Simplicity is the key!….. Coco Chanel

Hitting the Sauce | Thomas Keller’s Caramel Recipe

CHRISTINE MUHLKE

With the current craze for canning (Ball jars posted a 30 percent increase in sales last year), you can expect to receive at least one jar of homemade jam or pickles this season. Why not raise the bar and give Thomas Keller’s caramel sauce? It’s so good you don’t even need to put a bow on it.

CARAMEL SAUCE
(From “Ad Hoc at Home,” by Thomas Keller)
Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
¼ cup water
1½ cups heavy cream, warmed
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter, at room temperature.

Combine the sugar and corn syrup in a medium saucepan and stir in the water. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Then adjust the heat as necessary to continue simmering. Cook without stirring, for 30 to 35 minutes, until the caramel is a rich amber color. If you want to check the color, use a small spoon to drop a small amount on a white plate. (You want a dark caramel so the finished sauce will be a rich color.) Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the cream, being careful because the mixture will bubble up. If the sauce seizes, stir it over the heat to slowly remelt any hardened caramel. Whisk in the butter. Serve warm. Or cool and refrigerate in a covered container for up to one month. Warm before serving on ice cream or popcorn.

http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/hitting-the-sauce-thomas-kellers-caramel-recipe/?ref=food

At home with Thomas Keller

Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc Cookbook and other treats brought back from Napa

—Jay Fielden – Vogue America

A few years ago, the gifted chef Thomas Keller—the toque behind multi-Michelin-starred French Laundry and Per Se—became interested in the idea of creating a simpler place to eat, a casual restaurant that would serve an inexpensive, family-style set menu of four courses five nights a week, plus Sunday brunch. The dishes, inspired by those he had eaten growing up, include things such as fried chicken, lobster rolls, creamed corn, and blueberry cobbler.

Ad Hoc, three years on, is the latest of Keller’s numerous successes. (The next is on its way: Bouchon Beverly Hills, a 17,000-square-foot, $12 million affair, will give Angelenos their first taste of the Keller empire when it opens next week.) And now there is Ad Hoc at Home: Family-Style Recipes (Artisan, $50), which, unlike Keller’s three previous cookbooks—beautiful but daunting tomes—is perfect for these toned-down times, at least at my house.

But allow me to briefly digress. Three kids deep into family life—the latest is just seven months—my wife and I recently forced an escape to Napa for a long weekend alone. This wasn’t a random idea. I like wine almost as much as she likes spas, and both can be had amply in what must be the most manicured plot of earth next to the gardens of Paris.

No place in Napa can broker such a peaceful coexistence between husband and wife quite like Calistoga Ranch, a modernist ramble of sleek lodges scattered along a ravine overgrown with lavender, fig trees, grape vines, and ancient oaks that dive-bomb what’s below with golf ball–size acorns. It’s impossible to complain here: There’s swimming, hiking, biking, golfing, sleeping, spagoing—and, of course, wine drinking. You’re also strategically located to experience an unforgettable episode of sensory overload.

It’s simple. Take a left on the Silverado Trail. After a few miles of staring at the surreally perfect view, behold the soaring rock formations of the storied Stag’s Leap District. Drop in at Clos Du Val, one of the six Cabernets chosen for the famous 1976 Paris Tasting; then hit Shafer, the family-owned winery famous for having outranked French first-growths like Margaux and Latour in a blind tasting; and finally—with your designated driver at the wheel—enter Stags’ Leap Winery, one of the oldest and smallest in the valley, whose winemaker, Christophe Paubert, once worked at Château d’Yquem. (The latter two of these stops should be arranged by appointment in advance.) If you have time, you can then head west toward the town of St. Helena for a stop at Newton, perhaps the most majestic vineyard in the valley, and a pioneer without peer of unfiltered wines. If not, just a few more vineyards down the Silverado trail, and a small jog west, you’ll be in Yountville, Keller’s hometown and the headquarters of his bakery and restaurants.

Ad Hoc, as you’d expect, is a roomy, unfussy place. Above a long bar at the back is a large chalkboard with the evening’s set menu written on it. Feeling a bit addled, I was grateful that the only decision to make was—what else?—which wine to order. But the list was equally breezy—and inexpensive. A Turley Zinfandel for $47! I must have been drunk.

In no time, we were tucking into our first course—a tuna Niçoise salad that, unlike the many tuna Niçoise salads I’ve left uneaten, was delicious, with each ingredient somehow expressing its distinct flavor among the jumbled ensemble. On to the second course: marinated skirt steak, which was served with caramelized onions. Masterfully tender, the meat was rich and moist, and the onions gave the dish the hearty zing of a fegato alla veneziana. On to the cheese course, with its welcome textures and tastes, the details of which have now sadly been lost in the haze—along with dessert, a chocolate Lincoln Log cake. But I do recall that it inspired a family-style appetite, and that I ate both my own and my wife’s.

The steak recipe was the first thing I looked for when I returned to work and found a copy of Ad Hoc at Home. And it lived up to the cookbook’s claim that what’s inside can regularly be done at home, this one in four simple steps, which I followed one late weekend afternoon while being attacked from all sides by my three nippers. I made the marinade, let the steaks steep, and then cooked them up the next day. It was painless, and the result, which the whole family devoured (this is not usually the case), was, as far as my wife and I were concerned, identical to what we had eaten at Ad Hoc.

Not every dish in the book is as quick or as uncomplicated. The difficulty level ranges: On the skirt-steak level are asparagus with poached eggs and prosciutto; leek bread pudding; brownies; and Blowtorch Prime Rib Roast. Bigger projects include cream-of-cauliflower soup with red beet chips; beef stroganoff; and ice-cream sandwiches.

Whatever you do, don’t allow yourself to get intimidated by a bouquet garni or two. And if the word quenelle gives you flashbacks to haute-cuisine disasters, don’t try to make the chicken soup with dumplings. There is, however, such a wealth of small lessons, techniques, edifications, and general chef genius being passed along here that the book can’t help but make you both a better and more efficient home cook.

Take, for instance, the Spring Vegetable Garbure, a rustic soup. Keller is a stickler, and his devotion to craft and precision will change the way you do basic things, like blanching vegetables in boiling salt baths. This little act does indeed make a seismic difference in the way your vegetables taste. The garbure—which includes carrots, asparagus, potatoes, peas, haricots verts, cannellini beans, and cabbage—may have taken me two hours to make, but it lasted a week, defeated my three-year-old daughter’s vegetable phobia, and was then pureed into one of my younger daughter’s first meals with a spoon. Could there be anything more family-style than that?

Some people loves Adria but I love Keller.

Thomas Keller’s books have the ability to be simple and complex at same time.

The gift of a master is to make the impossible looks obvious.

You know that moment when you say: Why I didnt think about it before????

He always one step ahead and when you think about it he did it already.

Bravo!!!

Master of the Universe and a lot of ego too!!!

Over twenty Chefs and only one WOMAN!!!!

This is a quote of just 0.5%.

OMG. Ladies Chefs of the world, we need take disciplinary actions NOW!!!!

#1

Gordon Ramsay

Restaurants	TV Shows	Cookbooks	Misc.	Score
27	5	17	10	167
(x4)	(x3)	(x2)	(x1)

With both the most restaurants and starring roles on TV, it’s not surprising that Gordon Ramsay has gobbled the most points. Overextension has its limits: To stave off bankruptcy this summer, he cut costs by slashing staff by 15 percent and rescinding ownership of hotel restaurants in L.A. and Paris.

#2

Alain Ducasse

Restaurants	TV Shows	Cookbooks	Misc.	Score
26	0	18	12	152

Ducasse’s global empire includes a professional culinary school, a cooking school for amateurs, a chain of hotels and châteaus, four country hotel-estates (with restaurants), and a publishing house to churn out the most cookbooks of the group.

#3

Wolfgang Puck

Restaurants	TV Shows	Cookbooks	Misc.	Score
22	0	7	18	120

Certainly not the only chef with a “Shop” section on his website, he shills salad spinners, coffee, cooking spray, soup stock, and a food-sealing system.

#4

Joël Robuchon

Restaurants	TV Shows	Cookbooks	Misc.	Score
19	2	16	1	115

All that fawning on Top Chef Vegas, and no tchotchkes to sell for it; Robuchon concentrates on nineteen fine and casual restaurants from Paris to Macao and has authored sixteen cookbooks.

#5

Nobu Matsuhisa

Restaurants	TV Shows	Cookbooks	Misc.	Score
22	0	5	12	110

Matsuhisa is credited with three acting roles on IMDb, for Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), Casino (1995), and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), in which he played Mr. Roboto. If he opens another Nobu in the U.S., New York City will consider the restaurant a chain and will require posted calorie counts.

#6

Jean-Georges Vongerichten

Restaurants	TV Shows	Cookbooks	Misc.	Score
25	0	4	2	110

On the cusp of a major jump in the rankings, JGV plans to open as many as 50 restaurants over the next five years in partnership with Starwood Hotels.

#7

Emeril Lagasse

Restaurants	TV Shows	Cookbooks	Misc.	Score
12	3	14	25	110

Bam! That’s a lot of junk for one chef to sell: Emeril JAZZ BAM drumsticks, ties, golf towels, hats, chef coats, cooking spray, clogs, oven mitts, golf shirts, coffee blends, and mugs. But is it his fault? In 2008, Martha Stewart paid $45 million cash plus $5 mil in stocks for the rights to Emeril’s cookbooks, TV shows, and kitchen products. All that’s left for him are the restaurants.

#8

Mario Batali

Restaurants	TV Shows	Cookbooks	Misc.	Score
15	3	8	17	102

Fanta Pants partners with a company called Magic, Martinis, and Mario to put on events for Fortune 500 companies. And then there are the watches, Crocs, lunch sacks, brick ovens, wind-up toys, and shredded deli cheeses for sale. But Batali is also one of several chefs with an eponymous foundation; his aims to feed and educate kids.

#9

Laurent Tourondel

Restaurants	TV Shows	Cookbooks	Misc.	Score
17	0	2	1	73

Tourondel’s BLT empire extends across the globe, dominated by nine BLT Steak locations, with three more forthcoming.

#10

Todd English

Restaurants	TV Shows	Cookbooks	Misc.	Score
12	1	3	12	69

This brooding Boston-based chef partnered with online-dating site Lavalife this year to provide recipes for those who are “single and lovin’ it.”

#11

Charlie Palmer

Restaurants	TV Shows	Cookbooks	Misc.	Score
13	0	4	7	67

Palmer consults for Seaborne Cruises, owns Next Vintage Wine Shops and Hotel Healdsburg in Sonoma, and has an eponymous hotel “under development” in Las Vegas. If you like the chairs in the dining room at his Aureole restaurant in New York, you can buy them at the Lime Stone home-décor shop he runs with his wife in Sonoma.

#12

Michael Mina

Restaurants	TV Shows	Cookbooks	Misc.	Score
16	0	1	1	67

Mina boasts seventeen restaurants, including two in Detroit, and Charlie Palmer–endorsed RN74in San Francisco. Mina diversifies with a single cookbook, and he tweets regularly.

#13

Bobby Flay

Restaurants	TV Shows	Cookbooks	Misc.	Score
6	4	9	11	65

Beyond his Food Network gigs, Flay has his own line of Mesa Grill seasonings and a cookware and appliance partnership with Kohl’s for all your grilling needs.

#14

Daniel Boulud

Restaurants	TV Shows	Cookbooks	Misc.	Score
10	1	6	9	64

In addition to regular appearances on Top Chef, Boulud has his own show, After Hours With Daniel Boulud, on Mojo TV. You can also buy caviar, Champagne, and smoked Scottish salmon at his online store.

#15

Marcus Samuelsson

Restaurants	TV Shows	Cookbooks	Misc.	Score
9	1	6	9	60

Samuelsson owns Townhouse Restaurant Group, a management and consulting company, with Aquavit partner Håkan Swahn, and sells branded aquavit in liquor stores. The chef calls on his Ethopian background for his spice line, Afrikya Foods, and the album Afrikya, Vol. 1: A Musical Journey Through Africa. His BET show Urban Cuisine explores Harlem food, he’s an ambassador for UNICEF, and he’s made some side money backing coffee blends and cakes for Starbucks.

#16

Lidia Bastianich

Restaurants	TV Shows	Cookbooks	Misc.	Score
6	3	7	12	59

PBS’s mother of Italian cooking shills tableware, rice, gift baskets, napkins, olive oils, and condiments, but she also has a foundation, hosts cruises to benefit the James Beard Association, and is a founder of the advocacy group Women Chefs & Restaurateurs.

#17

Charlie Trotter

Restaurants	TV Shows	Cookbooks	Misc.	Score
4	1	15	9	58

One of Trotter’s fifteen cookbooks is Gourmet Cooking for Dummies.

#18

Tom Colicchio

Restaurants	TV Shows	Cookbooks	Misc.	Score
9	2	4	2	52

Colicchio’s not as omnipresent as TV commercials suggest; he’s a star of Top Chef, producer for Top Chef Masters, and has a bunch of restaurants, including Craft and his highbrow sandwich chain, ’wichcraft.

#19

Thomas Keller

Restaurants	TV Shows	Cookbooks	Misc.	Score
8	0	5	8	50

The Team USA mentor for the Bocuse d’Or didn’t get a win this year, but he’s Hollywood’s favorite chef, consulting for Pixar’s Ratatouille and Spanglish, which featured his sandwich-making skills on the DVD. His new Bouchon outpost is slated to open in Beverly Hills in November.

#20

David Burke

Restaurants	TV Shows	Cookbooks	Misc.	Score
8	0	2	6	42

Burke’s name is attached to products like the Flavor Spray Diet (“After eliminating toppings, gravies, dressings, and sauces, Flavor Spray replaces the flavor that diets forbid”), gourmet lollipops, and pastrami salmon. He also consulted for the Hooters-like Hawaiian Tropic Zone and was subsequently mentioned in a sexual-harassment lawsuit.