1. Improvise. Sometimes the cake doesn't come out of the pan as planned...
2. Expect the unexpected. You can make a butternut squash purée in an hour unless the squash is cut into small cubes. The oven doesn't care that the dish is due and the squash isn't ready, and neither does chef.
3. In good pairings, wine makes food taste better and food makes wine taste better! What a nice relationship.
4. I don't really fancy organ meat ("offal"), but I have faith that there are a lot of chefs out there preparing organ meats in some delicious ways. Chef April Bloomfield at The Spotted Pig already changed my mind about chicken livers, and chefs at The American and at Del Posto have confirmed my belief that foie gras is an irreplaceable luxury. I know the practice behind foie gras is cruel — there's no denying that — but if a server offers to let's say, ladle foie gras over a crispy duck breast, I'm afraid that I'm just not prepared to turn it away.
5. The term "venison" applies to meat of deer, elk, caribou, moose, antelope, and pronghorn. The USDA classifies meat from deer, elk, bear, moose, rabbit, alligator, and armadillo as red meat.
Flounder "My Way" - Panko pecan-crusted flounder with citrus beurre blanc, wilted spinach, & butternut squash purée
6. Veal is meat from a male calf that is 2-3 months old and it's delicate, tender, and pale in color because the calf's movement is completely restricted and its diet is monitored. This is a just a reality.
7. I now know more about custards, frozen desserts, crusts, and soufflés than I ever thought I would as a classic culinary arts student.
8. The difference between all purpose flour and cake flour is a BIG one. As a novice baker I used AP flour in place of cake flour all the time because I didn't want to spend the extra money, but it's a small difference in price that's worth it. Gluten, a network of proteins in flour and grain, is largely responsible for the shape and texture of a baked item. AP flour has a protein content of 11-12 percent and cake flour has a protein content of 8-9 percent. What does this mean? The type of flour used and how it is manipulated will yield pretty specific results. If you're serious about baking, knowing your flour and purchasing flour specific to your baking needs will make a huge difference.
9. Chilling dough and batter does matter. In the past I would rush chilling times specified in recipes, but I now understand that chilling is important because it allows the gluten networks to relax.
10. Appreciate handmade puff pastry! It took someone a little bit of time to make.
Apple tarts and a pear-almond cream tart
11. White chocolate is a chocolate impostor. It isn't chocolate at all. It's made out of sugar, milk soils, and cocoa butter.
12. In the words of Eldridge sous chef Nick Haxton, "I'm your chef, not your dietitian," but a food professional should know a thing of two about nutrition.
13. Sheep's milk has the highest fat content (7.5 percent) compared to goat's milk (4 percent) and cow's milk (3.7 percent), but reindeer (17 percent) and fin whales (42 percent) have the highest milk fat contents. Reindeer milk, anyone? How about cheese made from human breast milk? New York chef Daniel Angerer did just that earlier this year with his wife's breast milk. Check out the New York Post March 2010 article.
14. Making ricotta is easy. All you need is milk, citric acid, and salt. Food Lab blogger J. Kenji Lopez-Alt posted a nice tutorial on SeriousEats.com.
15. Gnocchi is versatile, easy (to my surprise), delicious, and can be easily edited for seasonal purposes. Spinach or squash can be added to the dumplings, the sauce served with the gnocchi can be light or heavy, and gnocchi can be served as a side dish or main course.
Roasted beet salad with endive, watercress, pears, Roquefort, & walnuts
16. There really is beauty in simplicity.
17. Real, French-style scrambled eggs ("oeufs brouilles") shouldn't take less than 15 minutes to make. They're cooked over medium-low heat with constant stirring and the final product should be soft, creamy, and thick.
18. The truth about sugar substitutes is that they're awful. Thank you, Chef Tim. Read this article. Raw sugar all the way!
19. Desserts are cheap for most restaurants to make, so why do you think restaurants send out birthday treats and "apology desserts?" It's cheaper than sending another entrée or booze.
20. At the end of the night, despite what went wrong or didn't get chef's approval, I'm still doing what I love.
