Foodstuffs and More

The end of a time

2006-07-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

Well, seven months later, and I am deciding to hang up my hat at the American Bistro and move on to other things in life. Four 15+ shifts a week is becoming too much. That is my main reason. Secondary reasons include (but are not limited to) lack of responsibility, poor politics, and (most important) I have hit a wall in my learning there. I haven't picked up anything new in months. And since I'm not hanging around for the great pay *sarcasm of course*, or the nice hours, everything that once motivated me has fled into the twilight into the end of a (once new, now old) day. I will sleep for the evening and find what comes tomorrow.

And there are things planned for the sunrise, believe me.

Monday Meeting

2006-06-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

Well now that I no longer have to throw pies I get a few nights off this week. I'm so very happy. I plan on taking the time to research. Research what? Well food, of course. This upcoming Monday there is a meeting with the sous chef, myself, and another named Ben. We are going to talk about a seasonal menu change. There will be much brainstorming and decision making. I have a lot of work to do before then. I want to go in prepared, contribute something to the process. I'm more than a bit nervous to be honest, I want to do this right.

Any thoughts are welcome.

Blue Sky

2006-06-12T07:40:00.000-07:00

Last week I purchased a bike that is nine-tenths out of my price range. I have found that price works as a great motivator for myself. I have been very good at riding all the way across town to go to my day job, biking halfway back at one of the two restaurants I work at in the evenings, and then having a nice ride home after cleanup. Saturday I was really hoping for a chance to head up on a trail with my friend J, see the 'mountain' part of my new mountain bike. However, just like the previous two weekends, it rained on my only two mornings off. No blue skys for me.

Hopefully this week I will get to test my mountaineer skills, as I believe last Saturday night was my last night throwing dough and folding calzones. This means that for the first time in two months I will get a few nights off a week; if I'm lucky maybe even a whole day! Then what will I do with myself?

Oh I know what I'll do with myself. I will practice making terrines (thank you Charcuterie). I will attempt David Bouleys version of strudel (thank you East of Paris). I will finally finish 1984 and slowly recover from my depression/what-the-worlds-come-to syndrome (thank you Orwell??). I will try to grow more, sleep less, absorb knowledge, play games, savor time off for what it is.

I used what little time off I had Saturday morning (since I wasn't biking) to plant some herbs on my little apartment balcony. As of now I have three pots of basil, two pots of chives, a little cilantro, spearmint, and thyme. Hopefully they will grow and I can use my own goods for the summer. I do wish I had space for a garden so I could taste literal fruits of my labor (and vegetables of my labor, as it were).

Speaking of labor, last night at the Bistro involved me being third guy. And it was a slow Sunday, which means we get to perform the sacred ritual of the "Deep Clean". Which means we pick something and we scrub the hell out of it. I decided to tear apart our walk in. With a stainless steel scrubby in hand, and with the assistance of a rag and a soup container of soapy water, I proceeded to scrub every corner. I was sure to break up any protein leakages, lettuce scraps, apple peels, whole lemons, chard stems, stock spills, and pickle juice I could find. In the end I was left with a cleaner, bright powder-coated-white walk in, neatly organized and spotless.

Motivation is a funny thing. What is it that changes a person from one day not having the gusto to vacuum a living room, and the next happily tearing apart shelf after shelf to clean something that will probably return to the existing dirty shape in a few weeks? The situation and ones company probably has a lot to do with it. I wish I could shape my own motivation about things which I'm not very motivated about (ex - folding laundry). Maybe if I hide a pomegranate at the bottom of the basket I would be more prone to finish folding my clothes.

Two days later

2006-06-09T11:14:00.000-07:00

Well I've been trying to update here for a couple days but the damn thing has been down each time I try. Not like I mind a lot...it's a free service that takes quite a bit of infrastructure I'm sure. But I do mind a little...a good friend and I have something in the works. Hopefully soon we can make it flourish. And then you will see me move to a new home, a better home (I hope). A home that costs a little money so if something breaks I will have reason to bitch about it.

Last night I had to confess to the owner of the pizzeria that I could no longer handle it all. Five doubles a week, the days that aren't doubles are night shifts leaving me with an occasional Monday evening off and a few hours Saturday and Sunday morning. That gives me about enough time to go the farmers market and then let everything fade to supermarket quality as it sits on my shelf and grows soft/hard/stale/fur.

So hopefully soon, I will be able to fade away from a third job and recover a little social life. And (more importantly) stay married. Included in my lofty goals: maintain relationships over culinary endeavors. If one statistic gnaws at the heels of chefs more than alcoholism it would be divorce/breakups/what have you. Without people in your life, well, then you're just living for yourself. While this suits many life-living individuals on this planet...it's not my cup of tea.

Farmers Market

2006-06-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

The farmers market here is like having sex in public. All I want is a little bit of space and time to savor the flavors of the moment, perhaps quietly browse in my own little world, but I can't fucking concentrate on anything for more than five seconds without someone prodding or staring or selling. It's a madhouse here, and for some reason the powers that be decided that for the four months out of the year that the farmers market is available, we can only have it one day a week. So on top of the absolute elbow to elbow food-conscious shoppers, there is some bible thumper, pro-life, pro-choice, political agenda peddler on every corner further polluting this endeavor. All I wanted was some more beets.

Instead I came home with some butter and cheese. I wonder if places like San Francisco have the same problem. I have been to Pike's Place in Seattle multiple times, and I don't remember any events so distasteful - even though it is twenty five times the size of my current residence. If for some reason I can't make it to the market at eight in the morning (before the pandemonium starts), I'm not going anymore.

On top of that I have been pretty sick for a few days now. On one hand it's nice because I actually got a couple days off. The catch 22 of course being that I feel to crappy to actually do anything productive.

Goodbye to Winter (Finally)

2006-06-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

Well this year it only took until June for what I can only hope is the end of winter. Around the 12th of May I remember thinking the same thoughts, but my thoughts were proven false as the two consecutive weekends were in the low forties with a cold rain drizzling on the valley. But today, today is glorious and the weather shows no sign of letting up.

I have been weighed down with some sort of bronchial/throat/fever cold thing. Gratefully I got last night off, a present I was able to take full advantage of with seventeen hours of sleep. I awoke this morning a little groggy but the fever was gone as was most of the sore throat. For now we will assume it was a disease of the twenty-four hour variety.

Tonight I will be filling in at the Bistro. The pizzeria gave me the night off again, but the other place needs a hand so I will step in and help out. I keep hoping for a menu change soon. The sunshine is no place for braised swiss chard. But, alas, it is not my restaurant.

Speaking of wintery food, last weekend was my final goodbye to the season. I put together a roasted root vegetable soup - my favorite part being the slow roasted Vidalia onions. Can you go
wrong with these?

Accompanying this soup was a nice little pasta I whipped up. Pasta really is the perfect dinner party food. As long as you use half a brain when working with the ingredients it is really difficult to screw it up. Even with the wrong ingredients really...I am fairly certain one could incorporate pasta, strawberry ice cream, and capers and the result would be edible. Dare I say the result would be good. But perhaps that is too far.

Finally, a day off

2006-05-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

Well between traveling to a graduation and three jobs, a day off feels great. Last night my friend at the pizza shop threw a celebratory one-week party. His sisters' mother-in-law, or some similar barely-family member, donated five hundred dollars towards a wine purchase as a gift. Since the shop has yet to obtain a cabaret license, we had 6 cases of wine to ourselves (ourselves being the staff). I, knowing that today was a day off, was indulgent in the goods. The vino was flowing, and it was a great time. I was able to change into my street clothes and hop back behind the counter to make pizzas as we needed them. The calls from the counter were my influence.

"Do something with feta!" turned into a feta, roasted red pepper, and sweet Italian sausage pizza with a red base.

"Prosciutto...prosciutto sounds good!" became a prosciutto, roma, sweet basil, ricotta pizza with a white base.

As the um...grown up grape juice became more influential on my brainwaves, the ideas kept flowing. The ensuing discussions with the owner included talks of stuffed whole striped bass wrapped in prosciutto, seared in a cast iron container we would keep in the oven, and then finished on the stone. What about stuffed calamari tubes that would then be themselves stuffed into similar sized morels? That would be good. My defining moment was also my final pizza of the evening. A bleu cheese, pear, apple, candied pecan pizza topped with white raisins re-hydrated in red wine and sugar. One of the waitresses friends said the pizza 'changed her life'.

So I spent this morning dealing with the headache that I knew would be coming. It included a walk to Starbucks, and lunch at a newly built mission burrito place by our house. This is the third location for this local company, and with good reason. Today I had two soft shell fish tacos with salsa fresca, cabbage, and baja sauce. Did I mention they were two dollars a piece? Great deal...and the dirtier the floor, the better the food.

Tonight I will go to a friends house I haven't been to in quite some time. I will probably drink more wine, and celebrate the change seasons with a last grasp on the wintry foods. I am making:

Cracked peppercorn pasta with prosciutto, corn, Vidalia onion and basil - $0
Roasted root vegetable soup with organic beets, parsnips, turnips, and Vidalia onions - $0
Home-made bread sticks with garlic butter and ground pecans - $0

Using good food to celebrate with your friends - $Priceless

I couldn't resist. Can you tell I purchased a bag of Vidalia onions? So good...but they go bad so fast I need to use them up. I'm off now to finish the purchases for dinner.

Sitting far, far away

2006-05-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

As I write this I sit in a very little town in Eastern Montana. There are three things to do here. Drink coffee, talk about cattle, and drink more coffee. In truth, though, it is nice to sit back and recharge my batteries. I have picked up a third job...now that I've started to commit to the culinary world I cant stop myself. When a new found friend asked for help to start up a stone fired pizza and sandwhich shop, I couldn't resist. More on that later. For now, I have some coffee to drink.

A break in the action

2006-04-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I had my birthday on Tuesday. Tuesdays are a full day for me as I spend the moring doing the 'tech thing' and the evening doing the 'cooking thing'. I got a lot of thank you's for working on my birthday but I really didn't mind. I was doing something I enjoy - and that's what a birthday is all about! A., the head chef at the time, offered to make me something off the menu for dinner. I was having a difficult time deciding, so I opted for the brined pork loin with mango chutney.

This is the first Thursday I get off in three weeks so I am going to spend the evening doing a whole bunch of not too much. Not too much excitement going on. I'm trying to force myself through a second reading of 1984 before moving on to something less depressing.

A blog for the ages

2006-04-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

I can't help but post this. This was stolen from David, and upon reading it I thought I must share it with whomever I could.

Don't Be Nibblin!!!

Honestly, I don't feel any empathy for the soul. Just because the food is organic and it's a healthy happy store doesn't give people the right to try a little here and there. It's not a pasture. Although my place is much to small for a whole foods, it does have a very well received co op which I frequent. People munching without paying has always been a pet peeve of mine, so maybe I am biased.

And tarragon chicken it shall be

2006-04-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

So last night I was on saute again for the first time in about two weeks. I went into the evening with two goals. The first: Remember to add lemon juice at the end of the steamer bowl. The second: Make damn sure it's tarragon chicken and not just...chicken. I came through on one of those goals.

Even though remembered to add that licoricy, easy-to-go-over tarragon all night long, there were (on a few occasions) times throughout the night when I had to call out to the waitress before food was huslted out the door.

"Wait up, wait up!" I would cry. Then I would quickly cross the kitchen to meet them, always holding either a steaming pile of shellfish and bruschetta, or a bowlful of saffron-aioli covered cioppino, and top off the dish with a squirt of fresh lemon juice I keep in a squeeze bottle on my mis en place. It was last minute and sloppy but, this is seafood and shellfish man. This combination is important business.

I also requested to try and think up a soup to use at the lunch service this week. Paul is currently on a leave (brand new baby boy), so the soups are in other hands for a few days. I looked through James Peterson's Splendid Soups book, and requested that we do some sort of a take on his Grand Borsch recipe. I finished the base for the soup last night. The base involves whole roasted beets, which I covered in olive oil, salt, pepper, and sugar; I also roasted whole onions in their skins (they were also covered them with olive oil, salt, and pepper). Once these were soft I added them to a chicken stock which I had placed some ham hocks in and then reduced down to make it very concentrated. After this I ran the entire mixture (less the now-flavorless ham hocks) through a china cap - twice - and was left with a bright red, clear, salty, beet broth. Clear as an antonym to cloudyby the way, not colorless.

This will be brought up to temperature today and served over very thinly sliced cabbage (I'm hoping savoy - as the book recommends), and garnished with creme fraiche and grilled beets. I'm hoping it sells, although I think the application is a new to people. I'll find out tonight when I go back in.

Where to start.

2006-04-17T10:01:00.000-07:00

Goals:

1) To keep this all relevant.

2) To not write a book.

First, the restaurant biz. Things have been going very well for me. I picked up yet another night there (I'm up to three now), and things are going well. I have moved up to the point where I can now be 'second guy' instead of 'third guy'. This means that they don't have to keep an extra guy around of the shit gets too deep, which makes me more valuable because the restaurant can spend less money to supervise. I love running saute, it's so fast paced, the fires are burning, pans are so hot you need a towel to flip them, I get to plate food, clean up presentation, set it in the window...great times. Right now, my biggest flaws include (don't tell anyone or I'll have to hunt you down) forgetting the lemon juice at the end of steamer bowl, and leaving the tarragon out of the tarragon chicken. A pretty ugly forgetting, I know. I guess that just makes it...well chicken.

They actually brought in another guy, so I am no longer the newest. It's kind of funny, as he has an education from a school in Portland, yet he is still working for free just like I did.

Recent endeavors:

Well as I mentioned my buddy took off to the Mayo clinic. The last two weeks have left me kind of winded, but this weekend being easter I did manage a bit of cooking. Saturday night I had some friends over for cuban style pork sandwhiches. Sunday I decided to use a huckleberry molasses glaze for a ham I picked up from my favorite butcher, along with asiago mashed potatoes, green beens with blood orange vinigarette, and a special holiday loaf of bread I picked up (for 11 dollars...). The ham was excellent, and a lesson was learned. Find the price tag...

A lot on my plate

2006-04-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

So I have been dealing with a few things lately. The most pressing being a friend of mine had a relapse in Leukemia. Last Friday. The poor guy is thirty years old, and been through it once. He just got off of maintenance a few months ago. It really doesn't seem fair to me, the way this works, the guy got through it once and now he's faced with it again. I would post more on the subject but considering the topic of it all, I'll just leave it at that.

Cooking has been awesome. In fact, I have been using it to get away from things for a while. The nights just fly by. I have been working a lot of saute in the evenings. That has been a lot of fun, although the more complicated items on the menu I'm still learning. I have been struggling with the Cioppino, a fish-based stew which (I believe) came out of the bay area. In the midst of trying to learn the menu, the "chipper" as we call it is giving me the most trouble. The thing has about 18 ingredients. The varieties of seafood mean they need to be added at different times, the sauce has to be warm on the palette (but not too spicy), there are four liquid elements to the dish, can't burn the clams, etc etc etc. There is also a strong similarity between a cioppino and a steamer bowl...but that's a different story all together.

On touch with my post on halibut...last Friday I was responsible for filleting the steel head trout. These are very large freshwater fish (you can the pictures of folks holding them), and the flesh is actually very similar to the color of salmon. My first fillet attempts were...okay. I had a lot of trouble separating the ribs from the backbone...even with my super nice knife. Once I got it separated, the filet part was easy.

I don't have the time to proof this or clean it up, I have to go deal with 'some stuff'. So if it seems rambling...well...it's a blog!

This post made me a happy camper.

2006-03-28T14:55:00.000-08:00

http://www.sautewednesday.com/

Priceless.

Six hours of chopping

2006-03-24T08:47:00.000-08:00

Well, being employed by the restaurant means I have to take over one of the roles. My role, being untrained and dare I say green, is to fill the place of what is referred to as the third guy. The third guy has simple roles. I have to keep the mis en place stocked. If it gets busy, I hop up and make salads for the person on the saute station. When I'm not doing any of those things, I do prep work. However, Thursday night has a concentrated dinner rush and that's about all. Which means aside from keeping everything stocked, I have lots of time to do prep work.

Now, the morning prep chefs are very good, so I only had a few things to do. Most of those things, which were my responsibility, involved mirepoix of various dice sizes. A lot of mirepoix. I murdered so many carrots, celery (celeries?), and onions I don't even really remember what else I did last night; this is kind of sad really.

One of the few things that I managed to keep in my memory was the cleaning of the halibut. The restaurant orders halibut, in whole fish form (minus the head), filets it out and then uses the bones to make a fumet. I, living in Montana, have never butchered a whole halibut. So when the forty pound monster was lugged in through the back door I got (a little) excited. For shame, I know. Seeing Paul, one of the chefs I respect the most, whittle down such a monstrous beast into 6 ounce pretty white portions in a matter of minutes was intimidating to say the least. Someday, I'm going to have to do that. It's a forty pound fish flown in on a plane from the West Coast, which cost the owner three-hundred dollars, so it has to be done right with no waste, or the filets are not clean looking and don't present very well. Aside from the presentation effects, sloppy cleaning hurts the bottom line. I realize it sounds kind of silly, but these are the steps which must be learned for me, and under the watchful eyes of people that can do your job, and more than likely do it better, pressure builds. In something that is so important to me, such as food, I have to make sure I do the best, not merely the best I can do, but the best that can be done for a given situation. This is why we learn, this is why we try. To get better, over time, to master the fundamentals.

Speaking of fundamentals, here is a well known practice of Gordon Ramsays which I enjoyed reading (the first paragraph of the blog). Whether it be egg and butter omelets, or filleting halibut, everyone must have solid foundations to build upon. If you are preparing fois gras before you know how to make chicken stock, your product will surely be flawed.

But enough with my ideas on fundamentals. Aside from my six hours of chopping, and "the halibut incident," the only other task I recall being assigned is cutting (dare I say chopping...) mushrooms. Now, because

1. The head chef had me doing so many other projects last night (aka mirepoix) and
2. After that there was not much else to do I got sent home early

the mushrooms did not get chopped. This being said I felt a sort of obligation, a responsibility to fulfill the request of Paul before he left last night, I woke up early this morning (to beat him in) and went in to the restaurant. At 8:00 AM, I was hanging out with the pastry chef, talking about Jaques Pepin, cutting mushrooms.

At least I got to start my day out right.

A little curry goes a long way

2006-03-23T10:22:00.000-08:00

So, in reading of my newly found Zuni Cafe Cookbook (linked below) with a little help from the Joy of Cooking (also linked below) I have started to play with couscous. A little internet reading showed me that couscous is often not cooked in the way I had always thought it to be; there are other methods than treating it like rice. Apparently. I decided to give this other method a shot.

Following the instructions of those who know better than I, my method involved adding a little water and olive oil to the dried pasta, and raking it with my fingers until it was semi-hydrated. After a quick nibble I would describe the couscous as 'slightly harder than al dente'. Which is kind of neat really, considering that a grain of couscous is no larger than a piece of coarse sand (Israeli couscous not included in this description). Now that I had my couscous, equivocally parboiled, the next step was to steam it over a broth, soup, or stew until done and then pair it with the cooking substance.

Of course, I had the soup planned out in advance. The product I would be using to serve with my couscous would be a soup made of braised beef and curried onions. Now, Judy Rogers of the Zuni Cafe stresses the importance of the braising liquid, as it is the product which imparts the flavors in the meat itself, as well as being the key component of whatever sauce is used on/in the dish. Since I knew I would be using couscous (fairly bland) and garbanzo beans (not exactly chocked full of flavor) I needed an intensely flavored broth. I decided I would strain the braising liquid and add it directly to the soup. So, Ms. Rogers, I did my best to develop a clean, yet intense, braising liquid. And with this clean flavorful liquid I would make a clean, flavorful soup. Here is an approximate recipe, completely from memory, from early this week, so take it with a grain of salt. Kosher salt.

Basic Braised Beef:
2 lb. braisable beef product. (I used an eye of round, not my first choice but since I didn't do the shopping I am not complaining)
1 quart beef stock (pulled from my freezer, out of ziploc baggies, so I'm guessing a quart or so)
1.5 C of red wine (a good, long pour)
Handful of peppercorns
3 Bay Leaves
4 cloves of garlic, smashed (you can leave the skins on if you wish)
2 large carrots (or if you have baby carrots in your fridge, they work too)
1 Onion

Salt the meat up to 1 day ahead to bring out flavors. Again, advice from Ms. Rogers.

Combine the wine and the stock in a sauce pan. Bring to a light boil and reduce down by approximately 1/3. This should concentrate the flavors and also help concentrate the gelatin in the stock to make it a little 'fuller'. Taste it. Depending on the stock and the wine, don't be afraid to season this. Remember, this is what flavors a large hunk of cow.

Slice the carrots, I usually go about julienne size x 2. These guys are going to be roasting in an oven for a couple hours, so no need to make them too small.

Slice the onions with the same methodology as the carrots.

Now, technically, there should be celery in this mix. That being said, a chef that knows a hell of a lot more than me once told me celery really doesn't lend much to stocks and sauces, and because of this he often leaves it out completely. So, if you have celery, slice that too. If you don't, no need to worry about it.

I like to have a little layer of the vegetable mix underneath the meat in a braise, if I can. Perhaps it adds more flavor, perhaps I am superstitious. Regardless, the vegetables (and the smashed garlic) and the meat go in a roasting container not much larger than the meat. Then add the reduced wine/stock mixture, the bay leaves, and the peppercorns. The liquid should cover about 2/3 of the meat. Mine was a little lacking...so I improvised and added *gasp* water. Stock or raw wine would probably be a better move, but I survived. This mixture gets covered tightly and placed in an oven (mine was 300 degrees F) until it is tender. To ensure the container is tightly sealed, I wrapped a layer of aluminum foil over the dish and then put the lid over that. If you have time, pull the meat when cooked and let it cool in it's own juices.

The Soup:

3 quarts (?) beef broth
2 Onions
1 clove garlic (or more depending on your palette...I used more)
Dash of cayenne pepper
a few pods of: allspice, coriander
curry powder (4 TB?)
1 can garbonzo beans (if you can find a little can use it, this had a too many beans for my liking)
I also added some fresh paper thin ginger but I didn't like it, and I would leave it out the next time I made this soup.

Feel free to experiment.

Knowing ahead of time that I will have the beefy rich sauce from the braise to add to my soup, I still needed a solid base that could stand on its own if I wanted to do other things with it (such as keep it vegetarian). Curried onions sounded good to me at the time. I like curry powder and the spices associated with it because it keeps things simple. Curry tastes good. You could probably just add curry powder to an eggplant and throw it on a barbecue grill with ketchup and it would taste ok.

Since the soup is focused on onions and couscous, slice the onions with more care than needed for the braise. They are the feature of the soup, so treat them well. I halved them and then cut julienne widths across the onion to get small half curls that were uniform in size for even cooking.

Toast up the coriander and allspice, let them cool, and grind them or pestle and mortar to your favorite consistency.

Heat up a large saute, approximately medium+, add the fat of your choice (I added canola oil for simplicities sake) and once it's shimmering add the onions. I wanted a little color on the onions so I took them a touch past translucent. Season with salt and pepper, add the spice mixture and the curry powder. I added a fair amount of curry, because it is what I wanted the onions to taste like, so don't be shy. Once I mixed this into the onions, and let it cook for a minute or two, I deglazed the pan with a little white wine (because...that's just what I do). I then stirred it up to release the fond, and added it to a soup kettle with the broth in it.

I maintained this over low heat without a lid to reduce a little more, about thirty minutes. I then added the strained sauce from the braised beef. I also took a minute to scoop out any fat that had collected to the top of the liquid; there wasn't much. Adjust the soup mixture with salt and pepper if need be.

I then improvised a couscous steamer with a sieve and some aluminum foil, and cooked the couscous over the pot (in the soup steam, in the sieve, covered with the aluminum foil) I occasionally removing the foil and broke the couscous apart with a fork to avoid clumps. Once the couscous was cooked, I added the garbonzo beans, and pieces of the thinly sliced beef. (I had about a quarter to half the roast left over, but braising a 1 pound cut of meet is silly)

Assembly was simple. I put as much couscous as I thought looked good in a bowl, covered it with the onion soup, and sprinkled parsley on top. My goal was to have a rich soup with flecks of couscous intermingling with all the parts for texture and a little bite. The soup was loaded with flavor, and as I ate more and more a little touch of heat built in my mouth. The best part is, this made plenty of soup for two people to eat on for a few days, and it got better after day 1 (as soup often does). Hence the title of the post.

This is a very long winded explanation of my process but I'm hoping by talking through my thoughts and steps that maybe someone will see something new and say "hmm, that sounds like a good way to do it." Even better, maybe someone will see something and say "this is a different/better way to do it" or "try these flavors next time" or "you have no idea what you are talking about." Besides, if you wanted a list of ingredients, there are plenty of cookbooks out there. This is me really cooking, learning, and experimenting.

If I were to do this soup again I think a small sprinkling of super fine diced shallots/onions as a garnish on top would be tasty. I would also use less couscous in the bowls, and get a roast with bone-in qualities. I was also thinking that adding some fennel bulb to the braise might add another layer of tastiness to it, and I would add turmeric to the onions if I (or the store I tried to buy it from!) had any in stock.

Off to the restaurant in two hours, really looking forward to it.

Playing with new ideas

2006-03-20T07:57:00.000-08:00

My goal has been, for as long as I can remember, to run a successful restaurant. When it came time to pack up and move forward, did I make a trek to the coast and go to Culinary school? No. When was the last time you read a book about a restaurant failing because the chef couldn't cook? That's what I thought. You, nor I, have read a story like that. Restaurants, or many of them, fail because they cannot be handled at a business level. So, like any good Socrates, I obtained a business degree. Now I'm working on the next part, getting some culinary ideas and a little exposure to the business at a higher level of quality than I'm used to.

Which brings up my current situation. I was, as of last week, in the process of a stage. In case you don't know, a stage involves a person wanting to get some experience in the culinary field working for 'free'. By free I mean no monetary compensation but in the place of money, the worker gets access to knowledge that would otherwise not be accessible. However, as of last Thursday, I am officially getting paid to do work for my current employer. I am in, as the phrase goes.

So what did I do the first weekend of my employment? The same stuff I did for free. I sliced carrots, cut chard and arugula, blanched asparagus, did a little saute work when it was slow, diced onions, all of the things that so much of America shuns today; but the select few of us (we know who we are) are content to whittle away an entire weekend building a culinary masterpiece of our own creation. (Both words - culinary and masterpiece - are in the eyes of the creator)

This restaurant experience and business knowledge still are means to an end for me. And that end is, as I said, a place of my own. My most recent thoughts have been trying to find a solution to what I believe to be the number one barrier to entry in the industry: up front capital cost. This is a serious issue, especially for someone of my character (aka my bank account which, by the way, is not followed with the necessary zeros for this kind of thing). I was lucky enough, during a wine tasting dinner, to sit across from another restaurant owner, which I discussed my dilemma in great depth. By the end of the evening, and the 6 courses, the consensus was this. Use a $100,000 restaurant to fund a $200,000 dollar restaurant. Use a $200,000 restaurant to fund a $300,000 restaurant. And so on. Capital for a $100,000 business enterprise is easier to obtain. So, for the past few months I have been bouncing around ideas in my 'spare time'. I would like to jot a few of them out here, but I feel I have to have a much more concrete vision for myself first. Such is the life.

About the gnocchi

2006-03-13T11:56:00.000-08:00

interestingly enough, Judy Rogers doesn't add any flour to her dough. Mine stayed together well enough - although they seemed so rich. I wonder if the no-flour bit is a common practice.

Weekend shifts

2006-03-13T10:32:00.000-08:00

So the weekend went by in a blur, as they tend to do. Now that my shift at the restaurant has changed to Thursday night, Friday night, and Saturday morning, this leaves Saturday night as the only time I have to stay up late without the consequences of being tired at my day job. Which, as I'm sure you can imagine, only goes slower if I am behind my computer heavy-eyed. Which is where I am today, as I couldn't handle just one night of selfishness. But with a little caffeine I'm making it through just fine.

Friday night was busy, as expected. I'm starting to see a pattern develop though. When the place starts hopping with hungry patrons, the chefs there get so busy serving food I am sort of on exiled. Obviously, this is what has to happen, and should be expected to happen, but I am finding myself doing more and more shift work and less and less learning. Which is very exciting mind you, but considering the fact that I am still in a stage - and therefore unpaid - I am finding it a little difficult to keep my motivation up while making dozens of salads and mopping floors. I am sure this feeling will pass with a little time.

Saturday morning turned out to be a really great refresher for me though. The day shift was a nice change of pace, and I also get to work with the most seasoned chef of them all. Too bad he will be leaving soon...but that also presents opportunities in the future.

The first thing I noticed was a reinforcement on an idea I already had: there is a rift between day shift and night shift in a kitchen. Always. Or so it seems to me. I have not been in a single kitchen where this was not the case. And although everyone gets along just dandy, dare I say everyone is friends, anyone with a piece of common sense can see what I am talking about.

The beginning of the shift was stuff I've already done before. Pick spinach, clean and cut arugula, similar tasks that while not exciting are crucial to the fundamental products in a restaurant. Tasks I don't mind doing most of the time. I knew it would be a great day when the chef, we will call him Paul, told me, "I'm going to pay attention to you because I think you are hear to learn. I am going be on your case when you do stuff wrong, because if I don't tell you then you will not know. I'm not sure what they are able to show you at night as to how a real kitchen works but, today, you will."

And then my favorite part of the day - "I have interest, in your interest."

Paul was telling the truth. I spent the majority of my remaining day focusing not so much on tasks, but on philosophies and ideas. This is how we do the stock here, and here are some more ideas on stock making. This is how I would do the stock, and this is why. This is why I am here working without monetary compensation, this is the magic I wanted to see, the concepts behind the food.

I left Saturday with the feeling of empowerment and energy that I had when I started there what has now been over a month (!) ago. This motivation spurred me to read a large chunk of my recently acquired Zuni Cafe Cookbook. I cross referenced the pasta section with the likes of The Joy of Cooking and Harold McGee's classic. The ricotta gnocchi which followed was an amateur endeavor, but I still ate every bite of it. I think I want to go somewhere with this pasta bit.

This is the 'and more' stuff

2006-03-13T09:34:00.000-08:00

Ok. Take this for what it is. Here is a 9-11 video, documentary style, which despite it's length held my interest enough to watch the whole thing. Pick a side, any side. If nothing else, it's interesting.

Google Vids

Get your daily dose of humor

2006-03-10T10:05:00.001-08:00

While I am trying to get out of the field...I am still an IT guy. And IT guys do IT guy stuff. Like read web comics. Like find videos. Computer related videos. I found this one very amusing.

I personally do not think macs suck. I do not favor them either. I am pretty impartial to the whole Mac Vs. PC bit really. This is great either way. Enjoy

Why Macs Suck

Giving a piece of myself

2006-03-10T08:54:00.000-08:00

Literally. This time, it happened to be a small triangular section of my fingernail and the tip of my pinky. Nothing quite says 'you need to hire me' like cutting yourself. Now, if you've ever handled a knife, you should be asking 'how in the fuck did you cut your pinky'. My response is...I don't know. It was my own fault really...I mean I'm dicing an onion not drinking Earl Grey. But the night picked up after that. It was my first time back in nearly a week and it felt good to have a hand in putting out good food again.

Aside from a little blood and me forgetting the anchovies on caesar salads, it was a good night overall. I love the feeling of teamwork; the correct orientation of everyone in a restaurant seamlessly putting out happy customer after happy customer. Speaking of happy customers, the local newspaper put out a really nice article on us yesterday. It can be seen here. The article focuses mostly on the service, but it's nice to see good press in any form.

My personal highlight of the night involved making the staff meal. I can't help but go to Thomas Keller's story in The French Laundry Cookbook, where he describes the staff meal. It's how he got started in the business, and look at him now.

About the staff meal. It generally involves taking something that you have left over, (little scraps of this, that sauce needs to get used up, these asparagus are going to waste if we don't use them) and putting it together in edible format. Personally, the most intimidating factor is knowing that the people eating these bits and pieces know food. They also realize that it's made from odds and ends, but regardless if it's haphazard or flat out bad, it's going to go noticed.

Looking over what I had to work with (ok...asking the head chef what i could use) I had some leftover shitake mushrooms from the night's special (potato and mustard seed encrusted tuna with carrot ginger broth, mushrooms, and pineapple curry aioli) to utilize. We also had a few odds and ends of house made spicy Italian sausage, and a few pieces of red bell pepper left over. Seeing I had Italian sausage, bell pepper, and mushrooms to use up, and furthermore not fully knowing what I could use and what I could not, I stuck with something safe: pasta.

I carmelized some julienned onions and the red peppers. Since the mushrooms were already cooked down, I added them just a touch before the garlic, to get some crust on them. This was followed by butter, mushroom stock to deglaze, and white wine. Once the moisture had reduced down and started to form a sauce, I added a handful of blue cheese crumbles to melt, followed by a touch of heavy cream, dried basil (it's all I had to work with and it's better than nothing), salt, and pepper. Once this reduced down to the consistency I was looking for, a taste left me looking for something a little more, something with a little sweetness and acidity - so I added a splash of balsamic vinegar. I tossed this on top of the penne, sprinkled a little asiago, parsley, let the starches of the pasta do it's magic, and served along side of the charbroiled sausages (this keeps a couple vegetarian staff we have happy) and some herbed olive oil.

There are no amounts listed, not a cup of this a tablespoon of that. I merely cooked with what I had, but it came out tasty nonetheless. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, and I enjoyed making it. Tonight I go back, and Fridays are very busy, so tomorrow morning when I am scheduled to go in again I'm sure I'll be tired. I still think I'm getting the better part of the deal.

If it has to be done...

2006-03-08T11:07:00.000-08:00

This is how you do it.

http://teaandcookies.blogspot.com/

See, posting my own thoughts about bullshit food writing did nothing more than ignite a fire to FIND an exception. So, in slight contradiction to my own words, if you are going for art, do it like Tea does it.

Most importantly, it's about the world, not all about the food. I think this is a key concept from keeping it away from being silly.

Tomorrow night I start my new schedule and go to work again. As of last week I no long cook on Tuesday nights, but instead I go Thursday Night, Friday, and Saturday morning. Two nights in a row will be excellent as the guys (it just happens to be guys this time) that work these nights are the best in the whole place, I will learn a lot. Having two nights in a row also means repetition, which means I will probably retain more. The saturday morning edition (yes i spelled it wrong) was to get me in the kitchen with the head prep chef, who is leaving in three weeks. I hope to soak up loads of information from him before he wanders into his own place...just down the street.

It has been almost a week since my last fine dice in a kitchen and I can't wait to get started again. Who knows what awaits?

The ground I stand on

2006-03-07T08:29:00.000-08:00

A little nudge from my friend over at Celeb Chef Report got me thinking (that's twice this week - I think I'm starting to owe him something). In my mentioning of the intellectual insults I feel often radiate from many name-sake bloggers and chefs, I may have clouded the clarity my definition of 'useful cooking'. So let me explain. First, my impressions for 90% of the celebrity chef market are bathed in a negative light. I think that when cooking is taken under the parental wing of the television market, it is changed. It becomes something less of a science, a craft, something that is removed from its proper environment, and continues further removal as the network increases its own stock value. Television cooking often devolves into a kindergarten-esque display of cute kitchen aprons, aesthetically driven house parties, and corny interactions with someone's daughter/friend/wife/husband involving an overwhelming ineptitude of rolling pizza dough. Simply stated, television cooking is not about the food. It's about making the food, and the process of the food, look good on TV.

That being said, there is still a lot of good stuff out there. I personally still watch FoodTV, probably a little bit too much. There are a few shows I really like on there, and a few of the celebs catch my attention when I get the chance to watch them (Alton Brown, Bobby Flay, Iron Chef of both countries). But we can see as the network grows in popularity (and overall monetary value) it has to serve a customer base that piece by piece is less interested in food. Now we see a slew of reality television series, among other things, and frankly that's not what I look for in Food TV. However, regardless of my personal take on the national television food scene, I think any exposure common joe-not-in-the-kitchen gets to food only helps us further American cuisine as a whole, even if the message is perverse. It's great a ten year old kid knows what an emulsion is, even if it comes from Everyday Italian (a show which I think is glamorized beyond the point of disgusting). I generally agree with Anthony Bourdain's take on celebrity chefs, only without so much atrocity. Does that make me a hypocrite? Using a celebrity chef to explain my own take on celebrity chefs? Quite possibly.

Second, and the original aim of my post: the bloggers. Ninety percent of the food blogs I come across should be moved to the creative writing department. They spend four paragraphs coming up with clever adjectives and witty, oh-so-cute phrases to describe some endeavor of their own making. These articles are often followed with oohs and aahs of their comrades, and many pats on the back are exchanged. GIVE ME THE GOODS MAN! I am looking for philosophies, mtehods, thoughts of your own. What are your ideas of this dish? What did you do wrong? What could you change? What should you have changed? If I wanted cute food writing I'd turn to Green Eggs and Ham. Dr. Seuss does it better anyway.

When I post something edible on here, if you (whoever you are at this moment) look at it and see something wrong, I expect to hear 'hey, you fucked up on point A.' You can even point it out as a comment so the whole world sees it. I'm glad you saw it, glad you connected to it, and I'm very glad you took the time to show me something about it. I guess I'm most interested in growth as a culinarian, not in tricking people (or myself...hmmm) into thinking that I'm some mastermind. Food is not about that.

Now, it would be very easy for me to sit here and tell you what's wrong with the food world, without giving you a feel for what I think is right. However, since I'm not a politician, I'll give you my take on a few things; it would be a spineless act for me to do otherwise.

Celeb Chefs I like: Anthony Bourdain, Alton Brown, Bobby Flay, Michael Chiarello, Jamie Oliver.

Food Blogs I like: Ideas in Food, Celeb Chef Report, occasionally Obsession with Food, A Chick in the Kitchen.

On a closing note, I don't want people to think I discourage folks from watching the food network, or reading blogs where the authors go ridiculously over the top. I encourage everyone to watch and read everything we can get our garlic-laden hands on, but make sure to absorb the useful, and leave the rest of the crap alone. Skip the introductions if you have to, use the mute button, whatever it takes. In the end, it comes down to the ground you stand on.

Of all the places...

2006-03-06T07:15:00.000-08:00

It was a full weekend. Friday night I cooked. One of my tasks at work was to make the house fettucini for the evening. So, I got to use (for the first time mind you) a pasta machine. For those of you who perhaps have not made fresh pasta, it involves rolling out a line of dough thinner and thinner until, after 6 pressings or so, it is thin enough to cut into whatever shape you want. In my case fettucini. Since the pasta portions are 3.5 ounces, the two ounces left over ended up in my belly with a little browned butter and asiago cheese. I decided making pasta was a fun and worthwhile task, so the next day I purchased my own pasta machine and put it to work.

(Insert cheesy *ack pun intended* picture that I don't have right here)

I spent Sunday watching the state swim meet. I really, really dislike swim meets, but when your little brother-in-law makes state and the event is in your town, you have to go. Normally, this would have been a somewhat painful endeavor, but in this case, I managed to meet someone that made it much more worth my while. Of all the places to meet a person who has traveled the country as a chef, and now resides in little Montana... Johnnon her name was, and a resume she did have. She graduated from the CIA, worked in the industry for a couple years, and then moved on to take the two year pastry course through Johnson and Wales in Providence. Those two schools are (arguably) the most famous culinary and pastry arts schools in the country. Wow.

The conversations which ensued were very intriguing to me and hardly seemed a work of chance. I prefer to think fate played a role. Johnnon played the common 4-6 months at varying restaurants game. It's the kind lots of folks read about in books, the free spirit. Pick a spot on the map, and go to it. Cook for six months, get tired of it, move on to your next spot. She actually graduated with Bobby Flay, and happens to be in the same year book. She has worked for Emeril and Wolfgang, and attended Johnson and Wales under when it was freshly under the direction of Peter Rinehart. It was quite a conversation...which I would love to write out...but it would be much too long so instead, I will use bits and pieces in the months to come.

Sometimes it takes so little

2006-03-03T10:21:00.000-08:00

Often times, a little nudge from an unseen force is all that's needed to start moving in a new direction. At the time I started writing this - sometime last year, it was more of a therapy thing. I had so much going on in my head, so many thoughts and wonders, I needed some way to get them out. Writing them down somewhat 'anonymously' seemed to be the best move at the time. My material needed to be something consistent, and something I loved. Food was of course my source of inspiration.

Since then a lot has changed for me, for the better. The best, biggest change is I'm actually working in a nice restaurant now. I'm a full time IT guy in the day, and a part time chef-in-the-making at night. I'm just waiting to draw the right cards before I show my hand and make the plunge. Things are really looking up. But that is another post, for another day. A day that's coming soon.

As for today, I almost feel dirty about blogging my thoughts. I would be lying if I told you I didn't care whether or not people read it, thought about it, connected to it. I do want that. Hence, when I write out my mind, and take pictures of pasta and peppers, I get the same dirty sensation I get by knowing the fact that I actually like some radio-released, studio-tuned music. Blogging is the thing to do if you're a foodie. However, reading many of the famous 'celeb' food blogs leaves me with a taste of artificial over-the-top writing on my cerebral palette. It is a taste I don't care for.

So my goal is this. To produce real writing, true thoughts, good whole-hearted 'soul food' on e-paper. Think Harry Chapin songwriting, only about food. Should I falter on this, for instance by ever quoting that Italian lady from the food network, someone should call me on it. I'll thank you for it, I really will. It's true, blogging about food is somewhat 'Emeril-esque', but at the same time, I'm actually in the kitchen. I'm busting my ass in a kitchen putting out good food, learning from truly talented people, and trying to grow for the culinary better. If that's not keeping it real, then I don't know what is.

Gorillas in the Midst.

2005-10-30T18:39:00.000-08:00

In the midst of everything, I am contemplating purchasing another domain name. I am currently swamped with projects at work, and am dealing with a few issues with my culinary arts admission.

In the mean time, I am on the spot for a good domain name; feel free to give me some ideas.

We Have a Winner

2005-10-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

Today I recieved my letter of admission into the Culinary Arts program. It is a good day.

Restaurant Makeover

2005-10-09T08:20:00.000-07:00

I saw this show for the first time yesterday on the Food Network. I really, really liked it a lot. I found it incredibly interesting, and I think anyone even remotely interested in the food business would appreciate it. I am always impressed with the actual knowledge of the celeb chefs; to those of you that view them as selling out (and I often feel a little jaded myself), there is no denying those people know their shit. Superstar chef Bobby Flay attempted to guide a home style Italian restaurant back into the good graces of their customers. What impressed me was Flay's take on what it would take for a country Italian restaurant (with no grill to be seen) to survive in today's market. He knew two other Italian joints where the chef and owners could brew some new ideas to revive their current lackluster project. The mere thought of someone analyzing a given eatery, explaining how to make it better, and give two examples in New York City is impressive.

Moving from TV land to reality, last night a few of us ventured to the newly opened Epicurean Bistro. The menu is Mediterranean flavors with a strong Greek influence, and some Curry thrown in for good measure. I was greeted with the rare chance to consume freshly caught swordfish, flown in via airplane that day; needless to say I seized the opportunity. I prefer to have swordfish a touch over rare; and this was cooked all the way through. Nonetheless, it was tasty enough. The high point of the evening was the appetizer: chantrelle mushrooms in a brandy sauce stacked high inside a puff pastry. Other notables of the evening included a dessert I can only describe as mini-chocolate pastry, and a tasty leek-puree. I also found the Côtes du Rhône much too easy to drink. The bill was actually quite fair; $180.00 fed five people, with two appetizers, four desserts, and two bottles of wine.

Friendship

2005-09-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

I really don't understand some things. Food, you can pour your heart and soul into; and any person even the most uneducated can see this and most often will appreciate it. But a friendship, you can try and try to develop, with no success. Best friends become old friends become new friends become best friends. What the fuck is the point of working at something that's going to fade away on you?

I suppose the point is the thought of someday you'll find someone, a best friend. I'm not talking about love and relationships, lifetime eternal happiness, that's a whole different game and a whole different story. Friends and lovers are different entities, and sometimes you need a friend. But this cycle of aging and regrowing weighs a bit heavily on me. I guess the best thing to do is to live in the 'now', and live with the fact that someone you thought would always help you hold the bridge is sometimes replaced; hopefully by someone that will stay with you. I appreciate what I have now, more than I can explain, but years waiting to reap what I sow is leaving me with a basket of fruit I had not intended. Perhaps, it is better this way.

A Long Time Coming

2005-09-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

Well it has been an interesting week. Instead of the common start from the beginning, I'll start from the end and work my way backwards. Last night I was an attendee at the very first annual Montana Chef's Association banquet. The event was overall a good one; it certainly carried tones of 'this is the first meeting of this type for this organization,' but I think that the group pulled it off well enough.

I myself am not what you would call a master networker; I get a little jittery in new places with new people and I'm sure that is reflected in my social skills. Thankfully, they provided a little pony keg of a nice local Bayern Amber that, on my empty stomach, was able to calm me down. A little.

Much of the meeting was focused on getting local culinarians actually involved in the local branch of the American Culinary Federation. This is the meat (pardon the pun) I have been looking for; and I must say I really like the idea of a unified voice able to represent topics such as sustainable agriculture. I am hoping to be able to get involved, even though I have yet to even be approved to become a student. If you are indeed involved in La Culinaria, I would encourage you to go to the main ACF website and look into joining your local chapter. In a business that is based on passion, I would hope that people would be interested enough in the trade to actually try to contribute to the cause that is food.

Friday night was the local Maverick's brewfest: a throng of brewers gathered selling goods to hundreds of thirsty visitors, with all proceeds going to youth athletics. The first thing that struck me as odd was the fact that the city is using beer to raise money for kids athletics...but to each his own. Nonetheless I payed my admission fee and recieved five golden tickets to any brew of my choice. I found Kettlehouse and Bayern to have my two favorite experimentals; but for the life of me I can't remember the name of them (perhaps that is a sign???).

Nonetheless with campus so busy and with my trying to get my life in order to start school in the summer, things have been to busy for me to cook much worth writing about. Someday soon.

The Beauty of IT

2005-09-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the most difficult part of the Information Technology field, and quite possibly the reason why I have such a hard time, is that there are so many negatives to the job. For the most part, it's a thankless profession. A 8 am - 4 am day, spent recovering a failed email server, is expected and seemingly unnapreciated. Whenever anything goes wrong it is the fault of the tech team. This particular attitude is widespread; it is the same thing as going to the mechanic and yelling at him/her because your car broke (and often times, neglect to tell him that you have been jumping over small houses with it). As an industry in general, IT is looked upon by businesses in a negative light. To be honest, I can understand why people think this way; I mean so much of technology is just a money sink: server upgrades, maintenance, new software every year, licensing issues, etc. The returns are usually intangible, or at least they are in the eyes of most people, so again I state I can see why people think this way; but that doesn't make it right. I believe the most difficult part of IT, though, is the fact that it is so ungratifying. I attain no personal sense of achievement knowing that I did a damn fine job programming Company XY's web application. They don't care either, they had to pay a lot of money, and it better work.

This is perhaps, why a slow Sunday of braising short ribs and making soup, in combination with watching football and the US Open (I really wanted Aggasi to win) is the best cure for an upcoming Monday. Everything worked out pretty well. The meat was a little fatty, and I love fatty beef so if you hear it coming from me well...it had to be pretty far from lean. It was also the first time I have attempted to make French Onion Soup the right way. The first batch I grated the cheese, and didn't fill the bowls enough...so I didn't achieve that most excellent topping of melted overflowing molten goodness. Lucky for me, I have some leftovers with which I will attempt to perfect my good intentions.

I really try to work professionally, even in my own kitchen, which means that you work clean and organized. Sometimes, I think it gets away from me a little bit. Here is a shot of my little workspace in my apartment, as I wait for some potatoes to start boiling.

I put in an RSVP for an upcoming even for a Montana Chef's Association event. It turns out that the deadline was Friday, and I neglected to RSVP until Sunday, so hopefully I'm not to late.

To Market We Go

2005-09-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

Over the past six years, I have learned ways to manage my culinary sanity; or shall I say keep it. Missoula is not the type of place where one can walk down to a local market, and order say a pound of skate fish for the evening. Too all those with an accessible fishmonger, know I am jealous. One would think the fact that I live in Montana would allow a large access to various beef products - but no. I am lucky to find short ribs, even at a butcher! Believe me, I tried. But sometimes I get lucky. One of the aforementioned culinary anchors is the local farmers market, which generally runs from late June to late October. Up until this year there has only been local produce, but now there are a few vendors of (what I hope to be) good quality organic meats. I found a vendor with grass fed beef short ribs, and I immediately bought them. I paid way too much for them, I mean twenty five dollars for short ribs...Often a cheaper cut of meat (and I suppose next to his other offerings it still was cheaper). Nonetheless, I know have some good short ribs I can use. I am quite excited about this, because braising is my one of my favorite ways to eat - and short ribs were created to be braised.

About the produce - when you walk to the farmers market, the first table you see will have the exact same produce as every other table; so if one is in a hurry it will only take you five seconds to see if they have anything of interest. There are a few exceptions I should mention; occasionally there will be a lone morel vendor, or a late batch of huckleberries, but for the most part it's pretty similar. I was lucky enough today to score some really good looking Walla Walla onions. These will make some excellent French onion soup Les Halles tomorrow night. I even found imported Gruyere cheese, at ten dollars a pound. It is a price I'm willing to pay for something so good though.

Another one of my favorite culinary stops is a place called The Good Food Store. (Note: at the time of this post, there actually is a goodfoodstore.com, but it appears to be a blank page...) While not everything here floats my boat, I can find consumables that normally I cannot - and I think would be difficult to find in many cities much larger than Missoula. Today, my most interesting find was this peculiar purple bell pepper. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it as of yet...

And finally, what better way to spend a Saturday then making stock. I've been saving up beef bones for a while, and have them roasting in my oven as I write this. My house smells quite nice, and tomorrow I will have an excellent base to surround my French onion soup, as well as a tasty liquid for the short ribs.

Getting Somewear Part 2

2005-09-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

It's five a.m. here; I've been up since three. I really can't stop wondering what's going to happen, the way things are all going to play out. Last night we went to dinner at a place called Scotty's Table, the food was good as always. They operate under the classification of 'American Bistro', and that is just my style. I really want to be an influence in this American food revolution that we are experiencing. The thought and definition of actual 'American Cuisine', a term that would have been, in fact was, laughed at a mere 15 years ago, is slowly developing. And it is a beautiful thing.

I believe the reason that Seattle sounds so good to me, is because I think it's a place that can really foster a good, American restaurant. The choices of ingredients are superb, I love seafood (ironic living in Montana, I know), and what better place to get seafood than Seattle? The city is very diverse, with different cultures combining into a melting pot of that substance which defines America. In my visits to Seattle, I always feel a little less edge than my visits to the east; the place just seems a little nicer, a little cleaner, and a little more relaxed. Overall, Seattle is a hip city. There is a good music scene, good jobs, nice suburbs, and a crowd that really seems to like to eat - and most important eat well.

These reasons are, perhaps, why I was so set on going to the Seattle Art Institute without even ever setting foot on the actual campus. Silly, I know, but for some reason I am drawn to it. Imagine my surprise, then, when the first thing the director of the Culinary Program, in sleepy little Missoula, told me that he had taught at the Art Institute for 6 years. He had, in fact, helped to define much of the curriculum back when the program started. Furthermore, he himself is a Certified Executive Chef, which is a definitive mark of a long-time professional. Finally, he actually graduated from the Culinary Institute of America; in case you don't know this is the end-all-be-all of culinary programs in the United States.

He further explained to me that this school (under his direction) attained a 5 year seal of approval from the American Culinary Federation. Supposedly, a school can get 1,2,3,5, and 7 year seals. There are only two schools in the nation with seven year, so the fact that this little school has a five year is truly a big deal.

So, in the back of a little trailer, by a loading dock, at a once second-rate culinary program, I had just learned that it was entirely possible to receive an education in a field I want to go in. The most important fact being that the education I can receive there is, as far as credentials go, nearly if not as good an education as I would receive in Washington.

This is earth shattering news to me, and I think may be the reason why my sleeping pattern has been so random over the past few days. I looked into the program when I started college. I saw what it was, and I did not want anything to do with it. I suppose good things come to those who wait (I hate clichés), or at least better things. Needless to say, I filled out an application on the spot, with a borrowed pen, anxious to get started down what I hope is the right track.

Finally Starting to Feel Like I'm Getting Somewhere...

2005-09-09T12:58:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been almost 6 years since I started college. It's going on two years since I've finished college. It seems as if an eternity has passed since I have been in a career I know I can't stay in. Thursday, though, provided me with a splinter of light that I just last week I was sure had faded away completely. For as long as I can even remember, I have wanted to be a professional chef, working in a professional kitchen, preferably my own. I feel that, for most of us, the best way to get started in the field is with a top notch education. So, with unbridled youth and determination I maintained a goal of attending the Seattle Art Institute; a well regarded school of (go figure) the arts.

Life, as it is prone to do, has since taken shape in forms which I had not envisioned. For the past few years each day I seemed to feel a piece of my dream slipping away, piece by piece, until recently I found myself just a step above 'giving up'. I think, at this time, it is a good thing I really, really dislike most of my job; if I had a sliver of motivation to even think about doing this for the rest of my life, I am all but certain I would have decided to. But, thanks to a couple bad days, and a lot of thinking, I decided to check in to the local school. Now, to try and help you dear reader, get into my mindset before the meeting:

AiS website O of M CoT Website

In my head, I was comparing the diversity and choices of Seattle, with its Pike Place Market, to Missoula, with the most diversity probably stemming from the local Wal Mart. Encarta lists Greater Seattle of having a population just over 3.6 million, while a Google-cached fairus.org site lists Missoula at having a little over 60,000 in 2003. I guess the only thing that kept me going, as I mentioned before, was the thought of me fixing people's keyboards for eternity, and trouble shooting the God-awful program known as Corel Word Perfect.

So, out of fear more than anything else, I scheduled a meeting with the local college director of the Culinary Program. To further fuel my concerns, his instructions were "I am in the trailer behind the school, closest to the loading dock." As I walked up to the beaten white 'office', I saw a note saying "I'm in the store room." As I approached the kitchen, I was beckoned inside; my fate stood there, looking over the morning mail and sipping a cup of Starbucks coffee. Before I had time to even look around, we went to his office to talk about the program, and my life slowly began to turn in a direction that I hope is the one I've been waiting for.

More soon...