My Beloved Knives, Part 4

Gustav Emil Ern

(9 1/2 inch blade)

This knife was a leave behind by a former roommate and co-worker (he stole from me while we lived together, so don't think too poorly of me for not tracking him down to make sure he gets it back).  When I found it in a random box in the garage it looked like something I probably should have just thrown away.  Every square inch of the metal was pure rust!  It felt hefty and well made in my hand so I figured it worth taking a chance on and I brought it to my "knife doctor".  He did the most amazing job in bringing it back to life and, in doing so, revealed that amazing stamped logo.  I love this knife's character and it's what I use for hacking up bones (oops, that makes it sound like I'm coughing up bones...maybe whacking is the better word) to make stocks and sauces.  If you look closely, you can see some pretty significant nicks in the blade.  Poor guy, his last job was chopping up some very sturdy venison bones while I was still chef at Calistoga Ranch.  I have since relegated him to more suitable bone chopping jobs such as fish frames, chicken, duck, and rabbit bones, to name a few.

My Beloved Knives, Part 3

Friedr. Dick

(8 1/2 inch blade)

Ok, so it's not the most macho chef thing to have your name engraved on your knives, but let me explain.  This is one of my culinary school issue knives, the same one everyone at the school has...need I say more?  This is a heavy, thick, sturdy German knife.  No longer my style (...future post...) but it still gets some use in my kitchen.  This one comes out when I need to halve a large winter squash (if you've ever tried cutting a kabocha, you will know what I mean) or filet a whole salmon where my more delicate Japanese knife might get dinged.  When my family and I were in Venice one of the vendors at the Rialto Market was using a saw very much like this one...

to cut these kabochas (photo credit to my sister, Robin...go Robs!)...

My Beloved Knives, Part 2

J.A. Henckels

(6 inch blade)

When I first went to visit the Culinary Institute of America as a junior in high school I took a look around their bookstore (a school I would attend many years later after 8 years of cubicle hell working in the insurance industry).  I remember a huge glass display case filled with different Henckels knives.  I guess it made an impression since I bought this one soon after that trip.  You may notice that the blade has taken on a bit of a concave shape...this is from the many times that I sharpened it on my whetstones...evidently with sub-par technique.  Some chefs like to sharpen their own knives, some don't...I don't (though I used to).

My Beloved Knives, Part 1

Like many chefs, I suspect, I've owned a great many knives over the years.  Over this and the next handful of posts I will share with you some of my most significant.

Here, then, is my own culinary journey as told through my knives...

Sabatier

(current blade 1 15/16 inches)

(probable original blade 4 inches)

The first knife I ever owned, this has great sentimental value for me and I will have it forever...even once all of the metal is gone and it's just that beautiful wooden handle.  I do have a few ideas on how to turn it into a VERY useful new tool for the kitchen, but that's a story for another day.  As you can see, it is currently on life support, with more than half of its blade gone and its tip snapped off :-(  When I was in junior high school I saw an advertisement in Bon Appetit Magazine for a set of these great looking, wood-handled Sabatier knives.  To get you to try them the ad had a picture of this knife that you could mail away for at a price even my lawn mowing income could afford...$5.95.  I eagerly clipped the ad and sent it in along with a check.  Then, much like Ralphie Parker waiting for his Super Secret Society Decoder Ring, I waited patiently for it to arrive in the mail.  In the earliest years of its life this knife's main vocation was making apple swans to decorate plates of hors doeuvres when my parents threw parties.  In it's adult life, it helped make some great food in each and every restaurant in which I have worked.  

A moment of silence, please   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .

Wine/Food Pairing with Ziata

I recently met up with Karen Cakebread to taste one of my dishes with her amazing 2008 Ziata Pinot Noir.  She had asked if I would like to contribute a recipe for her website and I jumped at the chance!


After reading through the winemaker's notes on the wine, I started working on a dish that I thought would match well.  What I came up with was this dish of Wild Nettle Cannelloni with Roast Chicken, Chanterelles and Pancetta.  I prepared the dish, Karen brought the wine and we both agreed the pasta, the wine and the cool weather all combined for a great experience.


Please give this recipe a try and definitely pick up a bottle of the Pinot Noir today!
(and a bottle of her equally delicious Sauvignon Blanc)