House of "Pain"

This week’s topics include homemade bread that’s embarrassingly easy to make, a slow explosion in the pantry, coffee snobbery, an emasculation of me by the Red, a new segment on music I’m rocking to while cooking, and not 1 but 3 challenges to my masculinity (apparently it’s a theme). 

What I’m working on.  Homemade bread ("pain" to you francophiles)!  What’s better than fresh bread out of the oven with a little butter?  Not much.  It’s the quintessential comfort food.  A quick disclaimer is in order.  I am not a baker.  It requires a certain precision that I lack in my cooking.  I prefer to wing it and trust my instincts, which simply doesn’t work for baking.  The Red is the baker in the house and she's damn good at it.  However, I have been known to dabble in bread.  As a matter of fact, when the Red first met me, I lived alone and I had a bread maker which I frequently used.  She now admits that she thought it was a bit odd and somewhat questioned my, shall we say… preferences.  Whatever. 

My friend T recently sent me his recipe for restaurant-style bread (with photos, no less).  You’ve had this bread.  A round of bread with a nice crunch on the exterior and soft, fluffy inside.  T is a far more accomplished amateur chef than I am, so I had to try it.  Here’s how the first attempt turned out. 

It turned out fabulous and it’s almost embarrassingly easy to make.  It has 3 dry ingredients and water and doesn’t require any kneading.  You cook it in a Dutch or French oven in the oven.  If you want the recipe, email me.  Since my inaugural attempt, we’ve made a few more loaves.  It’s gotten to the point where I yell “Bread’s ready!” and Things 1 and 2 run downstairs to have some warm bread with butter.  I’ve started experimenting and I made a loaf with fresh rosemary and garlic slices.  Nice and savory, but I think more rosemary is in order for the next attempt.

The Red and I decided to start a sour dough starter and experiment with a sourdough version of this basic bread.  For future reference, in its first few hours a sourdough starter expands A LOT.  “Honey – what’s dripping on the canned food?”  “Uh… that would be the sourdough starter making a prison break from the top shelf.”  10 minutes of cleanup later, I had learned the lesson.  Use a bigger container than you think you need.  The starter needs a few more days to be ready to use, so more to follow…..

Coffee Snobbery.   I know what you’re thinking.  “Wannabe Foodie – how many things are you snobby about?!”  Apparently, quite a few.  When the Red and I were dating, I made dark roast Starbucks coffee (usually Sumatra blend) in a French press.  For those of you who’ve never used a French press, they make the absolute best coffee, but it is strong.  So one day I pour myself and the Red some fresh-brewed coffee.  I put a little cream and some sugar in mine and asked her if she’d like some.  “No thanks.  I drink mine black.”  Not condescending.  Just very matter of fact.  This is strong French press coffee and she’s drinking it black!  Yes, I was instantly smitten, but that’s not the point of this story.  I felt instantly emasculated by this young woman.  There I was drinking strong coffee with cream and sugar and she’s drinking it black!  Needless to say, that could not stand and I now drink black coffee.

Onto the snobbery.  Starbucks almost single-handedly created a generation of coffee hounds (and in my case, snobs).  Yes, I know that some of their roasts taste a little burnt, but not all and some of their blends are downright awesome.  So what do they do about 2 years ago?  They introduce Pikes Place Roast, which they instantly made their ‘standard’ coffee in all their stores.  Thank god they usually have a ‘Bold’ roast to order as Pikes Place is flat out crap.  And this from the institution that taught a generation about good coffee!  Whenever I’m in Starbucks I order “anything but that crap Pike’s Place!”  I’m amazed how many Starbuck’s employees agree with me.  Pike’s Place tastes like Dunkin Donuts coffee, and I don’t mean that as a compliment.  I think DD coffee tastes like good diner coffee at best.  I must be missing something because so many people from the Northeast swear by it. 

Best coffee available to us mere mortals?  Peet’s.  We get 3 pounds shipped to us every 21 days.  They ship it the same day they roast it.  When the package arrives, it smells like a small bundle of coffee goodness.  Far better than Starbucks.  Try some Major Dickason’s Blend, our coffee staple.  Some coffee trivia for you:  The founders of Starbucks bought their coffee during their first year of operation directly from the founder of Peet’s.  Rumor has it that he also helped teach them coffee roasting.   

What I’m Listening to While Cooking.  We recently did a slight remodel to our kitchen and as part of the remodel we installed 8 inch speakers to the left and the right of the new cooktop.  As I result, I rarely cook without music and my tastes in music are all over the board.  When the Red isn’t home, it’s usually fairly loud and it’s often Eminem’s Recovery album.  I’ve also spent a lot of time with Gabe Dixon’s upcoming album, One Spark.  Great record from a young singer/songwriter, though I’m still a bit partial to his prior album, the self-titled Gabe Dixon Band (one of Thing 1’s favorite albums).  If you’re so inclined, give a listen to Five More Hours or And the World Turned.  Fabulous songs that make you listen again and again.  Too bad there aren't more song writers like Dixon.  That would save us from the crap music on the radio which we’re often subjected to.

I recently read about Girl in a Coma (GIC) in a magazine.  I had never heard of the band.  However, the magazine in question had an article about the best music you haven’t heard and they mentioned GIC and Jamey Johnson.  If someone mentions a band in the same article as Jamey Johnson, they’ve got my attention, so I purchased GIC’s 2007 album Before I’m Gone.  My friend Huey, my counselor in all things music and whiskey (see inaugural blog post) and frequent companion in juvenile frivolity, questioned my manhood when I told him.  But he’s wrong.  Very good, eclectic, and well written rock album.  Well worth picking up.  Check out this song:  Clumsy Sky 

However, and I can’t explain why, I tend to listen to hillbilly music more often than not while cooking.  Perhaps it’s the perceived dichotomy of trying to make gourmet food while listening to hillbilly music.  I really don’t know and don’t much care.  My favorite country ‘cooking’ album is the self-titled album from Halfway to Hazard.  Good, rocking country and an album that you’ve probably never heard.  Here are a couple of examples.  Countrified and Daisy  If you’re a country music fan, just pick it up and thank me later.  If you’re not, just ignore this paragraph, move on, and spare me the inevitable “Eww… country music?!” comments.  Good music is good music, regardless of the genre.

Comments?  Feel free to post one below or email me at renofoodiescott@gmail.com.

WF

April 21, 2011 - The Post Vacation Post

This week’s topics include more cooking on vacation while watching the ocean, eating cat food, some seafood grilling tips, my first luau review, mini reviews of 2 restaurants on Maui, my apparent impersonation of Rachel Ray, a follow up on my professed love for Chipotle, and a wonderful visual that I share with you.

What am I working on?  More cooking on vacation.  No, we’re not still on vacation, though I wish we were….  More cooking on the grill.   I know what you’re saying:  “Wannabe Foodie - why were you  grilling so much on vacation?” Because I could watch the Pacific Ocean while doing so and holding my cocktail!  And, yes, it was gin with a wee bit o’ vermouth and some blue cheese olives, you Vodka “martini” heathens!    

The veggies were sliced and tossed in some olive oil, garlic, and kosher salt.  The salmon was rubbed with olive oil, fresh cracked pepper, and some Hawaiian sea salt.  The scallops and shrimp marinated for an hour or so in a simple marinade of dry white wine, garlic, and fresh lemon juice.  A little salt and pepper right before they went on the grill.  Great ingredients, so I didn’t want to mess with them too much.  The veggies went on first (onions on first as they take the longest), and then the salmon until it was ready to be flipped, and then the shrimp and scallops went on as they only needed about 2 minutes or so per side on a hot grill. 

The Review?  Pretty awesome.  The salmon and scallops were close to perfect medium rare to medium, the shrimp were moist and succulent, and the veggies had a nice char, though the zucchini was a little overcooked.  The caramelized sweetness of red onions on the grill is wonderful.  Served all of this with a nice salad, a fresh loaf of French bread, and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.  Not bad for a wannabe on vacation.

I’ve often wondered why so many people don’t like salmon and other seafood.  I think I know why.  Most people (and many restaurants) simply overcook seafood.  Salmon cooked medium rare melts in your mouth like butter.  Salmon cooked well done smells and tastes like cat food.  Overcooking scallops is almost worse.  You can get away with overcooking shrimp a bit, but large sea scallops truly go downhill after medium.  They lose that sweetness that makes them so delicious. The same is true for most other seafood.  I know this sounds like my steak rant, but people, please don’t overcook your seafood.  It’s already dead and you’re just wasting your money if you do.  Use a thermometer until you get the hang of it and remember that most food will continue to cook once you take it off the heat.  If you cook a thick piece of salmon to medium rare, it will be closer to medium when you serve it.  The thicker the piece, the more ‘carry over’ heat. 

Mini Review of Old Lahaina Luau, Lahaina.  Old Lahaina Luau  Yes, I know luaus are cliché and are known to have piss poor food and cheesy entertainment.  But, the Red did a lot of homework and this is supposed to be the best on Maui.  They greet you as you check in with a tray full of wicked strong Mai Tais, and it’s open bar from there.  I like where this is going.  The entertainment was good, the service was friendly and responsive, and the food was really pretty good!  Fresh, raw Ahi poke (More Info Here), octopus (Things 1 and 2 had some of each), whole pig cooked in an underground oven called an Imu, and lots of other tasty food.  However, the pig was the star.  It was cooked for hours in the Imu and you could really taste the smokiness.  Now I really want to cook a whole pig this summer!  Some food porn pictures of the pig coming out:

Check out the big boy working the Imu.  He could easily be working a pit in Alabama.  Never trust a pit master who doesn't appear to eat his own food.

Coconut’s Fish Café, Kihei.  Coconut Fish Cafe  This is a relatively new restaurant named after the proprietor’s cat, Coconut, and it’s supposed to have the best fish tacos on Maui.  I obviously didn’t try all fish tacos on Maui, but this was not an outrageous claim.  They’re good.  Really good.  You pick the type of very fresh fish (ono, mahi mahi, etc.), and it comes grilled on corn tortillas with cheese, home-made cole-slaw, and fresh mango salsa.  The fish is grilled perfectly and the taco is loaded with layers of great flavors.  I’d love to have that salsa recipe as that’s what brought the whole taco together.  What I’d do for that recipe.  If anyone has a good recipe, please email it to me.  Thing 2 ordered a fabulous seafood gumbo (yes, he’s adventurous for a 9 year old).

Fat Daddy’s Smokehouse BBQ, Kihei. Fat Daddy  Yes, I had BBQ on Maui.  What’s your point?  As you know, I’m a BBQ snob and I’m here to say that Fat Daddy’s is the real deal.  They smoke with kiawe wood, which is a cousin of mesquite, so the flavor is familiar, yet different.  The aroma of that smoke permeates the restaurant (there seems to be a theme here…).  I ordered an ice cold schooner of Longboard Lager, which is not the best beer in the world, but ok on a warm day.  Things 1 and 2 and I shared the Who’s Your Daddy Sampler – ½ pound each of brisket, spare ribs, pulled pork, and smoked brats.  Brisket – pretty good, though not righteous.  Pulled pork – excellent, with a nice bark and sauce. Spare ribs – absolutely fabulous.  Juicy, nice smoke ring, good rub.  Brats – very good and you could really taste the mellow smoke flavor.  Made in natural casings as well, so you still got that crunch on the outside even after the smoking.  Well done, Fat Daddy!  Those ribs are competition worthy, and that’s saying something!

Am I Impersonating Rachel Ray?!  What's with all of these pleasant restaurant reviews!  Am I impersonating Rachel Ray?!  Should I throw out my good knives and buy cheesy orange ones?  Is it possible that I simply like all food? Am I intentionally picking restaurants with good reputations?  I think I’m just getting soft and it's disgusting.  I need another Tamayo to review to bring out my true foodie curmudgeon.   

A Follow up on My Love of Chipotle.  A number of you have pointed out that Chipotle isn’t authentic Mexican food.  I agree completely.  However, I never said it was authentic Mexican food.  I just said it was good.  I like nothing better than eating authentic Mexican food out of a truck in East L.A., or eating it anywhere for that matter.  Liking Chipotle and authentic Mexican food are not mutually exclusive.  Let it go, you Mexican food purists.  And no, the irony of me saying that isn’t lost on me. 

Random Travel Note.  I promised to share random travel notes in my inaugural blog post.  I travel a fair amount for work and sometimes for pleasure.  Spend that much time in airports and airplanes and you’re bound to see some interesting stuff.  This week’s note comes from a men’s room in the Honolulu airport.  Leave it alone, you sick monkeys…  A large man in a tank top was washing his armpits with paper towels in front of the mirror, right in front of one of the sinks.  I really have nothing to add to that visual I just gave you.    

Comment?  Question?  Think I’m Just Full of It?  Feel free to post a comment below or email me at renofoodiescott@gmail.com.

WF

April 14, 2011 - The Vacation Blog

This week’s topics include beautiful steaks prepared by the Wannabe Foodie, making corn like my grandma, vacation food snobbery, chewing on a belt, a budding Francophile, a review of La Creperie in Colorado Springs, eating like a fat kid, and a foodie book recommendation. 

What I’m working on?   Cooking on vacation.  Check out these beauties on the grill:

Note the nice grill marks.  Just how you like it…..  Served them with fresh bread, salad, and corn on the cob cooked like my grandma used to make it - boiled with some milk in the water, which accentuates the sweetness of the corn.  Good, simple meal and what says vacation more than steaks on the grill?

A side rant on how a steak should be cooked or ordered.  If you order a filet or other nice cut, please order it rare, medium rare, or maybe (just maybe) medium.  If you prefer your meat medium well or beyond, you might as well just order jerky or simply a belt to chew on.  If nothing else, don’t order a good piece of meat as you’re just wasting your money.  Order a sirloin, a piece of chuck, the aforementioned belt, or just get a burger and save the steaks for the  grown ups.  My preference – the rare side of medium rare for filets and New York strips, medium rare for sirloins, and medium rare to medium for ribeyes.  The fat in ribeyes needs a little more time to start melting into yummy goodness.    

Dining While on Vacation – Prior to a recent vacation, we had lots and lots of people recommending dining choices.  Here’s an example of once such exchange.  Unsolicited Advisor: “You’ve got to eat at Cheeseburger in Paradise!”  Me: “Really?!  We have one of those in Reno.  Why would I go on vacation to eat at a chain we have in Reno?”  Advisor:  “But the food at that location is better.”  Me:  “Really?  I’m pretty sure chains serve the same food at different locations.”  Advisor:  “No.  The food is better at that location.”  Me:  “Have you eaten at the one in Reno?”  Advisor:  “No.  I haven’t.”   

I like to try new, local restaurants on vacation and not chain restaurants.  I have no problem with chains, but I am not one of those travelers who needs to have the exact same food I can get at home.   More on that in future blogs.

Restaurant Review – La Creperie, Colorado Springs, Colorado.  This is a tiny restaurant located on north Tejon in downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado.  I found it one night as I was wandering around downtown in search of something different to eat and review.  First, a disclosure is in order.  Since visiting Paris a couple of years ago, I have become a minor Francophile.  French food and wine is just that good.  Say what you will about the French, Groundskeeper Willie, but they know how to eat and drink right.

La Creperie is a tiny restaurant with a lot of character.  The dining room can’t seat more than 30-35 people and the kitchen can’t be bigger than 12 by 12.  The salt shakers have big, chunky sea salt rather than boring table salt.  As I sit down, I’m already thinking this is my kind of place.  The waitress is very pleasant and prompt, with good food and wine recommendations. 

The wine – Cotes du Rhone, Parallel 25, Jaboulet 2006.  I heard her open the bottle to pour my first glass, so I knew it would need to open up, and it did.  Good nose and flavor.  A good, moderately priced example of what French wine is all about – complex but easy to drink with food.  So many moderately priced American wines are hard to eat with food.  Think fruit bomb Cabernet Sauvignon.  I love big Cabs and Petite Syrahs, but you almost have to have a steak with blue cheese to compete with the wine.  There’s something to be said about a wine that’s pleasant with most food, while not being sweet, weak, or watered down.  I’d order this wine again and thoroughly enjoy it.

French Onion Soup – Yes, I know it’s a predictable thing to order, but I love a rich, hearty French onion soup.  This soup had a nice, rich stock and wasn’t too salty.  Nice soup, but not epic or particularly memorable.

Steak Au Poivre – For those of you who are unfamiliar with this dish, it’s a French dish that consists of a steak, traditionally filet mignon, coated with loosely cracked peppercorns and then seared in a pan.  It’s served with a pan sauce made in the same pan.  Mine came perfectly medium rare with a fantastic sauce brune, potatoes dauphinoise (think traditional French potatoes au gratin), and lightly steamed and seasoned whole green beans.  The peppercorns, the rich sauce, and a perfectly cooked steak made for a sublime and fantastic dish.  

Lemon crepe – I’m not a big dessert person.  More often than not, I’d rather have a cocktail.  But, great crepes are not something to be missed.  I ordered a lemon crepe, which was served with a lemon butter sauce and little powdered sugar.  Fabulous. 

La Creperi is a great little restaurant and a true hidden gem in Colorado Springs.  I look forward to bringing the Red there. 

Best Food Line I’ve Heard in a While.  From Blake the bartender at Jose Muldoon’s in Colorado Springs.  Me – “What do you recommend on the menu?”  Blake – “I like the combo platters because they have a lot of food.  I like to eat like a fat kid.”  Nice.  Blake also makes a wicked margarita called the Alamo.  Food at Jose’s is about what you’d expect and not worth a full review.  If you have enough Alamo margaritas, you’ll probably think the food is great. 

Foodie and Oenophile Book Recommendation - Knives at Dawn – the story of a Thomas Keller disciple competing at the 2009 Bocuse d'Or.  Interesting read about the preparation for the competition.  I particularly liked learning more about Thomas Keller, the owner and chef of the French Laundry.  Did you know that Keller has no formal training and he’s arguably the best chef in the country?

WF

April 6, 2011

These week’s topics include my belief that vodka does not belong in a martini, my last meal request (one should always plan ahead), my favorite new kitchen toy, a review of Austin, Texas and some of its food offerings, a proud moment for the Wannabe Foodie, a foodie Mecca, and burger sacrilege. 

Old School Martinis.  I love a good gin martini and my favorite gin is Bombay Sapphire.  Just a hint of vermouth (waive the bottle near the gin) and served ice cold with either a lemon twist or olives.  I prefer olives stuffed with blue cheese.  I can hear some of you now: “I like vodka martinis.”  Fine, but don’t call them martinis.  If it doesn’t have gin, it’s a cocktail.  Check out what reddwarf.com has to say on this subject:  Red Dwarf.  It’s worth reading the entire martini section, but I like this quote:  “What is a Martini? ….. A highly vocal minority of Martini drinkers, the Prescriptivists, insists that the short answer [gin and vermouth] is in fact the only answer. Any deviation from this definition may produce an enjoyable cocktail, but it will not be a Martini.”  Preach it, brother.

If I Had to Choose a Last Meal, It Would Be…  Alaskan King Crab Legs.  Yes, legs and not claws.  I love claws, but legs have a sweetness that claws do not.  I like to make them on the grill.  I cut them open with some kitchen shears along the length of the leg and force some roasted garlic butter into the opening.  Place on a medium grill cut side up and cook until you’ve reached steamy goodness.  They’re already cooked, so you’re really just heating them up.  The grill adds some flavor and the garlic butter infuses the meat as it cooks.  I also like them steamed with clarified butter for dipping.  Since this is a ‘last meal’, the only side dishes I want are more crab and more butter.  And a bottle or two of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.  More on that wine in a future blog.

My Favorite New Kitchen Toy?  The Red recently brought home a 9 Qt. Le Creuset French Oven which she got a ridiculous deal on.  Whatever you think she spent on it, cut it in half and she spent a lot less than that!  Isn’t she beautiful?  Yes, the Red is beautiful, but I’m talking about this:

This is our first LC piece and it is truly impressive.  Weighs at least 10 pounds empty.  When you turn the heat off, it retains so much heat that the liquid keeps boiling for a couple of minutes.  What we’ve made with it:  chicken and dumplings; pork adovado, roasted garlic soup, 3 cheese macaroni and cheese with truffle oil, chicken adobe, and spaghetti sauce.  Great for searing on the cook top and then slow braising in the oven.

City and Restaurant Reviews – Austin, Texas

I recently visited Austin to attend a conference and I brought the family (the Red, Thing 1, and Thing 2) with me since the Red’s sister (K) lives there.  Austin is a fabulous city with great music, bars, and food.  K points out that I wouldn’t like it as much in August when it’s hot, muggy and miserable.  True, but I don’t plan to ever visit in August, so the Austin I always think of will be a spring-time Austin.  Some mini reviews for your consumption (and, yes, that was an intentional pun):

Ironworks BBQ.  I know what some Austin residents will say.  “You didn’t go the Salt Lick?!”  Well, I’ve been there.  It’s a long drive from downtown and, frankly, the food was underwhelming.  I think they make great food for food show hosts and adequate food for the rest of us.  K suggested Ironworks near downtown, so that’s where we went.  When we first walked in, I immediately thought that there would be some great BBQ there.  Nothing fancy about the decor and the aroma of hardwood smoke has initiated my pavlovian response (see my inaugural blog).  I step up to the window and order a burnt ends brisket sandwich, which is not on the menu, but which they gladly make for me.  What are burnt ends?  The edges of a brisket which has been smoked a long time.  The burnt ends have the smoke and rub flavors concentrated in them.  The sandwich was awesome. 

However, Thing 2 ordered what turned out to be the best thing on the menu – smoked beef ribs.  He ordered an adult-sized meal and the guy behind the counter said it might be a bit much for him.  I scoffed at the suggestion and said something to the effect of “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about that.  This boy will dent that plate all by himself.”  Photographic evidence of my little Fred Flintstone in the making:

Note the slices of white bread on the plate and cheap table cloths.  Both are usually strong indicators of great BBQ.  If a BBQ joint has cloth napkins or fancy tables, just walk out.

BBQ beef ribs aren’t served much out west.  We eat far more pork ribs.  However, these were spectacular.  Great smoke ring, nice light rub, and a number of great sauces to choose from.  Beef ribs haven’t part of BBQ repertoire, but they will be soon!

Osmo’s Kitchen.  The best dish I had in Austin came out of a trailer.  For those of you who’ve never been to Austin, there are food trailers parked all over the City, usually in clusters.  These aren’t your average roach coaches.  They serve some true gourmet food.  Example – Osmo’s Kitchen (http://osmoskitchen.com/).  I ordered an oyster PoBoy.  They take fresh oysters, dredge them in some flour and seasonings (until I find out what it is, I’m calling it crack), and fry them.  They put them in a fresh French roll with some of their homemade spicy slaw.  Unspeakably good.  The oysters are cooked perfectly and have this wonderful briny flavor which is offset very well by the spicy slaw.  Even Things 1 & 2 liked the sandwich.  They said the oysters tasted like the sea.  When was the last time 9 and 11 year old boys tasted and like fresh oysters?  A proud moment for the Wannabe Foodie.  The Red had a shrimp PoBoy, which was also fabulous (large, succulent prawns with the same crack dredge and served with the spicy slaw). 

Side note – I spent a fair amount of my childhood in the South and have been to New Orleans a number of times.  I know my hillbilly and Cajun food, including PoBoys.  Osmo’s PoBoys were spectacular.  Go to Austin, find the trailer, and thank me later.         

Whole Foods.  Prior to this trip, I didn’t know that Whole Foods started in Austin.  They have their 80,000 square foot flagship store there and it is no less than a foodie Mecca.  I was speechless when I entered the store.  For those of you who don’t know me, speechless is not often used to describe me.  They have food and spice items which I’d never seen in a store before and which I wish I could find at home.  Truly amazing.  They also have a walk-in beer cooler which had hundreds of microbrews and, yes, light beers for the godless heathens among us:

The Whole Foods in Reno just seems so puny by comparison.    

Burger Sacrilege?  P-Terry’s Burger Stand.  I know.  Comparing burgers to In-N-Out is borderline sacrilege, but it’s true.  These are as good as In-N-Out.  There.  I said it.  The Red, who's from Southern California, believes that P-Terry's burgers are better than In-N-Out burgers.  That's a bold statement. 

WF