!!Note:This faggot is going away!! my new blog can be found at:
http://pedestriangourmet.blogspot.com/
With all that we currently know about what to do to food to make it well, good, I really don't understand why so many people are taken with molecular gastronomy. The old saying goes that the number of pleats in a chef's toque represent how many ways there are to cook an egg. The culinary world has come to a point that, in this time of technological advancement, We are able to draw upon the traditions of haute cuisine, access ingredients from nearly anywhere in the world, and techniques that can already use science and physics to our advantage.
Personally, molecular gastronomy just does not reflect what it is about food that really excites me. Sure, there can be novelty of flavor and texture, and there can, I am sure, be some ways to execute it very well. The thing that I love about food is that it can be very true, very real. Even at it's most old, French extreme, the most elaborate dishes are still essentially about the food.
Again, I am sure there are people that are making this food that are doing it with integrity. Playing with liquid nitrogen just seems, to me, to be a parlor trick when there are so many things that we can already do with food. There are even more that we haven't yet.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
I'm Changing My Name
Really Merlyn, you might be thinking you're thinking about changing your name? What a novel concept for you.
I started my blog as a way to share my interest in dining, cooking, and growing food in a serious way. I felt it was whimsical and tongue-in-cheek to use a phrase from an outdated cookbook. I now realize that faggot is just too toxic of a word for most people.
Since I do most of my traveling by mass transit, and I love the juxtaposition of the two words, I will now be going by The Pedestrian Gourmet. I am posting this on both blogs and I will transfer my previous posts to my new page soon:
http://pedestriangourmet.blogspot.com/
And so this faggot wishes you a fond farewell!
I started my blog as a way to share my interest in dining, cooking, and growing food in a serious way. I felt it was whimsical and tongue-in-cheek to use a phrase from an outdated cookbook. I now realize that faggot is just too toxic of a word for most people.
Since I do most of my traveling by mass transit, and I love the juxtaposition of the two words, I will now be going by The Pedestrian Gourmet. I am posting this on both blogs and I will transfer my previous posts to my new page soon:
http://pedestriangourmet.blogspot.com/
And so this faggot wishes you a fond farewell!
Monday, August 23, 2010
August, Pierce County
7/26/2010 Bloody Butcher Tomato, 26.5grams
8/4/10 Bloody Butcher, 32.9g
8/7/19 Bloody Butcher, 39.5
8/7/10 Bloody Butcher, 33.8
8/23/10 Bloody Butcher, 47.8
Do you notice anything unusual about that(other than the fact that I am neurotic enough to catalog my tomatoes and weigh them to the tenth of a gram)?
Every year, nature seems to do this little striptease to me. My tomatoes start coming along nicely and around the end of July or the beginning of August, the plants give me a few sweet, juicy vibrant tomatoes! And then nothing. The plants continue to grow and undulate, taking over every cubic inch it can populate, whether up and out if I stake them, or stretching out, its bountiful branches like a cat languishing in the warm summer sunlight. They grow and they grow, but they will not ripen. I would have to estimate that I now have around 200 tomatoes growing between my 11 fruit bearing plants. Unfortunately, I chose plants based on expected total harvest rather than wisely picking a variety that would give me a consistent yield.
So the wait continues. I guess I am stuck going through the longest, hottest days of summer while not being able to enjoy the fruits of it...yet.
Once the harvest finally does come, I will no doubt be feverishly eating them raw, drying them in the oven, attempting to can them, and giving them away to kindred spirits who know the true beauty of a garden fresh tomato.
8/4/10 Bloody Butcher, 32.9g
8/7/19 Bloody Butcher, 39.5
8/7/10 Bloody Butcher, 33.8
8/23/10 Bloody Butcher, 47.8
Do you notice anything unusual about that(other than the fact that I am neurotic enough to catalog my tomatoes and weigh them to the tenth of a gram)?
Every year, nature seems to do this little striptease to me. My tomatoes start coming along nicely and around the end of July or the beginning of August, the plants give me a few sweet, juicy vibrant tomatoes! And then nothing. The plants continue to grow and undulate, taking over every cubic inch it can populate, whether up and out if I stake them, or stretching out, its bountiful branches like a cat languishing in the warm summer sunlight. They grow and they grow, but they will not ripen. I would have to estimate that I now have around 200 tomatoes growing between my 11 fruit bearing plants. Unfortunately, I chose plants based on expected total harvest rather than wisely picking a variety that would give me a consistent yield.
So the wait continues. I guess I am stuck going through the longest, hottest days of summer while not being able to enjoy the fruits of it...yet.
Once the harvest finally does come, I will no doubt be feverishly eating them raw, drying them in the oven, attempting to can them, and giving them away to kindred spirits who know the true beauty of a garden fresh tomato.
The wait will be worth it.
My First Follower!!
I am very excited to have my first follower! Thank you so much for making me feel legitimate. You know who you are, and I will take you out for a fabulous meal the next time you are in Seattle.
Note: I will not take everyone who follows me out to eat. Sorry, but I am not rich.
I promise to have another post about food soon.
Note: I will not take everyone who follows me out to eat. Sorry, but I am not rich.
I promise to have another post about food soon.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Breakfast for dinner
One of the things that reminds me most of childhood is having breakfast for dinner. This is a bit nicer than what I grew up with, but is still a hearty, quick meal to make any time.
Sorry about the poor photo quality! I will get a better camera soon.
This is a frittata with sauteed onions and shallots, sausage and sharp cheddar. I served it with rosemary crispy potatoes and a quick rosemary country gravy that I threw together.
This is a frittata with sauteed onions and shallots, sausage and sharp cheddar. I served it with rosemary crispy potatoes and a quick rosemary country gravy that I threw together.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Carbonara is magic
I take no credit for the recipe, I am just paraphrasing how I remember reading it.
.
1lb spaghetti or other noodle pasta.
2 eggs
Parmigiano-Reggiano, not that hideous stuff that comes in a green shaker!
4-8 ounces good bacon
6 cloves garlic
Cut bacon into 1/2-1 inch pieces. Sliver the garlic. Cook the bacon, but don't let it crisp as it won't adhere to the pasta if it does. Add the garlic to the bacon about halfway through cooking. While the pasta is cooking, crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and scramble them. Drain the pasta and toss in with the eggs and add shredded parmesan and the bacon, including the drippings(that's why it tastes so good).
Sorry sprouts, I'm just not that into you
I have spent the last few years loving to grow my own food. I have very little space and the actual volume of food that I get from my garden and containers doesn't really comprise a large portion of my diet. However, the quality of the food that I grow is worth so much more than what I can buy.
It occurred to me after I had a packet of radish seeds that it would be quite nice to have baby radish greens. They are wonderful and delicate and have such a bright flavor. After a bit of wikipedia web searching I concluded that I would start growing my own sprouts! The reality of growing sprouts isn't that great. It is a process of soaking them, and then rinsing them 2 or 3 times a day. Oh, and they mustn't be exposed to sunlight. And they need to be kept at a pretty consistent temperature around 70 degrees. That sounds kind of like an environment bacteria and mold and other nasty things grow. I think I would rather rely on commercial growers that(hopefully) have it down to a science and are doing it in a sterile environment.
It occurred to me after I had a packet of radish seeds that it would be quite nice to have baby radish greens. They are wonderful and delicate and have such a bright flavor. After a bit of wikipedia web searching I concluded that I would start growing my own sprouts! The reality of growing sprouts isn't that great. It is a process of soaking them, and then rinsing them 2 or 3 times a day. Oh, and they mustn't be exposed to sunlight. And they need to be kept at a pretty consistent temperature around 70 degrees. That sounds kind of like an environment bacteria and mold and other nasty things grow. I think I would rather rely on commercial growers that(hopefully) have it down to a science and are doing it in a sterile environment.
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