? Don't you know the left handed/right handed rice theory? You may very well be confusing your risotto.

No, you won't have any left over fat. Some simple fruit--pear, fresh cherry-maybe glazed with kirsch simple syrup, nectarines, plums, something like that would be great with some toasted brioche. As involved as the torchon is it doesn't require a technical accompaniment.

Rhulman, instead of being outright funny (which his just isn't) paints that picture for the reader so they can do the laughing. In otherwords, we're laughing at the asethetic he's remarking on instead of his own wit. I like that. That's a true sign that the guy is a scholar of the arts rather than a pretentious punk like myself. Show don't tell. He lives it.

Robert, please do us all the service of recounting your el Bulli experience. we're frothing at the mouth....

If I may be so bold as to chime in....The torchon to me is the best way to eat foie gras. It's easy too, if not a little time consuming because you have to marinate for 24 hours, hang it, poach it, rewrap it, then cool it, slice it etc. But terrines, unless they're made by uberchefs never seem to do it for me. I ate at Le Cirque (boulud's reign)years ago and had an awesome terrine but since then it's been totally hit or miss. First tried torchon at The French Laundry and fell in love. I made it for a wine dinner shortly there after and it rocked--straight preparation from the book with cherry confiture.

IN MEMPHIS, instant grits with no salt, barbeque, and vegetables cooked so tragically long that it defies reason. Someone rescue me from this hell.

To me the big category is stilted just there to mask complete fucking lack of knowledge humor. is that directed my way?

How much?? help me get it published and we'll talk about stipends....

Anybody who finds it more satisfying to argue with their ex on a cell phone in a temple of gastronomy as opposed to succumbing to the experience is always going to set me off. Screw you Mr. 10-10-220, 666 upside down cross! Unfortunately, this is all too common. Cell phones should be banned if the restaurant has more than one Michelin star or scores better than 15 on gault milleu

Count me in as a strainer of beurre blanc when His Eminence comes to dine; otherwise, I'm perfectly content to be a non-strainer. And let me add my recommendation of Chef/Writer Spencer's "The Importance of the French Laundry" piece. Worth reading, that . . . the check's in the mail. thanks.

For this sauce they get st rained out with the herbs but generally I like to leave the shallots in the sauce as long as they're cut in some sort of presentable geometric shape. Like if they were ground up in the processors--besides being too watery--would definitely get strained out.

And just for the record I fully admit to being a coat tail riding, talentless wannabe. But thank you for reiterating my little english friend....

I don't think you two would get on. He seems averse to cliche. And penis recipes too. Please refer to Lord Lewis' post in the Fergus Henderson Q and A for details.

Fergus Henderson seems like a pretty straightforward cat too....we could sit around and talk shit about people.

back at the french laundry with bourdain, ripert, scott bryan and grant achatz there for running commentary....

what matters most is how well you walk through the fire...c. bukowski the guy should have been a chef.

bourdain - rerun chocolate show - don't know if i can get over him calling the piece of chocolate cloud cake "...a naughty piece of cake..." think i'll try making that for my husband when he gets home sunday Tyler "Naughty Cake" Florence. I hope he does a show on offal. Maybe he'd get a more respectable moniker. Right now he's a cake fondler.

For fear of Rosie's warning posts (inside joke) I email The Importance of The French Laundry only. It gets close to liable and would probably incur far too much wrath from the scolars of eGullet. If you want the story I can email it to you guys if you PM me. Thanks.

Man, this is a tough room. C-?

In all seriousness...this site is a godsend for folks who like to argue and debate within the realm of food. I don't know if I'd stick around if it were a bunch of flowery butt smootchin'. half the time i post just to pat myself on the back that I graduated high school. That's a sad commentary but one i think describes two thirds of the members of eGullet.

And where is he supposed to put the garlic cloves, pray? (Yes, this is a test. ) oops...the fried cloves go directly into the reduction. trust me, i've been doing this sauce for years....

of course. Did you really go to the bathroom outside @ The French Laundry? yeah, i sure did. if you'd like to read about it i could email you the whole story...friend. it's something i was very ashamed of but i had no where else to go...the first thing i did when i entered the french laundry was not going to be running upstairs to piss.

Of course I cant wait to "strain the fucking solids out in a chinois" I'll leave that one alone. We're still friends right?