FoodieBuddha.com

I’m starting to think that I should do most of my writing after the witching hour … it’s amazing what you see late at night.  As I ho-hum here and poke around the net, this tweet showed up in my twitter feed.  My goodness, maybe twitter isn’t completely useless.  For those of you who don’t want to do a lot of click hunting … here’s what all that translates to.

Todd Mussman, the former in the tagline Muss & Turner’s, has been called into action at Grindhouse Burgers in Downtown’s Sweet Auburn Curb Market.  With the help of Grindhouse’s owner Alex Brounstein, Mussman will be chopping up an entire lamb for your viewing and educational pleasure.

Full details are available here, but the short of the long comes after the jump!

Continue reading…

Last week, a friendly reader sent me a link to the snippets article on sushi etiquette.  The article gives us a fun and informative way to learn about the multitude of faux pas prominent in American sushi dining.  Given that it covers everything from ordering to ojigi (bowing), it’s kind of a crash course.  While I think a lot of this is highly contingent on the environment (for example: anyone brave enough to swallow Ru San’s crap need not worry about etiquette), it’s a worthwhile scan.

My favorite points:

• Don’t store your chopsticks in your rice. (THIS IS A BIG ONE!!!!!!)
• Don’t mix your wasabi in your soy sauce. Add a little dab directly to the sushi if you want a little more heat.
• It’s OK to drink your miso soup. Use the spoon or chopsticks to eat any larger pieces.

Again, some of these are more useful as others, use it as a guide, not law (unless you find yourself in Tokyo).

This past Sunday, Adam and I went to Rathbun’s in Inman Park for their farm-to-table cooking class.  There is a whole lot to say about this as I have about 200 pictures and a notebook full of scribble.  Luckily, the two videos I shot came out half-decent.  While they are nothing close in quality to the videos put out by Rowdy Food, I was reasonably pleased that my camera skills didn’t completely suck.  As for the audio … well … it is what it is.

While there is a whole mess of stuff to say on this (so be on the look out), I thought we’d start ya’ll off with a few short videos.  The star of the shows is chef Adam Williams, a 24-year-old wunderkind, who helped take Team Two to the promise land.  In his spare time, Williams serves as one of Kevin Rathbun’s devout minions chefs.  Enjoy!

Continue reading…

So the Mushroom Channel is a blog dedicated to all things funghi.  It’s a pretty good read despite it’s lack of diversity.  Yesterday, I noticed they had an interview with Riccardo Ullio, the owner of notable Atlanta restaurants Sotto Sotto, Fritti, Cuerno, and Beleza.  In that interview, Ullio shares with the crowd the method behind his Funghi Fritti.  Enjoy!

Chef Riccardo’s Funghi Fritti

• 12 pounds assorted mushrooms (such as white, crimini, portobello, shiitake)
• 4 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups white wine
• 6 cups rice flour
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary
• Truffle oil, as needed
• Canola oil, as needed
• Salt, to taste Pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Stem and cut the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces.
2. In a large bowl, add the water and wine, then slowly whisk in the rice flour until the batter is the consistency of a thick gravy.
3. Add the rosemary and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add the mushrooms and toss until the mushrooms are lightly and evenly coated.
5. For each serving to order: Fry 8 ounces of the mushrooms at 350 degrees F, using a metal spoon to keep them from clumping, 3 to 4 minutes, or until the batter is crisp.
6. Drain the mushrooms on a paper towel, then drizzle very lightly with truffle oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Recently, Atlanta super chef Kevin Rathbun made an appearance over on the Today Show.  He offered to serve up some piping hot grits!  They flashed a recipe up for a short bit.  I’ve posted that recipe after the video!

Continue reading…

Follow up to How to Sharpen A Knife: A Good Demonstration

To be honest the home cook rarely needs to sharpen (once to twice a year for even the most active home cooks) — if they properly care for their knives. I would also recommend leaving the knife sharpening to the professionals (Alton Brown is with me on this one). It’s relatively cheap and it’s rarely needed.

However, honing regularly is a necessity and every cook should master the honing technique. The other thing to realize that a department store is no place to buy your knives, and they should never come in a block. It’s a recipe for disappointing knife-ware.

For those that want great, but affordable knives I highly recommend: Victorinox Forschner — they’re consistently rated top end for lower cost knives by Cooks Illustrated. I love my Global knives, but the reality is that they’re a big ole waste of moola. Although they do feel great in your hands and give the best blisters with heavy use (sarcasm on the blisters).

Couple of key knife keeping tips:

-Never wash your knives in the dishwasher.
-Always thoroughly dry your knife after use. Never let it sit wet. Wet leads to dull.
-Never use a glass, granite or hard surface cutting board. Will ruin your edge quicker than a dishwasher

Even though I am not much more than a glorified home cook (if that), I know one indisputable fact: sharp knives are a kitchen essential!  It’s amazing how often people ask me for a lesson (or in fact if I would sharpen their knives for them).  Thankfully, I was smart enough to know better than to touch another persons cutlery!

Continue reading…