The Majesty of Tomatoes

Its high enough in umami taste (savory amino acids) to rival mushrooms and meat. Its a fruit from the new world that penetrated europe and became the only ingredient to be be featured among the 5 classic sauces of french cuisine.

Food Pairing lists the following common pairings

Fruit:
Grapefruit
Grapes
Banana
Pear
Sour Cherry
Strawberry
Raspberry
Kiwi
Orange
Black currant

Legume:
Beans
Truffle
Soybean
Pea

Seafood:
Mussel

Herb/Spice:
Tarragon
Cinnamon
Clove
Laurel (bay leaf)
Coriander
Pepper
Anise
Basil
Parsley
Oregano

Cultured Dairy:
Yoghurt
Buttermilk

Culinary Artistry Lists in alphabetical order the following common pairings:

Anchovies
Arugula
Basil
Bread crumbs
Champagne
Cheese – feta, goat, mozzarella, parmesan
Chiles
Chives
Cucumbers
Eggs
Garlic
Lemon
Lovage
Marjoram
Mint
Mushrooms
Olive oil
Olives
Onions
Oregano
Parsley
Pasta
Pepper, black
Peppers, especially red
Saffron
Salt
Seafood
Shallots
Sugar
Tarragon
Thyme
Vinegar – balsamic, sherry, wine

"peaches and legs have supple character" -'uncle' Danny

Alinea

Headed down for a 2 day stage-interview. More details to come...

Amuse Bouche

Tuna Tartar
spicy beet brunoise
olive bread chip

Lamb Follow up

Roasted Saddle of Quebec Lamb
marcona almond puree spiked with preserved lemon juice
summer vegetables
lamb jus

Elegance

Elegance; graceful, simple, beautiful.

A restaurant chef is always looking for the fastest and cheapest way to create something delicious that a customer will love. We throw carrots mindlessly into stocks and sauces. This recipe is incredibly simple and delicious and comes almost straight out of letters to a young chef. Of course, there are myriad flavors which pair beautifully with the carrot but for the sake of this recipe we want to keep it as simple as possible.

With any vegetable based soup, I start with a puree of the theme ingredient. If I can thin out the soup with the juice of that ingredient, it will be a beautiful clean soup. The carrot is a perfect example.

We start by glazing the carrots in their own juice and olive oil. Cook the carrots over low heat in a fair amount quality olive oil - about twice as much as you would normally use. The fat becomes a carrot-infused oil that will emulsify when the soup is pureed and enrich the finished product. With this method we capture the fat soluble flavors of the carrot with the oil. We use the oil to cook the carrot to represent the silky texture of cooked carrot and we add a lipid element that coats the mouth with the sweet flavor of carrot. To the sweating carrots, add fresh carrot juice, chopped ginger, coriander seed.

Once the carrots are cooked and the juice has reduced all the way down - puree the mixture and pass it through a sieve. Chill completely. When the puree has chilled, thin it with more fresh carrot juice. Season with ginger juice, lemon juice, salt, sugar, cayenne. This is your soup.

New Additions to Our Library

Someone very special got this book for me, "just because..."

Michel Bras is a true artist. Its full of amazing ideas - incredible book.

Blazing Saddles

We brought in some really nice quebec lamb saddles for a party. We also have live scallops and french black truffles coming in for the same party. Its more fun for the cooks.


We have probably 7-10kg of trim leftover. I'm thinking merguez?