Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Michael "Tony" Bourdain (born June 25, 1956) is an American author and chef. He is well known for his 2000 book, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, and is the host of Travel Channel's culinary and cultural adventure program Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.
A 1978 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and a 28-year veteran of professional kitchens,[1] Bourdain is currently a "Chef-at-Large" whose home base is Brasserie Les Halles,[2] where he was executive chef for many years.

Bourdain was born in New York City but grew up in Leonia, New Jersey. Bourdain has French ancestry on his father's side; his paternal grandfather immigrated to New York from France following World War I.[3] Bourdain attended Vassar College, and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1978. Currently, Bourdain is honorary Chef-at-Large of Brasserie Les Halles, where he held the title of executive chef for nearly a decade. When he is not traveling, Bourdain lives in Manhattan.
Bourdain married his highschool girlfriend, Nancy Putkoski, in the 1980s, and they remained together for two decades before divorcing; Bourdain has cited the irrevocable changes that come from traveling widely as the cause of the split.[4] He currently lives with his second wife, Ottavia Busia. Together, they have one daughter, Ariane, born on April 9, 2007; the couple were wed on April 20, 2007.[5]

In Kitchen Confidential, Bourdain describes how his love of food was kindled in France—when he tried his first oyster on an oyster fisherman's boat as a youth while on a family vacation. Later, while attending Vassar College, he worked in the seafood restaurants of Provincetown, Massachusetts, which sparked his decision to pursue cooking as a career. Bourdain graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1978, and went on to run various restaurant kitchens in New York City—including the Supper Club, One Fifth Avenue, and Sullivan's—culminating in the position of executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles beginning in 1998. Brasserie Les Halles is based in Manhattan, with additional locations in Miami and, at the time of Bourdain's tenure, Washington, D.C. and Tokyo, Japan.

Chicken with greens

An attempt of new presentation..........need to try again :)

Ingredients and Tools

Pictures above show the tools and ingredients i mostly use when I cook.

I have 3 knifes as shown above : From top paring knife, normal chef knife and a santoku knife.Noted the different between the chef knife and santoku is the tip of the blade. Santoku knife is actually modified from a chef knife by the Japanese to adapt to their cooking styles. Santoku blade design allow a more accurate and acute cutting especially fish.

Second picture : Top left to right - White wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar.

Bottom left to right - chives, oregano, basil, rosemary, parlsey, thyme, dill and black pepper.I bought dried herbs for easier storage and it can last longer. Dried herbs flavor is so inferior to fresh one so last week i bought a pot of fresh basil and parsley to grow by myself. Hope they will grow well at my backyard.

Fried Pork Chop

After a weekend getaway in Genting, Im back to ground level. My fridge have been refilled and my culinary odyssey resume. This afternoon I made fried pork chop dish.

Ingredients I use : Flour, eggs, bread crumbs and pork chop of course.

Methods :

Heat up the oil preferably use peanut oil for the flavor. Beat up the egg for eggwash the chop.Flour on one bowl and bread crumbs on one bowl. I add rosemary into the bread crumbs for flavor as well. First dip the chops on the flour, after that eggwash the chops to bind the flour.Once done, dip into the bread crumbs and fully cover the chops. Shake off any excessive crumbs and put aside.When the oil heat up, put the chops in to fry until golden brown.Once done put aside to serve.You can use tomato sauce or chilli sauce to dip or whatever dip you prefer.

Thomas Keller

Thomas Keller (middle)

Thomas Keller (born October 14, 1955) is an American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook writer. He and his landmark restaurant, The French Laundry in Yountville, California, in the Napa Valley, have won multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation, notably the Best California Chef in 1996 and the Best Chef in America in 1997, and the restaurant is a perennial winner or top 4 finisher in the annual Restaurant Magazine list of the Top 50 Restaurants of the World. In 2005, he was awarded the highest, three star rating in the inaugural Michelin Guide for New York for his restaurant per se, and in 2006, he was awarded three stars in the inaugural Michelin Guide to the Bay Area for his restaurant The French Laundry, making him one of only two chefs in the world with two simultaneous three-star restaurants.

Salmon

This is the lunch I made yesterday : Pan fried salmon fillet in butter sauce

Quails Stew

This is a lunch I made today. Actually stew is a very simple dish to do. All you need are vegetables. I used celery,red pepper, carrots and tomatoes,mushrooms,bacons, quails, bouquet garni : bay leaf,thyme and parsley.I used bacons as well for the smokiness. First heat up olive oil in a pan and pan fried the quails.It doesnt need to be cooked thoroughly as we will put it in the stew to cook. Once browned,put the quails aside. Second part of the procedure is sauted the vegetables. Once down,pour in the chicken stock to cover the vegetables,put in the bouquet garni(add in white wine as well if desired). Add salt and pepper to taste.Once done, put in the quails to cook.Simmer for about 20-40 mins and serve.

The Chef - Daniel Boulud

Right hand side : Daniel Boulud

Daniel Boulud was raised in Lyon, France on his family's farm. After working in the kitchens of some of the most prestigious chefs in Europe, including George Blanc, Michel Guérard, and Roger Vergé, he came to the United States over ten years ago. In the ensuing decade, he created fine cuisine at the Polo Restaurant, Le Régence, and finally joined world-renowned Le Cirque, where he was named Executive Chef in 1986. He has been voted Best Chef of the Year by his professional colleagues in the Chef in America Association, and under his command Le Cirque was chosen by Gault Millau as the best restaurant in the United States and was awarded four stars by the New York Times. He is consistently lauded in the press as one of the most recognized young French chefs cooking in America today. His restaurant, Daniel, opened in the spring of 1993 to immediate success and acclaim from critics and food lovers alike. In January of 1999, the restaurant moved to its spacious and luxurious new home on 65th Street at Park Avenue.One of my favourite chef...

My Lunch Today

Lunch I cooked today consist of rib eye with pan sauce and creamy celery soup chilled.

As you can see the celery soup looks a tad white because i pour a splash of cream to much...hehe but the celery taste is still there definitely.I put a dash of extra virgin olive oil as well.The rib eye dish do not have any garnish at all. Just the steak and Im a carnivore...(If my wife see this she will nag me hehe)

A few dishes I cooked during holidays

From the top :

1)Rumpsteak with red wine vinaigrette reduction

2)Bacon rolls and poached egg with caviar

3)Steamed salmon fillet with salsa chiles

4)Pan fried quails with pan sauce

5)Pan fried quails on top of caramilized onions and shiitake mushrooms