September 2005 Archives

MC, for his "Northwest Salmon with a Twist"!

For those of you just tuning in now, the rules of the contest were posted here, so you can catch up and get ready for the "Interpreted" part of the contest, which I'll post later today.

MC will receive a tin of Survival Spice™, a DIF T-shirt, and a bottle of Tibvrtini Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva, the organic olive oil that was rated as one of the 7 best olive oils in the world by Taste magazine, for his victory.

Congratulations again, MC! Email me your address and T-shirt size when you get a chance.

The breakdown of the voting is below the fold.

(Photo: Mary, of the hummus from TPC's Mediterranean Madness)

Over 60% of the internet connections in the U.S. are now broadband, according to this article from the AP, up from 51% last year.

In a related story, a Japanese company is developing an electrical outlet that will double as a broadband connection. A very cool idea, considering that a power line only uses a tiny part of its potential bandwidth.

I follow this stuff, partially because I'm a recovering geek, and mostly because it affects decisions about the Desert Island Foods™.com website. BTW, I'll post a link to our first newsletter tomorrow, if you want to check it out over the weekend. It'll be short and sweet, I promise.

Okay, I'll admit it. I posted a picture of the hummus I made Saturday just so I could call this a food post. Try not to hate me, but I thought this was interesting. I said I was a recovering geek...

Wow, Food Fight Four is complete, and Shauna has submitted a beauty to close it up! I've excerpted most of her post at Gluten Free Girl, but go to her place for the whole thing, along with lots of other great stuff.

Shauna drew MC's Northwest Salmon with a Twist"" as her dish to interpret, and she definitely took the ball and ran with it. Apricot sausage? Watermelon sorbet? Right on.

She also said some nice things about yours truly that I'm not sure I deserve, but I really appreciate it. When I formulated Survival Spice™ for production, I was a maniac about sourcing premium ingredients. I wanted to produce an all natural product because it tasted better than anything else I tried, not because I was aware of Celiac Disease at that point. Happily, when I checked with my suppliers, they each said their ingredients were gluten free, so I felt comfortable spending the money to have it verified by an independent lab. There are lots of good resources on Shauna's blog for those with Celiac disease, if you know someone please pass her site on to them.

I threw this together for lunch today, using the last of the leftover Mediterranean Madness. I quartered some pitas, halved a few falafel, and toasted them. When they were done, I spread hummus on top of the pita to 'glue' the falafel slice, then built it up by layering more hummus, some tabouli, and topped it off with some tapenade.

These would be killer for a party. Easy to prep and very stable to transport on a tray. The flavor combo of the garlic and sesame in the hummus, the crisp lemony, herbal flavor of the tabouli, and the bright, salty bite of tapenade is really spectacular together. Try it!

Wow, an Elk Salad? After a brief flashback to "Anne Elk", the Monty Python bit, I decided that I'm game!

Meg substituted elk for venison, with great results, in her interpretation of Matt's "Melonhead's Venison Salad". I really dug the way she noticed that her sauce wasn't working, and the way she worked her way out of it.

Her post at I heart Bacon is here, and her blog and terrific recipe section are daily surfing for me.

(All photos: Mary, of TPC's Mediterranean Madness)

Okay, so I overdid it. Ana's entry really got me thinking about a style of food that I haven't prepared nearly enough, and it was time to correct that a bit. Ana's salad featured homemade falafel and pita bread, so I had to make those, but what else? Part of the charm of Mediterranean cuisine is all the wonderful side dishes- dips, spreads, salads, so I had to make some of those, too.

This was getting to be a lot of work, and I hadn't even gotten to an entrée yet! To keep it simple, I decided to grill a bunch of kabobs, chicken, shrimp and lots of veggies. Something for everyone, and some low/no carb options for those who requested it. I'll post some recipes later, lots of pics and comments are posted below. Thanks to Mary, a great photographer friend of mine, who took all these great pictures, despite inadequate lighting and all of us trying to steal food off the plates before she could shoot them.

Warning: Uncontrollable drooling ahead!

Oh, man. Ana has presented us with her take on Shauna's "Grilled Cheese with Amaranth Leaves and Blackberry Sauce". Made from a wonderful homemade bread, it's loaded with goodies.

Beware, purists, the BLT is undergoing a makeover! Restauranters are giving the BLT an upscale touch in a lot of different ways, by adding gourmet ingredients and developing new presentations.

The article in National Restaurant News is lengthy, and registration is required, so I'll excerpt generously, but if you want to read regularly, and I encourage you to, the link is here. Lots of good information for pros and foodies alike.

What do you think about messing with a classic? Is it fooling with Mother Nature?

This came in via email a while back, and I don't remember where it came from. If it was you, pat yourself on the back, wouldja?

Here in Phoenix, we know it get hot enough to cook an egg on the sidewalk, but can you really cook an egg with 2 cell phones and a radio?

Check this out.

Has anybody tried it? BTW, I have no idea what the radio is for...

Thanks to Shelleigh for the link.

(Photo: Northstar "antique" range)

Cool-looking retro-ranges from Elmira Stove Works, if you're thinking about a "vintage" look for your kitchen with modern functionality. They also make an 1850s stove as well, but the link seems to be broken at the moment.

I've never cooked on one, and they're seriously pricy, but lots of colors to choose from. They also make matching retro range hoods and refrigerators.

For what it's worth, I'm very satisfied with the GE Dual Fuel range I bought a few years ago.

(Photo: Matt's version of Diana's "Everyman's Edible Slider")

Wow, another great version of an original entry! Matt kicked up the chili sauce and ground his own beef tenderloin, resulting in a truly 'drool-worthy' effort. I dig the guitar pick, and the Les Paul in the last picture!

Matt's take on Diana's Everyman's Edible Slider is below the fold.

I talk a lot about how by understanding cooking techniques, a good home cook can become a great one. I think this post illustrates how a lazy SOB like myself, with a little thought, make easily make a good meal out of just about anything. Here's how I made a pasta dish the easy way.

(Photo: MC's Grilled Gumbo)

Another entry in for the Interpreted part of Food Fight 4. MC drew the Gumbo I submitted and really made it his own. While 'tipping' the hat to the gumbos taught to me by my friends from Mississippi, Matt and Jerry, MC made it his own by using Northwest ingredients, incorporated his passion for grilling, and did a wonderful job of photographing it. Good stuff, Mac!

Matt has submitted his version of Diana's "Everyman's Edible sliders", which I'll post tomorrow, so that each entry has a full day to be ooh'd and aah'd over.

Here's Paul's version of Megan's entry.

Nicely done, Paul! I need to get one of those kickass steamer baskets so I can make this properly some day. The home grown bell peppers look amazing, too.

So Paul, by the way that Mojo was sniffin' the ginger, does this mean that Mojo is a "Mary Ann" kind of dog?

I have one more entry in so far, I'll post it tomorrow. Please remember, all entries should be in by next Monday, I need to get cracking on mine, too.

You may recall our White Castle French Onion burger taste test that we did a while back, which was won by Major John Tammes. Major John, BTW, is currently in New Orleans assisting with the relief effort there.

John requested that his prize be donated to Fisher House.org, an organization I hadn't heard of until he mentioned it.

Fisher House provides housing near hospitals for military families to stay while they're visiting recuperating soliders. They do an amazing job very efficiently , so I decided to up the ante, and we donated a case of Survival Spice™ to distribute to their houses.

We're proud to join companies like Newman's Own in supporting Fisher House, and I hope DIF can do more in the months and years to come.

North Dakota residents broke their record for french fries consumed last Thursday:

GRAND FORKS, N.D. Residents here have gobbled up a new record for the largest single serving of french fries. An estimated 4,518 pounds of french fries were consumed during Thursday night's annual french fry feeding frenzy.

The event is held during "Potato Bowl U.S.A" week, which recognizes the potato industry in the Red River Valley and includes a weekend University of North Dakota football game.

This year's total eclipsed the record of 4,410 pounds of fries set two years ago.

Along with 11,000 servings of fries, organizers had more than 100 gallons of ketchup on hand.

Somewhere in Belgium, King Cone is smiling.

Desert Island Foods™.com is proud to announce that Survival Spice™, our all natural, premium BBQ spice rub, is eligible to win a 2006 Scovie Award for Best Rub. Wish us luck!!!

This Friday Funny has almost nothing to do with food, but who cares? It's Friday. It is a funny play on words, though. BTW, a lexophile is a lover of words. Have a great weekend, the jokes are below the fold.

... a beautful chocolate waterfall with an amazing array of luscious fruit, bottles of Dom Perignon at the ready...

Then click to see it and to read The Food Whore's take on the whole thing. Heh.

... is now up at trub.blogspot.com.

Jeff did a very cool thing- he organized the recipes this by according to stages in beer making. Go check out the recipes submitted this week, including the gumbo recipe I posted here recently!

Food Fight isn't the only cooking contest in the blogosphere by far.

Owen at Tomatilla has a complete list of the latest Paper Chef entries, while Kevin at Seriously Good announces the winners.

Congratulations to all the winners and to Shauna for her special prize. Don't get cocky, kid, that ain't gonna help you win Food Fight!!!

Our first 'interpreted' dish is in. Diana has submitted her version of Paul's Puffy Corn Omelet and did a great job customizing the original Gourmet recipe to the ingredients and kitchen equipment available. I really like the fact that she kicked up the heat a bit, but still kept the spirit of the dish.

She apologizes for the picture quality, but I believe her when she said it tasted great! Nice job, Diana!

Keep those interpreted dishes coming in by emailing them here. All interpreted dishes will be available in the FF4- Interpreted category in the side bar.

I'll open the voting on the 'Original' submitted dishes category tomorrow, so take a few minutes to review the entries!

(Images- Home Town Collectibles.com, the only image I could find of the area.)

It's not haute cuisine, but I enjoy finding places like this. National Restaurant News pointed me to the Marvel Ranch in Reading, PA. Registration required, so I'll quote at length:

(Photo: tastruffles.com)

The burgeoning Australian truffle industry is expanding to the west coast of Oz:

As Mr. Fabrègues explained, it was one of the early fruits of an audacious project on a farm near Manjimup, south of Perth, where 13,000 hazelnut and oak trees were planted in 1997, in the hope that truffles would develop on their roots. Quantity has been variable, but quality is superb, as I was soon to discover.

My wife, Betsey, and I had driven out from Perth because we had learned that Mr. Fabrègues, a protégé of Joël Robuchon, held the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France, a distinction accorded to only a handful of chefs. (We had also been warned by a few trendy friends in Sydney that the Loose Box was a showcase for shopworn classical cooking. They could not have been more wrongheaded if they tried.)

A slim, smiling man with a brisk mustache, Mr. Fabrègues, 56, gave us our choice of ordering from the regular menu or indulging in a five-course truffle menu. Ever ascetic, we opted for the truffle extravaganza, of course.

Good call. Soft-boiled eggs in their shells, subtly enriched with Parmesan cheese and a truffle coulis, came to the table with toast soldiers for dipping, followed by poached yabbies - local crayfish - served on slow-cooked tomatoes with a saffron beurre blanc and showered with truffle batons. Then little cabbage rolls stuffed with foie gras and truffles, in a transparent Madeira sauce, and poached chicken with sliced truffles under the skin. The chicken, a version of a famous dish invented in Lyon before World War II by Eugénie Brazier, came with poached root vegetables. Betsey voted it her favorite dish of the entire year.

Dessert was a chocolate truffle, naturally, with a voluptuous apricot sorbet made from the fruit of trees on the property. This was modern cooking, full-flavored but notably light, with just a touch of cream in just one course, and mercifully fad-free. The Pacific Rim seemed far away, as indeed it was; Perth is on the Indian Ocean.

The picture is of the first truffle harvested in Tasmania in 1999. More information on the Australian operation of Perigord here.

Truffles, love 'em or hate 'em? I guess "never tried 'em" is a valid third option...

You're going to love IDC's new one gallon coffee 'mug'! The Hanover, MD company has received a patent for this innovative idea- a refillable carafe that can be taken to the office, job site or meeting capable of keeping coffee hot up to three hours:

Granted, IDC's container looks doesn't have the same shape. The Beverage Carafe is comprised of a sterile, flexible, nylon pouch attached to a rigid plastic frame, with corrugated side panels that attach to the outside of the frame. A utility patent for the carafe was granted to IDC by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office in April 2002.

7/11 will be the first major chain using it, starting on Oct. 1. Me, I'm still waiting for an easy-to-use IV drip...

A new sugar substitute is coming on the market:

Known for its next generation formula and healthy qualities, Beyond*Sugar(TM) is made entirely from natural sugars; it contains no sugar alcohols or synthetic chemicals. Beyond*Sugar(TM) is a GRAS substance, i.e. Generally Recognized As Safe, a designation of food safety by the US Food & Drug Administration. Beyond*Sugar(TM) is low caloric, low glycemic and thermogenic, thereby, inhibiting some metabolic pathways responsible for obesity and some associated diseases, and increasing the possibilities to help reduce the global burden of chronic disease and disability.

Interesting stuff, read the whole thing.

Okay, the recipes are in! As you may remember, the theme of this Food Fight is "Recipe Grab Bag", and the first phase of this is complete. Once this contest is over, everybody reading gets to vote on a winner of the best recipe/technique submitted and in the style that it was presented as well as on the interpreted dish. You might want to take a minute to follow the link above to read the original post, just to refresh your memory. Naturally, my submission and my interpreted dish aren't eligible.

To 'assign' recipes, I put them in a database in the order that they came in and arbitrarily picked a number to shift them down. Here's what I came up with:

Our last entry to Food Fight #4 is a doozy! Meg from I heart bacon has entered a pork dish called Su Dong Po Pork. Featuring a terrific marinade and a double cooked technique, I'm really curious to try it. She served it with brown rice and sauteed long beans with chili peppers and pine nuts. Wow.

Her original post, along with pictures, is here. The recipe can also be found on her terrific recipe site here. I'd love to try it with a pork shoulder, or maybe use the pork belly and tea-smoke it for a while as well.

All of these entries have been terrific. You can find them all in the FF4- Original category.

MC has sent in a cool combination of flavors, a great piece of Pacific salmon with a citrus-Creole seasoning, accompanied by some grilled sausages, corn and sauerkraut with some cool cantelope. Great, simple flavors well executed, which as you well know by now, I'm all over that. MC's entry is another example of how variations there are to grilling, as long as you follow the basic guidelines.

We do have to work on his choice of seasonings, though... :©)

Recipe and more pics in the extended entry.

I know a few of you that had indicated that you wanted to submit recipes haven't yet, so if you come up with something over the weekend, email it here. Monday I'll put the recipes in a hat, and we'll get cooking! The recipes submitted so far are here, in the FF4- Original category.

The latest entry comes from Matt, who sent in a really interesting venison dish. Sadly, no picture because it's not deer season yet. It's a venison tenderloin with an Oriental twist:

Slice Venison tenderloins into 1/4 thick medallions. Rub with olive oyl then sear. Add whatever variety of hot sauce or peppers suits your fancy. I prefer roasted jalapeno for the flavor. simmer a little then stir in a pinch of garlic, sesame seed and a couple huge spoons of peanut butter. When meat is done, serve over lettuce and garnish with mandarin oranges.

Wow, I've never done this kind of treatment with venison, I'd like to try it. No specific quantities of ingredients, but you get the idea, I hope.

... via Specialty Foods Magazine:

New Orleans' restaurateurs vow to return, and when they do, it is expected that they will be limited to the French Quarter and Garden District, reported Tampa Bay Online. Full Story

The 700,000 bags of coffee stored in New Orleans warehouses operated by Port Cargo Service Inc. were not damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The privately held New Orleans company operates 28 warehouses in New Orleans, including coffee facilities licensed by the New York Board of Trade. Full Story

Premium extra virgin olive oils, such as our Tibvrtini Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva, are thought to contain an anti-inflammatory agent, according to a new study:

Monell sensory scientist Paul Breslin, PhD, who directed the research together with Beauchamp remarks, "The Mediterranean diet, of which olive oil is a central component, has long been associated with numerous health benefits, including decreased risk of stroke, heart disease, breast cancer, lung cancer, and some dementias. Similar benefits are associated with certain NSAIDs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen. Now that we know of oleocanthal's anti-inflammatory properties, it seems plausible that oleocanthal plays a causal role in the health benefits associated with diets where olive oil is the principal source of fat."

The article is fairly geeky, but it's just more evidence to support the benefits of the Mediterranean diet.

Thanks to Gail for the link!

(Photo: Mary, of TPC's version of Matt and Jerry's Mississippi gumbo)

I'm submitting a recipe this time, not for judging, but as a tip of the hat to New Orleans and Mississippi, and I thought it would be fun for someone to make.

I love gumbo, and there at least as many ways to make it as there are cooks. This technique comes from my friends Matt and Jerry, both from the Biloxi/Ocean Springs part of Mississippi. Even they make it a million different ways, too, but this is my way of smashing their techniques together.

Every gumbo has a roux at its base, usually made from oil and flour. This roux is cooked together first, and the color can end up anywhere from a light golden to very nearly black. This acts as part of the thickener and is what differentiates a gumbo from a soup. Remember, a dark roux will not thicken as well as a light one, so you'll need more of it.

Gumbos also thicken by the addition of either okra or filé powder. I love okra, but left it out of this gumbo at the request of those who were going to eat it with me, sadly. Filé (feelay) powder is ground sassafras root and thickens a gumbo nicely, but used it properly. You add it at the very end of cooking, off the heat. Stir it in and wait 10 minutes. Warning: Don't add it to the pot if you're not going to eat it all in one sitting. If you boil filé, it can get stringy, you're better off just adding a bit to each bowl as you dish it up, stirring it in well.

In the spirit of Food Fight, I've made this with simple, inexpensive ingredients but this technique can be embellished with any type of seafood including fish, oysters, mussels, clams, crawfish and prawns. If you're making a seafood gumbo, I would substitute some of the chicken stock for fish stock or clam juice. Andouille sausage is great if you can find it.

Jerry and Matt serve this gumbo over rice with a scoop of potato salad in the bowl as well, which I'd never seen before.

The recipe is in the extended entry.

El Charro- original location
311 N Court Ave
Tucson, AZ 85701
(520) 622-1922
$$

I had the pleasure to eat at El Charro again last night, after having driven down to Tucson to visit some friends. It's definitely a must-stop for me when I'm in town.

El Charro is "The Nation's Oldest Mexican Restaurant in continuous operation by the same family", according to the website. It's famous for its' Carne Seca, or dried beef. It's made by marinating Angus beef in lime and salt, then sun-drying it on specially built racks on the roof. After drying it is cooked with tomatoes, garlic, chiles and other good stuff. A good review with pictures can be found here.

El Charro has a great vibe, partially due the the rock construction:

n the late 1890's, Flin built a sturdy home on Court Street, part of the exclusive residential section of Tucson known as Snob Hollow. Snob Hollow lay just outside the area that had encompassed the early Spanish presidio. The house was willed to Monica and is the fourth and present site of El Charro Café. It is designated Site Number 14 in El Presidio District on the National Register of Historic Places. The high-ceilinged house is made of the black volcanic basalt rock that characterized most of Flin's buildings. He quarried the rock from his claim at the foot of "A" Mountain, just west of downtown.

The whole place just has a great vibe, lots of little rooms that meander into each other. We ate in the wine cellar, which was a first for me. I didn't take any pics but I found this image online:

Ya gotta go if you ever get to Tucson, which you should, for a million reasons other than just El Charro. The website is worth spending a few minutes visiting, too.

Courtesy of Specialty Foods Magazine's newsletter:

Coffee prices are set to surge to their highest levels in years as traders and roasters discover the full extent of hurricane damage to stocks held in New Orleans, industry sources said. Prices for arabica coffee, currently around $1 a pound, could surge above $1.45 a pound in the coming months, reported CNNMoney.com. Full Story

American grain shipments have been exiting the Mississippi River headed for overseas markets after being stalled by Hurricane Katrina. In addition, vessels full of imported goods have been unloading their wares at alternate ports eager for the business. At a staging area near the river's entrance, the number of idled ships dwindled to 19 on Sept. 6 from 86 about a week earlier, reported The New York Times on the Web. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Cookie Jill, over at Cookies in Heaven, continues to do a terrific job keeping us up to date. Lots of good links, so check her out.

(Photo: Diana's Everyman's Edible Slider w/homemade Chili Sauce)

Wow, Major John should have been so lucky! Diana has submitted an over the top take on what could be an ordinary meal- a simple burger, but made with beef tenderloin, blue cheese, sauteéd onions, and to really gild the lily, a homemade chili sauce that I can't wait to make.

I've said this a lot, but the best home cooking is all about great, simple elements smashed together. Diana's terrific recipes are below the fold.

Here's an update with what's going on with the New Orleans restaurant scene I received in my Specialty Foods newsletter today.

Update:Jill at Cookies in Heaven, a blog I hadn't heard about until now, has more.

(Photo: Ana's Salad with Homemade Falafel and Pita Bread)

I've got more entries to post, with everything going on I'll keep the contest open until Friday, just let me know if you're working on something. Email your picture and recipe here.

Ana kicks ass. Her entry shows off her homemade falafel, and though there's no pita in the picture she sent, she's included her favorite pita bread recipe as a bonus. I guess if I was a runner like Ana, I could eat falafel and pita in the same meal, too!

Her recipes for falafel and pita bread are below the fold.

But a chocolate bomb? Interesting AP story through Breitbart:

German saboteurs designed an exploding chocolate bar for a campaign of sabotage against Britain in World War II, according to documents released Monday by the British National Archives. There was no evidence, however, that such lethal treats were ever deployed.

The chocolate bomb was illustrated in documents which also explained that it was intended to blow up seven seconds after someone tried to break off a piece. The sketch of the device, labeled in English, was apparently made by British agents.

"The bomb is made of steel with a thin covering of real chocolate," the note said. "When the piece of chocolate at the end is broken off the canvas shown is pulled, and after a delay of seven seconds the bomb explodes."

Other interesting stuff in the article, check it out if international intrigue intrigues you. Er, something like that, anyway.

This is from the Specialty Foods Magazine newsletter I receive:

Voluntary organizations are seeking donations to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina in Gulf Coast states. To see a list of those groups provided by FEMA click here.

Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Seasoning Blends headquarters in Elmwood-River Ridge, LA sustained only minor damage, according to a report from the NASFT member. They have no information about the condition of K- Paul's Louisianan Kitchen restaurant in the French Quarter, however. They are presently unable to access email addresses for business contacts, and are working on setting up a special email address to deal with specific issues concerning employees and business operations.

The first assessment of New Orleans' port conditions indicated it might be next year before cargo movement returned to normal there and upriver at the even bigger Port of South Louisiana, reported The Los Angeles Times. Coffee industry experts predicted that the loss of the tens of thousands of tons of coffee stored in New Orleans would take a year to replace. Coffee contracts have risen 11% this week in New York trading. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

New Orleans, in case you didn't know, is the second biggest port for coffee importation in the country.

Help. Please? And Food Fight entries? Keep 'em coming. I'm going to make gumbo this weekend.

Not to get heavy with y'all, but I'm sure you're as concerned about the people of New Orleans and in the surrounding areas as I am. Please take a minute to do what you can to help. Maybe us Food Bloggers can feature a restaurant, any ideas? And please donate what you can to organizations like the Red Cross.

And when the city, with its rich food heritage, is ready for us, I hope we can all go back and patronize all the great restaurants I've been fortunate enough to eat in. And you don't have to go to New Orleans to help these businesses get back on their feet. Classic places like Café du Monde sell their famous beignet mix and chicory coffee online, so order up! I called their 800 number a few times and I've gotten no response, so I'm assuming their web business is local, too, but I'll keep checking.

If you haven't settled on your Food Fight entry, make it New Orleans themed! Maybe I'll do a version of gumbo for mine.