Recent Comments

From Talk

Fresh Water Or Salt, What Is Your Favorite Fresh Caught Fish?

I am fairly spoiled up here in Alaska. Earlier this summer, we netted 100 sockeye in under 3 hours participating in the Kenai River subsistence fishery. Anyone wanna trade salmon for ribeyes?

My two favorite fish meals of all time though are as follows: Black Cod (sablefish) marinated in miso, sake, green onion, etc, broiled until cooked through is just about as good as fish can taste. Second to that was a beautiful white king salmon that I barely grilled to rare. Both of those fish are rare treats even up here.

From Slice

My Pie Monday: Proscuitto, Peaches, Figs, and More!

@Jimmyg I meant several things when I said at 4 days it starts behaving well. Mostly it is about the dough stretching right into shape. I get it on the board and with just a few quick stretches, I have the perfect size and shape to start topping. I am also referring to the oven spring on the cornichone. It gets the right sized bubbles at this stage. The flavor of the crust is also better at this point compared to less time aging.

From Talk

Food photography tips?!

White balance your camera. Or shoot the appropriate setting for the type of lighting used, tungsten/incandescent or daylight. Big soft sources are best. Think of a large window with layers of sheer fabric filtering the sunlight coming in. Use a white card or piece of paper to bounce light on the shadow side. It will help lessen the contrast between the light and shadow side of a subject.

For post processing in photoshop, I am definitely no expert. Personally I adjust the levels, bump up the color saturation by maybe 5-8%, and sometimes I will add a bit of the unsharp mask filter. Just play around until you find what you like. Remember, subtle is better.

From Talk

carbonara techniques

In addition to the above good advice, don't forget LOTS of fresh ground black pepper. It is how the dish got it's name.

Want to impress, top everyone's dish with a really fresh egg yolk and let them break and mix into their own bowl.

See more comments by climbhighak »

Recent Posts

From Photograzing

Smoked Chicken Tacos

From Photograzing

Octopus Ceviche

From Photograzing

Grilled octopus with garlic confit spaghetti

From Photograzing

Vietnamese fish curry

See more posts by climbhighak »

Recent Favorites

From Slice

My Pie Monday: Climbhighak's Self-Clean-Cycle Pizzas

See more favorites by climbhighak »

Recent Polls

From Slice

climbhighak answered "Way!" to Egg pizza: Way or No Way?

From Serious Eats: New York

climbhighak answered "Parties of 8 or more" to When Is an Automatic Gratuity Acceptable?

From A Hamburger Today

climbhighak answered "Steak 'n Shake" to Chain Burger Brackets: Steak 'n Shake vs. Five Guys

From Serious Eats

climbhighak answered "Produce" to What's your favorite supermarket aisle?

Recent Quizzes

From Serious Eats

climbhighak got 100% correct on How Much Do You Know About Beer?

See more polls and quizzes by climbhighak »

Recent Comments

From Talk

Fresh Water Or Salt, What Is Your Favorite Fresh Caught Fish?

I am fairly spoiled up here in Alaska. Earlier this summer, we netted 100 sockeye in under 3 hours participating in the Kenai River subsistence fishery. Anyone wanna trade salmon for ribeyes?

My two favorite fish meals of all time though are as follows: Black Cod (sablefish) marinated in miso, sake, green onion, etc, broiled until cooked through is just about as good as fish can taste. Second to that was a beautiful white king salmon that I barely grilled to rare. Both of those fish are rare treats even up here.

From Slice

My Pie Monday: Proscuitto, Peaches, Figs, and More!

@Jimmyg I meant several things when I said at 4 days it starts behaving well. Mostly it is about the dough stretching right into shape. I get it on the board and with just a few quick stretches, I have the perfect size and shape to start topping. I am also referring to the oven spring on the cornichone. It gets the right sized bubbles at this stage. The flavor of the crust is also better at this point compared to less time aging.

From Talk

Food photography tips?!

White balance your camera. Or shoot the appropriate setting for the type of lighting used, tungsten/incandescent or daylight. Big soft sources are best. Think of a large window with layers of sheer fabric filtering the sunlight coming in. Use a white card or piece of paper to bounce light on the shadow side. It will help lessen the contrast between the light and shadow side of a subject.

For post processing in photoshop, I am definitely no expert. Personally I adjust the levels, bump up the color saturation by maybe 5-8%, and sometimes I will add a bit of the unsharp mask filter. Just play around until you find what you like. Remember, subtle is better.

From Talk

carbonara techniques

In addition to the above good advice, don't forget LOTS of fresh ground black pepper. It is how the dish got it's name.

Want to impress, top everyone's dish with a really fresh egg yolk and let them break and mix into their own bowl.

From Talk

Napoletana Pizza dough recipe

@Adam @Wozniak was right on the money. The pies are right around 13 inches.

From Talk

Napoletana Pizza dough recipe

I am doing 5 pies batches.

850g Caputo 00 flour
550g water
100g sourdough
30g kosher salt
1 tsp ADY

It all gets mixed up good in the KA
Leave in the bowl for about an hour
I then hand kneed for a bit before weighing out 300-315g boules
Those are cold fermented in the fridge for about 2-3 days

I am cooking on a stone right under and electric broiler that is heating my stone up to between 850-900F. Pies are done in about 2-2:25.

From Talk

slow cooked beets

Never done them in a slow cooker. I have always just rubbed them in olive oil or butter, seasoned with s&p, then wrapped in foil and roasted in the oven.

From Talk

Pork Belly: Where do I start?!

The best preparation I have had was also the simplest. It is from the Momofuku cookbook. Let it sit in salt and sugar overnight and then roast off in the oven. I also highly recommend doing up the whole steamed bun recipe too.

From Talk

Sous vide problems

Alright, I am going to go out on a limb here. Have you tried stepping the temp up slowly to see at what temp the meat starts to turn? As I understand it, you really want to undercook it sous vide so that you can then still sear without overcooking.

I am also of the opinion that steaks should be cooked over fire.

From Talk

Flank steak - without a grill

Season heavily with fresh ground dried red and chipotle chiles, salt, pepper, and cumin. Then squeeze a bunch of lime juice and let sit for about an hour in the fridge.

Sear on high heat with just a little oil in your cast iron skillet. As mentioned in a steak thread, these cuts are best cooked cold straight out of the fridge. Otherwise it is very difficult to get a good sear without overcooking.

Then slice across the grain and serve with sweet onion, cilantro, salsa or hot sauce, and soft corn tortillas.

From Talk

Braised beef conundrum - advice needed

Taquitos.

Did you shred it and leave it in the braising liquid. If that is the case then just pull out the meat. Crisp up in some lard or bacon fat.

From Talk

Steak - room temperature or chilled before grilling?

Exactly what ESNY said. Skirt, flank, flatiron, etc. have all been really cheap up here lately. If you allow those cuts to come up to room temp, it is tough to get them seared and still rare to medium rare in the middle. Especially if you allow them to rest.

For other cuts though, like ribeye, I always let them sit out on the counter for about an hour before grilling.

From Talk

Got anything to rant about?

My first one is the stupid dang pop up ads on SE. WTF people?

Second, adding 'base' to stock is just plain laziness and bad technique.

Carry on.

From Talk

How to make pie crust

I prefer to weigh out the ingredients, using by weight 2 parts flour, 1 part fat (preferably a mix of lard or high fat butter), salt, and just enough cold water to bring it together.

From Talk

Homeade Smoked Duck with Port Wine Sausage

You could do something like a hotdog. Grill it and put it in a toasted bun with some kind of wine, herb, and blueberry reduction as a condiment along with some caramelized onions.

From Talk

Homeade Smoked Duck with Port Wine Sausage

How about duck sausage and orrecchiette with broccoli rabe?

From Talk

Am I chasing the holy grail? Baguettes at home.

Adding either a pan of water like the above recipe is crucial to get a proper crispy crust. I have had great success using the simplest recipes and also doing all natural yeast attempts. Another trick is to spray down the oven and loaves mid bake with water.

I in no way consider myself a baker but these are some small baguettes I was able to get out of my home oven. These were cooked specifically for banh mi.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/climbhighak/Food/Pate%20and%20Baguette/DSC06171.jpg

From Talk

Salmon Wellington (Frozen)

It doesn't take a whole lot of time to wrap a piece of salmon in some puff pastry.

From Talk

Too Late?

I gotta say that if I were in your shoes I would jump. However why not CIA if you can get in?

See more comments by climbhighak »

Recent Posts

From Photograzing

Smoked Chicken Tacos

From Photograzing

Octopus Ceviche

From Photograzing

Grilled octopus with garlic confit spaghetti

From Photograzing

Vietnamese fish curry

From Talk

Duck fat vs. pork fat in duck sausage?

From Photograzing

Oeufs en Meurette

From Photograzing

Smoked halibut, kasseri cheese, and sauteed leek souffle

From Talk

Pepperwood or California Bay Laurel

From Photograzing

Sausage and red onion on a crust made from sourdough

From Photograzing

Baja Fish Tacos

From Photograzing

Elk Sliders

From Photograzing

Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

From Photograzing

Grilled lemon chicken wings

From Photograzing

Carnitas

From Talk

Lime Hollandaise

From Talk

After Hours with Daniel Boulud

From Photograzing

Pho bo for October Daring Cooks

From Photograzing

Roasted Bone Marrow

From Photograzing

Chilli paneer Indian dosa

From Photograzing

Elk Medallions

From Photograzing

Tacos al Pastor

From Photograzing

Rice with Squid (Arroz con Calamares)

From Photograzing

Frozen egg yolk and pork Chinese dumpling

From Photograzing

fresh line caught skate prepared Alinea style for Daring Cooks

From Photograzing

Grilled Kenai River Sockeye Salmon

See more posts by climbhighak »

Recent Favorites

From Slice

My Pie Monday: Climbhighak's Self-Clean-Cycle Pizzas

See more favorites by climbhighak »

Polls

From Slice

climbhighak answered "Way!" to Egg pizza: Way or No Way?

From Serious Eats: New York

climbhighak answered "Parties of 8 or more" to When Is an Automatic Gratuity Acceptable?

From A Hamburger Today

climbhighak answered "Steak 'n Shake" to Chain Burger Brackets: Steak 'n Shake vs. Five Guys

From Serious Eats

climbhighak answered "Produce" to What's your favorite supermarket aisle?

See more polls by climbhighak »

Quizzes

From Serious Eats

climbhighak got 100% correct on How Much Do You Know About Beer?

See more quizzes by climbhighak »

About climbhighak

Website: http://climbhighak.wordpress.com

Location: Anchorage, Alaska

About: I work in film/video production in the Greatland, Alaska. Self taught cook that loves sharing the lastest creations on my blogs. I am an avid hunter and fishermen and so many of my creations are VERY fresh.

Favorite foods: Pig in all its forms, moose, caribou (you know, rudolph the reindeer), salmon of all species, halibut, rockfish, shrimp, crab, etc, etc.... Basically I am after the very freshest ingredients and learning the best ways to cook them.

Last bite on earth: Just a lovebite on a beautiful woman's full bottom lip. Other than that many things come to mind. Maybe a grilled bacon wrapped date stuffed with gorgonzola and an almond.