Steve Irby

I kind of got sidetracked over the new year so tonight's supper was Breast of Pork from Kellers Under Pressure. A few other dishes over the past few days included house cured salmon And bastardized Oyster Rockefeller meets Casino. How about sous vide turkey from http://www.williams-...tml Absolutely the best turkey ever. And a little sausage action.

First oysters of the fall. Cool weather and fat, salty oysters.

Ravioli inspired by a dish at Osteria in Philadelphia. No way to find rochetta in our area so I used a combination of French Chevre, Dutch Gouda and New Zealand Windsor Blue at a ratio of maybe 65:20:15. I know it's a bastardized combo but it worked. Topped with shiitake and crimini mushrooms. We also had fresh grilled swordfish that I pulled from the grill a little to early so I finished it on the stove. I love swordfish and I am really amazed how the price of fish has changed over the years. At my local fish market today the price for fillets of sword were $6.99/#, wahoo $8.99/#, amberjack $11.99/# and grouper & tuna at $12.99/#. What used to trash fish (trigger, amberjack) now sell at prices above at what was once considered premium.

mm84321 - Less pictures and more GPS coordinates!

Thanks Chris. I'm a beginner at SV but what I have cooked so far has turned out fairly well. The vension hind quarter came out pretty close to perfect which says as much about the quality of the deer as my skills. I think the cooking time was just right, any longer and the meat would get a little to soft. Try 132 F for 3 - 3.5 hours which will give you a little more latitude when your sear it off. Any pointers on wild goose? I think it how stayed in the bath for days.

Couple of weeks ago - Compressed melon and feta salad with mint and lemon verbena adapted from Ottolenghi Last night -Tuna and shrimp tower loosely based on a visit to Frank Stitts Highlands Grill. Deboned chicken legs stuffed with homemade feta sausage prior to finishing on the grill. Getting the legs prepped - I love when you can take $1.19lb leg quarters and create a fun dish. This past weekends sous vide project - venison hind quarter, beef sirloin flap steak, wild goose breast, and lean pork garlic sausage. All cuts were cooked 3.5 hours at 135 F then finished on the grill. Prepped Grilled

If you like espresso try the Ethiopia Sidama Deri Kochoha. The SM description includes amazing mouthfeel and dark chocolate which is dead on. It is also billed as the "A-Bomb" of single origin beans that are currently in stock. I roasted on the light side and when brewed in the french press it was a good cup but really shines as espresso.

I have used the VP112 for almost a year with good results. It is used daily for light duty tasks such as resealing a block of feta or prepping food for the circulator. Occasionally it has seen all day use in prepping a whole hog or lamb for the freezer and when I make sausage. The 12-inch width is great as you can seal two smaller bags at a time which works out great when you are putting up summer vegetables or one pound packages of sausage. I have used about 600 bags to date with very few failures. I bought a scratch & dent from homebutcher.com for $500 including shipping and was hard pressed to find any blemishes. I also purcashed 1,000 bags which they shipped in the same order for free.

Gulf Coast Bouillabaisse - Red Snapper, Cedar Key Clams, Pensacola Bay Shrimp and bay scallops. The recipe is loosely based on a Patricia Wells recipe from At Home in Provence with fennel and orange zest. I caught the fish yesterday when I went fishing offshore with friends. I grilled some of the ribs, or frames,and added the cooked meat to the finished broth and used the heads for stock. The light smoked taste from the grilled fish and orange zest is great. After a trip to our farmers market this morning I made a fresh okra and corn chowder. Lots of okra sauteed with onion and garlic and blackened fish seasoning. It is combined with potatoes stock, heavy cream and fresh cut corn.

Whoops forgot the link: http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/13866/what-can-you-surmise-about-coffee-beans-that-have-oil-on-them-at-the-time-of-pur

Oil on the surface of the bean is primarily a function of degree of roast. That's why city roast is not oily and french roast is. Here's a good link - check rasquals response.

My first dinner post after lurking for years. Locally grown pork, grilled eggplant and crimini mushrooms, potato pave and great local tomatoes. The pave recipe is from Thomas Keller that I have re-purposed for about four meals.

If you are new to the process don't be worried about over roasting. I think you need to burn a batch or two to get a feel for the process especially if you are not monitoring temperature. With the method that you are using you will enter each roast stage somewhat gradually with each stage not as clearly defined as you would think. The roasts will always be (at least mine) less uniform due to limitations in the methods we are using. Here is a good link from SM to help you evaluate your efforts. http://www.sweetmarias.com/library/category/content-tags/degree-roast and roasting tips for air poppers http://www.sweetmarias.com/airpop/airpopmethod.php

I've been home roasting for about six years using Sweet Maria's offerings. I will order the 5# bag of Moka Kadir or Espresso Monkey blend and the 8 lb sampler and the combination qualifies for flat rate shipping. The beans are of the highest quality - well sorted, no trash or partial beans. The espresso blends are usually roasted just a few seconds into second crack and the single origins are generally roasted as recommended. Last nights roast was a Sumatra Lintong Tano Batak from the last sampler roasted to FC++. I use a stove top roaster (Back To Basics) and roast 1 to 1.5 lbs at a time using a gas stove and 650 cfm hood vented to the outside. I have found that I get a more even roast with these weights as opposed to less than one pound roast. I roast in the evening and the time to roast a single origin is usually one beer and espresso 1.5 to 2 beers. That gas cooktops puts off a lot of heat! I step outside to cool the beans down by transferring them from colander to colander in front of a floor fan. It is amazing how much chaff is produced. My espresso setup is a Mazzer Mini grinder and Quick Mill Vetrano machine from Chris's Coffee Service. The equipment's been bullet since it's purchase in 2007 and the combination of good equipment and beans has produced a lot of great coffee.