Category Archives: France

Fire and Knives (Belonging)

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I have and will always belong among the fire and knives.

As a young lad I had several of the plastic Bowie knives.  I would break them within a few days of purchase.  Graduation to just shy of a million pocket knives and soon enough I had lit the driveway on fire.  I was destined to become a Chef.  Ma even said “I should have known.”.

I can sense the shine of a knife store around the next block.

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Be it in a kitchen or in camp I gravitate like moth to the flame.

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Master Oakley’s Marshmallow Brulee

Campfire smell is not a sign you need to wash your clothes.  To me it’s the much sought after smell they should try to put into laundry soap.

If someone made campfire scented laundry pods I would buy them.  (If you do, then make a complete line up…. Juniper, Hickory, Pine, cherry, ect…)

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WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge – Place in the World

poke around my blog to see more of my handy work. Chef Gurr Work and Play

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Unlikely

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Upon visiting Chateau de Dampierre-sur-Boutonne just north of Saintes, France the curator told us he had just set up a Cocotte show on the third floor.  Not what I was expecting to hear!

This replaces the Indiana Jones scene with the golden head and sandbag for me.

Or see but I was super excited!  Just look at these beauties!

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The curator happened to have a friend with the largest collection of cocottes in I’m not sure what demographic, but it was quite sizable.

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Being a chef and lover of evenly heating cookware I figured it was a sign.

Later in the week I welcomed our hosts back to their home with a nice batch of short ribs procured from a local butcher that had worked in that had worked/owned that butcher shop with the picture on the wall from 1974.

right out of the vac seal.  No moisture loss at all.  Wow.

I tourned carrots, potatoes and zucchini to go alone with them but then plated and served hot (as it the priority) so no photographic evidence of the final plates.

Thanks for the prompt Michelle Weber!

WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge-Unlikely

LINES

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French vineyard maintenance is absolutely astounding.  The land is covered with vineyards that are meticulously pruned and straight.

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Day after day they park their utility car on the edge and prune before the vine shows  any green.

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This week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge- Lines is a pleasure.  The lines of the vines, the lines of the rows, and the line of the posts.

Homard/ Lobster/ Labsta!

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For Sadie, the only person I know from Maine, USA:  I know you miss “Labsta Day” and I’m sure you haven’t had your fix in a while.

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Lobster Thermador

This is to show homage to all those beauties that gave their lives for learning and tasting.

As a Chef Instructor for 12.99999 (slightly superstitious here) years I had the pleasure of teaching multiple classes.  I taught the two classes with Lobster demos and fabrication.

On “Labsta Days” by some unknown force or possibly genetics, Chef Sadie would find her way to the class just as a dish was finished.

Other Chefs had their favorites as well.  Some would seek out Lamb (Chef Anjali) and others wouldn’t care what you were cooking as long as it would fill a seemingly hollow leg (Chef Paul).

I had a weakness for “Cookie Day”.  Secretly dropping subtle hints to pastry class after pastry class letting them know I happened, just by coincidence, to enjoy, very much so, a few chocolate chip cookies if they found it in their hearts to relinquish a couple.

Mmmmmmmmm COOOkies…..

Sorry about that,  I seem to have lost my train of thought.  Back to lobster or homard, as it is known in French.

I have collected photos of my dishes produced for demo or that I did while joining the class for production.

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Sautéed Lobster on Dilled Sweet Potato Mash, Leek Cream and Sautéed Spinach with Bacon

Most were delivered to Chef Sadie for “inspection” and for fear of her hearing that lobster was being produced and consumed without her being notified.

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Lobster, Chive and Gruyere Omelette

 

While here in France I have had opportunity to play with Langoustine AKA; Scampi, AKA; Salt Water Prawn.

They are fun to clean and vary in size.  Fun is a word I like to use to sell peeling garlic to someone.  Really they are tedious but well worth the sweetness they deliver.

Shoot on over to a past post titled Chef Gurr Work and Play to view more of my work as a Chef Instructor.