Shit's about to get crazy in exactly one week.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
What's the Deal With Artisanal Salt?
Last month, in one of my favorite columns at the New York Times by Harold McGee, The Curious Cook, he wrote about the mysteries of salt. McGee is always a fascinating read and this was no exception, but I think I may have to wait until I'm making a bit more money before I throw down cash for artisanal salt. The flavor nuances are a little too subtle for me to seriously cook with it at the moment.
I'm going to stick to my kosher salt, not because it tastes better but because it generally comes in a more manageable grain size (and it's cheap). Course salt is too course and fine table salt is too fine for consistent pinching. Kosher salt is sized in that happy medium where a pinch is pretty close each time and if you use a dredger like I do, the grains are closer in size to the holes in the lid. So ignore the people on TV that say kosher salt tastes better or is higher quality. Both false, but it is practical.
I'm going to stick to my kosher salt, not because it tastes better but because it generally comes in a more manageable grain size (and it's cheap). Course salt is too course and fine table salt is too fine for consistent pinching. Kosher salt is sized in that happy medium where a pinch is pretty close each time and if you use a dredger like I do, the grains are closer in size to the holes in the lid. So ignore the people on TV that say kosher salt tastes better or is higher quality. Both false, but it is practical.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Holy Shit I MADE Bacon!
Finals week. Random food in the fridge. Leftovers. A small block of that pork belly I had roasted last week... Wait a minute, I had cured that thing overnight, so technically, isn't that bacon? Oh em gee, it is! More or less, it's bacon that hasn't been smoked.
I sliced that baby up real thin and put it on the pan just like I would with store-bought bacon. Not much of a difference here except the grease spattered a bit more than you'd expect, but that makes sense because it hasn't been dried the way the store stuff is. Flavor was there. Texture was there. Huh, wuddya know?
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| homemade bacon with pickled daikon on garlic sauteed kale |
I sliced that baby up real thin and put it on the pan just like I would with store-bought bacon. Not much of a difference here except the grease spattered a bit more than you'd expect, but that makes sense because it hasn't been dried the way the store stuff is. Flavor was there. Texture was there. Huh, wuddya know?
Comice Pear Tart
Last fall, I made this delicious Comice Pear Tart with an all-butter pastry shell and a drizzle of orange blossom honey. Just wanted to share. And pre-meditate a summer berry tart in the near future :-)
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| Comice Pear Tart with orange blossom honey in an all-butter pastry shell |
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