Jim and Peta
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Gingered Carrot Soup
Well, the autumn is clearly upon us here in Marin County, probably with less force than is being felt in New England, but more than in Perth -- our respective "homelands". In autumn, the crockpot and soup making acoutrements come out from hiding. The last of the green chutney has been made and we had an overflow of carrots. What to do, what to do? Here's a simple, quick, easy and healthy soup that we've made before. We "forgot" to blog about it the first time, which is a shame, because it was better then than today. The ginger is a bit too strong (hot), but it still tastes like Thanksgiving. We added salt and we'll discuss what when right/wrong over dinner tonight. Updates to follow. The content below has been copied from the site linked at the bottom of the page.
Jim and Peta
Jim and Peta
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Baby's Got Back
Back in the day, Jim's friend Ben would go out to Jesse's Steakhouse in Hanover, NH and order the "Ribbets" appetizer and the rib entrée/main. He liked ribs. Well, so do we. And to make room for all of the venison that's going into the freezer, all weirdly shaped things must go!
We used the Alton Brown oven braising method for the ribs as usual. We use his 8:3:1 brown sugar to kosher salt to chili powder ratio, but never use the jalepeño seasoning. They come out fine. This time, we also substituted red wine for white wine with no ill effects. Jim's mom drank up the last of it! In our opinion, you'd be fine with any sort of marinade without the oil. A vinegar to cut the unctuousness of the pork, a sweet and a salt would work just fine I'll bet. Jim used a gravy separator to remove the fat from the braising liquid after cooking before reducing. Without it, a lot of the flavor was lost. So he added molasses for a depth of flavor, a bit more honey and a bit of cumin. Just eyeballng, really, but after a couple minutes under the broiler, Peta was happy. How the last four ribs are still in the 'fridge is a mystery. They taunt...
Jim and Peta
We used the Alton Brown oven braising method for the ribs as usual. We use his 8:3:1 brown sugar to kosher salt to chili powder ratio, but never use the jalepeño seasoning. They come out fine. This time, we also substituted red wine for white wine with no ill effects. Jim's mom drank up the last of it! In our opinion, you'd be fine with any sort of marinade without the oil. A vinegar to cut the unctuousness of the pork, a sweet and a salt would work just fine I'll bet. Jim used a gravy separator to remove the fat from the braising liquid after cooking before reducing. Without it, a lot of the flavor was lost. So he added molasses for a depth of flavor, a bit more honey and a bit of cumin. Just eyeballng, really, but after a couple minutes under the broiler, Peta was happy. How the last four ribs are still in the 'fridge is a mystery. They taunt...
Jim and Peta
One Shot, One Kill? Not This Time!
[Because I (Jim) was the only one on this next mission, I'll write in the first rather than the third person for most of this post.]
In addition to the doe that I got recently in Lovell, WY, I got another deer near Meeteetse and skinned and quartered it, for the first time, on the back of the tailgate on a hill while some girl and her grandpa shot a huge rifle nearby. I just finished processing yesterday since I made:
For the sweet Italian, I just added salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic and fennel. The Moroccan sausage was made with a Moroccan spice rub that we got for free from the "spice man" in Napa, where we buy our whole spices in bulk. It's a mixture of kosher salt, black pepper, garlic, rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, California chili, parsley, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, basil and oregano. Not very Moroccan if you ask me. Should have gone with the rub that Joanne Weir uses on her Pork with Moroccan spices in From Tapas to Meze. It's always a crowd pleaser
The demi-glace was made by chopping up the deer leg and shoulder bones, adding the usual carrots, onions and celery and cooking as though you would a stock (oops, just remembered that I forgot to add parsley to the bouquet garni) and then reducing for a good long time. I skimmed off the fat because deer fat is often quite gamey.
For the sauerbraten, I didn't want to bother Peter "the German", but I did remember that he always used juniper berries. So I googled "sauerbraten" and "juniper" and what should I find but our old pal, Alton Brown's recipe. I followed it to the letter so far, but it's only been day two, so I'll let you know how it comes out this weekend.
Cooked a burger last night with the fresh ground and it was super good. Here are some essential learning tips that I found out the hard way during processing:
We have a bunch of chanterelles drying on the kitchen table and plan to make a Farro "risotto" tonight, an idea that we got from a foraging website called Fat of the Land. We've been using homemade crème fraîche rather than marscapone for the sauce since we haven't motivated to get tartaric acid to make it ourselves.
Jim and Peta
In addition to the doe that I got recently in Lovell, WY, I got another deer near Meeteetse and skinned and quartered it, for the first time, on the back of the tailgate on a hill while some girl and her grandpa shot a huge rifle nearby. I just finished processing yesterday since I made:
- Bratwurst
- Sweet Italian sausage
- Some sort of Moroccan sausage
- Steaks
- Burger
- Venison demi-glace
- Top round sauerbraten
For the sweet Italian, I just added salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic and fennel. The Moroccan sausage was made with a Moroccan spice rub that we got for free from the "spice man" in Napa, where we buy our whole spices in bulk. It's a mixture of kosher salt, black pepper, garlic, rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, California chili, parsley, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, basil and oregano. Not very Moroccan if you ask me. Should have gone with the rub that Joanne Weir uses on her Pork with Moroccan spices in From Tapas to Meze. It's always a crowd pleaser
The demi-glace was made by chopping up the deer leg and shoulder bones, adding the usual carrots, onions and celery and cooking as though you would a stock (oops, just remembered that I forgot to add parsley to the bouquet garni) and then reducing for a good long time. I skimmed off the fat because deer fat is often quite gamey.
For the sauerbraten, I didn't want to bother Peter "the German", but I did remember that he always used juniper berries. So I googled "sauerbraten" and "juniper" and what should I find but our old pal, Alton Brown's recipe. I followed it to the letter so far, but it's only been day two, so I'll let you know how it comes out this weekend.
Cooked a burger last night with the fresh ground and it was super good. Here are some essential learning tips that I found out the hard way during processing:
- I left my new blow torch in Page's truck and, as it turns out, it's essential for burning off hairs.
- The best site for processing a deer is at williescountrymeats on youtube. Excellent video, but I still effed up a lot of stuff.
- Buy a caping knife, a boning knife, a skinning knife and a butcher knife and steel them often. Just do it.
- A gambrel for skinning and quartering would be key. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambrel
- You don't need a hacksaw/bone saw, but it could help.
- A waist-high cutting board is a must for avoiding back strain.
- Natural sausage casing is &*%& expensive and you only need one intestine or two at the most.
- Toasting the fennel for the sweet Italian sausage is a good idea.
- $100 is totally worth getting your deer processed by a pro.
We have a bunch of chanterelles drying on the kitchen table and plan to make a Farro "risotto" tonight, an idea that we got from a foraging website called Fat of the Land. We've been using homemade crème fraîche rather than marscapone for the sauce since we haven't motivated to get tartaric acid to make it ourselves.
Jim and Peta
Chocolate Taste Test
This battle was another that we did with Jim's parents. Sean of London had asked if there was anything that Peta was craving during her pregnancy and she emphatically said, "Chocolate!" Well, then. Sean brought a bunch and they are the following:
We still haven't tried the Zotter "Baobab und Bananen" and Jim can't wait. "But it's for Peta and the baby!" Hush now, you!
Jim and Peta
- Valrhona Guanaja 70% Cacao
- Zaabär Chocolat Noir with Pink Peppercorns from Bahia (Belgian)
- Zaabär Chocolat Noir with Thyme from Lavandou (Belgian)
- Zotter Fair Trade Organic, Bean-to-Bar, Hand-Scooped (Handgeschöpft!?), Coffee Plum with Ham/Bacon (Kaffeepflaume mit Speck)
We still haven't tried the Zotter "Baobab und Bananen" and Jim can't wait. "But it's for Peta and the baby!" Hush now, you!
Jim and Peta
Mushroom Taste Test
When Jim's parents came for a visit, we cooked steak, which is a rare occasion, for Jim's dad because we forced Vietnamese spring rolls on him the night before. We don't think that he was ready for them, but they are just too fresh, healthy, quick and tasty not to do!
Anyway, the mushrooms that we tested were bought by Sean of London, but we didn't have time or stomach to do a tasting when he was here. Perhaps he'll comment on the exact types that he bought, but we believe that we cooked: chanterelles, porcini (not sure if they were king or queen boletes), oysters, shiitakes and cremini.
We sautéed them all in butter in the same pan for comparison. They didn't release much liquid, so there wasn't much flavor overlap. The oysters and shiitakes were too chewy for Jim cooked in this manner, but Peta liked them, and the cremini lent their vague mushroom-like quality to the palate. The flavor of the chanterelle is, of course, unmistakable. It's worth the eight hour detour that Jim takes after deer hunting to go to his patch near Mt. Hood and pick many pounds worth ($20/lb at the store). They are drying on the kitchen table as we write!
However, the show stopper of the taste test was the porcini. Known as "cepes" in France, they are the ur-mushroom. The look, the flavor, the rarity... Jim had never eaten them whole before, due to the fact that they are $40 /lb, just dried and crushed in Page's excellent Meatloaf with Porcini Gravy. Perhaps he'll put up the recipe in the comments section. Not holding our breath!
We are definitely going to figure out a way to forage for these 'shrooms.
Jim and Peta.
Anyway, the mushrooms that we tested were bought by Sean of London, but we didn't have time or stomach to do a tasting when he was here. Perhaps he'll comment on the exact types that he bought, but we believe that we cooked: chanterelles, porcini (not sure if they were king or queen boletes), oysters, shiitakes and cremini.
We sautéed them all in butter in the same pan for comparison. They didn't release much liquid, so there wasn't much flavor overlap. The oysters and shiitakes were too chewy for Jim cooked in this manner, but Peta liked them, and the cremini lent their vague mushroom-like quality to the palate. The flavor of the chanterelle is, of course, unmistakable. It's worth the eight hour detour that Jim takes after deer hunting to go to his patch near Mt. Hood and pick many pounds worth ($20/lb at the store). They are drying on the kitchen table as we write!
However, the show stopper of the taste test was the porcini. Known as "cepes" in France, they are the ur-mushroom. The look, the flavor, the rarity... Jim had never eaten them whole before, due to the fact that they are $40 /lb, just dried and crushed in Page's excellent Meatloaf with Porcini Gravy. Perhaps he'll put up the recipe in the comments section. Not holding our breath!
We are definitely going to figure out a way to forage for these 'shrooms.
Jim and Peta.
Buffalo Osso Bucco
The last dish during Sean of London's vsit that we'll post about is the Buffalo Osso Bucco. Sean had given the buffalo to us over Christmas so perhaps this post should be titled "Sean's Xmas Gift Part III". But no matter.
We used the Osso Bucco recipe here at Epicurious. We didn't change a thing other than using homemade chicken stock and buffalo rather than veal. The buffalo is a little drier than one might like, but it's still a tasty meal. The key is the gremolata, a mixture of fresh chopped parsley, garlic and lemon peel. With it, the heavy meal seems lighter -- fresher. Without it and the meal can weigh you down. It's really a necessary component, so don't skip it. We're still eating the garlic that came out of the garden last year, so we grew at least something for this meal, be it ever so small an amount.
We don't see ourselves using any other recipe for osso bucco any time soon. Thanks again for the gift, Sean!
Ciao,
Jim and Peta
We used the Osso Bucco recipe here at Epicurious. We didn't change a thing other than using homemade chicken stock and buffalo rather than veal. The buffalo is a little drier than one might like, but it's still a tasty meal. The key is the gremolata, a mixture of fresh chopped parsley, garlic and lemon peel. With it, the heavy meal seems lighter -- fresher. Without it and the meal can weigh you down. It's really a necessary component, so don't skip it. We're still eating the garlic that came out of the garden last year, so we grew at least something for this meal, be it ever so small an amount.
We don't see ourselves using any other recipe for osso bucco any time soon. Thanks again for the gift, Sean!
Ciao,
Jim and Peta
Carpetbaggers
With the penultimate package of ground venison (Jim saved the last for his traditional going-to-bag-another-deer venison meatloaf), we made Carpetbagger burgers. We don't much bother with a recipe anymore, because it's just fresh oysters, bacon and mushrooms stuffed inside a burger. However, we think that we started with this recipe. We have so much venison, that we usually just substitute it for beef.
The cool thing about the dish is the name. Peta asked Jim what a "carpetbagger" was and he gave a decent definition, an exploitative Northerner who came South during Reconstruction after the civil war. But here's the real one and we had no idea that the terms scalawag and copperhead also came from this period in American history!
We hope that Sean enjoyed the luxurious burger during his stay and learned a bit about US history to boot. Fifty-four forty or fight! (Just kidding, you Canucks!)
Jim and Peta
The cool thing about the dish is the name. Peta asked Jim what a "carpetbagger" was and he gave a decent definition, an exploitative Northerner who came South during Reconstruction after the civil war. But here's the real one and we had no idea that the terms scalawag and copperhead also came from this period in American history!
We hope that Sean enjoyed the luxurious burger during his stay and learned a bit about US history to boot. Fifty-four forty or fight! (Just kidding, you Canucks!)
Jim and Peta
You Say "Sabayon", I Say "Sabaglione"...
Foolishly, Jim introduced Peta to the world of Hulu, AKA TV on the Interweb, not to be confused with TV on the Radio. Specifically, he showed her two cooking competitions, Top Chef and Master Chef. They are a hoot, but can occasionally provide some inspiration. One "battle" that we saw involved a contestant going head to head against famous chef, Cat Cora, with one of her signature dishes, Pan Seared Halibut with a Sweet Corn Sabaglione. That's the Italian spelling of a savory egg and cream sauce, but it's Sabayon in French and the pronunciations seem to be about the same. Whatever!
We found an approximate recipe here, but she was subbing out the cream and oil. No way! So we found this one at Le Cordon Q, and went with it. But we didn't have any truffles or fava beans, so we can't report on those two elements. The dish was fresh and tasty, but expensive, since halibut is not cheap these days. It can't be done by amateurs in 18 minutes, but it doesn't take that long. Not a week day dish, but perfect for Friday "date night".
The main issue with the dish was that the sabayon never really set either time we made the dish and we don't know what to do. We cooked it the first time as a dry run for Peta's brother Sean's arrival and the sabayon was runny. We even added a second yolk the second time, thinking that it would aid the thickening process. Fail. It had the correct color and we had strained the corn and garlic and kept the cream warm just like Cat instructed the contestants, but to no avail. The next time we make it, we'll delve into the Escoffier book and McGee's On Food and Cooking to fix the sabayon.
Until then,
Jim and Peta
We found an approximate recipe here, but she was subbing out the cream and oil. No way! So we found this one at Le Cordon Q, and went with it. But we didn't have any truffles or fava beans, so we can't report on those two elements. The dish was fresh and tasty, but expensive, since halibut is not cheap these days. It can't be done by amateurs in 18 minutes, but it doesn't take that long. Not a week day dish, but perfect for Friday "date night".
The main issue with the dish was that the sabayon never really set either time we made the dish and we don't know what to do. We cooked it the first time as a dry run for Peta's brother Sean's arrival and the sabayon was runny. We even added a second yolk the second time, thinking that it would aid the thickening process. Fail. It had the correct color and we had strained the corn and garlic and kept the cream warm just like Cat instructed the contestants, but to no avail. The next time we make it, we'll delve into the Escoffier book and McGee's On Food and Cooking to fix the sabayon.
Until then,
Jim and Peta
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Baker and Banker (and Candlestick Maker?)
Jim has been away deer hunting, so we haven't been cooking all that much (or blogging). He cooked up a storm so that Peta wouldn't have to cook while he was gone (and so that she wouldn't forget him). However, before the trip, Peta's brother Sean, visited from London. We did a bunch of cooking, which we will try to blog about in further posts, but we wanted to write about the wonderful meal to which Sean treated us at Baker and Banker, a husband and wife team cooking in Pacific Heights.
Our reservations were late, at 9:30, after a day of museums, cocktails at Alembic and art galleries. However, we were not seated until 10:00. We had some wine from the knowledgeable sommelier (a Spanish sparkling rosé) and skipped the appetizers. Diving into the menu, Sean had the "Soy and mirin braised black cod, foie gras-shitake sticky rice, grilled bok choy", Peta had the Quail which is not on the current menu but was well-seasoned and Jim had "Seared diver scallops, sweetbreads, artichoke and chanterelle risotto, red wine reduction", although the mushrooms were of a different sort if he recalls correctly.
The food came out promptly and looked great. Peta's and Sean's food was lovely, but Jim's was over-seasoned. He had the other two taste the risotto and they concurred. Luckily, Banker came out to check on us. Jim said that the food was over-seasoned and the chef said immediately that he'd re-fire the dish. A few minutes later, the dish re-emerged and Banker said that the food was over-seasoned. Vindication! Nice.
Jim was offered a comped dessert, which wasn't really necessary because of the attention that the chef had payed to the table, but we got one just for the group just because the Aussies needed to know what a Fig Newton was. Recall the Fig Newton cookies of your childhood. So full of promise, but so short of the mark: bland, soggy, stodgy crust and treacly, thin fig paste. Now imagine the best Fig Newton you can: flaky thick pastry, thick sweet figgy paste and a side of vanilla ice cream with a mint sprig. So, so good. We think that they're crazy for keeping as a dessert special!
Jim and Peta
Our reservations were late, at 9:30, after a day of museums, cocktails at Alembic and art galleries. However, we were not seated until 10:00. We had some wine from the knowledgeable sommelier (a Spanish sparkling rosé) and skipped the appetizers. Diving into the menu, Sean had the "Soy and mirin braised black cod, foie gras-shitake sticky rice, grilled bok choy", Peta had the Quail which is not on the current menu but was well-seasoned and Jim had "Seared diver scallops, sweetbreads, artichoke and chanterelle risotto, red wine reduction", although the mushrooms were of a different sort if he recalls correctly.
The food came out promptly and looked great. Peta's and Sean's food was lovely, but Jim's was over-seasoned. He had the other two taste the risotto and they concurred. Luckily, Banker came out to check on us. Jim said that the food was over-seasoned and the chef said immediately that he'd re-fire the dish. A few minutes later, the dish re-emerged and Banker said that the food was over-seasoned. Vindication! Nice.
Jim was offered a comped dessert, which wasn't really necessary because of the attention that the chef had payed to the table, but we got one just for the group just because the Aussies needed to know what a Fig Newton was. Recall the Fig Newton cookies of your childhood. So full of promise, but so short of the mark: bland, soggy, stodgy crust and treacly, thin fig paste. Now imagine the best Fig Newton you can: flaky thick pastry, thick sweet figgy paste and a side of vanilla ice cream with a mint sprig. So, so good. We think that they're crazy for keeping as a dessert special!
Jim and Peta
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