Man Can Cook #8 - Pan Seared Duck Breast & Cherry Balsamic Sauce

Duck is usually something that gets my attention on a menu but I don't make it very often at home. I should though. It's not particularly difficult, but I think some folks are leery of the idea of cooking a bird to a level of anything short of "well done". Relax, it's duck, not chicken. There is no where near the risk of illness with under-cooking duck as there is with chicken. 

This is a pretty darned easy preparation, and tasty too if I do say so, that is sure to impress.

Turning Japanese - Sumika Kushiyaki Grill & Sake, Los Altos CA

To most Americans the term “Japanese Food” conjures up an image of a Teppanyaki type of joint like Benihana wherein a caricature of Japanese cookery is put on display for millions of open gobbed rubes annually. There are Teppanyaki joints that are quite authentic to tradition….but Benihana isn’t one of them. My disdain of places like this is the same as the disdain I hold for the lion’s share of chain restaurants. Benihana is to Japanese food as Chili’s is to Mexican and Olive Garden is to Italian. There is no amount of kitschy décor that can make lousy food created to appease the masses seem even remotely authentic.

To a much smaller subset of Americans however “Japanese Food” equals Sushi with a smattering of Bento style cooked presentations and for the very bold, perhaps an Udon or a Don bowl. Sadly this is all most of us have access to. But there is more….and dear friends if you, like me, enjoy the flavor profiles of Japanese cooking but crave a more carnivorously centric palate from which to make your selections there is an answer….and a very authentically Japanese one at that.

Seven People That Are Screwing Up This Country

This is a topic that’s been idling around in my scotch soaked brain for quite a few months though recent events have turned it up to eleven. We’ve got problems here folks, and there is a roadblock to solving them. If we don’t address that roadblock we won’t solve a freakin thing.

As the title suggests, there are 7 people who are doing serious damage to our nation as a whole. In reality, the list is far longer than 7, but specific to the topic of political discourse these folks are among the most visible offenders. They are not fostering real critical political debate they are preventing it and by doing so, they are in part responsible for preventing us from solving many of the problems that currently plague us.

So who are these people….

Gigante - Andres Torres and ADHD

San Francisco Giants center-fielder, Andrés Torres, came from humble means, found rejection, mockery, and disappointment, and struggled 10 years in the minors before becoming a major league baseball player.

Andrés has developed strategies and support systems that helped him to become a key player in the San Francisco Giants' 2010 World Series win. His story inspires hope and motivates others to embrace their own challenges and never give up on their dreams.

Directed by Sundance award-winning director, Chusy Haney-Jardine.

DVD release July 2011
www.planafilms.com

Man Can Cook # 7 - Entry Level Offal v2.0 - Turn The Other Cheek

Kathy dreads it when I come along to the Farmers Market because when I see all the goodies, the wheels in my head start turning and before you can say “Certified Organic Horseshit” I’ve planned out and purchased the next 3-4 night’s meals…usually with little regard to the cost. So yeah…I’m not a cheap date, but at least I’m easy. 

This post is something of a follow-up to my piece on New Orleans from December. Therein I described a meal that Kathy and I enjoyed at Cochon. One of the highlights of the meal was a “Paneed Pork Cheeks with Boston Baked Peanuts” that would flat knock your hat in the creek. “Good” doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Man Can Cook #6 - Raising The "Steaks"

Few things are more purely delicious than a good steak. A fine hunk of meat, cooked perfectly is damned tough to beat. A steak appeals to our primal core both in method of preparation and consumption. It’s a basis for a quick and simple meal, but simple food done right can be fantastic and as good, if not better than what you are used to paying $20-$30 (if not more) for in a restaurant. The keys to achieving carnivorous nirvana are a quality hunk of cow flesh (duh) and the right technique.

The first part is easily addressed. Pay a little more for the highest grade beef you can get your grubby little mitts on. It’s worth it. If you can find organically raised and hormone free, ABSOLUTELY buy that! If you can find grass-fed, buy that. If you can find dry-aged, buy that, but that might be getting a little pricey for a Wednesday night dinner. The point is, find good beef. There really is a difference.

The second, and more important part is the method of preparation, because no matter how good the meat is, if you cook it like a mouth-breather at an Applebee’s it’ll taste like it was cooked by a mouth-breather at an Applebee’s….and I think we can all agree, you’ve never had a really great steak at a national chain restaurant that resides in a parking lot in front of a Home Depot & PetsMart. If you don’t agree, stop reading this…seriously…go away. 

Ok, now that we’ve relieved ourselves of the people Europeans make fun of we can continue.

My First Baseball Memory and My Hero, Willie McCovey

Baseball, like no other sport is particularly suited to being enjoyed via the medium of radio. It’s been said time and again, that a great broadcaster can paint a verbal picture so vivid that the listener might actually be “seeing” more of the game and it’s intricacies than those who are actually in attendance at the ballpark. The true greats of radio have been able to bring this level of detail; Russ Hodges, Vin Scully, Marty Brenneman, Ernie Harwell, Harry Kalas, Lon Simmons and Jon Miller all share this unique ability. Each of these men have provided uniquely colored and vividly illustrated first baseball memories to legions of fans both young and old. Here’s mine: