Food Porn

Here are a few pictures of some of the dishes I've been making.

Enjoy.

Canard roti a'l'orange

BBQ, PBR and "Fair and Balanced" coverage

Mavis the sheep

It’s 4:45am on a Saturday morning and I’m dragging my hungover ass out of bed. It feels like I only got into bed an hour ago, when in fact I got at least 2 hours of sleep. I’m “industry” now, I don’t need sleep, a pot of coffee and a few 5-hour Energy’s and I’m good to go. Too bad I don’t have either!

Making Ice Cream in Hell

Chocolate Souffle

Today was one of the hottest days so far, the temperature outside was 97 degrees with over 50% humidity. In addition to this, we are in a kitchen with no A/C and 20 ovens running all day!

This has been the situation all week which in itself is manageable if not for the fact that it’s “Desert and pastry“ week! Pastries aren’t a strong point for most people in Culinary Arts. Lots of respect to people who can bake, it takes a special talent for the anal, to do well at it.

pondre, les oeufs putain!

Ceufs Farcis Chimay

Today  was quite possibly the most disgusting day of cooking so far! I went through 300 eggs today!! Well maybe only about 30, but that’s enough!!

This food is Offal!!

Lamb Tongues

Today was Offal day. For those that don’t know what Offal is, they’re organs. Not the kind that you play at church, but the kind that filters impurities into urine and produce bile.

In addition to having to cook these usually discarded parts, Chef Pascal was away and we had a substitute teacher, Chef Nick from the Ukraine. Just as I got used to the French accent, now I have to decipher a Ukrainian one!

We prepared 4 dishes; Pan Fried Sweetbreads with Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta, Lamb Tongue with Potato Salad, Sautéed Calf’s Liver and Sautéed Kidneys.

Its Sunday morning so don't expect much!

Ok, I’m getting it from all sides! “Todd, you haven’t updated your Blog”, “Todd, I want to know more about what you’re doing in school and less about how much of a miserable bastard you are”, “Todd, if you were to die and come back as a Spice Girl which one would you be”?


Listen people, I’m in school, not on vacation! You think I’m just sitting around all day coming up with witty things to say for your amusement. It’s true that my world revolves around you (you know who you are) and I live to have you hang on my every word, but for 7 hours a day I have an angry Frenchman shouting and pointing an 18” blade at me! The rest of my time is divided between consuming beverages at Onieal’s with my classmates and studying for what have become bi-weekly tests! In addition, apparently one of you bastards has to come to NYC F’ing every week!

I Hate IKEA!!

It’s been an extremely busy first couple of weeks. Between finding and furnishing an Apt. and having my first week of class I haven’t really had time to do much updates. I also have my first test on Tuesday so I’ve been studying all weekend (well most of the weekend, I do have to make time for beer). Anyway, I’m taking a little break from the books and will try and fill you in on what’s been going on.

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July, or so they would have you believe! That is until you head over to the West Side at 8pm expecting to cozy up to the Hudson and watch some fireworks. First of all, they tell you that you can access 12th Avenue at 42nd street. Well you fight the crowds of Time Square,

Yes Chef

The first two days of culinary school have been great. My instructors for session 1 are Chef Pascal and Chef Lisa. Both are very knowledgeable and have good senses’ of humor. My class is made up of mostly people in their early 20’s – early 30’s. A lot of them are career changers like myself.

Our first day was going over the kitchen equipment and cutting. Cutting carrots and turnips: Emincer, Ciseler, Tronconner, Parer, Tranches, Jardiniere,

No 3G for me!!

Had a long day scouting Manhattan. Walked from Murray Hill down to the Lower East side. Then made my way across to Broadway where I passed my school's restaurant, L'Ecole. I was so excited to see it. The restaurant was full, which is a good sign. This is where I'll be for the next 6 months!

By chance I came across a Best Buy on Broadway and had to stop in. I might be trading in my Laptop for a set of knives, but I just can't resist the calling of an electronics store.

The Body Cavity Search

It’s D-day, time to head off on my new adventure to New York to become a chef.  I wake up at 4:45am from a restless night’s sleep.  I stagger into the shower and let the cold morning water wake me up.  It’s Wednesday so of course it’s “shave” day.  Surprisingly there aren’t any nicks or cuts, this could be a good day.  I get to the airport on time, only one person in line ahead of me, line karma!

The Dinner Party

A couple of months ago my friend Patrizia and I decided to host a dinner party for some of our friends.  P is a lawyer by trade but has done numerous cooking courses and has studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.  She too has a passion for cooking and a love of entertaining.  It took a few weeks before we could actually get together and plan the dinner, P being an international jet-setter and me having to go to Jamaica to get me student visa for FCI.
We finally managed to get together last week and started hashing out a menu for dinner.  At first the intention was fine French dining.  We would do an elegant, formal meal that combined top quality meats with rich complex sauces. After much debate, a final decision seemed impossible!. 

One Week Till New York

I have finally received my passport from the US embassy!!  After weeks of waiting I can finally start booking my flights to New York.  I leave on June 16th which should give me enough time to find an apartment in Manhattan before school starts on the 22nd.  

Aftermath of the Oxtail Incident - Part 2

I arrive at the dentist for my root canal.  IPod touch in hand the nurse whisks me away to torture room #3. She applies some topical anesthetic to my gums and cheek area. This isn't to numb the tooth for drilling, nope, this is just to numb the area for the 3 injections I'm going to get to numb the tooth for drilling.  It takes about 5 minuets for the anesthetic to start working so I setup my IPod for surgery.  I've got tons of music, lots of podcasts and the latest Dan Brown audiobook.  So, what goes best with high pitch drilling noise and the smell of burning calcium? 

Aftermath of the Oxtail Incident - Part 1

Monday Morning.  It's been an agonizing night.  My cracked tooth has kept me up most of the night.  Popping Advil is no longer a viable option.  Time to go to the dentist.  I hate going to the dentist!!  A visit to the dentist is never fun.  A dentist appointment in your calendar never has a smiley face next to it.  You never brag to your friends about your upcoming dentist visit!  Ok, so I'm a little stressed but I have to get this taken care of.  I'm off to culinary school in less than two weeks and can't afford to be distracted by a broken tooth.  Which dentist do I go to?  I haven't been to a dentist in over 2 years.

The Oxtail Incident

I love Oxtail!!!  If cooked right,  the meat is tender and juicy, the sauce is rich and flavorful and the bones are suckable.  Pair it with a large helping of Rice n' Beans and you have some of the best comfort food available to man.  The down side is that Oxtail and Rice 'n Beans have to be some of the most unhealthy foods on the planet.  Lots of fat, plenty of gravy and rice cooked in coconut milk.  This means that in order to prevent myself from getting the nickname "Fat Bastard" I can only have this as a rare treat.