If you haven't seen Thomas Keller's new book "French Laundry"... take a look. It's beautiful and very informative. Very well done.
I love all of his personal notes and thoughts.
Funny..."worth every penny" is exactly what one of my instructors said about the $95 lunch he enjoyed at The French Laundry. I have a sister in California...hmmm...I think I'd better start saving some pennies myself!!!
I agree with everyone. It is a gorgeous book and very instructive and I am looking forward to trying some of the recipes. Does anyone else question the logic of straining sauces several times over as Keller insists? I know that is classic but I tend to like a little texture in my sauces. I also believe that some degree of flavor is sacrificed every time a sauce is strained. I would like to read the opnion of others -amateur and professionals - on that point.
From stock to finished sauce I strain at least 6 times, sometimes more. Twice when the stock is strained to make demi. Twice when the demi is complete and twice more after the sauce has been made. There are some sauces that I make that I like a little courser but most of the times I like a shiny satiny sauce that you can only achieve by many stainings. Another key to straining sauces is to tap it through the chinois not push it through or you will cloud it again.
Yeah. When you push it through a lot of the protein particles break up again and go back into the sauce. That is also why you should slowly simmer sauces and demi. At a slow simmer much of the protein chains clump and float to the top where you can skim them. By boiling the liquid the proteins rise to the top and get broken up and put back into the sauce.
I think it was in "Sauces" by James Peterson that I read about the fats and solids emulsifying back into the stock/sauce if you cook it at anything but a slow simmer. At a simmer you can skim them off the top instead of having them work back into the stock.
French Laundry 
