Butcher’s Cut: Lamb Bacon
“Tell me what you eat and I shall tell you what you are.” –Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin Years ago, I set out to connect to the food I was creating. I found peace in a slaughterhouse. Perfect practice, process, technique, execution, craft, traditionalism, legacy, and a beautiful respect in life and death. This was something of a new rabbit hole, many of the same standards of execution found in a kitchen; yet it somehow had more of a spirituality to it. Instead of cutting a steak…
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…
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…
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…
Roasted Bison Marrow: Winter In Wisconsin
I have been quite curious with the marrow fad. Never having cooked the stuff or served it in a restaurant I headed into this endeavor virtually blind. What I did indeed know, I read about in magazines and on menus of little bistros and in a couple of blogs and books where a marrow dish sporadically appears. What to do? What to Do? Faviken… A Nordic Restaurant across the pond, inadvertently dictates how I handle my Marrow. “Treat it like a piece of meat…
Fried Tapioca Pearls : Kalamata Crisp
About a week ago, I had a friend ask questions about Bubble Tea (A “Smoothie-esc” soft drink with saturated Tapioca Pearls to create a witty contrast in the beverages texture, quite often tea flavored). Unfortunately, this Article has very little (actually nothing) to do with Bubble Tea. However, it started with an interaction between two friends in which I received a large Ziploc bag full of Tapioca Pearls with a label instructing me to “Have Fun” And so I did. Inside Info: Tapioca is a…
Fabrication 101: The Anatomy of a Chicken
For most of us, A chicken has been broken down into several familiar cuts such as the Chicken Nuggets, Chicken Strips, and Popcorn Chicken before we ever see the bird as a whole. Even the Chicken Basket at your Local KFC can be puzzling to try and piece together. Remember one thing when deciding how to regiment your diet: Eat Fresh – Eat Local! If you want to eat healthy, cleanse your body of all the Chemicals and Hormones that are put in your food…
