Michelada
November 22nd, 2007
Michelada
Michelada
- Juice from half a lime
- Coarse salt
- A dash Tabasco
- A dash Worcestershire Sauce
- Ice
- Negro Modelo
Rim a highball glass or tumbler with lime and salt. Squeeze lime into the bottom of the glass, then add Tabasco and Worcestershire; mix. Fill glass with ice. Carefully pour in beer — it’ll want to foam over. Enjoy, topping off the beer as necessary.
Rouxbe - Video Cooking Demonstrations
For the audio-visual learners among you, Rouxbe (pronounced ruby) offers up a variety of step-by-step videos for different recipes and techniques. While the narrator quickly lulled me into a deep slumber, the videos are beautifully shot and edited, and the recipes all look to be good quality, if not the most adventurous.
Fermented Cacao
November 18th, 2007
In Tyler’s post about the origins of chocolate, he wonders about the nature of fermenting cacao. The comments resulted in some salivation over Dagoba Xocolatl. Now, the New Yorker’s food impressario Bill Buford tell us about both. Ostensibly a profile of Dagoba’s founder Frederick Schilling, the his article leads the reader through expositions, alchemistry, assassinations, plantations, sex, mythology, history, and finally into a steaming vat of steaming cacao:
“Badaró then removed his clothes. He landed with an awkward splash. Three of us were in a trough that might comfortable accommodate an adult pig, and the fermenting cacao was up to our necks. Badaró had taken to invoking some god, humming in his deep voice. “We must immerse ourselves and connect to the Aztec gods,” he said. He disappeared, sinking below the surface.
Unfortunately for the eager reader, Extreme Chocolate: the quest for the perfect bean, from the October 29th magazine is not available online; and those unable to find this work of gonzo gastronomy in print must content themselves with NPR’s interview with Buford and a few pictures.
Persimmon Jerk Chicken
November 16th, 2007
One of the fun and challenging things about belonging to a CSA or produce delivery service is finding ways to use ingredients you might not have picked out on your own. Having received Fuyu persimmons for a fourth straight week and growing tired of eating them out of hand, I resolved to find a savory application for the persimmon’s unique taste.
Cursory research online revealed little besides persimmon pudding in terms of cooking applications. Undaunted, I pushed ahead.
I suspected the tropical flavors of persimmon would pair well with a traditional Jamaican jerk sauce, so I set out to do some testing. Halving and broiling the persimmons revealed complex flavors of mango, apple, roasted squash, and spice.
Roasted Persimmons
Guide to Food Photography Gear
The author of the excellent food photography blog Still Life With … has just posted her updated gear list for food photography. Remember it isn’t necessary to have the best gear to take nice photos; but it certainly doesn’t hurt.
Cheap Source for Molecular Gastronomic Compounds
November 14th, 2007
Although I’ve long derided, snickered at, and generally disparaged the trend towards foams, airs, and wholly unnatural emulsions in fine cooking, the mad scientist in me has finally won out (with a little prodding), and I’ve set out to begin experimentation.
Unfortunately, the specialized emulsifiers, thickeners, and gelifiers employed in this style of cooking are often prohibitively expensive. Texturas (Buy), one of the most popular product lines, starts at $30 for the cheaper compounds on up to $100+.
Now the good news. In the bulk spices section of my local organic co-op, I was able to buy enough lecithin, agar agar, and xanthan gum to keep my experimenting for months — for about $8. These and related products are sold as nutritional supplements or as alternatives for people with food allergies. While the co-op would be the last place most folks might expect to find these additives, it’s an affordable way to get your feet wet.
Fast Food Ads vs Reality
Fast Foods: Ads vs Reality should give you pause next time you’re thinking about fast food, especially with so many delicious, fast, cheap, and healthy home-made alternatives.
Chocolate delicious accident from beer byproduct
November 12th, 2007
National Geographic News has summarized new research on the emergence of chocolate from beer-making — placing the use of chocolate 500 years earlier than previously thought.
The researchers seem to think that people saw these useless, discarded cacao seeds, roasted them and then made a horrible bitter drink that then took off and has become the fantabulous variety of chocolates we have today—which seems reasonable enough. The end of the article is a little bizarre with a random chef discussing how this research could:
… fuel creativity and spark the imagination of chocolatiers and chefs. … As a result, we get new ideas about using chocolate in savory as well as sweet dishes and about pairing the flavors of chocolate with other flavors, too.
I really don’t see how the discovery that chocolate was found earlier than previously thought will change the way we experiment with chocolate. I suppose it would be interesting to see someone do something like oh, say, a savory sauce made with chocolate and peppers. What I want to know is what this fermented cacao fruit drink tastes like.
Intro to Freezer Savings
November 12th, 2007
On the heels of Ultimate Guide to Freezing Food comes Wise Bread’s Intro to Freezer Savings.
One of the most interesting and useful techniques outlined is the use of ice cube trays to freeze easily portioned amounts of just about anything — stock, sauces, purees:
I’ve been freezing lots of pumpkin puree in cubes to use for homemade pumpkin vinaigrette and pumpkin lattes.
More freezing wizardry to come.