Thomas Kellar's Thursday Our Daily Dinner

Thomas Kellar's Thursday

chuckieb 9 years ago
Having a dastardly time trying to think of a good 'T' word for Thursday. :) Typed in famous chefs and looked desperately for one that started with the letter T. :) Yay! Found one. I'm not at all familiar with Thomas Kellar although once I started to read his bio on Wikipedia I have certainly heard of "The French Laundry".
For those who aren't familiar with him either. He is a 59 yr. old American Chef, restauranteur and cookbook writer. He and his landmark Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry in Yountville, California, have won multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation, notably the Best California Chef in 1996, and the Best Chef in America in 1997. The restaurant is a perennial winner in the annual Restaurant Magazine list of the Top 50 Restaurants of the World. In 2005, he was awarded the three star rating in the inaugural Michelin Guide for New York for his restaurant Per Se, and in 2006, he was awarded three stars in the inaugural Michelin Guide to the Bay Area for The French Laundry. He is the only American chef to have been awarded simultaneous three star Michelin ratings for two different restaurants. I see one of his cookbooks is called "The French Laundry Cookbook" written in 1999. I should borrow it from the library to see what's what. :)
Prior to the opening of The French Laundry, Thomas Keller started a small olive oil company called EVO, Inc. in 1992, with his girlfriend of the time, to distribute Provençal-style olive oil and red wine vinegar. Recently, Keller started marketing a line of signature white Limoges porcelain dinnerware by Raynaud called Hommage Point (in homage to French chef and restaurateur, Fernand Point) that he helped design and a collection of silver hollow ware by Christofle. He has also attached his name to a set of signature knives manufactured by MAC.
He worked on the film Spanglish and designed and taught star Adam Sandler to cook what is often called "the world's greatest sandwich", as a plausible example of what a talented bachelor gourmet might cook for himself. The sandwich resembles a typical BLT, with the addition of a fried egg. Keller served as a consultant for the 2007 Pixar animated film Ratatouille, allowing the producer to intern in the French Laundry kitchen and designing a fancy layered version of ratatouille, "confit byaldi", for the characters to cook. In the American version he plays a cameo appearance as a restaurant patron (the part is played by one of Keller's mentors Guy Savoy in the French version, and Ferran Adrià in the Spanish one. Cool.
Well, I'm gonna make
Chicken Lickin Good Pork Chops
for dinner this evening in the Crock Pot with mashed potatoes on the side and some sort of veg. Spinach maybe. Not something you'll find in the French Laundry cookbook but yummy none the less. :)
I have a hair appointment this morning and going for tea to my friend Jo's this afternoon. What's everybody else up to today? Wishing you a good one!
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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

Put a pic of Benjamin and his new girlfriend Nhan in my Avatar. :) Messaged with him a bit this morning and he has to have a wisdom tooth out next Tuesday and then another (both on the bottom) next month. Poor guy.

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Good4U 9 years ago said:

Very nice pic of Ben and his new girlfriend Nhan, Janet:) How is your mouth feeling today? I am guessing it feels better if you are thinking about making pork chops for dinner. I hope so anyways. I have heard of Thomas Kellar and his cookbooks, restaurants etc. However, I did not know he had accomplished so much in the culinary world and was also a consultant for the movie Ratatouille. A cute movies btw. Poor Ben having to get his wisdom teeth out:( Ouch!

Dinner will be pork tenderloin something maybe Wiener Schnitzel? I will check in later on in the day.

Wishing everyone a wonderful day!

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

Thanks Joce! My mouth feels great. The only bothersome thing is the stitches. One's hanging down and getting in my way. The Dr. did say they'd drive me nuts but are supposed to dissolve in three days or so. :) I wouldn't even bother continuing on with the Aleve as my mouth doesn't hurt at all but it's supposed to help the swelling which is supposed to be worst on the third day after so I'll keep going with it 'til that goes away. Ratatouille was a fun movie. Very well animated. Yummers on Wiener Schnitzel.

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Good4U 9 years ago said:

Anything different in my mouth drives my tongue nuts! A good thing the stitches will dissolve so fast, Janet. I think I will also make some scalloped potatoes to go with the Wiener Schnitzel. I haven't made them in quite along time. Aleve is an anti-inflammatory apparently. I think it has Ibuprofen in it?

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Good4U 9 years ago said:

Tina, Marie, Shona, Karen, Michelle, Laurie, Lori, Laura, Corinne, MichelleB, Dahlia, Wendy, Brook, Donna, Ang, Connie, Jett and anyone else I am missing! Where are you???
COME ON DOWN, WE MISS YOU:)

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MissouriFarmWife 9 years ago said:

Loved ratatouille! My kind of movie! Cute picture in your avatar.

I mopped the kitchen and stiffened the dog hair - Homer and the cats have shed enought make another animal! Laundry is waiting to be removed from the drier but it can wait a while longer. Emptied the DW - my total accomplishments for this morning other than having a cup of coffee! Had not heard of Thomas Kellar!

Leftovers for lunch. No idea what to fix for supper but we may eat out if we go to Lowe's to pick up paint for the in-process-of-redoing bedroom / guest room / storage etc. room.

Guess I better go get some breakfast before it is time for lunch. LOL. Have good day!

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MissouriFarmWife 9 years ago said:

SP Joce!

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

Just re-read the instructions and it's a week before the stitches will probably fall out. Sigh.
MMmmmm on scalloped potatoes Joce. Love them and haven't had them in a long while. I'm not 'up' on medications but looked at the Aleve bottle and it says it's a naproxen sodium tablet.
That'd be fun to have dinner out Karen. What colour paint are you thinking of and are you doing the same colour in all rooms?
Back from the Hair dresser's. Always a nice visit. :)
Leftovers for lunch.

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notyourmomma 9 years ago said:

Hi, Gals. I'm in a paperwork quagmire. I hate it.
Janet, my sympathies on the oral surgery, Hope those stitches disappear soon. Enjoy your supper.
Karen, after the paperwork and filing, laundry is on the table. So much to fold and put away.
Joce, I want your dinner. Schnitzel and scalloped potates, yum.

I adore Thomas Kellar, his influence on New California cuisine is far-reaching. Reading the menu at the French Laundry is a fantasy. I think he would be the perfect consult for food on film. I'll have to look at the china for Ferdinand Point. I have a very old Vincent Price cookbook. He sings the praises of sampling Points' cuisine in his book. So fun.

I'm defrosting a tiny pork roast. Lima Beans and some kind of salad.
Hugs dear ones.

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

Bwa ha ha ha ah....after all my research on Thomas Keller I realize I've spelled his name incorrectly as Kellar up 'til now. Oops. :)

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notyourmomma 9 years ago said:

Just bought tickets to "Potted Potter", a play as a birthday gift for Olivia.
A Critic's Pick by the New York Times, New York Magazine and Time Out London, Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience -- A Parody by Dan and Jeff, won the prestigious 2012 Olivier Award nomination for Best Entertainment & Family Show; playing to sold-out houses worldwide. Written and performed by former BBC Television hosts Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner, the play takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing, or "potting", all seven Harry Potter books into 70 madcap minutes, aided only by multiple costume changes, brilliant songs, ridiculous props and a generous helping of Hogwarts magic. The show also invites audiences to engage with a real life game of Quidditch, but according to Clarkson and Turner's unique set of rules.

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Good4U 9 years ago said:

ROFL Just b/c I am lazy. I have been copying and pasting Thomas Kellar, Keller, Janet:) LOL Glad you caught it:)
Two of the most common over the counter NSAIDs are Ibuprofen (Advil, Brufen, or Motrin) and Naproxen (Aleve)

Tina, What an appropriate gift for Olivia! She will love it! I love the word quagmire but sorry you are in it with paperwork:(

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MissouriFarmWife 9 years ago said:

Mel just wriggled between my arm and side. He is very persistent and sees that as his place. So glad the baking is done so no cat hair gets in the muffins. Tina, I feel your pain as my laundry is waiting to be folded and put away! LOL!

Will probably stay with blue unless we go for using a primer then painting a neutral color. I threatened to do a camo mural to compliment his deer head mounted on the wall. It did not go over very well. No sense of humor. All the above is subject to change!

Did anyone watch Ellen deGenerss (apologize for spelling) design challenge. ,I could not believe they disqualified the winner -- that contestant did so much better than the runner up! I avoided using gender identification in case anyone has DVR'd it he / she won't have the ending spoiled. Haha.

I am using the iPad so have to watch for changed words. It tried to turn camo to cameo, then camp. I hate spell checking!

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

SP Tina! VINCENT PRICE HAD A COOKBOOK???? How freakin' cool is that? I ADORE Vincent Price. Your dinner this evening sounds lovely. Are you going to go to the play with Olivia? It sounds very fun. Benjamin invented a game he used to play on the pond in the winter time with a ball and the hockey nets that he called "Qitch". His own Canadian version Of Quidditch.
Googled Vincent Price. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the youngest of four children. His Dad Vincent Leonard Price, Sr., was the president of the National Candy Company. His grandfather, Vincent Clarence Price, invented "Dr. Price's Baking Powder," the first cream of tartar baking powder and secured the family's fortune. I just skimmed but it doesn't look as if Wikipedia mentions his cookbooks which is odd. I found them elsewhere and I see three "Famous Chefs", "A Treasury of Great Recipes" and "Cooking Price Wise". Which one do you have Tina? That is uber cool. I'm delighted at this new revelation. :) Read that one guy came across one of the books in an antique store and said it was the best $4 he'd ever spent. :) Never heard of Fernand Point either. Must google. :)

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

I'd seen previews of Ellen's new design show but haven't watched one yet Karen. What shade of blue? Turquoisey? Royal? :)

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mommyluvs2cook 9 years ago said:

Morning! Hmmm..I have never heard of Thomas Keller either Janet! Next time I'm at the library I will keep a look out for “The French Laundry Cookbook” as well. I love a good French Cookbook. I have actually cooked a few things out of Julia Childs “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and of course it's all rich and delicious :) Thats funny, I LOVE BLT's with fried eggs! Yum on the pork chops. Have a good time with your friend today! Cute pic. of Benjamin and his GF :) Ugh, I had a horrible experience with one of my wisdom teeth...good luck to him! Glad to hear your not in any pain...the stitches would drive me insane too!

Hi Joce! Wiener Schnitzel sounds yummy! I have made it once and it turned out great...I need to make it again soon.

Lol Karen, your house sounds like what my MIL's house used to be like. Both her dog and cat passed away last year, but they shed SO MUCH. She was constantly Swiffering and dusting. I did not see Ellens design challenge. I'm up in the air about how much I like her honestly. Sometimes she really annoys me lol!

Hi Tina. Sorry about all the paperwork. I need to look up that menu for the French Laundry. Pork roast sound yummy :) That play sounds fun, what a great gift for Olivia's birthday!

We FINALLY got something from the Union. They paid a HUGE chunk of our house note and gave us another $100 gift card. Works for us! Michael said he wasn't expecting anything near what they gave us. YAY! A little anxiety lifted off my chest.

The weather went from everyone wearing shorts and T-shirts yesterday, to really cold, windy and rainy. It's just nasty out there. I was going to go to the FM today with my friend but we canceled and rescheduled for Monday due to the weather. Michael went to a buddies house after a LONG Union meeting this morning. I'm sure they are pretending it's 5:00 and drinking beer. I pulled out hamburger meat and not sure what I'm going to do with it. Maybe tacos? Along with some homemade refried beans? Not sure yet. Hope everyone has a great day!!

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mommyluvs2cook 9 years ago said:

Decided on tacos for sure along with these Refried Pinto Beans

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

That's excellent that the Union was generous and you can breathe a bit. Sounds like a wise move to go to the Farmer's Market another day. LOL @ Michael at the Union meeting. :) I'd think a beer was in order. Yum on tacos.
Today's French Laundry Menu
http://www.thomaskeller.com/yountville-california/french-laundry/todays-menu
OMG! Look at the price. We will never eat there. $295 Price Fixe Menu but....if you want “CARNAROLI RISOTTO B IOLOGICO” (truffles) then you have to add a $175 supplement. But oh...get this...Service is included. Nice. Rolling eyes.

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Good4U 9 years ago said:

Gee I meant to mention how cool having Vincent Price's cookbook, Tina! I have seen a couple of his recipes floating around but had no idea he had a cookbook! WOW! I do adore him!
Very cool info about Vincent Price, Janet!
Michelle, Excellent you received more than was anticipated from the Union:) When stuff happens like that all you can do is yell. Yeah! The refried beans I make for tacos are from kidney beans mashed with butter, paprika and garlic salt. LOL now you have me dreaming about them and I can't eat them anymore. Bummer:(
Karen, Not a big fan of Ellen here. You guys are really going to town on your house! let us know what colour you decide to do.

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Good4U 9 years ago said:

"A Treasury of Great Recipes" by Vincent Price used sells for between $311.00 and up to and over $500.00 a copy on amazon.ca! Apparently there will be a new one published in the fall of 2015. Cool!

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

Very cool Joce! You need to remind me of the new publication in the Fall okay? :) Did you check out the French Laundry's menu? We SP'd there.

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mommyluvs2cook 9 years ago said:

Wow on that menu Janet! Lol at service included, why wouldn't it be?? LOL!!! I would NEVER pay that much for one meal. Does it come with a diamond necklace, jeesh!?

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Good4U 9 years ago said:

I will try Janet:) I am now subscribed to his daughter's sitehttp://www.cookingvincent.com/ and it will let me know when the book is available. Sometimes they do that sort of thing on Amazon as well.
HOLY! I think I would pass out seeing a menu that pricey!!! LOL @ the service included for $295.00 probably plus taxes and gee you would have to drink something! I wonder how much they charge for water?:)))

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MissouriFarmWife 9 years ago said:

No idea what color yet. Maybe a gray or tan / brown neutral color? The soft tan would go well with the hallway! If we do blue it will NOT be pastel. Of any kind! Probably a white ceiling, very standard. NO more popcorn ceiling.

I am not a fan of Ellen, either. But the premise of the design show was intriguing. I like the thought of original designs. The man from the West did some very original pieces, with the rustic / Western influence that I prefer over blah modern. I was rooting for him through the entire show. All the rest were East / West coast urban, as were most of the judges. I guess most HGTV designers seem to be urban contemporary oriented. Even their home of the year somewhere out West for last year was too contemporary for my taste.....I would have had to change out all the furniture and start over. Guess it is good I didn't win..Bwa ha ha ha ha!

SMILING at the large Union check! It must be a relief to have help with bills, etc.

I doubt I will ever set foot inside a place that sells a menu at those prices, Janet. LOL! Wow!

The urge to travel has tapped me on the shoulder. I sent it away with orders to come back in the springtime. It pouted. We have talked about FL and NC and Washington State, but no real plans.

My sister has moved somewhere in Alberta. I would have to look up the town again .....we don't write, usually touch base on FB and see each other maybe once a year. She is into Malamute rescue and I am still trying to find out who put up the. Invisible (to humans) sign that advertises Free Food for stray cats - sucker lives one mile down this road!

Have not seen any of Vincent Price's. Cookbooks but they sound interesting!

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mommyluvs2cook 9 years ago said:

Joce here is a Vincent Price cookbook for only $4.36 (of course it's used though) and it looks like free shipping as well!
http://www.thriftbooks.com/w/vincents-cookbook_john-mariani_vincent-guerithault/703872/?isbn=0898155665&mkwid=L4FP2A7x|dc&pcrid=65893807632&gclid=CjwKEAiAmuCnBRCLj4D7nMWqp1USJABcT4dfc0_G6HA4JEYjoNO9O7qVi2y0Eb1rusz_wmBf7lRjKBoCyjfw_wcB

I don't blame you on not wanting pastel blue Karen. It just reminds me of a baby boys room too much. I love to travel too, just not by car. I HATE long car rides where I'm stuck in one position and can't move for hours, plus I get carsick very easy. Put my butt on a plane and I am a happy camper....or even better a motor home! I love riding in motor homes :)

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Good4U 9 years ago said:

LOL Thanks, Michelle:) However it isn't Vincent Prices cookbook. This guy is Vincent Guerithault someone else:) Sounds like a good cookbook though. I am not a good person to go on long car rides either! Some motor homes are awesome!

I don't blame you for wanting to go neutral with your paint colour, Karen. I am very pleased with the colour I picked Cedar Key by Benjamin Moore Paints with white ceilings and white (white dove) trim. I had the paint books and paint chips for the week before I picked it. I would put different colours of things we had in the rooms to see if it blended in and went well with them. Then I had it down to which one I finally did choose. The colour of those paint things looked so different in the paint stores. I am glad I hemmed and hawed for a little bit before I decided on the correct one.

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mommyluvs2cook 9 years ago said:

Oh haha! I typed in Vincent Price in the Google bar and this popped up! Just saw the big "Vincent" didn't even bother to read the small printed last name on the book. LOL! By the reviews it does seem like a pretty good cookbook though :)

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laurieg 9 years ago said:

Hello all!
Worked late at Sutton, stressful and busy but less stressful since the owners are away and I don't have them breathing down my neck. Lol.
Pulled pork in the crockpot but it burnt a little. Didn't think things usually burnt in the crockpot. Mashed potatoes and kings Hawaiian rolls.
Love Vincent Price.

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

What a fun website (Vincent Cooking) Joce. Thanks for that.
Is that the sister who lived in Ontario that has now moved to Alberta Karen? Alberta's a beautiful province. I used to go skiing in Banff and Jasper when I was a kid living in B.C.
I didn't think things burned in a crock pot either Laurie. Perhaps the element has gone? Dinner sounds yummy despite the burned bits. :)
Had a nice visit with my girlfriend. Home now and Jim's building us a fire. Think we may watch "The Theory of Everything" on Pay-per-vu this evening.

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notyourmomma 9 years ago said:

I paid $75.00 new for 'The Treasury of Great Recipes' by Vincent and Mary Price circa 1977. Gold stamped frint and bound beautifully with thick glossy gilt edge pages, the pictures of their travels and their home are exquisite. He has detailed notes to each recipe, indicating where he tasted it and who he served to at home. Very early sixties decor, mid-century modern. My copy is a little beat up because I have flipped through it so many times.

Oh please tell me how the movie rates on the Janet scale. I know Olivia will have a hard time with it because his assistive augmentative device (AAC) uses the same 'voice' Tyer used. Unless Tyler got into the user control by accident, he would pick the three pack a day smoker woman as his voice. I could not abide the deep raspy breathy voice and Tyler knew it.

Some people wait a year to even reserve a meal (probably saving their money that whole year too) at the French Laundry. I looked up the Point dishes and they are unbelievably priced for a plain white plate....$75.00 and up for one oval dish. Of course the dishes are plain white or with the faintest embossed white in white check pattern (checkered chef trousers) to showcase the featured food. Fernand Point was a stellar French chef of technique and innovation. He was schooled like Escoffier but he pushed the rigid boundaries of typical French. He started demanded excellence in all things. Those Michelin stars are very difficult to acheive.

LOL on the camo paint. I have a favorite beige/taupe, it looks like coffee and cream. It is in my room and the family room. I'm going to get the hallway and touch up the kitchen in the same color.

Hurrah on the Union coming through for you, Michelle.
Laurie, I have burnt stuff in my crock pot...had too much sugar in relation to the apples for making apple butter. Sometimes bbq will get too reduced and stick and burn.

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MissouriFarmWife 9 years ago said:

Hi all.

The beige taupe combination would look great in a kitchen, Tina. or any other room. Nice surroundings for sipping a cup of coffee in the morning! The cookbook sounds fantastic!

Yes, Janet, I only have one sister and she is eleven years younger. She was somewhere near Ottawa but my lack of knowledge of Canadian geography is bad, bad, bad. I will have go searching FB for her posts to find the name of the town in Alberta. She bought a house and I believe she has moved in now. Her must haves were a room for her cats to escape unwanted doggie attention, and a fenced in yard.

I went with "courtyard shadow" which is a bluish gray depending on the light! White ceiling. White trim. We have a red, white, and blue spread, and the deer, gun rack, and maybe a set of antlers to make it rustic! The camo look was not encouraged, to put it mildly. Bwahahahaha! Wayne wants a Murphy bed but the room is a bit small for that. So it will be either a futon or bunks or a double bed. A bookcase and two antique dressers that belonged to Wayne's parents so they are permanent fixtures. Sigh!

Michelle, I can travel in cars but not airplanes! I get airsick just meeting someone at the airport. LOL!

Hi Laurie and Joce.

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MissouriFarmWife 9 years ago said:

P.S. Janet, the town in Alberta is Cameron.

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