chezcherie

snowangel, you've been pm'ed. basically, it's onion, garlic and carrot, sauteed with chopped poblano. veg (or chix) stock and a cubed russet and simmer 'til tender. add a little crema or creme fraiche and season. throw some shredded cheese on top, if you like, or pepitas, or cilantro... it was one of the favs in class last night.

six soups for a soup class last night: roasted parsnip and potato (with bacon garnish), curried cream of chicken with wild rice, creme of poblano, pumpkin and black bean, minestrone, and chocolate hazelnut. six burners of soup at once!

Meh. Nothing knocked my socks off. Did the entire show--both halls-- in one (long) day, and only went back this morning to place a few orders. Hit the Ferry bldg and headed over to the East Bay (ironically enough, to check out a couple specialty food markets). There were only a couple vendors I expected to seenthat weren't there. I didn't notice many, if any, empty booths. Tea and water, tea and water.. That's what I saw most of!

OK, so Fabio is probably GLAD he didn't ask Ariane to cook his lamb.... This season continues to dissapoint. I thought the quickfire dishes over all, looked better than the on the farm, can't get fresher ingredients, elimination challenge dishes. I don't think the chefs gave any consideration to feeding people outside on a hot, sunny, day. ← it's probably an easy trap to fall into...the are told the basic challenge, and given time to strategize on a group challenge. so they use that time to make a plan...we'd all do that, especially when dealing with personalities we know can be problematic. but, then, when the kink gets tossed in, they don't take any time to re-think the plan...they just force the old plan onto the new circumstances, because the looming time constraints are all they can think about. (hence, they take gorgeous meat off the gorgeous bone, so it will be cooked in the time allotted. ouch.). also, i think that the unnatural circumstances forced on the contestants by the unreality of a reality show can warp their natural sense of "seasonality". remember, they did a whole christmas thing a few weeks back, when it clearly wasn't christmas when they were filming. so perhaps for that reason as well, they discounted the importance of seasonality, which was the whole point of the episode... i mean, seriously, stone barns and blue hill??? makes me cry to think of the opportunity wasted. this is why i will never be a reality show contestant.

i'm a slicer.

i sure don't miss tourne. fun to see your knifework, though. thanks for posting.

pace yourself. that's the best advice i can give. if you take a taste of everything that's put in front of you, you'll be sick 3 hours in, and you might miss a great chocolate, or something you'd regret not trying. so specialize. if i'm not looking for mustard, i don't try mustards, unless there's one that's so unusual it demands to be tried. comfortable shoes. duh. but really comfortable ones, even if they aren't stylish. everyone will be looking at your badge. NO ONE will be looking at your shoes. seems to me there was a thread last year...will see if i can find and link. i'll be there. edited to add link---same show (mostly) just different venue. advice given will apply to sf. fancy food show javits center

manton, i will really look forward to these...been a while since i was in culinary school, and a little refresher is always good. please, please (without getting yourself negatively noticed!) find out this term...i knew it once, and have been trying to get it back for several years...my (bad) memory seems to want it to mean "to peel alive" or somesuch....would love to have that term in my vocab again.

not 100% sure this is the right place, but i trust the powers that be will lead me in the right direction, if not. here in so CA, we enjoy the wonderful mediterranean -esque climate, which is reflected in our gardens (and our roadsides---ever been stuck in freeway traffic, and noticed all the fennel growing just over there?) rosemary, check. bay trees, check. all the usual suspects seem to flourish here...except one. i've yet to find a caper bush, and now it's starting to bug me. in fact, i've never even seen a caper bush...or a caper flower, except a drawing on the trader joe's caper jar label. anybody got one? seen one? know where to get one? or why they aren't ubiquitous? inquiring mind...

We did a "budget stretchers" cooking class back in September (which was underattended....what a difference a few months makes!), and here are the recipe titles and the ideas behind each, just to spur some thought. Potato Mushroom Gratin--Hardly anything is as cheap as spuds, and even with the "luxury" item of mushrooms, the idea was to get students thinking of all manner of gratins, especially as a vehicle for disguising leftovers. As I usually have a package of dried mushrooms on hand (and Trader Joe's sells them for about $2), there's hardly any cost there, for a great smokiy depth of flavor. Oven-Baked Polenta- If there is anything cheaper than spuds, it could be cornmeal! Again, a great vehicle for stashing leftovers, to delicious effect, and also, great leftovers in their own right! Oven-baking is a miracle, in my opinion, as it liberates the cook, and you can use that oven energy to bake something else at the same time, and conserve your own! Caramelized Onions-- Cheap culinary gold. I discovered this year, no doubt on eG, that you can caramelize (well, nearly caramelize--I finish in a sautepan) a massive quantity of onions in a crockpot, and they freeze beautifully. Great in either of the two above recipes. My local market sometimes has a special--6 lb of onions for a buck. Braised Greens with "Mollica"--variation, pasta mollica. Mollica being toasted bread crumbs, which have been used in various cuisines as "poor man's stand ins" for nuts or cheese. It's amazing what crunch and depth of flavor these little leftover crumbs can bring to the table. Poulet au Vinaigre-- Sounds much more appealing than "Vinegar Chicken", but really...it's cheap and delicious, and most folks usually have vinegar around. (Plus, it's better if you use good, but not budget-blowing vinegar!) Sausages poached in wine--Cheap, but drinkable wine, and I'll admit, this was a shameless ploy to have an open bottle to consume--can't let those "left-overs" go to waste in a bad economy! But seriously, sausages are tasty and usually inexpensive, and along with a gratin or polenta, you've got a satisfying meal for very little cash. Fruit Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce-- The idea here was to use local, in season fruit, which of course is cheaper than the "flown first class from the other hemisphere" stuff, and tastes better, too. Leftover bread gets used, and caramel is "cheap as chips" to make. It was a fun class to put together, and the attendees are still reporting back about what fun they've had coming up with variations on our themes. Here's to a wonderful and prosperous '09!

the original (non GF) recipe called for 2 tablespoons, so I think that would be the same. (JUst in case the original posters are reveling!) Happy New Year.

bought two copies, which just arrived. one for my line cook kid, and one for moi. from the first peek, i think we will both love it.

I didn't realize there were measurements in both volume and weight. Bonus! I wonder why her publisher's allowed it when so many other publishers don't (because of "space restrictions"). it could be because it's a sur la table book, and they sell more baking scales if the weights are included?

using up the last of the turkey last week, we enjoyed several panini along the lines of: ciabatta with thin sliced turkey, havarti, red onion, red pepper ancho chile jam and red onions, pressed. tasty with ham, too.

turkey gumbo, shared with friends we didn't get to see on the holiday, due to family constraints. made the stock today, and will convene for oysters and gumbo (and reminiscence of a great new orleans trip) on sunday.

i thought it was the lemon curd and "cherry surprise" dessert that made her wretch. (it appeared that those cherries came from a can of pie filling---SURPRISE!!)

do potato tacos count?

i couldn't agree more. don't even want to say what those smears sometimes remind me of...

can i ask a question? i'm truly confused about the unhygenic thing---who puts dirty knives back in their blocks? i mean, i see that there can be unseen (whatever) that could somehow get down inside the slots of a traditional knife block, but unless you are putting gore and gristle-slimed knives into the block...what am i missing? (i'm completely serious, btw...i'm fairly confident there IS something i haven't thought about...)

i may not be one of "the knife people", but, have it, love it. (bought it at bed, bath and beyond). any knife, anywhere you want to put it. no accidental forcing (and therefore dulling) by trying to slide the wrong knife into the wrong slot. i can fit several more knives into this block than i can in the ones with predetermined knife placement slots.

if your friend is starting up soon, you might consider the fancy food show on the west coast, held in san francisco in january, rather than wait for summer in ny. most, but not all, of the east coast vendors participate.

thanks--these are perfect! just what i was looking for--the french toast sounds divine. we will be in both seattle and tacoma, so if anyone has suggestions, i surely appreciate the help!

sorry it was so broad. does this narrow it down: any particular college favorites or must-sees or traditions for potential students of u of o, university of puget sound, lewis and clark, and/or willamette. i appreciate the link to the other board, and will post there as soon as the moderator approves my request.

uh oh... 76 views and no responses. you are scaring me.

i saw them yesterday is So CA.