Back to work again.

Sorry for the delay on posting.

As of late I have been contemplating the idea of working in a kitchen. Why the hell would anyone want to do it?

I spend at least 12+ hours of my day in a room without windows. I am Surrounded by machines spewing flames and hot steam.  The only thing I can really trust is the edge of my Masahiro 240 Gyuto, and that's starting to dull. I eat my meals standing up. I drink my coffee black. Every third word that comes out of my mouth only consists of four letters, not including the simple suffixes to help emphasize it's meaning. I yell alot. I cut my self alt least 3 times a week, and let's not get into the burns. Did I mention that I curse alot... Oh wait, I did in my long winded rant about suffixes. I find solace in butchering the carcasses of long dead animals.
I frequently ask myself why do I continue to do it.

Well for one, after the 13th hour of work and ninth pint of coffee, when you look back at the fleeting accomplishment that I've just plated up for my customers. I see them smiling like overstuffed pigs waiting to be slaughtered. You just have to smile and take in the moment. For that time while they were enjoying the fruits of my labor, I was able to make that person think of nothing else other than that thing I just created. Not many people can do that. Hopefully they will come back to see what else I can create. Now, I ask myself the same question. Why the hell would I want to cook?

The answer is simple...  It's cuz I sure as hell don't want to eat what your making.  J/k!

I do it because I love it. Anyone can become a good cook. The technique is no secret. The problem is do they have fortitude to keep up with it all.

Escoffier's Sous Chef said it best. "Heaven gives us good meat, hell gives us good cooks."

Enough with the culinary tirades... now on to the recipes 


Burgundy Poached Seckle Pear with Burbon Caramel


6 Seckle Pears, peeled and cored.
2 cups Red Wine, (burgundy or something similar)
3 cups water
2 cups Sugar
1/2 Vanilla Bean (optional)

Boil the wine, water, and sugar with the vanilla.  Lower to slow simmer. 

Place pear in liquid and place a weight ton top in order to submerge the pears fully (a plate should be fine).  

Cover and let poach for 30 - 45 minutes or until tender.

For Caramel:
2 cups Sugar
1/2 cup water
2 cups Heavy Cream
1 cup bourbon


Scald the haeavy cream and Bourbon mixture. Lower fire and keep warm.
Caramelize sugar and water mixture.  
When amber in color slowly add haeavy cream and whip with a LONG whisk!  
Be very careful because the molten sugar will bubble and splash when the cream is added. 


Assemble by removing the pear from the liquid and let dry a little.  Sauce with the caramel and a dollop of whipped cream.  Enjoy! 

Cooking at home VS. Cooking at work.

I have been cooking for quite a number of years now and yet I hardly cook at home.  Here are the my top reasons i don't cook at home....

First off  I don't have a fully stocked pantry and a walk in fridge.  Also working on all electric applianaces really stinks.  I miss my jade burners when I cook at home.  There is nothing like having a 14" sautee pan heated up by15000 btu of gas power.  Plus I can cook 12 things simaltaineously at work.  At home i am limited to these chipped nonstick pans that can barely fit a whole egg to make breakfast.  My main complaint about cooking at home is i don't have my dishwaher, pot washer and porter  cleaning up after me.  I miss throwing 16 different bowls/utensils/pans into the pot sink and looking over five minutes later to see them cleaned.  Not only that, the garbage magically takes it self out.  I don't know how, but it does.  The main reason i don't cook at home is i'm ussually the one telling people what to do, but once take off the chef coat and clean my knives... I am no longerthe boss.  I'll admit it, because I don't mind.  I do enough nagging at work, I guess it's only fair that I recieve my dose too. 

There is an old saying, "if you go to a carpenter's house you'll find a three legged table."  If you come here you'll probably find a Big Mac Extra Value Meal and a diet coke... got try and keep it healthy. 

Now on to the recipies.
Lambic Braised Beef Short Ribs with Swiss Chard.  for 6 people.



5 lbs Beef short ribs(of the bone, if on bone add another pound)
1 bottle cherry lambic
1 cup Beef stock (the canned stuff is fine)
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced carrots
1/4 cup  diced onions
5-6 springs  of  thyme chopped fine
3 cloves of garlic( minced)
1/4 cup Dried Cherries (Cranberries work too)
1/4 cup flour
Salt and Pepper to taste
Vegetable oil
Swiss Chard or Escarole

1. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper.   Dust lightly in flour and sear them in a sautee pan  with a little oil.  Make sure to brown all the edges nicely.  Don't worry about over cooking the meat...
2. Remove the meat and set aside, drain excess oil and deglaze  the pan  with the onions, garlic and thyme. 
3.Sweat the onion mix and then add the celery and carrots.  cook till all ingriedients are light golden color. 
4. Replace beef with veg mix and add lambic beer.  Bring to simmer on the stove top and then cover and place into a 325 F oven for the next 2 hours. 
5.Clean the vegetables (swiss chard or escarole) and chop onto bit size pieces.
6. during the last 5-10 minuts of cooking, lightly brown some minced garlic in a sautee pan and then add the green leafy vegetables.
7. Sautee  the vegetables intil tender and season with salt and pepper. 

If you really want to take it a step further, you can make some gremolata. 
Zest a couple lemons, limes and oranges.
Mince some garlic and add it to the mix.
Do the same with some finely chopped parsely. 
Add some nice olive oil and salt and pepper.
Squeeze in some citrus ( a little of each works) and there you go... this stuff will last a while in the fridge and goes nicely with meats and fish.   Enjoy

J-