Archives for November 2007
Recalling Vail, Colorado.
30 November 2007 | cook, jeff, vail | No Responses
I’ve been think about Vail alot lately. I lived there for seven years before moving to Stumptown. I had some really great experiences in the Vail Valley, hell I met Kate there. The first five years that I was there I worked as a server, innkeeper, carriage driver, barbeque cook, server and meat cutter, and kitchen manager. The last two years, I worked as an assistant to the pastry chef at Vail Cascade. Chef Tony was a true mentor, and I worked with a lot of great cooks. I really learned a lot working there, and I also got to snowboard pretty much every day. The hotel has its own ski lift, and I could be geared up and riding up it within ten minutes of leaving the bench. I miss the cool projects and the good friends from the Vail Cascade. I also miss Minturn, the little town where I lived with my brother, good buddy, and all the dogs. *Sniff*
Tumultuous Times.
28 November 2007 | Roux, bacon, cook, faithful readers, fenouil, food | 1 Response
Well faithful readers, 
this week I gave my two weeks notice at Fenouil. That’s right, I’m resigning from my pastry cook position, as it seems best for all concerned. I’ve been waffling back and forth on this for weeks, but the factual truth is that I’m going nowhere at this job. It’s a great kitchen to work in, but ever since I broke my wrist and couldn’t work for 6 weeks, things have been going down hill. It’s mainly personal, but It seems to be the best course of action for everyone involved that I just call it. 86 Jeff. On to the next one. I’ve also decided to broaden my horizons a bit…I took a line cook job at Roux. I’ve realized that you don’t make enough scratch as a pastry cook, and most restaurants don’t need more than just the pastry chef. I’m not saying I’ve given up on pastry, I just wanna switch it up a bit. Besides, I love all food…and I can cook. I got a really cool vibe when I staged at Roux. The place has great heart, everyone seems like they want to be there. I worked part of a brunch shift this past Sunday, poaching eggs and such, and it seemed like a really cool kitchen. I think there will be opportunity to learn, and maybe help out the pastry chef with some prep as well. The main thing is that I can walk there in about 8 minutes, and they make all thier own bacon. I’m also seriously considering going back to school next summer and finishing my degree. Crazy times, man, crazy times.
Thanksgiving
26 November 2007 | creative presentation of the week, delicious, food | 1 Response
I cooked in total about two full days, okay maybe fifteen hours, and it was good. Jaybill and I did the turkey four ways: wing confit, bacon wrapped thighs, smoked legs, and deep fried breasts. For appetizers we had shrimp salad crostini, sekel pear with fig and blue cheese, and several delicious stinky cheeses from New Seasons, courtesy of Sasha, our friend who works there. As side dishes we had Gravy Bombs (above, the creative presentation of the week,) sweet potato crumble, roasted root vegetables, garlic mashies, and spinach salad with bacon vinegrette. Dessert was comprised of cranberry sorbet, apple pie, pumpkin pie and lemon meringue pies. and since it was Keri’s birthday the following day, I made her a cake. It was Kaluha Chocolate Flourless with toffee crust and White Chocolate Basil Ice Cream. I didn’t take too many pictures, but it was a great meal that we all enjoyed. I was souind asleep bt 10 pm.
Finally Current On Achewood.
23 November 2007 | jeff, web comic | No Responses
So I’ve been reading this web comic Achewood for about 3 months now. I started at the begining, and I’ve read all 6 years worth of comic in that time. Early on I got wrapped up in the characters, especially Lyle and Todd. After really getting into it, my faves are Ray and Roast Beef. I can’t forget Phillipe, of course, or Teodor, but it’s the writing that kept me coming back. It feels kind of strange being caught up on these, there are so many memories. The Great Outdoor Fight, Ray’s Toilet Party, and Beef’s Magic Underpants, all cracked me right up. I guess I’ll have to be satisfied with the frequent updates, and each charachter’s blog. That’s right, each one has it’s own blog. Fucking brilliant. I also read Riceboy, Dresden Kodak, and XKCD.
New Menu Items
20 November 2007 | carlyle, chocolate, delicious, dessert, faithful readers, food porn, plated dessert | 2 Responses
Faithful readers, it’s time to change ‘em up a little bit, we’ve gotta keep it exciting, right? The Rosemary and Pinenut Tartlette is coming off. I can’t give that thing away. Also bye-bye is the Cheesecake Three Ways, because its too much work. I’m bustin’ my ass over a mediocre dessert, when I should have been making Chocolate Flourless , Passionfruit, and Creme Fraiche Sherbet, pictured above. Sauced it with Valrhona, ’cause it’s good Also we have Poached Pear, Olive Oil beignet, and Valrhona milk chocolate. Take a look below. We poached the pears in a bag for six hours in Jake’s thermal bath. This is attempting that “in the woods” feeling that I was trying to capture with the Pinenut Tart. Maybe this time the clarified butter and chocolate will make it happen. That’s right, we got Valrhona on both, peeps. You’ve tried it , right? Also revised was The Irish Car Bomb, which is now Gunniess stout brownie, Bailey’s anglaise, and Jameson’s salted whiskey caramel ice cream. And don’t forget to check Elvis’s out new bacon cookie!!!
Creative Presentation of the Week: Fried Waffles
17 November 2007 | creative presentation of the week | No Responses
So the waffle maker had been hit with degreaser, and the waffles were coming out all chemical tasting (and poisonous,) so we had all this extra waffle batter. What ever will we do, Chef? Well …he showed us. Deep Fried Waffles with Hollandaise sauce. This is how great food is invented. Little extra bit of this, little too much of that, little different method and presentation, and um, well thats delicious! Also today: burned caramel and then threw hazelnuts all over the room. I’ve been feeling a little distracted. Two jobs is rough. I need to focus. All this eating I mean cooking.
One Dude-3 hours.
15 November 2007 | carlyle, custard, delicious, dessert | No Responses
So thaaaats how long it takes to use every single whip, spat, bowl, and container in the kitchen. Actually, its probably not even a third of the small wares, but certainly all the spats. AB would be ashamed of me. Anyhoo there was a lot of stirring and straining and spinning going on today making ice creams. Today we have blueberry white chocolate, and lemon meringue. For the blueberry I folded in frozen berries and white chocolate mouse to a custard base. Lemon curd and soft merinque went in more base for the other. The blueberry was very white chocolatey, and the lemon was tasty. A good start. I also made malted milk chocolate peanut butter and a base for salted whiskey caramel. I enjoy making ice creams and sorbets, because once I have base made, I can always be spinning. I’ll be all hell of into doing something else (such as a simple plating) and the machine will go ”BEEP!” Then we eat soft serve. Just keep spinning..Just Keep spinning
SPINNING ALL DAY!!!
Best TV Moment to Date
13 November 2007 | food, iron chef, photoshop | 1 Response
We jumped up and bally-hooed when Michael Symon took The Next Iron Chef title this past Sunday Night. I’ve become a huge fan of this guy over the past month. Watching the series and reading The Soul of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman, how could I not? His cooking is solid and his personality is just what the Iron Chef’s need. I try to catch of Iron Chef America as much as possible, and Next Iron Chef has been a much discussed weekly event. Judge Michael Rulhman always seemed like a straight dick on the show, but his book was actually really good. It spent several chapters exploring the life of Chef Symon and his restaurant Lola. Good reading. I guess if you co-write The French Laundry cookbook, you’ve got a right to be a dickhead judge on Iron Chef. All the judges were really objective actually, and deciding between Symon and John Besh was no easy task. I really thought Besh had it there for awhile. It was a good thing they had Morimoto and the other Chefs to help ‘em sort it all out.
Top Sellers
11 November 2007 | carlyle, delicious, dessert, plated dessert | 2 Responses
After three weeks of my first menu, The Irish Car Bomb is most definitely the best selling dessert at Carlyle. I guess its not that suprising, it’s clearly the most decadent choice. Plating is pretty basic, but got some ideas. Flavors alone are selling it. Clearly, plating isn’t everything. It’s a keeper. Coming in second, my sweetheart dessert, is the Deep Fried Bread Pudding. Another decadent choice by way of deep frying, and caramel apple and croissant baked custard. The brown butter ice cream that goes with it it is probably my favorite ice cream ever. Scooped and sprinkled with a little Fluer de Sel at service, Emeril say BAM! Sam Mason’s brown milk rules! The mulled cider gastrique ties it all together in a way I never would have imagined. Thats because Jaybill did.
Turkey Dinner
9 November 2007 | delicious, food | No Responses
Another home cooked meal created by two brothers. Here we have roast turkey breast, store bought salad mix that we churched up with some basic vinegrette and Pecorino, and Jaybill’s sweet potato crumble. We stuffed basil, garlic, and salt and pepper under the skin of this 3 pound turkey breast before browning it, then roasting it. We deglazed the pan with cheap red wine and then rouxed it, added chicken stock, cream, and milk. This reduced into a rich pan gravy cream sauce concotion that of course was finished by swirling in chunks of cold butter. It was silky and smooth, rich and delicious. The sweet potato crumble was a basic mashed sweet potato, topped with struesel, and baked. This idea plauged Jaybill all day, he wanted to eat it so bad. Quite delectible. We drank numerous crispy Longhammers to wash it all down. Hooray Dinner!!
