ronnie_suburban

Here are my top choices; destinations all: Alinea Tru Avenues Topolobampo/Frontera Grill Blackbird/Avec Spring/Green Zebra/Custom House or Lou Malnati's Al's Italian Beef Weiner's Circle Greek Islands Nuevo Leon =R=

By coincidence, last night I just happened to catch the episode of Opening Soon (Fine Living Channel) which documented the opening of Country. It was interesting to me that Psaltis was never mentioned once, even though he appeared throughout the episode. The focus was entirely on Zakarian, the over-thought manipulation of his public image and the fact that the budget for Country swelled from $7M to $12M during the process. But even as Psaltis was shown turning out prospective dishes for Zakarian to taste, he received no mention, verbally or graphically. Perhaps this is some indication why the book was written in the first place. I guess that if chefs don't toot their own horns, no one else will either. =R=

I made the Cold-Smoked Andouille (this one is emulsified, yes?) using the paddle on my KA stand mixer and had no problem incorporating the fat. But, the recipe didn't specify exactly how much water to add. I eyeballed it, ended up adding about 12 fluid ounces and the sausages turned out very well. =R=

Thanks for the link, Jason. I tried but couldn't find it when I was starting this thread. And thanks again for the tip. This stuff is truly delightful. =R=

It's just about that time again! Starting next Saturday, April 22, the Dane County Farmers Market in Madison, WI will move from its indoor, winter venue back to its outdoor home at the square around the Capitol. The Evanston Farmers Market picks up again on May 20, 2006. From what I can tell, the Oak Park Farmers Market starts up again Saturday, June 3. Chicago's Green City Market will again be operating 2 days per week this season -- Wednesdays and Saturdays -- beginning on Wednesday May 17. Who's ready?! =R=

I love those little bottles and can occasionally find them around but they seem to usually be the HFCS formula. A gourmet store (can you say irony?) in Chicago carries Mexican-made (with cane sugar) Coke in 12-oz. bottles. But they're about $3 each and the place is quite far from my house. These KfP cans have been such a treat. Mel, thanks for the link! =R=

Ron, I'm still pondering this recipe while I search for some Pecan (with no success so far, but it'll come). Compared to the ingredients lists from Jacob's and Poche's , Folse's recipe has a lot more garlic than the others (assuming they list the ingredients in order of volume/weight). Could that have been the source of some of the bitterness also? I'm dying to get going on this, and may bag the Pecan search temporarily and use a mixture of Hickory and Cherry if I don't score pretty soon. Your sausages are making me anxious to make a batch of jambalaya in the worst way . ← I'm honestly not sure about this. I thought the garlic level was ok but I won't know for sure until I make the next batch and see how it differs. It's possible that an excess of garlic contributed to the bitterness but most of the folks who tasted these liked them more than I did -- and didn't complain about any bitterness at all. I guess sometimes, we're our own worst critics. It's also hard to know what I'm getting garlic-wise these days. It's grocery store standard issue stuff. Once the farmers markets in our area start to open for the season, garlic varietals will be available once again. At that point, I know there are some types which are so strong that 1/2 C would definitely be too much. How was that for a non-answer? =R=

Aye, the holy trinity! =R=

Actually, I was just trying to be helpful. I don't see where I "diminished" anything. I brought up this fact simply because I thought it might be relevant, given the application. I've worked in the industrial fruit segment for over 20 years and know full-well why agriculturally-based products often contain added ingredients. That said, Perfect Puree's products always contain additives, regardless of crop conditions, so I believe there's more than standardization in play here. =R=

Man! Last week a friend tipped me off to the glories of sucrose-sweetened Kosher-for-Passover Coca Cola and I've been guzzling it down ever since. The grocery store nearest my house has a big Kosher section and sure enough, they carry the KfP Coke (6 x 12 oz. cans) in their special, Passover section. I brought some home and just could not believe how great it tasted and what a difference sucrose makes over high-fructose corn syrup, which is used to sweeten standard Coca-Cola Classic. I'm normally a caffeine-free diet coke drinker, but I've always had an appreciation for good old Coke "red," and will -- every once in a while -- indulge the craving. I only like it in cans, super chilled and then poured, a few sips at a time, over ice in a glass tumbler. This KfP stuff makes that ritual even more enjoyable than it normally is. If you're a fan of Coke, and live in an area where there is opportunity, I cannot encourage you strongly enough to try the KfP Coke for yourself. Drinking this stuff really takes me back to my earliest days with pop. It brought to mind memories of things I hadn't thought of in years, like the pop machine at the florist that was about a block away from the house where I grew up. We used to save our change (or pester our folks) and walk over the machine for cans of coke. The minute I tasted this stuff, it brought me back there. Pretty cool. Anyway, I must have sucked down 3 or 4 of these babies today when it struck me that I was seriously depleting my inventory. No worries, I headed back to the store and picked up a case (expy date 12/06). I actually thought about buying more but decided that it would be overkill. With a case on hand I can indulge myself a bit longer, share a few cans with friends and, eventually, look forward to next year's batch. My newest Passover tradition! =R=

I know nothing about the rest of this - but Trader Joe's has fresh frozen mango chunks. ← These can be turned into puree via the use of a food processor. Same goes for fresh pieces of mango. =R=

I've been thinking about this and I'm going to cut the black pepper to 2T from 4T and increase the cayenne pepper to 3T from 2T. At least, that's my plan for the next run, which hopefully, will be this weekend. I'm also going to make another batch of breakfast sausage this weekend and tube them into sheep casings. Those are the 2 types of sausages that I feel I've really zeroed in on, both preference-wise and trial & error-wise. I think, using what I've learned so far, those batches should both come out exactly how I'd like them to. After that, I still want to cure and cold-smoke some salmon and get into the dry-cured sausages too. I will definitely need some guidance when it comes to rigging a curing chamber. I've got a basement but because it's finished, it doesn't get particularly cool down there until I start running my AC for the season. =R=

April 12, 2006... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: Sushi and Rev. Moon...in this Chicago Tribune Special Report, Monica Eng, Delroy Alexander and David Jackson investigate how Americans' love for sushi actually helps fund this controversial church. Dressing up...Robin Mather Jenkins with some great ideas for turning ordinary cakes into something special for Easter. Celebrating the reasons for riesling...Bill Daley takes a look at one of my favorite wine varietals and explains why it's a great match for many Easter meals. Tasting notes are included. Fun and games...Rick Asa reports on the locally produced web site Spatulatta.com, with which several Chicago area Beard award nominees -- including some very gifted kids -- are linked. Love, vegetable-style...Renee Enna reviews Vegetable Love, the newest book from Barbara Kafka and Christopher Styler. Coconut...Donna Pierce with a useful guide. Take one roast, tie up in knots...in this week's Prep School installment, James P. DeWan lays out the finer points of trussing and explains its significance as a "gateway" skill. ===== From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: Food Network stars hit town...in this somewhat confusingly headlined piece, Denise I. O'Neal previews an upcoming appearance by Sara Moulton who, other than via reruns, is no longer working with the Food Network. Tastings around town...Celeste Busk previews upcoming events at McCormick & Schmick's, O'Donovan's, Pops For Champagne, Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba, Marshall Field's (Old Orchard), Trucchi Italian Bistro, Fox & Obel and Piece. ===== From today's Daily Herald - Food section: Take a step back in time to see how moms used to cook...food editor Deborah Pankey previews the Tales from the Kitchen exhibit, running now through July 23 at the Heritage Gallery in Arlington Heights. Ms. Pankey also details the return of Heinemann's Bakery products to local Jewel stores. Food and wine classes...a comprehensive listing of upcoming area food events, tastings and classes; broken out by day. ===== From the Chicago Reader's What's New section...reviews of Terragusto Cafe & Local Market, David Burke's Primehouse and Block 44. ===== In this week's installment of Chicago Magazine's Dish, Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby confirm the rumors and report that Banana Moon (Deerfield) has officially closed, a mere 7 months after it bowed. ===== =R= <><><><><> Media Digest Notes... Updates from some Chicago media outlets, which do not 'go to press' on Wednesday mornings, will be edited into each week's post as they become available. Please do not reply on this thread. For discussion of any stories which are linked here, please feel free to start a new thread or contact the forum host or digester who will be happy to do it for you. <><><><><>

Well, yes but I gotta' keep moving that inventory . . . =R=

Thank you, JFLinLA, for the most timely link. It's very much appreciated. =R=

I vaguely recall a method where the eggs are slow-roasted for hours in the oven (maybe 12) at a very low temperature but I can't remember the specifics. I do remember the eggs tasting very good when done that way. Anyone know what I'm talking about? =R=

Golly, gee, for all of the hand holding, I'm feeling pretty darned smart, because I stuck everything in the freezer last night (including the KA mixing bowl that I knew I'd be grinding into). And, did sharpen the blade using a plain old stone. ← Yep, that's where I've actually been storing my stuff. It goes into the freezer directly from the dishwasher, so it's always ready to go. =R=

Dave, those bacons sound really great. How did that truffled bacon taste? I may have to give that one a shot. One thing I did (and recommended several pages ago) is to make your first sausage attempt a relatively easy one. I used the breakfast sausage recipe in the book and made "bulk" sausage without any casings. I did this before I'd even researched stuffers. Of course, one taste of those delicious sausages and I started this thread. =R=

Awesome! That must have been one helluva satisfying meal. And to take it one step futher, as Abra mentioned some pages back, I can't wait to host a Charcuterie party. Being able to offer a group of my most appreciative friends plates full of hand-crafted tastes -- meats, pickles, breads -- along with some wine and cheese -- would be so much fun. In fact, the only thing that could possibly be better would be receiving an invite to someone else's Charcuterie party. =R=

Susan, You're a natural! You don't need any hand-holding. Those look wonderful. Do you have a recipe you can share with us? =R=

Susan, Once you grind that meat, you should tube it off fairly soon (within 10-15 minutes). Once ground, the salted mixture can sieze up a bit in the fridge, which can make the stuffing process a bit more difficult. I usually tube off the entire coil (slightly underfilling) and then twist off the links, one by one, at the end. That said, I'm sure there are plenty of different approaches which all work equally well. I've just found that method to be the most comfortable one for me. When you spin those links, just remember to alternate the direction of the spin. If the first spin is toward you, the next one should be away, etc. =R=

Perfect Puree makes great, tasty products but (IIRC) none of them are 100% fruit. They have sweeteners and other ingredients added. Puree is whole, ground fruit, sometimes sieved or run through a screen. It usually has a viscosity, depending on the fruit, between apple sauce and tomato paste. In most cases, puree is homogenous and contains no piece identity. Juice is the result produced via the pressing of fruit. The captured juice is usually sieved or filtered and sometime pasteurized. It is free-flowing, and is usually not viscous. It contains no pieces. Nectar is juice with sweetener added. This is done to make juices which would otherwise be too acidic to drink on their own palatable. hth, =R= edited for clarity

We usually end up eating about 20% of each batch. The rest, I've been vacuum-sealing and distributing to friends, neighbors, slow-moving strangers, etc. One morning I took a bunch of bacon and sausage to the office and cooked breakfast for everyone in the kitchen there. That used up quite a bit of inventory. So far, there's been very little surplus, especially with the bacon, which seems to go very, very fast. =R=

Hello, my name is Ronnie and I am a linkaholic Inspired by Dave's (aka Bombdog's) foray into lamb sausage, I decided to give it a whirl too. I picked up 5# of lamb trimmings at my butcher and winged the following recipe: 5# fatty lamb trimmings 3 T kosher salt 2 T dry oregano 2 T dry thyme 2 T dry rosemary, freshly ground 1 T black pepper, freshly ground 4 T garlic minced 2 t fresh lemon zest 2 T roasted garlic 1 C feta cheese, crumbled 1 C roasted red bell pepper, diced 1 C ice-cold red wine I applied the standard Ruhlman-Polcyn method for fresh sausage but saved the feta, bell pepper and roasted garlic for the mixing stage (along with the iced red wine) and did not run those ingredients through the grinder. Before that, I sent the seasoned meat through the small die on my KA once. A couple of pics . . . All told, with meat, peppers, cheese and liquid, this was close to 7 pounds of lamb sausage. Some detail. You can see the feta and red pepper under the casings. These were quite tasty with the feta just a bit melty after they came off the grill. One thing I'd do differently next time is include a bit more fat. The lamb trimmings from the butcher looked fatty enough but the final result was a tiny bit crumbly as you can probably see in the 3rd picture. I think I got the proportions of feta, peppers and lamb just about right. I put a very coarse chop on the peppers, assuming that they'd break down further during the mixing. This turned out to be the case, so it was a good guess. Ditto for the feta, which I simply broke into large chunks and added right before mixing. I might cut the wine back to around a 1/2 cup next time too, because the peppers seemed to give up a bit of moisture during the mixing phase. But, for a first effort with no real recipe, these sausages were quite delicious. My son, who is not a big lamb fan, absolutely loved them. All in all, not baaaad. =R=

Not exactly a huge surprise but it is certainly worth mentioning here that Alinea was named Best New Restaurant by our friends at Chicago Magazine in their May 2006 issue. Congrats to everyone on the Alinea team! =R=