about Salmon.......... How The French Love The Flambé   Flambé means to ignite foods that have liquor or liqueur added. This is done for a dramatic effect and to develop a rich flavour. Heat the brandy or liquor in a saucepan just until bubbles begin to form around the edges. Never pour liquor from a bottle into a pan that is near an open flame (the flame can follow the stream of alcohol into the bottle and cause it to explode). Ignite with a long match. Always ignite the fumes and not the liquid itself. Never lean over the dish or pan as you light the fumes. Let cook until flame disappears (at this point all alcohol has burned off). If you want to retain some of the alcohol flavour, cover flaming dish to extinguish flames or add additional wine or stock. The French love the flambé. There are many reasons for it, but the main reason is that they love to see a really big fireball. I have been to France many times to try to understand why the French people love the flambé so much and on my journeys I really have only learned one thing, ( HAB ). HAB is the French culinary term for Hotter And Bigger. While I was in France I discovered many, many children are taught how to flambé at an early age. I had a 4-year-old child teach me in the streets how to make a fireball so big you can see it from a block away. He was amazing. In France, there are literally people at every corner, in every alley, at every bus stop, trying to create the MOAF ( Mother Of All Flambes ).  There is a young Frenchman who has created a formula for flambé. His formula is a mixture of brandy and rocket fuel, which has been known to kill anyone who attempts to use it. Below is a picture of the flambé that was created by this young Frenchman in a flambé contest that won him the first prize. He actually cooked 57 cows in less than 4 seconds. The French people on my journey also told me some rules and safety precautions about flambé. They apparently have a scale by which they grade a flambé. The eyebrow scale is the oldest and truest method to judge a flambé, the more hair you loose off your eyebrows the better the grade will be. They have to change the judges every event, because once the judges looses his eyebrow hair, then he can no longer judge. The French have come to love the flambé so much that they have actually built carts for people to take around the city and show off there flambé skills. They call them flambé carts. They are as popular as the great Canadian hot dog stands. Most of these carts have many compartments and cabinets that people can store their flammable items, pots and pans in. They have a burner on top for easy lighting. The annual flambé contest is every October 17th and is held at the base of the Eiffel Tower Famous Quotes   Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are. Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste, 1825 French gourmet & lawyer (1755 - 1826) Health food makes me sick. Calvin Trillin The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found. Calvin Trillin There is no love sincerer than the love of food. George Bernard Shaw Music with dinner is an insult both to the cook and the violinist. G. K. Chesterton English author & mystery novelist (1874 - 1936) Food is our common ground, a universal experience. James Beard,  November 2003 You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients. Julia Child The art of dining well is no slight art, the pleasure not a slight pleasure. Michel de Montaigne French essayist (1533 - 1592)   Chef's suicide over a meal fit for a king A reflection on the turbulent life of the great chef Fritz Karl Vatel He was born in Paris in 1635. In the spring of 1671, Vatel was in the employ of the Prince of Conde. He had supreme reign over his kitchen brigade at the Chateau at Chantilly. He dedicated himself to improving the quality and the complexity of the feasts, and the day to day cuisine in the prince's court. An avid gardener and herbalist, he became involved with the management of the gardens and the elaborate lawns around the chateau. In March of that year, word came from Versailles that King Louis XIV would be visiting the prince with 200 guests. Vatel, a disciplined and well organized professional developed a light supper menu for the company. Everything was proceeding well. The king arrived late in the afternoon of April 23 and went hunting later that evening with his party. Afterwards, the supper: turtle soup, creamed chicken, fried trout and roast pheasant was served in the daffodil garden. But every chef's worst nightmare took place. Because 75 guests more than anticipated arrived, there was not enough pheasant for several tables. Chef Vatel felt his honour had been stained, but the prince, noting his distress and agitation, went out of his way to praise him for the otherwise excellent dinner. A large shipment of fish was expected the next morning. When only a few baskets arrived, chef Vatel became distraught. He wrote in a brief note to the prince:"The shame is too much to bear."  Vatel retired to his room and committed suicide. Shortly after his body was discovered, the rest of the fish arrived. His death caused a bit of a disturbance and the king praised him for his high sense of honour. Madame de Sevigne, a guest at the party wrote to her daughter about the event concluding: "The man protected his honour, of that one can be certain.....The incident did, of course, spoil the party somewhat."  Modern day cooks do not take their jobs so seriously. Thank goodness. Vatel was a great chef responsible for the creation of hundreds of innovative recipes. He made a great contribution to the world of gastronomy.       Food Spoilage Table     THE GAG TEST Anything that’s makes you gag is spoiled (except the leftovers from what you cooked for yourself last night)   BREAD Sesame seeds and Poppy seeds are the only officially acceptable “spots” that should be seen on the surface of any loaf of bread. Fuzzy and hairy looking white or green growth areas are a good indication that your bread has turned into a pharmaceutical laboratory experiment.   EGGS When something starts pecking its way out of the shell, the egg is probably past its prime   DAIRY PRODUCTS Milk is spoiled when it starts to look like yogurt. Yogurt is spoiled when it starts to look like cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is spoiled when it starts to look like regular cheese. Regular cheese is nothing but spoiled milk anyway and can’t get any more spoiled than it is already. Cheddar cheese is spoiled when you think it is blue cheese but you realize you’ve never purchased that variety. Unless you count the various molds which may take years to consume a block of cheese, but do give the fridge the look of an interesting lab experiment and several exciting shades of blue and green.   MAYONNAISE If it makes you violently ill after you eat it, the mayonnaise is spoiled.   FLOUR Flour is spoiled when it wiggles.   RAISINS Raisins should not be harder than your teeth.   SALT It never spoils.   CEREAL It is generally a good rule of thumb that cereal should be discarded when it is two years or longer beyond the expiration date.   FROZEN FOOD Frozen foods that have become an integral part of the defrosting problem in your freezer compartment will probably be spoiled-(or wrecked anyway) by the time you pry them out with a kitchen knife.   MEAT If opening the refrigerator door causes stray animals from a three-block radius to congregate outside your house, the meat is spoiled.   LETTUCE Lettuce is spoiled when you can’t get it off the bottom of the vegetable crisper without Comet. Black is not a normal lettuce colour and may be a clue to edibility. Romaine lettuce is spoiled when it turns liquid.   CANNED GOODS Any canned goods that have become the size or shape of a baseball should be disposed of. Carefully. Leakage is another sign of lowered quality.   CARROTS A carrot that you can tie a knot in is not fresh.   WINE It should not taste like salad dressing.   POTATOES Fresh potatoes do not have roots, branches or dense, leafy undergrowth.   CHIP DIP If you can take it out of its container and bounce it on the floor, it has gone bad.   EXPIRATION DATES This is NOT a marketing ploy to encourage you to throw away perfectly good food so that you’ll spend more on groceries. Perhaps you’d benefit by having a calendar in your kitchen.   EMPTY CONTAINERS Putting empty containers back into the refrigerator is an old trick, but it only works if you live with someone or have a maid.   UNMARKED ITEMS You know it is well beyond prime when you’re tempted to discard the plastic container along with the food. Generally speaking, plastic containers should not burp when you open them.   GENERAL RULE OF THUMB Most food cannot be kept longer than the average life span of a hamster. Keep a hamster in your refrigerator to gauge this.       YOU KNOW A RESTAURANT IS TRENDY WHEN…………   FOOD A dish of pasta costs $ 24 They have skate on the menu Mahi-mahi is a big item They serve warm salads They serve raspberry sauce on calves’ liver They serve blackened food you’ve never heard of They serve tongue in cheek They use words like “mélange” to describe the specials They keep reminding you how extravirgin the olive oil is They put the sauce under the food Corn comes in different colors Cajun ice cream is a dessert They serve food that grows wild in the desert Turnips are a side dish The vegetables are miniaturized Dried tomatoes are in everything You’re supposed to “ooh” and “aah” at blinis with peach sauce and champagne They ask what kind of water you drink You’re still hungry when you leave The food stinks, but you can’t get a table   DECOR  The walls are turquoise or ochre There’s a lot of wood The chairs are triangular It’s pastel on neon yuck! It looks like New Mexico It looks like LA Hey, we’re in Milano It hangs an iguana from the ceiling Pictures of it show up in Metropolitan Home There’s sand on the floor Adam Tihany designed it It looks like Pee Wee’s Playhouse STAFF The male greeter has a pony tail and earrings It’s got its own T-shirt The hostess is a sexpot The waiters look like an Italian soccer team The chef appears in a Dewar’s Profile   CROWD Everyone’s wearing black The men are over 60; the women under 30 Biff, Buffy and their BMW are there Everyone is tan in February The leather skirts and power stripes have moved in Everyone is under 35 Everyone is under 25 Everyone is under 20 Everyone looks like they have whiplash I’m blinded by yellow ties People from one table kiss people at another table Lots of long legs with short, black skirts Large law firms take their summer associates there You hear the words “Vertical Club” People watch the door to see who walks in Even the men are pushing back their hair It’s filled with bimbos It’s filled with wannabees It’s filled with guys with briefcases The blond airhead Eurotrash crowd is there Everyone stares at me when I come in   WORD OF MOUTH Out-of town clients beg me to take them there My daughter in Washington has heard of it My ex wife was there My stuck-up cousin blabs about it My enemies go there   A LITTLE MEDIA NEVER HURTS You read about it in W It’s made fun of in Spy New York magazine writes it up, features it, touts it, reviews it, likes it or otherwise mentions it Gael Greene writes it up in a sensual way Malcolm Forbes plans his next birthday party there John Fairchild is feuding with someone there   CELEBRITIES John Gotti eats there Anthony Haden Guest is getting drunk at the next table Jay Melnerny hangs out there Woody Allen hides out there Michael Korda has a reservation there in 1992 Ivana goes there Madonna goes there Ivan Lendl goes there Cher is there Larry “Bud” Melman eats there Ex-presidents come Sean Penn picks a fight there Someone was murdered there A movie opening party is held there Mayor Koch got sick there   A LITTLE TOUCHES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL WELCOME “I can only seat you at 10:30” “I can seat you at 6, but I need the table by 7” They put you on hold when you call “we don’t have anything at all till the first of the year” They treat you like dirt You can’t get in. Ever. Period NOUS PARLONS SEULEMENT FRANCAIS   BY TIM ZAGAT, PUPLISHER OF THE ZAGAT RESTAURANT SURVEYS IN 1990!!! Amazing, not much changed since then. www.zagat.com