Jason Perlow

That stuff is pretty amazing, isn't it? Their web site really needs a retooling but the product is fantastic. http://www.hickoryworks.com/

To some extent regulation is going to make some of these cheeses harder or impossible to produce. However, in the case of products where "the last guy who knew how to made it just died" and regulations do not affect the aspects of production, its a demand issue. Because clearly if it was a demand product, the method of production would have found a way of ensuring its survival.

In any market economy, products that are in demand find a way to survive. Those that are not in demand do not. Its a shame that some of these obscure French cheeses are dying out, but if nobody wants to consume them, there isn't much to be done. The pasteurization issue contributes to this somewhat, but as France becomes more and more integrated into the EC and has to adopt all its standards, its a necessary evil.

I saw large huge bags of it at Han Ah Reum Asian Mart in NJ, today.

Artisanal.com is carrying a nice valdeon at the moment. ← Yes, I've had their Valdeon, it is excellent.

I've been waiting a few weeks to post these pics: Melt Album (Imagegullet) 21 shots in total, but here's a few highlights:

Speaking of Jackasses though, I'd love to see those dudes who did that TV show crack a bottle of that open and eat it on camera.

S'okay Jon, I got it quite confused myself until I made a point of remembering that and meeting Tom in person.

Isn't that the same as a Hanami party? Sakura is just the name of the blossoms themselves, I think. Hanami is something like "looking at flowers". ← Yes, the activity itself is Hanami but an actual Hanami gathering which involves drinking and eating of Izakaya-type foods is in fact a Hanami Party (hanami enkai) or a Sakura Party. At the last major Japanese company I worked at, the North American corporate HQ in New Jersey had a good number of cherry blossom trees planted on the campus and when they went into full bloom, they had a company "Sakura Party" in the afternoon with Japanese food and people drank beer, sake etc and got generally intoxicated. I was made to understand that such corporate Hanami/Sakura Parties during Sakura Zensen (the cherry blossom front) were common in Japan -- in fact I had read about this in the book "Hokkaido Highway Blues" (which is one of my favorite books about travel in Japan) Hokkaido Higway Blues (Passage on Hanami) The entire book is about a Canadian English teacher who decides to hitchhike across the entire length of Japan during the Sakura Zensen, where the Cherry Blossoms sweep across the country from South to North. There's a lot of food references in the book as well, and its a funny and entertaining read.

I've had it before, but sure, what the hell.

Yes, its a Japanese pumpkin, although it is more similar to butternut squash in actual taste.

Cabrales is great but Valdeon is better, if you can find it.

Kris, have you been invited to any Sakura parties yet from your husband's company or friends? I understand that these can involve quite a bit of eating and alcohol.

Its a coarse-grain salt that is used for a wide number of cooking applications, its used very frequently when seasoning any kinds of meat, along with coarse black pepper. You can buy it in virtually any supermarket, the major brand in the United States is Morton. If you're going to have one kind of salt in your home kitchen, it should probably be Kosher salt because it is extremely versatile. Kosher Salt As you live in the UK, it might be difficult to find what we call in the US Kosher Salt. In which case, any other kind of coarse-grain salt such as Sea Salt is a good approximation.

Classic Hamburger Dressing Also known as "Special Sauce" 1/2 c mayonnaise 2 T French dressing 4 tsp sweet pickle relish 1 tsp finely minced white onion 1 tsp white vinegar 1 tsp sugar 1/8 tsp salt Mix all ingredients. Refrigerate for several hours. Keywords: Condiment, Sauce ( RG1179 )

Classic Hamburger Dressing Also known as "Special Sauce" 1/2 c mayonnaise 2 T French dressing 4 tsp sweet pickle relish 1 tsp finely minced white onion 1 tsp white vinegar 1 tsp sugar 1/8 tsp salt Mix all ingredients. Refrigerate for several hours. Keywords: Condiment, Sauce ( RG1179 )

Had burgers and dogs with mayo and Sriracha tonight. Its a great combo.

The McIlhenny Tabasco process is highly time intensive -- McIlhenny packs "Tabasco" (which are different than Cayennes) peppers -- which grow on Avery Island, LA, into oak barrels (that used to contain Jack Daniels) mashed up in heavy rock salt that comes from the massive salt dome on the island and lets them cure and ferment for 3 years. Then after 3 years they remove the pepper mash from the barrels and then cook them with vinegar and then strain the sauce. Its a unique process that no other hot sauce manufacturer goes thru. eG Tabasco Thread Other types of peppers will produce other kinds of hot sauces but they will definitely taste different. There are other producers of hot sauce in Louisiana, such as Crystal -- but that is a hot sauce that is made in a single day, its just cayennes, vinegar and salt that is cooked together, blended and strained.

I have a very high tolerance for heat and I'd defintiely say Sriracha has a kick. No, its not as hot as Tabasco, but as a condiment its a lot more versatile, I think.

Sriracha is a port in Thailand -- but in actuality the sauce originates from Vietnam. The sauce most people recognize as Sriracha is Tuong Ot Sriracha from Huy Fong Foods in California -- it has a rooster on it, hence the nickname "rooster sauce". There are other brands of Sriracha made in other countries, notably Vietnam, but I like Huy Fong the best.

You've said exactly what I said above, but in a so much more effective way. Yes, soft-headed is a very good way to describe it.

Must use with Pho and other asian noodle soups. Must use to mix in with dipping sauces for Summer Rolls, paricularly Nuoc Leo. I frequently use Sriracha when making marinades. In particular I use it when making Kalbi and Bulgogi marinades, it adds a little bit of extra chili and garlic punch. Its great when added to any soy based marinade, though. Great when mixed into mayo-based sauces. Great on Japanese-style hot dogs -- Do a criss cross of kewpie mayo and Sriracha on top of the dog.

Just got this in the email today: ***** - craftbar is moving - We look forward to welcoming you to our new home just around the corner at 900 Broadway(between 19th and 20th Streets). We’ll be closing this craftbar after dinner on Friday, April 8 and re-opening on Thursday, April 14. Same great chef, (Akhtar Nawab), new kitchen. We’ll be open for dinner only April 14 - 16 And open for both lunch and dinner beginning Monday, April 18. Lunch will be served daily from noon - 2:30 p.m. Dinner will be served 5:00 - 10:00 p.m. on Sunday and Monday and 5:00 - 11:00 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday. We’ll be taking reservations for lunch and dinner. Please call Craftbar at (212) 461-4300.

They can be had at Han Ah Rheum in N.J. ← The Han Ah Reums only have a small selection -- by far, the biggest Pocky and Japanese snack/junk selection in the entire NY tri state area is at Mitsuwa Marketplace in Edgewater, NJ. I'm fairly sure there is a shuttle from Manhattan but I am not sure where it begins its run.

Chocolate Pocky -- the original and the classic. An apt way to start off a Pocky blog.