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?
No comments:
Post a Comment