Tuesday, January 29, 2013

How to Cook (Or at Least Talk) Like a “Top Chef”

Bill and I love to watch the show “Top Chef”.  My mother, however, doesn’t care for the show.  Her complaint is “how do I know if what they’re making is any good if I can’t actually taste it?”  Fair enough.  But we love watching it for the entertainment as much as the cooking.  We love the show so much that when we heard one of our favorite contestants, Fabio from season 5, was going to be appearing at a private event at Cooper’s Hawk, we knew we had to go.   Fabio was always hilarious on the show (for example: http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/videos/fabios-shattered-finger) and we were not disappointed at the event!  Here’s Bill and I with Fabio below:
I think one of the reasons I personally like "Top Chef" is because I work in the restaurant industry and I love to cook.  And let me tell you, working in a restaurant whether in the kitchen or dining room, is no cake-walk, so I appreciate what they are going through when they are under pressure in the competitions!
Ok, so here’s the thing though that I don’t particularly enjoy about the show.  They sometimes use big fancy words or chef lingo that not everyone understands.  It never fails that Bill will pause the show and ask me something like this:  “What does six lobsters all day mean? What’s all day?”  I explained to Bill that “all day” basically means the total amount of what is needed right now.  Satisfied with my answer, we resume watching the show.  Ten minutes later he pauses the show again (no, I’m not annoyed) and asks “what’s aioli mean again?” to which I reply “a mayonnaise-based sauce.”  Resume show.
In all fairness, there are plenty of times when I don’t know what they are talking about either. (Chiffonade?  Isn’t that wedding dress material!)  So to help everyone out (and prevent further pausing during the show), here is just a small sample of some of the most common terms we hear over and over on “Top Chef”:
Chiffonade – French term that literally means “in rags”.  It refers to a method of slicing food into thin strips, usually a leafy green such as lettuce or basil.
Sous Vide – Another French term which means “under vacuum”.  It’s a cooking method where the food is sealed in plastic bags in a water bath for longer than normal cooking times, at a much lower temperature.  The intention is to cook the food evenly and keep it moist.  Sous-vide works for both meats and vegetables.
Chutney – A condiment that contains, in its basic form, fruit, vinegar, sugar and spices.  Chutney originates from India and other South Asian countries.  Flavors range from coriander to mango (a Top Chef favorite) to peanut and can vary in degree of sweetness and spiciness.
Confit – In general terms, confit simply means to preserve.  It applies to both fruits preserved in sugar and meats preserved in their own fat.  Meat confit is more common and popular choices include duck, goose and pork.  The meat is first salted and seasoned and then slowly cooked while submerged in its own rendered fat.  It is preserved by allowing it to cool and be stored in the fat.
Demi-Glace – A rich, flavorful sauce that is made by mixing half basic brown sauce (espagnole) and half brown stock.   The term comes from the French word glace, which used in reference to a sauce means “icing” or “glaze”.  Demi-glace can be used by itself or it is often the base of other sauces, and is almost always paired with red meat.
Now go on and whip together some duck confit with a veal demi-glace, a garnish of mango chutney and chiffonade basil, and a side of sous-vide carrots!  What time should we be over?

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Carbonated Waters – Clearing Up a Murky Topic

This past weekend, as I was stretching after a grueling training session with my fiancĂ©’s cousin, he asked me if tonic water was the “healthiest” alcohol mixer.  Apparently, his student athletes (he’s the assistant strength and conditioning coach at a local university) were wondering what the healthiest way to get drunk was! 
My first response naturally was “ Ew. Tonic water is gross!”, but I quickly followed up with “I think tonic water has sodium in it…or is that soda water?”  Point is, I could not remember for the life of me which water was which and it drove me nuts.  So nuts, that I went straight home and looked up the answer.
The fact is, this topic has always confused me.  For instance, when a customer at the restaurant I work at asks for sparkling water, is it ok to bring them soda water?  Can I use mineral water as a drink mixer?  And what exactly is tonic water anyways?
So here it is broken down for you (and for me).  Hopefully this makes it clear as….well, water (not well-water)!
Tonic Water – Artificially carbonated water, in which quinine (a pharmaceutical) is dissolved, giving it its bitter taste.  It’s called tonic water because it was originally used as medicinal drink to ward off malaria.  Today’s tonic water has much less quinine in it, so it is less bitter and it’s often sweetened with corn syrup or sugar.  It is widely used as an alcohol mixer and its bitter taste pairs best with gin.  An 8oz glass of tonic water has about 95 calories, 33 milligrams of sodium and 25 grams of sugar.
Sparkling  Water – An all-encompassing term used to describe any carbonated water (except tonic).  It includes the following:
Club Soda – An artificially carbonated soft drink that has trace amounts of potassium bicarbonate or potassium sulfate (salts) added to it.  It is also widely used as an alcohol mixer.  An 8oz glass of soda water contains 0 calories, 50 milligrams of sodium and 0 grams of sugar.
Seltzer Water – Not widely consumed, seltzer water is simply artificially carbonated water that does not contain any added minerals or salts.  It is named after the German town Selters, which was famous for its springs.  It can be used interchangeably with club soda.  An 8 oz glass of seltzer water contains 0 calories, 0 grams of sodium and 0 grams of sugar.
Mineral Water – Water that contains naturally-occurring carbonation and minerals such as salts and sulfur compounds.  Perrier, San Pelligrino and La Croix are popular examples.  It is bottled directly from a natural source, which makes it less fizzy than the artificially carbonated waters.  Also, because it is natural it tends to be more expensive and its mineral taste makes it unsuitable for mixing with alcohol. An 8 oz glass of plain mineral water contains 0 calories, 5 milligrams of sodium and 0 grams of sugar.
I hope this clears up any confusion and answers the question of those athletes and anyone else who is looking for a healthy alcohol mixer.  Club soda is the sparkling winner!  Cheers!