Docsconz- The Blog

George Mendes Cooks Cuttlefish - A Docsconz Video

After my most recent dinner at Aldea, described here, I asked Chef Mendes if he would cook a dish for me on camera. He kindly accepted and proceeded to cook one of my favorites from the night before, Baby Cuttlefish with Lychees, Mentaiko and Squid Ink. This was filmed early in the evening as service was getting under way.

TGRWT #20: Pumpkin and Lemongrass

 

I am excited to host the latest round (20) of “They Go Really Well Together” (TGRWT) and am honored to be following a tremendous group of food bloggers in this endeavor.

This food blogging event  was initiated by Martin Lersch in April 2007 to explore flavor pairings suggested by the hypothesis that if two foods have one or more key odorants in common it might very well be that they go well together and perhaps even compliment each other. A list of all previous rounds with links to announcements and round-ups can be found at:http://blog.khymos.org/tgrwt/. I have personally participated in only one pairing so far, but have read through and enjoyed the others. They are great fun and a fine way get past more common ingredient pairings.

Pumpkins are plentiful and quite seasonal at this time of year in the northern hemisphere and useful in so many different types of preparations from soups to appetizers to main courses to desserts. In the U.S., they are probably most often used in the form of a dessert pie, though in recent years the pumpkin's popularity has expanded greatly. Lemongrass is a flavor not typically associated with pumpkin, but one that goes well with it.

Participation is easy - just follow these steps:

 
1. Prepare a dish that combines pumpkin and lemongrass. You can either use an existing recipe (if there is any) or come up with your own 

2. Take a picture of the dish and write an entry in your blog by December 8th, 2009  with TGRWT #20 in the title. Readers will be particularily interested in how the flavour pairing worked out, so make an attempt at describing the taste and aroma and whether you liked it or not.

3. A round-up will be posted here with pictures. Please send an email to john@docsconz.com with the following details: Your name, URL of blog, URL of the TGRWT #20 post and a picture for your entry in the round-up. If you don't have a blog, email me your name, location, recipe and a brief description of how it worked out and I'll be glad to include it in the final round-up.

So get those pumpkins and start carving out some new dishes!

Taste of the Week - November 1st - 7th

Fresh peanuts from Mississippi, purchased in New Orleans at the Crescent City Farmers Market and brought home to New York, were fried in olive oil and salted per a recipe in The Fanny Farmer Cookbook. These wonderful peanuts, unlike anything in a can or a jar, were a revelation. They made an otherwise very good, home-cooked Pad Thai into an outstanding one and were quite delicious on their own.

Aldea Delights Again

My first visit to Aldea was right around its opening this past May. The food was great then. When I returned to NYC this past September, I wanted to see how George Mendes and the restaurant have fared over the ensuing months. This time, though, I sat, with two friends, at the kitchen counter peering directly in to the hive of culinary activity. A hive it was, since in addition to the full downstairs dining room, the restaurant was hosting a party in their upstairs space for GQ Magazine including their star food and restaurant writer, Alan Richman.

For parties of three or fewer with an interest in food and cooking beyond the ordinary, sitting at the kitchen counter is a special treat, adding entertainment in the form of the kitchen ballet to go with outstanding food and wine. The night my friends and I were there, we had the benefit of sitting in front of Jade, a lovely, personable and talented young cook covering the cold apps station. Once our party collected the festivities began.

Portraits from Starchefs 2009 - Pierre Gagnaire

While this is not the sharpest image of Chef Gagnaire, I believe that it captures his intensity and concentration as he prepared for his demonstration at the Starchefs ICC.

The Beauty of the Internet - Pomplamoose

Were it not for the internet and social media like facebook and Twitter, I likely never would have come across PomplamooseMusic on You Tube. These are quirky and utterly charming music videos done by a pair of young Californians, Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn. In addition to their latest music video, a cover of Michael Jackson's Beat It, check out their earlier videos, especially Beyonce's Single Ladies, which first introduced me to their music and the even earlier La Vie en Rose.

Thanks to Kathryn Yu for bringing Pomplamoose back to my attention via facebook.

Portraits from Starchefs 2009 - April Bloomfield

April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig in NYC broke down this special milk-fed piglet from Quebec for her demonstration at Starchefs. In this photo she is engaged in prepping it backstage prior to the live demo.

Ancho

Starchefs Day One: Keynote Panel: VanAken, Trotter & Lagasse on "American Cuisine."

The Starchefs ICC dove head first in to the question of "What is American Cuisine" with the first Big Stage event a Panel featuring superheavyweights Norman Van Aken, Charlie Trotter, Emeril Lagasse and moderator Clark Wolf discussing the question.

Clark Wolf (CW) set the stage with a little history and background. While NYC has a reputation for having everything, that is not precisely true. According to Wolf, You actually cannot get every ingredient in the world in NYC – “the omissions tell a story”. Even here there are limitations to true ethnic authenticity. Back in the day quality restaurants were defined as refuges from regional cuisine. They were basically "classic French."  Clearly that has changed. "What makes American cooking so exciting today is that we’ve largely brushed off those cultural inhibitions – all varieties of regional cuisines are welcome, which makes the American culinary scene the envy of the world.

Marina di Chioggia

This is an Italian heirloom pumpkin from Chioggia, the same place that produced the famous beets of that name. This pumpkin came from Sheldon Farms in Salem, N.Y. and was the one I photographed roasted for my "Taste of the Week."