IE, IE (Irish Envy, Irish Epicurious)

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Cackalacky

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Thanks. I do love me some deglazing.

It's refreshing to see that much effort put into preparing food. It's truly a science and an art.
As befits my nature, while pursuing my first undergrad degree in Biology I worked full time in numerous restaurants here in Charleston. I had the pleasure of working in various places from soul food to a James Beard Award winning fine dining place. Burger Joints to fine Italian, and an Alligator shack and fine steak house butchering for 8-10 hours a day. I also tended to work side by side with Johnson & Wales students so I picked up knife and process technique with them but I pestered my chefs about the art. It's amazing how much info a chef will impart to a person truly eager to know. The chefs hated the J&W students for the opposite reason. They already "knew everything." Some of my best friends were CIA grads as well. So if I seem excited about food, it's because I am . I spent weekends just making the five sauce bases for the hell of it.

Apologies. I am rambling. I think I am gonna go make some sushi.

Kudos again man.
 

zelezo vlk

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It's refreshing to see that much effort put into preparing food. It's truly a science and an art.
As befits my nature, while pursuing my first undergrad degree in Biology I worked full time in numerous restaurants here in Charleston. I had the pleasure of working in various places from soul food to a James Beard Award winning fine dining place. Burger Joints to fine Italian, and an Alligator shack and fine steak house butchering for 8-10 hours a day. I also tended to work side by side with Johnson & Wales students so I picked up knife and process technique with them but I pestered my chefs about the art. It's amazing how much info a chef will impart to a person truly eager to know. The chefs hated the J&W students for the opposite reason. They already "knew everything." Some of my best friends were CIA grads as well. So if I seem excited about food, it's because I am . I spent weekends just making the five sauce bases for the hell of it.

Apologies. I am rambling. I think I am gonna go make some sushi.

Kudos again man.

Dude go all for it I love talking and learning about cooking.

Sent from my Samsung via Tapatalk
 

greyhammer90

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It's refreshing to see that much effort put into preparing food. It's truly a science and an art.
As befits my nature, while pursuing my first undergrad degree in Biology I worked full time in numerous restaurants here in Charleston. I had the pleasure of working in various places from soul food to a James Beard Award winning fine dining place. Burger Joints to fine Italian, and an Alligator shack and fine steak house butchering for 8-10 hours a day. I also tended to work side by side with Johnson & Wales students so I picked up knife and process technique with them but I pestered my chefs about the art. It's amazing how much info a chef will impart to a person truly eager to know. The chefs hated the J&W students for the opposite reason. They already "knew everything." Some of my best friends were CIA grads as well. So if I seem excited about food, it's because I am . I spent weekends just making the five sauce bases for the hell of it.

Apologies. I am rambling. I think I am gonna go make some sushi.

Kudos again man.

Sounds like you and I are alike minded. Interestingly enough the first thing that started my obsession with the "proper" way to do things (which becomes the experimental and then the artistic) was making classic cocktails. I got really into prohibition era history and found it amazing how many flavors, ingredients, and recipes were simply lost to time. After reading about them I became obsessed for a time with trying to make the classics in the exact way they were written about in many different pre-prohibition era books. I then started muddling the different formulas to create my own version. Over time I took this new obsession with proper preparation into food. I'm still just getting started but there's a lot of very interesting material to read.
 
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Cackalacky

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Sounds like you and I are alike minded. Interestingly enough the first thing that started my obsession with the "proper" way to do things (which becomes the experimental and then the artistic) was making classic cocktails. I got really into prohibition era history and found it amazing how many flavors, ingredients, and recipes were simply lost to time. After reading about them I became obsessed for a time with trying to make the classics in the exact way they were written about in many different pre-prohibition era books. I then started muddling the different formulas to create my own version. Over time I took this new obsession with proper preparation into food. I'm still just getting started but there's a lot of very interesting material to read.

That's great. I don't know much about that era of alcohol. Give me some names. I bet their like "The Fast floozy" or "The Broad Sreet" lol. Have you tried food pairings with them yet?

What got me totally hooked was a chef, my favorite one at the Ocean Course restaraunt in Kiawah gave me his classical French text book (massive). I opened it up and it looked like the a half Blood Prince's potion book. It's a personal treasure. Already working on the basics with my kid. He made his first beschemel last week.
 
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greyhammer90

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That's great. I don't know much about that era of alcohol. Have you tried pairings yet?

By pairings I assume you mean a certain wine with a certain food? Unfortunately one area where I remain incredibly ignorant is in wine. I know plenty about fortified wine (vermouth) though.

Here's a fun bit of trivia that is a good example of the ever changing world of cocktails. If you ever order a Vesper martini (James Bond's martini) at a proper establishment, the bar tender will likely go with gin, vodka, and lillet blanc with a lemon twist. That's fine, but the issue is that this will be far sweeter than the original cocktail that was invented by Sir Ian Fleming. The reason? The original cocktail called for Kina Lillet. In 1986 the makers of Kina Lillet reformulated the recipe to be much sweeter and called the new vermouth Lillet Blanc. Unfortunately Kina Lillet is no longer made, so making a proper Vesper that tastes exactly like the one old Fleming would've been drinking while writing James Bond is nearly impossible unless you have waaaay too much money. So instead, ask the bartender to substitute the Lillet Blanc with a Cocchi Americano. It has a much more bitter profile and is reportedly as close as one can get to the old style Kina Lillet. EDIT: Also, ask the poor bartender to stir instead of shake. I know it's not in the spirit, but be kind to your gin.

This is why I like cocktails. Part delicious, part history, and then I'm drunk at the end.

I'd actually be interested to hear your thoughts on this, there is a growing portion of wine enthusiast who think that pairings are a perpetuated myth.
 
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Cackalacky

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By pairings I assume you mean a certain wine with a certain food? Unfortunately one area where I remain incredibly ignorant is in wine. I know plenty about fortified wine (vermouth) though.

Here's a fun bit of trivia that is a good example of the ever changing world of cocktails. If you ever order a Vesper martini (James Bond's martini) at a proper establishment, the bar tender will likely go with gin, vodka, and lillet blanc with a lemon twist. That's fine, but the issue is that this will be far sweeter than the original cocktail that was invented by Sir Ian Fleming. The reason? The original cocktail called for Kina Lillet. In 1986 the makers of Kina Lillet reformulated the recipe to be much sweeter and called the new vermouth Lillet Blanc. Unfortunately Kina Lillet is no longer made, so making a proper Vesper that tastes exactly like the one old Fleming would've been drinking while writing James Bond is nearly impossible unless you have waaaay too much money. So instead, ask the bartender to substitute the Lillet Blanc with a Cocchi Americano. It has a much more bitter profile and is reportedly as close as one can get to the old style Kina Lillet. EDIT: Also, ask the poor bartender to stir instead of shake. I know it's not in the spirit, but be kind to your gin.

This is why I like cocktails. Part delicious, part history, and then I'm drunk at the end.

I'd actually be interested to hear your thoughts on this, there is a growing portion of wine enthusiast who think that pairings are a perpetuated myth.
That's fsntastic story. Love this stuff. I actually meant these drinks lost to history. I wonder if they could of been paired with certain foods. Just curious. The flavor profiles could be complementary. I've seen liquor drinks paired at gastro pubs before but they were variations on martinis and Manhattans etc.

As far as wine, to an extent, yes I do think it is better to have light wines with pork and fish and dark wines with beef and duck. Also with sushi, I will start with light meat(snappers etc) and white wines then progress to darker fish with red wines. As far as a specific wine with a specific dish... Meh ... I don't think my palette is refined enough to care. Sommeliers though have rigorous training and make those selections so I have to believe they know what they are talking about.

I also will always have a chianti with Italian food. No question.
 
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dshans

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The history of cooking is rife with experimentation, working with available ingredients and "noodling ".

Who first thought to toss a slab of freshly slaughtered meat on a fire? When did salt and pepper come into play? Veggies, fungi and crocus pistils?

Aging grape juice? Fermenting barley and malt? Distilling potatoes or corn?

Carry on. As long as taste buds exist, experimentation continues.

Hell. I've eaten bugs, worms, slugs, grubs and all sorts of shit. What separates lobster, crawfish, snails, clams and mushrooms from slabs of beef, swine, goat. salmon and tuna?

Preparation and experimentation in cooking.

Go for it. Share. Spread the wealth and knowledge.

I can't say that I've enjoyed all I've eaten, but the adventure lives on.
 
C

Cackalacky

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The history of cooking is rife with experimentation, working with available ingredients and "noodling ".

Who first thought to toss a slab of freshly slaughtered meat on a fire? When did salt and pepper come into play? Veggies, fungi and crocus pistils?

Aging grape juice? Fermenting barley and malt? Distilling potatoes or corn?

Carry on. As long as taste buds exist, experimentation continues.

Hell. I've eaten bugs, worms, slugs, grubs and all sorts of shit. What separates lobster, crawfish, snails, clams and mushrooms from slabs of beef, swine, goat. salmon and tuna?

Preparation and experimentation in cooking.

Go for it. Share. Spread the wealth and knowledge.

I can't say that I've enjoyed all I've eaten, but the adventure lives on.

True! True! I can say I had Jerkd Goat in Honduras and it was sooooo good.
 

greyhammer90

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That's fsntastic story. Love this stuff. I actually meant these drinks lost to history. I wonder if they could of been paired with certain foods. Just curious. The flavor profiles could be complementary. I've seen liquor drinks paired at gastro pubs before but they were variations onxmartinis and Manhattans etc.

As far as wine, to an extent, yes I do think it is better to have light wines with pork and fish and dark wines with beef and duck. Also with sushi, I will start with light meat(snappers etc) and white wines then progress to darker fish with red wines. As far as a specific wine with a specific dish... Meh ... I don't think my palette is refined enough to care. Sommeliers though have rigorous training and make those selections so I have to believe they know what they are talking about.

I also will always have a chianti with Italian food. No question.

Check out Somme on Netflix. Great movie about Sommeliers and their art. I haven't gotten much into pairing cocktails with food beyond the obvious. If you're just thinking about getting into cocktails I'd recommend looking up Robert Hess. He's nothing fancy but he is a historian and shows you how to make countless classic cocktails the proper way. He will also explain why sour mixes are bullshit and a bottle of simple syrup should always be in your fridge.
 

dshans

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True! True! I can say I had Jerkd Goat in Honduras and it was sooooo good.

I've eaten jerked chicken and pork in Jamaica. At a little open air, open pit fire place with chickens clucking around and ganja sprouting from the ground. Good stuff, good eats.

Sorry to say I hadn't had goat till two years ago when a woman from Barbados I'd worked with years ago was back in town. He strolled around downtown Minneapolis and stopped to eat in a Middle Eastern restaurant. The goat (something or other) was delicious. Preparation and Presentation.

Kinda makes me wonder why goat and lamb are not more popular in the US. Less expensive to "produce" than beef.

Sure, cattle give us boots, flight jackets and couches, but goats give us vessels to transport wine and lambs sweaters and blended suits.
 

greyhammer90

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I've eaten jerked chicken and pork in Jamaica. At a little open air, open pit fire place with chickens clucking around and ganja sprouting from the ground. Good stuff, good eats.

Sorry to say I hadn't had goat till two years ago when a woman from Barbados I'd worked with years ago was back in town. He strolled around downtown Minneapolis and stopped to eat in a Middle Eastern restaurant. The goat (something or other) was delicious. Preparation and Presentation.

Kinda makes me wonder why goat and lamb are not more popular in the US. Less expensive to "produce" than beef.

Sure, cattle give us boots, flight jackets and couches, but goats give us vessels to transport wine and lambs sweaters and blended suits.

My stomach does not agree with lamb. Something about it means I will be sick for the next 24 hours.
 

dshans

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My stomach does not agree with lamb. Something about it means I will be sick for the next 24 hours.

I know the feeling. My taste buds and intestines are at odds when Bleu, Gorgonzola, Roquefort or any other such cheese should perchance pass my lips.

Love the taste but absolutely hate the hour or so on the "throne" in the aftermath.
 

BobD

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Now if we talk about food we detest.

Garbanzo beans
Kidney beans
Pickled Beats
 

dshans

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Call me overly extravagant or too fancy, but I appreciate the finer things in life.

A Plus Fair Corn Dogs Recipe - Allrecipes.com

Sure, sure, sure; take the easy road. A deep fried (All American) hot dog dipped in corn batter on a stick.

Anyone who doesn't like Fair Food Fare is clearly a Commie Pinko Hippie ...



What's your take on French Fried Snicker Bars dipped in Karo dark corn syrup?
 

Bluto

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2 lengua tacos
2 carnitas tacos
side of jalapeños en escabeche
1 Tecate
1 shot of good anejo tequila
= perfect meal
 

pkt77242

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Tonight
Pork Tenderloin medallions with a red wine reduction sauce, mushrooms and mashed potatoes.

Tomorrow is going to be bratwurst (boiled in PBR and then grilled), with sauerkraut, caramelized onions, with a side of grilled corn and some Bush's grilling beans.
 

BobD

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I had a Scotsman nugget ice maker installed in our lunchroom this week. Absolutely awesome ice.

What? Ice is food.
 

pkt77242

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Don't think I have had that one. Gonna look for it tomorrow.

Costco here had it for $10. Needs a little time to open up but if you decant it for a little bit (or even just pour it in the glass and let it sit for 20-30 minutes) it opens up nicely.
 

dshans

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I'll be handing them out to all the kidlings tonight ...​
 
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