Bacon Popcorn

This will warm you up on a cold day.

Canola oil 12 TBS
Popcorn, preferably dusty blue variety 1 1/3 C
Applewood smoked bacon, thinly sliced 1 Lb
Butter-2 Lbs
Salt -as needed
Instructions:
1. Heat canola oil in a large pot, add popcorn and pop. Place in large bowl.
2. Fry bacon until crispy, reserving rendered fat.
3. Purée cooked bacon and rendered bacon fat with melted butter. Toss popcorn with bacon butter, season with salt and serve.

$40,000 Lobster Press

There it is, the Regent Grand Hotel in Bordeaux, France has this great piece of equipment. It works just like a duck press, two people work the machine after removing the tail and claws the lobster goes into the machine and out comes lobster jus, so much more developed than lobster stock. This piece of equipment weighs 90 pounds and is made of silver. I could deff see Daniel or Le Bern in New York buying this machine and using it. I know Daniel has a duck press.

Recipe for Coke

The recipe:
Fluid extract of Coca: 3 drams USPCitric acid: 3 ozCaffeine: 1 ozSugar: 30 (unclear quantity)Water: 2.5 galLime juice: 2 pints, 1 quartVanilla: 1 ozCaramel: 1.5 oz or more for color

The secret 7X flavor (use 2 oz of flavor to 5 gals syrup):Alcohol: 8 ozOrange oil: 20 dropsLemon oil: 30 dropsNutmeg oil: 10 dropsCoriander: 5 dropsNeroli: 10 dropsCinnamon: 10 drops

Alinea ***

On Sunday December 5th 2010, Ric, a fellow intern from Charlie Trotter's and I went embarked on what is called the best restaurant in the United States- Alinea.

I had called a month and a half in advance, I knew I had wanted to go there as soon I as I got to Chicago. I told them I worked at Trotters and got the hookup. We got a few extra courses and some Champagne and some wine on the house.

Pictured are the Edible drinks which are:

Passion Fruit-Flor de cana 4year, matusalem clasico, sailor jerry

Lemon-Luxardo bitter, luxardo amaro, grapefruit

Apple-Laird's apple brandy, grenadine, thyme

Squash-Cynar, carpano antica, flor de cana 7 year

Kumquat- rittenhouse rye, peychaud's, demerara

Next was Chao Tom- Sugar Cane, Shrimp, Mint

Next was Bass-Black Pepper, Vanilla, Lemon

The next picture is- Canard a la cussy from Escoffier

The first picture is of the famous Chocolate Dessert- it's plated on the table with red wine soaked blueberrys, honey and peanut.

It was an amazing meal!!! There were a few misses, but overall it was totally worth it.