Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Date Change for our August Meeting- We are now meeting Wednesday, Sept 5th

Doug and I are both required to attend a reception for the new university president on August 29th, so we will have to change our meeting time.

We are now meeting the week after, on Wednesday, September 5th at 6:30 PM in the Fireside. I apologize for the short notice, but hope you will still be able to make it. Same time, same place, just a different date.

As a reminder, we are reading the Chef's Apprentice by Elle Newmark. September's pick is the Cheese Room by Patricia Michelson.


I will be meeting with Doug soon to decide on what he will demo, and will let you know as soon as I do.

I hope everyone is having a lovely August.

~ Brianne

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Braised Pork Cheeks

Braised Pork Cheeks
Recipe by Doug Hinners

Ingredients: 

Salt as needed

Pepper as needed

Vegetable oil as needed

6 ea.  Pig Cheeks

1 ea. Carrot, med dice

1 ea. Large Yellow onion, med dice

2-3 cloves Garlic, sliced

1 ea  Bay Leaf

1 cup Red Wine

3 cups Pork Broth or Water

Directions: 

1.) Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F.

2.) Rub the cheeks with a liberal amount of salt, pepper, and vegetable oil. \

3.) In a mid-sized, high walled, oven proof skillet, sear the cheeks on both sides and then set aside.

4.) In the same skillet, saute the carrot and onion over medium high heat until slightly browned.

5.) Add the sliced garlic and the bay leaf and continue to sautee for 2 more minutes.

6.) Deglaze the pan using the red wine.

7.) Return the cheeks to the pan, add the broth (or water) and bring to a simmer.

8.) Cover the pan and place it in an oven for approximately 4 hours (or until cheeks are very tender.)

Garlic and Herb Couscous

Garlic and Herb Couscous
Recipe by Doug Hinners

Ingredients: 

1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1/4 Cup Onion, chopped

2 Tbsp Garlic, chopped

Salt to taste

Black Pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups Water or Stock

1 cup Couscous

2 Tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp Fresh Chives, sliced

Directions: 

1.) In a small pot, sweat the onions and garlic in the olive oil until translucent (2-3 minutes).

2.) Season the aromatics with salt and pepper.

3.) Add the water (or stock) and bring to a simmer.

4.) Stir in the couscous.

5.) Cover the pot and turn off the heat. Wait 5 minutes.

6.) Stir in the herbs while fluffing the couscous with a fork.

Summer Updates

I hope everyone is enjoying their summers. I can't believe it's already August. Since I haven't seen most of you since our June meeting, I thought I'd give a short update.

Our last meeting was very casual and fun. Doug wasn't able to make it, but he sent over delicious pig cheeks and couscous. The pig cheeks were incredibly tender. I'll put the recipe in a separate post.

If you weren't able to read Tender at the Bone for the meeting, I would recommend reading it anyway. Ruth Reichl's writing about food is almost as good as eating it. Plus, reading Tender at the Bone offers insight into how Reichl became the person we read about in Garlic and Sapphires almost 2 years ago.

We are reading the Chef's Apprentice by Elle Newmark for our August 29th meeting.  It's different than anything else we have read. I'm only about a 100 pages in, but so far it's very interesting. I will announce the August demo once Doug and I meet.

Blurb about the book: The Chef's Apprentice is set in Venice in the end of the 15th century. Luciano is an orphan who is taken in by the doge's chef, where he hears rumors of an ancient book which is said to contain secrets of alchemy, love, and immortality. He learns the art of cooking, and embarks on a mysterious and dangerous journey to uncover the secrets surrounding the book.

September's pick is The Cheese Room by Patricia Michelson. Ms. Michelson owns La Fromagerie cheese shop in Highbury, London. This woman is a leading expert in the cheese world, and the book looks like a promising read. For more on Patricia and her work, visit her website, http://www.lafromagerie.co.uk.

(Shameless Plug) On Wednesday, August 22nd at 6:00 PM, Ken Arnone, CMC (Certified Master Chef) will be doing a food and wine pairing at 208 Garfield in honor of his new book, Pairing With The Masters: A Definitive Guide to Food and Wine. Chef Arnone is one of only 61 Certified Master Chefs in the United States, and his resume is as impressive as it is extensive. This event is only $25 per person, and includes a multi-course meal with wine pairings. Buy your tickets at 208 Garfield. I know that many of you enjoy eating there before our meetings, so you should definitely go to this event.

I think that's all of the updates I have to make at the moment. I will see everyone on August 29th at 6:30! Look for my demo announcement soon.

- Brianne