Oh dear, with the start of another year and another term, my craziness has left my blog neglected, not to mention the lack of time to experiment with cooking...
I just discovered the book "Kitchen Mysteries: Revealing the Science of Cooking" by Hervé This (translated from French). I haven't made much progress, but within the first few pages, I realized that I should technically be a "Gourmand Scientist" rather than a "Gourmet Scientist." Why?
"A gourmand is one who likes good food, and a gourmet is one who takes delight in wines" -- Hervé This
Hmm...was never fully aware of the word gourmand nor the exact definition of 'gourmet...
Now, should I venture to change my name???? *dilemma*
Saturday, February 9. 2008
Gourmet vs. Gourmand
Thursday, January 3. 2008
New Year's Day Surprise
Game: considered by many as a delicacy probably because of it's relative rarity and often difficulty in acquiring. Just a month ago, my dad had half-jokingly asked if I'd be interested in cooking venison if he ordered some online. This past weekend, I was getting reacclimated with the grim disparity between man and nature when we passed more than 4 deer carcasses on the highway just between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the West Virginia border. My brother even caught a snapshot of a beautiful male deer coasting the highway atop a SUV...probably the result of roadkill or game hunt. In any case, I never imagined I'd be asked how to cook venison, let alone having the actual meat in my hands!
On New Year's eve, a family friend gave us a small sliver of leg meat (shank??) that another friend had given to them. How it was obtained, how fresh, and through how many hands it passed (and slivers it lost on the way) I will never know. All I know was that I was pretty excited. Intuition screamed braising, especially when we confirmed that it was a lower grade cut with lots of muscle. The next question was Eastern or Western flavour; and with my recent braised lamb escapade, we conceded with Western.
I was again reminded of the beauty of cooking at home: I literally had everything I needed (or its equivalent) without needing to head to the store. My mom had habitually marinated the meat with bourbon, garlic, soy sauce (and maybe a couple other things) overnight. Luckily, that marinate could work with my idea. With the same theory in mind, I first browned the meat. I then browned onions and scraped off the brown meat bits (deglaze) with apple cider, chicken broth, water, and a little brandy. To all that, I added carrots, potatoes, radish, orange-flavoured dried cranberries, a little fresh ginger, black pepper, and sage. I wish I had bay leaves, but the only suitable replacement on hand was the sage. I left it in the oven covered for ~2.5 hours at 350°F (177°C). By then, the meat was tender but the flavour hadn't fully permeated the meat. Ideally, it should have been ~4-5 hours, but it was lunch time and the smell was driving our stomachs mad.
Overall, the venison tasted nice--very similar to pork actually. The flavour came out well, although bay leaves would have given greater body than the sage. I might have added a little too much apple cider and too little brandy. Plus, it would have been better to use either ground ginger or removable ginger slices to eliminate the occasional potent spiciness. Regardless, it turned out well for a first attempt. The next will be Eastern, unless, of course, we get a really nice tender section that solicits a faster technique. 
Monday, December 24. 2007
Christmas Eve Dinner
With the arrival of Christmas this year, I was both the Santa of chocolates and the British Christmas tradition. It seems many students have done the same in the past, and it was my turn to bring the Christmas crackers, mulled wine, mince pies, and Christmas pudding to share with the family. And with that came a full meal that took less time and hassle to cook than I had anticipated.
For the starter, I made a soup with butternut squash roasted for ~45 minutes, beer, chicken broth, a little milk, and browned onion. I took inspiration from the French bouillabaisse and decorated the soup with baked spiced pita chips (olive oil, paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg, and black pepper) topped with roasted red pepper hummus.
The main was composed of 3 parts: kale cooked with caramelized onions and apples; salmon poached with white wine, lemon, onion, parsley, and black pepper; and sweet potatoes roasted in honey and lemon juice. The main sauce was a red wine reduction with onions with a secondary sauce made from the poaching liquid (veloute).
As for dessert, it was just Christmas pudding with homemade brandy butter and minced pies.
Overall, the meal turned out quite well. The soup was probably the best with the nutty creaminess of the butternut squash gently embodied with the beer and spices and textured with the crunchy pita chips. The main was okay but a little too light in flavour for a winter dish. I think the main failure was in the sauces, which I know is a whole other facet I must challenge myself to master. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable and not very tiresome dinner, entirely westernized but still completely enjoyed by everyone (especially the Christmas pudding, which I had not anticipate would be so well-received!!).
(Last edited 2007-12-28 14:50:52)
Saturday, December 15. 2007
Chiffon Pudding Cake
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Ever since arriving in Cambridge, I've had difficulty making the chiffon cake, mainly because of problems with the hand mixer. With a house that supplies wacky power, a 6-speed hand mixer is reduced to 1-speed -- turbo -- which makes accomplishing correctly beaten egg whites, one of the most critical elements, fairly difficult. It was quite disheartening as I'd already had my 1.5 failures in the States before the first success (according to my mom, it takes 3 failures, so I've been fortunate).
Now, after yet another 1.5 failures (have I now attained my 3 failures??), I finally made my first success in Cambridge! Yay!!
Saturday, December 1. 2007
Mill Road Winter Fair 2007
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As the ethnic centre of Cambridge, 2007 marks the second year for the festival with food, crafts, music, performances, and small exhibitions. Despite the strong winds, a cheery sun brought warmth to the mid-winter blues and some life to an exhausted soul. It's one of those few times where it was nice to be amongst the crowd, exploring, observing, and trying new things.
Since I live on the other side of town, I only venture to Mill Rd when I need certain Asian groceries, and I rarely have the chance to visit the neighboring shops. As for crossing the bridge, I think I've only done that twice over the past 1.5 years. In any case, it was quite nice to leisurely explore the various shops selling whole foods, Italian imports, Middle Eastern specialties, etc, as well as wandering through the elderly home and churches.
I was quite intrigued by Arjuna, a shop that sells whole food products. Their "Spicy Tuscan Bean Soup" was nice--not too tomatoey or beany but with a good spicy punch to battle against the winter cold. I liked their collection of cereals and various items, especially a self-weigh herbs and spice shelf. Across the bridge is Limoncello, an Italian shop of 10 years with a shopfront fully covered with panettones as well as tasty pesto sauces, sweets, and deli products.
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It was definitely a nice way to spend a Saturday mid-morning, walking off the stresses of the past 1.5 months, and enjoying the superficial rays of a wintry sun before darkness ensued after 3pm...
