Inspired by StudioKitchen

[Vadouvan]

I need to ask you guys about the 'spring eggs'. Do you really think there is enough of a taste difference to validate all the extra time and trouble? I'm sure its fun to play with, but is it truly worth the trouble?

1. In sort Yes. Soft poached eggs do not taste like hard boiled eggs so texture makes a difference.

The flavor is also enhanced by the technique if you use high quality farm eggs.

The custardy texture also is perfect for the emulsion of maple vinegar.

In this particular dish, its worth the trouble because the original inspiration as TimH noted is from Alain Passard's dish. I think if you have the Arpege egg, you would see that it's worth the trouble.

2. There is no extra time and trouble.

You set your bath temperature, you put the eggs in, you wait approx. 1 hr.

You crack the eggs.

Done.

Simpler than *any* other method.

Next question: what do you think about this riff on SK's parsnip puree? Encasing the puree in a crispy ravioli and serving with lemon zest. My thinking is that the parnsip is so sweet and rich, it could be enhanced by crunch, salt and tart. Or have I gone overboard?

One never goes overboard. Continue to push.

In fact there is already a variation you speak of.

Parsnip Purre+Gellan gum. Cool.Pane Anglaise.Deep Fry.

[hathor]

Vadouvan and Bryan, thanks for the input.

I think custardy texture might be the distinguishing factor here. The other elements that you mention (like quality, or hard boil v. poach) would be the same for traditional poach or the bath poach. Would be interesting to set up a side by side tasting...in my spare time...or next life...which ever comes first!

[philadining]

I need to ask you guys about the 'spring eggs'. Do you really think there is enough of a taste difference to validate all the extra time and trouble?

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I'll concur with the others, in short: yes.

For the sake of limiting the variables, I'll just talk about eggs at StudioKitchen - I've had regular poached eggs several times, and the "hot spring" eggs twice. The hot spring eggs were just something different altogether from the poached eggs. As already noted by Bryan and others, the texture is very different, and the flavor is much more pronounced, although that could be somewhat due to the eggs themselves.

Bryan noted trouble getting the eggs out of their shells cleanly, but I happened to be watching Shola do about 16 of them over the course of a couple of dinners, and only one gave him trouble... the rest just slid right out. I wonder what the secret is?

I'm not sure it's worth buying a water bath just to do eggs, but if you have one, it gives a pretty impressive result.

[percyn]

The pork belly experimentation continues...

Pork Belly Tatin, Mushroom Daube, Hard Boiled Egg (inspired by this SK Veal Cheek Tatin Dish)

[BryanZ]

I'm going to double-post since I might be more likely to get a detailed response here. Anyway, what's going on in this dish? What's the pastry part? Is there anything inside it?

[BryanZ]

Bryan noted trouble getting the eggs out of their shells cleanly, but I happened to be watching Shola do about 16 of them over the course of a couple of dinners, and only one gave him trouble...  the rest just slid right out. I wonder what the secret is?

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I've really found that the best way to go about doing it is to be gentle and let gravity do its thing. Also, practice makes perfect. The first couple I ever did looked like crap. It, like most things, gets easier once you've done a few. With that said, if Shola has any surefire tips I'd love to hear them.

[Vadouvan]

PERCY.....hits the newspapers plus e gullet mentioned.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/living/food/14051043.htm

[KatieLoeb]

PERCY.....hits the newspapers plus e gullet mentioned.  

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/living/food/14051043.htm

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Too cool for school! Nice job gentlemen!

[phungi]

PERCY.....hits the newspapers plus e gullet mentioned.  

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/living/food/14051043.htm

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You can't see it online, but there is also a photo of Shola working his sous vide in the paper-version of the Food section.

[I_call_the_duck]

Not only is Shola's picture in the print version, but Percy, "home cook", is quoted in bold. Nice going, guys. An accompanying article here. Also quotes Greg Ling from Raw and mentions Jose Garces.

Katie, how does Chef Garces do those bananas? Looks like I'll have to investigate further. We're due for another visit soon anyway.

[shacke]

Not only is Shola's picture in the print version, but Percy, "home cook", is quoted in bold.

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Why doesn't it say "Percy Nikora of Studiokitchen West"

[KatieLoeb]

Not only is Shola's picture in the print version, but Percy, "home cook", is quoted in bold.  Nice going, guys.  An accompanying article here. Also quotes Greg Ling from Raw and mentions Jose Garces. 

Katie, how does Chef Garces do those bananas?  Looks like I'll have to investigate further. We're due for another visit soon anyway.

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Wow - all my favorite chefs and home cooks in one article. Awe inspiring!

Karen - I'll ask Adrienne our pastry chef about the bananas. I think they seal them in with some caramel and then do the sous vide cooking for a relatively short time (compared to cooking meat, for example) just to soften them up a little bit. Then they're served on top of a square of chocolate cake, topped with almond milk foam and surrounded with a saffron sauce. They're sooo good!

[Capaneus]

Also, New Yorkers can't get no sous-vide-ing no moah...

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/09/nyregion...r=1&oref=slogin

[Jeff L]

Not only is Shola's picture in the print version, but Percy, "home cook", is quoted in bold.  Nice going, guys.  An accompanying article here. Also quotes Greg Ling from Raw and mentions Jose Garces. 

Katie, how does Chef Garces do those bananas?  Looks like I'll have to investigate further. We're due for another visit soon anyway.

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Wow - all my favorite chefs and home cooks in one article. Awe inspiring!

Karen - I'll ask Adrienne our pastry chef about the bananas. I think they seal them in with some caramel and then do the sous vide cooking for a relatively short time (compared to cooking meat, for example) just to soften them up a little bit. Then they're served on top of a square of chocolate cake, topped with almond milk foam and surrounded with a saffron sauce. They're sooo good!

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Katie, while you're at it, please try to secure the rosemary white beans with spinach thing we spoke about ok?? Well, we didn't actually speak about it but you know what I mean

Edited March 10, 2006 by Jeff L (log)

[I_call_the_duck]

Not only is Shola's picture in the print version, but Percy, "home cook", is quoted in bold.  Nice going, guys.  An accompanying article here. Also quotes Greg Ling from Raw and mentions Jose Garces. 

Katie, how does Chef Garces do those bananas?  Looks like I'll have to investigate further. We're due for another visit soon anyway.

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Wow - all my favorite chefs and home cooks in one article. Awe inspiring!

Karen - I'll ask Adrienne our pastry chef about the bananas. I think they seal them in with some caramel and then do the sous vide cooking for a relatively short time (compared to cooking meat, for example) just to soften them up a little bit. Then they're served on top of a square of chocolate cake, topped with almond milk foam and surrounded with a saffron sauce. They're sooo good!

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Katie, while you're at it, please try to secure the rosemary white beans with spinach thing we spoke about ok?? Well, we didn't actually speak about it but you know what I mean

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Thanks, Katie. Those beans were good. Really going off-topic here, but it looks like we'll either have to get Chef Garces to do an Amada cookbook, or start an "Inspired by Amada" thread!

Edited March 10, 2006 by I_call_the_duck (log)

[percyn]

Stake wing roated with Sichuan pepercorn, leeks and asparagus. Topped with spicy Sichuan pork. -

(Insipred by this SK dish). I wanted to make oxtail ravioli, but since this was a weeknight and I was tired, I skipped it in favor of adding some veal demi glace to the sauce, which gave it a bolder flavor. The spicy Sichuan pork added an interesting salty-spicy components and the peppercorns added a floral nuance. The stake wing was made into a "double decker" before it was seared and roasted, just the way Shola showed us how.

It was not close to Shola's masterpiece, but good enough to satisfy my SK dinner widthrawls while Shola is away.

[philadining]

Oh, SK, we miss you so...

Summer Corn Soup, Panko Crab Cakes, Lemon Wasabi sauce

I'm pleased to say the corn soup was pretty close to the SK version, thanks to Shola's instructions.

Indian Spiced Chicken, Burmese Ginger Salad, Sesame Asparagus

OK, this drew no specific inspiration from Studio Kitchen, but I doubt these combinations and juxtapositions would have come to mind without SK experiences. Thanks Shola!

[I_call_the_duck]

Oh, SK, we miss you so...

Summer Corn Soup, Panko Crab Cakes, Lemon Wasabi sauce

I'm pleased to say the corn soup was pretty close to the SK version, thanks to Shola's instructions. 

Indian Spiced Chicken, Burmese Ginger Salad, Sesame Asparagus

OK, this drew no specific inspiration from Studio Kitchen, but I doubt these combinations and juxtapositions would have come to mind without SK experiences.  Thanks Shola!

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Hey philadining,

Do you care to share that recipe for the soup and crab cakes?

Edited July 10, 2006 by I_call_the_duck (log)

[philadining]

Do you or Shola care to share that recipe for the soup and crab cakes?

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Here are Shola's instructions:

Cut the corn off the cob and I do about 2 to 1 milk to corn in a vessel.

I then puree with a stick blender and strain.

But you need a chinoise, or similar very fine strainer.

I then heat up the strained milk gently till it thickens slightly and

season with salt and pepper.

Thats it.

I have to admit that I cheated a little, and heated the milk to just below a simmer, added the corn for a minute or so, whizzed it and let it steep for a couple of minutes before straining it, which worked fine, it still tasted fresh and sweet, and vivid. I had been toying with adding some other ingredients, but it's just so good just like that. Salt, pepper, done.

The crabcakes are just something we freestyled. The weird shape is from a thought of presenting them sticking out of the soup, or maybe balanced across the rim, but we thought better of it... The upside is that we got a nice panko crunch from that form! It's just lump crabmeat, a little touch of mayo, a little bit of panko crumbs mixed-in, a tiny bit of corn to tie the cakes to the soup, a dash or two of sriracha, mixed gently then rolled in panko crumbs and fried. They were pretty good, I must say, pretty much all-crab with a nice crunch. Nothing all that creative, just tasty. (The lemon wasabi sauce is a commercial product we stumbled across when we were buying crab.)

[wkl]

looks good, pd! ahhh, studio kitchen......

funny, i made this the other night also, i steeped the kernels with cobs

in milk to cover for about an hour. i think you get more flavor and the starch has longer to come out and thicken the soup. then i stick blend, chinoise, serve with grated nutmeg atop.

[philadining]

... i steeped the kernels with cobs

in milk to cover for about an hour. i think you get more flavor and the starch has longer to come out and thicken the soup. then i stick blend, chinoise, serve with grated nutmeg atop.

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Nice! I'm trying that as soon as we get some good local corn here... did you steep on-heat, or just in cold milk? It's funny, I had my hand on the nutmeg, but ended up just sprinkling a touch of pink salt on it.

[wkl]

steeped on low heat. if you use nutmeg, a very small grating will do.

served with oloroso sherry.

[I_call_the_duck]

Thanks, Jeff.

Not only will I try that when I get my paws on some local corn, but it also gives me an excuse to buy a chinois.

[wkl]

a bit off topic but, local produce stands around here were selling jersey tomatos and corn as recently as of couple weeks ago. the vendors claimed some farms keep the crops covered and somehow force the growth so the produce seems to be coming earlier. have you guys run into this? i thought the corn was so so and the tomatos not bad. interesting to see what the difference will be when they are really in season.

[philadining]

I'm ashamed to say that I used Florida corn: I was in upstate NY, and it's just a bit early for the local stuff, but I really wanted that summery flavor for this occasion. I expect to make a bunch more of this soup once there is good local corn.