Been A While

Here's just a little bit that was shared on myspace. It's from a "major movie" director that I've been somewhat a fan of for years. It's interesting to watch a successful movie director do something like this. Maybe not interesting to you, but, it is someone famous just kinda acting normal or doing something normal to me.
Cooking. When I saw "Once Upon a Time in Mexico", the scene when Johnny Depp's Character killed the cook because the pork dish he just had was too good, I knew there was some reason why this was emphasized. Obviously the person behind the movie has a love for food.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO8EiScBEjA
There's a whole series of these I guess.
Just another example of how food and cooking is an art, it makes it's way into the arts. It affects the senses, it makes the heart swoon, it can infuriate, it can simmer the soul, it can cause nightmares, it can bring lives together, it can communicate peace, it can start historical events, it can ignite rage within the minds of those who work in it. What ever it does, it's world wide. "You gotta the rest of your life".

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.

Benjamin Snyder AKA: Jammin'

Before.

After.

And how he got this way.

Several times in my Culinary life I've been a participant in an age old practice of "pie-ing", whenever a valued member of a team that has been with the team long enough, he or she was given a grand send off. This send off could be: a cake, presents, shots, a night out drinking with co-workers, a free dinner in the restaurant, antique-ing (a water battle followed by a dousing of flour), or in this case (video doesn't show the approach) me hiding everyone behind an extra sheet of paneling. When dropped, everyone comes out of the wood work to give Jamin' a farewell pie-ing.

Some comments from Jammin' "That may have been a bit much, I couldn't breath at one point", and " I can't get the smell of sour milk out of my nose".

Jammin' is heading off to Bob Jones university to further his Culinary future (then hopefully to the CIA for more learning), he's already way ahead of the pack though. When I hired him he was fresh out of Burger King as an ass kicking record holding Whopper maker. I put him in the dish pit well over a year ago and he kept asking me for a chance at pantry... after a week I had to ask him to slow down. I couldn't get entrees started before he would have the entire tables first course sent out the door.

I moved him onto Saute with no problems then let him settle in to Grill for the summer, I figured he would need to get used to the heat. The south gets pretty warm.

I plan on working for Jammin' some day. He's one of those people you meet in your life that's meant to be doing what he's doing. He will master every part of cooking at some point, if only because he wants to. I'm not even sure if he enjoys it or not, I think he does, he smiles after a good ass-handing so he must.

I wish I knew what he knows now about food when I was his age.

Good luck buddy, and you know to keep in touch.

Finishing the Burgundy Dinner

This wasn't really how the dish looked, it was the left overs after I realized that I forgot to take a picture of the actual dishes.
Duck Breast with Lavender, Mango and Peanuts
Served with: Domaine Gabriel Billard Pommard 1er Cru "Les Charmots"2005 Cote De Beaune
I cooked the peanuts in water and Jasmine extract, really exciting with the mango and the lavender poach on the duck. Also, we placed cylinder vases full of fresh lavender, orange zest and a tiny bit of Menthol in front of fans in the dinning room after the course was served.
The combination of just a little bit of Menthol Crystals with anything is so intense and can completley fill a room.

Dessert. After tasting through twelve wines, Ben, the sommelier, decided on this wine for the last course. Jean-Luc Joillot Bourgogne "Hautes Cote De Beaune" 2005 Cote D'Or, my notes on the wine where "Onion, Shallot, Fried, Sour braised, Cabbage, Meat, stew?, Would need cream on palate, gherkins, butter."
And I had to take those thoughts and direct them towards a dessert.
Watermelon and Feta Granita with Kalamata Ice Cream and Basil Crumble.
I was happy with it. Along with everyone else.
A little Chocolate Balsamic and Sweet Basil Syrup.

Randy's Last Day

Randy's been at the restaurant for three years or so. He was the dishwasher working on the night I flew in to do my tasting interview almost two years ago. I fed him a couple things he never had before, told him that my brothers name was also Randy, he smiled slightly and nodded. All he ever wanted to do was listen to music, play drums and clean. You gotta love that. He would walk around tapping the bottom of the mixing bowls just to hear the different pitches just before he put them away clean on the shelf. Everything was an instrument in some fashion.
He had a couple things he wanted to do on his last day, hell, some of the things done in the past should have been saved for 'last day antics" but what fun is that.?
Prior to working with Randy, my dishwasher experience was mostly in the world of crack heads, ex-cons, the mentally challenged or mentally unstable, work- release, or the "one paycheck" guys. At this point, Randy could do whatever he wanted to......and I knew he wouldn't take advantage of it. He just like doing dishes.
I've seen this guy scrub the grout in the kitchen with a toothbrush...........without being asked!

Randy's now enrolled at a college in Gettysburg to learn more about sound and music.

He has a job whenever he needs one here.

New stuff

Let me just say, the Menthol Crystals are intense!

The bubble gum is yet to happen.

Cherry Bombe

Some dessert items got a little messed up. In my kitchen we're always looking for some sort of eating competition, all it takes is a little money and some challengers.

It helps to add the stipulation that all food, or food like products, must remain down for at least 30 minutes.

Philly Mac N Cheese Steak

It's like a mishearing mixed with a mixspeaking.

Of course it led to Chimis
Thanks to this man.

Garden started

Not the biggest lot in the world, but it's a start. This plot is for fruits and veggies, there's another smaller spot right outside the kitchens backdoor for fresh herbs.

Now if the sun would only come out.

Santa Barbera Wine Dinner

First course: Faygo Red poached Lobster with carbonated Asian Pear and Garlic Mango Relish.

Second Course: Foie Gras with Bacon Gelee, Pinenut Brulee and Bacon Salad.

Third Course: Pink Peppercorn Tuna, Spiced Crackers, Whipped Beets.

Forth Course: Gooseberry stuffed Breast of Veal with Dandelion Greens.

Fifth Course: Table Smoked Lamb with Parsnip puree and Morel Bearnaise.

Sixth Course: Macerated Fruit, Sourpatch Ice Cream.

What da ya know!

It is still around.

Not the little clear flavors from my youth, but the peach goes pretty damn good with bourbon.

Thanks Michele for the Big Lots heads up.

I know someone else who will be glad to hear of this. MmmHm.

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.

FOG Dinner second year

This is the second year in a row that the American Liver Foundation has organized "The Flavors of Greensburg" to help raise money for research, treatment and education.

This years event was held at The Mountain View Inn where the owner Vance and Chef Gary couldn't have been more hospitable.

It's so much fun doing this event just for the fact that I get to hang out and talk shop with other culinarians in the surrounding area. We may all have different approaches to food, but we obviously all care about food and the people we serve.

The idea for the event the fist year was for each restaurant to set up an atmosphere for a ten top that represented their restaurant.
This year was pretty much the same except for the addition of an "East meets West" theme, to both the ten top setup and the menu.
Setting up this year seemed a lot easier and with amply amount of room. I would say almost too much room, but anyone that knows me I can never have too much room.

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.

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.

Back from LA

Pardon my lack of enthusiasm, the trip to LA was really a great experience, but riddled with bad turns. I will not and do not want to go into detail, but it started as soon as I landed. A phone call that caused excruciating worry that led to hope that, three days later led to an end. And with all that worry and stress came sickness and other feelings.

Still, as I write, I'm running a fever and this is the most I've done all day.

The only other thing I want to say on the matter is that, I hope guilt doesn't make life long decisions.


On to the trip.


So, after getting some Thai food the first night and drinking my stomach into a state of settled-ness, we went for burgers.
That's right, burgers. Many of you have probably heard of the In and Out Burgers like I have but never had a chance to try one do to the fact that they just don't come out this way.
I used to work with this guy from California, Sam Perry, he said the In and Out Burgers were worth being flown out to SC when he needed a fix.
I gotta say, they are damn tasty. Freshly made, fresh cut fries, a super-burger staff that is more professional than most "High End" places. All they did was focus on the product. Which there are three. A hamburger, a cheeseburger or a double double. Unless you know the secret menu.

I got a double double animal style.....filthy.


Then we headed up the coast.....on the wrong highway for several hours. It's OK, saw a lot of great scenery, gives the mind time to wonder.
We ended up in Solvang , a Danish town close to several wineries.

The road to Montevina

I have to point out one thing first, It's seems too weird sometimes when I find something, wether a website or an ingredient or a product that I've never seen before and then I read aobut it two days later on someone elses blog or in the news or somewhere. I don't think (in any way) that I'm beating someone to the punch of marking new ground, I just think it's extremely coincidental sometimes. I would put a link to http://www.ideasinfood.com/ and thier rescent post about Dublin Dr. Pepper but my link code won't work on this page anymore. But, I to ran into Dublin Dr. Pepper apon entering the Montevina wine tasting room. I was so sick of tasting wine at this point, I walked up to the little reach-in cooler they had to see what esle was there to drink and there it was....A "new" Dr. Pepper, to me at least. Go here, http://www.dublindrpepper.com/history.aspx?odrd=true&setuser= to get the history of this Dr. Pepper offspring. Anyone that knows me, knows I love Dr.Pepper. I often kid (seriously-like) that I will someday make a meal based on "my favorite ingredients" Dr. Pepper, Cool Ranch Doritos and a Kit-Kat bar.

Back to the trip. On this day we arrived at Montevina winery in Amador County. We had the privelage of taking the tour, which ended up being almost 4 hours...well spent. We were given the tour by the VP and former Wine maker, Jeff is his name and he pulled no punches with us. We spent 30 minutes looking in great detail the finer points of the 1/2 a million dollar machine that bottles the Montevina juice. And it was awesome. Any question, he was all over it, anything you wanted to see or taste, he was cool with it. No holds barred. We felt like we were boring him at some points.

But then it was on to the tasting room. 17 Different wines. We took our time.


On top of all of this was the house itself, Villa D'toro. Huge. Only four bedrooms, but the last thing you did there was sleep. It was for pure entertainment puposes only. Game room, pool (too cold for), garage with ping pong and darts, living room, dining room, brunch room, sun room, TV rooms, basically if you needed a room for anything it was there.

Dinner was prepared for us the fisrt night by the onstaff chef and server. The second night?.....I really liked the kitchen. Two reach-ins says a lot.