Cranberry Sauce in a can. For some reason this product has become a staple of American Thanksgiving celebration. I remember sitting down at the table during Thanksgiving as a kid and noticing right away whether or not the table was stocked with cold canned cranberry sauce that has been pre-sliced on a saucer plate. The tell tale rings around the cylindrical mold of cranberry goodness ensures its authenticity.
Frying a Turkey seems to be almost a fad sweeping across the country. It’s difficult, dangerous, is done outside, and allows the use of a propane tank. This method started in the Southern United States and is making its way North. The only problem with that is is that it can be so darn cold that time of year, making it inconvenient to be cooking outdoors. People still do it.
Duck Confit is one of those great foods that people created out of necessity. The need was to be able to store duck meat for long periods of time with out it spoiling. You can actually confit most anything and it is actually one of the oldest methods of preserving food. The most popular items to confit are cuts of meat with high fat content and fruits.
To confit something you cook it in a liquid for a period of time and at a high enough temperature to ensure that all bacteria have not survived the ordeal. By doing this to meats you are also imparting a great amount of flavor and it so happens to be that duck fat is the tastiest of fats.
If you have ever prepared a Turducken, you know exactly how much work and care goes into it. This feast called Turducken has been gaining more and more popularity lately. It seems though that most people would rather purchase a pre-prepared and packaged Turducken. Well that’s just no good. So [...]
Photography: The Zen Water by Dark Patator Ask almost any Chef when they first became interested in food, and the answer will almost always date back to their child hood. Some how some way a passion for working with ingredients to create something special was seeded in a Chef’s childhood. For me, it was the [...]
I have often heard the term "Soul Food" used to describe a certain type of cuisine. When I hear it, I immediately think of dishes such as fried chicken, braised greens, catfish, barbeque, and pork. I set out to answer a question. What does fried chicken have to do with my soul?
