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Jan. 15th, 2009 09:04 pmFun stuff on the food front, in bullet-menu format:
*We got selected as one of the top-10 finalists in the POM Wonderful pomegranate contest for our duck entry: http://fotocuisine.com/2008/11/20/seared-duck-breast-with-pomegranate-juice-reduction/ The funny thing is, when we entered, all I wanted was to be in the top-10. Now that we are, I'm really curious how we measure up against the other 9, and I'm surprisingly nervous about it.
*Imbibe Magazine wants to use our espresso and scallops recipe for a coffee feature they're doing. I pointed them to the Christmas Eve meal, because that was all coffee (and IMHO, a lot better than the scallops, which I found a bit bitter), but we'll see what shakes out.
*With all that news, I really haven't cooked anything interesting in the last couple weeks. Holiday burnout, and getting back into real life routines. However, I'm currently braising some oxtails for stew tomorrow. They smell great.
*FoodTV's Chopped show seems like it might be fun to watch. Ted Allen, as much as I like him as a commentator, makes a strange host. He's got the strident voice of a 1950's anti-communist newsreel announcer, and yet, it's fun.
*Top Chef recap, season-wide so far:
It's getting interesting. I was a little surprised at last night's elimination, but I was never really a fan.
Carla continues to surprise me. I don't want to like her (even though she's from Atlanta, and I'm a fan of Atlanta). She's completely nuts and out of her league...but then just when she does something boneheaded and skates by, she suddenly does something elegant. I can't help but think she surprises herself by these flashes of brilliance, much like the soothsayer in Harry Potter.
I used to really like Leah, now I think the only thing Leah is concentrating on is Hosea. Hosea has a chance to really break out if he would just remove his nose from Leah's hair.
Fabio surprises me with his goofy playfulness, and yet, he can really cook. I'd like to see him do something without pasta, though. I feel almost identically about Radhika ("I'm more than an Indian cook") and her chutney/curry/veggie fallbacks. Stefan is every bit as arrogant and talented as I expected him to be, but I like him despite that, mainly because he's the only German guy I know with a sense of humor more subtle the Three Stooges. His playfulness with the chickens and American slang ("I'm the cock. Cooooooccckkk.") is definitely more fun than normal German jokes (Translated southern German joke: "Why do North German sidewalks have a curb on both sides? So the locals can walk without dragging their knuckles on the ground.")
Jeff surprised me a lot. I expected him to be all hair, no brains, but Miami-boy is complex, and seems to be harboring a little insecurity as well.
I had high hopes for Gene, but his arrogance was never matched with his ability. Classically untrained? So's Colicchio. He worked his way to the top, Gene could have, too.
Jaime is another one with too much of an inferiority complex. Speak through your food. She's done it a couple times, she can continue if she doesn't keep getting frazzled.
My guess for the final top-3: Stefan, Hosea, Jeff. Jeff could be replaced by several: Jaime, Fabio, Leah, Radhika. They each have the talent, they just have to be all-elbows and just take it.
I do notice, oddly, that there's no one with a clear style. Hung was Asian/seafood, Richard was classical fused with MG, Ilan was Portuguese seafood, Marcel was pure scientific MG, Howie was pure-and-simple-meat and did it well, Brian was Miami seafood, even freaking Mikey was TGIF comfort food. Sure Radhika and Fabio have their ethnic specialties, but both try to avoid them in the interviews and say they're more than their heritage. Jeff has the Miami seafood vibe, and Hosea wears a lot of T-shirts about meat, but I just don't see any pioneers in this season. No one who exudes a passion about a particular style or ingredient or technique.
*We got selected as one of the top-10 finalists in the POM Wonderful pomegranate contest for our duck entry: http://fotocuisine.com/2008/11/20/seared-duck-breast-with-pomegranate-juice-reduction/ The funny thing is, when we entered, all I wanted was to be in the top-10. Now that we are, I'm really curious how we measure up against the other 9, and I'm surprisingly nervous about it.
*Imbibe Magazine wants to use our espresso and scallops recipe for a coffee feature they're doing. I pointed them to the Christmas Eve meal, because that was all coffee (and IMHO, a lot better than the scallops, which I found a bit bitter), but we'll see what shakes out.
*With all that news, I really haven't cooked anything interesting in the last couple weeks. Holiday burnout, and getting back into real life routines. However, I'm currently braising some oxtails for stew tomorrow. They smell great.
*FoodTV's Chopped show seems like it might be fun to watch. Ted Allen, as much as I like him as a commentator, makes a strange host. He's got the strident voice of a 1950's anti-communist newsreel announcer, and yet, it's fun.
*Top Chef recap, season-wide so far:
It's getting interesting. I was a little surprised at last night's elimination, but I was never really a fan.
Carla continues to surprise me. I don't want to like her (even though she's from Atlanta, and I'm a fan of Atlanta). She's completely nuts and out of her league...but then just when she does something boneheaded and skates by, she suddenly does something elegant. I can't help but think she surprises herself by these flashes of brilliance, much like the soothsayer in Harry Potter.
I used to really like Leah, now I think the only thing Leah is concentrating on is Hosea. Hosea has a chance to really break out if he would just remove his nose from Leah's hair.
Fabio surprises me with his goofy playfulness, and yet, he can really cook. I'd like to see him do something without pasta, though. I feel almost identically about Radhika ("I'm more than an Indian cook") and her chutney/curry/veggie fallbacks. Stefan is every bit as arrogant and talented as I expected him to be, but I like him despite that, mainly because he's the only German guy I know with a sense of humor more subtle the Three Stooges. His playfulness with the chickens and American slang ("I'm the cock. Cooooooccckkk.") is definitely more fun than normal German jokes (Translated southern German joke: "Why do North German sidewalks have a curb on both sides? So the locals can walk without dragging their knuckles on the ground.")
Jeff surprised me a lot. I expected him to be all hair, no brains, but Miami-boy is complex, and seems to be harboring a little insecurity as well.
I had high hopes for Gene, but his arrogance was never matched with his ability. Classically untrained? So's Colicchio. He worked his way to the top, Gene could have, too.
Jaime is another one with too much of an inferiority complex. Speak through your food. She's done it a couple times, she can continue if she doesn't keep getting frazzled.
My guess for the final top-3: Stefan, Hosea, Jeff. Jeff could be replaced by several: Jaime, Fabio, Leah, Radhika. They each have the talent, they just have to be all-elbows and just take it.
I do notice, oddly, that there's no one with a clear style. Hung was Asian/seafood, Richard was classical fused with MG, Ilan was Portuguese seafood, Marcel was pure scientific MG, Howie was pure-and-simple-meat and did it well, Brian was Miami seafood, even freaking Mikey was TGIF comfort food. Sure Radhika and Fabio have their ethnic specialties, but both try to avoid them in the interviews and say they're more than their heritage. Jeff has the Miami seafood vibe, and Hosea wears a lot of T-shirts about meat, but I just don't see any pioneers in this season. No one who exudes a passion about a particular style or ingredient or technique.
