My Gastronomy...

[Peco]

I love our Scandinavian forum members. They disagree in the most polite way. +1 for Nordic civility.

k.

Depends on how much we get provoked But we try ... we try

 

[Candlejack]

Depends on how much we get provoked But we try ... we try

Or if it's about sports..

Now we get most of it out when we wrestle polar bears in the street. They're so damn annoying pushing trash-cans over and threatening kids.

 

[Peco]

Or if it's about sports..

Now we get most of it out when we wrestle polar bears in the street. They're so damn annoying pushing trash-cans over and threatening kids.

When we kick your a s s i soccer lol - just kidding

 

[Candlejack]

When we kick your a s s i soccer lol - just kidding

COME AT ME BRO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eWZX7wsdc0&feature=related

 

[Peco]

 

[DeepCSweede]

There we go now we're gonna get some Nordic Action - :viking: :viking:

 

[Candlejack]

There we go now we're gonna get some Nordic Action - :viking: :viking:

Oh, you really don't want that. Have you seen a bunch or nords going all out on a polarbear in the streets of Stockholm after it pushed our booze down on the streets?

That is messy. Messy as hell. And that is with just fists. This is a knife-forum. You don't want that.

 

[DeepCSweede]

Oh, you really don't want that. Have you seen a bunch or nords going all out on a polarbear in the streets of Stockholm after it pushed our booze down on the streets?

That is messy. Messy as hell. And that is with just fists. This is a knife-forum. You don't want that.

Well - well do you expect the polar bear to pay the all the tax on that booze? He doesn't even have any pockets!!

 

[DeepCSweede]

Sorry -Now we've really moved off topic - Back to your regularly scheduled thread about gastronomy :cheffry:

I agree that there is a difference between a good chef and a cook. A good chef really understands how things go together to create a great tasting dish but that does not necessarily mean that it has to be fancy or scientific.

 

[Peco]

I agree that there is a difference between a good chef and a cook. A good chef really understands how things go together to create a great tasting dish but that does not necessarily mean that it has to be fancy or scientific.

There's a theory behind everything you do when you cook. If you don't know this theory - it's like walking blindfolded. You get around but don't have a clue where and why you end up where you do.

 

[dragonlord]

And is this theory something that can be written down, or is it something you have to learn by doing?

 

[Peco]

Theory I get from books, and then one has to practise a lot of course.

 

[tk59]

...one has to practise a lot of course.

+1. Practice means repeatedly tasting and modifying everything you make. Add something and taste it. Repeat. I can't stand it when someone goes up to a pot of something cooking and just asks me what they should put into it without tasting it. TASTE THE DAMN THING. You can say that isn't scientific if you like, but as a scientist, I can say that is the whole point. Without experiment, there can be no understanding. Sorry for the rant...

 

[Peco]

+1. Practice means repeatedly tasting and modifying everything you make. Add something and taste it. Repeat. I can't stand it when someone goes up to a pot of something cooking and just asks me what they should put into it without tasting it. TASTE THE DAMN THING. You can say that isn't scientific if you like, but as a scientist, I can say that is the whole point. Without experiment, there can be no understanding. Sorry for the rant...

Sounds like DKchef and his team - can't wait to start working with those guys on a regular basis - gonna be awesome

 

[bieniek]

You have to appreciate the element of competition to be great in this field. Maybe some 3 star chefs don't have the balls, guts, nerves etc.

Unfortunately that sounds to me exactly like it would be other way around.

You see, a dish is not a bite you take to taste it.

A dish is a whole course that a paying customer must it from start to end without loosing interest or enthusiasm. And that is what Michelin inspectors do. They also look for the flair of the chef. If he trained in France, or ENgland, or Mars, is he really cooking danish food?

Or other way. If inspector eaten food at Harveys, then moved on and ate food at Aubergine, he have the insight of the masterchef cooking his style, and the apprentice cooking, but here he have to judge is the apprentice working out own style, or just following the style the other.

So you know who "imfo" have the "balls and guts"?

The chef who never got professional training, he just went on trip around France with his wife, eating and drinking.
He opened restaurant, cooked his ars off, gained three stars, maintained them few years, and then just gave them away. He had cut prices by 1/3, stopped using expensive produce but kept the quality. It was just no longer tolerable for the guide.

Now think, as Raymond Blanc said.
This is the biggest danger when you dance to the Michelins Drum. Loss of star or stars can cost you business, because interest in your company decreases, and that standard restaurant already is tight with money. Some payed with life, like the La Cote D'or patron, Bernard Louiseau. And he didnt even lost the star, he just heard the rumours about it

Well as a Scandinavian you should know the worlds best restaurant NOMA, located in Copenhagen. Rene doesn't compete in Bocuse d'or. He compete with himself ... being innovative, thinking out of the box etc.

Well, you should know, Im not a scandinavian, and If not the money here, I would be long gone back working my arse off in London. Or anywhere in England in that matter, which is light years in front of Scandic countries if it comes to food culture. In front of where I come from, also, unfortunately.

As for Noma, its Saint Pellegrinos best restaurant, not mine. I think its so slick there with the best 10, that every single one could be chosen. Ha, Also Noma have two stars.
Anyways, I wish him the best and this is so hard industry to work with, and pressure so high, its not easy at all.

You reffering to thinking out of the box as to drying scallops for example? For me things like this is no innovation, is gimmicks...

Can those guys cook what you and I do - hell yaeh, they did that as apprentices - and I'm sure their outcome would be better than yours and mine!

You really think so?
So You want to tell me you could just out of your pocket whip better pasta than mine?

Cause whats the problem, doesnt matter he never did it before, he have just magic fingers.

And that my friend, is just impossible. I think it takes years to understand what you work with, to have the insight, to gain knowledge how resting or maturing of the flour makes difference on pasta, how much air or how big humidity is best for it, where was it cropped, who milled it, how to talk to gluten.
You just cannot get there by watching it done in book. You have to get your hands on it, spend time with it, love it.

But if you spend your time with pasta, theres no more time for lab, unless you use cocain, like some

And at the end, I want to tell you story of some small restaurant in Spain.
I met pastry chef, he finished the best chefs college in Spain, i dont remember the name, but its a crazy establishment.
Then he worked year for the best chocolatier in Spain.
Then he moved to work in one star Restaurant. 60 covers, and Two chefs working there! Literally, Owner and sous chef, some apprenti in summer season to take over prep.

He gained star for great food, but also cause climat there gives you lovely produce i think.
However, the guide started pressing on him, that he have to change this and that in order to maintain it, so he just gave it away, or lost it, if you wish.

Question is: Is the food worse? Is the chef lost? Is the quality gone?

I think its like Roux brothers said: "We feel with cooking better at two stars level, than at three" - after they lost the third star somewhere around 1650 BC And they kept level for another generation.
I really wish I could believe the "new nouvelle-molocule cuisine" is here to stay, but I think it will just die, let alone, or the chefs at some point will make something so ridiculous, it will be laughed at, just like nouvelle cuisine was back then.

 

[Candlejack]

It just feels like you are looking for a confrontation in parts of the post above.

Also, i would, objectively, never ever compare scandinavian cuisine to british.. (except norweigan) I think both the GBP and Norway deserves their titles as the worst food-countries there is.

 

[bieniek]

Why is that?

And we dont talk cuisine, we dont talk cabbage british cuisine we talk food culture.
Objectively, All the rocky cold countries are weak in that spot.

In post above Im just honest, in things touching threads name, my gastronomy

 

[Candlejack]

Why is that?

And we dont talk cuisine, we dont talk cabbage british cuisine we talk food culture.
Objectively, All the rocky cold countries are weak in that spot.

In post above Im just honest, in things touching threads name, my gastronomy

I just found the whole post very.. testosterony-aggressive.
I got your points, but it was all buried in sulfur-smelling hatred.. or so i thought.

 

[Peco]

I said: Can those guys cook what you and I do - hell yaeh, they did that as apprentices - and I'm sure their outcome would be better than yours and mine!

You really think so?
So You want to tell me you could just out of your pocket whip better pasta than mine?

Did I say what you just wrote, nope!

........................

Obviously I got it all wrong, the worlds greatest chef must be you B, sorry for the confusion - chef!

 

[bieniek]

Peco, dont get excited

Or, dont get personal

I maybe used wrong words.

I think you have to fell in love with what you do to execute it well. Or you have to repeat it many many many times, thats the way to gain understanding, I dont know how to explain better. Hmmm,

Like when first time you fry a fish portion, you roughly know how to, but the first isnt perfect. 100th isnt perfect, but you start to getting whats what just by looking at the oil on your pan, Im not sure if that makes sense?

Or for example when you serve desserts, and scoop quenelles on top of something, after some time you can do that better than your head chef, just because he isnt practising enough. Then you move up, someone takes your place, practise more and gets better. Its natural.

You see my point?

Candlejack it might be misspelling on my side, but I totally didnt want to sound invasive, or aggresive. Its not kitchen

 

[Peco]

I'm not offenden B - at all I just don't want to take this subject any further - and start a war. Forums are great but when you AND I write stuff - it can easily be misunderstood. Better just to stop here because I don't think anything constructive will come out of this.

Peace ...

 

[bieniek]

The trip continues

I had some thinking lately, apart from 100 hour weeks.

The guy that discovered mayonnaise, it really must have been a genius. Totally. I dont know if anything would be that hard nowadays.

And the other. I know where to look for perfection - in The Nature !!

Pigs skin

Its been a hell of a month but still found time to mess about little with some baguette. Simple breakfast at 5pm , after 12 hours at work

 

[quantumcloud509]

You guys are fun. Reading this post made me feel European again. Thank you.

 

[bieniek]

Arent those a beauties??

I cannot understand why would you rape them by peeling with peeler !

 

[bieniek]

So the menu from yesterday.

Sea bream
I got the day before, scaled, gutted and filleted/ cleaned with my debbie and great joy. Instead cutting off the whole segment of meat with bones in the middle, I tweezed them out.
The scoring was done only on the thickest part of meat to hopefully cook the fish through all in the same time. Pan fried fillets. Salt and white pepper.

Potatoes
Italian small pots peleed cooked with salt until just tender, maszed with spoon plenty of extra virgine and lemon juice. At the end dropped tarragon and chopped chives. Salt and white pepper

Asparagus
Blanched until just undercooked. I actually like that under, with a little bite. After glazed/emulsified with butter/blanchingwater and chives. Salt and white pepper

Chutney of red paprikas
This was most time consuming but also prepped on the very same evening.
First I cut the seeds with the sprig and cleaned insides of the white stuff inside. After I spreaded inside pepperoncino extra virgin with garlic and tarragon. Sticked bay leaf into each pepper, set with the hole down and baked at 230 until burned but still not chewy.
After peeled, and cooked in butter and olive oil with sugar until desired consistency.
This is totally new invention of mine. I never seen anyone doing that nor heard of one. I just thought It would taste cool and checked.
The taste was very buttery smooth with bits of pepper still retaining the peppers taste, it actually had good body with sugar and pepperoncino working well together. There was some hotness in it, but not attacking you, in the underflavour. Finished with tarragon before serving.
Actually goes pretty well together, chili tarragon and capsicum.

 

[Lucretia]

Sounds fabulous!

Dessert? Looks like a vanilla bean custard with orange segments and pistachio chocolate bark?

 

[Crothcipt]

excellent pics and great looking food. If at any time before I wanted to jump through my computer to the other side this takes the cake, err... custard.

 

[bieniek]

Thanks Lucretia and Crothcipt

I forgot the dessert

Its white chocolate and vanilla mousse, orange and
the choco is made of first preparing mix of glucose sugar and caramelising it. Whisking in cold butter and cooling down. Almost like you would make nougatine but without nuts.
After its crushed to a powder, spreaded and tray covered with sugar mat/baking paper and bakd in oven until it melts and creates 1mm thick layer of thick crisp.
Cools down, you melt dark choco, and selection of flavourings is entirely up to you, cognac, porto reduction, mint, vanilla. Spread it on top of caramel crisp and quickly throw in pistachios.
At this point you can leave it or make small piping bag of white chocolate and drizzle the top.

 

[bieniek]

Time for a small update.
We have some dinners outside of town, in a small place with beatifully restored farmhouse building, which in the very old times was a stable.
They want to have rustic feel about the food selection and presentation. Expecially main course [there was a argument once about putting big parsley top on every dish...]
I was there yesterday serving for 14.

starter was smoked trout, trout roe, leek-potato cream, potato chips, small salad and dill oil.

The main was venison fillet, portsauce, potato gratin, asparagus, baby carrot, baby courgette, beans, small red and white onions - first conserved in house.

ended with black choco mousse on crisp base, caramelised white chocolate, berries, marengues with liofilized raspberries, apple-caramell syrup and yoghurt sorbet.

The liofilized raspberries are the only sosa[artificial ] thing used in all that

Tomorrow have a four course with ravioli again. Am thinking about making 5 little ones per portion.

 

[stereo.pete]

Beautiful work and thank you for sharing.