tartare

But Who Will Rescue Gordon Ramsay From Himself?

It seems to me that  Thomas à Kempis said something like "Gladly we desire to make other men perfect, but we will not amend our own fault."  And as such, it seems ironic that Gordon Ramsay finds himself as a possible contestant for "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares".  

Perhaps Little Gordon may come to his rescue?

Which Restaurants Have The Tastiest Desserts?

Nothing like a good graph to really bring things home.  Pretty illuminating.

BTW, flavor pairings pieces are on their way.  I lost a few days to an unexpected spring cold.

In the Mail: New Michael Ruhlman Book

I have consistently enjoyed Michael Ruhlman's books (I partially credit his The Making of a Chef with being an influence in my decision to go to cooking school.  Nowhere else did I find such detailed description of what it would be like and although I chose Midwest Culinary Institute in Cincinnati rather than the CIA, many of the experiences were markedly similar).  One of the things you find in cooking school is beyond learning technique, you learn a whole lot of ratios (1 egg yolk to 1 cup of oil for aioli, for example).  If you know ratios, it gives you tremendous flexibility and a great starting point for improvisation.  Well, Ruhlman is back again with a new book that looks to be a worthwhile addition to the culinary bookshelf: Ratios: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking.

I will write a review after I get the book.

El Bulli Changes Seasons

Ferran Adria changes the brief season that El Bulli is open...just to keep people on their toes.

Grant Achatz Blogs

How does this guy have the time to do anything, much less blog? I'm not complaining of course -- I am such an Achatz fan that it's almost silly (though, I promise, not in anyway stalkerish...just a big fan).   Well worth the read as Grant is not only thoughtful and creative, but very articulate.

Flavor Pairings

It's a crazy week -- May and June are insane months for caterers, so much so that I am considering starting a petition drive to have both months combined into one ugly 60-day month called "Helldorado".  Blogging may be fits and starts this week. 

<elegant segue to next topic would have gone here>

So, the next few posts are going to be about new flavor pairing ideas and I was hoping people might want to play along using the home version of the game.  You can get a really good start with the excellent tool (with the curious name of) Foodpairing.  You know that parmesan cheese goes well with tomatoes, but did you ever expect it may work with chocolate or banana?  More about the underlying science in a future post, but in the mean time, enjoy the inspiration that comes from the unexpected.  Pick out something you like and make a dish using some radical departures from what you may usually do. 

Jean Robert de Cavel Joins Midwest Culinary Institute

This is fantastic news.  Jean Robert will be "the face" of Midwest Culinary.  Sure, I wish this had happened prior to my graduation from school, but still and all, very awesome.  More please.

Hunting Morels

The Wall Street Journal has a great piece on morel hunting.  We found morels (well, a morel) on our property last year and while we haven't found any yet this year (well, we haven't looked), hope springs eternal.  It's getting a bit late for Ohio, but I am going to try anyway on Sunday. 

Great Dan Barber Talk on Foie Gras

Dan Barber speaks at the Taste 3 conference on foie gras and why animal husbandry need not be cruel or demeaning.  Two of my favorite things: Dan and foie gras  Now, if I can just find some toast points...

"This is why you're fat"

We've all seen food that is a bit over the top (like Homer Simpson's Good Morning Burger, which was eighteen ounces of sizzling ground beef, soaked in rich, creamery butter, and topped with bacon, ham, and a fried egg.) or the world's largest sandwich (which apparently requires haz-mat gear to work on), but "This is why you're fat" covers some really insane stuff.

Though I must admit, it's not the artery-stopping cholesterol or the days-worth-of-calories-in-one-sandwich that gets me; rather, it is the frighteningly bad presentation that seems to go hand in hand with it.

You'll come for the totchos (Tater Tots covered in ground beef, jalapeño peppers, cheese, salsa and sour cream); you'll stay for the sausage fatty (a giant Jimmy Dean Maple Sausage filled with bacon, cream cheese, mushrooms, jalapeños and colby cheese).

http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/