30 May 2014
by scolgin
in Humor, Pork, Starlets, Yoga Students & Quinoa (stories)
Tags: barbecue, BBQ, buttermilk fried chicken, California Chrome, Kansas City, Memorial Day, mint julep, muffaleta, North Carolina pork shoulder
I’m not sure what gave me the idea for a deep Southern barbecue for Memorial Weekend. I think it may have been the pile of paper plates and plastic cups I had left over from an event — no dishes to clean! (And you can’t exactly serve Tuscan grill on paper plates.) Maybe it was Brownie McGhee popping up on the iTunes playlist. Whatever the motivation, the invitations went out and preparations began.
Brisket & pork shoulders on the smoker
“Good god,” my friend Katy emailed when she got the invitation, “This is almost like catering the auction all over again. You’re obviously a glutton for punishment.” More
23 May 2014
by scolgin
in Humor, Observations, Starlets, Yoga Students & Quinoa (stories)
Tags: 2001, 9/11, cheese, Deep Nutrition, France, French food, Nova Scotia, September 11, unpasteurized
My biggest regret about not living in France is cheese.
A few weeks ago, my friend Brian (he of 90/60 blood pressure and 48 bmp heart rate) arrived to a small birthday celebration I’d hastily thrown together for myself with several raw-milk cheeses he’d just brought back from France. I can’t even remember what I cooked — the cheeses were the stars of the night.
Contraband French cheeses
You are not allowed to bring soft unpasteurized cheese into the United States. Which technically makes Brian a smuggler. But these are cheeses worth any risk — rich, deep and complex in a way you just can’t find in the imported stuff. More
16 May 2014
by scolgin
in Cooking Tips, Observations
Tags: chorizo, cooking tips, Fiornetino, fleur de sel, food, grass fed beef, Maldon salt, Mario Batali, parmesan reggiano, Ronzoni
I was thinking the other morning, as I was writing out a recipe for this blog, about how I often use qualifiers when listing ingredients. For example, rather than saying, “1 tbsp. butter,” I will say, “1 tbsp. fresh sweet cream butter.” Or instead of “salt,” I will recommend “flaky sea salt, such as Maldon.”
Gorgeous pyramid crystals of Maldon salt
It’s because little differences in ingredients can mean a lot. Especially in simple dishes that utilize only a few ingredients. More
09 May 2014
by scolgin
in Starlets, Yoga Students & Quinoa (stories)
Tags: Fundraising, humor, King's Hawaiian Bread, Maldon salt, pizza, rib eye, The 1909, Topanga, Topanga Elementary Charter School
I am not a caterer.
Caterers have large refrigerators and big stainless steel warming trays and things like that. I’m a chef. I have knives. And I like to see the looks on people’s faces when they taste something good that I have made. It’s hard to do that when you’ve laid out a buffet for 200 people.
The menu
So, I approached the silent auction I was cooking for as if it was just a big dinner I was doing for 200 of my friends. (Which is essentially what it was anyway.) More
29 Apr 2014
by scolgin
in Humor, Pork
Tags: gazpacho, humor, Irish potato famine, Pork, potatoes, Sprouts market, Topanga, Topanga Elementary Charter School, wood burning oven
I’ve begun sourcing for the massive auction dinner I will be preparing on Saturday night. While I was out shopping one day, I saw a 50 lb. bag of potatoes, and bought it.
“So I guess you’re doing a baked potato bar?” my friend Katy asked.
“Yes, with no condiments,” I replied. “Just baked potatoes. People will ask, ‘Do you have any sour cream or butter?’ And we’ll say, ‘No, just potatoes. And beer.'”
“I like it.” More
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