[mudbug]

Has anyone tried any of his recipes? Thoughts? Opinions?

[W.DeBord]

I really respect his knowledge and commitement to this industry. As a pastry chef I've tried to consider his thoughts on dessert. I've wanted to buy his book several times but each time I've studied it, I set it back down, because I think it looks like the emperiors clothing. I can't find anything to learn from it, other than, I need go the other way. It cements my feelings that dessert is more than a thought it should be something to enjoy.

I really feel his "abstract" combinations are meerly a mumble jumble under the table card trick lacking substance and good judgement!

[Pooh]

I did, from "Kitchen Sessions".

Very first was

1. Chocolate-Ginger Truffle Tart with Pear-Caramel Sauce; followed by

2. Pineapple-Polenta upside-down Cake with Mango and Caramel Lime ice Cream;

3. Scallops in Filo with Spinach Portobello Mushrooms, and Curry Emulsion;

4. Roasted Cornish Game Hen with Potato Pave and Gingered Mustard Sauternes Sauce; and

5. Duck Breast Salad w/Wilted greens, Warm Goat Cheese and Walnut Vinaigrette.

All turned out very very good. I use Valrhona for the chocolate tart.
Needless to say, I made that one very often.

[shahar]

I never cooked a direct recipe of his. But always enjoyed browsing them. He has great ideas. Sometime going to far but that's his style his for the dramtic effect.
I really appriciate his aprroach to vegetables. When he cooks them the're not "veggies". They're not on the side, they're not an excuse for garnish or just becuase you need some.
His approach is alos non-vegetrian approach to veg-cooking. He'll use meat stock with mushrooms for exmp. The great thing he finds in them is that at the end result fish and espcially meat are limiting. Thing how many different textures, tastes, variatons you can get out of let's say a tomato or better still an eggplant. While a steak is a steak is steak(nothing wrong with that but it might become boring.)

I was a pastry chef and i liked his approach of dramatizing desserts. Unlike many highclass pasries his are complicated but doesn't look like archituctual nonsense it looks like food. No indebile blown suger colorized chocolate etc. His immagination does work but with the flavors going with the colors.

These books are inspirstions inducing but if the recipes will come out as good if you strictly follow them?
Maybe not.

[shroomgirl]

Trotter has a new line of sauces his staff were selling at the Fancy Food show...the fudge sauce was great!!!!
I wanted to check out Trotter's to go but it was across town....another venue for the next time I'm in Chicago.
I've not been to his restaurant but that too is on my list....I've seen a menu he prepared for AIWF board of Govenors, pretty impressive.

[Pooh]

Wait no more, Shroomgirl.

Pay a visit to Charlie at
www.charlietrotters.com/products/products.asp



[ April 18, 2001: Message edited by: pooh ]

[shroomgirl]

OK I got part of the visual, but the aroma and tastes are missing.....
Thanks Pooh
I still wanna sit in the kitchen adn spend a few hundred $ to watch others make sumpitous bites of food with top notch ingrediants.
That's better than sitting at the beach getting sand in my bathing suit.

[Pooh]

I'm with you there, Shroomgirl!
Wanna share a table?

[Pooh]

LOL - I'm with you there, Shroomgirl!
Wanna share a table?

[shroomgirl]

Anyday!