Blake Makes

Blake Makes Mag Tease from Blake Killian on Vimeo.

BlakeTakes: Roux from Blake Killian on Vimeo.

Hello, dear Blake Makers. This isn’t a food post, but you’re my friends, so I must share. It’s all in the video below.

Big Brother exists. But, Big Business also exists. All the operator had to do was direct me to the video online to prove they got me. After I saw it, I paid. No questions asked. The fine was $130, btw. I wonder how many of those they process in a day? I wonder how many of me’s are born every minute?

Scary. Hold me!

Here’s some raw footage of the effervescent time I had last night at Savvy Gourmet. I participated in one of their cooking classes, and if you’ve never done it, do it. If you ever visit New Orleans, do it. We made three different types of gumbo, two of which I had never heard of before (I can’t wait to tell you what they were).

I wish I could live at Savvy Gourmet. I can’t wait for you to see the show! Give us a week or so to get it out of post. Stay tuned! BTW, the footage below was shot on my crappy, little handheld. The main footage will be coming to you in brilliant HD (Thanks to Steve).

They’re almost ready….

What’s in that food processor? from Blake Killian on Vimeo.

Chopper’s New Haircut from Blake Killian on Vimeo.

Today was my first trip to the Crescent City Farmer’s Market. I’ll be there every Tuesday for the rest of my life. It was small, but fantastic. There were about 20 or 30 vendors with everything from fresh meat and produce, to bread and candy. I passed by the strawberries, and was in love.

It took everything I had not to walk away with a full flat. I grabbed 2 pints and shot this video.

Stawberries In Winter from Blake Killian on Vimeo.

Spice is a food, right? Loyal Blake Makers, please forgive the non-food post. There’s a little food stuff at the end, but mostly this post is about the fun we had in Vegas last weekend.

Bridget and I met some friends in Vegas for the Spice Girls concert. This is their reunion tour, and they’re making a few stops in the U.S. When Bridget heard this, she was determined to get tickets by enlisting everyone she knew to submit their e-mail addresses for a chance to buy tickets. We got our chance, and bought four.

Spice Girls Vegas 2007 from Blake Killian on Vimeo.

The Spice Girls peaked when I was in high school, and although I knew a few of their songs (Wannabe, Say You’ll Be There), I wouldn’t say I was a huge fan – Not like Bridget and Patrick. Going into the concert weekend, I was excited to be in Vegas, but thought the concert would be just a good time. It was a lot more than that.

Let me rewind for a moment. We got into Vegas on Friday, and we had reservations that night at Bouchon, Thomas Keller’s restaurant in the Venetian (our hotel). More about Bouchon later.

Saturday morning we went to the Liberace museum. If you’re going to Vegas and you’ve never been, GO see Liberace. It’s a very good time (very Vegas), or at least what I imagine Vegas used to be (gaudy, cheesy and over-the-top). It’s way off the strip, and I thought it was funny how in the same complex there’s a 24-hour strip club right next to a Korean mission. Like I said, very Vegas.

Spice Girls Saturday Night

I had a general idea of where our seats were when we bought them months ago, but was shocked to see how close we were to the stage when we got there. We were just to the right of the stage, and literally ten feet from it. At several points, one of the ‘Girls’ would perform on the section of the stage nearest us. It was a blast.

Speaking of blast, we were all deaf by the time the concert was over, but we wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. It was loud, over-the-top and we never sat down. A fan or not, you really missed out if you weren’t there.

The Bouchon Restaurant Review

I’ve been excited about eating at Bouchon for weeks since I bought Keller’s cookbooks, the French Laundry and Bouchon. Bouchon (the restaurant) was…ok. Parts of the meal were great, but others were just mediocre. Read the rest of this entry »

I made cupcakes the other day. I had to sift the powdered sugar for the icing. The sugar went every where.

This is how it goes. Cooking gets a little messy, but the ends justify the means. Here’s a taste of what we’re cooking up now. We have a few more rounds to go to get the recipe just right, but I can’t wait for you all to taste it. Enjoy!