paul o' vendange
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Posts posted by paul o' vendange
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1 hour ago, hotsaucerman said:
Sorry for the late reply: I'd say it is presented as a cookbook but it really just reads as recipes Hamilton would give to chefs in her kitchen? There's not a lot of hand holding and her personality (brusque?) comes through, but these are positives for me. I'd say this is a good cookbook for someone who's an intermediate home chef that's also a bit of a romantic. I'd probably recommend "taste and technique" over "prune" since there is a lot of "why" in T&T and almost none in "prune". Still, I'm enjoying "prune" a ton. Also helps that I got it for like 8 bucks on ebay ha
I really like her bio, Blood, Bones & Butter. I love her saltiness. I passed on Prune but you've got me intrigued, now. Thanks.
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Maida Heatter's Cakes (thanks @heidih)
Rose Levy Barenbaum's Cake Bible (thanks @weinoo)(Hmm. I'm sensing a trend here. Namely, I've always sucked at cakes).
"Un artiste au Grand Véfour," by Guy Martin. I have several others by him, including the massive and gorgeous Le Grand Véfour. I think his, Georges Blanc's, and Roger Vergé's are my favorite French chef's cookbooks. Frédy Girardet gets the Swiss nod.
Let's Eat France!: 1,250 specialty foods, 375 iconic recipes, 350 topics, 260 personalities, plus hundreds of maps, charts, tricks, tips, and ... you want to know about the food of France," by François-Régis Gaudry. Looks goofy, pretty exhaustive, and a lot of fun.
The Cook and the Gardener, by Amanda Hesser. I love narrative cooking books like this, and especially love "a year in....." books that chronicle the changing mood as well as produce of the seasons; this one promises to be a good one.
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Hi Kai. Wonderful to meet you.
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17 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:
I think that the question really regards how closely a recipe needs attribution or substantial change from another previously published recipe. I think there are US guide lines, maybe not same as European or International. Someone?
Thanks, that's interesting. Just found it curious.
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On 12/21/2021 at 9:15 AM, TdeV said:
I had only one version of Larousse cookbook (in English) which had an index in French (iirc, or it might have been in English but French alphabetical order). Very unusable. As a child we had French/French and French/English Larousse dictionaries which behaved correctly.
I recall not using the cookbook much, especially after repeatedly not finding what I was looking for. I did look at a few pictures then looked up the associated recipes.
I don't know if I still have the cookbook. Are you interested in it if I can locate it, Paul?
Thanks TdeV, that's really nice of you. I think I'm good, between these 3 I have. Just curious if the translations are universally bad across the editions, and if so whether this 2000 French version is worth it. I'm probably just suffering from a flareup of my chronic CAS.*
*Cookbook Acquisition Syndrome. Not deadly, unless your spouse kills you.
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On 12/21/2021 at 8:08 AM, gfweb said:
I'd be interested in seeing what you produce. I don't do many capons.
Life has its ways. Car decided to blow its water pump and radiator fan. Won't be available until next week. Capon is out the door as it's a ways away, going with leg of lamb. Not complaining!
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35 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:
I mentioned elsewhere that I planned to get myself a treat from TJ's after getting my Covid booster and flu shot at the nearby drug store.
I'm now vaxed and boosted and am home with my treat:
I think I'll work on my hydration a bit before I sample it. Plus, it's a little early!
Hibiki translates as "echo," though I cannot make out the kanji. If I were to evaluate it from a zen calligraphy ("shodo") perspective, I would say it is explosive with energy (ki), quite a unified and beautiful piece.
Can't wait to get your impressions.
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Hello, doing a capon for Christmas Eve and looking around. I really like Georges Blanc's Le Grand Livre de la Volaille, and he's got several nice ideas in there. I'm also flipping through my Larousse -
I have 3 editions. 1961 (English), 1984 (French) and 2001 (English) - and recall an old thread I recently happened upon in which member Bouland, if I recall correctly, didn't have a lot of good things to say about the English translations. He makes reference to a French 2000 edition, currently on my cart.
Without two editions back-to-back to compare (e.g., same edition, just French-English releases), I don't know the state of translations across the years - i.e., my two English versions. Anyone with insight on this? Anyone have the 2000 French version, and if so, thoughts?
I should note what seems to me to be an oddity: the 2000 English version has a capon recipe which is actually Blanc's, from the above-mentioned book: Chapon poché et rôti au gratin de potiron. The Larousse version varies very slightly in ingredients and temps (e.g., 50 g butter v. 60 in the Blanc recipe on roasting the bird, 220 v. 200C after 30 minutes), and a bit more thorough in the steps, but it's otherwise the same recipe. I don't see that Blanc is listed as a contributor. Have I missed something?
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9 hours ago, lemniscate said:
I think a listeria outbreak put one of my favorites cheese producers out of business this year. I loved Cahill's Irish Porter cheese, but they had a recall for listeria early this year.
I searched just now and saw they are in "liquidation".
See the Estrella Family Creamery story. These were consistent gold medal winners at the Dublin World Cheese Awards, but they showed positive for Listeria outbreaks on multiple occasions. Again, process flaws, and in my opinion they didn't learn from their first outbreak. I do believe in raw milk and I do believe it's tough for artisan producers, such as in my state, to make any headway when there is a heavy concentration of large agribusiness interests who have the ear of the FDA and related agencies. That said there's no excuse for something like listeria, and the FDA was right to pursue them aggressively.
It's an incredible responsibility to feed people. Listeria is one of those things that should be priority one in daily sanitation protocols.
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Hi Barb. Born Ventura, Cal '86, love and miss the Bay Area! Welcome, looking forward to your ventures.
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On 12/8/2021 at 3:30 PM, heidih said:
ops it was not a TED talk it was a Hsrvard cooking series lecture
She's awesome. Got her PhD in microbiology while a cloistered nun. Her work on rind cascade ecology and other related areas was something I leaned on heavily when putting together my hard alpine cheeses. Nun after my own heart - scraping caves all over France to map the strains of Geo. candidum and their properties. Great DVD, The Cheese Nun.
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On 12/8/2021 at 2:26 PM, Duvel said:
These are two animals: listeriosis is caused by a bacterium, while mold is a fungal product. If one comes to the conclusion that the mold is caused by improper („unhygienic“) storage, a superinfection by harmful bacteria could be present, yet is not a causal result of the developed mold.And contrary to popular opinion (and to that of the EU), properly produced raw milk cheeses actually carry a smaller risk of harmful bacteria than industrial cheese. The process (and inherently production conditions and equipment) will encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria that will compete and outgrow the harmful ones, even in a „finished“ product like a soft cheese.
I used to make French alpine cheeses - Abondance, tommes, reblochons, all from raw milk. In my opinion listeriosis is a process issue; it comes from poor plant management and once it takes hold in a creamery it's extremely difficult to obliterate. I have an acquaintance from a long time ago now who specialized in soft cheeses made from raw milk. Tragically, listeriosis from his cheese killed two people. As much as I'm a booster for raw milk cheeses, I'm no longer sanguine about its use in soft cheeses, particularly when listeria can survive just about anything, including cold storage. Only used raw Ayrshire for my hard aged cheeses.
I agree with you on your emphasis of proper ecology over sterilization - we spend too much time trying to sterilize, over creating environments propitious for the good flora we're looking for, who can outcompete pathogens as you say. Many years ago an upstate NY FDA inspector got it in her mind wood shelving is anathema to healthy cheese, and mounted a war to force creameries to move to ss shelving. I and 1000's of others wrote our reps on the flawed science in such a perspective, our own Center for Dairy Research vigorously defended the science of wooden board safety and thankfully the FDA backed off. Good article here.
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1 hour ago, TicTac said:
I am a bourbon guy far more than scotch. Guess it's the sweet tooth in me.
Some bourbons I will only drink neat (the last remnants of my precious Pappy 12 Lot B, for example) and some I prefer with ice (Elijah Craig or Eagle Rare for example). In the summer certainly I tend to favour a rock or two in it.
You folks down south have such a far better selection than we can get up here in Canada. Damn this virus, been needing to get down there to stock up!
I'm with you. Definitely a bourbon guy myself. Generally prefer it neat, though sometimes an ice cube or two is so smooth and refreshing. My late Estonian grandfather in law - can we say, straight vodka? - always gave us grief on summer trips up north. "Why do you Americans want to water down your booze?"
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I do. If drinking scotch, for an Islay malt, I'll ask for a water back typically to add a few drops to the glass. I'm particularly fond of Speysides and Highland malts, but every now and then nothing goes so well as a bracing Islay. If we're talking bourbon or Irish whiskey, always neat.
Edit: Sorry, missed the second part. I've never actually had a bartender not understand my request for a neat pour.
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2 hours ago, paulraphael said:
Not trying to be a downer, but if we include the ecological / societal costs of raising meat, it should expensive as hell.
By these standards Australian lamb should cost $100/lb.
I hear you but that's based on the industrial model of CAFO's and all the hell they embody. Unfortunately that's the only paradigm we know in any practical way. Beef cattle raised on a small, managed intensive rotational grazing basis is a totally different thing environmentally.
Edit: It's a paradoxical thing, I find, to know the animals we eat. Even love them. This was Charlie, a young bull l loved very much. I used to help friends who raise 4-5 cows on 10 acres of very well managed paddocks; I used their raw Ayrshire milk to make French alpine cheeses, Abondance primarily. Charlie was slaughtered and butchered on their land. I ate his flesh. I think the world would be a better place if we could all eat like this.
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23 hours ago, heidih said:
New California regs not in effect yet but maybe anticipatory. As @David Lebovitz always says from Paris and my sis from Australia - you Americans are paying so so much less for your food than we are. I tell the ancient ones here that the back story of food price supports and similar mechanisms gives us false reality. When my dad was managing a Los Angeles packing plant, as a child I heard all the drama. It was like living with a commodity broker. Do we buy X number of sides of beef from midwest and hold frozen as price is down, but when can we jack it up and move it etc. Little real time reality.
Spot on. I'm a hypocrite because I still do it, but industrialized meat kills me, and I cannot shake the immense cruelty involved in its production. As you say, American meat is anything but a free market. It will never happen, but Joel Salatin's rather Jeffersonian model of small farms dotting the land everywhere, providing clean...everything.... at reasonable prices to local consumers. Well, a guy can dream.
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On 12/12/2021 at 7:02 PM, andrewk512 said:
Koji is a great meat alternative -- I hope it becomes more mainstream. Won't replace the Christmas tenderloin, but could fit in for a few meals during the year to make up for things
Sorry - koji, aspergillus, the stuff you inoculate rice with to make sake, etc.? I've not heard of this.
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16 minutes ago, heidih said:
The first cake I ever made that was not from a box was a Maida Heatter recipe. Royal Viennese Walnut Torte from her Great Desserts book. I found the recipe card that I'd copied it on oh those 42 years ago - it was a library book. I don't have her cake book but you might want to check it out. https://www.amazon.com/Maida-Heatters-Cakes-Heatter/dp/0836250745
Awesome! Thanks Heidi!
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Years ago I happened upon Martha Stewart's Wedding Cakes at St. Vinny's, but gorgeous as the cakes are, they are more inspirational (and aspirational) than practicable. Just an FYI if any don't know about the book.
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13 minutes ago, weinoo said:
Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Cake Bible?
Hahahha, um, yeah, that might be a good one. Sometimes my brain.....
Thanks Weinoo!
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I have sources all over the place, but I'd love an awesome book focusing exclusively on classic cakes. Anyone's favorite(s)?
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1 hour ago, heidih said:
As the daughter of a suicide - no one can really ever know. In terms of hapkido it kept my ex sober and he went on to teach and was invited to study in Korea - no idea if he ever did. He got more into hand to hand and teaching military. At least in today's gun culture his mantra was no no no if you can't use it properly or keep someone from disarming you - lock it up. I brought it up because it was a side I'd not heard of in his complicated life.
Ex studied with this guy' http://masterkwon.com/kwon.html
Heidi - I'm so terribly sorry. I know no words can cover this, but my heart truly goes out to you. I lost a student to suicide and I struggled myself for many years, though that is a thing of the past. I hope you've found some healing over time.
Master Kwon's dojang was close to where mine was located, about 30 minutes away.
I taught tactical defense to military and public personnel, as well as assault awareness and rape prevention. I agree with your ex's point of view.
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2 hours ago, heidih said:
Interesting and makes sense. I have been in the culture with a former addict (Hapkido) it is a whatever works situation, Probably kept him with us longer. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/anthony-bourdain-jiujitsu-secret-reddit-posts-1268801/
That's what saddened me. It seemed like Anthony's demons really turned a corner, at least as much as one could ever know.
Hapkido - I met master Bong Soo Han at my master's, Kichung Han's, funeral. I eventually ended up as a live in disciple in a Japanese martial and zen temple, but began my adult martial life in tae kwon do. Pretty moving, to see so many old-school masters like Bong Soo Han and others paying their respects.
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That's perfect, thanks! These are the cookbooks I treasure most.