Its Time to do the Laundry

5 Teens and the French Laundry Cookbook

 Thomas who? The French what? Some of you may be able to fill in those blanks, but most would have trouble identifying them. No worries though, I’m about to give you a lesson in fine dinning 101. The French Laundry by Chef Thomas Keller is located by the vineyards of Napa Valley (California). Opening just 16 years ago (1994) the French Laundry slowly but surely has risen to the top, becoming what then New York Times food critic, writer (and later Gourmet Magazine Editor) Ruth Reichel called “ the most exciting restaurant in America”. The food speaks for itself as each dish is plated artistically and offers a variety of flavors. The menu prices begin with a prix-fix (you pay one flat price) nine-course tasting menu and no single ingredient is ever repeated throughout the menu. Chef Thomas Keller is one of the most highly recognized and respected chefs in the Culinary World. He has been named “Best Chef” by the James Beard Foundation and is the only American born chef to hold multiple 3-star Michelin rating (thats the highest rating a restaurant can get). He also owns 3 other restaurants, Per Se (which is The French Laundry’s sister restaurant in New York), Bouchon (with locations in Napa, Beverly Hills and Las Vegas), and his latest restaurant Ad Hoc also located in Napa. Now that you know the what’s and who’s, it’s time to tell you why.  I decided to take on the impossible and get my friends to cook from the French Laundry cookbook. Call me crazy but it was a culinary adventure I just had to take on. Of course I couldn’t do this alone, I needed the help of my friends to help me set up a “3-star restaurant” in my own home. 

Common Threads

Of all the exciting new projects JeremyCooks is taking on, one in particular holds a very special place in my heart. I am proud and excited to announce our new partnership with Common Threads.  Founded in Chicago by Celebrity Chef Art Smith, Common Threads teaches underprivileged children (ages 8-12) how to cook and eat healthy. Chef Smith, who is the former Chef to Oprah Winfrey is a successful restaurateur and author. Using his celebrity and passion to make the world a better place he created Common Threads to "educate children on the importance of nutrition and physical well-being, and to foster an appreciation of cultural diversity through cooking." Common Threads is expanding its reach and is having its 1st Annual World Festival Miami on November 1st to raise funds and awareness. JeremyCooks and Common Threads are a perfect match as we both love to teach children how to cook, eat, and have a great time doing it! My participation for this event requires me to prepare 350 tastings of one of Chef Art Smiths recipes. This is both exciting and an honor for me, as I will be working amongst 15 talented and established chefs from the Miami area including Chef Michelle Bernstein who opened the Common Threads Miami Chapter.

For more information about Common Threads and to see how you could get involved please visit commonthreads.org.

Click here for Ticket information for the 1st Annual World Festival Miami.


Keep on Cooking!!!

KitchenDaily

Hey Everyone!

I am excited to finally announce that the first ever JeremyCooks, KitchenDaily post is up NOW! KitchenDaily.com is AOL’s food site and is full of kitchen wisdom from contributing celebrity chef’s such as Tyler Florence, Curtis Stone, Gail Simmons, Marcus Samuelsson, and many more. KitchenDaily also provides techniques, recipes, and skills from The Culinary Institute of America (the countries premiere culinary college). The website provides easy weeknight recipes, how-to’s, insight on holiday and dinner parties, and features such as Cooking with Kids, Cooking Equipment, Healthy Chef and so much more! I am excited and honored to be a part of the AOL family and KitchenDaily, which is viewed, by millions of people every month. Catch me on JeremyCooks.com and NOW KitchenDaily as I cook with kids and teens in and out of the kitchen!

Checkout the first JeremyCooks, KitchenDaily.com post UP NOW! I’m cookin’ up a 50’s style dinner with two of my closet’s friends. This fly dinner is sure to flip your lid with a modern twist on those 50’s classics that I’m sure you’ll dig!


Click here to visit A '50s Style Dinner Party for Teens

Keep on Cooking!!

ON-THE-GO: Friday Night Friends

It’s Friday night and it’s time to celebrate the end of the week by hanging out with friends. You might have a movie planned or a game of bowling but first your going to want to eat. Yes, you could go out but if you’re pressed for time and need to make that movie you’re going to have to cook ON-THE-GO! Believe it or not cooking with your friends can be a fun and exciting activity. As you know from my previous blogs entries I cook a lot with my friends and I’ve made some of my best memories with them. This past Friday night my cousin Lauren was having her friend Nicole over, they had activities planned but first they needed dinner. I saw this as an opportunity to help and offered to come over and create a meal ON-THE-GO!

ON-THE-GO: Easy Weeknight Meal

Jeremy and Eric getting ready to cook an Easy Weeknight Meal

 As kids and teen’s we all have busy lives, thing’s to do and places to be but that doesn’t mean there isn’t time for good food and cooking. I’m excited to introduce a new feature here on JeremyCooks called ON-THE-GO! It’s time that we all realize that an easy weeknight meal does not come from the microwave or a frozen box. I’m always cooking meals with others at my home, but now it’s time to pack up my kitchen and help others where they live. While ON-THE-GO I’ll create easy, simple and fresh recipes that anyone (not just kids) can make for just about any occasion.

Measure me up, Bowl me down

Metal Measuring Spoons

 If you happen to catch a glimpse of your grandmother baking that heavenly decadent German Chocolate Cake or cooking that “fall off the bone brisket”, you may notice that she doesn’t use measuring spoons or cups. Why? Simply because she’s been doing it for a very long time and that doesn’t mean you should follow, especially in the beginning. I’ve made that mistake of not using measuring tools plenty of times and have ended up with less then perfect results.

Metal Measuring Bowls

You definitely need a set of measuring cups and spoons and to be precise you’ll want metal or rubber (avoid cheap plastic). The reason I say to avoid plastic is because over time hot liquids or your dishwasher will eventually ruin them.  You’ll also want 1 or 2 measuring cups for liquid.

Liquid Measuring Cup

Like me, you might want an assortment of bowls, a few plastic and a couple of metal. The plastic bowls are good for just about anything but the metal bowls are sturdier. You can even find bowls that are weighted with rubber bottoms. Bowls with little spouts at the end of them make it easy to pour batters and other liquids out of.

Keep on Cooking!!!