June 2010


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Top 10 Finds at the 2010 Food Fete

snackers

The younger, hipper cousin to the Fancy Food Show, the annual Food Fete is a gathering place for foodie types; a showcase of the newest products across the world of cooking, dining and drinking; and an all-around schwagfest. Obviously, we bit. Here are the coolest new products we spotted at this year’s fete.

10. Sous Vide Supreme

sous vide

Remember last year when I got high on Top Chef and bought that Thomas Keller sous vide cookbook but then realized you need a couple grand worth of equipment to sous vide food at home? Well some clever market researcher must have realized there are a lot of d-bags like me out there, because SousVide Supreme now has an at-home sous vide machine designed for the average joe. OK, at $450 maybe it’s for the slightly above-average joe, but still, getting closer! Everyone must sous vide! UPDATE: Endless Simmer tries out and reviews the SousVide Supreme.

9. Glace de Veau

glace

Ya’ll know we don’t usually hype pre-packaged sauces and such here at ES, but when the supermarket starts carrying roasted veal stock reduction, I have to digress from the norm. Yes, yes, I can hear Anthony Bourdain carping on about how every cook should have their own homemade veal stock in the freezer and how it only takes 172 hours to prepare so what’s your goddamn problem? Well you know what? I’ve had your book on my shelf for two years and still never made any damn homemade demi-glace, so I’m going with this. In stores this fall.

8. Box ‘o EVOO

olive oil keg

I think Lucini was actually there to show off the taste of their olive oil, but I was more impressed by the packaging. I don’t know about you all, but I’ve always found those tiny 6-oz. jars of oil woefully inept at keeping up with my usage, and the large bottles too heavy to lug home from the grocery store. Solution: an ungodly amount of extra-virgin olive oil, packed into a plastic bag in a cardboard box. It even comes with a spiggot, just like boxed wine! All I need now is the self-control not to drink directly from the spout.

7. Green Garlic

garlic

This is a tasty green product that I’ve never seen in stores before. California-based Christopher Ranch is expanding their garlic repertoire by harvesting the stuff while it’s still young and green, and selling it with the leafy, scallion-like stalks attached. The green part of the garlic offers a less intense garlick-y bite, and you can still use the bulb, or even fry up those little strands at the root and sprinkle them on top of a dish. Coming soon to a Fairway or Whole Foods near you. Downside: shipped across the country in plastic packaging — I’d rather see them at the far mar.

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in Bacon / Cheese / Desserts / Drinks / Endless Bacon / Lists / Trends / Veggie 13 comments
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Golden Bubbly Showers

Bar SC

Editors’ Note: Our newly relocated friend Westcoast, has, as you can guess, finally moved to the West Coast. San Fransisco to be exact.  In his first month out there he’s already been tasked with an Endless Simmer assignment. Grueling. Miserable. Terrible. Assignment. Party for Pride. Here’s his story, turned into a drinking game.

Disclaimer: If you are looking for a drinking game (since drinking has become muy popular on ES this summer) you’re in for a Pride 2010 treat!  Drink each time you find a gay-themed word (some are sexual, some not and some are disguised as other words, but spelled the same as their naughty cousins).

Second Disclaimer: I am writing this from my new home in San Francisco and you might find some of the content offensive. That sucks for you.  [Drink.]

Ok.  So San Francisco Pride is kind of a big deal.  For a gay, err, queer (have to use the new left coast lingo) young man like myself, coming to San Francisco Pride is like being welcomed home to the mothership.  Two years ago Lady Gaga headlined the festival before we even knew what a poker face was or meant.  This year the Backstreet Boys are the headlining act.  Next year maybe we’ll have Paula Abdul and MC Skat Kat (obligatory use of scat complete).  Because sometimes moving forward in time is like moving backward in time, to a time you don’t really miss that much (two steps forward…two steps backstreet boys).

Supperclub San Francisco once again invited ES to experience one of its amazing events.  If you have never been to a Supperclub (Los Angeles opens soon), I strongly encourage you to consider.  It is truly an experience you won’t regret.  All of your senses are dazzled at Supperclub…there’s amazing food and drink, a DJ spinning funky thump lounge, a VJ opening up your brain to dramatic, yet artistic visuals and live performance art throughout the night, all culminating in a huge dance party.  Oh, and we had a spectacular hostess extraordinaire, Miss Vee, who poured sparkling wine all over herself during a dance number.

This event was billed as an official San Francisco Pride Event and birthday bash for all Geminis.  It just so happens that my best friend, who just turned 30 himself, is a Gemini and likes to paint live performers with paint brushes in front of an audience (we all have our fetishes).  His arm also makes a nice prop for pictures.  Though we weren’t ever completely sure that we were at a pride event, we certainly had a blast.  On tap for the night was a surprise four-course dinner created by Executive Chef Daan Jetten and event-specific, yummy drinks.  Here’s where the review begins and the blow-by-blow of the food, since we all like to eat out.

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in Desserts / Holiday / Restaurants 3 comments
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Get In My Cheese!

cheese

I’ll admit I don’t know nearly enough about the history of cheese to call this a trend (aside – I should know more about the history of cheese!), but has anyone else been noticing way more things getting all up in your cheese lately?

I’m a huge fan of that havarti-dill stuff that makes every bite of cheese taste just a little bit like a pickle, and of course jalapeno cheddar is no big news, but now it seems you can get just about any kind of herb or spice pre-placed into your cheese: basil, pepper, celery salt — hell, apparently even bacon cheese in some places. It’s totally eliminating the need to independently spice your sandwich (aside #2 — am I the only one who spices my sandwich?)

And now it seems they’re bypassing herbs and just putting whole seeds inside the cheese, as in Beemster’s mustard seed cheese. Instead of infusing a little mustard flavor, they just pack the thing with mustard seeds. It’s super tasty, and yet somehow surprises me every bite — I just can’t get myself used to this pop-up, crunchy consistency hidden in my cheese.

So as I pick stray mustard seeds off my keyboard, I have to say I’m still undecided. Do we endorse all cheese-y creativity, or if we support this are we dooming ourselves to live in a world where cheese comes pre-made with pepperoni, sausage and anchovies inside? What do you think?

in Cheese / Trends 3 comments
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The Countdown Begins: Thirsty for Some Snookie

I refuse to concede my Jersey Shore to those fuck faces on MTV. I’m used to being mocked because I’m from Jerz. But this show. This show. Ugh. That’s not actually the Jersey Shore. Or at least not mine. Mine is tame. Mine involves sunning on the beach and not in a capsule. Mine is full of bitchy, jewelry-encrusted old Jewish women and not tatted up frat boys.

But fine. The show is totally addicting. And while I may tune in to an episode or two when season two airs–in just one month—on July 29th, I will not, however, indulge in their celebrity status. So you could imagine my terror when I spied these drink specials at Commissary in DC.

photo-52

My mouth is too ajar to form hateful words.  You can, though.

in Drinks / TV 10 comments
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Daddy, Where Does Sausage Come From?

sausage

Sausage. We all love it, laugh at it, and sometimes shudder at it…but when it comes down to it, we’re always left with the same question — just WTF is it anyway? The old joke goes that sausage is the parts of the animal swept off the factory floor after everything else is made, but the truth is it’s much more complicated than that. Fortunately, Kim from Good Bite is here with a guest blog to demystify the whole sausage-making process — for home cooks.

The ingredients

The first and most important ingredient is the meat. Whether making poultry, pork, or lamb sausages, fat is key in the success of the final product. Ample fat content (about 15 to 30 percent) is responsible for creating a smooth consistency and complex of flavor. For red meats, choose higher fat cuts like Boston butt or shoulder, and if opting for chicken or turkey, choose the darker cuts like the thigh.

The meat will need to be ground, so you have a few options here. Ask the butcher to grind the meat at the counter (which should be no problem at all), or take the meat home and grind it in a food processor. No grinding machines necessary.

Seasonings will make up the rest of the flavor profile, so decide what type of sausage you are aiming for and go from there. Common spices include any mixture of peppercorn, fennel, anise, cloves, garlic, thyme, cayenne, sugar, and allspice. It may be necessary to add a drizzle or two of olive oil, depending on the fat content of the chosen meat, as well as a trickle of water to keep the moisture locked in.

The process

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in Recipe / Red Meat 1 comments
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Cheese in the Far East

cheese in asia

Even though I’ve been home from Japan and Korea for about a month, I’m still seeing different friends for the first time and telling travel stories. I’m often asked what my favorite meal was or what country’s food I liked better or what was the craziest thing I ate. Often I mention the one instance 80 and I tasted cheese in the Far East as one of our best dishes.

We were shopping and strolling in the area near Seoul Women’s University. It was drizzling. Kinda chilly. Comfort was in need. It became our ritual to walk in, sit down and then leave restaurants if we couldn’t maneuver the menu or waitstaff. Because sometimes even hand gestures get lost in translation.

My co-worker Sherry told me about her sister’s views on Korean food while she lived in the country. The sister wasn’t fond of Korean food but enjoyed the country’s take on Italian food. 80 and I really did, for the most part, dine on each country’s cuisine. But at this moment, with seventy-five percent of our trip past, we needed something a tinge familiar. We needed cheese.

We walked into an Italian restaurant but then quickly left. We couldn’t communicate and weren’t up for the long batter of guesses. We snuck out. And instead we found college grub. Fusion college grub.

This place would fucking kill in the US. Huge bowls of hot rice, options of kimchi, veggies, chicken, whatever, then topped with melted mozzarella. Stir together with metal chopsticks. Awesomeness. Spicy, gooey, stomach-coating. Perfect drunk or hungover food. Plus, this place serves a side cup of broth to start. God I miss broth at every meal.

(PS–I hated Korean chopsticks: metal and thin. Hard to hold, become slippery easily. )

in Food Travel 8 comments
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Feed Us Back: Comments of the Week

kale

– You ESers were in fighting mood, this week! Can’t we agree on anything? First up, Benito opines that no, the customer shouldn’t be the chef:

I figure if I’m going out to eat, I’m paying for someone (the chef or the corporate test kitchen) to figure out a set of ingredients that work well with each other and produce a good overall dish. The problem with something like this is that people often have an idea of what tastes good, but end up with something unbalanced and nasty. Like angel hair, a gloopy Americanized alfredo sauce, and slices of steak. Ugh.

But Cindy says, why not?

Well, I think it is a pretty novel idea that a restaurant is willing to prepare my recipe! This is an example of exceptional customer service! I love the idea.

– ESers are split down the middle on whether In-N-Out is worth the hype. Lauren:

Thank you! I am a Californian and have never understood the adoration of the In-N-Out burger. Whenever I travel and people find out I’m from L.A. I usually get people asking me about In-N-Out. I met some Canadians in Thailand who told me they were going to have a layover in L.A. and the one thing they wanted to know was where to get an In-N-Out burger. I couldn’t help but think they would be disappointed.

Jeanne @JollyTomato disagrees:

I wouldn’t choose In-N-Out for my last meal, but if someone offered me a chance to go there for lunch, I wouldn’t turn it down either. I think it just is what it is – a quintessential SoCal experience. And the fries are good too!

– Perhaps the only thing more foodie controversial than In-N-Out is raw kale. Maids:

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in Drinks / Veggie 0 comments
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