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This page will be dedicated to my lifelong profession. I have been in the foodservice industry for thirty years and believe me strange things happen behind those swinging doors. I will be entering recipes and cooking tips. I would also ask you the on the net to contribute any ideas or favorite recipes you might have, Also related web sites are welcome. Since I have now mastered the color scheme of web pages things will at least be prettier...all except me. Welcome my fellow culinary artesians. Let's get cooking!
Hey! There are lumps in my gravy
Ah yes the dreaded words feared by every proud gravy maker. Sometimes they occur and sometimes they don't. Sometimes they are big and sometimes you can convince people that they are sesame seeds. In any event it is an avoidable catastrophe if you are willing to change from your mother's tried and true WHITEWASH. (Flour and water) This makes pretty fair homemade paste but a poor gravy thickener. Lets look at a method that uses roux.
What's roux? Nothing more than a simple mixture of flour and margerine in equal proportions to thicken a certain amount of liquid. Yes this will call for measuring, at least at first. Eyeballing this has some strange results Measure 4 oz. of flour and 4oz. of margerine. Melt margerine in a sauce pan and add flour. Cook slowly for about 3-5 min. Don't brown the flour! Now remove from heat and let it rest. How did it get that tired? Actually you are allowing the glutens in the flour to relax kind of like a stretched rubber band. If you skip this part you can get some strange reactions. In another pan you will have 1/2 gal of whatever you are making gravy from. If you need more liquid add water and boullion cubes. Make sure your stock is hot and add ALL AT ONCE to the roux and return to heat. Whisk briskly to mix the roux in completely. Simmer for at least 1/2 hour or more. This gravy will not lump, break, or otherwise embarrass you.It will take some practice but it will be worth it. We will try a recipe in a couple days. For now. See Ya. Chef Dave
Something'sFishy
"My fish tastes fishy." This sentence makes every chef grind their teeth and wonder what the patron expected. Everything can't taste like chicken! In reality the complaint is based on the strong flavor of some fish as opposed to the milder species. So how do you judge what your taste buds will tolerate? Here are some guidelines for the seafood shopper.
In general species living in cold deep water tend to be milder flavored. Some examples are haddock, cod,orange roughy and halibut. Reading the label to find where the product came from is a good start. North Atlantic and Alaskan seafood are mainly high quality products but even here there are pitfalls. Alaskan products are sometimes caught and processed by southeast Asian fishermen. As their techniques are not as sophisticated as some, the quality of the product can suffer. Therefore "Alaskan Pollock" that is a product of Taiwan may be cheap but will not be the quality desired. Australian products such as roughy and of course lobster are excellent.
Another common ploy is similar species that come from different waters. Take red snapper. True Gulf red snapper is delightfully flaky and mild. It's Japanese cousin is tougher and can crumble to dust on occasion. Read the label on the "on sale" lobster. Even money says it swam in the warm waters off the Florida coast or elsewhere in the gulf. Again the environment that the animal lives in reflects it's culinary value. Shellfish recently has become a crap shoot. Farmed oysters and clams are your safest bet. If your source can't tell you where they came from, find another source.
How about size? Again as in other animals the largest of the species is not the most desirable. Fish vary in size and so will their filets. As a rule most popular types of fish run in the 4 - 10oz range for natural filets. A "natural filet" is simply the entire side of a fish as opposed to a large filet cut up. Bigger is not better in the seafood world, the exception being shrimp. And they deserve their own paragraph. Read on.Shrimp are one of the most commonly devoured critters in the ocean. Battered, breaded, stir fry, boiled, sauteed, etc. They come in all sizes from the lowly popcorn shrimp (100 per pound) to the regal scampi at 4 per pound. Prices range from $3.00/lb to $11.00/lb. What you buy depends on what you are making. They also come shell on, shell off cooked, and raw. Best quality for the price is shell on raw and you do the work. Again keep in mind where they live. "Gulf Shrimp" is the best as long as it is the Gulf of Mexico. Tiger shrimp are the latest bargain. The reason is that the gulf they live in is off the Indian coast. They tend to have what is politely referred to as a bite to them. Layman's terms: They are tough.
In this day of health concerns and high cholestrol, seafood is becoming increasing popular. Anything in demand will usher in the sharks (pun intended) to prey on unsuspecting buyers. Be informed, ask questions, and weigh economy with quality. And remember if something smells fishy it no doubt is. As always E-Mail questions welcome.
It seems that healthy foods seem to have the stigma of not tasting good. This does not have to be the case. A little imagination goes a long way. For instance substitute skim milk for regular in recipes. Use spices that you may not have before. Some of the aromatic spices such as Rosemary, Basil and Thyme can add a real flair to recipes. If sodium is not a problem, my all time favorite flavor enhancer is soy sauce. Not just any however. Kikkoman makes an excellent product that does'nt have that super salty taste. Worchestershire sauce also comes in handy. Even methods of cooking are important. Poaching is not just for eggs. Try making a court boullion and poaching fish in it. Trick question. If you don't know what a court boullion is, E-mail me and I'll tell you. Stir fry is also a great method for the health concious. Broiling is of course the standard. Well time to take my blood pressure pill. Yeah I'm reading labels too.
Convection ovens are a luxury for the more well off right now. Like anything else technology will bring the prices down. They are great for baking and cooking something rapidly. They also are energy savers as the temperatures are lower and the cooking time shorter. But....(you knew that was coming) they tend to dehydrate products which creates shrinkage and dryness. Temperatures must be lowered by 30-50 degrees to roast fowl and other meats. Using liquid while cooking also helps. Allow ample ventilation ie. stove hood as these babies will heat your kitchen in a hurry without proper exhaust.
Most retail models offer both convection and conventional cooking cycles in one unit. You can pick what suits your needs. They are the cats P.J.'s for baking. CHEFTIP: Heat the unit slightly. turn it off and proof your bread or pastries in it. When they are proofed, hit the on switch and set the timer. These ovens preheat so fast that there is no need to wait.
Bottom line. Buy one on your next stove purchase if possible. Prices will be down to affordable levels and the higher quality and energy savings will be impressive.
As the holidays approach, so do the frequency of parties and visitors both planned and the dreaded"We were just in the neighborhood"
These can be trying times for the unprepared. Now is the time to do some forward planning. Who wants to rake leaves anyway!? So what kind of things can be done on a cold rainy
football filled Sunday. Well here are some ideas to work with.
Hors de'oeuvres are always a big hit around the holidays. Meatballs can be made cooked and frozen in whatever size meets your needs and a variety of sauces can be added when neede. Sweet sour, BBQ, Swedish and Italian come to mind. Sausage is a biggie around holidays. Take adavantage of lower prices now and cut and freeze your favorite kind for later. Ramaki or chicken livers and bacon for the layman, are easy to make up and freeze. Most of the above can be thawed, prepped and served in an hour or less. CHEFTIP:Thaw in microwave only if you must or you would prefer that this particular group goes elsewhere next holiday. They are wonderful inventions but thawing meat in them is a crap shoot. Go the extra mile and thaw in the refrigerator overnite if possible.
Here's a holiday project for the whole family. Build a gingerbread house. It's not really as tough as you think. Check out Gingerbread Dough Recipe for tips on how to get started. This is a great project for the kids because it involves playing with sugar.They will enjoy it and learn something right along with you. You make the patterns out of cardboard and use them to cut the raw gingerbread. CHEFTIP: After you bake the gingerbread recut the pieces with the pattern BEFORE they cool. This will keep your design somewhat square.
Mama's Cookbook - Italian and Mexican
