paul o' vendange

My dog's been playing on the freeway now for over 5 years, and so far he hasn't been hit. Guess we'll keep letting him play. From the FDA: Parasites consumed in uncooked, or undercooked, unfrozen seafood can present a human health hazard. Some products that have been implicated in human infection are ... salmon, ... sushi, sashimi ... Freezing (-20º C [-4º F] for 7 days or -35º C [-31º F] for 15 hrs) of fish intended for raw consumption eliminates the possibility of human infection. This is recommended in the retail food protection manual and in the Food Code... Paul

Sushi is many things - sashimi is essentially a raw piece of fish, in its most pristine form, served on a small brick of rice, or plain. Any sushi restaurant or any restaurant using raw fish that I have worked in, serves the fish after a freezing regimen. Paul

I believe that in order to kill parasites, you will need to freeze at sub zero temps for a considerable time. Without other science behind it, I have read somewhere, I think it's in James Peterson's Fish & Shellfish, that he recommends 0F or colder for at least 24 hours. Paul

Ditto. Egg Yolks...Yikes... Paul

In my experience, whether to braise or not is not so much a function of the thickness of the cut as much as what part of the animal the cut comes from, really, what that part was used for - i.e., the character of the flesh matters more than anything else. The shoulder is replete with sinews and and tendons; they are tough, and braising by definition is a means to break down those sinewy proteins; ergo that's my preferred method for this area, whereas I reserve dry-heat methods for more tender cuts. Each to their own. Here's a decent link I found on quick search for different cooking methods for veal: Veal Cooking If it is a true blade chop, one hour braise should suffice (I slow it down to a very low simmer - a glass casserole shows me the bubble rate - and go longer). A boneless shoulder of about a pound is probably just a cut off the roast, whereas my recipe above is for a blade steak or blade chop, bone in. Paul

Bruce, if memory serves (I cooked this first years ago, "my recipe" is my recollection of what I did then), it was a blade chop. The "economy pack" of several blade chops. Much like the "economy pack" of pork, the blade end, I choose this area as it is fattier, carries more blood, just a more flavorful area. I treat many sinewy meats this way, thick or not - embedded in aromatics and braising liquid, no different, for me, from a "pot roast" or the like. (E.G., upcoming at our restaurant, as we are opening in September, moulard duck two ways - magret sear, leg braised in aromatics, duck stock, verjus). Paul

Congrats on good buying. Veal shoulder is a fine cut of meat and if treated right will pay you back in a great meal. My suggestion would be close to winesonoma's, with the addition of aromatics and braising. The veal shoulder is wonderful this way. Here's one of my recipes: Daube de Veau à L’Éstragon (Braised Shoulder of Veal with Tarragon-Demiglace) ¼ cup olive oil 2 pounds veal shoulder, blade roast (boneless won't yield all the flavor that bone-in blade will, but will be fine) 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and ¼” diced 2 medium carrots, ¼” diced 1 shallot, ¼” diced 4 cloves garlic, skinned, whole 2 celery ribs, ¼” diced 5 button mushrooms, sliced 3 ripe tomatoes, deseeded, cut in sixths ½ qt brown veal stock (on a budget, make brown chicken stock instead; avoid store bought chix stock if possible, but if unable to make fresh chicken stock, use "light"/low-sodium stock, and try to get bone-in blade chops if you can, as you will need some gelatin to yield the satisfying mouthfeel and glazing sought after in the recipe) 2 cups sangiovese ½ cup water ½ tsp kosher salt 3/8 tsp pepper, cracked only at last 10 minutes of cooking 3 tbsp tarragon, minced (wait to mince until just before use). Procedure: Preheat oven to 290F. Pan sear roasts in hot olive oil, 6 minutes total (3 minutes per side). Remove roasts and set aside. Pour off all but scant film of oil/fat, enough to sweat vegetables. Add onions, carrots, celery, shallots, garlic, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Sweat for 5 minutes over medium heat. Form a bed, using the vegetables. Lay roasts on top of the bed formed. Pour stock over roasts. Cook on stovetop over medium high for 10 minutes. Bring wine to boiling, ignite to burn off alcohol. Repeat until alcohol is gone. Add wine to roast pan. Cover pan with oil- or butter-lined parchment paper, and heavy, tight fitting lid. Cook for 1h 45 min. Remove lid and parchment; cook an additional 15 minutes, to glaze meat well. Remove meat from pan and set aside. Strain liquid through strainer, then chinois. Add tarragon and salt. Reduce to ½ volume, crack pepper and add. Reduce to glaze consistency, should be no more than 10 minutes (too long, and the perfume of the pepper and tarragon is lost). Adjust seasoning if necessary. Cut meat into thick slices, return to pan and toss through to coat. Serve with timbale of rice or potatoes, or noodles. Stack meat in a spiral around center starch, and spoon sauce over and around. Serves 4.

Lucy, this is the second time I have stumbled onto your corner of sheer beauty - both during the witching hours before dawn. My family and I are now firmly ensconsed in the lap of Lake Superior, but I fear I will always long for the Lyonnaise cityscape and markets of your many contributions. Thanks again from a confrere du Nord, and good luck to you on your journey. I have reached my 40's and whereas I was at one time a distance swimmer (averaging about 20,000 meters plus daily) and martial arts instructor, some injuries therein, my habits and genes have all conspired together to make me more than I wish to be. I will look into the Plan, merci encore, encore. Paul

Full annual cap at Frederick is currently 60K bbls. 22,000 is not where they want to be, for sure, but they were down sharply last year, from something like 35,000 the year before, because they were in receivership and couldn't buy malt. They've got that problem under control now, and sales are coming right back up to where they were. They're finally putting some smart sales work behind the Little Kings Cream Ale line, and it's selling like crazy in the Midwest. Wild Goose is going back into old markets and picking right up where it left off. I still think the best stuff they make is the Blue Ridge line; had a great, fresh Blue Ridge ESB last night. The place, BTW, is unfortunately no longer a dream; maintenance got neglected when there was no money, and they're limping in places. But there's a very can-do attitude...I think they've got a good shot, if the money men can give them a little room to run. This is very good news. My hat's off to them for having the tenacity to stick it out when many would have caved. Paul

Susan, you bet...at a very reasonable rate, I would think. Our group sessions offer many different therapeutic modalities, too; e.g., a duo of duck starter, house-cured duck breast prosciutto on black mission fig brioche point and duck liver feuilleté with a demitasse of chilled, summer fruit coulis, or braised lamb shoulder with a tian of roast summer vegetables, chevre risotto cake and a lamb jus, or, or, or... We also regularly provide private sessions, in a wonderful setting - the private session room is a glass atrium attached to our main clinic. It's a working greenhouse, with flats of herbs for aromatherapy purposes. The only thing about our clinic is that it is at the end of the world - our Canadian guests will have to swim across Mother Superior and our Southern U.S. guests will have to bring a parka in tow.

Wow. Do you do therapy sessions? Speaking for myself, I know I am very singleminded generally, and especially so when it comes to cooking, to a verified fault I own. It has its pluses - looking inward, a fierce desire, a sense of mission, I suppose I would say. I am also a hell of a social animal; I simply like to keep the two separate. I liken cooking to painting, or writing, or any other activity which requires concentration to give pleasure. Bottom line, I don't know that this desire for quiet shared by a few (including myself) is as much about an inability to concentrate as it is simply a choice about how best to go about the work at hand. Paul

Kate, I mind the talking. I may be (name the deficiency), but my cooking demands my absolute attention, and in several of the commercial kitchens I have worked in, there was a Rule of Silence, only chef and the expediter spoke. I like that kind of an atmosphere, and this is how I structure my own kitchen now. At home, I'm afraid I have the same habits as at work - I only relax once everyone is served and I, too, have a glass of wine in hand. I deeply enjoy hearing the warming buzz of guests as the first sips of wine go down and food is moving out. I enjoy the buzz - but from the other room. Paul

Then we are siblings. Paul

From a Rhode Island Fact Sheet, "The American Lobster:" "Molting. A lobster's hard outer shell does not grow. Homarus can only increase its size by molting periodically. In preparation for molting, the lobster lays down a new, soft shell underneath its old shell. Just prior to shedding the old shell, the lobster seeks out a protected shelter - a rocky cave or crevice - because a newly molted lobster is soft and helpless, unable to move. Then the lobster rolls over on its side, bends into a V Shape, shrinks its extremities (especially the large claws) by drawing fluids from them, and withdraws from its shell. Over a period of several hours after molting, the lobster swells to a larger size and the shell begins to harden." (Emphasis mine) I didn't know this about its molting mechanism. I suppose if one buys a lobster within this entr'acte, before it swells to fill its new (soft) shell, it would be smaller, per what Anna discovered. But it seems that as the window for this is a matter of hours only, at least in my experience, iI would guess it has more likely been the problem of lobster too long in the tank. Paul

Lisa, you are quite right, I should have added a "so, I'm stumped." I was merely positing a general rule that I avoid lobsters in tanks, generally, as autolysis is quite common. But you are right Anna indicated the quality was fine, and so I am indeed stumped. The only time I've seen a poor amount of meat for the shell size is when I neglected to pick the animal up myself - and it indeed "shrunk" due to auto-consumption. I've no other explanation for why a lobster's flesh is considerably smaller than its shell. Paul

My suspicion is actually the opposite of "young." If they were in the tank quite a while, they ate themselves to survive. Lobsters autolyze, that is, they consume their own flesh in the absence of nutrients. Best way to tell is to pick one up in the tank - if they feel light for their size, they have probably been there quite awhile and I would move on - tank water is notoriously foul, and their flavor and quality is likely poor. Paul

Great thoughts, all. My $.02. Michael Jackson: Good man for beer. My wife and I won a trip to England through a web entry. I got the news on my final day working for Goose Island Brewing Co. The package included a multicourse dinner at the White Horse in London, with MJ himself. The dinner was extraordinary. The publican's wife is the chef, and she is gifted. MJ was a brilliant dinner companion, and his knowledge is encyclopedic. He quizzed me on what hop varieties were in the several beers accompanying our meal, and I played well. (Though I must have come off as a pompous ass - I'm afraid my nerves must have gotten the best of me, as they then tended to do in such situations, and I stepped into my erstwhile "thespian" alter ego to overcompensate. If you find the article he wrote on the dinner, you'll know what I mean. Ah well). Re: CAMRA, agree with beergirl. Example: We stayed at the Pear Tree Inn, Hook Norton, England, within spitting distance of the 150 year old brewery Hook Norton. The publicans there, beyond being some of the most gracious folks my wife and I had ever met, ran a great real-ale trade; John knows his stuff and is beyond reproach. He also refuses to deal with CAMRA at all. The impression I have of many of CAMRA's minions is that they are much like 1000's of Society for Creative Anachronism players, with the zeal of a religious mission, fueled perhaps by the consumption of too much real ale - a bad mix, in that many presume to know more than just about anybody and have become unthinking missionaries. A good cause, but often misguided in approach. In the instance of the Pear Tree Inn, I understand they tried to tell John how to run his business and, I think rightly, he told them what they could do with themselves. He still managed to pull an excellent pint. Paul

As usual Brooks, beyond being one of the country's finest brewers, proves himself to be an analyst without peer. You are spot on, Mayhaw Man, down the line. I have seen the two things you pointed out - moving too far from home, and overcapitalization/burdensome debt service - too, too often. Goose Island, where I formerly worked, moved very quickly from being a midwest bastion (they still are, at least in terms of barrelage reports) to trying to go somewhat national, when I was there, 14 states. Additionally, they capitalized the installation of Hooch equipment, having worked out a re-distribution agreement with United States Beverage to contract brew the stuff. Somewhere in the neighborhood of $2 mil, I think it was, on top of a bright Krones and state of the art bottling/packing line costing roughly the same. Time will tell, of course; but I know the company was relatively cash poor then, and as National Distribution Manager (my title alone signified the aim of the company), I saw what happened to our beer where our distribution network was weaker, i.e., away from home. Not a pretty sight, and at the time I fervently felt we did ourselves no favors. I hope the best for the company and as one of the older guys, they've got enough in place they might prosper over the long haul. Others are not so lucky. I know that 4 or 5 years ago I was very close to putting together my own micro in the Upper Peninsula - there, some of the market dynamics Brooks laid out so well had not yet hit, and we were seeking to build on the idea of "the first craft/production U.P. beer - ever." Follow that idea with a big "so what?" I thank god we never got into it, as the market has certainly matured, or, more, congealed and new entrants are all but squeezed out entirely. In our neck of the woods (the Upper Michigan area), Bell's, having been around (and stayed local) is the craft powerhouse. They have moved beyond the goofy distribution and production bumps of their earlier years, and I predict they will do quite well for many years to come - provided they stay home and service their existing distribution network. Sadly, we have seen many companies beyond Frederick that forgot the most fundamental maxim of business - whether I (as the owner) am proud of my product, or make it well, it matters not unless there are those who will buy it. To Brooks' two principles - service your distribution network well, and don't strangle yourself with debt service you haven't earned, I would also add that many in the craft business, hot for the profits they saw screaming through the '90's era craft breweries of note, forgot that on top of the above, they were also required tp produce good, and consistently good, beer. I have been saddened to see many fine breweries close over the last several years. I have not been saddened to see many others close - those breweries that knew nothing about fine brewing, and as they arrogantly and greedily sought to make a quick buck, they had no business getting into the game in the first place. Fine analysis, Mayhaw man, thank you. Paul

I have always found that shallots have a distinct, garlicky edge - though I can't call them a cross between garlic and onion, as the flavor is not exactly between the two, but unique. I echo FG's comments on glazed shallots. Whole, glazed...can't be beat. Paul

Wow, I wasn't aware of the pandemic we now have of demonic children. And we don't have to have kids?? I thought it was a required act, like registering for the draft here in the States. And to think I could've avoided the early morning eyes smiling to tell me, "I love you dad," or the daily renewal of my own life through the life of this precious, growing being, as in wonderment he looks to Lake Superior and declares it "pretty." Or the insane romps of ticklefests and bouncing on my back as I give piggyrides. Man, if I only had the sense to forgo this hell, and, additionally, not foist his goodness on this world. You know, your idea (and, I'm sure, that of your confrere, Minister) of "crating" 5 year old kids is not half bad. Most would've thought you made a typo in "create," but now that you've shown me the virtue of being parentless, I know what you mean, and couldn't agree more - crate the monsters, much like the kennel dogs. I'd feel sorry for you and Minister if you weren't so abrasively arrogant in your appraisals of children generally. Edited in the interest of civility, at least to an extent. Cheers, jrufusj. Paul

Minister - I rarely stray from the bounds of considered politeness, but in this instance, I will echo mnebergall's sentiments. I work my ass off. So does my wife. Together we own and operate a fine dining restaurant. Our little boy of 3 is, on balance, an exceedingly well behaved kid (says "please" and "thank you" to servers bringing him water and the like, and simply loves the theater of eating out). We love our son, and love being with him - and also love dining out (when we can, which is extremely rare these days). On the rare occasions when he's done what he's supposed to do at 3 going on 4, namely, throws a hissyfit over the lack of butter on each quadrant of a piece of bread, we give it a minute and try to redirect his energy - believe me, from our side, it's a drag to have to bail on a great meal for this - but, if after a minute or two we are unsuccessful, we will leave rather than spoil others' enjoyment. Trust that most parents are not insensitive jerks out to ruin your evening. Most just want a break. Your comments on battering a child are wholly inappropriate, beyond comprehension, and disgust me to the core. If getting a rise is what you sought, you have achieved it in this father. I can assure you your recommended control methods would not pass by me (nor my boy - as a father, and martial arts instructor, I've seen your kind far too often, and I have made it a point to teach children the value of defense, both of one's spirit and body). You might find your "five across the eye" would be better contained to other pursuits. Paul

Liver and onions, caramelized to extinction and the meat cooked to iron oblivon. Drowned in ketchup, no dice, sitting alone in a wash of tears over a stone cold plate. Though I cook professionally, I only begrudgingly respect the humble onion. Paul

Three of my faves, with favorite combos: Jerez, for a Jerez beurre blanc with lobster; apfel balsam essig (apple balsam vinegar, gotten from an open air market in Salzburg), for a riesling and vinegar-braised green cabbage with bacon and beautiful, blade-end Berkshire loin roast; rice wine vinegar for a million things, off the top a red pepper coulis for whitefish or delicately flavored fish. Oh, and a workhorse zinfandel vinegar - from Wolfgang Puck's idea, a good shiraz or zinfandel mixed with a good red wine vinegar, to mute the bite and bring up the complexity a bit. For a good many vinaigrettes. Paul

Been away for several days due to a move across country. Just wanted to say, Lisa, what a profoundly enjoyable piece of work you and your mother created in Lobscouse & Spotted Dog. "Enjoyable," to which I would add "important," except that as it is written with such lightness of touch it belies any encumbrances of grave weight (there - how's that for ponderous writing?). Thank you for the great piece of work, and for this blog. Paul

Brad, because it's so labor intensive (relatively speaking), I do it in quantity, as with my ravioli, and freeze with no drop off that I can tell, esp. as I vacuum seal. Paul