Friday, November 14, 2008

It's the weekend!!

And I am so glad. I was really tired this week; probably because I stayed up late a couple nights. I wanted to watch the CMA awards this week on Wednesday, so that was a late night. I was glad Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley won though; I like both of them. Brad Paisley is coming to Dayton the end of January, so I hope we get to go!

We are driving up to Hicksville tomorrow to see David's grandma before Thanksgiving. She is going back to Texas before then, so we need to see her before she goes.

On Sunday we are going to look at more houses. I am hoping we can find one that we like so we can hopefully put an offer in next week. I am anxious to get into a house again! After that David is dropping me off at the mall with his mom, sister and Phil's girlfriend Katie. It is so nice that he has a girlfriend who is willing to hang out with me and talk, even if he won't be there. That would never have been possible with his previous one. I really really like Katie, she is awesome.

So anyways, I am playing Scrabble online with Aimee and David's dad, adios for now!

Leveraging social networking

November 14

I’m not big on instant messaging. It is to e-mail what a snap of the fingers in your face is to a gentle waving of the hand across a room.
But sometimes I like it. A few weeks ago when I was checking messages on my Facebook account, the IM bubble opened up and my old friend David Peters, whose wife just had a baby, wrote: “Bret, you’ve been online for more than a minute and haven’t told me how beautiful my daughter is. What’s wrong?”
There’s not much that’s sweeter than a kvelling father.
And yesterday when I was checking my Facebook account BLT Steak sommelier Brett Feore appeared in the IM bubble and asked me to check out his new blog. He’s trying to find the right style for it, so I gave him feedback and we chatted about other things.
And guess what? It turns out he’s not the sommelier at BLT Steak anymore. No, that position is now occupied by Rachael Rakes, a Philadelphia native who spent a number of years in San Francisco, first at Mecca (in The Castro), and then at The Last Supper Club (in The Mission).
She was a captain at BLT Steak when it opened in 2004, learned more about wine from Fred Dexheimer, who’s BLT’s national wine & beverage diretor, and then worked in Brooklyn at Marlow and Sons (that would be Williamsburg).
Then she went to college to get a degree in Middle Eastern Studies before coming back to BLT Steak after Brett Feore left.
So you see, social networking can be a good way to get news for your blog.

John Critchley’s new job

November 14


I didn’t meet John Critchley back in 2006 when I was at family-and-friends night at Toro, Ken Oringer’s tapas place in Boston, but I met his dad. John was in the kitchen, as Ken had tapped him as the restaurant’s chef de cuisine. But his dad seemed like a nice guy, so I figured I’d write a profile of his son.
I just happened to be in Boston for work that day, and so Ken’s publicist had suggested I stop by Toro.
I took my friend Michael Gerber and learned that, although Michael is a good New Englander who will pop any sea creature into his mouth with alacrity, he doesn’t really take readily to things like blood sausage and veal cheeks and tripe.
Like Michael, John Critchley is a native of Massachusetts. He has spent much of his career (relatively speaking — he’s only about 31) as a private chef for rich people. His love for the energy of professional kitchens brought him back to restaurants and under Oringer’s wing.
But he’s going off on his own now, to head up the food at Area 31, a restaurant scheduled to open in mid-December on the 16th floor of the Epic Hotel in Miami. The cuisine will be Mediterranean-inspired local seafood — specifically food from Fishing Area 31, which is basically the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the waters off of Florida’s east coast. John shouldn’t have any trouble handling that.

Lamb brain &c.

November 14

I was at Bloomingdale Road to check out chef Ed Witt’s new chef’s table — a long 10-seat communal table close to the open kitchen, where Ed serves a six-course tasting menu for $55. Wine pairings start at $40.
Ed, whom you might remember as the executive chef at Varietal, likes playing with unusual ingredients, particularly weird cuts of meat, like lamb brain and pork neck. Actually, he said the bit of pork he cooked last night was a well-marbled cut between the shoulder and the neck. The way he described it, it sounded like the pig equivalent of beef’s top blade, also known as the flatiron.

What I ate and drank:

Raw Tasmanian salmon with porcini purée, pickled apple and fried rosemary
2005 Leopardi Cava Brut Rose

Concord grape-braised lamb cheeks with arugula, sunchokes, peeled grapes, braised lamb tongue and crispy lamb brain
2006 Domaine Lafond Lirac Blanc

Mackerel poached in duck fat and served on celery root purée with tarragon and macerated red onions
2006 Murphy Goode Chardonnay

Gray Horse Farm laying hen braised in red wine and served with pumpkin farfale and baby Brussels sprouts
2006 Estancia Pinot Noir

Spice-rubbed, slow roasted Clinton Corner Farm pork neck (or shoulder — in between, really), with chestnut, quince and escarole
2006 Argiolas Costera

Olive oil pound cake with cranberry ice cream and country ham (very small flecks of it).
2004 Arrowood Late Harvest Reisling

Friday Nibbles - Salt

Salt has had a bad press recently with more and more dieticians and nutritionists advising us to cut our salt intake and use alternative seasonings, which is fine. If you don’t like food.



I can’t say it any simpler – food without salt is almost universally bland. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like my food salty but I know what a difference even a tiny amount can make to the flavour of a dish. In the wrong hands it can be a travesty with everything tasting like a mouthful of seawater but used correctly, salt is merely a flavour enhancer, used to help develop and boost the inherent deliciousness of so many foods.

Not only is it an essential ingredient in the kitchen, without it we would die a rather slow and painful death suffering through fatigue, muscle cramps and other such delights as our bodies struggle to regulate their water content.

In its simplest form, salt is a compound of Sodium Chloride (NaCl) but there are so many variations that a number of top restaurants have started specialising in gourmet salts, using samples from various parts of the world to complement certain dishes. Sel Gris (Grey Salt) and Fleur de Sel both hand harvested from France are two of the more popular gourmet salts and they have a rounder, softer taste to the standard table salt, which many find too harsh and overly salty.

To see for yourself how salt can give an explosion of flavour cut a couple of slices of a fresh tomato. Leave one unseasoned and sprinkle a little salt on the other before tasting each one. You should be able to tell the difference immediately with the second tasting distinctly more tomato-ey and even sweeter than the first. You can do a similar thing when you are making caramel – just a little sprinkling will give a significantly and noticeably more powerful flavour helping to accentuate the other elements in a way that isn’t possible without the salt.



So why has this magnificent little seasoning found itself demonised recently? Excess salt consumption has been linked to hypertension (high blood pressure) although there is no concrete evidence as yet. But the key word there is excess. An excess of anything is unlikely to do you much good. Too many bananas will give you potassium poisoning. Too many glasses of wine will give you a hangover and too many fried breakfasts will give you all manner of difficulties. Moderation is the key, as with most things.

Unless we are making a brine (which happens rarely), we tend to stay away from table salt which is cheap and, to my palate, too synthetically salty. Instead we have a little jar of Malden sea salt: delightfully soft flakes that are great rubbed over a finished dish at the final moment just before serving. In addition to this we have a small jar of rock salt too. This has a less brackish flavour still and is great for seasoning during the cooking process allowing some degree of grace if you slip and add a little too much (If you’ve over salted a dish there isn’t a great deal you can do which is why it pays to add it a little at a time. You can try compensating with other flavours: lemon juice and sugar to balance the saltiness but it’s best just to take a little extra care).



There’s no doubt in my mind that salt is one of the absolute essential ingredients in any kitchen, possibly the number one ingredient thanks to its ability to lift almost all other foods to the loftiest of heights. It may not be a stand alone food stuff but its inherent capacity to act as an ‘enabler’ for everything else in the kitchen to live up to their potential means that it deserves its own chapter in the hall of fame.

Updates and a request

Oh boy, it’s been a while. A whole week, in fact, which is almost inexcusable, and a fortnight since I gave you a ‘nibble’ (I just typoed that as ‘nobble’ and toyed with the idea of keeping it in because it looks like a great word. There you go, you can have both).

Before I do write up a regular Friday posting I’ve just got a couple of announcements and one itsy bitsy teeny tiny request.

First up, I’ve been graced with a rather fabulous award from the delightful Hopie at the equally delightful blog Hopie’s Kitchen. She very kindly rated my little corner of cyberspace E for Excellent for which I am very grateful indeed.



Numero two-so – I’ve recently started the preliminary work on a cookbook in collaboration with two wonderful chefs. More information to follow in due course.

Thirdly, I've just launched my very own website: alexrushmerwriting.com - Please feel free to scoot on over and invite your friends.

Finally, we are taking some well-deserved time out (my girlfriend probably deserves it more than me, but I’m not complaining) and have booked a trip to Paris, a city I’ve not yet had the pleasure to explore. We have almost a week to play with so thought I would open up to you great people and see if you had any tips, must sees or, more importantly, could recommend some truly amazing places to eat.

All advice would be appreciated and I look forward to hearing from you. Stay tuned for ‘nibbles’ very soon.

Neurological test

This is a REAL neurological test. Sit comfortably and be calm .


1- Find the C below. Do not use any cursor help.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
O
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO



2- If y ou already found the C, now find the 6 below.

999999999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999
99999999999999
999999999999999999999999999999999999999
99999999999999
9999999999999999999999999
999999999999999999999999999999999999999
999
999969999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999
99999999
999999999999999999999999999999999999999
99999999999999999999
9999999999999999999
999999999999999999999999999999999999999
999999999999999999999999999999999999999



3- Now find the N below. It's a little more difficult..

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMNMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM






This is NOT a joke.

If you were able to pass these 3 tests, you can cancel your annual visit to your neurologist.

Your brain is great and you're far from having Al zheimer Disease.


Congratulations!

U.S. blocks import of Chinese milk products


U.S. blocks import of Chinese milk products

Check it out here

Chocolate Biscuit/Whiskey Cake




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Chocolate Biscuit/Whiskey Cake
Decorated with butter cream icing

After fall...what's next?

Mr. Lazydog seems to have very symbolic photos lately in his blog. I'm snagging another one today. This photo is another visual for me to reflect on and tell myself, after fall comes winter. Winter means Christmas. Do you believe in Santa Claus? And do Christmas wishes come true than birthday wishes?

Some of my birthday wishes did not come true or I doubt if it still will. Christmas is nearer than my birthday to perhaps make another set of wishes. It's my first time to make a wish on Christmas day and I hope Santa will prove me that he does exist.

After winter there will be spring :-)