Saturday, February 27, 2010

Online article leads to HOME MADE DIM SUM DUMPLINGS






An ex-chef (as if anyone ever really retires from eating) forwarded this to me the other day. The French Dip description at the end of the article piqued my desire. It was chilly in the Fort and I decided to make some home made dumplings - even the dough - from scratch. I apologize that, as a Texan, sometimes my Dim Sum only serves to move some type of chili condiment into my mouth - but these turned out most excellent (The Excellent Dumpling House in NY serves as my current gold standard). Recipe after the jump!
























Chinese dumplings (Jiaozi) are very popular during the Chinese New Year season
Ingredients:

* Jiaozi dough:
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* up to 1 1/4 cups cold water
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* Filling:
* 1 cup ground pork or beef
* 1 TB soy sauce
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 TB Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, or to taste
* 3 TB sesame oil
* 1/2 green onion, finely minced
* 1 1/2 cups finely shredded Napa cabbage
* 4 tablespoons shredded bamboo shoots
* 2 slices fresh ginger, finely minced
* 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced

Preparation:
Stir the salt into the flour. Slowly stir in the cold water, adding as much as is necessary to form a smooth dough. Don't add more water than is necessary. Knead the dough into a smooth ball. Cover the dough and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting, prepare the filling ingredients. Add the soy sauce, salt, rice wine and white pepper to the meat, stirring in only one direction. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring in the same direction, and mix well.

To make the dumpling dough: knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball. Divide the dough into 60 pieces. Roll each piece out into a circle about 3-inches in diameter.

Place a small portion (about 1 level tablespoon) of the filling into the middle of each wrapper. Wet the edges of the dumpling with water. Fold the dough over the filling into a half moon shape and pinch the edges to seal. Continue with the remainder of the dumplings.

To cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add half the dumplings, giving them a gentle stir so they don't stick together. Bring the water to a boil, and add 1/2 cup of cold water. Cover and repeat. When the dumplings come to a boil for a third time, they are ready. Drain and remove. If desired, they can be pan-fried at this point.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Forget EVERYTHING You Think You Know About GRILLING...

Steven Raichlen's Caveman T-Bones With Hellfire Hot Sauce

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

OUTLAW CHEF GETS ISLAND FEVER Terry Chandler, Chef/Owner Fred’s Café/Outlaw Chef Catering


Terry Chandler, Chef/Owner Fred’s Café/Outlaw Chef Catering

Get a taste of the islands tonight as the Outlaw Chef steps away from the camp­fire. Wear your favorite (tasteful) island attire this evening as he demonstrates:

* Wild Mushroom & Goat Cheese Quesa­dilla Appetizer with Guacamole
* Corn Meal Encrusted Red Snapper with Mango Salsa
* Central American Red Beans & Poblano Rice
* Sage-Honey Flan

CLASS TIME 6:30 - 9 PM

375

WED, FEB 24 2010
6:30 PM

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Primal Grill: Lomo Al Trappo Primal

Primal Grill : Lomo Al Trappo


Beef tenderloin, encased in salt, wrapped is a dishtowel and cooked directly in the fire!


Saturday, February 20, 2010

The World's Biggest Foods - Newsweek Pictorial



























Friday, February 19, 2010

Town Talk RULES...


I mean , DUH - Town Talk Rules....





SLATE: Ignore Expiration Dates
"Best by," "Sell by," and all those other labels mean very little.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Food and Beverage Industry Guides


Food and Beverage Industry Guides (mostly in PDF format) concerning all aspects of the business.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

A YEAR of FRESH BAKED BREAD


A YEAR of FRESH BAKED BREAD


I have been baking my own bread for over a year now, and it has been a life changing experience. When you have to prepare a day before you need the loaf, it not-so-subtly alters your perception of time. I've lost weight, I am more in touch with the foods I feed my body with, and I feel in markedly better health. Also heightened is my appreciation of all the bakers I have know throughout my life, my grandmothers, they pastry chefs I used to jeer during my Food & Beverage days, and the entire country of baguette eaters. I am not saying that mass produced bread isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it is a small change that I would suggest anyone try for at least a month. Oh, and by the way, using a bread making machine is considered cheating....

Groovy Resources:













Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The BEST WRITTEN COMEDY on TV

I do believe that this is the FUNNIEST THING ON TV right now - watch it at HULU.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Women HATE Flowers for VALENTINE'S DAY



Saturday, February 13, 2010

SNOW in the FORT - Make Fresh Snow Cream!


C'mon - I dare ya!

Fresh Snow Cream

TooManyChefs

Friday, February 12, 2010

55 recipes for your favorite restaurant dishes


LA TIMES: 55 recipes for your favorite restaurant dishes

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Cold Weather Hashbrown Quiche






A hearty hash of buttered potatoes, smoky ham, diced onion, eggs and shredded Cheddar cheese bakes up a beautiful quiche that is a perennial favorite, perfect for holiday brunches and leisurely weekend mornings.
Ingredients

* 3 cups shredded hash brown potatoes
* 1/3 cup butter, melted
* seasoning salt to taste
* 1 cup diced cooked ham
* 1/4 cup chopped onion
* 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup milk
* salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Press hash browns onto the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie dish. Drizzle with melted butter, and sprinkle with seasoning salt. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until beginning to brown.
3. In a small bowl, combine ham, onion and shredded cheese. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and a little seasoning salt. When crust is ready, spread ham mixture on the bottom, then cover with egg mixture.
4. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C.) Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until filling is puffed and golden brown.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Signage Troubles in the Fort

Star Telegram:

City sign ordinance affects Kincaid's Hamburgers

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Fred's Spring Music Calendar

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Balcones Distillery


I posted here about Balcones Distillery after reading about them in the Waco Tribune back in September, 2009. I finally got to try the product last night at my gig - completely surprised they had both the Rumble and the Baby Blue. This ain't your daddy's whiskey; but may be closer to your Granddaddy's corn squeezins'. I found both products of high quality and hope the MADE IN TEXAS appendage affords them the necessary cache to launch the new brand successfully. I believe Jon Castleberry is onboard to promote the product here in the Fort - look for 'em at your local watering hole.

http://www.balconesdistilling.com/

Star Telegram: Small distilleries are putting Texas on the top shelf



Saturday, February 6, 2010

Chavos


Well, I can't find anything about this on the interwebs, but I was craving a particular
Sausage Taco
just the other day. If I remember correctly, a large white catering truck emblazoned with the word
CHAVOS
used to show up for the outdoor Fort Worth festivals back in the 90s. The specialty was a sausage taco featuring a type of dog resembling the
HOT CHUBBIE
made by Nemecek Bros. in West, Texas.

It was simply a grilled chubbie with grilled onions and jalapenos in a flour tortilla, topped with fresh guacamole. Simple, yet powerful, this taco truck sold out of product every day. Anyone remember this? I think they may have been from somewhere along the SAUSAGE TRAIL (I-35 from DFW to San Antonio). Drop me a comment if you have any info...

Friday, February 5, 2010

24 Weird and Unique Hamburgers

Admitted, I'm spoiled - I reside in close proximity to that paragon of Texan culinary mastery:





But other folks around the planet are not so lucky, so here are 24 Weird and Unique Hamburgers from KoldCastTV.com.



Thursday, February 4, 2010

The 9 Most Interesting Variations of a Hot Dog Around the World


From OffTrackPlanet.com: The 9 Most Interesting Variations of a Hot Dog Around the World


Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Clark Terry Receives 2010 Recording Academy® Lifetime Achievement Award

I did MUMBLES with Clark Terry back in the 80's with The Eastfield College Jazz Reading Band - he did an inspirational trumpet clinic and a performance with the group. I ended up doing the piece that year with my High School Jazz Orchestra. It's great that the Grammys recognizes his lifetime of achievments!







In a special invitation-only ceremony to be held during GRAMMY Week on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010, and a formal acknowledgment during the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards telecast, which will be held at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010, and broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network, one of Jazz's most beloved citizens, Clark Terry will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Recording Academy®.



http://www.clarkterry.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Terry

http://www.visionaryproject.org/terryclark/

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Forbes: Cybercrime Checks Into The Hotel Industry Cybercrime


Cybersecurity

Cybercrime Checks Into The Hotel Industry


Over the past year America's hotels have had some uninvited guests: a wave of increasingly sophisticated invasions by organized cybercriminals.

That's one finding of a report that cybersecurity researcher Nicholas Percoco plans to present Tuesday at the Black Hat security conference in Arlington, Va. His data shows a spike in hacking incidents that successfully targeted hotels and resorts, what Percoco describes as relatively unprotected sources of thousands or even millions of credit card account details.