Chef James Briscione

The Best of the Best

The James Beard Foundation has an amazing new book out called ‘The Best of the Best’ it

It’s not magic, it’s science. Delicious science.

Well, it finally happened. After nearly a year of being a skeptical observer Chef Chris Gesualdi dra

What’s New?

No updates on the blog lately but there’s been plenty of work going on in the kitchen. So here

The James Beard Foundation has an amazing new book out called ‘The Best of the Best’ it’s a gorgeous book featuring recipes and stories from former Outstanding Chef Award winners. Along with some of my fellow chefs at ICE, we were invited to cook for an intimate party at the James Beard House celebrating the release of the book. We knew early on that the list of attendees would include some pretty big VIPs from the world of food, so coming up with an appropriately impressive was an intimidating task. And since we were also celebrating the Beard Foundation’s 25th Anniversary, the menu had to be inspired by the man himself, James Beard. So all we had to do was turn James Beard’s classic recipes into something you’d be proud to serve to the country’s top chefs. It was an awesome opportunity show the innovation that has been happening at ICE lately. Not to mention the chance to spend an evening in the kitchen with legends like Thomas Keller, Jeremiah Tower and Patrick O’Connell.

photo by Geoff Mottram

The ICE crew at the Beard House with Thomas Keller, Patrick O’Connell, Jeremiah Tower and Alfred Portale

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It’s not magic, it’s science. Delicious science.

April 6, 2012 in feature, sous vide

Well, it finally happened. After nearly a year of being a skeptical observer Chef Chris Gesualdi dragged me kicking and screaming into the big, scary world of Hydrocolloids. After poking and prodding around for a bit I realized something — it turns out it’s not so scary after all.

Hydrocolloids need a better publicist or an image consultant at the very least. They don’t have a flashy name or a description that rolls off the tongue. But those are things better left for someone smarter than me. There is a lot of necessary fear around “chemicals,” especially when it comes to food. So what are hydrocolloids, and why does everyone call them chemicals with a hint of terror in their voice?

Tags: sous vide
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What’s New?

March 25, 2012 in feature, sous vide

No updates on the blog lately but there’s been plenty of work going on in the kitchen. So here’s a quick run down of of what I’ve been up to in the kitchen recently: working with a lot exciting new (to me) things that are opening up a world of possibilites.

Transglutaminase aka Meat Glue

Guinea Hen, Pheasant, and Duck Terrine with Foie Gras- pretty nice results but the ‘meat glue’ doesn’t like fat so the foie gras didn’t hold in as well as the other meats. All meats we first cooked separately sous vide, then bonded with the transglutaminase.

Sphereification

I’ve been working a lot on reverse sphereification. The basic idea of reverse spehereification is that calcium in a mixture reacts with sodium alginate in a bath to form a skin. So I’ve been focusing on foods that naturally high in calcium and forming them in flavored alginate solutions (like carrot juice). Above is a spiced yogurt with a carrot skin.

Fluid Gel (Agar)

Long story short: a discussion broke out via twitter over who could do the best reinterpretation of ‘Ants On a Log’. This was my effort- celery cooked sous vide in coconut milk and red curry, dried grape (aka raisin) fluid gel, and peanut brittle made with fish sauce.

Finally, sometimes you’ve got to put all the fancy up in the cabinet and throw it down old school style. So for a recent staff meal-

Slow Roasted Pork Belly with Roasted Tomato, Scallion and Molasses Vinaigrette over Creamy Grits

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I’m totally superficial

March 9, 2012 in feature, sous vide

Sorry, it’s true.

You can make the most perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned food in the world, but if it looks like a big steaming pile of mess on the plate I’m not interested. Ever heard the saying ‘You taste with your eyes’? Well, it’s absurd; but it’s true. The first impression food makes is through it’s appearance. So any good cook has to know how to make thing s look good on the plate.

Of course, on the other side of things you create art on the plate, but if it doesn’t taste good you’re not going very far. Check out my latest post on the ICE Blog about how to cook sous vide and making it look good- right here.

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Dude Food (that chicks dig)

February 9, 2012 in Uncategorized

The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach…

… right? But I’m here to tell you fellas, that street goes both ways. There isn’t any better way to impress a lady than to whip up an amazing meal. But those meals– whether they’re intended to get you a second date, or something more– don’t have to be complicated, day-long projects.

Here’s your goal: Cook a dinner that makes you feel like a man and helps you get (or keep) the girl. It’s meat & potatoes food without being a meathead. You’ve just gotta have skills… And that’s what I’m here for.

Learn how to make the meal and get the girl here:

Just Married and Cooking- Dude Food

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Sous Vide Classes at The Institute of Culinary Education

February 5, 2012 in feature, sous vide

Earlier this week, ICE Chef Instructor James Briscione led a half demo, half hands-on class, to give ICE students a general introduction to the uses of sous-vide and low-temperature cooking applications. It was the first of ICE’s dedicated modernist cooking classes teaching innovative techniques and how to use cutting-edge technology to our students.

Continue reading here.

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Buffalo Wings- Fancy or Family Style?

February 5, 2012 in feature, Recipes, sous vide

There have been only two things worth discussing over the past week:

How is Rob Gronkowski’s ankle?
And what kind of chicken wings should we cook Sunday?

If only my wife had as much influence over high ankle sprains as she does on what comes out of our kitchen patriots fans would be feeling pretty good right now. I’ve been playing with buffalo wing recipes in preparation of the big game. Check out the links below for two takes on the classic.

Sous Vide Buffalo Wings- http://blog.iceculinary.com/2012/02/01/sous-vide-buffalo-wings/

Ultimate Make-at-Home Buffalo Wings- http://justmarriedandcooking.com/2012/01/the-ultimate-make-at-home-chicken-wings/

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A Quick Cassoulet

January 26, 2012 in feature, Recipes

I know, I know the word ‘quick’ goes against everything that cassoulet is about but sometimes you need a bowlful of hearty goodness in a hurry. This a recipe I made for the first time with homemade pork liver sausages. Brooke and I were shocked and thrilled to see Parker (our 21 month-old little girl) was an ever bigger fan of the either of us- which is saying something!

In these cold winter months we could all use a little comforting. I find little more comforting than a warm bowl of creamy-tomatoey beans studded with rich sausage. On these frigid days when all you want to stay inside and snuggle under blankets on the couch, a meal like this will zap any ambition you might have had and keep you firmly planted indoors. Think of it as cassoulet on a budget of both time (about 20 minutes vs. 6 hours) and money (6 ingredients vs. 12+).

Here’ s what you do:

1. get some sausage- what ever you like: italian, chorizo, bratwurst, anything (I actually used a pork liver sausage I created when testing recipes for my new charcuterie workshop at ICE). Cut it in to 1 inch pieces and brown in a skillet.

2. Add 1 cup minced onions and 1 tablespoon minced garlic, saute until tender.

3. Add approximately 16 ounces chopped tomatoes (canned are a good option right now). Stir well and bring to a simmer. Allow the tomatoes to simmer until slightly thickened.

4. Add approximately 24 ounces cooked white beans and simmer 5 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Serve in bowls topped with celery that has been thinly sliced and dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.

And for the ambitious out there:

Pork Liver Sausages

500g pork liver
1200g pork shoulder
200g fat back
20g kosher salt
2 g white pepper
1 g marjoram
2 g basil
1 g ground allspice

Thoroughly chill all ingredients and grind each separately. Combine the ground meats in a bowl, add the spices and blend well.

Cook a small pieces of the mixture to taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.

Pack the seasoned mixture into casings and rest in the refrigerator over night. Poach the sausage to an internal temperature of 160˚ then cool in the poaching liquid. Seal sausages in cry-o-vac bags or store refrigerated in the poaching liquid.

Tags: charcuterie
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The Eye of the Beholder

November 18, 2011 in Uncategorized

What makes an attractive plate?

Seems like an easy question, but the more you think about the answer, the more complicated it becomes. After all, who’s to say what is or isn’t attractive? While beauty does lie in ‘the eye of the beholder,’ there are certainly ways of putting food on to a plate that ‘only a mother could love.’

This week I decided to take a look at one dish and play with different ways of getting the same ingredients on the plate to see if I could figure out the ultimate answer to “What makes an attractive plate?” To my surprise I found more than one answer. To continue reading, click here

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And the pork just keeps coming…

March 22, 2011 in feature

Porchetta is one of the ultimate indulgences in the porcine world. A succulent roast that incorporates many of the best pieces of the pig- loin, belly and crisp skin- it’s best made from a suckling (or young- less than 80 lb) pig. As the pig grows, so too does the porchetta from the perfect sandwich sized slice to a plate-sized marvel of goodness.

Both delicious, though one more manageable than the other. When I got my hands on my own half hog, I couldn’t help carving one section of the loin into a Fred Flintstone sized porchetta for myself.

Check out my photo journal of the process below.