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10 Things You Probably Don't Know About Thomas Keller

YumSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:50:09 -0700

On this Wednesday, we don't just celebrate Hump Day for the week; we also honor French Laundry chef and restaurant legend Thomas Keller, who turns 54 today. The culinary pioneer - who's been called everything from the food industry's Yoda to Father Jesus Keller - shows no signs of slowing down. He's about to open a Bouchon restaurant in LA and a new inn in Napa Valley. Although chef Keller gets plenty of press, he still manages to keep a lot of his personal life under wraps. Here, 10 things you probably would never have guessed about him.
Source: WireImage

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All the News That's Fit to Eat - Oct. 15, 2008

YumSugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:30:19 -0700

A panel of wine experts puts $12 and under wine to the test. - Boston Globe
Try one of these taste-tested cornbread mixes to go with your chili. - San Francisco Chronicle
What kitchen essentials are worth investing in, and which ones you should pass up. - Los Angeles Times
Time-strapped? Here are some tips for conjuring up homemade soup flavor. - Chicago Tribune
Lots of doors open for producers who sell to the exclusive French Laundry. - Washington Post
Famed rancher Bill Niman is back with a new venture: raising goats. - New York Times
If you've got 15 minutes, then you've got time to throw together Jamaican chicken. - StarTribune

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US Representative For Bocuse d'Or Selected

partysugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 03:00:19 -0700

Over the weekend, eight semi-finalists competed to see who would represent the United States at the Bocuse d'Or, a prestigious international culinary competition. Timothy Hollingsworth, a sous chef at the French Laundry, was selected as the winner. Hollingsworth now has three months to prepare for the French showdown in January. He'll train at a special facility created by Thomas Keller in Yountville, California with head coach Roland Henin.

No American chef has ever won the final competition and the closest one has come to seeing gold was sixth place in 2003.

The chefs and their assistants had to prepare two dishes - one fish and one beef - in front of a live audience. The dishes were judged on a variety of factors including presentation, texture, harmony of flavor, sophistication, and creativity. In the end, Hollingsworth's elaborately garnished Atlantic cod with Hawaiian blue prawns and sea scallops and equally complex beef tenderloin roasted in bacon with beef cheeks and oxtail won.

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Talking With the Great Thomas Keller

partysugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:00:11 -0700

Last week the world-renowned, award-winning chef Thomas Keller left his Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry, to speak at a panel discussion in San Francisco. The symposium celebrated the 100-year anniversary of the discovery of the fifth taste, umami. After the day-long event, Keller took some time out to speak with us.

The food industry's Yoda, Keller is a humble and wise chef devoted to the culinary arts. He prefers the quiet hills of Napa to the glittering nights of New York and when I asked where he would be dining that evening, he selflessly replied, "I have to get back to my kitchen to cook the dinner service." To see what else the inspiring chef had to say and find out why he's never gotten into television, check out our exclusive video!

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Thomas Keller in the Frozen Food Aisle?

YumSugar — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 16:18:37 -0700

The man behind the Best Restaurant in America is surprising everyone with a new frozen food line. The folks at Bloomberg are reporting that Thomas Keller - owner of The French Laundry and Per Se - has designed and placed his name on two frozen dishes for FiveLeaf, a unit of Cuisine Solutions Inc. The first one, Mac and Cheese Lobster with Orzo will be pitched to retail stores soon.

In addition to his new frozen food line and two fancy pants fine dining establishments, Keller has two bistros, an American family-style spot, two bakeries and a catering operation. If this sounds like too much for one man to control, I might mention that Keller is also planning to open a meat shop, an inn at the French Laundry and a hamburger and wine restaurant.

When asked why he's willing to spread out his empire, Keller explained that it was mostly due to his staff. By creating advanced placement possibilities for his current employees.

"To maintain the consistency and quality of the staff, you have to give them opportunities."

However, all of this Keller leaves some food critics skeptical. San Francisco Chronicle editor Michael Bauer made comparisons to Wolfgang Puck and wondered if the fine dining brand could work with frozen food.

"Once you get into frozen food and pizzas, your fine dining brand gets a little fuzzed out."

Either way, I know I can't wait to try Keller's fancy mac and cheese, how about you?

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Yummy Link: Cornets a la The French Laundry

YumSugar — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:03:14 -0700

The first thing I ate at The French Laundry was a delectable cornet. If you want to try and make it at home, here's the recipe. Oh and can I just say, this one is possibly even more beautiful than the one I ate while there. - Chubby Hubby

Yummy Links: From Sugarcane to Sour Gummi Bears

YumSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:22:18 -0700

I'm not sure I would consider fresh sugarcane juice is the original lemonade, but it is really delicious. - Serious Eats

I know how much you all love cupcakes, so what do you think of this pan that will allow you to make a giant sized one? - Baking Bites
What are you going to do with all of your warm-weather ingredients? - Chow
Love soda water? Here's how you can make your own soda water at home. - Apartment Therapy: The Kitchen
Can the words luxury and canned food really go hand in hand? - Will Work For Food
If you can't make it to The French Laundry, you can do like Carol and cook The French Laundry recipes at home. - Slashfood
Release the inner beauty of tomatoes by peeling and seeding them. - Culinate
In case you haven't heard, The Simpsons Movie opens today. To celebrate here's a list of the Top 10 Simpsons candy moments. - Candy Addict
Speaking of candy, here's a review of my fave Sour Gummi Bears. These are the best sour gummis out there. - Candyblog

Exercise in Excess: The French Laundry Part 3

YumSugar — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 05:58:39 -0700

After the first two parts of my French Laundry excursion, I've arrived at the final installment: the cheese & dessert. I must say, although I was ridiculously full at this point, I somehow managed to make room - which actually came as no surprise. The night we were there, Thomas Keller was actually at a big Food & Wine event in Aspen. However the man pictured, Corey Lee, the chef de cuisine, really took care of us. The entire evening was a fantastic (if not overly hot and stuffy - it was 109F outside when we started our meal!) experience. To see how the number one restaurant in America does dessert read more

After the proteins were finished, we headed straight to the cheese course. We all had the chef's tasting menu, so we were all presented with "Brescianella Aquavite" French Laundry Garden Beets, Bing Cherry Purée, Toasted Pecans and Watercress Leaves. Now I'm a huge stinky, gooey cheese fan, but I met my match that evening. Partially because I was full, but mostly because of the heat - with it being over 100F outside, earthy, pungent cheese was the last thing I wanted in my mouth.

After they whisked the cheese away (which I know is really sad, I still don't understand how I of all people could let cheese go), we were presented with a beautiful "Glace de Fruits Exotiques" Pineapple "Granité," Lilikoi and Coconut Sauce. This dish was nice and light and my warm palate definitely appreciated the bit of cooling down.

With our palates cleared, it was time for dessert. Jimmy opted for the "Composition de Chocolat Italien" Amedei Gianduja Chocolate "Creme Patissiere," Toscano Nut Brownie and "Nougat Glacé" while I ordered the "Summer Pudding" with French Laundry Garden Lemon Verbena Ice Cream and Summer Berry "Compote." Here's where I'm not sure what happened. I only had one bite of Jimmy's, it was delicious, but not mind-blowing - whereas mine could have been mind-blowing, but instead it was just awkward. I really wish I had also managed to get the size of the spoon it was served with into the picture. In my opinion, it was way too large for the mouth of the glass. When I tried to get a spoonful of all the layers (which when possible, was the best way to eat it), it was nearly impossible. I ended up with mouthfuls of lemon verbena ice cream foam and later, mouthfuls of mushy compote. It was oddly tragic as all the flavors were amazing. Definitely a fault in the plating (or was it simply just the spoon?) and not the dessert itself.

Once our slightly tragic desserts were devoured (I guess they weren't that tragic afterall) we moved on to the mignardises (sweet treats!). First up was either a creme brulée or fruit trifle. Jimmy received the trifle and me the brulée. Upon tasting each other's dishes, we promptly swapped plates. The trifle was a delight, and although I practically had fine dining coming out of my ears, I could have easily eaten another.

Next we were presented with chocolate-covered macadamia nuts and then, a few minutes later, an empty silver plate. At first we were a little perplexed - the wine and food slowing down our thought processes - and then we realized it was for the truffles. That's right it was now time to choose from an assortment of truffles: peanut butter, coffee, strawberry & pepper, caramel, hazelnut. Then, nearly four hours after we began, we were given the check, some shortbread wrapped in ribbon and kindly asked if we would like to "retire to the outside courtyard" where it was cooler. We kindly accepted the suggestion only to realize 10 minutes later that it was by far the nicest way we'd ever been kicked out of a restaurant!

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Exercise in Excess: The French Laundry Part 2

YumSugar — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 08:01:18 -0700

Yesterday I walked you through the first part of my extravagant time at the French Laundry, and while everything I posted was definitely tasty, you guys haven't even seen the meat of the story (bad pun intended). Today I'll take you from fish course to beef and all the lovely bits in-between.

After the foie gras, the next course was either Filet of American Red Snapper with Summer Squash, San Marzano Tomato "Fondue," Cuttlefish and Arugula-Castelvetrano Olive Pudding (shown right) or Spanish Mackerel "En Escabeche" with Hawaiian Hearts of Peach Palm, English Cucumbers, Cilantro Shoots, Haas Avocado "Coulis" and Rangpur Lime "Gastrique" (shown above). I ordered the snapper, while Jimmy ordered the mackerel. When our dishes arrived I was envious of his dish - the presentation was so gorgeous - however after tasting both of them, his fell a little flat and I was certain I picked the winning dish.

To see what's up next (and believe me, the best parts are next),read more

Once the fish was devoured, they presented us with a selection of fresh baked breads. There were some delicious choices, but my favorite was definitely the pretzel bread. [Note to self: get recipe for pretzel bread.]

With the bread out of the way, we moved on to the lobster course, or as the menu said: Lobster Tail "Pochée Au Beurre Doux" with Caramelized Cipollini Onions, Oregon Hazelnuts, Sunchoke Purée and Valrhona Chocolate-Coffee Emulsion. I believe this was my favorite part of the meal, as it was perfectly cooked and paired well with the sauce. Also, whenever anyone asks how my experience was, I immediately tell them about the lobster, so this must've been my favorite part.

After the lobster it was time for either All-Day Braised Kurobuta Pork Belly with Brentwood Corn, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Piquillo Peppers, Fava Beans and "Pimenton Jus" (shown right) or Devil's Gulch Ranch Rabbit Shoulder "Farci Au Ris De Veau" with Jacobsen's Farm La Ratte Potatoes, Lovage, Celery Branch and Apricot Mustard (aka fancy pants rabbit lollipop that my fellow diners wished they ordered instead).

Finally, rounding out the main course, and pushing out my waistline, was the "Chateaubriand" of Nature-Fed Veal with Morel Mushrooms, Green Asparagus, Veal Cheek "Pierogi" and Madeira Sauce. This might actually have been the highlight of the feast. However, at this point I had way too many glasses of wine and far too much brioche to fully enjoy it. In fact, I'm ashamed to say, I actually had to GIVE 1/3 of it to my fellow diners. I also couldn't down all the pierogi, which was a crying shame because they were delicious.

Now wipe up your drool, because after a little breather (seriously, I had to get up for a minute and catch my breath and appetite), we'll hit the cheese & dessert courses tomorrow - so be sure to come back!

Exercise in Excess: Feasting at The French Laundry

YumSugar — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 08:01:31 -0700

A little while back, I confessed to never having eaten at a single one of the 50 best restaurants in the world. Well, last week I finally fixed that by dining at Thomas Keller's number 4 ranked (number 1 in the US) The French Laundry of Yountville, CA (Napa wine country). The menu there consists of two options: the chef's tasting menu or the taste of vegetables menu, so unfortunately there's no popping in and ordering a la carte. In fact, there's no popping in of any sort - we had our reservations booked two months in advance, and even those were hard to come by. The meal itself is rather pricey, but I felt worth it for the food, atmosphere service and experience. It's not something I could see myself doing often, mostly for financial reasons. When I told everyone that I went, the first question was, "was it worth it?" followed shortly by, "what did you eat?" To find out the answers and see a parade of delectable pictures, read more

The evening started off by being presented bottles of both still and sparkling water. The still water was from Hildon and my friend Eric made sure that I noted that the bottle said it was "An English Natural Mineral Water of Exceptional Taste." Once we were settled in with waters, we (there were four of us) all decided to go with the Chef's tasting menu. The vegetable menu looked great, but I knew I would be sad not to get the chef's menu. Once our menus were chosen and our variations (a few dishes had options) selected, it was time for the amuse-bouches.

The two amuses were little gougeres (cheese bread puffs) served on a warm plate, and red onion crème fraiche filled, black sesame cornets topped with salmon tartare. I could have eaten just these and been quite a happy camper.

Next up is the "Oysters and Pearls," "Sabayon" of Pearl Tapioca with Beau Soleil Oysters and White Sturgeon Caviar. This is one of of the only dishes that is served just about every evening, and after tasting it, I know exactly why. The oysters were great, the caviar delectable and the texture amazingly creamy. It was like a savory tapioca pudding, everything just melted in my mouth. They followed this up with one of the best breads I'd ever eaten. A "brioche-like" roll and I must say, if this recipe is in either the French Laundry or the Bouchon Bakery cookbook, this will be disaster for my waistline.

After the caviar it was time for Moulard Duck "Foie Gras Au Torchon" "Compressed" Strawberries, Purple Top Turnips, Frisée Lettuce and Black Truffle "Gastrique" served with fresh buttery rich brioche. This dish was smooth, creamy and totally my undoing. I should have eaten only part of it, but I devoured it instead. In fact, I had more than one helping of brioche. Along with the brioche, the foie gras was also served with a trio of fancy salts.

At this point we were only 2 of 9 courses in to the meal, and on our 3rd glass of wine. Like I said, the whole evening was an exercise in excess! Be sure to come back for tomorrow for part 2 of my French Laundry recap!