This Article I wrote for Sante Magazine needs to read

Should a chef need a license to cook?

Article | February 1, 2011 | By John Kinsella, CMC, CCE, AAC

When I came into this industry as an apprentice many years ago, there was little opportunity for me outside the kitchen. A chef earning a degree was unheard of, and most management trainees went to a hotel school, where they learned their technical skills and were taught how to manage people. In my youth I could not have imagined that I would manage a business or own a restaurant.
Much has changed. Chefs have ventured out of their kitchens to become owners and entrepreneurs. For example, Cincinnati’s Jean-Robert de Cavel has expanded his business to cover not only fine dining but also casual dining, and he now has niche restaurants in local communities. And even though he still cooks, de Cavel spends much of his time meeting with his guests, managing his restaurants, and developing new businesses.
We also see more students taking both associate and baccalaureate degrees to further their careers. I had to earn a higher degree to continue teaching in the profession. We are also witnessing more colleges offering master’s degrees in food science in the field of culinology.

Certification
One of the most significant advances in culinary education for me has been professional certification, which should be required to practice one’s profession.Now that top chefs have become “stars” in their communities and beyond, professional certification becomes even more important. Also, more hotels and restaurant companies are seeking out certified chefs to operate their businesses. For these reasons and others, the American Culinary Federation (ACF, acfchefs.org) is investing more than  a million dollars to improve its certification programs over the next three years.
The ACF is following the lead of the European Union, where licensure is required more than ever before. Why? One of the major reasons is that a chef, a restaurant manager, or a hotel may be held accountable if there is a serious outbreak of food poisoning—or any type of malfeasance. Individuals can be prohibited from working, and establishments can be shut down.
I honestly believe that both federal and state governments will require licensure in the near future. The rationale behind this is quite simple: The highest number of food-poisoning incidents in the United States today is in foodservice establishments. The most effective way to curtail food contamination and ensure the preparation of healthy foods will be licensure.
Safety and Discipline
In today’s world of instantaneous, round-the-clock media coverage, a chef’s image is more important than ever. Unfortunately, as the media glare brightens, we see more chefs and cooks dressed in clown outfits. Our dress code was designed for safety, not fashion. One should be able to shed all chef clothes within 30 seconds to prevent third-degree burns. When I was an apprentice, we were not allowed to use leather belts; we had to use string so that we could break it if we got scalding liquid on us. We had to wear clogs (so we could kick them off), cotton socks, and a loosely fitting jacket and apron.
In the past the brigade in the kitchen was extremely disciplined, as was the crew in the front of the house. There was a definite chain of command within the property, and everyone knew his or her place and job. In some modern kitchens and restaurants, I see organized chaos, which results in poor customer service and mediocre food. I see the lack of standardized recipes and service procedures—one of the sure signs of a failing business. Some of the major chain restaurants today invest much money in the training of their staffs, and I applaud their efforts. With the present economy teetering on the abyss of a recession, chefs and managers must become more innovative with the training and staffing of their establishments. Quite simply, we need to get back to the old disciplines and training techniques to meet the needs of our guests in the twenty-first century.
Check, please.

About the Author

John Kinsella, CMC, CCE, AAC

Duck Confit a great tasting appetizer

Duck Confit

A simple recipe for a great dish

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons salt
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 shallot, peeled and sliced
• 6 sprigs thyme
• Coarsely ground black pepper
• 4 duck legs with thighs
• 4 duck wings, trimmed
• About 4 cups duck fat

Preparation

1. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of salt in the bottom of a dish or plastic container large enough to hold the duck pieces in a single layer. Evenly scatter half the garlic, shallots, and thyme in the container. Arrange the duck, skin-side up, over the salt mixture, then sprinkle with the remaining salt, garlic, shallots, and thyme and a little pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 days.

2. Preheat the oven to 225°F. Melt the duck fat in a small saucepan. Brush the salt and seasonings off the duck. Arrange the duck pieces in a single snug layer in a high-sided baking dish or ovenproof saucepan. Pour the melted fat over the duck (the duck pieces should be covered by fat) and place the confit in the oven. Cook the confit slowly at a very slow simmer — just an occasional bubble — until the duck is tender and can be easily pulled from the bone, 2-3 hours. Remove the confit from the oven. Cool and store the duck in the fat. (The confit will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.)

Note: The duck fat can be strained, cooled and reused.

add your own note

It's Got to be Salsa

Caribbean Salsa

Serves   8

Preparation   :20    Cook   :00    Stand   1:00    Total   1:20

Serve with fish turkey, chicken, pork or as a way to spice up any dish.

 Ingredients
2      cups mangoes, peeled, cut in  1/4-inch cubes

1/2    cup cucumbers, peeled, seeded, cut in 1/4-inch cubes

1/4    cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2      tablespoons green onions, finely chopped

1/2    jalapeno pepper, seeded, finely chopped

3      tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 1/2  teaspoons brown sugar

1      teaspoon fresh ginger root, peeled minced

1      dash fresh ground black pepper

Method1.In medium-size bowl combine mango, cucumber, cilantro, green  onion, jalapeno, lime juice, brown sugar, ginger and pepper.

2. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour to allow flavors to blend.

Pineapple Salsa

Serves   6

Ingredients 
2      teaspoons fresh ginger root, minced

1/3    teaspoon Salt, divided

1      cup diced, seeded, chopped roma tomatoes

3/4    cup pineapple, diced

1/2    cup green onions, sliced

1      4 oz. can green chili, drained

1      tablespoon lemon juice

2      tablespoons butter

 Method
Make pineapple salsa by mixing together in small bowl cilantro, ginger, 1/8 teaspoon of the salt, tomato, pineapple, onion, chiles and lemon juice; set aside.

Nutrition (per serving):  189 calories              

Fresh Peach Salsa

Serves   2

Preparation   :15    Cook   :00    Stand   :00    Total   :15

Makes a delicious low-calorie topping for grilled chicken, pork lamb, or fish. Also great on quesadillas.

 Ingredients 
2      fresh California peaches, diced

2      plums, diced

1/3    cup raisins

1/4    cup red onions, diced

1 to 2  table spoons  lemon juice

1      table spoon fresh mint, chopped,

Method
In medium bowl, combine all ingredients except tortillas. Cover and refrigerate

Tip: Best if prepared a day ahead.

Nutrition (per serving):  45 calories

Tomato Bean Salsa

Serves   8

A lower fat but still tasty version of bean salsa.

 Ingredients 
3      tomatoes, seeded and chopped

12     ounces canned pinto beans, drained

1      tablespoon chili powder

2/3    cup 1% lowfat cottage cheese

1/4    cup onions, chopped

2 to 3  tablespoons canned jalapeno peppers, chopped

1      clove garlic, minced

1      teaspoon wine vinegar

3/4    cup lettuce, shredded iceberg

2      ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

10     small ripe pitted olives, chopped

 Method 
Use tomatoes held at room temperature until fully ripe. In blender or food processor, puree pinto beans with chili powder; set aside.

Clean workbowl and process cottage cheese until smooth; set aside. To make salsa, in small bowl combine tomatoes,onion, jalapenos, garlic and vinegar; set aside. Add pinto the bean mixture evenly on dinner plate to within 1/2 inch of edge.

Starting 1/2 inch from edge of beans, spread even layer of cottage cheese, half the salsa, the lettuce and remaining salsa. Sprinkle with cheese and olives. Serve with salt-free tortilla chips (optional).

Tomato-Pineapple Salsa

Serves   8

Preparation   :15    Cook   :00    Stand   :00    Total   :15

Serve with grilled or broiled fish or chicken.

Ingredients 
3/4    pound diced and seeded California tomatoes

1/2    cup finely diced pineapple

1/3    cup sliced green onions

1/2    fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded, chopped fine

1 1/2  tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped,

1 1/2  tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1      garlic clove, small, chopped finely

1/8    teaspoon Salt

1      tablespoon vegetable oil

Method 
 In medium bowl, combine tomato, pineapple, green onion, chile and coriander; set aside.  In a small bowl combine lemon juice, garlic, and salt; whisk in oil.  Gently mix dressing with tomato mixture.  

Note: 1 teaspoon canned jalapeno chile may be substituted for fresh jalapeno chile.

Nutrition (per serving):  36 calories

Vichyssoise Facts not Fiction

Few people realize that Vichyssoise, the cold potato leek soup with the French name, was created, not in Paris or Lyons or even in Vichy, France, but in New York City at the beginning of the 20th Century. It was 1917 and the fashionable Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Madison Avenue at 46th Street was about to open a new roof garden restaurant.   The head chef was a Frenchman named Louis Diat (1885-1957).  He often made a potato and leek soup from a recipe given him by his mother, Annette Alajoinine Diat, and he was preparing to serve it at a party celebrating the opening of the roof garden.   Whether, according to legend, the soup, prepared in advance, wasn't re-heated in time to be served as a first course, or whether the day was warm and Chef-de-Cuisine Diat felt culinarily creative, he added cream to his mother's soup recipe and served it cold, sprinkled with chopped chives.   He called it Creme Vichyssoise Glacee, or Chilled Cream Vichyssoise, in honor of the town where he was born.
The original Ritz-Carlton has long since been demolished but Vichyssoise lives on.  During World War II some patriotic chefs tried to change the name to "Creme Gauloise Glacee" because in 1940 a government collaborating with the Nazis was set up in the French town of Vichy.  Nevertheless, the name Vichyssoise persisted, although nine out of ten, if not ninety-nine out of a hundred, Americans mispronounce it.  The proper French pronunciation is "vee shee swahzz" and NOT "vee shee swah" because an "e" after the final "s" signals a "zzz" sound.
The soup's popularity doubtless comes from the fact that even in the hottest weather one can enjoy a bowl of soup and find it refreshing.  For many years  Lord and Taylor's department store Soup Bar featured only a bowl of Vichyssoise and a piece of apple pie for lunch all summer long, and while New Yorkers often waited three deep for a place at the counter, few of them realized the recipe originated only 11 blocks away.
Although the original recipe calls for straining the cooked vegetables through a sieve, today's cooks most often use a blender.  It also calls for both "single table cream" and "double whipping cream," but today we would use "half-and-half" (or "light cream") and "heavy cream." The following modern recipe, originally from Gourmet magazine, was apparently sanctioned by Louis Diat when he was a regular contributor to the magazine:

CREME VICHYSSOISE GLACEE
4 leeks, the dark green tops discarded
               and the leeks split lengthwise,
               washed well, and chopped coarse
(about 2 1/2 cups)

1 onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

2 russet (baking) potatoes, peeled,
                diced (about 3 cups) and
                reserved in 4 cups water

2 teaspoons salt
2 cups milk
2 cups half-and-half or light cream
1 cup heavy cream
white pepper to taste
thinly sliced fresh chives for garnish

In a kettle cook the leeks and the onion in the butter, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until they are softened.  Add the potatotes with the water and the salt and simmer the mixture, covered, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Add the milk and the half-and-half and bring the mixture just to a boil, stirring.  In a blender, puree the mixture in batches and strain it through a very fine sieve into a bowl.  Stir the cream and the white pepper into the soup and chill the soup.
This recipe makes about 11 cups, serving 8 to 10.  

Invictus

Dear friends

For the past four months I watched this congressional debacle unveiled itself and in reality people who are supposed to serve we the people don't give a damn except line their own pockets at our expense.   There are many examples of both Congress men and women and Senators who've amassed large  fortunes in their careers in Congress. No wonder they don't want to shut down the Bush tax cuts because it would come out of their pockets and their grease monkeys and their crony’s pockets also.

During the Civil War we enacted laws to prevent profiteering and in reality we are at war right now. So I would like to see how many of these clowns could be brought before a military court to defend their profiteering and defend what they have done to this country.

We need jobs that enable us to have a good living for a good days work no more no less and if these clowns don't get together and do the people’s business in  the next year we need toss them all out and onto the congressional junk heap where they deserve to be in first place.

So this poem inspires me when I feel that I have lost my way

John Kinsella CMC PhD

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Small cuts means a big price.

As I learnt the craft of butchery it became quite apparent the tenderness cuts of meats were only a small part of any animal.  Even today the small cuts are the most costly part of our efforts in food cost control. Also within our efforts to contain costs, a quarter of an ounce mistake on a ten ounce steak would be a costly error either way.  What is needed to prevent these mistakes is a basic knowledge of meat cutting, let’s identify the small cuts starting with the whole tenderloin. Or the PSMO. When cleaned the small cuts are as follows.

The Tenderloin:

Filet mignon or the tail: Used in such dishes as Stroganoff, Bolognaise.

Tournedos: the classical small steaks used in many dishes such as, Vert Pre, Rossini,

Filet: Filet steaks the most expensive Steak.

Chateaubriand: Normally roasted and served to two people with a bouquetiere of vegetables

The Strip lion; some times referred to as the sirloin is cut into center cut steaks.  When roasted it is call the contra filet de beuf 

The T bone steak in England is defined as a steak cut through the bone with the thin end of the filet attached, and weighs a pound or less.

Porterhouse Steak: normally weighs 24 ounces traditionally used as a bonus to the porters in the meat markets for their hard work.  In England, this steak given out on Friday as a bonus.

Lamb and Veal loins and chops

Both the lamb and veal racks have the chime bone removed then the blade bone removed and frenched.  Clean the rib bones by removing the a joining tissue between the bones Each can be cut into chops Veal chops usually weighs between eight and ten ounces where as the average lamb chop weighs about 4 ounces but can be cut into a double chop eight ounces in weight which is known as a Barnsley chop.  Other lamb chops such as chump chops cut from the end of the rack are more popular in Europe then in the US.

From the both loins we can cut the Noisette  and the Rosette both can be tied and are the basis of many classical dishes such as Noisette or Rosette Dubarry, Princess, and Parisienne.

Cutlets are referred to chops cut through the bone of the loin.

 *The chump chop is normally cut at either end of the rack and  were called as the poor mans chop in England a chump was someone who was ignorant and did not understand the quality of the meat. In most case it was better braised the grilled.

Cooking IN Simple Steps CISS

 

Below is a link to videos on the ACF home page, where I demonstrate these two classical dishes. Not only is the cooking of the dish important but the actual preparation and skilled butchery techniques are required. In his lifetime Escoffier   found that most of his preparations and dishes were seasonal and as the season went by there would be a different flavor or Herb added to the dish to keep it topical. The two chicken dishes you see in the pictures are misrepresentations of the sauté chicken you see above. Unfortunately the cutting skills are not appropriate and it is difficult for how the basic recipe got diluted so much that it's unrecognizable in this form. There is a lot of disinformation on this dish. As I demonstrated in the video that a young chicken is used rather than a rooster.  Cutting the chicken into 13 pieces and utilizing the carcass for flavor during the sauté process which becomes the basis of the finished sauce. As we use a young chicken there is no need to remove the tendons from the legs on that the clause are attached this is reserved for mature birds such as roosters, pheasants, turkeys, and wild game birds such as ducks, and teals. In the chicken base the master chefs realized that the use of parsley and spring, chervil in summer and tarragon in the fall and winter were appropriate. Classically speaking the chicken was reconstructed on a platter carcass and all have presents to the guest tableside and it was portioned accordingly to the guests. The deglazing of the sauté pan reinforce the flavor of the Demi glaze in the finished sauce. As it was a hunter sauce the tomato concasse represented the torn flesh the animal. He found this style of cooking in provincial France as a young man and it was a great learning curve for him because he realized that the best food to serve was food in season. Today everybody is now going to farmers markets finding foods in season utilizing meat proteins and fish proteins in season has become vogue.  Sadly if we only read our books and the history of food this is how the modern French cuisine and about.

So enjoy the video most of all cut it fresh, cook it fresh, serve it fresh.

 Click on the link below and go to resorces. Click on resources and go to video libary and click on classical quartet.

http://www.acfchefs.org/