The Portly Chef

Baking is clearly my weakest suit. I’ve rarely done it (as it is pretty much abhored by the South Beach Diet) and, when I have done it, the result has been nearly universally bad.

This weekend, however, my luck improved, thanks to (tres belle!!) Clotide over at Chocolate & Zucchini. As I wrote below, she provided a recipe for le fondant au chocolat de Tante Amelie [Aunt Amelie’s Smooth Chocolate Cake — sounds better in French, right?]. The recipe is easy and delicious. One commenter on her post noted the similarity between this recipe and one Julia Child claimed credit for based on the history of names surround the namesake Amelie. Interesting stuff.

I tried the recipe myself and it is honestly fool proof. Rather than going with the apricot or strawberry-mango glaze Clotide used, I applied a raspberry jam and let it cool for a few hours in the fridge. My wife then placed raspberries around the edge and piped the cake with melted white chocolate. It was as delicious as it looks (though blurry).

After this recipe and others I’ve tried with success, I’ll definetly be pre-ordering Clotide’s newest cookbook.

A collection of what was posted here and elsewhere during the work week.

• I introduced my orange tres leches with chocolate candied orange peels, experimented with neck (which my friend Greg pointed out can be done in numerous forms of braising) and we debated pre- and post-tax tipping.

• The ever-talented Clotilde Dusoulier of Chocolate & Zucchini provided a scrumptuous chocolate cake, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

• Derrick of Obsession with Food explained the differences between frittata and omelets (a topic that came up in my office the same day).

• Bee of Rasa Malaysia was sick, but still managed to make a mean Beehoon Soup.

• On the same day she gave away a Valentine’s Day lunch to the Russian Tea Room, Restaurant Girl reported that Chef Gary Robins stormed out of the Tea Room earlier in the week. Restaurant Girl got credit for scooping that story in a major New York Times piece covering her site. The NYT article was later re-printed with correction appended, crediting Snack.

“A man must eat a peck of salt with his friend, before he knows him.” — Miguel de Cervantes

And so, friends, we explore together. A reader asked that I talk about the various kinds of salt that are becoming so popular in the everyday kitchen. Relying mostly on kosher and sea salt myself, I was happy to oblige and increase my knowledge of this delectable rock.

There are very few natural elements that we do not eat. Wood and rock stand among them. However, salt is a frequent exception to that rule. After the jump, I’ll discuss kosher salt, sea salt, Fleur de Sel, canning salt and rock salt.

Continue reading Salts of the Earth (and Sea)

To start, I’ll completely own up to not doing anything original today. I was going to settle for the post below, owning up to giving the English too much credit for their cookery (I, for one, have no problem with it).

But then I came across this article from Frank Bruni in the New York Times [yet again, via The Food Section] regarding how to tip.

I’ll let you read the article in whole, but it relates the story of a restaurant that suggested tips based on the bill, making the calculation, without notice, on the post-tax total. Bruni offers an interesting discussion of the debate between whether to tip pre- or post-tax.

I had never considered tipping on the pre-tax total until I began dating my now-wife, who was appalled that I tipped on the post-tax total. I still generally follow this practice, mainly because the post-tax total is the last number I see. However, using the post-tax total, I feel more free to cut the tip down (as low as 10%) for sub-par service. (Only once have I bilked on the tip, and I felt so guilty I’ve never returned to that restaurant.)

I’d like to get a response from readers in the comments as to whether you tip pre- or post-tax. Offer justifications if you’d like.

Maybe I was wrong when I suggested that the British receive a bum rap for the quality of their food. Reuters today ran an article headlined “Britons risk arrest in search of decent pub food.” Maybe the rap is well deserved.

The article highlighted a poll suggesting that the gastro pub (see wikipedia and The Food Section) is drawing business away from the local “boozer.” Individuals willing to drive the distance for the better food admit that they are more likely to drive back home with more than the legal limit of alcohol in their systems.

While living in London for a semester, I found the food to be surprisingly good. The Sunday dinner at the local home I resided at in Hereford for one week and the National Dining Rooms at the National Gallery in London were particularly satisfying.

According to the New York Times, neck is the new cheek. [via The Food Section]. Wanting to keep my readers on the cutting edge of modern cuisine, I decided that I would brave this new food trend for you.

When I explained at work yesterday that dinner for the night was lamb’s neck (acquired from my local Hy-Vee), it would be an understatement to say that the average response indicated mild disgust. It was bad enough that I ate lamb (”They’re so cute!”), but to eat the neck — eww (as if, somehow, the neck is more repulsive than any other part of the body). But, nonetheless, I forged ahead — all for you.

I’ll explain what I found about the cut of meat itself, a little of its history in cuisine, the pleasing result that it provided, and a recipe that you can make at home tonight, all after the jump.

Continue reading Sticking My Neck Out For Neck

In preparation for a Super Bowl XLI party, I began working on a new recipe based on a traditional tres leches cake. I studied a few recipes, including this recipe for a coconut tres leches cake. Given that it was a Colts party, I wanted a blue flavoring to replace the coconut and could only come up with blueberries — and I thought blueberry juice would most likely not be a suitable substitute for the coconut milk, for (a) taste reasons, and (b) because it isn’t milk I really wouldn’t have a tres leches cake. So it was back to the drawing board.

Continue reading Orange Tres Leches Cake with Chocolate Candied Orange Peels

This post has been circulating various blogs. I picked it up from one of my new favorites, Rasa Malaysia. So here are my five.

1. I’ll try any food once. Nothing is too disgusting. In fact, if you cook it a different way, I’ll try most anything twice. I find that I benefit from this more often than I’m harmed. For instance, haggis became an instant favorite. (On a related note, apparently there is some correlation between an adult’s willingness to try different foods and whether he or she was breast fed or raised on formula, with those who were breast fed more willing to try new foods). What is the most adventerous food you’ve had?
2. It is only recently that I’ve become used to deviating from recipes. Perhaps it’s my lawyer training, but I’m a ”By the Rules” kind of guy. Later this week I’ll have a recipe for an orange tres leches that is one of my first “original” recipes. I’m very proud of it.
3. I hate tomatoes. And, per my rule in #1, I’ve tried them many times, many ways. I can do the tomato sauce, paste, ketchup, etc., but to slice a tomato and eat it is beyond my abilities.
4. Today is my sixth month wedding anniversary (Ok — I know anniversary by definition means “year,” but go along with it). I couldn’t be happier or more lucky.
5. I played rugby for the London Nigerians for a few months in 2002. The Nigerians are a club team, the equivalent to a Single A or Double A (AA) farm league baseball team in the states. I played for their B Side while studying at the University of Westminster and also playing for the Dragons.

I’m currently following (and very much impressed with) the following five food blogs:

1. Rasa Malaysia
2. Obsession with Food
3. Chocholate & Zucchini
4. The Food Section
5. Restaurant Girl

Finally, in a shameless grab, as all bloggers are, I’m looking to increase traffic. If you’ve enjoyed my work thus far, please don’t hesitate to link over to me!

Having seen a recipe from one of our South Beach cookbooks, I made this easy adaptation that is perfect (and quick!) for a cold night and looks beautiful when served to guests.

The recipe and details, after the jump. Continue reading Lamb Chops in a Red Wine Vinegar and Mustard Reduction

My wife and I will be going to Las Vegas for Memorial Day weekend and are seeking recommendations for restaurants. We currently are considering Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House, Le Cirque, Spago, Fleur de Lys, and Bouchon, among others.

We’d appreciate your sharing any recommendations for Las Vegas fine dining.