pics of food that i promised!

[kcma]

well, they're raw. here's the deal. we make alot of things at Providence, but we work with more fish than anything else. and we get amazing fish in our kitchen. Yumin with his Yanagi is amazing at handling fish. they come in whole, and leave Yumin's hand in perfect portions.

BUT, we don't sell every oz of every fish. we have scraps. every few days, we bread them and fry them for crew meal. or at the end of the day, hungry cooks go through the box and take home the best "scraps". which lead to tonight's fish in my box :)

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i254/kcma_2nd/food/fish01.jpg

on my way out of the kitchen, i scoop a big scoop of ice, vacuum packed it, and picked out the best 4 pieces of fish i can find in the "scrap box" and wrap it with ice! what did i find? 2 portions of monk fish and 2 portions of Salmon :)

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i254/kcma_2nd/food/fish02.jpg

yes yes, i know i call them scrap, but they're better than the fish you pay $35/lb for @ wholefood/bristol farm/gelson's/santa monica's seafood :)

and what do we have that wholefood/bristol farm/gelson don't besides better fish? better fish cutter :)

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i254/kcma_2nd/food/fish03.jpg

who can skin the fish perfectly leaving the entire silver membrane between skin and fish completely intact? i can't. thank you for cutting beautiful scraps Yumin <3

***

but guess what, it's almost 4am... i'm gonna goto bed, the cooking of the fish will have to wait until tomorrow or maybe the day after :)

[xxlebox]

haha that's some nice fish, just a week ago I decided to make sea carp
got the recipe from the F word on tv ^^

well, my parents liked it :P

[kcma]

unless you have access to amazing (and more important, affordable) fish. go nuts... otherwise i love fish like snapper and tailapia. if you live in a big city and have Asian supermarkets near by. theyr'e affordable and most likely have better/fresher seafood that boutique/gourmet/specialty super markets like whole food and bristol farms (not to mention wide selection of live fish).

stay away from the usual ralphs/vons, etc... tho... the fish that we consider so old that they're not even fit for a crew meal is still better than their freshest fish.

***

how cute <3 you cooked for parents!

[xxlebox]

yeah well, I've gotta learn the tricks one way or another and I'm not planning on throwing away what I just made ;)

[Tanitha]

Asian supermarkets are definitely one of the best places to shop for food. Fresh food, good prices and some of the loveliest cuts of meat you'll find. After having shopped there I find it difficult to go back to the normal, mass production type food shops we get here.

[kcma]

alright, i've decided that the monk fish will be covered in curry, seared and roasted. served with minty cous cous, pernod and some kind green veggie with cherry sauce.

the salmon will be seared and served with a quenelle of ginger spiced carrots, garlic hot scallions, and pork jus :p

***

now, let's see if i get lazy and start removing components haha.

[Ju Smurph]

Now a picture of food you have made... rather than a few cuts of fish :wink:

[kcma]

the spiced kobocha squash is cooked and going through the chinois right now (pics coming), and the roasted chili and bell pepper are almost done, more pics coming. the components are coming together :D

the squash with be finished with butter and cream, and a part of it will be foamed with milk :) the roasted peppers will be portioned out, and dammit, i dont have a blender!! i'll have to figure out how to puree stuff without a blender...

poaching a few plums now. seared poached plum + spiced kobocha squash + roasted monkfish with plum gastrique and squash foam = winterfood!! almost valentiney i thought :p

[kcma]

ok pics :p this is the first meal today. pork hock!! slow braised in roasted chicken stock, cinnamon, cloves, bayleaf, coriander, star anise, peppercorn, green onion, ginger and garlic :) served with steam rice, that meal reminds me of when i was in Taiwan :p pig's feet and pork belly everyday!

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i254/kcma_2nd/food/hock2.jpg

then, i dressed and grundgingly went to work... and guess what!! more injuries!! chef de cuisine paul came to rescue, the 2 of us shuckled about 50 oysters in 10 min... which might not sound all that impressive, but these are monster Hama Hamas!! the 2 of us buried in piles of oysters complaining about how much we hate them, and BAM!, i snaped my oyster knife in half! hahaha! he laughed, and BAM! there's a shell stuck in his finger!! Hahaha i laughed! while he tapes up his hand, i kept shucking away and guess what? my turn!! 2 cuts and a piece of shell flying into my eye blinding me!

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i254/kcma_2nd/kcma/kcma_070207a.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i254/kcma_2nd/kcma/kcma_070207b.jpg

yep, the Hama Hamas kicked our asses...

[kcma]

and alright, most components are done :)

mashed up squash (just like your mash potato!):

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i254/kcma_2nd/food/squash1.jpg

but of course, i'm a Providence elitest... mash potato isn't good enough! i must torture myself and strain it through a chinois :)

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i254/kcma_2nd/food/squash2.jpg

and... out comes the perfectly velvety and silky smooth squash that has only 1 texture, velvet silky smoothness (yes it's a real texture!). try this at home with your potatos :) tip 1. dont over cook it, tip 2. cook in VERY salty water (think about the ocean!) tip 3. tami or strain it through chinoise before adding butter/cream. 4. add generous amount of butter and cream until it taste reallllllly great :)

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i254/kcma_2nd/food/squash3.jpg

so yes, this will be the squash tomorrow. the strained squash will be finished with butter, cream, more spices. the unstrained squash (my arm got tired and i've been tami-ing stuff all day!) will be cooked/mixed with milk for foam.

[kcma]

plums!! those who knows me knows that i'm not the biggest fan of fruits :) well, what to do with plums? improve upon it :D these are a bit under-ripen chilean plums. into a poaching liquid it goes! with a stick of cinnamon :) and the left over liquid is reduced into a plum gastrique (reduction).

all the fancy words huh? sounds hard? well, actually no, i just put the plum in water and cinnamon and sugar. how much? i dont know, didnt measure. a real simple syrup is 50/50 sugar and water, well, that's not what i did :p i just added enough sugar so it's slightly sweeter than plum. that plum still has good amount of tartness to it.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i254/kcma_2nd/food/plum1.jpg

how long does it take to poach plum? i dont know, the only correct answer is, until it's done :p maybe now you guys will see how i answer questions about wow :) these took about 10 min after water boils. they're cooked about half way, the hotness from carrying over will most likely finish it. wow how easy is that... you boil it in sugar water...

and the left over sugar water? gastrique!! now i have a sauce for my monk fish ;) gastrique is a sugar syrup balanced with acid. added a bit of white wine vinegar to the liquid. well, i know all the water will be boiled out so i added just a tiny bit. i can always add more vinegar later if i have to. but if i add too much now... i'm screwed. took about 10 min to cook out the water. how do u know when gastrique is done? well, you check it by shocking it in ice water and see what consistancy you have. you want a sauce, so... gooey and syrupy. not rock candy or water.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i254/kcma_2nd/food/plum2.jpg

there we go, Plum Gastrique. sweet plum sauce balanced with acidity of good white wine vinegar, Mmmm... i'll finish everything tomorrow and put up the pics of final results :)

[xxlebox]

well, that does look good, I wonder if it tastes well too ^^

[kcma]

ok it's past noon and i woke up late, so... i'll play with this tonight instead :D

[Ju Smurph]

... waiting...

[Mincemaker]

You sure that's plum and not your blood, kcma?

[kcma]

ok :p ploy went home, picture time.

first, my finger! 2 new trophy, eh... i meant, battlewounds tonight!

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i254/kcma_2nd/kcma/finger11.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i254/kcma_2nd/kcma/finger12.jpg

you must be wondering, does kc ever run outta places to cut himself?? well, it's what they say, the sharper the knife the cleaner the cut and the faster they heal. what they don't know/never seen, is a truely sharp knife. it doesnt' matter how much i've bled, the wound always heal in 2, maybe 3 days fully. a bit tender but healed. and in 4-5 days, it's completely normal ready for another accident :p that's the advantage of a truely sharp knife. the downside of course is... that it CAN cut your whole finger off... now pics of food!

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i254/kcma_2nd/food/monk1.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i254/kcma_2nd/food/monk3.jpg

Curry crusted monkfish cooked in a technique call arisee (can't spell...), seared in a pan with thyme, garlic, and bay leaf basted with olive oil and butter.

Sauteed scallion, Kobocha squash spiced with cardomon, cinnamon, cloves, and pepporcorn.

and good ol' plum reduction from the night before (not my blood!!). all garnished with sliced scallion and fleur de sel!

sorry, no pics of that salmon/sea trout (i cant remember which one it is anymore)... those are in ploy and my tummy :p

i should teach ppl how to cook at home :)

[kcma]

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i254/kcma_2nd/food/blanch01.jpg

this is blanching. in restaurant, everything is blanched until just perfectly cooked (sometimes a bit under, depends on the veggie), and finished when the order is picked up.

big pot of SALTY water, and an ice bath to shock it exactly when it's perfect :)

ps. this is how pretty dark green veggies are done, sauteeing it directly will just kill its color most of the time.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i254/kcma_2nd/food/kitchen01.jpg

dammit, home kitchens are so small!! frustrating!! the key to having a hot plate coming out with evreything being hot is keeping everything warm. here i use a hot water bath :)

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i254/kcma_2nd/food/season01.jpg

why does most home cooked protein taste... not as orgasmic?? because you have to season it! you season aggressivly. it's protein, that thing is about 6-7 oz. salt won't penetrate the protein at all, and a tiny pinch of salt won't do either. most of the salt comes off during cooking process too, so, season it aggressively (esp true with grilling. salt falls into the grill. i've never seen home cooked season their steak right!).

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i254/kcma_2nd/food/squash4.jpg

when it comes to carrot puree, squash, potato, etc etc... the key to it (besides the right seasoning), is luxoriously silky smooth texture! this is why at providence and water grill a small side of squash/potato will cost 8~12 bux, and at cheesecake factory it's 4. we cook it perfectly and season it just right. then we spend ALOT of time straining it through tamis and chinois to create that texture. sure, rustic/country style is great too, but don't we all love to be pampered sometimes? :)

[Mincemaker]

I love salmon, and it has always been my favorite food. And you make salmon in a way I had never seen! I salute you and your efforts to produce the best salmon dish I had seen yet!

[xxlebox]

looks good kc, guess I'll be eating with you t'night ;)

[Stigg]

My dinner tonight:
http://www.hotpockets.com/graphics/hot/products/db/sub_hpmeat_400.jpg

I'm goign to have to try that method for potatoes sometime. Growing up in mountain country, we just threw ours in a boiler for awhile and however it came out, we ate it.

Keep up the great work! I can't believe you are making that stuff at home!

[xxlebox]

now thats reaaaal food stigg ;)

[Stigg]

kcma - have you ever thought of making a cooking book? Like a young adult guide to cooking....

WIth pictures and your own...err..."creative" writing style? :P

[kcma]

i better, a 9 course @ providence is $95 or 140 with wine pairing. as much as i love doing that stuff i definitely can't afford it all the time :p

but yeh, potato in cold SALTY water, bring to a simmer and don't boil it. keep the potato dry (roasting works too). mash it up realllly good, and then strain it through either tami/chinois. then heat it back up in a pan and finish with butter/cream to taste (potato should already be seasoned from salty water, but adjust it again). it comes out soooo rich and creamy it kindda destroy all other mash potato for you forever :p everytime i get mashed potato at cheesecake factory or whatever it just taste like dry potato powder/grit...

and hotpocket kick ass :p not as kick ass as the instant ramen i had for lunch though :)

[xxlebox]

what's tami/chinois? please keep it english :P

[Stigg]

what's tami/chinois? please keep it english :P
lol it is.

Its the picture of the potatoes (i think they were potatoes...) get squeezed through. Its teh thing they are getting squeezed through. Just a really fine filter..

[xxlebox]

you made me understand it less than i did :laugh:
wait, I'll google it :)


after googlin': hmm I only get strange chinese pictures, might be japanese too

[Stigg]

Chinois:

For straining fruits, vegetables, soups and sauces, this Chinois is a wonderful kitchen tool to have. It is made entirely of stainless steel with a fine mesh that prevents seeds, pulp and skins from slipping through. A hook on one side holds to the side of your pan or bowl as you work. Measures 8-in. diameter and 7-in. depth

Its the metal thing in the potatoe picture

[kcma]

kobocha squash for the record not potato, but i push potato through strainers like that too :)

chinois is exactly that, a coney things that i use mostly for straining sauces and stocks. but since i dont have a tami at home, i use a chinois to do a tami's job too. tami looks liek a big 1 sided drum. with mesh on one side, and you can push things through it :)

[amazing barrel of nachos]

kcma i ask again why youve shown us your fingers!?!

[kcma]

why not, just did :) is it important why i do what i do? :)

[xxlebox]

yeah and doing what you're doing is like what you do when you wanna do it and then doing it ;)

[amazing barrel of nachos]

why not, just did :) is it important why i do what i do? :)

oh yeah i remember why your emo

[kcma]

yeah and doing what you're doing is like what you do when you wanna do it and then doing it ;)

yep, glad we're clear on that :p so now i'm thinking... what do i wanna make next week :p

[xxlebox]

:) make ... ehm.. well.. umm... let's see...

WEDGIES!! Those are tasty :D but too easy to make though...

what about some kind of souffle since I've no idea what it is.

[kcma]

well, souffle is a dessert, i can do it BUT i'll have to dig up a recipe... you can't just wing desserts :p

souffle is almost a cake, but very very very light and fluffy. think custards + cake hybrid. texture of custard but with some body structure from flour to give it flight fluffy bubbly body :) you bake them in a lil cup and it fluffys up, but you have to eat it fast, it collapses in minutes.

***

i'd rather do something savory :p wedges are easy i can do that :D what else?

[amazing barrel of nachos]

correction souffle is not just dessert there are all different kinds for example:cheese ,turnip(gross!)chocolate,egg,even bacon!
and souffle is full of air like a sponge but softer but when its not hot like kcma said it collapses

[kcma]

you can make souffle out of anything (well, if you really can't, things like turnip is too dense and heavy and you can't fluff it up without cheating a bit). but for all intent and purpose it's a dessert. i mean, we make 5 spice icecream, parmasean ice cream, foie gras ice cream, and it's still a dessert doesn't matter what savory flavor it carries :)

[amazing barrel of nachos]

you can make souffle out of anything (well, if you really can't, things like turnip is too dense and heavy and you can't fluff it up without cheating a bit). but for all intent and purpose it's a dessert. i mean, we make 5 spice icecream, parmasean ice cream, foie gras ice cream, and it's still a dessert doesn't matter what savory flavor it carries :)

hmmmm...true true but i can cook better ill even post a pic of my awesome cooking talents in the art of nachos! (hence the name)

[amazing barrel of nachos]

http://www.bernardmatthews.com/images/recipeimages/imgPhoto60.jpg

see i am teh awesomeness!

[kcma]

i love nachos <3 that doesn't look greasy enougy btw...

[amazing barrel of nachos]

i love nachos <3 that doesn't look greasy enougy btw...

grrrr...ITS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE GREASY!!!!

[Foonyak]

It also looks like sliced ham lain on top of the quote-unquote nachos. And despite the fact that they have jalepenos, salsa, and sour cream...where's the cheese, dude? Nachos aren't nachos without ground beef and a pound of cheese.

[amazing barrel of nachos]

i love nachos <3 that doesn't look greasy enougy btw...and i would like to see you make anything better all who vote for my nachos tell me!

[amazing barrel of nachos]

It also looks like sliced ham lain on top of the quote-unquote nachos. And despite the fact that they have jalepenos, salsa, and sour cream...where's the cheese, dude? Nachos aren't nachos without ground beef and a pound of cheese.

thanks...wait:shocked: ITS GOT BEEF AND CHEESE ON IT!

[Foonyak]

*withholds vote until all candidates have shown me the nachos*

EDIT: I see no beef, and after closer inspection, I think I may see a teeny tiny eency weency bit of cheese. There are good nachos, bad nachos, and in-between nachos. All of the nachos I'd consider good have ground beef and cheddar, monterrey jack, and/or pepper jack cheese almost pouring off of the plate, along with other standard nacho fare. Your nachos look like they cost $10.00 a plate and take less than five minutes to eat. And I've never seen sliced sandwich meat on a plate of nachos until I saw those.

[kcma]

you forget that i'm an elitest, but sure, i'll make some nachos :)

and yes, greasy beef and cheese make good nacho :D

[amazing barrel of nachos]

you forget that i'm an elitest, but sure, i'll make some nachos :)

and yes, greasy beef and cheese make good nacho :D

ill make more! and not just nachos!

[amazing barrel of nachos]

http://z.about.com/d/chinesefood/1/0/2/5/gingerbeef.jpg


SEE IM THE BEST AT COOKING!!!

[kcma]

haha that looks gross and curiously tasty at the same time :p

[amazing barrel of nachos]

haha that looks gross and curiously tasty at the same time :p

its ginger beef with lemon and lime


its so good its almost as hot as i am

[kcma]

let's see your pic and i'll be the judge of that :)

[xxlebox]

yeah me and kc already did. your turn now!

[amazing barrel of nachos]

fine

ill get it now

[amazing barrel of nachos]

http://www.absolutepunk.net/geek/gars/images/8/1/2/0/darrenwayne.jpg


i am the one on the right