Corduroy Orange

Aurora sent me a link to a NY Times Article about robot cooks.  My first reaction was the same conclusion that the article reached: robots might be able to perform tasks but they would never be able to react to the subtleties involved in making a really good meal.

Part of what makes cooking such a uniquely human task is that half of the challenge is reacting to developing situations: interpreting based on smell and taste how and what ought to be changed or added in order to get a better result.  Hearing a sizzle that’s just a bit louder or quieter than it ought to be and adjusting the heat down or up to rectify the situation.  Adding more (or less) [garlic/ cinnamon/ pepper/ etc.] based on who one is cooking for.  Using a different vegetable today because the one that the recipe calls for was underripe/ overripe/ looked as if it had gone through combat to arrive at the store, whereas something entirely different appeared to be at the peak of its freshness and flavor.  So many small things add up to make the preparation of a meal more than just a task of drudgery…the bits of inspiration that put the art into culinary art.

Oddly enough, the article made only brief mention of one task that robots may be ideally suited for: cutting vegetables; and no mention of other tasks at which I believe robots might excel: grilling steaks to perfection (with the advantage of infrared heat sensors) and baking (with the advantage of exact measurement capabilities and the potential to be outfitted with unique appendages ideally suited to kneading and/or mixing–and perhaps even being designed with an internal oven).  Those tasks would, I believe, generate the enthusiasm the researchers hope to produce in the general population.

So, I’ll just throw out there, since some of this research is happening at Carnegie Mellon, right here in Pittsburgh, that I’m available as a culinary consultant if you need someone to help develop standardized procedures for culinary tasks that are beyond your level of cooking thought.  There’s no shame in getting expert help, you know: I certainly would turn to one of you if I needed a robot, so you guys might as well turn to me if you need help in the kitchen. I can show you the knife skills you would want to emulate in robotic form, and demonstrate techniques that you can program your robots to do, whether grilling steaks or kneading bread.  I can help give your robots the pizzazz they need to get the public enthused about their capabilities, and get them to produce the better quality food that will keep the public coming back for more.  Reasonable rates–please inquire via email.

I began to learn about coffee at La Prima Espresso.  This was several years back, when I was looking at a vacant property near my house and wondering what might go into turning it into a coffee shop.  I figured, ask the experts, and went down to the La Prima Roastery to ask some questions.  They answered all my questions, plus several that I didn’t even know to ask, and sent me away with some samples so that I could taste the difference between different coffees.  Ultimately, the coffee shop thing never happened (anyone want to invest?), but the samples definitely paid for themselves as far as La Prima is concerned, as it’s rare that I visit the strip without buying some of their wonderful, small-batch roasted coffees.

If you would like to learn more about coffees, La Prima has a monthly Saturday morning class at their Smallman Street Roastery where they walk interested folks through the coffee process, from green beans to roasted & ready, to storage, to brewing, and beyond.  The cost is $10, but includes biscotti and a half pound of coffee—so the way I see it, you pay for the coffee and the cookies and get the knowledge as an added bonus.

And believe me, the knowledge is worth it.  Once you understand the differences between types of coffee, you’ll never look at a brightly-colored, 2-pound plastic tub of mass-market pre-ground again.  At least, not without silently wishing it were a better coffee you were being served.

Classes happen the first Saturday of most months, with the next class scheduled for March 6.  For more information: http://laprima.com/news.html or 412-565-7070.

I love brunch.  It’s one of my favorite meals not only to eat, but also to cook.  That’s why I’m pleased to announce that Hough’s Bar and Grill, 563 Greenfield Avenue, is starting to serve brunch on Sundays from 10 am - 2 pm, and that I am helping them to originate the menu.  For the next four weeks, I will be in the kitchen cooking and training their cooks to prepare many of the brunch items I love: homemade pork sausage (mild or hot), home fries, pancakes, breakfast burritos, frico envelopes, specialty sandwiches, New Orleans-style dirty rice, and more!

So, please, come out to Hough’s from 10 am- 2 pm this Sunday, November 8, and every Sunday thereafter to enjoy a leisurely and scrumptious mid-day meal.  Mention Corduroy Orange and get a free coffee with the purchase of your meal.

There was a good crowd yesterday at Harris Grill for the Pittsburgh edition of the Blue Ribbon Bacon Tour. The bacon-themed event, organized by local bacon blogger Mr. Bacon Pants (AKA Jason Mosley), featured more variations on bacon than I had considered possible.

My favorite of the evening was probably the Chicken-Fried Bacon, basically bacon that had been breaded and fried. It excelled through its simplicity.   The same is true of the bacon wings: buffalo wings that were tossed with bacon-laced salt.  The bacon sushi (not pictured) was also a hit; the flavors of bacon, rice, and salmon are a natural match.

The “Pittsburgh Penetrator,” a pork loin that had been stuffed with a mishmash of kielbasa and bacon, then wrapped in bacon and roasted, was a bit much for my tastes. A contributing factor may have been my general aversion to kielbasa, but all in all, I thought that there was just a bit too much happening to be contained by one dish.

The highlight of the afternoon was quite possibly the bacon eating contest.  I participated, but did not compete.  I don’t know how the winner managed to do so, but he polished off a full three pounds (pre-cooked weight) of bacon within the three minute time frame.  To put that in perspective, I doubt I even took care of one third of my allotment.  After time had been called, I passed the remainder around to the spectators at my end of the bar.  When I left the stage, even with audience participation, there was still bacon left in the tray.  Suffice to say, the victor probably doesn’t put much stock in the teachings of Horace Fletcher.

One guest at the Blue Ribbon Bacon tour was Heather Lauer, author of Bacon: A Love Story, a full book dedicated to the history and lore of bacon.  I purchased a copy of the book and will plan on reviewing it sometime in the next several weeks (once I’ve had a chance to read it).  Though I’m impressed by the fact that Ms. Lauer had the dedication and interest to study bacon in so much detail as to write the book, I don’t think I would be able to stomach the research. Just one day of such a bacon-intensive diet was enough to put me to bed early with a fat-induced bellyache.

I had a great time at the Bacon Tour, though, and hope it becomes an annual event.  Just don’t count on seeing me enter a bacon-eating contest ever again–especially not the day before running a 5k race.

This Saturday, September 19, I will be demonstrating knife skills and cooking techniques on two segments of QED Cooks on WQED (broadcast channel 13). I’ll be giving tips on preparing roasted root vegetables and pilaf with either rice or couscous.

So, please tune in for the whole cooking marathon if you can–or my two segments if you’ve got other stuff going on that will pull you away from your screen. Assuming everything goes according to schedule, I should start my first segment at 11:10 and my 2nd at 12:19.

So, check me out in the comfort of your living room, and then let me (and WQED) know what you think. And, if you’re not already a member of Pittsburgh’s fine public television station, please call in on Saturday and pledge your support–the number will be at the bottom of your screen.

Friday, September 4: First Fridays Dinner at Enrico Biscotti. Also at Enrico Biscotti on Semptember 10: Meet The Farmers Dinner.

Every Sunday in September: Corn Roasts at Soergel Orchards.  A tip if you go to the corn roast and you like butter on your corn: bring your own; Soergel provides a butter substitute that just doesn’t do their great corn justice.  But I’m pretty sure it’s Pirate Corn (a buck an ear), so real butter probably doesn’t fit into the food cost at that price.

Saturday, September 12: Mushroom Foray in North Park: get tips on how to and then hunt for mushrooms; all shrooms checked for safety before you leave.  There is a fee for this one, so check the details before you go.

Sunday, September 13: Canning Workshop at Grow Pittsburgh’s Community Garden in Braddock.  Learn how to preserve Summer’s Bounty without needing a ton of freezer space.

Sunday, September 20: Art Harvest at the Co-Op.  Local food, live music, and art—what’s not to love?

Mushrooms are magical.  When they’re good, they’re delectable but when they’re bad they can kill you.  The knowledge of how, where, and what to forage is a specialized art known to few but from which all of cuisine benefits.  That’s why the Allegheny Mountain Mushroom stall is quite possibly my favorite at Farmers at the Firehouse.  The variety of what you can get there is exotic and exciting, and usually includes types I’ve never heard of.

The slippery jack has octagonal pores and a speckled top.  The Butter Bolete has a red cap and a yellow underbelly.  As opposed to the Gilled Bolete which, well, has gills; or the White Bolete, which is quite spongy.  Who knew?

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Great news—according to current forecasts, the weather should be just partly cloudy tomorrow from 9:30-1:00, when I’ll be demonstrating knife skills and cooking techniques at the Farmers at the Firehouse farmers’ market in the Strip District (2216 Penn Avenue, at the eastern end of the market district); the rain is expected to hold off until later in the afternoon.

So, come meet the folks who grow you food, get your ingredients directly from the source, and try a taste of whatever I concoct!

Hope to see you there

What’s better than bacon?  Five hours dedicated to the consumption thereof as presented in novel twists.

I’ve been proffered a press pass to attend the Blue Ribbon Bacon Tour, which is to be held at Harris Grill (home of regular Tuesday bacon nights) on Saturday, September 26 from 11 am - 4 pm.  The menu (which is subject to change) currently includes: Bacon Pierogi, Bacon Wrapped Shrimp, Bacon Brittle, Bacon Wings, Bacon Sushi, Chicken Fried Bacon, and a Bacon Cupcake.

More information, including a link to order tickets, is available on the Mr. Bacon Pants website.

Special offer: if I spot you using a cloth napkin at the Blue Ribbon Bacon Tour, I may give you a prize!

Check out this article from the Post-Gazette on local food blogs, including Corduroy Orange!

As it mentions, I will be cooking at Farmers at The Firehouse in the Strip District on Saturday, August 22.  Exactly what I’ll be making is up in the air—it depends on what the farmers at the market have for me to work with.  I’ll try to do a few different things to show a variety of what can be accomplished with fresh, in season produce and a butane burner.  Plus, if you want some ideas for using any of the stuff you’re buying from the farm stands, I’ll give you some tips and pointers.

Hoe to see you there (with a basket full of food!)