Bauti for thought....

Don't let your environment hold you back from expressing yourself through food. Seek success. Anything else contradicting this sentence is an excuse + laziness...Improve and stay true to yourself

Bacon jammin'....big in the south, big on flavor

500 degree oven...render render render.....

Julienne onions after removing rendered bacon

caramelization of onions in bacon fat....

Add bacon back in...deglaze with chicken stock and brown sugar and reduce until "Au Sec"

Blend until smooth and you have bacon jam...

Inspired by Kevin Gillespie from the ATL. I was questioning the "bacon jam" produced in the south, I had to try it myself...here's the procedure....and the success behind it.

Yesterday I made a brioche sandwich with crispy bacon..bacon jam, arugula, sunny side up egg, and a cracked coriander blue cheese sauce...delicious...BACON JAM....Endless possibilities.

Playing with Kelcogel "Gellan" LT and F

Gellan= A water-soluble polysaccharide produced by fermentation, that can be used alone or in combination with other products to produce a wide variety of interesting textures. It is extremely effective at low use levels in forming gels, LT and F are high acyl and form soft, very elastic, non-brittle, and fluid gels.

This is the first time using this and I used a standard recipe for a basic sauce "sheet." With the combination of Gellan(both LT100 and F) and Bronze Gelatin Sheets it allows you to make elastic, heat resistent, and pliable sauce sheets. In this case we did an orange yuzu sauce sheet as a tester. It could be a little thinner and refined but like I said before, this was the first time trying this. Enjoy.

Ideas come to life...

"Jamon and Melon" : Ham Brined and Hand Smoked Pork Tenderloin, Compressed Melons, Potato parsnip puree, Pancetta Jam, Ham Hock pork Glace, Basil

Hokkaido Scallops, Cauliflower "Cous Cous" (Fine Herbs, Lemon Zest, Pine nuts, Butter), Mint Gel, Shiso, Chorizo Vinaigrette, Concasse Tomatoes)

Lake Superior Whitefish, Parsnip Puree, Pickled and smoked hen of the woods, Mache, Warm grapes, Sous vide pearl onions, brown butter powder, port molasses syrup...

Brainstorming and writing things down on paper is a must. But the outcome when you achieve success through thought and analyzing is a priceless feeling. Try it yourself...Make yourself better

22 "Tastings" @ Saam

Chef Jose Andres

Marcel Vigneron (Sous Chef)

Joshua Whigham Chef de Cuisine @ SAAM

Tarragon Concentrate

Nitro Caipirihna

Artichoke Chips

Olives Ferran Adria

CAVA

Bagel & Lox Cone, Ikura, Dill Cream Cheese

Olive Oil Bon Bon

Caviar Steamed Bun, Cauliflower Creme Fraiche, Lemon Air

Jose's Ham and Cheese...Iberico Ham, Airbread

Boneless Chicken Wing, Avocado Puree, Spinach

"Canned" Asparagus, Mayonaise Espuma, Tarragon, Sexy Tomato (Caviar)

Sea Urchin Ceviche, Hibiscus air

Japanese Baby peaches

Guacamole New Way, Tomato Granite, Corn Nuts, Cilantro

"Corn On The Cob" Baby Corn, Corn Puree, Huit le coche puree

Kampachi "Nigiri", Compressed Watermelon, Shiso, Soy Caramel Foam/Sauce

Norwegian Cigalas, Baby Lobster En Brioche, Seaweed, Lobster a la nage

"Smoked" Arctic Char, Greek Yogurt, Encapsulated Yogurt, Olive Salt, Compressed Cucumber, Mint, Chickpea chip

Not your everyday Caprese

Tournedos Rossini, A5 Kobe, Foie Gras, White Truffle Cotton Candy

Foie Gras Cotton Candy, Corn nuts

Thai Dessert, Coconut sorbet, peanut butter powder

Bread pudding, Vanilla Ice Crea, Saffron Sauce

Warm Chocolate Mousse with pear

Bon Bons/Tablets

Saam @ The Bazaar....

Saam is the private dining room located at The Bazaar in Beverly Hills. They are open three days out of the week (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) offering a 21 Course Tasting Menu to an exclusive 10 Tables lucky enough to get a reservation. Felix Meana (Service Manager ) of The Bazaar has worked with Ferran Adria at El Bulli for 5 years in Spain and has worked very hard to mimic a lot the service standards taken from Adria's training. We all know Jose Andres and Ferran are great friends who have worked side by side for a little while which adds to the success of this restaurant. I read a lot of reviews and hyped this place up for a year now. Now, I finally got the opportunity to eat here and all the rants and raves are very true. The food and service is phenomenal. Playful, elegant, modern, and tasty are 4 of the many words that can explain what The Bazaar is. Try it for yourself and experience the culinary journey of 22 courses and interactive dining.

Dragon's Breath Popcorn...(Praline of Popcorn dipped in liquid nitrogen and placed directly in the mouth.)

Look what I got in the mail...FINALLY

Its been a long effort to get the thermal circulator...before we called it a luxurious accessory and now its a kitchen necessity...lets begin. Adios to ghetto sous vide...