You know the drill. Pics or it didn't happen. 
Cooking for Caroline Kennedy...
- Thread starter trhee
- Start date
VinylHanger
Navigaret ex ironia
Does anyone ever just ask for burgers and fries?
trhee
ㅇtㅈyㅅr
On ocassion, I've served burgers and fries for the Ambassador's kids or for poolside BBQ or tennis parties.
For formal events, no.
Sent from my SHV-E300S using Tapatalk
For formal events, no.
Sent from my SHV-E300S using Tapatalk
You know the drill. Pics or it didn't happen.
I was wondering if anyone was going to say...
:worthless
Cadillac Kid
Addicted Member
Probably a good idea to avoid the dark sashimi.
trhee I am curious what kind of salt do you use in your cooking. I enjoy watching cooking shows and occastionally I will see a particular type of salt, usually sea salt used, so I go the Saltworks to get some to try, real cheap and fun reading up on the history of a particular salt. My current favorite is Bali Pyramid Sea Salt. The only one, so far, that I don't care for is Peruvian Pink Salt is has a metallic taste to it. I use it to boil pasta in.
Last edited:
trhee
ㅇtㅈyㅅr
Interesting you should ask. Most people don't give a damn and you'd be surprised the number of people who use iodized table salt for everything.
I'd say 90% of my "regular" cooking is done with either Kosher salt or a variety of sea salt. Unless it's a specific kind of "cooking" where I need something special such as pickling, curing, certain Japanese cooking, etc...
For Kosher salts, the two most commonly found brands in supermarkets are Diamond and Morton. Of the two, I prefer Diamond for it's bigger crystals and airier, smoother flavor.
When you go into sea salts, there's an infinite number of brands and kinds and it really becomes specialized to a degree. I prefer ones that have a more complex mineral flavor.
Lastly, I like using finishing salts, whether it be smoked salts, fleur de sel, sel gris, etc... A lot of foods, whether it be meats, seafood, fish, vegetables, etc.., can be taken to the next level just by sprinkling a little bit of finishing salt at the very end right before or during plating.
Salt is without question the most important seasoning agent in cooking. I'm of the mindset that when you salt foods, it should be salted in stages during the cooking to develop and build layers of flavors.
For example, almost every recipe will lay out ingredients by volume or weight and the procedure will always just say "add salt and pepper to taste" or just give a measurement of 1 tablespoon of salt and will tell you "add salt" in the procedures. When in fact, you should be salting the onions, celery and carrots as they are sautéing so that they taste good and by adding salt you bring out their natural flavors. Then as you add something else, you season again with salt and so on. By salting each component in stages, each ingredient's flavor gets maximized by the heat, salt and other seasonings, and this is what chefs mean when they say "building layers of flavor".
Take a look at these two sites as well for online purchasing:
http://www.artisansalt.com
http://www.atthemeadow.com/shop/
I'd say 90% of my "regular" cooking is done with either Kosher salt or a variety of sea salt. Unless it's a specific kind of "cooking" where I need something special such as pickling, curing, certain Japanese cooking, etc...
For Kosher salts, the two most commonly found brands in supermarkets are Diamond and Morton. Of the two, I prefer Diamond for it's bigger crystals and airier, smoother flavor.
When you go into sea salts, there's an infinite number of brands and kinds and it really becomes specialized to a degree. I prefer ones that have a more complex mineral flavor.
Lastly, I like using finishing salts, whether it be smoked salts, fleur de sel, sel gris, etc... A lot of foods, whether it be meats, seafood, fish, vegetables, etc.., can be taken to the next level just by sprinkling a little bit of finishing salt at the very end right before or during plating.
Salt is without question the most important seasoning agent in cooking. I'm of the mindset that when you salt foods, it should be salted in stages during the cooking to develop and build layers of flavors.
For example, almost every recipe will lay out ingredients by volume or weight and the procedure will always just say "add salt and pepper to taste" or just give a measurement of 1 tablespoon of salt and will tell you "add salt" in the procedures. When in fact, you should be salting the onions, celery and carrots as they are sautéing so that they taste good and by adding salt you bring out their natural flavors. Then as you add something else, you season again with salt and so on. By salting each component in stages, each ingredient's flavor gets maximized by the heat, salt and other seasonings, and this is what chefs mean when they say "building layers of flavor".
Take a look at these two sites as well for online purchasing:
http://www.artisansalt.com
http://www.atthemeadow.com/shop/
I have people look at me to say "salt is salt" and they believe this until I educate them of the differences. I often point out that many natural sea salts taste saltier then regular salt so you can use less of it and still get the same flavor.
If you like the airier smoother flavored salt try some of the Bali Pyramid Salt. It has a courser texture but the individual crystals are loosely incorporated and they dissolve almost as fast as fine grained salt, in a salt mill you won't get carpal tunnel trying to get anything out. If you make salads like they do in Spain where they sprinkle just a touch of course salt on them just before serving this is the salt to use.
Another interesting salt is Bolivian Rose. I cannot explain it but the first time I used it in a spaghetti sauce it was like a bell chiming in my head. I like the French sea salts especially Le Tresor Gray salts on French Fries, and popcorn. Himalayan Pink Salt is OK but the Bolivian Rose is so much better. I have already talked about the metallic taste the Peruvian Pink has. Trapani Sea Salt makes the best salt crusts ever for roasting meats. If it matters, and with your clients it can, all of the salts that Saltworks has except the flavored salts are Kosher.
The one salt that I think is a colossal rip-off is Cyprus Flake Salt. It is expensive I purchased some because it looked like a flake salt used on the "Two Fat Ladies" cooking show. It wasn't; the salt is not a natural flake but evaporated on large "pans" with a inverted diamond shapes embossed on the surface. The texture is awful, it does not mix well, and the taste is unremarkable. I have read there is quality control issues because most of the salt pan was built over by an airport. and there is reported problems with pollution running off the the runways. I did a Google Earth on the location and I swear if the resolution had been better I could have expected to see floating carcasses in the brine pools. The salt is good for de-icing sidewalks and maybe water softeners, or throwing over you shoulder for good luck.
Artisan Salts is the consumer side of Saltworks http://www.saltworks.us/ I purchase from the bulk side, much cheaper. They have smoked salts, and other flavored salts. There is one that is flavored with green tea, Japanese dishes? Two that are really useful is the lemon, and Lime flavored salts. As the salt rim on a margarita they are primo, and a tiny amount is a great on cold water fish like Halibut. The real surprise is how good the lemon flavored salt is in Chinese fried rice.
If you like the airier smoother flavored salt try some of the Bali Pyramid Salt. It has a courser texture but the individual crystals are loosely incorporated and they dissolve almost as fast as fine grained salt, in a salt mill you won't get carpal tunnel trying to get anything out. If you make salads like they do in Spain where they sprinkle just a touch of course salt on them just before serving this is the salt to use.
Another interesting salt is Bolivian Rose. I cannot explain it but the first time I used it in a spaghetti sauce it was like a bell chiming in my head. I like the French sea salts especially Le Tresor Gray salts on French Fries, and popcorn. Himalayan Pink Salt is OK but the Bolivian Rose is so much better. I have already talked about the metallic taste the Peruvian Pink has. Trapani Sea Salt makes the best salt crusts ever for roasting meats. If it matters, and with your clients it can, all of the salts that Saltworks has except the flavored salts are Kosher.
The one salt that I think is a colossal rip-off is Cyprus Flake Salt. It is expensive I purchased some because it looked like a flake salt used on the "Two Fat Ladies" cooking show. It wasn't; the salt is not a natural flake but evaporated on large "pans" with a inverted diamond shapes embossed on the surface. The texture is awful, it does not mix well, and the taste is unremarkable. I have read there is quality control issues because most of the salt pan was built over by an airport. and there is reported problems with pollution running off the the runways. I did a Google Earth on the location and I swear if the resolution had been better I could have expected to see floating carcasses in the brine pools. The salt is good for de-icing sidewalks and maybe water softeners, or throwing over you shoulder for good luck.
Artisan Salts is the consumer side of Saltworks http://www.saltworks.us/ I purchase from the bulk side, much cheaper. They have smoked salts, and other flavored salts. There is one that is flavored with green tea, Japanese dishes? Two that are really useful is the lemon, and Lime flavored salts. As the salt rim on a margarita they are primo, and a tiny amount is a great on cold water fish like Halibut. The real surprise is how good the lemon flavored salt is in Chinese fried rice.
Last edited:
BillyBatts
ALOHA!
In my Hawaiian kitchen, I have various types of Sea Salt. Nothing else. I figure I get plenty of Iodine from the fish I cook.
I used to live in NY and we did a lot of Kosher Salt. Salt is not salt. Yes, all salt is the same chemical makeup, but the taste between them can be surprising. And yes, typically you can use a lot less than Iodized table salt. IMO, I liked Diamond Crystal.
To someone that does not appreciate the nuances of minute flavor subtleties, they would think this entire conversation is ridiculous. But to me, cooking is chemistry. Pinch here, dash there and a subtle change of a particular staple ingredient can make a difference.
I used to live in NY and we did a lot of Kosher Salt. Salt is not salt. Yes, all salt is the same chemical makeup, but the taste between them can be surprising. And yes, typically you can use a lot less than Iodized table salt. IMO, I liked Diamond Crystal.
To someone that does not appreciate the nuances of minute flavor subtleties, they would think this entire conversation is ridiculous. But to me, cooking is chemistry. Pinch here, dash there and a subtle change of a particular staple ingredient can make a difference.
The next two salts I am going to try are:
Murray River Pink Salt Flakes, from Australian
Mayan Sun Sea Salt from El Salvador
Saltworks has free shipping. They have a selection of sea salts from Hawaiʻi, they might even be cheaper then your local supply.
Murray River Pink Salt Flakes, from Australian
Mayan Sun Sea Salt from El Salvador
Saltworks has free shipping. They have a selection of sea salts from Hawaiʻi, they might even be cheaper then your local supply.
trhee
ㅇtㅈyㅅr
Very long day. Woke up at 5am and just got home an hour ago at 10:30pm.
Everything went without a hitch which makes all of the effort put into a day like today, well worth it.
I was able to meet her at the end of the night and the Ambassador personally introduced me to her. The first words she spoke to me was "So you're the chef responsible for the unbelievable food during lunch and dinner." To which I replied, "Yes ma'am, breakfast too." which made everyone laugh. She replied back, "Then, I gotta have my picture taken with you!"
Anyways, here are some food shots from today. I wasn't able to take a lot of pics though.
Hors D'Oeuvre: Filet Mignon on Buttered Crostini w/ Peppered Horseradish
Lobster w/ Wild Mushroom & Saffron Lobster Broth
Roasted Filet Mignon w/ Duet of Potato, Asparagus, Carrot & Wild Mushroom
"Capellini" Asian Noodles
This is kind of a spooky picture, but it's a photo taken from outside the dining room thru a one way window. The one way window is for the butler and the waitstaff to check on the meal progress without being intrusive. Far left, is the U.S. Ambassador to China, Gary Locke. Next to him is the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, Sung Kim. Next to him is the U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy. This is the main, formal dining room that seats up to 20 comfortably and can seat up to 24 if need be.
Another shot of the dining room during a charity reception with a buffet layout.
Everything went without a hitch which makes all of the effort put into a day like today, well worth it.
I was able to meet her at the end of the night and the Ambassador personally introduced me to her. The first words she spoke to me was "So you're the chef responsible for the unbelievable food during lunch and dinner." To which I replied, "Yes ma'am, breakfast too." which made everyone laugh. She replied back, "Then, I gotta have my picture taken with you!"
Anyways, here are some food shots from today. I wasn't able to take a lot of pics though.
Hors D'Oeuvre: Filet Mignon on Buttered Crostini w/ Peppered Horseradish
Lobster w/ Wild Mushroom & Saffron Lobster Broth
Roasted Filet Mignon w/ Duet of Potato, Asparagus, Carrot & Wild Mushroom
"Capellini" Asian Noodles
This is kind of a spooky picture, but it's a photo taken from outside the dining room thru a one way window. The one way window is for the butler and the waitstaff to check on the meal progress without being intrusive. Far left, is the U.S. Ambassador to China, Gary Locke. Next to him is the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, Sung Kim. Next to him is the U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy. This is the main, formal dining room that seats up to 20 comfortably and can seat up to 24 if need be.
Another shot of the dining room during a charity reception with a buffet layout.
Congrats on a very successful day!
Thank you for sharing your art with us. Beautiful!
trhee
ㅇtㅈyㅅr
I always cook extra and usually go with 20% extra rounded up, meaning if the guest count is 8, then 20% of 8 is 1.6 so I would be cooking for 10 guests. Although rare, there are times when an extra guest comes and I need to be prepared for those situations since I can't tell the Ambassador, "Uhh.. I don't have enough food for everyone."
The leftovers, I let the staff eat at the end of the event. There is an opening on my kitchen staff here, as one of my assistants has given notice, although it would involve relocating to Korea.
EDIT: Also, because it's not a restaurant, I really don't have any concerns with food costing and maintaining a profitable kitchen. Here, I'm allotted a certain per person budget depending on the event but typically it's $48 per person for a dinner event, slightly less for lunch and even breakfast, I'm allotted a $29 per guest budget.
The leftovers, I let the staff eat at the end of the event. There is an opening on my kitchen staff here, as one of my assistants has given notice, although it would involve relocating to Korea.
EDIT: Also, because it's not a restaurant, I really don't have any concerns with food costing and maintaining a profitable kitchen. Here, I'm allotted a certain per person budget depending on the event but typically it's $48 per person for a dinner event, slightly less for lunch and even breakfast, I'm allotted a $29 per guest budget.
Last edited:
BillyBatts
ALOHA!
Trhee, thanks for this thread. Amazing pictures and cuisine.
I'd jump at your staff opening in a heartbeat if I were 20 years younger and was not entrenched in my current lifestyle.
Amazing stuff.
I'd jump at your staff opening in a heartbeat if I were 20 years younger and was not entrenched in my current lifestyle.
Amazing stuff.
