Today is the official kick off for tourist season in the Columbia valley.
It is this weekend, the Victoria Day long weekend, that throngs and hoards and scads and, well, just a whole lot of people descend upon our quiet, peaceful valley.
Enjoy it, everyone! And to anyone who, like myself has to work this weekend and the many to follow, good luck, put your heads down, put your helmet on and it will all be over soon enough! :) Have fun! Hope you make lots of money!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
The Busy Season
Well, no matter how much we try to hide from it or avoid it or just plain deny it, Tourist Season officially kicks off next weekend here in the valley. The onslaught of rubber-necked drivers behind the wheels of there SUV's, or RV's is sure to be a record breaker this year. Be on the look out for sudden stops, and slow downs to get the perfect picture of one of natures finest in that typically unnatural cutsey pose that is sure to go in the family album that will be passed all over the world thanks to social media.
Oh well. It is going to happen, so complaining about it is of zero use. Might just as well embrace it, hunker down and wait out the 4 month storm that brings us our paycheques and keeps our businesses afloat for the rest of the year.
This year promises to be a big one, and I for one hope it is. I really want to look at the calendar next weekend, go to work, and then look at the calendar again and realize that it is January, and myself and my lovely significant other are packed and on our way to Jamaica! When the Restaurnt is busy, the girls make money. When the girls make money, I make more money. So I say "BRING IT, BEE-YOTCHES!!"
Well, that is about all I have to post at this point. I am trying to be true to my word of keeping this blog updated, so, there! Until next time, I'll be in my backyard, tossing the ball for Mollie, and maybe having a few cold ones while grilling some chicken on my Weber 3751001 Genesis E-320 Propane Gas Grill.
Oh well. It is going to happen, so complaining about it is of zero use. Might just as well embrace it, hunker down and wait out the 4 month storm that brings us our paycheques and keeps our businesses afloat for the rest of the year.
This year promises to be a big one, and I for one hope it is. I really want to look at the calendar next weekend, go to work, and then look at the calendar again and realize that it is January, and myself and my lovely significant other are packed and on our way to Jamaica! When the Restaurnt is busy, the girls make money. When the girls make money, I make more money. So I say "BRING IT, BEE-YOTCHES!!"
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Mother's Day at the Old Salzburg
As with any special occasion, any decent restaurant will have a special menu. Mother's day, the most special of them all, is certainly no exception. I always like creating these special menus because it usually gives me a chance to break away from the regular menu and make something that is, in essence, different from the day to day.
This year, I chose to feature a feta-cheese and sundried tomato stuffed chicken breast supreme on a rosé sauce.
It is really quite simple once everything is together, and I am sure that any chef who is reading this is probably thinking how completely elementary this is, but when simplicity and speed is the key, then this is the item of choice.
I started with quality feta, sundried tomatoes, fresh garlic, and fresh chopped parsley. I avoided using salt because feta is already a salty cheese. Coupled with sundried tomatoes, it renders salt for the filling unnecessary. I added all of my ingredients in to the trusty, and well worn Cuisinart Mini-Prep Processor
, and gave it a spin.
I pureéd this until it formed a semi-smooth paste.
I put this aside and prepped my chicken breasts. I started out with fresh chicken breast supremes. The difference between a regular chicken breast, and a supreme, is the presence of the wing bone. The wing bone gives it a certain amount of height.
Then, with my Victorinox 6-Inch Flex Boning Knife with Fibrox Handle
I cut around the tip of the wing bone in a circular fashion, and push the meat down towards the breast.
After that, I cleaned the excess meat from the tip of the bone and discarded it, leaving a nice, clean wing bone. It is important for the presentation. This technique is known as "frenching". It is common with meats such as duck, chicken and turkey breasts, as well as pork crown roasts and lamb racks. When properly done, it gives these items a clean, professional presentation.
Afterwards, I turned over the breast to butterfly it. This entails splitting the breast to make it wider. It aides in the filling of the breast, and also makes it thinner to allow a faster cooking time. Of course, if you stuff a breast, it can increase the cooking time in some cases.
Then I placed a small amount of stuffing in the middle,
and folded over the two sides, trying to overlap to keep the filling in.
When finished, it should resemble a nice, plump breast, with the wing bone sticking up.
For service, the chicken was placed in a 400 degree oven for 12-14 minutes, and then I sliced it 3 times, and served it with the aforementioned rosé sauce. A rosé sauce is, quite simly, a light tomato cream sauce.
So there you have it. My Mother`s day feature at the Old Salzburg restaurant in Radium BC. Sorry about the picture quality, but you can't do too much with a camera phone. Happy cooking!
This year, I chose to feature a feta-cheese and sundried tomato stuffed chicken breast supreme on a rosé sauce.
It is really quite simple once everything is together, and I am sure that any chef who is reading this is probably thinking how completely elementary this is, but when simplicity and speed is the key, then this is the item of choice.
I started with quality feta, sundried tomatoes, fresh garlic, and fresh chopped parsley. I avoided using salt because feta is already a salty cheese. Coupled with sundried tomatoes, it renders salt for the filling unnecessary. I added all of my ingredients in to the trusty, and well worn Cuisinart Mini-Prep Processor
, and gave it a spin.
I pureéd this until it formed a semi-smooth paste.
I put this aside and prepped my chicken breasts. I started out with fresh chicken breast supremes. The difference between a regular chicken breast, and a supreme, is the presence of the wing bone. The wing bone gives it a certain amount of height.
Then, with my Victorinox 6-Inch Flex Boning Knife with Fibrox Handle
I cut around the tip of the wing bone in a circular fashion, and push the meat down towards the breast.
After that, I cleaned the excess meat from the tip of the bone and discarded it, leaving a nice, clean wing bone. It is important for the presentation. This technique is known as "frenching". It is common with meats such as duck, chicken and turkey breasts, as well as pork crown roasts and lamb racks. When properly done, it gives these items a clean, professional presentation.
Afterwards, I turned over the breast to butterfly it. This entails splitting the breast to make it wider. It aides in the filling of the breast, and also makes it thinner to allow a faster cooking time. Of course, if you stuff a breast, it can increase the cooking time in some cases.
Then I placed a small amount of stuffing in the middle,
and folded over the two sides, trying to overlap to keep the filling in.
When finished, it should resemble a nice, plump breast, with the wing bone sticking up.
For service, the chicken was placed in a 400 degree oven for 12-14 minutes, and then I sliced it 3 times, and served it with the aforementioned rosé sauce. A rosé sauce is, quite simly, a light tomato cream sauce.
So there you have it. My Mother`s day feature at the Old Salzburg restaurant in Radium BC. Sorry about the picture quality, but you can't do too much with a camera phone. Happy cooking!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
I Have a Follower!
A big shout out to my one and only follower! This is truly a momentous occasion. I really thought that no one other than my mother was interested in what I had to say, but as it would turn out, there IS someone that is interested. Maybe it helps that I paid this person off(the cheque, sorry check, is in the mail ;) ). So, I guess this means that I have to get serious about this blog and stay faithful to it, because if I am ever going to show the world just how boring I can be, I am going to have to write more. :)
Anyway, I plan on posting more little tidbits and amusing informatives on my chosen calling as time goes on, and if my follower would care to share his wisdom on the subject, he should feel free to do so. And as soon as I can find some interesting pictures, I will post them as well. You know, just make things a little more flavorful.
That's really all I have to say for now, keep checking back for newer posts. While you are waiting, check out my website http://www.culinaryideals.com for great cooking merchandise. C'mon, you know you wanna! It's a great site! Full of stuff with links to other stuff.
Ciao for now, and as they say in Switzerland, "Tschuss!"
Happy cooking!
Anyway, I plan on posting more little tidbits and amusing informatives on my chosen calling as time goes on, and if my follower would care to share his wisdom on the subject, he should feel free to do so. And as soon as I can find some interesting pictures, I will post them as well. You know, just make things a little more flavorful.
That's really all I have to say for now, keep checking back for newer posts. While you are waiting, check out my website http://www.culinaryideals.com for great cooking merchandise. C'mon, you know you wanna! It's a great site! Full of stuff with links to other stuff.
Ciao for now, and as they say in Switzerland, "Tschuss!"
Happy cooking!
Friday, May 7, 2010
Sorry About That Last Post...
Yeah, I know, that was in bad taste, but hey, I giggled myself stupid when it popped into my head, so I thought I'd share it.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Kitchen Nightmares
What is it with these restaurants who ask Gordon Ramsey for help, and still allow there kitchen staff to keep there kitchens in such a disgraceful mess. I mean, if I had a place that was going under, and I asked for chef Ramsey's help, I would do my damnedest to make sure that my kitchen was spotless when the man got there. It is the second place he looks. I wouldn't keep old and spoiled foods in my fridge at the best of times, but if Gordon Ramsey were coming, my fridge would be pristine. Not that it isn't now, but if I had 4 or 5 cameras in my restaurant, I wouldn't let the north america see anything that might put my career in jeopardy.
So it begs the question: Is it for the sole purpose of drama that these places allow such disrespect to food go on? Or are these "chefs" really that bad? I have had my days of general apathy towards my job, but there is no amount of apathy that would permit me to disrespect food that much. Especially on camera.
So it begs the question: Is it for the sole purpose of drama that these places allow such disrespect to food go on? Or are these "chefs" really that bad? I have had my days of general apathy towards my job, but there is no amount of apathy that would permit me to disrespect food that much. Especially on camera.
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