I am in no way critical of ” Organic ” food, I incorporate locally grown food in my diet as much as possible.  As a Chef I have many scattered thoughts on the issue.  First of all I personally believe that food grown on a small-scale has more flavor and has more nutritional value and doesn’t necessarily require the expensive Organic label.  A large amount of valuable information is out there and available to make your own informed opinion, however a lot of it is disputed for political reasons.  I could go on and on about various aspects, but I am going to focus on my personal issues I have experienced as a Chef.

COST

As a Professional Chef you have many decisions to make.  Organic food is more expensive, you need to balance quality with costs.  Are your customers willing to pay more for Organic food in your Market???  The answer is different for every Chef, especially in this Economy.  Can your prices compete with other Restaurants in the area?  This a very competitive business.  I would love to always use the products that I deem to be the very best as a Chef, but the reality is you can’t!  In a sense you are making a decision for every customer that walks through your door.  They all want a great meal and experience, but most don’t give a damn if it’s Organic.

SOURCING

Very big problem for a Chef.  Can you get a reliable consistent source for a reasonable cost?  Very challenging problem and adding to this complexity is Ownership.  Some of the better sources for Organic products are small farmers.  Owners are open to a host of potential problems in regard to Liability and Food Safety.  Taking any risk in these areas have the potential to put you out of business.  So many small producers that I would use for my table at home do not meet the criteria to get in the restaurant’s door.  One more complexity you experience as Chef is most Owners like to pay their bills on terms 14 days 30 days,etc.  So I have also been frustrated by not being able to use certain products because the Ownership is reluctant to do things on a cash basis.

THE ” NEW ” DILEMMA!

The new dilemma facing consumers and Chef’s is the double edge sword!  A lot of the appeal of Organic food besides taste and nutrition is the idea of small-scale, local, sustainable agriculture.  As people have been becoming increasingly attracted to such products the marketing people at the big mega companies have taken notice!  An increasing trend is for Organic companies to be bought out and become subsidiaries of the large corporations.  While this trend may reduce costs and make Organic more available to more consumers, the Ideals behind the choices we make are being watered down.

At the English Inn we have a tradition of creating special memories.  This meal was created for a special managers celebration for one the large corporations in Lansing.  The owner is also a childhood friend of my fathers…so I took create pleasure in being able to create and execute this meal!

These type of occasion are so much fun as a Chef.  You have the ability to use all your knowledge and creativity to make something spectacular!

  Many times over the years I have had an occasion to accept such challenges…from doing a wedding composed of cuisine entirely from India…to doing a theme dinner based on the Last dinner on the Titanic.

  Every day a Chef strives for excellance….but events like these allow you to pour in all you love and passion!

Up early this morning to a brillant red sunrise, sipping my delightful robust cup of black coffee trying to cut the chill. The lack of wood in the woodstove is obiviously in need of attention…but I can’t help watching the surise! It’s going to be a beautiful Fall day, chilly but sunny, kinda of gives you optomism for what the day has in store. No jobbie job work today, just chores around the house and maybe sometime to goof off. If I get the urge I may just head up north and enjoy the woods…

The Apple pie, the taste of Americana, not just a dessert.  Part of who we are and a taste of being every fall.  Sometimes it’s a full weekend day experience with a trip to pick your own favorites at the Orchard complete with warm cider and fattening tasty donuts.

Fall the leaves change, football, tailgates, chili, and apple pie…Oh Boy!

My thoughts on making the BEST APPLE PIE EVER!

Many of us have our favorites….I have made many of great apple pies,  but none touch my Grandma’s!  Let’s not forget it’s the love, care and attention to detail that makes such morsels special.

How to make a better crust:

My first preference is to us a blend of fats.  I like 1/2 lard and half salted butter myself, I think it is the richest and most flavorful, but play with it!  Nothing says you only have to use shortening.

The next thing is to keep all ingerdients cold!!!  I would challenge myself to make the flakiest crust possible…nothing wrong with a mealy one…just liked the challenge.  I would cut up my cold fats into big butter pat size pieces and toss with a little flour and chill them in the refridgerator.  Then I put everything together fat, flour, salt ( you need to make sure you add enough if you want a buttery flavor ) and ice cold water.  Bring it all together as quick as possible then wrap in plastic wrap and chill 30-60 min before rolling it out.

• MY PIE DOUGH RECIPE
• 2 lbs Pastry flour ( all-pupose will work as well)
• 10 oz lard
• 10 oz butter (salted prefered)
• 1 1/3 cup ice cold water
• salt added to taste

Makes plenty of dough for 1 double crust pie or 2 streusel topped pies.  You can always alter this to make your own pies unique…who says you can’t add a little cinnamon or sugar to the crust??????

APPLES!!!!

Golden Delicious and Granny Smith are two of the most common with year around availability.

I love the tart Nortern Spy!  A mix of sweet and tart apples is always the best way to go.

Tart Apples:  Idared.  Sweet&Tart:  Jonathon, Winesap, Johnygold.  Sweet:  Braeburn, Fuji, Rome Beauty, Empire

McIntosh and Cortland get mushy when cooked so I would only use them in combination with other apples that keep some texture.

I always prefer smaller apples, they have more flavor.  A dry growing season equals smaller more flavorful apples and a rainy growing season makes for larger more watered down in flavor apples.

I used to always make my pies the traditional way toss apples with sugar and cinnamon, nutmeg etc. and bake. ( I always liked to add a few generous pats of butter as well )  Then I learned the……………..

SECRET TO MILE HIGH APPLE PIE!!!

You have to pre-cook the apples or in the case of mile high apple pie pre shrink them!  I love this technique and use it every time now.  I cook the apples in a large pan with butter, sugar, and spices and cook about 15-20 minutes or untill just tender.  It’s great for many reasons, first you cook the apples down so you get more flavor, second you can taste them and adjust the amount of sugar, spices, salt, etc.   My final reason for loving this technique is it works great for making a pie with Splenda!  My Dad is diabetic and I use this technique. I was able to cook the apples and keep adding Splenda until it was sweet enough for my taste and made an excellent pie.  Some downside to this technique is the time cooking the apples and cooling them somewhat before filling and baking, but boy it makes for a great pie!  A big thank you to Cook’s Illustrated for this technique!

Hopefully you can use my thoughts on Apple Pie to make yours the very best one around!!!

A small taste of Poached Salmon and Beef Tenderloin

Cooking is such a primevil instinctual part of our life.  At times we must eat to nourish a void, other times it’s a sort of dance…a pallete of different elements brought together in a wonderful release.

The passion drives the Chef to toil in search of perfection…to please the mouths of those driven to purchase the pleasure.  The work; like love comes with many costs; the drive can consume and madden.

The hours…oh the long hours has made me many a bartender friend.  The many friends sharing a glass of wine, a joke, a laugh, a flirt…can wipe away a long day toiling, sweating.

  And of course make for a very long night, but the comradiere found amongest friends is always worth the short nights and morning sweats.

A great Chef has found his love…his passion, and all the same that is his curse.