A bit more about Sous Vide......

Before I offer up a recipe prepared with the Sous Vide method it is important to know this technique of cooking does not require an expensive machine or an expensive vacuum packer even though removing the air from the bag is a must and maintaining a set temperature is key. Zip Loc offers a hand vacuum packer and baggies of various size that work very well and do not take up a bunch of space.

To do this stove top you will need a pot of water that holds a minimum 1 gallon of water, thermometer and some ice cubes to bring down the temp if needed. What I do is bring the water to a rolling boil then lower the heat by adding a few ice cubes, this will ensure you do not have to stand there looking at the temp until you reach your desired heat, it is important to know the heat will drop when you introduce what ever the ingredient you are cooking is as well. Since the temp will drop upon introduction I recommend keeping to no more than 6-8 ounces per baggie and no more than two items per pot of water.  This is not boil in a bag, this is cooking with precision to an exact desired core temperatures that is maintain though out. One other reason this is a superior method is all the flavor stays in the bag and is not cooked out into a broth or lost via evaporation. Another great way to attain the desired temp is to use a slow cooker but for all applications here we will use the stove top method of Sous Vide.
I will return to share something from south of the boarder prepared Sous Vide method that will have you questioning the traditional method, so good and a little healthier as well. Until then "Think Good Thoughts & Smile".

French Cuisine, question mark!!

I sometimes wonder where some chefs get there ideas and knowledge when it comes to "French Cuisine" which brings me to this question, "What is French Cuisine"? Where did it come from? How do you cook it?

According to Wikipedia the definition of french cuisine is as follows:

French cuisine (French: cuisine française; IPA: [kɥi.zin fʁɑ̃.sɛz]) refers to cooking traditions and practices originating fromFrance.

Guillaume Tirel Taillevent, a court chef, wrote Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of medieval France. During that time, French cuisine was heavily influenced by Italian cuisine. In the 17th century, chefs François Pierre La Varenne and Marie-Antoine Carême spearheaded movements that shifted French cooking away from its foreign influences and developed France's own indigenous style. Cheese and wine are a major part of the cuisine, playing different roles regionally and nationally, with many variations and appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) (regulated appellation) laws.

French cuisine was codified in the 20th century by Auguste Escoffier to become the modern haute cuisine; Escoffier, however, left out much of the regional culinary character to be found in the regions of France. Gastro-tourism and the Guide Michelin helped to acquaint people with the rich bourgeois and peasant cuisine of the French countryside starting in the 20th century. Gasconcuisine has also had great influence over the cuisine in the southwest of France. Many dishes that were once regional have proliferated in variations across the country.

Knowledge of French cooking has contributed significantly to Western cuisines and its criteria are used widely in Western cookery school boards and culinary education. In November 2010, French gastronomy was added by the UNESCO to its lists of the world's "intangible cultural heritage"^[1][2] along with Mexican cuisine.

I am of the belief there is no such cuisine as "French Cuisine" but rather "Regional French Cuisine" I say this because the foods of Paris or Parisian Cuisine drastically differ from the foods of Provance, then we have the Basque who do not really even qualify themselves as French. If you ask one who is from Paris they will say they are Parisian, a Basque, from the Basque Country, from Champagne, Champagne and so on. Ok back to food, I just felt like bringing this up because there really is not a Cuisine of France in my view there are however many cuisines just as in America. I believe we often generalize, which as a chef can get me into Kitchen Troubles and Menu Nightmares. When I see an advertisement for "Traditional French Cooking" I scratch my head and will often find it is that of "Regional French" cuisine if I visit the establishment for a meal or very "Parisian" or that of the cuisine from Paris. I am probably over thinking this but it is important to know the Cuisines with in a country, it could save you embarrassment if you should happen to be talking to someone from France or the country in which you are discussing. I will end this with an example, I recently asked someone what there favorite food(s) where, the reply was "French" when I asked why French the reply,"Because of the Cream and Butter"................MON DIEU!!!

I previously posted a bit on Sous Vide Technique and stated I would be back with some recipies that utalize this great technique and here I am going off with all this and all for a good reason which you will understand if you check in for my next posting.

Until then "Think Good Thoughts & Smile".

Technique Sous Vide, cooking with precision!

My first exposure to Sous Vide was some 30 years ago when I was just a young chef eager to learn as much as possible from as many top chefs as possible one of which opened my eyes to the wonders of Sous Vide Technique. We did not have a fancy machine such as the one pictured that simplifies the technique but we did have perfectly prepared Foie Gras, cooked at precisely 180 degrees for exactly 1 hour  that became a well known item on our menu, folks would come from far just to share on a Sundays drive with a perfectly poured Cabernet or Pinot. Some hear Sous Vide and think "Boil in a bag" which this technique is far from, allow me to explain. Sous Vide translates to under vacuum so one of the principles is just that, by placing an ingredient into a bag and vacuum sealing it, then into a precisely heated water bath where it will cook to the precise temperature of the water, no less, no more. One could leave a piece of salmon that has been seasoned and sealed in a water bath of 140 degrees for 2 hours and the salmon would not go beyond the temperature of 140 degrees, there is no direct heat or steam to continue the cooking process beyond the 140 degrees. Take a Filet Mignon for example, set the water bath at 120 degrees and place the vacuum sealed fillet in the bath and leave it for 2 hours, remove the fillet and what you have is a perfectly rare piece of meat, flash it on the grill to carmelize the  and get ready for something that will take you beyond. Try leaving a fillet or piece of salmon on a grill for 2 hours, you would have a very disappointing experience to say the very least.

The Pork Belly shown above is prepared Sous Vide as well,

As is the Beef, notice the red consistency though out, yum.

OK, so what now? The purpose of this post was to share a technique that many do not know about let alone have heard about. You do not need a fancy expensive machine to use the Sous Vide technique, I will return to share more little known techniques and recipes soon. 

It was asked why I have not been posting much as of late, the answer is simple, Life is good. I will return so until then "Think Good Thoughts & Smile"