Ashen

The whole anti-Elitism argument usually makes me smile 1) it pretty much confirms the fact that those it is used by or for do consider themselves elite. 2) Is there really anything wrong with being Anti-Elitist. ? I mean a world war was fought against the fascist ideal of elitism. An extreme example to be sure but it does admirably demonstrate that there is nothing inherently wrong with being Anti-Elitist.

I think it is the ethos of the hardcore modernists that I have the most problem with, new techniques and ingredients have been added to cooking since the first time someone dropped something in the fire. Probably in 20years SV will be considered so outdated it will be compared to such luddite practices as braising or poaching. Shudder. You will need to use an energizer that vibrates each type of molecule in the meat at a specific frequency coupled with orange beam laser at 1.21 gigawatts for 220 nanoseconds for the perfect shortribs

chefmd that looks amazing. I am extra glad I didn't post a picture now , that fresh colossal shrimp put my measly frozen ones to shame. ., I have always loved the look of the Ken Onion Shun Shane.. That is freaky timing.

shrimp and grits. sorry no photo, hunger got the best of me. Nora Mill yellow grits ( Thanks Shane aka MrHolloway for sharing ) Tasso is a hard thing to source here , so just to make sure I would like shrimp and grits before going to the trouble of making my own tasso, I subbed in some plain and very lean fresh smoked side bacon from a local deli that I seasoned with the spice mix of garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, paprika and chili de arbol. I definitely will be looking into making my own tasso now. Which reminds me. Shane do you think your friend in Georgia would be willing to ship up some more grits? I will pay for enough for both of us.

it may be taming the heat somewhat but I think you are really handicapping the potential by not wanting to use fresh . shredded fresh and let sit for a few mins to let the enzymes activate to maximum heat , hit with a bit of lemon juice to set it and then used just like the bottled in your recipe would be the way I would go.. Sorry I know that really isn't the answer you were seeking

a gift so not bought at the store. Forty Creek Copper pot Reserve Whisky.. very nice drop. I couldn't resist a picture of my Forty Love

that is what I think they are too. water caltrops more specifically trapa bicornis water caltrop http://www.google.ca/search?num=10&hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1243&bih=568&oq=Trapa+natans+&gs_l=img.3..0i24l9.3272.7617.0.8868.6.6.0.0.0.0.130.388.5j1.6.0...0.0...1ac.1.coxpxItcGtU&q=Trapa%20natans&tbo=d#hl=en&tbo=d&site=imghp&tbm=isch&spell=1&q=Trapa+bicornis&sa=X&ei=CiXZUK7pJcaQ0QGIq4DACg&ved=0CFIQvwUoAA&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&bvm=bv.1355534169,d.dmQ&fp=e1b0b7270bdb7f1f&bpcl=40096503&biw=1243&bih=568

that looks awesome Shane... Merry christmas to you , Chris and Holloway BTW I forgot to tell you how great the pulled pork was. What rub did you sprinkle on it before serving? the Carolina sauce was killer too.

thanks for the info folks.. loved the video.. I will be asking for one for christmas now. I have a low end burr grinder that I believe will work well for it. oh and yes I meant a bodum style french press.

I like my keurig for a quick cup and out the door to work . It can be a challenge to find decent coffee for it though. A cup that brews strong enough , and isn't so stale that you might as well be using woodchips. I was very happy to find that Presidents choice brand Great Canadian pods work in the keurig and generally have a much fresher taste and stronger brew than just about any k-cup I have tried. Given time to fuss around a bit I prefer to use my plungepot and fresh roasted coffee from a local roastery. I keep looking at the Aeropress and wondering if it would be a good upgrade to my plungepot . Has anyone used one? How does it stack up to a plungepot?

homemade peameal bacon , sunnyside up egg toast and coffee.

mm84321 beautiful dish ... I was wondering if you would give some info on how you made the walnut jus?

I wonder who the so called experts were that estimate 100,000 per year? could the writer of the article have possibly not read this same statement well enough this is from the CDC website "Y. enterocolitica is a relatively infrequent cause of diarrhea and abdominal pain. Based on data from the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), which measures the burden and sources of specific diseases over time, approximately one culture-confirmed Y. enterocolitica infection per 100,000 persons occurs each year. Children are infected more often than adults, and the infection is more common in the winter." to put that in context. that is only a little over 3000 per year not that 100,000 per year the quoted article stated.

on a more traditional front the dish Fish and Brewis would be naked without scrunchions( cubed rendered and fried salt pork) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_and_brewis

Yes, great point. I agree as well! I shouldn't have generalized so much. I don't mean that we don't have good raw ingredients, but I definitely doubt that they are as readily available and affordable for as much as the population, compared to Italy. When I lived in Maine, lobster was relatively affordable but now that I live in California, it's $30 a pound in my town, with infrequent turnover. And yes, the tomatoes in my garden are pretty damn tasty, but the supermarket ones are crap, and cans of San Marzano tomatoes can easily get pricey, especially when some recipes call for 4 cans. A lot of farmed seafood runs $10 a pound in my town, and wild- caught fish can be $20 a pound. So, I suppose it depends quite a bit where you live. I'm sure there are still plenty of towns in the US where San Marzano tomatoes and high-quality fresh seafood are unknown. And I think it's pretty accepted that high-quality ingredients, while available, are generally more expensive here than in Italy (and many other countries). But - maybe Italian-American cooking will evolve to reflect the quality ingredients that are more widespread, though often far from ubiquitous or affordable, now? I agree with weinoo.. I know if I was living in Cali , I would be using Stanislaus tomatoes instead of San Marzano. I would use them here even too, but there just isn't as ready a supply as the San Marzano. To go off a a tangent. I grew up in a city in Canada that had one of the highest population of italian immigrants by % of citizens . They were from all over italy, and the differences in food formed an interesting Microcosm. I come from northern italian extraction trevisano and my best friends family came from abruzzi . My family in italy had a large farm and it showed in our sugo, basically meat based with very little tomato or onion and no garlic.. We used butter or lard instead of olive oil as we were above the butter belt. . When I would eat at my friends house, it was the total opposite. Mostly tomato sauce based, little or no meat, olive oil and plenty of garlic and peperoncino . In fact I think I owe my love of chiles to his grandfather/Shosho. We would sneak into his garden and dare each other to eat the little finger chiles he would grow. These styles were very much in keeping with the regions in italy they came from.. My father would talk about the very rare bottle of olive oil his mother would use for salads in italy, saying it would last for years, and that sometimes it seemed she would just wave it over the salad instead of tipping it enough to actually pour. That restraint I think was just the reality that they couldn't use more even if they wanted too. I think a little extra cheese or butter or oil was put in once they move to north america, simply because they could .

cilantro/coriander leaves but I love the seeds cloves and by extension 5 spice powder because it contains cloves. heart liver and kidneys in general trying to expand my horizons I have come up with a dish that makes chicken or turkey liver at least partially acceptable though the livers need to be cleaned up nicely( any bits of connective tissue or veins etc ) sliced thin then blotted dry on paper towel generous seasoning of S+P (kosher,fresh cracked black) seared in a hot pan with avocado oil finished with a knob of butter which I let brown slightly , touch of brandy and pinch of chili flakes.

There is an Emperor's new clothes vibe to the attitude of some( and I stress some ) adherents of modernist cuisine . In my opinion , those that employ these new techniques well, are those that don't use them just for the sake of using them. They just view them as additional tools and techniques in their cooking repertoire that can best achieve the result they desire. Progress is a great thing but a one dimensional approach to life or cooking is just boring for my taste.

Forty Creek Cream Liquor Only available in Ontario at the moment though. head to head tasting it blows baileys out of the water.

I would use my large pyrex measuring jug (holds a little over 2 quarts) and a canning funnel. basically how I dispense large volumes of liquids for various purposes. this set up works well with a large freezer zip bag placed in an empty tall container with the zip folder over the sides for things like sauce and stock for freezing.. It keeps the zipper nice and clean.

this is what I use http://www.tscstores.com/SYRINGE-PREMIUM-30-ML-P20908.aspx along with these 14 gauge needles http://www.tscstores.com/NEEDLE-14-GA-X-1-STAINLESS-3PK-P20881.aspx there are many other gauge sizes that fit the syringe which can be boiled and comes with replacement o rings for around the bottom luer lock and plunger. I have seen an identical product in a fancied up package at a culinary gadget store sold for over 3 times the price and it didn't come with the replacement o rings and only one needle.

Moritaka Ishime 150mm Honesuki and some japanese waterstones 1000, 5000 & 8000 grit

wow.. that was too funny and informative. ... I didn't know hungarians were known know for their sacks. LOL

on a slightly tangent topic, before refrigeration something known as liquidglass or waterglass Aka Sodium Silicate was used to preserve eggs for many months. You can still buy it from lehmans non-electric . I have been wanting to try it out for awhile now since reading about it in one of the very old cookbooks I collect. You can actually download it or read it online from the gutenberg project because the copyright is out of date now. published in 1914. pg 61 is where they talk about preserving eggs . http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8542

Harold Mcgee on egg freshnes http://books.google.ca/books?id=bKVCtH4AjwgC&pg=PA82&lpg=PA82&dq=harold+mcgee+egg+freshness&source=bl&ots=qWLEgfR8nf&sig=NuzpYsv0lbc4EqW27aEeGVv3yHY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=f5icUI7sCOeq2gXM-4B4&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=harold%20mcgee%20egg%20freshness&f=false The floaters may or may not be spoiled , but the sinkers are good , so I just err on side of tossing all floaters.

Fairly easy thing to test for the raw eggs.. Just place them in a container of water, any that float should be tossed , any that sink and stay at the bottom will be fine. . Really fresh lay on their side , slightly older will stand on end on bottom of the container.