Smithy

I finally got around to trying pork with broiled peaches. The peaches were halved, sprinkled with sugar, given a drizzle of bourbon, and broiled until caramelized and collapsed. The pork tenderloin was cooked sous vide then quickly browned in a hot pan. Aside from salt and pepper, I think the main seasoning on the pork was a sprig of rosemary between the two tenderloin halves during the sous vide step. (This was several days ago and I wasn't taking the time to take notes.) Proof of concept: good. I think the hasselback pork treatment noted earlier would have been even better, but my kitchen time is limited these days. My other half wasn't crazy about the sweetness of peaches with pork (he's more of a salt guy than a sweet guy) but I'm enjoying the leftovers. There's a method to my madness.

Gaah! The Perfect Peach: Recipes and Stories from the Masumoto Family Farm is only $1.99 today! Of course it's in my tablet now. For those of you who don't know, David Mas Masumoto and his family are peach farmers in California's Central Valley, not far from where I grew up. His essays and books make lovely reading, and I have at least one other of his books. I didn't know they had a cookbook out, until now. If I like the Kindle version well enough, I'll be buying a hardbound copy or two. For gifts, of course. I simply must stop looking at that darned Amazon website. If my tablet were a shopping bag, it would be bursting with today's prizes.

*Sigh* Greenspan's book is on its way to my tablet, along with Jenn Louis' Pasta by Hand. $2.99 Kindle books are difficult to resist! I look, say, at a recipe or a map, and think: "Yeah, I'd pay 3 bucks for that." And I can travel with it. What more justification could I need?

Are you two talking about the above-linked bookdepository.com? I only see paperback and hardbound books as an option.

Wow. I can see why they'd be referred to as ABT's, but they do look delicious. Thanks for the links!

This is good to know. I've gone overboard (as usual) buying produce and now have another idea! Shelby, if you can say more about teal and how it compares to other wild duck, I'd appreciate it. Does all wild duck taste the same, more or less? Is there one breed that's especially the best? Could you confit any of that meat, given another source of fat?

I hope you still aren't waiting! How did you like it?

I am delighted that (a) you're doing a hunting/fishing (and the resulting meals) blog and (b) that Ronnie and his buddy are into it too. Your salsa and enchilada fixings, above, look wonderful. Care to share how you made the salsa? Are those tomatoes from your garden? Did any of the precious Hatch chiles make it into that salsa, or did you save them for the enchilada filling?

Just last week, the radio show The Splendid Table did a spot on pawpaws. I don't think I've ever seen one. I hope at some point you'll take us on a virtual foraging tour (in your spare time!) and show us some pawpaws.

You lost me at the peas, but I agree that the blanquette as prescribed sounds like a snowy winter's nightmare. (Is there any chance the word 'blanquette' refers to whiteness, or is 'blanc' a false cognate?) This is good reading, and I enjoy the laughs as well as the insights. 'Poor workmen blame their tools in French as well as English', indeed!

Asparagus.

There is also the latent heat of condensation to be considered when comparing steam to boiling water. It's a factor in burns. Would it not also be a factor in steaming vs. boiling potatoes?

Welcome, Melisande. Can you tell more about the food technology in which you specialize? I imagine the term "food technology" can mean anything from special breeding techniques and/or genetic manipulation to modernist cookery equipment. I'm curious about where you fit in. Do you like to cook for yourself? If so, what sort of food and how do you like to cook it?

Did you order your chiles from the Hatch Chile store again this year? I think a lot of us would be pleased to read about this year's party.

@HungryChris, I followed your link, thinking "oh good, this is a place we MUST visit next time we're in Louisiana, even if it's hundreds of miles out of the way!" I had forgotten that you are in Italy at present. I'll just have to suffer the pangs of envy.

That's a fun video. I wish he'd included a recipe for that Caprese torte.

Thanks for those video links. I must say the first one that @Shel_B linked to was more entertaining than the video in @btbyrd's link, but that second video almost convinces me to buy a siphon! Approximately how long will the fizzed fruit last before it outgases? Does it revert to its original texture at that point, or go limp?

Well, it looks pretty (except the croutons).

The food scene so far doesn't seem impressive! I hope it improves for you.

I didn't know about the freeze-and-store trick; thanks for that. Please elaborate on the green tomato relish. Dad reminisced fondly about the "chow chow" using green tomatoes that his mother would make toward the end of the season. By that time Nana was long passed, so I could never ask her about it. References to chow chow in, say, The Joy of Cooking haven't sounded like the same thing. Your green tomato relish just might be it, since you and she hail from the same part of the country.

What sort of sauce would be favored for cavatelli, ProfessionalHobbit? Asked another way: what would be the application for this particular dough and shape?

I think your basic idea is a good one. The slow cooker can maintain a low temperature, but all of mine at "high" are hot enough to boil water...that is, something slightly over 212F. I'd go for 200F if the oven control dial goes that low; otherwise I'd use the lowest possible setting. A heavy pot (hence the Dutch oven, or a clay pot) will help smooth any temperature fluctuations.

@shain, very cool banana photo. Please continue the photos as it grows; I'd love to see the process.

A lot of cities now have edible plants as ornamentation; fruit trees and herbs line the sidewalks and walkways of places I've visited. @Wayne, might that be an option for you? @gfron1, is that a possibility for you in St. Louis, or are you looking for wilder areas? If I recall correctly, you were recently in the Los Angeles area taking a course related to this.

Their new web site has the advert as a banner across the top, and I've followed the link to check it out. It does look interesting. It's expensive, of course, but that's me being a tightwad, and expense is a relative thing. For instance, 2 meals for 2 people in my test scenario came out to $61: $29 for oven-roasted chicken shawarma and $32 for glazed salmon. The photos, of course, look wonderful. I'm pretty sure I could do either of those for less money, but I'm pretty sure either would cost more at a restaurant around here. I may try it; if so, I'll post back here. I hope someone tries it out and reports here!