Modernist Cuisine

With a background in engineering and a naturally scientific mind, I love to experiment with different cooking methods (much more than my wife, who is concerned over our family's health and diet).  I find myself always salivating over the next piece of kitchen equipment I need to own:  ISI foamer, sous vide temperature controller, vacuum sealer, etc.  (all of which I have acquired in the last few years).

I have really been wishing long and hard for a copy of Nathan Myhrvold's Modernist Cuisine cookbook.... Its not even fair to call this item a cookbook.  Its a 6 volum set of books with over 1600 recipes and 2400 pages.  It covers everything from how to cook the perfect hamburger to hydrocoloids and emulsifiers.  To give a little back story, Nathan Myhrvold is the former CTO of Microsoft and is now the co-founder of a company called Intellectual Ventures.  Part of what Intellectual Ventures does revolves around cooking and the culinary "arts" (read food science).   Wired Magazine recently wrote a great piece about Modernist Cuisine in its recent issue.  Check it out here.

But ALAS... Modernist Cuisine is not within my humble budget for more cookbooks.  This one MSRP's for over $500.  (That won't stop me from asking Santa again for it this year.)

But today they announced the sale date of October 8th, 2012, for "Modernist Cuisine - AT HOME".  I'm so excited!!!  If this thing was a software package, it would be the "lite" version.  Its only $115 at Amazon.  Still a lot for a cookbook, but for a 465 page "kitchen manual'"  that might be more my price range.  Check out the link to the overview on modernistcuisine.com.  I've already added it to my Amazon Wishlist.

Griddle and French Toast

Camping on Memorial Day weekend is a tradition for our family.  We are very fortunate to have a great state park nearby with wonderful campgrounds.  This weekend, we camped with about 40 friends and family.   I would not describe our camping experiences as "rouging it".  We have a camper, which means we have an oven and full size refridgerator, not to mention air conditioning and hot water.   When we camp with a large group, Andy gets to make use of one of his outdoor cooking tools, his griddle.  He installed a wench in our barn so that he can load it in and out of his truck alone, and I think the griddle is one of his most prized possessions.

  We enjoyed some very yummy meals, this weekend, due in part to the griddle. Every morning you can find a group of guys all standing around the griddle taking turns frying breakfast, french toast, bacon, eggs, sausages, and pancakes.  We also used it to make steak sandwiches, onions, peppers, and fried corn for dinner.

Our friend Dave cooking on the griddle

French Toast and Eggs frying on the griddle

Here's my recipe for French Toast inspired by my Granny's version.

Granny's French Toast

Whisk the following together until well combined
Eggs
Milk
Salt
Sugar
Vanilla
Cinnamon

Dip Texas Toast into the egg mixture and fry on a griddle until golden brown.  Serve with syrup.

Granny's French Toast

What is a Foodie?

Andy and I were asked by a friend to write an article for a local magazine, Evansville Living.  The article was included in their food edition and inspired the creation of this blog.  Here's a link if you are interested.

http://www.evansvilleliving.com/articles/raising-future-foodies

Since the article has been published we have been asked by others, "What is a foodie?"  It's a very subjective term, so below you will find my best effort at defining the term "foodie".  Check it out, you may find out you are one too!

Wikipedia defines a foodie as an aficionado of food and drink. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foodie

 

Webster defines a foodie as a person with an avid interest in food fads.

Foodies may enjoy cooking, trying different foods, cookbooks, following restaurants openings and closings, following chefs, wine tastings, and current food trends or all of the above.

Foodies are amateurs. They make a hobby out of food. A foodie doesn't just like food, they are interested in it and study it.  Foodies don't have to be interested in only the finest food, they can also be interested in ordinary, everyday food. 

 

In the style of Jeff Foxworthy, if you......

• Watch Top Chef and recognize the guest judges 
• Own more than 5 cookbooks
• Subscribe to a food or cooking centric magazine
• Read books about food that are not cookbooks
• You can match up chefs with their flagship restaurants
• Your idea of perfect afternoon is cooking dinner 

You might be a foodie!

So are you a foodie?

Summer Block Party

This weekend we are kicking off summer at a block party hosted by our neighbors.  They have graciously offered to supply the main course but left it up to the rest of the neighborhood to bring something "unique" and creative as sides.  Since our street is full of young kids, we decided we better bring something fresh and healthy to go with all the great grilled meat.  I decided to make use of all the young leaf lettuce growing in our garden and put together a summertime strawberry salad. Its great to have a nice garden but I think I might have overdone it when planting the lettuce with our boys, as we have a HUGE patch of lettuce that I don't want to go to waste.

Summertime Strawberry Salad

1 lb strawberries cut into a small dice
4 oz of candied pecan pieces
1 large bowl of leaf lettuce
2 oz of freshly shredded parmigiana cheese

Dressing:
1 1/2 oz White Balsamic Vinegar
1 oz Honey
1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
3 oz olive oil
pinch of salt

When you whisk the salad dressing together start with the first three ingredients and slowly pour in the olive oil.  The mustard will help it emulsify and shouldn't separate on you. Trust me its not enough to make it taste like mustard just enough to help the dressing hold together. This salad is especially good for summertime, since it doesn't include any milk or egg products it holds up to the warmer temperatures really well.   (special trick:  if it does separate on you whip out that blender you have and try mixing it in there.  That should do the trick.)  Dress the lettuce with the dressing and add the pecans and strawberries right before you eat.

Carrie is also working on a cake that I smell upstairs that she probably wants to share...  but I'll let her do that herself in her own post.  (and from the smell of things it deserves its own post.)

Happy Food Revolution Day

Happy Food Revolution Day to all.

May 19th 2012....  www.JamieOliver.com  Do your part today by making a healthy meal for your family.  (or someone else's family for that matter....)

"Thousands of people in cities around the world are joining together in a day of action alongside Jamie to inspire, educate and empower people about real food.

On May 19th the first ever Food Revolution Day, launched by the Jamie Oliver Foundation, will involve participants hosting and joining in events to highlight the incredible benefits of better food.

So far groups in 45 countries have signed up to take action. Visit foodrevolutionday.com to discover or create an event in your area.
Local events will spread knowledge about healthier food choices and the dangers to society of food-related diseases, such as obesity.

How about honing your good food skills during community cooking classes or getting stuck into gardening masterclasses? There will also be tours of farmers’ markets and tips on starting up food blogs. Participants can also sign up to host a dinner party or discover ways of bringing healthier choices into schools or the workplace. 

THE FACTS: Obesity is preventable, yet at least 2.8 million adults around the world die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. In fact, the majority of the world’s population is more likely to die from obesity than from hunger, according to the World Health Organisation, Obesity & Overweight Fact Sheet. Kids are growing up overweight and malnourished from a diet of processed foods. Food Revolution Day aims to empower people to make healthier food choices that lead to healthier lives. 100% of net funds raised for Food Revolution Day will go to support food education projects through Jamie’s foundation teams in the US, UK and Australia.. 

Events will be taking place from May 18th through to the 20th bringing together an international community of foodies, chefs, parents and educators, companies and celebrities as well as those who just want to learn more about their rights to healthy food choices."