In a previous video, I demonstrated how to make a cauliflower soup base. In this video, we will complete the dish by presenting what is called a "composed soup," where the garnishes are placed in a bowl and the soup base is poured table side.
The most important decision one can make in their kitchen is which methods of cooking to apply to any given product. It doesn't matter how expertly a cooking technique is executed, if it's the wrong technique for the end product, you'll never achieve a good result. For example, you would never braise a filet mignon or steam a beef short rib. Understanding how different cuts of meat or even vegetables react to heat and time will allow you to make an informed decision, choosing the best method of cooking to apply; an understanding which is the very foundation of the culinary arts.
Flavor infused oils are a great way to add colorful contrasts and interesting tastes to a dish, especially as a last minute garnish. When making your own oils infused with the essence of a fresh green herb, you'll be walking a fine line between extracting the most flavor and color, and completely breaking down the chlorophyll molecules which will give an off taste and appearance.
It's spring time which means English Peas are now available. This quick video will show you how to prep and blanch English Peas which is a necessary step before adding them to salads, sautes or applying a secondary cooking technique.
Here's a quick video that will teach you how to peel and blanch pearl onions. Once prepped, pearl onions make a great accompaniment to many saute dishes.
This video takes our Basic Sourdough Bread Recipe and adds parsley and pancetta. It's great served lightly grilled with a little olive oil, topped with piece of sliced tomato and basil or for grilled cheese.
In this video we’ll be making one of my new favorite breads, an Eastern European style brown bread. This bread has a unique, complex flavor that comes from the addition of coffee, molasses, fennel seed, caraway and balsamic vinegar, just to name a few (oh yeah, did I mention the cocoa powder?).
I'm really proud to present this video because it's a long time in the making; not necessarily the completed dish itself, but all the fundamental cooking techniques required to actually execute this dish properly. When the thought struck to start a cooking "blog" (back before I even created FCS), I originally intended to chronicle advanced cooking techniques from a working chef's perspective.
In this video I will be demonstrating how to make fresh pasta from scratch. Once this technique is mastered, there is literally no end to the infinite variations you create upon this simple theme.
Pancetta in its simplest form is salted and cured pork belly that is native to Italian Cuisine and loved throughout the world. Commonly referred to as "Italian Bacon," pancetta's major difference from it's American counterpart is its lack of smoke. Pancetta is commonly flavored with different seasonings and spices, with each region of Italy, (and chef for that matter), having their own preferential spice blend.
