http://www.kramerknives.com/index.htm

The New Yorker did a big article on Bob Kramer in a past issue.  Soon after, his order queue filled and he stopped taking orders.  Guess if you want one you’ll need to get on his list and hope the queue shortens quickly. 

Alternatively, you can get one of the knives he designed for Shun and for sale at Sur le Table:

http://www.surlatable.com/product/cutlery/chefs&%23039-+knives/shun+bob+kramer+chef’s+knife+with+bonus.do

Not sure what I’m going to get.  Been looking at the Globals too, but gotta go play with a couple and see.  Maybe Adi has a suggestion ….

1. 1 1/2 cup of sugar
2. 1 1/2 cup of Water
3. 1 tbsp Lemon rind
4. 1 1/2 cup of lemon juice
5. 1 lemon thinly sliced
6. Mint

Directions:

1. Mix sugar, water and Lemon rind in a saucepan and let boil for 5 minutes
2. Cool, stir in lemon juice
3. Add water to taste, garnish with mint and slices of lemon
4. Drink and enjoy

Make the muffin recipe on the back of the cornmeal box …

… and here comes the complicated bit …

…  add caramelized onions, bacon bits and a little bit of orange zest.  

YUM!!!

1. Fill a glass with ice
2. Add a shot of Baileys and let it cool
3. Add at least 2 shots of good Cognac
4. Add a shot of Kaluha or Tia Maria
5. Spash of Cointreau
6. Some vanilla ice cream if it’s on hand.

Swill.  Yum.  Many a nite was lost to these.

Pretty nifty idea actually.  Based on the concept of a bacon mat – where you weave a bunch of pieces of bacon, then bake it so the pieces fuse together.  This woman has figured out how to take that concept, and make bowls or cups using bacon.  In a nutshell, you weave the bacon slices over top of a metal form, then bake the bacon so that the pieces fuse together and give you a nice bowl or cup shape that you can then fill with a salad, chips … etc.

http://www.notmartha.org/archives/2008/02/27/bacon-cups/

Sodolak’s Original Country Inn in Snook, Texas claims to have invented chicken fried bacon.  Now, I love chicken fried steak.  It’s one of those foods I miss not living in CA – how can this be bad?  I may just have to find a way to pass through Snook, Texas.  Even though it’s 2 hours outside Houston, in the middle of nowhere, I’ll figure out a way to be there.  Road Trip anyone?

Brown Sugar
Chopped Pecans
Cayenne pepper (if you wish)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350

2. Mix the ingredients in a bowl.

3. Dredge the bacon through the mixture

4. Put the sugar covered bacon on a baking rack on top of a baking sheet in the oven.

5. Flip bacon after 10 minutes or so (when bacon is glazed)

6. After both sides are glazed, remove and cool

“Who, under any circumstances, is not rendered almost helpless by the tantalizing sound of bacon sizzling slowly in a skillet, by the taunting backwoods aroma that permeates the air, by the luscious textures of crisp fat and toothsome lean meat, and by the explosion of mingled salty and smoky and sweet flavors that virtually explode in the mouth?”  – From The Bacon Cookbook: More Than 150 Recipes From Around the World for Everyone’s Favorite Food, by James Villas.

Buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/Bacon-Cookbook-Recipes-Everyones-Favorite/dp/0470042826/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197535266&sr=8-1

It must be true.  More than a few of my formerly vegetarian friends have claimed that bacon was the sole cause of their not being vegetarians anymore.  Who can resist the lure of good bacon?

8tbsp unsalted butter, softened
16 slices white sandwich bread
1 large vidalia onion, peeled and thinly sliced
sea salt
2tbsp Mayonnaise
1/2 bunch of finely chopped parsley

1. Butter half the bread slices on one side, then put a thin layer of onions over the butter.
2. Lightly season the onions with salt and assemble the sandwiches
3. Cut the crusts off and chop sandwiches into 4 squares.
4. Spread mayonnaise along the edges of the 1/4 sandwiches and lightly dust them with the chopped parsley
5. Eat and pretend you’re Danny Kay.

1. Cleaning butcher block – has your butcher block ever developed that oily film on it after a while of use?  If so, heres an old butcher shop trick I learned from my butcher.  Spread a reasonable layer of kosher salt over the whole board and let it sit overnight (8 to 12 hours).  When time is up, scrap the salt off using flattop cleaning tool or a taping knife.

2. Keeping greens fresh – add a small rack with holes in it to your vegetable drawer so vegetables sitting on top can have air flow around them.  It’ll keep ‘em fresh longer.

3. Garbage cans – Sprinkle some baking soda into the can before you put in the bag to absorb odors.  I also toss in an extra bag so that when I take out the garbage, I have a bag handy if I’m in a rush.

I’ve tried eating at this place a couple times over the past week, but every time I went by it was packed and had a line leading out the door.  A couple nights ago a friend and I were hankering for dinner and, lo and behold, Ramen Setagaya wasn’t packed to the gills, so we went in.

First impression – very good.  If you’re a fan of Ramen, and don’t need a large menu, this is the place for you.  The servings are good sized, the broth is sublime and the ingredients as fresh as can be.  Definately check it out.  I’ll be glad when the lines die down (or they open another branch) so that I can get in more often.  Nothing beats a good bowl of Ramen when it’s cold outside.  Ok, almost nothing, but you shouldn’t (notice I didn’t say can’t) eat fondue with a spoon.

This American outpost of a Japanese chain has a big reputation to uphold, but I don’t think it’ll be a Momofuku killer.  The pork buns at Momofuku are to die for, but in a pinch (or if you have a vegetarian in tow), this place will work just fine.

The following text is excerpted from the September 6, 2003 Schlock Mercenary footnote, and represents the first attempt at documenting this thing called a “chupaqueso.”

——————————————————————————–

You will need a good teflon skillet, a fairly sharp teflon spatula, some sharp cheddar, some fresh parmesan, and some Monterey Jack cheese.

1. Grate about a half-cup of cheddar and a half-cup of jack.
   Heat the skillet, and spread the cheddar evenly in the pan. You should have an eight-inch diameter circle of grated cheese, with a little bit of pan showing through here and there.

2. As the pan gets hotter the cheese will obviously melt. Then it will toast, and you’ll get cheese-grease floating on top of melted cheddar, itself on top of a layer of crusty toasted cheddar.
3. Start lifting around the edges with the spatula. You’ll soon reach a point (you’ll know, trust me) when the structural integrity of the crusty-toasty cheese allows you to flip the whole thing over.
   (Speaking of “over,” this is often the point where you’ll get frustrated and decide to start over.)
4. After toasting side two for a moment, flip it again so the “smooth” side is down, and the recently toasted side is up.
5. You now have a cheese shell sizzling in a puddle of cheese grease. It’s still flexible, but much longer and it won’t be, so you’ll have to work fast. Add the Jack cheese and a sprinkle of parmesan, and then tri-fold the cheddar-shell around it.
6. Slide it out of the pan onto your plate. It’s called a “chupaqueso” either because you can suck (chupa) the cheese (queso) out of the middle as you crunch away, or because this cheese (queso) thing you made sucks (chupa).

For added flavor you might try adding cooked-and-crumbled bacon with the jack and parmesan. In this case you’ll end up with a chupaqueso con tocino, or, as it’s often pronounced in my house, “chupaqueso con SWEET TRADER OF PORK BELLIES THERE’S BACON IN THIS THING chomp chomp AAARGH I BURNED MY MOUTH slurp gulp chomp.”