Seriously Useful is a selection of kitchen tools from Amazon that I can't cook without.
Review: Chantry Knife Sharpener
Keeping Your Edge
Reaching to your knife rack, you grab your chef’s knife. With your other hand you pull out the steel and, with a few quick strokes, realign the knife’s edge. Over time, using the steel has become a habit. The habit keeps your knives safe, easy to use, and extends the time before you have to actually sharpen your knife. And if you’re like me, knife sharpening is a PITA.
Back when I used to watch TV in the evenings the chore wasn’t too bad. I’d get out my stone, collect my knives, and sharpen them while watching MASH or Happy Days. Neither activity required my undivided attention and together they allowed me to relax and accomplish something at the same time. (Polishing copper is another good TV task.)
Unfortunately I don’t watch TV most evenings anymore — I have better things to do — and keeping my knives sharp has become more of a chore. Some years ago I bought a Chefs Choice sharpener based on recommendations from several fellow cooks. Although the results couldn’t compare with the edge I achieved by hand using a stone, it wasn’t a bad choice: fast, easy, and simple. It was “good enough” but I wanted an unconditional “good” if not an outright “great.”
SG Archives: Cubano
Delicioso en Serio!
The bread was hot and greasy with butter and smelled fresh baked — as indeed, it was, having been pulled out of the oven only an hour earlier. It cracked loudly when I bit into it and my taste buds were assaulted with sweet, sour, savor, and salt, accounting for all but one of the five tastes. Filled with roast pork, ham, Jarlsberg, Kosher dill pickles, and a good coat of brown mustard, the flavors were intense and complex. This wasn’t simple assault, it was aggravated culinary assault and battery. This was my first taste of the famous Cuban Sandwich.
This sandwich is sold throughout Miami where it is as much a fabric of the culture as sausages are in Chicago and Po’ Boys in New Orleans. It’s a sandwich I’ve long wanted to try (and I still need to try in its native element) but when Marianne over at The Unemployed Chef posted a recipe last week I decided it was time to make one.
followed Marianne’s recipe for the bread (marvelous stuff) and the sandwich — with the exception that she didn’t have any roast pork. It was the pork that had interested me in the sandwich and so I set out create this element.
Italian Sausage Quiche
Sausage and Eggs
When I was editing Windows Tech Journal company parties were common occurrences. Usually the editor and publisher (who were married) threw them and on those occasions you could be certain the main item on the buffet was quiche. J.D. (the editor) was famous for his quiche and he’d turn out half a dozen or more different versions. They were always delicious, although I always gave him a hard time about using frozen pie-crusts.
I was teasing J.D., but the truth is I think a good pastry is essential to an excellent quiche — or any other sort of pie — and I’ve never had a commercial crust that was any better than “edible.” Among other problems, the store-bought crusts usually contain some sugar, which I find irritating in a savory dish. Also, I like using a combination of lard and butter in a savory crust. These days I’m using the Vodka Pie Crust Cooks Illustrated developed.
I had an urge for quiche the other day. I happened to be out of bacon, but I did have an Italian sausage link and some fontina. So I stepped next door and asked my neighbor if I could borrow a glass of vodka and put this recipe together.
Melon Salad
Dessert or Side?
I first made this melon salad for a picnic I catered a few years ago. On a hot afternoon by the lake it was wonderfully cool and refreshing, tart and sweet. There are now several American brands of so-called Greek yogurt, but it’s easy to make your own (see the note below) or you can use ordinary yogurt if you prefer. Also, you can use any melons you wish and add berries and other fruit if that’s your preference.
Tri-tip
Tippling Permitted
Just as Memorial Day marks the unofficial official beginning of the grilling and barbequing season, Labor Day marks its end. Frankly I’d like to barbeque (smoke) something and perhaps I will, but my smoker is out at my parents’ house and so I’d need to spend an entire day out there.
The last time I went out to smoke something I took my laptop and spent 3 hours failing to logon to their wireless network. So while I’m tempted to smoke something, I’m still thinking about it.
The problem is I visit them every couple of weeks and we talk on the phone once or twice every week so we’re generally caught up on any news. None of us are masters of chatting and so even when I go out for a visit there are long periods of quiet, as though mourning the death of conversation, while we all think about things we could actually be accomplishing instead of sitting there — even if it’s just reading that article in The New Yorker or The Economist or checking in to Facebook.
But what I’m thinking about is a smoked tri-tip. I did some research on this cut some years ago when I was living in California and was introduced to it. I can’t find my notes (so take this with a grain of salt) but here’s what I remember.
Disclaimer: Most quantities in recipes are approximate. Adjust as needed according to your taste and experience. Unless otherwise specified, eggs are large and butter is unsalted.