chadzilla

84

 

Although it's sort of a product usage guide... and I'm not even sure if it is available for purchase... we were given the new DVD of '84 Recipes' featuring Albert and Ferran Adria (along with a lot of goodies to play with) by a great man from New Orleans.  Watching product demos may not be the most exciting thing in the world, but when those products are the the Texturas, Ingenios, and Lyo-Sabores lines from the Adria brothers it's worth sitting down and paying attention.  Class is in session.

Although much of the techniques are sort of a 'been there, done that' review, watching the demos has thus far proven to be a great way to re-align our thought process (sort of like running a defragmentation on your brain to get rid of unnecessary stuff).  Since the beginning, we have purchased many powders on whims from many different sources.  This has led to many many (and even many more) frustrations... recipes going into the garbage, things not doing what they're supposed to, etc.  (there has been so much in the line of failure that has never been posted, although always learned from).  We have never actually tried to purchase and utilize the Adria line of products (except for a few recently brought in by Fabian).  It's like going back to school in many ways and refocusing.  The DVD itself also contains pdf files with all of the 84 recipes demo'd on it.  All measured amounts and temperatures are given and they showcase each and every product in the lines.

So, what a great impromptu way to begin a new year.  Much thanks to Mr. Tim Koerner for opening this door for us.  Having such a classic New Orleanian with his gab and stories in our Miami kitchen was a treat.  Koerner is a name that every chef in that city associates with (mostly for baking supplies, but they have been revolutionary in their foresight to expand beyond... if anyone was at StarChefs ICC 2008 they will remember that very cool cold smoking device).  What another example of things coming full circle for us.  It does seem strange that all of these products are sold out of New Orleans, and I'm not aware of any chefs in that city utilizing such techniques and ingredients (or that the market there will allow for even a miniscule dabble into it).  If I'm wrong, please let me know.  It's been awhile since I've moved away.  In fact, I would truly love to be wrong about it.

On a similar subject, here's a link to a 'Cooking & Science' lecture given at Harvard by Ferran Adria.  It's over 2 hours long, so I actually haven't watched the full video.

ouefs à la gelée

This is the last of my Fernand Point posts... for now.

Here was our amuse in tribute to Fernand Point.  Eggs in aspic (page 107 in Ma Gastronomie).

 

A truffle scented chicken consommé was molded over poached quail egg and jamon Iberico.  Parmesan flecks  and basil rounded out the flavors.  No tongue was used (as in the original recipe).

The eggs were cooked in a thermocirculator to keep the yolks creamy, then quick blanched in rolling water to firm up the outer whites.  The pyramid mold was in obvious salute to La Pyramide

 

I also want to acknowledge Jaden's flattering post of a dinner we did for her a couple of months ago.  If you haven't read her blog, it's very entertaining.  She has a hilarious (and at times, precarious) sense of humor in her pen personality (well, actually in person as well) that just makes me keep clicking back to her blog on a daily basis.

cold bouillabaisse

This was titled as a salad on the Chaine menu, but it also worked great as a cold seafood dish.

 

A nage gel with pulled skate wing, oyster blocks, mussels, chaurice sausage, sourdough, rouille froth, wild celery leaves, dill, and fresh sunflower sprouts.  Everything here is prepared very traditionally.

Chaurice is a Louisiana sausage similar to Spanish chorizo.  It is uncured and eaten alone, as a side, or in gumbo's and sausages.  It is heavily spiced in creole tradition.

To get a skinless version, we mixed ground pork and fat with the spices and seasonings, wrapped them in plastic, and cooked them at 52º for about an hour to get them slightly set (no meat glue needed).  After cooling, they were easily sliced, layed out, and were ready to finish cooking during execution.

 

Transglutanimase is definitely necessary for this however.  Glueing oysters has proved to be an interesting lesson.  Having made them once before using a battera for a mold, the larger amount needed this time required something a bit bigger.  I used 2 half hotel pans squeezed together.  The success of the transglutanimase will depend on how much you pre-cook the oysters.  I was trying to stay more on the raw side this time, and I definitely walked the line between success and failure.  As you can see, not all of them bonded.  Getting an accurate temperature for success would be helpful, but I do not have one as I poached them by eye... watching them carefully as their ends furled ever so slightly and squeezing them every couple of seconds to test their firmness.  Using Activa GS also helped with flavor (last time I used RM).  I was able to chill down the poaching liquid and oyster liquor to use as the 'water' in the enzyme slurry.

 

 

Slicing these into small blocks was a test of patience as many of them dislodged from their bonds.  A very sharp sashimi knife helps.  I believe the amount of cooking was close to perfect on these.  Next time, I will have to go just a tiny bit more to not risk a full disaster although I really like the gelatinous look and mouthfeel when under-cooked.  Besides, the flavor of oysters changes so extensively from heat and it depends what your goal is.  Maybe a smoke-blanch next time.

 

foie gras à la Point

This is an appropriate follow-up to my last post.

Most of our Chaine des Rotisseurs dinner tonight focuses on traditional flavors and combinations delivered a bit differently.  This is not to say that we are 'deconstructing' them or completely transforming them into entirely new things.  It's a great practice to walk through classical ideas and experience the beauty of these dishes (not to flip them, but to experience them)... the degree of heightened reverance in which gastronomes held these courses could be viewed as a continuous succession of over-indulgence or simply an opportunity to enjoy life to the fullest.  Even with some of the 24 course tasting menus of today, we do not come close to this sense of decadent fullfillment of days past... it's almost mythical.  Meals where everything is studded with truffle and tethered on the heavy side with foie gras.  Of course, we are not jamming these elements into every dish, but they should play overall prominent roles on such occasions.

One such dish that stood out immediately when reading "Ma Gastronomie" was Chef Fernand Point's parfait de foie gras a la Point.  'Parfait' here means 'perfect.'  The preparation represented absolute perfection in the most indulgent of ingredients for a man who truly knew indulgence... to the point of becoming a way to live life whether it be consuming 2 magnums of Champagne during his morning shave or analysing seemingly unbelievable amounts of gratin de queues ecrevisse in search of perfection.

We started the recipe (which leaves a fair amount of room for personal interpretation) as close to authenticity as possible.  While going through the process, we began to take advantage of more modern ways to get a similar result.  The end result was perfectly cooked (we stopped at mi-cuit) with a strong lingering sweet wine flavor.

The first machine that leant itself well to Point's foie was the vacuum sealer.  The first use of it came after the original ice water soak and deveining.  Chef Point marinates his foie for 24 hours in a mixture of Port wine, cognac, and nutmeg.  A little salt and white pepper are also added to the mix.  Considering the price point of this marinade, we utilized the vacuum sealer to get full contact without wasting excessive amounts of the ingredients.

After a day, the drunken foie gras is removed from the marinade and studded throughout with truffle.  Without bringing in over-priced fresh truffle in this economy, we used canned shavings from Savoir Fare (Albert Uster) which proved to be a fairly exceptional product for what it was (although the truffle flavor was lacking somewhat in the end product).  After experiencing many canned varieties of absolutely flavorless canned shaved truffle through my years, this product was definitely better.

Point's cooking process called for wrapping the foie in cheesecloth, coating it with chicken fat (yeah!), placing it in a covered earthenware dish, and baking it in a water bath in a moderate oven for 30 minutes.  Without the foresight to order in chicken fat or save some myself, I went with duck fat as a coating (perhaps truffle oil at this point would have been beneficial for end flavor in hindsight).  We opted for sous-vide (to hold the shape as much as possible) and a C-Vap as a cooking method for a bit slower cooking at a slightly extended amount of time (65ºC for about 50 to 60 minutes).  This granted us the nice mi-cuit temperature seen in the first photo.  Notice the slight amount of red in the liquid and the solidified fat after cooling in the following pictures.

 

Once the foie gras feels cooked, reshape it as best as possible in the bag and allow to fully chill under refrigeration (this will also allow it to absorb flavor during cooling).  A good deal of fat will be rendered out as well as the added duck fat.  This can be trimmed or scraped off later before slicing.  Is it perfection?  Would Fernand Point be intrigued by the modern cooking methods available today, or would he insist on complete tradition?  I can imagine that the canned truffle would cause him to wince.  Maybe that's like wondering if Mozart would bob his head to "Bohemian Rhapsody."

'the list'

Chef K forwarded this to me yesterday.  Looks like we made the list along with a few other chef friends in the area.  Although all of the hooplah was seemingly over and quieted, I guess these guys are still at it.

plan B

 

carrot sorbet, honey compressed apple, lime trout roe, chocolate red curry sauce, honey crystals and carrot powder

This was an 'on the fly' dish for a recent dinner created because our plan A (can't quite remember fully what plan A was at this point) did not come to reality.  This dish, although seemingly simple in context, represents a side-step for the way Chef K and I have approached our courses.  Every chef has an internal flow chart of mental steps that he or she walks through during the creative process (whether they believe that or not).  We have typically leaned on the traditional side and relied on changing textures and even gimmickery (only when the guest's experience would benefit from it or to prove a point) or explored other alterations to enhance an idea.  This dish represents a look at atypical flavor pairings primarily and utilizes texture and temperature to push them.  I feel that the only real improvements that need to be made to this combination are texturally at this point.  Having a great pastry chef gives us a crutch from having to utilize such amazing equipment as the Paco Jet (although Chef K has had more experience with it than I have... with both his chorizo and crab gelato).  The PacoJet is very unique in the way it creates frozen textures, and I'm once again baby-stepping into unfamiliar territory.  I would kick myself to no end if I should ever pass up the opportunity to gain experience with such a machine.  So here's another NY resolution... to use that machine more often (and also to start using our Thermomix for dispersing and activating hydrocolloids... and that C-Vap which I'm sure I could be doing so much more with besides long slow controlled cooking).  I'm also reading Frozen Desserts which is an incredible reference.  With all of the amazing books out this past fall and winter and the craziness of the holiday season, we will be playing 'catch up' for quite some time.  I really cannot wait.  I have a lot of reading to do.

stimulus

We've been very fortunate and regenerated by the significant jump in sales throughout this recent holiday season.  Judging by the general slow-down in email and internet activity, I'm guessing that many of you were experiencing the same increase in revenue.  Sure there were a lot of families, and excessively customized orders, and everyone wants a little bit more for a little bit less, but an engine that doesn't run eventually won't be able to restart without a lot of priming.

We all breathed a little easier during these rush periods... partly due to letting down our inner conscious fear of getting laid off or losing our jobs.  Even when it's not spoken, anyone following the news has to wonder when that hammer will fall.  Considering certain television commercials such as automobile dealers running sales that guarantee they will take the car back if you lose your job, the sentiment surely extends much further than my own awareness.

So, how do we keep this thing rolling...  We can all cross our fingers, and hope that the majority of the population simply forgot about the current economic crisis during their holiday spending frenzy.  We can also rethink ways to keep them coming in.

As much as I'm not a big fan of Miami Spice, we are participating in a 'winter version' which is very imaginatively called "Winter Spice."  (Ok, so it's not that imaginative.)  This is a dine-around style Miami area promotion mimicking the larger one that takes place during September and August.

We are also doing larger promotions for Valentine's Day utilizing our beach area as well as our restaurant.  We have a Chaine des Rotisseurs dinner next week which focuses on modern interpretations of the foods from Ma Gastronomie.  Maybe this year, I'll get to wear a medal too.

Just curious to hear what the rest of you guys are doing.  Maybe we can all benefit from each other.  Americans simply will not stop eating out.  They may be watching the dollar, but they still need their fix.  We just need to become creative pushermen.

familiarity

This post was inspired by a cookie... along with inspiring a perspective.

I had a resolution last year to 'learn' the metric system.  As I have used it more and more, it has finally started to sink in and feel comfortable, although it's still on my resolution list until I am fully fluent.  I feel many of us have mental blocks to learning such things.  Some metric organizations will tell you that the best way to learn it is to completely stop using the imperial units.  Convincing yourself to use metric almost exclusively is a sure way to drill it into your head, but this is difficult as imperial units are depended on so heavily, and you cannot just drop their use as you still need to converse ideas to other people who do not feel the burning need to speak metric (ordering fish from the seafood company, doing monthly inventory, relaying to the guest how much your filet mignon weighs, etc).  The realization that learning is more than just memorization made me focus more on familiarities with things I knew (or things I had mental reference for) and allowing myself to make friends with it.  Constantly thinking in both systems will make you 'bilingual' with measurements (whatever the word for that is).

Here is some comparative associations that might prove useful.  We can come up with many more, but the simple point is to create a comfort zone of familiarity.

Weight

1 pound is 453.59g… or just a smidgeon over 450g

1oz is 28.35g… almost 30g

An 8oz piece of meat (half a pound)  is 226.8g… or just over 225g

A 50# (sack of potatoes) is 22.68Kg… about 22½ Kg (now think about your body weight)

1Kg (1000g) is exactly 2.2 pound

Temperature

130 – 135ºF (medium rare) is 54.4 – 57.2ºC

140º F is 60º C (or the temperature at which collagen converts to gelatin)

41 – 140º F (temperature danger zone) is 5 – 60º C

70 – 120º F (extreme temperature danger zone) is 21.1 – 48.88º C

72º F (ideal room temperature) is 22.2º C

185º F (good simmering temperature) is 85º C

98.6º F (normal body temperature) is 37º C

Volume

1 liter is 1.057 quart

A 750ml bottle of wine is 0.79 quarts… or a little over 3 cups

1 fl. oz is 29.5ml… or just under 30ml

1 cup is .236 liters… or almost a quarter of a liter

1 Tbsp is 14.78ml… or about 15ml

1 tsp is 4.92ml… or a hair under 5ml

1ml of water is equal to 1g of water (good reference point for converting from volume to weight)

Length

1 inch is 2.54cm

1 foot is 30.48cm (12 inch pizza)

A 6 inch sub is 15.24cm… or about 15.25cm

 

... also in sync with this post is the subject of precision (which is fully necessary).  Thanks to Chef K for a very useful Christmas gift that just arrived.  This Palmscale 7.0 will be used in conjunction with my Escali which has served me well for the past couple of years, although it acts funny sometimes.  I expect much more from this new equipment.

new year's 2009

Just a wish for a happy, healthy, and hopefully prosperous New Year in 2009 from our kitchen family to your's.  With all of the up's and down's each year brings, we would not change them for anything.  Thanks to all of you who have shown sincere interest in our endeavors, those of you who have shared their ideas and thoughts with us, and inspired us... our new friends and old.  Here's to much more of it in the future.

I just want to add that it has been a year since these 6 Korean interns took a very long flight and stepped into our kitchen.  They persisted through not only a language barrier, but a language barrier spoken in at least 4 different dialects from Latino to Haitian to our American slang.  You have each added so much much to our team, and it will seem strange without you when you leave in another week or so to return home.  "You are an amazing group of people, and you will always be welcome in our kitchen family."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

... and we'll miss you too, Kevin.  Good luck.