Extra work ~ worth it?

I mentioned in another thread I saw Daniel Boulud as a guest chef on The Rachael Ray Show this morning. He did a demo on a Tarragon Vinegar Chicken.

Part of the instructions were to add pearl onions and peeled cherry tomatoes.

My question is: if you were making the dish for your family, not a company dish, would you take the time to blanch & peel the little cherry tomatoes?

Since I have nothing but time on my hands, I probably would do that. I enjoy some of the small detail work and love to play around early in the day with my mise en plas and using every little container in my kitchen to keep ingredients separate until time to cook. I like to take my time and chop things so the vegetables are the same size, stuff like that. I'm not a speed demon and I don't understand the hurry, especially since I have lots of time to play around getting my meals prepared. I suppose if I was employed in a restaurant kitchen it would be much more important to be speedy but, at best, I'm a short order cook and you'll get your food when I say it's done!

not me. heck I even buy frozen whole pearl onions.lol Now I used too. when my back didn't give out.

Hell no. If DH wants the tomatoes peeled, he knows where the peeler is.  

No, REALLY, Jana ~ tell me how you feel.....




I have to laugh because I'm the type person who de-seeds GRAPE tomatoes before roasting to dehydrate. I just don't like the seeds.

I'd do it but then the skins just rub off easily once you drop them in boiling water. It doesn't take long at all. Plus, tomato skins annoy me if they're small pieces in the dish.

I still parboil and peel the little pearl onions, too, though I admit it's a PITA. Someone told me I can buy them frozen but the time I looked for them, it was holiday time so there was just an empty space in the grocery freezer where they normally were.

Barb, you can always set yourself up sitting at the kitchen table, even if you have to cover it with newspaper prior to say, sitting to peel something. Brian likes to help me and I often set him up at the table because of his back.

I surely would not peel them. I would probably just use a couple of big tomatoes and chop them large dice.