Its been ages since Ive had a good trout. Too long. I love the fish but rarely see it on menus and of course, when it is featured, the preparation is seldom to my liking…so I skip it. Lose lose. But wait, theres a win…theres finally at long last a win- Thursday night, Spring Hill brought me back to my beloved. Pan-fried rainbow trout served with cracked bulgur, celeries and caramelized fennel- the meal was flawless. (more…)

Third times a charm right? Seems to be the case. Following numerous disastrous attempts, I finally produced a satisfactory hollandaise. Finally. Having to go at it time and time again, however, was torture. My issue this round? Too thick. All was well until I tried to thin it out with a bit of cold water. This is where the shit hit the fan- the cold water brought the temperature of my egg yolk/ butter mix down and in set the coagulation. Of course, I should’ve used hot but unfortunately caught my mistake too late in the process. Whisking away in hopes that it would magically right itself, I watched with a heavy heart as my hollandaise began to pull away from the bowl. (more…)

Pale, warm, mucus-like…lackluster in flavor- a white braise is not something I care for. It doesn’t look good, it hardly tastes good and all in all it seems drab. This viscous mess of matte was demonstrated today in the form of Chicken Fricassee. Poultry was floured, seasoned and seared (carefully as to avoid browning/coloration). That same pan (minus the chicken) was then used to sweat onions before adding more butter, more flour and stock (at this point what we had was a veloute sauce). In goes some additional flavors (bay leaf, thyme, stalk of celery, salt & pepper) and finally the bird is reintroduced. (more…)

Coq au vin = Cock cooked with wine. I’ve ordered this at restaurants, made it at home, eaten it at potlucks…it is always, always good. The bird may or may not be stained purple from the wine, the seasonings/types of mushrooms/roux consistency may vary…but really, no matter, without exception the meat is falling off the bone tender. So soft that it truly will dissolve on the roof of the mouth with a simple press of the tongue. (more…)

Truss it tight, rub the bastard down with a bit of clarified butter, sprinkle with salt & pepper. Throw it in the oven…roast at 450 for 15 minutes, then drop the heat to 350 and let it be for another hour or so. Today, the most basic of the basic roast chicken was prepared, observed, eaten and critiqued.

In my kitchen, roast chicken is something I undertake once a week. I like doctoring it up with allspice & cumin, herbs de provence or lemon & thyme. Surrounded with red onions, beets, carrots or fennel, maybe a few potatoes..its the meal that resonates with most folks when they think of home. Nothing smells, tastes and feels quite as cozy as roasted fowl among family/friends. (more…)

Wrapping up our study of the five mother sauces with the simple, the beautiful, the ever pleasing tomato. Theres no roux’s or reductions (in this one anyway), no eggs to overcook, no temperamental emulsions, no fancy bouquet garnis…no no no- its tomatoes, water/stock, seasoning, garlic. Variations are endless and multiple ingredients can be introduced or discounted, regardless, the break down is comfortingly familiar. This is a sauce that Mama used to make, that most all have had in one dish or another- its fantastically unpretentious and widely recognized. (more…)

Well hell…color me confused. “Add this”, “keep this cold”, “Warm! that one has to be warm“, “Oh that wont work”, “Slllloooowwwlly- go real slow” then “Quick now- its gonna separate!”, “Too hot! turn down the burner”, “keep whisking-dont stop” “nice scrambled eggs pal”…all the while Im just reeling. What the fuck is going on? What just happened? Whats the next step? Is that supposed to look like that? Shit…what do you mean I have to start over? (more…)

Bechamel belongs on everything….I want it poured on vegetables, ladled onto meats, tossed with hot fresh pasta. Hell, I want a bowl full of it on its own and a spoon…actually, skip the spoon- Ill drink it right out of the dish. This creamy white sauce is astoundingly able to singlehandedly elevate whatever it blankets from just “good” to “good God!”. Encountered most often in dishes like macaroni & cheese and lasagna- its used independently and also as a base for other sauces. Oh and the makings are so perfectly simple to boot- milk, roux, seasoning & aromatics…its beyond inspiring to continuously discover that so few ingredients could create such magic. (more…)

Everyone loves a good tale…this one is fairly tame but its history nonetheless. The story behind this sauce is that it came to be under the influence of the Spanish. Word on the street is that Louis XIII’s wedding feast was fashioned by a bunch of Spanish cooks whom had their own ideas as to what would make a stellar sauce. I imagine them scoffing at traditional French cuisine and mercilessly bickering with ol’ Louis, tossing recipes about, spitting on the floor, arms flailing about dramatically. (more…)

On Monday February 8th, I’m headed to NYC for what I feel is an opportunity of a lifetime. Chef Brian Cartenuto of Cantinetta will be cooking up a dinner at the James Beard House and I have been invited to accompany him and help out in the kitchen. Holy fuck eh? I am beside myself with excitement. Not only is Brian a phenomenal chef but he’s also a good friend. To be there as part of his support staff is a true honor in every regard.

There wont be any details of my culinary class exploits that week since Ill be taking it off of school (the lovely folks at LCB are happy to work with me in making up any work I may miss) but I will be writing about my experience at the James Beard House and my time in NYC.

Check out the interview I did with Brian here as well as the details of the event here.