Black Vinegar Marinade

[Dmntd]

The braggot vinegar finaly finished and it has a beautiful flavor. The malt is the first thing you taste and long after the tart of the acid has passed the malt remains. It doesn't taste like it's 9% acid, but it is.

A standard marinade recipe of mine, made it today with the black vinegar and was most pleased with the outcome.

3/4 Cup Stout Braggot vinegar
1/2 Cup dry mead
2 Large Shallots, thinly sliced
3 cloves elephant garlic thinly slice
2 Tbsp. Fresh basil
1/4 Tsp. Salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Combine everything and simmer for 2 minutes. Pour marinade warm over chicken or fish, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

This evening I'm having pepper rubbed salmon, poached in Black-Vinegar & Champagne with rosted red peppers, shallots & elephant garlic, pan fried kale and a bottle of Thai spiced mead.

Bon appetite,

Anthony

 

[Miriam]

What a feast! I hope you enjoyed it in good company and with good cheer.

Miriam

 

[scout]

Anthony, not only are you intelligent, helpful, and nice, but dang it man! It's only 10:45am and you are making me DROOL! *grins* That sounds fantastic. Men who can cook . . .what a weird concept.

 

[Dmntd]

Good morning scout,

Thank You. It was my pleasure making you drool.

I do have one question: The great chef's of the world are mostly?

Anthony

 

[byathread]

But who taught them to cook? And who taught them to brew?

Careful not to anger the meadwenches!! ;D

 

[Dmntd]

Hey byathread,

Many of the best and most creative cooks, men and women, are self taught like myself. Learning technique from books and the basics from the recipe's of others. Have a love of food and are not afraid to play with it.

I've owned 20 or 30 cookbook's over the years, mostly to learn how ingredients specific to a cultural cuisine are used and the cooking technique's of that culture.

The two books on cooking I still own are "The Larousse Gastronomique", a 1938 first edition (I don't read french, it was a gift), and a 1976 English printing of the first edition. I had to get it from the shelf (and blow the dust from its jacket), to be sure I spelled it right.

As to angering anyone, it's what I do best!! ;D

Okay really, Most of the great chef's of the past have been men, largely due to outdated french (and western) cultural views. A woman was expected to care for home and family and the man to provide for such.

As we've moved further away from these old cultural values of family and home, cooking like many other professions once dominated by men are opening up to women.

I for one believe, any individual should be free to pursue whatever career path they have a passion for, earning equal pay for the duties performed regardless of race or gender.

Anthony

 

[scout]

Okay, just to let people know before I anger someone *grins* I am an odd chick. I think diamonds and roses are uppity and snobbish. My engagement ring was an emerald (because I love green), and my wedding bouquet was wildflowers.

I deplore what French cooking has done to American cooks. Haute cuisine has become the end all be all of culinary technique, where the entree looks like an appetizer and a salad looks like a garnish. I admire the skill it requires to make these types of dishes, but it has created a culture where "using the best ingredients" is translated to "using the most expensive, rarest, and most foreign ingredients" instead of "using the freshest, most local, most wholesome, and most delicious ingredients". I believe that the American cooking culture has been sharply divided into two categories: "Chefs" and "cooks". Chefs being the people who study how to make perfectly julienned vegetables, how to make towers of food, and how to "platescape" and in general try to make their "meals" look like something from a 5 star restaurant. Cooks are the people who learn, generally at their mother's (or father's) side how to cook meals for their families and friends, plainer maybe, certainly less expensive, but delicious nonetheless.

Don't get me wrong, I love watching the Food Network on TV. For entertainment value.

Okay really, Most of the great chef's of the past have been men, largely due to outdated french (and western) cultural views. A woman was expected to care for home and family and the man to provide for such.

As we've moved further away from these old cultural values of family and home, cooking like many other professions once dominated by men are opening up to women.

I would say (difference of terminology, here) that cooking has traditionally been dominated by women in Western cultures (don't know enough about others to make broad sweeping statements about them *grins), while men have dominated the field of cuisine. Again, the difference between a chef and a cook. There is one exception. Down here in the South, though, it seems to be that men are the ones who cook if the meal is cooked outdoors (campfire, grill, turkey fryer, crawfish boil, etc. etc.).

Although, I believe that the first well known (world wide) chef was a woman - Julia Childs.

I for one believe, any individual should be free to pursue whatever career path they have a passion for, earning equal pay for the duties performed regardless of race or gender.

Anthony

Good for you. You may all start throwing rotten tomatoes at me. *grins*

 

[Dmntd]

Well scout,

Your in luck, tomatoes are never in the house long enough to go bad, besides it makes a mess.

Not having worked in food service for years, I can't speak to the state of things now. Not one of the kitchens I worked in during the 80's had a woman as the Head Chef. It seems we may very well be speaking from different perspectives when talking about cooking.

The term Chef and Chief are synonymous in the food industry. The Chef is responsible for what happens in the kitchen from developing the menu, hiring staff, purchasing ingredients and assigning task to kitchen help. Having extensive knowledge of food preparation and management, as well as a knowledge of human resources, administrative procedures and business management.

Very much the same things mom or dad do in the home.

Your right scout, in the home cooking has traditionaly been dominated by women. Not only in western culture but in much of the world.

Have a lovely day,

Anthony

 

[scout]

I'm glad you enjoy your tomatoes so much, Anthony. *hugggs* Sorry bout that, I shouldn't have unloaded like that. I just have a huge amount of frustration with people who don't prepare their children for the everyday aspects of life before pushing them out to college or their own apartment or whatever. I've had too many friends live on ramen noodles because they couldn't afford much and didn't know how to cook cheaply. I had to teach some of the guys who lived in my dorm at college how to do laundry. And my daughter is at the age where she should now be old enough to start the learning processes involved in becoming self sufficient (she's almost 4, stirs batters, helps put her own dishes in the sink, and sometimes helps me with the laundry), so it is kinda on my mind all the time right now.

We are talking about two different things, and yes, most of the Chefs, and heads of restaurant kitchens are men. No question about it.

Again, I am sorry, Anthony. I acted like . . . well, I reacted badly, and I apologize. I did not mean to criticize you, or anyone who shows a passion for cooking of whatever style.

 

[Dmntd]

Good morning scout,

If an apology is due, it would be mine. I tend to view things in a Binary manner, on or off, yes or no, right or wrong, black or white. As I am continually reading, learning and listening to views of others, my stance on may flux.

We all view things from a perspective which is uniquely our own. Like you, I feel (a term I don't often use) many people, to many people boot there children uot into the world without having taught them the basics needed to live on their own.

When I was 8, mother started me cooking for my sister and myself, by that time I had been helping in the kitchen for about 3 years. She taught me some very basic technique's and safety then I was on my own. For using seasoning and spice, she said I should taste it, if I like it use it, start with a little then add more if wanted.

At 10, she stopped duing laundry for me. Said I'd probably want to due whites by themselves, and do the same for light and dark colored clothing. Use of soap, bleach and the machine, I could figure out.

I guess what she didn't plan with her approach to teaching me to care for myself, was how independent I would become, I'd left home by 15.

Things she should have taught me but didn't, how to manage and budget money, banking and credit management, and how to shop.

I do not believe you acted badly in any way at all.

Happy Mazing,

Anthony

 

[scout]

*grins* you got an extra year or two of laundry than I did. My mom had me doing my own as soon as I could reach the controls, and unfortunately , I've always been tall.