Anatomy of a Dinner Party

[Vadouvan]

Part 1.

Plan your timeline.

T Minus 3 days.

Part 2.

Plan a menu that fits into your timeline.

More to come..........

[Vadouvan]

Menu 1st Two Courses

Menu Last 3 Courses

Thats the Easy part, now you have to make all that Crap.

Hopefully your friends are worth it......

More to come.......

[Vadouvan]

Next I would seriously recommend a DETAILED shopping list categorized by source.

First figure out everything you need for each dish and then transfer them to a source list.

I personally find source lists much more useful when it come to actual shopping than ingredient lists because you just go there or call the purveyor and buy everything you need in one fell swoop.

Reduces human error.

I will show you a source list later, yes dinner parties require some clerical BS so if you want to nail it, just deal with it.

Here is a cured Berkshire pork belly to whet your appetite as a sign of things to come....

Kurobuta/Snake River

[Daniel]

Wow.. how pretty.

[Diann]

You're making me hungry...

I just learned what a poele is: "A cooking method in which the item is cooked in its own juices, in a covered pot, and it is usually done in the oven. Also known as butter roasting."

[Vadouvan]

I just learned what a poele is: "A cooking method in which the item is cooked in its own juices, in a covered pot, and it is usually done in the oven. Also known as butter roasting."

True, that seems to be the classical Escoffier definition but with the evolution of cooking in France, I remember distinctly at Place Vendome they basically said it is almost interchangeable with a quick saute but slightly different.

I dare say "butter roasted" foie gras would be most gratuitous........

[Andrew Fenton]

Crystallized salted mineola

Mineola, TX "The Birding Capital of East Texas"

Mineola, NY

Mineola, IA

No doubt "salted Mineola" is like "baked Alaska". right? right?

Okay, fine. I give up...

[Vadouvan]

No doubt "salted Mineola" is like "baked Alaska". right? right?

The Mineola i am referring to is a very aromatic Tangerine with qualities of Mandarin orange.

The Rind is peeled off without the pith, sliced into strips simmered till transluscent in 20 degree baume simple syrup, drained, cooled, tossed in superfine sugar and dehydrated at 60 Degrees C till bone dry......and then salted slightly with Maldon fine salt.

Its a garnish for the Ice cream.

Hey it isnt a simple dinner party.....

[Andrew Fenton]

Ohhhhhh, THIS minneola! As in Minneola, FL.

who knew there were so many Mineolae out there?

[mrbigjas]

now, that wagyu beef duo, is that the title of the course, and the ribeye cap and short ribs ARE the duo? or is that another course, so there's the duo and then the ribeye and ribs, so really it's beef four ways? mmm beef.

[Vadouvan]

Yes Mr Big, it's a duo not a quartet.

Ribeye and croquette.

Pictures coming in 48 HRs...ish

Edited July 25, 2006 by Vadouvan (log)

[Vadouvan]

Source List

[Mummer]

Ohhhhhh, THIS minneola!  As in Minneola, FL.

who knew there were so many Mineolae out there?

←

I made the same New York reference when we had Minneola at StudioKitchen earlier this year, Andrew. You were suffering thru Roma, as I recall.

Too bad you didn't get to be a guest at SK, Vadouvan. That place was the shizzy.

[Vadouvan]

Too bad you didn't get to be a guest at SK, Vadouvan. That place was the shizzy.

In fact that is quite true and sad, I never sat down at one of those SK dinners but the thread is greatly inspirational for me. Oh well you win some you lose some.....

[Diann]

How did you cure the pork belly?

[I_call_the_duck]

^^Yeah, what Diann asked. And do you make your own puff dough, or *gasp* buy it premade?

Edited July 26, 2006 by I_call_the_duck (log)

[Vadouvan]

Puff Dough

Only Masochists make thier own puff pastry for tart tatin.

It isnt technically going to rise.

In fact one can use pate sucree.....but I find the crispness of fuillette better.

There are lots of excellent puff doughs on the market available to the public.

I use either Doufour or Pepperidge Farm.

As you shall see much later, excellent results will be achieved.

I am sure all the serious pastry dudes have the expression of

Toodle-oo

[Vadouvan]

How did you cure the pork belly?

Princess Di....

Instructions for curing anything can be found all over the web by googling.

My cure for this particular pork is based on Daniel Boulud's cure (see Cafe Boulud Cookbook page 58).......... with a slight modification by adding two ingredients that were until recently illegal in the united states but clandestinely available in chinatown ...........and using Demerara instead of white sugar.

By the way, feel free to be inspired by cookbooks, there isnt a damn thing wrong about inspiration, just dont pass it on as your creation.

Quick story, back when I was a cooking neophyte, I met Charlie Trotter in the Rittenhouse square area and he signed my cookbook, the book had several post-it notes sticking out and he asked what they were, I said they were particular components of some of his dishes I liked even though I didnt neccesarily like the whole dish always. I was expecting a "how dare you" but he said that's exactly what his books are for .....Inspiration....so Inspire away.

The whole point of this thread is to Inspire people in philly to think differently about food and see what can be achieved in philly if you know what the hell you are doing ?

Can you say Hell on e gullet ....

Anyway.....speaking of inspiration, here are some of mine regarding this dinner, some element of all these books were borrowed and modified not reproduced.....

And its a pain in the ace to post pics on e gullet so while I have your attention.....here are a few more pieces of the puzzle...

Tomatoes for Gazpacho

Infused to confit pork belly

Finishing prunes for pork belly

Gazpacho

Williams Sonoma Broad and Walnut.

Gazpacho

"Almost" Whole Foods ........20th and Callowhill.

[Vadouvan]

By the way, it's never a bad Idea when you are cooking with specialty crap to have a plan B.

Most of these Items are in demand and limited. After the last few days I am convinced if you picked up a phone, called directory assistance, asked for Los Alamos Labs and ask if you could buy some weapons grade plutonium, you may actually have a better chance of success than procuring Snake River Farms Beef............actually the FBI would knock on your door within an hour.....

SO PLAN B.

The Ribeye Cap was made famous by Thomas keller, apparently it was used for staff meal until they figured out it was too tasty for staff meal so it became a course in the $400 dinner.

Delicious it is, I had it at Per se.

Also quite excellent is ......STRUBE..........pronouced Stru-bee

http://www.struberanch.com/

They dont sell Ribeye Caps alone so I decided plan B was a Tri-Tip.

More specifically....

Speaking of meat, I wish local restaurants in Philly would stop referring to Kobe this Kobe that and decieving the public......It isnt KOBE unless it comes from Japan.

In fact, while I want to keep this thread local and focused on Philly.... National publications are fair game, there are two excellent articles in the NYTimes today regarding Local and Imported Japanese beef.

Get the Times or read it online.

Great article.

[murkcury]

Not only must Kobe beef come from Japan, my dear Vadouvan, it must come specifically from Kobe. The restaurant that currently employs me features a Kagoshima beef ribeye (Kobe style in the American sense, yes, but not Kobe beef). At least it comes from Japan. Wagyu is American (or Australian in certain instances, I believe) and should not be confused with Japanese beef. Traditional Japanese breeds? Yes. Japanese Beef? No. Delicious? More often than not, yes.

[Vadouvan]

Not only must Kobe beef come from Japan, my dear Vadouvan, it must come specifically from Kobe

Duuuude you know me better than that.....of course I know that.

Actually the Kobe (Hyogo) Prefecture....

[docsconz]

Nice thread even if a little obscure as to its origens

What exactly are "Maya" shrimp? Are they from southern Mexico or Central America or is it a specific preparation? Thanks for the continuing instructions, Vadouvan.

[murkcury]

Fear not my co-admirer of beautifully marbled beef. I know you know. It was more for the benefit of our potentially less informed e-gulleteers since so many people, notably supposed professionals, regularly misrepresent said delicacy on their menus. Knowledge is power and knowledge of japanese beef is delicious power indeed.

btw, the wagyu tri-tip is indeed a smart way to go. if one can subject it to the wonders of sous-vide cooking it becomes a surprisingly affordable way to enjoy wagyu beef.

[Vadouvan]

What exactly are "Maya" shrimp? Are they from southern Mexico or Central America or is it a specific preparation? Thanks for the continuing instructions, Vadouvan. 

What's up doc.

Long time no see.

I think Maya is just the Brand name, I have just gotten used to saying it over the years....

In this case a U-10 Head on Shrimp, pretty big....here is a raw one.

Raw Shrimp to Scale

[Carlson1105]

Quite a shame indeed Vadouvan, that you never got to sit down at a SK dinner. I'm sure you would have loved it. Maybe someday. I know I enjoyed it.