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Will you miss Gourmet magazine?
The last few issues, they've been trying new things, and as a result, it's been better, but no. I've had a subscription to both Bon Appetit and Gourmet for the last three years, and I can count on one hand the number of recipes I've cooked from the latter. I found the recipes disappointingly expensive and complicated and the articles a bit pretentious. Compared to Bon Appetit, it seemed the weak sister. And if that makes me part of the lower class masses, so be it. As it stands, Cooks Illustrated is better than both in utility, if not style.
Cook the Book: 'Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon'
Bacon is meat nirvana. It pairs well with every vegetable, even cold ones. It improves everything it accompanies. Bacon fat has become a part of my kitchen, and bacon guest stars in many of the things I make, from pizza to chicken to cupcakes. I own 3 bacon cookbooks already. The best reason of all, is that bacon and onions are best friends.
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Recent Comments | Response to Comments
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
Wow, compared to my friends, I'm the extreme eater, but compared to these comments, I'm pretty tame!
1. 1000 year old egg.
2. Cow brains and tongue
3. Grasshoppers, grubs and ants.
4. Czarnina - duck's blood soup
Will you miss Gourmet magazine?
The last few issues, they've been trying new things, and as a result, it's been better, but no. I've had a subscription to both Bon Appetit and Gourmet for the last three years, and I can count on one hand the number of recipes I've cooked from the latter. I found the recipes disappointingly expensive and complicated and the articles a bit pretentious. Compared to Bon Appetit, it seemed the weak sister. And if that makes me part of the lower class masses, so be it. As it stands, Cooks Illustrated is better than both in utility, if not style.
Cook the Book: 'Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon'
Bacon is meat nirvana. It pairs well with every vegetable, even cold ones. It improves everything it accompanies. Bacon fat has become a part of my kitchen, and bacon guest stars in many of the things I make, from pizza to chicken to cupcakes. I own 3 bacon cookbooks already. The best reason of all, is that bacon and onions are best friends.
The Detroit Metro Area's Top 25 Pizzas
Dolly's pizza is a really good chain, great sauce and a very yeasty dough. It's my current favorite pizza. In fact, I got some tonight.
Any 'yall cooking with lard?
Life without bacon fat? NEVER. I love using maple bacon and saving the fat for whatever needs a saute. These days, I've taken to cooking bacon in the oven so I can put onions, garlic, mushrooms and other veggies on top to roast. I haven't tried baking with lard before, but I would love to get this leaf lard written about here to try it.
Cook the Book: '100 Best Vegetarian Recipes'
I have been trying to eat more vegetarian dishes. Currently, almost all of my vegetarian dishes include copious amounts of cheese. Veggie nachos, veggie pizza, Monterey spaghetti (to which I add artichokes, spinach and artichoke cream cheese and green onion sour cream), and pierogi. I'm always on the lookout for non-cheeseflagration recipes.
What are you? Recipe Follower or Recipe Deviant
Deviant. There's no reason to follow a recipe exactly when you can think of an improvement. Shallots make everything better. Garlic belongs. Pepper = freshly ground black pepper. The only time I try not to manipulate a recipe is when I bake. The first time anyway. Even then, I add vanilla and almond flavoring to almost all the baked goods.
City Flavor Guide: Grand Rapids
I second the Wolfgangs. Amazingly tasty breakfast!
Have you discovered any new amazing foods lately?
Ox tails, so flavorful and delicious!
Firefly or Sweet Carolines Sweet tea vodka, mixed with lemonade, best Arnold Palmer ever!
Cucumber vodka, delicious with sprite or 7-up.
Time for a Drink: Applejack Rabbit
I will be trying this tonight. I like teeth grindingly sweet stuff.
Apple Brandy for Autumn
I have one single apple brandy story. But since no one else has commented, I figure I will.
So I wanted to make my first ever gourmet recipe for my girlfriend. It was this one, Smothered Pork Chops in Blue Cheese Applejack Gravy: http://www.recipearchive.com/recipe1.php3?rid=394
Living as I did at the time in a college town, Ypsilanti, I figured finding Apple Brandy would be easy. 2 hours later, having traveled to even gourmet liquor shops, I was ready to give up. No one stocked Apple Brandy, because no one drank it. After having ranged from Ann Arbor to Canton, I came up empty.
I finally stopped at a store near my apartment, the Keg, aptly named. There, in the back of their top shelf, covered in enough dust that it had turned into a grease, was a bottle of Blackstar Farms Apple Brandy. This is a Michigan company, but there was no telling how old this bottle is. I still have it. It's so potent, you can sniff it and get lightly touched.
Since it's purchase, I've used it to make Brandy Alexanders, and to soak raisins for oatmeal raisin cookies.
And I overpaid for it. 50.00, making the total of the gourmet meal 80.00. But it is delicious and in hindsight, totally worth it. If anyone else is interested, here: https://xblackstarfarms.merchantquest.net/store/product_info.php?products_id=56&osCsid=f922db2ced615bede06c7ae4abae397e
The meal, by the way, fantastic. I highly recommend it. The apples pair incredibly well with the blue cheese, onions and pork. It's totally worth the purchase if only to make this recipe.
Detroit Dining
Finally! My hometown!
Red Coat Tavern in Royal Oak and Millers Bar in Dearborn, both have fantastic burgers
Lafayette Coney Island
Genie's Wienies, formerly of Hamtramck, now of Fraser Curry powder and cinnamon in their hot dog chili sauce make it the clear winner
Fly Trap in Ferndale, featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
Buddy's Restaurant & Pizzeria in Detroit
The Bomber Restaurant in Ypsilanti
Dagwood's Deli and Catering in Farmington Hills
For fine dining, Wolfgang Puck's restaurant in MGM Grand and Steve and Rocky's in Farmington Hills are both fantastic.
In Videos: Cooking Show for Guys Who Want to Get Lucky
You mean I could get "output" from a woman with food?
Honestly, in defense of ladies, if she likes you, you could serve hot dogs and popcorn and she'd be happy cause she's with you. At least this show is insisting that you attempt to be romantic by cooking for a woman instead of getting her a happy meal. Even though they do come with apple dippers.
Why Pepperoni Pizza Sucks
I put cooked maple bacon and raw shallots on my pizza. If I can afford them, portobello mushrooms. And lots of odd cheeses, whatever I can scrape up. I'm quite partial to Great Midwest Morel and Leek monterery Jack cheese, parmesan and asiago.
Happy Birthday, Instant Ramen
These days I steam cook veggies in the microwave, chop up some fresh onion and add them to the ramen. Delicious!
Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Combos
Dried up pizza. Even after microwaving it with a wet paper towel, it was... shall we say chewy?
Those combos are awesomely delicious, by the way.
Duff and Flaming Moes: They're Real!
I have had both of them. They taste terrible, but they look really cool. I bought mine at comic shops.
Soft-shell Crab
My girlfriend kept trying to get me to eat crab. I tried it, did not see the big deal. Then I got a deep fried soft shell crab. For those of you who haven't tried it, it's heaven. I could eat them every day.
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
Thanks for participating and congrats to our winners!
LadyFlambe
tina_eats
terplinz
Mike13241
delzey
Please check your email for information on how to claim your book.
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
i ate head cheese. i regretted it.
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
Dinuguan, because all my relatives told me it was chocolate stew.
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
I think gator is as adventurous as I've gone.
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
Grasshopper, cow brain
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
I grew up eating tripe and vastedda (stomach lining and spleen), I have also tried testicles (a bit chewy), aligator, kangaroo, etc...pretty much anything, except for any kind of insects!
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
Snake, abalone, sea cucumber, durian, alligator, moose, kangaroo.
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
I went to an insect foods event in Montreal once, and sampled everything on offer.
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
When I was young I ate my parasitic twin.
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
On a business trip to the Philippines my local coworkers insisted on me trying the local delicacy of Balut(fetal duck egg). While this may sound like the most exotic i'd have to say that really it was later in the night when i ate some chicharon bulaklak which is deep fried and is apparently a fatty sack that covers the small intestine of a pig. It was actually quite good and definitely better than the balut.
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
snake 4 ways (soup, stir-fry, deep-fry, blood mixed with vodka as a shot, - taiwan
crickets stuffed with french fries and deep friend - taiwan
live fish with only head half deep-fried, tail half served raw - taiwan
bull penis / turkey testicle - ny (izakaya place)
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
Live grubs in the Amazon. You turn them inside out with a stick, and eat the fatty insides, spitting out the hard head. Yum-o (not).
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
Dog cooked in a spicy stew. Raw sea urchin eggs (scooped up from freshly cracked live urchin) - very intense saline taste. Japanese squid shiokara (salted, fermented seafood - very, very slimy). On a similar note: bakasang from the North Sulawesi region of Indonesia (a grey sludge of a very pungent condiment made of salted, fermented fish, similar to bagoong from the Phillipines).
Plus other foods considered extreme by others (based on the comments here), but completely normal for me:
- cow tongue, brain, tripe, heart
- pork ear, blood, feet/hock
- chicken feet, intestines (deep fried, they're great snacks!), gizzard, liver, heart
- goat's feet
- bats (body and wings)
- 'thousand year' eggs
- durian! (luv' em since I was a kid)
- sea cucumber, jellyfish, etc.
But I do have my limits: no bugs, larvae, worms and other creepy crawlies...
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
the Phaal at Brick Lane Curry House in NYC. I've finished it three times. The vegetable version hurt the most.
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
I make chicken and duck feet every once and a while, but some friends and I are really struggling to give Balut Eggs a shot. There's nothing I won't try, but the likely issue of texture scares the hell out of me.
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
My next door neighbor..................
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
Uni. I'm a wimp, I know.
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
pasta with duck testicles and cocks comb
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
Wow, considering how many times I saw what I thought was extreme having been consumed by others, too...apparently, I'm not an extreme eater. Insects, those are inadvertant, calf fries (mmm...), toungue, McD's burgers, sushi...I guess my weirdest was sweetbreads when I was 10. I recall they were delicious, but we never went back to the restaurant.
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
Lamb tongue. I'm looking for an opportunity to try grasshoppers.
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
I'd like to try seaweed.
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
i've had fried scorpions on a stick, fermented tofu on a stick, chicken claws, eggs of some animal i didnt dare to ask (though they were black, slimy, and most certaintly tasted a bit off)...
and like others, ive sworn of mcdonalds and all other fast food for a long while now!
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
It's only extreme to my husband and friends Uni sushi. I love it . No it's not weird but that is it so far...
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
What's with all the Vegemite horror? It's just a by-product of beer manufacture. Beer, guys! Hardly the equivalent of rats' intestines or bear entrails!
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Extreme Cuisine'
I saw a package of chicken feet in the asian grocery and could not resist.
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Wow, compared to my friends, I'm the extreme eater, but compared to these comments, I'm pretty tame!
1. 1000 year old egg.
2. Cow brains and tongue
3. Grasshoppers, grubs and ants.
4. Czarnina - duck's blood soup