French Cooking
Thought for the Day: “As we advance in life it becomes more and more difficult, but in fighting the difficulties the inmost strength of the heart is developed.” — Jesse
This is my favorite of the Culinary Arts and my strongest point. Mastering the art of French Cooking is the theme for this collection of French Cooking Recipes.
“The French… have surrounded food with so much commentary, learning and connoisseurship as to clothe it in the vestments of civilization itself… Cooking is viewed as a major art form: innovations are celebrated and talked about as though they were phrases in the development of a style of painting or poetry… A meal at a truly great restaurant is a sort of theatre you can eat.”
Although French Recipes and French Cooking may not appeal to everyone, it is always elegant and refined. The masterpieces of royal cooks have become a signature in French cooking and the world’s greatest chefs were masters of the recipes and cuisine. Different from Italian cooking, French cuisine is also noted for the diverse food preparation coming from each of the 26 regions. French recipes and techniques have also had a great influence on European cuisine as a whole. Schools that teach cooking techniques use standards and the cooking recipe of French cooking as the foundation for many other styles. This is especially apparent in western cuisine and recipes. It is the approach to healthy cooking and food in French recipes that reflects their love of dining, appreciation of fresh ingredients, home cooking and ingenuity in the use of available ingredients in the different territories.
Where as interest in French cooking varies, each region in France has a special outdoor cooking recipe for each season and occasion. The different seasons has also challenged the ingenuity of the French chefs in coming up with a gourmet cooking recipe for varied dishes using basic ingredients that are plentiful. In summer, the cooking is light; salads and fruit dishes give the refreshing and healthful respite from the winters. When summer is gone, mushrooms are plentiful in the countryside’s and appear in tasty stew recipes. Unlike Chinese cooking that highlights sea food, cooking venison highlights the well-prepared table during the hunting season that starts from September and runs until February. In spring, French food is spiked with oysters. Hence, French cooking is an art and has introduced gustatory delights to the commoner’s table through diversity.
The major tastes and flavors of French cooking recipes were invariably influenced by their proximity to other countries. Alsace, which is near Germany, has sausages, salted pork, raisin cakes, and potatoes as the main ingredient in their recipes for robust meals for all occasions. In the Alps region cheese reigns in almost all its provincial dish’s recipes. The Artois-Picardy provinces in the northern regions have fish dishes and terrines. The bouillabaisse a stew of fish, tomatoes and herbs is a favorite starter to any meal and a well-loved dish in the Cote d Azure and Provence areas. The French cooking recipe in Britanny has made use of fruits in season in crepes; they also have the tasty flat crusty cakes and dumplings. Burgundy made edible snails an exotic dish and the southwest recipe gave the world cuisine pate foie gras a dainty dish of duck liver. Many French cookbooks make vegetarian cooking recipes difficult. However for the time-harassed French food enthusiast, there are now French cook books that make it easier and more fun to prepare than ever, with cooking tips and techniques. Not to mention the fact that even without cooking school or fancy cooking equipment, you can impress your friends with food, the names of which they cannot pronounce when you master a French cooking recipe.
Hope you enjoy these French cooking recipes, including Beef Bourguignon, Pork with Mushroom Cream Sauce, French Onion Soup, Creme Brulee, Braised Peppercorn Short Ribs, Alsatian Onion Tart, Salmon Salad Nicoise and many more. — Jesse
Uncover The Truth Behind 4 Food Myths
Thought for the Day: “When you make a mistake, there are only three things you should ever do about it: admit it, learn from it, and do not repeat it.”— Jesse
It goes like this, a client looking to lead a healthier life hires me, a personal trainer, to help him improve his diet. I analyze what he’s been eating, factor in his food preferences, and together we create an eating plan that fits his lifestyle and goals.
Soon after, he’s noticeably leaner and more energetic a happy customer. That’s when the trouble starts. After a coworker asks him for the details of his diet, my client suddenly finds himself in a heated interrogation. Doesn’t your personal trainer know red meat causes cancer? And that potatoes cause diabetes? Shouldn’t he tell you to eat less salt, to prevent high blood pressure?
The upshot:
Myths just made my job a lot harder. That’s because nutrition misinformation fools men and women into being confused and frustrated in their quest to eat healthily, even if they’re already achieving great results. Thankfully, you’re about to be enlightened by science. Here are five food fallacies you can forget about for good.
Myth #1: “High protein intake is harmful to your kidneys.”
Back in 1983, researchers first discovered that eating more protein increases your “glomerular filtration rate,” or GFR. Think of GFR as the amount of blood your kidneys are filtering per minute. From this finding, many scientists made the leap that a higher GFR places your kidneys under greater stress.
What science really shows:
Nearly 2 decades ago, Dutch researchers found that while a protein-rich meal did boost GFR, it didn’t have an adverse effect on overall kidney function. In fact, there’s zero published research showing that downing hefty amounts of protein—specifically, up to 1.27 grams per pound of body weight a day—damages healthy kidneys.
The bottom line:
As a rule of thumb, shoot to eat your target body weight in grams of protein daily. For example, if you’re a chubby 200 pounds and want to be a lean 180, then have 180 grams of protein a day. Likewise if you’re a skinny 150 pounds but want to be a muscular 180.
Myth #2: “Sweet potatoes are better for you
than white potatoes.”
Because most Americans eat the highly processed version of the white potato—for instance, french fries and potato chips—consumption of this root vegetable has been linked to obesity and an increased diabetes risk. Meanwhile, sweet potatoes, which are typically eaten whole, have been celebrated for being rich in nutrients and also having a lower glycemic index than their white brethren.
What science really shows:
White potatoes and sweet potatoes have complementary nutritional differences; one isn’t necessarily better than the other. For instance, sweet potatoes have more fiber and vitamin A, but white potatoes are higher in essential minerals, such as iron, magnesium, and potassium. As for the glycemic index, sweet potatoes are lower on the scale, but baked white potatoes typically aren’t eaten without cheese, sour cream, or butter. These toppings all contain fat, which lowers the glycemic index of a meal.
The bottom line:
The form in which you consume a potato—for instance, a whole baked potato versus a processed potato that’s used to make chips—is more important than the type of spud.
Myth #3: “Red meat causes cancer.”
In a 1986 study, Japanese researchers discovered cancer developing in rats that were fed “heterocyclic amines,” compounds that are generated from overcooking meat under high heat. And since then, some studies of large populations have suggested a potential link between meat and cancer.
What science really shows:
No study has ever found a direct cause-and-effect relationship between red-meat consumption and cancer. As for the population studies, they’re far from conclusive. That’s because they rely on broad surveys of people’s eating habits and health afflictions, and those numbers are simply crunched to find trends, not causes.
The bottom line:
Don’t stop grilling. Meat lovers who are worried about the supposed risks of grilled meat don’t need to avoid burgers and steak; rather, they should just trim off the burned or overcooked sections of the meat before eating.
Myth #4: “Salt causes high blood pressure
and should be avoided.”
In the 1940s, a Duke University researcher named Walter Kempner, M.D., became famous for using salt restriction to treat people with high blood pressure. Later, studies confirmed that reducing salt could help reduce hypertension.
What science really shows:
Large-scale scientific reviews have determined there’s no reason for people with normal blood pressure to restrict their sodium intake. Now, if you already have high blood pressure, you may be “salt sensitive.” As a result, reducing the amount of salt you eat could be helpful.However, it’s been known for the past 20 years that people with high blood pressure who don’t want to lower their salt intake can simply consume more potassium-containing foods.
Why?
Because it’s really the balance of the two minerals that matters. In fact, Dutch researchers determined that a low potassium intake has the same impact on your blood pressure as high salt consumption does. And it turns out, the average guy consumes 3,100 milligrams (mg) of potassium a day—1,600 mg less than recommended.
The bottom line:
Strive for a potassium-rich diet, which you can achieve by eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and legumes. For instance, spinach, broccoli, bananas, white potatoes, and most types of beans each contain more than 400 mg potassium per serving.
Hey, Joe… how about a spot… I’m going for a one-rep-max if it kills me…”
“Sure, why not…”
Gotta love it… we press… Jesse
Fitness Chef Eventi!
Thought for the Day: I think if you exercise, your state of mind – my state of mind – is usually more at ease, ready for more mental challenges. Once I get the physical stuff out of the way it always seems like I have more calmness and better self-esteem. — Jesse
The Chef’s Table. Delivering Tranquillity, One Plate At A Time. Within these pages you will find gourmet recipes, traditional, Culinary Olympics, and healthy as well as expert information and tips from world-class Team chefs. Many of the recipes you will see in the recipe section are unique recipes that I have created and some are traditional recipes that I have modified in my own work. Others are recipes submitted by Certified Master Chefs I have worked with. Feel free to browse through all the recipes and copy whichever ones you choose
This commemorative page depicts the journey of my travels from Mobil Five Stars Hotels around the USA. It is dedicated to the chefs who devoted years and countless hours, who made the journey easier in so many ways, to the Chefs from whom I learned so much, and who so generously and willingly supported me.
Most recently my clients have asked me if chefs in the restaurant business exercise and if they care about staying fit. I told them that people who have physically demanding jobs need to exercise just like everyone else and a lot of my friends in the restaurant business are curious about working out and how it could potentially help them to withstand the grueling hours in the kitchen.
“Chefs aren’t known for their svelte physiques. The stereotypical chef tastes food all day then stays out late eating and drinking. And hitting the gym isn’t a top priority. Although cooking professionally can be physically arduous, it involves activities that mostly leave them exhausted without helping them manage their weight or get in shape.”
“Stand for twelve to fourteen hours on a cement or tile floor and see how well your back holds up. Add some deep knee bends as you’re taking heavy stock pots form the floor to the top of a fat top of a oven (also great for the back), repetitive motion injuries from cutting up meat, fish and vegetables for hours at a time and the occasional burn or cut.”
I believe that the essence of good health springs from your own kitchen. You can eat the foods you love by cooking them the healthy way to satisfy both body and soul. I celebrate delicious, easy to prepare dishes that can be enjoyed for a lifetime, reinventing meals that grandma would be proud to serve.
My love affair with food began when I was a teen, I will take you exploring through, all the pages with frequent “flashbacks” of recipes taken while I was working in Mobil Five Star Hotels around the USA. Not all of them are not for losing weight or to gain weight most of them are for you to enjoy and to see the other side of the me and the Culinary.
I was born in U.S.A. Trained in the Culinary Arts Program at the Orange County Community College. Upon graduating my culinary career began at an early age, starting at age 19 as a Chef Saucier for the Executive Chef at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, Boca Raton, FL “Mobil Five Star” Hotel . I studied the skills of the chefs above me, learned quickly and moved up the ranks. My thirst for culinary knowledge then took me to Phoenix Az, where I spent time at Camelback Inn, AJW Marriott Resort & Spa Phoenix Az. “Mobil Five Star” Hotel as Sous Chef My true talents began to shine under the watchful eye of Certified Master Chef Siegburt Wendler and Corporate Chef for Westin Flagship Hotel Website | Arizona Biltmore Phoenix Arizona.“Mobil Five Star.”
His talents shined, and he was invited to participate with him in the Orangerie a Award-Winning Menu and the main hotel kitchen of Banquets as Sous Chef at age 28. I honed my culinary career as Sous Chef at one of the world’s finest luxury resorts – Southern California Beach Resorts- The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel “Mobil Five Star” Hotel under Executive Chef Christian Rassinoux. I was impressed by the techniques and styles of the European chefs. Were I learned the value of the freshest ingredients, shopping at local markets and buying fresh truffle mushrooms from food providers that would stop by the fine dinning restaurant. With the new-found knowledge of Old World cooking techniques and new innovative ways in a Award-Winning Menu. I then took my culinary skills to the acclaimed Doheny Hotel Near Sunset Blvd | Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles “Mobil Five Star”
After four years I then went with Christian Reber to the renowned “Mobil Five Star” Westin Hotel-Century Plaza, as Sous Chef under CMC-Certified Master Chef Mr. Raimund Hofmeister to hone my culinary style skills in Banquets and Gardemanger 5000 people, and focus on the finer details of unique and innovative Award-Winning fine dining La Chaumier 150 people. (Amongst Raimund achievements, He has been awarded 2 gold medals, 1 silver award with Team U.S.A. in the 1984 World Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt, Germany ‘L.A. Chef of the Year’ and many many more award’s.
Certified Master Chef CMC Raimund Hofmeister.
I assisted Certified Master Chef CMC Raimund Hofmeister in 1990 creating a show platter of Smoked Pheasant Breast stuffed with Pork Sausage and wrapped with Caul Fat, for the trials of the 1992 United States Culinary Olympic Team at the Westin Hotel-Century Plaza California.
At the Century Plaza, I also supervised a staff of 30 Culinarians, and room service banquet meals weekly. La Chaumiere Award-Winning restaurant, located in The Tower, which has received wide critical acclaim and is one of the premier restaurants in Los Angeles. The Century Plaza Hotel hosts a large variety of banquets and conventions for the entertainment and business communities as well as many charities.
By being part of 1992 United States Culinary Olympic Team at the Westin Hotel-Century Plaza California. I would like to bring the knowledge I have gain from international competitions to the U.S.A. This knowledge and experience will help young Chefs to distinguish themselves in upcoming competitions at both the national and international level. I continue to expand both my personal horizons and those of the people I work with by being on the cutting edge of culinary trends.
A dining experience is a blend of pleasing sensation’s whether you prefer elaborate candlelight dinners or light snacks on a sun-drenched patio.
I just love being involved in this industry for the challenges, the journeys, the people who I have met and gave me the direction, but everyday is different that’s why it is so unique.
I hope you will enjoy this collection of recipes, tips and menu ideas from Executive Chef Jesse J. Erving, CMC Chefs, Team USA chefs and their friends. Choose a category, explore the culinary possibilities and enjoy the recipe results.
Executive Chef, – Fitness Chef- Jesse J. Erving
Here are some videos of the “Mobil Five Star” Hotels I have worked at over the years. The best of time. Old School time when the Chef ruled.
True Health is lot more than the Absence of Disease
Thought for the Day: The great accomplishments of man have resulted from the transmission of ideas and enthusiasm. — Jesse
This can be confusing for many people. You can ask 100 different athletes and will get 100 different answers. Depending on your fitness goals, any form of exercise is better than none. There are two types of fitness, muscular and cardiorespiratory or aerobic, both offer great benefits to your physical well-being.
I personally focus on muscular fitness a bit more for my life than aerobic fitness. What is the difference? Well muscular fitness includes your muscular strength and endurance and uses the overload principle. What is overload? You must increase the resistance, frequency, or duration of your training above normal levels. Aerobic fitness is your ability to perform repetitive moderate to high intesity, large muscle movements for a prolonged period of time. This includes long brisk walks, biking and swimming. Again, you must overload your body by changing the frequency, intesity, duration or exercise choice in order to see positive results.
Your fitness routine will depend on your fitness goals. Do you desire muscle strength as a powerlifter, muscle endurance as a long-distance runner, muscle hypertrophy as a bodybuilder, or just general training? Each utilize different exercises and are specific to that particular goal. I train for muscle hypertrophy. I like to do many sets (4-16) of several reps (3-4-6-8-12) with brief rests (30-90 sec) between the sets. A “muscle pump” is produced during the resting phase. I sometimes will do split routines to focus on a particular body part and really like pyramiding my weight first from light-to-heavy and then heavy-to-light. I do vary my training and will also incorporate a high rep/low weight all body workout such as Body Pump at Gold’s gym. I really do listen to my body and exercise accordingly. For example, if my legs are sore but it is “leg” day, I will switch to another body part until my legs are completely recovered. I also prefer to work intensely four time a week. I may workout a lagging area more often (every day) over a stronger bodypart.
The only thing remaining is hard work, love, hope and faith.
There ya go… Godspeed…Jesse
True Health is lot more than the Absence of Disease
Thought for the Day: A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all medicine and psychology in the world. — Jesse
I believe good health and well-being would not be possible to achieve without attention to proper nutrition, good sleep habits, stress management and healthy environment – both emotional and physical. The challenge is finding the right balance between all of the above components. I hope to be your guide on the path to finding it. My professional philosophy stresses an integrated approach to well-being.
My role in improving my clients’ quality of life is that of an educator, motivator and designer of personalized fitness programs. I stress the long-term health benefits of improving one’s strength, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness which invariably lead to better appearance, positive outlook on life and enhanced self-esteem.
“Valor and tenacity go hand and grip with iron and steel.”
Godspeed… Jesse
Historically, on the hCGdiet you were required to drop your caloric intake to 500 calories per day. Dr Dan Koontz, Larry Scott and our experts have proven that you can up your caloric to as much as 1,500 calories a day and still lose up to 25 pounds per cycle by using our Guaranteed Weight Loss System Simply increase your activity with exercise and/or some training and still get rid of your bad fats.
