Garden Fresh Heirloom Tomato Breakfast

Nooo, I am so sad to say that the wonderful tomato season has almost come to an end.  And this dish is just one of my many Ode to Tomatoes that I made for my breakfast this morning.    During this amazing time of the year I strongly urge you to celebrate this amazing fruit.  Tomatoes are a summer treat and shouldn't be eaten any other time of the year.  They just aren't the same and honestly it's just plain weird that they are accesible all year round.    So try and eat seasonally when possible and enjoy what is naturally given to us.


Recipe


2 slices of Ezekiel bread - I like mine toasted
4 to 5 leaves of fresh basil
1/2 C goat cheese
1 whole tomato, roughly sliced - I like the heirloom varieties
Good Olive Oil
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
a pinch of Kosher Sea Salt

Assemble as seen.  I want to make this as simple as it really is.

http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/39595/

A Woman’s Place?

Precious few women run New York kitchens. We asked seven prominent exceptions to tell us why.

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• Published Oct 21, 2007 

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Photographs by Mackenzie Stroh


We live in a golden age of chefs. Between your Batalis and Bouluds, your Vongerichtens and Riperts, your Masas and Morimotos, New York is bubbling over with cooking legends who not only practice world-class gastronomy but also manage to turn themselves into global gajillion-dollar megabrands. So here’s a question: Where are all the women? Despite the fact that women make up the vast majority of home cooks, and despite four-plus decades of modern feminism, women still run just a small percentage of top kitchens in New York and elsewhere. Never mind the Rachael Rays and Nigella Lawsons of the world. They’re TV personalities, not chefs. They don’t turn out hundreds of meals a night on a hot, high-stress line at one of the country’s most esteemed and critically scrutinized restaurants. To explore why so few women reign over the city’s leading culinary temples, we talked to seven prominent exceptions: April Bloomfield (The Spotted Pig), Rebecca Charles (Pearl Oyster Bar), Alex Guarnaschelli (Butter), Sara Jenkins (formerly of 50 Carmine), Anita Lo (Annisa), Jody Williams (Morandi), and Patricia Yeo (formerly of Monkey Barand Sapa). It’s worth noting that almost to a woman, the chefs we spoke to were at first reluctant to cite sexism as the reason there aren’t more women among the city’s elite chefs. In part, it seemed, they didn’t want to play the victim or be labeled whiny; in part, they didn’t want to believe it—the better to not let it stop them. “There are also a lot of men who can’t hack it in the kitchen,” was a common sentiment. But the more the women talked, the more it became clear that gender bias is still an issue. Not that they don’t embrace a stereotype or two themselves. The one thing the group agreed women do better than men? As Guarnaschelli put it: “Clean.”


What did you make of the most recent “Top Chef” finale? This is the show’s third season, and still, no woman has won. Why did Casey, the only woman in the finals, lose? 
Rebecca Charles: Man, she had it in her hands. She had it! But she threw it away in the final round; her dishes just weren’t good enough.


The fact that she’s a woman had nothing to do with it?
Alex Guarnaschelli: I think the judges actually wanted her to win. I thought she would win. I’d chalk it up to an off day. That small thing—having a crap day—broke her chance. It didn’t mean so much to me that she didn’t win. I think she shattered the glass ceiling anyway.


Why aren’t there more women chefs in New York? Is it harder to raise money as a woman? 
Anita Lo: I kind of get the feeling that there are boys out there who have people running after them giving them money.
Patricia Yeo: Because they play golf together or they play poker together. Maybe we should go play poker with them, I don’t know.
RC: It’s the boys’ club. It’s incredible, and I never used to buy into stuff like that.
AG: I have colleagues—male colleagues—who say to me, “Yeah, I just met with a big group of investors to open a restaurant.” I’m looking at them, trying to sip my coffee, like, “Yeah, bro, that must be rough.” And I go home and trade in the coffee for tequila. Did I do something wrong?


Why don’t women get the money? 
PY: I think men aren’t as nervous about asking. They seem to be able to say, “Listen, this is what I want, give it to me.” Women, I think, have a harder time with it.


RC: Women are more unsure of themselves, no question, especially in terms of asking for money.
Sara Jenkins: It’s like a pride thing, too; you fought so hard to be in a certain place. And now to have to turn around and say, “Oh, but wait, excuse me, I need a million dollars, please.”
RC: Also, I’ve found that landlords will listen politely and then lease their space to a man with a track record. I had a long track record at the time I started Pearl Oyster Bar—twenty years as a chef, but not as a business owner. And that was the kind of track record they were looking for. I was lucky to find the guy that I found.


There must be some women-friendly investors out there. 
RC: I do think there are businessmen in town that are women-friendly. But it’s because they see women as, well, I hate to say this, but as a gimmick.
Jody Williams: And that doesn’t mean they’ll listen to them or give them a real role.
PY: But it’s a double-edged sword; you get notoriety because you’re a woman, but do you really want the notoriety because you’re a woman? You want to be known just because you are a great chef.


What else keeps women from running kitchens?
RC: Some women seem to say that it’s too hot, it’s too much work. You have to give up a lot. That’s what’s hard for a lot of young women to understand. There are very few women who can have children and continue to operate restaurants, whether they’re owners or chefs.

Next: "I think women cook different food, and I think women cook better food."

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photo by B.Smile

Wheat berries

I just absolutely fell in love with this whole grain.   This recipe is an adaptation from a dish I tried the other night at one of my favorite restaurants Candle79.com  I added squash to substitute for avocado for a client of mine who doesn't care for them.  Much to my surprise I really liked the variation!  I hope you enjoy this recipe...

Grilled Kale Salad

Chive Vinaigrette

8 servings

3/4 C Olive Oil

1 T Mustard Seed

1/4 C Chopped Chive

1 Tsp Honey

2 Tsp Dijon Mustard

2 Tsp Shallots, minced

1/2 C Sherry Vinegar

2 tsp Kosher salt

Slowly heat 1/4 C olive oil in shallow pan.  Add mustard seeds and heat until mustard seeds start to pop.  Strain mustard seed from oil.

Slowly reheat oil and saute shallots until slightly brown. Remove from heat immediately.

In blender combine dijon mustard, chives, honey, cooked shallots and sherry vinegar.  Drizzle in all of the olive oil.  After well blended stir in mustard seeds.

Store in refrigerator.

Kale Salad

2 servings

1 Tsp Olive Oil

6 C Chopped Kale

1/2 C Cooked Beluga Lentils

2 T Raw Sunflowers

1/2 C Cooked Wheat Berries

1/2 C Roasted Turnip, diced

1/2 C Haricot Vert

1 C Roasted Squash, diced

1 Tsp Fresh Red Chili, thinly sliced

Kosher Salt

Fresh Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

Dice squash and turnips. Gently toss with 1 tsp oil, salt and pepper.  Spread on a sheet pan and put in oven for about 30-35 minutes. Or until tender and light brown.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add 2 tablespoons salt.  When water is boiling add the kale and cook until kale is bright green and tender.  About 3 minute.  Remove the kale from water and place immediately in an ice bath.

Reusing the same boiling water cook haricot vert for 30 seconds then place immediately in an ice bath.  

Heat a saute pan over medium heat and add 1 tsp olive oil.  When the oil is hot but not smoking and less viscous, with a pair of tongs, add the kale and quickly toss the kale in the oil to sear.  Remove from the heat and place in large bowl and let cool.

When kale is cool add wheat berries and lentils.  Toss with 2 Tablespoons of dressing.

In a separate dish combine cooked turnips, haricot vert and squash.  Toss gently with 1 T dressing.

Combine the bowls of ingredients and plate. Spoon on any extra wheat berries that are left in the bowl. 

Sprinkle on sunflower seeds and red chilies.

Breast Milk Ice Cream Coming To London Shop

I can't think of a really good reason why not.

In Japan cooking shows just aren't worth watching unless the cooks are naked

Chestnuts, deux

I have never had any problems joking about my kitchen bloopers. Because, if you can't laugh at yourself you better start, whereas in the kitchen, trust me someone will.  I have commited some of the cardinal sins of cooking and instead of being crafty like my counter part, my boyfriend, whom is very good at getting out of any sticky situation, I stand there like a deer caught in the head lights of a 4 ton truck coming at me 60 miles and hour and !POW!  Taken in directly in the face.
I have mentioned that one of the reasons that a great chef will stand out amongst all the others trying to make it to the top is her extensive knowledge of ingredients.  For example: you must be able to fillet a pike, or any fish for that matter beautifully, or know that if you don't score an eggplant before roasting there is a very good chance that it will explode in the oven.
Speaking of exploding ingredients.
I have a chance to finely spend some 'quality time' with the executive chef.  A real opportunity to show off my talents and cooking skills along with my strong abilities to keep organized and attentive to anything he may need from me.   You know, I can prove that there is a very good reason why he hired me and paying me a decent wage with benefits.  For the last 48 hours I have been looking forward to today.  He has been eying my work closely and has had no restraints with his scrutiny.  And as most chefs do he saves his praise for, well, I don't really know what quite yet.
The day starts as I come in the office, as most days do.  I get into my whites, pull my long blond hair back, give my flat black clogs a quick wipe so to erase the prior days duties and ask the chef, "What do you have for me today?"
"Prep for 10 gallons of vichyssoise, take inventory of the dairy fridge and roast 1 case of chestnuts.  Work on the vichyssoise first."  "Got it" I obediently announce.
For those whom think that proving yourself as a chef always entails making an extravagant dish, it doesn't.
As I'm cutting vegetables, my chef approaches me but I am diligently continuing my work until he talks first.  "Have you started the chestnuts?"  chef enquires.  "I'm gonna start them in just a minute, right after I clean all this shit up."  I quickly reply as I wipe left over vegetable scraps into my hand.   "Now, you know HOW to roast chestnuts, right?"  I'm caught off guard by his quizzical jab.  My brain says, Lindsay just ask him if there is a certain way he wants them roasted, but my ego retorts, "Of COURSE," with a slight air of annoyance and disbelief. 
After, I get my mis en plas together, I pour the chestnuts onto the sheet pans and put them directly into the preheat oven at 350 degrees.  If you are actually reading this you must be thinking, dear gawd woman, seriously!  Right into the oven.  Jesus F'in Christ!  But yes, right into the oven my shiny little brown gems are guided. 
I continue about my business for the next 25 minutes, but with a very strong uneasy feeling.  Why had the chef double checked with me about the chestnuts?  Why?! Oh shit!  And at that moment, POP!  POP!  POP!!  It wont stop!  That fucking POP! sound from the oven.  I despairingly walk over to the oven, knowing full well what is going on.  I duck down, because the oven I am using is at face level, open the double doors and with a side towel in each hand pull the sheet pan out.  POP!  There shoots another chestnut across the god damn kitchen.  Quickly, I place the sheet pan of very hyper nuts on the table and cover them with another sheet pan to keep them confined.  POP!  TINK!  POP! TINK!
I grudgingly start the clean-up process of the ridiculous mess my ego just made.  POP! TINK!  I cross my finger that the chef is too busy and won't come into the kitchen, but just as luck will have it, he walks in, shakes his head and smiles.  "I thought I asked you if you knew how to roast chestnuts."  In my head I'm cursing up a god damn storm.  I can't even look at him.  The scene is just to fucking ridiculous and embarrassing.   I blubber something incoherent.  POP! TINK!  (Still with the fucking nuts.)  I can't come up with anything to salvage this situation.
It didn't really matter anyways.  He didn't expect an answer.
If any future potential employers ever read this, please note, I have come along way since.