massive kitchen + superbly talented chef ... what would you bring him to cook?

[foodguy]

muscular. solidly built. don't get so down on yourself. but do stop the slobbering.

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by foodguy

NB: i prefer my leg of lamb to be slightly on the medium side of medium-rare ... 130 to 135 degrees. i know there is a fashion for lamb served rare, but i think this is barbaric for the leg, which is full of connective tissue and very stringy at that doneness. Push it to 130 and it will still be definitely pink and juicy, but the meat will have firmed and some of the connective tissue will have started to soften enough that you don't get fibers stuck between your teeth. racks, are another matter. though i fear we're heading for DT territory here.

Thanks. I will make it this summer. With turned veggies, no doubt.

Not to be too serious in Kyle's fat threak, but what temp is consdered medium rare these days? I keep seeing pictures of meat that is slick and red, and unappetizing, called medium rare, and though I see it less out in the world, I've had a couple pieces of meat, lamb and beef I think, in highly rated restaurants that were simply uncooked. Is this another instance of the US just going too far with everything?

 

[foodguy]

with lamb, i think it was you frenchies that started it. not in traditional cooking, certainly, but restaurant. and, of course, that pendulum has swung way back. though i really love a great tartare, i don't understand the passion for bloody red meat. i'm sure someone can enlighten me. i think cooking develops flavor and it certainly improves the texture.
there are lots of possibilities ... we americans do tend to go overboard.

 

[Manton]

I tend to cook a leg through to medium, on lowish heat. Otherwise the meat near the bone will be inedible jelly.

 

[foodguy]

can you express that in food geek terms? i.e., what temperature?

 

[gomestar]

a leg of lamb is right up there on my list of things to cook. Lot of food for 2 people, though. Will absolutely try it with some anchovies.

 

[SField]

This trend of undercooked lamb is extremely troubling. The texture and taste of rare lamb in most cases is for me, very unappealing. It's like a lamb jelly or something. Given that it is a ***** meat, it should be a soft medium to activate the fat.

I've always preferred lamb to be braised or roasted though.

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by foodguy

you could be the glenn davis of the food writing world.

that was good

 

[Douglas]

If I took a picture of my tourne I don't think you all would recognize it as tourne. And it would take me a lot longer than 34 seconds. Still, nobody's answered how to get a nice even glazing without tourne...

 

[gdl203]

Originally Posted by iammatt

Not to be too serious in Kyle's fat threak, but what temp is consdered medium rare these days? I keep seeing pictures of meat that is slick and red, and unappetizing, called medium rare, and though I see it less out in the world, I've had a couple pieces of meat, lamb and beef I think, in highly rated restaurants that were simply uncooked. Is this another instance of the US just going too far with everything?

I think that generally speaking, Americans prefer less cooked food than I've been used to in France or in Japan for example. One thing that is particularly striking is vegetables. Whenever I have friends visit from Europe, they are stunned by how crunchy and uncooked veggies are. Here, a carrot, turnip, eggplant or zucchini cooked to softness will be perceived as unappetizing and mushy - however, I've never eaten a crunchy carrot (except as cruditÃ

or in a salad) in France.

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by gdl203

I think that generally speaking, Americans prefer less cooked food than I've been used to in France or in Japan for example. One thing that is particularly striking is vegetables. Whenever I have friends visit from Europe, they are stunned by how crunchy and uncooked veggies are. Here, a carrot, turnip, eggplant or zucchini cooked to softness will be perceived as unappetizing and mushy - however, I've never eaten a crunchy carrot (except as cruditÃ

or in a salad) in France.

That's california's fault.

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by Douglas

If I took a picture of my tourne I don't think you all would recognize it as tourne. And it would take me a lot longer than 34 seconds. Still, nobody's answered how to get a nice even glazing without tourne...

Just glaze them. There is no real difference in how they glaze or cook between tourneed and not. If you are worried, just cut them into rectangular cubes (mindblank on name for this) and take a sharp peeler and peel down the edges to soften them.

Originally Posted by gdl203

I think that generally speaking, Americans prefer less cooked food than I've been used to in France or in Japan for example. One thing that is particularly striking is vegetables. Whenever I have friends visit from Europe, they are stunned by how crunchy and uncooked veggies are. Here, a carrot, turnip, eggplant or zucchini cooked to softness will be perceived as unappetizing and mushy - however, I've never eaten a crunchy carrot (except as cruditÃ

or in a salad) in France.

I think the veggies thing has to do with the way people used to cook food here back in the 50s. It was literally mush, or so the legend goes, and now people think they are sophisticated for eating uncooked food. The worst are completely uncooked peas. I was at a ** restaurant in SF relatively recently and the peas they served with one dish were raw and grainy inside. Totally inedible. The undercooked zucchini thing kills me. Well cooked zucchini in olive oil with a little thyme is one of my favorite vegetables.

 

[gdl203]

Agree on the peas. Broccoli and cauliflower can also be tragic.

My best friend's mother owns a restaurant in Paris - nothing upscale, just some neighborhood place right outside the city. She's a very colorful woman, doesn't really speak english.

I remember vividly when she was in NYC 6 or 7 years ago and we all went out for dinner. Her plate of vegetables came from the kitchen. She took a bite and looked at us. She waved at the waitress who came over. She handed her the plate and said "Is no cooked!! Is hard. Is no cooked!"

 

[foodguy]

amen on the undercooked vegetables. there was a real fashion at one point for something called "crisp-tender." this has been one of my pet peeves for at least 10 years. i think in part that was a reaction to the mushy vegetables of the past, in part perhaps a misunderstanding of Japanese and Chinese vegetable cooking. to me, the worst offense is against carrots. Properly cooked (tender through), they are delicious; undercooked (still crunchy), they taste like parsley ... and not in a good way.

 

[Piobaire]

If you grew up poor in flyover country, you'd have had the treat of extra mushy veg whenever the family "splurged" and you want out to the local mom and pop dinner joint. Part of what turned me off veg as a young person was the fact that my mother, and the places we went out for our rare restaurant dinner, simmered the living hell out of veggies and the only way anyone ever cooked them was by simmering them for hours. Seasoning at home consisted of lemon juice. No salt, no butter...lemon juice.

It's why I had to reintroduce myself to veggies as an adult.