What did you eat last night for dinner?

[mgm9128]



Canadian "turbot" is, I believe, halibut. Not positive. We generally only get farmed turbot here, and it is, 99% of the time, from Chile. I think it is great. It is a year round fish, but perhaps it is also tougher for them during our summer. Rouget travels badly and spoils quickly. In France it is year round, though I think of it as a summer fish because the things it goes with best are kind of summery. Call one of the distributors in your area and ask if you can buy from them. Stores don't generally carry this stuff. The chance for loss is too high.

I see. The fillets of "turbot" I had were from Canada, and the two whole fish I have bought must have been from Chile.

The owner of the fishery I go to was nice enough to order a whole case of Rouget for me this summer and I was able to take what I needed. Unfortunately, he ended up having to throw quite a few away. I wonder if they freeze well? That fish is so incredibly delicious.

 

[mgm9128]



This was my first time going so I didn't see how it looked before, but I didn't think it was bad. I didn't make reservations though so I ate in the bar area and only saw the main dining room briefly. It definitely didn't feel like a hotel lobby, which I heard was a big complaint in the past.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/07/dining/le-bernardin-reopens-after-makeover.html

From the photos, I liked it better pre-renovation. But I guess I'll wait to judge until I'm there in person.

 

[indesertum]



Langoustine wrapped in brick, deep fried, with pesto and arugula.
Parmesan pudding with a bacon cream and white truffle.
Carpaccio with white truffle.
Egg, spinach and mascarpone ravioli with white truffle.
Langoustines, wrapped in spaghetti, with white truffle.
I know they all come from Piedmont, and I believe right around Alba. Foodguy can probably pinpoint this to a few feet.

i ordered the robuchon book after reading this

 

[GBear]

Wow, it is beyond remarkable the things you guys can do to ingredients. I have always enjoyed cooking but this is a whole different level. The amount of knowledge is insane. I want to work up to this and have a few questions. Where do you typically buy your ingredients? How often do you shop? How long have you been cooking seriously? Any professional experiences? Culinary classes?

 

[Britalian]

Just a solid carbonara followed by zuppe inglese.

 

[MikeDT]

Rather hot Xilinhot hotpot made from lettuce, celery, eggs, tofu, noodles, chicken, lamb, aubergine and pulverised discarded China Telecom SIM card, washed down with ice cold Beijing Yanjing beer.

 

[Manton]



Hey Manton, when you brine chicken how far ahead do you do it? And what is your technique?

Depends on how much time I have.

The ne plus ultra of brines is the Keller version in the Bouchon book but it takes serious time and also a lot of stuff. You use a boatload of herbs and aromatics (plus salt, herbs and honey), boil it all, let the water cool, then add the chicken, then let chill for 12 hours. So, Saturday night I did a 12 hour brine on a bird I cooked Sunday.

But often I do not have time or I want to cook it same day. You can brine for as little as one hour. The general rule is, the longer the bird is in the water, the less salt you want in the brine. Half cup of salt for a long brine, full cup for short is my rule. DO NOT salt the cavity of a brined bird but do salt the skin lightly, otherwise it will not dry and crisp.

Another point is, I use table salt for brining just because it's more convenient. If you use Kosher, you need to double the volume because the shape of the crystals makes Kosher salt less dense than table salt.

 

[NorCal]



Another point is, I use table salt for brining just because it's more convenient. If you use Kosher, you need to double the volume because the shape of the crystals makes Kosher salt less dense than table salt.

Thanks!
I was taught to always use Kosher, something to do with the iodine I believe.
Maybe I'll try the pre-boiling of the brine for Thanksgiving.

 

[itsstillmatt]

I've never brined a chicken. Is it really worth it? Serious question.

 

[Manton]



I've never brined a chicken. Is it really worth it? Serious question.

it does two things. If you use aromatics, etc., you can impart some additional flavors to the bird. Second, it makes the bird much juicier. So, #1 is optional and I don't always do it. I often brine with salt only. But I try always to do at least that because the juiciness quotient is worth it, IMO.

That said, sometimes out of laziness or lack of time I don't brine and the chicken is still good.

 

[Manton]



Thanks!
I was taught to always use Kosher, something to do with the iodine I believe.
Maybe I'll try the pre-boiling of the brine for Thanksgiving.

no point in pre-boiling unless you have all those aromatics in the water. If just salt or salt + sugar, no reason to boil.

 

[foodguy]

i've done a whole bunch on brining and a whole lot of side-by-side tests, etc.. for a long time i was a wet-briner ... usually a pretty simple brine because I like the flavor of chicken/turkey ... salt and water (NO SUGAR!). sometimes aromatics. You don't really need to bring it to a boil, but warming the water does help the salt dissolve faster. just make sure it's cool before you add the bird.
But the last five years or so, I've become a dedicated dry-briner (ala Judy Rodgers). It is so much easier and I think it's a lot better. As much as I liked wet-brining, the muscle does get a little spongy. With dry brining, the muscle stays really meaty, though it's moist.
i wouldn't NOT roast a chicken if i didn't have time to brine it, but i do know it makes it better if i do.

 

[itsstillmatt]



i've done a whole bunch on brining and a whole lot of side-by-side tests, etc.. for a long time i was a wet-briner ... usually a pretty simple brine because I like the flavor of chicken/turkey ... salt and water (NO SUGAR!). sometimes aromatics. You don't really need to bring it to a boil, but warming the water does help the salt dissolve faster. just make sure it's cool before you add the bird.
But the last five years or so, I've become a dedicated dry-briner (ala Judy Rodgers). It is so much easier and I think it's a lot better. As much as I liked wet-brining, the muscle does get a little spongy. With dry brining, the muscle stays really meaty, though it's moist.
i wouldn't NOT roast a chicken if i didn't have time to brine it, but i do know it makes it better if i do.

How do I dry brine a chicken?

 

[b1os]

Well, I guess simply rub the chicken with the spices, salt etc., then refrigerate.

 

[foodguy]



How do I dry brine a chicken?

1 tablespoon kosher salt for every 5 pounds of bird (obviously, for a chicken, a little less than a tablespoon). rub it all over the bird, concentrating it on the thighs and breasts. Put it in a plastic bag and refrigerate. 1 day is ok. 2 days is good. 3 days is best. if you want, each day rotate the chicken in the bag to distribute the salt and the juices that are drawn out (there could be be 2-3 tablespoons; don't worry, it'll reabsorb). Last day, remove from teh bag and pat dry (even better, remove it 3-4 hours early and put it on a plate in the refrigerator ... that'll REALLY dry the skin). roast as you normally would. you can add spices to the salt mixture, just make sure you use the right amount of salt (1 tablespoon salt, not 1 tablespoon salt mixture). i've played with all kinds of mixes and it's pretty failsafe.