This week’s Chef On A Shoe String was Jean-Pierre Brehier. This week I watched the video before attempting the article’s recipes since last week the mystery mung beans found their way into the video, but not the menu article. The video was a shameless promotion of Chef Brehier’s new cookbook “with DVDs!” paired with the immortal advice not to buy smelly fish.
In his defense, the video segments are hopelessly short for any serious kitchen work. The soufflé was just thrown together on the set, while in reality the sun-dried tomatoes are heated with the half and half. Chef Brehier bragged that his soufflés never fall because he puts bread in them as he pitched in a handful. In reality there was a half cup of bread per soufflé dish and the soufflés didn’t fall because there was so much crap in there, in proportion to the egg mixture, that they never rose. Still, they were tasty and the bread is a good idea – I’d suggest 6 eggs and another half cup of half and half to get a good cover on the bread, brie, and goat cheese filling.
The crusted horseradish salmon with roasted pepper coulis seemed promising and is truly beautiful, but didn’t pack as much flavor as I expected. Liz, however, was quite pleased with it.
The recipe doesn’t tell you, but the most exciting part of the menu is the technique used for the chocolate-hazelnut truffle. You go to Home Depot and buy some 2” PVC couplings, then tamp the chocolate chip cookie/hazelnut mixture into the bottom (with parchment beneath) using a can of Pam. Then you fill it with the chocolate mixture and, after it has been frozen, use the can of Pam again as a ramrod to punch the truffle out of the PVC. The truffle was heavy on the chocolate, rich, rich, rich and an exciting conclusion to a mixed menu.
11:06:42 PM 
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