Beef Tendon

Puffed

Anyone who knows me, knows that "puffing" is my favorite technique, any idea i have either starts as ice cream, or puffed into a cracker of some sort. Texture is very important to me.  

Here is a breakdown on how it works:  First you select your ingredient, anything from vegetables to cheese, tendon, to skin (pork, chicken, etc.)  you must either cook it until it almost falls apart, if you are using a vegetable you would puree it then mix in starch ( pre-gelatinized, or not) if not you would have to mix in starch, lets say tapioca flour, you would then mix into a paste or dough like consistency, then spread it out thin then steam it , then dehydrate it, then fry in very hot oil.   If you have pre-gelatinized starch, (ultra-spearse) you would cut out the steaming process. you can even puff things in the microwave.  Also if you have Parmesan rind laying around try putting it in the microwave for a few seconds...the result is something amazing.   

James Beard Dinner NYC

Here are pictures of the dinner we did at the James Beard House.

1st Course: Slow poached egg with coffee and breakfast sausage spiced pork belly, whipped maple syrup, orange puree

#2  hamachi with fried chicken, smoked mayonnaise, pickled chili and radish,  mustard caviar.

#3 lamb chop and shank, sunchoke puree, turnip, cauliflower, kumquat, 

#4  Beef short rib, blue cheese sheet, carrot, truffled soil, malt, red wine

#5  Microwave banana bread, pliable dulce de leche, pistachio, horchata ice cream.  (not a great picture, also this was "my" course)

The James Beard house was an experience to remember, a very small kitchen but we made it work, It was an incredibly humbling and inspiring just to be standing and working where such great and amazing chefs have been prior to myself.  I hope i am invited back there again someday. Thank you James Beard foundation, and thank you chef Blais!

Pliable Blue cheese

In preparation for the JB dinner in NYC, I have made a pliable sheet of val de leon blue cheese to be sat atop a rectangle of beef short rib.  It has been set with gelatin to hold it in sheet form, and fortified with methylcellulose for heat stability, so it will stay solid when heat has been applied, so by the time 80 portions make it to the tables it will have slightly cooled down to a somewhat familiar melted cheese.  (at least familiar in taste)

Potato Consomme

Roasted potato skin Consomme,  I made this to illustrate a point to some of our other cooks, since we are a hamburger restaurant who makes its own fries, we end up throwing away copious amounts of potato skins.  I simply roasted and caramelized them until crisp, then added burnt onion and let simmer for 2 hrs. for the last 30 min i added smoked bacon only to season.  The end result is a wonderfully deep and earthy stock almost vaguely tasting of a loaded baked potato.  Finally I clarified it with Agar agar.