The Fumbling Foodie

I Remember Why I Don't Like Williams-Sonoma

I don't visit Williams-Sonoma very much. The main reason is that I have a local gourmet kitchen tools store near me. The owner greets me by name when I walk in, She knows my likes and dislikes, and she carries - and is knowledgeable about - almost everything I could want or need in the kitchen. So if Heather carries it, I buy it from her.

I was in the Apple Store last night - I'm finally breaking down and upgrading to Leopard. The Williams-Sonoma store is right next door so my Sweet Lady Wife and I decided to drop in and browse.

We spent several minutes there and as usual I was drawn to the cookbook section. I don't know what it is about cookbooks but if there is a display of them I seem to be magnetically drawn to it. I ended up picking out two cookbooks to the tune of about seventy five bucks. We took them to the cash register and waited. and waited. and waited. and waited.

We spent several minutes standing there at the counter while the three clerks all seem to find almost anything to do but wait on us.

Then we spent several minutes standing there at the counter while one of the clerks waited on someone else.

Then we spent a minute or so standing there in disbelief as the clerk finished with that customer, turned and found something else to do.

My wife and I looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders, abandoned our prospective purchases there on the counter and walked away.

Homemade Cookies and Cream

This is almost too easy

Easter Rack of Lamb

I broke one of cardinal rules today but it worked out fine.

I have a rule that I don't use dinner guests as guinea pigs. I normally serve dishes to guests that I have made at least once before.

But we have a new grocery chain in town, Fresh & Easy. My Sweet Lady Wife and I checked it out last week and I discovered that they carry rack of lamb. I've never prepared lamb, but I've wanted to. I decided right there on the spot to break my rule and prepare lamb for easter. Coincidentally, Fine Cooking's special Dinner Parties issue just arrived and lo and behold there was a recipe for lamb that did not look beyond my meager capabilities.

It was actually pretty easy: sear the rack on the stove top, mix up a paste of Kalamata olives, parsley, thyme, and garlic, rub the paste on the browned rack, dredge it in some breadcrumbs, and finish it in the oven.

I was easy. And the lamb was sooooo tender.

they were accompanied by my wife's favorite potatoes. (I call them 'Forgiveness Potatoes' because my wife likes them so much I think I could prepare them and get forgiveness for any sin.)

Bosch Integra 800

We're in the house only three months and I'm already replacing a major appliance.

The GE dishwasher that came with the house just wasn't cutting it. I think it is a waste of time to have to wash the dishes before I put them in the dishwasher, and that's what we were having to do. The ten-year-old Maytag in the old house did a better job than the new GE. (the GE range and refrigerator are great, BTW, my complaint is only with the dishwasher.)

So I said 'screw it, we are not going to live with this." I already knew what I wanted: Bosch Integra 800.

I had heard that the Bosch Integra was quiet. I was not prepared for just how quiet. You practically have to put your ear up to it to hear it. It's so quiet that they have built in a red light that shines on the floor to show when it's running.

As a test, we found a bowl in my son's room with hard-crusted food stuck inside (typical teenager). We put it straight into the dishwasher to see what would happen: it came out sparkling clean.

Happiness is having good tools.

The Oven and I are Getting Along Just Fine

The smell of bread in the oven. That crackling sound it makes as the finished loaf starts to cool.

This is the first bread I've baked since moving into the new house. I've been away from bread-making too long.

My Last Plate It Up! Cooking Class, Part II

First an apology: I'm sorry I have been away for a while. My business is kinda taking off, and for the past couple of weeks it has consumed almost every spare minute. I'm back though.

This is part two about my last cooking class at my favorite gourmet kitchen tools store in downtown Glendale, AZ. Part 1 can be found here

Simple ingredients. Simple preparation. Distinctive results. That's what I thinkof when I think of French Bistro cooking. I could learn a lot from Chef Bernard. LIke how to make fish stock when no carcass is available:

Fish Stock

1 extra portion of fish that you are preparing for the meal
thyme
water
1 celery stalk, coarsly chopped
chopped parsley

Boil the ingredients in water for 20 minutes. Strain.

Sea Bass with Saffron Sauce and Baby Vegetables
Look at that picture. See how beautiful it is? I learn so much about presentation just from watching him. Yes, I know: there are no quantities for most of the ingredients. Chef Bernard is teaching me to cook by taste.

4 portions sea bass
asparagus
baby carrots, boiled until crisp-tender
haricot vert or snow peas
broccoli, boiled until crisp-tender
fish stock
3 pinches Spanish saffron
whipping cream

Reduce the fish stock and add the saffron and cream.

In a separate pan, saute the vegetables. FIrst the asparagus for about 3 minutes. Add the snow peas and saute for about 4 minutes. Then add the carrots and broccoli.

Using a non-stick pan, sear the bass in a little olive oil over high heat.

Pour a little sauce on the plate. Place a portion of the vegetables on each plate. Place the bass on top of the vegetables.

My Last Plate It Up! Cooking Class, Part I

Not like in 'the most recent'. 'Last' in like 'No More'. Heather is moving my favorite gourmet kitchen tools store to a new location. The good news is that she is going to be right in the heart of everything: on GLendale Ave, right across from Murphy Park, right next door to that terrific new wood-fired brick-oven pizzeria.

The bad news is she's not going to hold cooking classes (for now, she says). So a couple of weeks ago, my Sweet Lady Wife and I went their for our last cooking class: Date Night, by Chef Bernard Chirent. I have taken several classes from Chef Bernard and they are always fantastic. This one was no different. I always learn a lot from him and he has probably helped more than anyone else become a better cook. That night, for example, he had to come up with two entirely new dishes because the expected ingrediants were not available. Me? my brain would have locked up. Chef Bernard, on the other hand, just took it in stride and delivered substitutes with grace and ease.

Papillote of Smoked Salmon, Cream, and Chives

Thin slices of smoked salmon just the right size. Rolled 'just so'. Filled with whipped cream, chives, and a tiny bit of freshly-squeezed. lemon juice. This is not cooking class. This is art class. There is so much more to cooking than simple food preparation that I need to learn. One of the biggies is presentation. I learn so much about presentation from Chef Bernard. I've yet to find a book that will teach me what I learn just by watching him spend twenty seconds plating up a dish. If I could win the lottery tonight, I would go to work for him just to learn.

When he opens his French Bistro in a couple of months, I hope that he does not mind that I bring my camera.