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MobyP

eGullet Society staff emeritus
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Everything posted by MobyP

  1. My apologies - I've been away. No, I didn't mean cause a mild furore, only that I keep suggesting L'Ambroisie in these sorts of threads, but so far to no avail. I thought I'd try the reverse tack in the hope of spreading a little culinary pleasure.
  2. Chufi pm'd me to say what you mad bakers were up to - congratulations! I'm only sorry I didn't know it was happening, as I'm completely out and would've joined the pastry escapade. Hey, maybe I should be the judge here - each of you send me a sample, and I shall scientifically examine them (in my own particular and incredibly scientiffic way), leaving no layer unbaked!
  3. Whatever you do, for all that's sacred and good and kind in the world, ney, on innocence of my new born babe - whatever you do, don't - if you value for the very existence of your soul - don't go to L'Ambroisie! It would be a catastrophic mistake that you may never recover from. A dire, terrible, irredeemably traumatic event, after which no person's tremulous psyche can ever find peace again. You will spend the rest of your days standing in corners, muttering in a thorazine induced whisper: "oh god, oh god why did I do it!"
  4. Is it possible to post, or make public, your image folder so we can see that, or has that been deleted?
  5. "Our definition of three stars remains inclusive of the words “fine wines, faultless service, elegant surroundings.” which indicates that at this level we look for all round excellence." - Derek Bulmer, head of Michelin UK from his eGullet forum chat earlier this year. There's a lot of useful information straight from the horses mouth that should help de-code the guide ratings, including typical number of visits before awarding a star etc. ← However he contradicted that to Heston B, where the dining room clearly wasn't at the level of the food.
  6. MobyP

    Dinner! 2005

    Really great chop, Daniel.
  7. There's an interesting sense of betrayal when you invest so much (the money can often be the least of it) into going to one of these places, only to be let down.
  8. Why did you choose Le Cinq?
  9. The gun was, to my knowledge, given to B. Loiseau by a gentleman friend of his. Besides, many people in the countryside are hunters and own guns. Some of them may be chronically depressed and hunters at the same time. ← I understand that Ernest Hemingway's wife gave him the key to his gun cabinet, she having held it for some time, the night before he shot himself.
  10. MobyP

    Dinner! 2005

    Crispy Gloucester Old Spot pork belly, pomme puree, buttery cabbage, reduced poaching liquid.
  11. I would remove the prunes and obviously the cinamon stick. When I have left over short ribs, I fry up a sliced clove of garlic, and then add a small tin of plum tomatoes, and reduce to marmelade consistency. Then add this to the meat , veg, and braising liquor of the short ribs, and a handful of parmagiano, then process. I find you don't need anything to bind.
  12. My last meal, which had a very generous quantity of black truffles involved, came out at 584 Euros for 2, not including wine. This might not be a completely accurate representation of the value of the meal, however, as Pacaud was being a remarkable host.
  13. Forget Robuchon for now. Or save him for your 10th meal so you'll have some perspective. I meant before that I still thinik you should go for the best single meal imaginable. Eating is an act of release, of communion, of true indulgence, of many things depending on who you are why you happen to be seated at the table. Why would you want 2/3'rds of a release, or 3/4's of an indulgence, or half a communion? You should strive for the best imaginable, and save the multiple bargain lunches for when you need a reminder.
  14. I don't know about the first. Le Table de JR is an upscale version of Atelier, which is gourmet tapas of varying quality (acceptable to very good, or very poor to acceptable, depending on who you ask). The point is that you're looking to create a scale upon which all cuisine will be judged, no? Why not start with the sublime, and leave the details till later?
  15. This was my local last year. I had about 15 of these cubanos in 3 weeks. They were pretty good, but not the best I've had - just the most convenient. There used to be a tiny little coffee shop on 14th and 7th, used to pretty good sandwiches.
  16. Some pictures of a recent white truffle meal at L'Ambroisie
  17. MobyP

    Veal stock

    It's the traditional escoffier approach to also add the cuts of meat.
  18. Ramsay makes the same mistake, and I would say the Keller description is actually not so great. In his penultimate book, Ramay has a pumpkin 'ravioli' recipe that coincidentally is exactly the same as Keller's agnolotti - but he gets it wrong. Where Keller's pasta has a floating third wall, Ramsay's third wall sticks to one closest to it, giving a double thickness of pasta on one side, and a single thickness on the other, which obviously is completely useless. I make quite a bit of pasta, and I've been over the Keller agnolotti recipe half a dozen times and still can't make real sense of the directions. When you roll over the flap, do you press it down in the same direction as you rolled it over (which is what Ramsay does, and adds more excess pasta), or are you supposed to tuck it under the filling, making a more refined dumpling?
  19. Chefs who can't stand the heat... get into the kitchen
  20. MobyP

    Veal stock

    The length of time that you simmer the bones is dependent on their size, and the amount of yield that you're after. 6 hours is neither too long nor too short if the bone size was correct. Many people over cook their veal stock which causes the bones to start to break down, leaching other chemical components into the liquid. Thomas Keller does his in two batches of 6-8 hours, then combines and reduces them to the richness he prefers. Ducasse uses bones plus meat cuts - like the brisket - and suggests only 5 hours simmering time. So, it 's really about yield. A simple trick. The richness and density of the stock is contingent on particles to water. So, to make your stock rich, reduce it by 40-50%. To make it into a demi-glace, reduce it by 65-75%. To make it into a glace, by 85-90 %. I make about 22 litres at a time, and reduce it by 90 %, cool it (at which point you can cut it with a butter knife because of all the gelatin), cut it into cubes, and store them in the freezer. They usually last me 5 - 6 months.
  21. You ever try roasting a pepper on an induction hob?
  22. Nice one centurion, like it, like it... I'm waiting until they dig up the bottle of 4000 year old black bean sauce in the pit next door.
  23. Didn't bluestar take over, or emerge from, the domestic garland pieces? Either way, they look good. If I were in the US and looking for a new cooker, they'd be in the top 2 or 3 to think about.
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