uk1

I was jesting! I might have been doing a Carly Simon as described in your footer!

I genuinely don't know where my cooking stands because as you will know in your profession, what you are looking for is always elusive.

A lot of my motivation is as a result of many divergent converging personal trends. They all seem disparate. I was lucky to stop working very early. I love food. I am constantly impressed by others presentation but disappointed by the taste. To me it is the taste. I hate being defeated by the challenge of tasting something I love but not being able to reproduce it. So I carry on until I can do it. I love lunch but hate dinner. I never dress up - so that's dinner out. I love drinking at lunchtime and that is rarely practical anywhere else but home. So the afternoon out, is out. I built my business over lunch from home. I cooked my way to cash if you like. I also feel you can tell a lot about how much someone loves you from the plate they produce. I'm not talking about tasting perfection but the taste of genuine effort.

I think I am now rambling incoherently.

tentseller

That reminds me:

Get back my copy of Ratatouille to watch and inspire while rendering more duck fat for pan roast potatoes to be served this Canadian Thanksgiving.

wharvey

I tell you... those potatoes and peas are the best part of that meal.....!

uk1

CMK10

Traveling today (in fact I'm typing this from AA 255 JFK-LAX):

Breakfast: Admirals Club fare (bagel, mini-muffins)

Lunch: Decent spread in Business Class today
- Mixed nuts
- Smoked salmon
- Sweet potato red curry soup
- Black and bleu salad
- Ice cream sundae

divbell

Traveling from SFO to DCA via JFK
Breakfast: Simply Oatmeal...with Cafe au Lait.

Aaaah... Coffee!

now to look for lunch options. I do not want to buy food in-flight..

PSUhorty

I laughed at the amount of hollandaise sauce on that sea bass. With that said, I like hollandaise so much that it's difficult to put too much on... actually, looks about right to me

Hollandaise is quite likely my favorite thing to make from scratch. I find the making of it to be supremely cathartic. spooning it onto eggs benedict is darned near orgasmic for me, ha.

uk1

Thanks. I love hollandaise. It was a shame to dilute it with the sea bass.

Adding the capers was a great caper.

RobbieRunner

I, unfortunately, agree. I say unfortunately because it's not the healthiest thing to consume, but it sure does delight my taste buds.

I was in SEA today (this morning) and always stop at this place right next to the airport for breakfast = served until they close. BEST pancakes in the world IMO, but I delight in their Eggs Benedict. The Hollandaise? Spot on, and plenty of it. As the lads from "Top Gear" would say, even the Big Stig would be full after eating here, but damn, it's fantastic breakfast (and lunch) food. If you read the comments, many say they order bacon and eggs with a side of Hollandaise. Good on them!
They have delightful crepes and omelettes, but the Eggs Benedict? To die for. And If I eat enough of it, I will, I'm sure. What a way to go.

The Pancake Chef, SEATAC: http://www.thepancakechef.net/Pages/default.aspx

CMK10

Just finished up dinner at the Pacific Dining Car in Los Angeles

- Appetizer of crab cakes
- Entree of Steak Oliver - Filet Mignon with crab meat and asparagus and a side of onion rings
- Dessert of tiramisu

Of course there was a martini and a bottle of wine and even a glass of Port.

What a great day.

uk1

I think the problem with the way that many people approach "naughty but nice" food is that they often don't get that it is the amount you eat more than what you eat. That's why we are seeing the extraordinary increase in obesity and Type II Diabetes. We have a growing generation that is self-indulgent greedy and dumb about food and quantities. And snacks. And booze bingeing.

I know that many of my generation were told as kids that you mustn't waste food because of the kids in Biafra but actually it is important for people to eat slowly and stop eating when you are no longer hungry. Don't feel guilty if you leave some.

We have a place on the beach where there are lots of fish and chip shops. My view is that you can if you want have some chips every night if you want. But actually it's the first few that you really savour and enjoy - so just have a few. Train yourself to say .... "I've had enough now ...."

Tommorow is a meal I'm really looking forward to. It is simply a really big and stacked up full English Breakfast. It will have everything on it, large pork sausages, bacon, potato, eggs, fried mushrooms, tinned spaghetti, toast etc ... but the difference is that we're having it as brunch and it is going to be the main and only meal of the day. So we'll miss wine .... and have a couple of large mugs of tea. We'll have sandwiches for supper. It will actually be a reasonably healthy calorie day.

I have hollondaise possibly just once a month. So a bucket of it is perfectly allowable!

Showbizguru

Dear God man, tinned spaghetti for brunch with a full English ?
Please tell me you meant baked beans.

uk1

No, it is our plate - our choice. It is chopped up in the saucepan with a spatula into small pieces. Put into a small seperate ramekin bowl on the plate so as not to contaminate. It is lovely. Much better than baked beans with the added plus of less collateral later on.

Showbizguru

What you've just described is baby food but of course each to their own.
Do you stretch to alphabetti spaghetti on birthdays and special occasions ?

uk1

Less sloppy when choppy choppy!

These slurs against my manhood defy common sense.

Clearly the spaghetti makes me an Italian Stallion.