Giant "Tater Tots"

Potatoes are peeled. The peelings are roasted and infused into milk and cream mixture to give a baked potato flavor. The potatoes are cut into thick slices and allowed to come to a simmer for 4 minutes, they are then rinsed in cold water and covered with cold water, salted and returned to a simmer until tender. This removes starchy gelatinous texture that come from mashed potatoes.
The milk and cream mixture has gelatin sheets added before it's pureed into the potatoes.

The potato puree is allowed to set before it's breaded in shredded potato and panko.

After being fried for 5 minutes, the center is molten and fluid again.

There have been some problems with the crust bursting in the fryer, I think the addition of methocel will help this issue.

Chocolate Ancho Beef Sausage. Recipe.

Sometimes...you just want to, make something.
Regardless of what you know about the subject or cooking style.
I feel like I haven't given enough attention to the art of charcutirie and know it's do to intimidation and the constant urge to just jump right in.
Patience is not a characteristic of mine.
For instence, I didn't want to spend $100 on a sausage stuffer so that I can learn more about making sausage. Instead, I melted down the size of a plastic attachement ($10 Gander Mountain ) and attached it to our existing Hobart mixer. It worked.......kinda. It seemed to puree the sausage too much as it was trying to force it through the tube.

The sausage came out pretty good though for a second attempt

8# Beef chain, cleaned of silverskin and cut down
3# Beef fat
2 Ancho Chilis, Cleaned of seeds
.5 ounce Curing Salt
1 Tbs Chili Powder
.5 Tbs Curry Powder
.5 Tbs Ground Cumin
.25 tsp Ground Nutmeg
.25 cup Coco Powder
.25 Chocolate Chips
.25 cup Brown sugar
.25 Cup Salt
1 Tbsp Black Pepper
1 Small Onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed
These items are mixed together and covered allowed to marinate over night.
Ground through medium dye, fed into natural pork casings, poached at 72 degrees C then pan seared.
Ironically, the texture given to the sausage from the make shift stuffer was almost perfect, pate like, but the time given to force it through the extruder is unforgiving.
I purchased a real sausage attachment for a smaller kitchen aid and have also purchased an upright smoker.
So, many things will be smoked from now on.
Like everything maybe.

Juniper Berry Puree

USFoods (a food purveyor that many are familiar with) uses an outside source for many food items. This outside source has many different rules and guidelines that, when combined with the thousands of other rules and guidelines in life and work, may be forgotten at times.
But, who would really need FIVE pounds of Juniper berries ? Aside from a Gin distiller of course.
So, as the saying goes (and I've learned to love and adapt this saying in so many ways): "When life gives you______, you make_______"
Not lemonade in this case. But a wonderful concoction non the less. Placed in the pressure cooker along with some toasted Cumin, Honey, White Balsamic and water. These, almost fresh, dried berries took on such an amazing burst of full fledged flavor. Just making the mouth come alive with floral sweet bitterness, truly amazing points hit on the taste buds.
I think most of us are used to that one "restaurant sized" container of Juniper Berries sitting on the shelve with actual dust on it cause you really only need about twelve a year depending on how many you add to your duck confit recipe. One of my servers was determined to find a use for my five pound of Juniper and came up with very little on the Internet as far as recipes are concerned.



The power of flavor behind this pine driven herb may be it's downfall, but there are so many foods that can bare it's addition to highlight their very own existence.

New stuff

Let me just say, the Menthol Crystals are intense!

The bubble gum is yet to happen.

Faygo Red Lobster

I really don't drink that much soda (pop for the northerners). I just crave the nostalgic flavors of youth I guess. The fun things in life and food and then trying to make them fun again for adults.
I placed pretty rare lobster tails in the Faygo Red with just a splash of maraschino cherry syrup and a pinch of salt. Let them cook slowly in a steam table.
I couldn't believe the color that was taken on, and the flavor was amazing. It got the "wow" from every ones first bite.

This will be back later this week for our Friday wine dinner.

I just wish I could get ahold of things like NY Seltzer and Sparkles candies. It's hard to believe that some things do go away forever.

Carbonated Tuna Tartar

Mixed in with a little ginger-sriracha simple syrup.

Topped off with a "Yuzu Mimosa"

Pickled Beet Meringue

Please ignore the left over tomato pieces under the insert.

Bubbler

I saw this technique at the Star Chefs Congress last September and it's been stuck in my head to simply aerate something slowly. Instead of just whipping or hitting with an emulsion blender. It makes sense to let bubbles grow. Let them form the most natural structure that they can, slowly growing on top of each other forming a stronger base structure. I have to say though, I still feel like this will need more coaxing to maintain a plate able bubble.

Tootsie Roll

This will hopefully evolve for the beer tasting.

I'm thinking as a shell for Bourbon Blueberry Ice cream, crackling chocolate powder, and Guinness foam.

We'll see.

It may not look like much, but the feel and memories of a Tootsie Roll are pretty much there.

Ice Cream Soda

Years ago I had this thought of literal Ice Cream Soda. For no reason other than just not thinking to do it when I had the time, I never tried it.
Well, this past week I asked Jamin' to cook out a vanilla base and chill it.
Into the ISI with one co2 charge, and there it is. Carbonated Ice Cream...in a way. If I had an anti griddle, this would be a whole new world. As of now, it is not frozen but certainly gives a creamy thick texture of ice cream, but with a unique effervescent tingle to it.
Jamin', great job on the base, and we get our ice cream machine back very soon.

Grape Soda

Faygo anyone?
Foodland circa 1988, you pick up an empty bottom of a box that probably held a case of 12 to 16 oz. bottles of soda at some point(pop. The south has had an effect on me, I actually gave up the term "pop", I didn't think I would.....but here we are.). You fill it back up with whatever mixture of flavors you desire, then spend the next couple days with a purple-ish blue stain on your lips and tongue. Grape was a very popular flavor. For $.25 you could get a Grape soda out of the machine in front of Jets grocery.
Grape soda, grape soda, grape soda. Throw in Cream Soda (serious favorite), some Cherokee Red and Dr. Pepper....RC cause it's local, you've got a young boys carbonated sugar future sealed in cola trademarks.
I'm always looking for ways to incoporate favorite flavors from childhood, mine or anyone elses.






A recent purchase of Methocel f5o, has led to Grape Soda Meringue.
So many other possibilities.
Desserts mainly, but Mikey did mention vinegars....croutons maybe flavored with white balsamic and garlic?
Anything.

Square Chicken

Different applications. The Agar Agar was the favorite. And it help up really well in the fryer.
I just need to play around with the proper breading.
And get some Malt.

Fried Chicken And Waffles

As far as I know this is a Left Coast thing.
I've never had it myself, but I've been infatuated with the thought of it since I first heard of it.
Just like when Expo calls out a ticket that makes it's own combinations...."Lamb,Sam,Hali,....Hali,Loaf,....Lamb,Ribeye,......Salmon, loaf,.." Millions and millions of combinations can be put together just in the Speech of an Expediter. I have a feeling that that's how "Chicken and Waffles" came to be. "Walking in:, Chicken, Waffles, ....Ice Cream, BLT........"
(total side note) (Yeah, Ice Cream BLT Right? Why not? The Ice Cream Sandwich has worked out pretty well.)


Finally taking a couple minutes to think ahead for a wine dinner, I'm playing around with a couple variations and textures on how a Square fried chicken will come out.
Leg meat braised in Maple syrup is really good, by the way.
The Waffles will be waffle in flavor, but not in waffle shape.
More on this later.

Blue Cheese Sheets

First attempt. A guessing game with PURE-COTEB790 from www.grainprocessing.com . I didn't have thier paper work with me when I tried this attempt, but I like this version so far bettet than the one That's drying tonight somewhat following thier procedure.

This is being created for the Tasting Blind benefit that will be held tomorrow at the restaurant. The goal, for me, is to create one to two bite courses. this one being a salad. The usual, endive (or chicory/frisee) with candied pecans, balsamic reduction and blue cheese. (Balsamic powder www.provesta.com)

Bearnaise Sheets

Butter Foam

1lb of butter melted. a gelatin sheet and some Soy Lecithin.

Charged in an ISI canister with two charges. At room temp.

Sweet potato juice. reduced by 50% and allowed to set.


Then covered with sugar and bruleed. A straight brulee of a liquid.
No gelatin. No gellan. Just The juice of the bruleed item.

A juicer can provide.