Archive for May, 2009

Under Vacuum

Posted in Cuisine on May 13th, 2009 by Peter – Comments Off on Under Vacuum

My first experiments in sous vide yesterday went okay but not spectacular. Carrots for 35 minutes at 85°C were a little tough. Added some salt and frozen stock to the bag as well as some tarragon wrapped in plastic wrap. The flavors permeated nicely but the texture was still a little on the crunchy side. Perhaps 40 or 45 minutes or baby carrots would have worked better. Also, I forgot to add any butter in the final glaze. Perhaps that too should go in the bag

Salmon was done at 50.1°C for 20 minutes. Also added green onion and spring garlic into the bag as well as lemon slices. The salmon was brined briefly, dried and then placed in the bag with another herb sachet (tarragon and parsley) as well as the onions. The salmon was moist. A fresh sockeye or king might have had slightly more flavor but it wasn’t horrible. Next time I might go up another half degree and I’d probably sweat the garlic and onions in some olive oil first.

For our next experiment with hydro-colloids we’ll gel strawberries with, uh, pectin and sugar and place in Ball canning jars.

Today at the Market

Posted in Market on May 7th, 2009 by Peter – Comments Off on Today at the Market
  • Cherries!
  • a bunch of other stuff but that doesn’t really matter because:
  • Cherries!

Late Update on Various Projects

Posted in Apis mellifera (honey), Fermentation on May 6th, 2009 by Peter – 3 Comments

It’s been a while:

  • Bees – dead.  Very sad.
  • Beer – kegged.  Not yet tasted.
  • Garden – improved.  New boxes.  More Zoo Poo.  Tomatoes, cukes, squash, melons, beans etc.
  • Chickens – not yet.

The Only Morel in SoCal

Posted in Fungi, H. sapiens var. Peter on May 6th, 2009 by Peter – Comments Off on The Only Morel in SoCal

The only one I found anyway.

picture-518

Found 4/26 in the San Gabriels. Late Edit: San Bernardinos