Ended up with an executive chef job of a well known restaurant downtown. Been there for 10 months now and still loving it. I tried to actually get into the butchery side of things, as its one of my favourite parts of the job, but I ended up in their restaurant kitchen as they needed some experience in there. Only lasted a few months then I got the recruiter call I couldn't pass up while I waited for a butchery/production position to open up. It all worked out, but couldn't escape the craziness of running a kitchen like I thought I wanted haha.
I'll add a bit, but don't take pics very often and I've never been great at making food look great. I can make it taste fuckin good, but I get more excited looking at ingredients most of the time. My productivity stops when the farmers arrive haha.
Hummus, grilled asparagus, poached egg, balsamic vinegar, isot chili, mustard flowers
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Before and after of steelhead trout
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Charred rapini from sole food farms, preserved lemon yogurt, garlic, Aleppo pepper
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Shakshuka
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Lingcod, fried chickpea, saffron cream, leek fondant, pea tips
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Steelhead, broccolini, lentil and tomato salad, red beet borani
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testing out how cooking a 1.5" thick NY Striploin (from FROZEN) Sous vide , then finished on a 600+ F grill turns out . Apparently there isn't any noticeable difference in texture VS thawed. Will report back. (planning on cooking @ 125 F for 4 hours, just went in so we will see! )

Went to the White Rock farmers market today and got some fresh greens.

Wild sockeye on sautéed mustard greens and grilled asparagus with a lemon verbena infused buerre blanc:

https://i.imgflip.com/31dzmz.jpgvia Imgflip Meme Generator

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Gin Basil Smash, built to spec:

2oz Gin
0.75oz Lemon Juice
0.75oz Simple Syrup
6 Basil Leaves
Basil Leaf Garnish

Next time I'll use at least 5X more basil LUL The lemon really overpowers it. This gin is very nice though

Sous Vide NY Striploin . Bacon Jam . Maple Bacon Aioli . Mesquitte Smoked Flake Salt . Micro Greens

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Not a creation but related. Gabrielle Hamilton's writing is fantastic, just had to share:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/22/m...?module=inline

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/...ith-mayonnaise

You have great taste in Gin. Botanist is unbelievable, on par with Hendricks.

Yes! I only make the most delicate cocktails with it now, or just drink it on rocks or really damn dry martinis LUL

Hendricks is nice, and now I'm going to have to try Botanist.
I enjoy Empress gin. The color is so unique for a gin.

That said, I'm loving Bourbon right now. I had a Bourbon spiked Arnold Palmer at the clubhouse the other day, and it wet my whistle. Hit up the liquor store and bought a bottle of Bulleit Bourbon. It's a medium blend with less corn and more rye.

https://products2.imgix.drizly.com/c...s&fm=jpeg&q=20

A Kentucky Mule is one of the tastiest drinks I've had all year. Highly recommended.
:fuckyea:

Bulleit has been my go to for a few years now, it’s not overly spicey like some, more like a traditional whiskey

Four Roses is a good bourbon too.

Has anyone else tried the Suntory Roku gin? I find it very fruity and spicy for a gin, not so herbal.

Probably not the best thread for this question but since we have some pros here I’m wondering if anyone has any experience with https://www.berezanshrimp.com/shop/

I’ve driven past it a few times and finally checked them out online. Seems pricey but they aren’t grown in mutant farms overseas and it’s a local business.. thoughts? Opinions?

Its an incredible operation. I was supposed to go for a tour as one of my suppliers uses them, but couldn't due to scheduling. I've never used their product on the menu as I just can't make it work with our menu prices, but I've had a sample and its great product. They are betting the farm, so to speak on making this a viable operation and investing tons. I hope they can get the operation working so the prices can drop a bit, so we could use them regularly.

Awesome. Thanks.

We don’t eat shrimp often but I think I’ll order some and go pick them up the next time we’re in the mood. I’d rather put quality food in my kids’ mouths when/where possible. This is quite the premium so I’d like to take a look for myself.

Bulleit is a great bourbon IMO. Buffalo Trace is great too, a bit more rye forward. My favourite though is Wild Turkey 101. It's also rye forward, so not as sweet. Also high proof allows it to stand up better in cocktails with more ingredients (ie not an Old Fashioned or Manhattan, more like sours, etc)

It really depends on personal taste though.. Bourbon vs Rye is basically sweeter vs spicy, but they can all range in between those flavours.

This is all just from my own experience, not speaking from authority here at all, and I could be totally off base. Exploring spirits and cocktails has been really fun

Might as well share a cocktail while I'm here right? How about this

The Last Word

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I think this was created just before prohibition, and kind of got forgotten until the latest wave of quality cocktails started and it was brought back along with so many others. If you don't feel like a typical dry cocktail (Old Fashioned, Martini, Manhattan) this will give your tastebuds a kick in the head. Super aromatic with the maraschino, very herbal, green, fresh. Very tart and dry, again with the maraschino and lime, but the Chartreuse gives it an herbal depth... Then finally you get the gin notes (juniper, whatever else is in there). You'd want to use a less delicate gin here - no need for Botanist in this case. Tanqueray is probably perfect, or Beefeater.

I hope someone else has tried one, or will go try one some time, and can hit me up with a reply on what they think of The Last Word. It's one of my favourites, if not my favourite right now, but you have to be in the mood for it.

I'm going to have to add that one to the list. The great thing about knowing a few more cocktails is that I feel great when I order something obscure. As long as the bar isn't too busy, I find the bartender's eyes light up when they get the chance to make something unique as opposed to the old Rum and Coke that everyone orders.

I tried to make a Bourbon Manhattan the other day, and didn't really like it. The Bourbon/Vermouth combo wasn't very palatable. I prefer the combination of Bourbon and Campari with a bit of citrus. The flavors tend to compliment each other. Didn't have the chance to mix much else though, as the experimentation continues.

Vermouths range a lot in flavour, some work better in some drinks than others. Antica Formula is the common expensive one, and makes a great Manhattan. IMO it's too sweet in Negroni and variations though. Actually my favourite in a Negroni may be Martini Rosso, which is the cheapest one you can get LUL So vermouth flavour is really important in a Manhattan where it's just 2 parts and bitters!

Also make sure it's fresh. Once you open a bottle, it will start to go bad. Keep it in the fridge and it can last maybe a month. Out of a fridge, it'll be rotten in 3-5 days

Also that combo may not just be great. Really old school Manhattan recipes used bourbon (like pre-prohibition or even earlier) but they quickly switched to Rye and IIRC it's pretty much been rye ever since. The spicy rye may just mix better with the sweet vermouth and bitters to round them out.

Bourbon + Campari + Vermouth though Kreygasm

First time baking fish... found it a bit dry and wasn't sure how much I liked the seasoning. If anyone's got a different seasoning or any tips, I'm all ears!

- Sockeye salmon w/ rosemary garlic lemon
- Roasted asparagus w/ garlic, olive oil, and parmigiano reggiano
- Sphagetti w/ cream sauce and some spinach
- Paired with Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/0a...=w807-h1434-no

The white proteins coming out of your salmon is a sign it might be over. Personally I’d shoot for a mr- med doneness so it’s still nice and moist.

Broil it or pan sear fish. Baking temps are too low, you'll either get bland looking fish or something that looks roasted but way overcooked.

High heat is the way to go.

Thats not standard across the board. Different fish lend themselves to different cooking styles.
Sockeye is lean. High fat fish are fine to bake. It also depends on the cut.

Fair enough, was just thinking the salmon in his example.

I definitely like my salmon with a sear on it, and always skin on.

I've liked touching a bit of miso paste on salmon (specifically on spring) when I bake that fatty bastard.

+1 . My method with sockeye is to scrape the skin dry with knife blade, wipe it down with paper towel, salt skin to draw out moisture, scrape and pat dry again until bone dry.

Sear skin side 90% of the way done, flip and finish off the flesh side. Serve.