Sankt Martinstag © Liz Collet

Wie ist das bei Ihnen – ist der November ein Monat des grauen Wetters, Nässe, Kälte, schlechter Laune, grauer Tage? Oder geniessen Sie ihn als einen schon behaglichen, wieder von “draussen nach drinnen” ziehenden und anziehenden Monat, in dem es bereits wieder Vergnügen bereitet, es sich gemütlich zu machen? Heimelige Behaglichkeit in Wohnung und Stuben, Kerzen und Windlichter, von draussen und den Spaziergängen noch manches, das man an Buntem aus der Natur für Deko und Vasen mitbringen und dekorativ verwenden kann? In der Küche machen wieder die Gerichte die Runde, bei denen es deftiger und würziger werden darf: Eintöpfe, Suppen, Fleisch- und Gemüsecurry, Tartes und Quiches aller Art? Und beim Backen tanzen wieder Aromen in den Zutaten, bei denen man die Adventsvorfreude beinahe schon zügeln muss.

Muss man?

Warum sollte man?

Zimt in die heisse Schokolade oder den Tee oder Kaffee tut auch jetzt bereits wohl. Und überhaupt – beim Tee wird das Stövchen und die Teekanne kaum mehr kalt. Besonderes Vergnügen sind diese nach einem ausgiebigen Spaziergang durch den herbstlichen Wald, Sie müssen ja nicht Jägerin sein, um so manches mit dem, was aus dem Wald kommt, als Augen – und Gaumenschmankerl etwas anfangen zu können. In der Natur, im Wald, beim Blick über die Lichtungen in der Morgen- oder Abenddämmerung und was dann zu sehen ist. Und in der Küche. Mit dem, was Sie davon auftischen.

Wer noch nicht so recht in Stimmung für die behaglichen Seiten auch des Monats November ist, dem gelingt es vielleicht nach den dort im Beitrag verlinkten Videos zur Sendung ein wenig einzutauchen. Oder beim Blättern in alten oder neuen Back-und Kochbüchern, wie den “Alten Schätzchen”, bei denen noch bis 15. November Gelegenheit zum Mitmachen ist.

Oder Sie blättern ein wenig in der neuen “Landidee”. Unvorstellbar, dass es dann noch jemanden geben könnte, der dem November keine schönen und Genussmomente abzugewinnen versteht. Und spätestens in der Preview auf mehr Winterliches bin ich mir sicher, Sie sehen sich im Nu in Ihrer Stube und draussen nach allerlei Zutaten und kleinen Stimmungsmachern um – bestens gelaunt und gerüstet, um auch dem vermeintlich tristem November jeden grauen Schein zu nehmen.

Wenn Sie Lust haben, die Martinsganserl im Bild oben zu backen, sollten Sie morgen noch einmal   hier hereinblinzeln. Dann gibt es auch das Rezept zu diesen. Bis dahin ein paar schöne Novembertage für Sie.

Folgende Themen wurden im NOvember-Bietrag des NDR von Landlust TV gezeigt:  (Videos click !)

• Kunstvoller Kartoffeldruck
• Der Garten im November
• Blumen und Kräuter im Setzkasten
• Hustensaft aus Kräutern
• Dekorative Herbstlaternen
• Medizin aus der Natur
• Kerzen aus Bienenwaben
• Malzkaffee aus Getreide
• Scherenschnitt
• Martinsgänse als Tischdekoration
• Der Reepschläger – Handseilerei
• Vogelhäuser aus Reet
• Adressen und Infos zur Sendung [pdf]

Auch das könnte Sie interessieren:

• Cooking With Love © Liz Collet
• Würden Sie töten für ein gutes Wildbret in Ihrer Küche?

Sausage, Egg, and Mild Cheddar on an English Muffin.

Watching the egg cracked and bread cut fresh from the loaf as you wait for this sandwich only builds anticipation for the perfectly buttered muffin and moist fried egg, with delicious locally acquired meats. Each bite reminding me of those childhood breakfasts that I’ve missed since moving to Rochester.

The Rochester based Mise En Place, pronounced Me-Zahn-Plahs, prides itself in its gourmet “home-cooked” meals made from fresh and natural ingredients. The Market/Restaurant combo is a one stop shop for all culinary and beverage needs. Offering a selection of fresh fish, beef, lamb and produce with shelves of dry food, canned specialties, craft beers, jams and salsas making this a must stop for any local of the South Wedge Area.

Mise En Place

The Menu offers a gourmet selection of soups, salads and sandwiches, with a broad variety of main entrées including an outstanding Fish Fry. The market and deli atmosphere gives a casual sense of comfort while allowing for outstanding homemade meals with your average wine list and a good selection of craft beers.

Mise En Place is also available for catering and does everything from specialty baskets to Weddings making it a true one stop shop of Rochester.

Been to Mise En Place? Tell us what you think?

Hours:

Monday–Saturday
9am–9pm
Closed Sunday

683 South Ave
Rochester, NY 14620
Phone 585.325.4160
Fax 585.325.4162

Fighting the good fight

I was talking with my brother about my need for some fancy glass bowls for putting ingredients in, when he referred to them as mise en place bowls. I was outwardly pretty nonchalant, acting as if I’d heard that phrase my whole life. On the inward front it was occurring to me that if these magical little bowls had a name, I could search for them on the internet! In stores! I didn’t have to have a fancy cooking show to have fancy bowls! And they are no longer just fancy bowls! They are even fancier mise en place bowls!    !!!

Swoon.

The French means “put in place”. Which is precisely what you do. Technically, mise en place doesn’t require the pretty glass bowls (but it should). You can get things prepared and placed in different sections of your cutting board. Things can be set in their place wherever. Personally, I wholeheartedly believe in adorable little bowls.

This works too. Technically*

For me, using mise en place has been about two things: indulgence, and guilt. I’ve always enjoyed doing it, from baking cookies when I was seven, to the vegan atrocities of my late teens. It’s always felt a bit like a magical act…making the ingredients beautiful, available, in their little glass bowls. But I thought that is was only done for show on cooking shows, and that I was being wasteful. I even began to think that  I was impeding my skills as a chef by using mise en place. I thought I’d never learn how to “really” cook if I kept doing it. So any time I’d pull out my mom’s glass custard cups (I took a few with me when I moved out, for just that purpose), I’d be overwhelmed with both pleasure and guilt. Just to pretend I was on a cooking show, I was going to have to do more dishes, take more time. Nevermind that my food would be better prepared, and the overall mess of the kitchen would be less. Nevermind that it made everything easier. I just thought I was a girl indulging in silly little cooking-show fantasies.

Dreamz, yo

Since learning more about cooking and my own cooking style, it turns out that mise-en-place is really the most helpful thing that I can do while cooking. Not only is it actually physically helpful, but that sense of luxury still persists…and luxury is luxury, however you can get it. It adds to the experience, which adds to the food. I understand now that it is in fact, a real thing done by real chefs. Not all cooking requires mise en place, but it’s a helpful skill, and rarely is useless. People will discuss the merits of it often, and be fairly opinionated about it. But for me, I guess it is not just a technique, but a way to slow down and focus. I believe that in the long run, it is always faster, because there are far fewer chances for mistakes.

It can seem tedious (but if you have little glass bowls, thrilling!!) at first to have to prepare every little thing. Chop up the onion, and not immediately saute it? Agggh! It’s difficult to not allow myself to multi-task at cooking. But who hasn’t been there…onions thrown into saute, the occasional stir or shake, and the garlic that is genetically programmed to be impossible to peel at crucial moments won’t peel and then the onion is less sauteed than it is burnt, and then the garlic is in and now it’s time to get the green beans trimmed and, dammit that always takes longer than you think it will, and now the garlic is burnt, and so on, etc… The meal usually turns out okay. But just okay.That’s basically how I’ve cooked ever since I started learning at around six or seven. It’s tiring. And I bet a lot of people out there cook like that too. I can’t be the only one, can I? I was starting to get pretty fed up with cooking. It’s not any fun to be stressed working hard on a meal, which is frustratingly only okay (if not just plain bad). I don’t want to hate cooking, I don’t want to be disappointed night after night when things just don’t work out right. Food should be enjoyable, as well as life-sustaining.

How sexy is that?**

When the actual cooking finally comes, it’s lovely. It’s easy. Minimal sweating, stressing. I get my saute on until the onions are perfect (or what I imagine to be perfect, anyway), and take the time to stir the sauces, to smell the differences as new ingredients are added. It’s easy to see how things work, how cooking happens, when all is calm on the sidelines.Mise en place helps me get my zen on with cooking. I take the time  to get every single ingredient together. Every damn one. No matter how small, or seemingly trivial. I put everything in its place. This gives me some one-on-one time with all the ingredients. It lets me take the time to dice the onions beautifully, to slice mushrooms thinly — all that prep stuff that you want to do well, but tend not to because you’re rushed. I used to find prep-time tedious, which is why it ended up being mixed in with the actual cooking, but now I find that I like this time.

The process has been a steadying one, and I recommend it to anyone new to cooking, or anyone wanting to enhance their cooking process. Not only will it help you connect with your food on a better level, it will look awesome.

Cinnamon raisin bread, en train de mise en place.

*from http://www.fieldtofoodie.com/2010/05/mise-en-place.html
**from http://www.thekitchn.com/mise-en-place-does-it-really-s-127414

And on that note, let me tell you about our 10 year anniversary dinner! I recently learned that Legacy Liquor Store, in partnership with Kale and Nori Culinary Arts, is offering Season Two of Bittered Sling Bistro- a bi-weekly “pop-up” food and cocktail pairing competition. And it just so happened that this month’s bartender was Dave Wolowidnyk of WEST Restaurant (aka- our favourite bartender in town) and the feature spirit was Flor de Caña Rum. There was no decision to be made. THIS was how we would celebrate 10 years of love- by gorging ourselves and getting drunk on a Wednesday night.

The Rules: There are two bartenders per month. Each bartender has to do a blind pairing with a 3 course meal (meaning that they are not allowed to taste the food beforehand). The meal is the same for each bartender and they are allowed to speak to the chef and ask questions prior to designing their cocktails. All cocktails have to incorporate Flor de Caña Rum and a Bittered Sling extract.

The Meal:

Hors d’oeuvres- Green alder spiced chickpea fritter stuffed with dates and Meyer lemon – 12 year old rum marmalade, Smoked pepper crostini, Farmhouse cheese, Okanagan stone-fruit

Cocktail- The Forgotten Florist (composed by Lauren Mote, I wish I could remember all of the ingredients, I know there was some elderflower in it. It was delightful, light and refreshing).

First Course:

Corn veloute, Qualicum Beach scallop, sweet and hot peppers, Okanagan espelette creme fraiche paired an apple flavoured rum cocktail.

Second Course:

Flor de Cana rum, carrot and ginger braised chicken, spice roasted cauliflower, cherry wood smoked onion potato dumplings paired with a citrus based rum cocktail which incorporated Lem-Marrakech bitters and a toasted coriander tincture (some of the same elements found in the Beldi- the drink for which Dave was named World’s Most Imaginative Bartender at the Bombay Sapphire World Competition in Marrakech).

Dessert:

Spicy rum caramel apples, dark chocolate puff pastry, Agassiz hazelnut cream paired with a hot chai-rum cocktail and topped with hazelnut cream.

The Review:

The evening was so enjoyable! It was great to be with fellow food and cocktail enthusiasts and share our impressions with other diners. Personally, I found the first course was the best paired although it was my least favourite drink of the night (and when I say “least favourite” please keep in mind that we are talking about a cocktail made by one of the best bartenders ever, so “least favourite” is still one of the best drinks you’ll ever have the pleasure of tasting). I tried the cocktail both before and after tasting the corn veloute. I can say that the complement of flavours was unreal. The played off of each other so beautifully and worked to bring out the subtle and sweet flavours of each.

The main course was quite good although I think the cocktail out shined the dish. I’ve had the Beldi at WEST and have always loved it. I think Dave did an incredible variation on an already incredible cocktail.

The final course was unreal on both parts. Both Blair and I felt the dessert was inventive, flavourful and an excellent marriage between end of summer and early fall flavours. The Chai-Rum cocktail brought the perfect amount of spice to the final note of the meal. It may very well have been my favourite drink of the evening.

All in all, I can’t recommend this event highly enough! I often hear of dinner and wine pairings; however, it is truly a unique experience to have your meal paired expertly with an incredible array of cocktails that you may have never dreamed to try, let alone order with your dinner. Next month’s spirit is Wild Turkey 81 and wild horses couldn’t keep me away!

86 and 99

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So, this batch of cupcakes will be the first ones I bring into the new company.  I figured I’d start with something that at least would taste good.  Most people love White Cupcakes and Martha has a recipe with buttercream peaks that looked fun.  Also, it would give me a chance to work on my piping technique.

Once again, I did the mise en place.  It actually makes things more organized and easier.  Good call, Mom!

The recipe was more complicated than I envisioned.  First, you sift flour and stuff together, then you cream butter and sugar, then you add flour and and milk/vanilla mixture.  The last step, was to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks formed and then to fold it into the batter.  See the two mixtures below, pre-folding:

I folded (which I’m not very good at – if anyone wants to come guest bake with me and give me pointers, I’d appreciate it) and ended up with a nice thick mixture which I scooped into the cupcake tins.  After some baking, I was left with some very nice looking cakes:

Unfortunately, one or two of them collapsed – I’m not sure why, but that could easily be frosted over…

The frosting job allowed me to use my brand new ATECO pastry tips!

Unfortunately, this recipe called for using a #20 tip, but my kit didn’t have one!  So I had to settle for using the #15 (the #21 was way too thick).  First, I piped some white frosting in the center of each cupcake:

Then, I dyed three batches of frosting – one blue, one yellow and one violet.  This was the meringue buttercream frosting again.  I realized I’ve been making a mistake all along.  I made the blue frosting first and then left the mixer with the paddle attachment running.  My blue frosting was soupy and a bit oily and the food dye didn’t take.  I frosted the cupcakes and they only looked OK.  When I got back to mixer, the frosting was no longer runny or oily.  Lesson learned – leave the paddle attachment in for five minutes longer when making meringue buttercream!

Anyways, below are two photos of my trays of cupcakes.  The frosting took a long time and my hand was sore afterwards.  I’m surprised more bakers don’t get carpel tunnel!

And here’s a closer up shot…

And, finally, the violet one I think looked pretty nice:

And, the ratings for this cupcake:

Ease of Recipe:  3

Appearance: 9

Taste:  8

Crowd Pleasingness:  9

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West- Located directly across the street from our apartment (both dangerous and fantastic all at once). We actually have yet to eat at this restaurant. But one Sunday night about 2 months ago, Blair and I decided to go for a drink there (we have lived in the same apartment for the past year and a half and we had neglected to try West- unacceptable). To make a very long story short, it was one of my favourite nights in the city. We had some of the best, beautifully crafted and balanced drinks we’ve ever had. We got to know who I consider to be the best bartender in the city. All this in a night’s work. Needless to say, we’ve been back a number of times and will surely continue to frequent our friendly neighbourhood West on a regular basis. More detailed post on West to follow.
Bao Bei- Translates to “precious.” We went to Bao Bei the night before Blair’s brother and his girlfriend moved to Australia. I would have this as my sendoff meal any day of the week and twice on Sundays. The menu features a variety of sharing plates and everything that we tried was remarkable! I highly recommend the sticky rice cakes, beef tartar, the mantou (pork steam buns) and the house fried rice.

Wildebeest- They can’t all be gold folks! Although this time, it may have been our fault. We heard about Wildebeest opening from a good foodie friend. And I was so excited that I convinced Blair to go on a Wednesday night (the day after the restaurant opened). Note to self- don’t go to a restaurant within one month of opening. I completely saw where they were going with it, I dug the vision but the execution was somewhat lacking. Many of the dishes were too salty. The music was off. The service was just ok. But I honestly think this place is going to get better and better. You can’t go to a restaurant the first few days after opening and expect all of the kinks to be worked out. Lesson learned. I’ll be very interested to go back in a couple months and try again. PS: The drink menu was actually quite excellent and dessert was the best part of our meal.

Fable- Possibly one of my new most favourite places to eat in the city. Opened by Top Chef Canada Season 2 Runner Up Trevor Bird. Boy did he deliver on this one. The restaurant offers an excellent (and comparatively affordable) dinner menu with some of the best appetizers i’ve had in a long time (must try to chickpea fritters and the duck meat ball). The steak is cooked to perfection and is served with a black pepper jam which I want to eat on everything. On the one occasion that we went for brunch, Trevor had steak and eggs on special. Incredible- and from what I hear, it has become a mainstay on the recently revamped brunch menu. Little anecdote- when we went for brunch we sat at the bar and shot the shit with Trevor as he masterfully plated french toast, eggs benedict and other such delectable breakfast items. At the time, Trevor asked me if I was a food blogger and planning to write about them. I said no. I lied. Sorry Trevor. But I give you rave reviews!

Portland, OR- As in the city. This post is neither the place nor the time to describe all of the culinary magic that went down on our brief jaunt to this beautiful city. But let me just say, I fell in love. Stay tuned, photos and stories to follow.

A relatively new label to the drum & bass scene ingredients was founded in 2009 by DJ Psylence to a warm reception with their first EP featuring Sato & Break. Things have gone from strength to strength for the little label pushing the definitive underground sound from up and coming artists such as Skeptical, Jubei, Krakota and Dub Phizix to name but a few.

Traditionally, ingredients has been firmly about deep drum & bass, not the kind that smashes dancefloors to pieces but the kind you’d hear in the second room with all the hardcore fans.

To that end I’d be surprised to see an ingredients release in the top 10 on beatport, but that may be about to change with this latest release. . .

Ingredients records presents first of two various artists EPs this year. “Mise en place” is the 2-part series and showcases some of the finest music signed to the label so far.

Kodo ‘the jackal’ (dBridge Remix)

A first time appearance for dbridge on ingredients and hopefully not the last! Setting the pace with a huge steppy roller, true to form, dbridge brings out the impeccable production techniques with his tight, intricate drum patterns and loping basslines, accented with eerie vocal layers leading the edge to even darker synth stabs. Some say dbridge’s style is a little monotonous, layer it up with some shuffle from another song and it becomes an entirely different beast.

Kinetic & Mark Recoil ‘Cold Streets’:

Continuing the flavour is another deep roller from this debut duo; a steady paced head bobber of a tune led by dark pads and one shot vocals. Very minimalistic with some quality bass work, its an easy fit for the ingredients label.

I cant help but think the strings take a lot of the energy out from the tune though, theyre quite loud in the mix and the bass growls occasionally battle for space with them.

Foreign Concept ‘Jaipur’ (Villem remix):

Asian strings and choirs set the scene for this monster, sour notes build the tension impeccably till the murderous b-line can be contained no more. Unleashing a beast of a dancefloor smasher that’s caught the attention of many of dnb’s top dj’s. If youve listened to a mix from one of the big boys in the last 3 months you’ll most probably recognise this. With its distinctive bounce and understated snare, a lovely shuffle keeps the tune rolling nicely. I can only imagine what this sounds like on a big rig, I bet its epic.

Villem’s been ‘one to watch’ for a while, if this is anything to go by, he’s gonna have a hell of a year!

Stealth & Stylus ‘One Way’:

Theres immediatley a much lighter mood to this track than the rest of the EP. Bright, enticing pads and soulful female vocals set the stage for the opening of a happy roller with a tough edge that only shows its face a third of the way through with some dark etched growls clawing through the pads. Its a nice sound I’d like to see more of on ingredients.

Overall a great look for Ingredients,  pushing out big names whilst giving the new blood a chance to get their tunes on a huge EP. Well worth bagging for your record crate.

Due for release on Sept 17th on vinyl & digital.

Go check the previews over on soundcloud now! http://soundcloud.com/ingredients

In the world of fast food, busy life style, stressed working schedule, our body and health requires more and more attention, including physical exercises and healthy food.  I am not an exception, so I try my best to avoid fast food in my everyday life and eat some healthy, well prepared stuff regularly.

First of all, I prepared Vinaigrette - you may need 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp vinegar and 1 tsp basil, whisk it well into emulsion and your vinaigrette is ready.

Vinaigrette

Mise en place for Sorrel Salad  

Here we have: cut sorrel, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes

Mise en place

Take a large bowl and put everything layer by layer and also pour vinaigrette in between.

Finally dress with parsley and salt on top.

Bon Appetite! 

Sorrel Salad

Ingredients: 

Sorrel (leaves & stems) – 400 gr

Cucumber – 2 pieces

Cherry tomatoes – 6-7 pieces

Radish – 5-6 pieces

Parsley – 30 gr

Salt to taste

dacă îți place să vezi un client satisfacut de munca ta in detaliu, iar dacă reușești să ai și o atitudine pozitiva, să fi cu zâmbetul pe buze, e cel mai probabil să fi și răsplătit de către client. Cui îi place să fie servit de o mutră acră și istovită de atâtea plimbări, care pare că-ți spune “Acum ce mai vrei?!” când de fapt zice “Da, spuneți”?

Este o meserie curată și elegantă; nu oricine o poate practica, cum s-ar zice, ca la carte. Ținuta dreaptă, dar nu arogantă, atitudinea serviabilă și amabilă, dar nu sclavagistă, atenția distributivă și îndemanarea (care se poate deprinde în timp) sunt printre principalele atribuții ale unui ospatar bun.

Și, cum spune profesoara mea de la curs, oricui îi prinde bine această familiarizare, nu se știe când avem nevoie să pregătim o cină romantică iubitului/iubitei și îl/o dam pe spate cu mise-en-place-ul nostru atent pregătit.

Este o meserie chinuitoare și obositoare dacă o faci pur și simplu pentru bani și nu te încântă deloc.

Da, cum spuneam mai sus, fac un curs de ospatară. De ce? Am aflat de la cineva că se cauta cursanți și că vom primi diploma împreună cu o suma de 700 de lei la finalul cursului. Inițial, pentru acea suma m-am dus, guilty! ), însă acum cred că începe să-mi și placă, mai ales că nu-mi strică un job pe vară. Plus de asta, e foarte ușor să înveți cu cineva dispus să-ți arate, să-ți explice totul de-a fir a păr.

Am lucrat o vreme într-un restaurant mare, pe o perioadă scurtă de timp. Nimeni nu era dispus să-mi explice ce și cum, decât foarte pe scurt, am intrat direct într-un eveniment de 400 de persoane; am fost nevoită să învăț totul din mers și mi se părea foarte greu, de aceea nu m-am prea descurcat. Dar când vezi pe cineva hotărât să te învețe cu rabdare, calm și vioiciune, vorbind despre cât de frumoasă este meseria, pe cineva căruia chiar îi place să facă asta, începi să vezi totul cu alți ochi.

Photo Credits: http://www.rnbhaven.com/

“I found myself singing along with an Anita Baker song “Just Because“.” - It was a slow morning at the office so I just decided to write this blog entry.

“I LOVE MUSIC!”

I breathe it in, growing up as a kid. I could even remember how out – of – tune I was, how many times I didn’t passed Choir Auditions at school and how many “you’re so adorable” and not “wow, you have a great voice” comments I have received! – But those didn’t stopped me from developing my core gift!

“Come on now Eric! Sing me a Smokey Mountain song and I will give you a dollar!”, My Aunt said to me, as she waves a dollar in her hand. Of course to a kid a dollar is everything, or a pack of M & M’s or Hershey’s Kisses or whichever my auntie uses as a reward to unleash my singing prowess! – It worked!

Nickle to Bronze to Silver to Gold. – “THIS IS MY CORE GIFT”

I have reached my full potential and really enjoyed the heck out of it! But as you know, as people grow up, their priorities change, they pursue careers and paths that have made them easily brush off their core gifts.

“Nothing is ever too late”

As I have read from a book, “Your abilities are the natural talents you were born with …..Today God still bestows these abilities and thousands of others, so people can serve him ….. All of our abilities come from God.” (Source:Rick Warren: A Purpose Driven Life.)

Seeing daylight, you know that regardless of your career, there is no excuse in using your “spiritual gifts” for His Glory.

Micheal O’Hara, Sami McKinney & Alex Brown once wrote:

When I think about how much I’m loving you
No limitations, no set of regimented rules
I’m amazed how much this love has touched my life
And the commitment that we share is a welcome sacrifice

This must be, sweet fatal attraction
My life-long date with destiny
Love this strong, it just brings out the passion
I never knew was here in me

(Just Because by Anita Baker)

‘NUFF SAID. =)

Mise en place for BLT

As in all cooking, get everything out that you will need, Mise en place is the culinary term for having every thing ready and in place before you start preparing a meal. It is probably the single most important thing you can do when preparing a dish. We can probably thank Escoffier for this, as he was famous for running an efficient kitchen. Once everything is set   in place, start cooking.

Ingredients: 

Russet Potatoes, washed well. I leave the skins on. You will be cutting these paper thin, you may as well skip the peeling and go for the nutrition that is in the skin. You can also do this with other root vegetables such as  sweet potatoes, taro and even carrots.

Peanut or Canola oil in a large deep pot or fryer. Peanut oil has a high burning point and is great for frying. You can find it for a really good price in stores that sell turkey fryers.

Seasoning. You can use sea salt, BBQ seasoning or other flavors. Next time I am using truffle salt.

Equipment: 

You will need a mandoline to cut the chips into very thin slices. It can be done with a knife, but it is doubtful that you will be able to consistently cut uniform paper thin slices. If you do not already own a mandoline, there are many inexpensive models available.

If you do not own a deep fryer, you will need a large deep pot. This prevents splattering.

You will also need a rack to drain the chips on. I use a steam table pan and rack, but you can use a sheet pan with a cookie rack. If you do not have a rack, you can use paper towels, but do change them out as they get drenched with oil.

A fat thermometer is quite helpful. This looks like other instant read thermometers, but it has a very long probe and can be attached to the side of the pan. This is a tool that is helpful for making jams, candy & cheese. I use mine a lot. You need to maintain a consistent heat of 350 degrees. If you do not have one of these, you can eyeball it, but you will have much better success if you use a thermometer.

A spider to remove the chips from the oil.

Method: 

Pre-heat the oil to 350 and then turn the heat down slightly to maintain that temperature.

Using the mandoline on the thinnest setting possible, evenly slice the potatoes, one at a time. One potato will take 4-5 frying sessions. You do not want to crowd them.

In batches, gently drop the slices , one at a time into the oil. Turn them using the spider and separate any that are touching each other. Note, these cook very fast, you must give them your full attention while frying.

Place the chips on the draining rack and IMMEDIATELY season. Doing the seasoning immediately will make it adhere better.

Once the chips have cooled slightly they can be placed in a bowl. If you are making them ahead of use,  wait till all are completely cool and then place them in an airtight container. They never last very long at our house, but they do keep well for several days if you need to do them in advance.

Home made fries with a BLT. Mr. Garlic approves

August would’ve been the most exciting month of my 2012, for my Pastry Arts course should already have commenced. But I gone stale.

Staling or to go stale, can be best described as to when a soft fluffy bread turns into a rubbery gummy jerky – due to prolonged sitting on an uncontrolled environment.

Photo Credits: http://www.aarp.org

“There are things that you have to prepare that TAKES TIME and a truck load of patience”

In my previous post, one of the most important principles of baking is: The timely preparation and combining of ingredients to keep it’s quality and create something delectable.

- This made me re-assess how I was “baking” my life for the longest time.

Ingredients (What do I have and Imbibe the most?)

Unpredictable. “Even I myself couldn’t figure out what will I be doing next.”

That is, if you would be asking me what one word best describes me.

Abrupt Nodding is my forte, I decide on the spot even without thinking and blinking!

End Result: Scheming and Breaking Away like Jacob.

Main Ingredient: FLOUR

“I have to do something”I said to myself, then I just suddenly had shortness of breath.

“I NOW HAVE FLOUR DUST EXPOSURE”

Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/)

and if this is exposed in open air, it is imminent that particles of it will be suspended and the people who have inhaled it is now at risk in developing pulmonary problems.

“I disposed the untimely prepared ingredient”

- I got a breather and decided to take the November – Pastry Art Classes instead

Now, I am focusing on what is needed to be done FIRST!

I don’t wan’t to be an ingredient that has lost its NOVELTY, crumbs of it suspended over the air that can cause problems to those people around.

I wan’t to take things 1 step at a time, e imploring a system, a direction, and sense of responsibility to be “TIMELY SEASONED.”

- Ecclesiastes Chapter 7, Verse 8.

It’s been a busy week, but couldn’t let the 100th celebration of Julia Child’s BD go unnoticed.  A perfect, yet perfectly simple soup from her Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child’s leek and potato soup is a family favorite.  Julia used this soup as a versatile soup base for variations such as adding water cress or chilling for a vichyssoise.

• 3 to 4 cups or 1 lb. peeled potatoes, sliced or diced
• 3 cups or 1 lb. thinly sliced leeks including the tender green; or yellow onions
• 2 quarts of water
• 1 Tb salt

Either simmer the vegetables, water and salt together, partially covered, for 40 to 50 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Mash the vegetables in the soup with a fork, or pass the soup through a food mill (I used an immersion blender).  Correct seasoning.  (*) Set aside uncovered until just before serving, then reheat to the simmer.

• 4 to 6 Tb whipping cream or 2 to 3 Tb softened butter
• 2 to 3 Tb minced parsley or chives

Off heat and just before serving, stir in the cream or butter by spoonfuls (I used cream).  Pour into a tureen or soup cups and decorate with the herbs (I used chives).

Thank you, Julia.  It’s wonderful!

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Fragrant and savory Spanish paella is the ultimate Spanish comfort food.  Paella is brought to the table and served directly from the pan.  The only other accompaniments needed are lemon wedges and a loaf of crusty bread — and a good bottle of red wine from Spain! 

“mise en place” for paella

The prep takes some time, but “mise en place”, everything in its place, is the key to smoothly preparing a paella.

My first run at paella for the Spanish Paella dinner kit turned out great!  Then I received the imported from Spain organic paella rice to try again. Even better!  The organic paella rice has such a nice texture and absorbs all those wonderful flavors, well, wonderfully!

Don’t forget dessert! Flan, ymmm!
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I made this salad a while back for a family 4th of july gathering. The recipe is from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home, but apparently my family only has an older Moosewood cookbook, so I found the recipe at A Delicious Distraction.

I am still in a totally experimental, mildly frustrated phase when it comes to food photography (& to be real, photography in general). Food is one of my favorite things about this dang planet, & it feels so bizarre to not be able to capture & share that. I’ll take photos of beautiful, mouthwatering food &, in the absence of textures & smells & all of the wonderful, it looks blah blah blah.

That said, I could look at a good mise en place photo 4EVAH. Partially, probably, because mise en place completely changed my life (having everything in place before I start dumping things in a pot solves the problem of things burning on the stove while I’m frantically crying & chopping onions because the recipe told me I would have enough time but I’m too slow at chopping because I’m crying!) & also because they usually just look really darn good to me.

So, I am working on my compulsive dish limiting tendencies, & allowing myself to sometimes use extra dishes just so I can get a cute mise en place going on.

The salad, for the record, was as delicious the mise en place & as quickly gone.

The conceit of this blog, and more importantly my life plans, is that I as an amateur learn everything there is to learn about cooking through working in kitchens and eventually become good enough to call myself a chef. I then record this process, for you the reader to use in whatever way you may want to. I record everything in the hope that you can pick up something useful, perhaps avoid some of the mistakes I have made and the ones I am sure to make, and also that you will be slightly entertained.

There is however, something huge missing from an education like this, and I would feel like no one would be able to learn anything from this blog if I didn’t try to rectify the situation. No, I’m not talking about a syllabus which ensures I cover everything necessary to become a chef, nor a structured progressionof difficulty; though admittedly those things would be useful…

I’m talking about an angry old French Chef-Instructor who constantly kicks my ass and tells me I’m not fit to sprinkle the salt on his Pommes Frites. Every great culinary school has to have one, and I’ll be damned if I don’t.

And so, here are some of the things I learnt over the past week, with the helpful and always scary instruction of Chef Pierre, the Chef Instructor at Banging On The Door.

Chopping onions

I am chopping onions for the omelette for staff meal. As I throw the slices into the prep container, I feel a chill as everyone around me stops working and stares at me. I look to my left and there is Chef Pierre, who reaches into my prep container

You foolish boy! Can you not see that these onion slices are black! Why did you not throw them away! Also you are slow, like escargot! We will have Escargot Bourgogne tonight if you do not fasten yourself boy…

In my defense I would have picked out the bad slices and thrown them away, but it’s a lot quicker to just cut away the bad parts first. Know what you have to do before you start cutting anything!

Slicing

I am slicing Oranges.

No no no! You are not a carpenter, why are you sawing the poor orange! One motion, one cut! See! Like this! And this!

For god’s sakes, when you cut things, don’t saw. your slices will look a lot cleaner.

Vegetables

I have a gigantic pile of vegetables to prepare for the staff meal. I’ve given the vegetables a rinse before I commence to pluck them off their roots. There is a huffing behind me.

Boy do you see the soil on these leaves?He holds up one of the leaves that I’ve plucked.

Oui Chef but I was going to wash them after I finished plucking everything.

So you washed the vegetables once and then you will wash them again? Are you here to cook or to do laundry? You have five more minutes to complete!

I work as fast as I can. Don’t do unnecessary steps. Some things are to be washed before you cut into them, some things you have to wash after you cut them. Generally things with skin you wash first before you cut into them because all the dirt is on the skin and the inside is clean. Leafy vegetables, leeks, celery you wash after separating the leaves because dirt gets into the inside and you can really only get it all out if you have access to the inside parts.

Neatness

I have just finished cutting some chicken, and the pasta people call me over and ask me to help them with peeling the cherry tomatoes. I haven’t peeled more than 10 when a roar comes from the prep area where I just was.

Which imbecile is the owner of this knife and chopping board?

Oh shit.

Finish cleaning up before you start the next job! Am Iyour kitchen help, should I run after you and wash your equipment once you are finished? Wash these!

A task isn’t done until you’ve also cleaned up. Someone tells you to chop onions, you don’t finish when you present the chopped onions to him in all their perfect, even glory. You’re finished when you’ve rinsed and replaced the knife on the knife rack, washed the cutting board and wiped down the counter.

Stay tuned as I continue to learn the hardest way, with chef’s clogs firmly up my ass at all times.