A big congrats to Endless Simmers’s TVFF for welcoming your first eater, Evanageline, into the world. May she live a delicious life filled with all the joys ofTaylor’s Pork Rollsandfine Italian cuisine. (And may Mrs. TVFF resume her love ofstinky cheese and raw fish.)
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I was skeptical. But I thought, yeah, this would be cool. Miniterrines. First layer, lobster. Second layer, crab. Third layer, poached salmon. Fourth layer, roasted red peppers…why? Why the hell not? The gelatin to hold it all together was made with the salmon poaching liquid of vegetable stock and white wine. I made sure the thing was properly seasoned and threw in some herbs. I was thinking #1, would this hold together? And #2 would this actually taste good?
#1: Yes, it did hold together. It held together quite nicely. It held together like a can of cat food that slides right out exposing the layer of nasty gelatin on top of the stinky meat mold. I couldn’t get that wet cat food sucking noise out of my head while standing there staring at my terrine fuck up. Meow.
#2: No. Oh, no, no. It did not taste good. Chef was lucky enough to have the first taste. And when I picked up my fork to try a bit, heencouraged me to take a smaller bite. Oh boy, that’s when you know you’ve fucked up. I’m not really sure what went wrong. It was like seafood with seafood flavored jelly. Perhaps I should have brought it home to the cat. I’m sure she would have torn the hell out of this gelatinous seafood carnage. So, I accidentally made cat food. No big deal.
“How did the terrine turn out?” asked a coworker.“Um, it just…it just isn’t good. And it accidentally fell in the trash.” Oops. But the terrine has not heard the last from me. In other words, please help ESers! How do I redeem myself?!
It’s like a family reunion: lots of familiar faces, lots of hugs, lots of passive-aggressive energy and lots of full frontal hatred. I think this season promises to be a fun one, with heightened emotions and high-level challenges. I never usually enjoy the first 5 episodes or so of Top Chef because there’s just too much going on with having to learn names and personalities and concentrate on 18 different dishes. At least for this season, we already know the chef’testants, know who we like and know who we want humiliated.
Unfortunately, this also means chefs that we love must leave. Sometimes too soon. Here’s the first chef’testant to pack up his/her knives. Find out who is PISSED and calls Tom Colicchio’s rise to stardom sad and heartbreaking.
Endless Simmer:I’m a big fan of your hair– what products do you use to keep your curls so tight and shiny?
Elia Aboumrad:{laugher} I don’t use anything specific. I wash it and then putHerbal Essence Totally Twisted Conditioneron and don’t take it off. It’s not a leave-in, but I leave it in. Then I put on a little Herbal Essence mousse. It just makes my hair look good.
What made you the most nervous for your return to Top Chef? And what factors made you decide to rejoin?
I was inclined to say no, but then asked how it would be done, who would be the judges, and who was a part of the rest of the cast. I was told it’d be the top of every season, which it wasn’t. I was told it would be a great season and would be more about the food and not a personality contest. I also had the summer free {waiting for construction to be finished on her upcoming West Hollywood restaurant, Avec Moi}, but there were a lot of things collaborating to make that decision.
It looked like you got emotional again last night. What went wrong with the dish?
It was very humiliating. Last time I made it all the way to the end. It was extremely, extremely humiliating to be eliminated, especially when you don’t feel it’s fair.
The truth is the dish wasn’t supposed to be fully cooked. It was supposed to be medium-rare. It seemed liked they already made up their minds. It was very frustrating.
I felt comfortable with what I presented, how the flavor turned out. They made clear what the rules were and I followed them. Under those circumstances, I don’t think I would change anything.
Which contestants were not as true to the rules?
Some of the dishes were completely tweaked and the main ingredients weren’t even used. The techniques were not used at all. They made it very clear what the rules were and yes, I do believe the rules weren’t followed. No one was held accountable.
From watching the show it looks like a lot of friendships have developed– have you made a lot of friends? What are your thoughts on Anthony Bourdain?
That is the best thing that Top Chef allowed me to have. I am very close toIlan Hall. We are like family and developed a really beautiful friendship. I’m also friends withFabio Viviani. This time around I was lucky to meetJennifer Carroll. I wish there would be more women like her: not pushing you out, but inviting you in to work with. I also developed a friendship withDale Levitskiand withSpike Mendelsohn. I have very good friends from Top Chef and I’m very thankful for that.
As forAnthony Bourdain, I don’t know the man. I haven’t read his books and I don’t watch TV. I know what my friends tell me and what most of America tells me about him. I worked with Tom at MGM and I thought I knew him, but Tom has become a very different person. It’s not all about the food, not all about supporting the farmers’ markets. All his beef is corn-fed on his menu. He’s all about corn syrup. He’s a money making machine. And he’s not staying true to our profession.
When I got to the States in 2005, coming here from France, I got here early to set up the restaurant at theMGM Grand. I also {had the opportunity to} work at all the different restaurants and I spent a lot of time atCraftsteak{Tom Colicchio's restaurant}. Most of his menu had grass-fed animals and products were organic. His chefs loved him. It’s just really sad now. He’s not honoring the profession by honoring our cooking source, which is nature. Tom did a commercial on Coca-Cola which is basically poison. I went back to Craftsteak eight months ago and there is not one grass-fed steak. They are all corn-fed which is cheaper, easier to work with and always available.
They don’t talk about him like they used to. He came from starting with nothing and fighting through and he could be the voice of something amazing. He could be shaping the cuisine and instead he’s sort of like selling out. It’s sad instead of inspiring. It’s heartbreaking.
Growing up in Northeast Pennsylvania, fresh seafood wasn’t really an option for me. So for the majority of my life, I missed out on such gems as mussels, pollack, porgy and much more. Since my introduction to saltwater proteins, my absolute favorite seafood dish is the regional specialty,Maryland blue crabs. How can you go wrong with a crustacean whose scientific name actually means“beautiful savory swimmer?” Wifey grew up just a short trip from the Chesapeake andcrab feastswere a regular part of life. Her parents had one for their rehearsal dinner 30 years ago, their family always got together in the summer to swim and“pick crabs” and one of the first get-togethers to let me know I was part of the family was a crab feast.
For those of you who aren’t familiar the traditional Chesapeake crab prep is a simple mixture of spicy Old Bay seasoning, rock salt and vinegar steamed together. Once the crabs are cooked, we typically cover a table with layers of newspaper and just spill everything out and begin picking. Picking crabs takes time and effort! I have gotten better but the process of breaking the crabs down and getting every luscious bit of meat out is not for everyone. That is why we always have plenty of beer and plenty of time to talk to each other. That combination of great food, drinks and 3-4 hours of quality time makes Maryland blue crabs the perfect Gridiron Grub. They may not be available everywhere but if you get a chance definitely try this while enjoying the games.
Combine liquid ingredients with seasonings. In a large stockpot with a lid, place half of the crabs on the bottom; pour on half of the vinegar mixture. Add remaining crabs and liquid.
Cover and steam until crabs become bright red, about 30 minutes. Be warned that as they warm up, they may become a little feisty!
*As you can see it is fairly simple prep and there are just 2 things you need to be aware of. First, do not store the crabs in water but if anything, prior to cooking, store them in a cooler with a little bit of ice. Second, the reason why you store them this way is that the crabs must be alive when you cook them or else they will have a strong ammonia smell when cooked and will not be too edible. If you avoid this, it is pretty hard to mess up the dish and easy to enjoy.
(Photo courtesy of 80 proof)
I’m not sure if I ever told you this before, but I used to hate cream cheese. And then one day, when I decided to keep my mouth shut, I tried it for the first time.
I was leaving my then-boyfriend’s mom’s house, heading back to Jersey at 10 in the morning. I never thought she liked me, as any girl thinks about her boyfriend’s mother. On that particular morning, as I stuffed my sleepover clothes into a backpack, she climbed the stairs and brought me a bagel for the road. The bagel was smeared with cream cheese.
On any other morning, leaving from any other household, I would offer my thanks, and ask for a knife and butter to remedy the situation. I hated cream cheese that much. I wouldn’t even fake it.
But on that particular morning, with that particular boyfriend’s mother, I shut up the cream cheese hater inside me and graciously tucked the bagel into my backpack.
But somewhere along the nondescript I-95 North, I reached into my bag and took a bite. It tasted tangy. And too creamy. Not altogether terrible, though. So I ate a few more bites, deciding cream cheese no longer was an enemy. I never did resolve the uneasy feelings about the cream cheese provider, however.
That happened many years ago, when I only ate Caesar salads and egg and cheese sandwiches. And now cream cheese is, I will say, my life. Along with eggs and butter, it remains a staple in my fridge. Cream cheese moved way beyond the bagel now. It’s actually been saving plenty of dishes.
I threw it in with a cabbage and sweet potato hash, letting it soften the roughage. I let it melt into a faintly seasoned pureed vegetable soup to add flavor and creaminess. And that’s only in the last 5 days. But I think it’s fair to say, cream cheese saves the day.
While it may not smell bad or display visible signs of deterioration, cooked turkey, according to US Department of Agriculture, should not be eaten after four days. And if you’re not eating the bird within that time frame, it should already be in the freezer for future usage.
Before you mentally calculate all of the different Tupperware containers stuffed with turkey that must be finished tonight, check out these ideas on how to devour your leftovers deliciously.
10 Low Fat Ways to Use Leftover Turkey {About.com}
6 Great Thanksgiving Leftover Ideas {The Orange County Register}
10 Tasty Ideas for Leftover Turkey {Wise Bread}
12 Recipes for Leftover Turkey {Delish}
10 Ideas for Leftover Turkey {Real Simple}
101 Ways to Use Leftover Turkey {Food.Fitness.Fun} (although it’s a lie– only 25 here)
Photo: Turkey Butter byJack’s Mom
ML:I just shopped for seven hours straight. Wow.
