In My Spare Thyme

Butter Poaching-How Lobster was Meant to Be

2007-09-04T07:19:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I mentioned how my Saturday client had to cancel due to illness, and that I was left in possession of some orphaned lobsters. I decided to poach them in butter, a la Thomas Keller. Wow. Really tasty without being overly buttery (read: greasy) and amazingly tender. The only problem with this technique is that my family thinks this is now the official preparation for lobster--so much easier to eat! Yes, but so much more work at this end, folks. I would definitely recommend you try this sometime, the results are worth it if you need tasty lobster meat out of the shell. For the "usual" family lobster dinners, I think they can handle breaking their own lobsters down. I put "usual" in quotes because lobster is a once or twice a year treat around these parts.

I also intend to look further into this technique for other meats, scallops and Dover sole come to mind. I also keep meaning to explore confiture, but have had some problems finding salt peter. Turns out you can use the stuff to make bombs, which I find rather humorous since although sometimes a recipe is a bomb, I don't think I'd take the ingredients to actually MAKE a bomb.

Lobster Anyone?

2007-09-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

It was only a matter of time when you go to people's homes to cook, inevitable.

My client for tonight's party cancelled due to illness. No, I'm not angry or bitter. If you're sick, the last thing you want is a chef coming to the house and cooking rich food. I just have to figure out what to do with the lobsters duking it out in my fridge. I could paint one red and one blue, stick them into a little boxing ring and play "rock'em sock'em crustaceans. But then again, I think after the whole Michael Vick thing, that might be unwise.

It looks like lobster and duck breast for dinner for me.

Please, no pity.

Chinese Bistro

2007-08-30T09:55:00.000-07:00

Tonight's class is "Chinese Bistro", which is a sneaky way of teaching people to make food very similar to what they order at PFChang$ (I don't have copyright permission). I love Asian cuisines in general, and this is a good class to get people to try cooking more asian at home. I'm trying to incorporate more veggies and tofu into my recipes these days, that way if people ever have a vegetarian or vegan come to their house, they won't feel pressured into serving a boring pasta dish with a side salad. The Chinese especially have raised vegetarian cooking into an art form, food that is both tasty on its' own merits, and beautiful to look at.

Too many people view tofu as a nasty, pale, tasteless meat "unalternative". Frankly, most of the vegetarian fare I tried when I was younger was just that. The trick is to treat tofu on its own terms. I personally like to freeze extra firm tofu, then defrost it. The texture changes completely into something with more substance to it. Then I'll pair it with a silken of soft tofu in the same dish, and the contrast in textures makes for a great dish. I'll be using that combination tonight in my take on Ma Po Tofu. Served with rice and Coconut Curried Broccoli on the side, you have a complete meal.

I still need to tweak my party menu for Saturday. This is what I have so far:

Butter-Poached Lobster with Mango served parfait-style in a martini glass
Baby Green Salad served with Macadamia-Crusted Goat Cheese
(?) Pork Loin with a Ranier Cherry and Port Wine Reduction (sides TBD)
Individual Peach Cobblers with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Menu Planning

2007-08-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong, I love what I do, but some days planning menus becomes challenging. Not as in difficult, just getting it done. A walk through the market would probably inspire me, but with the junior chefs home for another two weeks, I would probably just get more distracted. My personal theory is that moms get reverse "end of school syndrome". Remember when you were a kid and June would roll around? The weather would get warm and concentrating on anything school-related became nearly impossible, regardless of good intentions. As a mom I find the opposite true. August rolls around, and all I can think about is September when I can work unimpeded without the "what's for lunch?", "I'm bored", "She's looking at me!". To set the record straight here, the kids have been wonderful this summer, considering I was less active with my back problems and the bathroom renovation. I just think that deep down, even they are ready to return to their school schedule.

Of course, after writing that last line or so, I realized that blogging isn't getting my work done any faster, either. Off to it...

August and Everything After

2007-08-21T07:28:00.000-07:00

After what has seemed to an endless summer due to a back injury, I am finally getting back into the working groove. Tonight is one of my favorite classes that I offer at Kitchen Kapers-sauces. This is a class that appeals to my usually well-hidden need for an adrenaline rush, 18 or so recipes completed in 2 hours. OK, well we just cover the four basic mother sauces, plus a few others and then I transform them into a bunch of other sauces. It's definitely one of my more info-packed classes.

This is a quick overview in case you ever want to recreate it:
*Bechamel-cheese sauce-Alfredo sauce

*Veloute-tarragon sauce-tetrazini/mushroom sauce

*Roasted Tomato Sauce-vodka sauce-Italian "gravy"

*Mayonnaise-basil aioli-spiced parsley sauce-salad dressing

*Brown and Roasted Chicken Stock (covered, no time to make in 2 hours)

*"Fond" Sauces (from pan brown bits)-orange tarragon sauce-Gorgonzola sauce

*Hot Fudge Sauce (gotta do dessert!)

Yesterday I received two party requests from clients for whom I've work for before, both fun couples. A sit-down formal dinner for six, and a passed appetizer-heavy buffet for twenty to thirty. I guess I need to get those menus going...