Winter Work: Corzetti Stampae
Story Time! I first came across this noodle many years ago, while working with an old Italian man that had palms the size of saute pans. His name was Raphael, his hands knew nothing more than how to make dollars. He was an “Old World” chef, turned owner with a heavy influence on his kitchen. I was implementing a butcher program and we spent hours standing side by side working over a shared prep space. He would talk to me in a way that married…
Perfect Practice: Purple Sweet Potato Dumplings
It’s a real thing… Also known as the Okinawan Sweet Potato! Gifted with the deep hue of Royalty and the luxurious flavor of a familiar family favorite; This tuber is meant to be eaten eyes first. Delicious and nutritionally packed with vitamins and minerals that do the body a world of good; I cannot exaggerate the importance of working this ingredient into your weekly “mise en place”. According to www.downtoearth.org , This Lavender-Tinted Root is, “high in vitamin A, vitamin C and manganese. They are…
The Barn on Stoney Hill : Cornell, WI
Earlier this year, towards the beginning of summer, we took part in a Styled Shoot at The Barn on Stoney Hill. Located in Cornell, Angie Popp & Co. has built a breathtaking venue off the beaten path in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Much gratitude for inviting us to participate in the day. It was phenomenal working with all of the different vendors and witnessing the execution and “tailor-made” services creating an accent through the most acute, yet seemingly minimalistic details. For the full set of…
Fabrication 101: Mock Tender
Not everything is a tenderloin… this is where the skill comes into play. Faux Tender… Not the loin you were hoping for… but not a complete waste of time. The Mock Tender; A muscle found in the shoulder of the animal, pulled straight from the blade, may appear wildly similar to a tenderloin unfortunately the evidence of inferiority runs throughout the meat… Literally. The beautiful cut is cursed with a line of sinew running end to end. “Why would someone go through the trouble of…
To Cook A Rabbit
This past fall, I found myself working with a young chef opening a Gastro pub in Hudson, Wisconsin. The Owners of the establishment were quoted as wanting a Farm To Table, locally driven, exciting menu. After days of tinkering I was able to bring this little gem to the table. Rabbit: There is a stigma in a restaurant, an unspoken fear in using certain ingredients due to how the public may perceive the value in a dish or how people are going to look at…
London Broil (aka: Flank Steak)
In the dismantling of an animal, much is to be explained simply in the feel of the flesh; the visualization and understanding of where and how each cut is used in a living specimen. An important note to take is exactly where your steak comes from, how the muscles on the living body are exercised and how often. A borrowed image to help paint a picture. This will tell you everything you need to know about a cut without…
Beef Tongue: Surprise Yourself
Shortly after, and well into my ventures into Headcheese; I was left with the realization of how tantalizing the utilization of the tongue of a creature could truly be. In the head cheese, I found that throughout the loaf there was an accentuated richness and succulence in the portions with a high abundance of the tongue as well as the cheeks. These muscles in the animals head that were often worn and well exercised offered the robust, rich flavors that I often associated with a…
Chicken Stock: Back to the Basics
It is quite an interesting episode, the interactions between a person who is raised in a kitchen and a person who is not. Everything from their character, their heart, their presence, their look, their stature, their “jargon”, it is all so very distinctive. They are a different breed, those who flood the culinary institutes and kitchens throughout the world. A Cook often speaks with confidence, short order in most cases, using language and aphorisms meant to cut confusion and accelerate actions; often only understood by…
Cooking With Acorns
In late fall of last year I found myself sitting in the midst of a dying garden. My presence alone in the garden brought an overwhelming sorrow for I knew to well that the months to follow would bring great amounts of ice and the crisp darkness that a Wisconsin winter promises annually; I prayed it be swift… I collect acorns from the floor of the backwoods intrigued in the idea of making them edible, a way to pass the time I suppose… Jokes on…
Maple Syrup: The Precarious Production
It took five minutes of tuning into a Wisconsin Public Access channel to peak my interest. A change of season influences many dynamics in how we conduct our lives while living in junction with a truly uncontrollable world. I walked away from my television confused as to why the price of my locally sourced Maple Syrup, was on the rise? A night of covered in ice, immediately followed by a week of mid-sixties to record highs starting off last years early spring. To understand the…
