Bar room stare

I recently read an article exploring Marco Pierre White cooking in Jamaica. Turns out he is close friends with the owners of Sandals and Beaches resorts, who subsiquently are behind some other resorts, one of which White is creating the menu for. So I have also recently read a book written by White, an Autobiography called Devil in the Kitchen, called White Heat in Brittain. I remember him mentioning in this book his distase for the lack of normal social interaction which comes naturally with working behind the stove. Funny, it is mentioned again in this article that I read. It is not quoted but the article tells that he feels that working in professional kitchens for so many years gave him a sort of social retardation and distanced him from his children. This is why he left the kitchen all together. I love this guy. For years I felt the same way, going to the bar or some social event after work or on my day off and looking around and thinking "oh my gosh, I have nothing to say to these people!" Which is strange for me because I am a very social person. Usually so exhausted that I could barley keep my eyes open, back aching, feet throbbing and hands stained, scraped and burned, the place for me was on the couch, reading Newsweek and watching television, with the occasional trip outside to see the sunshine. Man it has been so long since I have been that tired. There is no way to describe the mental and physical drain that comes with working in a professional kitchen. I will say this to people and they will say "well that comes with any job". Uh, no, no it doesn't. Imagine being an er doctor(not that cooking professionally is on the same level mentally or emotionally, only physically and demand wise) and you have a patient being admitted every one to two minutes, and you have to have them stiched and out the door in no more than 30 minutes but you need to start on them in no more than ten minutes from the time of diagnoses. You will be recieving an average of 250-350 patients that night in a 6 hour period. O.K.........GO! Oh yeah, your operating room is an average of 100-120 degrees Farenheight at any given time. Like I said, being a medical doctor or any job in the medical field is 10000 times more important and I am sure stressful, I am just using it as an example. oops, not watching the time, gotta go!

Patience and tolerance

So its snowing and its snowing a lot, were talkin' two and a half feet overnight, and boy it just keeps comin'! The flakes as my friend put it"are the size of pancakes!" At this point, the only people that feel that this is a" winter wonderland "are those who are veiwing from far off places, like Mexico for instance. "Oh mira!, miho ven aqui! ven aqui, en la television, si! aye mucho nieve circa de Norte California! Mira, que bonita!" Que bonita? This is beautiful for about five minutes when you wake in the morning and your eyes are heavy from sleep and sweet dreams, and your bed is warm, and you wiggle around like a new born. Than suddenly it dawns on you that in order to get anywhere you need to go shovel that white crap. As well blow it with your snowblower(if you have one) and with a storm like is happening today, the shoveling will last for at least two or three days! Ahhh! It is reminiscent of "The Shining" out here, or for you who are familiar with Groundskeeper Willy "The Shinin"(Shin-in). "Heeeeereeeees Johnny!" The only person I could axe murder out her isn't even a person, its my dog meadow, and she is way too cute to axe murder. I'm off to shovel! Yahh!

Rainy days upon me

Rainy days upon me
through my heart, I cannot see
Bewildered by the darkness
In my mind I am so restless

Days pass by before me
thoughts of
what my life will be destort me

Hounded by the wind and snow
in tow with dissapointment
I grow

For whats to be must be
racked up the scars you
still can see

The light of dawns 'round the corner
to which is my delight, not sorrow
let peace of mind upon yah

So rainy days upon me
but through the mist its plain to see
this to shall pass, as they say
upon which hour its time to play!

Sweet and Grease?

Ahhh, tonight I was reminded of how good apples and chicken fat were together. Pan Roasted Chicken with glazed Gala apples, yams and braised cabbage.
Fricasse chicken -season with kosher salt, no pepper
Starting in a large saute pan, preferably copper or le Cruse for maximum heat distribution
brown chicken skin side down over medium heat, slow enough to crisp and get the skin golden brown
top the fricasse with large dice of apples, yams and cabbage, sprinkle with a little salt and place in a 375 degree oven
The cabbage will brown and crisp a little, so once pan is removed from the oven
put chicken fricasse over the cabbage and veggies, this will wilt and soften that crispiness
Allow to rest for 5-8 minutes
If you haven't figured it out the "glaze" comes from the chicken fat. This is the most basic way to combine the sweet and lemony taste of the Gala apples with chicken and its fat.
You know that we don't use chicken fat enough. It really is so versatile and tastey if used properly. It is important that you cut it with ingredients that are light and acidic. This will allow you to use it fairly liberaly with out the dish seeming greasy.
Another note is that free range is the only way. The breast are large and plump, the meat moist and there is no comparison in the flavor. Not to mention no disgusting thoughts of where and what kind of conditions that foster farms bacteria ball, I mean chicken came from!
So lets give praise to chicken fat and apples
Savory Apple butter served warm(not too hot) where the apples are first poached in chicken fat
Poached apple and foe gras terrine, star anise infused chicken glace(pho broth) lemon verbina, thai basil and bean sprouts with a touch of plum sauce
ooohhh baby I am just getting started. Since I don't have anybody to experiment for I am doing it orally on this little bloggy poo.
Anyway, do the chicken fat and apples thing and tell me you don't love it, Im going to go smoke
erock