Backing up the back up

I'll be the first to admit that when it comes to handling all those electronic gadgets and tools that have become part of our daily lives, that I am not an expert. But if you are sharing that trait, just rejoice ! We ( that would be most of us the non geek kind) have become over the years pretty good at what we do with our computers, smartphones and other devices that we are getting used to have at our finger tips 24/7. The reason we somehow have benefitted is that unlike the geek world we do use these things only for what helps us in our daily lives and we are good at it because we repeat some of these tasks over and over and over again. What we lack in youth and reaction time we more than make up with a bit more time and practical thinking. We also do not compete with anyone and surely are not doing  it for bragging rights or showing off !

Technology is here to serve us and not us to serve it ! I do not jump when the phone rings or drop what I am doing at that time, that is what voice mail is for. I actually get a kick thinking that the caller is getting a bit ticked because I do not pick up. Reality check: if someone wants to find you or reach you nowaday, they will. For me I still believe that I can choose the pace of my daily life . Granted just like most folks I would never be able to put these devices through their paces as they offer more things than I would use ever. The old saying still goes" whatever you do not know can't hurt you !"

Back to my original though for this post, I am backing up all my data and pictures and backing up the back up. I know it needs to be done or else sooner or later. This is like the lottery, you cannot win unless you buy a ticket and then the odds of winning are pretty lousy. Same thing with backing up your data, the odds of a crash and total loss are there but within acceptable range and if you do not back up, well you know the rest as we all have been through it. Then there are those who say,you should park it all "in the cloud"....... for a fee of course or maybe not. I am not there yet as for now I am reluctant to share my stuff with the folks running "the cloud". The next question, is the cloud backing itself up ? It has to and where does the backing up of the back up ends or does it  ? Feel free to look for that answer and let me know !

Getting behind, not as bad as it sounds.

Ever had the feeling that you're getting behind on whatever task you committed yourself to get done ? Surely,we all have. As far as blogging is concerned it is NOT a bad thing at least for me. Here's the thing, it gives me time to really choose my words  instead of acting on emotionnal impulses, makes sense ? I am way behind on reporting on my classes, that would be four classes ago or one month so there is a lot to talk about. Let's see there was  French patisserie, Stocks and soups, Sauces and reductions, Charcuterie part 2, Chocolate and more Chocolate and All meats cooking, now that is 5 classes this month on top of all the events I participate all over town supporting worthy causes. Tired ? yes I am but it is the good kind of tired, the kind that you do not regret because your heart and soul are sooooooooooo glad to have been part of it all. Oh, and since Valentine's day I got a new assistant Katy, she is just great and among other things she does a super job taking all the food pictures that I get to share in my blogging. In the Fish Cookery part 2 (just before the above listed) I tried a few new things, still simple to prepare but eye appealing and delicious. In my book, the freshest the fish the least amount of preparation and ingredients there are,  the better. This almost done salmon shallow poached on a bed of leeks and fennel with wine and dry Vermouth and finished with a bit of cream just screamed for its glass of white Burgundy: you pick it, I'll drink it !

After all it is all about the freshness of the seafood we can get (or not) depending on where we live. I did some "barely baked Gulf oysters with foie gras butter" ( not to worry, the red tide had been long gone ) and they came out just great, briny and rich. I also did baked clams with Proscuitto,basil and sundried tomatoes as I was not going back decades and make clams Casino. See the pics, delicious is just not the right word, healthy too (the clams not the foie gras oysters).




No Rockefellers here, that envelop was really pushed !








There was Cioppino, whole snapper in salt crust, Calamari stuffed with pork braised in tomato and sweet Vermouth, roasted red fish, shrimp beignets and then some.

I do not eat much of any fried foods as my hips can't take but I just love shellfish fried in a light and crunchy batter (think about some rice flour) and I call my fried shrimp "Beignets of shrimp" because they are THAT light !

Now, shrimping season in Texas is opening on July 15th and it would make for a great trip to take the family down on the coast and come back with a cooler full of fresh Gulf wild shrimp. Once you had them you won't buy the other kinds, that's for sure or you just didn't get it when them babies came off the boat !




My Sardinian friend and Chef Salvatore would have been proud of this Gulf snapper baked in a salt crust, very simple preparation but moist and delicious. Just the way he showed me !

I could not end this post without showing my appreciation for Dave Ewing of Sysco foods who supplies the freshest fish product in town and keeps me abreast of the latest seafood goodies he brings in. I did what I call "the mother of all Cioppinos" which had all kinds of seafoods including razor clams which I never used before. Just the freshest, meaty, briny and way over the top. For most of you who have had Cioppino before you must have noticed that it was not very "tomatoey", what was missing in color was made up in flavor as I used the freshest and deep flavored fish stock. So,there !

What is it with some of us Chefs who naturally overdo things when we are on stage meaning when we teach ? I guess it would have to be the passion shinning through. In my case I am guilty of that many times over and hope it does not end.............ever..

Chocolate things for Valentine

I have to post about Valentine's day as it was the first time I had a class on that holiday and it was all about chocolate stuff. Another sold out class and the students were very attentive and asking good questions, who would not when it is all about chocolate. I was pleasantly surprised by the high level of interest and we had a waiting list just in case but everyone came. Could it be that the commercial side of Valentine's day is getting pricey , maybe so but it was great for me to spend the evening with people who really wanted to learn about making chocolatey things for their loved one. Over the years I never did get into the spirit as I always found it to be too business like. After all it is a big business for the cards makers/sellers, the chocolate companies, the flower world and also the jewelery business. But, to each its own !
                                                                                                                                                                     

 

Sea salt chocolate caramels, yum !  Almond chocolate truffles, more yum !   Orange chocolate tart, now that is a beautiful thing. Then  the chocolate pots de creme were a hit, easy to make and very affordable. Last but not least a chocolate molten cake . The picture on top is for the French as this confection is very popular over there and called "Orangettes".                

                                

This was a great evening and I truly enjoyed it. It gave me also the opportunity to practice for my upcoming "Chocolate and more Chocolate class" on March 18th Noon to 4. We still have a few seats left so call the Milestone team at 214 217 2818.



Making your own bread, why not ?

This past Sunday I had scheduled a bread making class but wait, I am not a baker. True but then I called on one of the best in town: Michele Brown. She really knows her stuff and she teaches everyday at a local community college. If you are into bread she would be the one to listen to and trust on the subject.The class was sold out and as usual we overdid it meaning that we did a lot of different breads.
Here is the list: baguettes, boules, english muffins, bagels, pretzels, knott rolls, crackers, Naan, Hapanleipa (sour rye), Pajeon (Korean scallion cakes), Ohraleipa ( barley flat bread), old fashioned rye bread, Mexican conchas, Schnecken, focaccia,  and a few more that I already forgot.


Homemade  English muffins ? just pass the butter.

Multiple choices is a good thing with bread.





We spent some time on bread starters which most people have a hard time maintaining, you just have to "feed" them now and then. When I see how much good bread (if you can find it) cost nowaday it might be a good idea to start something at home and include the rest of the family for fun and a bit more of food education.

Making bread is no more difficult than any other form of cooking as long as you are disciplined enough to follow recipes and scale all ingredients as needed. So start making bread and if your first batch turns out like hockey pucks that's OK, think about the experience you get on how it is NOT supposed to look like and take it from there. Failure is the mother of opportunity so good luck in making bread but start with the simple recipes first and feed on your own success. Now that is an addiction that we all can handle.

Surgery and friends,what a mix !

Ok this just cannot be about me but I have to talk about it.It is actually pretty easy to write about and I do not have to make anything up (not that I did in my previous posts) but it needs to be said. I had surgery recently and came out just fine, just something that I felt needed to be done to preserve my  quality of life for years to come. I'll spare you the details as they are not that important for this post. I was in the hospital for two and a half  days and it was my first time ever. Invasive surgery is just not a word or a description it is a fact and in most cases it really hurts, no to scare anyone but as they say : this too shall pass and it did. We as human being are just not very patient and in this highly charged and technologically important world of ours we just do expect way too much. The benefits of such an experience are huge, at least from where I stand. First there is the experience itself which if it does not kill you it will make you stronger, the knowledge you get makes you better to help yourself and others down the road later.
We all have friends and boy do they come out when one of theirs is a bit down. I am so blessed to have such a bunch of great friends, they called and checked on me, texted and rechecked and kept it up until they felt that I was actually ok.
Now, in this me first kind of world it is just absolutely great and sooooooooooo comforting to hear these voices genuinely concerned about you. It has to be one of the best therapies ever ! It was for me and then there is K who goes way out and brings you the very best chicken and vegetables soup you ever had as what ever you had before just cannot compare to how good it makes you feel at this particular moment. My take on this ? if good ( make that great chicken soup) will make a difference, then sign me up and I'll start cooking because after this experience, there is NO doubt that I have to keep this up and maybe make someone feel as good as K did me. My other friends K and B opened their home to me for my recovery and I am so very grateful to know them and very appreciative for the little attentions and basic needs along with the comforts of home without worries of any kind. Guys, this carries a price tag so huge that no money in the world (or all of it for that matter) could repay, but cooking I can and I promise you a lot of great feasts as our lives move forward. I do and always will treasure your friendship, Your are the friends that everyone wishes they had so, THANK YOU !
And then there was T who took time out of his busy business to stop by and check on me. Of course he is also a Chef and offered to feed  me the very first day. I hope I did not hurt his feelings by turning him down because there is not way I could have eaten the multi course feasts he would have brought me for every meal. In his case, nothing is too good or good enough for his friends so T , THANK YOU !

And then there are all the others who are concerned and check on you but respect your privacy and wishes .You are many, so to all of you and you know who you are THANK YOU and GOD BLESS. When my turn comes to return the same, I'LL BE THERE................... with a batch of chicken soup.

Le fromage

When I think of cheese the word just does jive or come close to what it means here (in France). It not only is part of the food culture but a huge part of a way of life and for those who are true "connaisseurs" it is almost a cult when it comes to eat it, pairing it with which wine or just taking sides for one's preferred fromage  or being a self declared expert on it.In order to do it justice in this short post I will address it as "fromage" as it is called here. We've all heard about strong fromage, stinky fromage and worse when we mention one of my favorite foods of all time: fromage ! I have been here for a few weeks and had a great fromage based time (don't go there, this is a G rated post !) with my sister buying her own fromage and me buying what I really like and miss when I'm in Texas. I ate fromage every day for every meal for almost four weeks. It might be time to go next week but no regrets even for my waist line. I did mention earlier that my sister leaves her fromage at room temperature and rightfully so. The French people who have visited me in Texas over the years have all been horrified of the way we handle the fromage over here. For the fromages eaten in France full flavored does not even qualify it. We are talking about soft and semi soft fromages. The flavor is just a medley of sensory things: piquant, creamy, aged, unique character, strong flavor, tingly, nutty,just to name a few. I do not eat butter with fromage but the bread here is the perfect partner and that is enough, no apples nuts or other things needed. Do not even think of mentioning baked brie !We've all heard it before, bread, cheese and wine is a great combination but I don't know if most everyone can appreciate the greatness of that combination until they have traveled to Western Europe. France offers hundreds of different kinds of fromages and for those of you who do not eat cheese, wait until you visit there and you just might change your mind I know you probably will.  

Time to refill,

That would be wine refill. My sister lives in a small town who has a  wine cooperative producing the regional wines that I have become fond of. The small producers of grapes sell their fruit there and the cooperative makes the wines which are distributed all over (at least what is left over after we the locals got our cellars filled for the year) . For red wines they use Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Tannat ( the one that has the most beneficial antioxidants, resveratrol anyone ?) and for white wines it is mostly sweet wines of the late harvest variety made with Gros Manseng, Petit Manseng, Arrufiac or Petit Corbu. The local producers have the latitude to blend different amount of each variety as long each variety is present in the wine. This is just great as it gives us the opportunity to discover wines which match our personal tastes closely and stick with any producer we like, it is all about supporting the little guy.

Right before lunch we stopped by to refill on the local Rosé which we like and drink everyday. I got to taste different wines and this set up reminded me of the way we do business in Texas, friendly and willing to help. No Chateau Lafitte here which by the way is very expensive, even here. Fortunately there are many many very affordable wines of great quality to please everyone. Looks like my cellar in a couple of years will be looking just fine and I can't wait ! Only a Frenchman would have his cellar ready before the house is ready to move in . Yep, that would be me !