Chris

Wiping down

Jan 242012

Oftentimes I try to write very detailed posts with a lot of well eresearched nfirmation. I think this is holding me back from passing along a lot of basic, yet important kitchen tips. That said, here’s a nice brief one:

When you’re wiping down your station, sacrifice one of your precious dry towels to some liquid, be it sanitizer or soapy water, wring it out, then wipe down. A wet towel is much more absorbent than a try towel. Don’t believe me? Just try wiping up a puddle of water with a bone dry towel. Then try it with a moist one. Water is a polar molecule, and it has a strong attraction to other water molecules, so it’s the water itself that is pulling it into the fibers of the towel.

An important lesson - Not all recipes are created equal

Cooking Books and Magazines No Responses »

Jan 222012

Being in pastry, I have no problem using a recipe. I even slightly dislike when sneering cooks say to each other “oh my god dude, I can’t believe you need a recipe for that”. Standard recipes are not only the only way to control food cost, but they are also the only way to maintain standard flavours from one day to the next and one cook to the next. Yes you should know how to make a tomato soup without a recipe, but in a professional kitchen, having a standard recipe is essential. 12 different cooks will make 12 completely different tomato soups.

That said, not all recipes are created equal, or are all even any good. There is pretty much nothing I hate more than someone asking for me to make something stupid that I don’t have a good recipe for, then handing me a printout from all recipes, or about.com. Even printouts from respectable sources are often not suitable for production kitchens, with ingredients in cups, or bags, or handfuls. There is no substitute for trustworthy recipes that you know will work with your oven, available ingredients and equipment.

What is “acceptable” to a home baker in terms of a final product will not necessarily be good enough to be used in your establishment where anything less than “great” is simply not good enough. Book recipes are a lot more trustworthy in general because of the accountability involved. A recipe that gets a complaint from bonappetit.com, can be taken down within a few hours, but a bad recipe in their published book will damage their brand with everyone who tries it out over the lifetime of the book. But again, there are good books (The New Best Recipe, Bon Appetite Desserts, Indulge, Canadian Living Baking book, and Michel Roux Pastry are but a few) and bad books, but I’ll take a book recipe over a printout any day.

Kitchen Math Part 2

Everything Else No Responses »

Jan 202012

My last rant about math in the kitchen got me thinking about the other main use for math in my kitchen life – recipe scaling.

Recipe scaling comes in handy when you have a recipe that yields a different amount than the amount that you need, but you want to make it anyway, and you want it to come out the same.

For example, a muffin recipe that yields 36 muffins, but you need 90. Sure you could do a double batch, but then you’ll be short, or a 3X, but then you’ll have too many. The best and easiest thing to do is scale the recipe to fit your needs.

The first step it to figure out how many times a recipe you need to make. If your recipe is too small, this will always be a number larger than 1. If your recipe is too big, your number will be a decimal smaller than 1.

90portions required / 36 portion yield=2.5x recipe. You need to multiply each ingredient with a factor of 2.5.

1kg of flour becomes 2.5kg.

400g of sugar becomes 1kg.

Etc.

I have had so many stages come through my shop without a calculator, without even an idea of how to scale a recipe that I’m scared now, and that is the thing that I make darn sure they leave with above all else.

Indulge by Claire Clark

Uncategorized No Responses »

Jan 182012

Indulge: 100 Perfect Desserts.

Claire Clark has had one hell of a career. The kind of career that I have wet dreams about. She has worked at some of London’s best restaurants (the Ritz Hotel…), been a pastry teacher at Le Cordon Bleu, and at the time of writing her amazing book Indulge, was the pastry chef at the French Laundry.

The book is a testament to simplicity and flavour above all else. I have never had anything less than a stellar result from any of the recipes I’ve tried and I’ve tried a lot of them. Her shortbread, which Thomas Keller raves about in the introduction have become a standard everywhere I’ve worked. Her techniques are easy to understand and there is even a write up about the history of the recipe before each one. 90% of the recipes in the book have pictures and the recipes range from basics and staples such as cookies, to more elaborate plated desserts while never slipping out of the reach of a moderately talented home baker.

I love it more than any pastry book I have and it is the first thing I turn to when I need a recipe. It is also the only cookbook that I have ever been pleasantly surprised by reading the non-recipe pages of; her insight into both life in the kitchen, what people need to know and expect, and her experiences as a woman in a man`s world over the years are both insightful and a testament to her humility. I don`t know many chefs comfortable enough with themselves and their accomplishments to tell stories about their failures as she is.

Be sure to try:

Marshmallows – p233

Baked Vanilla Cheesecake – p 140

Crème Caramel- p123

And most importantly Shortbread – p12

It's gettin real, son

Everything Else No Responses »

Jun 182011

In lieu of an actual post, here’s some humorous rap music.

Why restaurant food is better than yours: Herbs - fresh and dried

Cooking Professionally, Home Cooking No Responses »

Jun 012011

Herbs in the home kitchen are usually restricted to dusty glass jars of oregano and thyme, and at the very best a bunch of cilantro from the supermarket. The freshness of both dried and living herbs cam easily separate a home cooked meal from a restaurant quality one.

Restaurants turn over their dried herbs much faster than the average home cook does. I’ve seen people easily go through a 1LB container of dried thyme in a week. Compare this to home, where that dusty McCormicks jar has been sitting in the back of the cupboard for 3 years.

Home cooks are often unable to source fresh herbs in a cost effective manner. This is the other point where the use of herbs can effect the quality of a dish. Fresh is often best, and restaurants can often pay to use only the best available.

The home cook has two good options here:

Set up a small garden, and only pick what’s needed. This will give you the freshest, and often most delicious herbs you’ve ever tasted.
Buy those expensive packets of herbs, use what you need, and dry the rest. Leftover herbs can easily be dried in the microwave. Put the herbs on a paper towel lined plate, and place another paper towel on top. Microwave in bursts of 30 seconds to 1 minute, usually for 3-4 minutes total to dry. Let cool and package into container or zip top bags. Your home made freshly-dried herbs will taste much better than what’s available at the store.

Why restaurant food is better than yours: Shallots and wine

Cooking Professionally, Home Cooking No Responses »

May 312011

Shallots aren’t simply small, irritating to cut red onions, as some people tend to think of them. In flavour, they are much more mild, ‘earthy’ taste, and tend to be a lot sweeter. Since the flavour of the shallot isn’t as intense, it lends itself to many dishes where you wouldn’t necessarily want to be putting a harsh tasting onion. An example would be a pan sauce where you want the flavours of the stock, sweetness of the cream, complexity of the wine, and aroma of the finishing herbs to come through.

Wine is a staple in many restaurants, especially those doing European cuisine. Wine is used to clean the delicious brown bits off pans for pan sauces, to cut the richness of cream, and to add depth to stock based sauces.

Both shallots and wine are used together in so many dishes in the restaurant industry, and their use can easily elevate an ordinary sauce. The cost need not be prohibitive when it comes to using wine for cooking. Here in BC, even with our ridiculously high liquor taxes, a decent bottle for cooking runs about $9. That’s a lot of wine to cook with, even if you dip in for a glass. Shallots can occasionally be had for 50 cents a bag at some Asian markets. The vast majority of restaurants using wine aren’t using the expensive stuff for cooking, so don’t worry too much if you’re buying plonk.

Storing fruits and vegetables

Home Cooking No Responses »

Apr 062011

We all do it; load up on produce with all the best intentions – making that favorite pasta sauce, pickling, or drying, and just never get around to it. Sure enough, a few too many days go by, and all that beautiful peak of ripeness fruit or veg is soft, wet, and brown. Well, the possibility exists that if it was stored in the proper way that it may have just lasted, or even improved.

I realize this isn’t an entertaining post, but hopefully it will serve as a good reference.

Bean sprouts – Sprouts don’t store well. Keep them in a plastic bag or containers small enough that they don’t crush each other. If they soften a little, they can be refreshed in some ice water. Bean sprouts will probably only keep for a few days.

Green onions – First, remove any discolored or slimy outer leaves. They’ll just ruin the rest of the onion. Now you have a few options: wrap the onions in damp paper towels and store in plastic bags; stand up in a glass of water; or put them in a pot of dirt in your window. Green onions are alive in your fridge, so why not keep them that way? Plant them, and they’ll keep growing. Snip off the leaves you want, and provided you leave some, they’ll keep coming.

Ginger - As long as its not allowed to get too wet or too dry, ginger will keep in your crisper drawer for a long time. Too moist and it’ll go moldy. Too dry and it’ll wrinkle. If its getting a little wrinkly, put it in a container or ziptop bag.

Leafy Greens and Lettuce – If you wash it, be sure to dry it and put it in a paper towel lined plastic bag or container. Make sure moisture isn’t pooling in the container, if it is, it is too humid. Sweaty lettuce can also mean your fridge is too cold, so double check the temperature. If your greens are a little wilted, fill your sink with cold water and give them a bath for a minute or two.

Garlic - Peeled cloves can be stored in the fridge, and will be last for 1-2 months. Cured heads can be stored in a cool, dry place for about 6 months.

Onions - Store bulb onions in a cool, dry place about 10 degrees Celsius/50 Fahrenheit. The refrigerator is too moist, and the cold may cause them to germinate. Putting an onion in the fridge for a few minutes before slicing may make you less likely to tear up though.

Potatoes - Store potatoes in a cool, dry place about 4 degrees Celsius/40 Fahrenheit. The fridge is too cold for potato storage, and the starch break down into sugars sweetening the potato and altering its texture.

Tomatoes - Nearly over ripe tomatoes can be put in the fridge to delay softening, but I find that prolonged cold storage causes tomatoes to become mealy and flavorless. Under ripe tomatoes can be ripened in a bag or container, and will ripen faster if stored with ethylene gas producing fruits like bananas or apples. Keep perfectly ripe tomatoes on display in a nice, uncovered bowl.

Avocados - Avocados are frequently stored incorrectly. Hard avocados can be ripened faster wrapping them in paper towels or storing them near ethylene gas producing fruits. Check covered avocados daily. Ripe avocados can be stored in the refrigerator which will delay browning and halt softening. Cut avocados will brown quickly, so store them immersed in acidulated water or milk.

Asparagus - Asparagus tips spoil quickly if allowed to get wet. Trim the base of asparagus and store upright in a cup of water, or wrap the cut bottom in moist paper towels inside of a plastic bag. Leave the tops exposed.

Beets - If you enjoy eating beet greens, leave them attached when storing beets in the refrigerator. If you don’t, cut them off, as the beet will keep trying to let them grow in the fridge sapping water from the root and shriveling the beetroot.

Radishes - Store as beets.

Rhubarb - Store it in the crisper drawer like celery. If it begins to soften, crisp it up in a bath of cold water.

Mushrooms - Keep mushrooms stored in a paper bag. Remember, even if they dry out a little, they’re still good – you’ve just concentrated the flavor.

A strange mix of food in Las Vegas

Where to Eat No Responses »

Mar 232011

As always, the holiday season is madness for kitchen workers. Victoria and I did manage to run away to Las Vegas for a week, so here’s a quick roundup of what we experienced in what is possibly the strangest place on Earth.

Munchbar at Ceasar’s Palace

Chili Cheese and Vegetable Burgers at Munchbar

Victoria had a Vegetable burger, I got the Chili Cheese. Thank God it came with a fork, as it was ridiculously messy [but good]. Fries were plentiful, and in every way identical to McDonalds. Didn’t love that, however. It’s been a while, so I’ve forgotten the pricing, but this meal wasn’t expensive. Crap service though, as the server spent more time attending to the 3 guys at the other table. Shame, since we would have stayed for a couple more beer if it wasn’t so poor.

Victoria Says: A standard double patty veggie burger with cheese!? That’s my kind of place. There were waaaay too many fries to eat, but unlike Chris I didn’t mind them. The service was pretty bad though.

Hash House A Go Go

Sage Fried Chicken and Waffles

Sage Fried Chicken and Waffles again

Grilled portobello mushroom sandwich

Oh Hash House, I’m sorry. It’s not you, it’s me. I just can’t love novelty food anymore. Yes, your portions are comically huge, but sometimes I need more … more flavour, more seasoning… and less starch. I ordered the sage fried chicken, bacon waffles, crispy leeks and maple caramel reduction. Bacon waffles were rubbery, chicken was nicely cooked and flavorful. Crispy leeks were an inedible mess, as they were the fibrous green part and not at all crispy. Just burnt in places, and raw in others. Maple caramel reduction tasted no different than maple syrup.

Victoria had the portobello sandwich, and loved it. The mac and cheese side was excellent as well. Why was there dry pasta as a garnish and crap all over the plate? Who knows?

Victoria says: For all their gimickly oversized food, my sandwich was very regular sized. The “side” of mac and cheese ($2) was as big as my entree, which as Chris mentioned came garnished with raw spaghetti. I saw people at other tables eating, or at least attempting to eat theirs. Not so good. Coffee was decent and if you like a mountain of food that you shouldn’t finish, I would recommend it.

Jean Philippe Patisserie at the Aria

Victoria says: Expensive but darn good. I ordered a “Triple Chocolate Cheesecake” which was definatly triple chocoalte, but not so cheesecake. Cheese mousse more like. Still very good. Presentation was excellent also. Their disposable cutlery (which I just had to photograph) was so classy and French that it was metal coloured.

The Wynn Buffet

Cold cuts and breads at the Wynn

Desserts at the Wynn: Round 1

Desserts at the Wynn: Round 2

The buffet at the Wynn was easily one of the best places in Vegas we ate. It really was a fine dining buffet, with a nice variety of cuisines, and a good selection available at each station.

Of course, we stuffed our faces, and then went to lay waste to the dessert station. The dessert section at the Wynn buffet is so large it could be its own patisserie.

I’m sure quite a few of these items were banqueting leftovers, as the quality of some of the items was miles above others. A lot of very intense, overly sweet and artificially colored things to please the kids, but also a good amount for the grownups who like real desserts.

Victoria says: Do you hear the sound of angels? I do. Every time I think about the Wynn Buffet.

The Buffet at the Golden Nugget

The buffet at the Golden Nugget wasn’t what I wanted, but it was what I needed – food. A strange mixture of all you can eat excess, from pizza and fried chicken to Mexican and Chinese. We had lunch there, but coffee and orange juice were coming around whenever we liked, which was nice. The pastries and desserts were not good, however. Dried out from sitting uncovered too long, and many were clearly bought in.

Worth going to if you’re starving, and are too scared to try the $3.99 prime rib dinners advertised all over Fremont Street.

Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill

As much as I dislike Bobby Flay’s TV personality, I can’t dislike this restaurant. The servers were knowledgeable, the kitchen silent, and the food good. We were in for brunch, and I got the ‘New Mexican Spiced Pork Tenderloin Sandwich’. Delicious spiced fries and aioli. It did desperately need a squeeze of a lemon or lime to cut the grease in the fries though. Good [cold] sandwich though. I like that the server made it a point to say that it is a cold, not hot, sandwich, so nobody gets confused.

Carnival World Buffet at the Rio

This is supposed to be the #1 buffet in Vegas, but for my dollar it has nothing on the Wynn. Sure, the variety is huge, but from what I saw with that came a decline in quality. The salad bar [yes, I wanted a salad] was lacking in toppings, dressings, and even serving utensils. Had some watery chili, a piece of pizza, some wings, and a fairly random sampling of other things. Mall food court quality or less. Gelato was alright, but nothing special.

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon

Writing about L’Atelier will just cheapen the experience. Go here. It is excellent.

Yew Restaurant at the Four Seasons Vancouver

Where to Eat No Responses »

Dec 162010

A brief review of last night’s dinner – Yew at the Four Seasons in Vancouver. Since I’m trying to embrace local food as much as possible, and love venison, I chose the three course, $35 Sidney Island Venison and Apple prix fixe.

As a starter: Venison Tartare, Elderflower poached apples, Black truffle, Apple Mint

Oh wow, this was done well. The tartare was cut beautifully, and the truffle wasn’t over powering either [I'm not usually a truffle lover]. The apples were a treat, as they had an almost pickled taste to them, really cutting the richness of the meat.

Additional starter: House-Made Duck pate, Dried Fruit Toast, Heirloom Beet Marmalade

After eating the too good for words duck pate at Fraiche, I had to try Yew’s. Bad flashbacks of tinned chicken meat-loaf-product from my childhood came flooding back. I found it under flavoured and under seasoned. It was set VERY firmly, not spreadable at all, making it difficult to eat with the lovely, thin, crispy fruit bread slices and delicious beet mamalade.

For the main: Roasted Venison, Fondant Butterball potatoes, Winter Greens, Double smoked bacon, Wild Blueberry jus

Perfectly cooked medium/rare venison. Nit picking: fondant potatoes? Didn’t look like it. Looked like some nicely cooked roast potatoes. Didn’t have any noticable flavour of a braised then roasted potato. The kale and bacon was nice, but nobody can screw up kale and bacon. The jus was mildly fruity, a little tart, and went perfectly.

Dessert: Warm Okanagan Apple Cobbler, Salted Caramel Ice Cream and Apple Chips

Disclaimer: I’m spoiled, because Victoria has made me some INCREDIBLE plated desserts. In the words of Gail Simmons, I’m sorry, Yew, your dessert just didn’t measure up.

Victoria’s cobblers are awesome, and the biscuit on top is a biscuit. The top of this one was a squishy cakey thing, not even a crumble, and quite sweet. No contrast to the soft apples below. The ice cream was ice cream, nothing remarkable. Apple chips? Plural? I’d have loved that. The apple CHIP was the nicest I’ve ever seen. So thin it was translucent, crispy, apple-y and sweet. The composition was pretty lame – a ramekin on a plate, with ice cream beside it. Not what I would have expected from a place like this.

Visually the restaurant is impressive, but very loud. I imagine it is something like an arms race in noise. The kitchen is semi-open, behind a glass wall, so to cover the kitchen noise the raise the music volume. To be able to talk over the music, diners have to shout.

Also, thank you over attentive busser. You weren’t the least bit annoying filling my water glass not only right after it was first filled by the server, even before I had a sip, but also right after that sip. And the next. And the next.

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