Monday, January 28, 2008

strawberries n' cream


strawberries n' cream
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt
someone asked me, whats strawberries and cream? (trying really hard to be amused/annoyed) i told them, its strawberries and cream. they nodded in agreement.

strawberry confiture / almond chiffon / yuzu creme fraiche / balsamic gastrique

creme brulee


ginger creme brulee
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt
my weak attempt at mimicking a michel bras style plating.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

ICA: Rubino vs Symon

tonnight's challenger was Chef Rubino against Symon. the secret ingredient is rabbit.
for those who havent seen it, heres a spoiler.

symon rubino
taste 28 20
plating 13 15
originality 11 11
total 52 46

you know, i used to get so worked up watching the show. anticipating every notion, every sound, everything about the show. it started out as a legitimate battle. but now, its just a joke. i mean, what is there?

even wrestling is more excited! (and thats all drama and fixed battles)

how do the ICA cooks (yeah! im not calling them chefs anymore!!) live with themselves? oh wait!! it doesnt matter to them, they are getting paid regardless. do you know what the salary is for an iron chef? do you? i do. 600k/year.

how do the judges live with themselves? oh wait, they get paid too.

and the scores?! whats up with them. its really shitty. you dont know the scores until they air your show. is that fair?! NO! the judges are there. they are writing the scores, so why cant they show the challengers then? it doesnt make sense ... unless you think about it.

through their editing, they change the scores. they make it seem like the ica cooks did much better than the challengers.

on our battle. there is NO WAY batali beat us in plating and originality. taste, well. we can discuss that later. but all his dishes were pedestrian, not original. his presentation was mediocre. so how did we lose by so many points in all 3 categories.

rubinos food was better plated, more original and im sure tasted more amazing that symons. so why did he lose? and by that much?

chef rubino you are not in bad company. amongst the losers on the battle, you are with the nations greatest and most creative chefs. i salute you.

creme brulee

another dessert inspired by progressive cuisine. this is a white chocolate and ginger creme brulee.

ramekins become so tiring when they are only used to bake custards. this is a very playful take on the traditional baked custard. it is made with modern techniques and takes a tenth of the time it takes to bake a custard. i know!!

lilith, a friend at houston luxury magazine, contacted me and wanted to know if i was interested in having my pictures published in their march issue. "OF COURSE I AM INTERESTED!!", i told her.

this marks the second time my pictures have been published. its super exciting! im excited. aside from cooking, i have always wanted to be a photographer and/or architect. hopefully this is the start of a food photography career ... who knows