Comments on One Hungry Chef: On Dinning Customs

hi you, I would like to exchange links with your s...

2010-04-13T01:22:51.547+10:00

petite patissier- I think, as you suggested, plums...

2009-12-14T12:18:12.463+11:00

petite patissier- I think, as you suggested, plums would make the best substitute. I'd choose ones that are still firm when ripe, cut them in half, remove the pits, and pickle them that way. Given that plums are a bit more delicate than cherries, I'd also be very careful not to let them come to a full boil, but to only let them simmer until they are just cooked.

Let me know how they turn out. Delicious, I bet.

barvasfiend- At the restaurant, I receive a monthly market report about the general availability of fruits and vegetables and what I might expect to pay for them as they come in and out of season. When I go to the supermarket, prices never seem to reflect what I know market costs are. I can't figure it out.

I wish people were more open to other cultures and...

2009-12-14T11:49:28.499+11:00

I wish people were more open to other cultures and their customs instead of imposing their way as the only way. If my salad didn't arrive until my main course, I think I would live.

What I cannot stand is someone holding their fork like a shovel.

I was shocked to see cherries on sale for $20 a ki...

2009-12-14T08:31:27.818+11:00

I was shocked to see cherries on sale for $20 a kilo on a recent trip to Canberra, when my MIL had just delivered 5kg of "seconds" (they were all perfectly fine and edible) she had bought whilst visiting Young, NSW, for $1 a kilo. The cherry farm workers were furiously harvesting before predicted very hot weather. I made cherry pies. They were delicious!
Here's the thing: Young is only 160kms from Canberra. That is one expensive shipping route.

Love the blog! I'm an American ex-pat in the ...

2009-12-13T22:00:18.905+11:00

Love the blog! I'm an American ex-pat in the UK and because eating out is so expensive and the portion sizes are more normal than the U.S. gargantuan sizes, people finish every morsel here. If you don't you get questioned about what was wrong with the food!

Hello - I've been following you for quite som...

2009-12-12T14:44:40.441+11:00

Hello -
I've been following you for quite some time, and am absolutely taken with your photos and recipes. I would like to know, however, if you could possibly recommend a substitute for the cherries? In the event that one (me) doesn't have cherries available for pickling, would some other fruit do? I was actually thinking of pickled plums - something like Japanese umeboshi.
Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated, and again, I really admire your blog. ^^

I'm just back from the US and finally worked o...

2009-12-09T21:44:35.682+11:00

I'm just back from the US and finally worked out the 'salad comes first' thing even though it wasn't my first trip.

Eating a whole plate of lettuce and then getting a main with no vegies certainly isn't my preferred way of eating!

Damn. Dinning/Dining. I make a silly mistake like ...

2009-12-07T23:39:02.920+11:00

Damn. Dinning/Dining. I make a silly mistake like this about once every other post.

Looks like I'll have to stick to cooking. :)

I agree with what you said about cultural differen...

2009-12-06T19:08:45.336+11:00

I agree with what you said about cultural differences...and that salad looks bad ass!!

Your blog is awesome, you have outdone yourself wi...

2009-12-06T10:56:25.918+11:00

Your blog is awesome, you have outdone yourself with this entry. May I gently point out that "dinning" means to produce a large noise, while the correct spelling of the word you mean is "dining."
You are one of my favorite bloggers.

that is a beautiful salad! bravo!

2009-12-04T18:06:43.786+11:00

that is a beautiful salad! bravo!

Hi you,have a nice day ^^! . Your blog is very nic...

2009-12-04T17:42:25.923+11:00

Hi you,have a nice day ^^! . Your blog is very nice .I really like it !

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from the words of Homer Simpson "you don'...

2009-12-04T10:30:06.756+11:00

from the words of Homer Simpson
"you don't make friends with salad" sung whilst doing the conga line...
However that duck breast looks and sounds sensational. Donald would be proud!

love, love, love your blog (and duck prosciutto) ...

2009-12-03T10:34:48.140+11:00

love, love, love your blog (and duck prosciutto)

...also i'm ocd with grammar - it's "dining" not "dinning" - unless i'm completely misinterpreting the meaning of this post and your talking about preferred lighting around the world?

MY GOSH!!!!! That looks and sounds soooooooo yummy...

2009-12-03T07:19:24.338+11:00

MY GOSH!!!!!
That looks and sounds soooooooo yummy!!!

love your blog, Jerad. Keep it up!
Kay

Thanks for the answer. I have been working with a...

2009-12-02T17:35:11.076+11:00

Thanks for the answer. I have been working with a similar duck breast at the Hilton, but I am going to definitely try to make my own.

Casey- I have nothing against the use of pink salt...

2009-12-02T08:38:28.752+11:00

Casey- I have nothing against the use of pink salt. I use it for hams and what not. I just don't think that it is necessary here, as there is no smoking step (the step where dangerous bacteria are most likely to grow) so the nitrates are not needed to prevent growth.

While visiting Italy with a friend we would go to ...

2009-12-02T04:03:58.783+11:00

While visiting Italy with a friend we would go to coffee shops order our coffee and pastry and then sit at the usually one small table in the corner sometimes for over an hour to catch up in our journals. The people in the shop would usually look at us like we were crazy, to sit and enjoy our coffee rather than take it like a shot and run. I think the tables were mostly used for decoration or a space filler but we used them for their intended purpose, sometimes wiping them clear of dust...

One question. What is your opinion on pink curing...

2009-12-01T21:33:07.436+11:00

One question. What is your opinion on pink curing salt (prague powder #2). I have some to use for corned beef, can it be used with the duck as well?

Having just been in Australia, I was shocked at th...

2009-12-01T21:30:36.760+11:00

Having just been in Australia, I was shocked at the cherry prices. Over $25 AU per KG ($22USD per 2.2 lb) That was the cheapest. The most expensive was $37 AU ($33 USD). A delicacy indeed!

My goodness, that salad looks good! You know, I d...

2009-12-01T19:59:36.399+11:00

My goodness, that salad looks good!

You know, I don't mind eating a salad along with the rest of my meal, in fact this is what I usually do when I eat at home, but I do like it first in restaurants because it helps me to fill up a little before the main course, and that way I don't overeat. But I'd never get all pissy with the waiter if I was in another country and that was just how they did things... Rude people.

I don't know a single chef who hasn't wond...

2009-12-01T19:46:10.755+11:00

I don't know a single chef who hasn't wondered how to fry butter. The consensus is, yes, you freeze it, then flour, egg wash, fine bread crumbs, set in the freezer again, more egg wash, more breadcrumbs, and finally deep fry. About one in three manages not to burst in the cooking. Trust me.

As for the duck breast, it is "raw", as in it is never heat treated. However, it is also "raw" in the way that prosciutto is - as in it has been salt-cured and then hung to age.

To smooth over any local cultural differences, add...

2009-12-01T18:33:00.619+11:00

To smooth over any local cultural differences, add more of the local hooch - always works!

You may be able to deep fry butter by freezing the butter, battering it, then pouring it into boiling butter!

Oh, and for the duck breast, is that raw duck breast or cooked duck breast you are using? My wife and I are disagreeing on that point.

In Italy salad is often offered as a secondo if yo...

2009-12-01T18:13:54.099+11:00

In Italy salad is often offered as a secondo if you don't fancy a meat course after your pasta course and your antipasti.

Cultural differences can be difficult to understan...

2009-12-01T13:12:17.561+11:00

Cultural differences can be difficult to understand which is why its always helpful to do a little research prior to travelling. That said, the salad looks fantastic. I'll try it out soon.
Kevin