Jason Perlow

Jerk Chicken, smoked on big green egg. Pork shoulder following

Probably. This site seems to be a nexus for gastro-geekery. Personally, what I dislike about 'modernism' is that its practitioners define themselves as somehow apart and above gastronomy, when in actual fact the only fundamental difference is a self-consciousness about what happens to food at a molecular level. What's missing from modernist cuisine are such things as restraint, good-taste, knowledge of culinary history, vision and imagination. Hence so much of its output is characterised by the infantile appeal of brightly-coloured and over-flavoured pap. I can see its appeal for young and gastronomically ignorant technophiles, but credibility requires that the movement achieves a lot more than making stuff very, very soft. I don't have a problem with people engaging in the discussion of modernist cuisine, nor do I have issues with the technology employed. I did co-found this Society, and when we did, our objectives were to embrace everything of a culinary nature. I'm glad people have a place to discuss it. HOWEVER. I do think that technology and the techniques should be applied where they make sense, and that modernism is not the only way or the right way to approach cooking. I also do not think the application of the technology or techniques are necessarily practical or sensible for a home cook or enthusiast. Basically it boils down to use it where it makes sense and is practical, and too much of one thing is not necessarily good. As a practicing technologist, I am a bit turned off by the overwhelming use of modernism in cuisine. I see cooking as a fairly low tech activity that is meant to be enjoyed to escape the modern trappings I have to deal with on a day to day basis, that is enhanced occasionally by the use of enabling technology when it is warranted -- like the use of high-end BBQ thermometers/thermal control systems or say PID's in espresso machines where precision is required to produce a better end product.

An I going to get yelled at if I say I hate Modernism?

I will check this Six Tables place out.

I bought my Silvia from WholeLatteLove.com and I got the Rancilio Rocky grinder with it in a package deal that is basically designed for it.

So, I took the plunge into "real" espresso machines and ordered a brand new Silvia V3. On the prodding of Sam Kinsey, I'm also going to buy a PID for it. However, the question is WHICH PID kit to get. The two cottage companies that offer them are PIDKits.com and PIDsilvia.com. Both of these are side mounts, but one uses the Watlow PID (more expensive, but supposedly higher quality devices) and the other uses Auber PIDs. Auber Instruments also offers its own PID kit now as well. However, the Auber PID kit is an undermount near the steamer wand and the espresso spout and I'm not crazy about that So far, I haven't gotten either of these cottage businesses to answer emails. I guess whoever eventually gets back to me will get my bussiness, but I would rather know about some other choices if I have any.

Don't know if this response is too late, but if you like fish and seafood, I highly recommend Food Shack in Jupiter. My favorite restaurant in that area. Don't know if they have gift certificates, I know they do not take reservations. I did a blog post on it a few years ago. Our last visit was during this summer when we moved to Florida, the food is still outstanding. http://offthebroiler...irs-food-shack/ Moir also owns Leftovers Cafe (also in Jupiter) that has a very similar menu but is more of a lunch crowd type of place.

You know what I've said to you privately, but I'll re-iterate some of it here. You've had a very good run Steven... and eG has prospered under your leadership. Be proud of what you have accomplished here. Now, welcome back to the corporate world like the rest of us. "Retirement" from eG has been good to me. I'm sure it will be good to you too.

Ah, I meant to say "Drank cold" in summer months. Missed the edit window. Yes, it's very good cold. The tea is also referred to as "Mugicha" in Japanese culture. There's a eG Forums thread from 2004 where we talked about it at length.

I've normally just seen it poured over large tumbler glasses with ice, at least at Korean restaurants in the NYC area.

Roasted Barley tea, called "Boricha" in Korean is actually drank hot during summer months. It has an interesting smoky flavor and is a good accompaniment to Asian food.

What do you do with pineapple sage besides make a tissane with it? Does it have other culinary uses?

Just made up a fresh batch of mint iced tea. Just mint, hot water, and some stevia packets added to sweetness. Amazing over ice, especially on a blisteringly hot day like this in the NY metro area. Hit 99 today.

Somewhat late, but I developed this recipe to use with shagbark hickory syrup for the holidays/Superbowl. It's a turkey meatball with apples in it, with a hickory syrup/cider vinegar/apple juice/mustard BBQ sauce, served over smoked sausage rounds.

What's your strategy for this? Just mint and hot water? Just mint and hot water, yes. And any sweetener you want to add, along with black tea, if you want regular tea in it. Brew it up in a pot, pour it into a container to cool down, put it in the fridge when it reaches room temp.

That's a lot less of a problem than it used to be. In Jersey, you can pretty much get it everywhere. What my problem with the South is that most places default to Sweet Tea, which I think is disgusting.

Doesn't PJ lose the little boxes? Hell, I'm almost 43 and I would lose at least one a week. They don't have larger, multi compartment plastic containers?

I like to smoke or grill my meatballs lately. Do a nice pork and beef mix, season with choice of spices. Wrap them in bacon. Williams-Sonoma has a great meatball grill basket that's fantastic for this purpose.

Viewed at a local bagel shop in Englewood, NJ. So wrong.

I'm not sure if it's Colombian, most likely Puerto Rican or Cuban. But it looks very tasty. I'm thinking of preparing these in muffin tins for individual servings.

CBS This Morning posted a great recipe by Daisy Martinez for Pastelon, a Caribbean-style meat pie made with a plantain crust. Looks amazing and pretty easy to make.

Well that's kind of the problem with home-made mayo. If you make a large amount it doesn't stay stabilized in the fridge for weeks at a time, you have to make it for whatever dish to plan to serve that day or within another day or two. We had a BLT taste-off a few years back on my blog, I had a CIA-trained chef make a bunch of different kinds, including with her own mayo. We both agreed at the end that the classic BLT taste could only come from a commercial mayonnaise.

The rest of the unit looks fine. Replace the grates and you'll be in business. Make sure you have the water bowl.

If you want a really good book on the subject, I suggest Gary Wiviott's "Low and Slow" The first lesson in the book is Chicken Mojo Criollo, which is a whole chicken in latin-style marinade. You can see how I did in his multi-step course. He threw me out.

Had a really great Cucumber and Mint mojito at an Indian restaurant recently. Not sure of the mix but it was a great flavor combo.