Charcutepalooza June Challenge: Poultry Sausage

Charcuterie
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The June Charcutepalooza challenge was poultry sausage. This was a great for me. I’ve consumed a whole lot of sausage—you can’t live around Cincinnati and not eat a fair amount of sausage. I’ve made a decent amount of sausage, both in cooking school and afterward. But I’ve never been a fan of chicken sausage. So I [...]

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Can You Judge A Wine By Its Label?

Drinks and Libations
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More than a few times, I have had lengthy conversations (usually after a number of glasses of wine) concerning whether one could determine the quality of wine by the label. I’ve had a dear friend shamefacedly confess that the label may the sole determiner for purchasing a bottle of wine. And let’s be honest here: [...]

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Popcorn Soup Recipe

Ingredients and Methods
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In 2008, I read a Frank Bruni review of WD-50. What struck me the most was a course that didn’t have anything to do with modernist cuisine: a popcorn soup. Interested in some popcorn soup? You should be. It’s no triumph of cutting-edge technology; it’s just a blended, strained mix of microwave popcorn (Paul Newman’s, [...]

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Charcutepalooza Challenge #5: Merguez Sausage

Charcuterie
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When Mrs. Wheelbarrow and the Yummy Mummy leveled this month’s Charcutepalooza challenge, I knew that I had to join in the fun. The challenge was grinding meat and then making either Mexican chorizo or Merguez sausage. I just recently came into possession of some lovely lamb from Wilmington, Ohio, so there was no question about [...]

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Merguez Sausage for the Win

Charcuterie
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Nothing better than some quick bread-making from James Peterson’s Baking to make a day with two inches of rain and no internet access a much brighter one. But what is really turning the gears in my head is this month’s Charcutepalooza challenge: sausage-making. Just the thought of making some Merguez sausage gives me a really [...]

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Faster Caramelized Onions

Tools and Techniques

Caramelized onions are one of my most favorite things. Some nice onions, balsamic vinegar, ruby port, a tiny bit of sugar: there’s nothing terribly exotic in there, but the resulting product is sublime. But the one ingredient that is inescapable is time, around 45 minutes.  It takes time for the cell walls to break down [...]

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