Comments on: Dragged up from the briny deep http://www.rootsandgrubs.com/2006/05/27/dragged-up-from-the-briny-deep/ Dada, bring my beer in the living room Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:57:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Bill Guess http://www.rootsandgrubs.com/2006/05/27/dragged-up-from-the-briny-deep/#comment-1491 Bill Guess Thu, 24 Aug 2006 13:09:49 +0000 http://www.rootsandgrubs.com/2006/05/27/dragged-up-from-the-briny-deep/#comment-1491 <p>With regards to Brillat Savarin's brilliant Article 15 to which you refer, I respectfully disagree. "On devient cuisinier, mais on devient rotisseur." ---One may become a cuisinier, one is born a rotisseur.--- The words cuisinier and rotisseur require careful consideration. These were trades at the time of publication. Cuisinier means one who cooks in pots. Simple enough. Stews, soups and even sauces. Rotisseur: translates via the web to: "grill room operator". This distinction is important.</p> <p>Test Brillat Savarin's hypotheses at a fine dining restaurant. Order rack of lamb "rare" or even "medium rare" and you are almost certain to recive a raw-in-the-middle disaster. Raw in the middle meat items are de facto "medium rare" and are fast becomming de rigeur. </p> <p>Au point is the French equilavent of " rare" and literally translates to "at the instant". Or "to a turn". Namely the instant that sufficient heat has been absorbed by the item. </p> <p>Rare, red meat items are fully cooked, and by that I mean, the tissue albumen has coagulated and the myoglobin has assumed a bright red appearance. Once the tissue albumen coagulates it changes in appearance from clear to white, as with egg whites. At approximately 130 degrees myoglobin changes from a purplish brown to a bright cherry red. Combining these muscle constiuents' appearance and one acquires the desirable pink interior.</p> <p>Red meat items and are clearly the most difficult to cook to a medium rare, or perfectly cooked rare state.</p> <p>Brillat Savarin was and is the greatest food writer that ever lived in my opinion.</p> <p>Baron De Cussy in 1826 also disparaged the (even then) controversial 15th aphorism, and on New Year's eve of 1825 brow beat Brillat Savarin into defacing (by the Professor's own hand!) a copy of Physiologie du Gout, by altering the 15th Aphorism into: "On devient cuisinier, on devient rotisseur, mais on nait saucier" One may become a cuisinier, one may become a rotisserie, one is born a saucier. Absurd.</p> <p>De Cussy (A count and soldier for Napoleon, also to first to write a cook book: 366 Ways To Cook Chicken, making De Cussy the odds on favorite for inventing "Chicken Marengo" wrote:</p> <p>"The controversial article XV is still as it was in the first edition, death having surprised the professor so soon afterwards that he was left no time to substitute, for this bizarre if pithy idea..."</p> <p>DeCussy was wrong and Brillat Savarin was right up untill the publication of my patent application. 10/109,478 inwhich I pay respects to the Professor Brillat Savarin. I and not de Cussy have repealed Article 15 and have done so with ultimate respect for Judge Jean Anthelme Brillat Savarin, my hero and mentor.</p> <p>Bill Guess</p> With regards to Brillat Savarin’s brilliant Article 15 to which you refer, I respectfully disagree. “On devient cuisinier, mais on devient rotisseur.” —-One may become a cuisinier, one is born a rotisseur.—- The words cuisinier and rotisseur require careful consideration. These were trades at the time of publication. Cuisinier means one who cooks in pots. Simple enough. Stews, soups and even sauces. Rotisseur: translates via the web to: “grill room operator”. This distinction is important.

Test Brillat Savarin’s hypotheses at a fine dining restaurant. Order rack of lamb “rare” or even “medium rare” and you are almost certain to recive a raw-in-the-middle disaster. Raw in the middle meat items are de facto “medium rare” and are fast becomming de rigeur.

Au point is the French equilavent of ” rare” and literally translates to “at the instant”. Or “to a turn”. Namely the instant that sufficient heat has been absorbed by the item.

Rare, red meat items are fully cooked, and by that I mean, the tissue albumen has coagulated and the myoglobin has assumed a bright red appearance. Once the tissue albumen coagulates it changes in appearance from clear to white, as with egg whites. At approximately 130 degrees myoglobin changes from a purplish brown to a bright cherry red. Combining these muscle constiuents’ appearance and one acquires the desirable pink interior.

Red meat items and are clearly the most difficult to cook to a medium rare, or perfectly cooked rare state.

Brillat Savarin was and is the greatest food writer that ever lived in my opinion.

Baron De Cussy in 1826 also disparaged the (even then) controversial 15th aphorism, and on New Year’s eve of 1825 brow beat Brillat Savarin into defacing (by the Professor’s own hand!) a copy of Physiologie du Gout, by altering the 15th Aphorism into: “On devient cuisinier, on devient rotisseur, mais on nait saucier” One may become a cuisinier, one may become a rotisserie, one is born a saucier. Absurd.

De Cussy (A count and soldier for Napoleon, also to first to write a cook book: 366 Ways To Cook Chicken, making De Cussy the odds on favorite for inventing “Chicken Marengo” wrote:

“The controversial article XV is still as it was in the first edition, death having surprised the professor so soon afterwards that he was left no time to substitute, for this bizarre if pithy idea…”

DeCussy was wrong and Brillat Savarin was right up untill the publication of my patent application. 10/109,478 inwhich I pay respects to the Professor Brillat Savarin. I and not de Cussy have repealed Article 15 and have done so with ultimate respect for Judge Jean Anthelme Brillat Savarin, my hero and mentor.

Bill Guess

]]> By: ctate http://www.rootsandgrubs.com/2006/05/27/dragged-up-from-the-briny-deep/#comment-726 ctate Sun, 28 May 2006 17:17:14 +0000 http://www.rootsandgrubs.com/2006/05/27/dragged-up-from-the-briny-deep/#comment-726 <p>My brother has concluded that leave-in meat thermometers are The Way To Go for roasting -- but not the clunky old-fashioned dial things. He uses a digital thermocouple model whose probe is on the end of a long metal cable. You stick the probe down into the center of the meat, then run the cable out the side of the oven door to the digital readout sitting on the counter. Timer, set-point temperature, take your pick. The usual suspects all make them: Polder, Taylor, etc. Based on the improvement in holiday dinner, I'll personally attest to them working pretty darn well.</p> My brother has concluded that leave-in meat thermometers are The Way To Go for roasting — but not the clunky old-fashioned dial things. He uses a digital thermocouple model whose probe is on the end of a long metal cable. You stick the probe down into the center of the meat, then run the cable out the side of the oven door to the digital readout sitting on the counter. Timer, set-point temperature, take your pick. The usual suspects all make them: Polder, Taylor, etc. Based on the improvement in holiday dinner, I’ll personally attest to them working pretty darn well.

]]> By: mamster http://www.rootsandgrubs.com/2006/05/27/dragged-up-from-the-briny-deep/#comment-725 mamster Sun, 28 May 2006 17:13:12 +0000 http://www.rootsandgrubs.com/2006/05/27/dragged-up-from-the-briny-deep/#comment-725 <p>Jo-Jo, if this is good, you owe me some frites.</p> Jo-Jo, if this is good, you owe me some frites.

]]> By: Jo-Jo http://www.rootsandgrubs.com/2006/05/27/dragged-up-from-the-briny-deep/#comment-724 Jo-Jo Sun, 28 May 2006 16:55:46 +0000 http://www.rootsandgrubs.com/2006/05/27/dragged-up-from-the-briny-deep/#comment-724 <p>Hi Mamster,</p> <p>I will certainly watch for the next step of this awfull roast story...</p> <p>and please don't drink the brine, coke is terrible as it is, but with raw meat in it, it must be even worse...</p> Hi Mamster,

I will certainly watch for the next step of this awfull roast story…

and please don’t drink the brine, coke is terrible as it is, but with raw meat in it, it must be even worse…

]]> By: stacy http://www.rootsandgrubs.com/2006/05/27/dragged-up-from-the-briny-deep/#comment-723 stacy Sun, 28 May 2006 16:21:03 +0000 http://www.rootsandgrubs.com/2006/05/27/dragged-up-from-the-briny-deep/#comment-723 <p>dear lord. I await the results ... and hope that if you decide to drink the brine, medics aren't needed ...</p> dear lord. I await the results … and hope that if you decide to drink the brine, medics aren’t needed …

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