Food Inc. The Movie

The movie Food Inc. has been out for some time now, and I’ve finally watched it. For anyone who has not seen it I will agree with most other’s opinions that it is a well put together documentary that everyone can get something from. For those of us who have seen it, perhaps we can discuss.

I was very happy with the way information was presented. There was a clear distinction between facts and opinions which I think is very important in a serious picture like this. I feel like I’ve educated myself quite well on most of the issues Food Inc. breaches so there were few ‘new’ ideas to me. I do appreciate that the ideas were presented in a well organized, easy to understand manner.

In my opinion the single most interesting chapter of the movie was the story of the poverty stricken family who could manage a full stomach off a fast food dollar menu, but would starve on a grocery store bought diet. That’s right; $1.18 got one single bunch of broccoli at the grocery, but fed their small child at Burger King! It brings up a whole slurry of questions. Could fast food be ‘good’ for some people? Is turning our food over to corporate giants and selling our souls the only way to feed the growing population? Will differences in food production create a new class of Americans? Should those less wealthy people be forced to ignore the inherent moral ambiguity of giant corporate food production standards?

The other idea that most sticks with me from the movie is that fast food companies control the whole, yes WHOLE food production system as it is they are the most prolific purchasers. It only makes sense to make your best customer your happiest customer. How do you break that chain? It’s capitalism, it’s American, it’s success!

The farmer is the ‘pickle in the middle’ of this whole debacle. A modest man, with modest goals, willing to live a modest life might enjoy the work of organic, sustainable farming in today’s environment. But can you fault anyone who is already elbow deep down on the farm, neck deep in debt, with his farmer colleagues failing fast, give in to the corporate giants? On the other hand can you afford the higher prices that organic, sustainable products require? Yes, these products require a higher price since they cost much more to bring to market. As customers, we can’t have it both ways. We can’t condemn the mega farmer while refusing to support the ecco-farmer.

Fruitcake Poll Results

What is fruitcake?

–noun
1. a rich cake containing dried or candied fruit, nuts, etc.
2. Slang. a crazy or eccentric person; nut.

Indeed, this chewy, rich confection is a staple of the holidays, but what, exactly, is it? It is called a cake, but because it is full of nuts and candied fruits, it resembles a candy bar. When sliced, pieces look like cookies.

In ancient times, fruitcake was made with raisins, pomegranate seeds, and pine nuts mixed together with barley. Later, honey, spices, and candied-dried fruits were added. Because of fruitcake's consistency and longevity, early soldiers and hunters carried it with them on long journeys.

In the 1700s, Europeans baked ceremonial fruitcakes at the end of the nut harvest, saved them, and then ate them at the until next year's harvest. This was done with the hope that it would bring another successful harvest.

Also, throughout Europe during this time, the consumption of fruitcake (also called plum cake) was legally restricted to special occasions because of its "sinfully rich" taste. Those laws were later rescinded, and fruitcake became an essential of the Victorian tea era.

In 18th-century England, it was believed that unmarried wedding guests who put a slice of fruitcake under their pillow at night would dream of the person they would eventually marry.

Today fruitcake has become the butt of many jokes, and idolized as the one most dreaded gift. What made fruitcake a succes in the past have become it's downfall in the presant; it's longevity, sweetness, and nutritional/physical density.

Looking at the poll results there is far less detest for fruitcake than expected. Only 25% polled claimed to flat out not like fruitcake. While I'm not a huge fan of fruitcake it does convey some feeling of celebration and I would surely enjoy a slice during the holidays. If by chance you have some fruitcake this season enjoy it and savor in it's long history.

The Great Chistmas Potato Gratin

It has become somewhat of tradition at the Walsh family Christmas that I make some sort of cheesy potato dish. Layering a gratin can be as simple as mixing everything up and smashing it into a pan and baking it or you can take the time, and put the effort into making uniform layers with evenly distributed ingredients. This year I decided to put in that effort. Whether you decide to take the easy route or not, here is a list of ingredients that makes enough to fill a 10 inch square baking dish, and roughly 6-10 people.

Cheesy Potato Gratin

5-6 pounds large Idaho potatoes, cleaned and sliced 1/4 inch thick on a mandolin
1 onion sliced as thin as possible
8 oz cheddar
6 oz fontina
4 oz parmesan
1 pint heavy cream
5 egg yolks
1 heaping tablespoon roasted garlic
salt and pepper

Shred the cheeses and mix them together. Mix the cream, eggs, and roasted garlic together. Assemble the grain by nicely alternating layers of potato and cheese. Every third layer add some of the cream mix, but make sure you save some cream for the top and final layer. Don't forget to salt and pepper each layer.

Bake, covered at 400 degrees for about an hour and a half. Pressing the gratin at this point is optional. If you press it this makes unmolding it and cutting it into serving very easy. If you are serving it in the dish there is no reason to press it. To re-heat microwave until warm then bake for 5-10 minutes to form a crusty top.

New pics

This special ran about a month ago; seared Grouper over carmalized salsify, horseradish gnocchi and shoestring zucchini in a basil pest cream topped with pickeled summer peppers.

This is the current weeks meat special; Grilled boneless lamb loin over a warm watercress-fingerling potato salad in a feta-oregano dressing garnished with persimmons and oven-dried strawberries finished with a tomato reduction, herb oil and sea salt. This might well be the 'wordiest' description of a dish ever.

These pictures where taken with my phone's camera. I never expected them to come out this well. They aren't super crisp or detailed, but they convey the essence of the dish nicely and when your working the line and trying to catch a shot of a dish in 10 seconds while the server is giving you the evil eye because 10 seconds feels like 5 minutes. Then, in the flow of things it is much easier to grab the phone and snap two shots and move on. I plan on trying this more often while my camera is on vacation.

Kevin, Top Chef Winner in our Hearts

Kevin earned a finale win according to 50% of my pollsters. He garnered a full 70% on this site. Now we learned his personal life was in shambles during recording, poor guy.

You can find Kevin's bio here. It's not often that industry people leave places on good terms, and when they do, and return to a place of former employment it really speaks to there character.

From the bio you can trace Kevin to the Woodfire Grill in Atlanta. There webpage is not complety up do date, but the dinner menu was current when I dropped in here.

Music and food

I've never been able to carry a tune. From those horrible days in grade school playing the violin to present day I can not 'do' music, but I do love music. It's crossed my mind a few times to post about music on this blog, of course it would be food related, but I always stopped short. The othter night I heard this jam by Colin Dussault called, "Good Booty and BBQ" and I just knew someone else reading my blog would also enjoy it. I tried to find it online, but Mr. Dussault's version is not available. Fortunatly the Out of Favor Boys have a version posted here, and it's damn good too. Enjoy.

Top Chef Vegas, over and out.

You can see my prediction here from my observations when the season premiered.

I am glad to say I had Jen, Eli, Kevin and Michael all in my final four and that is almost how things played out. Brian V. lacked the outward confidence in the beginning that would make you think he would show up in the end. Ironically after watching the last episode I thought Brian should have won.

You can't argue against the judges’ pick of Michael as he did a great job as well. The sibling rivalry played out well. I thought it might get ticky-tacky eventually, but the producers didn't take it down that road. Kevin might just win out as fan favorite. Everything he did seemed to be quality work, unfortunately not everything hit the high note at the right time for him. Plus, he painted himself into a hole with the "simple southern" pre-disposition about everything he cooked.

I really like the mothers at the judges table of the finale. That really tugs at the heart strings. I mean who doesn’t want to do well in front of their mom. The group of restaurant owners who tasted the dishes was over the top impressive. The chef's might as well have considered their performance a living resume for the next year or so with those guys. On the flip side they never explained how, or if at all their opinions played in the final discussion.

Lastly congrats go out to all those chefs who lasted long into the competition. I can't really imagine the stress that goes into being there let alone winning. Cheers!

Would you like a hot dog?

Hot Dog Facts

7-Eleven sells over 100 million grilled hot dogs yearly, considered tops in North America.

The world’s longest hot dog was prepared in August of 2006 in Tokyo, Japan and measured 196.85 feet.

The term “dog” dates back to 1845 when accusations that dog meat was used to make the sausages.

Words associated with hot dog production; advanced meat recovery, meat slurry, wiener, mechanically separated poultry, sodium nitrite, listeriosia.

I’m not sure who eats one hot dog a day over years, but according to the American Institute for Cancer Research this daily consumption increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 20 percent.

Two things come to mind when I think of hot dogs: baseball, and hot dog eating contests. In both cases the hot dog has only grown in popularity in the recent past. Dollar dog night seems to be a huge attraction at Tribe games. A few years ago only a few select week-nights offered such promotions, but this past season included almost a dozen. Obviously hot dogs can draw a crowd, and they draw no bigger crowd than at the Coney Island hot dog eating contest. Seen, and replayed on ESPN as if it was a top tier sporting event the popularity has put both Joey Chestnut and Nathan’s on the map. I can remember when most hot dog sales outside of a sports stadium came from a street cart. No longer is this the case as places like Nathan’s have shown there is money to be made in the hot dog restaurant business. Locally the opening of Happy Dog by already successful restaurateurs puts the local foodie stamp of approval on the nationwide love affair with the wiener and bun combination.

It’s been a long time since I’ve indulged in a hot dog. It may be as long as a year now. I’m interested checking out the Happy Dog and their hundred toppings. Then again a pack of dogs and some buns aren’t going to break the bank, but I would hate to have a wiener without a bun. Let’s try to figure this out. How many packages of wieners do I get and how many packages of buns do I need if there are 6 dogs per package and 8 buns per bag, but one person is a vegetarian, another doesn’t eat pork, two other people are sensitive to sodium, three people are on a low carb diet, and someone won’t eat theirs without relish and I don’t want to buy relish?

Turkey day eve

Thanksgiving eve.

With the great holiday of Thanksgiving less than an hour away, I begin to wonder what I have in this past year of the culinary world to give thanks for? Let me try to conjure up a few things.
I give thanks……

Kari and I have jobs in the biz currently.

Bacon, house cured bacon, and the raise of pork nation.

The people I’ve meet with this blog… Scott, Corry, Diane, Amarillo, Bob, Michelle, Dorenburg, Dana, Stuart,Dino-mite, and anyone else who has commented or visited my little piece of the internet.

Blackbird bakery, as they have enlightened me on the idea of a croissant.

The West Side Market, Lakewood Farmers Market and every honest hard working farmer I’ve meet.

Tom, Tiffany, Chris, Dave, Rich, Ludwick, Glenna, and any other of the many purveyors who I’ve dealt with.

The upkeep of the I-90 corridor.

While this list is incomplete, I’m done with it. Thanks to everyone!

This past week

This was our week-end special that I put together; grilled lamb chops, butternut squash-apple risotto, raspberry-walnut mustarda, sauté of snap peas and heirloom carrots.

I’ve stumbled upon the flavor combo of using our house porcini compound butter with sauté mushrooms and a hint of orange, works well with chicken, salmon, and maybe grouper.

All this talk of Thanksgiving and traditional eats made me sit down with a pen and paper to come up with something unique to try in the near future. Here are a few…..

Corn nut encrusted shrimp.

Boneless duck confit, as in remove the bone before cooking, maybe even pound them out in hopes of getting a thin, flat piece in the end.

Rockefeller vinaigrette is something I’ve done before but think the combination of spinach, bacon, and ouzo or fennel is one that should be examined in more detail.

Oven dried strawberries seem like a no brainer since we dry our tomatoes this time of the year because they need some increased flavor intensity. To me strawberries are in the same state this time of year.

Pork butt or 'shoulder' if you don’t want to think of butt. I miss my pork butt.

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Big Time Review

I haven’t been out to eat much as money if very tight right now, but I wanted to ‘review’ something. So I’ll give a review of the last meal I cooked at home.

I give myself no stars.

The setting was familiar. I do appreciate a television in the bar area, but to be seated about 8 feet from one is not ideal for a decent meal, but wait, the meal might well be considered sufficient instead of decant. Plus, if the television has anything beside sports on during a meal it is considered a distraction, and I consider OC Housewives a distraction.

The service was horrible. The server (me) had limited wine knowledge, but a good grasp of bourbon…as in he had some in his hand. The flatware was strewn about the table without regard and a single somewhat dirty cloth towel was thrown down in leuw of a proper napkin. Glasses went empty unless you got up and got yourself another drink, and the dirty plates stayed on the table for a good 12 hours or so. On the good side I think there was a candle lit somewhere in the room, for ambiance of course.

The food was digestible at best, not so much nourishing, but edible and tasty. Everyone likes chicken breast right? No, its crap, but it’s cheap. So it’s a sauté of chicken breast with Spanish rice and broccoli. A whole two pans were used to prepare this meal, so that makes it fancy for a home cooked meal. I don’t know exactly what made the rice the chef (me) poured out of the bag ‘Spanish’ but I’m sticking with that description. The heavy additions of butter, salt, and hot sauce made this concoction edible. I would only eat this meal again if I was starving at 11pm…..and this is likely to happen.

We were not greeted by nor sent away with a folly from a matre’d. There was no offer of coffee, after dinner drinks of port of cognac, nor was a single desert offered. While the setting was ‘homey’ and the meal was ‘edible’ at the very best I have s sneaking suspicion that there are many meals like this in my future.

Please call for reservations as we are very busy. BYOB/W/Booze. There is no valet, and there is no elevator or handicap access. The washroom is unisex, and there is only one community table. Absolutely no special request are taken nor are temp’s on steaks or any other special requests that don’t involve a microwave. Gratuity is accepted only in adult beverages, and we are not responsible for anything that happens before, during, or after you leave the premise. Thank you.

My fearless Thanksgiving suggestion.

Green bean casserole goes down and goes down hard. Sweet potatoes don’t seem to be on anyone’s favorite list either, and a appreciable percentage of you think I’m crazy. Well sort of. At least I completely disagree with removing green bean casserole (GBC) from MY Thanksgiving table.

Honestly, I think Thanksgiving can do without the turkey…..now you’re thinking I really am crazy, but listen. The turkey is likely the most expensive item, it is easy, and I mean way too easy to mess up, and there is always too much of it left over. The side dishes are what Thanksgiving dinner is all about, next to leftovers. If you are lucky enough to get a moist piece of turkey on Thursday, I can guarantee you aren’t going to be so lucky on Friday. What I can say for my beloved GBC is that it is consistently good. From year to year, and from Thrusday to Friday GBC is good. So what if it comes from a can, and you would never think to make it any other day of the year?

So if I’m going to have Thanksgiving without turkey what kind of meat is going to be at the center of the table your asking? I’m suggesting roast pork shoulder! It’s a white meat, it’s relatively light, easy to prepare properly, inexpensive, and leftovers don’t turn into jerky by Monday.

As for sweet potatoes, let’s face it, once the marshmallows are gone you can just about remove the sweet potatoes from the table. Unless you have a sweet tooth and want to moisten your turkey with sweet potato syrup. Cranberry sauce goes the same way. Either use it to liven up the turkey or push it to the side. What a shame too because cranberry jelly out of the can is really a complex and interesting thing.

Carrot Cake

I found this great recipe in Food Arts magazine and wanted to share it because it's far and few between times when I find solid, quality recipes. The pastry chef from Aureole, Jennifer Yee presented this recipe to the magazine.

Carrot Cake

2 1/4 cup AP Flour
1 tsps baking soda
1 tsps salt
1 tsps cinnamon
2 cup sugar
4 lg eggs
1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cup grated carrots
2 tblps fresh ginger grated

Wisk wet ingredients on medium for 5 minutes then add the carrots and ginger. Mix the dry ingredients together first then add to wet mixing on low in 4 additions taking time to scrap down the bowl each time. Cook in floured loaf pans at 350 until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

The above list and directions are straight from the magazine. Of course I took some liberties when I prepared my cake. I replaced half the carrot with red beet, and used extra virgin olive oil in place of vegetable oil.

I whipped up a goat cheese frosting to go with mine. To one cup of whipped cream I added about 4 ounces of goat cheese, 1/4 cup of sugar and pinch of salt. Add the cheese before the cream is fully whipped to achieve a smooth end product.

And the wheels are rolling.....

It has not been tough getting the creative juices going again. In fact it is quite motivating to think about food in other ways than, “what am I going to eat tonight.” Which is what I was limited to in the recent past. I was able to put a few specials together for this week;

Braised mushroom and Chicken Linguini consisting of tender chicken breast and Killbruck farms mushrooms braised in a rich mushroom broth with goat cheese, leeks, and fresh herbs.

Sweet soy glazed sea bass with Okinawa purple sweet potato puree and boc choy sautéed with mushrooms and ginger.

Classic carrot cake baked with a hint of red beets served with goat cheese frosting, candied pecans and a Frangelico syrup.

The desert ran one night and was a bust, but I’m not surprised. The other two sold well over a few slower week nights.

For this week end we will be serving a 16 oz Cowboy steak with bourbon sauce, and a braised duck appetizer that Steve is working on. For more details about these and continued weekly specials at Nemo Grille subscribe for our newsletter at the website here.

I’m not sure where my camera ended up as I’ve had nothing to take pictures of recently, but I hope to get things back together and post pictures as soon as possible.

Back on Track

It has been some time now without a full time job, but the time has come to get back on the line and get back on track. I start back at Nemo Grille this week. That might sound familiar to some of you, and it should as I worked most of last year there only to leave regretfully due to economic reasons. Luckily business is on the up and up and the trickle down has finally hit me. I’m really excited to get back to work. The great upside to this situation; there is almost no training to be done, and only a few new faces to meet. It will be like riding a bike, but with hot things that burn, and sharp things that can cut you.

Nemo Grille has evolved a bit as the dining room has been refitted with a fresh coat of paint and some new artwork which really updates the space nicely. The menu has expanded a bit with a full bar menu offering a few sandwiches and a selection of steaks that rivals any steakhouse I’ve been to. The most important thing to me as a chef is that all the product we bring in at Nemos is quality product, and it is described in an honest, and fairly priced. I’ve been around the block a few times and know that this isn’t always the case, but Bob, Nemos chef/owner is a stand-up guy. One of the few people in this business I have any trust in. This is why I’m so excited to get back on track.

Now, I’m not going to get too intellectual and try to convey that I didn’t mind all that time off. I got a lot accomplished. For instance I bought an X-box 360 and played Madden football 3 full seasons! I’ve also spent a lot of time online, shoot I must have logged on to Craig’s List ten thousand times the past few months. Unfortunately, all non-productive things must eventually come to an end, and here we go again. I look forward to providing more interesting post than poll results in the future.

Worst Halloween Treat Poll Results

Halloween has become something more than a single night of supreme indulgence into the world of candy that makes Easter look like a healthy snack break. Now people dress up their houses and yards weeks in advance of the single hallowed night. It’s a sociological phenomenon that a community of people on any other day is willing to kill each other, but on Halloween night is happy to give all the areas children free stuff. In an even more interesting way, we (mostly as children) are not fully appreciative of this offering and have gone on to categorize these free items as some of the worst things ever given to us. I went ahead and made that jump to, “worst things ever,” because who ever decided to mix wax lips into a bag of otherwise digestible items did something truly scary to our digestive systems.

Fresh fruit topped the poll of worst Halloween treats, which is interesting to me. I would have guessed the foodies who read this blog could appreciate some free produce. On the other side, when I was a child the fresh fruit never even made it to our hands as Mom swooped down from above exclaiming, “who gave you this? It’s probably poisoned,” because for whatever reason in the late 80’s sick individuals liked to doctor up their Halloween treats in a very demented, and illegal way. The idea of a ruby red crisp apple has never been damaged more than the dreadful Halloween find of a razor blade hidden inside it. I can’t assure you the majority of that fruit was likely safe, but I can assure you the runner up in this poll is something really nasty. I agree that wax lips are the most disgusting Halloween treat ever imagined. I’m still not sure if you supposed to eat them, just chew on them a little and spit them out, or put them in your mouth and forget about any mastication.

John Campanelli of The Plain Dealer put together a list of Halloween candy and what it says about you if you are giving that candy away this week-end. Thanks for the list John.

Reese's Pieces -- You, like this candy, are still trying to live off your hotness in the 1980s.

Snickers -- It's the most popular Halloween treat, making it (and you) solid and safe. It's also -- as your ex proved -- the first to be traded away for an "upgrade."

Milky Ways -- You are a proud procrastinator, because these were the only candies left at Giant Eagle an hour before trick-or-treating. At least it wasn't 15 minutes before trick-or-treating, or you'd be passing out Nestle Crunches.

Apples -- You enjoy keeping a clean house, and that includes washing soap off your windows.

Mallo Cups -- You stick with things no matter what, whether it's friends, family or Burger Chef, RC Cola and the American Motors Corp.

Necco Wafers -- You're a traditionalist: old-fashioned and old school. Of course, that also means that you're just plain old.

Hot Tamales -- No matter how much you say you love them, it's clear: You hate children.

100 Grand bars -- You aspire for a position of power, like, say, a spot on the county commission.

Bit O'Honeys -- You get more than a bit o' pleasure seeing kids picking away at their molars.

Loose change -- You are generous and practical. Also, your spouse is really good at finding the candy-hiding spot.

Kit Kats -- Like this candy, you are a classic, old standby, which is exactly why your ex texts you at 3 a.m. every Saturday.

Blow Pops -- Your therapist was right: Once you get past the hard outer shell, you're kinda soft and gooey.

Mary Janes -- You are the kind of person who knows a good bargain when you see one, like bags of Mary Janes on sale for 99 cents.

Hershey bars -- You've been hurt before, and you're not about to let anyone or anything into your life, whether it's a friend, a romantic partner or simply almonds.

Gummi Bears -- You love all things rubbery, chubby and soft -- as your last dozen choices in dates confirm.

Tootsie Rolls -- You are a bit impulsive, which is why you are passing out these instead of those 98 Snickers bars you ate last night.

Nerds -- 'Nuff said.

Circus peanuts -- You have such a connection with children that the kids in the neighborhood feel comfortable enough to call you Skip, as in "This house? Skip."

Butterfingers -- You are a wide receiver recently traded to the New York Jets.

Toothbrushes -- You enjoy living a healthy lifestyle, which includes lots of exercise, especially those walks to and from the front door as the neighborhood kids enjoy a year of ding-dong ditch.

Three Musketeers -- Your head, like this bar, is filled with a fluffy whipped matter.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups -- You realize that two great tastes go great together; unfortunately for you, it's sandals and black socks.

Full-sized Baby Ruth bars -- You are a kind and generous soul who sends all your leftover candy to PDQ, c/o The Plain Dealer, 1801 Superior Ave., Cleveland, OH 44114.

Top Chef Restaurant Wars 09

I have two ideas to convey in the post the first is the idea that a reality show in which contests are judged on their cooking skills should not eliminate a contestant based on things other than their cooking skills. The other idea I have is that in a restaurant, as a whole entity not just a kitchen perhaps the chef and his/her cooking is only a piece of the puzzle that needs to come together for a complete experience.

From the beginning I thought Laurine was a middle of the pack kind of cook. I’m happy for her that she made it as far as she did. From listening to her exit interview I can see she is a pleasant sincere individual who most likely isn’t cut out for cut throat reality TV. Chef Colicchio confirms this in his blog where he writes,

“It is noteworthy that while questioning the chefs at the Judges’ Table, we got the very distinct sense from Laurine that, as she herself confirmed at the very end of the episode, she was ready to go home. Cooking for a competition is, indeed, very different than day-to-day cooking at one’s home restaurant, and we have seen people tire of competing at different stages of the competition every season. While we certainly wouldn’t send Laurine home for such an intangible reason, I think her performance in this week’s challenge reflected that she was done with the competition and wanting to go, and we did send her home for the work she did this week. So it all works out: we don’t want to keep someone who doesn’t want to compete.”

All this personal information aside, the job of FOH was made even more difficult in that that person was made responsible for a dish on that night’s menu. Wow, that is a lot to put on one persons plate. Let’s imagine this….you’re a cook and come into work to find the chef in a suit and tie. He explains he is going to run the front of the house for the night. He will host, expedite, and he has a special that needs to be prepped and served to his specifications. Oh and it’s a very busy night with a VIP 8 top at 7pm. Would I expect the night to go smooth? Yeah, smooth like Pamela Andersons chest. You’re asking someone to do three things they aren’t good at. Why can I assume that a chef is not good at those things? Well because if they were then they would do those things and live a less stressful and more financially sound life on the other side of the line.

I think in future Top Chef seasons they should have a quick fire in which there are two winners who have immunity, but are forced to perform the FOH duties. It’s heart breaking so see someone compete as a chef and lose as a host!

On to the second point. While the chef is responsible for the food, and increasingly so the vibe and reputation of a restaurant, there are many other factors that go into a quality dining experience. I don’t think I’m touching on anything unique here. From the host to the bus buy to the sommelier to the prep cook there are a lot of hands that go into even a few diners having a quality experience. You are going to say to me, “yeah, but the show is Top Chef, not Top Restaurant Team,” and I can see that viewpoint. But this is my opportunity to open even a few people’s eyes to the fact that a chef, no matter how great they might be, what medals or awards they’ve won, or how many hours they spend on TV, they too have a great many of people surrounding them that are getting their hands dirty and deserve more of the praise than they will ever get.

If Laurine would have smooched the judges table, checked on the lamb temp. and buttered them up out the door then I guarantee the outcome would be different. Then again if she was a top chef she wouldn’t have allowed herself to leave the kitchen and leave her comfort zone. I guess it all works out in the end.

Pumpkin Skillet Cake

The hard squash season is upon us. Rest assured pumpkin pies, butternut squash ravioli, and acorn squash bisque are being prepared across the mid-west in all types of kitchens. Every year I try to come up with something a little different using these obviously seasonal ingrediants. I have been making a butternut squash risotto with apple cider the past few years, and that comes out quite nice. I found a recipie for a sweet pumpkin waffle, but since I don't have a waffle maker I tweeked the recipe till I got a savory pumpkin skillet cake. They might have a bend toward savory, but a little syrup and they jump right back to the sweet side.

Pumpkin Skillet Cake

1 cup flour

1/4 cup wheat germ

2 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon corriander

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup bacon fat/duck fat/or more butter

1 large egg

1 large egg white

Combine the wet and the dry ingrediants seperatly, then mix them together and wisk untill just incorperated. A few lumps is ok. Have the oven pre-heated to 350, and a well seasoned cast iron skillet on a burner set to med-high. Melt a little butter into the pan, pour the batter into the hot pan and put it right into the oven. Cook this for about 10 minutes, maybe more if you are using a small skillet. The cake should pull away from the sides of the skillet, brown up nice on the bottom, and firm up nicely.

For dinner tonight

Tonight I'm making dinner at home. This is a bit on the special side since I usually don't cook unless I'm getting paid to....hey, does a doctor go home and do some surgery on the family just cause he's good at it? No. I've put alot of thought into things all afternoon. I finally decided on a classic, yet modernized French dish, "Poulet avec tout dans le réfrigérateur." Which roughly translates into, "chicken with everything in my refrigerator." I'll share the recipie.

Poulet avec tout dans le réfrigérateur

1 part too broke to go our proper
1 part sick of fast food
1 part delivery is overpriced

2 part don't even have a job
2 cups of motivation since I've cleaned the kitchen
1/4 tsp spent all my money on bourbon
pinch of anti-social feelings

4 boneless skinless chicken breast
whaterver I find in the fridge

Stir all emotions together till hungery. Sear chicken breast in oil, mix in everything else. Bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, serve hot. Don't save any leftovers.

Polls, Polls, and more Polls

It seems like every other post is in response to a poll. I’m sorry for this. I haven’t had much to say lately due to my lack of work. Not being in a kitchen kind of leads to a lack of trials and tribulations, and if you want to read about being unemployed just open up the newspaper, so I’ll stay clear of that, trust me. I also have been getting a good number of responses to polls so instead of letting them roll for 2-3 weeks as I’ve done in the past, I’m keeping them open for just 7 days. So look for a new poll soon, and I’ll do my best to find something interesting to post. I’m pondering a personal “best of” post as well as a trip into my personal recipe books.

On a ratio of two to one those polled find cooking a good meal is more rewarding than eating out. I do like these results. Don’t get me wrong. I encourage everyone to go out to eat as much as possible. Then again there is something ultimately wholesome about a good home cooked meal. There is a lot to be said for the theatre of a restaurant; the celebrity chef in an open kitchen with a never ending pantry of unique items along with the wine list, interacting with the server, maitre de, and sommelier, the fancy table top, cloth napkins, crystal stem wares, variety of plates, and most notably the lack of any cleaning up! Sure you may pay more than three times the cost of the food, but the food is only a small part of the experience. The home cooked meal is all about good food and good company. As a chef the food is number one for me also so I completely agree that an awesome meal I cook at home for my family is much more enjoyable, on a very peaceful, Zen level opposed to a night out on the town.

My favorite things to cook at home for myself and my family are very simple things. I have almost perfected the frittata. I absolutely despise browned eggs, so getting a nice tight end product without browning the outside take a bit of patience. And patience isn’t always in surplus when your starving in the morning. That said, I’ve been known to break down on a sweet frittata after a long day work around mid-night. For the family it really is the simplest things: caramelized onions, steaks cooked to temperature, potato gratin, perfectly cooked vegetables, and cutting up anything which makes what they are making go smoother.

Of those who find enjoyment in cooking for themselves I would be interested to hear what you like to cook, what challenges you’ve overcome, or what nagging shortcoming keeps haunting you.