The secret to making a killer jam

   So I’m not going to lie, making jams and marmalades are a couple of my favorite things to do. Jams are easy and for me are a go to for whenever my fruits get too soft. Marmalades take a lot more time and effort into making, but I think we all know what kind of product you get when you put a lot of time and effort into it… A GANGSTER ONE.

   So let me just start by saying I learned my techniques and ethics on jams, jellies, and marmalades from Rachel Saunders, the author of The Blue Chair Jam Book. This chick made a jam once and wasn’t happy with the outcome, so she started obsessing over it and experimenting with different fruits and processes until she finally mastered her own techniques. She’s not all into the “preserving” of it, she’s more about the beauty of it. The color of the jams when the sun hits it on the counter, the fact that you can gift it to your friends, and most importantly - the flavor of it. 

   Throughout her dedication to her company, Blue Chair Fruit, she not only learned about jams, jellies, and marmalades, but she learned about fruit. All chefs have their theories on how to make jams and whatnot, and I respect them all, but I went with the one who’s passion landed ground zero into it, and I must say - every jam and marmalade I’ve made has been a super success. 

   A jam is a fruit preserve consisting of pieces of fruit cooked with sugar until they thicken and partially break down.

   A jelly is an extracted fruit juice that has been combined with sugar, lemon juice, and (sometimes) added pectin and boiled until it sets. 

   A marmalade is a jelly with clearly defined pieces of fruit suspended in it.

   *So with a good jam, you want to cook it as fast as possible and with as little sugar as possible so you can capture the true freshness of the raw fruit. You want to bring the fruit to its highest pinnacle of flavor, then immediately stop the cooking. So instead of throwing raw fruit into a pot with sugar and lemon juice, macerate it. By macerating it you’re cutting the time it takes to break the fruit down so you can boil it faster thus keeping more of it’s fresh rawness flavor. Strawberries I only have to macerate for minutes where rhubarb takes overnight and in a warm place.           

   With jellies and marmalades you want to cook it down slow and low, that is the tempo. Extract every little piece of flavor and pectin from that fruit, dammit. They taste intensely of the fruit, but not raw fruit. With marmalade, you have to make a jelly first, then add soaked cut up fruit and cook it all down together. With proper technique, this takes three days. 

 Imagine all the possibilities!! It’s like blanching and braising; tartare and jerky; fresh and cured and hung. Two totally different flavors from the same product. And tons of different fruits and berries and citrus out there to mess with. 

   Something else I do to make a killer jam is I make a jam base (i.e. rhubarb), and then chop up fresh fruit (i.e. strawberries) and throw a bunch of lemon juice and zest in there. Of course you have to keep that stuff chilled, but you get the picture. Raw on raw action.

   So obviously if you just see some fruit or berries going bad in your walk in and want a quick delicious answer, do the jam. But if you want a project, and a great product nonetheless, bust out some marmalade. I’ve made orange, lemon, meyer lemon, and yuzu marmalades. Orange and yuzus were my favorites. I also make a super dope rhubarb jam with chopped up strawberries and stonefruit. 

   If you haven’t messed with this stuff, try it out. Also, get this book. It’s a good read.

TRUECOOKS

Truecooks. What is truecooks? From a business standpoint, it’s a clothing company that puts attention on cooks everywhere - chefs, line cooks, caterers - you name it. But from a personal standpoint, it means much much more than that. 

To me, truecooks is about all of us hardworking, passionate, sacrificing cooks getting some recognition, attention, and love. No one - and I mean no one - knows what we go through in the kitchen. It’s impossible to explain the life we live to people who aren’t in our position. Working all day and all night. Getting burned. Getting your flesh sliced open and wrapping it up and going back to work. Hot oil popping into your eye. Getting yelled at. Having to yell at people. Putting your all into a perfect plate and your customer not liking it. It’s emotionally, mentally, and physically excruciating. And to top it off, most of us get shit pay. 

But we do it. 

We do it because for a lot of us, the kitchen is all we have. The kitchen is our escape. Our comfort zone. We have our family outside of work, and our family inside. You may not be accepted in regular “society,” but you’re damn well accepted in kitchen society. All that matters is how you work with your fellow soldiers, how you help each other out, how you react to the constant wildcards thrown at you. Do you adapt? Or do you phase out? Which one is it? Only the strongest survive in this industry, and you’ve got to decide whether you want to sink or swim. It’s a dog eat dog world, extremely competitive, and you never know when your co worker might stab you to get higher up. You can truly only trust yourself. Believe in yourself. Lots of people are fake, look past their eyes and into their souls. 

These are the kind of things that you learn cooking. Not just about food. But LIFE. After all is said and done, it’s a damn well rewarding job. Feeling pride is a great feeling. So be a dick, be a bitch, but don’t forget to be a good person, too. Be fair. Be unique. Be different. Be innovative. Be passionate. Be proud. Be a badass. Be hardworking and dedicated. Then you’ll be a true cook. 

Line cook ——-> Chef

  Ahh, as I awaken from my slumber of non blogging hibernation, I’m enlightened to write about my journey from line cook to chef. More specifically, a front row soldier of physical battle in the trenches to learning the stresses and challenges of management and political communication. 

  You know, it’s funny. When I was a line cook I always thought my chefs that came out of the office exhausted wanting to go home was the funniest thing. I would laugh to myself in my head and think, “What’s so tiring about sitting all day putting numbers in the computer and going to meetings?” I’m over here running like my life depends on it, prepping shit non stop, doing crazy orders, cleaning up my blood after a deep cut, cringing at the oven burn on my wrist, wiping my sweat from my forehead so it doesn’t get on the plate, and remembering to breathe and drink tons of water. 

  And then I got off the line. We FINALLY hired enough cooks that were good enough to follow the high quality standards that my kitchen so proudly stands behind.

  At first, I was lost. My head knew only to prep, to help the line cooks, and to cook. I’m not gonna lie - I love this life. I would be happy doing this forever. But I also want my own restaurant. With my own team of badass cooks. Badass servers. Badass food runners. Where we make profit. Cost things correctly. Deal with the media and guests properly. Know how to resolve problematic situations correctly. And the only way I’m going to know how to run all that is if I keep moving up and learning the true business aspect of running a successful operation.

  In the old days, I would go home happy knowing I busted my ass all night and plated everything beautifully and without flaw. Now I go home happy knowing I led my team to success, came up with the right solutions for all the wildcards, and convinced all the bigwigs what we’re doing for the business through our department is what we should be doing. 

  As I expedite and communicate to my cooks what to put up and what to work on and what to re-plate and what to improve on, I remember when I was the one getting yelled at and told what to do. I see my cooks high five and fist pound each other after a gnarly service, and I grin with my soul because I know that feeling. I remember it like it was yesterday. Yes, I miss being in the trenches. But I’m just happy knowing my cooks are continuously learning and growing. 

  Meetings, side projects, one-on-ones with your employees, paperwork, numbers, scores, surveys, health department, licenses, guests engagement, schedules, write ups… This shit gets to you. Sometimes you’re not in the mood to talk to anyone, and that’s the day where everyone needs your advice. But that’s your job now. It may not be as fun as sautéing four pans of brussel sprouts, searing scallops and halibut on your flat top, frying fries, heating up your purees, grilling meats, melting cheese, and doing all your own plating and garnishing - but it will be well worth it in the end. ‘Cause I know once I get what I want, I can do what I want - run the business and be on the line. Plenty of chefs do it.

  Wylie Dufresne worked his fish station every freakin’ night of service at WD-50 in New York. The only time he wasn’t was when he was out of town doing a demo for another kitchen or some other important off site project. That’s dedication. That’s passion. When you love what you do, it’s not really considered “work.” It’s more like… “life.”

  Chef life.

  And that’s a life worth living. 

Your hustle. It matters.

   Today, I was given a true quick fire. We needed to make an amenity for a guest and we had to make it in time to get it into her room before she entered it. Apparently she was eating at the bar or something and soon to be on her way up.

   I was asked to make a little tea sandwich amenity, and fast. Time to get the brain in action, get the gears rollin’. I ran over to our Garde Manger walk-in (where most of the cheeses, charcuteries, dressings, and other fun little things are) and grabbed some purple haze (a goat cheese with lavender and fennel seed) and truffle tremor (another goat cheese but with  a delicious black truffle goo between the rind and the cheese). Popped into my market fridge and grabbed sunflower sprouts, gaviota strawberries, and a fig. I mixed the purple haze with some crème fraîche we had on the line so I could spread it easier and threw it on some brioche. Sliced up the super sweet candy-like gaviota strawberries and the fig and put that in between the purple hazed brioche. Cut the crusts, and one sandwich down. The truffle tremor had sliced sunchoke and the sunflower sprouts on a mini brioche bun cut into three layers, topped with a fried cherry tomato skewer. This whole time I’m running around, thinking and plating in my head as I move with agility and finesse. 

    As I finished plating, my manager was right there to receive the handoff, where it was rushed upstairs and placed in her room. RIGHT as the deliverer turned the corner to escape the scene, the guest had JUST got off the elevator and turned the corner to enter her room. 

    We made it.

    So when you’re running around in a hurry, just remember that your hustle matters. If you were to stop for one second - just one - you may fail at what you’re working so hard for.

    Bust your ass at work. It’ll pay off. 

KIMCHI, and why it’s the bomb.

   So we’ve had this Korean chef staying with us at the hotel because of a large sporting event, and because he’s cooking for his team everyday, we get to indulge in the delicious leftovers on a nightly basis. It’s getting to the point where we’re all in our kitchen waiting for the goodie-filled hotbox to roll back upstairs so we can put our finest bibs on and take a breather to eat all the delicious goodness. Sauce-covered proteins of all kind, kimchi, polenta, tofu and vegetable plates, noodles, beans - you get the point.

   To put our attention onto the kimchi, we’ve had a ton of brussel sprouts in the walk-in for a few days now, and there’s only so many specials you can do containing brussel sprouts. So what to do? Soup? Blah. App? Eh. Well, the combination of our motivated regular dining experience every night and the knowledge of knowing brussel sprouts are essentially little cabbages, I figured it’s time to put two and two together. Let’s make our own damn kimchi and let’s use up these damn brussel sprouts. Two birds, one delicious spicy tangy stone. 

   Fermented foods are actually better for you than their raw counterparts. Kimchi is rich in vitamin A, thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), calcium, iron, and contains a number of lactic acid bacteria that aid in digestion, and even possibly reduce cancer growth. One serving provides over 50% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C and carotene. To top it all off, it’s low in calories and rich in dietary fiber. 

   Um, so why haven’t we been eating this the whole time??

   Well, kimchi is definitely an acquired taste, being tangy, crunchy, spicy, and fermented. But damn is it good after you have it a few times. I always feel like something never tastes as good as it can be until you actually learn about it and make it yourself. I’m here to help you learn about it, so you can man up and get your kimchi on. 

   I gotta wait a few days for my brussel kimchi to do its magic, but I’ll gladly wait. Then, it’s time to make some noodles and test it out. I’m fairly certain that will be my next post. Until then, Kim-cheers!

Salsify. Wtf is this??

   Ahh, root veg. There’s just something about most root veg that has it’s own umami to it. I don’t mean the meaty, mushroomy, soy sauce based flavor of true umami, I mean the chalky, clean, mild, musty umami that nothing other than root veg can give you. 

   Salsify, along with celery root and sunchoke, are my personal favorites. Salsify is actually called the oyster plant because it has this delicate, underlying oyster flavor to it. Get a vegetable to taste like an oyster, and I’m sold. 

   It’s not as common in the States - it’s used more in Europe - but good chefs know where to find it. Its seasons usually range from June to February, and you gotta either find them at the farmers’ markets or a Spanish or Italian market. 

   Peel the outside, and it starts to goo up like sap off a tree, and when it oxidizes it turns orange. I usually peel them and poach them in milk with a couple bay leaves. Then you can sauté it with some shallot and more veg of your choice. I’ve tried making a soup with it but the flavor is so mild it tends to get lost. I think I’ll sauté mine with shallot, bacon, and thyme and serve it over a sunchoke puree. Maybe I’ll smoke the sunchoke puree for added smokiness. Only thyme will tell! 

Calling all knife obsessed chefs!!

   So there’s this knife shop in Venice. No name in front, super DL, only two employees - the owner and his wife. I didn’t think I was walking into much, but then I did walk in and it felt like I just walked into a part of my soul. The part where I feel at home. A chef’s comfort zone. There’s just that feeling you get as a cook when you walk into a place that has a bunch of sharp, dangerous knives and kitchen tools that you don’t absolutely need, but you know you want. Walking around hypnotized, thinking in my head, “Ooh, shiny. Ooh, how much is this? Ooh, can I touch?” Even though you see the “Do not touch” piece of paper next to it.

   The man behind it, Jonathan Broida, is a passionate knife expert that spent a good amount of time in Tokyo and is equally as passionate about food, restaurants, and their chefs.   

   From pocket knives and envelope openers to cleavers and goddamn swords, this guys got it all. He is experienced in sharpening knives but is strict to teach you how to sharpen them yourselves. He does one on ones, and has a good amount of YouTube videos on it all (Japanese Knife Imports has its own channel).   

   "I’m trying to create a community of knife geeks" in Los Angeles.

   You drop a chef’s name, he knows him. On a personal level. He has so much to talk about and any type of cook can get lost in this place. It’s a small shop, no bigger than your typical coffee spot, and I still seem to find myself looking around, glancing and dreaming of the beautiful dark blades with decades of history in them. Each knife has a story of its own. I swear they look back at you when you look at them through their perfectly clear panes of glass. 

    So for all the knife obsessed out there, I would recommend making some time to come get lost in this dungeon of culinary glory and knowledge.

Here’s the original LA Times article:

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-0309-virbila-20130309,0,4165448.story#axzz2pVS9J3rk

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2014 DULEY BLOG RELAUNCH!!!

   Ladies and gentlemen, I’m proud to present my blog with a brand new look. With a new year comes new adventures, new challenges, and new writings. I’ve officially purchased the domain name of www.wordsofachef.com, got a makeover on the site design, and I’ll be trying to market clothing, hot sauces, and other fun goodies to start the wordsofachef network explosion.

   Follow me as I write about my adventures working in a fast pace, anything-goes kitchen, talk about cool produce I see around the farmers’ markets, and my experiences at Los Angeles restaurants. I am constantly experimenting with new techniques and ingredients at work, and I spend a lot of my time satisfying guests with specific dietary needs, so every day is a new learning experience and story.

   Follow me on Instagram (whodatshnoedango) for photos of my food as well as my talented cooks in my kitchen. Fellow chefs and cooks, hashtag your best photos with #wordsofachef and #truecooks to keep on top of the chef network. #truecooks is based in New York, and we welcome everyone to hashtag, especially your amazing and unique looking dishes. 

   At my hotel, the Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey, California, our restaurant has been under renovation for the last few months. It re-opens at the end of January, in which we will have an absolute brand spanking new restaurant and concept, being defined as the successful Farm-to-table concept that Los Angeles has gratefully accepted as its main conception. Our old restaurant, “jer-ne” will now be “Cast & Plow,” and I have an amazing team of cooks, chefs, and managers working to make this one of the best places to eat in the city. So if you live in LA, stop by!!! I’ll be more than glad to meet you and send you out some of my delicious creations. I never repeat the same dishes for people, so you’ll always have a unique and memorable experience. 

   With that said and done, I welcome you all to a great new year and hope to hear and see from you all soon. Chef life.