Off The Menu: Culinary book explores ‘basic truths of cooking’ - MassLive.com

A restaurant chef who aspires to a high degree of professional competence needs to achieve mastery in three spheres.

The first of those is, not surprisingly, technique, the hands-on skills that are taught in every kitchen and culinary school.

A second essential area he or she needs to be comfortable with are the flavor affinities that govern good cookery — the what-goes-with-what of ingredient pairing.

Finally, a first-class culinarian understands how technique and ingredients interact. The basic processes by which flour and water become bread or how eggs and fat can be emulsified into mayonnaise are examples.

Technical competency has always been a precondition to kitchen success, and in recent years, thanks to authors like Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg and thesaurus-like volumes such as their work The Flavor Bible, a knowledge of how flavors complement each other has become more accessible.

The third manifestation of food preparation expertise, the dynamics of how ingredients come together to create a dish, often remains a mystery to those who work with food.

An understanding of how ingredients and technique successfully interact is available, however, in the form of “Ratio,” a slim volume of culinary wisdom by cookbook author Michael Ruhlman.

“Ratio” deconstructs the art of cookery into a series of key ratios that govern how ingredients and technique lead to finished dishes. A knowledge of those ratios, Ruhlman asserts, liberates a chef from the tyranny of recipes, allowing him or her to create new food experiences almost at will.

Ruhlman was first inspired by an instructor at the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Uwe Hestnar, who had, for his basic skills class, reduced recipes down to a series of ratios that fit onto a single page.

Using Ruhlman’s ration approach bread, for instance, can be described as a ratio of 5 parts flour to 3 parts water, plus yeast and salt. Knowing that ratio and the techniques of working with dough empowers the chef or baker to successfully create an extensive range of bread products.

In his book “Ratio,” Ruhlman defines and expands upon ratios for a range of kitchen and bakeshop essentials - custards, stocks, soups, vinaigrettes, and more - and in doing so, defines what he calls “the basic truths of cooking.”

It’s an enjoyable read from which any cook or chef, no matter his or her experience level, can gain understanding and inspiration.

“Ratio” by Michael Ruhlman is published by Simon and Schuster.

The Log Cabin Banquet and Meetinghouse in Holyoke will be hosting, in conjunction with Rock 102 Radio, a “Bacon & Brews” event on Sunday, Nov. 14, from noon until 3 p.m.

The “B & B” experience will include an array of bacon-inspired “bites” created by the culinary staff at the Log Cabin. A cash bar stocked with a selection of craft beers will be available for the enjoyment of attendees.

Entertainment will include live music by The James Paul Band and #doubledoseofdave. Games and other fun activities are also planned.

Those attending must be 21 or older; positive ID will be required,

Tickets are $26 plus a ticket broker’s fee. They can be ordered at eventbrite,com/e/bacon-brews-2021-tickets-162074957561.

With winter weather not far away, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) has begun lobbying mayors and other municipal CEOs to extend and promote outdoor dining during the months ahead.

In a letter to the chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Mike Whatley, the vice president of state affairs and grassroots advocacy for the NRA, asked that the Conference’s member mayors extend restaurant access to outdoor sidewalk and street spaces, streamline any permitting processes required, and provide public funds for outdoor dining infrastructures.

According to data gathered by the National Restaurant Association, two-thirds of full-service restaurants are currently making more than 20% of their revenue from outside seating. The Association is thus advocating that access to such seating space be permitted indefinitely.

Domino’s Pizza is offering a new assortment of oven-baked dips; the dips come paired with the chain’s parmesan or garlic bread twists.

Flavor combinations available include Cheesy Marinara, a layering of marinara sauce and melted cheeses, and a Five Cheese that incorporates Asiago, cheddar, Parmesan, American, and pizza cheeses.

Domino’s has also developed a dessert-focused Baked Apple Oven-baked Dip that incorporates sweetened baked apples. It comes paired with cinnamon bread twists.

The three baked dip creations are being promoted by Domino’s as permanent menu offerings.

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers & Brews have, for a limited time, added three new items to their menu.

They include a Cheese Bacon Fondue Burger, a classic cheeseburger served with a side of cheesy bacon fondue. Also available separately as a side, the fondue is a melted cheese sauce with bacon crumbles folded in.

Two other items, an Ultimate Grilled Cheese pizza and traditionally styled Mozzarella Sticks, are making a late fall-early winter appearance on the Red Robin menu, where they are slated to remain until late January 2022.

There are Red Robin locations in Holyoke at the Holyoke Crossing shopping center and in Enfield on Hazard Avenue.

Of all the supply chain snarls that currently bedevil the restaurant business, perhaps none is more frustrating than shortages of take-out packaging.

In a study last July of food service supply chain problems, research firm Dataessential found that the majority of restaurants were experiencing difficulty sourcing take-out containers and packaging.

To make matters worse, prices for restaurant paper goods, when they are available, have risen sharply.

Reasons for the supply issues can be traced to the usual suspects - lack of transport and tie-ups in the distribution system. Compounding the impact of those issues, is the uptick in take-out sales that the COVID pandemic triggered, which in turn drove up demand for carry-out containers.

The characteristics of the disposables manufacturing industry are also a factor. The production process is capital-intensive, so companies tend to fine-tune their operations so as to keep plants running at full capacity. Inventories of paper goods are bulky and thus costly to store, so manufacturers make only as much as they expect to sell. If demand spikes suddenly, there are limited supplier safety stocks to fall back on.

Particularly frustrating is the non-interchangeability of most to-go containers - caps for one brand of cups don’t fit other brands, even though the rated capacity of the container is the same. With shortages widespread, some restaurants, for instance found themselves with plenty of take-out dishes, but no lids that fit them.

Industry insiders expect the supply chain issues in paper and plastic goods to last well into 2022.

The Table 3 Group in Sturbridge has put together several dining options for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

The Duck and Avellino are planning an all-inclusive menu for that day. The line-up will include starters, a choice from among four entrees, and a dessert option. Several appetizer add-ons will also be available. Reservations can be made by calling (508) 347-232.

A buffet dinner will be featured at Table 3′s function space, The Barn at Wight Farm. Chef-attended stations will be the primary form of service. There will be appetizer and salad stations, a carving station stocked with roast turkey and prime rib, and a selection of classic Thanksgiving sides at a hot dish station. Dessert service will also be part of the meal experience.

Call (774) 241-8450 to reserve a spot.

Additionally, Table 3′s casual venue, the Cedar Street CafÇ, is offering to-go Thanksgiving dinner components like roasted turkey, side dishes, salads, and pies. Orders to-go can be placed by calling the Cafe at (508) 347-6800.

Figaro Restaurant in Enfield will be presenting a tribute show entitled “Neil Diamond Meets the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin” on Nov. 7.

Starting Charlie Lask and La Dawn Owens, the evening will begin at 7 p.m. with tickets priced at $25.

Dinner seating, which is not included in the show price, starts at 5:30 p.m. In addition to selections from the regular menu, Figaro offers an Italian American buffet prior to the show, with a cash bar also available.

Call (860) 745-2414 for information or reservations.

Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College’s hospitality and culinary arts program and has nearly 45 years of restaurant and educational experience. Robert can be reached on-line at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com.

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https://www.masslive.com/dining/2021/10/off-the-menu-culinary-book-explores-basic-truths-of-cooking.html

2021-10-30 11:29:00Z
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