asian slaw

very similar to below, but with cabbage. this would be a good candidate for some chiles (dried or fresh).

head napa cabbage, finely minced/shredded
1 large shallot (you could probably use 2 if you're up for it)
2 lemon cucumbers, diced
1 bunch cilantro

dressing:
1/2 c fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 c fish sauce
palm sugar (or regular sugar) to taste (try about 1 tbsp)

I always try to mince the cabbage up ahead of time and salt it to get some excess water out. Otherwise, it gets a bit watery.

thai cucumber salad

Ingredients:

Salad:
2 large cucumbers, quartered, seeded and sliced (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 cup of shallots, minced
1/4 cup of coconut flakes (optional)

Dressing:
about 1/4 cup fish sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
about 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
about 1 tablespoon of palm sugar (white sugar is OK, reduce to 1/2 tablespoon)

more food

Salt-Encrusted Potatoes

Ingredients
• 1 pound fingerling potatoes, washed
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 cup Kosher salt
• 2 garlic cloves, skins on
• 1 cup Italian parsley, washed, leaves only
• 1 cup cilantro, washed, leaves only
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Method
1. Put the potatoes, water, and Kosher salt into a pot and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. With a wooden skewer, test to see if they are tender. Pour off most of the water, reserving as much salt as possible.

2. Lower the heat and keep a watchful eye on the potatoes. The goal is to let the water evaporate so the potatoes are coated in salt. Be careful not to burn the salt or the potatoes. Cook another 3 to 4 minutes, then remove the potatoes and let cool.

3. Use a kitchen towel to wipe the excess salt off each potato, leaving only a light dusting of salt on each. Clean the potatoes one by one so the skins don't break.

4. To make the dipping sauce, start by putting the garlic cloves on a skewer. Char them on an open flame. Brush off the blackened skins and roughly chop. Place the parsley and cilantro leaves, the roasted garlic, black pepper, and olive oil into a mini-blender and puree to a smooth consistency.

5. Pour the sauce into a small bowl. Serve the potatoes and sauce at room temperature.

via

Cocktail Science

Let's get real anal when it comes to cocktails: let's debate what kind of ice is right for your Old-Fashioned:

The difference was startling. From the first sip, the drink with cheater ice was like a debased “cocktail lite,” with thin flavors and watery insipidness. The chunk ice yielded a richer taste, and had a denser, almost velvety texture to it. After five minutes, the cheater cocktail was deadly flat (“quite foul, actually,” decreed Rubel after a taste), while the drink with chunk ice seemed to be opening up and blossoming. Only after about 20 minutes had the second drink begun to soften around the edges.

I'm intrigued.

Camarillo-area greenhouses produce 21st century crops - Los Angeles Times

fooNeat article on the future of greenhouses. Don't know if they would be
applicable up here, but in sunny climates, good design.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-greenhouse14-2009may14,0,4784175.story

New Theme Idea for Schroon Lake '09

About 350 men, seated shoulder to shoulder at long tables, were devouring slices of beef tenderloin and washing them down with pitchers of beer. As waiters brought trays of meat, the guests reached over and harvested the pink slices with their bare hands, popping them down the hatch.

Each slice was perched on a round of Italian bread, but most of the men ate only the meat and stacked the bread slices in front of them, tallying their gluttony like poker players amassing chips. Laughter and uproarious conversation were in abundance; subtlety was not.

This is taken from an older New York Times article on beefsteaks; which refer to the event, not the cut of meat. Originally used as a political fundraiser in the late 19th century (who wouldn't vote for a guy who buys you all-you-can-eat steak dinners?), the tradition lives on in northern New Jersey.

I know, guys, I know. But don't let that distract you. Think about this:

He grilled tenderloins (the muscle used for filet mignon) over charcoal, sliced them, dipped the slices in melted butter, served them on slices of white sandwich bread, added French fries on the side...

Meat, butter, fries. Does it get any better than that? I'm thinking of taking it old school. Kids these days, wanting to make a good thing bad by making it all healthy:

The Nightingales have made only a few changes since the early days: They now dip the meat slices in margarine instead of butter. The sandwich bread has been replaced by Italian bread (it holds up better to the drippings, although some attendees complain that it’s harder to stack). Relish trays have been replaced with bowls of tossed salad, and the French fries, which were once cooked in rendered fat trimmings from the tenderloins, are now fried in vegetable oil.

So, the main ingredients very closely match the original Schroon meals: meat, pickles are both the same. I like the fries fried in meat fat, it's probably tastier, wastes less, and will kill off the weak faster.

for those out in wisconsin...

Keep your eye on this future brewpub in Madison. Joe spent some time here last year, and I learned a lot about brewing and its potential for experimentation. Craft brewing has been successful, but it seems like the next generation of brewpubs are going to start pushing beyond the standard Pilsner-IPA-Brown-Red-Stout selection you see at many places. Mint porter? Rasperry Belgianwine? Sour red?

It's a good time to be a beer drinker in this country...

the piss-hot curtis

red bull
worster sauce
bourbon
salt.

@ the hubagoo

nat sherman mcd's...mmmm

weekend's here

Gonna donate some time...

Going to do a little volunteer action with Rural Vermont, a small-farm advocacy organization. We're setting up a booth for them and handing out literature at a farm in Fairfield on raw milk. I'm not usually one for the whole non-profit advocacy group thing (bad experience with one during college, boring story), but the bills they support sound like good ones. I'm looking forward to sampling some raw milk, and taste what I'm missing when I buy it from the store.

Fwd: Fall is Here: Lost Meadow Cider Mill Opens September 13, 2008

Here's what I'm doing tomorrow, getting some delicious cider stock (see below) and attending a harvest fest. Fall in Vermont: does is get any more bucolic?

Lost Meadow Cider Mill will be open weekends this fall starting

September 13 and going until October 26. The mill is located off County

Rd in Calais, VT, two miles south of Maple Corner.

Fresh juice will be available for pickup Saturday or Sunday 12:00-6:00

PM or until it's gone. Call or email for directions. Sorry, the mill is

not open to the public during operation. If you need juice and can't

catch us on weekends or want us to reserve some, call and we'll work

something out [(802) 229-2004].

Sweet cider is available in our 1-gallon containers only for $5. Special

hard cider blends will be available by appointment for $7 per gallon this

year. We will also have our own vinegar for sale at the mill as well as the

odd bag of apples that we just didn't have the heart to put through the

grinder.

Lost Meadow Cider Mill is located on Wheeler Road in Calais, VT; just off

County Road a couple miles south of Maple Corner or about seven miles from

the Main St rotary in Montpelier.

Lost Meadow Orchard and Cider Mill are run by Terry Bradshaw and his

family. Terry has been in the orchard business for fourteen years and

has made cider every one of them. His fermented ciders have won national

awards in American Homebrew Association-sanctioned events and have

developed a local following. These hard ciders are never for sale, but

he is always glad to show you how to make your own.

http://www.lostmeadowvt.com

terryb@lostmeadowvt.com