WEBVTT 00:00:03.990 --> 00:00:07.570 Hi, everyone. Welcome to Pot Luck Food Talks, 00:00:07.570 --> 00:00:09.769 the show where we talk about food and kitchen 00:00:09.769 --> 00:00:13.849 from a cooked perspective. We're recording live 00:00:13.849 --> 00:00:16.809 from the North Pole. My name is Eric the Viking, 00:00:16.910 --> 00:00:20.570 and I'm here with Phil the Power Tailor. Today, 00:00:20.710 --> 00:00:24.190 we're diving into jingle bells, red -nosed reindeer 00:00:24.190 --> 00:00:28.469 with questionable allergies, and Christianity's 00:00:28.469 --> 00:00:30.750 most cherished evening. You know, the one that 00:00:30.750 --> 00:00:32.929 smells like cinnamon and last -minute decisions. 00:00:33.329 --> 00:00:36.289 But first... You're listening to Heritage Radio 00:00:36.289 --> 00:00:43.170 Network. So, Phil, what's your most memorable 00:00:43.170 --> 00:00:46.469 Christmas service in a restaurant? You know, 00:00:46.509 --> 00:00:49.429 I feel like I blanked out most Christmas services 00:00:49.429 --> 00:00:52.630 that I've had. Just out of sheer traumatic... 00:00:52.909 --> 00:00:57.170 experience um i feel like most because i've worked 00:00:57.170 --> 00:00:59.530 a few christmases you know like quite a few in 00:00:59.530 --> 00:01:02.390 my life i can barely remember any of them because 00:01:02.390 --> 00:01:06.750 why is it that the christmas service is always 00:01:06.750 --> 00:01:10.109 one of the fucking worst of the year it should 00:01:10.109 --> 00:01:13.390 be so easy everybody comes in almost at the same 00:01:13.390 --> 00:01:16.510 time pretty much everybody usually gets the same 00:01:16.510 --> 00:01:20.230 menu ideally if you're smart about it So, like, 00:01:20.290 --> 00:01:22.370 it should just be fucking nice. You're cooking 00:01:22.370 --> 00:01:24.870 fucking beef. You're cooking scallop. You're 00:01:24.870 --> 00:01:26.569 cooking, you're making, you're dolloping caviar 00:01:26.569 --> 00:01:28.689 on top of dishes. It should be fucking nice. 00:01:29.090 --> 00:01:32.670 Yet it never is. I also have, like, bad memories 00:01:32.670 --> 00:01:35.390 about Christmas services in kitchens. I remember 00:01:35.390 --> 00:01:37.569 one place where I was a head chef. Like, there 00:01:37.569 --> 00:01:39.909 was a special menu for the evening. And then 00:01:39.909 --> 00:01:42.969 in the middle of rush hour, you know, the owner 00:01:42.969 --> 00:01:45.329 walked in. And for some reason, I didn't have 00:01:45.329 --> 00:01:49.109 the, you know, like, at that time. the guts just 00:01:49.109 --> 00:01:51.989 to tell her to fuck off and she walked in and 00:01:51.989 --> 00:01:54.430 started like i'm going to help because she started 00:01:54.430 --> 00:01:58.790 like plating and messing everything you know 00:01:58.790 --> 00:02:01.489 like everything went to hell like all the preparation 00:02:01.489 --> 00:02:05.390 everything like was completely fucked up i really 00:02:05.390 --> 00:02:08.270 couldn't take it you know like i really i was 00:02:08.270 --> 00:02:11.780 really really upset for a long while for that 00:02:11.780 --> 00:02:14.379 you know like yeah absolutely because there was 00:02:14.379 --> 00:02:16.979 a lot of thinking and preparation and everything 00:02:16.979 --> 00:02:20.139 just to you know just to walk into the most in 00:02:20.139 --> 00:02:23.080 the most important moment and screw it up you 00:02:23.080 --> 00:02:26.879 know like and i also remember one in a very like 00:02:26.879 --> 00:02:31.379 top level restaurant where nobody was happy about 00:02:31.379 --> 00:02:34.400 being there you know like every and there was 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:37.419 this mood of not being like everybody wanted 00:02:37.419 --> 00:02:40.979 just to be somewhere else of course it's christmas 00:02:40.979 --> 00:02:45.539 they made us uh walk through the dining rooms 00:02:45.539 --> 00:02:50.439 you know with our tops or chef's hats and it 00:02:50.439 --> 00:02:54.000 was really a shame walk i totally get that i 00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:55.919 totally get that you're like i'm the idiot who's 00:02:55.919 --> 00:02:59.319 here because of my poor life choices while you 00:02:59.319 --> 00:03:02.240 guys are enjoying yourself here look at me Yeah, 00:03:02.300 --> 00:03:06.039 exactly. I felt like, I don't know, like in a 00:03:06.039 --> 00:03:09.500 Roman circus being, you know, exhibited to the 00:03:09.500 --> 00:03:14.000 Roman aristocracy. You know, Christmas is one 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:16.900 of those days where you make good business in 00:03:16.900 --> 00:03:20.580 a restaurant. I am of the opinion that you should 00:03:20.580 --> 00:03:23.539 just fucking close for Christmas. You know, the 00:03:23.539 --> 00:03:26.319 year is long. When are you going to close? Right? 00:03:27.240 --> 00:03:29.719 Like, which holidays are you like, oh, I'm not 00:03:29.719 --> 00:03:31.860 going to open? There's none, really. There's 00:03:31.860 --> 00:03:33.120 no, you're not going to say like, oh, I'm not 00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:35.960 going to open today. New Year's Eve. Fine. Fuck 00:03:35.960 --> 00:03:38.400 that. Fuck New Year's Eve. Nobody cares. But 00:03:38.400 --> 00:03:40.560 Christmas? There's a lot of people. I know a 00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:43.400 lot of people that think exactly the other way 00:03:43.400 --> 00:03:45.960 around. Yeah? Really? No, not me. I think it's 00:03:45.960 --> 00:03:48.659 because we're German. Because, you know, we, 00:03:48.759 --> 00:03:52.080 I think the German Christmas is taken more seriously 00:03:52.080 --> 00:03:55.180 than other Christmases. You know, like. Yes, 00:03:55.219 --> 00:03:58.020 I guess so. I have that feeling. Like, I mean, 00:03:58.099 --> 00:04:01.250 in Venezuela? I think if you ask, nine out of 00:04:01.250 --> 00:04:03.610 ten people will tell you New Year's Eve is more 00:04:03.610 --> 00:04:06.509 important than Christmas. Oh, really? Yeah. I 00:04:06.509 --> 00:04:08.789 think it's a very common thing. I mean, and here 00:04:08.789 --> 00:04:10.370 in Spain, they don't give a shit about Christmas. 00:04:10.469 --> 00:04:13.650 The thing here is the Holy Kings, 6th of January, 00:04:13.830 --> 00:04:15.610 you know? Yeah, I mean, for me, it's kind of 00:04:15.610 --> 00:04:18.970 like, you know, I don't mind being in a restaurant 00:04:18.970 --> 00:04:20.970 at New Year's Eve because, I mean, first of all, 00:04:20.970 --> 00:04:23.250 I don't give a shit about New Year's Eve. I don't 00:04:23.250 --> 00:04:26.379 give a shit about... going out and getting pissed 00:04:26.379 --> 00:04:29.019 and watching some fireworks i really i couldn't 00:04:29.019 --> 00:04:31.560 care less but what i do care about is spending 00:04:31.560 --> 00:04:34.019 time with my family like this is the thing you 00:04:34.019 --> 00:04:36.120 know it's kind of like christmas is like it's 00:04:36.120 --> 00:04:38.339 like the celebration of like togetherness you 00:04:38.339 --> 00:04:40.800 know and like hey we all come together it's very 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:44.079 sort of mindful and very peaceful and i mean 00:04:44.079 --> 00:04:47.129 not for everybody I suppose. Christmas also is 00:04:47.129 --> 00:04:49.930 often a stage for family drama and chaos. Ideally, 00:04:49.930 --> 00:04:51.889 in my mind, it's that, you know, it's like we 00:04:51.889 --> 00:04:54.170 come together, we sit down, we shut the outside 00:04:54.170 --> 00:04:57.850 world out for just a night. We're grateful for 00:04:57.850 --> 00:05:00.430 being here together and we just appreciate. We're 00:05:00.430 --> 00:05:02.110 giving each other presents and sort of like, 00:05:02.170 --> 00:05:03.750 hey, I got this for you, you know, because I 00:05:03.750 --> 00:05:05.670 love you. You open your own press. It's sort 00:05:05.670 --> 00:05:07.009 of like, oh, you got this for me because you 00:05:07.009 --> 00:05:08.930 love me. That's so nice, you know? And then the 00:05:08.930 --> 00:05:11.110 bubble bursts and you're in the kitchen and you 00:05:11.110 --> 00:05:12.949 realize that this is all what you've been imagining 00:05:12.949 --> 00:05:15.170 the whole time. And actually all the tickets 00:05:15.170 --> 00:05:17.009 are away at the same time. Front of house is 00:05:17.009 --> 00:05:18.850 completely understaffed and unorganized because 00:05:18.850 --> 00:05:21.470 nobody had a fucking briefing. And you need to 00:05:21.470 --> 00:05:23.250 fire the main course because the tenderloin is 00:05:23.250 --> 00:05:25.209 going to overcook. And you realize that this 00:05:25.209 --> 00:05:27.069 has all just been a really wonderful dream. You're 00:05:27.069 --> 00:05:28.910 back in your horrible reality. That's what cooking 00:05:28.910 --> 00:05:30.970 Christmas service is for me. I thought about 00:05:30.970 --> 00:05:34.810 a game to play today. Yes, tell me. The game 00:05:34.810 --> 00:05:37.730 is we're going to write a menu, a Christmas menu, 00:05:37.850 --> 00:05:42.910 five courses. We're cooking for Juan Mari Arzak. 00:05:43.550 --> 00:05:47.550 Vegans. Juan Mari Arzak and his 25 -year -old 00:05:47.550 --> 00:05:52.189 vegan girlfriend. Okay, okay. I like that. Very 00:05:52.189 --> 00:05:55.389 close to reality. The Amish bush, first course. 00:05:55.649 --> 00:06:00.329 What would you say? What would you start with? 00:06:01.410 --> 00:06:04.319 Are we talking at home or in a restaurant? Home. 00:06:04.980 --> 00:06:08.240 You're cooking yourself. Maybe someone's helping 00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:11.300 you, but that's it. Okay, if I'm cooking at home, 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:15.939 I would start with buying very nice potato chips. 00:06:16.899 --> 00:06:19.639 Right? Bought, not self -made. Fuck that. Potato 00:06:19.639 --> 00:06:23.160 chips. I would make some sour cream that's seasoned 00:06:23.160 --> 00:06:25.939 with a lot of vinegar, a lot of salt, a lot of 00:06:25.939 --> 00:06:28.939 black pepper, some chives, and then a nice big 00:06:28.939 --> 00:06:31.470 tin of caviar on the side. You take the potato 00:06:31.470 --> 00:06:33.189 chips, you dip it in the sour cream, you put 00:06:33.189 --> 00:06:36.449 some caviar on top, you eat it. Okay. And also 00:06:36.449 --> 00:06:39.550 some nice breakfast radishes with some whipped 00:06:39.550 --> 00:06:42.089 salted French butter on the side for you to dip 00:06:42.089 --> 00:06:44.410 inside. You didn't thought about the vegan girlfriend? 00:06:44.850 --> 00:06:49.610 She can eat the radishes. Okay. Be grateful for 00:06:49.610 --> 00:06:53.850 the radish. That's the only course you'll have 00:06:53.850 --> 00:06:56.970 with me. By the way, something I forgot asking 00:06:56.970 --> 00:06:59.430 you about the... Have you ever done anything 00:06:59.430 --> 00:07:04.029 with carrot greens? Well, you know, carrot greens, 00:07:04.189 --> 00:07:07.029 man. I feel like, you know, I love the idea of 00:07:07.029 --> 00:07:09.990 using carrot greens to make a pesto, to make 00:07:09.990 --> 00:07:12.990 a gremolata, whatever it is, to make a fucking 00:07:12.990 --> 00:07:15.850 puree, to make a green oil. I really like the 00:07:15.850 --> 00:07:19.550 idea. The thing is that it's always shit. Exactly. 00:07:19.689 --> 00:07:22.589 I have the same, you know, like I'm like, oh 00:07:22.589 --> 00:07:25.649 yeah, I'm so hippie and sustainable and I will, 00:07:25.670 --> 00:07:27.790 you know, cut it and eat it into a salad. And 00:07:27.790 --> 00:07:30.449 I feel like I'm literally eating grass, you know, 00:07:30.449 --> 00:07:34.709 like a cow. Dirt. Yeah. It's like, I love the 00:07:34.709 --> 00:07:37.029 idea, you know, and like, but it's just always 00:07:37.029 --> 00:07:39.389 fucking horrible. I don't know if there's like, 00:07:39.430 --> 00:07:41.769 dear listener, if you have a carrot green recipe 00:07:41.769 --> 00:07:45.540 that is actually good. Please send it to us, 00:07:45.600 --> 00:07:47.660 and we'll feature you. We'll give you a little 00:07:47.660 --> 00:07:49.980 shout -out. Not that you care, but... Please 00:07:49.980 --> 00:07:51.899 leave it here in the comments, so we can have 00:07:51.899 --> 00:07:54.759 a discussion here in the comments section about 00:07:54.759 --> 00:07:58.040 carrot greens. What would you do with it? Why 00:07:58.040 --> 00:08:03.220 is it so difficult? I guess fermentation can 00:08:03.220 --> 00:08:06.959 maybe... Why is it difficult? Because it has 00:08:06.959 --> 00:08:11.240 this extreme bitterness and extreme grassy profile, 00:08:11.620 --> 00:08:14.160 right? Yeah, it's just, it tastes like carrot, 00:08:14.220 --> 00:08:17.560 but in a very unpleasant way, I would say, you 00:08:17.560 --> 00:08:20.779 know, like it's, I don't know, you know, if you 00:08:20.779 --> 00:08:23.259 take a carrot green leaf and you rub it between 00:08:23.259 --> 00:08:24.879 your fingers and you smell it, you think to yourself, 00:08:25.040 --> 00:08:27.240 oh, that doesn't smell too bad. Like I could. 00:08:27.610 --> 00:08:29.350 do something with this, but then everything you 00:08:29.350 --> 00:08:31.910 make with it is just too much. It's too green. 00:08:31.949 --> 00:08:34.429 It's too carrot -y, but also it has this like 00:08:34.429 --> 00:08:37.370 weird texture. It's like, it's tough. Nah, man. 00:08:37.389 --> 00:08:39.190 And I'm just not a fan. I mean, I don't know. 00:08:39.210 --> 00:08:41.090 Maybe you could blanch it and this and that and 00:08:41.090 --> 00:08:42.730 blah. Maybe you could make a powder of it and 00:08:42.730 --> 00:08:45.629 it would be okay. But like. An amuse -bouche 00:08:45.629 --> 00:08:49.409 for me, I would do something with crab, you know, 00:08:49.409 --> 00:08:52.590 maybe like a, like a crab salad, something like 00:08:52.590 --> 00:08:57.740 that. the whole crab roasted in the oven then 00:08:57.740 --> 00:09:01.539 broken and flesh taken out making a salad with 00:09:01.539 --> 00:09:04.600 maybe not too tropical because it's christmas 00:09:04.600 --> 00:09:06.639 because my first idea would be like something 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:09.259 like i don't know avocado and grapefruit but 00:09:09.259 --> 00:09:12.700 maybe something milder and yeah with those potato 00:09:12.700 --> 00:09:16.100 chips i could add it to the potato chip party 00:09:16.100 --> 00:09:19.039 if you allow me i love that you can take a little 00:09:19.039 --> 00:09:21.220 bit of the the crab and put it on a potato chip 00:09:21.220 --> 00:09:23.860 and just like munch it it's amazing super nice 00:09:25.059 --> 00:09:29.360 So, starter, first course, soup, salad, something 00:09:29.360 --> 00:09:31.860 unexpected. No soup for me. I mean, if I was 00:09:31.860 --> 00:09:33.559 in a restaurant, I would probably send out, you 00:09:33.559 --> 00:09:35.740 know, you know what I would wish that would make 00:09:35.740 --> 00:09:38.700 a comeback? Little espresso cups of foamy soup. 00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:42.379 I was thinking something like, I would do exactly 00:09:42.379 --> 00:09:46.519 that, a celeriac potato truffle. There you go. 00:09:46.639 --> 00:09:48.639 That's exactly what I, that's exactly what I 00:09:48.639 --> 00:09:50.940 was thinking. Also like a chestnut thing or something, 00:09:51.080 --> 00:09:53.700 but very light, very velvety, like little foamed 00:09:53.700 --> 00:09:58.379 up, you know, super nice. And you slurp it. It's 00:09:58.379 --> 00:10:02.000 buttery. It's warm. It's satisfying. Nothing 00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:05.580 better in life. Well, first course, you know 00:10:05.580 --> 00:10:08.039 what I really like? Very good quality smoked 00:10:08.039 --> 00:10:13.720 eel. Okay. Good quality smoked eel. Forger. The 00:10:13.720 --> 00:10:16.809 eel. tempered right so it's like a little bit 00:10:16.809 --> 00:10:18.990 warm the fat starts melting a little bit you 00:10:18.990 --> 00:10:24.350 know and then a really really bright cherry compote 00:10:24.350 --> 00:10:28.809 on the side with some parker house rolls you 00:10:28.809 --> 00:10:31.730 know parker house rolls no you know the bread 00:10:31.730 --> 00:10:35.830 from saison okay um Imagine like a Hokkaido milk 00:10:35.830 --> 00:10:38.690 bread and you make like little balls and you 00:10:38.690 --> 00:10:40.929 make them into like a, into like a shape in a, 00:10:40.929 --> 00:10:43.149 in a round thing, like a monkey bread, you know, 00:10:43.190 --> 00:10:44.830 monkey bread where you have like different pieces 00:10:44.830 --> 00:10:47.269 and you can like pull it apart. Okay. Yeah, I 00:10:47.269 --> 00:10:49.610 get it. Yeah. Something like that so that you 00:10:49.610 --> 00:10:51.590 can just kind of like, you know, tear it. You 00:10:51.590 --> 00:10:53.570 have like warm, fluffy bread, you know, something 00:10:53.570 --> 00:10:55.110 that I've been thinking about a lot is also, 00:10:55.210 --> 00:10:56.750 and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm 00:10:56.750 --> 00:10:58.830 kind of over sour though. If I was to open a 00:10:58.830 --> 00:11:01.230 restaurant tomorrow, I wouldn't put like a piece 00:11:01.230 --> 00:11:04.269 of toasted sourdough. Okay. You know what? I'm 00:11:04.269 --> 00:11:05.850 bullshitting. I love sourdough. Sourdough is 00:11:05.850 --> 00:11:08.269 amazing. But what I would like to see more in 00:11:08.269 --> 00:11:11.750 restaurants is away from the sort of like crusty 00:11:11.750 --> 00:11:14.269 sourdough bread, just embrace the soft bread 00:11:14.269 --> 00:11:17.269 a little bit more. You know, like if I get like 00:11:17.269 --> 00:11:19.649 a fluffy roll like that, that's not too sweet, 00:11:19.769 --> 00:11:22.809 freshly baked, I'm going to be so happy. And 00:11:22.809 --> 00:11:24.830 you take it, it's pillowy, it's doughy, it's 00:11:24.830 --> 00:11:27.090 bouncy. You know, like those videos that you 00:11:27.090 --> 00:11:28.669 see out of Japan where you're sort of like, what 00:11:28.669 --> 00:11:31.009 the fuck is that? It's like a little Kirby, Kirby 00:11:31.009 --> 00:11:35.090 bread. um you tear it open it's like feathery 00:11:35.090 --> 00:11:37.750 inside and white like give me a break with all 00:11:37.750 --> 00:11:40.269 the sort of like ancient grain whole wheat thing 00:11:40.269 --> 00:11:44.649 i yeah like i'm thinking about something like 00:11:44.649 --> 00:11:47.169 that yeah like a like a toast with foie gras 00:11:47.169 --> 00:11:49.710 yeah like a cherry compote would be nice and 00:11:49.710 --> 00:11:52.769 maybe also some chestnuts there somewhere like 00:11:52.769 --> 00:11:56.700 a spread on the toast under the foie gras Yeah, 00:11:56.799 --> 00:11:58.700 100%. I mean, you can't go wrong with that. It's 00:11:58.700 --> 00:12:04.200 so nice. I would add some like the real balsamic 00:12:04.200 --> 00:12:08.639 kind of, you know, like balsamic vinegars, but 00:12:08.639 --> 00:12:11.399 like the real expensive ones to that compote 00:12:11.399 --> 00:12:15.340 to add some acidity. Yes, very nice. And you 00:12:15.340 --> 00:12:18.919 know what else? On the side of that plate, a 00:12:18.919 --> 00:12:23.600 soaked prune, soaked in tea and ammonia. Just 00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:27.600 like a really fatty, yeah, like a really fat, 00:12:27.740 --> 00:12:34.240 soaky, juicy, deep prune. Armagnac. Yes. Armagnac? 00:12:34.419 --> 00:12:37.929 Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. Phil, do you recommend 00:12:37.929 --> 00:12:41.409 podcasts to your friends? All the time. The best 00:12:41.409 --> 00:12:43.570 way of showing friends that you care is recommending 00:12:43.570 --> 00:12:46.649 a great podcast to listen to. I agree. If you're 00:12:46.649 --> 00:12:49.289 listening right now, you should show your love 00:12:49.289 --> 00:12:52.350 by recommending a show to all your best friends. 00:12:52.490 --> 00:12:55.730 It will make them happy. It will make us happy. 00:12:55.950 --> 00:12:58.750 PopLock Food Talks. Tell your friends. It will 00:12:58.750 --> 00:13:03.509 make the world a better place. A main course. 00:13:04.370 --> 00:13:06.230 Main course can be a lot of things, you know. 00:13:06.600 --> 00:13:10.559 So for me, traditional roast duck or roast goose. 00:13:10.740 --> 00:13:13.279 Yeah, or game, you know, like deer, something 00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:15.759 like that. You know, like a little Rudolph. A 00:13:15.759 --> 00:13:17.820 little Rudolph, yeah. It's very, very nice, you 00:13:17.820 --> 00:13:22.340 know, like a roast. Really, really good is also 00:13:22.340 --> 00:13:26.000 a Wellington. A well -made Wellington for Christmas 00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:30.039 is phenomenal, right? But it takes a lot of work 00:13:30.039 --> 00:13:33.120 if you're not in practice of like making it. 00:13:33.200 --> 00:13:34.679 Like if you have practice making it, it's still 00:13:34.679 --> 00:13:36.399 a lot of work, but you can kind of smash it out. 00:13:36.500 --> 00:13:38.580 You know, you sear it the day before, you smear 00:13:38.580 --> 00:13:41.019 it, you make the faras, like easy peasy, you 00:13:41.019 --> 00:13:42.740 wrap it in bacon and blah, you make a pancake 00:13:42.740 --> 00:13:45.059 if you want to or not. And you just wrap it tightly, 00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:47.240 make a torchon, you just put it in the fridge, 00:13:47.259 --> 00:13:48.840 it's done for the next morning. And then the 00:13:48.840 --> 00:13:50.919 next day you just basically take it out, wrap 00:13:50.919 --> 00:13:53.539 it, puff pastry, glaze it, and it's ready to 00:13:53.539 --> 00:13:56.799 go. It's actually not that much work. I also 00:13:56.799 --> 00:13:59.240 really like doing a whole fish. A whole fish. 00:13:59.299 --> 00:14:01.840 And I like to like butterfly it. I like to debone 00:14:01.840 --> 00:14:04.100 it completely so that you can just eat it from 00:14:04.100 --> 00:14:06.240 the head to the tail without worrying about it. 00:14:06.279 --> 00:14:08.940 You can stuff it, you can do whatever. But you 00:14:08.940 --> 00:14:12.659 know, one of my, not my dishes, but the dishes 00:14:12.659 --> 00:14:16.080 that I like to make, which I think is very underrated, 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:19.500 but it needs to be made extremely well. Otherwise 00:14:19.500 --> 00:14:21.639 it's super underwhelming, is a chicken blanket. 00:14:22.779 --> 00:14:25.279 You get a really, really good chicken, but it 00:14:25.279 --> 00:14:27.100 has to be the best chicken that you can find. 00:14:27.720 --> 00:14:30.740 You poach it until it's super juicy, you know, 00:14:30.759 --> 00:14:32.840 like a Cantonese chicken. You take it out. You 00:14:32.840 --> 00:14:35.879 make a super intense stock, like a super clear. 00:14:35.960 --> 00:14:38.019 It needs to be like a golden chicken consomme. 00:14:38.600 --> 00:14:41.820 You make, you know, the roux. You make the sauce. 00:14:41.960 --> 00:14:44.539 You add extremely good quality cream fresh to 00:14:44.539 --> 00:14:48.019 it. You season that all. Salt, pepper, whatever. 00:14:48.500 --> 00:14:51.139 Lemon juice, fresh lemon juice at the end. And 00:14:51.139 --> 00:14:53.139 then on the side, you make a beautiful medley 00:14:53.139 --> 00:14:56.919 of vegetables, you know. carrots peas sugar snap 00:14:56.919 --> 00:14:59.100 peas you know whatever you have some parsnips 00:14:59.100 --> 00:15:02.480 maybe maybe even some like blanched sort of like 00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:04.820 tornado potato pieces just like very beautifully 00:15:04.820 --> 00:15:06.860 glazed and then at the end you put the chicken 00:15:06.860 --> 00:15:09.320 back into the sauce you put fresh herbs on top 00:15:09.320 --> 00:15:11.500 maybe even some lemon segments with the skin 00:15:11.500 --> 00:15:13.500 everything you know just like thin slices of 00:15:13.500 --> 00:15:16.559 like quarter lemons put that on top and if you 00:15:16.559 --> 00:15:18.379 do that right it's one of the most luxurious 00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:22.299 and most satisfying dishes ever. It's fucking 00:15:22.299 --> 00:15:25.000 amazing. But you need to, like, you can't compromise 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:27.659 on any step. You have to get the best ingredients, 00:15:27.799 --> 00:15:29.720 the best chicken, the best cream fresh. You have 00:15:29.720 --> 00:15:31.620 to get really good vegetables. You have to cook 00:15:31.620 --> 00:15:34.120 the chicken really beautifully and gently to 00:15:34.120 --> 00:15:36.000 get this intense stock and to keep the chicken 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:39.519 juicy. But it's super simple, right? And if you 00:15:39.519 --> 00:15:42.000 know how to do it, it's very, very easy. And 00:15:42.000 --> 00:15:44.399 it's very low effort, which I think is an underrated 00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:46.960 aspect in cooking for Christmas also, because 00:15:46.960 --> 00:15:49.379 if you have... You know, it used to be the moms 00:15:49.379 --> 00:15:52.139 stuck in the kitchen in Christmas. Now it's us. 00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:54.200 And we get out and we're sort of like, you know, 00:15:54.240 --> 00:15:56.320 like rings under our eyes. We've been cooking 00:15:56.320 --> 00:15:58.700 for two days. We just want a fucking glass of 00:15:58.700 --> 00:16:01.919 wine. And we're done. We're done with the fucking 00:16:01.919 --> 00:16:05.259 day. We get to the table. All the food's already 00:16:05.259 --> 00:16:10.220 half eaten. We're like, fuck. You know, on the 00:16:10.220 --> 00:16:13.120 last episode we were, I was just about to say 00:16:13.120 --> 00:16:15.320 something, but I said, I'll save it for the Christmas 00:16:15.320 --> 00:16:18.539 episode about how important it is to describe 00:16:18.539 --> 00:16:22.460 stuff in a certain way and that the predisposition 00:16:22.460 --> 00:16:26.500 and the anticipation towards what you're going 00:16:26.500 --> 00:16:29.100 to eat, it really plays a role, you know, like 00:16:29.100 --> 00:16:34.509 on my food tours, I always, it's usually. cock 00:16:34.509 --> 00:16:37.389 planche you know i choose i decide we're having 00:16:37.389 --> 00:16:40.309 this here and this that and i don't even ask 00:16:40.309 --> 00:16:42.509 i ask at the beginning if they have any restrictions 00:16:42.509 --> 00:16:45.289 and i go you know like here we're having this 00:16:45.289 --> 00:16:49.509 year also with the drinks but i learned to ask 00:16:49.509 --> 00:16:53.610 just with a specific drink i i have at the very 00:16:53.610 --> 00:16:57.580 end a glass of pacharan oh yeah And I went through 00:16:57.580 --> 00:17:00.980 many descriptions of Pacharan. You know, it would 00:17:00.980 --> 00:17:03.440 be like, yeah, it's slow berries. And then people 00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:05.940 would be like, oh, so it's like a slow gin. And 00:17:05.940 --> 00:17:08.079 I'm like, no, it's the same ingredient, but it's 00:17:08.079 --> 00:17:11.599 something completely else. So both people that 00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:13.640 like it and people that don't like it at all, 00:17:13.680 --> 00:17:16.720 they say it tastes like cough syrup. And I think 00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:18.720 that's kind of like an accurate description. 00:17:18.819 --> 00:17:21.380 Fair enough, yeah. But yeah, like I would have 00:17:21.380 --> 00:17:25.059 this, you know, I'm always observing if people 00:17:25.059 --> 00:17:27.500 are finishing or not, because it's a way to measure 00:17:27.500 --> 00:17:30.539 if they're full or not, or if they're liking 00:17:30.539 --> 00:17:33.980 it or not, right? And interestingly enough, I 00:17:33.980 --> 00:17:36.700 came up with a description that suddenly everybody 00:17:36.700 --> 00:17:38.880 is drinking their fucking pancharán to the very 00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:42.000 end so far. I think the rate of people finishing 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:45.299 it from the moment I changed my description changed, 00:17:45.440 --> 00:17:48.119 and I started saying, it's like a Christmas Negroni. 00:17:50.129 --> 00:17:53.309 Oh, that's really good. I totally get that. That's 00:17:53.309 --> 00:17:55.029 really good, actually. Because at the end of 00:17:55.029 --> 00:17:56.910 the day, it's kind of like a Negroni without 00:17:56.910 --> 00:17:59.190 the bitterness. And you have this Christmas spices 00:17:59.190 --> 00:18:02.890 situation of, you know, like cinnamon, anise, 00:18:02.890 --> 00:18:05.930 even some coffee beans in there, you know, like. 00:18:06.490 --> 00:18:09.869 For me, that's also like a key thing in a Christmas 00:18:09.869 --> 00:18:12.369 dinner. That's to be cinnamon somewhere or star 00:18:12.369 --> 00:18:14.789 anise, you know, like, or ginger. For me, those 00:18:14.789 --> 00:18:17.819 things have to be somewhere there. Or a little 00:18:17.819 --> 00:18:21.240 spice, you know, like this kind of sweet spices, 00:18:21.339 --> 00:18:23.980 stuff you would find on a Glühwein, you know, 00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:26.559 like that, that kind of stuff. It's part of the, 00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:32.180 you're like any other moment of, of the, or Lebkuchen 00:18:32.180 --> 00:18:35.980 spices, you know, like. I love that. Any other 00:18:35.980 --> 00:18:38.099 moment of the year, you would say, ah, this tastes 00:18:38.099 --> 00:18:40.720 like Christmas. But that moment is the moment 00:18:40.720 --> 00:18:44.279 to have those, those things. Yeah, I totally 00:18:44.279 --> 00:18:47.619 get that. That's really good. What about. Veggie 00:18:47.619 --> 00:18:51.779 sides. Veggie sides. What are your Christmas 00:18:51.779 --> 00:18:55.200 veggies? There has to be a winter salad, right? 00:18:55.259 --> 00:18:57.359 With like bitter greens, bitter leaf greens, 00:18:57.559 --> 00:19:01.339 a really just bright, sharp vinaigrette with 00:19:01.339 --> 00:19:04.299 loads of chives and very, very thinly sliced 00:19:04.299 --> 00:19:07.539 onions. Very thinly sliced, you know? You mean 00:19:07.539 --> 00:19:12.359 like kale, for example? No, like Treviso, endives, 00:19:12.500 --> 00:19:15.539 you know, radicchio, those sorts of things, you 00:19:15.539 --> 00:19:19.319 know? I like with walnuts, something like that. 00:19:19.720 --> 00:19:22.579 Yeah, yeah, maybe, not even. Just like I like, 00:19:22.740 --> 00:19:24.960 you know, I love it when there's like a salad 00:19:24.960 --> 00:19:27.960 that's just leaves and like a really beautiful 00:19:27.960 --> 00:19:30.180 dressing. There doesn't need to be too much in 00:19:30.180 --> 00:19:33.829 there. What else? I love roasted pumpkin. If 00:19:33.829 --> 00:19:35.609 you get a pumpkin that's good and it's like a 00:19:35.609 --> 00:19:37.730 little bit aged, so the water content is reduced 00:19:37.730 --> 00:19:39.769 a little bit and you roast it, even like whole, 00:19:39.950 --> 00:19:42.490 just roast the whole thing. And then you cut 00:19:42.490 --> 00:19:44.809 it open when it's like piping hot, you know, 00:19:44.809 --> 00:19:47.349 but you let it rest a little bit also. It's so, 00:19:47.589 --> 00:19:51.390 the texture is amazing. The flavor of a good 00:19:51.390 --> 00:19:53.349 pumpkin when it's cooked nicely, it's almost 00:19:53.349 --> 00:19:55.930 like melon, like cantaloupe melon is so nice. 00:19:56.190 --> 00:19:58.309 And, you know, I actually just made a new dish 00:19:58.309 --> 00:20:01.390 for the restaurant for autumn. which I'm kind 00:20:01.390 --> 00:20:02.869 of thinking is actually a really nice dish to 00:20:02.869 --> 00:20:05.269 make. So you get a sweet potato, but obviously 00:20:05.269 --> 00:20:06.789 there's different types of sweet potato. I'm 00:20:06.789 --> 00:20:08.630 getting the Asian sweet potatoes. They're a little 00:20:08.630 --> 00:20:10.970 bit more firm. You bake it like you would do 00:20:10.970 --> 00:20:13.210 an oven potato. And then after baking it, I let 00:20:13.210 --> 00:20:14.890 it cool down a little bit. I wrap it in tinfoil. 00:20:14.930 --> 00:20:16.930 I let it cool down. And then I make an incision 00:20:16.930 --> 00:20:18.750 on the top and I kind of press it a little bit. 00:20:18.809 --> 00:20:21.109 So it like opens and I scoop all the inside out. 00:20:21.210 --> 00:20:23.329 So basically then I have like a potato skin pocket. 00:20:24.170 --> 00:20:28.089 All right. I put that aside. The flesh I seasoned 00:20:28.089 --> 00:20:30.700 with truffle butter. pickled vegetables, as in 00:20:30.700 --> 00:20:33.380 like pickled daikon, pickled cucumber, herbs, 00:20:33.640 --> 00:20:36.099 a little bit of ponzu, a little bit of creme 00:20:36.099 --> 00:20:39.079 fraiche, chives, a little bit of chili, like 00:20:39.079 --> 00:20:41.079 a little bit of chili powder, a little bit of 00:20:41.079 --> 00:20:43.099 aji amarillo. And I mix it. I make this like 00:20:43.099 --> 00:20:47.799 potato salad and it's like sweet, savory, like 00:20:47.799 --> 00:20:51.140 crunchy, sour. And then I make this like mix, 00:20:51.180 --> 00:20:53.539 a little bit truffle -y and I put it back in 00:20:53.539 --> 00:20:56.599 and then I bake it again, right? Just like mix 00:20:56.599 --> 00:20:59.140 inside the skin. And when it comes out, like 00:20:59.140 --> 00:21:00.940 in our restaurant, you know, we like, I top it 00:21:00.940 --> 00:21:03.160 with like this usual kosher cream and bonito 00:21:03.160 --> 00:21:05.819 flakes and like crispy, crispy rice and stuff 00:21:05.819 --> 00:21:08.339 like that. And then you just get the thing and 00:21:08.339 --> 00:21:10.220 you like basically like scoop the stuff out of 00:21:10.220 --> 00:21:13.279 the potato. But it's a really nice dish to make 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:15.000 because it's so easy. It's actually, it sounds 00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:16.619 a little bit complicated, but it's so easy to 00:21:16.619 --> 00:21:19.539 make. It's so easy to prep. And if you get these 00:21:19.539 --> 00:21:22.660 like beautiful, big sweet potatoes where every, 00:21:22.700 --> 00:21:24.500 all the work is done for you. You don't need 00:21:24.500 --> 00:21:26.019 to peel it. You don't need to do anything. You 00:21:26.019 --> 00:21:28.059 just need to stick your spoon in. And just take 00:21:28.059 --> 00:21:30.480 it out and it's like perfectly seasoned all the 00:21:30.480 --> 00:21:32.900 way through. Super fun to eat. It's really, really 00:21:32.900 --> 00:21:36.019 nice. I love these sort of like festive centerpieces, 00:21:36.119 --> 00:21:37.559 you know, where you're kind of like, oh, it looks 00:21:37.559 --> 00:21:40.200 nice, but it's also super comfortable to eat. 00:21:40.279 --> 00:21:44.539 If you need to have a fresh salad, just like 00:21:44.539 --> 00:21:49.180 a julienne raw pumpkin, you know, marinating 00:21:49.180 --> 00:21:53.579 it with honey, lime, ginger and chives as well. 00:21:54.910 --> 00:21:56.829 Simple, just that, you know, and you have like 00:21:56.829 --> 00:22:00.109 this little fresh. Sounds really good. I've done 00:22:00.109 --> 00:22:02.349 this a couple of times for Christmas, and every 00:22:02.349 --> 00:22:04.710 time I do it, a lot of people tell me, I've never 00:22:04.710 --> 00:22:07.289 had raw pumpkin before. You know, it's very common 00:22:07.289 --> 00:22:11.609 to assuming you can't do that, right? That's 00:22:11.609 --> 00:22:14.950 very true, yeah. Brussels sprouts, I think they're 00:22:14.950 --> 00:22:17.369 also very Christmassy for some reason. Very true. 00:22:17.470 --> 00:22:19.529 I don't know why. Very true. I do like them. 00:22:19.589 --> 00:22:21.089 I do like them, especially when they're like 00:22:21.089 --> 00:22:24.119 roasted, you know. Yeah, like butter roasted. 00:22:24.700 --> 00:22:27.460 You can also like quickly deep fry them. At home, 00:22:27.460 --> 00:22:29.019 it's not so nice, but deep fry them and then 00:22:29.019 --> 00:22:30.500 just like toss them with a bit of fish sauce. 00:22:31.339 --> 00:22:34.940 Ah, nice. It's really good, yeah. I have another 00:22:34.940 --> 00:22:39.579 side dish that is amazing. It's also very undervalued. 00:22:40.079 --> 00:22:43.619 And that's pommes boulangeres, the bread baker's 00:22:43.619 --> 00:22:47.500 potatoes. Traditionally... potatoes that are 00:22:47.500 --> 00:22:51.680 sliced. They're called boulanger because supposedly 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:54.480 people used to use the residual oven heat after 00:22:54.480 --> 00:22:57.740 baking bread for making this potato dish. You 00:22:57.740 --> 00:23:00.160 slice potatoes, you lay it up with like raw onions, 00:23:00.339 --> 00:23:02.940 sliced raw onions, and you add some stock and 00:23:02.940 --> 00:23:04.640 then you just bake it all together. The stock 00:23:04.640 --> 00:23:06.640 reduces, gets really thick and really velvety. 00:23:06.819 --> 00:23:09.200 The potatoes get really like, you know, all the 00:23:09.200 --> 00:23:11.819 way cooked through, but really silky. I do a 00:23:11.819 --> 00:23:15.039 version that is inspired by one of my favorite 00:23:15.039 --> 00:23:18.720 chefs. uh james henry who's got an incredible 00:23:18.720 --> 00:23:21.240 restaurant in the french countryside called little 00:23:21.240 --> 00:23:24.220 yin basically potatoes really thinly sliced you 00:23:24.220 --> 00:23:26.599 take a nice sort of presentation pan ideally 00:23:26.599 --> 00:23:28.859 it's like a copper pan you know like a rondelle 00:23:28.859 --> 00:23:32.359 that's not too high you rub that with butter 00:23:32.359 --> 00:23:35.500 and what i do is like i peel a big potato i cut 00:23:35.500 --> 00:23:38.579 it in half i cut it like at an angle very thinly 00:23:38.579 --> 00:23:41.700 all the way down and then i press it so it fans 00:23:41.700 --> 00:23:44.390 out And then I put that fan into the thing and 00:23:44.390 --> 00:23:46.349 I just repeat that until I have this rose pattern 00:23:46.349 --> 00:23:49.309 going all the way around into the center. Then 00:23:49.309 --> 00:23:51.210 I add some caramelized onions on top that I just 00:23:51.210 --> 00:23:54.029 caramelized down in a pot. And then I add a very 00:23:54.029 --> 00:23:57.269 nice either like a chicken stock or like whatever 00:23:57.269 --> 00:23:58.750 it is. Chicken stock works perfectly. If you 00:23:58.750 --> 00:24:00.930 have a brown chicken stock, it's very good. Amazing. 00:24:01.150 --> 00:24:03.049 If you have some collagen in it, it's even better. 00:24:03.369 --> 00:24:05.109 And then you just put it in the oven and you 00:24:05.109 --> 00:24:07.440 just forget about it. Until the top is really 00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:09.559 crispy and caramelized. Oh, sorry, I forgot a 00:24:09.559 --> 00:24:11.059 really important step. You need to add some flakes 00:24:11.059 --> 00:24:13.700 of butter on top also. And if you make it right, 00:24:13.859 --> 00:24:17.440 the potatoes are crispy on top, super tender, 00:24:17.759 --> 00:24:21.779 meaty, juicy on the bottom. Everything is glazed 00:24:21.779 --> 00:24:24.500 by this like reduced meat stock butter mixture 00:24:24.500 --> 00:24:27.660 with these like pockets of sweet caramelized 00:24:27.660 --> 00:24:30.339 onions. And you bring that out onto a table. 00:24:30.420 --> 00:24:34.059 It looks gorgeous. It's beautiful. But at the 00:24:34.059 --> 00:24:36.700 same time, it's so much fun to eat because I 00:24:36.700 --> 00:24:40.680 love making this because it's so visually stunning. 00:24:40.759 --> 00:24:42.779 But at the same time, the texture of the potato 00:24:42.779 --> 00:24:45.740 with this flavor is really special. And it's 00:24:45.740 --> 00:24:48.200 just potatoes and onions in stock, you know. 00:24:48.319 --> 00:24:50.440 But yeah, if you haven't made it, give it a try. 00:24:50.539 --> 00:24:52.099 I think it's probably one of my favorite potato 00:24:52.099 --> 00:24:55.599 dishes there is. By the way, you saw the pumpkin 00:24:55.599 --> 00:24:58.859 bushi from normal projects? Looks pretty cool. 00:24:58.900 --> 00:25:02.279 I did. I did. I'm really curious to try it, actually. 00:25:03.339 --> 00:25:05.559 There was something else, right? It was like 00:25:05.559 --> 00:25:08.660 a pumpkin seed praline. Was it that or something 00:25:08.660 --> 00:25:10.680 similar? Yeah, there was a pumpkin seed praline 00:25:10.680 --> 00:25:13.119 also. I also haven't tried that, but that sounds 00:25:13.119 --> 00:25:15.339 fucking delicious, man. That sounds so good. 00:25:15.480 --> 00:25:18.359 I can really imagine the flavor of a pumpkin 00:25:18.359 --> 00:25:21.500 seed praline. It makes so much sense also. And 00:25:21.500 --> 00:25:25.119 for me, that would also be like a very Christmassy 00:25:25.119 --> 00:25:28.740 thing. Oh, yeah. Maybe for dessert, maybe for 00:25:28.740 --> 00:25:33.759 a cheese interlude. Would you? Cheese at Christmas 00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:36.339 is a must -have. What kind of cheese are you? 00:25:36.400 --> 00:25:38.160 Are you sort of like a blue cheese guy? Are you 00:25:38.160 --> 00:25:41.339 more like a Gruyere guy? Yeah. What's the name 00:25:41.339 --> 00:25:44.500 of this super orange cheese? You know, the one 00:25:44.500 --> 00:25:49.960 that... No. Same color, but French. French? Orange? 00:25:50.160 --> 00:25:55.740 Yeah. Mimolette. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Very nice. 00:25:56.480 --> 00:25:59.680 The one that you, like, slice down. Like a mimolette 00:25:59.680 --> 00:26:04.460 with pumpkin seed praline on a toast. Amazing. 00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:06.940 I wouldn't complain with something like that. 00:26:06.960 --> 00:26:09.039 Amazing. Yeah, I also love, you know, like I 00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:11.500 love just like a very good blue cheese, some 00:26:11.500 --> 00:26:13.579 like nice toasted bread and some like walnuts, 00:26:13.660 --> 00:26:16.440 you know, some, some embryo maybe, you know, 00:26:16.440 --> 00:26:18.420 just on the side. You just crack the walnuts 00:26:18.420 --> 00:26:21.480 there on the table, you know, you eat. Amazing. 00:26:21.740 --> 00:26:25.039 Like a quince jelly. Yeah. Quince. We haven't 00:26:25.039 --> 00:26:27.240 said anything about quince. I think it's also 00:26:27.240 --> 00:26:30.759 very... Very Christmassy. I know a lot of people 00:26:30.759 --> 00:26:33.339 who don't know what quince is. A quince compote 00:26:33.339 --> 00:26:37.660 with your foie gras at the beginning. That's 00:26:37.660 --> 00:26:41.140 a killer. I think quince is so underrated. It's 00:26:41.140 --> 00:26:44.119 one of my favorite fruit, honestly. Like cooked, 00:26:44.299 --> 00:26:48.180 it's just unparalleled. The flavor of quince 00:26:48.180 --> 00:26:50.799 is amazing. You know, there is a whole obscure 00:26:50.799 --> 00:26:55.750 category of fruits in that domain. like in the 00:26:55.750 --> 00:27:00.829 apple, quince, pear family, that are underused, 00:27:00.970 --> 00:27:03.430 you know, that you wouldn't find normally like 00:27:03.430 --> 00:27:05.950 in the supermarket or in markets because nobody 00:27:05.950 --> 00:27:09.930 consumes them. But there are like these crossovers 00:27:09.930 --> 00:27:13.390 with pear and quince that are also hard that 00:27:13.390 --> 00:27:17.150 you can't cook. 100%. I've heard one that in 00:27:17.150 --> 00:27:21.039 Spanish is called pero. which is like the male 00:27:21.039 --> 00:27:23.519 of pear. And it's something like that. It's like 00:27:23.519 --> 00:27:27.839 a very, like a quince pear kind of thing. Super, 00:27:27.900 --> 00:27:30.099 super nice. You know, yeah, absolutely. That 00:27:30.099 --> 00:27:33.180 makes me think of something that I love and that 00:27:33.180 --> 00:27:36.119 I've only really seen in Germany and in the UK, 00:27:36.240 --> 00:27:39.079 but also not like in, not very commonly. That's 00:27:39.079 --> 00:27:42.400 crabapple. You know crabapple? No. They're these 00:27:42.400 --> 00:27:45.269 like tiny apple looking like fruit. And you can't 00:27:45.269 --> 00:27:47.190 really eat them raw. I mean, maybe you can, I 00:27:47.190 --> 00:27:49.410 don't know. But they're like also kind of hard. 00:27:49.650 --> 00:27:52.549 And you can make amazing pickles from them. You 00:27:52.549 --> 00:27:55.029 can make amazing compotes. And more commonly, 00:27:55.069 --> 00:27:58.049 you can make a really amazing jelly. And it has, 00:27:58.170 --> 00:28:01.690 just like quince, a very, very particular flavor. 00:28:01.950 --> 00:28:03.630 Like, I mean, if you had to describe quince to 00:28:03.630 --> 00:28:05.170 somebody, you'd be like, well, it's kind of like 00:28:05.170 --> 00:28:06.869 this. It's kind of like pear, kind of like apple, 00:28:06.950 --> 00:28:09.029 kind of floral. But you wouldn't really be able 00:28:09.029 --> 00:28:10.750 to describe it because it's just so specific. 00:28:11.089 --> 00:28:14.990 Same with crab apple. Sandy. kind of quality 00:28:14.990 --> 00:28:19.390 that it has, you know? Yes, true. It's like when 00:28:19.390 --> 00:28:26.349 a cat licks you, you know? Yes, true. Like kissing 00:28:26.349 --> 00:28:29.849 a cat, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course, 00:28:29.869 --> 00:28:34.750 that's an experience that we've all made. That's 00:28:34.750 --> 00:28:37.049 a completely normal thing to say or think about. 00:28:38.490 --> 00:28:41.009 Okay, let's talk about desserts. I feel like 00:28:41.009 --> 00:28:43.170 for some reason, you know, I'm not a pastry chef, 00:28:43.269 --> 00:28:46.789 but for me, Christmas is almost more about the 00:28:46.789 --> 00:28:49.349 pudding than it is about the main meal. Hey, 00:28:49.450 --> 00:28:52.230 Phil, have you subscribed to our newsletter yet? 00:28:52.450 --> 00:28:55.289 We have a newsletter? What's a newsletter about, 00:28:55.430 --> 00:28:58.369 Erik? Every month we share one cool thing from 00:28:58.369 --> 00:29:00.549 the world of food and restaurants and occasionally 00:29:00.549 --> 00:29:04.269 a recipe we swore we'd never share. Like your 00:29:04.269 --> 00:29:07.390 secret boiled egg lemon tart recipe. But Erik, 00:29:07.589 --> 00:29:11.069 that was my grandma's secret recipe. Not anymore. 00:29:11.589 --> 00:29:14.470 Subscribe to our newsletter where we unveil all 00:29:14.470 --> 00:29:20.329 of Phil's grandmother's secrets. Would you have 00:29:20.329 --> 00:29:25.369 like a palate cleanser? Do you know what is super 00:29:25.369 --> 00:29:29.529 common here in Spain? Mixing like cava with like 00:29:29.529 --> 00:29:32.910 a lemon ice cream. Yeah, I was going to say that. 00:29:33.009 --> 00:29:35.269 I was going to say like vodka with a little bit 00:29:35.269 --> 00:29:37.430 of like a yuzu sorbet or something is amazing. 00:29:37.670 --> 00:29:41.589 Yeah, exactly. That is super nice. Cava is super 00:29:41.589 --> 00:29:44.009 common here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I can see that. 00:29:44.069 --> 00:29:46.950 I would smash those, honestly, on Christmas Eve. 00:29:47.150 --> 00:29:49.930 Fuck. Frozen margaritas before dessert. I wouldn't 00:29:49.930 --> 00:29:53.109 make it to dessert, I don't think. Yeah, but, 00:29:53.190 --> 00:29:55.430 like, what kind of pudding do you go for? Like 00:29:55.430 --> 00:29:57.650 I said, like, for me, something important is 00:29:57.650 --> 00:30:01.650 it could be anything, but I need those Christmas 00:30:01.650 --> 00:30:06.759 spices. You know, those cinnamon, lemon, orange, 00:30:06.960 --> 00:30:14.700 ginger, allspice, star anise kind of thing. So 00:30:14.700 --> 00:30:19.039 it could be like, you know, like a simple ganache 00:30:19.039 --> 00:30:21.940 with those things or an ice cream with those 00:30:21.940 --> 00:30:27.160 things. Or, you know, like those would be easy 00:30:27.160 --> 00:30:29.759 bets for me. Even a cheesecake with that, you 00:30:29.759 --> 00:30:33.369 know, like. Yeah, very nice. Christmas cheesecake. 00:30:33.789 --> 00:30:37.069 Hmm. Christmas cheesecake. Christmas cheesecake. 00:30:37.210 --> 00:30:39.950 Yeah. That's, I think that's a, that's a good 00:30:39.950 --> 00:30:44.230 market idea. Christmas cheesecake. Hmm. Yeah. 00:30:44.309 --> 00:30:46.750 For me, it's like, I don't know. Christmas Negroni. 00:30:47.769 --> 00:30:52.650 Yes, exactly. A perfect combination. Um, for 00:30:52.650 --> 00:30:55.569 me, it's like, I don't know, like desserts and 00:30:55.569 --> 00:30:57.289 Christmas are very nostalgic. Like for me, the 00:30:57.289 --> 00:30:59.289 first thing that I think of is, uh, Riz Alamon. 00:31:00.470 --> 00:31:03.619 Um, Like a nice arroz con leche. Oh, really? 00:31:03.619 --> 00:31:06.740 Sort of like merengada. That's really nostalgic. 00:31:07.240 --> 00:31:10.220 That's really like childhood kind of thing. Oh, 00:31:10.220 --> 00:31:11.900 a hundred percent, man. With like some almonds 00:31:11.900 --> 00:31:13.839 in there, like nice, a little bit of lemon zest 00:31:13.839 --> 00:31:16.440 inside the mix, like cinnamon, vanilla, good 00:31:16.440 --> 00:31:18.940 quality vanilla, and then cooked really nicely. 00:31:19.319 --> 00:31:21.900 Fuck, man. There's like few things that I'll 00:31:21.900 --> 00:31:25.160 enjoy eating more than that. Have you seen, you 00:31:25.160 --> 00:31:27.960 know, Daniel Calvert of Cezanne in Tokyo? I know 00:31:27.960 --> 00:31:31.019 who he is, but... oh you don't know him personally 00:31:31.019 --> 00:31:33.140 you don't go playing golf with him every sunday 00:31:33.140 --> 00:31:39.259 no okay no no no not this time but man he made 00:31:39.259 --> 00:31:41.079 this like he's got this new dessert that he's 00:31:41.079 --> 00:31:43.380 like i saw it on instagram and it's basically 00:31:43.380 --> 00:31:47.980 rice pudding risa lemon that's baked inside of 00:31:47.980 --> 00:31:51.500 a puff pastry so you Like he makes this like 00:31:51.500 --> 00:31:54.500 long pastry with this like homemade puff pastry 00:31:54.500 --> 00:31:57.079 and it bakes the rice pudding inside of the puff 00:31:57.079 --> 00:32:00.140 pastry. So you have this crispy dome that's like 00:32:00.140 --> 00:32:02.299 domed up and then like a layer of rice pudding 00:32:02.299 --> 00:32:06.019 in pastry. It looks insane. It looks absolutely 00:32:06.019 --> 00:32:08.599 unbelievable. But like just like a normal rice 00:32:08.599 --> 00:32:10.779 pudding with like poached cherries, you know, 00:32:10.779 --> 00:32:15.680 amazing. And then maybe something like a buttermilk 00:32:15.680 --> 00:32:18.279 ice cream with like poached apricots, apricots 00:32:18.279 --> 00:32:22.180 with some star anise. Some white wine. Yeah, 00:32:22.339 --> 00:32:28.539 like I was thinking about that also. Like a roasted 00:32:28.539 --> 00:32:32.079 apple or pear or something. Some of these fruits 00:32:32.079 --> 00:32:34.700 we mentioned. And again, there you have like 00:32:34.700 --> 00:32:38.359 the spices I was saying also. You know what is 00:32:38.359 --> 00:32:42.220 very common in Venezuela? We have our own version 00:32:42.220 --> 00:32:47.500 of what in Germany is called Aya liqueur. Which 00:32:47.500 --> 00:32:51.900 is basically a creme anglaise with rum. Basically. 00:32:53.039 --> 00:32:57.359 What more do you want? Honestly. What more do 00:32:57.359 --> 00:32:59.539 you want to completely finish yourself off towards 00:32:59.539 --> 00:33:05.000 the end of the year? No, I'm serious. It's fucking 00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:08.200 amazing, that stuff. It's so dangerous. But yeah, 00:33:08.319 --> 00:33:11.579 having one of those, which brought me to... I 00:33:11.579 --> 00:33:13.599 remember when I was in Bolivia, there was this 00:33:13.599 --> 00:33:19.880 really talented... bartender mixologist and he 00:33:19.880 --> 00:33:24.220 did a cocktail he called it he called it like 00:33:24.220 --> 00:33:26.660 part of a song that was related to arroz con 00:33:26.660 --> 00:33:30.220 leche like rice pudding but yeah he had the flavors 00:33:30.220 --> 00:33:32.779 of a rice pudding like where you would feel the 00:33:32.779 --> 00:33:35.480 lemon zest and the cinnamon and the rice but 00:33:35.480 --> 00:33:37.700 yeah it was like a thick cocktail and it was 00:33:37.700 --> 00:33:40.759 kind of like this kind of like a creme anglaise 00:33:40.759 --> 00:33:44.400 with yeah with rum Man, that sounds amazing. 00:33:44.619 --> 00:33:47.259 That's so intense. Honestly, I think one of my 00:33:47.259 --> 00:33:50.079 favorite times to cook and to eat is Christmas 00:33:50.079 --> 00:33:53.240 time. It's just, there's just something so, so 00:33:53.240 --> 00:33:56.440 warm and so like nostalgic about it, you know. 00:33:56.460 --> 00:33:58.640 Also like, you know, the days before, like baking 00:33:58.640 --> 00:34:01.619 cookies and like that sort of stuff. You know, 00:34:01.619 --> 00:34:04.099 in Germany, obviously like Lebkuchen, roasted 00:34:04.099 --> 00:34:06.740 chestnuts. If you're like on a walk, you know, 00:34:06.740 --> 00:34:09.280 and somebody's selling roasted chestnuts on the 00:34:09.280 --> 00:34:11.239 street, you get a little paper bag of roasted 00:34:11.239 --> 00:34:13.989 chestnuts. Simple pleasures, you know, but really, 00:34:14.090 --> 00:34:16.730 really nice. Oh, yeah. Like also doing desserts 00:34:16.730 --> 00:34:21.090 with marron glacés. You know, like I remember 00:34:21.090 --> 00:34:26.889 this dessert from a chef that was my teacher 00:34:26.889 --> 00:34:31.130 in culinary school. And he would do a crème pâtissière, 00:34:31.250 --> 00:34:36.550 a pastry cream, and turn it, like blitz it with 00:34:36.550 --> 00:34:40.150 the marron glacés. So you would have this chestnut 00:34:40.150 --> 00:34:43.699 pastry cream. And basically that was the dessert. 00:34:43.920 --> 00:34:46.360 Then he would do this two wheels and forma in 00:34:46.360 --> 00:34:49.280 the shape of a tube and fill them. But you would 00:34:49.280 --> 00:34:52.360 have this canutillos, you know, like, and then 00:34:52.360 --> 00:34:57.900 crotch with the chestnut. That was amazing. It 00:34:57.900 --> 00:34:59.840 can't be so simple, you know? Yeah. What else 00:34:59.840 --> 00:35:03.360 do you want? And that concludes our year. Thank 00:35:03.360 --> 00:35:05.219 you very much for making that really amazing 00:35:05.219 --> 00:35:07.659 year for us. Thanks for listening up to this 00:35:07.659 --> 00:35:09.860 point. Unless this is your first episode, then 00:35:09.860 --> 00:35:11.800 go back to the beginning and start all over again. 00:35:11.860 --> 00:35:14.300 And I'll see you here in a year's time. Wishing 00:35:14.300 --> 00:35:17.079 you all a very Merry Christmas. Happy cooking. 00:35:17.460 --> 00:35:20.679 Try not to kill the family members that you only 00:35:20.679 --> 00:35:26.579 see one time a year at this sacred day. And yeah, 00:35:26.639 --> 00:35:27.780 don't forget to love each other.