Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas wishes from all the gang at Gastro Hounds.

'tis the Season

We're smack dab in the middle of the holiday season, and the gatherings and various festivities that accompany it are well underway. Now is a good time for reminder on holiday party etiquette on the part of the guest - a discussion that dovetails nicely with a somewhat similar discussion held over at I Am Not a Chef blog.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, a discussion emerged between Gastro Gal and myself regarding proper etiquette when a guest is bringing a dish - in this case an appetizer. My plan was to do Calibresi skewers of grapette tomatoes (the last from my garden), balled goat cheese to resemble buffalo mozzarella and pesto also made of basil from my garden and all finished with a drizzle of a balsamic reduction. I had planned to prepare the skewers and finish with the pesto and reduction at the hosts house. The point of contention being: should the appetizer be complete upon arrival? Is it appropriate to assume that some preparation done at the location of the gathering, however small, is OK? Gastro Gal was definitely on the side of "No, and hell no!", maintaining that the dish should be complete and ready to go so as not to place undo burden on the host. Now, this is a common sense approach, and truly all I would have required was a teaspoon, and 2 minutes to complete my plating. Still, the point was a solid one. The workaround was simple enough: I simply drizzled my reduction onto the plate, filled a ramekin with the pesto and placed in the middle of the platter and arranged the skewers around the ramekin. It was both functional and decorative at the same time and did not at all distract from my original design of the dish. Consider then, the guest who has agreed to make mashed potatoes and shows up with a pot and a sack of unpeeled spuds. It happens, and we all have accounts to look back upon.

So, a kind word in closing: if you are bringing a dish to any gathering, unless you have made specific arrangements with the host, the dish had best be completed and ready to serve as is. Period. In my case, I was indeed fortunate, as this was our host's first time at throwing a Thanksgiving feast, and the task did weigh heavy on her brow. Any intrusion into her timetable was one more fly in the ointment. I can say with relief and gratitude, I was not one of those flies.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year, as with every year, I am thankful for tasty, tasty animals. That, and not being relegated to "bread boy".

Happy Halloween!

One thing that always reaffirms my believe in all that is good is to witness and take part in the passion and flat out fun that others bring to the table - both literally and metaphorically. Case in point - a Halloween gathering held on Sat. 10/29. GastroGrrrl aka Debs and I attended and while looking forward to the occasion with relish, we knew going in that we'd only know a handful of the folks attending. The names of those participating are being withheld to protect - well I'm not really sure but suffice to say a ghoulish time was had by all. The sangria was excellent, and the tequila shots delivered via syringes - inspiring.,, and naughty. Have I mentioned naughty? Everyone attending participated with gusto. One of my favorite bites of the evening was a jello mould in the form of a human brain. It's the consistency that knocks it out of the park, but the best of the night was watching Shaggy breast feed a zombie baby with the full approval of an adoring Scooby. You really, REALLY had to be there - but it did give a whole new meaning to "Scooby Snack".

The theme was Evil Carnival, as if there is any other kind, and GastroGrrrl aka Debs and I attended as Evil Carnival Fry Cook and Freakin' Scary Waitress. Word of caution, DO NOT order the Blue Plate Special - trust me.

I was prepared for the next morning knowing it would be a late night, and prepared a brunch consisting of a chorizo and egg scramble topped with salsa fresca featuring produce from my garden, paired with home "fried" potatoes. I don't actually fry them. I coarsely dice them with onion, toss with olive oil, season with sea salt, black pepper and paprika then bake at 425 degrees until golden, stirring occasionally. I find the potatoes cook much more evenly and with far less oil. The bonus is that additional stove top space is freed up should additional cooking be necessary.

The entire endeavor, including French press coffee and making the salsa took no more than 45 minutes - Iron Chef material! I believe I scored well. And no joke, the judge would have let me know if I had come up short in any regard.

The finished entry



Best Halloween Wishes from the entire Graveyard!

No abalone for you - how about some buffalo?

Summer is over. OVER ...and it never really arrived. I've got a garden full of green tomatoes to prove the point. And the perfect punctuation to this atrocity? Abalone season abruptly cancelled for the of the year due to a deadly "red bloom" resulting in a massive die off of shell fish off the Sonoma and Mendocino Coasts. In a word, "craptastic".

However, the summer was not a total loss. Gastro Grrrl and I took several local road trips and found some excellent food and beverage to be had at some hidden gem eateries. Our travels featured 3 closeby valleys: Anderson Valley, Russian River Valley and Redwood Valley, and Gastro Grrrl documented our adventures in expert fashion.

First up was our camping trip to Anderson Valley during the World Music Festival

Enjoying rose at Esterlina winery. Beautiful view and damn good rose made of Pinot Noir. I must say the quality of rose in California has greatly improved of late. 2 points deduction for the somewhat tired cheese puffs we were served.


Breakfast pizza at Anderson Valley Market. Tasty enough, but was lacking "umph". Some chorizo crumbled on top would have done the trick.


Lighting my beard on fire. I only ever used the stove for coffee, as we pretty much subsisted off guacamole and bloody marys. Gastro Grrrl makes a "sludge" which is the base for this most tasty of beverages. I know the secret but am sworn to secrecy. Sorry all!


Next we took a day trip to the Russian River valley hamlet of Duncan's Mills. We stopped off at the Blue Heron - a watering hole popular with the locals, and now with us as well. Here's why:

Cheese n Gravy fries. Echoing Montreal's "poutine", these fries were damn good. A perfect match with a cold beer.


Boyd's BBQ oysters. Boyd can be seen during the weekends, working his mollusk magic out back by the deck. He makes a mango infused sauce that is outstanding when paired with the smokey goodness of the oysters. Another perfect match for a cold beer.


Grillmaster Boyd



A most memorable trip was to Redwood Valley for a Buffalo BBQ. Tons of buffalo top round, marinated for weeks and grilled to smokey, rare perfection. What could be better? It was my birthday! Thanks to all who made it such a great time.


Slice it already!


Hound and Grrrl at Esterlina.



The smiles say it all. Good times, good food and great company. Rinse and repeat as necessary.

Chee Burger, Chee Burger, Chee Burger!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you: Gastro Burger!

I can't think of anything more iconic of Gastro Americana than the burger. The hot dog is a very close second but the burger rules supreme. Why? I believe it is because the burger IS the gastro embodiment of the American ethos: the freedom of the individual to make their mark. Note: not the false guarantee of success but only the freedom to succeed. As we shall see, come efforts are more worthy than others.

I grew up in a burger family - my grandpa owning and operating the best damn burger joint in our humble burg (more on that in another post). The thing is we all grew up learning how to construct our own burger. The Gastro Burger pictured above featured two patties with melted pepper jack cheese, apple wood smoked bacon, onion rings, sliced avocado, roasted red peppers, sliced jalapenos, pepperoncini, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and yes mayo. Understand, I really, REALLY do not like mayo. But on a burger, it's a must and it must be spread on the lower bun. The magic that is the blending of burger juice and mayo is the stuff of legend. If you don't know, then you don't know.

Of course, that leaves the door open to many interpretations. A local and rather new burger joint is Brodie's. They source great, grass fed beef and generally do it justice. Except when it comes to their "Adventure" line of burgers. And 1st out of the gate in this series is the Cricket Burger.



A modest entry to be sure but also approachable to the novice foodie. What to do in this situation? Just eat the crickets!




However, there are always those folks who go straight to hell. Plumb the depths for no other reason other than to shock. It takes real talent to shock effectively and successfully - say a Howard Stern or Ferran Adria. Here's a not so successful entry: the Turd Burger.



So a Japanese scientist is going to solve world hunger by creating a burger from excrement. The problem with world hunger isn't the amount of food available, it's distribution. Therefore, the turd burger is a big, stinking pile of BS to start with. I'm personally offended. I feel like bankrolling a counterstrike featuring Perez Hilton pinching a deuce on some sticky rice and then serving it to some particular royalty and calling it "uni". I think you get the point. So what is left of this season we call summer (still waiting for it to start here in NorCal)? Make it your mission to regain your heritage from the grasp of the troglodyte invader. Get out there and grill up your very own masterpiece of a burger.

What is Good in Life? BBQ

Not all nourishment is consumed. For better or for worse, we are more complex than yeast cells. Humans require that which nurtures the soul, though there are times when all one wants is to just consume sugar and fart CO2. The past 2 months have been like that. I would make and excellent yeast cell.
Attending to matters of hearth and home has consumed much of my time of late but I’ve kept busy. At the top of my list of was to take part in the Guys Can Cook Too competition. Last year’s disappointment of having to back out at the last moment still rankled. I needed to face that demon, slay it, and dance on its corpse singing “hallelujah!”.
This year’s plan was the same as last year’s: pulled pork that would be paired with my Char B Q sauce. Instead of the usual cole slaw accompaniment, I went with a balsamic onion marmalade. I liked the sweet/sour play of the marmalade but it also adhered better to the portion.
The competition was set for May 14th, which allowed for a dry run opportunity to allow me to dial in my sauce and the smoking of the meat. The dry run was a success and I set myself busy to being preparing for an event that would require a minimum of 400 1-2 oz servings. I would smoke just over 40 pounds of pork shoulder and produce about a gallon of Char B Q sauce for the event. I gave the pork shoulder the full competition treatment: a generous coating of my dry rub, a flavor injection consisting of a mixture of apple juice and dry rub, and while cooking, an occasional vinegar mop of apple juice, lemon juice and a touch of vinegar. Gastro Pup was to be my sous chef and our main goal was to have fun, enjoying some prime daddy/daughter time. That soon went out the window as the event picked up steam and we began to get a steady stream of positive feedback. After a couple of other guests came back and made a big deal about how they were voting for us, well then we were all in and got serious about our task. At our busiest, we dished out 375 servings in just over an hour, and never kept anyone waiting. The most difficult challenge would be plating. My research on the event showed that one should be prepared to serve up to 600 servings within a 3 hour window. My research would prove correct. We were plating servings (and getting votes) right up to the end, others ran out early - some painfully so. At the end of the day, we didn’t win, but the exposure and the incredible amount of positive feedback was fantastic. Couldn’t have wished for better. We accomplished what we set out to do. No small feat in that I was working on 2.5 hours sleep after having worried my smokers all night. Gastro Pup was quite tired too, her Friday evening having been a night of some energy expenditure.
And now a word on some of the food the professional s brought:
1. Charlie Palmer of Dry Creek Kitchen was there doing caviar on warm blini and crème fraiche.
2. John Ash & Co. turned out killer rabbit tourine – my fave the for the night.
3. Johnny Garlic’s was there doing pulled pork, wouldn’t ya know. We kicked their butts! They kept their roast pork hot in braising liquid which totally changed the character of the meat. Epic fail!
4. Oyster Girls shucking some tasty bivalves. Best thing: our table was 5 feet from theirs. Nice!
5. The many wineries pouring some very nice offerings.
6. The culinary crew of Santa Rosa Junior College how not only saw to it that we had everything we needed but also put out a very nice buffet for those taking part. They must have known, because I didn’t realize that I hadn’t eaten in 24 hours.

Another nice aspect was the involvement of kids in the competition. A special youth category was established and next to us was a boy who would go on to win the youth category with a very fresh and lively crevice. The entire event was so well organized and executed; I’m conflicted about whether I want to take part in next year’s competition or just buy my ticket and soak up the fun. It’s that good, so definitely put this on your calendar.



Prepping the venue




Ready for battle!




The Fog of War!

Gastrotainment Victory

I'm currently watching a repeat of Monday's Bizarre Foods San Francisco. As it turns out, Mrs Gastro Hound and I escaped the cutting room floor and were in fact the most featured couple during the Off The Grid segment. It was a great day, spent enjoying great food amongst a crowd of fellow foodies and great chefs. Most of all, it was watching folks discover something about themselves, eating things they never thought they would and enjoying the shared camaraderie of doing something that's far outside the norm. A great day indeed.

And now, if you'll excuse me, we're about to be on TV... again.

That's Gastrotainment!

Well our little Burg of Santa Rosa has another celebrity chef in its midst: Andrea Mikiami Ballus, owner/operator of Sift Cupcakes and Desert Bar. This week on Cupcake Wars, she kicked some major butt and took the Grand Prize - and it wasn't really close. Andrea repeatedly drew on her wine country roots and wowed the judges, especially wedding designer Amy Weiss. The final challenge was to create a wedding display employing 2000 cupcakes. Andrea's creation destroyed the competition. Not. Even. Close. So bartender - a round of frosting shots for all my frieeeeeeeeeeeeeends.

The good news just keeps coming. It was officially announced this week that Spike TV has purchased all 52 episodes of Three Sheets. The series will begin airing on Feb. 8th at 10:30 pm EST, and will continue every Tuesday at that slot. Kudos to the fans who truly saved this show and also to Spike for recognizing a real gem of an opportunity. It's a good show.

The new season of Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods is set to launch on Tuesday, Feb 18th, so Tuesdays are looking like Gastrotainment Central. We've still no idea on whether our spots ended up in the final cut of the San Francisco episode. It's a must watch either way as that episode is something of a departure from his usual shtick.

Sonoma County's Bette Noir, Guy Fieri, is hosting a sneak peak of a new episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives at a local theater. The event is a fundraiser for a local operation, Worth Our Weight, which he features in the episode. Worth Our Weight offers culinary apprenticeships to kids and young adults who are struggling with significant challenges such as legal troubles, foster care, family disruption and even homelessness. It functions as a school and catering service. It's a great program and they also just happen to pump out some great food. They also operate a cafe on Sundays, and a booth at the local Farmer's Market which I'll be heading to shortly.

Happy viewing chow hounds.

Happy New Year!

I love the holidays. Home chefs bust out the skills to plate some serious chow. This year was no different as Christmas dinner was staged at my brother's house. Sis' in law did a pork tenderloin with a dry rub featuring cinnamon. She then finished with a sauce that incorporated caramelized onions and fresh ginger. Damn that was good! And best of all, the porky goodness of the tenderloin was still evident. Most tasty. Sad note, I was demoted to Salad Boy. I still managed a citrus vinagarette and home made croutons.

And that really is what the holidays is about - comfort food. Everyone has their own idea of what comfort food is. Where I live, the Latino community has beef head. Seriously, each Christmas season one can purchase an entire beef head for about $35. You know you're at an authentic Mexican eatery when cabeza (head meat) and buche(beef neck)are offered. Both are quite tasty. But how does one even begin to prepare such a cut? Well, here ya go: courtesy of a poster at Chowhounds:

Barbacoa de cabeza is a delicacy, traditionally eaten for Sunday brunch. Here's the recipe, such as it is.
Ingredients:
1 cow's head, tongue removed and reserved. If desired, remove and discard the eyes, ears, and (if the head is split) brain.
2 or 3 gallon jugs of vinegar (white or cider)
Beer. Lots and lots of beer.
Special equipment:
Burlap bags
5-gallon bucket
Shovels
Lawn chairs
Directions:
On Saturday around lunchtime, grab some friends, a couple of shovels, lawn chairs for everybody, and a cooler full of beer. Find a likely spot and start digging a hole wide enough to easily hold the head. Only one or two people at a time should be digging; the others sit around, drink beer, and critique the diggers' technique. After a few minutes, switch places. Repeat as necessary until the hole is hip-deep.
Put the burlap bags in the 5-gallon bucket and cover with vinegar. Let soak.
Build a good-sized fire in the bottom of the hole and sit around drinking beer and telling lies until it has burned down to embers.
Liberally season the cow's head with salt, pepper, and chile flakes, then wrap in multiple layers of vinegar-soaked burlap. Include a couple of onions and a head or two of garlic if you want. Put the wrapped cabeza on top of the coals, then shovel the dirt back into the hole. Go eat dinner. (Remember that tongue? How 'bout tacos de lengua?) When the beer runs out, go to bed.
The next morning, go dig up brunch. Not too early; it should have cooked for at least 12 hours. More is better. And besides, you're probably going to want to be sleeping in (if you know what I mean).
Unwrap the head (carefully, now; the meat will be falling off the bone). Put it in the middle of a picnic table. Serve with big stacks of tortillas and bowls of chopped onion, cilantro, and various salsas. No plates or utensils are involved; the diners use tortillas to grab chunks of meat off the head, then garnish as desired.
Seriously good food.

Sounds tasty, but I'm sure many readers will be appalled. Good, as this is a perfect launch for a series of posts I'll be calling Food that Scares Me. Trust me, the cow's head will be a happy memory in comparison to what's coming, LOL. Here's a little sampler, me eating a slice of pizza at a local dive.



This slice had been on the warmer for at least 8 hours. Note how the styro plate has been warped by the long exposure. Note too the congealed grease. Nothing sez New Year's Eve eve like cardboard pizza. It was so old I offered the bartender 50 cents for it. We settled on a buck and I tucked in. To quote Bourdain "... the texture was somewhere between fried sneaker and oven dried trojan". The flavor was similar. And yes, if you look closely at the pic, you can pick out my can of PBR. Serious slumming!