Feedback from the last dinner

As I said, they lovede the dinner I did last Friday. After a little prodding via SMS they commented it on the Belle Assiette. Here it is (in French):
Five Stars
"Grace au chef Angus Morison, nous nous rappelons toujours des 60 ans de mon papa. Nous nous sommes vraiment régalés. Tous les plats nous ont agréablement surpris, de l'apéritif avec les gougères ultra légères à la tartes tatin caramélisée... Les quantités étaient et le goût au rendez vous. Je reprendrai et conseillerai ce chef sans hésité."

Of course, you should always prefer www.chefangus.com . 

First Dinner via the "Belle Assiette"

Last Friday I did my first dinner obtained via the Belle Assiette. The first time I cooked for people I I did not know at all. I have to say that they were very nice and that it was a great success, with a round of applause at the end. I did the "Marché" menu. Of course, if you require my services, it would be best if you went directly to my site.

First entry in the Guestbook

My friend Angie (after some delay) has written up in the Guestbook for the meal I did back in novembre (20 covers). Take a look: http://www.chefangus.com/livredor.html . Then tell me if you think she is exagerating a little!

La Belle Assiette

While waiting for my site to become a bit higher in the google search results (any tips welcome) I have joined La Belle Assiette .

New dishes, new Photos

I have added 3 more dishes to the Gallery (and actually removed one).
They are:
Chaud-Froid de Saint Jacques. I think I have finally got the scallop recipe that I want, something simple to reveal all the subtlety of the scallops. They are quickly sautéed, and then a sauce which is something in between a vinagrette, a mayonaise and a mousse (thank you Bamix).
 "Le duo de Canard: Petits choux farci avec cuisse de canard et pied de porc, filet de canard", my creation that.
and
"Tarte Tatin aux Poires", finally a desert which looks and tastes professional (thank you Gordon Ramsey).

Buffet for the Wine Club

On Wednesday I did a buffet for the "COF" (Cercle Oenophile de Fourqueux). This is a sort of Wine Tasting Club. Or more generally a Wine everything club. The guest star was M Barnard Havard of Chateau Les Grimard. He presented his wines, and I did the food. Look at some photos:

What do you think? A bit like Haloween maybe :-). Do you like the style? Antway the people present loved the food. I had a lot of compliments and gave out a lot of visiting cards. Do you think I should put some of the photos on my site  ? Are they sophisticated enough?

The Philosophy

So, what is my food all about? A number of things. First pleasure. My aim is to give pleasure. That might seem obvious.  Perhaps all chefs have that objective. So maybe I can be a bit clearer by saying what I do not aim to do. For example, I have no desire whatsoever or ambition to win any competitions. We can put competitions in two categories. There are  professional competitions, or rather qualifications, such as MOF (Meilleur Ouvrier de France). Chefs who become MOF have reached the pinnacle of their profession. They are light  years above me. I am humble and in awe before them. But, fortunately, one does not need to become a MOF to give pleasure. Then there are  television, or should we say "reality show" competitions. I am sure these serve a purpose, especially when judged by great chefs; and they make a good show for the tele. But, not my cup of tea. And may I say that the one sort of television show that I particularly hate is the one where the competitors judge each other (along with giving the most catty and  degrading comments they can think of). What could be further from the spirit of generosity, sharing and pleasure which, for me, is what food is all about.
So, having defined the objective, how do I go about it? Take a look at some of the photos on my site. I hope they make you feel hungry! You will notice that the dishes are simple. For example, the "Partridge on cabbage" consists of just partridge and cabbage (along with a few wild mushrooms). Most chefs - competition chefs, starred restaurant chefs - would have something much more sophisticated: more ingredients, unusual and novel combinations. Do not think that I am necessarily knocking this approach. When it is done well, by the best, it is the best (along with the price to go with it).
Well, that's enough for now. Watch out for  "Philosophy part Two" coming up later.

"Chef à Domicile" - starting the blog.

This blog is about my latest adventure: Home cook, or, as we say in France "Chef à Domicile". After many years working for Unisys I have left for early retirement (well, technically unemployment), soon to become fully fledged retirement. To keep myself busy, and earn a little money for my growing (up) and expensive familly I am returning to one of my former trades (and loves): chef. This time I will not be working in restaurants but in people's homes, doing private dinner parties, functions, or whatever you want. With my computer skills I have created a web site, and with my photographic skills I have taken a number of photographs so that you can get a good idea of the sort of stuff I do.
So, do not wait a second: check out the site.
Or, if you prefer the French version: site in French.
There you are. More coming. I will be blogging about my food and about the site. For the food you can expect interesting articles about my philosophy. Of course you might not agree. But your comments will be very welcome. And, oh yes, maybe about wine too (my other passion).