True….

Amen brother ….. Amen….

Playing with Gastrovac…..

The Gastrovac is a really interesting toy …. It has been out quite sometime now but not every kitchen can acquire one due to its price … Its also a new concept, a tool you have to “figure out” how to make it work for optimal results and use since there are very few resources and recipes to give you an operational idea….
Here is how it works….
By creating an artificial low pressure, oxygen-free atmosphere, the Gastrovac considerably reduces cooking and frying temperatures, maintaining the texture, colour and nutrients of the food.
Moreover, the Gastrovac creates the “sponge effect”: when the atmospheric pressure is restored, the food absorbs the liquid around it, allowing infinite combinations of foods and flavours…

During my visit in Orlando i had the opportunity to see first hand and get a glimpse of how a Gastrovac works… Chris Windus , Sean and i run off to the garde manger kitchen to set up the gastrovac and watch Chris Windus do a test run for the EPCOT upcoming demo …..

Chris had this idea about a lobster dish he had in the works… But Chris Windus is like any other great chef i have met… He is not afraid to improvise and he is constantly improving the plating and components untill he is satisfied enough…. The lobster is on his mind sure , thats only one component… The ergonomics of plate up , time to prepare , demo time available, ingredients and components , how these are prepared , testing , tasting , adjusting thinking and rethinking until its “done”…
The design of a new dish and its components is pretty much a rigorous exercise and not something you just drop on a plate… Some dishes are certainly easier than others but when you are at the top of your game you are not looking for something “just simple” but something extraordinary …It may look easy or straightforward but most people will not realize how much process goes behind closed doors until that dish is “complete”…
Anyway i will take the opportunity and post some pictures from our “adventures”with the gastrovac …

cooking....

ready....

slicing....

and tasting.....

The taste was light and the texture of the lobster resembled poaching or sous vide …. The test was successful in determining some questions , raising others and creating new ideas to light the road ahead…I am sure this is not the last time we will see the gastrovac in use……
The rest of the information about the final dish and the EPCOT demo are going to be on Bluechefs blog … Bluechefs blog

Best in Hampton Roads 2009…

We recently did another great event , March Of Dimes …March of Dimes is a great event for a great cause…The money we raise support programs in our community that help moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies. And it funds research to find answers to the serious problems that threaten our babies…
Our dish based on local fresh seafood was Puppy drum…
Here’s the list of winners:
Outstanding Presentation Dish – Richard Boone, Sonoma Wine Bar & Bistro

Best Decorated Booth – Rich Cuocco, Harbourway at Atlantic Shores

People’s Choice Award – Eric Doarnberger, The Founders Inn and Spa

Outstanding Dessert Dish – Richard Boone, Sonoma Wine Bar & Bistro

Chef’s Choice Award – Mike Farrell, Still

Most Environmentally Friendly Dish – Nigel Jenkins, The Great American Grill

The 2009 Dish of Hampton Roads – Executive Chef Pete Stine, Hilton Oceanfront Virginia Beach (Catch 31 & Salacia)

He prepared: Pan Roasted “Puppy Drum”, Corn bread, ragout of duck, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms.

This dish will be featured in our establishment in January and showcased in the 2010 Annual Food Issue of Hampton Roads Magazine.

The chefs’ restaurants donated packages for the live and silent auctions.

The money raised allows the March of Dimes to continue research and community education to help mothers have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies.
Congratulations to our chef team for another great event …

puppy drum ....

Tasting menu @ Bluezoo….

We had the distinct honor to dine at Bluezoo and get a taste of their menu in a multi course tasting dinner prepared by Chef Chris Windus and his team … We gave chef carte blanche to prepare whatever he wanted any way he wanted to … Its a great option to not have an option sometimes…. No menus no complicated orders, just food….
Pictures were not that great but we were shooting in low light conditions without flash … Partially because this was not supposed to be a photo shoot and partially because we did not wish to interrupt or disturb customers dinning all around us…

1st course

Octopus Sous Vide /Garbanzo beans/ Tomato

Sweetbreads

The parsnip puree was excellent….
2nd Course

White Homini Grits /shrimp/Pickled Okra/tomato

Seared Scallops / Shortrib/ Cauliflower Puree/Jus/Mache

3rd Course

Chilled lobster / Shaved fennel ,Orange , lobster/ Nasturtium/ Orange fluid gel

Another shot...

4th Course

Chefs Pasta...Fresh made Agnolotti ....

5th Course

Pork dish..Pork belly/ apple kraut quenelle /pork / warm potato salad

Pork belly brined in beer is divine …. Pork, Potatoes and super cold beer for dessert!!! Because after all this food this was the last thing i was able to fit… I would have done dessert in any other case but this was more than enough for us …. The beer was Tucher and it was cold and poured in extra chilled beer glasses … The perfect ending to a perfect dinner…..

Bluezoo has an exceptional menu …Heres a few more pictures from the “regular ” offerings and the outstanding desserts of Bluezoo…..

Again a special thanks to Chris windus and his team for the amazing tasting dinner and Doug and the FOH for the outstanding wine and service…

EPCOT Dinner @ Bluezoo… Behind the scenes…..

A picture is a thousand words they say… This is what goes on behind closed doors ,before a high end multi course dinner takes place… and the people behind it….

Cleaning Micro veg using a paring knife...

Chefs Garden Micro greens....

Shiso....

Turnips....From Chefs Garden in OH....

Carrots from Chefs Garden OH....

Beets from the same source....

Garbanzos ready for blanching.....

Making garlic chips.....

Yes another one...

The subtle sound of the circulator .....

Liquid Nitrogen on wheels......

Cauliflower pickle....

Sweetbreads.....

Pork belly C.S.V.

Octopus...

Apple Chips in Dehydrator...Final step.....

Red pepper gel .....

Clams packed ready for flash blanch ,chill and shuck......

Hamachi.....

Wagyu sliced for service.....

Cleaning chestnuts....

Making the porcini pasta.......

sweetbreads.....

picking out the best......

Laurent preparing the dessert....

Chris Windus talking to the FOH staff.......

Ready for Nitro raisin powder.....

Cryo grinding Raisins using liquid nitrogen.....

Taking another look....

Plate up time....

Our audience while chef Todd english thanks the kitchen.....

I could probably had taken even more pictures but actually plating up, taking multiple pictures of the demo plates, taking notes and synchronizing with the to do list can be pretty challenging…. Overall though i feel really fortunate that i had the opportunity to do this Dinner with Chris and to be able to have Sean with me to assist and learn in the process…
A special thank you to the Bluezoo Chefs , especially executive chef Chris Windus, Danny & Aaron as well as Tyler, Brian , Ken, Diane, Lupe and the girls, Marcos , Eric and the rest of you that made this dinner possible , as well as the Executive team of the hotel and the management of Bluezoo (thanks Doug) and the Swan & Dolphin for having us as guests and for organizing and executing this amazing event…

EPCOT Food & Wine Dinner with Chris Windus at Bluezoo….

Working with Chris Windus and his team for the past week was an absolute blast…. Chris Windus was graceful to allow me and a friend to stage and help with the preparations of their Annual EPCOT Food & Wine dinner at the Todds English Bluezoo restaurant in Orlando Florida …

For those that are not familiar , Bluezoo is a 4 diamond AAA restaurant inside the Swan and Dolphin Property, in World Disney … Bluezoo and the chef team of the hotel are known for pushing the boundaries in central Florida for quite some time now and display some very very refined food …Most Recently Bluezoo was named Best seafood restaurant in Orlando ….

Bluezoo is a Todd English restaurant and a very fine one… So if you are ever in Orlando please do not miss the opportunity of having dinner at the Bluezoo …

Without further delay here is the menu for the event and pictures from the plate up….

Starting up with some passed appetizers and “antennas”…..

Lobster /orange gel/ Fennel/ Celery leaf

Pork belly/ apple kraut/ Cauliflower puree/jus

Hamachi /daikon radish pickle/ Miso caviar/ shiso

Octopus Sous vide /Tomato/ garbanzo beans

And on to the menu….

Amuse
Apple Cider/ Celery

1st
Scallop Lobster Jus /Littleneck Clams/Iberico Ham Broth/Sorrel

2nd
Porcini Papardelle/ Fall mushrooms / Ricotta Salata/ Focaccia Breadcrumbs

3rd
Vitello Tonnato /Sweetbreads/ Toro/ lemon /garlic chip

4th
Wagyu shortrib/ Cauliflower/ petite vegetables

5th
Humboldt Fog / chestnut/ Brioche/ Nitro Raisin

6th
Pear and Caramel Millefeuille / Tonka bean ice cream

Ruffino has paired the menu with wine…

Thanks to Chef Chris Windus and his team… This past week was endless fun….

There are even more from this adventure into Florida, i will make sure to post in the next few days…..

Until then make sure you check the Bluechefs blog

Trip to Orlando….

In any given opportunity i really enjoy staging for other chefs … The invitation to attend and stage in Orlando Bluezoo is that perfect opportunity …After last years “expedition” i must admit that i was left hungry for more..
Staging allows us the opportunity to exchange knowledge and gain valuable experience …. And what a great dinner , year after year bluezoo has increasingly been promoting quallity events in central Florida…
In a few moments i am picking up a friend to join me to this road trip… I will be posting more pictures from the Bluezoo preparations and dinner …
More food coming up .. Stay tuned…

Sean Brock and the renaissance of American Cuisine….

After seeing Sean Brock pretty much making the grand finale of ICC Starchefs even greater on tuesday i must admit that hands down Seans presentation was completelly in tune and on point with the theme of the conference of what American Cuisine is …

And that because not only his food is balancing between Avant Garde technique and true tradition but also because his food represents the past present and future aspects of what good food is .. There was never any doubt that Sean Brock is the New Iconic American chef for Southern cuisine and one of the great creative forces of our times… Constantly pushing for improvement while keeping himself humble ,his food approachable and a wealth of information exchange flowing … Farmer , chef, mentor…. Sean has all the fine qualities to influence the way we think and eat food without detaching true tradition and flavor…..

If you haven’t been to McCradys yet and you are in the surrounding area please make your way to Charleston for a Dinner …If you live anywhere in the US, and haven’t been to Charleston, and want to visit, or would consider a visit, please don’t make no plans without including McCradys … Because Sean is cooking the new American Great cuisine today.. And McCrady’s Restaurant has become the pinnacle of iconic southern fine dining….

Please Visit McCradys page for more info and to make a reservation today!!
McCrady’s
2 Unity Alley
Charleston, SC 29401
843-577-0025
www.mccradysrestaurant.com

Starchefs ICC 2009 …day 3…..

After a great dinner at Marea the night before and a quick coffee with Chris we decided to visit jb prince…Let me tell you about jb prince.. There is no limit to how much one can spend when visiting a store like that ,filled with “toys” for chefs… We picked up a few small items and head out to return to the Park Avenue Armory to catch up before the first event for the day… Control is easy to say , hard to do sometimes….

Chris Windus in his favorite section......

We walked into the conference and grabbed one more excellent latte , while chatting with chef Dirk Flanigan from Chicago about restaurants and food, the Dinner at Marea the previous night and getting the inside story from a fellow chef that had the pleasure to have dinner at PER SE the night before….

The day began with legendary Spanish Chef Juan Mari Arzak, taking center Stage to talk about his restaurant, his philosophy, and to demonstrate two of his signature dishes. Arzak spoke of his restaurant, which he calls his home…

He went deep into talking about the evolution of the restaurant and his daughter Elena , her decision to follow the family business, the present and the past . He described the flavor laboratory he began 15 years ago with Ferran Adria, which now contains over 1,600 products from all over the world, neatly catalogued in a computer database.

Arzak and his chefs demonstrated two dishes, including his 2001 Space Odyssey-inspired Lunar Rock and his use of mojos .The results were stunning . Arzak described how he got inspired from the movie 2001 :A space odyssey , and demonstrated the complete dish and the special “platform” plate , complete with led lights …

It was amazing to watch the master and it was even more inspiring to talk to him and take pictures with him off stage … He was really intrested to meet a Greek among all these chefs and was trying to describe two off his favorite ingredients : Yogurt and Kaffir Lime …. Whats greater than striking even a 3 minute conversation with a living legend?

Closing his presentation Arzak ended with a few words that made an impression :Always be honest,” Arzak said “The kitchen is freedom.”

Charles Phan of The Slanted Door in San Francisco did a demonstration about street food …I did not get to see all of his demo

But i did get to watch Paco Torreblanca and his demo displaying some of the techniques he uses at Pasteleria Totel….Creating a faux oyster by molding an oyster shell using a heat gun and acetate only to create a faux oyster all with pearl and with a complete look and fill of an oyster dish…. He also demonstrated a “mock egg” that was created out of chocolateand filled with chocolate mousse and sugar”caviar” to appear like the savory egg custard in the shell with caviar…. Both demos along with the display of creating free form (resembled flowers) from spreading , combing and using a palette knife on chocolate …I took the video

And on to the highlight of the day on what proved to be one of the most complete takes on the theme of this conference ,”what is American cuisine”…. Sean Brock chef from Mc Cradys has displayed 3 platings of substance ,depth and culinary history , while employing ingredients of the past harvested from his Farm Project and techniques of the future inspired by his constant search of creating better food… Shrimp and grits , the garden and Hoppin john 3 old dishes re imagined from a culinary genius…He also talked about the restaurant , the farm and gave a background of his ingredients and how he is planning to expand the farming project by adding 4 acres dedicated to the heirloom seeds and plants of another era …..
Sean Brock brought a lot of substance and depth to the subject American cuisine while displaying how old can be new while maintaining character and flavor profile… Pictures here are a million words…

The garden...

Hoppin John....

Is there any doubt why i insist of calling Sean the Next great American Chef..?

And after this great demo , last but not least Dave Arnold and Nils Noren closed the Main Stage with a knock out demonstration of their latest kitchen experimentations …..extracting pecan butter and oil using a centrifuge;

“gluing” thin sheets of lamb and tuna on a warped board to create a marbled lamb/tuna “mokume ” thin slice;

clarifying with pectin X; and distilling moonshine using a rotary evaporator.

The duo demonstrated how to sedate a black sea bass with clove extract and then butchered it alive displaying a technique that involved severing the spine then inserting a wire from an incision close to the tail through the spinal cord ….

The fresh flesh also went into a dish with tuna spine jelly,brunoise celery, pecan yokan, and yuzu. It was served in the tunas vertebrae with the rib bones spiking out after it was boiled in Oxyclean to make it stark white.

They concluded their demonstration and the Congress with a synchronized audience-group shot of Skoal … This went down as a group and pictures were taken by Docsconz and stitched and can be found in their blog Or by clicking the picture …

chris and Skoal!!

That wrapped up the 2009 ICC Starchefs …..Thanks to Antoinette and Will once again for another great event ….

Starchefs ICC 2009 ..Day 2

The strong start of the congress this year continued on day 2 and 3 with a line up of culinary all stars and demos that pretty much kept most of us in our seats…. Unfortunatelly between taking video , pictures and taking occasional notes i missed some of the glory in pictures… I soon realized that my new Nikon D3000 will need a 50-200mm and a Macro to get all the beauty…What can you do….
Well lets see …
Day 2 Monday…

In anticipation of a strong follow up to Gagnaires magic on sunday , the top pastry trio of Sam Mason, Johnny Iuzzini and Alex Stupak came on stage for a combined effort to do a take on a classic american dessert …Unfortunately 3 creative masterminds in one room sometimes dont seem to agree on what direction to take it (Good for me and for you) so the collaborative project was abandoned and as Sam Mason explained each chef presented his version of a modernized American Classic .. Johnny Iuzzini starts up with a Dirt Cup he made using aerated chocolate and gummy chocolate noodles, created with a machine he brought in that has allowed him to produce “noodles” without the implication of the usual technique… Sam Mason is known for his love for good food and good drinks at Taylor so taking the stage he demonstrated how to infuse BBQ flavor into vodka with the use of liquid nitrogen , subsequently infusing that taste by compressing watermelon… Last but certainly not least , in a demo from creative juggernaut Alex Stupak , Apple pie gets broken down into elements and then reconstructed in a very impressive way that is pure proof that modernizing classics doesn’t mean sacrificing taste in the altar or novelty … In the following open discussion Iuzzini outlined the culinary conversation that goes on between chefs this days and the exchange of technique and information….

Jose Andres follows up with an impressive take on American Classics …New england clam chowder, Corn on the cob , Eggs and ham all re imagined by Jose and his creative team at Minibar…Jose also explained the process involved when aproaching classics or revamping dishes and gave his philosophy on creative issues and the use of simplicity in cooking and in creating… Simple ideas from this demo are already affecting the way we do things …His technique for flash cooking vacuum sealed clams is pure genius …A strong demonstration that didnt fail to bring up the upcoming Demo of Arzak on day 3 as Jose praised his fellow spaniard that was just a few feet away watching Joses demonstration ….

Jose on stage with Minibar team....

Masaharu Morimotto takes center stage for a demo that involves butchering fish…Last year it was monkfish head to tail this year it was 5 different types of fish and preparations to go with it.. Live fluke ,Aji, Hamo, eel and Hamachi all cut using his trusty nenox … Watching Japanese technique on fish is magic , especially when you have embraced Cutting fish with japanese knifes like i do on regular basis…And thats how you see first hand how a japanese chef removes scales with a knife instead of a scaler so that the flesh is maintained in pristine condition…

With only 45 minutes to spare for his demo morimoto made this into an exiting and educating demo while demonstrating a variety of very well prepared dishes …

Aji...

Eel...

Fluke sashimi.....

Hamachi collarbone....

Hamo soup and triple fried eel spines.....

It was a pleasure meeting him offstage as well for a picture…

Stella in hand .....

Restaurateur Rohini Dey and Chef Maneet Chauhan of Vermilion (Chicago, New York) came in next in a demo on fusion and how it stands today and their take on it , demonstrating their approach into combining latin and indian flavors and technique… I did not watch all of this demo unfortunately because i had to take a breath from watching 3 amazing demonstrations back to back, but for the most part it was very very good to see a new take on combining 2 seemingly different worlds and create something new…The Tandoori skirt steak was an attractive plating when it was all set and done…

Tandoori skirt steak...

Tandoori take 2....

Cocktail royalty Audrey Saunders and London-based Tony Conigliaro took main stage next. The two discussed their exploration of aroma in cocktails and guided the audience through their joint evolution of aroma delivery methods from house-made tinctures to essence-infused eggs, mists, and using carbonation and dry ice. The two have experimented hydrosols and blending their own natural essences to blend into their concoctions… Unfortunately i missed the biggest part of this demo due to important phone calls that had to be made…

With the phone on silent mode and the anticipation for the next event building i took my seat : Josh Emett of Gordon Ramsay at the London in New York took stage to demonstrate a broke down of a New Zealand lamb from head to tail showing the Main Stage audience four different preparations for four different cuts. His take on how to serve a bigger portion without messing with your margins by combining an expensive cut with a lesser cut, like rack and shoulder was a useful idea . Emett explained “when doing butchery”, don’t be afraid to wrestle around with it.” and i couldnt agree more… Emett also described in brief the difference between American and New Zealand-raised animals, the former raised on corn feed and the latter on grass.
To close the day ,one of the most anticipated events of the day was “Modern Cuisine: A Generational Discussion” with Grant Achatz, Daniel Boulud, and Pierre Gagnaire. It was a conversation between three renowned chefs, covering topics from the art of opening the first to opening multiple restaurants,inspiration, and conversing on what is American cuisine today . Gagnaire proposed that the US was so large and diverse it’s too difficult to represent on what is American Cuisine today , as America is a diverse and multicultural mix that is hard to “nail” down….
It is also exciting to know that Pierre Gagnaire is opening a restaurant coming soon in Las Vegas …..

Listening to Grant Achatz.....

What followed next was a great dinner at Marea with Chris Windus ,Chris (3PO) and Danny and a lot of socializing …. And the day was so perfect that we couldnt wait to get in for day three the next morning……