Rootbeer Float published in Dessert Professional

For those of you who don't subscribe to Dessert Professional, I had a recipe published in the current issue. The original blog post can be found HERE.

Electrolux Magic Mill DLX 2000 Follow-Up

Here we are nine months later and I'm still loving my Magic Mill. Since my previous post about this machine gets the most retrospective comments from readers, I thought I would share a more critical insight into my past nine months of usage.

That picture is my six batard sourdough morning batch. Total dough weight is 2130g. I will often do a double batch in the machine which is 4260g. The machine has no troubles with either, but the double likes to climb up the roller more readily. I've learned to keep sturdy but not hard pressure pushing the roller against the wall to control dough climb. Not an easy skill to teach my staff. The dough climb can be seen in my #3 circle below. This is no different than my old Kitchen Aid except it is easier to resolve on this machine since the top is accessible during operation versus the lifted bowl of the KA.

The number one circle shows how dough likes to slip under the side bowl scraper. I normally will hold the scraper arm with my left hand while leveraging that against my right hand on the roller arm. At times I'll just let it all go hands free, but that normally doesn't give me a very positive outcome - ie, it is more efficient for me to have both hands active in the process. It seems over time that my scraper is letting more dough underneath than it used to. This is still much better than my KA bowl walls.

The number two circle shows how dough likes to pull the scraper away from the side. Once this happens your mixing efficiency drops to nil.

My biggest problem is that their instruction manual seems inaccurate as to what tool to use for what job. I use the roller wheel for my bread and most other doughs, and the whisks for creams, but I have yet to find a good use for the dough hook. I've tried the dough hook many times on my bread, but it doesn't work well. Maybe someone can enlighten me on that.

So, my summary...this is still a workhorse showing no signs of letting down. Because of the design there really is no reason for the motor to burn out. On the contrary, since my last post, my KA died a third time doing far less work. I had to pay for this repair versus the first two which were covered by KA.

Even so, there are some design flaws as I see them. First, I'd like the side scraper to hold itself in place. Second, I'd like to see the roller bar arm lock keep the arm from moving inward versus outward (not sure why they thought it was useful for the arm to be locked from moving toward the outside of the bowl). Third, I'd like to have a hands free experience so I can do things other than babysit my machine.

That's my summary for now. I expect my fellow Magic Millers to chime in with their experiences.

Scam Alert...200 gyros

A few years ago I read a message on eGullet about hearing restaurants receiving calls through hearing impaired relayers with large orders. These were always last minute and when the time came for the food to be picked up, no one would show. A quick google search shows that this is a very common scam.

I got my call just on Saturday - order for 200 gyros for mom's birthday on Tuesday. The caller gave the email

wsusan1128@gmail.com

which is googlable for the scam as well. They were willing to give a credit card but the scam messages say that the card will swipe fine but be deactivated before the money hits your bank. So where's the scam? No one gets any money or food, the restaurant is just out the expense of the prepared items.

Just a stupid prank? I don't think so since its been going on for years and with common emails and phone numbers. Since I'm conspiratorially minded I would like to know if the restaurant distributor is a commonality. I sure hope not but someone has to be getting something out of this.

Dream analysis and the smoking unagi

This morning I woke up in mid-dream. I was laying on the floor of an old house trying to get to sleep. I noticed something move out of the corner of my eye up near the top of a very tall wall. When I looked more carefully I saw that it was a tiny little bat clinging to the wall near the ceiling. Another flutter out of the corner of my eye and another bat clinging to the wall. Almost immediately there were four huddled together hanging. Huh. Not good for me getting to sleep.

I shined a flashlight in the eyes of one of them to see if I could get them uncomfortable so it would fly away. When I did the bat was startled from the light and all of a sudden a flurry of bats filled the room - hundreds of them all fluttering around heading toward the wall, and finally all of them clinging to the wall above where I was trying to lay.

I obviously decided it was time for me to get out of there and sleep somewhere else. As I started to gather up my bedding, one bat flew toward me and I realized that they weren't tiny bats, but huge bats - the size of large papayas. AND, not only were they large, but they were wearing Mr. Roger's periwinkle blue cardigan sweaters! Not quite sure what that was about. Right at that moment, Tyler's alarm went off and I woke up.

So, what's this all about? We've been packed almost every night, but we're having very few reservations. Last night we had two reservations for two people and so I assumed it would be a slow night with maybe six or eight total joining us. That was nice since I just finished another week of 18 hour days. I've been running on caffeine and sugar just to make it to the end of the shift. (My prep cook's grandfather died and he had to go back to Boston for the week. He'll be back tomorrow so my more sane hours will return.)

It appears to be the norm that I can triple or quadruple our reserved number now to estimate how many will show up. I told Tyler about this dream and he said when he was a server back in college he had dreams like this all the time - stress dreams about rushes of customers flooding in. But, I still don't know what the deal is with the Mr. Roger's sweaters.

Moving on...one of our most popular dishes has been the smoking glass. Its actually evolved a number of times and probably will again this weekend and I regroup, but the basic concept is unagi (sauced broiled eel) in the bottom of a glass, smoke blown in and capped with a savory tuile, a quennelle of white chocolate savory risotto and a bit of caviar. The customer taps the tuile with their spoon, releasing the smoke and combining the flavors. Its a fun dish that always brings laughter (and sometimes shrieks) into the kitchen. Always the highlight of my night.

Book Review: Black Pudding & Goie Gras

I've been sitting on this book review for months and months because, quite frankly, this may be my favorite cookbook ever...but one I'll never use.

Andrew Pern and the Star Inn in Harome (near Helmsley (in Yorkshire (in England (I think you know that's in Europe)))) is a Michelin gastropub for the past 14 years.

In 2008 Pern self-published Black Pudding & Foie Gras as a sort of celebration of their work. This is no regular cookbook. Sluffing off the shackles of the publishing world, Pern has created a book that is ripe with graphic ingenuity, poetic wanderings and even a cover coated in brown velvet.

You want to curl up on a damp English night next to the fireplace, glugging your dark ale, reading this wonderful ode to food romantics. Pern shares the story of how he came to own The Star Inn. He writes about all of the local suppliers of his ingredients and how seasons effect his dishes.

And naturally he delves into a hearty list of recipes, the vast majority of which you won't ever make because of his use of regional ingredients. I've played with a few of the recipes, but what's the point when you can't get the great seafood that he has access to.

But that's hardly a concern for me. This is still my favorite cookbook. Every time I touch it, my foodie loin tingles and titters as I find some new hidden gem - normally a quote, a short poem or beautiful picture of the English countryside. For cookbook collectors, this is a must. For passionate foodies and romantics, this is a must. For someone wanting to recreate a Michelin starred-restaurant's dishes...don't bother.

Omakase

Any serious sushi connoisseur knows that Omakase means "I put myself in the hands of the chef." Literally it means "Its up to you." I would love to have a collection of comparable phrases in other languages. Anyone want to help? If you speak another language, or if you know someone who does, could you post a reply with the phrase in the other language that someone could use in a restaurant to tell the chef that you trust them and will eat whatever they want to serve you. Thanks.

Book Review: Ready for Dessert

I come from the school of thought that says rock bands shouldn’t release their Greatest Hits album until their career is complete. Likewise, chefs should restrain themselves from re-releasing their favorite recipes until their career enters a culminating phase. That said, David Lebovitz’s Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes will be excused since some of his previous books are no longer in print, and his greatest hits truly are classics worth reprinting.

Read the rest of this review at The Gastronomer's Bookshelf.