Ship of Fools - Robert Plant - Now and Zen
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Mid-October Weekend Food Extravaganza!
So last Saturday, my favorite day of the week, we went to the McIntosh Florida 1890's Festival with hopes of rewriting history by snuffing out the Sherman Act of 1890 before it started; no avail. The bright side was a booth with homemade jams and preserves made by some McIntosh United Methodist Church congregation members. I only bought one jar just in case it sucked. When I said that I bet their Strawberry-Banana jam would make a vicious Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich the lady behind the table replied with: "You know, I've never thought of that. I mean I love peanut butter and bananas and I love strawberry and peanut butter, but I never thought of that!" Funny how that was the first thing to strike me. Anyway the Strawberry-Banana Jam is superb! Unfortunately they only make it once a year for that festival (argh). Here are some pics (I don't know if that's the church with the jams).
Earlier that morning I had gone to the farmer's market in search of fresh produce for cooking and pickling. I had actually gotten there at about 9:00am and it was almost a different place than to what I was accustomed (usually getting there about 11:00am). For $20.00 I got the most immaculate romaine I've ever encountered, organic grape tomatoes, green onions, sweet potatoes, sweet onions, cucumbers, yellow squash, fresh basil (a strand I never had prior), red and green peppers, and about 2 lbs of green beans!
On the way home from McIntosh we stopped at the Gainesville Pride Festival and checked out some Dixie Chicks wannabes and a drag show; both left a little to be desired (though I did live on South Beach for some time so I may have seen some of the better drag shows). Here's a grainy shot of the Pride Festival:
Also over the weekend I made brioche from a recipe that I called Last Ditch Brioche! Every time I attempted brioche in the past, at best the consistency was perilously close to that of Cornbread and at worst it was a desperately-in-need-of-salt brick! While there may have been something more wrong with execution than the recipes themselves, I was about to give up on Brioche entirely. I decided to give it one last shot. If this didn't work it would be over in more ways than one (it is impossible to find real Brioche in Gainesville). I used SteveB's Brioche Nanterre (slow page to load but worth it) recipe from over at Breadcetera.com!
The result? Near perfect! The draw back? When the author states that this will kill your KitchenAid he 'aint kidding. I have the 6 Quart 575 watt KitchenAid Professional stand mixer and it took about one hour of constant kneading until the dough was "satiny". By the time it was complete I could smell the motor! Also I think maybe I just barely over kneaded and I would up the salt by a pinch since I use kosher salt.
Since the author is the perfectionist he is, the formula is, rightfully, represented in weight not volume. I have converted it here, with consideration to the density of each substance, for those of us without the benefit of a scale (soon, yes, soon, it will be).
AP Flour (I used King Arthur Unbleached) ~ 6.85 Cups
Water ~ 4 1/2 Tablespoons
Eggs ~ 6 Large
Salt ~ 2 1/3 teaspoons
Sugar ~ 6 1/2 Tablespoons
Instant Yeast ~ 1 1/2 teaspoons
Butter ~ 3 sticks or 2 ounces
Good luck. Here are some pics:
Well it seems like no post is complete without a recipe of some sort; so, I will leave you my burger recipe. See ya' next time!
An important note about burgers
Earlier that morning I had gone to the farmer's market in search of fresh produce for cooking and pickling. I had actually gotten there at about 9:00am and it was almost a different place than to what I was accustomed (usually getting there about 11:00am). For $20.00 I got the most immaculate romaine I've ever encountered, organic grape tomatoes, green onions, sweet potatoes, sweet onions, cucumbers, yellow squash, fresh basil (a strand I never had prior), red and green peppers, and about 2 lbs of green beans!
Here's what 20 bucks got me:
On the way home from McIntosh we stopped at the Gainesville Pride Festival and checked out some Dixie Chicks wannabes and a drag show; both left a little to be desired (though I did live on South Beach for some time so I may have seen some of the better drag shows). Here's a grainy shot of the Pride Festival:
Also over the weekend I made brioche from a recipe that I called Last Ditch Brioche! Every time I attempted brioche in the past, at best the consistency was perilously close to that of Cornbread and at worst it was a desperately-in-need-of-salt brick! While there may have been something more wrong with execution than the recipes themselves, I was about to give up on Brioche entirely. I decided to give it one last shot. If this didn't work it would be over in more ways than one (it is impossible to find real Brioche in Gainesville). I used SteveB's Brioche Nanterre (slow page to load but worth it) recipe from over at Breadcetera.com!
The result? Near perfect! The draw back? When the author states that this will kill your KitchenAid he 'aint kidding. I have the 6 Quart 575 watt KitchenAid Professional stand mixer and it took about one hour of constant kneading until the dough was "satiny". By the time it was complete I could smell the motor! Also I think maybe I just barely over kneaded and I would up the salt by a pinch since I use kosher salt.
Since the author is the perfectionist he is, the formula is, rightfully, represented in weight not volume. I have converted it here, with consideration to the density of each substance, for those of us without the benefit of a scale (soon, yes, soon, it will be).
AP Flour (I used King Arthur Unbleached) ~ 6.85 Cups
Water ~ 4 1/2 Tablespoons
Eggs ~ 6 Large
Salt ~ 2 1/3 teaspoons
Sugar ~ 6 1/2 Tablespoons
Instant Yeast ~ 1 1/2 teaspoons
Butter ~ 3 sticks or 2 ounces
Good luck. Here are some pics:
Close-up to show texture
Toasted with the Church Jam. Unbelievable!
Well it seems like no post is complete without a recipe of some sort; so, I will leave you my burger recipe. See ya' next time!
The Almighty Burger
An important note about burgers
Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind when making a burger is timing. Timing will either elevate the burger to truly glorious dimensions or condemn it to mediocrity. Here are some general guidelines for timing to ensure proper "burgage":
Rest the cooked patty
Often overlooked but arguably the most important step to an amazing burger is resting the meat. Meats need to rest after cooking and the humble burger is no exception. Rest the patty on a grate or paper towel for no less than 45 seconds and not much more than one minute. Then serve immediately.
Adding cheese
Usually room temperature cheese to the hot side of the patty, just off the fire while resting, is enough to attain an ideal consistency (depending on the cheese). If need be, when just off the fire place the cheesed patty under a salamander (or the broil setting in an already hot toaster oven) until cheese reaches desired consistency. Use thinly sliced or grated cheese of choice. Consider this the resting period.
Adding sautéed vegetables
Sauté while the burger patty is cooking. Begin the sauté either when the patties initially hit the pan, or just after the flip, depending on what is being sautéed and the extent to which it is cooked (caramelized or sweated).
Adding other cooked ingredients
Whether it’s a fried egg, bacon, short ribs, or foie gras make sure the product is just off the fire and the last component added to the burger.
Bread Options
Grilled egg-based rolls are my personal favorite. Usually the first step in making burger is grilling the buns. Heat up equal parts butter and canola oil, cut buns in half, place cut-side down in pan until golden brown. Set aside. While burgers cook, begin "condimensation" (mayo, mustard, etc…).
Giddyup!
Basic Burger Patty
1 1/3 lb Ground Chuck
¼ tsp (about) Kosher Salt
¼ tsp (about) Ground Black Pepper
1/8 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
4 Tblsp Ketchup
3 Green Onions
Yields 3-5 patties
- Mix and cover for at least 1 hour at room temp or over night in fridge.
- Turn on 2 burners to medium and place on them heavy pans (preferably cast iron). Or use the grill!
- On a sheet of parchment paper place a 3 ¾” ring mold and fill with meat mixture until ¾” - 1” high (deep).
- Jiggle the ring mold while lifting it and gently press the meat mixture through the mold onto parchment to extrude.
- Repeat until mixture is gone.
- Place as many patties as your size pan will allow careful not to have them touch each other or the sides of the pan (or they will steam not sear).
- Fry until desired temperature (rare, medium, etc..)
- Add room temperature cheese while resting the patty on grate or paper towel for one minute.
- Assemble Burger
Rest the cooked patty
Often overlooked but arguably the most important step to an amazing burger is resting the meat. Meats need to rest after cooking and the humble burger is no exception. Rest the patty on a grate or paper towel for no less than 45 seconds and not much more than one minute. Then serve immediately.
Adding cheese
Usually room temperature cheese to the hot side of the patty, just off the fire while resting, is enough to attain an ideal consistency (depending on the cheese). If need be, when just off the fire place the cheesed patty under a salamander (or the broil setting in an already hot toaster oven) until cheese reaches desired consistency. Use thinly sliced or grated cheese of choice. Consider this the resting period.
Adding sautéed vegetables
Sauté while the burger patty is cooking. Begin the sauté either when the patties initially hit the pan, or just after the flip, depending on what is being sautéed and the extent to which it is cooked (caramelized or sweated).
Adding other cooked ingredients
Whether it’s a fried egg, bacon, short ribs, or foie gras make sure the product is just off the fire and the last component added to the burger.
Bread Options
Grilled egg-based rolls are my personal favorite. Usually the first step in making burger is grilling the buns. Heat up equal parts butter and canola oil, cut buns in half, place cut-side down in pan until golden brown. Set aside. While burgers cook, begin "condimensation" (mayo, mustard, etc…).
Giddyup!
Basic Burger Patty
1 1/3 lb Ground Chuck
¼ tsp (about) Kosher Salt
¼ tsp (about) Ground Black Pepper
1/8 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
4 Tblsp Ketchup
3 Green Onions
Yields 3-5 patties
- Mix and cover for at least 1 hour at room temp or over night in fridge.
- Turn on 2 burners to medium and place on them heavy pans (preferably cast iron). Or use the grill!
- On a sheet of parchment paper place a 3 ¾” ring mold and fill with meat mixture until ¾” - 1” high (deep).
- Jiggle the ring mold while lifting it and gently press the meat mixture through the mold onto parchment to extrude.
- Repeat until mixture is gone.
- Place as many patties as your size pan will allow careful not to have them touch each other or the sides of the pan (or they will steam not sear).
- Fry until desired temperature (rare, medium, etc..)
- Add room temperature cheese while resting the patty on grate or paper towel for one minute.
- Assemble Burger
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
First, October
Recipe follows but first a pointless rant:
Can anyone please explain how someone as abrasive and clueless as Andrew Knowlton became the restaurant editor for Bon Appetit? His sole qualification (as per wikipedia) seems to be "...worked in the restaurant industry". Yours truly "worked in the restaurant industry" for over ten years, maybe I too can con my way into their hallowed halls?
I'll do the same job for half the salary!
And why on Earth is Mo Rocca even sometimes an Iron Chef judge anyway? Why the food media elite's love affair with condescending wannabes? They must give good head (by that, of course, I mean offering insightful and thought provoking view points).
Ciabatta Recipe
The Biga:
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 1/3 cups bread flour
2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons rye flour
3/4 cups water
Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, stir, and let it stand for 5-10 minutes.
Mix the flours in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Measure 1/2 teaspoon of the yeasted water into the flour mixture and throw the rest away
Add the 3/4 cup room temp water. Dough is firm and resistant to kneading. Add an extra tablespoon water only if absolutely necessary.
Place into a well oiled container, cover completely with plastic wrap and let sit overnight (18–24 hours) at room temperature.
Dough:
2 cups plus 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
fermented biga
Place all ingredients into a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle.
Mix on low speed until a rough dough is formed then increase speed to medium and continue to work the dough until it is fairly smooth, about 5 minutes.
Place the dough into a well oiled roasting pan.
Cover and ferment for 20 minutes.
Knead this way : Instructional Kneading Vid
Repeat above two steps 3 more times
After the last turning let the dough finish proofing for another 70-100 minutes (a total proofing time, with turns, of 2 1/2 to 3 hours).
Heavily flour a couche, tea towels or in my case a clean laundry bag!
Flour the top of the dough and the work surface and turn the dough out.
Cut the dough approximately in half. Gently shape and stretch into rectangles, then loosely fold into thirds like a letter.
Place ciabatte seam-side up on the couche or towels, sprinkle the tops with more flour and loosely cover.
Let them proof until they are very soft and well-expanded, and barely spring back when gently pressed, about 45 minutes.
With a stone or unglazed tile in the oven, preheat to 450 degrees.
When ciabatte are ready to bake, place a piece of parchment paper on a peel. In one fell swoop flip the loaves onto the peel, seam side down, and stretch them very gently to make them rectangular.
Dimple the dough all over with your fingertips, pressing all the way down to the paper (don’t worry—the bread will recover in the oven!).
Slide the loaves on the paper onto the baking stone.
Bake them until very dark brown, 35-40 minutes, rotating halfway through the bake time.
Let cool on a rack.
Here were my results:
Enjoy awesome homemade ciabatta!
Photograph Loaded for Harvest used with permission. Thank you Silliopolous for that wonderful shot!
Also for more on ciabatta and all things baking check out breadcetera.com It really is a wonderful resource (thanks steveb!).
Someday I shall post that "links" section.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Disaster Recovery Mode, Shop Talk and Crossmodal Detour
Disaster Recovery Mode
My hard disk crashed. Thankfully my mac was still covered under AppleCare so after a couple of trips to the Jacksonville Apple store my machine is back and badder than ever!
There were three things that saved me:
1- My iPod and Target Disk Mode (TDM). I backed up the most important things with space leftover to my iPod, then Target Disk Mode let me save everything else to another machine. I was fortunate that TDM worked!
2- MediaFire.com. The ability to remotely store, in unlimited space, backups of backups. Useful for when the backup laptop took a dive! TDM also saved that data.
3- Foxmarks. None of this ever happened as far as my bookmarks were concerned.
I'm still in the process of restoring my machine to former glory (desktop picture, etc..) and once that's done naming it; new hard drive after all.
Shop Talk
Recently I've been given to talking more shop. I devised a unique (I think) revenue model for online publications and with the help of a few friends I'm going to move on this one. It invariably leads to technical considerations which divert thought to things like system architecture and implementation tools. So far I'm leaning toward the almighty open source platforms (Unix/Linux, Apache/Tomcat, Java/PHP/MySQL) but am considering Ruby on Rails and Groovy on Grails; thus talking shop. Also I discovered a tech blog from a former coworker which adds fodder to all the shop talk.
Crossmodal Detour
I've heard it stated that "no art is ever finished, only abandoned". Unfortunately I can't attribute that quote to anyone but I've related to it ever since I started writing my little tunes. However the endless tweaking stage is drawing nigh and the new Nominal Topic album now has a title (you guessed it): Crossmodal Detour. Its release will coincide with the launch of NominalTopic.com which is to be the album's companion web site; layed out like a CD (remember those?) and jewel case print size ready graphics for those inclined. More news to follow.
My hard disk crashed. Thankfully my mac was still covered under AppleCare so after a couple of trips to the Jacksonville Apple store my machine is back and badder than ever!
There were three things that saved me:
1- My iPod and Target Disk Mode (TDM). I backed up the most important things with space leftover to my iPod, then Target Disk Mode let me save everything else to another machine. I was fortunate that TDM worked!
2- MediaFire.com. The ability to remotely store, in unlimited space, backups of backups. Useful for when the backup laptop took a dive! TDM also saved that data.
3- Foxmarks. None of this ever happened as far as my bookmarks were concerned.
I'm still in the process of restoring my machine to former glory (desktop picture, etc..) and once that's done naming it; new hard drive after all.
Shop Talk
Recently I've been given to talking more shop. I devised a unique (I think) revenue model for online publications and with the help of a few friends I'm going to move on this one. It invariably leads to technical considerations which divert thought to things like system architecture and implementation tools. So far I'm leaning toward the almighty open source platforms (Unix/Linux, Apache/Tomcat, Java/PHP/MySQL) but am considering Ruby on Rails and Groovy on Grails; thus talking shop. Also I discovered a tech blog from a former coworker which adds fodder to all the shop talk.
Crossmodal Detour
I've heard it stated that "no art is ever finished, only abandoned". Unfortunately I can't attribute that quote to anyone but I've related to it ever since I started writing my little tunes. However the endless tweaking stage is drawing nigh and the new Nominal Topic album now has a title (you guessed it): Crossmodal Detour. Its release will coincide with the launch of NominalTopic.com which is to be the album's companion web site; layed out like a CD (remember those?) and jewel case print size ready graphics for those inclined. More news to follow.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Intermission
I know it's been a while and now is not a good time either. Here's a quick little humorous something I ran across.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Gung Fu of Cooking
Despite the risk of losing both audiences I stand by my title. Let's
start with some definitions. Gung fu (or Kung fu or gongfu): "one's
expertise in any skill." - Wikipedia
Cooking, so far as I can tell, is a skill. In Anthony Bourdain's excellent book Kitchen Confidential he appropriately draws this correlation by citing "Bruce Lee's" (ahem) theory of "economy of motion" when referring to mise en place. But in a more abstract sense, there are certain methodologies which individual chefs have devised that have proven themselves over time. Take Thomas Keller's handling of garlic, for instance, where he blanches and cools the cloves 3 times or Gordon Ramsay's method of using veggies from braising liquid (cooked until on the verge of mush) passed through a china cap or chinoise as a thickening agent for sauces; or Michael Ruhlman's insistence on using water instead of store bought stock. These methodologies are essentially techniques, all of which I've employed with stellar results, from "Grandmasters" of their respective "systems" as it were. They have influenced my own Cooking Kung fu to the extent that upon reaching a critical moment when a decision needs to be made (e.g.: adding the lemon confit before, during or after reducing the blueberry compote) I pause and think: "What would Keller do?" (WWKD). So with these things in mind here is my first picture:
There is really no longer an excuse for this stuff. Stock is so easy to make that the only skill involved is boiling water. Wondering what to do with those leftovers of rotisserie chicken you got at the mega mart 2 days ago or that chicken in your freezer that you haven't quite gotten around to cooking? Make stock! Don't want to take the time to dump some chicken into a pot of water with some veggies you scoured from the fridge? Use plain water for your soups and braising liquids. Don't believe me? Try it first. You'll soon find that using store bought stocks for soups makes about as much sense as using sweetened iced tea in place of water for coffee!
start with some definitions. Gung fu (or Kung fu or gongfu): "one's
expertise in any skill." - Wikipedia
Cooking, so far as I can tell, is a skill. In Anthony Bourdain's excellent book Kitchen Confidential he appropriately draws this correlation by citing "Bruce Lee's" (ahem) theory of "economy of motion" when referring to mise en place. But in a more abstract sense, there are certain methodologies which individual chefs have devised that have proven themselves over time. Take Thomas Keller's handling of garlic, for instance, where he blanches and cools the cloves 3 times or Gordon Ramsay's method of using veggies from braising liquid (cooked until on the verge of mush) passed through a china cap or chinoise as a thickening agent for sauces; or Michael Ruhlman's insistence on using water instead of store bought stock. These methodologies are essentially techniques, all of which I've employed with stellar results, from "Grandmasters" of their respective "systems" as it were. They have influenced my own Cooking Kung fu to the extent that upon reaching a critical moment when a decision needs to be made (e.g.: adding the lemon confit before, during or after reducing the blueberry compote) I pause and think: "What would Keller do?" (WWKD). So with these things in mind here is my first picture:
Say No to Packaged Stock
There is really no longer an excuse for this stuff. Stock is so easy to make that the only skill involved is boiling water. Wondering what to do with those leftovers of rotisserie chicken you got at the mega mart 2 days ago or that chicken in your freezer that you haven't quite gotten around to cooking? Make stock! Don't want to take the time to dump some chicken into a pot of water with some veggies you scoured from the fridge? Use plain water for your soups and braising liquids. Don't believe me? Try it first. You'll soon find that using store bought stocks for soups makes about as much sense as using sweetened iced tea in place of water for coffee!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Nominal Topic
Nominal-
Etymology: Middle English nominalle, from Medieval Latin nominalis, from Latin, of a name, from nomin-, nomen name
Date: 15th century
Existing or being something in name or form only <nominal head of his party>
Topic-
Etymology: Latin Topica Topics (work by Aristotle), from Greek Topika, from topika, neuter plural of topikos of a place, of a topos, from topos place, topos
Date: circa 1569
The subject of a discourse or of a section of a discourse
Nominal Topic; more the name of a project than the name of a band despite the linked title. The MySpace page has been severely neglected due to writing more tunes; so new material is on the way. Compositionally and stylistically the album is a bit of a departure (although the latter to lesser degrees). While a tune like The Media Equation off of Context Switch was based on Zimbabwean Chimurenga music, from which many artists have borrowed heavily, this latest one (name under review) has more of a vintage-vibe feel (think Bob Mould meets Stereolab) but still fun (active rhythm sections). The album as a whole? You tell me.
Etymology: Middle English nominalle, from Medieval Latin nominalis, from Latin, of a name, from nomin-, nomen name
Date: 15th century
Existing or being something in name or form only <nominal head of his party>
Topic-
Etymology: Latin Topica Topics (work by Aristotle), from Greek Topika, from topika, neuter plural of topikos of a place, of a topos, from topos place, topos
Date: circa 1569
The subject of a discourse or of a section of a discourse
Nominal Topic; more the name of a project than the name of a band despite the linked title. The MySpace page has been severely neglected due to writing more tunes; so new material is on the way. Compositionally and stylistically the album is a bit of a departure (although the latter to lesser degrees). While a tune like The Media Equation off of Context Switch was based on Zimbabwean Chimurenga music, from which many artists have borrowed heavily, this latest one (name under review) has more of a vintage-vibe feel (think Bob Mould meets Stereolab) but still fun (active rhythm sections). The album as a whole? You tell me.
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