Monday, September 29, 2008

Farm to Table Recap

I am not sure I was worthy to be on a panel with Ronnie Lundy and John T. Edge but it was a very well received experience; an experience that has removed the token negro or Hootie and the Blowfish pageantry that has storied my career.

Despite the fact that massive amounts of brown spirits are required to speak at these events (Duane, Jerry & Brock can attest to me answering a box of chocolates that I thought was my cell-phone), one should experience the coming together of like minded people. The referring to like minded people are ones whom understand/overstand that economics plays as much of a role in racial discord as do pure hatred and ignorance. The qualifier for this statement is that economically challenged communities generally sell the same goods around the country. They sell mostly items low on the hog and can be full of products that are easily harvested and produced.

Sean put on a demonstration using liquid nitrogen and explained very well to the crowd what he was trying to accomplish. He served himself very well (see blog list to the right). Sean really fascinated me with his ability to farm. He is raising pigs, growing his own vegetables etc. I admitted to him that he was a much better craftsmen than I could ever be. I guess that is what happens when you drink way to freaking' much.





My new hangout...

Well on Saturday I was working on the book and was feeling very famished. I decided to venture in the hood and ran across the wonderful place call the Shed at Glennwood.(http://www.theshedatglenwood.com/)
This is my kind of place. The decor is modern loft with strong lines and dimensions. It has out door seating as well as a very well put together bar. But let's talk about the food.
As a chef you know I had to order everything on the menu so a 5 course lunch it is and was absolutely perfect. Lunch started with a roasted beet salad. Beets are my absolute favorite food so it was a natural choice. The beets were slightly pickled and served with goat cheese (could not distinguish were the cheese came from however beets and goat cheese are as classic as mac' and cheese in my not so humble opinion). Following the beets came and west African favorite butternut squash soup. The best part of the soup was the ingredient that wasn't there. To many times you get butternut squash soup that is over creamed. The texture of butternut squash puree is perfect enough. It is the same when you over creamed potato soup. There is enough starch to carry it through. The next course was halibut seviche. There is no secret I eat a lot of raw fish. The worst thing about most places that serve raw fish is they serve it way to cold. This seviche was the perfect temp. The marinade was slightly acidic which paired well with the chips. I could have had another order but didn't want to make a pig of myself (did I say it was lunch). The dessert course was a simple preparation of sheep's milk yogurt and dates. This was a very harmonious dish well executed not because of technique but because it was just good ingredients. When you are committed to buying the best ingredients it is very easy to shine and The Shed did very very well. Wait that is only four courses. Ah-ha... I called Duane and told him to come up. D ordered a fried egg sandwich with grits and french fries. Course 5 was helping D eat his hand cut fries. Any dude who cuts his own fries and makes his own kecthup is down with me.
Also on Saturday The Shed has a small market in front of the restaurant. It is small but the produce is fresh. Picked up a pint of muscadines. They were awesome.
When in East ATL you have to go to The Shed at Glennwood.
Hours For The Shed at Glenwood:Monday-Thursday: 4pm-10pmFriday: 4pm-12amSaturday brunch: 10am-3pm, dinner service 3pm-12amSaturday Farmer's Market 9:00-12:00Sunday Brunch: 10:00-3:00





Monday, September 22, 2008

What the ****

So my neighbor 10 houses removed decided to run his car in to the house of neighbor next door. It seems he had an argument with his wife. Neighbor next door was out of town and this is what she came home too. 10 houses down pulled his car back in the driveway and went in to the house like nothing happened. Police came, made arrest and all is good in the hood. This is not about food but file it under WTF?

Biltmore Ashville N.C.

This week I will be speaking on a panel about Field to Table cooking with John T Edge and a host of chefs, artisans, writers, farmers etc. My buddy Sean Brock will be there along with the crew. To view the schedule follow the link below. Hope to see you there.

http://www.biltmore.com/pdfs/F2T_schedule_2008.pdf
Field to Table Festival: A Taste of AppalachiaSeptember 19–28-->
Experience the connection between farmer, chef, and winemaker at our new food and wine festival. From butter churning and beekeeping to 30-minute sommelier classes and the musings of foodwriters such as NPR's Roy Blount, Jr., you'll have a delicious time. This event is included in your regular Biltmore admission.

Buy TicketsSee Schedule
From the Field
River Bend FarmExplore the "field" aspect of this festival, learning how plants and animals are raised, used, and developed into food. You'll also learn the story behind Biltmore's historical and ongoing legacy of sustainable agriculture.
Farm life demonstrations: cheese making, butter churning, home canning and preserving, sorghum making, and home brewing.
Old time/bluegrass music
Talks, presentations, and visual displays by Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP)
Meet the farmer booth, featuring local farms and farmers, hosted by ASAP
Beekeeping and our honeybee project
Guided tours of our Kitchen Garden
To the Table -->
Biltmore WineryVisit our winery to explore the "table" part our festival. See how produce from the farm is prepared, transformed, and enjoyed. Enjoy cooking demonstrations with Biltmore chefs, artisans, children's grape stomps, red wine and chocolate seminars, a 30-minute sommelier class, and cookbook signings.
Learn about food, cooking, and wine from passionate foodies as they wax poetic about the joys of homemade biscuits, North Carolina wines, and other regional legacies. Speakers include notables from the Southern Foodways Alliance, Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, and celebrated community figures.
Here's just a sampling of the culinary luminaries you'll enjoy at the festival.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Week in Review

Last week was an up and down week filled wit highs and lows. But Bacon some how makes it all better. We are still in restaurant opening delays however it seems we are getting close to completion.
Sunday was a great day. We went to a symposium with Jessica Harrison and John T Edge; both members of the southern foodways alliance (http://www.southernfoodways.com/). Jessica and John spoke on African and Native American influences on cooking. A subject dear to my heart. It seems that we aren't the only people myth at the lack of African & Native American celebrity chefs. But as you know America has Elvis...
We had dinner over at a good friends restaurant Linton Hopkins Restaurant Eugene (http://www.restauranteugene.com/). Linton does this scrumptious Sunday dinner that is unbelievable. It has to be one of the best meals I had in a long time for sure. If you are ever in ATL you have to go there. NO BULLSHIT!

During the week a bunch of blah blah blah but Friday we had a little brunch at my house. Jerry "Whole Hog Slater", Duane "The Mad Chef" Nutter and Angie Mosier were in attendance. Now Angie scored a great gig. Angie is assisting Eric Ripert of Le Bernadin fame (http://www.le-bernardin.com/) with his PBS special and corresponding cookbook. She's globetrotting with him starting Monday. What a gig.

Now Brunch could not be complete without bacon and we had Alan Benton's famed slab bacon (http://www.bentonshams.com/). Damn it was good. Salty, crispy, just to damn good to believe. Duane got some mushrooms and we sauteed them in the bacon fat. If I never write another post you know what happened. It's good to be a chef.


































Sunday, September 14, 2008

James Beard Re-Visited

The "Crew" did a fundraiser for the Atlanta Zoo last night and Jerry's camera memory card had all of these photos. It was like blowing the dust off a Curtis Mayfield album. Yes I said album. The dinner was great especially since I was able to cook with Duane, Matt and Walter "Boo Yo' Leffler. The only thing that sucked it was during Miami Food Show week so not many writers attended. This is our "original menu" concept intitled basics of cooking; surf and turf. The title really goes in to our basic philospohy; give them what they want so they take what you have to give.
James Beard Menu

Basics of Cooking Volume 2
Surf & Turf

Snacks
Fried Chicken Skin Wrapped Shrimp
Cocktail Sauce On A Stick
Beef Cider & Salmon Mousse
Caesar Salad “Juiced”
The Rest of the Chicken, White Anchovy, Parmesan
Soy Cured Venison, Salmon Jerky
Wasabi Pea Dust, Ginger, Tofu

Dinner

Amuse
Crispy Perrywinkles & Oxtail

Arugula, Aoili, Sparkling Rose Water
1st Course
Cured Sardines & Rabbit
Fava Beans, Fennel, Olives and Its Oil, Lemon and Its Oil
2nd Course
Caramelized Scallops & Berkshire Pork Belly
Apples to Apples, Truffle, Pistachio, Cracklin’
3rd Course
Nothing Done To It Tuna & Lemongrass Smoked Squab
Hot Mustard, Sweet & Sour Accacia Flowers, Coconut
4th Course
Poached Lobster & Buffalo Short Rib

Salt Cod, Risotto, Chai Tea, Zinfadel
5th Course
Like a Fish Out Of Water Fluke & Foie Gras

Chocolate, Pecan, Esspresso, Sea Salt Ice Cream




































Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Canned Pudding?????????????


Went to a food show today and was dismayed by the lack of real food. It seems cooking in the circle of "chain restaurants" is more about manufacturing than about cooking. There was everything there from canned beans to pre-made pizzas, from breaded chicken fingers to canned pudding. I for the life of me can not figure out who in the hell needs to buy canned fuckin' pudding. Are we as cooks, chefs, whatever fancy term you want for us to lazy to make some damn pudding? I am not talking about buying a half of cow, breaking down all the parts and cryovacing each steak. I am talking about making pudding. If you can heat up some ragu or prego how in the hell can't you make pudding!!!!!
So being as inquisitive as I am, I asked the unsuspecting victim was the canned lined so that the pudding doesn't taste like a, ummmmm, a can. She said, "well if you rotate the product fast enough, that shouldn't be a problem." I replied, " In the canning process, the lid acts as a vacuum seal which will lock in all flavors inside the can including the can itself. So do you know if the can is lined or not?" Shocking she replied the can is not lined. So I inquired, " Is there a mass market for canned pudding?" She said, "A lot of institutions, like hospitals and schools use canned pudding." Which leads me to my point.
If our kids, sick and elderly are reduced to eating a meal of canned fuckin' pudding what does that say about us as a country? It is my sincere hope that some way some how, we get back to cooking for everybody and just for the select few who can really afford to eat high off the fuckin' hog. During Obama speach at the DNC, it was the first time I thought I was not an African American but an American. Now after seeing this yellow #5 laced can of pudding I am not sure what that means.
Recipe from a website of # 10 can of pudding

Shelf Life; 5 to 10 years depending on storage conditions. Ingredients: Skim milk, water, sugar, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, food starch-modified, salt, artificial flavor, sodium stearoyl lactylate (oil emulsifier) and sodium phosphate. Color added (including yellow #5 and #6).

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Iron Chef Airing Again...

Well it seems our time has come around for another airing on Iron Chef. Maybe the results will be different. Sometimes I crack my self up. Here is the information. Also what the hell is up with Karine Bakhoum? She never had slaw with raisins?

Iron Chef America
Episode IA0503
AIR TIMES:

Cora vs. Richards
Chef Todd Richards enters Kitchen Stadium to challenge Iron Chef Cora. Will Chef Richards wow the judges with his culinary styling, or will Iron Chef Cora's cuisine reign supreme?


Judges
Karine Bakhoum
Cady Huffman
Jeffrey Steingarten


Challenger stats: Chef Richards
From: Chicago, Ill.

Restaurants: The Oakroom (AAA 5 Diamond, Louisville Ky.), Soleil (The Ritz Carlton Palm Beach), Atlanta Grill (Ritz Carlton, Atlanta), Spice Restaurant (Atlanta), Villa Christina (Atlanta), The Café now Park 75 (The Four Seasons, Atlanta)

Cuisine: Ethnic based dishes with futuristic presentations

Interests: Music (writing, performing, DJ), photography

Ideal secret ingredient: From the potential list that was given: bay scallops number one because they are in season, carrots number two as it presents more challenges, morel number three as they are out of season and very difficult to find

Culinary inspirations: My father, my line cooks, EL Bulli, menus that explain themselves, culinary photography

Ideal judge: One who understands where food is going and how it is rooted in where it came from

Culinary secret weapon: Chef Duane Nutter, Chef Blake Kollker

Favorite restaurant: Morimoto (New York), Alinea Restaurant (Chicago), Hakkasan (Soho London), Mr. J’s Burgers (Chicago)

Favorite food: Sushi, dishes that make culinary sense, my father's red beans and Rice

Food you won't go near: Spoiled, rotten

Weirdest thing you've ever eaten: After you eat it more than once it's not weird anymore; but maybe cow brains

Favorite food destination: Chicago, London, California, New York

Alternative dream job: Honestly, I don't feel I have worked a "job" a day in my life.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Cabin Fever

I'm having a little cabin fever here. I haven't really been behind the range in a few weeks. It is so strange. I miss the smell and sounds of the kitchen. It really keeps me grounded and humble; plus I don't spend a lot of money. I might ask a couple of chefs I can work with them just to get my legs back.
My list is:
Shaun's http://www.shaunsrestaurant.com/
4th & Swift http://www.4thandswift.com/
Quinones at Bacchanalia www.starprovisions.com