Leave well enough alone

Loire21 said:

The older I get the more I realize that as far as food
is concerned, simpler is better. Classic dishes are
classics because they're already perfect on their own.
Lavender creme brulee may be perfectly nice, but a creme
brulee on its own is better. Fries with nothing but salt
have it all over seasoned fries, or fries with garlic,
or pepper, whatever else some enterprising chef decides
to put on them.

But chefs, like opera directors, just can't seem to leave
well enough alone. They have to innovate. Please, stop
innovating, and just give us a perfectly prepared Waldorf
salad or Boston cream pie with no fancy frills.

I find myself saying this all the time, as I did this
weekend. I sampled two desserts at a rather expensive
restaurant: Boston banana cream pie, and angel food
strawberry shortcake, both with disappointing results.

As is the custom nowadays, both desserts had been prepared
in small circular molds, with fancily decorated sauce
surrounding them on the plate.

The Boston cream pie was not topped by a chocolate glaze,
but rather by a thick round of hard, rather tasteless
chocolate. The cake itself and the cream were quite nice,
but the flavor of the banana overpowered them both. The
banana was a case of gilding the lily. Just leave the
lilies alone!

The strawberry shortcake was encased in a shell of
hardened white chocolate, which, I'm afraid added nothing
to the cake. The angel food cake absorbed the syrup so
that it was a soggy gop. The strawberries and cream were
fine. The truth is, a dessert of just strawberries and
cream would have been so much better!

To our restaurant chefs: Just stick to the basics and
we'll all be better off.

Go to McD's, because that is the final outcome of what you
are advocating in a fashion. If everyone cooked everything
just alike, you would end up being bored to death. Just
think about how much satisfaction you would be missing as
you express yourself in [censored] about the food.

Here's your review as you would have it.

Went to ABC and had a very good piece of salmon grilled on
wood. But, it was just like the one I had at XYZ and at 123
and at 9F6. No real reason to go there for the food, it is
the exactly same as everywhere else, but the atmosphere is a
bit quainter than my normal haunts. So, don;t go there for
the food, go there to be quaint.

What a crock.

jim

"Loire21" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:20040525153159.19095.00001483@mb

<snips>

Quoted message said:

The Boston cream pie was not topped by a chocolate
glaze, but rather by

a thick

Quoted message said:

round of hard, rather tasteless chocolate. The cake
itself and the cream

were

Quoted message said:

quite nice, but the flavor of the banana overpowered
them both. The

banana was

Quoted message said:

a case of gilding the lily. Just leave the lilies alone!

The strawberry shortcake was encased in a shell of
hardened white

chocolate,

Quoted message said:

which, I'm afraid added nothing to the cake. The angel
food cake

absorbed the

Quoted message said:

syrup so that it was a soggy gop. The strawberries and
cream were fine.

The

Quoted message said:

truth is, a dessert of just strawberries and cream would
have been so

much

Quoted message said:

better!

To our restaurant chefs: Just stick to the basics and
we'll all be

better off.

It seems to me that you had experience of something being
done poorly, and the problem with it was how it was done
more than what it was. To me, the moral of your tale is,
"Whatever you do, do it well" Doing something poorly isn't
a case for not doing it well.

I have in mind a recent Stilton Cheesecake with Peppery
Port Compote (bbc.co.ukbbc.co.ukOpen ↗
stiltoncheesecakewit_4790.shtml) I recently made. It's
scarcely classically simple cheesecake but no-one who ate
it seemed to think there was any reason why I shouldn't
have made it. Guess I got it right.

(Loire21) said:

The older I get the more I realize that as far as food
is concerned, simpler is better. Classic dishes are
classics because they're already perfect on their own.
Lavender creme brulee may be perfectly nice, but a creme
brulee on its own is better. Fries with nothing but salt
have it all over seasoned fries, or fries with garlic,
or pepper, whatever else some enterprising chef decides
to put on them.

But chefs, like opera directors, just can't seem to leave
well enough alone. They have to innovate. Please, stop
innovating, and just give us a perfectly prepared Waldorf
salad or Boston cream pie with no fancy frills.

I find myself saying this all the time, as I did this
weekend. I sampled two desserts at a rather expensive
restaurant: Boston banana cream pie, and angel food
strawberry shortcake, both with disappointing results.

As is the custom nowadays, both desserts had been prepared
in small circular molds, with fancily decorated sauce
surrounding them on the plate.

The Boston cream pie was not topped by a chocolate glaze,
but rather by a thick round of hard, rather tasteless
chocolate. The cake itself and the cream were quite nice,
but the flavor of the banana overpowered them both. The
banana was a case of gilding the lily. Just leave the
lilies alone!

The strawberry shortcake was encased in a shell of hardened
white chocolate, which, I'm afraid added nothing to the
cake. The angel food cake absorbed the syrup so that it was
a soggy gop. The strawberries and cream were fine. The
truth is, a dessert of just strawberries and cream would
have been so much better!

I'd say you were the victim of poor cooking and that is
unrelated to innovation and craft in the kitchen. There is
nothing wrong with varying or altering a "classic" as long
as the results produce something wonderful.

Quoted message said:

To our restaurant chefs: Just stick to the basics and we'll
all be better off.

I have a feeling that had you ordered regular old Boston
cream pie or strawberry shortcake at this place, you'd have
gotten slop, too.

Boron

"Loire21" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The older I get the more I realize that as far as food is
concerned,

simpler is

Quoted message said:

better. Classic dishes are classics because they're
already perfect on

their

Quoted message said:

own. Lavender creme brulee may be perfectly nice, but a
creme brulee on

its own

Quoted message said:

is better. Fries with nothing but salt have it all over
seasoned fries, or fries with garlic, or pepper, whatever
else some enterprising chef decides

to

Quoted message said:

put on them.

But chefs, like opera directors, just can't seem to leave
well enough

alone.

Quoted message said:

They have to innovate. Please, stop innovating, and just
give us a

perfectly

Quoted message said:

prepared Waldorf salad or Boston cream pie with no
fancy frills.

I find myself saying this all the time, as I did this
weekend. I sampled

two

Quoted message said:

desserts at a rather expensive restaurant: Boston banana
cream pie, and

angel

Quoted message said:

food strawberry shortcake, both with disappointing
results.

As is the custom nowadays, both desserts had been prepared
in small

circular

Quoted message said:

molds, with fancily decorated sauce surrounding them on
the plate.

The Boston cream pie was not topped by a chocolate glaze,
but rather by a

thick

Quoted message said:

round of hard, rather tasteless chocolate. The cake itself
and the cream

were

Quoted message said:

quite nice, but the flavor of the banana overpowered them
both. The banana

was

Quoted message said:

a case of gilding the lily. Just leave the lilies alone!

The strawberry shortcake was encased in a shell of
hardened white

chocolate,

Quoted message said:

which, I'm afraid added nothing to the cake. The angel
food cake absorbed

the

Quoted message said:

syrup so that it was a soggy gop. The strawberries and
cream were fine.

The

Quoted message said:

truth is, a dessert of just strawberries and cream would
have been so much better!

To our restaurant chefs: Just stick to the basics and
we'll all be better

off.

I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments but not your
prescription. Remember, today's classics were once someone's
experiments!

--
Peter Aitken

Remove the [censored] from my email address before using.

"Loire21" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The older I get the more I realize that as far as food is
concerned,

simpler is

Quoted message said:

better.

This is a matter of individual taste and in general I agree,
fine ingredients, nicely cooked, simply presented and
politely served are hard to beat. OTOH look at what, for
example, Thomas Keller is doing (or perhaps was doing!) at
The French Laundry and you can see how interesting pushing
the limits can be.

In rec.food.cooking said:

The older I get the more I realize that as far as food
is concerned, simpler is better. Classic dishes are
classics because they're already perfect on their own.
Lavender creme brulee may be perfectly nice, but a creme
brulee on its own is better. Fries with nothing but salt
have it all over seasoned fries, or fries with garlic,
or pepper, whatever else some enterprising chef decides
to put on them.

Malt vinegar can be nice...

--
...I'm an air-conditioned gypsy...

- The Who

Michael Rolfe said:

I have in mind a recent Stilton Cheesecake with Peppery
Port Compote (bbc.co.ukdatabaseOpen ↗
/stiltoncheesecakewit_4790.shtml) I recently made. It's
scarcely classically simple cheesecake but no-one who ate
it seemed to think there was any reason why I shouldn't
have made it. Guess I got it right.

This looks quite good with the exception of rhubarb (it's
one of the few veggies I never acquired a taste for), but it
can certainly be substituted. I really like stilton with
port, but never thought about making it into a sweet
dessert. Is caster sugar what is known in US as regular
sugar? With the description of golden not sure it is. Sounds
more like less refined sugar. Thanks for pointing this
recipe out. Will try it.

Nona Myers

"Nona", "Michael Rolfe"
: <[email hidden]> wrote:

: >
: > I have in mind a recent Stilton Cheesecake with
: > Peppery Port
Compote
:

Quoted message said:

(bbc.co.ukstiltoncheeOpen ↗
secakewit

_4790.shtml)
: >I recently made. It's scarcely classically simple
: >cheesecake
but no-one who
: >ate it seemed to think there was any reason why I
: >shouldn't
have made it.
: >Guess I got it right.
:
: This looks quite good with the exception of rhubarb
: (it's one
of the
: few veggies I never acquired a taste for), but it can
: certainly
be
: substituted. I really like stilton with port, but never
thought about
: making it into a sweet dessert. Is caster sugar what
: is known
in US
: as regular sugar? With the description of golden not sure
: it
is.
: Sounds more like less refined sugar. Thanks for
: pointing this
recipe
: out. Will try it.
:
: Nona Myers
=============

That recipe looks nice. We do something similar but instead
of the compote we do a little drizzle of stuff and pecans...
LOL. This is amazing when paired with a glass of Port!

Cyndi

Liz's Bleu Cheesecake

This is the recipe for what cousin Liz served while we were
in Cincinnati, visiting over Memorial Weekend 2003. The
"base" of this recipe comes from GG (Grandma Gertrude
Hackett) and she simply adds the additional Roquefort to
make it Bleu. Her preference is to add Gorgonzola, instead,
but she wasn't able to procure it from the store (in time).

24 oz Cream Cheese 3 Egg Yolks 5 Egg Whites (whipped &
folded) 1 1/2 c Sugar 1 t Vanilla 4 oz Roquefort

Graham Cracker Crust

Caramelized Sugar with toasted Pecans for topping

Cream the cream cheese and the sugar, blend in the egg yolks
and vanilla. Then fold in the egg whites and pour into a
springform pan with the graham cracker crumb crust. Sprinkle
on Bleu Cheese and poke into the cheesecake.

Bake at 350 F. for 1 hour.

Caramelize some sugar, add toasted pecans and sprinkle/ladle
over the cheesecake once it's chilled.

Quoted message said:

JimLane [email hidden] wrote:

Quoted message said:

What a crock.

Thanks, Jim.

I've witnessed this from inside the kitchen and inside the
culinary schools. I think part of the problem is the
popularity of the term "culinary arts". Many high schools
have changed the name of their home ec classes to "culinary
arts". The kids from these classes talk to a recruiter from
a culinary school, get fed a bunch of hype about the glamour
of the profession, and here we are 10-15 years into this
trend and nobody really understands culinary craft anymore.
There is no glamour in craft. Craft won't get you on the
Food Network. Its all about creativity and trying to create
something unique and different. Which is good to a point but
it seems the profession has lost its perspective. There are
very few culinary artists out there. I think there is quite
a bit of culinary folk art out there and some of it is
really good but very little "high art". I've witnessed many
mediocre attempts at art and admittly I made a few in my
younger days but now I'm older and my tastes have changed. I
think leaving the profession allowed me to step back and
view things differently. I haven't cooked professionaly for
a couple of years now but I think I've learned alot and
improved in certian areas also. I remember a few years back
I interviewed with the exec chef at a restaurant that was
part of a triple A four diamond resort and he asked me about
"culinary art". I started talking about culinary craft and
he looked at me like I had started shooting flames from the
top of my head or something. I didn't get the job. I think
that ws the begining of the end for me. I realize that I've
rambled here and I apologize for ranting. This something
that been simmering inside me for a while. Thank you
allowing me to let it out. . John

Loire21 said:

Quoted message said:

JimLane [email hidden] wrote:

Quoted message said:

What a crock.

Thanks, Jim.

I agree with you, Loire, up to a point. Some things don't
need much improvement. I can't for the life of me figure out
(and here's where I'll get flamed) the fascination with
adding garlic to mashed potatoes. I love garlic. I love
mashed potatoes. But put them together and I feel absolutely
no sense of overwhelming joy. Yet I add a little minced
garlic if I'm making potato pancakes from leftover mashed
potatoes. Go figure.

I think the chefs in those fancy places are pressured to
come up with 'signature dishes'. Lilac creme brulee isn't
what is served at ABC down the street, therefore if we do
it, it will attract more customers. Rather like the $1000
omelet discussed here last week. Sure, I'll rush right out
and order one. But the point was, they got the publicity.

I don't think everything is going to wind up tasting like
McD's if chefs keep things simple. But that's just my
opinion and like other things, everyone has one 😉

Jill

"jmcquown" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I can't for the life of me figure out (and here's where
I'll get flamed) the fascination with adding garlic to
mashed potatoes. I love garlic. I love mashed potatoes.
But put them together and I feel absolutely no sense of
overwhelming joy. Yet I add a little minced garlic if
I'm making potato pancakes from leftover mashed
potatoes. Go figure.

i'm not a big fan of raw garlic in mashed potatoes however,
roasted garlic mashers nearly give me wood! :-P

Quoted message said:

(JAdkins392) bloviated:

I haven't cooked professionaly for a couple of years now
but I think I've learned alot and improved

You haven't learned [censored]... "alot" is NOT a word... you're a
pontificating illiterate [censored], ie. blowhard.

---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =--- ---= Move
UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
*********
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without
tribulation." Sheldon ````````````

You haven't learned [censored]... "alot" is NOT a word... you're a
pontificating illiterate [censored], ie. blowhard.

YES!!! I leave this newsgroup for a couple of years, come
back for a few weeks and the first time I post Sheldon jumps
on me. I feel like one of the gang now!

John

On 27 May 2004 01:53:53 GMT, [email hidden] (JAdkins392) arranged
random neurons, so they looked like this:

Quoted message said:

You haven't learned [censored]... "alot" is NOT a word... you're
a pontificating illiterate [censored], ie. blowhard.

YES!!! I leave this newsgroup for a couple of years, come
back for a few weeks and the first time I post Sheldon
jumps on me. I feel like one of the gang now!

One word: killfile.

Makes life in the ng sooo much more pleasant.

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA

"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret
had been as old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had
been as full as the waitress', it would have been a very
good dinner." Duncan Hines

To reply, remove replace "spaminator" with "cox"

Peter Aitken said:

"Loire21" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The older I get the more I realize that as far as food is
concerned, simpler is better. Classic dishes are classics
because they're already perfect on their own.

I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments but not your
prescription. Remember, today's classics were once
someone's experiments!

Indeed. Cooks and restaurants can screw up simple things as
well as complicated or innovative ones. Food also swings
between extremes according to fashion. Nouvelle Cuisine was
an reaction against rich French cooking with elaborate
sauces, and became a ridiculous exercise in producing tiny
portions of elaborately-arranged ingredients in unlikely
combinations. The eventual result, however, was a greater
appreciation of fresh, seasonal ingredients and simplified
preparation. Recent 'architectural' presentation will
doubtless linger as a way to tidy up the plate a bit and
stick some garnish on top ifor a pleasing appearance. Fusion
cuisine, too, is new (and sometimes extreme) to the ethnic
traditions it marries, but is no reason to prohibit rice-
stick noodles from appearing with a non-Asian dish.

The OP mentions 2 desserts as examples of her point of view,
but "traditionally,* desserts are where the most elaboration
and innovation happen. Sometimes for good, and sometimes
evil in the extreme. One might as well say no one has ever
improved on chocolate ice cream and refuse to try New York
Super Fudge Chunk. :-)

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

In rec.food.cooking said:

The older I get the more I realize that as far as food
is concerned, simpler is better. Classic dishes are
classics because they're already perfect on their own.
Lavender creme brulee may be perfectly nice, but a creme
brulee on its own is better. Fries with nothing but salt
have it all over seasoned fries, or fries with garlic,
or pepper, whatever else some enterprising chef decides
to put on them.

Malt vinegar can be nice...

But that's also a classic.

Miche

--
If you want to end war and stuff you got to sing loud. --
Arlo Guthrie, "Alice's Restaurant"

(Loire21) said:

The older I get the more I realize that as far as food is
concerned, simpler is better.

my dad used to say the toughest thing about be an artist is
knowing when to quit.

your pal, blake