a contumacious chef's culinary curmudgeonry
It is no secret that I am a lover of bacon. A representative and shining example of all three culinary baselines, fat, sugar, and salt, bacon is to food what Louis Armstrong’s “Wonderful World” is to a first date. Going about adding more bacon to one’s diet offers a number of different venues. At the [...]
The San Francisco post has to wait a few days. I am more or less still in (positive) culinary shock from a week of dining, meeting old friends, making new ones, and falling madly in love with Tingly Lamb, sorting all that out will take a day or two. In the mean time, to issue [...]
With apologies for the REALLY bad photo above. I had about a minute, a cellphone, and no lighting. I’ll take some nicer photos soon and replace this one. Friend Gail called me this morning, asking for a quick and “idiot proof” dessert she could do for tonight’s Memorial Day Weekend dinner at her house. Gail’s [...]
When it comes to Sauerkraut, most diners can be easily divided into two camps – those who love it, and those who had Polish sauerkraut in NYC and hated it. The recipe and tips below are for German Sauerkraut, a modest and much tastier variation of the stuff you get on your hot dog, and [...]
I love Italian food, the subtle differences between Roman and Venetian cuisine, the gradual removal of dairy and introduction of citrus and tomato flavors as one ventures south along the coastal and mountainous regions. Few cuisines gave and owe so much to their neighbors and almost-neighbors, from Turkish and Greek influences in the south to [...]
Inspiration for this post comes from Serious Eats. Over there, Nikki Goldstein introduces us to a “Spaetzle Maker” and states boldly: “You can’t make Spaetzle without using a Spaetzle Maker”. Au contraire, my dear Nikki, you can and should make Spaetzle without a Spaetzle Maker. Let me count the ways: Traditionally, Spaetzle are made from [...]
Aaah, the scallop. That noble, yet accessible, crustacean core. Easy to sear, season, plate, and enjoy, it’s a quick treat on the plate, a buttery, herbal, taste of the wide ocean. You had the scallop appetizer at my place, listening to the satisfying crack of its sear under your knife before digging your teeth into [...]
Since it came up tonight, here’s my tried-and-true 8h cheese curd recipe. If you’re adept at making curds, you might remember the 12-16h wait while the curds are pressed. That’s something we found more or less unacceptable, since we had to set up the curds while staff was still in the kitchen and had to [...]
Pumpkin is seasonal. Yepp, you heard me. That stuff you buy in cans… not a substitute. Also, very important, don’t try canning that stuff at home. The FDA and USDA really, really, will have a fit if you try – mashed pumpkin tends to trap and develop some nasty bugs when canned, professional canners beat [...]
Regular readers (all three of you) know, that I don’t eat or serve veal. Unless, that is, it’s raised with its mother instead of being nailed into a box and fed ProViMi (a mix of – you guessed it – Proteins, Vitamins, and Minerals). This is where your veal should come from: Taken at the [...]
Gordon Ramsay is wrong. No, not about that “head chef” myth Fox and he are spreading despite the fact that not one winner in six seasons was made head chef (and, seeing the quality of cooks, I can’t say I am surprised). And, no, not about calling amateur cooks “Master Chef” after six weeks of [...]
My name isn’t exactly common. In most cases I am able to get jluster as my username. There’s one other Jonas Luster in the world, and he’s 87 and in Sweden. Yet, gmail, oh faithful mail delivery and reading tool of mine, regularly reminds me that there are some others out there who share that [...]
