budrichard

In Southern Wisconsin the deer are mostly corn fed by the time gun season rolls around. In Northern Wisconsin, there is less corn and more standing timber but there really isn't a difference in taste. Venison as described with proper field processing, quick chilling, boning and frezzing does not have a 'gamey' taste. Most venison that is given away is from a hunter that probabaly gut shot or penetrated the guts while dressing causing intentinal fluids, bile and feces to spill on the carcass. Couple that with showing the carcass to anyone that will look and then taking the carcass to a commercial processor is bound to yield a 'gamey' tasting venison and the only thing to do is give it away. A good reference: http://www.wnrmag.com/stories/2002/oct02/process.htm Venison, properly shot in the heart/lung area, properly and promptly field dressed and chilled with ice or in a blast chiller and then properly skinned, boned and packaged is meat that is not given away. One of my Northern Wisconsin friends on whose land I sometimes hunt, harvests at least 3 deer/year. He loves to make poached venison heart. He only gives some to eat at his place and to individuals he knows will appreciate it. It is not 'gamey' at all. New Zealand Venison is a pale comparison of wild Wisconsin venison. We have our deer tested by the DNR for CWD here in Wisconsin if we request. The results were just posted for my doe and we will have venison backstraps this weekend. They will not taste 'gamey' but will taste like venison. BTW, backstraps are another name for the tenderloins for you 'City folk' -Dick

We had small USDA Prime Rib Roast over the holidays procured from Mitsuwa at $20/# which I found in one of my freezer's. While as tender as anything from Zier's, the flavor simply cannot compare to dry aging from Zier's. We also had some #12 Waygu for New Years Eve which was extrordinary sliced thin and then seared on my cast iron griddle but that is totally different type of meat and preperation than USDA Prime.-Dick

We had our annual Christmas lunch at Carlos last month and everything was very nice as expected. The food and service was actually secondary to the enjoyment of friends and spirited conversation which is why we dine out and one of the virtues of Carlos and why we go there. If the restaurant were to ever to take itself too seriously, its on to another place. I will admit that the chestnut puree was to die for! Of course the no corkage on Mondays is helpful.-Dick

Have finally tried both and they are simply ordinary, a total waste of Hershey's time and my money.-Dick

A common practise years ago. I used to get a raw egg in my orange juice every day as part of my mothers heritage. As food production methods have 'improved' and pathogens have spread, just about discontinued. We still use quail eggs raw for different preperations which seem not to have suffered yet.-Dick

The ONLY buffet I will attend to is an Indian buffet on Devon st in Chicago, Sher-a-Punjab. The Tandoori chicken and breads are made to your order and brought to you table while the other items are available buffet style. The quality is excellent! All other buffets I learned long ago are for gourmands rather than gourmets. Lack of correct ingrediants to hold costs down, lack of fresh ingrediants for the same reason, sanitary conditions and a herd mentality all combine to make the experience slightly sickening.-Dick

Black trufffles are not generally for rissotto. They are used in cooked dishes whereas white are usually shaved raw over a dish. I have used canned/jared black truffles for roast chicken where one slices the truffle and then puts them under the skin with some in a stuffing. They can also be used to make a pate or mousse. There are lots of ways to use them. I have been suspect of truffle oil for a number of years now after learning that there are artificial esters that may be used in such products. I had a few dishes that used truffle oil and were very strong. I now will not eat any dish made with truffle oil nor use it myself.-Dick

We have been patrons at a restaurant that started in the 1930's from 1971. It's an old style Wisconsin road house and the go-withs have never changed. At one time in our careers, we ate there at least once a week for dinner. One of my favorites was whitefish which they seasoned with paprika and pan seared and then roasted. In variably the whitefish was excellent as was everything else. One evening the whitefish had a bad taste, I called the owner over, actually the original owner's son was now in charge and told him about the whitefish. He took the dish in the back and then promtly came back out and said he had thrown all the whitefish away that he just got in. He made me a nice scallop dish but i don't remember if he charged me!. Our long term relationship was not harmed and we still have dinner there about twice a year now. I think that taking a chef out of his element and comfort zone should be avoided. Frankly I would just forget the whole thing. Life is just too short.-Dick

I'd say the you are possibly enamored of the Chef and Restaurant because you were complementary to the Chef and it appears the Chef was trying to accomodate you. It also appears that you enjoy dining at the particular restaurant. I find this very often where individuals become very comfortable with the suroundings and staff and when I go with them to thier favorite restaurant, it is much less than what i was led to believe. Roasting a domestic goose properly, involves about 3-4 hours of 325F to render the fat layer and frequent removal of the grease. I roasted a fresh domestic whole goose yesterday and got a large mason jar full of grease. Whether your chef roasted the goose whole or choose to cook the breat seperately, I don't know. But it is very difficult to hit a reservation time, when the goose is at 165F at the joint and rested about 20 min for a 14# goose, it is ready to go whether the restaurant or the diners are ready for it. Since you had appetizers, I would venture a guess that the goose, whole or in parts was prepared ahead of time and held which dried the goose? The goose should have been very moist and rich and not falling off the bone tender. A confit or other slow prepartion is the only way to get a domestic goose falling off the bone. I prepare a domestic duck by boning out the breasts and leg/thighs. The breasts are seared and served rare with the leg/thighs slow braised. The carcass makes a stock and the skin is rendered for cracklings and grease(makes great fries). I have toyed with the idea of doing a goose that way but I think the breast would be tougher than a domestic duck. Aged Magret ducks breasts are the best. In any event, other than the goose, it appears you enjoyed the meal!-Dick

I hope your porch is enclosed and you don't have racoons! BTW the air temperature listed by your Weather Service is a guide. Usually atached garages and porches are much higher, the refrig is the only safe way other than on ice in a cooler.-Dick

Didn't the salting draw out the water from the roast? BTW for a chuckle, read this article http://www.insidebayarea.com/bayarealiving/ci_4871601 I'd venture a guess that sooner or later his home will explode and that his meat thermometer is FUBAR among other things. From USDA http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/larc/Polici...ok_082005_3.pdf Definition of 'Prime Rib'...."These products do not have to be derived from USDA prime grade beef" so legally it appears that a 'Prime Rib Roast' does not have to be USDA Prime! -Dick

I obtain my dry aged Prime from Zier's in Willmette, Illinois, a place I have mentioned before. I have purchased Lobel's and the quality is the same but I don't pay shipping charges which have become considerable. Lobel's used to have Wagyu from Australia and that was the best because the flavor was so pronounced but now Lobel's sources thier Wagyu from the US. There are some chains the have USDA Choice tenderloin which can ber very good and if the price is right, a bargain compared to Prime, but it depends on the chain. Tenderloin purchased without any grade marking is USDA Select and can be somewhat tolerable depending upon how you use it, to only suitable for grinding. These I believe are called 'Cow Tenders' in the trade. -Dick

I routinely poach for for about 3 min, chill in an ice bath, shell and refrigerate for a day with no problems and works well. BTW in any recipe that calls for raw lobster, the writer is suspect because the writer doesn't understand about shelling a completely raw lobster. I then use the shells to make lobster Americaine sauce immedialtely. Once i held the shells a day and when making the sauce, I got the odor of ammonia which is a decomposition product. As others have correctly noted, cooking a dead lobster is a no-no because of this problem. When you purchase your lobster, ask the monger to hold the lobster and note its tail position. A lobster whose tail droops is farther along the way to expiring than a lobster whose tail is held extended. Don't purchae those whose tails are drooping. The best is when the lobster comes out of the tank with the tail furiously flapping, that's a fresh lobster.-Dick

Leave the meat in the Cryovac until ready to cook. The classical way to do a tenderloin is to lard internally and externally(bard). This requires larding needles which still can be obtained and then chilling your lard so it has resistance and can fill the hollow larding needle. I use leaf lard which is gettng hard to obtain these days rather than the commercial products. If you don't want to go to that trouble, barding alone will help and just follow the previous instructions.-Dick

My wife suffers from the same problem as you do. She now only has a little taste whether it is Champagne or any other sparkling wine. I'm afraid thier is not anything that one can do.-Dick

Alas, no Prime Rib from Zier's this Xmas dinner! We are eating again at my daughter's and will be having a fresh goose which is a nice thing in it's own right but I will miss the Prime Rib. Of course my two granddaughters are there and that more than makes up for the lack of Prime Rib! Merry XMAS to everyone whether or not you consider it politically correct! Happy Whatever to everyone else. Me. I'm going to settle in for a long winter's night with the help of FedEx, DHL and UPS!-Dick

Are you sure you didn't purchase plantains?-Dick

Grade C livers arrived by DHL today from Hudson Valley. Livers run about a # and are $19.50/# plus shipping.So far the authorities have not busted me. I suggest you follow the same course of action. BTW the aged Magre Duck Breasts are to die for.-Dick

I never juice a fresh yuzu and never use bottled yuzu products. I only use the zest for sashimi and other garnishes. I don't know what is actually in those bottles but I suspect its very little yuzu.-Dick

Nueske's, http://www.nueskes.com there is no comparison, period.-Dick

I've been shlepping around deli's since the 1950's. The best were on Long Island with large cases full of many different types of cream cheese. At the present time, I order from Russ & Daughters, period. I can't get passable deli in the Mid West and certainly not in Chicago. Deli from Russ & Daughters is like Deli 50 years ago. The bagels are outstanding, the house cream cheeses to die for, the pickles, either sharp or half sharp, excellent and the selection of smoked salmon and lox is outstanding including old fashioned 'Belly Lox'. The proper toppings are in order, toasted bagel, cream cheese, lox, tomatoe, then sweet onion. There is no variation allowed, I'm sure it is written somewhere on some tablet.-Dick

BTW, Cyril Ray's book 'Bollinger' is a good read if it can be found. Published in 1971, I don't know if it is in reprint or what. Sure put it in the fridge or better still the freezer to acquire a good chill. I like my sparkling wine to warm up in the glass. I hate it when they just pour into glasses and wait for someone to grab a glass while the wine goes flat! Anyway, Bollinger is my favorite Champagne, the problem being that NV is about $37/bottle now with the prices for RD and Vieilles Vignes astronomical. There will be no more wood boxes with the little key to open in our house. -Dick

Read the other Thread and drink the wine!-Dick

First of all, your 1996 Grand Annee probably didn't leave the Bollinger celler until 2002 or later. So its not old, period, and unless you left it upright in your oven for the time you have had it, it will be perfectly normal Champagne without any of the aging that occurs in much older Champagnes. I always leave Champagne alone for a minimum of two years before i open a case. The wine settles and when opened, there is just soft 'PoP' with no liquid loss. I don't think the taste really changes in that time period and if the taste does, the change is impossible to quantify. You can qualitatively gauge the time from bottling to opening by observing the spread of the cork. A recently bottled Champagne will have a large spread but as the wine becomes older that spread decrease to none for older Champagnes. One of my books on champagne shows a set of pictures for reference. Chill in ice, period. DO NOT leave open to aerate as one Champagne producers says of thier Super Premium Champagne. Bollinger went to a lot of trouble to put the bubbles in the wine, why on earth would anyone want to decrease the bubbles other than some far out nonsense about breathing and changing the taste/bouquet? In any event, don't worry, drink the wine and you will have a very pleseant experience.-Dick

Had two squares of the 35% Cocoa Reserve last night. The taste and mouth feel was nothing but ordinary. Will try the 65% tonight. -Dick