DanM

While not a cookbook, Ruth Bourdain is about to release her guide to gastronomy... Cover Me with Offal. The description from Amazon. Twitter sensation and culinary mash-up Ruth Bourdain, winner of the 2011 James Beard Foundation Award for Humor, is your personal guide on this culinary adventure, sharing a wealth of knowledge acquired through years in restaurant kitchens, experimentation with food porn, smoking tangerine zest, and an unfortunate incident involving a durian. Along the way, Comfort Me with Offal features vivid and fascinating personal stories from Ruth Bourdain’s extraordinary life in food, including appearances from many of the world’s most renowned chefs. Not since Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin’s landmark The Physiology of Taste has there been a more comprehensive guide to the world of food and wine. From food history to dining etiquette to matters of taste, this practical handbook offers the basics for navigating every aspect of gastronomy, including: · • A food timeline, from the dawn of man to the modern era · • The importance of celebrity chef hairstyles · • Achieving the orgasmic potential of chocolate · • Culinary pick-up lines · • The twenty types of offal you need to eat before you die · • Becoming a “master baster” on Thanksgiving · • A field guide to the modern foodie, from carniwhores to gastrosexuals · • Essential exercises for bulking up your taste buds · • Tips for raising a baby gastronome · • How to prepare for a vegan apocalypse · • And so much more . . . http://www.amazon.com/Comfort-With-Offal-Bourdains-Gastronomy/dp/1449427480/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345732273&sr=8-1&keywords=ruth+bourdain

The key to keeping food cold in a cooler is the ice that is used. You will want to find a local ice company that can sell you a block that is frozen to a very low temperature. This will melt much slower and last longer. The ice in ice manchines is fine for drinks and quick trips, but it has too much surface area and is usually melting by the time it comes out of the machine. Dan

The Eagle Rare is very restrained, but with layers of complexity I cannot adequately describle. I think there is a slight sourness in the finish... but I will have to drink a few more glasses to make sure. Rye does not work well for me with peach consumption. The herbal, spicy notes seem to clash with the juicy sweetness of the peach.

I was going. Ack and forth between Jefferson's Reserve and Hudson, but the liquor store guy twisted my ear about a special offer... They had a tasting of several Eagle Rare Single Barrels and they bought a barrel for the store. At $35 for a bottle, it is worth the risk and experiment. More later after I have my peach quota. Dan

I don't remember who made it, but I once had a beer aged in a Tabasco barrel. That was a little overkill. This is my second time brewing with chiles. I had a few items laying around, so I brewed a wheat beer with agave syrup, guajillos and pasillas.

Good idea. I made brined pickles today and will try to get more next Sunday for a quick pickle.

Narragansett lager was served with dinner. This is what a simple lager should be... forget what bud, coors, and miller want you to believe. I want a lagering fridge just so I can brew a beer like this one. Tonight I might open a bottle of a chipotle stout I made about a month ago. Hopefully, the chipotle will not overtake the beer. Dan

Sometimes I will cook a little extra of an ingredient or two needed for dinner. For instance, if I need to brown some chicken, I will add a couple extra pieces and cook them completely for lunch the other day. Rice, potatoes, green beans, and hearty veg all do well the next day for lunch. I might toss a few of them together with a simple mustard vinegarette to make a salad. On another note, I am about to experiment with making a home made pot noodles. I have some simple thin egg noodles and bits of pieces of veg from last nights dinner, plus a few fresh items (ginger, cabbage, herbage, to name a few contenders. I will place them all in a lock lid jar. At lunch time, I will add some hot veg broth and let it sit for a few minutes. Hopefully, it will be edible. Dan

You can also add gluten phobia to the list. I am annoyed when I hear people talking about how they live healthier by avoiding gluten. Occasionally, I poke back and ask what is wrong with gluten? What does it do to your health? Most of the time it is a blank stare or they just say "well, it's bad for you!" I am happy to make 2-4 loaves of bread every week. Bring on the carbs and the gluten! Bring on the meat I pile on top. Bring on the fattening cheese and the butter I fry the sandwich in!

I picked up about 2 lbs of thumb size baby cucumbers at the farmer's market. I plan on pickling them, but I am not sure if I should brine them in my crock or if I should use vinegar. Any thoughts?

Are there any chefs near you that you admire? I would give them a call and see if you can get 20 minutes of their time to discuss being a chef and any advice they have to further your career. If you are daring, you could even offer to stanche for a day. If you want to learn the basics, I also recommend learning some baking and skills. The Professional Pastry Chef by Bo Friberg and Bread by Jeffrey Hamelman will teach you what you want to know. Dan

I see coupons for this machine at the farmer's market. Most packs of pectin made 6-8 cups of fruit jam, but this machine only has a 4 cup capacity. This means that I will have to cut down all of my recipes or rely soley on Ball's recipe guide. A pot and a spoon works just fine for me.

Bump! Is there anything new in the Austin Food Truck scene? I think this will be a fun adventure for my 2.5 year old foodie.

I have found that you can substitute 5-10% of the flour in most baked goods with almond meal. I especially like it in oatmeal cookies, waffles, and butter cakes.

How about a Screaming Viking??

Peach in one hand, bourbon in the other,,,

Wow, you guys are more evil than medical staff. Lots of practical jokes take place on slow nights in the hospital. This thread has been a fun read. Not a professional kitchen story, but I did something similar when I was an intern (medical). One of the chief residents kept raiding the fridge in the call room and eating my lunches (generally very tasty ones, if I do say so myself), but as the lowly intern, I couldn't really complain. So I baked up a batch of chocolate chip cookies and put a fairly large dose of powdered habanero in a portion of the dough, and put the cookies in my lunch bag. I tasted one, the heat does not register immediately because of the sweetness, easily allowing someone rapidly snarfing cookies to finish at least a couple before the heat starts. He never stole my lunch again. Someone's been stealing my lunch. Where do I get the habanero powder?? Here you go! http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices/habanero-chile-peppers-whole-and-ground

The book by Magnus Nilsson really interests me, although I am sure it will be pretty useless for everyday use.

Welcome to another season of the Top Chef Catering Service. Enjoy the show! The "Masters" this season seem to mostly be more experienced versions of the regular show's competitors. 3 cents... adjusted for infation...

I will be in San Antonio this fall. Are there any suggestions for a kid friendly lunch spot near the Alamo or the botanical garden? Simple food is a plus. What about ice cream shops? How is the new CIA campus bakery? Dan

Jammy dodgers will take care of my childish cravings. Linzer tortes are also come to mind for using large quantities. Dan

I don't think there is a better compliment for peaches than a glass of bourbon. I am looking for something new. Does anyone have a suggestion for a reasonably priced ($50ish) bourbon produced by a small, craft distillery? Thanks! Dan

i know I shouldn't, but a big bag of fries from Five Guys is a great snack. A small tip. If you want to make sure your fries are fresh from the fryer, ask for them salt free they will make a batch just for you.

The first week of camp has come and gone. I found some nice rubbermaid two compartment plastic containers. A typical lunch will include some cut up fruit (mellon, apricot, peach, etc...), a couple of mini pitas or a mini bagel, sliced cheese or cream cheese on the bread option, and either baby carrots, cut up cuke, or other veg. Mini quiches are a great idea. I just bought a mini muffin tin and will give it a try.

Dear Pyrex. Please reference New Coke. Have a good night.