the painting chef

2 each spanish onios roughly chopped

3 lbs carrots peeled and sliced thin

3 tbs miced garlic

4 tbs ginger thinnly sliced

1 gal chicken stock

nutmeg

allspice

heavy cream

A) sweat onins,garlic,carrot and ginger in butter until very tender

B) add stock and season lightly. Adjust flavor afrter simmering

C) puree in blender until smooth

D) add cream and bring to simmer just before serving 

1 lb   crab meat

1/2c mayonaise

2 tbs dijon mustard

2 eggs

1 tsp worcestire sauce

2 tbs lemon juice

6oz bread crumbs

1 green pepper finely diced

3 tbs chopped parsley

3 green onions finely chopped

1 tbs old bay seasoning

1) combine mayonaise,mustard and eggs and mixed together well

2) add crab meat and mix together

3) add remaining ingredients and mix together well

4) lightly flour 2oz portion and form into patty

5) bread each cake in flour then dredge in egg wash then bread cumbs.

6) refridgerate for at least 1 hour before pan frying

 

 2 1/2 tbs. mustard seeds

2 cups mango puree

2 tea. garlic

4 tea. ginger

1 tea. oriental curry powder

2 tea. salt

4 1/2 tbs. sherry vinegar

1 tea. white pepper

1/2 cup walnut oil

 In a hot sauce pan ,roast mustard seeds until black.Set seeds aside and sweat garlic and ginger.Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.Blend adding half the mustard seeds and the walnut oil.Mix in the remaining mustard seeds.

 

1 qt frozen cherries

2 ea shallots (sliced)

2 clove garlic (sliced)

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1 qt chicken or vegetable stock

2 sprigs fresh rosemary  left whole

brown sugar to balance acidity

little oil and butter

1) sweat shallots and garlic in oil and butter

2) add cherries,cover and reduce heat and sweat the juice from the cherries

3) remove cover,add balsamic vinegar and reduce by half

4) add stock,rosemary,salt and pepper and simmer for a half hour

5) remove rosemary sprigs and balance acidity with brown sugar then puree and strain

 

1 1/4 cup champagne vinegar

2/3 cup water

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 mango (peeled and chopped)

5 tablespoon scallion (sliced thin)

juice and zest of one lime

1/4 bunch cilantro(chopped

1/4 bunch parsley (chopped)

1/4 cup frsh ginger (grated)

tuna steaks

Mix vinegar and water with the sugar and bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar.Let cool and then combine all the ingredients.Refrigerate for twenty four hours before serving over fresh grilled tuna

1 1/2 large pineapple (peeled,cored and cut into small pieces)

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

11/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 lemon (juiced and strained)

1/2 red onion (finely diced)

1 1/2 chopped fresh mint

A) puree 2 cups of the pineapple and set the rest aside

B) combine the pureed pineapple,sugar,spices,ginger,salt and lemon juice in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat for five minutes to make a pineapple syrup

C) add the pineapple chunks,cayenne peppers and red onion; reduce heat and cook for twenty five minutes

D) transfer chutney to a bowl and let sit for two hours before serving.Add the freshh mint right before serving

    1 lamb rack

    4 sprigs fresh rosemary

    4 tbs dijon mustard

     1/3 cup  bread crumbs 

     1 clove garlic

     1/4 cup stock      

       First sear the lamb on all sides until well browned. After cooling coat with mustard and 3/4 of the rosemary, then coat with bread crumbs. Place in 400 degree oven and cook for 30 to 45 minutes until desired doneness. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.

       In the pan used to sear the lamb quickly sautee 1 clove of garlic being carefull not to brown. Add  1/4 cup lamb or other stock and deglaze.Add remaining mustard and rosemary and reduce till sauce consistancy.Strain sauce and seaon with salt and pepper to taste. 

     Over the past week I have been stripping a deck in preparation for staining.This has got to be the nastiest job I have ever done.The fist step is to spray sodium hydroxide on it and then scub the hell out of it. This creates a toxic soup that gets everywhere.After rinsing off this toxic morrass it must be nuetralised with oxcilic acid.While this doesn’t appear to be as bad for you as the lye it wil still give you some very nice chemical burns if you get it on you. Finaly you get to sand everything which kicks all the dried acid into the air for you to breathe.Thank god for respirators! But at last this stage of the project is done and tomorrow we will apply the stain.

RESPONSE TIME-When you turn the heat up or down the gas stove responds immediatlywhich is important in certain cooking techniques.Electric is definatly much slower in responding than gas and can be quite inconvenient.

SIMMERING- while many gas stoves have improved electric is much more reliable for slow worry free simmering.

BOILING- Gas stoves are almost always slower to bring a large pot of water to a boil. This is due to a loss of heat that escapes around the pot. Escaping heat is unavoidable regardless if you use electric or gas but a gas stove creates more hot air that flows up and around the pan.This results in less heat getting into your food, the pan handles get hotter and the room gets hotter. With electric stoves and a pan that is not too small for the element more heat comes into contact with the food.

PAN CHOICE- With a flat top electric range the pans must be fairly close to being flat on the bottom to maximise heat tansfer.With a gas range the pans can be more convex.

CLEANING- While cleaning the old style electric burners may be a chore it is still far easier than cleaning out the gunk that gets into the gas burners.Of course the new flat top electric ranges are a snap to clean.

 

  Today I have started out on my own, painting for myself.I have the advertising started and hopefully it will generate some business soon.It will be good for me to get out there on my own even though I am going to stay with the company I am currently working for. I only plan on doing small jobs that take only a week or maybe two to complete with only one person.If all goes well this will create a nice boost to my income,if not I don’t really lose anything other than pride.But like they  say nothing ventured, nothing gained.